Masterpieces of English Literature

The world of English literature has produced many diverse and astoundingly amazing works. Two of the most hailed pieces of literature to have graced the lives of readers throughout the ages are Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. These two poems have been around for a great number of years and have created many ripples across the lake of time. Despite its ancient roots, Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight continue to be regarded as two the greatest masterpieces of English literature.This essay will try to show the impact that these two different poems have had on English literature. It will show that despite the age of both poems, they continue to be relevant up to this very day. This essay will show that it is very much important to continue the reading, the study and the appreciation of these works, Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as well as the other masterful pieces of English literature that have been available to schools and readers for a very long time.BeowulfLet us first dissect the epic poem, Beowulf, before we continue with the discussion of the importance of these two pieces. Beowulf was believed to have been written around the time 700 A.D. by an Anglo-Saxon poet. To this day, no one truly knows who wrote the poem but the last surviving manuscript of the poem was found to date back to the time 1000 A.D. and was speculated to have been in the hand of two different scribes. The original manuscript of Beowulf was written in the vernacular, Old English. (Melissa, 1997)The importance of this piece to the entirety of English literature is both very simple and complex. To put it straightforwardly, Beowulf is the oldest surviving poem to have been written in Old English. This is of great importance because all of the poems recovered from that era were found to have been written in Latin. (Anonymous, 2006)The importance of Beowulf in English literature, and in fact to the whole of world literature, is very clear even up to this very day. Because of the wars and battles raging across Europe in those earlier decades, very few literary manuscripts were able to survive. Beowulf, in fact, is the beacon and representative of the meager ten percent of the poetry written in Old English that have survived up to today. (Meyerhoff, 2006) What sets Beowulf apart from its other very few Old English counterparts is that it is an epic poem. In Britain, it has been accepted as a national epic. This is despite the debates and contestations regarding its merits as an epic poem.The mere fact that Beowulf has survived time and history and is available to us today among the very small population of Old English works is enough to prod us to continue in our appreciation and study of the piece. But another importance of the literary piece remains in just that fact, that it has survived an era from which only very few literary works have. This suggests that scholars and even simple individuals are able to take a glimpse at the cul ture and traditions of that time.Through Beowulf, we are able to see what these individuals held as important and what factors, both literary and in reality, they took into consideration. We say this not in a manner that will suggest taking Beowulf word for word as a historical timeline but rather in a manner that suggests reading deeper into Beowulf and understanding the thoughts and the emotions of the author. One such aspect of the epic poem that sheds light upon the culture of the said time is its constant use of the theme of Christianity. Although it is supposedly written in a pagan setting, the Christian theme in the poem is highly evident and unmistakable to any of its readers. (Yeager, 1999)Perhaps the most amazing part about Beowulf as an epic poem is its resilience as a literary piece. Even though it has much merit as an aged piece and as a standard bearer of Old English poetry, Beowulf would not have survived throughout time if it did not have any other merits. The most i mportant aspect of the epic poem, to my mind, is the fact that despite its age, it still continues to strike every reader deeply. It still calls forth the same emotions among its readers.This is perhaps due to the way it was written. Although the events and places seen in the epic are strange to us, at the very core of the story, we find the same values and interests that are inherent in us even to this very day.   Beowulf is so well-written that even to this day, it continues to enthrall and connect with its diverse readership. No matter how old you are, no matter what country you come from, you are able to recognize the masterful workmanship put into creating Beowulf.Sir Gawain and the Green KnightAnother much acclaimed piece of English literature is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It was believed to have been written some time during the fourteenth century. It is considered to be a metrical romance, a romantic tale written in poetic form, about the life of Sir Gawain. (Weston, 1900)Gawain was one of the more talked about characters of the Arthurian tradition. He far outstrips many of King Arthur’s knights in the number of romantic exploits written about his character. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knigh, Gawain exemplifies many of the virtues considered to be important in men of his stature. (Harper) This adds to the importance of the piece itself. With the different virtues that Sir Gawain is seen to have in the romantic poem, readers can easily see what the culture of the 14th century was like.The virtues and culture held to be of importance during that time are extolled clearly in the character of Sir Gawain and can easily be identified through his various actions and descriptions in the poem. This is in contrast to other poems and literary pieces written about Gawain wherein he was portrayed as a flawed and even sometimes brutish character.The importance of this piece may lie in the fact that its author was able to keep up a play of words wherei n the reader can derive several different interpretations. This allowed for many different reactions and critics regarding the piece. (Goodlad, 1987)This is probably what kept the piece alive for so long. With regards to literature, it has opened the way for readers to regard different pieces with more wariness, viewing these pieces as perhaps holding more interpretations than that initially viewed.It also holds much importance as a literary piece that defied the genre from which it came. Instead of relinquishing to the trend of producing literary pieces that were straightforward and direct in their presentation of storylines and themes, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s wordplay and alliterative presentation brought a new style of writing to the fore. To this day, we can witness many new pieces of literature that have taken tot his style of writing providing readers with much more thought-provoking and reflection-inducing pieces. It is safe to say that Sir Gawain and the Gre en Knight has done much to enrich English literature.ReferencesAnonymous. (2006). Beowulf. Spark Notes Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/beowulf/context.htmlGoodlad, L. (1987) The Gamnes of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Comitatus: A Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 18(1), Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://repositories.cdlib.org/cmrs/comitatus/vol18/iss1/art4Harper, R. Gawain. The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/cphome.stmMeyerhoff, S. (2006). The Question of Genre in Byliny and Beowulf. The Journal of Russian and Asian Studies, 4, Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://www.sras.org/news2.phtml?m=629&print=1Snell, M. (1997) Beowulf. About.com Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://historymedren.about.com/od/beowulf/p/beowulf.htmWeston, J. L. (1900) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/sggk.htmYeager, R. (1999) Why Read Beowulf? Humanities, 20(2) Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/1999-03/yeager.html

