Symbolism in “The Storm”

Symbolism in â€Å"The Storm† â€Å"The Storm†, written by Kate Chopin in 1898, examines the uncontrollable desires of a young wife, lured into the arms of her past lover as her husband and son are caught in a storm. Bobinot and four-year-old Bibi are running errands when the storm suddenly hit. Bobinot’s wife, Calixta was at home sewing when she noticed the severe storm happening outside. When Calixta went outside to gather some clothing, her old lover Alcee asked for shelter during the storm. Through her use of symbolism, Chopin gives the reader her feelings on the love affair between Calixta and Alcee.Chopin’s uses symbolism in her use of different colors throughout the story. The color white is mentioned multiple times in the story. White symbolizes light, purity, and innocence. Calixta’s neck and breasts are described as being white, which means that she is a very pure person. Calixta and Bobinot’s bed is a white, monumental bed. This su ggests that their marriage is loveless and passionless. She refers to the passion between them as a white flame. In addition to these meanings, the white is also symbolic as the hottest part of a flame. Their passion was an overwhelming force, too powerful for them to control.Red means passion, anger, blood and disorder. Alcee notices Calixta’s red lips as he is comforting her about the storm. Her red lips are a symbol of all the disorder in her life and in the storm, as well as the passion that is sparking between her and Alcee. When the rain is over and Alcee is leaving his lover, the world is green and the sun is shining. Green means hope, growth, and fertility. The sun symbolizes enlightenment and wisdom. By the two of them walking into this green world where the sun is shining, it is as if their love affair is acceptable.The storm itself is very symbolic in this story. The storm is parallel to their tryst and also to the internal battle in Calixta. The storm sets the sce ne for their love affair and is full of intensity and exhilaration as it rages outside. The reader can sense the wildness that is taking place inside and outside Calixta's home. But, in the midst of the mayhem there is a sense of peace and harmony within the walls of her home. When Alcee first arrives at Calixta’s home, the rain has just started getting bad. The sexual tension etween the two of them heightens when lightning strikes a tree and scares Calixta. This causes her to throw herself into Alcee’s arms for protection. While they are in the throes of passion, the rain reaches its full force. By the time Alcee and Calixta have finished their affair, the rain has stopped and the storm has moved on. It seems as though the rain has washed away their sin of adultery, because when they walk outside the world is shiny and bright. All this time, Bobinot and Bibi have been waiting at the store. When the storm finally passes, they are able to go home.On their way, Bobinot i s afraid that his wife will be angry with him for taking so long at the store and for not being presentable. To his surprise, when they come in the backdoor, Calixta is fixing dinner and is in a wonderful mood. She checks them over to make sure they are dry and unharmed. She seems genuinely happy to see her husband and son. However, when Bobinot gives her the treat he picked up for her; she only kisses him on the cheek to show her gratitude. This reinforces the suspicion that they are in a loveless or passionless marriage.

Religious Current Events

Quebec's secularism charter heads to lawmakers Recently in the province of Quebec City, Canada, the Charter of Quebec Values was introduced to the public making the area completely secular.Even more recently, the charter was rebranded as â€Å"Charter Affirming the Values of Secularism and the Religious Neutrality of the State, As Well As the Equality of Men and Women, and the Framing of Accommodation Requests†, the sole reason simply being that â€Å"Bernard Drainville, the governing Parti Quebecois minister responsible for the proposal, said he mouthful of a name was selected by government lawyers, adding they like long names that encompass the major details in the title. † This measure would ban all overt and conspicuous headgear worn by public sector employees, including hijabs, yarmulkes and Sikh turbans.This ban also includes wearing large crucifixes and other obvious religious wear. This will affect people all over the province who openly displayed their religiou s perspectives. This will likely become an extremely controversial situation between the people of Quebec City and their governing party, he reason being that before this charter, the people were free to openly practice and somewhat display their beliefs, and now, are being regulated on what they are and aren't allowed to wear.Though the drafters of the bill feel that this charter is required to achieve religious neutrality, it is not likely that the people of Quebec City will stand for such religious oppression. Some may be tolerable of the charter, like those who can Just tuck in their necklaces or put away their rings, but what about those who wear garments such as headdresses and celebrative wear to express their trength and belief, or even a monk who is only to wear his robe. To set any regulation on religious â€Å"display' is to oppress religion itself.It is impossible to ban the â€Å"visual expression† of religion without inadvertantly discriminating against certain religious perspectives who use robes, dresses or other kinds religious wear. â€Å"The provincial government is allowing for a one-year transition period to implement the provisions. The charter calls for disciplinary measures for those who do not comply with its bans, but those are unspecified in the bill. Meanwhile, Canada's federal government has said that if the charter is approved, Ottawa would order a review by its Justice Department. This itself shows the uncertainty in the entire charter. If the law is passed, it should already deemed as a constitutional law. The provincial government is determined to have this charter set into motion and even they are unsure as to whether or not it is fair to religious expression as a whole. Not only do they neglect the fact that some religions require the expression of things such as headwear to ymbolize their religious devotion, they claim that it can be impartial to other forms of religious expressions.However, there was no fault befor e the legislation of this charter, there wasn't much of an issue with religious expression. Religious wars have not taken place in the country of Canada because they did not have a law regulating the religious expression of the people, making it impartial. The people of the province realize this and are opposing what is to be the â€Å"Charter Affirming the Values of Secularism and the Religious Neutrality of the State, As Well As the Equality of Men nd Women, and the Framing of Accommodation Requests† Religion is a controversial thing.As difficult as it may be to maintain the equality of the people and still remain viewed as impartial to any specific party, it is not alright to eliminate the situation as a whole. The freedom of religion is the rite of the people and is not be tyrannized in any way. Though the respective religious peoples are to practice their religion respective to the laws of their land, opression of general expression is not a possible solution.

Employee Motivation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employee Motivation - Coursework Example The secret to Motivating Employees,† university management professor Adam Grant proposes an easy strategy to motivating employees for a healthy organizational framework: a brief contact with the beneficiary. With case studies as backbones, Grant proves to a certain extent how such kind of approach boosts employee productivity to a notch higher than usual. In one study in a call center, an agent was made to interact with a recipient of a school fundraising program (â€Å"Open Secret,† 2010). The agent was able to generate twice as much as sales. In another study at a community recreation center, the certain group of lifeguards who were liberated of their abilities to save lives has worked up to several more hours than the group who only learned about the personal rewards of the job (â€Å"Open Secret,† 2010). In these experiments, Grant proposes the need for a social-emotional link between the end-users and the workers which could actually titillate employee motiva tion at its peak. With a consistently motivated employee, it is a no-brainer that a business can run its course into the industry for a long time. Furthermore, he also proposes a customer-driven approach not merely for the benefit of the customers but also to mold the interpersonal relations of the employee which any individual needs.   Grant’s proposition is a psychological assertion in the same way the larger context of ‘motivation’ itself stands on a psychological platform. Psychologist Frederick Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory has been putting important stress on the effect of employee motivation on the overall performance of an organization. In this model, the motivators refer to achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, growth, and advancement (â€Å"Herzberg’s,† n.d.). By adding awareness about who benefits from their jobs, employees will learn the gravity of their social responsibility, the extent of their achievement, and to feel the nature of their work.  Ã‚  

Internatoinal trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Internatoinal trade - Essay Example Statistics shows that the world output rose from 16% to 22% between 1980 and 2007 (Zymek 2010: p. 2). During this period, the word’s GDP increased significantly. There are various reasons for the growth in the world’s trade during this period. Many people have argued that the removal of the trade barriers is one of the major factors which have contributed to the growth of international trade. Trade barriers are the impediments to free trade. Impositions of trade barriers discourage international trade. One of the main international trade barriers are tariffs. Over this period, the average tariff rates among the most powerful economies reduced significantly. Zymek (2010) argues that the recent growth in international trade resulted from the fact that many open economies had become less homogenous with time. The classical trade theory proposes that the differences in the relative factor endowments encourage specialization in the international goods market. This realizatio n has significantly led to an increase in the level of interdependence among different economies. Consequently, this has led to an increase in the level of interdependence among these countries. The more the countries become specialized, the higher the level of goods they produce. This contributes to the growth of the international trade. ... quantitative restrictions) as a method of controlling imports Differences between tariffs and quota In various economies, there are many ways through which the government can protect the domestic competing industries. That is, through a quota or a tariff. One of the main areas where these policies differ is on the magnitude of protection of each. Quotas provide more protection to the domestic industries due to the fact that they limit the quantities of particular product which is allowed to enter into the country (Suranovic, not dated: par 3). On the other hand, tariffs protect the domestic industries by just raising the level of prices. Importance of tariffs over quotas (quantitative restrictions) In most cases, tariffs are preferred to quotas. There are several reasons why many governments prefer tariff to quotas. To start with, a tariff generates revenue to the government (Suranovic, not dated: par3). This is more so when the tariff is unprohibitive in nature. Once imposed, tariff will automatically generate revenue for the government. On the other hand, quotas may not generate revenue to the government. However, this will depend on the manner in which the quota is administered. Quotas administered on the first come served basis will rarely generate revenue for the government. On the other hand, a quota administered by selling of tickets will generate some income for the government (Suranovic, not dated: par 4). The administrative costs between these two forms of trade control differ significantly. Some of the processes involved in tariff collection involves the identification of the product which is then followed by collection and processing of the fees. On the other hand, the trade control through quotas

Complaint Letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Complaint Letter - Assignment Example After placing my order, I had to wait for more than 30 minutes to receive it. To make matters worse, the order was wrong and the person who served me was not professional enough to address my complaint. Instead, he answered me in a rude way as if I was a stranger in this particular restaurant that I have always treated with great esteem. I have also been forced to write a letter of complaint as a result of the bad treatment I received from one of the company’s staff members. I always believe that the customer is king in business but I was treated as a villain on this day in question. Companies that fail to treat their customers as valuable assets are likely to be negatively impacted by bad publicity they are likely to receive from other disgruntled customers. I therefore expect to get formal apology for this bad experience at McDonalds’ since I am a very loyal customer to the company. This will help me not to issue negative statements about the company that can tarnish its image. The other issue is that the company has not yet responded to my complaint and this has also contribute towards doubting the authenticity of the company in offering reliable and quality services. I probably feel that I have not yet received a response from the organization as a result of the fact that they are investigating the case so as to get to the root cause of the problem. Such kinds of issues need careful attention since they can tarnish the image of the organization if not properly handled. Therefore, the manager dealing with the case ought to take necessary measures that are meant to ensure that this issue has been solved in an amicable way in order to avoid a scenario where the image of the organization will be tarnished as a result of such simple issues. From this experience, I have discovered that some employees can just be rude and they can tarnish the image of the company.

