Extra Curricular Activities

Megan Gilmore Mrs. Jones AP English 11 January 30, 2012 Students’ Behavior and Extra Curricular Activities Over the course of my high school career, I have encountered many different types of people and have learned that the opinions of each are as varied as the individuals they correspond with. Every single one has his or her own perception about staying after school for a multitude of reasons and activities. Some, like me, have a stronger opinion than others. I maintain the belief that, when a student stays after school, he not only experiences benefits mentally but also physically.A number of researchers have questioned, hypothesized, and examined the effects of after-school activities on children’s health as well as on their grades. Studies have been completed over the past few decades, and many interesting facts have been discovered. One example being â€Å"a big increase in the number of school children participating in after-school programs: 8. 4 million youngst ers compared with 6. 5 million in 2004,† according to Home Alone. This dramatic increase in the number of students staying after school can be the result of several things.One possibility is that transportation is readily available to the students if a parent or guardian is unable to pick up the child. Students could also be coming to the realization that staying after school gives them energy to go home and actually finish the homework that was assigned. For example, let’s say that a student loves playing basketball but the school doesn’t offer a team. This student is missing out on the opportunity to exercise both his body and his mind. Now if the school did offer a basketball team and the student joined, every time he had to stay after to practice, he stimulates his body, which includes his brain.Then, when practice was over, he would have the energy and brain stimulation to finish his homework. When choosing a school for their children, many parents have to t ake into consideration the charges for education, in addition to any fees for participation in an after-school program. In fact, cost is one of the major factors that play into the reasons why parents keep children from participating in after-school functions. Costs can include actual charges for the program, either in time or dollars, and expenses incurred for providing transportation.However, according to Home Alone, â€Å"After-school programs are a cost-effective way to boost student achievement, reduce juvenile crime and help overstressed working parents. † Yes, if parents pick up their children from the school, the expenditure for gas money is less than the outlay to pay a babysitter every day or to arrange weekly accommodations at a daycare center for watching the children. A more constructive alternative would be to let them stay at school to either continue their education or play a sport to release built up stress; then parents could just pick them up on their way h ome from work.Now there are some parents that, even if they have the time or money, will not let their children stay after school. Reasons for this include not wanting to expose the children to the delinquents that have to stay for detention afterwards. Some even say that playing sports will distract children from his/her studies because the student will focus on the game and not the school work. According to Bill Varian, â€Å"Students involved in extracurricular activities receive better grades than those who are not involved in extracurricular activities. In addition, activities improve the overall student.Therefore, they help students to receive better grades by teaching them character building lessons, teaching them lifelong skills, saving some at-risk students who would possibly drop out of school, and helping students develop social skills. † We can reasonably ascertain, then, that after-school activities not only help children grow and develop now, but participating i n the undertakings also prepare them for a better, more fulfilling future. Another major factor that plays a role is the effect that the programs would have on a student’s life.Each and every student has a different life when he/she leaves school. Some have to go to work to help their parents pay the bills, while others can sit back and relax while a butler makes a snack, finishes their homework, and cleans the house. I have even seen some children go home to parents who think the child was a mistake and want nothing to do with him/her. According to Lee Shumow, â€Å"The children that are the most prone to actually gaining anything, in particular educational achievement, from after-school programs are the ones from high-risk backgrounds.Although, children that come from these backgrounds are the ones to have the least availability to the programs. † Many of the children that are classified in the high-risk background are the ones that people think will be the troublema kers in the community. But, if you take these children off the streets and keep them after school a few extra hours a day, they can develop bonds with other children so that ultimately they will stay away from drugs, alcohol, weapons, and the people who would tempt them to encounter and develop such habits.According to Mary Rombokas, including high-risk children in after-school activities â€Å"lessens the number of disciplinary problems later down the line. † Some parents turn to the school to provide a â€Å"day care† in essence. So that if the parents are not home, then they can let the children stay at school a few extra hours so that they don’t have to worry about leaving them at home. According to Home Alone â€Å"In 2009, over 15. 1 million children were left home alone and unsupervised after the school day had finished. This is more than a quarter of America’s school children and an 800,000 increase from 2004.These statistics includes 4 percent o f elementary and 30 percent of middle school students. † Many of these parents more than likely don’t like leaving their children at home, but they have no other choice; it may be the only thing they can do unless more programs became available to students. â€Å"Parents of 18. 5 million students say they would enroll their children in an after-school program if one were available. These numbers represent a hugely missed opportunity. A majority of publicly financed after-school programs serve low-income students.They offer help with schoolwork, sports activities, and other enrichment known to translate into improved school attendance and higher graduation rates and lower rates of teenage pregnancy, drinking, delinquency and drug use,† according to Home Alone. I realize that there are some parents who, no matter how much documentation is provided, will never change their minds about allowing their children to stay after school. However, there are alternative optio ns for their children to having them staying on school grounds after the school day has ended.Some students have the buses drop them off at facilities that will look after the children and have them play games or do homework in groups so that social skills can be developed. In addition, playing sports or group games help the children use their mental abilities by having them think on their feet so that later in life they will be able to overcome a problem not only with better results but also more quickly. Many of these places cost little to no money at all. Some parents may want to personally take some time to play or work with their children.There are places available to help them in their endeavors. Almost every community has a center called the YMCA. For a nominal fee, parents can share a variety of activities with their children. Or, if a student is having difficulties in school that a parent cannot help with, older children can provide tutoring while the parents work out in an other room. In a case like this, both sides benefit. Works Cited â€Å"Home Alone. † New York Times. 20 Oct. 2009: A30(L). Infotrac Newsstand. Web. 5 Jan. 2012. Lee, Shumow. â€Å"Academic Effects of After-School Programs. Champaign, IL:ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Print. Narine, Shari. â€Å"Federal funding for after school program. † Alberta SweetgrassOct. 2010: 6. Infotrac Newsstand. Web. 5 Jan. 2012. O’Dea, James. â€Å"The Effect of Extra-Curricular Activities on AcademicAchievement. † Drake University; 1994. Print. Varian, Bill. â€Å"Kid programs returning; Commissioners agree to draw up a plan forafter school programs in 18 more parks. † St. Petersburg Times[St. Petersburg, FL] 25 Aug. 2011: 1B. Infotrac Newsstand. Web. 5 Jan. 2012.

