Hope Focused Marriage Counseling Essay

Unlike other explorations insinuated in the context of research, marriage counseling has been one of the unspecialized fields emerged with theoretical assumptions and practice (Stuckert, 2003). This however, has been the challenge to psychologists and practitioners in defying the thought that marriage cannot be taken into research since its hypotheses and results of practice have been acclimated, nevertheless the volume available for study is accumulated. Everett L. Worthington Jr. , a psychology professor and the proponent of over 150 articles tackling issues on marriage, forgiveness and reconciliation was able to find standard procedures on how to keep marriages anchored on Christianity based marital therapy. More specifically, through the light of his year 1999 published book, Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling, couples are to be taken to a self rehabilitation which will give hope to individuals who are living in a room full of skeptic viewpoints about marriage and eventually open a realization that his substantial research shall lead them to a path where â€Å"miracles do happen in the real world. † (Worthington, 1999) Overview Marriage is a shadow of the relationship that we are expected to have with Jesus—permanent, loving, committed. (Eph 5:32) Everett L. Worthington begins his book with a verse in the bible which depicts the meaning of marriage in the most moral and Christian way thus giving a connotation that helping troubled couples is not an easy task. However, she points out the fact that the extent of healing relationships is through developing a character of Christ embodied in every individual’s personality and manifest such with one’s relationships to his or her social network as well (Worthington, 1999). Further, he stresses that when a relationship has Christ as vanguard, life will be inhabited with the verity of love, faith and hope and that then is the start of a bright thing. Strengths What makes his book amazing falls on the grounds of analytic and realistic situations as the core of the gist of the whole scenario. Initially introducing theories then later putting the theories into practice makes readers able to divulge their selves in the dimension that the author intends them to live with. His strategies (advices, so to speak) draws out a hysteria which will make readers know their respective state in life at first, hence, for having been given the momentum to realize what is happening in their lives, they will seek for answers on how to save them from their presumed agony. Further, his approaches through exercises which are efficient to exhibit (Worthington, 1999)—drawing fundamental values, the promotion of confession and forgiveness, communication intensification, aiding conflict resolution, alterations of the pattern of thinking, intimacy development, and the cementing of commitment—gives grandeur to the book as readers can implement these exercises with their partners or core groups. Realistically crafted, he gives marriage counseling a twist by inculcating his own experiences which gives conviction to the statements and recommendations written in his book. One fascinating fact on the book is its distinctiveness in course, since unlike other books on marriage counseling, typically establishing manuals which synonymously suggest divorce or annulment so as not to complicate the situation, this book thinks otherwise. Though the author admitted that is hard and rarely possible in the contemporary society—divorce is legal and other forms of law that allow couples to â€Å"live† without the need of marital rites—still, he fervently believes that the sacred matrimony must be preserved even if others no longer accept as true the tradition and the essence of spiritual intimacy. These ideas represented in the book will coin back the integrity, accountability, prudence and proper teaching among couples. Weaknesses â€Å"Hope-focused rather than problem-focused† (Worthington, 1999) this is the toweringly hopeful campaign of the author. Thus, because of globalization, cultural diversity and the differences of every individual, there may be some who may not appreciate the book for reasons that inhibit the issue on dissimilarity of character, viewpoint in life, tradition and environmental influences. It is evident that the target audiences of the book are Christians—although optimistic individuals would also be interested in reading the book—hence this leads us to a remorseful realization that it will not drive â€Å"naysayer† or a pessimist to read it. Still, fingers are crossed on the intent of the book, and that is to spread the thought that â€Å"change is possible† and in the long run, every couple will be given a new outlook on their marriage for the benefit of their family. Conclusions and further remarks The functions of the husband and the wife bear a multifaceted blueprint of expectations of the responses which are to come from one another. Hence as humans, challenges and trials are inevitable aspects in life and must therefore be taken with full accountability after having vowed under the sacred matrimony and under the blessing of the church. However, in the present era, where several factors influence every person’s character and personality, asking for help and intervention from one who truly understands the quintessence of love and marriage is a an ideal act to do (Stuckert, 2003). Communication mostly is the main problem of couples and Worthington is able to help by producing a masterpiece which, with confidence, he believes will save troubled marriages. Forgive. Reconcile. Change can happen if one will listen while the other speaks. References Stuckert, R. P. (2003). Role Perception and Marital Satisfaction. A Configurational Approach. Marriage and Family Living, 25(4), 415-419. Worthington, E. L. (1999). Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling: A Guide to Brief Therapy. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Martha Graham Essay

Throughout history, Modern Dance has been pioneered by inspirational choreographers such as Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham. Martha Graham in particular, revolutionised the dance industry with her numerous choreographed works. By experimenting with foreign movements and establishing the fundamental technique in Modern Dance, Martha Graham clearly expressed this dramatic dance style as a new form of life. Her style, created from raw emotion, challenges the technical barriers of traditional ballet and has evolved into today’s contemporary dance form. Born into a privileged life in 1894 near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Graham was inspired from her father being a specialised physician interested in the way the human body moves. In 1915, she studied dance with Ted Shawn and Ruth St Denis, the innovative teachers at Denishawn. She then moved to the Greenwhich Village Follies for two years to establish her lengthy career. Living in a time of misconceived ideas, Martha Graham used her dancing genius to represent the many issues in American society in an abstract form. Martha Graham’s technique is classically based but tweaks the usual symmetrical body alignment with sharp, precise and angular shapes. Graham’s moves communicate through the dancer, her emotion and stance on American social issues. These moves are expressed through; contraction, release, spirals, flexed hands and feet, rolls, flexion and suspension, clenched fists, fall and recover, curl and twist. Her stimulus for creating movements was breathing and the way she could emotionally express how she felt about life. The contraction starts from the pelvis and travels up the spine. This curvature in the upper body is developed from an exhalation of breath. The release brings the body back to a neutral position with an inhalation of breath. All of the dancers in her company have an extremely strong core and maintain flexibility even though strength is the dominating component. To train the dancers, Graham would often perform classes with just floor work to strengthen the technical elements (contract, release and spiral) as well as learning control. Here the discipline of dance was drilled before allowing the freedom of performing. Graham was quoted, â€Å"Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired. † Her experimental technique allowed her dramatic view on life to be performed through Modern Dance. One of Graham’s theatrical works Night Journey, displays her established technical elements of modern dance. Inspired by Sophocles’ Greek Tragedy, the dance begins with King Oedipus and his Queen Jacosta complementing each other in their arms. As the dynamics in the music develop, intruding onto the stage are six chorus members (Daughters of the Night) in a grieving state. Lunging forward in a contraction with their fists covering their eyes, they repeat this sequence around the stage recovering to a release in between each contraction. As the contraction is a Graham interpreted symbol of the human emotion grief, this has been consequently used multiple times throughout. Showing locomotion in unison as they clench their fists and flex their hands demonstrates this pleading state. These movements, contractions, releases, developpes, attitudes and shuffling of feet, depict the women as vulnerable to lustful desires. Graham was quoted, â€Å"The body is your instrument in dance, but your art is outside that creature, the body. † The expression of the upper body is sharp and angular with the reoccurring contraction and release. Non-locomotor movements are often in isolated poses of fear positioned around the males. At the time, women were often discriminated against not having the same power as men. Graham has used this theme to display the social inequality sending a message that men have been in control of women for centuries and that women need to break free. The males use dominating gestures throughout, with the blind-seer Tiresias, portraying power and purpose with the repetition of arabesque promenades and high levels. These foreign movements have expressed the themes in a dramatic way developed from her dance style. In this Greek themed performance, the women wore long black dresses with stripes down the side and crown-like head pieces. King Oedipus wears a simple black tunic revealing most of his body. Tiresias dresses in a black flowing coat, carries a wooden staff, and wears mask to show he is blind. Tiresias uses this wooden staff to indicate his wisdom and this symbolizes truth. The silk rope used to hang Queen Jacosta symbolises the connection to Oedipus from birth til death. The music is an extension to the dancers and enhances this performance dramatically. Wild, fierce and harsh would be a way to describe William Schumann’s dynamic instrumental score. The dancers reacted with the music emotionally as well as physically increasing the overall effect of the performance. This choreographic style has allowed modern dance to communicate life’s emotions through drama intertwining with physical movement and relationships. Martha Graham has created countless choreographic pieces that have revolutionised the traditional outlook on dance. The Martha Graham Company was established in 1926 and is still a leading company to date. She has pioneered the Modern Dance industry by creating the fundamental technique and applying it to her 181 choreographed performances. Martha Graham has created a dance style to express a new form of life which has changed the dance world forever.

Financial And Economic Crisis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Financial And Economic Crisis - Assignment Example sis and policy recommendations from the literature review and data gathered from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and other government agencies of countries such as the United States. Analysis of the charts and tables will also be conducted in order to derive evaluations of the causes and effects of the global financial crisis. REVIEW OF LITERATURE The Theory of Financial Liberalization and the Washington Consensus A theory was developed by the academic community as well as by the government of the United States of how to go about making progress in developing countries. This false concept of development was proposed by a term known as the â€Å"Washington Consensus† originated by an economist named John Williamson (1998). Basically, there were ten policy recommended for developing countries but it did not recognise that developing countries had various issues that required various policy solutions. These ten policy propositions are as follows: 1. There is a huge a nd continuing fiscal budgets in developing countries that lead to rising inflation flight of capital and as such governments should minimize them; 2. Subsidies must be decreased or avoided and that government spending must be prioritized towards education, health and development of infrastructures; 3. The tax base should be broad and marginal tax rates should be moderate; 4. The interest rates must be determined by the domestic financial markets. Positive real interest rates should discourage capital flight and increase savings; 5. A competitive exchange rate must be adopted by developing nations which will promote exports by making it less expensive in other countries; 6. The minimization of tariffs and which should not be applied to intermediate goods required in producing exports; 7. Foreign...The paper tells that the subprime crisis in the United States resulted to the financial disaster in the stock market in the United States as well around the world as indicated by country an d regional stock indices as shown in the charts of this study. The resulting stock index in the markets throughout the globe is proof that the U.S. financial crisis had a tremendous impact on the global economy. In addition, the impact of the U.S. financial crisis caused the GDPs and other macro-economic indicators around the world to decrease indicating that these countries were affected heavily due to globalization. In the developing countries such as South Asia, the global crisis hit these poor countries strong as they had barely recovered the shocks of trade problems that resulted from worldwide food and energy price increases. Their current accounts and fiscal balances worsened sharply and inflation surged to unprecedented levels. Furthermore, their dependence on foreign funding has been relatively large. The global crisis worsened their macroeconomic difficulties as sources of funding declined. The global economic slowdown due to the financial crisis would make them further vu lnerable in terms of their export earnings, tourism receipts, remittances and external financing for infrastructure. The reform agenda of the â€Å"Washington Consensus† and multilateral institutions has results which were not satisfactory. As such, there is a need to evaluate countries or institution in terms of its nature and geography and that there is a need to uniquely determine their institutional structure.