Defining Love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Defining Love - Essay Example The word "love" has origin in the English language. Lufu in the Old English was related to the Frisian luve, German luba, and Gothic lubo. The Scandinavians have used the word lof and Latin lubet. In the form we have now "love" was recorded from the English writings in the 8th century (Frequently Ask Questions). Each nation gives a different name to love, but the essence remains the same. What exactly is love Love is a feeling, it would be more appropriate to say, a combination of positive feelings and emotions that make a person happy. Plato has noted that "at the touch of love everybody becomes a poet" (Famous Love Quotes). When people are in love the world seems to be more colorful, pleasant place to live, the person in love is smiling and does not pay attention to the problems and negative moments. Plato has introduced the concept of platonic love meaning that two individuals, a man and a woman, being in love should get emotionally and spiritually close, without sexual relations. He believed that sex can destroy the emotional unity. Platonic love is different from love based on passion when lovers seek not only emotional but also physical unity with each other.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) Research Paper

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - Research Paper Example Genetic engineering allows individual to identify genes that are weak and defective. This presents a source of an opportunity for them to be replaced by healthy ones. Such genes are normally resistant to diseases, bad weather conditions and enhance production of cells. Domestic Plants and animals which have undergone genetic engineering always have got greater productivity as compared to the indigenous ones. Different techniques can be used to create Genetically Modified Organisms depending on the level of technology applied. In order for one to make a GMO, he/she needs to have the gene you want to transfer, the recipient organism and a vector to carry the gene to the recipient of the transferred gene. The gene that is to be transported is first cut out and separated from its original organism. Different genes may be taken from different organisms depending on the types of traits that are needed. These cut genes are then dipped into a vector that can get into the cells of the recipient organism. This is because genes of an organism will always reject any foreign material and therefore in order to make it get used to a new environment and for the recipient to accept it; a vector is used. The genes can be sliced together depending on the requirement and the traits needed. After this, these genes are then inserted into the recipient organism/gene. Once in the recipients’ cell, the g ene will insert into the recipient’s genome. As a result, during any time of replication or gene transformation when new cells are made, the transferred gene will also be present in the DNA of each newly made cell. Whether in open air markets or supermarkets, GMO products are nowadays found everywhere. Though one cannot automatically know whether a product is a GMO or not, as there is no legal requirement to label GMO products, as a result, GMO find their way into the local markets and supermarkets. Some

The Effect of Poverty on Children Living in West Africa and Britain Essay

The Effect of Poverty on Children Living in West Africa and Britain - Essay Example Increasingly, poverty is understood and measured in relative terms; it is not having access to those resources that one sees is taken for granted in one’s own society by others. Growing up in poverty affects every aspect of a child’s life; diet and health suffer, housing is often sub-standard, accident-proneness is high, and illnesses are long-standing. It is also been shown through research that children born to poor parents are likely to have reduced weight and height at birth, are less likely to excel academically and have poorer attendance records in school. Adults who grew up in poverty are more prone to ill-health, unemployment, homelessness, arrests for criminal offences, drug and alcohol abuse and abusive relationships. It is often the case that children in poverty stay in poverty well into their adult life as well and remain in the same quarter of income distribution as their parents. Some of the main reasons why children fail to break this cycle of poverty are missing periods of school, being in care, being known to police, misuse of drugs, teenage parenthood and being out of education either having to work or otherwise. What is Poverty? The widely accepted definition of poverty is having an income which is less than 60% of the national average (excluding the wealthiest members of society). The ‘poverty line’ is defined in terms of 69 percent of the median household income, adjusted for household composition. Peter Townsend defines poverty emphasising its relative nature: Individuals, families and groups in the population can be said to be in poverty when they lack the resources to obtain the types of diet, participate in the activities and have the living conditions and amenities which are customary.

Blue Ocean Strategy Paper Essay Example for Free

Blue Ocean Strategy Paper Essay The Blue Ocean Strategy focuses on the three industries that closely touch people’s lives. Areas they looked at were Autos, Computers and Movie and what companies within those fields are doing to managing sustainable profit and growth through the test of time. The creation of a blue ocean strategy places its focus on strategic moves to place their brand in position long past its rise to fame. Rather than focusing on creating a company and battling your competitor’s blue ocean strategy gears to forecasting innovations and products to make oceans of uncontested market space. (W. Kim, 2004) A product strategy that is much a product of managerial action, rather than the creation or invention of new market space but the development and evolution of the products rather than the company. Primary Strategy Importance The blue ocean strategy takes a look at the host of companies in the thirty plus industries and the key players within them. The process of analyzing and studying the leading and successful players and the unsuccessful and failing competition. Looking for distinct and common differences between the groups, as well as the commonalities to discover the common factors that lead to the successful growth of one and failings of the other. The consistent variable common pattern that shows focusing on competition does not provide for long term successful companies. The common practice is the within the market place the competition style strategy has little advantages to it. (W. Kim, 2004) The irrelevant old school theory that out doing your competitors was not the road to take that leads to profit and success. Placing the value in innovation and creation will lend itself to a new demand and achieve a value that has a largely dominate market with high pay  offs and leave an ocean that separ ates you from the completion. The creation and break out of strategic pricing and targeting the strategy of new demands and thinking of new ideas that competitors are not offering with strategic pricing and low cost you can create a new market that is far beyond the industry and competitors you seek to outdo. Marketing from the point of view of the customer or consumer rather than what planning and research will outdo your competition shows no long term successful models, and the continual innovation and meeting the visionary demands of a new market will leave you as the sole leader of a this variation of new product. Similar Strategic Move Blue ocean strategy shows the critical importance of focusing your strategy not on competition or trying to reinvent the wheel, but innovation and creation of demand that in 20 years will be the trend the need and meet the customer needs that competition (established or not) have failed to see. Important factors of use of the company talent and resources such as cost and general broad customer generic products will satisfy the moment but mostly established players succeed and ride the roller coaster of size and market share. The best example that uses the blue ocean strategy is the Fitness industry and the success of Health Clubs. The gym and fitness industry is a mostly new industry in America and since the 1970’s/1980’s has had more than its fair share of failures as the innovations and offerings mixed with demand were not there. The importance of health and taking care of yourself as well as the eternal trend of looking good was a trend that was gaining strength and today has become a way of life (or you will have no life you will be dead). Gold’s gym which is credited for taking the fitness gym to the level of meeting a way of life in America that has now become a way of life. Insurance companies, doctors, social circles, advertisements, daily activities and stamina, and the demand of your own mother to exercise stay in shape, be healthy is a must. Your insurance companies, your employer, social circles even give discounts, benefits and incentives for those who enroll in gyms and health clubs. Today Gold’s gym has survived the revolving door of new gym clubs that come on the market and leave. Various fitness trends have made things such as cycling, weight lifting, yoga, kick boxing to launch sub-specialty industries who match the services  and demand for health and fitness in huge industry. The estimated revenue of health clubs in the US being $25 Billion dollars a year, and an estimated database of over 48 Million members in America (1/8 of the total US Population) the industry started just thirty to f orty years ago is huge. (Statista.com, 2013) Innovative ways of bring people in to use their facilities and offering of different amenities and services has been the key to what companies will stand the test of time and which will fold. Trying to out price the customers has led to the closure of many successful gyms (in their time) however, not using innovation that would separate them from the competition in terms of staying a head of the curve for demand and trends lead to their closure. Companies that have taken risk such as LA Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness may very well be huge money makers and leaders in the market but take on many elements of those that focused on coverage and competition. Their size may make it difficult for creative new products and services as they have hundreds of clubs in several countries that employ thousands of people that need to be trained and adjusted. Strategy today continues to lend to the success and meet demands and needs of the industry customers want such as multiple locations, low cost, and amenities. Red Ocean Version Pro Con An alternative red ocean move for the health club industry is Belly’s Total Fitness. A onetime industry leader and attributed for making the health club business a chain group in the US is now all but dissolved and absorbed by larger and constantly redeveloping competitors such as LA Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness. The signature and staple business model may have been both the success and failure of the business. Offering multiple locations within the same network and multi-amenity locations that put them as an up and coming trend that cast a shadow of industry leader Gold’s Gym. The growing health clubs such as LA Fitness, and 24 Hour Fitness observed the success of Belly’s and began to open up locations with similar features, but at lower cost to members and offering the latest and greatest in programs, equipment and services. The blue ocean strategy that LA Fitness and 24 Hour fitness use of reading the trends and demands of members and following the strong national focus of fitness and health has allowed them to consume the once leading and fellow competitors growing their network and member base to  levels never expected. With the industry being so new it’s hard to see if places such as LA Fitness and 24 Hour fitness will last the test of time is a question only time can answer. What I do know is that if they are executing an effective strategy of innovation versus the research and development and focusing on and competitor intelligence will show no advantage for their market share and long term profits. Conclusion The fundamentals of blue ocean strategy rest solely in the creation of value seen by the customer and lower cost while simultaneously differentiating your brand, product or service within industry and rejecting old world style tunnel-vision focus strategy of your competitors. By delivering these important features of blue ocean strategy you create a sustained powerful impact on a distinct market that benefits what would have been your competition and creates blue oceans of new opportunity that spin off into a new existing market that you have all to yourself. References Perreault, W. D. (2011). Basic Marketing: A marketing strategy planning approach (19th ed). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Statista.com. (2013). U.S. Health Club Industry . New York: Ipsos Media, Simmons National Consumer Studies and Consumer Insights from Scarborough Research. W. Kim, R. M. (2004). Blue Ocean Strategy. Harvard Business Review, 10(86), 76-84.