Maalouf – Leo Africanus

Amin Maalouf’s novel Leo Africanus, a fictionalized memoir by an actual sixteenth-century Muslim adventurer, is an often-interesting account of life during the turbulent end of the Middle Ages, told from the point of view of a man who survived his life’s ample turmoil and bridged conflicting cultures without wholly belonging to any. The narrator of this work, a traveler and author known in his lifetime as Jean-Leon de Medici or Leo Africanus, was born in 1488 as Hasan al-Wazzan, son of a prominent Muslim family in Granada, Spain.   At the time, southern Spain’s Andalusia region (of which Granada was its chief city) was Muslim-dominated, with Catholics, Muslims, and Jews alike coexisting in a cosmopolitan, relatively tolerant atmosphere.   Maalouf depicts Granada as an intriguing, exotic, tolerant place for its time, despite its corrupt rulers and ultimate weakness before the invading armies of Aragon and Castile. Shortly after his birth, Spanish forces conquered Granada and soon started persecuting all non-Christians, forcing them to convert to Catholicism or flee, depriving them of their wealth in either case.   Though European history depicts Spain’s liberation from Muslim rule as a glorious event, it was a tragic blow for the Muslims who had lived there for centuries and built a prosperous, learned society.   As his uncle Khali, a wealthy diplomat, laments, â€Å"See how the people . . . have been forced into slavery after their surrender!   See how the Inquisition has raised pyres for the Jews . . . [and] for the Muslims as well!   How can we stop this, except by resistance, mobilization, and jihad?†Ã‚   (Maalouf, 1988, p. 25)   Though the word â€Å"jihad† today carries ominous meanings for Westerners, in this context it meant self-defense in the face of an intolerant enemy. The Spanish appear in a distinctly negative light, as bloodthirsty, vindictive conquerors who used the Inquisition to crush their enemies, real or perceived.   Maalouf offers in interesting inversion of Western opinion here, and he shows post-1492 Granada as a dark, dangerous place whose intellectual life is crushed.   Also, while modern readers think of Jews and Muslims as mortal enemies, Maalouf demonstrates that they enjoyed peaceful relations in medieval Andalusia, and Leo laments the Spanish edict mandating â€Å"the ‘formal termination of all relations between Christians and Jews, which can only be accomplished by the expulsion of all the Jews from our kingdom’† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 59). His uncle Khali assumes a dominant role in Leo’s life, helping educate him and, more importantly, taking him along on his 1504 diplomatic mission to Timbuktu, then an important Muslim cultural and commercial center in sub-Saharan West Africa.   Even as a teenager, he demonstrates keen insights to the world around him, particularly to the appearances, peoples, and attributes of the cities he visits en route.   For example, he describes Ain al-Asnam, an ancient city destroyed during Islam’s spread, as â€Å"sole witness of the age of ignorance† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 155), implying that despite its former glories, it symbolizes the dark era before Islam spread its enlightened message. In addition, he reveals a gift for vivid descriptive prose when he says of Sijilmassa, a once-thriving city on the road to Timbuktu: â€Å"Of its walls, once so high, only a few sections remain, half-ruined, and covered with grass and moss.   Of its population, there remain only various hostile clans . . . [who] seem merciless toward each other [and] deserve their fate† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 157).   Though he is not intolerant of peoples different from himself, he also does not shy from passing judgments on unfortunate places, though his own life is full of misfortunes; he accepts fate’s fickle nature, which perhaps sustains him through his difficulties. His uncle dies en route back to Fez and Leo returns home to work in a hospice and marry his cousin Fatima, who is far less pleasing than Hiba, the slave girl who becomes his longtime mistress (similar to Warda, the servant whom his father chose over his wife, Leo’s mother).   He also tries to save his sister Mariam from the leper colony, where an influential suitor, a highway robber named the Zarwali, had had her banished for refusing to marry him. One sees by this point that women have a difficult position in Muslim society; denied many rights, they live tightly circumscribed lives and are subject to male commands and whims at all times.   Maalouf does not impose modern sensibilities here; he remains within the character of the times and accepts this lack of freedom as Muslims of the time did, and Leo laments his sister’s fate less because she lacks freedom than because her punishment was unduly cruel. As he enters adulthood, his life continues a pattern of good fortune followed by personal or financial disasters from which he always recovers and rebuilds.   Leo becomes a successful merchant in Fez and fathers a daughter with Fatima, but when his longtime friend Harun (who has married his unfortunate sister Mariam to liberate her from the leper colony) causes the Zarwali’s death, Leo is expelled from Fez for his complicity and loses his fortune on the road to a band of thieves.   He finds some relief in Hiba’s native village, where her former peers buy her back from Leo, restoring some of his wealth but costing him the love of his life. He accepts these reversals surprisingly well by modern standards, but Maalouf implies that the late medieval/early modern world was a cruel and fickle place, with few certainties in life other than misfortune.   A common theme throughout the book is that such events are simply God’s will; when he loses both his fortune and Hiba, Leo laments, â€Å"Such is the judgment of the Most High!† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 214).   His faith does not waver throughout the story, even when Christians abduct, enslave, and force him to become a Catholic. Leo’s destiny seems to be the roads he travels throughout his adult life; his form of geography and travelogue seem to be his calling in life, and he demonstrates a keen grasp of how to describe people and places.   His travels take him throughout northern, western, and central Africa, and he states without obvious boasting, â€Å"When our geographers of old spoke of the land of the Blacks, they only mentioned Ghana and the oases of the Libyan desert. . . . I myself, who am only the last of the travellers, know the names of sixty black kingdoms . . . from the Niger to the Nile† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 216).   Such knowledge would later serve him well. He becomes involved with the era’s political intrigues when he meets and marries Nur, the widow of the Ottoman ruler’s nephew.   While Leo supports the Turks in the vain hope that they will liberate Andalusia from the Spanish and make it safe for Muslims again, Nur opposes it and fears that Turkish agents will murder her infant son to prevent him from assuming the throne.   Reflecting on the discord within his own faith, Leo asks, â€Å"Is it not in the blade of a knife brandished by the Friend of God above a pyre that the revealed religions meet?†Ã‚   (Maalouf, 1988, p. 245)   He longs for the tolerance and unity of his youth in Granada, hence his somewhat naà ¯ve support for the Ottoman Empire, of which he says, â€Å"the turbans of the Turks and the skull caps of the Christians and Jews mingle without hatred or resentment† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 258). His destiny as a geographer and scholar is realized when Sicilian pirates kidnap him in Tunisia and present him to Pope Leo X as a slave.   As with the rest of his life, this misfortune leads to another lucky phase, as the pontiff, impressed with Leo’s intellect, employs him as a protà ©gà ©.   Forcing him to become a Christian and renaming him John-Leo de Medici (for the pope and the family that takes an interest in him), the pope employs him as a teacher of Arabic while tutoring him in European languages, so that he can produce a volume of his travels, Description of Africa.   He earns his freedom but becomes embroiled in papal intrigues, so he must flee yet again – this time for Tunisia, where he can again be a Muslim.   In closing, he advises the reader to be himself in the face of adversity, saying, â€Å"Muslim, Jew or Christian, they must take you as you are, or lose you† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 360).   Though he has kept his Muslim faith inwardly i ntact, Leo’s ability to adapt has ironically saved and sustained him. The book illustrates the uncertainty of life in the pre-modern era, since peaks and valleys of instability mark Leo’s life from the beginning.   His family loses its fortune and is driven from Granada by conquering Spanish Christians, who then launch a wave of intolerance against Jews and Muslims, forcing them to either become Catholic or leave.   In addition, he loses his fortune to thieves, his wife Fatima dies young, he remarries Nur (who leaves him after his abduction), and he is enslaved by Christian pirates in the Mediterranean. He handles it philosophically, accepting the fact that his life is destined to be itinerant, turbulent, and beyond his ability to control.   As he tells Nur, â€Å"Between the Andalus which I left and the Paradise which is promised to me life is only a crossing.   I go nowhere, I desire nothing I cling to nothing, I have faith in my passion for living . . . as well as in Providence† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 261). Overall, Leo Africanus is a solid effort to take the modern reader into the mind of an educated, influential Muslim living at an unstable time in European history.   Maalouf does not inject modern sensibilities into his narrative but depicts the Muslim culture of the times fairly, without a pro-Western bias.   In addition, he strives for authenticity by using a sort of formal, occasionally wordy prose that one assumes is based on the actual writing and conversational style of Leo Africanus’ times.   In the process of producing this interesting historical figure’s tale, Maalouf also makes clear one of the chief realities of this era in history – that life is uncertain and fickle, and that the intelligent, resourceful, and adaptable are best suited to endure these shifts of fortune. REFERENCES Maalouf, A. (1988).   