High School Credits and Graduation Requirements

Noemi Robles English 101 Arguing a Position Rough Draft High School Credits and Graduation Requirements â€Å"In 1997, Chicago raised its graduation standards to well above what Illinois then requires, asking all students to complete all of the courses necessary for entry to competitive state universities†(1). Many people believed that this may cause many students to drop out, but in reality, the graduation rates improved. Now, we are currently facing a nationwide dilemma. Many high schools are cutting graduation requirements and taking away classes that are important to both the students and teachers.I propose that every high school nationwide should have at least seven courses to take and that every student will graduate with a minimum of twenty-six credits. The most credits a student can obtain is twenty-eight which will be applied in the system. Some schools such as a high school in Santa Ana, California have their students graduate with at least two-hundred and forty cred its essay writer reviews. In 2009, the district wanted to reduce the credits to two-hundred and twenty so more students will graduate. â€Å"By lowering them its just like saying we don't want to put our students to their full potential†(2).Although two-hundred and forty seems like a lot, a course is worth a lot of credits as well which averages out neatly. It would be easier to have every school change the number to twenty-eight and twenty-six so there isn't any confusion. The state of Texas already has this standard and in the past, the graduation requirements have changed many times. Reducing graduation credits will not make things easier for students, but it will affect their performance when they are preparing for college.This issue should be addressed to everyone so every generation can prepare for their futures and be successful. Many schools want to lower their graduation requirements so more students will finish school and so others won't have the urge to dropout. An other reason why lowering these requirements could benefit us is because it will cost less money if some courses are taken out which means fewer teachers as well. â€Å"Twenty-five percent of all students, nearly forty-percent of Black and Hispanic kids fail to graduate†(3).This could also help schools raise their attendance and raise the graduation rates. Since many believe that lowering the graduation requirements is a good thing, they don't realize how much it could actually affect the students who are taking fewer courses. The reason we have schools is to prepare us for college and to prepare for adulthood. Schools benefit us mentally, physically, and emotionally. We learn to interact with others, we learn about ourselves, and we learn different materials to help us understand the way things work and why we do them.Lowering the amount of credits needed to graduate isn't going to make us smarter or help us prepare for our futures. There are many hardworking students who wa nt to learn and taking away a few courses can affect many especially if it was a course students wanted to take. One disadvantage of lowering the graduation requirements is not being prepared for college and it could be harder to be accepted into a good college or university. â€Å"According to a recent national survey, an overwhelming eighty-one percent of high school students expect to attend college†(4).Now a high school diploma isn't enough to find a good job and live on your own. A college graduate will have a better chance of obtaining that job which will make finding a job a lot more difficult, which is the second disadvantage. Students need those extra classes that are being taken away to prepare them for college. â€Å"Because too many students are not learning the basic skills needed to succeed in college or work while they are in high school, the nation loses more than $3. 7 billion a year†(4). A higher education can help lead to a rewarding career and a hap pier life.Students attending any high school should have many opportunities to succeed therefore we shouldn't even consider taking away any courses or lowering the amount of credits needed to graduation. Another reason why we shouldn't lower the credits, is because many classes that students want to take as an elective may not be in the curriculum therefore, they won't have the opportunity to learn something they were looking forward to. Although there should be a number of required courses students should take, electives help students feel more excited to attend school and that elective could be something that they want to study in the future.Some AP courses may also be taken away if they were to lower the graduation requirements. Lastly, lowering the requirements will cause students to slack off in school because they will find it easier to graduate especially incoming freshmen who don't fully understand the importance the first year of high school, and can influence colleges and universities to decline their admission. â€Å"Another high school in Scott County in Kentucky realized that they needed to make reforms after analyzing statistics that showed that forty-five percent of their incoming freshmen were likely to fail at least one ninth-grade class†(5).Students should be inspired to achieve and if we lower their credits they won't have the opportunity to go as far as they are willing to go. Most public high schools in California get their money to pay for teachers and programs through the state. The state pays for schools through revenue, funds, and grants. The money comes directly from 21. 8% state revenue, 38. 4% state general purpose revenue, 1. 6% state lottery revenue, 9. 2% federal, 21. 4% local property taxes and fees, and 7. 6% from other local revenue.The funds that are used are unrestricted funds which can be used for any purposes and earmarked funds which can be used for specific purposes. The grants that are given to schools consist of the base grant (funding for ordinary classroom operations), special education grant (additional flexibility in the use of special education funds), opportunity to learn grant (funding for compensatory instructional services for disadvantage students), instructional improvement grant (funding for staff development and instructional services such as arts and technology programs), and charities (6).Money shouldn't be a big issue because schools can receive money in many ways. â€Å"Morton High School District 201 officials have cut the number of credits students need to graduate and lengthened class periods in what the board president calls ‘the most effective and practical way to save the district money'†(7). Even though they are lengthening the school day, the graduation requirements have dropped which means students will be taking less classes then before.Since money seems to be the biggest issue, schools should encourage students to improve their attendance and get be tter grades because the school can receive more money from that. This obstacle can be solved with just a little hard work and dedication. â€Å"Most children who attend public and private schools in the U. S. Spend between 175 to 185 days in the classroom a year and enjoy a summer break between the months of June and September. The average length of the school day is six hours. U. S.Students spend approximately 30% less time in school than students in other industrialized nations, putting them at a disadvantage as they compete in the global arena†(8). This is extremely important because we as a nation constantly want to become the best but yet the next generation is having a hard time competing in ‘the global arena' because America isn't providing longer school days and more classes for our students. High school shouldn't be as long as six hours because many students work and others are in extra-curricular activities.Students need that gap in order to complete any assig nments and to get enough sleep for the next day. Summer vacation is also a benefit to students because students can relax, be with family, and do many other activities that they wouldn't be able to do if they were attending school. We believe that schools should not be lengthened but in order to prevent students from forgetting what they learned before school ends, they should complete some summer work, especially for math. AP courses give summer work to prepare students, but the work they receive will not be as much, so students won't become stressed.Students will still be able to enjoy their long break from school but have the opportunity to learn as well. If we lowered our graduation rates, there would be less high school dropouts, less classes being failed, more high school graduates, and school districts will be able to save more money if they cut classes that they thought weren't important. If the requirements were made easier for students, they may be inspired to try more cha llenging courses as well. Although there are several key points to the opposing argument, students can still be challenged by having more courses to choose from.If the requirements are higher to graduate, they will try harder to achieve and students who enjoy participating in sports will be motivated to achieve because they have to be passing a certain amount of classes to be eligible. Overall, keeping the credits to at least twenty-six can benefit students in many ways. We should support students to try their best and to achieve their goals. Bibliography 1. Will Raising High School Graduation Requirements Cause More Students To Drop Out?. 25 March 2013. ;http://www. achieve. org/files/ImproveGradRates. pdf;. 2.Barboza, Tony. â€Å"Santa Ana seeks to ease high school graduation requirement. † Los Angeles Times. 08 Feb. 2009:1-2. 27 March 2013. ;http://articles. latimes. com/2009/feb/08/local;. 3. Downey, Maureen. 26 March 2013. ;http://blogs. ajc. com/get-schooled-blog/2010/0 6/02;. 4. Paying Double: Inadequate High Schools and Community College Remediation. 27 March 2013. ;http://www. allyed. org/files/archive;. 5. McCallumore, Kyle M. , and Ervin F. Sparapani. â€Å"The importance of the ninth grade on high school graduation rates and student success in high school. Gale Student Resources in Context. Web. 29 March 2013. 6. How California Schools Get Their Money. 29 March 2013. ;http://www. cbp. org/pdfs;. 7. Ruzich, Joseph. â€Å"Morton High Schools Cut Graduation Requirements to Save Money. † Chicago Tribune. 10 June 2010. Web. 28 March 2013. ;http://articles. chicagotribune. com/2010-06- 10/news/ct-met-0611-morton-bells-20100610_1_president-jeffry-pesek-number-of-credits;. 8. ProQuest Staff. â€Å"At Issue: School Schedule. † ProQuest LLC. 2012: n. pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 29 March 2013.

Gun Control Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Gun Control - Research Paper Example Many other American considered that viewpoint to stand in direct defiance of the 2nd Amendment, which guarantees a citizen’s right to bear arms. However, most Americans support a certain amount of gun control that does not prevent its citizens from gun ownership but can more effectively weed out those most likely to misuse or abuse the right. There are three areas most heavily debated concerning the issue of gun control; the focus being on how gun control influences and effects violent crime statistics, suicide rates, and finally the potential of â€Å"civil wars† or the encouragement of other civil uprisings. Human beings have always committed crimes against each other of one kind or another, were harmful to themselves, and were prone to armed rebellions since the beginnings of society. From wooden spears to sabers and swords, humanity has worked very hard at developing ways to fight and conquer others. The discovery of gun powder and the use of firearms it has only helped to perpetuate those historical traditions. Films like â€Å"Braveheart† and â€Å"Troy† have dramatized how bloody and extreme of the battles fought long before the modern era; the concept of hand guns and semi-automatic weaponry were not even a â€Å"twinkle† in the inventor’s eyes. However, guns may have changed how we fight, but not the reasons that we fought. They were committing acts of robbery and murder long before guns were invented. People who wanted to end their lives and found the means to do so long before guns were invented. People, most certainly, fought wars over civil issues, long before the invention of firearms (Borade 1). For this reason many experts feel that guns do not cause crimes to be committed. However, at the same time a gun gives wrong-doers an advantage over their victims when implemented. Violent crimes are being committed every few

MBA Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MBA Scholarship - Essay Example development. â€Å" (www.scribd.com) Financial development is measured by factors such as size, depth, access, efficiency and stability of a financial system, including its markets, intermediaries, range of assets, institutions and regulation. There is a great link between financial services and economic growth. This increases the long-run growth trajectory of a country and ultimately improves the welfare and pros parity of producers and consumers that have access to financial services. Here the question arises that How do financial intermediation and markets affect economic growth and performance and, more generally, contribute to increased aggregate economic welfare and prosperity? They mostly do this through their effect on capital accumulation (the rate of investment) and on technological innovation. Now the question is how it impact on Deutsche Bank. If the problem arises in financial services, it will really effect the Deutsche bank because this bank is a providing wide range of financial services to its customers. Its basically The Corporate & Investment Bank Group Division, or CIB, is responsible for Deutsche Bank’s capital markets business, comprising the origination, sales and trading of capital markets products including debt, equity, and other securities, together with its corporate advisory, corporate lending and transaction banking businesses. When we talk about economic growth and performances, it shows the link with capital market. Here the capital accumulation is the rate of investment. So when the economic prosperity is here then definitely capital market will grow that is the aim of Deutsche bank. It continuously working on it and find out the different ways to increase its market. Deutsche bank is dealing in global transaction banking although its in South Africa. But with the help of courage team it really work hard in covering bank’s cash management for corporate and financial institutions, trade finance business as well as trust and securities services. So whenever any financial crisis comes, it directly effect the bank’s activity allover the world. If global transaction helps to provide a big portfolio of clients, it also shows the great risk for the company. So the risk management is also an important issue in Financial services. There is a need of well educated risk managers who have the great exposure in risk solution. Deutsche Bank has the good risk management team to cope with this issue. As we all know there are globally ups and down in financial market so companies are focusing on outsourcing. This concept is increased 15% over the previous quarter. In outsourcing, employees, market locations, captive model landscapes, key supplier development all are included. It is more beneficial for the companies. Similarly Deutsche bank is doing the same practice for the survival. It has the global transactions. In competitive era, it must to reduce your cost to increase the revenue. In financial m arket, the trend of strategic alliance is moving up. Companies are doing so for their survival. Different standards are setting for these alliance. It depends on the companies own strategies. Deutsche bank has lot of innovative programs with it for its customers. But it may possible for it to take some action in this regard for avoiding the great competition. 2. How do you see yourself being an

Relationships Suffer When a Person is Depressed Essay

Relationships Suffer When a Person is Depressed - Essay Example As a person’s partner is likely to be in their company more than anyone else, and relies on them and has certain expectations for their relationship, then it is the partner which is likely to feel the adverse affects of the person’s depression more than anyone else. The exact ways in which depression causes these types of relationships to suffer, include immediate, remote and contributing factors. The immediate cause of a suffering relationship due to an individual’s depression is the psychological manifestation of the depression itself. When a person is depressed, they often experience feelings of loneliness, sadness, despair, unhappiness and isolation. These feelings are very strong and persistent in the condition of depression, hence such a diagnosis. Due to the strength of these undesirable feelings, a person can easily change in terms of demeanour, mood, personality, outlook and behaviour. They may want to avoid social activities and any occasion where they must interact with others. They may be in very low moods which makes them difficult to talk to and engaging with them while they are like this is often quite an arduous and frustrating experience. They often find it impossible to be optimistic, friendly or willing to try anything new. All of these things are a manifestation of the feelings they experience when depressed. In this way, depressions seriously can affect the individual’s relationship. If the persons partner is forced to tolerate being with someone who is unhappy, moody, pessimistic and unwilling to socialize or engage in activities, this can easily and quickly put a strain on the relationship. Another possible cause of relationships suffering when a person is depressed is previous abuse of some type, which is a remote cause. For example, if the depressed