The World without Us by Alan Wiesman Essay Example for Free

The World without Us by Alan Wiesman Essay In Alan Wiesman’s book, The World Without Us, it is centered on the idea of what would happen to the world if only humankind were to disappear off the face of the earth. The purpose of this essay is to show how humankind are causing a modern world crisis, specifically focusing on plastic and how its ability to not decompose in the environment is having a negative effect on the wildlife as well as how humans are killing off many birds and bird species each year due to their careless human errors. Weisman through much research comes up with an estimated time of how long it will take the earth to recover from these human mishaps before the world can repair itself to how it was before humans controlled it. The Bialowieza Puszcza, puszcza being the Polish word for â€Å"forest primeval†, spreads between the borders of Poland and Belarus and stretches over half a million acres. In the 14th centaury, Wladyslaw jagiello, declared the forest a royal hunting reserve until many centuries later Russia dominated the Polish- Lithuanian union and proclaimed the Bialowieza as that of the tsars. The forest survived through World War 1 and in 1921 it was declared a Polish national park. Although this forest was supposedly protected there has been damage done to this primeval forest as forest ministries in Poland and Bulgaria have allowed management to cull and sell the mature hardwoods that would have become nutrients and a windshield for the forest. It is believed that before humans build their entire infrastructure and dominated the forest, the whole of Europe would have looked like the Bialowieza Puszcza. Andrezej Bobiec, a forestry student in Krakow, discovered the biodiversity in this forest was ten times more than any other forest. This forest is home to all nine species of the European woodpecker, which is not evident any other European forest, this forest is also home to the wisents, a specie which is nearly extinct, with only 600 in the world, most in this particular forest. This primeval forest is evidence of what Europe would look like without any human influence. It shows how human influence on other European forests have killed many species, driving them from their homes in order for humans to cut down the forest and use it for their own benefit without the consideration of the other species both animals and plants. It is estimated that Europe would need 500 years before a true forest would grow back and once again dominate most of Europe’s vegetation. Weisman uses the Bialowieza forest as an illustration of what part of the world, specifically Europe would look like without any human influence. This forest is seen as the lingering scent of Eden showing how it is seen as a primeval forest. Richard Thompson, studied at the University of Plymouth to become a marine biologist, in the 1980’s he would spend his time organizing the Liverpool contingent of Great Britain’s national beach cleanup whereby his 170 teammates would collect metric tons of rubbish along 85 miles of shoreline. Thompson started to realize over the accumulating years that the trash collected was becoming smaller amongst the usual bottles and tires. Thompson and another student would collect these and examine them under a microscope but they were usually to small to determined what source they came from. Once he had complete his Ph.D, Thompson started to compare this unknown matter to the database of known material using a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer, this device allowed for microbeams to be passed through a substance once this is completed the device compared its infrared spectrum to the database. Thompson found small material waste to be nurdles, these two-millimeter high plastic cylinders come in an array of colours and known to be â€Å"raw materials of plastic production† that are melted down to manufacture many plastics products. In the early 20th century, Alister Hardy the marine biologist of Plymouth, took many samples around the British Isles but only every second one was examined and the remaining samples were stored in a climate-controlled warehouse which decades later were discovered by Thompson who examined the samples. He found that during World War II plastic barely existed and was only evident in telephones and radio applications. In the 1960’s there was an increasing number of plastic particles and by the 1990’s, triple the amount of particles were present than three decades earlier. The evidence from these samples shows that the amount of â€Å"acrylic, polyester, and crumbs of synthetic polymers† in the water are increasing at a rapid rate and most of human kind are not even noticing. These small little plastic pieces mainly float and according to Hardy’s plankton recorder they are being caught about 10 meters below surface. Nurdles are now becoming smaller and smaller because of the friction from both the waves and rocks and therefore are being taken by global sea currents. The problem with these nurdles becoming smaller is that they are still not degrading and there is no sign of them ever being able to degrade. Plastic is very dangerous, once animals swallow it through mistaking it for edible food, the plastic causes a blockage in animals intestines and therefore causes constipation and later resulting in death. Animals also are strangled and caught up in fishing line, nets and polyethylene rings from six-pack drinks. Animals such as sea otters, gulls, sea turtles and fish are all prone to these fatal accidents. Ph.D student Mark Browne also discovered that in beauty products that contain exfoliants such as hand and body washes, body scrubs and face washers that do not contain 100% natural exfoliants are actually using polyethylene in a micro or bead form. These little plastic sizes can also be traces in paint and once they are disposed of and sent through the sewage system they will inevitably land up in the sea allowing for little sea creatures to swallow these bite size plastic portions which, does not have a positive effect. At the marine plastic summit, a senior research scientist at North Carolina’s Research Triangle, Dr. Anthony Andrady produced a long term prognosis compiling a 800 page tome on Plastic in the Environment. Andrady spoke of photodegrade when â€Å"ultraviolet solar radiation weakens plastics’s tensile strength by breaking its long, chain-like polymer molecules into shorter segments.† This means that because the strength of plastic lies in its length of polymer chains, the UV rays of the sun are causing these to break and therefore plastic starts to decompose. Problems that this theory face is that because most of the plastic waste is found in the ocean and water it takes the process of photodegrade much longer as well as its chemical nature will like wise be around for hundreds and thousands of years. Plastic is not having a positive effect on the environment mainly because it cannot decompose. In Weisman’s book he explains how nurdles, which are used to manufacture all plastic products, are being broken down in the sea but are not completely decomposing. This means that these little plastic pieces are being eaten and are causing blockage in sea creature’s intestines resulting in their death. It is not only nurdles but also fishing line, nets, toys and plastic bottles that are suffocating and trapping animals. Some human products mainly used for beauty are also harmful to animals in the environment as they contain small plastic exfoliants within the product that eventually find their way into the sea also causing harm for the sea creatures. Human’s need to find a better and safer way to get rid of their plastic waste so not to damage the environment. If humans were to disappear off the planet completely, plastic would probably still be evident in the world for hundreds of thousands of years before they may decompose due to photodegrade. Weisman also looks at the effects humans are having on the life of birds and how they are slowly causing them to become extinct. â€Å"Of more than 10 000 species that have coexisted with us†¦ about 300 have disappeared.† Of these 300, birds including the moas which were eliminated by the Polynesians within in two centuries of discovery, the dodo which in a hundred years was killed and eaten by the Dutch settles and sailors passing by, the great auk by hunters, the moa-nalo and the passenger pigeon in America. In the 20th century the passenger pigeon could have been classified as the â€Å"most abundant bird on Earth† but humans carelessly lead to their extinction. First humans cut off most of their food supply and destroyed their homes by cutting down most of the forests on the eastern plains of the USA. Because the forests were now being cut down, it made the birds easier prey as they were now spotted faster and more were being shot in a shorter period of time. Once humans realized what they were doing to the bird population, it only increased their need to kill the birds and by 1900 only a few were left surviving, mostly living in the Cincinnati zoo but due to the lack of care the last bird in 1914, leaving the passenger pigeon extinct. The passenger pigeon is a good example of how humans are carelessly allowing animals to become extinct through their own human actions, which can be controlled by law restrictions on hunting and killing. Radio-transmission towers are a huge treat to the different bird species because of their red blinking lights, which are used to warn aircrafts of their position. In Syracuse, Kansas in 1998, a snowstorm occurred at night and because of the fog the only visible thing to the Lapland longspurs was the red blinking lights from the radio-transmission tower which resulted in 10 000 birds lying dead, frozen on the ground. Not only are radio-transmission towers a problem but so are cell phone towers, which result in over half a billion of birds being killed each year. Birds that migrate and travel at night are most prone to the danger of these towers, birds from North America like the red-eyes vireos, Tennessee warbler and wood thrushes and those more rare like the red-cockaded woodpecker are at most risk. Another problem occurring for birds is the telephone and electricity lines. Most birds die from just simply colliding with these power lines resulting in a high amount of deaths each year. If a bird is perched on a power line it is safe as long as they do not circuit themselves with another line or the ground but birds such as hawks, eagles and herons have a problem as they can span across more than two lines. If a bird were to connect the circuit between 2 or more lines not only would their feather ignite but it is possible for their beaks and feet to melt as well. 60 to 80 million birds annually are reportedly killed from flying into windshields and windows. Muhlenberg College ornithologist, Daniel Klem, explains how birds do not recognize both clear glass and reflective pane windows as objects. Migrating bird are forever flying into high-rise buildings and breaking their necks. Klem worked out that over 1 billion birds in the United States alone are killed from flying into windows. Windows are another example or how humans are irresponsibly killing off many bird species. Although humans are quickly killing off birds with their hunting and man made equipment such as towers, power lines and windows there is evidence that birds do repopulate and do come back even after disasters. Ukraine was home to Chernobyl, nearly one of the biggest nuclear complexes on Earth. In 1986, there was a huge explosion due to a human error and landscapes were destroyed and the environment was left birdless. Yet in the following spring the birds returned showing that life does go on and that although there are disasters the environment does attempt to repair itself. Although it is said to believe that humans are killing off billions and billions of bird species all around the world there is one bird, the Attwater prairie chicken, which is questionably only alive due to human impact on the environment. Oil industry apparatus and the arrival of both petroleum and the Chinese tallow tree (a â€Å"cold weather specie coated it seeds with harvestable quantities of wax to guard against winter†) has help keep the Attwater prairie chickens habitat alive. Due to the annual burning in the Nature Conservancy, humans are maintaining the artificial wilderness that these birds need to keep alive and to repopulate in. In the first year of humans disappearing billions of birds would flourish as radio and connection warning lights would cease to blink, the high-tension wires would go cold and birds would once again return to nuclear reactor sites. Humans are having a very negative impact on bird species through out the world and if they are not careful it will result in many more extinctions. Humankind are quickly emerging themselves in a world crisis. Through their plastic waste and carelessness they are causing major problems for mostly the sea wildlife as these nurdles and small plastic particles are being digested and blocking sea creatures intestines resulting in a fatal problem. Plastic, because it is not biodegradable, will be left in the world hundreds of thousands of years after humans disappear. Although there are few species that depend on humans for their survival like the Attwater prairie chicken, humans are having more of a negative impact on birds. Because of their careless hunting and human inventions such as towers, telephone and power lines and windows, billions of birds are dying each year. If humans were to disappear completely it would only take birds one year to flourish and populate over a billion birds more than the previous year. The world varies on how long it takes to eliminate the problems humans are leaving it but over many centuries the world will finally mend itself to look as if humans never existed.