Leo Africanus.   Chicago: New Amsterdam Books. Maalouf – Leo Africanus Amin Maalouf’s novel Leo Africanus is a novel based on an actual sixteenth-century Spanish-born Muslim geographer and writer born under the name Hasan al-Wazzan.   The author gives the reader clear insights into the conflicts between the Muslim world (whose influence in Europe was then waning) and that of Christianity (which reasserted control over his native Spain and to which he became a somewhat unwilling servant). The theme of the title character’s life is conflict and misfortune, which seem to plague him from early childhood.   Born in 1488 to a rich Muslim family in Granada, Spain, he witnesses as a small child the Catholic victory over the ruling but weakened Muslim elites, followed by a wave of vengeance and intolerance against not only Muslims but also the Jews, who have also lived peacefully in Spain with Christians for centuries.   Hasan (the name he uses throughout his life, except when in service to the Pope) demonstrates some of this by mentioning how members of the different religions interact and how some cultural exchange occurs. For example, when discussing dates, he frequently refers to Christian and Muslim holidays in tandem, showing their mutual acceptance: â€Å"It all happened on the ninth day of the holy month of Ramadan, or, rather . . . on St. John’s Day, the twenty-fourth of June, since Mihrajan was celebrated not in accordance with the Muslim year but following the Christian calendar† (Maalouf, 1989, p. 63). Here, Maalouf makes clear that Islam was then the much more tolerant religion, accepting aspects of Judaism and Christianity that the Catholic Church refused to allow.   Because Christianity and Islam were fighting for territory, intolerance was an instrument of control and oppression, and the victorious Spaniards had to qualms about driving out or murdering Jews and Muslims who refused to accept forced conversions to Christianity. His family, deprived of its wealth, flees for the North African city of Fez, where they live as refugees under the care of his kindly uncle, who provides for his education.   As he comes of age, he shows a remarkable ability to observe and understand the peoples and places he encounters – a gift he sharpens when, as a teenager, he accompanies his rich, well-connected uncle on a diplomatic excursion to Timbuktu. For example, he writes of Sijilmassa, a once-thriving city on the road to Timbuktu: â€Å"Of its walls, once so high, only a few sections remain, half-ruined, and covered with grass and moss.   Of its population, there remain only various hostile clans . . . [who] seem merciless toward each other [and] deserve their fate† (Maalouf, 1989, p. 157).   Though he is not intolerant of peoples different from himself, he also does not shy from passing judgments on unfortunate or blighted places, though his own life is full of misfortunes; he accepts fate’s fickle nature, which perhaps sustains him through his difficulties. Hasan’s adult life is generally unstable and rife with misfortune, which seems to be the norm in a world where little other than hard luck is guaranteed.   After his uncle dies, he returns to Fez to work in a hospice for the sick and insane, marries a rather plain cousin (despite his long relationship with Hiba, a slave mistress), later becomes a prosperous merchant, and seems to live a somewhat conventional life.   However, he is not destined to enjoy a stable, uneventful life. When he starts his business career, his mother makes a prediction that seems to foreshadow the direction of his life: â€Å"Many men discover the whole world while seeking only to make their fortune.   But as for you, my son, you will stumble on your treasure as you seek to discover the world† (Maalouf, 1989, p. 187).   Indeed, fate – so strong a presence in the novel that it almost seems like a character – intervenes and his life is again turbulent.   When he becomes embroiled in his childhood friend (and brother-in-law) Harun’s plot to avenge his sister Mariam’s confinement to a leper colony, the authorities expel Hasan from Fez and thieves on the road rob him of his fortune.   In addition, he is forced to sacrifice his mistress, Hiba, in order to regain some of his riches. However, his destiny is to discover the world, which indeed is why modern readers even know of his existence.   Always astute and insightful, Hasan compiles his observations during his many travels, forming the basis for his lasting renown as an early geographer and expert on sub-Saharan Africa.   He travels throughout the continent’s northern and central regions and, when speaking of other writers’ ignorance of Africa, states, â€Å"I myself, who am only the last of the travellers, know the names of sixty black kingdoms . . . from the Niger to the Nile.   Some have never appeared in any book, but I would not be telling the truth if I would claim to have discovered them myself, since I only followed the ordinary route of the caravans† (Maalouf, 1989, p. 216). He moves to Cairo (then under Ottoman Turkish rule) to restart his often-disrupted life, commenting that â€Å"I was suddenly certain that after the tempest which had destroyed my fortune a new life was awaiting me in this land of Egypt, a life of passion, danger and honour† (Maalouf, 1989, p. 218).   Here, he again finds himself on the wrong side of destiny when he marries into the Turkish sultan’s family and supports them in their political maneuverings, in the vain hope that they will retake Granada in the name of Islam. He dreams his entire life of his birthplace and the words of a visiting delegation from the sultan foster the naà ¯ve faith that he can return: â€Å"A great Muslim empire is in the process of coming to life in the East, and we in the West should stretch out our hand to it.   Until now, we have been subjected to the law of the unbelievers† (Maalouf, 1989, p. 257).   However, this scheme also goes awry and he is enslaved by Italian pirates, who give him to Pope Leo X. This phase of Hasan’s life is a strange twist of fate, in which apparent tragedy turns into great luck.   The pontiff, seeing that the learned, sophisticated Hasan is no ordinary captive, employs him as a tutor of Arabic and requires him to learn Latin, Turkish, and lessons in the Christian faith.   Hasan deems this â€Å"a refined form of forced labour . . . [and] proof of [the Pope’s] own enthusiastic interest in me† (Maalouf, 1989, p. 294). The end result of this gentle captivity is Description of Africa, a book describing his many travels in a continent with which Europeans were still largely unfamiliar.   He wins his freedom but again finds himself on the wrong side of a larger political conflict (this time within the Catholic Church), so he escapes Rome for Tunisia, where he can openly practice Islam again.   In closing, he advises the reader to be himself in the face of adversity, saying, â€Å"Wherever you are, some will want to ask questions about your skin or your prayers.   Beware of gratifying their instincts . . . beware of bending before the multitude!† (Maalouf, 1989, p. 360).   Though he has kept his Muslim faith inwardly intact, his ability to adapt and â€Å"go with the flow† preserves him. Without dwelling on the point, Maalouf makes clear to the reader that in this unstable, uncertain medieval world, Fate plays an exceptionally strong role in everyday life.   Indeed, Hasan witnesses plenty of calamity in his life; his birthplace is seized and made repressive by Spanish Catholics; he and his family see their wealth rise and vanish repeatedly; he marries twice and loses both wives (the first dies young, while the second abandons him after his enslavement); and he is forced to seek his fortunes elsewhere several times in his life. He accepts the fact that he is meant to live on the move and takes little for granted, seemingly aware that his fortunes can be reversed at any time (and frequently are).   However, he never becomes embittered; he accepts his fate but laments, â€Å"Such is the judgment of the Most High† (Maalouf, 1989, p. 214).   His faith does not waver throughout the story, and even when Christians abduct him and force his conversion to Catholicism, he follows but keeps his innermost religious beliefs to himself.   He excels as a chameleon and thus survives. His second wife comments on his tendency to travel and disrupt his own life, asking, â€Å"What substance are you made of that you accept the loss of one town after another, one homeland after another, one woman after another, without ever fighting, without ever regretting, without ever looking back?†Ã‚   † (Maalouf, 1989, p. 261).   He responds by telling her that â€Å"life is only a crossing. I go nowhere, I desire nothing I cling to nothing, I have faith in my passion for living, in my instinct to search for happiness, as well as in Providence† (Maalouf, 1989, p. 261).   Indeed, in this exchange, Maalouf presents the reader with the essence of Hasan’s character.   He is well aware of life’s transience and thus is passionate only about his religion; though he seeks wealth and happiness, he wastes little time mourning the loss of either and looks ahead to â€Å"the final Place where no man is a stranger before the face of the Creator† (Maalouf, 1989, p. 360). Leo Africanus is more than simply a fictionalized memoir.   It is a classic fish-out-of-water story, illustrating how this educated, well-connected Muslim merchant, traveler, and scholar finds reverses and radical changes in his life at several turns but adapts to each.   In addition, it demonstrates how people of that era were very much at Fate’s mercy; little could be taken for granted in such unstable times, but the narrator never loses faith in the â€Å"Most High,† the God to whom he turns for sustenance. In somewhat formal prose that one suspects was the norm for educated people of that era, Maalouf does not impose a modern viewpoint but offers a fair, compassionate, historically-aware portrayal of both Muslim society and one of the more unusual figures within it.   The story of Hasan al-Wazzan is, more than anything else, the tale of an accomplished scholar and a consummate survivor who never forgot who he was, the culture that produced him, or the deity that showed him mercy amidst the world’s turbulence. REFERENCES Maalouf, A. (1989).   Leo Africanus.   Chicago: New Amsterdam Books.