I Can Problem Solve Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

I Can Problem Solve Program - Essay Example First, it is important to take a careful look at Shure's own approach and experiences with this method. In the article "Raising a Thinking Child: I Can Problem Solve Program For Families," Dr. Shure explains the ICPS approach (2002). Myrna Shure's program, "Raising a Thinking Child: I Can Problem Solve (ICPS) Program for Families, helps to develop interpersonal cognitive problem solving skills (ICPS) relating to behavior, and can be implemented as early as preschool. By focusing on the child's interpersonal cognitive problem solving skills, the program is attempting to help cut back on the child's ability to develop problematic behavior in later life. Parents are also taught in this program, as they are educated to develop an appropriate problem solving method in their own communication, which should give young children the ability to think for themselves (Shure, 2002). When Dr. Shure first made the program, the program had been developed for parents (especially mothers) and guardians of low-income four-year-old African American children. The program has now since grown, and works with parents of children that are as old as seven, as well as middle and upper-middle income children, and children that demonstrate at-risk behaviors (for instance, children with ADHD or any other special need (Shure, 2002). In order to finish the program, ten to twelve weekly sessions are required. In order to get a grasp of the approach, six weeks of training is necessary. The first lesson teaches problem solving vocabulary by using games. This is followed by the second section, which trains the children listening skills, as well as how to read people's feelings and understand their own feelings. This should help them understand that people can feel differently about the same concept. The last part of the program provides hypothetical problems to the children, asking t hem to take people's feelings into consideration as well as consequences of their actions and various ways to problem solve. Parents are, throughout the training, learning how to discover their child's comprehension of problems, while learning how to engage their child in problem solving techniques (Shure, 2002).According to Dr. Shure, among low-income African-American mothers, two hypothesis-testing studies and one pilot were done with four year olds. After this, there was a three year follow up, examining the children at the ages of six or seven. When studying the middle and upper-middle Caucasian children and parents involved in the program, as well as those with learning problems, the researcher was able to discover that the children had gained in alternative solution thinking skills, and this had helped to cut back on bad behaviors in both school and home settings. Children that started the program during their kindergarten years also did better overall academically (Shure, 200 2).Dr. Shure has completed several studies that help to support the success of the method. This includes her article "Interpersonal problem-solving in young children: A cognitive approach to prevention," when a 1982 study demonstrated that ICPS was yet again successful.

Political Science-the book, Privilege, Power, and Difference and 19 Essay

Political Science-the book, Privilege, Power, and Difference and 19 minutes - Essay Example Alex Cormier was Josie’s mother and a high court judge who was presiding Peter’s case. She was going through emotional upheaval, on one side is her relationship with Josie, her daughter, and on other side is the biggest case of her life. Josie witnessed the shooting but could not narrate what exactly happened. Later, Josie admits to shoot Matt Royston before Peter as she also a victim of Matt’s abusive behavior. In the dramatic narrative of trial Peter’s parents, Lacy and Lewis wonder about the past events and his brother’s death that might have compelled Peter to be such a violent and cruel person. The story continues in the flashback of events before and after the shooting. Trial proceeded and Peter was sentenced for life but he committed suicide after one month in prison. Josie is sentenced for five years and Alex got married and pregnant with detective Patrick. Nineteen minutes delves us into the logical consequence of 17 year olds’ sufferings in a cruel society where schools have become center of oppression. Picoult points out the victimization of a culprit and our role in this whole process as a silent observer, as society! Instead of just blaming the culprit, â€Å"Nineteen Minutes† look into the physical and emotional torment of incessant act of oppression that pushed Peter to go over the top and take revenge. It discusses school system, responsibility of society, parent’s negligence and peer’s insensitivity that ends up in such horrible consequences. Reading â€Å"Nineteen Minutes† obscures the line between victim and culprit and the idea of right and wrong as it invite us to rethink the reality. Picoult presented a harsh reality in a straight forward but compelling manner. The novel is fully loaded with emotional and psychological insight about peer pressure and cruelty. It points out the cultural and social structure of school that is infected with the desire to

Reading Cultures.Politics of Representation Essay

Reading Cultures.Politics of Representation - Essay Example While studying semiotics; however one must  consider  that there  is applied  semiotic structures as for instance architecture, dress or cuisine. Any edifice is a refuge and a  certain  message (Hall, 1980:58). Semiotics maybe applied to cultural studies to artifacts as literary texts, photographs, popular songs, food, road signs, advertisements, and clothing.  Semiotics does not  seek  to  find  the  importance  of texts but to be conversant with the process through which they become  meaningful  and how they are differently  being interpreted.  Representation is the  production  of meaning,  discourse  and  image  (Hall, 1997:3). Looking at the  advertisement  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Istanbul European capital of culture†, there are  several  cultural aspects about Istanbul and the people of Istanbul that  are brought  out. ... Big,  colorful  palaces built in the Ottoman Empire  style  of houses have been the way to in the Middle East even in the ancient times. From the images, it would be  rare  to find someone mistaking Istanbul to a city in the U.S, because of the unique buildings. There is a lot of use of horses as a mode of transport, of  course  representing how long they have been using them. The use of boats can also be seen and, it represents a  mode  of  transport  that is free and readily available from the way a  boat  flies in between buildings. In the advertisement, there illustrations of how easily one can  move  around the city from using the suspension bridge, to moving from one place to another via en electric train. Most of the modes of transport in the advertisement started in the ancient times. All through the advertisement, there is dancing. To bring out the  significance  of dancing in understanding the city of Istanbul, is the  code  of dressi ng used when dancing, the movements and the musical instruments used. All these elements used in the advertisement cannot be specified to  represent  only the city of Istanbul; it could be another Islamic city like Dubai or even Qatar. With that in mind, the same elements can only be associated with an Islamic community. Let us use an  example  in the use of color  white  as used by Andrew (1996:12). White  is  commonly  associated  with  peaceful  and, good times like weddings and, that is why people wear white wedding dresses, but in some places, white  is associated  with severe  thing  such as death.  Considering that, it is necessary to  note  how  specific  mode of dressing, the  architecture  and dancing are to a community. The meaning of the images shown in the advertisement is that Istanbul is an

Comparison or contrast of East-West philsophical thought Essay

Comparison or contrast of East-West philsophical thought - Essay Example The wider areas surrounding India, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and the Arabic countries are taken as representing Eastern thought. Western thought is taken as mainly stemming from Europe, and North America, with some concession for Christianity, as it originated in the Middle East, rather than in Europe or North America. Additionally, while Christianity is considered the major Western religion, some consideration is also given to Greek and Roman philosophical thought, modern scientific though and rationalism. In terms of the philosophical thought considered in this essay as eastern, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, forms of Yoga, and Islam were considered. For many years, within the fields of academia and scholarship, Syed Farid Atlas (2002) argues that Eurocentrism â€Å"†¦values, attitudes, ideas and ideological orientations that are informed by European uniqueness and superiority.† (as cited in Yoshitaka, 2010) dominated much discourse. This has perhaps been to the detriment of philosophical thought as a whole. There are certainly positive aspects to the philosophical thinking of the east and the west with value. Neither should be dominant. In the west, it is accepted and encouraged that the individual will succeed on his/her own. Personal achievement is valued, and to achieve the individual should be independent of others, even independent of the environment. In contrast, eastern societies are structured around the collective. The family and the community or society are considered important, sometimes more so than the individual. The interdependence of people, and their environment, and even the universe at large is always acknowledged and accepted. This means that philosophical thinking, presented in explanation of human existence and purpose, differs widely in the east and west. While in the east, Truth is accepted as universal, independent of the individual, it is a proven, scientifically tested

Evolution of the Human Hearing Essay Example for Free

Evolution of the Human Hearing Essay Evolution of the Human HearingIntroductionThe human ear has two major functions: ensuring body balance and sound detection. The balancing mechanism seems to have evolved earlier than the hearing mechanism. Early developing vertebrates had balancing organs, but they have no cochlea. A good example is fish. The basic function of the human ear is to sense sound. Sound is a compression of wave, which travels via a medium. For vertebrates, the medium perceived is air. Sound waves can travel through other mediums, such as water or ground. Hearing is a result of vibration of the surrounding medium that resonates parts of the body. The resonance is then transformed into electrical signals such that they can be interpreted by the human ear. The way human beings recognize sound has undergone changes since the discovery of the ear. Land vertebrates, birds, reptiles and mammals evolved primitively from amphibians, specifically the primitive fish. The formation of the inner ear started during the Devonian Period. There has been a debate whether the lateral line structure, a sensory system used to detect variations in pressure in amphibians, developed into the inner ear. Most scientists and researchers agree that the ear evolved from this lateral system. The lateral system is found beneath the skin of fish. It is a series of grooves and depressions with a group of hair cells, which lets the fish to adapt to variations in eddies and currents. According to (Duane, 1981) primitive fish possessed a simple sensory organ. The grooves evolved into the complex inner ear in vertebrates. The nerves cells in the human ear are adaptations of the earlier hair cells. In the course of evolution, a fish become more amphibious. Finally, it evolved into a land animal, which required a new sensory system to detect differences in air pressure. This was a way of improving their survival rates, such as danger recognition. According to (Clark, 2003) the Eustachian tube and the middle ear evolved from the respiratory mechanism of the fish, while the inner ear evolves from jaws. With time, the inner ear changed and developed. The part of the inner ear responsible for body balance evolved to the membrane of the oval window. The oval window is responsible for transmitting variations in air pressure. As this happened, the inner ear was growing bigger and bigger. In the fish, a tiny swell emerged in the vestibular of the ear. As the evolution progre ssed, the bulge evolved into a spiraled cochlea. This is what forms the hearing system of vertebrates. Gradually, fish evolved into amniotes, which are fully terrestrial vertebrates. Early amniotes did not have eardrums. According to (Gangestad, 2000) eardrums evolved six times in primitive amphibians, in anurans, in sysnapis, in diapsids (lizards, dinosaurs, and bids), in anapsids (turtles and its relatives), in reptiliomorphs and in temsnospondyls. According to paleontologists, our earliest ancestors breathed through their ears. According to (Gangestad, 2000) tubes that form the middle ear developed from gill-like structures that allowed sea creatures to breathe from back of their heads. Another study was done by ( Anthwal, 2012) which sought to examine 370-million-year old fossils, Panderichthyts. This is an immediate species between the amniotes and fish. The study reveals that Panderichthys had tiny bones in its skull that appeared similar to the early analogues of the gill system and the ear canals. The study suggests the canals are the ones which developed into true ears. This occurred after Panderichtys’s ancestors had become air breathers, freeing up their former gills structures for sensory functions. The study plays a critical role in understanding the evolution of the human ear. Our ability to ear relies on structures, which started as a gill opening in a fish, the study reveals. Human and all other vertebrates have special bones in the ear responsible for hearing. Ancient fish relied on the same structures to breath while in water. The study further argues that the human ear into a complex structure after animals established themselves on land. To draw valid conclusions, the study compared the fossil with its close cousin of the first land animals. In another fossil, Eustenopteron, a discovery of a small bone called hyomandibula was made. The bone later on developed a kink and blocked the gill opening. Furthermore, in early land animals like tetrapods Acanthostega, the bone receded, forming a larger opening. This is now a part of the middle ear in all vertebrates, including humans. A close study of the Panderichthys fossil offers scientists a crucial missing link between the ea rs and fish gill openings. According to (Anthwal, 2102) the characteristics are much more like those of tetrapods; there is no longer kink but the spiracle is widened and opened up. He found out that the hydomandibula is shorter, but rod-like in Eustenopteron. Another study of a hominid that was discovered in South Africa confirms that the human ear has undergone several changes. The fossil dated 1.9 million years was found to have several bones which are found on the modern human ear. However, the bones were not exactly the same. Three ear bones were identified. The malleus appeared to be human-like while the stapes and the incus appeared to resemble those of Chimpanzees. The study asserts that since the malleus of our early ancestors looks similar to ours, the changes of the bone must have occurred during our evolutionary history. The discovery is important in two ways. First, it suggests that ear ossicles are adult-sized and fully-formed at birth, but do not change in our lifetime. Second, the bones show that the hearing ability of ancient creatures was very different from that of modern humans. This is not necessarily, better or worse. But certainly, the hearing capability was different (Texas University, 2013). Following the discussion presented above, it can be noted that the human ear underwent several stages of evolution. The studies presented above clearly shows that the hearing capability of ancient creatures was different from that of modern humans. In addition to this, it can be noted that the human ear evolved from a simple gill structure all through jaw bones of a reptile. The following diagram summarizes our discussion. Diagram Adapted from: http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evograms_05References Anthwal N. (2012). Evolution of the mammalian middle ear and jaw: adaptations and novel structures. Journal of Anatomy 221 (1): 1–96. Clark, A. G. (2003). Inferring nonneutral evolution from human-chimp-mouse orthologous gene trios. Science, 302(5652), 1960-1963. Duane T. Gish, The Mammal-like Reptiles, Impact, no. 102, December 1981. Gangestad, S. W. (2000). The evolution of human mating: Trade-offs and strategic pluralism. Behavioral and brain sciences, 23(04), 573-587.Texas AM University. (2013, May 13). Prehistoric ear bones could lead to evolutionary answers. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 22, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130513174048.htm Source document