Social Construction of Crime

Social Construction of Crime The essay focuses on the social construction of crime, and the possible reasons for these social constructions. In the first section, the essay explains what crime is, and the constructionist perspective theory. In the Second section my essay focuses on the crime as socially constructed and why it is socially constructed. In the third section essay explains, three levels of explanation in the study of deviant and criminal behaviour. In the final section, it focuses on the historical theoretical periods, which plays an important role in revitalising past discoveries. Crime is a term that refers to many types of misconduct that is forbidden by law. There are a number of different reasons as to why crime can be viewed as a social construction. There cannot be social problems that are not the product of social construction naming, labelling, defining and mapping them into place through which we can make sense of them (Clarke, 2001). In this essay I will explain what is social construction, also what crime is, and why we think, that crime is socially constructed. Furthermore, I will explain how media construct crime and the stigma of black crime. In the last paragraph I will explore the importance of Marxist and Durkheims theories on the emergence of crime. There is no doubt that crime is socially constructed. The constructionist perspective draws on a very different sociological inheritance, one that treats society as a matrix of meaning. It accords a central role to the processes of constructing, producing and circulating meanings. Within this perspective, we cannot grasp reality in a direct and unmediated way Reality is always mediated by meaning (John Clarke p.6). Indeed, some of its proponents argue that what we experience is the social construction of reality (Berger, 1967). How something or someone is named, identified and placed within a map of the social orders has profound consequences for how we act towards it or them (Becker, 1963). Public concern over crime relates mainly to theft and violence, which are regarded as being serious enough to warrant sustained attention from the police. This concern, reflected in periodic moral panics, tends to ensure that many of those who are involved in theft and criminal violence do so as a form of secondary deviation. As a result, many of them develop a criminal identity (Becker, H. S, 1963). The national British crime survey (BCS) reports showed that the risk of being victims of crime is shaped by locality, lifestyle, age, gender and ethnicity. BCS confirm that the risk of being a victim of contact crime are highest for men those aged under 30, those living in intercity areas and those living in privately rented accommodation. Noon the less according to the BCS it is frequently those who are least at risk of crime who are most anxious about it, notably older people and women(May et al,2009). The very good example of how crime can be socially constructed is Black Crime (McLaughlin, 264). During the early 1970s indicated, that the media has continued to project an image of Britain as a white society (Hartman 1974). Crime and criminality came to be the central motif that constructed black people as a problem presence, and also signifying that they were not really British (McLaughlin, 264).   Gilroy (1987) has added to this by analysing discourses on race, crime and nations. Perceptions of the weakness of black culture and family life, sometimes explained by absence of a father or authority figure, or more crudely, by a lack of respect for the Law and British tradition of civility, served to define black people as lesser breeds without the Law , as the others who stands outside what is meant to be British(Gilroy, 1987). However the significance of the prolonged campaign that led to the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence cannot be overstated. Dominant representatio ns of black people as a problem for white British society have been successfully challenged (Murji, 274).   The media is the most powerful organisation which does a big impact on social construction of the crime. The importance of the news media in framing the public understanding of social problems is widely recognized (McLaughlin, 263). Research in many countries confirms that crime reports are among the most headlines catching of news commodities. It is also suggested that there is broad correspondence between the images of criminality articulated in the news media and the interpretation for this (Murji, 264). Such as media presentation of the information reinforces social construction of the crime (McLaughlin et al, 264). There are three levels of explanation in the study of deviant and criminal behaviour. A first level of explanation is concerned with the existence of the many different forms of human behaviour that occur in any society (Becker, 1963). Biology may contribute towards an explanation of this diversity, but it can never provide the whole explanation. It is always necessary to take account of processes of socialization (Becker, 1963). Biological theory of crime, arguing that any association between physical characteristics and their behaviour can be explained(Young 1999). According to Young, lower working class children who are more likely to be involved, in the crime, are also by virtue of diet, continual manual labour, physical fitness and strength, more likely to be mesomorphic (Young 1999, 387).Young claims that males chromosome could lead to behaviour that to others it would look odd, and this differences may exclude them from normal social life, which in turn may lead them to crime. However according to Kelly, behaviour attributed to biological causes may not necessary lead to crime. The biochemistry of the body may affect behaviour as he points out for example A Diabetic person,   without recent insulin injection may become tense, short tempered, but his behaviour does not constitute a criminal act( Haralambos 1999). A second level of explanation is concerned with the variation in norms between social groups, as manifested particularly in cultural and subculture differences (Becker, 1963). Lea and Young stress out that crime is only one aspect, though generally a small one, of the process of cultural adaptation to oppression. Unlike Gilroy, they see West Indian crime as a response to condition in Britain rather than as a continuation of traditions from the West Indies (Lea el at.1999, 428). Socialization takes place within particular social groups, and it is the norms of these groups that provide the standards for the identification of particular kinds of b ehaviour as criminal (Becker, 1963). The third, and final, level of explanation is concerned with the ways in which particular individuals are identified as criminals by others and so come to develop a criminal identity. This is a matter of social reaction and control (Becker, H,1963). In addition to understand social construction of crime, it is very important to look back at historical theoretical periods, which plays an important roles in revitalising past   discoveries, putting new stress on the interpretation of events and relating these to current happenings(Jock Young, 307). First of all I would like to look at Marxist theory, where he sees crime being endemic in the social order. According to Marxism, men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please: they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directed encountered, given and transmitted from the past (Marx, 1969,p.360).   Marxist frameworks have developed a Marxist theory of crime. From Marx perspectives crime is seen largely as the product of capitalism, with criminal and antisocial behaviour indicative of the contradictions and problems inherent in the capitalist system (Marsh, 1997, 519). The basic motivation of capitalism, such as emphasis on materialism and self- enrichment, encourage self-interested, anti-social and, by implication, criminal behaviour (Marsh, 1997, 519). Marxist s argues that business crime is largely ignored by the legal system. There are some well publicized exceptions, but these tend just to reinforce the impres sion that criminals are mainly from the working classes and that business criminals are not real criminals they are just doing what everyone else does (Marsh,1997,519). Marxist arguments suggest that capitalism produces the conditions that generate criminal behaviour. According to him, crime occurs because of economic deprivation and because of the contradictions that are apparent in capitalist society. Working-class crime is a rebellion against inequality and against the system that uses the legal process- including the Law, the police, courts and prison as weapons in a class war(Marsh, 1997, 522). According to Durkheims crime theory, he points out two arguments on crime growth. The first argument is, that modern industrial urban societies encourage a state of egoism which is contrary to the maintenance of social solidarity and to conformity to Law , and second is, that in periods of rapid social change anomies occurs. By this he meant an anomic disordered society lacking effective forms of social control, and thereby leading to a state of individually perceived formlessness (Frank Heathcote, 347). Durkheim arguments that crime is inevitable and functional does not explain the causes of crime or why certain people are more likely to engage in, criminal activities than others (Frank Heathcote, 348). Regarding to Durkheim, crime is present in all types of socially, and that crime is higher in more industrialised countries   ( Haralambos 1999,389). Durkheim explains why he sees crime inevitable, he explains that it is inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments, and that it is impossible for all to be alike (Holborn 1999.389). He also explains crime as being functional, and that its function not to remove crime in society, but to maintain the collective sentiments at their necessary level of strength. Durkheim believed that without punishment the collective sentiments would lose their force to control behaviour and crime rate would become dysfunctional. Durkheim view that healthy society requires both crime and punishment ( Haralambos. 1999, 390). More recently functionalist theories, based on the notion of there being a general consensus of values and norms, have focused on causes of criminal behaviour. Functionalist theories of crime tend to assume that there is general consensus within society over what is right and wrong behaviour. The interactionist approach questions this assumption; it does not see criminals as essentially different from so called normal people. Many people commit criminal action and it is therefore not easy to maintain a clear distinction between the criminal in terms of particular personal characteristics (Marsh, 1997, 517).   To summary, in my essay firstly I discussed that, crime has been seen as a response to the frustration felt by those who cannot achieve the norms or goals of society. Secondly, how dominant representations of black people as problems for white people society have been successfully challenged. Thirdly, that the media is the most powerful organisation which does a big impact on social construction of the crime, and finally I argued two most important theories, which are still in use. References: Becker. H. S. (1963), Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance (New York: Free Press). Fitzgerald. M. el at (1990). Social Disorganisation theories. Heathcote F (1990). Crime and Society. London: The Open University Press. Haralambos, M. el at (1999). Themes and Perspectives. Fourth Edition. London: Harper Collins. May. M. el at (2009). Crime Disorders and Community Safety. Dee Cook. (2009) Understanding Social Problems, Australia: Blackwell. Marsh. I. el at (2009). Making Sense of Society. Fourth Edition. London: Longman.