Explain how commanders execute command in coalition warfare using Essay

Explain how commanders execute command in coalition warfare using shared values and commitment-focused influence to achieve success - Essay Example Sovereign states contribute forces to a coalition; every state, thus, has its own hunger for risk. It is along these lines exceptionally improbable that all countries in a coalition will evacuate their provisos both implied as well as explicit in view of principal agent connections. Both policymakers and war zone leaders must comprehend that one can either have coalition accomplices with provisos, or no coalition accomplices by any means. I, in any event, think it far-fetched that a future pioneer would pick the last alternative. On the other hand, only in light of the fact that admonitions are an unavoidable truth does not imply that progressively isnt possible to better encourage coalition union. I think more could be done to better set up our respective militaries male and to work in a multinational setting. Society, mentality, reasoning, national relative focal points, principle, training. These are progress that can prompt coalition erosion. Furthermore, these can be better overseen through changes in multinational preparing, working out, principle advancement, facilitated acquisition. It benefits those countries who progressively incline toward or will be progressively needed to work through coalitions to attempt a genuine exertion expecting to enhance interoperability between key accomplices and partners. Whats more, preferably, these endeavors should happen in peacetime, before operations on the combat zone simply like whatever other part of military readiness. Very frequently, examinations of interoperability start and end with creating regular benchmarks for gadgets and innovations. At the end of the day, enhancing mechanical interoperability is vital yet not sufficient. Maybe, "interoperability" should be considered comprehensively, over the powers from every country. National guard foundations ought to be soliciting themselves what the suggestions from coalition fighting have for parts of power arranging, including teaching,

An Enquiry into The Efficiency of Celebrity Endorsement As A Marketing Dissertation

An Enquiry into The Efficiency of Celebrity Endorsement As A Marketing Communication Strategy In Modern Day Society - Dissertation Example Consumers are bombarded with advertisements featuring popular celebrities from various fields, thus exposing them to thousands of attractive images and voices – be it in print i.e. magazines, newspapers, billboards, or websites or through other audio-visual media such as radio and television. The use of celebrities for advertising has existed historically, but the trend has caught momentum and the use of celebrities for endorsing brands has increased substantially over the recent decades and is known to have a substantial and positive impact on a companies’ profitability (Erdogan, 2001). According to Shimp (2000) one out of four commercials on television on American television features a celebrity. The main aim of brands is to attract the attention of their prospective consumers and communicate information about their products to their target audience, by highlighting various attributes of their brand and associating the same with a popular celebrity. This paper aims to analyze, and understand the effectiveness of the use of celebrities for brand endorsements as a marketing strategy. ... Figure 1: Royal Cocoa Advertisement, 1884 Although the use of celebrities was relatively less as compared to that witnessed in present times (Kaikati, 1987), as celebrities in those days were vary of associating with a brand and risking their credibility in the process. The late 1970s saw a sharp rise in the trend, where celebrities began to consent to associate with certain brands (Thompson, 1978). With the expansion of film industry and a simultaneous growth in the television sector, the number of celebrities rose substantially, and the avenues for advertisements too increased manifold, as the marketers now had an access to a wider variety of celebrities to choose from. The trend was similar in most of the countries across the globe. In UK for instance, according to a report published in a magazine (Marketing, 1996) the brands which featured celebrities as their key endorsers were quick to grab national headlines and gain instant popularity. The success of use of celebrities as bra nd ambassadors could be established from the fact that the amount offered to them crossed over one billion dollars. Such an offer was made mostly to athletes, owing to their fame and popularity among the consumers. Celebrity Endorsers: Meaning, Relevance and Significance It is common knowledge now, that most of the retail advertisements today feature celebrities (White et al., 2009). The term celebrity endorser includes all popular people from various fields such as films, sports, or artists and who have achieved significant success in their respective fields (James, 2004). According to McCracken (1989) the term celebrity endorser can be defined as "any individual who enjoys

Consequences of European Union Enlargement Essay

Consequences of European Union Enlargement - Essay Example The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) was introduced in the Maastricht Treaty sometime after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US (Algieri, 2002). EU’s initial reaction to the threat of international terrorism was to adopt a Plan of Action that supported the coalition against this menace (Ibid). The plan consisted of diplomatic overtures, police and judicial cooperation, humanitarian aid, air transport security, economic and financial measures, and emergency preparedness (Ibid), which were all pursued while the Union leadership was starting to develop the CFSP in tandem with the European Security and Defense Policy. Since the CFSP plan has military implications, the capability of EU to undertake such a program promptly came into question. The basic problem is that EU is non-military in structure and member states would like the Union to stay that way. At one point, for example, member states ganged up on a plan to purchase A400 military transport aircraft, which bespok e a military buildup. As for the foreign policy aspect of the CFSP, skeptics of the plan harp on the lack of EU strategic vision in this arena as evidenced by the absence of clear geopolitical thinking in the CFSP objectives set in Article 11 of the Maastricht Treaty. There is also the inherent difficulty of conducting foreign relations on a common EU basis. This was demonstrated when Union representatives were sent on a diplomatic mission to Islamic countries at the same time that UK foreign ministers were on a separate mission. at the UK government's own initiative. The disparate efforts invite accusations that EU is wanting in a coherent foreign affairs policy, which does not speak well of its ability to put together an efficient CFSP. For these reasons, observers expect the CFSP/ESDP to remain a