Spanish Cinema During Dictatorship Film Studies Essay

Spanish Cinema During Dictatorship Film Studies Essay Filmmakers living under whatever military dictatorship are basically deprived of any open criticism of the regime as all cultural activities, including cinema, are rigorously controlled by censors. In order to share their ideas and produce films they want, they have to resort to the indirect methods of expression such as parables, metaphors, allegories, symbols and allusions and apply them in cinema language. The elements metaphorised during Francos years in Spain formed the basic criteria of the censorship Faith, Fatherland and Family. Hence, family as a microcosm became a condensed and concealed reference to the state for such directors as Carlos Saura Fernando Palacios, Luis Garcà ­a Berlanga to cite only a few. The questions that this essay raises concern the family category and family relationship in Crà ­a Cuervosà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦/Raise Ravens [Carlos Saura, 1975]; code of the figurative language in Spanish national cinema of the Francos years, along with the script, filming an d editing styles that convey internal impulses and foreign influences of that epoch in terms of single family. RR was shot and released during the period marked by the collapsing of Francisco Francos dictatorship that lasted for thirty-five years. It is necessary to bear in mind that the last decade of his governing was characterised by economic growth, social modernisation, population mobility, tourist development caused by domestic and external conditions. But the legacy of his flowering regime that is particularly identified with hispanidad and National Catholicism, gender, political and trade oppression, military regime, strict censorship and dominance of patriarchal family values was still in the air (Ibid., 173-183). In order to raise an issue of the burden of such politics Carlos Saura exploits the tragic story of the family where three sisters have lost both parents and become in charge of a strict aunt. The plot of child-centred RR might be considered as a long flashback of adult Ana recalling her infancy twenty years later in 1995 (DLugo 1991, 132). Thereby, reading this film as retrospective suggests mediation on Anas morbid childhood, on complex issues of family relations and grieves, their interplay and impact on her personality. But on the metaphorical level, audience is invited to meditate on the state of affairs of actual Spain caused by the loss of Empire (1898), unfruitful Second Spanish Republic (1931-39) resulted with the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) that paved the way for the military regime of Franco (1939-75). The opening credits sequence of RR proves Sauras ingenious realistic editing style that results in a non-linear structure and peculiar editing. Indeed it starts with the camera slowly moving across the photographs of child Ana [Ana Torrent] in order to compress the narrative time illustrating moments of her childhood and identifying her as the potential first-person narrative of the film. Further the viewer discovers that the visible limit between fantasy and reality is absent and transition takes place only through camera movement while characters enter the shot directly (07 min 02). From the technical point of view, the flying sequence of child Ana (15 min 35) is remarkable because the transition is realised by means of zooming, changing angle from low to high and subjective camera: in this sequence Ana escapes from her prison-house and it can be interpreted as the rejection of the authority. The passage from present to future is ensured in particular through the dolly shot and the off-screen voice of adult Ana [Geraldine Chaplin] (17 min 55) or solely by means of her voice-over (66 min 35). However the memories from the past are reconstructed from the photographs that are frequently fixed in tight shots (19 min 55, 35 min 06). As a result, the panoply of techniques contributes to the alternative editing and narrative in RR. The use of natural lightning and contemporary realistic settings enhance the authenticity, though complex, of the Spanish society. The establishing shot introduces the location of the gloomy family house and the further mise-en-scà ¨ne articulates the films space concentrated in this roomy isolated house situated in the centre of Madrid that symbolises the impoverished bourgeoisie by the end of the Spanish Civil War. The mansion is surrounded by overgrown garden and boasts an empty and ruined swimming pool connoting the decay, emptiness and death with an allusion to the dead-end political situation of the regime. The entering of the outside world into the closed space via consumerism is expressed by comics (09 min 36), glossy magazines (29 min 23) and billboards. Even the international influence on economic and cultural transformation of Spanish society is visualised in the national flags of the USA (14 min 46, 28 min 20). The only sequence set outside the city takes place in the ho use of servicemen Nicolà ¡s Garate [Germà ¡n Cobos] where children play outdoors and the diegetic birds singing (72 min 27) contrasts to the diegetic sound of heavy traffic heard in their garden (14 min 48, 16 min 28, 101 min 58). The ambiguity of adult Ana and Anas mother Maria [both by Geraldine Chaplin] contributes to the time, space and identities shift in the film. While mixing up memories and fantasies of child Ana with the reality of adult Ana and joining time layers of past, present, future and unreal together, Saura creates a concentrated reality where all characters and epochs interact and enter the field. Child Ana, the ambiguous protagonist, becomes a main link between Maria and adult Ana. As means to emphasise the importance of Anas viewpoint in the film, Saura applies the close-up on her face (03 min 35, 25 min 21, 46 min 37, 62 min 47, 67 min 17 etc.), and camera is also often placed at the level of her eyes despite the sequences with adults participation (07 min 11, 21 min 43, 30 min 35, 57 min 26, 58 min 22 etc.). This can be interpreted as the innocence of childs viewpoint and an appeal to viewers to adopt it. The films title RR as a part of popular Spanish saying states for Raise ravens and they will peck out your eyes could become a allegorical moral that not only the children could return evil for evil to their parents, but the unsatisfied country is able to take revenge on its former ideological leaders. Child Ana remains a powerful metaphor for Spains future that is still indefinite and unsure to defeat the regime, but potentially strong as her viewpoint is distinctly lucid, penetrating and analysing (DLugo 1991, 134-135). Thus, through the silent shots, she unveils what adults as censors try to conceal: adulteries of her father [Hà ©ctor Alterio] as an antithesis of canonised marriage (05 min 28, 74 min 20); grieves and pains of her mother standing for agony and frustration with the Francos regime (46 min 10, 55 min 22); quarrel of her parents proving the dominating role of husband in the family (58 min 02); affair of her aunt [Mà ³nica Randall] (88 min 19) contrasting with her a uthoritarian manner (21 min 17). Ana seems to understand that spontaneous stories of housemaid Rosa [Florinda Chico] with her genuine speech (24 min 37, 74 min 33) are more sincere than the orders of her aunt. The kitchen, which is Rosas realm, is also accentuated by means of bright lightning and grows into Anas safest place in the whole house. All in all, Anas character invites the audience to participate in estimation of cause-and-effect relations of the precedent and current epochs, depicted in her parents, as well as their impact on her future. As for the Anas surroundings, her household is characterised by double absence of parents and feminine composition. Since in Francos time the patriarchal family structure prevailed and the man was supposed to be the head of such mà ©nage (Helen Graham 1995, 184), this role is successfully played by Aunt Paulina whose iron discipline substitutes maternal affection. As Ana has already disclosed the illusion of the paternal system when she found her father dead in the arms of his mistress [Mirta Miller] at the beginning of the film (05 min 28), she does not obey her aunts orders and refuses to kiss her dead father (13 min 27). The symbolic meaning of this act lies in disapproval of established Catholic and militarist models embodied in her aunt and the servicemen present at her fathers funeral. Anas further rebel against her aunts rigorous education up to attempt to shoot (88 min 41) and to poison her (91 min 09) in the climax could be interpreted as an appeal for emancipation of the n ew generation, the yearning to burst the bonds of patriarchal family and to uphold womens rights in the society (Helen Graham 1995, 329). Yet Ana re-plays this rebellion in the scene with a doll blaming her disobedience (66 min 09). Girls dynamism and thirst for action are opposed to her grandmothers [Josefina Dà ­az] immobility and passivity. Her paralysed and silent figure stands for the nostalgia for the glorious past of the Spanish Empire and is a true allusion to her powerlessness in Francos society. Her life was destroyed by wars and regimes; she remains merely a silent witness of the present epoch finding her comfort in photographs that accompanied by an old-fashioned song  ¡Hay, Maricruz! bring back her sweet memories. Moreover, Saura attributes an emblematic soundtrack to every women generation in the film. The opening credits start with the melancholic piano piece  Cancià ³n y Danzas N.6 by Federico Mompou; it is performed later by Anas mother with a symbolic reference to her abandoned career of concert pianist and her unfortunate marriage (Helen Graham 1995, 308). Finally, Jeanettes rhythmic tune Porque te vas (Because You are Leaving) is a pop song about the failed relationships but it also has a connotation of Anas revolt and vitality. Thus, the self-conscious role of diegetic music makes characters and their ideological values more vivid. Being an example for masculinities, Anas father Anselmo does not have any associated tune: he is a former military officer from the Blue Division devoted to his Fatherland, though unfaithful tyrannical husband and neglecting parent. Overflowed with authoritarianism, Anselmo stands for a purest metaphor for the Francos military regime with all its dreads, oppressions and gender inequalities. His dominating position is illustrated in one of the photographs from the opening credits where he rides a horse (01 min 13).The legacy of the Spanish Civil War subsists in the sequence when children put in order their fathers cabinet asking questions about his military role (87 min 00). His gifts (pistol, gun and colours) could signify the transmission of values of the dying regime, e.g. violence, brutal power and nationalism. Furthermore, Anselmos character reveals and completes the image of his passive wife Maria. Being the typical spouse of the Francoist society, she renounced her vocation so as to accept the upbringing of children (Helen Graham, 183-193). Indeed, she was not convinced of her success and this can suggest a hidden parallel to the dictatorship, when none of the artistic activities was beyond censors attention. Maria is also a vivid example of a victim recluse in the house dying in agony, as it was the destiny of the Second Spanish Republic that did not lived up to Spaniards expectations. Redefinition of gender roles of the parents takes place in the domestic play staged by the children where Ana and her elder sister Iren [Conchita Pà ©rez] act their parents (37 min 59). Performing the mise-en-abà ®me of their conflict, Ana metamorphoses her mothers character according to her rebel head that stands for a shift in the new generations mind. This scene appeals to the open-ending (102 min 06) when girls leave their family house for the school accompanied by the soundtrack Porque te vas foreshadowing Spains optimistic opening to the world. All in all, these examples do not pretend to be exhaustive but seem sufficient to evaluate Sauras creative authorial insight and his attempt of dramatising the historical background in terms of family life. So the childs trauma in the film refers to the disease of the nation under the infamous Francos dictatorship. The semiotic of Sauras film including the non-linear narrative, cinematographic blurring of the events due to the camera movement and its different angles; use of diegetic music and sounds, natural lightning as well as actors play, all this might have contributed to censors confusion and they allowed its release without any cut, moreover it was awarded the Grand Prize of the Jury at Cannes Film Festival. RR can be also compared to the earlier works by Saura: La prima Angà ©lica/Cousin Angelica [Carlos Saura, 1974] and El jardà ­n de las delicias/Garden of Delights [Carlos Saura, 1970] which plots are also built on the family life with inevitable political subtext orienta ted on the intellectually engaged viewer. Word count: 2236 words Filmography Title: Crà ­a Cuervosà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Raise Ravens) Director: Carlos Saura Screenwriter: Carlos Saura Cinematographer: Teodoro Escamilla Editor: Pablo Gonzà ¡lez del Amo Music: Federico Mompou Year of release: 1976 Production Company: Elà ­as Querejeta Producciones Cinematogrà ¡ficas S.L. DVD reference: E166377