Portrayal of Jane Osborne in Vanity Fair Essay -- Victorian Era Willia

The Redundant Woman Thackeray’s portrayal of Jane Osborne in Vanity Fair is very troubling to the reader of the twentieth century. Grown to be a woman who is stuck under her tyrannical father’s roof, her life appears to be very confining and menial. Her sister snubs her, her nephew mocks her behind her back, her father mocks her to her face, and her main role in life seems to be as her father’s housekeeper. However, Thackeray’s portrayal would have had a very different effect on the Victorian reader. While all of these things which affronted us would have been equally awful to them, Thackeray uses another key phrase which has lost its effect on our modern minds: "that unfortunate and now middle-aged young lady" (448). Jane Osborne’s future has progressed from being uncertain, waiting somewhat impatiently for a suitor’s attentions, to a dreadful certainty; she is quickly becoming what the Victorians referred to as a â€Å"redundant woman.† Destiny A Victorian woman was bred up with the honored ideals of someday being â€Å"wives, daughters, and guardians of the home† (Parkinson). A model young woman was designed as a bargaining tool; her person, characteristics, skills, and, for those who were fortunate, dowry were key chips to be laid in a game of houses which defined the noblest aspirations of Victorian society. The very â€Å"spheres of influence† written about by so many authors of the time, both male and female, dictated that â€Å"what the woman is to be within her fates, as the centre of order, the balm of distress, and the mirror of beauty: that she is also to be without her fates, where order is more difficult, distress more imminent, loveliness more rare† (Ruskin). However, being bred for marriage produces a number of problems; hundre... ...n† has become very antiquated, and purposeless in a world where women have more and more opportunities for equal advancement, affirmative action, etc. It is interesting, however, to note that the ideas of â€Å"spheres of influence† still persist, though somewhat altered. Works Cited Greg, W. R. â€Å"Why Are Women Redundant?† (excerpt). Phoebe Junior. Elizabeth Langland. Broadview Literary Text. Toronto: Broadview Press Ltd., 2002. Pages 449-450. Ruskin, John. â€Å"Of Queen’s Gardens† (excerpt). Phoebe Junior. Elizabeth Langland. Broadview Literary Text. Toronto: Broadview Press Ltd., 2002. Pages 446-449. Parkinson, Allison. â€Å"Sphere Switching Polly, Work/Life Choices and the ‘redundant woman’ in 19th Century London.† November 9, 2004. Thackeray, William M. Vanity Fair. New York: Random House, Inc., 2001.

Sleep Essay -- Sleeping Health Sleep Essays

Sleep â€Å"The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to, then forcing oneself to stay awake for days on end must surely come a close second.† -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  F Scott Fitzgerald We spend one third of our lives doing it, and yet, some of us never seem to be able to get enough. People all over the world don’t receive enough sleep whether it’s from a medical condition like narcolepsy, or simply not having enough time in a day. The effects of getting a good night’s rest are essential and signs of sleep depravation are not as hard to spot as one may think. Sleep can be compared to quicksand, ignore it and you’ll find yourself trapped. It will take over you’re body and if you try to fight it, the more it wins. The effects of not receiving enough sleep are not uncommon. Sleep depravation has been used throughout history and is common as a form of torture in many POW camps (Victims of Sleep Depravation). Countries, including the United States have used this method to extract information from prisoners. It leaves no physical markings but its psychological effects can be very harmful. Victims will literally go crazy. Those who have gone through it say that no sleep is even worse than starvation. The number of people who suffer from a lack of sleep is growing. This is largely contributed to the increased popularity of late night TV and use of the internet. How many of us can honestly say that we turned the television off in the middle of our favorite show so that we may go to bed at a reasonable hour? While driving a lack of sleep can be just as harmful, if not more, than driving while drunk.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"We had three of our grandchildren in the back seat. They were singing and the radio was blasting and he went off the road. He said he was all right. I was going to drive, but he said I’m fine, I’m fine. The next day I called the doctor.† (Sleep Apnea) Almost half of Americans drive while drowsy. One out of every five drivers actually had to pull over and take a nap. Compared to alcohol, which only slows you’re reflexes, driving while drowsy makes the driver completely unaware of his or her surroundings. This can be extremely dangerous for motorists especially truckers, who more often than not, drive late into the night. (Drowsiness on motorists) Adults are not the only ones effected by a lack of sleep. A one-year-old baby will sleep 16 out of the 24 ... ...p Apnea. 2 February 2004. http://www.sleepnet.com/sleepapnea.html. Narcolepsy Information. 2 February 2004. http://www.sleepnet.com/narcolepsy.html. Don’t Go To Bed Yet. 2 February 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/travel.cfm. Amphetamines. 23 February 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://corp.aadac.com/drugs/beyond/amphetamines.asp. Got Caffeine? 23 February 2004. http://www.sleepfoundation.org/caffeine.cfm. Study Confirms Sleep Essential for Creativity. 2 March 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/01/21/sleep.creativity.ap/ Depressants. 10 March 2004. http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/depressants.html Night Fever. 10 March 2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1117085,00.html The Real Victims of sleep Depravation. 10 March 2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3376951.stm Insomnia. 10 March 2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://yalenewhavenhealth.org/Library/HealthGuide/IllnessConditions/topic.asp?hwid=uh1001 Kunz, Jeffrey, and Asher Finkel, ed. The American Medical Association Family   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Medical Guide. New York: Random House, Inc. 1987. Stern, Jack, David Carroll. The Home Medical Handbook. New York: David Carroll,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1987. Sleep Essay -- Sleeping Health Sleep Essays Sleep â€Å"The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to, then forcing oneself to stay awake for days on end must surely come a close second.† -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  F Scott Fitzgerald We spend one third of our lives doing it, and yet, some of us never seem to be able to get enough. People all over the world don’t receive enough sleep whether it’s from a medical condition like narcolepsy, or simply not having enough time in a day. The effects of getting a good night’s rest are essential and signs of sleep depravation are not as hard to spot as one may think. Sleep can be compared to quicksand, ignore it and you’ll find yourself trapped. It will take over you’re body and if you try to fight it, the more it wins. The effects of not receiving enough sleep are not uncommon. Sleep depravation has been used throughout history and is common as a form of torture in many POW camps (Victims of Sleep Depravation). Countries, including the United States have used this method to extract information from prisoners. It leaves no physical markings but its psychological effects can be very harmful. Victims will literally go crazy. Those who have gone through it say that no sleep is even worse than starvation. The number of people who suffer from a lack of sleep is growing. This is largely contributed to the increased popularity of late night TV and use of the internet. How many of us can honestly say that we turned the television off in the middle of our favorite show so that we may go to bed at a reasonable hour? While driving a lack of sleep can be just as harmful, if not more, than driving while drunk.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"We had three of our grandchildren in the back seat. They were singing and the radio was blasting and he went off the road. He said he was all right. I was going to drive, but he said I’m fine, I’m fine. The next day I called the doctor.† (Sleep Apnea) Almost half of Americans drive while drowsy. One out of every five drivers actually had to pull over and take a nap. Compared to alcohol, which only slows you’re reflexes, driving while drowsy makes the driver completely unaware of his or her surroundings. This can be extremely dangerous for motorists especially truckers, who more often than not, drive late into the night. (Drowsiness on motorists) Adults are not the only ones effected by a lack of sleep. A one-year-old baby will sleep 16 out of the 24 ... ...p Apnea. 2 February 2004. http://www.sleepnet.com/sleepapnea.html. Narcolepsy Information. 2 February 2004. http://www.sleepnet.com/narcolepsy.html. Don’t Go To Bed Yet. 2 February 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/travel.cfm. Amphetamines. 23 February 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://corp.aadac.com/drugs/beyond/amphetamines.asp. Got Caffeine? 23 February 2004. http://www.sleepfoundation.org/caffeine.cfm. Study Confirms Sleep Essential for Creativity. 2 March 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/01/21/sleep.creativity.ap/ Depressants. 10 March 2004. http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/depressants.html Night Fever. 10 March 2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1117085,00.html The Real Victims of sleep Depravation. 10 March 2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3376951.stm Insomnia. 10 March 2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://yalenewhavenhealth.org/Library/HealthGuide/IllnessConditions/topic.asp?hwid=uh1001 Kunz, Jeffrey, and Asher Finkel, ed. The American Medical Association Family   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Medical Guide. New York: Random House, Inc. 1987. Stern, Jack, David Carroll. The Home Medical Handbook. New York: David Carroll,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1987.

Discuss the relationship between characterization and the audience’s response in Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

The relationship between characterisation and the audience’s response in Shakespeare’s play â€Å"A Midsummer Night’s Dream† is evident throughout the whole play. There is a main emphasis on dramatic irony, juxtaposition, the confusion between the characters, the characters talking directly to the audience and having a play with in a play. Shakespeare relies heavily on dramatic irony throughout his play. Dramatic irony is a technique that is used to help maintain the audience’s interest in the play and the confusion between characters. It is a way of getting the audience involved as they know more than the characters themselves. An example of this is evident in Act 3, scene 1, when Bottom’s head is transformed into that of an ass’s. Bottom has no idea about what happened but the audience and the other characters are aware of this. The other characters run away in fear when they see Bottom, Bottom is annoyed and the audience laugh. There are many characters in ‘A midsummer Night’s Dream’ but there are three main groups; the Athenian Court, the mechanicals and the fairies. Shakespeare is using the technique of juxtaposition. In the court the language is in verse. It is formal and stately. â€Å"Now fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on a pace. † The audience see the formality of the court. The lovers speak in poetry but it is not as formal. It is emotional â€Å"Call me fair? That fair again unsay. † This shows that all the characters are sophisticated and civilised. The Mechanicals speak in prose. There by identifying themselves to the audiences as rude labourers and so contrasting them with the world of the court and lovers. It is also a form of crude comedy. It is clear from the start that Bottom is boorish, pushy and he seeks to lead the group. This is shown in act 1, scene 2 â€Å" first good Peter Quince, say what the play treats on, then read the names of the actors, and so grow a point. †. Puck talks directly to the audience. He speaks in verse â€Å"If we shadows have offended, think of this and all is mended†. Although Puck is not the main character Shakespeare uses him to link the fairy world to the real world. The audience also like Puck which makes them listen more intently to the play. It would be fair to say that without Puck this play would not succeed. Bottom also talks directly to the audience when is head becomes that of an ass’. The audience become an integral part of the play and they know what bottom is thinking. One technique that Shakespeare uses to break up the play is the use of a play within a play; this is most obvious when the mechanicals perform ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’. This is done to maintain the audiences’ interest. It also provides comic relief. Overall, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is a telling and very intriguing play that includes the audience and provides comic relief.