Important Sex Linked Disorder That Affects Humans Assignment

Important Sex Linked Disorder That Affects Humans - Assignment Example Crossing a female with the disease with a male that doesn’t have it will result in all male offspring having the disease and all females being carriers. Finally, crossing a female and a male both that have the disease will result in all offspring having it. Many genetic disorders are inherited recessively. As such the child must have two copies of the allele for it to show phenotypically. One such disorder is cystic fibrosis. This condition results in the excess build up of mucus in many organs including the lungs and liver, as well as increased susceptibility to developing infections. Without treatment, the disease often results in death at early childhood. A cross between a female carrier (Cc) and a male with the disease (CC) would result in 50% of the offspring having the disease, and the other 50% being carriers. A cross between two carriers (Cc) would result in a quarter of the offspring having the disease, half being carriers and the final quarter not inheriting the alle le. Lastly, a cross between two individuals with the disease would result in all of the offspring having the disease. ... Thus, a cross between two carriers (heterozygotes) would result in three-quarters of the offspring having the disease and one not. A cross between a female that did not have the disease and a male carrier (heterozygote) would result in half of the offspring having the disease and the other half not. Finally, a cross between two individuals with the disease depends on the genotypes of each. If both have only one copy of the disease allele, the one-quarterer of their offspring will not have the disease. However, if even one of them is homozygous, then all offspring will have the disease.

Employment law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Employment law - Essay Example Under this act, employers are only allowed to hire persons who are permitted legally to work in the United States of America. They include citizens of the country and legally permitted aliens. An employer can suffer civil penalties if found hiring or continuing to employ an unauthorized alien. They will be required to stop the unlawful behavior and pay a fine. They can be fined in a range of between $250 and $2000 per unauthorized foreign worker depending on the extent that they breach the act. Employers who fail to prepare and present Forms I-9 as required by the act will be liable for civil penalties that range between $100 and $1000.Extent of violation and size of the business are factors that will be considered in deciding the penalty ( Holland and Burnett, 2007). Employers can also suffer criminal penalties from violating the act. Such penalties include a fine of up to $3000 and/or imprisonment of up to 5 years. In my opinion these consequences are enforced by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and failure to comply with them will lead to legal enforcement. Such consequences would tarnish the public image for the restaurant. Reforms and procedures that should be followed to comply with the act include; employment of aliens to be in accordance with the US Immigration Act, completing form I-9 to verify employment eligibility, and procedures for paying international employees

Internet Entrepreneurship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Internet Entrepreneurship - Assignment Example This paper details the market opportunities for providing a safe social net work for customers who are young people. The developed website is named www.emuu.com and will be marketed in this name and style through the internet. This paper is structured to present the market opportunities, proposed business strategy covering the customer segmentation and value proposition for the customers. In addition the paper also presents a business and revenue model for the marketing of www.emuu.com and the design of the organisation and the issues that need to be considered while starting up the internet business. The success of marketing a social network depends on the selection of a proper social net work software to design the website and also on the provision of the right kind of service to the customers so that they stay longer with the site (Ron McNeil). The objective of the social net work is to help the customers build up large communities and groups over the time. The site should create more opportunities for the customers to stay longer with the website and create the right kind of customer loyalty which is an absolute necessity for successfully running a social networking web site. ... The objective of the social net work is to help the customers build up large communities and groups over the time. The site should create more opportunities for the customers to stay longer with the website and create the right kind of customer loyalty which is an absolute necessity for successfully running a social networking web site. In line with these observations, www.emuu.com is being promoted as social net work for younger people with the following aims and objectives. 2.1 Aims and Objectives of the Internet Marketing Website emuu.com The ultimate aim of the website is to create a safe social network for the young people which has a real value for the time and money the young people spend on the site. In order to achieve this aim the website has the following objectives: (1) Providing a number of educational games which have the effect of stimulating the minds of young customers; the games will not be the usual computer games but will have a good educational value and will contribute to the creation and development of analytical skills among the young children (2) Encouraging the communication between old friends and new ones who got acquainted through the internet; the site will act as the base for the development of a meaningful communication between the subscribers and the visitors to the website (3) Enhancing the importance of the internet safety by providing suitable safeguards in the form of encrypted user names and passwords so that the information supplied on the network is not being misused by fraudsters for illegitimate purposes 2.2 Product Offering The website proposes to offer the following products

Policy Contribution part 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Policy Contribution part 2 - Assignment Example This proposal favors the Latino portion of the population who make up the highest number of immigrants from Mexico, but the government should consider many underlying factors, including the reasons for immigration and the effects on the United States’ resources. This report will give an overview of factors to consider when formulating an immigration policy; then propose a possible policy change and implementation plan using the fifth and sixth steps Jansson’s policy plan respectively (Jansson, 2010). According to Guyette, Tavalin and Rooker (2012), the United States has throughout history attempted to control illegal immigration into the country by passing restrictive policies and increasing border security. These approaches have failed if the debate for and against illegal immigrants is anything to go by. Data concerning illegal immigration is mostly hypothetical, since transactions concerning immigrants are mostly not recorded in any official documents. For instance, Barnes (2010) claims that it costs each native households $ 1,117 per annum to support illegal immigrants, totaling to $113 billion a year for the whole nation. The influx of illegal immigration cases can be blamed on a myriad of reasons, but the main cause is the government’s inefficiency in enforcing its policies on immigration. Therefore, the country needs to refrain from a complete overhaul of policies, which has been the main reason for increased illegal immigration due to inefficiency and inconsistencies, and adopt a stable policy that will be monitored and improved continuously. Any policy proposal change should ensure to account for all the positive and negative aspects of immigration, mostly by being fair to illegal immigrants if the merits of having them in the country outweigh the demerits. An effective policy should contribute positively to various aspects of the United

MK 491 Seminar in Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MK 491 Seminar in Marketing - Essay Example Company’s distinctive capabilities refer to the ability of the company to give the customer the value of the product as the customer desires. The company has to ensure that the product they are selling has some added value that will attract the customer. The prices set for products or services should suit the desire of the customer. The strategy of the organization is determined by the capabilities of the organization. Capabilities of a company refer to the things the company does best, to develop their business and to differentiate the products and services in the market. The capabilities of the organization must aim at meeting the demands of the customers (Zwick & Cayla, 2011). These capabilities determine the value added to the products and services. The capabilities of a company should also be exclusive to that company, so as to prevent imitation from competitors. A lot of corporate capabilities enable the company to achieve its strategy. The introduction of a new product to the market requires the consideration of the following factors. First is the estimation of the market opportunity for the new product this will make an estimate the market prospective and the character of the opportunity. Second is to come up with a support system for the new product that will deal with the identification of issues concerning the new product. Also, consider carrying out test marketing just before launching the new product in the market. Finally, the organization could consider formulating forecast of the sales that looks into the market response to alternatives of the new product. Segmentation of the market refers to the process used to spot major groups that have similar customer habits and the same characteristics. The advantages of market segmentation include: the company is able to set up marketing strategies that focus on the varying groups the company can develop new products or services that