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Essay -- essays research papers fc

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born January 27, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria. He was christened Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus, but he preferred Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His father, Leopold, began teaching him to play minuets on the harpsichord before he was four years old. It only took him half an hour to learn each minuet. Before he was six, he had composed sonatas and a concerto for the harpsichord. Mozart learned to play the violin without being taught. He had watched his father and developed and intuition for playing. As a child, Mozart was so serious and thoughtful that at times he appeared older than he was. However, he was still a boyish boy and had a happy contentment about him. At age 6, Mozart began touring with his family where he played for the Emperor and Empress in Vienna, and Marie Antoinette, the future Queen of France. In 1763 Mozart went to Paris where he wrote four sonatas that were published. Next, Mozart traveled to England and played for the King and Queen. Then at the age of nine he wrote his first symphonies for orchestra. In 1766, he returned to Salzburg. By this time Mozart could play music at first sight on the piano, harpsichord, clavichord, and organ. He was also talented on the violin and viola. It wasn’t long before he was traveling again. In 1770, while in Milan, Mozart wrote the opera â€Å"Mitridate† and then another opera â€Å"Lucio Silla†. While in Italy, Mozart passed a composition test and became a member of the Bologna Philharmonic So...

European Colonialism and Imperialism in Aphra Behns Oroonoko Essay

European Superiority in Oroonoko Throughout Aphra Behn's Oroonoko, we can see the comparison between European and African culture occurring in many places. In a majority of the imagery, Behn's attitudes can be seen behind the text weighing heavily toward portraying European characteristics as socially more admirable. Oroonoko's introduction acquaints us with a person so refined in every way as to be almost god-like. Every feature of this great warrior-prince is shown in detail to be the most beautiful one could hope to behold. The narrator says,"...he was adored as the wonder of all that world, and a darling of the soldiers." (1869) He is even said to have,"...a native beauty so transcending all those of his gloomy race that he struck an awe and reverence even in those that knew not his quality;..." (1870) Clearly, this is the description of a person destined for greatness. Oroonoko, throughout his adventures, lives by these very features. After Oroonoko becomes sold as a slave, for example, he becomes a friend of the narrator and the overseer in the New World thro...

Rastafari Culture The Extreme Ethiopian Rasta Vs. The Mellow Dallas Ras

Rastafari Culture The Extreme Ethiopian Rasta Vs. The Mellow Dallas Rasta Many people throughout the world have a hard time understanding what it means to be a Rasta. For some their troubles in understanding Rasta’s come because they look as Rastafari as only a religion. When one does this they run into many problems. This is because Rastafari is much more than a religion. It is a way of life, a social movement, as well as a mind set. Another reason why western people have a hard time understanding Rastafari is because the movement lacks the structure that the western world is use to. A lot of people’s understanding of Rasta’s only goes as far as to think that Rasta’s are people that live in Jamaica, smoke weed, and have Dreadlocks. These people do not begin to think what is behind the movement. The idea that Rastafari is strictly Jamaican is also very wrong. Since the origination of Rastafari, the Rasta movement has expanded far beyond the island of Jamaica. Rasta’s now live all over the world. There are Rasta cultures in all parts of Europe, Asia, New Zealand, United States, and especially Africa. This paper seeks to explain Rastafari and to show it’s expansion by exposing Rasta’s culture from it’s most holy form in Ethiopia to one of it’s least holy in Dallas Texas. The Development of Rastafari The Rastafari movement stems from the teachings of the great Jamaican leader and motivator of masses, Maces Garvey. Garvey told the African people of the world to unite and to return to African, the homeland. Garvey’s vision was for the â€Å"Blacks to overcome their feelings of inferiority and build upon their own unique and evolving culture, and ultimately return to Africa to redeem their homeland and to build a future... ...own That Rasatafarians Built.† Ethiopian World Federation June 1 2002 Dubb, Adjua. â€Å"Rastrari Way of Life† JahWorks.org Nicholas, Tracy. Rastafari A Way of Life (Pamphlet no other info given) Jones, Linda. â€Å"The Rasta Way – Dallas Rastafarian community steadfastly pratices an often misunderstood religion† 08/11/96 Niceup April 4 2002 Lewis, William. Soul Rebels The Rastafari. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press, Inc., 1993 â€Å"Rastafari Campaigner Taking Cannabis Case To African Commission† South African Press Association 20 March 2002

The Fashoda Incident and the Berlin Conference

The Fashoda Incident The Fashoda Incident, also known as Fashoda Crisis, was the climax of a dispute between France and Britain, who were vying for territory in Africa, and both claimed control over a Sudanese outpost. At the end of the nineteenth century, the European powers were competing for control of Africa, hoping to extend their territory into the Sudan and the Great Lakes region. As the French extended eastward from the Congo, the British expanded south from Egypt.The disputes arose from the common desire of each country to link up its disparate colonial possessions in Africa. Great Britain’s aim was to link Uganda to Egypt via a railway from the Cape of Good Hope to Cairo, while France, by pushing eastward from the west coast, hoped to extend its dominion across Central Africa and the Sudan. In July 1898, a French expedition arrived at the Sudanese outpost of Fashoda on the Nile. After British General Herbert Kitchener's victory at Omdurman, he proceeded to Fashoda on orders from the British prime minister.Kitchener claimed the entire Nile valley for Great Britain, and, after several days, both parties withdrew peacefully. The solution to the conflicting claims was later worked out by diplomats in Britain and France, and it reflected the fact that Britain had an army in Khartoum, while France had no appreciable forces in the vicinity. France renounced all rights to the Nile basin and the Sudan in return for a guarantee of its position in West Africa. The Fashoda incident is seen as the high point of Anglo–French tension in Africa. Berlin conferenceA conference held in Berlin, Germany in 1884 to 1885 in order to regulate the trade and European colonialism in Africa during the New Imperialism period. The conference was held following a request by Portugal and organized by Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of the German Empire. During the 70s and 80s of the 19th century, the European powers were interested in Africa to get trades right s and access to the valuable resources, such as gold, timber, land markers and labor powers. The major competition was between the British, Portuguese, French and Belgians.The participant countries at the Conference were: Germany, Austria – Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden – Norway and The Ottoman Empire. They wanted to work out policy for the division of Africa. The US was against the Berlin Conference because it didn’t want to be considered as a colonial power. The main points achieved were: – To end slavery and the slave trades. – The Congo Free States came under King Leopold’s control (Belgium). – All the European powers were given trade rights in the Congo Basin and other territories. The Niger River and Congo River were to be free for ship traffic. – If any of the participants claimed a part of the African coast, they had to notify the other participant. -The princ iple of Effectivity was one of the outcomes of the Berlin Conference. According to this principle each colonial power had to : – have treaties with the local leader – fly their flag – establish an administration -create a police force As a consequences of the Berlin Conference â€Å"The scramble for Africa† speeded up.