Influences on Human Nature Essay

Human nature is the central characteristics, including the ways of thinking, acting, and reacting that are shared by most or all human beings, and which humans display naturally. Each one of us is a unique being and various facets of human nature determine our individual personalities. The question posed by personality theorists is, what factors influence the development of our personalities? Simply stated, how did we become who we are? Who we are is not determined by any one characteristic or concept of human nature, but by combination of influences. Is human nature determined by our own free will or is it pre-determined by our past experiences and forces which we have no control? Are we dominated by our inherited nature and genetic composition or the nurturing environment of our background and education? Are we dependent or independent of our past? Is human nature unique or universal? Are our life goals motivated by the simple satisfaction of physical needs, or are we driven by a deeper need for growth and progress? Is man kind’s outlook one of optimism or pessimism? Do humans develop relationally or individually? Questions about human nature focus on these central issues and theorists attempt to answer this question, while defining their image of human nature. Free Will versus Determinism The ability to make choices unrestricted by certain factors is called free will. In contrast to free will, determinism dictates that there are forces over which we have no control. These forces externally shape our personality and that each event is determined by preceding events. How can we have free will if everything is determined for us? On the other hand, if everything is determined, how can we have free will? Free will and determinism are companions and you cannot have one without the other. We need to feel that our will is free and not determined for us. We need to be able to assign responsibility, bestow blame and praise, and allocate punishments and rewards. If we do not have free will, are we then not responsible for the choices we make? If we are not responsible for our actions, then we should not be punished when our behavior justifies it. The decisions we make, and the emotional reactions we feel, about the choices we make, are a learning process. When we make a choice, we learn from the outcome. The next time we are in the position to make a similar choice, we draw on our experiences and either choose similarly, or differently, depending on our previous outcome. In this sense, it can be said that determinism is a strong factor. The choice made is determined by the outcome of previous decisions. We cannot learn to choose more wisely, unless we can recognize a particularly good or bad choice. Gordon Allport held a balanced position on the free will versus determinism debate. Allport bestowed free choice in our considerations about our future. However, Allport also recognized that some behaviors are determined by personality traits and personal dispositions. Once the behaviors are formed, they are difficult to modify (p. 203). Inherited Nature versus Nurturing Environment For the purpose of the nature versus nurture debate, nature is defined as inherited traits and attributes. Nurture is the characteristics of our environment (nurturing influences of education, childhood, and guidance). Given that genetics and environment both influence human nature and personality, which plays a greater role? The genes we inherit determine physical characteristics about us from the color of our eyes, hair, and skin to how tall or short we will be. However, behavioral tendencies and personality attributes are not hard-wired. As human beings, we are features of our environment and the conditions by which we live shape our personality and our intelligence. We come by our personality traits through observed behaviors, not through genetic endowment. At birth a child’s mind is a blank slate. How he develops from birth is determined by the knowledge he obtains and his experiences. Adopted children support this position. A baby girl is surrendered by her biological parents and adopted. As she grows, she receives high marks throughout school and is accepted to a prestigious college. Is this child academically successful because of her genes, or is her success a result of the enriched environment her adopted parents provided? Adoptive and foster parents have a much greater impact on the personalities of their adopted and fostered offspring than the genes inherited from birth parents. The nurturing environment is the dominant influence on development and behavior. Erik Erikson supports this position in his theory. Erikson held that personality is affected more by learning and experiences and less by hereditary. Psychosocial experiences have a greater influence on personality, not biological forces (p. 172). Dependent versus Independent of Our Past Is personality more influenced by our past events? Or are people independent of the past, with personalities more powerfully shaped by events which occur later in life? For some, personality is dependent on childhood and subject to little change over the course of life. For others, personality is independent of the past. These individuals are influenced by their own experiences, as well as by their objectives and ambitions. For those independent of their past, early experiences do contribute to the formation of personality, but not permanently. On the issue of whether we are shaped more by past experiences, or events which occur later in life, there is no one size fits all answer. Every psyche is unique and each one of us draws on the more powerful determinant. Human nature is both dependent and independent of our past. In one individual the events he experiences in childhood and adolescent years may be a strong contributing factor to his personality. In another, the here and now events of her later life may be the stronger factor in who she has become. An example is given for both sides of the continuum. A brother and sister, one year apart, are raised by the same mother and the men who enter and exit their lives. The two children lead a dysfunctional childhood fraught with homelessness, neglect, poor adult guidance, and mental, physical, and sexual abuse. From adolescence on the brother takes a dark path. He murders a third sibling and is institutionalized. Within a short time of his release from the sanitarium, he commits arson (burns down his sister’s apartment) and is sent to state prison. Upon his release from state prison he leads the life of a drifting loner with anti-social tendencies. Now a 42 year old man he has no family of his own (a good choice given the danger he presents to others at times); possesses only an eighth grade education; is paranoid schizophrenic and suffers from delusions; and cannot maintain employment for extended periods of time. The male child is an example of historical determinism. The extremely unfortunate serious of events of his childhood have made him who he is. His personality is dependent on his past; it was mostly fixed in the early years and has changed little throughout his life. The sister half of the equation began her adolescent and early adult years coping with her past in her own dysfunctional way. While early on she turned to methamphetamine use and sexual promiscuity as escapes from the past, she made a cognitive choice in her 30s not lead the life of her mother. The trigger of a life change for her was predominantly self-motivated by her hopes and aspirations for a future. However, it was influenced by negative events she had experienced in her present situation, as well as positive relationships she formed. She is now 43 years old, married and has four beautiful children. She works full time, owns a beautiful home, is growing in Christ, working toward a college degree, and has goals and aspirations for a fantastic future. Her personality is one completely independent of the past; it was not fixed by the tragic events of her childhood. While childhood and adolescent experiences may have contributed negatively early on to shaping her personality, it was not permanent. She is influenced by events and experiences in the present and they have modified her early personality traits to make her a happy, healthy, productive member of society. Albert Bandura supports the position that behaviors can be modified. He believed that our self-efficacy and a set of ideal behaviors are established in childhood. However, these early experiences can be reversed later in life, and performance standards and behaviors may be replaced (p. 344). Carl Jung also believed we are affected more by our experiences in middle age and our hopes and expectations for the future (p. 102). Unique versus Universal The position that personalities are unique holds that each person’s action has no complementing action or behavior in any other individual. There is no comparing one person to another. The universal position follows that there are overall patterns of behavior among people. That within individuals of the same culture, there are similar identifiable behaviors. Is there such a thing as an innate universal characteristic of human nature? Our experiences shape our behavior; however, two people with a universal pattern (such as those from the same tribe); still grow into two separate and unique individuals. The human personality is both unique and universal. While fully functioning persons share some universal characteristics, we all possess traits unique to the individual. Maslow reinforces uniqueness of personality in his theory. Maslow believed that incentive and needs are universal, but how the needs are met differs between individuals because behaviors are learned. He went on to state that even self-actualizers, despite the fact they share certain abilities, do not have identical behaviors (p. 256). Satisfaction versus Growth Theorists break down the issue of our life goals to opposing motivating factors. Are we driven by satisfaction or growth? If satisfaction is the goal, we are content as long as balance is maintained and our needs are met. In contrast some theorists believe our major motivation is growth. The choice of growth or satisfaction is different from one individual to another. A man in his forties has a comfortable home, a family who love and respect him, plays golf on Saturdays, goes on vacation once a year, and has a job with a decent salary. While he has not reached his fullest potential, or all of the goals he initially set out to attain, this man is satisfied. His position is one that his needs are met, and he sees no need to expend the energy or stress for further growth or development. He may even ask himself, what more could I want? Sigmund Freud took the satisfaction position in his pessimistic view of human nature. Freud believed that we continually experience stress and conflict and that the ultimate goal was to reduce stress (p. 61). While some individuals are satisfied as long as their needs are met and they can sustain a stress free life, others crave knowledge and growth of body and mind. A woman in her forties is in a similar situation as the man in the above example. She has a comfortable home, a family who love and respect her, goes on vacation once a year, and a job with a decent salary. However, the woman is not satisfied. She is driven by her desire for growth, and the need to improve herself. She has aspirations for the future, a longing to help others, and recognizes she has not achieved full potential. While she can certainly live comfortably in her present situation, she knows that she has not reached self-actualization. She realizes that she would not only be cheating herself, but those who surround her and society, by not persevering until she reaches her goals. Carl Rogers supports this position in his theory. Rogers believed our outlook is progressive rather than regressive, toward growth rather than stagnation. In his opinion we seek challenge and stimulation, instead of the satisfaction of familiarity (p. 274). Optimism versus Pessimism For centuries theorists have examined the question of optimism or pessimism. Do humans have an essentially optimistic outlook on life, a positive, upbeat, and hopeful view? Or is the human personality one of a pessimistic outlook, a negative, hopeless view? On the issue of whether our virtues outweigh our shortcomings, in general most of us are optimistic. Collectively, we are socially conscious, unselfish beings with a drive to improve the world around us. People are basically good, caring, and kindhearted. To believe anything else would create a dark portrait of human nature, one of despair and hopelessness. Pessimists would argue that there are wars being waged all over the world, entire cultures being treated as second-class citizens, and poverty is rampant. However, these occurrences do not originate from our human nature. They are activated under given conditions, enabled or hindered by social environments. Gordon Allport presents an optimistic view of adults in control of their lives. We rationally attend to current situations, plan for the future, and form and identity (p. 203). Erik Erikson had an optimistic view of human nature. He believed that although not everyone successful in their goal to attain hope, wisdom, and the other merits of intrinsic worth, we all possess the ability to do so (p. 172). Individual versus Relational Personalities are formed both individually and relationally. When we are born we develop relationally. We form bounds with our parents, siblings, and care-givers relying on them for our needs. During this phase of life, how we grow individually is determined by these early relationships. In return, our relationships often motivate and nurture us to grow individually. For healthy development of the psyche, personalities must form individually and relationally. My own growth is an example of how this continuum is not a matter of individual or relational, but instead individual and relational. For more than ten years I was a lost soul struggling with methamphetamine addiction, depression, periods of homelessness, and all around selfish bad choices. During this dark period, I did not have healthy relationships. At that point in my life, I had lost sight of who I once was and did not like the person I saw in the mirror. When I made the decision to reclaim my life, initially I could not form healthy relationships, or repair damaged ones. I first needed to concentrate on healing myself and developing as an individual. During this healing period, I made a friend and my relational growth fostered my individual growth. Because of this one individual, I have grown individually and reached goals I never would have dreamed possible without the inspiration and love fostered by this relationship. We all have relationships which stimulate our individual growth. In contrast, there are also situations where we cannot develop relationally until we are secure as individuals. The individual versus relational issue was not a continuum addressed in the text book, nor could scholarly information on theorist’s positions on the question be found in my search. Conclusion Human nature is a combination of instincts and environment which compose how we decide on which actions to take. There is no right or wrong answer to the questions about human nature posed by personality theorists. It is easy to see why theorists such as Fromm, Murray, Jung, and Erikson leaned neither right nor left on three or four of the six issues. When first assigned the project, I held a firm position on where I stood on each of the issues. In an attempt to better understand the fundamental issues themselves, I began to read what surely amounted to hundreds of pages of material on the questions about human nature. These essays, papers, definitions, and postulates were written by psychologists, theologians, students, and (I’m ashamed to admit) the folks at Wikipedia and Ask. com. The more I read, the more I began to drift from my previous position on most of the issues. To counter this, I would read more viewpoints in a fruitless search to find something, anything, which held a firm position one way or another on any of the questions. I was desperate for an answer that would lead me back to a firm right or left position on the issues. I discovered that on the questions about human nature, there is no black and white answer; the answers are different for each of us.