Two Handed Bowling and Sandbagging Essay Example for Free

Two Handed Bowling and Sandbagging Essay Sandbagging is a term used in many sports to define someone that is intentionally playing the sport bad in order to better themselves with handicap. There are people that completely agree with this and use the handicap as an advantage. On the other hand, you have the people that are for all intentional purposes trying to do their best every week and try to keep their average high. There are two sides to every story and finding out the cheating side is always the hardest. Bowling two handed has become a controversy because people technically aren’t switching hands, which is against the rules, instead they are switching styles and this usually causes them to have a lower average. Some people think that a new rule should be added to completely do away with the two handed style all together and others think that if people want to sandbag, then let them sandbag. Two handed bowling has been a controversy since Jason Belmonte started bowling at the age of just two years old. Before that, though, two handed had never been seen and everyone bowled with just one hand. It hasn’t been a problem against the rules, it has been a problem called ‘sandbagging.’ Sandbagging happens in leagues and gives that person an advantage. For example, if a one handed bowler with a 200 average starts out bowling two handed with a 160 average, he can get a higher handicap and finish out bowling one handed. The higher handicap will give his team more points. This goes into the idea of it being ethical. It’s technically cheating and if you are aware you are doing this to win, it isn’t right. If a bowler cheats and sandbags, should they have to finish out the season bowling the way they started? This isn’t just to win their league, it’s to also help them win tournaments that have handicap. â€Å"They seem to flock to handicap leagues and on occasion have a career year in a high money scratch league with team maximums.† (Rodriguez). Bowlers look down on the people that do this because it isn’t fair to the ones that keep their averages high and take the sport seriously. The argument with two handed bowling isn’t that it is against the rules, it’s that people abuse it. They sandbag with two hands, then bowl one handed in tournaments to win. People want a rule made to go along with the rule that says if a person starts out left/right handed, they must finish out the season left/right handed, to say that if a person starts out bowling one/two handed, they should finish one/two handed. â€Å"The emergence and growing popularity of what is known as the two-handed delivery in bowling has caused the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) to consider its impact on the rules and application of the sports specifications.† (Henry). This quote is explaining that USBC is looking into the rules and could possibly add a rule that is against switching between two styles. However, there are some exceptions and some people that think sandbagging is an ‘ok’ thing to do. Not only is this an argument against the rules, most people strongly disagree with the idea of sandbagging because it gives people an advantage in handicap tournaments. â€Å"†¦if I have the ability to be a consistent 200-average bowler, but I spend all season deliberately averaging 170 or so, my handicap will be that of a bowler much worse than me. So, when the important games start, I go back to bowling as I know I can, and I have an additional 20-30 pins of handicap as a cushion.† (Goodger). This is explaining how the handicap works and why people sandbag. Handicap tournaments are for people with averages usually under 220. The reason they have the rule that you can’t switch hands is because people will bowl with their ‘bad’ hand to set a low average, then in tournaments, they bowl with their right hand and dominate the competition. It’s the same thing by switching styles. People bowl two handed, which can be by their same hand, but actually bowl one handed. The only thing that people think should be allowed is picking up spares one handed. A two handed bowler, Osku Palermaa, bowls his first ball two handed but picks up spares one handed. Almost everyone that are against the switching of styles think this should be allowed. This is where stats come into play. If someone can average a 210 one handed and a 170 two handed, they should only bowl one handed on the first ball. On the same page, if a bowler averages 210 two handed, and just 180 one handed, then they should only bowl with two hands on the first ball. The switching of the two styles could be the equivalent of switching hands in golf. Maybe a shot is easier for someone left handed and they can make the shot, even though they golf right handed. That option is not allowed in bowling, and with the many styles that are offered today, there has to be some rule to balance the field. Tournaments in the youth and some adult tournaments are used with handicap. So handicap with bowling would be a good thing. You average 200 and shoot a 210 with a handicap of 100% of 220, and you technically shoot a 230. This is the same in golf, if a golfer has a high handicap, then that means his ‘average’ is higher than some other golfers with a low handicap. It’s almost backwards in golf, but works the same way to ensure that players can play each other and be equal, regardless of skill level. I think of true athletes like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter. â€Å"Can you imagine for one second any of them missing the winning putt, not making the game winning shot or striking out INTENTIONALLY? I didn’t think so.† (Doe) This quote is saying that a bowler averaging 170 is not going to make that game winning strike, and it’s very obvious when someone is sandbagging. In every sport there is always someone trying to bend the rules and take advantage of things such as handicap in order to win tournaments. In golf, someone can shoot horribly and have a high handicap, and then shoot great in a tournament and nobody can beat him at all. This is taking advantage of an idea that is supposed to even out the players based on their personal ability. So if you do better than your average with a 170, and someone else does a little worse than theirs but bowls a 210, then you should win, regardless of the scores. That is how handicap works in bowling, as well as golf. This is a moral thing and I don’t see how someone can win in terms of cheating. You can’t cheat in football or any other sport, so why be able to in bowling? The basic counter argument of this idea is that sandbagging and switching hands to do so is something that is ‘normal.’ Some people think that taking advantage of this idea is why it was put in place and they can abuse it if they want to. If they want to sandbag then there is no rule that is preventing them from it. From their point of view, it’s only cheating if you get caught, and most people report them to their league supervisor or coach. Some even sandbag in the first couple of weeks and then bring their average up gradually in order to stay hidden and ‘under the radar.’ Besides, it isn’t like everyone else can’t throw a few bad balls their first few games of a league. An article about why sandbagging is allowed in bowling alleys explains it. â€Å"The only real handicap we are dealing with in bowling is money. If the bowling alleys have to throw a blind eye to what is going on they will, this is the only way to keep them in business.† (â€Å"Bowling tips for beginners†)Money and keeping their league members is exactly why they don’t report the sandbaggers. They are almost always the ones that know how to bowl bad and make it look like an accident. Another thing they look at is that if people don’t like sandbagging, then they can go join a scratch league, in which there is no handicap so you have to bowl well. You may be able to bend the rules and some people may not care if they cheat, but sandbagging is wrong in all levels of sports. Even in a youth league where you have ages ranging from just 7 years old all the way to 19 or 20 years old. But even in these youth leagues you have the bratty teenager that knows his or her way around the rules. When bowling in these types of leagues, there is handicap, and hundreds of dollars worth of scholarship money is on the line. What a better way to make sure you get the top amount than cheat your way to the top. What a better way to win tournaments than to cheat. While that is going on you have the kids that try hard every single week to keep their average up and usually do a great job at it. So when those kids get in tournaments sometimes they do better than their average and they deserve that trophy or money. But three lanes down you have a guy that really averages 210, bowling with a 180 average and that isn’t fair to the ones that try and work hard to have the average they want. To show some statistics and numbers, I found an article that shows just how hard it would be for someone in golf to shoot two over par with about a fifteen handicap. This would be the equivalent of a bowler averaging 175 and bowling a 680 series (three games put together). â€Å"The guy, a member of the host club, claimed a midteens handicap, but in his practice round shot a couple of strokes over par. The odds against a true midteens handicapper shooting such a score are greater than 37,000 to 1.† (Golf Journal). All this is saying is that if you are going to sandbag to win, don’t make it so obvious. To prove that sandbagging is wrong and to show how handicap does work, I have put together a situation. In a tournament that was last week, two guys, we will call them Bill and John, were bowling against each other and both were doing extremely well. The handicap for this tournament is 100% of 220 pins, which means whatever their average is, for example a 200, their handicap would be 20. These two guys are bowling and they are bowling very well scratch (without handicap), but with handicap one of them was losing tremendously. John has been bowling since he was five and has never changed his style, except this year he decided to throw two handed at the beginning of the season and averaged just 180. His average went way down so he later decided to go back to his normal style in which he averages 210. So he goes into this tournament with a 190 average and actually has a 210 average. But Bill, a newbie that hasn’t even been bowling two years yet, has tried to keep his average at a 200 all year long and has succeeded. This was the championship game and Bill had worked his way up the ladder to bowl John who qualified first. Starting off, John already has a 10 pin advantage over Bill because his average is just 190, which gives him a 30 pin handicap compared to Bill’s 20. But remember, John’s real handicap is only 10 because he sandbagged earlier in the year to make his average lower. The two start bowling and John shoots a 268, But Bill only misses once and gets a bad break, but finishes out for a 275. Now, technically, Bill is the real winner here and he bowled a great game to finish with a 275. But with handicap, Bill’s score is a 295 and John’s is a 298. So John won because of the handicap. How is this fair? If John had actually worked hard to average 190 and managed to bowl a 268, I believe that he should win hands down. But, he didn’t, he cheated and he shouldn’t have won. I have personally bowled in many tournaments and leagues and I witness adults sandbagging on a monthly basis. I see bowlers that can throw a great ball, and throw it straight at the pins like a beginner. I find this extremely unfair and I do see it as cheating. â€Å"All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy.† – Scott Alexander. (Brain Quotes). The quote explains itself. Cheating is the easy way to do things and you don’t get any satisfaction from beating someone by cheating. It’s like using steroids in baseball, or taking off a restrictor plate in racing, you will get caught and it’s not as fun. Why would someone ‘try out’ two handed bowling for a few weeks and then go back to their normal style? If they start out two handed then they finish that way and the same goes for a one handed bowler. Personally, my average two handed is 215, but one handed I couldn’t probably even average a 170. The facts are there and it isn’t fair that people sandbag in order to win. It’s wrong and hopefully one day the USBC bylaws will enforce this controversy.