Ethical Leadership and Decision Making Research Paper

Ethical Leadership and Decision Making - Research Paper Example Moreover, based on the accepted fact that success is not the final outcome of every attempt, it is the leader who ensures rescuing people from de-motivation rising from failure that most stands apart from the rest. The report herein develops an assessment of a leader that has served as a mentor to give meaning and understanding of effective leadership.   During work experience in the Army, Major General (Ret.) Charles McCartney’s the leadership style influenced me greatly. McCartney well understood the privilege of leadership being responsibility with visionary collaboration and teamwork to gain an overall level of success. Thereby, this report develops an assessment on Major General (Ret.) Charles McCartney’s various dimensions of leadership and will provide the review of the fact that successful leadership assumes all capabilities to lead its people to succeed as a combined goal. Management science has undertaken the considerable assessment of the leaders from vario us dimensions; for instance Behavioral factors, Transformational, Situational, Trait, Charisma along with the power and influence etc. Moreover, it is based on the early assumption that leaders are born and not made; however, contemporary theories assert that effective leader offers apart from direction to success also offer great learning opportunities (Browne & Keeley, 2012). These learning opportunities are presented as two types of leaders as mentioned below: (Northouse, 2007) Hence, leadership can be learned as well. In this, one can see that trait, skills and values from McCartney’s style offer the reader a great chance to learn. The distinctive formats of the transformational or transactional leadership complimented with the power available to a given leader all work to facilitate the outcome from the leader. Broadly, leaders that are ultimately effective in leadership have to account for an optimum mix of three main factors (Barton, Grant, & Horn, 2012): Decision maki ng styles mix Day to day behavior Transformational and transactional leadership style It is worthy of mention, due to the fact that each dimension mentioned above has its own variation to offer and effective leaders formulate the mix of each dimension’s offering suiting to the need of the situation and in the overall best interest of follower; though this may not be suiting to the need of the certain people. Hence, the effective leadership is also one to constantly learn and evolve from the challenges with the passion for success by adapting to the need for an hour.   For assessing Major General (Ret.) Charles McCartney with respect to his alignment with the leadership’s dimension, the below roadmap will offer an effective guide in understanding such nuances: (Colquitt, Lepine, & Wesson, 2012)  Ã‚  Decision Making Styles Leader’s decisions ultimately decide the fate of the follower. Moreover, the fact that makes the decision making more crucial for the leade rs, especially in a critical situation where chances of loss equally exist, comes to even more prominence.  Ã‚  

Buddhist Ethics and Thailands Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Buddhist Ethics and Thailands Politics - Essay Example litical order in both the classical and contemporary states of South and Southeast Asia has been the center of critical religious studies (McDaniel, 2009). From the initial periods, Buddhism has exhibited a marked preference for monarchical types of government but monarchial claims are only one side of the coin as far as appreciating the connection between power and political authority. The political environment in Thailand considerably changed in June 1932 when a group of youthful scholars who had been studying outside the country and adopted principles of Western democracy carried out a bloodless coup that demanded for a shift from an absolute to a lawful kingdom. The then king, His Majesty King Prajadhipok agreed to their demands so that he could avoid any bloodshed and the absolute monarchy was abolished necessitating a transfer of power to the new form of government that was constitutional. Thailand is governed under a constitution that was adopted in 2007 after the coup that took place in 2006 where the king heads the state and the prime minister who heads the government is elected by the House of Representatives and is not allowed to serve more than eight consecutive years. The House of Representatives and the Senate whose members are elected through popular vote while others are nominated make up the national assembly. After the revolution in 1932 that brought to an end the absolute monarchy, Thailand has been rocked by intermittent military interferences, with nineteen coups and coup attempts in the years that followed (Farrelly, 2013). The concurrent military interventions after the one that took place in 1932 has meant alternations between military rule and more democratic instances even though the democratic periods were not independent from military influence. The coup culture in Thailand can be said to be the most critical contribution to the comparative debates concerning military intervention as far as politics is concerned (Farrelly, 2013). The

Critical Thinking and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Critical Thinking and Ethics - Essay Example This is because what can be seen as ethical in a particular situation may be viewed as unethical in a different context. Location or culture of communities also illustrates significant roles in understanding the ethical considerations relevant to that situation. This process is greatly improved through critical thinking applications. To give an instance in business ethics, a practice or product acceptable in one culture can be totally unacceptable in a different culture. Also, some cultures ethically embrace women in the workplace, but other cultures discriminate at women at the workplace. Critical thinking application, enable individuals understand situation so as to develop appropriate ethical considerations in a particular context (Moore, 2012). Critical thinking is connected to ethics through diverse thinking of individuals in relation to approaching ethical issues or practices. Individual eliminate the most probable approaches; this is until (s) he reaches or settles on the most appropriate approach for the given situation (Moore, 2012). Critical thinking is also linked to ethics through considerations of approaches individuals utilize in differentiating personal ethical concepts with organizational ethical concepts. Individuals have unique ethical considerations; they must separate these from organization’s concepts. Ethical decision making is important regardless of adherence to rule of logic. This is because ethical issues differ from one context or environment to another (Solomon, 2004). Decisions should be made in accordance to the acceptable practices of the applicable or relevant organization and

Construction assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Construction - Assignment Example In order to implement a given responsibility, relationships need to be established in partnering. Type of relationship depend on the type of partnering, for example in the joint venture contract between a contractor, and a design firm is a one-off type of relationship since it does not last. A single firm with both the design and construction capability is a long-time relationship type since the parties involve are employed full time and permanent. When the agreement is successful, then the flow of work is always continuous, for example, a contractor will undertake all the work awarded to him. The contractor will then get a written approval from the Engineer-in-charge or the supervisor. The contractor will then plan its operation. If the supervisor realize that there is a risk factor involve, the supervisor has the right to stop the work. An inspector always ensures that the construction meet the quality level required, but they do not have the authority to get a contractor to give the owner of the highest quality material. If the engineer or the owner dispute the work being performed by a subcontractor, then the owner should attempt to resolve the issue with the main contractor first before embarking on the administration. CQC is the contractor Quality control. The purpose and function of the CQC are to assure that the completed project meets the quality requirement. The representative also has the duty of guiding the contrac tor by preparing a plan. However, the Corps ad engineer provides guidance to Corps in performing effective CQM. In order to manage construction firm but fair policy need to be implemented. Firm but fair policy is a type of policy where both or all parties involve are considered to stick to the laid down policy. An inspector always ensures that the construction work is done according to the laid down codes. They are responsible for; pointing

Analysis of Quantitative Research Study Article

Analysis of Quantitative Research Study - Article Example The fall incidence rates were 1.5% (95% CI: 0.9–2.6) and 0.4% (95% CI: 0.2–1.1) in the control and intervention groups, respectively. The relative risk estimate of 0.29 (95% CI: 0.1–0.87) favours the intervention group. In conclusion the study showed that targeted multiple interventions were effective in reducing the incidences of falls in patients in the acute care setting. A randomized prospective design was implemented at one acute care hospital in Singapore between April 2005 and December 2006. They compared the effectiveness of two interventions (targeted multiple interventions with usual care versus usual care only) on patients identified as high-risk for falls over 8 months. Newly admitted patients from medical, surgical, oncology, orthopedic and gynaecology wards participated. Inclusion criteria were age of 18 years or older, and agreement to participate in the study. Patients were excluded if they were in the study wards before the start of the study, or if they had fallen before the fall-risk assessment was carried out. The study used a falls assessment tool to identify patients at risk for falls. Those who had scores of 5 and above using the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model were recruited into the study. The Hendrich II Fall Risk Model used in this study had been validated on 5489 patients in this setting (Ang et al. 2007). The study showed that the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model showed the best balance of sensitivity (70%, 95% CI: 57.5–80.1) and specificity (61.5%, 95% CI: 60.2–62.8). The accuracy of the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model at the published cut-off point, measured using Area under the Curve (AUC), was 73%. The researchers used incidence of falls as a measurement of the outcome in this study. Patients’ occurrence falls information was retrieved from the entries made by the ward nurses into the hospital eHOR system. On top of these, it is the research nurses that screened and enrolled the patient into the study. The ward

The Red Scare of 1919 Essay Example for Free

The Red Scare of 1919 Essay The Red Scare of 1919 was the first of two major periods in American History when fear of radicalism culminated in the persecution and deportation of Americans thought to be radicals (communists, anarchists, or socialists). An unprecedented event, the Red Scare of 1919 exhibits how popular suppression and fear of radicalism can have disastrous consequences. The causes of the Red Scare are numerous and varied, however, one of the most important factors that contributed to the scare was the acts passed during World War I. During the war, social-anarchists did not support American involvement, nor did they support the subsequent draft. In response to the dissent, Congress passed the Sedition Act (actually, amended the Espionage Act). It was important in relation to the Red Scare because it allowed for censoring of radical literature as well as regulation of the mail. It was directed against subversives and, therefore, cast a very broad net. Because of the Sedition act, many individuals were arrested for distributing media that criticized the American military (Eugene Debs, head of the Socialist Party, was one of them). It was in response to this act that Justices Oliver Wendell Holmes set forth the clear and present danger doctrine and marked the beginning of modern First Amendment jurisprudence. Therefore, the Sedition Act of 1918 was important in the imposition of censorship after World War I. Reds were seen as a danger to the American system of government, economic stability, and way of life. In this sense, the war produced an era of intolerance for subversives, and it was this attitude that provided a ripe setting for the Red Scare of 1919 to take place. The Sedition Act was the legal excuse people used to regulate, censor, prosecute, and deport Americans thought to be radicals. Intolerance during the war would cause Americans to fear immigrants and radicals afterward, and it would only take a little spark to cause full blown hysteria. The Bolshevik revolution in Russia only deepened Americans fears because they felt the same thing could happen on their soil. The labor unrest following the end of World War I would prove to be instrumental in igniting the fire that was the Red Scare of 1919. The years after the war were marked by economic turmoil and labor unrest. At first, laborers expected the good working conditions, a staple of the wartime economy, to continue after the war was over. The economy was in good shape because war time contracts had cased industry to boom. Labor was supported by the government during the war in order to keep production levels high. After the war ended, however, contracts were canceled, which caused rising unemployment, and managers stopped cooperating with labor. Also, the cost of living had risen 99% by 1919 because of inflation. Without government support, labor unions began to strike in order to recapture the gains they had made during the war. One such strike took place in Seattle and involved sixty thousand workers (Painter, 346). Soon, this strike and others were labeled as a communist effort to undermine the American economy. The cycle of hysteria had begun. Labor unions were seen as Bolshevik sponsored organizations, and union members were labeled as communists. America began to become afraid because they saw there way of life slipping away. This fear would soon turn into action. The fear of radicalism stemmed, as stated earlier, from the era of intolerance during World War I. Propaganda techniques that once united the American public against Germany and hyphenated Americans during the war were easily converted into an instrument to cast a negative light on Bolsheviks. After all, America was not happy with Russia leaving the war and instituting a form of economy that was directly opposite of capitalism. Bolsheviks, therefore, were seen as a threat to democracy. Likewise, the forming of the Communist International was seen as an attempt to spread communism throughout the world. People felt insecure after the war, and this feeling was only bolstered by the idea that communists were working to overthrow the American economy and government. When a series of mail bombs were discovered, one of which exploding at Attorney General Palmers home, they were labeled as a communist effort to undermine America. The Red Scare of 1919 had begun. Labor unions were hardest hit. However, anyone seen as radical was persecuted and labeled a red. Elected officials who were members of the socialist party  were dismissed from office. In fact, the New York State Assembly dismissed five elected socialists. However, the most vivid example of the extent of the scare is illustrated by the Palmer raids, in which six thousand people were arrested and five hundred were deported. There were very few Communists in the United States in 1919, yet Palmer viewed them as a huge threat. Encouraged by Congress, Palmer began a series of showy and well publicized raids against radicals and leftists. Striking without warning and without warrants, Palmers men smashed union offices and the headquarters of Communist and Socialist organizations. They concentrated, whenever possible, on aliens rather than citizens, because aliens had fewer rights. As quickly as it had began, the Red Scare of 1919 ended. Although the hysteria had subsided, consequences still arose. The scare, as well as the raids, was seen as unproductive. Of the numerous arrests made in association with the scare, only a small percent of the suspected communists were deported. Therefore, government persecution of subversives only stopped because it was not working as well as hoped, yet the fear and hatred of radicals was still looming in the distance. It would again resurface in the 1950s during the McCarthy era when another Red Scare, more organized and brutal, would take place. America had learned how to deal with reds, and these lessons would be effectively applied in the next crusade against communism in America. Finally, a more visible and immediate consequence of the Red Scare of 1919 was the mass fear of immigration that took place afterwards. The highly visual raids by Palmer had a deep effect on Americans because the raids exposed the enemy. Restrictions and quotas were placed on immigration, especially on those people coming from Eastern Europe. Fear of communists turned into hatred of immigrants, and American citizens would have a hard time excepting new arrivals. In many cases, immigrants were automatically labeled as subversives, anarchists, and communists. The association between immigrants and social upheaval would have a negative effect on American immigrants in the years to come, a fact most vividly portrayed through the trial of Sacco and Venzetti. Also, for many years to come, unions were seen in a negative light. The association of communism with unions would continue  to be a hindrance for labor and the advancement of labor reforms.