Ponds’ Concept of Ideal Beauty

Ponds’ Concept of Ideal Beauty through Its Product Ponds White Beauty It is a common knowledge that in several cultural products, such as movies, advertisements and other texts, women have become the center of focus most of the time. We all know that advertisement is one of the most important factors for both commercial and non-commercial companies, especially for commercial companies. If the companies do not advertise their products, the society will not pay attention to the products which are sold and the company will not be able to reach their goals. That is why companies must have their own way to market and promote their products to be able to compete in the global bussiness competition. They have to market their products and reach the â€Å"goal target†, but it is not easy though. By giving what people desire for, advertisers have the best chance of arresting attention and affecting communication to the viewers. Many advertisements broadcast in media especially television have created such notions. Advertisements are trying to build a mind set towards women to buy their products. Some of them are showing the things which are being sold, for example the packaging, the picture or the function, and some of them are trying to drive the customer’s mind. Nowadays, one of the most appealing phenomena is the promotion of whitening products. This kind of product has been widely spread out all over the world, mostly in Asian. The advertisements indirectly give the viewers a concept that underlines the concept of beauty; which is white is beauty. This notion appears to be quite influential for women, Asian women in particular, to buy their products. One of the most popular whitening products in Indonesia is Ponds. There are a lot of types Ponds products, however mostly are still focusing on enhacing women’s skin tone. Ponds Institute have established a lot types of whitening series; starting from Ponds White Beauty until the new one, Ponds Flawless White. The text that is going to be discussed in this essay is Ponds White Beauty commercial that is published in India. In every commercial, Ponds understands that it is women’s nature to always want to look and consider beautiful. Eventually, the definition of beauty has been ruled by the media, so those who follow the ideal beauty concept will be considered as beautiful. For most women who lived in a country that once was colonized by white people, beauty means white. Since most Asian women are colored-skin (dark skin), Ponds’ offer of â€Å"self-transformation† effectively enlarges the individual to include significant others and must become an extension of the personality and status of their occupants. If we related to historical background, we can draw red line through this kind of ideology of beauty. Most of Asians are colonized by the Western people. Most of Western people are white, then the feeling of inferiority is seen through this. Self-confidence of the women in Asia has been eroded; they would do anything to enhace their skin tone since they believe that being white will make them â€Å"superior†. They can define the superior as any kind of meaning but this superiority is only a vague impression. However, most of women do not realize this vague impression; they still keep living in the world of imaginary that stated white is better than color. They enjoy being exposed by the lie of media, in this case advertisement. Moreover, Ponds always uses the issue of the sacred link between beauty and romance. It can be seen from the comercial that the man is interested in the woman who is dancing cheerfully, since he has been staring at the woman before. Thus, when the old lady says that to him, he hardly belives her. Instead he asks, â€Å"How do you know? † The old lady reply, â€Å"Look at the glow! † The word â€Å"glow† means shines so bright. Our feeling is reflected on our face; when we are in a good feeling, our face will look bright and shiny, it also works otherwise. Getting married usually identical with joyful and happiness, the bride will be looking shiny, therefore the old lady relates the woman’s glow with the possibility that she ight be the bride. Then there is a woman’s that says, â€Å"â€Å"Actually it’s Ponds White Beauty Skin Lightening cream with detox vitamin that gives you nourished pink glow. † On the top left of the scene, we can read â€Å"Fall in love with the nourished pink glow. The underlined words are bigger than the non-underlined words, it shows that Ponds wants to emphasize on the benefit of the product (which is nourished pink glow on its users’ face). However, if the sentence is related to the advertisement, it can be assumed that the man does not actually fall in love with the woman, instead he falls in love with her ‘nourished pink glow’. Or it is the ‘nourished pink glow’ from the product that makes the man falls in love with the woman. We cannot conclude without regarding the product since the product is there and is shown to us. The promotion of this commercial successfully hegemonizes the society (in this case the viewer, particularly Asian women) that if they use Ponds White Beauty Detox, they will be looking beautiful for they have white skin and rossy cheeks. The viewers are made to believe that the man is not actually falling in love with the woan, instead he falls in love â€Å"with the nourished pink glow†. Here, Ponds tries to convey that beauty is not only white or pale white, but white with rossy color on the cheeks. Hereby, Ponds claims that only them who can give the pink glow to the customers. The customers do not realize that it actually leads them to the system that legitimates their subordination since the ideology that Ponds conveys here is promoting what so-called â€Å"universal beauty† that is based on ‘western culture†. The Western still becomes the rulling class, especially in its ex-colonized lands. What can be seen from Ponds commercial is the rulling class domination vs. The ruled class through imaginative representations The media in this case the commercial may be conceptualized for maintaining the ideology and thereby hegemonize the society. If there is a woman who bought the product as she is trying to get beautiful face (white with rossy cheek color on it), then the ideology that lies behind the product is hailed successfully. The messages in the described commercial itself hail the hypothetical viewer as a young woman who tries to get her love back. Then the commercial also hails her as a consumer who successfully proven the effectiveness of the product. The message seek to make the viewers recognized and accept particular forms of ideology, which are to sell the product and also to sell an ideology of â€Å"universal white beauty† along with romance. It can be seen how ideology is able to survive among those people who are following and believing it. Althusser’s ideological theory does allow for resistance to ideology, and the hypothetical women who watch Ponds ad may do so. The slogan of Ponds â€Å"Pond’s understands that a beautiful skin is always important to a woman† underlies the easiness of imposing the ideology that only Ponds can make you feel beauty. In some ways, the whiteness concepts of this cosmetic can be related to racism, since it is direct or indirect saying that white is better than â€Å"not white†. It is another form of racism where the mass media resents hegemonic concept of beauty (white skin) while claiming that racism is a thing of the past. Ideology is all around us, no one can escape ideology. Even when an individual wants to free himself or herself from any ideology, they are actually adapting and adopting another ideology. An understanding of its attributes and mechanisms, in the context of mass communication and other realms, may aid us in evading its influence, or using it to our ends. Ads as part of cultural production is the primary bearer of ideology because it reaches so many people in what seems to be an innocent form: entertainment. When we are being entertained in this case with the ads, our guard is down and we are in the most welcoming mode for any ideological programming. Cultural studies has been forced to rethink both idea of a single â€Å"dominant ideology† and the idea that that â€Å"dominant ideology serves the interests of those in power. *** REFERENCES Gray, Jennifer B. Althusser, Ideology, and Theoritical Foundation: Theory and Communication. The Journal of Media and Culture. Vol. 3 No. 1. 2005. Ponds. Taken from http://www. unilever. co. id/ourbrands/personalcare/ponds. asp. accessed on 17 March 2009.