Assessing Infants and Toddlers Essay Example for Free

Assessing Infants and Toddlers Essay Assessing infants and toddlers is commonly used to determine if children are meeting their developmental milestones or if they are showing any signs of developmental delays or disabilities. Many types of standardized tests are available for use with infants and young children; all are psychological tests, whether they measure abilities, achievements, aptitudes, interests, attitudes, values, or personality characteristics (Wortham, How Standardized Test Are Used with Infants and Young Children, 2012). There are many types of assessments and the key is using the proper one to answer the questions you need, assessment that involves observation of the child, interviews with parents and caregivers, developmental and social history, and interaction with the child using game-like materials, toys, questionnaires, and tasks (Logsdon, 2012). Teachers should be asking what methods should be used, which one should a teacher select from the children they are teaching, and how will the information be obtained? In this paper I will explore these questions and how that effects the ever fast changing pace of early childhood education. A developmental assessment is a process designed to deepen understanding of a childs competencies and resources, and of the caregiving and learning environments most likely to help a child make fullest use of his or her developmental potential, according to New Visions (Tips for Surviving Child Development Assessment, 2012). As a teacher you will consider why you should engage in assessment. For some programs it is part of their policies and procedures, for some it is state mandated, and for others it may be federally mandated. For some teachers the choice is theirs and they choose to for the best interest of the child. Through assessment the teacher can determine where the child is in development, show progress through ongoing assessment and have information to share with the child’s parents. The main reason for assessment is to pinpoint any disabilities or developmental delays, to assess the child’s school readiness, to assist the teacher in planning their curriculum and lesson plans program, to provide feedback to parents and being able to show the effectiveness of the program. The first thing is choose the type of assessment that is appropriate for the children that you engage with daily. There are two types of assessments: formal and informal assessments. With formal assessments the teacher is comparing the child against developmental norms or to other children. Informal assessments are observations that can be obtained through observation in a methodical way and is usually not compared to others. The majority of standardized tests that are in use today are designed to be administered and interpreted by trained professionals. Most programs use a combination of assessments when gathering information about the children they work with each day. The benefit of standardized tests is that the results can be compared to another child or children finding the common factors of developmental norms. A norm is an average result in a group of sample children within that age group or classroom. The second advantage is can be the ability to predict validity of the tests. Children whom do well on these assessments tend to do well in assessments as the move into the school readiness in Kindergarten. A common test used for preschoolers include the Battelle (Logsdon, 2012). There are disadvantages when using standardized test as well and one of the major ones is how the data will be interpreted that is obtained. The results from the teachers and administrators must be considered and compared to similar children in similar circumstances. The comparison is not easy to achieve, for example the cultural bias of early developmental tests. Also the predictive validity of standardized tests can be a disadvantage for their ability to forecast the future achievement in kindergarten. There are other formal test that are being explored that can measure what is developmentally appropriate within their focus and approach. Standardized tests have information regarding their validity and reliability that can give the teachers a way to evaluate if the test is appropriate and if it is being used for its intended use. The reliability information should be able to produce the same result when measuring the same thing with different groups of children. This will help the teacher to be able to determine information that will be obtained. It should be considered when using formal test that they should be used with trained professionals, although they are available for purchase openly they should not be used without training and experience. When using formal test they should be given in a controlled environment for the results to be valid. Even when the test are given properly the results can be interpreted inconsistently and the norms not valid. For example the test could be for both boys and girls but could end up being used with a majority of one or the other or compared to just one variable due to the majority of whom is taking the tests. If that was confusing to you as it was to me then can you imagine the results you will get. When using informal methods to assess children the test as more teacher derived and the tools used are usually checklist, engagement and interaction and open-ended questions. Many teachers already use anecdotal records, a strategy that records actions of the children, in which short episodes of a child’s behavior are recorded and kept for comparing change in behavior over time, in the child’s portfolio and used when meeting with parents for a conference. One of the main reasons for this method is ease of use. Anecdotes can be recorded in virtually any environment at any time throughout the day with limited materials needed. Other informal methods used in classrooms today are time sample, checklists, rating scales, interviews, and videotape or audiotape recordings. The teacher should include the following five key things when using anecdotes: frequency of the behavior, duration of the behavior, notes describing when and where the observation took place, and the date and time. Another form is the child’s portfolio which is any variety of works thought to be representative of the individual. With young children, this usually includes drawings and writings, photographs and stories dictated to an adult. A portfolio can also include information about the child contributed by teachers, and other professionals. A portfolio can be used as a springboard for reflection with children themselves, parents, or other professionals. Discussions with children around a portfolio could reflect on what the child drew (â€Å"tell me more about,†). With parents and professionals the portfolio offers a variety of information about the child, in which they can use as a springboard for discussion at parent conferences. The problem with this type of assessment it can leave the parents confused with the information that comes from it and how it related to their child. When a teacher is choosing which method to use they have to consider what purpose will it serve? The teacher should ask themselves why is this information needed, what is the purpose, and what information will be helpful for the teacher, child and parent, when and how will this information be obtained and how am I as the teacher going to ensure that the information gather is accurate and valid? Also, if this method is choose is it appropriate for the children I work with? Two things that I feel the teacher should ask themselves are: is this age and developmentally appropriate for the children I work with and is relevant to the background and daily circumstances of the child that I work with? When considering the choices you must also consider am I as the teacher able to administer this test properly. When considering this I must consider the how the test will observe a child and how will this be done without pre-formed ideas about outcome. When we are able to be objective then the teacher reports only the facts, and then interpret those facts by