Using Photographs from the web Essay Example for Free

Using Photographs from the web Essay The benefit of having so many visuals today is unbelievable. Since we have so visuals today it makes it easier to communicate with people. We are able to communicate with people without using any words, just using visuals. The new technology and resources like face book, YouTube, and motion pictures. With this type of technology it makes it easier to communicate without using words. It also expands your communication because now you’re able to communicate with people that normally wouldn’t be able to communicate. Having ccess to so many visuals you can further your education. Their also challenges you will have to face having so many visuals at your dispense. Copyrights come in effect; you can’t just use any photo for your benefit without having copyrights permission. Copyrights are their help the artist so you will get credited. Using visual sometimes can lead to miscommunication if the message is not interpreted right. Sometimes the visuals might mislead you if you don’t comprehend the message. These challenges with visuals could hurt you at the same it also can help you achieve goals. Now on the legal side of copyrights, just because you don’t see the copyright symbol doesn’t mean it’s not protected by copyrights because it is. You need permission if you want to e-mail published research, put a report online post a news story and photocopies for articles for meetings. The only thing that is not protected by copyrights is ideas, facts and data. There is also an act called fair use where you can use commentary, parody, news reporting, scholarly research, and education. The content used for educational purposes falls under the copyright doctrine of fair use. Fair use is the right to use copyrighted material without permission or payment under some circumstances. The US copyright act list for factors to help determine to use fair use such as: the purpose character of the use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the effect of the market, and the amount of substantiality. The possible ethical and legal implications of using these photos is when public view can be photographed, but private places require consent. The legal and ethical issues to keep in mind hen using social media and thus is ensure your research profile is raised for all the right reasons, not the wrong ones. The key is to remember that all the laws, policies and social rules that apply in real life also apply on the internet. These issues can be avoided on the internet if you simply exercise precautions. Follow rules from your everyday life, such as not sharing private information with strangers or stealing media from a store. The Internet is a powerful tool that can improve the overall quality of your life if used ethically and legally.

Empowering Women Not To Become Domestic Violence Victims Social Work Essay

Empowering Women Not To Become Domestic Violence Victims Social Work Essay The purpose of my research is to show how to empower domestic violence victims to prevent them from or remaining becoming victims. I satisfy this purpose by recognizing the signs of domestic abuse by the abuser, examining the history of domestic violence and, statistical data; I also address the enabling friends, family to recognize the symptoms of the abused. Domestic Violence is an assault on an intimate partner with most violence committed against women by their male partner (ABA, 2010). Many programs have been introduced to communities as well as states to protect victims of domestic violence and their children. Women are forced to leave their lives behind taking the children with them to shelters or Child Protective Services take them, due to the abuse and instability in the home. Battered women shelters have been opened in an attempt to keep the women and children in hiding from their abuser. Often the victims and their children will move to another state in an attempt to be safe from the abuser. Children receive counseling and often suffer depression, aggressive behavior, and development of adult health problems (APA, 2010). Domestic violence seems to be more focused on the victims than the batterer, resulting in having programs to protect the victim. Some examples are battered womens shelters, and receiving assistance from programs to protect victims from the batterer. For the batterer, abusive acts are a control issue and batterers are determined to keep that control over their victims sometimes, leading to stalking and murdering their victim for the ultimate control and power (NCJRS 2005). American society exerts a lot of time and money into programs to assist battered women and children who are witnesses of the violence. Society needs to look at the offender in an attempt to understand the offenders reason for the violence, to study their main objective and why the abusers ultimately have no control over themselves. Literature Review Devaney (2008) reported a study conducted on children who were in long-term and complex needs because of experiencing domestic violence. His research revealed that professionals have an awareness of domestic violence, and that younger children with younger parents are most likely to experience prolonged periods in the child protective system. Devaney contended that government policy and professional practice should primarily be concerned with assessing the risk that men present, rather than the risk children and families experience. By reframing professional interventions, men are more likely to be challenged to accept responsibility for their behavior. The domestically violent patients are more unstable from psychological viewpoint but not more inclined to anger than the average male. When comparing domestically violent patients with generally violent patients, domestically violent patients score lower on anger disposition and on aggressive behavior than the generally violent patients did (Kraaimaat, 2008). According to the American Psychiatric Association (2010), abusers use many ways to isolate, intimidate, and control their partners. Abuse starts slow and may be difficult to EMPOWERING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS 5 recognize. Initially the abuse is manifested in isolated incidents for which partners expresses remorse and promises never to abuse again. The abusers justify their actions because of stress or claims the abuse was something the victim did or did not do. Domestic Violence can lead to other common emotional traumas such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Abuse can trigger suicide attempts, psychotic episodes, homelessness, and slow recovery from mental illness (APA, 2010). Uncovering battering mens attributions are important in understanding domestic violence, and these attributions are the key to curtailing domestic violence. What is common to these attribution styles is the evasion of responsibility for commission of, and for the need to take action to stop the violence. These attributions styles have been found to increase battering mens hostility and stress, their risk of engaging in violent behavior, as well as enabling the batterer to continue their violence unchecked (Wallach, 2008). National Criminal Justice Reference Service (2005) reports power and control are fundamental concepts in the patriarchal family structure and in the relationship between violent men and their female companions; power-control theory may explain the response of the criminal justice system to woman battering. Power-control theory suggests that men batter women because unless they are in control of their production sphere, and consumption sphere, the potential upset of the familys balance of power is a real threat to the batterer. Bostock (2009) reports that situations of domestic abuse can be prolonged by limited options available to victims of support and protection, and a lack of active public acknowledgement that domestic abuse is unacceptable. Some women felt that the police still adopted and attitude of its just a domestic and that they did not take the matter seriously or offer effective help and protection. Stoops (2010), study explores the existence and predictive ability of a behavior-based typology of men who were adjudicated for domestic violence crime in an urban criminal justice system. Results revealed that preliminary support for the development of typological assessment in criminal justice and early settings for early identification of men who may need additional intervention. Early intervention could prevent further escalation of violence from the batterer. McCloskey (2004) presents information on the characteristics of a clinical population of male perpetrators of intimate partner violence court-ordered for batterers treatment, and how those characteristics co-varied with treatment attrition. When treating male batterers who were court-ordered to receive treatment, findings suggested that batterers self-reports of their own violent behavior were found to vary by data collection technique, with face-to-face interviews eliciting greater admission of violent behavior than paper-and-pencil questionnaires. Domestic Violence Awareness Handbook (2010) reports that too many people continue to believe that domestic violence is a private matter between a couple, rather than a criminal offense that merits a strong and swift response. Even today, the victim of a domestic assault runs the risk of being asked, What did you do to make your husband angry? This question implies the victim is to blame for this abuse. People in the criminal justice system ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ police, prosecutors, judges, and jurors ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ need to be educated about the role they can play in curbing acts of domestic violence. MayoClinic (2010) reports that even if a child is not abused, simply witnessing the domestic violence can be harmful. Children who grow up in abusive homes are more likely to be abused and have behavioral problems than are other children. As adults, child witnesses are more likely to become abusers or think abuse is a normal part of a relationship. Victims worry that seeking help will further endanger them and the child, or that treatment may break up the family. It was stated that treatment is the most effective measure to protect the child. Discussion During the research, my goal was to try to understand the actions and attributes of the batterer, in an attempt to make victims recognize the signs of a batterer before abused women become a victim. Another goal was to recognize the symptoms of the victim. The gathering of information provides an understanding of the abuser, and recognizing the warning signs of an abuser before they become a victim. Education of younger adults assists and informs families and friends of the trend of an abusive relationship. Recognize Patterns of Domestic Violence Domestic violence is a serious threat for many women. To be empowered, the victim must recognize the signs of an abusive relationship and how to leave a dangerous situation to achieve empowerment. Threats, including violence, suicide, or taking away the children are common tactics employed by the batterer. The existence of emotional and verbal abuse, attempts to isolate, and threats of and intimidation within a relationship may be an indication that physical abuse is to follow (MayoClinic, 2010). Knowing the signs of an abusive relationship is not only imperative for the victim, but is also an important weapon against violence for the victims family, friends, and co-workers. The more people that are aware of the attributes of an abuser the less likely the relationship will develop into a domestic violent relationship. The victim is not alone and will not have the feeling of helplessness, or the shame of blaming herself, and will not deny the abuse if the ones that are close to the victim can recognize the signs. Victims will not feel alone, and will break the cycle early. Education of Community Family, and Friends Strict new laws are one way to reduce domestic violence, but education could prevent it violence or abuse from starting or escalating to the point of the victim being battered. Education should begin in the high schools for all students on domestic violence awareness to ensure that all members of the community are aware that domestic violence is not a private matter between a couple, rather a criminal offense that merits strong and swift response. Communities must take an interest to promote and educate on the programs that are available to the victims, such as hot lines, police, social workers, and battered womens shelters. Awareness needs to be brought to medical professionals who see the victims of violence who ask them about the crime, and seek more information rather than allowing the victim to fabricate an excuse for the batterer. Neighbors must contact the police when they hear violent fights in their neighborhoods. Teachers should be alert to signs that students have witnessed violence at home, or by a partner. Friends need to be educated that it is not the victims fault and assist in anyway, recognizing that abuse is unacceptable. The friends and family of the victims need to understand the needs of someone experiencing abuse. The longer a victim stays in an abusive relationship, the greater the toll on the victims self-esteem, resulting in depression or anxiety. The victim may begin to doubt their ability to take care of themselves or wonder if the abuse is their fault and feeling helpless or paralyzed to act. Break the Cycle The longer an abusive relationship continues, the greater toll it takes on the victims self-esteem, but the cycle must be broken before the batterer gains total control. The cycle can be broken by telling friends, family or calling a domestic violence shelter, but must be done in a safe location. Victims should be prepared to leave, pack an emergency bag that includes items that the victim needs when they leave, and know exactly where to go and how to get there. The only way to break the cycle of domestic violence is to take action and the sooner the better. Conclusion Too many people continue to believe that domestic violence is a private matter between a couple, rather than a criminal offense. Even today, the victim of a domestic assault runs the risk of being blamed for the abuse, as if she is the one that brought on the assault. People in our criminal justice system ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ police, prosecutors, judges, and jurors need to be educated about the role they can play in curbing domestic violence. Nearly thirty percent of all female homicide victims were killed by their husbands, former husbands or boyfriends (Domestic Violence Awareness Handbook, 2010). Strict new laws are one way to reduce domestic violence but nothing sends a clearer message to a batterer than prosecuting and jailing other batterers. New laws are not the answer if people are not educated in the system to enforce the laws. The victim often feels alone in the situation, and as a society members must let victims know that they are not alone. American society must take action to let the victims know they are not alone. Even when cases are brought to court, domestic crimes are difficult to prosecute. All too often victims are so terrorized that victims fear for their lives if they call the police. Silence is the batterers best friend. Members of the community, needs to end their silence and change the attitudes toward domestic crime. EMPOWERING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS 11