Improve own performance in a business environment Essay

1.1 Explain the purpose and benefits of continuously improving performance at work Everyone should strive to improve their performance. Organisations also strive to improve the performance of the whole of their workforce. As an individual, the purpose of continuously improving our performance at work is to make ourselves a more valuable employee who is more efficient and reliable. As a consequence of our improved performance, the organisation will also be more efficient and effective. We can achieve improvements in our performance by considering everything which we do to be a process of continuous development. Every time we carry out a new task we will be learning new skills and developing our flexible approach to work. As we work we will also be updating our existing skills, allowing us to progress and become more confident. Having and experienced member of staff review our work can be very useful as they will be able to tell us about any mistakes we are making and point us in the right direction in terms of making our job easier and more efficient. These reviews can look at our general work during an appraisal or ongoing work as and when the opportunity arises. Self-assessment does not mean that we have to be critical of ourselves. Neither does it mean that we should praise ourselves as to the efficiency or quality of our work. It means trying to step away from ourselves and look at what we are doing. Even if we only take time at the end of the working week to reflect on how our week has gone, this is a step in the right direction to making a self-assessment of how we have worked. 1.2 Explain the purpose and benefits of encouraging and accepting feedback from others Feedback is responses which we receive from other people in reaction to our work or our performance. Much feedback is informal. – It may simply be a thank you for the work which we have done. We should be prepared, however, to receive both positive and negative feedback, as  sometimes the work which we have done will not be of sufficient quality, or the person will not think that we can be relied on in the future. The key purpose of encouraging and accepting feedback from others is to provide us with opportunities to improve areas of our work. By encouraging feedback, more experienced employees can help us come up with solutions to many of the common supported by suggestions on how to improve. Many businesses have formal feedback, usually in the form of an appraisal system. Appraisals are reviews of progress and look at our abilities. Appraisals are opportunities for us and our supervisors to set targets and plans to improve our performance. These appraisals will allow us to talk about our job, what we plan to do in the future and whether we would benefit from additional training. Appraisals are confidential and aim to be positive. We should use these formal feedback sessions as they may be one of the few chances we have to talk about our work, uninterrupted, with our immediate superior. 1.3 Explain how learning and development can improve own work, benefit organisations, and identify career options Training is normally a part of the appraisal system, but there may be regular training opportunities which are advertised within the business. If we feel that these training programmes would be of value to us, our team and the business, there is no reason why we should not enquire as to whether we could get involved. The benefits of learning and development are not only for the individual but also for the organisation itself. One good example is that training and development, whether it is formal education or learning on the job, means individuals are ready to take over key job roles. Many businesses and organisation lose staff on a regular basis; they either move on to another business or organisation or they may retire. Each time a member of staff who has worked for the organisation for some time leaves,  key expertise is also lost. Encouraging learning and development for all staff enables a business to identify successors for key posts. It helps them to plan their career paths and make sure that the business continues to run in an efficient way, even if an expert member of staff has left. There are plenty of ways in which learning and development can go on as a regular part of the working week. In some cases businesses or organisation will encourage staff to attend external training courses, giving us time off in order to do this. They will also encourage staff to continue the education, perhaps in the evening. However, many businesses and organisations have developed comprehensive training programmes that are carried out in-house. It is not always possible to identify a clear set of career options when we first join a new business or organisation. Career options will depend on not only our abilities and willingness to learn and develop but also the way in which the organisation works. Some organisations retain their staff for a very long period of time, which restricts career options for those who have not been there as long. Other businesses and organisations are not growing fast enough, so opportunities are limited. This may mean that some employees will have to look for career options elsewhere, or perhaps switch the type of work that type are doing for something that offers a better opportunity. The main point of learning and developing is not only that the individual can improve their standards of work but also that the organisation benefits because it becomes more efficient and effective. 1.4 Describe possible career progression routes & 1.5 Describe possible development opportunities Administration itself has a clear career path, even though this may mean having to change employers in order to reach the next stage. The broad career progression is: -trainee administrative assistant or administrative assistant- providing basic administrative support, working under supervision and probably as a member of a team -trainee administrative officer or administrative officer- someone who provides administrative support and  generates and implements procedures -administrative team supervisor or office supervisor- someone who allocates tasks to team members and generally organises and monitors day-to-day administrative support -personal assistant- an individual who provides day-to-day administrative support for senior individuals in the business or organisation -administrative section manager- someone who develops and implements procedures to meet the business’s or organisation’s needs. They plan, control and evaluate day-to-day administrative support Company secretary or senior administrative manager- someone who ensure that the organisation or business complies with legal requirements. We can review our own performance or ask others to review our performance and appraise the way in which we can currently carry out work. We can also set ourselves targets so that we can gradually improve our overall skills: -professional -information handling -interpersonal -self-application Career development is all about recognising and seizing on opportunities that could increase our employability, general level of education, experience and skills. Opportunities arise at different times, both before we enter work and while we are in work. We should be looking for opportunities that will give us a chance to gain training, experience or qualifications whenever we can. Typical types of career development include: -induction-this is the initial period, just after we have started working for a business. The induction programme will tell us about the business, its procedures, policies and rules. It will explain to us how we are suppose to work and what the business expects of us. -training needs-a good employer will carry out what is known as training needs analysis, both on its new employees and on a yearly basis with its existing employees. The business will use our job specification, person specification and current abilities  to help identify gaps between what we can do and what we are expected to do. The process should reveal any training that we require in order to get us up to scratch or to improve the way in which we carry out our job. -development plans-in many ways these are similar to training needs analysis, but they usually take a slightly less formal approach. The idea is to identify our longer-term career plans and to match any training or qualifications that may be of assistanc e to us. These are normally carried out on an annual basis and have agreed targets. -performance targets- these are minimum levels of work or output that we will be required to complete by our employer. Performance targets are difficult to set for some individual workers, so a departmental or section target may be set. These will require us to complete work by specified deadlines and very much depend on the type of work involved. -certificated training- this is training that we may be offered, which leads to recognised qualifications, such as an NVQ. These types of training are extremely useful for personal development as they allow us to demonstrate our ability to work at a particular level -uncertified training-these are normally in-house training programmes, designs specifically for the business, perhaps to update on policies and procedures. They are usually relevant only to the business in which we are working and may have no practical value if we switch jobs and move to another organisat ion. -personal development-there are a number of ways in which we can proceed with our personal development. Some may be formal and include, as we have seen, training need analysis, various types of training and development plans. Personal development is our own ideal improvement plan, which would have to be agreed with our employer -flexible working-this can simply be working add hours, but more specifically it is our willingness to work in different areas of the business. This leads to what is known as multi-skilling, which is a measure of our ability to adapt to different types of work and our willingness to learn new skills so that we be of greater use and value to our employer. We should seize chances to work in different areas of the business so we can get a better picture of what the business is all about and how particular tasks, carried out by different parts of the business, fit together -progression opportunities-these are the opportunities that will present themselves for us to be promoted and to gain a higher paid and more valued post at work. By gradually taking on training  and opportunities to work in different areas of the business we will have developed ourselves to such an extent that our employer recognises we should be rewarded for our efforts. As our skills and experience improve, progression opportunities will present themselves. With each step we will gain access to higher-level work and begin the process of improvement once again so that we can seize the next opportunity for progression. [681.2] Be able to improve own work performance using feedback 2.1 Encourage and accept feedback from other people  Feedback is responses which we receive from other people in reaction to our work or our performance. Much feedback is informal. – It may simply be a thank you for the work which we have done. We should be prepared, however, to receive both positive and negative feedback, as sometimes the work which we have done will not be of sufficient quality, or the person will not think that we can be relied on in the future. The key purpose of encouraging and accepting feedback from others is to provide us with opportunities to improve areas of our work. By encouraging feedback, more experienced employees can help us come up with solutions to many of the common supported by suggestions on how to improve. 2.2 Use feedback to agree way ti improve own performance in the workplace Many businesses have formal feedback, usually in the form of an appraisal system. Appraisals are reviews of progress and look at our abilities. Appraisals are opportunities for us and our supervisors to set targets and plans to improve our performance. These appraisals will allow us to talk about our job, what we plan to do in the future and whether we would benefit from additional training. Appraisals are confidential and aim to be positive. We should use these formal feedback sessions as they may be one of the few chances we have to talk about our work, uninterrupted, with our immediate superior. 2.3 Complete work tasks, using feedback give, to improve performance One of the difficulties in receiving feedback is ensuring that a suitable individual witnesses us carrying out the work. One of the ways of getting  around this problem is to identify opportunities in the near future when we will be undertaking different work tasks and it is convenient for our selected individuals to observe us doing this. We should try to organise this before we carry out the first two parts of the learning outcome. [681.3]Be able to agree own development needs using a learning plan 3.1 Investigate and agree where a further learning and development may improve own work performance Most businesses and organisations have a human resources department. Within there will be individuals who are aware of formal and informal learning and development opportunities. There is a wide range of ways in which we could make use of their expertise and take their advice. We need to remember that not all learning and development needs to lead to a certificate. In fact, some of the best learning and development goes on in a very informal way within the workplace environment. We can easily learn and develop by simply watching or shadowing an experienced member of staff. We can use learn their techniques and their ways of dealing with situations. We can use their years of experience in having carried out a similar role to our own- they will know all the best ways to make sure that the task is carried out to a high standard and within deadlines. Many businesses and organisations will also use their human resources department to design specific training programmes. A key part of the human resources department’s job is to look at training needs. They will examine appraisals or performance reviews in order to identify areas where additional training is needed. They can then organise specific training to cover those areas or gaps in what we are expected to do compared with what we can do at present. 3.2 Confirm learning plan changes A learning plan is a simple document where we can set personal targets and record our achievements. Our plan needs to: -cover what we have already done or achieved-this records all important learning that we have already carried out -identify what we would like to learn, or achieve, in the future-this means identifying our goals -identify our targets-what we will have to do on the way to getting where we want to be -identify who can help-what support  and guidance do we need? -have a clear action plan-what do we need to learn? What is the purpose of learning it? How will we know when we have done it? The key part is also to keep our plan updated. We need to go through our plan on a regular basis and see whether we can add anything. 3.3 Follow a learning plan The first stages of following a learning plan should be relatively straightforward. However, we can use our learning plan in a number of ways from the outset: -we can use it to identify work that we can carry out which can then be observed to provide evidence -we can identify areas that we are going to struggle to find evidence for and work towards creating that evidence or the opportunity to produce that evidence -we should also use the learning plan as our next logical step -we need to make sure that as we complete each learning outcome, assessment criterion, unit, we update our learning plan and check it to see whether there is evidence already generated that can be used elsewhere. 3.4 Review progress against learning plan and agree further learning updates, if required. A learning plan is a live document. It is specific to us and it should incorporate our long-term goals. The learning plan is a written version of our career aspirations. It shows where we want to be in the future, where we are now and the steps that we have to take in order to get to our destination. We should review our progress on a regular basis. Some people in full- or part-time employment will discover that a learning plan is in fact part of a learning agreement with their employer because it: -identifies the learning outcomes or objectives that we wish to achieve -identifies the strategies to meet the objectives or outcomes -identifies the evidence we will need to produce to show that we have achieved. By reviewing our learning plan we will be able to make the best use of the learning we of. It will focus our learning where it is most needed. It will help us identify the opportunities for learning and it will also prepare us for appraisals and performance reviews.