Is presented in the 1997 film Essay

Hale is upset because he knows that John is innocent and he feels guilty because he was involved and doesn’t want to see an innocent man hang also he realises hoe precious life is and doesn’t want John to give it away: â€Å"Life is god’s greatest gift† Parris and Danforth are annoyed with John because if he had confessed to witch craft it would have justified all the other hangings but they understand that when they hang John they will be ruined and exposed as corrupt that is why it is slightly ironic when Danforth says â€Å"Whoever weeps for these weeps for corruption† The ending of the play is very dramatic using Elizabeth as the last person to speak saying the line â€Å"he have his goodness now god forbid I take it from him† this is telling us that she realises that he is a good man. Also seeing Elizabeth’s reactions and emotions it guides the audience and shows them how they should react themselves. During the Conclusion of the film adaptation the director shows lots of close ups of John and Elizabeth to show emotion which would have been expressed on the stage, this is affective because it shows you exactly how you should be feeling and why it is so emotional to John and Elizabeth. Also the music helps set the scene using dramatic music when John is deciding whether to sign or not an happier music when he decides to hang if the music was not their it would be difficult for the crowd to understand that the hanging is a good event rather than a sad event. The comments in â€Å"echoes down the corridor† are significant because they explain what John Proctor has hung for because when he says: â€Å"Show honours now show a stony heart and sink them with it† It explains that he â€Å"sunk† the court and broke theocracy in Salem. Miller persuades you that John Proctor didn’t die in vain. Also Miller is trying to put the point across that falsely accusing people of something they haven’t done has grave consequences’ this has links to himself and McCarthyism. In the play the ending scene is finished with Elizabeth because it would be difficult to show a real hanging on a stage without actually hurting some one and also leaving it their it’s a lot more dramatic showing the hanging through Elizabeth’s eyes. Were as in the film you see John Proctor hang this looses a lot of the drama in the ending scenes but it gives you a much more clear ending. Even though the endings are similar the play creates a lot more suspense ending on Elizabeth’s words rather than the actual hanging of John Proctor. In conclusion, Miller’s message is that McCarthyism was wrong and has portrayed the message through â€Å"The Crucible† maybe linking himself to the character of John Proctor. His message is portrayed extremely well using suspense and drama to get his points across. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Beach Burial Essay

Kenneth Slessor was an Australian poet and war correspondent who wrote Beach Burial, Slessor sailed for Britain in May. This influenced him to write poems about the horrific war stories that he had seen while being in many countries overseas. Beach Burial is a 5 stanza poem the goes in depth of the Burial in North Africa. Beach burial by Kenneth Slessor Beach Burial is able to be a lament poem with the use of the ‘convoy of dead sailors’ and the focus on an individual ‘unknown seaman’, this gives the poem power as it clearly shows the lack of ceremony at their burial. This idea interests me because in our society today, death is given huge respect and a large amount of the ceremony goes into someone’s burial. I also think that everyone deserves a burial no matter if there was no time or no space In the poem soldiers go off to war in North Africa at El Alamein and gradually soldier become unknown sea men. Kenneth Slessor makes this powerful message using figurative language such as the onomatopoeia which brings the horrendous conditions to life, this is done with â€Å"sob and clubbing of gunfire†, this exaggerates the poem, because he uses everyday things into the sound of gunfire and the grief that comes after it. In the third stanza, Slessor use somewhat of a metaphor with driven stake of ti de wood, in order for us to see that the soldiers who fought for our country are merely like a piece of drift wood in the sea. This shows how the soldiers were treated in when they died at war. As there was no place for them so they dropped the brave service men in the water with â€Å"bewildered pity and they lose their identity. This brings a message to everyday life now as to this day we still honour people that fought at war and died for our country and that we should still honour the people that fight wars now to this day and what they do to keep us safe, out of harm’s way. This also suggests that the dead soldiers in 1940 should have got proper burial rather than dropping them of a ship and someone quickly â€Å"burring them in shallow burrows.

Hide and seek by Vernon Scannell Essay

‘Hide and seek’ by Vernon Scannell is about a young, excitable infant playing the childhood game of hide and seek. It begins by revealing the juvenile excitement experienced by a child when playing a game – ‘Call out. Call loud: I’m ready! Come and find me!’ Through the poets use of exclamation marks we can see the child’s joy at partaking in the game. It is exhilarating and fun time for the child, but it is also very competitive. The manner in which he hides shows this competitiveness; he meticulously hides under dirty sacking in the garden shed and makes sure that his feet aren’t ‘sticking out’ . Also when his friends are seeking him, they are portrayed as ‘prowling in’, and ‘whispering at the door’. This further intensifies the degree of competitiveness within the game. However he is determined to win the game, and after a lengthy space of time he thinks, ‘It is time to let them know that you’re the winner’. By know the child is supremely confident that he has emerged the victor, however it only exaggerates his betrayal and feeling of abandonment when he finds out the truth. Finally when the boy victoriously emerges from his hiding place, and shouts ‘I’ve won, I’ve won! Here I am!’ he is greeted by a scene of nothingness -‘The darkening garden watches. Nothing stirs’. His childish dreams of a grand procession in his honour are dashed immediately, and we begin to sympathise with the boy as he tragically realises that he has been betrayed and deserted by his friends. The most important theme explored in ‘Hide and seek’ is the individual status of one human being. The poem asks the contentious question, how much do we really matter? The poet divulges into this topic and comes to the conclusion that we are not individually important in the wider scheme of things than we think. ‘Half-past Two’ by U.A. Fanthorpe concentrates more on the idea of time and the ways in which it governs society. The poem revolves around a child being  punished for doing ‘Something Very Wrong’. The use of capital letters gives the impression that the act committed must have something very serious, and also describes the angered tone of voice that the teacher may have used when admonishing him. However the next line contrasts sharply with these thoughts by saying – ‘(I forget what it was)’. The punishment given by the teacher is to make him stay in the ‘schoolroom till half-past two’. However, the words ‘half-past two’ are meaningless to the boy because ‘She hadn’t taught him Time’, and he was too scared to remind her of that. The boy is always respectful towards the teacher, and their social difference is exaggerated by the capital letter at the beginning of the word ‘She’. The teacher is perceived as a god-like figure to the boy, who has no power or say in any of her imperatives. The unfortunate boy has no comprehension of time and therefore ‘half-past two’ is double-dutch to him. The boy’s definition of time comes from aspects of his own family life – ‘Timeformykisstime’, ‘Gettinguptime’ and ‘TVtime’. The child, although not pre-linguistic, is not practiced in the use of regular time and hence must use time by thinking of things connected with it. His compound ‘time-words’ shows his inability to associate with the ‘alien’ abstract time that the adults in his environment repeatedly use. As a result, he does not know when it is time for him to leave the schoolroom to return home. This causes him to forget that time exists, and he begins to dream about the ‘smell of old chrysanthemums’ and ‘the air outside the window’. This is a typical example of an epiphany, where the boy becomes unimpeded by the constraints of time, shown by the use of the words ‘into ever.’ He is liberated by the bounds of time for a short while, that is until his startled teacher returns to find him still there. The teacher is profusely apologetic and tells him that he can go home. The ensuing stanza is probably the most important – ‘And he never forgot how once by not knowing time/He escaped into the clockless land of ever/ Where time hides tick-less waiting to be born. A feeling of reminiscence is shown by the use of the words ‘he never forgot.’ The ending is particularly affirmative as it shows the happiness felt by the boy as his imagination runs wild and he eludes time into the ‘clockless land of ever.’ The most pertinent theme explored in ‘Half-past Two’ is that of time, and the way it governs our lives. The poem is articulates the adversities of time and contrasts it with the liberty and bliss experienced by the boy when he was freed from time. The cruel aspect is that all human beings eventually run out of time; we get old, lonely and eventually die due to time. Isolation is a major theme within both poems because it affects both boys concerned in a different but dominant way. The child in ‘Hide and Seek’ is purposefully forgotten and is left alone to his own senses: ‘floor is cold’. Isolation is a key element in ‘Half-past two’ because the child in question is forgotten about in detention and he begins to reverie in his own world. It is a more commanding theme in ‘Hide and Seek’ because of the harsh nature in which the boy is abandoned. One of the most foremost similarities in themes between the two poems is that they both concentrate profoundly on greater social forces. This is seen by the use of the words ‘She’ in ‘Half-past two’ and ‘They’ in ‘Hide and Seek’. The boy in ‘Half-past two’ is completely controlled by his authoritative teacher; and one may argue that the ‘prowling’ and ‘whispering’ are quite threatening thus causing the boy to hide because of his fear of society, not simply because he is playing a game. Time is a comparable theme explored in both poems, but more so in ‘Half-past two’. In ‘Hide and Seek’, time symbolically passes to show the transition of friendship to loneliness; and ‘Hide and Seek’ discusses how the world is restrained by the limits of time.