Comparing the Roles of Women in Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnes

Comparing the Roles of Women in Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Look Back in Anger In Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Look Back in Anger, the women characters play distinct roles in the dramas. However, the type of roles, the type of characters portrayed, and the purpose the women’s roles have in developing the plot and themes vary in each play. As demonstrated by The Importance of Being Earnest and Look Back in Anger, the majority of women’s roles ultimately reflect that women in British society were viewed to be unequal to men in love and in relationships and generally the weaker sex, emotionally, physically and intellectually. However, I have found an exception to this standard in the play Arcadia, in which Thomasina Coverly plays the role of a young genius. In Oscar Wilde’s drama The Importance of Being Earnest, he uses light-hearted tones and humor to poke fun at British high society while handling the serious theme of truth and the true identity of who is really â€Å"Earnest.† Truth as theme is most significantly portrayed through the women characters, Gwendolen and Cecily but to present serious themes comically, Wilde portrays women to be the weaker sex of society, despite the seriousness of the subject—the identity of the men they want to marry. Gwendolen and Cecily act like air-heads and are easily won over by the men they plan to marry. Gwendolen simply wants to marry a man named Earnest. She tells Jack â€Å"my ideal has always been to love someone of the name of Ernest† (I.381-82). The mere idea of marrying a man for his name shows how easily Gwendolen can attach herself to a man. Marriage is the most serious of all relationships and Gwendolen is foolish to deter... ..., Stoppard’s creation of Thomasina opens the door of opportunity in the world of drama for more women characters to be created with the same intelligence and respect in regards to love as well as academics. Works Cited Fleming, John. Stoppard’s Theater: Finding Order amid Chaos. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001. Nadel, Ira. Tom Stoppard: A Life. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Osborne, John. Look Back in Anger. New York: Penguin, 1982. Stoppard, Tom. Arcadia. London: Faber and Faber, 1993. Thompson, Doreen. â€Å"Stoppard’s Idea of Woman: ‘Good, Bad, or Indifferent?’.† Ed. Anthony Jenkins. Critical Essays on Tom Stoppard. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1990. 194-203. Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Peter Raby, ed. Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays. London: Oxford University Press, 1995. 247-307. Comparing the Roles of Women in Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnes Comparing the Roles of Women in Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Look Back in Anger In Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Look Back in Anger, the women characters play distinct roles in the dramas. However, the type of roles, the type of characters portrayed, and the purpose the women’s roles have in developing the plot and themes vary in each play. As demonstrated by The Importance of Being Earnest and Look Back in Anger, the majority of women’s roles ultimately reflect that women in British society were viewed to be unequal to men in love and in relationships and generally the weaker sex, emotionally, physically and intellectually. However, I have found an exception to this standard in the play Arcadia, in which Thomasina Coverly plays the role of a young genius. In Oscar Wilde’s drama The Importance of Being Earnest, he uses light-hearted tones and humor to poke fun at British high society while handling the serious theme of truth and the true identity of who is really â€Å"Earnest.† Truth as theme is most significantly portrayed through the women characters, Gwendolen and Cecily but to present serious themes comically, Wilde portrays women to be the weaker sex of society, despite the seriousness of the subject—the identity of the men they want to marry. Gwendolen and Cecily act like air-heads and are easily won over by the men they plan to marry. Gwendolen simply wants to marry a man named Earnest. She tells Jack â€Å"my ideal has always been to love someone of the name of Ernest† (I.381-82). The mere idea of marrying a man for his name shows how easily Gwendolen can attach herself to a man. Marriage is the most serious of all relationships and Gwendolen is foolish to deter... ..., Stoppard’s creation of Thomasina opens the door of opportunity in the world of drama for more women characters to be created with the same intelligence and respect in regards to love as well as academics. Works Cited Fleming, John. Stoppard’s Theater: Finding Order amid Chaos. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001. Nadel, Ira. Tom Stoppard: A Life. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Osborne, John. Look Back in Anger. New York: Penguin, 1982. Stoppard, Tom. Arcadia. London: Faber and Faber, 1993. Thompson, Doreen. â€Å"Stoppard’s Idea of Woman: ‘Good, Bad, or Indifferent?’.† Ed. Anthony Jenkins. Critical Essays on Tom Stoppard. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1990. 194-203. Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Peter Raby, ed. Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays. London: Oxford University Press, 1995. 247-307.

Hypertension Essay -- Health, Cardiovascular Diseases, Stroke

Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases including stroke and may also have a role in the development of vascular cognitive impairment and vascular dementia [1, 2]. Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (EC 3.4.15.1; ACE) plays an important role in the rennin-angiotensin system and it is a carboxyl-terminal dipeptidyl exopeptidase that catalyzes the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II [3-6]. ACE converts an inactive form of decapeptide, angiotensin I, to a potent vasoconstrictor, octapeptide, angiotensin II, in addition; since the ACE is a multifunctional enzyme it also catalyzes the degradation of bradykinin, which is known as a vasodilator [4, 7]. Therefore, inhibition of ACE activity leads to decrease in the concentration of angiotensin II and increases the level of bradykinin; consequently reduce blood pressure [8]. The discovery of captopril as a potent inhibitor of ACE led to the recent development of many series of novel structures with similar biological activity [9]. To date a wide variety of ACE inhibitors from various land and marine food sources have been reported such as milk [10], cheese [11], egg white [12], canola [13], peanut [14], rapeseed [15], antler [16], fish muscle [17], seaweeds [18] and tuna [2]. Many academic, scientific, and regulatory organizations are considering ways to establish the scientific basis to support and further validate claims for functional components or the foods containing them. Consumer interest in the relationship between diet and health has increased the demand for information about functional foods. More recently, the food industry, the agricultural community, and now consumers have shown a growing interest in the field of... ...dependent on the conversion of yellow tetrazolium bromide to its purple formazan derivative by mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase in viable cells [34]. In conclusion, E. cava is a very interesting resource, due to the presence of unique phlorotannin derivatives with special bioactivities including ACE inhibitory activity. Ethanol enhances the extraction of phlorotannins specially dieckol from the brown seaweed E. cava. By contrast, in this study phloroglucinol derivative dieckol exhibited the strongest activity against ACE. With the results of this study we can suggest that the brown seaweed E. cava could be used in development of promising and potential functional food products. Moreover, it is expected that these findings will contribute to developing interests in basic research and potential applications of the phlorotannins in the relevant fields.

Huckleberry Finn: hero or villain?