Personal skills development( study skills and book review) Essay

Personal skills development( study skills and book review) - Essay Example Some of the effective study skills that I learnt from different resources and also applied to my learning process include note taking, time management, active listening, revision planning, preparing answers for the exams etc. Almost every day, I encounter such situations where I find the implication of these techniques within my study premises and apply the appropriate technique to handle the situation in more effective manner. For instance, today I have to write to complete the weekly assignment that is to write an essay upon any topic of my own interest. The guidelines provided by Barret et al (2008, p169) help me a lot in completing this task. The researchers explain basic steps of essay writing and I follow these steps. After deciding the main topic, I analyzed its title and main thesis and then proceed towards collecting material for the essay. During the reading, I take noted and plan the structure of my essay. After writing the essay, I proofread and edit it to assure it is perfect structure wise and deliver my intended tone. In this way, I use a study technique and succeed to write a well organize essay following simple and helpful steps of essay writing. The day was very busy and I was feeling too much tired and pressurized because there is little time left to appear in the exams and there are lot of things to do. At this point, I use my time management skills that I learnt from the reading of Marks-Beal (2009, p45). At first, I listed out the tasks that I have to complete before the exams and then arranged these tasks according to first priority. After that I made the plan to start working on these tasks one by one. There were some writing projects and I have also to read certain books and other material to prepare for answering exams questions. I started with the reading and keep on taking notes that later help me during the writing work. There were too many things to do in short time and I started feeling

Media Critic, George Gerbner observes that what we see on TV and in Essay

Media Critic, George Gerbner observes that what we see on TV and in magazines eventually becomes our standard of reality and de - Essay Example Many peoples lives are sedentary and feature little exercise. As several researchers have indicated, in strident tones: â€Å"According to the American Obesity Association, 65% of adults and 30% of children are overweight, and 30% of adults and 15% of children meet the criteria for obesity. Rarely playing outdoors, children spend their days chatting online or watching TV while snacking on nutritionally empty foods. The average child spends 4 hours per day watching TV, and only 1 hour per day completing homework† (Derenne and Beresin, 1). These health problems are causing a crisis in body image perspectives. Because people are living such unhealthy lives, they see the gap between their own bodies and bodies they see in entertainment products, and this may result in depression or other disorders. The entertainment industry unwittingly encourages this by refusing to feature people with â€Å"normal† or â€Å"average† bodies and by promoting unfortunate stereotypes. These issues can affect both men and women, but it appears that more magazines target women's insecurities and can have a big impact on them (Grogan, 108). Films do a great deal to shape our ideas of body image. One example would be the American film, the Nutty Professor starring Eddie Murphy. In this film, the Klump family is shown to be hugely obese. Each member of the family has bad hygiene and appears foolish; they are in the film to be laughed at. This is typical of the portrayal of overweight people in contemporary films: they are comedic subjects to be mocked. Rather than show them as people with a full range of feeling and complex motivations, the entertainment industry reduces them to silly stereotypes. This occurs in many films. Is it any wonder that overweight people see these images and internalize the negative energy surrounding them? It is not hard to see how people can develop eating disorders or low self esteem from the constant bombardment of such images. The altern ative can be true for music videos. Music videos are famous for their sexually idealized representations of both sexes, but especially of women. In many videos, half-naked women cavort around luxury sports cars. Men sing about their bodies as if they were mere objects. The most desirous women are those who are thin, have large breasts, and wear lots of make up. They wear clothes that reveal their body. To young people watching these images, the shows of wealth and power suggest that these things are attracted to these kinds of bodies. These bodies, viewers are told, are to be emulated, as they are the key to gaining access to this privileged world. While this is true for many kinds of music videos, there are some videos by artists such as Pink and Christina Aguilera which try to counteract the messages of most music videos. These rare videos tell viewers that they are special just they way they are and that they do not need to change in order to fit into a stereotype. It is evident that music videos largely portray unattainable body images, but that some videos do tell a different story, one of innate rather than physical value. Many television shows have similar body image issues as music videos and films. Attractiveness is everything. The comedian Chris Farley was routinely mocked for being overweight on Saturday Night Live. He eventually died from a drug overdose. Clearly, his life was very unhealthy.

The Impact of global recession on microfinance in Asia.(approximate Assignment

The Impact of global recession on microfinance in Asia.(approximate topic) - Assignment Example Thus, micro finance narrowly deals with the provision of small loans to low income individuals to help them start small business ventures. Microfinance does not involve large loans as poor people seldom need large loans or want to start big business ventures. Microfinance advocates believe that providing access to finance can help poor people in getting the resources to help themselves out of poverty. Poor people are usually avid savers but they save in kind rather than in cash. Jewelry, gold, animals and building materials are examples of things that they save which might not always be turned into cash easily. If they require finance, they borrow from relatives or landlords and other informal mechanisms which are often exploitative. (Micro finance, 2008) The modern microfinance mechanism is accredited to Dr. Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh, the founder of Grameen Bank. He experimented with lending to poor women in rural areas and achieved great success due to high repayment rate and in terest rates. Although, bankers were unwilling to assume the risks and costs associated with micro lending, micro finance institutions succeeded in focusing on women and charging high interest rates that the poor were willing to pay. Although micro credit institutions have existed since the 1700’s, it wasn’t till Grameen Bank in 1983 that the approach to micro finance changed. Currently, it is considered a vital element in the eradication of poverty as it enables the poor to lift themselves out of their situation. (The history of Microfinance, 2006) The report covers the role and limitations of microfinance as well as the effect that the recession has had on this sector. It further takes Kazakhastan’s microfinance sector into account and the implications the downturn has had on it. The importance of microfinance: According to a study by Robinson (2002); 90% of the citizens in developing countries lack access to financial services from established institutions wh ether it is for credit or savings (Vincent, 2004). The impact of the financial sector on the economy and growth of the country is great and this unavailability of finance leads to the vicious poverty cycle of low investment, low productivity and thus low growth. Microfinance is a tool to empower the power, to provide them resources to invest in venture that will increase productivity and lead to economic growth. Although there are conflicting views to microfinance’s real contribution to economic growth and poverty alleviation it is a vital socio-economic tool. The importance of microfinance is that it focuses on the grass roots rather than on dev elopement from top. It focuses on the basics likes a woman getting a loan to set up a PCO and not on setting up industries; thus microfinance is within the grasp of the poor and does not require grand visions but rather baby steps. The investment of credit in an enterprise that leads to the generation of income increases economic gro wth and development. It not only leads to higher productivity but rather a higher standard of life. It expands income sources and increase aggregate demand thus has a multiplied positive effect on the economy and the lives of the poor. It is important to realize the importance of microfinance in providing income that is sustainable, the ventures that microfinance should focus on should be economically and environmentally sustainable to be successful so they help

Writer's choice Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Writer's choice - Article Example s scheduled in which people engaged in different party activities such as listening to music and dancing, drinking, eating besides sharing stories among other amusements. All the expected people were in the scene besides everyone seeming to be in a party mood depicted from their facial expressions. This was a very amazing event to me because it was the first I witnessed besides that attracted many people including some from the neighboring community. Additionally, it had a programed unlike many other such ceremonies that I had ever attended before besides was followed to the latter. Through the entire process, I learned that people have their own way of doing things as well as doing different things from the normal you would get a dissimilar result. This is because most ceremonies that I had attended there before lacked good planning and in mostly resulted to vices such as fights and injuries. Whatever one encounters little experiences out of lecture, which he or she gets while in the university, counts much in his or her future life. This is because such experiences equip an individual with knowledge hard to earn or achieve in class work. Moreover, students ought to indulge in such activities provided they do not harm them because they are also part of

Healthcare Informatics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Healthcare Informatics - Essay Example One critical question that one should reflect on is whether the patients are aware of the privacy risks involved in exposing their personal health data? (Chbeir & Al Bouna, 2013). Or whether there are appropriate policies for these social sites that guarantee the safety of the information to avoid health data security breaches that may turn costly on the part of the information owners? Awareness and education of the users are of paramount importance in mitigating the privacy risks. Li (2013) observes that there policy implications of using the health social networking sites and the stakeholders and the policy makers should elaborate them to protect the privacy of online health data. The health social networking sites are left to decide what information will be kept private and what will be shared. If there existed knowledge about the privacy settings, patients would be able to restrict the health data they want to keep secret. Healthcare Informatics After reading the work by Li (2013), I strongly support the option of privacy by education for mitigating the privacy risks surrounding the health data shared on the social networking sites. It should be noted that the health data collected from the social sites attracted unlimited commercial interests that can be used as business opportunities for medical research companies and partners.

Based on the writer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Based on the writer - Assignment Example Rodger’s case is one event that has shocked the whole world because he was a son of a famous director. He could be going to celebrity parties and hanging out with girls but he was uploading hate speeches on YouTube expressing his rage and anger against girls who had allegedly dumped him (Hamad, 2014). This young man of 22 could not communicate with any other person, let alone the opposite sex. Failure to communicate probably resulted in a violent expression of rage and hate. His parents had already arranged a personal therapist for Roger. Feeling jealousy, rejection and/or depression is almost a normal thing in every teenager’s life. ‘Geeks’ or ‘nerds’ are usually prone to these feelings because they are the ones usually picked on by bullies. But taking out this frustration by killing people is nothing but mental sickness. ‘Jeopardy’ champion, Arthur Chu appeared on Good Morning America and told the world that Roger’s emotional state was ‘normal’ for any nerd except for the murderous actions (Murray, 2014), yet he was severely mentally ill. There is hardly any doubt about Rodger’s motives for his murderous actions; he sent 107,000 word story to his parents, therapist and some others right before he carried out the shooting (Duke, 2014). The debate about his father (famous director) giving him a nice lifestyle is unclear because in his ‘story’ he writes of his financial suffering. He wished he were wealthier. Sometimes wishes can be too far-fetched and other times they are just needs. A prisoner wanting freedom is not really a want, it’s a need. The want for wealth, money, opposite sex and popularity is never ending. Theres no comparison between a prisoner wanting freedom and a person wanting more money. Repressed anger can explode or passively ooze out of the person. It is not only the case with the teenagers or young adults. The story Sweat (1926) by Zora Neale