Originally developed in Spain, one of the various styles of writing used by authors is that of the picaresque novel, which involves a picaro, or rogue hero, usually on a journey, and incorporates an episodic plot through various conflicts. Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (AHF), is a picaresque novel, marked by its episodic plot with a unifying theme of the river and the characterization of Huck Finn as a rogue hero. The novel's periodic plot is demonstrated by Huck's many adventures in separate episodes having independent conflicts. Gary Weiner, a former English teacher, states that â€Å"the picaresque novel is [†¦ episodic. Various scenes may have little to do with one another, and entire scenes may be removed without markedly altering the plot as a whole† (88). The conflicts that govern Huck's encounters with people like the dishonest and devious king and the duke, the Grangerford family, or Colonel Sherburn are very different and disconnected from one another. Whereas one episode involves two crooks, the duke and the king, the other involves a long-standing family feud between the Grangerford and Sheperdson families, and the third involves a Colonel defending his honor, with very little connection among the episodes. Tom Quirk, an author, editor, and English professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, also purports that â€Å"Huckleberry Finn is a highly episodic book, and the arrangement of episodes observes no incontestable narrative logic. The feud chapters precede rather than follow the Boggs shooting not for self-evident artistic reasons but because we are to suppose that is the order in which Huck lived them† (97). The different conflicts exhibit the novel's picaresque style and are used to relate the story of a wandering rogue hero. Though the story's plot is episodic in nature, there is, however, a unifying factor of the river, shown through the conflict and water diction. John C. Gerber, a well-known Twain scholar, affirms in â€Å"Mark Twain: Overview† that though â€Å"episodic in nature, the story nevertheless holds together because of the river [and] the constant presence of Huck as narrator†. Every episode in the book takes place along the banks of the Mississippi River, as Huck and Jim travel down the mighty river, trying to find Cairo. From the crashed steamboat to the Royal Nonesuch spectacles along the riverside towns, the small conflicts are related by their proximity to the river. Leo Marx, Senior Lecturer and William R. Kenan Professor of American Cultural History Emeritus at MIT, cites T. S. Eliot, a poet and also another critic, in saying that â€Å"‘The River gives the book its form. But for the River, the book might be only a sequence of adventures with a happy ending'† (12). Water diction is used to purvey a sense of the unifying river in the book. As Huck and Jim raft down the river from Jackson Island, Huck comments: â€Å"Two or three days and nights went by; I reckon I might say they swum by, they slid along so quiet and smooth and lovely† (AHF 129). The river physically holds the story together and also underlies the whole novel. Huck can be compared to Weiner's definition of a Picaresque hero as: â€Å"The picaresque novel is a witty, satirical form that revolves around the exploits of a lower-class hero of dubious morals, often called a ‘rogue hero. ‘ This hero lives by his wits as he moves through the various strata of his society. The hero is constantly in and out of trouble but often uses his street-smarts to emerge from compromising situations. † (87) To that extent, these four character traits are seen in the hero of the story, Huckleberry Finn. Huck can be characterized as having dubious morals through his actions and reasoning. Huck justifies some of his immoral actions, such as stealing, by using his pap's own actions as a precedent. Quirk states, â€Å"Huck is often capable of pseudomoralizing, citing his pap as authority for lifting a chicken or borrowing a melon† (92). As Huck tells the reader during the preparations to help Jim escape from the Phelps residence, â€Å"Along during that morning I borrowed a sheet and white shirt off of the clothes-line [†¦ ] I called it borrowing because that was what pap always called it [†¦ ]† (AHF 256). Also, Huck rationalizes his immoral action when he sneaks into a circus without paying. He defends his action by saying that he did not need to waste money: â€Å"I ain't opposed to spending money on circuses, [†¦ ] but there ain't no use in wasting it on them† (AHF 159). Huck, therefore, carries out improper and immoral actions akin to thievery. Weiner verifies this: â€Å"there is no honor among thieves, and Huck, by necessity, has become one of them† (83). Thus, Huck demonstrates the characteristic of being a rogue hero through his immoral actions and their justification. Rogue heroes travel ‘through' various social strata; through the episodes that Huck experiences, Twain presents the many levels of antebellum Mississippi valley American social strata. Huck starts traveling with Jim, a runaway slave, down the Mississippi river, and eventually befriends him, a lower class individual. Huck, after playing a cruel joke on Jim, apologizes to him. This is highly out of convention for the milieu of the time, as Jim is naught more than a slave, while Huck is a white boy: â€Å"It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger – but I done it, and I warn't sorry for it afterwards, neither† (AHF 98). This exemplifies one instance where Huck mingles with a person of a lower class. Additionally, Huck cares enough about Jim that he resolves himself to free his friend and suffer the consequences: â€Å"I studied a minute [†¦ ] then says to myself, ‘All right. Then, I'll go to hell' [†¦ I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again [†¦ ]† (AHF 228). Huck sacrifices the most valuable part of himself, his soul, to stay with his lower class friend Jim. Huck also interacts with people of higher social classes: â€Å"Tom Sawyer, his aunt, the Widow Douglas, and Miss Watson are all drawn from the middle class. The Sheperdsons and Grangerfords represent the wealthy, aristocratic upper class† (Weiner 73). Miss Watson, who cares for Huck in the beginning, and the Widow Douglas are not overly wealthy, but do have several slaves (AHF 11). The Phelps family, who Huck mingles with when they mistake him for Tom Sawyer, also belongs to the middle class. Huck describes them as well-off, but not overly wealthy family: â€Å"Phelps's was one of these little one-horse cotton plantations†(AHF 232). The cotton plantations were very successful at the time, but the Phelps's is one of a smaller size, denoting their middle-class status. When Huck arrives at the residence of the Grangerfords, an upper-class, aristocratic family who he stays with, he describes: â€Å"It was a mighty nice family, and a mighty nice house, too. I hadn't seen no house out in the country before that was so nice and had so much style† (AHF 112). Huck also describes the house as having features like a fireplace and other luxuries that only the affluent could afford. Therefore, Huck satisfies another requirement of the rogue hero, interacting with characters from various social classes. Another facet of the picaresque hero is his constant entanglement with trouble. Each episode that Huck experiences, embroils him in that conflict until he escapes to stumble into the next conflict. After the episode where Huck and Jim are separated in the fog, they encounter a group of slave-hunters; following that, more trouble befalls them as a steamboat runs into their raft, forcing Huck into the water. Eventually, Huck washes up on the property of the Grangerfords, where he faces the next conflict. In his attempts to escape from trouble, Huck often inadvertently stumbles into more trouble. Huck quick-wittedly answers â€Å"‘Goodness sakes, would a runaway nigger run south? ‘† to the king and the duke's wondering if Jim is a runaway slave (AHF 138). However, according to R. J. Fertel, a Twain scholar, Huck's quick-witted answer â€Å"gets [Jim and Huck] out of the frying pan and into the fire: the duke responds by printing the slave bills that enable their rafting by day and that leads ultimately to Jim's being sold back into slavery† (92). The different conflicts in the story as well as Huck's responses and reactions get Huck often into trouble. Finally, Huck fulfills the fourth criterion for a rogue hero by using wits and practical knowledge of the world to avoid or escape from trouble. Whenever Huck is tangled in a problem, he concocts a story for himself on the spot and manages his way out of trouble. According to Fertel, â€Å"[Huck], [†¦ ] [is] an improviser always ready with a tall tale or scheme or counter scheme [†¦ ] Huck's improvising is [†¦ ] harmless, brought to bear on others only to avoid trouble† (94). After Huck tries to slip away from the duke and the king after the townsfolk find out that the two are not the real relatives of the deceased man, Peter Wilks, the king catches Huck and asks if he was trying to give them the slip. Huck quickly lies that the man â€Å"‘that had aholt of me was very good to me [†¦ ] and he was sorry to see a boy in such a dangerous fix; [†¦ he [let] go of me and whispers ‘Heel it now, or they'll hang ye for sure! ‘ and I lit out'† (AHF 219). Similarly, when Jim is in danger of being discovered by raftsmen, he quickly lies to them and convinces them that his father has smallpox: â€Å"‘[†¦ ] gentlemen, if you'll only pull ahead, and let me heave you the head-line, you won' t have to come a-near the raft;'† the men immediately back off: â€Å"‘Keep away, boy – keep to looard. [†¦ ] Your pap's got the smallpox and you know it precious well. [†¦ ] Do you want to spread it al over? ‘† (AHF 103). Huck lies again to protect himself as well as Jim. In addition, he uses his practical knowledge to support his story when he is cornered by Mrs. Judith Loftus. To see if Huck was really from a farm, as he had told her while in the guise of a girl, she asks him questions, such as â€Å"‘Which side of a tree does the most moss grow on? ‘† to which Huck promptly and correctly answers â€Å"‘North side;'† Huck's practical knowledge convinces her, as she responds, â€Å"‘Well, I reckon you have lived in the country,'† and relieves Huck of momentary trouble (AHF 71). Quickly concocting stories and lies as well as utilizing practical knowledge characterize Huck's wit, fulfilling this criterion of the rogue hero. An episodic plot and Huck Finn as a rogue hero establish Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a picaresque novel. The plot consists of many episodes with separate and disconnected conflicts, all bound by the river. Huck Finn can be characterized as a rogue hero, thus fulfilling all the necessary criteria for the picaresque novel.

Macro ad/as model

Let us first understand the components of the AD/AS model, so we can determine and identify the factors which play a part in the level of output in the economy, and learn how the government intervenes in order to implement macro-policies in order to increase output, and the effects of these policies on the economy. The AD/AS model shows the combinations of both the aggregate demand curve and the aggregate supply curve.The aggregate demand curve shows the combinations of the price level and level of output at which both the money market and good market are in equilibrium, while the aggregate supply curve shows for each given price level the mount of out of output the firms are willing to supply. As mentioned in the 10th edition of macroeconomics by Mc Grawhill â€Å"the aggregate supply -aggregate demand model is the basic macroeconomic tool for studying output fluctuations† (Pg. 98, Macroeconomics, Rudiger Dornbush).Let us first understand the market equilibrium price of the p roduct and then identify and analyze how factors such as change in demand and supply, elasticity, separating and pooling equilibrium, market structure determine the price of a good or service. In free market, equilibrium price is the price at which there is no surplus or shortage nd therefore quantity demanded equals quantity supplied (Sloman 2008). At equilibrium, any change in quantity demanded or quantity supplied will move the market towards disequilibrium Let's work through an example.For this example, refer to . Notice that we begin at point A where short-run aggregate supply curve 1 meets the long-run aggregate supply curve and aggregate demand curve 1 . The point where the short-run aggregate supply curve and the aggregate demand curve meet is always the short-run equilibrium. The point where the long-run aggregate supply urve and the aggregate demand curve meet is always the long-run equilibrium. Thus, we are in long-run equilibrium to begin. Now say that the Fed pursues ex pansionary monetary policy.In this case, the aggregate demand curve shifts to the right from aggregate demand curve 1 to aggregate demand curve 2. The intersection of short- run aggregate supply curve 1 and aggregate demand curve 2 has now shifted to the upper right from point A to point B. At point B, both output and the price level have increased. This is the new short-run equilibrium. But, as we move to the long run, the expected price level comes into line with the ctual price level as firms, producers, and workers adjust their expectations.When this occurs, the short-run aggregate supply curve shifts along the aggregate demand curve until the long-run aggregate supply curve, the short-run aggregate supply curve, and the aggregate demand curve all intersect. This is represented by point C and is the new equilibrium where short-run aggregate supply curve 2 equals the long-run aggregate supply curve and aggregate demand curve 2. Thus, expansionary policy causes output and the pric e level to increase in the short run, but only the price level to increase in the long run

Native Americans and Early American Colonists Essay

Grade school and even beginning level college history classes have taught early American exploration from a largely one sided view of the conflict between early explorers and Native Americans. The traditional image of the Native Americans as the sole victims, is an oversimplification of the conflict that existed between early explorers, settlers and Native Americans. Through the readings from Columbus, Bradford and some selected Native American writings, the traditional view of the Native American victim will be challenged and a broader view of the conflict will be presented. Columbus set out to explore a new land under the Spanish flag to bring riches and fame to Spain and the throne. In his letter to Santangel, Columbus (1493) explained how he hoped to find â€Å"great cities† and â€Å"king[s]† but instead found a primitive people and settlements he described as â€Å"small hamlets† that he viewed quite devolved from the bustling civilizations of Europe (pg. 26). One can clearly see, that Columbus’s hopes of finding rich kingdoms and cultures were dashed; instead his presence was met with resistance from the â€Å"Indians†. This relationship with the natives was described by Baym et. all (2008) as â€Å"disordered and bloody† (pg. 25). These natives were mistreated even though one could argue that they â€Å"threw the first punch† but, as Baym et. all (2008) describes earlier in the chapter, the Natives were not merely victims. They strategically used alliances with explorers and settlers to further their own interests and disputes with warring tribes and peoples. William Bradford (1897) describes quite a different account of his coming to the new world. He was part of a group of â€Å"pilgrims† seeking religious freedom. He likens their arrival to the new world, to the story in Acts were the apostles are met with such aggression from barbarians â€Å"who were readier to fill their sides full of arrows† (pg. 60). Later on in his account, he describes an attack they received from the natives he described as â€Å"enemies† (pg. 64). Later on in his account, Bradford (1897) describes some awful events surrounding early accounts of settler and native interactions in which the Native Americans treated the english as â€Å"worse than slaves† and were sent around and â€Å"ma[d]e sport with† (pg. 70). One last important viewpoint to give credence to is that of the Natives themselves. This account is unique and oftentimes not told. The first story mentioned is that of the freeing of John Smith as a ceremonial act that the natives hoped would earn them respect from the English. This instead had the opposite effect and eventually brought about an attack from the natives which killed over 500 colonists. In a speech from Pontiac (1763) he expresses concern over his people forgetting their heritage and blaming the English for the polluting of his people’s culture and beliefs. He holds the English in complete responsibility and calls for their blood. The traditional view of the natives as the sole victim is an oversimplification of the problems revolving around immigration and cultural diversity. Just from these three personal accounts from the time period we have three very different views of the issue. So, to say that one peoples are the victim is a gross oversimplification and misrepresentation of history. Columbus, C. (1493). Letter to Luis de Santagel Regarding the First Voyage. In Baym, N. (Ed. ). (2008). The Norton Anthology of American Literature (seventh ed., pp. 24-28). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. Bradford, W. (1897). Of Plymouth Plantation. In Baym, N. (Ed. ). (2008). The Norton Anthology of American Literature (seventh ed. , pp. 57-74). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. Pontiac (1763). Speech at Detroit. In Baym, N. (Ed. ). (2008). The Norton Anthology of American Literature (seventh ed. , pp. 208-209). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. Baym, N. (Ed. ). (2008). The Norton Anthology of American Literature (seventh ed. , pp. 1-218). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

CIS Review Questions

Describe the functional organizational structure. Why do you think this structure Is so widely used? The organizational structure Is composed of different departments that help operate the business, such as, purchasing, operations, warehouse, sales and marketing, accounting, research and development, finance and accounting, human resource, and information technology. I look at Direct Relief International when they need supplies they use the SAP website to track everything they need. Most of their material is available for anyone to see what they need, where it's going to, and the amount of supplies on hand.Most retail companies use the same process when ordering, or for payroll, they might have a different name for it. To me working in the retail business I think it helps the company out by seeing what the customers are wanting, they can tell if a particular item is not selling base off the cost and other factors. For example Skullcap's CEO (Rick Alden) said he doesn't need an IT dep artment and for their Accounting they utilize what SAP has put In place. 2. What Is the silo effect? Why does It exist? What problems does It create?How can an organization reduce or eliminate the silo effect? The silo effect is when one person completes a specific part of their work and sends it off to someone else who does their particular part. I think the silo effect exists because it coordinates functions and Job duties in deferent functional areas. Most companies using the silo effect tend to lose lots of money and can affect customers If the communication process In not there. For example the Classically company takes employees out to clear their mind and create Ideas.Most companies have people who are stuck In their ways and believe the world Is never changing. I would love to e companies use the functional organizational structure such as every each department has to know what is going on from the lower level to the higher level of staff. Everyone in the department should b e on the same task so that if someone in your department passes alone his or her work to you, if any mistakes are made someone can catch it and send it back to that person, or have the option to correct the error. . What is a business process? Why is adopting a process view of organizations essential to becoming a successful manager? A business process consists of different level of tasks that have to be completed In order for you to receive an outcome, which could be your order. I figured each functional area going through a unique process in order for that order to get the best pharmacist order supplies from Direct Relief International it's a business process that each item goes through in order to have the best outcome.Step one might be the doctor ordering the material, the second step is locating the material in the warehouse, the third level is placing the items where it's going, and the final would be the shipping status of the products. Briefly describe the key business proce sses included in this chapter in terms of . Their key steps. The key process are processes that have an impact on the success of an organization, processes deliver results that are directed towards measurable business goals, and making sure that the organization remains competitive like Global Bike Inc.The procurement process is where the items are being planned you can order your products online or by calling and then making sure that the accounting or finance department has no issues. The production process is simply like the companies stated earlier sometimes they make the products or go and locate the product in the arouses where the items are located to be shipped. The final process is making sure that the customer has a tracking number and making sure that the order has been fulfilled.The lifestyle data management process is when Global Bike Inc. Creates a particular design for a customer and hopefully discontinues it unless someone else has the same idea. The material plannin g process is when statistic data plays a role in the organization finding out what people are looking for an interested in. The inventory process is where the material is stored and ready for shipping. Explain the interrelationships among the key processes included in this 5. Chapter. Why are these interrelationships important?The procurement when Direct Relief International has orders being placed they will go to they will scan and locate the product location. Next they will get a purchase order to accounting so that accounting will send invoices once payment is received. The next step is to the production stage goes to the warehouse and back to the production. Finally, the order is in the fulfillment stage where sales create the order and the warehouse ships the order, and then accounting receives payment from the customer.