Associated British Foods plc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Associated British Foods plc - Case Study Example It grows sugar from beets in the UK and Poland, and owns and operates cane plantations in Zambia and Swaziland in Africa and in Guanxi Province in China. The company also produces bioethanol from wheat and cane production waste, and sells animal feeds and feeds microingredients to farmers in over 40 countries. ABF's revenues increased 13% to 6.8 billion in line with operating profit, which increased by 11% to 622 million in 2007. These accomplishments reflect the company's presence in high-growth markets such as China, India, Latin America, and Africa. Despite the strength of the sterling having an adverse effect on financial figures, the increases reflect good management and operating performance. The company is active in the search for alternative bio-fuels at a time of rising petrol prices, allowing ABF to benefit from and take advantage of the increasing demand for environment-friendly energy sources. The value of the profit margin was calculated from the adjusted profit before tax amounting to 613 million whilst total sales amounted to 6,800 million. The profit margin for the year is slightly lower than the previous year's figure of 9.36% from profits of 561 million on sales of 5,996 million. The profit margin went down slightly because of losses from currency transactions when translating non-sterling revenues to sterling revenues. Since the sterling is stronger than other currencies, most especially the U.S. dollar in which some of the company's revenues are recorded, the amount of sterling that could be earned for each dollar would be slightly lower than if the dollar were strong. Non-UK sales (3,547 million) were over half the total sales. According to the financial statements, operating costs were much higher this year than last year. This was explained in several places of the report as due to the number of acquisitions spent this year, resulting in higher employee expenses for example. The total number of employees in Europe, Middle East, and Africa went up from 4,917 in 2006 to 37,084 in 2007 because of acquisitions in these regions. Asset Turnover = 1.97 times The asset turnover was calculated using the sales figure of 6,800 million and the total capital employed of 3,460 million. This means that every 1 invested in the company's assets returned sales of 1.97 or almost twice the invested capital. This figure gives an indication of how well the company utilised its assets. In the absence of comparative figures with other companies, this figure does not signify much. However, the asset turnover in 2006 was much higher at 2.1 because the company had higher margins and lower assets (valued at 4,579 million) before the company went on an acquisition spree that increased the total capita

Prophet Mohammad Essay Example for Free

Prophet Mohammad Essay If I could travel back in time to meet a famous person from history, I would want to meet with Prophet Mohammad. He is well known across the world as the person who brought the Islamic religion to the Arab countries. His teachings can be found in the Holy Quran (Madelung, 87). It is said in Islam that Mohammed is the last of all the prophets God will send to all the people on the earth. Mohammed is very famous because he brought a religion to the world by the orders of God and in only a short time, it became well known everywhere. Even today, there are over 1 billion people in the world who are Muslims. Only a great person like Mohammed could have created a religion in his lifetime that would have captured the attention of all people. Islam started when God sent down angel Gabriel to Mohammed at the mountain Hara. He was first told, Okra which means read. The amazing part about this is Mohammed could never read nor write before meeting the angel. From this time at 40 years old until he was 63 years of age, he received many rules and wisdom from God. His instructions were to advise the people of Gods rules and how they should live, for they were living in haram or sin (Watt, 48). Mohammed was born and raised in Mecca. Read more:  How to write an essay about someone you admire His father died before he was born and he lost his mother too at the age of six and thereafter lived with his paternal grandfather Abd al-Muttalib as an orphan (Andrea, 78). Growing up as an orphan in Mecca was never easy even though he was well fed by his guardians. At a tender age of twelve, Mohammed had started engaging in trading journeys with his uncle. He therefore started to develop interest in commercial trade probably because that was the only option he had because he grew up as an orphan. Mohammed took up the career as a merchant in his later youth and was highly regarded as trustworthy and later nicknamed â€Å"al-Amin†. Mohammed’s youthful days are really admirable and inspiring at the same time (Madelung, 59). He not only had an upright character but was also a very hard working young man who tried and beat the odds despite his humble background. It was for his reputation that a forty year old widow called Khadijah who asked for his hand in marriage which he accepted and lived happily thereafter (Turner, 89). After the death of Khadijah, Mohammed married other women numbering about thirteen and he was survived by nine of them. One of them was called Aisha, who according to the Sunni Muslims was Mohammed’s favorite companion. She is known for her instrumental work in bringing together the many scattered Mohammed’s sayings that later formed the Sunni’s hadith literature. As a husband, Mohammed had a great reputation at a time when women were lowly regarded in the society. It is said that he participated in house chores like washing, cooking and even sewing clothes. Although women were never treated fairly during the prophet’s time, Mohammed was extremely exceptional with his women. He not only listened to his wives’ advice but also engaged them in dialogue and arguments. This is worth emulating in today’s Muslim societies where women continue to suffer in the hands of their men (Andrea, 75). Mohammed’s future prophetic life was said to have been prophesized by another Christian monk he met his way to his many caravans from Mecca to Syria (Watt, 56). At the onset of his prophetic life, Mohammed was fond of visiting a cave in Mount Hira every year where he would meditate for weeks. According to Islamic teachings, it was during one of the ritual meditations at Mount Hira when angel Gabriel descended and instructed him to say the following words: â€Å"Proclaim! or read! ) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created- Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful, He Who taught (the use of) the pen, Taught man that which he knew not† (Quran 96: 1-5). Mohammed was very much disturbed by these revelations and knew the task required of him. He went home and shared with his wife Kh adija and Khadijah’s Christian cousin who consoled and reassured him that nothing bad would happen (Ramadan, 45). He was afraid of the news and did not know how he could get others to listen to what he was to say. His wife was the first to tell him she believed him and that Mohammed must do what was told. The amazing thing about Mohammed is his faith and willingness to do what God commanded. He never gave up in his prayers even after a pause of almost three years after the initial revelation. He prayed continuously until God finally commanded him to start preaching the word to his people. He was living in Mekkah of Saudi Arabia when he began his teachings to the people. According to Islamic teachings, Mohammed’s wife was the first person who believed that he was a prophet. His younger cousin called Ali Abi Talib and best friend Abu Bakr as well as his adopted son Zaid were to follow in believing in his prophesies (Turner, 102). Many of people from Mecca did not like or accept this way of life and tried to kill Mohammed. He would be mocked or chased away by the Meccans who could not believe or understand his new way of life. The opposition to Prophet Mohammed in Mecca began when he started preaching against worshiping of the idols that was a common feature in Mecca city. He also became a threat to the wealthy religious leaders who depended on the Kaaba, a major defining traditional feature of the Meccan religion which Mohammed’s teachings would render obsolete. Due to these, most of his new converts were killed by the wealthy merchants and other opposing groups who never wanted their traditional religions interfered with. But Mohammed had to endure insults and ridicules only and could not be harmed or killed because he came from the Banu Hashim clan (Madelung, 56). He left and traveled to different places including Yemen before he went back to Saudi Arabia to live in the city called Medina. The people of Medina were accepting of him and listened to his advice. There were some people there who professed to Jewish or other religions, but they did not fight with Mohammed. He had a good reputation in Medina where he helped to solve a long standing inter-ethnic conflict. A delegation comprising of representatives from all the clans involved in the fight between Jewish and Arabs in the Yathrib was sent to get Mohammed to arbitrate in the conflict. This did not only help him to escape the hostile city of Mecca but also enable him spread his teaching to various communities and clans in the greater Middle East (Ramadan, 83). Mohammed’s teachings really formed the foundation of the Islamic religion. One of the Muslim’s sources of spiritual inspiration is the Sunnah. The sunnah according the Islamic religion are deeds and sayings of the prophet Mohammed as preserved in the hadith and includes a variety of activities as well as beliefs such religious rituals, burial rituals, personal hygiene and the love between man and God. It is supposed to guide every Muslim and so far has been a great influence to the Muslim culture allover the world. For example, Mohammed taught Muslims a greeting to offer one another – â€Å"may peace be upon you† is wide used by Muslims from all corners of the world (Rahman, 69). The Sunnah has played an important role in the establishment and development of the religion’s sciences. Much of the prophet’s deeds and sayings have particularly contributed to the establishment of the Islamic law in the early years of the Islamic religion (Madelung, 78). The Sufis who sought to understand the inner meaning of the holy book, Qur’an and the true nature of the prophet, considered Mohammed not only as a mere prophet but as a perfect saint. Their spiritual descent is traced back to Prophet Mohammed (Rahman, 45). Mohammed was not liked by many of the outside tribes living throughout the Middle East and they wanted to hurt him, they taught their children to throw stones at him during his travels (Andrea, 65). A great quality of Mohammed that I look to is his patience. He taught to others that a very important behavior in life is to have patience with all issues. People would come to Mohammed with many complaints or questions to try and trick him (Madelung, 56). Others would do many things to him so he would go away. In all of these events, he would wait quietly and think before he answered or acted. I admire his ability to restrain himself and not fight small issues. In this world today, I think that everyone could benefit from this lesson of patience. Too many people die and are left hurting from wars between people who have little patience. During the spread of Islam, Mohammed gave people a choice to convert to Islam or if they did not want to, they would need to pay money that is like a tax. The Muslims and other people who would pay could live in harmony, but the tribes who refused to pay and resisted the teaching of Islam would end up in a war. These people had killed family members of Mohammed and wanted to fight him. So Mohammed and a small army would go out to fight, for example the Battle of Badr City (Andrea, 67). The small Muslim army won the battles because God had given them the strength to fight an enemy who hated God and worshipped idols. When the battles were over, Mohammed never took prisoners and killed them on purpose. He showed mercy and compassion. Like the Prophet Jesus had taught the way to live is with mercy, compassion and love. It is the only way to live a correct life. If you look to any of the prophets, they are famous and different from all of the other people because they took chances and were disliked. They had to remain strong in their faith of God and be patient. It was no different for Mohammed. There are many times in my life that I become angry because people are mean or I lose patience with them but I try to look to the example Mohammed made for the Muslims to follow. I sit and read the Quran and hope to find a peace. Conclusion When the word was revealed to Mohammed, the world was in a bad situation. People were worshipping idols and hurting the less fortunate and women. It was like these people were acting like animals. Mohammed was very scared of how he would be accepted by the people and if they would reject the word of God. I admire the strength of Mohammed when he was faced with danger. I sometimes wish to have that strength, so I must remain strong in my faith to God and look to Him for guidance. This was an important teaching of the prophet Mohammed. When I came to America, I was afraid because I was new and did not know many people. Also, the news shows things that can make people afraid of Muslims and I know some people will not like me because of it. I try hard to live by the example Mohammed set for the Muslim people so I may have a good life. It has been good for me in America. By having patience, I have learned many things about this country and also made good friends. I hope that people can look past the bad news media makes for people and discover the good things about Mohammed because there are many lessons a person can learn from his life.