A Thematic Analysis of Hope and Other Urban Tales by Laura Hird

The ideological model of literacy[1] (Street, 2000) will underline the analysis of the book, and direct the way in which it is read. Analysis Hope and Other Urban Tales focusses mainly on the darker side of the human experience. In Hird’s own words, her work is centred on â€Å"nasty stories about dysfunctional people† (Taylor, 2009).[2] With key themes involving escapism; social change, manipulation, depression and sexuality, the book offers a detailed glimpse into 21st Century Scottish culture primarily through each narrators’ introspective qualities. This essay however, will concentrate on the main under-lying theme of escapism in the text, as well as Hird’s syntactical and lexical choices, and what effect they culminate to. The author’s tone and style will be the first literary aspect to be considered, with reference to the ideological model of literacy as proposed by Brian Street in his paper Literacy and Development. One of the most important literary aspects that achieves Hird’s sense of an empathetic, self-aware and socially observant author is Hope’s narrative tone and style. Since most of the stories are written through first-person perspectives, the narrator is able to connect at a very personal level to the reader as though the happenings of the story are real. Each narrator’s feelings and emotions are captured through their own descriptions of them; allowing the reader to better understand their experiences. We are also subject to a large amount of narratorial interference (which at times, is arguably quite stifling) that serves to remind the reader of what the narrator is feeling at any exact moment. This ties in well to Hird’s stream-of-consciousness style of writing, in which thoughts and actions are described in real time. Present-tense also intensifies this reaction from the reader, as we are lead to know as much or as little as the protagonists do.  œ (Pg. 1 – 10, Hope’s best example of psychological realism) Present tense is used in many of the short stories in this collection (Hope, The Happening, Destination Anywhere, and Meat). Hird puts this device in place not only in order to allow the reader to live the events of the story at the same time the characters are; (there by making them more ‘alive’) but to compliment her inter-personal, nonchalant style of writing. For example, in Hope, the narrator explains: â€Å"We seem to become embroiled in this intense conversation as soon as we sit down. There’s none of that ridiculous small talk that Edinburgh people usually use to keep people at a distance till they’ve decided what to dislike about them. Hope appears to have angles on everything that I’d never even contemplated before†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hope, Chp. 2, pg.14)[3] This quote also implies a deep-seeded basis of empathy that is present within the narrator’s tone. It is with lines like â€Å"none of that ridiculous small talk†¦Ã¢â‚¬  that shows a wanting for personal connection between the characters and indeed, the rest of the world around him. Past the confines of Hope’s apartment, this speaks volumes about the state of 21st Century Scottish culture. The previous passage is particularly interesting because of its implications towards contemporary Scottish culture. Here the subtext dictates that ordinary Scottish citizens are closed-off, reserved and un-involved with each other to the point of even disliking one another’s company. Whilst the narrative choice of first-person means that everything in the story is somewhat biased to an extent, the reader can see beyond that; and look into the real-life writer’s feelings about her surroundings. Such a blunt observation coupled with judgement (â€Å"what to dislike†) allows the confidence and self-assuredness of the writing to materialise plainly in the reader’s mind. Further to this, it can be said that although Hope is a product of the mid-2000s, it pays noticeable homage to mid-90s Scottish literature. For instance, Hird’s work has been said to be caught in a â€Å"Trainspotting hangover† [4] (Briscoe, 2006) – a nod to Scottish author Irvine Welsh. Hird herself has confessed also that she is a great admirer of Ian McEwan, author of Enduring Love[5], where her methodical approach to de-familiarization was born. The ideological model of literacy dictates that literature should be judged as social practice and not merely â€Å"technical and neutral skill†[6] (Street, 2000). It also describes a more culturally sensitive approach towards literacy than its counter – the autonomous model. This effectively directs the way that the book should be read; with more allusion towards a social commentary. Hird wrote this collection as a product of her own inherent knowledge and understanding of the working world. Her state of ‘being’ attaches itself to the stories, the characters and her choice of words throughout the entire book and results in enabling the reader to see her most-inner workings and the effects of the defensive, emotionally stale culture of Scotland in the 21st Century. Furthermore, the ideological model also commands the way in which the reader reads. Each reader’s conception of themselves and their identity becomes the root of their understanding of the text. Hope and Other Urban Tales then becomes a mix of both the author’s perceptions of being and the reader’s. Allowing the two perspectives to inter-twine as such culminates to a very personal response that elicits an extension of the reader’s set of prior beliefs. Whilst the 90’s have clearly influenced Hird and her attitudes to her art, the period has not distracted her from contemporary 21st Century culture with reference to the writer’s loyalty to her idols, such as Welsh[7] (Morace, 2001). Hird adheres to the stream-of-consciousness writing style popular in the mid-90s, as well as psychological realism[8] (Cuddon, 1999). This means that Hird’s characters are not content to merely explain the events of a story; they have to explain their motives and thoughts aswell. Interior monologues are therefore a staple technique employed in the collection, as well as narratorial interference, which is consistently present throughout every story involving first-person narration. These modernist techniques result in a slightly fragmented style of story-telling, in which the narrator’s character is arguably the most important aspect of the story, as not only do they tell the story, they act in it as well. The writer’s attitudes are most notably introduced in the title’s novella, Hope. Here we are subject to Martin’s (the story’s narrator) account of Scottish people, society and culture. Hird’s choice of syntax, her sentence structures and passages of time demonstrate a noticeable disassociation from the novella’s universe; it’s ‘real world’. This disassociation carries well into the collection’s escapist theme; which has been said to be the common link between every character in Hope and Other Urban Tales[9] (Alapi, 2006). Escape is mentioned in almost every story and implies an escape from the morally deprived society of the 21st Century. Whether this ‘escape’ is physical or metaphoric, it denotes the action of leaving a life behind, and it inhabits every story: In Hope: â€Å"I’ve got to get out of here. Go somewhere hot.† (Pg.2) In The Happening: â€Å"Annual leave is precious.† (Pg. 69) In Reanimation: â€Å"We need to get out. If we don’t go out now I’m afraid we’re never going to escape.† (Pg. 97) In Victims: â€Å"Would you leave them for meNever see them again?† (Pg. 166) In Destination Anywhere: â€Å"I’ve found, by experience, that running away is usually the answer. I have been running away since I was a kid.† (Pg. 203) In Meat: â€Å"Atleast it feels like I’m escaping for a little while.† (Pg. 217) (Most obvious examples) This escapist attitude stems from an inherent disassociation in every character. They could even be argued to be tragic heroes; who pave the way for their own downfalls through poorly guided actions. If each character maintained their innocence and their naivety, then they would be more comfortable and engaged with the world around them. As Hird clearly demonstrates through her incredibly observant narrations, these characters describe events and other people as if they are, on the most part, static and blind to real understanding (with the exception of Hope’s character in Hope: Pg. 1 – 69). There is therefore a feeling of superiority that parallels this and which results in a cynical, pessimistic writing style that implies dissatisfaction with the novel’s universe. Because the story is based upon the element of realism, this denotes dissatisfaction with the real world as well. The culture of the time is obviously a closed, harsh and faceless one. One that is controlled by television, rat-race artistic types as symbolically shown in Destination Anywhere by ‘the artist’, who remains nameless throughout, and money (Pg. 182). This theme of escape is symbolised effectively in Meat by a few different aspects. The initial death of the lamb being the most notable (Pg. 223 – 230). What reinforces this theme is how the father reacts to its death: â€Å"You know how much these things are worth?†[10] The father thinks only of the saving he will make if he brings the lamb home to be eaten, instead of deliberating on the tragedy to any kind of extent at all. He uses the death of the lamb as an escape from his son’s confession (Pg. 221). Instead of confronting his son about being homosexual, he â€Å"pushes [his son] away† (Pg. 222). The narrator’s father does not acknowledge his son whilst he is â€Å"clearing up†. These semiotics exhibit the â€Å"clearing up† of the relationship between father and son – the â€Å"dismantling† of his involvement with the situation. This metaphor leads to a physical symbol of escape: when the boy says in his interior monologue how he’s â€Å"not sure where we’re heading† (Pg. 222). The father takes country roads back from the fishing trip and drives through thick fog and darkness on the way. Fog traditionally symbolises foreboding, or the clouding of emotions. In this case, it symbolises the growth of the father’s anger and disappointment at his son because he is not addressing it. Instead he runs in both an emotional and physical sense – adding that he â€Å"doesn’t bloody know† why they are going the way they are (Pg. 223). Desperation to escape is therefore effectively symbolised here, as anywhere is better than being alone on that boat with his son. (Pgs. 221 – 230 are discussed h ere). To intensify the author’s allusion to characters that wish to escape their respective realities, we are permitted to see how it has affected Hope itself (or herself, as the case is); she does not own a television, and claims she â€Å"can’t stand it. The real opium of the masses. I can’t tell you how many good friends I’ve seen wither to death in front of the box. It’s worse than cancer† (Pg. 16). Here the author’s pessimism for the modern age again appears. Not even hope is un-tainted by it. Television is the most practical semiotic of the contemporary age, and here it is regarded as being a kind of poison that is transporting people away from reality. Hope seeks to stop the modern age entering his dwelling so she can remain in her own version of reality – thereby escaping the shared experience of â€Å"the masses†. (Pgs. 16 – 18 cover this issue). Escape is also demonstrated in the story Destination Anywhere, where we witness the result of contemporary TV culture on the youth. In this story, a thirteen-year-old girl appears at first to be genuinely interested in the narrator’s line of work (photography), and is the only one at the gallery party that will pay him any attention. Whilst this seems hopeful, the culture of drinking and drugs is once again introduced into the fabric of the text, and the girl transforms after her initial attempts at persuading the narrator to take photographs of her. Behind the closed doors of the narrator’s apartment, the reader witnesses her manipulative personality that she adopts in order to â€Å"become famous†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"proper famous† (Pg. 192). Hird makes this aspect even more disturbing by choosing a young girl to portray it – Thereby saying that the â€Å"innocent† young are far past being innocent. (Destination Anywhere begins on Pg. 181 and ends on Pg. 211). â€Å"She doesn’t have a hope in hell. I despise people like her. Jesus, even the youth don’t have any substance left any more. It depresses me.† (Pg. 192) Here we see how the narrator has developed a strong hatred for contemporary culture of all kinds, especially the new generation. This becomes intensified when he flees his own apartment after the child makes her manipulative intentions clear. He is forced to escape his private space, even, and enter society for a brief period of time. The narrator also details how â€Å"the sense that I may have just made one of the biggest mistakes of my life is tempered slightly by the feeling of relief at being away from her.† (Pg. 198). Escape becomes the thing that he desires most, regardless of the cost. Hird’s character comes across as dysfunctional and borderline weak-spirited in this regard, as all he seemingly wishes to do is run away from any situation. The reader’s expectations of her character are mis-informed, and the archetype is thoroughly mutated and transformed into something devoid of any soul or empathy. Characterisation here is truly impressive as a result, as we are made to share in the narrator’s hatred and frustration of the girl, after feeling like the narrator truly has the upper hand at the party: â€Å"Her face brightens as I walk towards her again. It’s almost a shame.† (Pg. 186). The reader wants to like the girl in the first part of the story, as she is a symbol of innocence; a symbol of hope. This is however juxtaposed by her comment â€Å"I’ll love you forever†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Pg. 195). The quote is also important as it demonstrates how the modern age will even sell love and the immaterial in order for media exposure. Nothing is sacred in the new age’s eyes. Hird sees this. Structurally, the book is fairly one-sided; as if the prose is primarily constructed around â€Å"off-the-cuff one-liners†[11] (Taylor, 2009) that have spawned from the writer’s real-life observations. Not only does this make the prose hyper-real, but it adds to the chatty, micro-literate feel of the book aswell. Chapters often begin with very short statements that try to hook in the reader’s attention: â€Å"Time passes quickly.† (Pg. 23. Dependant clause). â€Å"The other day I killed a wasp.† (Pg. 93). â€Å"Ken. Perfect name for the bastard.† (Pg. 79). Hird recognises reader psychology in the sense that she knows shorter flashes of imagery will capture the attention of people quickly; set a scene for them or throw them into the physical action of a plotline. She also uses the same technique to conclude stories or chapters: â€Å"I can make myself like anyone.† (Pg. 10). Techniques like this serve to increase the deliverance of the prose, and enable easier-reading of the text. In conclusion, the main theme of Hope and Other Urban Tales surrounds the more deceptive, malicious personality traits of human beings on the fringes of a society-gone-wrong. Whilst these characters are documented as such, their behaviours culminate to real, balanced individuals with hidden pockets of tenderness underneath their hardened exteriors. The shared feeling of wishing to escape their respective realities is found in all the protagonists in question, yet the ways that these wishes materialise differ substantially as they all possess a realistic duality in their natures. The ideological model of literacy governs this reading of the prose and proves that culture, society and the writer’s own understanding of them has a deep all-around effect on the creation of such psychological texts. References Adams, J. (2003). Interview with Laura Hird. Available: http://www.barcelonareview.com/35/e_int_lh.htm. Last accessed 19/08/2013 Alapi, Z. (2006). The New Review. Available: http://www.laurahird.com/newreview/hopeandotherurbantales.html. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Blake, W. (1970). Songs of Innocence and Experience; Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. Oxford Paperbacks. ISBN-10: 0192810898. The Lamb, Pg. 1. Briscoe, J. (2006). Hope Springs Infernal. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/nov/11/featuresreviews.guardianreview21. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Caesar, M. (1999). Umberto Eco: Philosophy, Semiotics and the Work of Fiction. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 9780745608501. Pg. 55. Cuddon, J.A. (1999). The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory, UK, Penguin Books, ISBN-10: 0140513639. Fairclough, N. (2001) Language and Power, UK, Longman, ISBN-10: 0582414830. Goodman, K. Goodman, Y. (1979) Theory and Practice of Early Reading, U.S., Routledge, ISBN-10: 0898590035. Learning to Read is Natural, pg. 137 – 54. Hird, L. (2009). Interview by Trev Taylor. Available: http://www.laurahird.com/. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Hird, L. (2006). Hope and Other Urban Tales, Scotland, Canongate Books, ISBN-10: 1841955736. McEwan, I. (1998). Enduring Love, UK, Vintage, ISBN-10: 0099276585. Morace, R. (2001). Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting: A Reader’s Guide, UK, Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 0-8264-5237-X. Randell, Stevenson. (1992). Modernist Fiction: An Introduction, The University of Kentucky, ISBN-10: 0813108144. The Scotsman. (2006). Hope Heralds a New Dawn. Available: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/books/hope-heralds-a-new-dawn-1-1416335. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Street, B. (2000). Literacy and Development: Ethnographic Perspectives, Introduction, London, Routledge, ISBN-10: 0415234514. Pg. 7 -8. Welsh, I. (1994). Trainspotting, UK, Vintage, ISBN-10: 0099465892. A Thematic Analysis of Hope and Other Urban Tales by Laura Hird The ideological model of literacy[1] (Street, 2000) will underline the analysis of the book, and direct the way in which it is read. Analysis Hope and Other Urban Tales focusses mainly on the darker side of the human experience. In Hird’s own words, her work is centred on â€Å"nasty stories about dysfunctional people† (Taylor, 2009).[2] With key themes involving escapism; social change, manipulation, depression and sexuality, the book offers a detailed glimpse into 21st Century Scottish culture primarily through each narrators’ introspective qualities. This essay however, will concentrate on the main under-lying theme of escapism in the text, as well as Hird’s syntactical and lexical choices, and what effect they culminate to. The author’s tone and style will be the first literary aspect to be considered, with reference to the ideological model of literacy as proposed by Brian Street in his paper Literacy and Development. One of the most important literary aspects that achieves Hird’s sense of an empathetic, self-aware and socially observant author is Hope’s narrative tone and style. Since most of the stories are written through first-person perspectives, the narrator is able to connect at a very personal level to the reader as though the happenings of the story are real. Each narrator’s feelings and emotions are captured through their own descriptions of them; allowing the reader to better understand their experiences. We are also subject to a large amount of narratorial interference (which at times, is arguably quite stifling) that serves to remind the reader of what the narrator is feeling at any exact moment. This ties in well to Hird’s stream-of-consciousness style of writing, in which thoughts and actions are described in real time. Present-tense also intensifies this reaction from the reader, as we are lead to know as much or as little as the protagonists do.  œ (Pg. 1 – 10, Hope’s best example of psychological realism) Present tense is used in many of the short stories in this collection (Hope, The Happening, Destination Anywhere, and Meat). Hird puts this device in place not only in order to allow the reader to live the events of the story at the same time the characters are; (there by making them more ‘alive’) but to compliment her inter-personal, nonchalant style of writing. For example, in Hope, the narrator explains: â€Å"We seem to become embroiled in this intense conversation as soon as we sit down. There’s none of that ridiculous small talk that Edinburgh people usually use to keep people at a distance till they’ve decided what to dislike about them. Hope appears to have angles on everything that I’d never even contemplated before†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hope, Chp. 2, pg.14)[3] This quote also implies a deep-seeded basis of empathy that is present within the narrator’s tone. It is with lines like â€Å"none of that ridiculous small talk†¦Ã¢â‚¬  that shows a wanting for personal connection between the characters and indeed, the rest of the world around him. Past the confines of Hope’s apartment, this speaks volumes about the state of 21st Century Scottish culture. The previous passage is particularly interesting because of its implications towards contemporary Scottish culture. Here the subtext dictates that ordinary Scottish citizens are closed-off, reserved and un-involved with each other to the point of even disliking one another’s company. Whilst the narrative choice of first-person means that everything in the story is somewhat biased to an extent, the reader can see beyond that; and look into the real-life writer’s feelings about her surroundings. Such a blunt observation coupled with judgement (â€Å"what to dislike†) allows the confidence and self-assuredness of the writing to materialise plainly in the reader’s mind. Further to this, it can be said that although Hope is a product of the mid-2000s, it pays noticeable homage to mid-90s Scottish literature. For instance, Hird’s work has been said to be caught in a â€Å"Trainspotting hangover† [4] (Briscoe, 2006) – a nod to Scottish author Irvine Welsh. Hird herself has confessed also that she is a great admirer of Ian McEwan, author of Enduring Love[5], where her methodical approach to de-familiarization was born. The ideological model of literacy dictates that literature should be judged as social practice and not merely â€Å"technical and neutral skill†[6] (Street, 2000). It also describes a more culturally sensitive approach towards literacy than its counter – the autonomous model. This effectively directs the way that the book should be read; with more allusion towards a social commentary. Hird wrote this collection as a product of her own inherent knowledge and understanding of the working world. Her state of ‘being’ attaches itself to the stories, the characters and her choice of words throughout the entire book and results in enabling the reader to see her most-inner workings and the effects of the defensive, emotionally stale culture of Scotland in the 21st Century. Furthermore, the ideological model also commands the way in which the reader reads. Each reader’s conception of themselves and their identity becomes the root of their understanding of the text. Hope and Other Urban Tales then becomes a mix of both the author’s perceptions of being and the reader’s. Allowing the two perspectives to inter-twine as such culminates to a very personal response that elicits an extension of the reader’s set of prior beliefs. Whilst the 90’s have clearly influenced Hird and her attitudes to her art, the period has not distracted her from contemporary 21st Century culture with reference to the writer’s loyalty to her idols, such as Welsh[7] (Morace, 2001). Hird adheres to the stream-of-consciousness writing style popular in the mid-90s, as well as psychological realism[8] (Cuddon, 1999). This means that Hird’s characters are not content to merely explain the events of a story; they have to explain their motives and thoughts aswell. Interior monologues are therefore a staple technique employed in the collection, as well as narratorial interference, which is consistently present throughout every story involving first-person narration. These modernist techniques result in a slightly fragmented style of story-telling, in which the narrator’s character is arguably the most important aspect of the story, as not only do they tell the story, they act in it as well. The writer’s attitudes are most notably introduced in the title’s novella, Hope. Here we are subject to Martin’s (the story’s narrator) account of Scottish people, society and culture. Hird’s choice of syntax, her sentence structures and passages of time demonstrate a noticeable disassociation from the novella’s universe; it’s ‘real world’. This disassociation carries well into the collection’s escapist theme; which has been said to be the common link between every character in Hope and Other Urban Tales[9] (Alapi, 2006). Escape is mentioned in almost every story and implies an escape from the morally deprived society of the 21st Century. Whether this ‘escape’ is physical or metaphoric, it denotes the action of leaving a life behind, and it inhabits every story: In Hope: â€Å"I’ve got to get out of here. Go somewhere hot.† (Pg.2) In The Happening: â€Å"Annual leave is precious.† (Pg. 69) In Reanimation: â€Å"We need to get out. If we don’t go out now I’m afraid we’re never going to escape.† (Pg. 97) In Victims: â€Å"Would you leave them for meNever see them again?† (Pg. 166) In Destination Anywhere: â€Å"I’ve found, by experience, that running away is usually the answer. I have been running away since I was a kid.† (Pg. 203) In Meat: â€Å"Atleast it feels like I’m escaping for a little while.† (Pg. 217) (Most obvious examples) This escapist attitude stems from an inherent disassociation in every character. They could even be argued to be tragic heroes; who pave the way for their own downfalls through poorly guided actions. If each character maintained their innocence and their naivety, then they would be more comfortable and engaged with the world around them. As Hird clearly demonstrates through her incredibly observant narrations, these characters describe events and other people as if they are, on the most part, static and blind to real understanding (with the exception of Hope’s character in Hope: Pg. 1 – 69). There is therefore a feeling of superiority that parallels this and which results in a cynical, pessimistic writing style that implies dissatisfaction with the novel’s universe. Because the story is based upon the element of realism, this denotes dissatisfaction with the real world as well. The culture of the time is obviously a closed, harsh and faceless one. One that is controlled by television, rat-race artistic types as symbolically shown in Destination Anywhere by ‘the artist’, who remains nameless throughout, and money (Pg. 182). This theme of escape is symbolised effectively in Meat by a few different aspects. The initial death of the lamb being the most notable (Pg. 223 – 230). What reinforces this theme is how the father reacts to its death: â€Å"You know how much these things are worth?†[10] The father thinks only of the saving he will make if he brings the lamb home to be eaten, instead of deliberating on the tragedy to any kind of extent at all. He uses the death of the lamb as an escape from his son’s confession (Pg. 221). Instead of confronting his son about being homosexual, he â€Å"pushes [his son] away† (Pg. 222). The narrator’s father does not acknowledge his son whilst he is â€Å"clearing up†. These semiotics exhibit the â€Å"clearing up† of the relationship between father and son – the â€Å"dismantling† of his involvement with the situation. This metaphor leads to a physical symbol of escape: when the boy says in his interior monologue how he’s â€Å"not sure where we’re heading† (Pg. 222). The father takes country roads back from the fishing trip and drives through thick fog and darkness on the way. Fog traditionally symbolises foreboding, or the clouding of emotions. In this case, it symbolises the growth of the father’s anger and disappointment at his son because he is not addressing it. Instead he runs in both an emotional and physical sense – adding that he â€Å"doesn’t bloody know† why they are going the way they are (Pg. 223). Desperation to escape is therefore effectively symbolised here, as anywhere is better than being alone on that boat with his son. (Pgs. 221 – 230 are discussed h ere). To intensify the author’s allusion to characters that wish to escape their respective realities, we are permitted to see how it has affected Hope itself (or herself, as the case is); she does not own a television, and claims she â€Å"can’t stand it. The real opium of the masses. I can’t tell you how many good friends I’ve seen wither to death in front of the box. It’s worse than cancer† (Pg. 16). Here the author’s pessimism for the modern age again appears. Not even hope is un-tainted by it. Television is the most practical semiotic of the contemporary age, and here it is regarded as being a kind of poison that is transporting people away from reality. Hope seeks to stop the modern age entering his dwelling so she can remain in her own version of reality – thereby escaping the shared experience of â€Å"the masses†. (Pgs. 16 – 18 cover this issue). Escape is also demonstrated in the story Destination Anywhere, where we witness the result of contemporary TV culture on the youth. In this story, a thirteen-year-old girl appears at first to be genuinely interested in the narrator’s line of work (photography), and is the only one at the gallery party that will pay him any attention. Whilst this seems hopeful, the culture of drinking and drugs is once again introduced into the fabric of the text, and the girl transforms after her initial attempts at persuading the narrator to take photographs of her. Behind the closed doors of the narrator’s apartment, the reader witnesses her manipulative personality that she adopts in order to â€Å"become famous†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"proper famous† (Pg. 192). Hird makes this aspect even more disturbing by choosing a young girl to portray it – Thereby saying that the â€Å"innocent† young are far past being innocent. (Destination Anywhere begins on Pg. 181 and ends on Pg. 211). â€Å"She doesn’t have a hope in hell. I despise people like her. Jesus, even the youth don’t have any substance left any more. It depresses me.† (Pg. 192) Here we see how the narrator has developed a strong hatred for contemporary culture of all kinds, especially the new generation. This becomes intensified when he flees his own apartment after the child makes her manipulative intentions clear. He is forced to escape his private space, even, and enter society for a brief period of time. The narrator also details how â€Å"the sense that I may have just made one of the biggest mistakes of my life is tempered slightly by the feeling of relief at being away from her.† (Pg. 198). Escape becomes the thing that he desires most, regardless of the cost. Hird’s character comes across as dysfunctional and borderline weak-spirited in this regard, as all he seemingly wishes to do is run away from any situation. The reader’s expectations of her character are mis-informed, and the archetype is thoroughly mutated and transformed into something devoid of any soul or empathy. Characterisation here is truly impressive as a result, as we are made to share in the narrator’s hatred and frustration of the girl, after feeling like the narrator truly has the upper hand at the party: â€Å"Her face brightens as I walk towards her again. It’s almost a shame.† (Pg. 186). The reader wants to like the girl in the first part of the story, as she is a symbol of innocence; a symbol of hope. This is however juxtaposed by her comment â€Å"I’ll love you forever†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Pg. 195). The quote is also important as it demonstrates how the modern age will even sell love and the immaterial in order for media exposure. Nothing is sacred in the new age’s eyes. Hird sees this. Structurally, the book is fairly one-sided; as if the prose is primarily constructed around â€Å"off-the-cuff one-liners†[11] (Taylor, 2009) that have spawned from the writer’s real-life observations. Not only does this make the prose hyper-real, but it adds to the chatty, micro-literate feel of the book aswell. Chapters often begin with very short statements that try to hook in the reader’s attention: â€Å"Time passes quickly.† (Pg. 23. Dependant clause). â€Å"The other day I killed a wasp.† (Pg. 93). â€Å"Ken. Perfect name for the bastard.† (Pg. 79). Hird recognises reader psychology in the sense that she knows shorter flashes of imagery will capture the attention of people quickly; set a scene for them or throw them into the physical action of a plotline. She also uses the same technique to conclude stories or chapters: â€Å"I can make myself like anyone.† (Pg. 10). Techniques like this serve to increase the deliverance of the prose, and enable easier-reading of the text. In conclusion, the main theme of Hope and Other Urban Tales surrounds the more deceptive, malicious personality traits of human beings on the fringes of a society-gone-wrong. Whilst these characters are documented as such, their behaviours culminate to real, balanced individuals with hidden pockets of tenderness underneath their hardened exteriors. The shared feeling of wishing to escape their respective realities is found in all the protagonists in question, yet the ways that these wishes materialise differ substantially as they all possess a realistic duality in their natures. The ideological model of literacy governs this reading of the prose and proves that culture, society and the writer’s own understanding of them has a deep all-around effect on the creation of such psychological texts. References Adams, J. (2003). Interview with Laura Hird. Available: http://www.barcelonareview.com/35/e_int_lh.htm. Last accessed 19/08/2013 Alapi, Z. (2006). The New Review. Available: http://www.laurahird.com/newreview/hopeandotherurbantales.html. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Blake, W. (1970). Songs of Innocence and Experience; Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. Oxford Paperbacks. ISBN-10: 0192810898. The Lamb, Pg. 1. Briscoe, J. (2006). Hope Springs Infernal. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/nov/11/featuresreviews.guardianreview21. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Caesar, M. (1999). Umberto Eco: Philosophy, Semiotics and the Work of Fiction. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 9780745608501. Pg. 55. Cuddon, J.A. (1999). The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory, UK, Penguin Books, ISBN-10: 0140513639. Fairclough, N. (2001) Language and Power, UK, Longman, ISBN-10: 0582414830. Goodman, K. Goodman, Y. (1979) Theory and Practice of Early Reading, U.S., Routledge, ISBN-10: 0898590035. Learning to Read is Natural, pg. 137 – 54. Hird, L. (2009). Interview by Trev Taylor. Available: http://www.laurahird.com/. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Hird, L. (2006). Hope and Other Urban Tales, Scotland, Canongate Books, ISBN-10: 1841955736. McEwan, I. (1998). Enduring Love, UK, Vintage, ISBN-10: 0099276585. Morace, R. (2001). Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting: A Reader’s Guide, UK, Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 0-8264-5237-X. Randell, Stevenson. (1992). Modernist Fiction: An Introduction, The University of Kentucky, ISBN-10: 0813108144. The Scotsman. (2006). Hope Heralds a New Dawn. Available: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/books/hope-heralds-a-new-dawn-1-1416335. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Street, B. (2000). Literacy and Development: Ethnographic Perspectives, Introduction, London, Routledge, ISBN-10: 0415234514. Pg. 7 -8. Welsh, I. (1994). Trainspotting, UK, Vintage, ISBN-10: 0099465892.