what is observed, rather than feelings or attitudes about the child. In today’s society more and more teachers are moving away from traditional methods of assessments and moving towards methods that are relying instead on techniques thought to be more holistic and developmentally appropriate. This could include innovative approaches that observe more on behavior that happens in natural settings and assessments that reflect the complete set of circumstances surrounding the child. While conducting an assessment the teacher should make every effort to use the information in ways that are respectful of the child. In any case the teacher must remember to pay attention to issues such as consent and always remaining confidential. Confidentiality means that it will only be discussed in professional settings, and the information will conceal identities and results are revealed only to the intended audience. Consent means that the teacher obtained the permission from the parent to observe, evaluate and assessed a child. A lot of times parents give such consent at the time of the program enrollment if they sign a form indicating that they realize such activities will be occurring. Otherwise, you should always obtain permission prior to engaging in ongoing assessment projects, even if informal measures are being used. One practice to avoid is the temptation to label children based on assessment results, such as â€Å"this child is special† or â€Å"this child is challenged.† Children placed in these categories very early on have difficulty overcoming them later. In the 21st century, assessment practices are likely to become more holistic and innovative in their approach. For example, we are beginning to hear more of the term â€Å"authentic assessment.† Authentic assessments are when the environment is taken into account surrounding the evaluation of individual children. Another term being used more today is â€Å"performance-based assessment.† Performance-based assessment is when the teacher is focusing on the daily activities and skills already being performed in the classroom setting. Family involvement in assessment, such as parent reports and observations or even them being present, has not been really considered in mainstream early childhood settings. These strategies will gain popularity in the coming years. Although assessment holds great potential to help caregivers understand the children they care for, it can be challenging to assess infants and toddlers, especially if one views assessment as a one-on-one testing interaction (Ditchtelmiller, 2012). In the past assessments have been more of what the child cannot do and today they are becoming more of what the child can do now and has accomplished. This approach to assessment will benefit the child as an individual and abilities rather than disabilities. As a teacher, such approaches will help us maintain positive attitudes concerning the child development. Besides identifying and correcting developmental problems, assessment of very young children is conducted for other purposes. One purpose is research. Researchers study young children to better understand their behavior or to measure the appropriateness of the experiences that are provided for them (Wortham, Assesment in Early Childhood Education (6th Edition), 2012). â€Å"Teachers and child-care providers want children to feel a sense of accomplishment while in their care. The more a child-care provider knows about a childs academic, social, and emotional development, the more theyre able to meet the childs needs. Teachers and child care providers may use this resource for developing strategies to track a childs progress† (Checking Childrens Progress, 2012). We know that rather the assessment is formal or informal early childhood professionals are going to perform them. Through assessment we can screen for disabilities, assess kindergarten readiness, help the teacher developing curriculum and lesson plans, evaluate the effectiveness of a program, and aide the teachers when conferencing with the parents. Both parents and teachers want to know that their child is obtaining goals, showing progress and gaining new skills and what other way to know this other than assessment. References Checking Childrens Progress. (2012, April 25). Retrieved September 26, 2012, from Head Start ECLKC: eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta- system/teachingllecd/assessment/ongoing%20assessment/edudev_art_00409_060906.html Tips for Surviving Child Development Assessment. (2012). Retrieved September 26, 2012, from Zero to Three : www.zerotothree.org/child-development/mental-health-screening- assessment/tips-for-surviving-child-development-assessment.html Ditchtelmiller, M. L. (2012). One Programs Experience. Retrieved September 27, 2012, from Infant/Toddler Assessment: www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200401/ditchtel.pdf Logsdon, A. (2012). Infant and Toddler Development Tests Learning Disabilities. Retrieved September 26, 2012, from Testing for Infant and Toddler Development: http://learningdisabilities.acout.com/od/intelligencetests/p/battelledevelop.html Wortham, S. (2012). Assesment in Early Childhood Education (6th Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson. Wortham, S. (2012). How Standardized Test Are Used with Infants and Young Children. Retrieved September 27, 2012, from Education.com: http://www.education.com/prints/standardized-tests-infants-children/

Difference Between Telecommunication and Mass Media

Difference Between Telecommunication and Mass Media What are the main differences between telecommunications (point-to-point) and mass media (one-to-many)? Compare the two using examples. Telecommunications and mass media are distinguished from one another by a variety of technical, infrastructural, and interactive differences. This essay will, broadly, outline and describe these differences. One of the first points to make, however, is that both forms have their own prehistories and heritage in earlier forms of communication. While â€Å"telecommunications† (point-to-point) and â€Å"mass media† (one-to-many) are defined conventionally and in the contemporary world by telephones and the internet (for example), they also have earlier forms and precedents. Telecommunications emerged properly from early telegraph networks, which, in anticipation of later more global systems, were constituted by a network of nodes (towers), which enabled the sending and receiving (and thus coding and decoding) of messages and information. Similarly, mass media has its own heritage in almost any form of communicated information that had a potentially anonymous and spatially distributed audience; the printing press of the 16th century enabled the steady reproduction of the printed word through block cutting and, latter, movable type. These technologies allowed for the production and dissemination of the first newspapers, broadsides and pamphlets – documents will constitute the first â€Å"mass† conversations of literate society in the early modern period. Broadly speaking, telecommunications are then defined by a number of technical as well as infrastructural or procedural differences. Firstly, they allow for the narrowly focused communication between two locations or persons – in other words, they have focus and, at least in theory, secrecy. Secondly, telecommunications allow for the sending of the message without the physical presence of a message. Because the technology relies on a form of encoding or compression, a translation from a set of words or ideas into a transmittable data stream – such as light, waves or electricity – they do not require the automatic transcription of the message itself. The early optical telegraph required direct line-of-sight to enable this transmission, and for an informed person to be present, in view, in order to decode and reassemble the message from its parts (flashes of light, mechanical patterns, etc). The printing press Thirdly, telecommunications are interactive in so far as they enable a reply to be sent along the same channel, directly from sender to receiver. In this sense, their emphasis is on passing information, but also on receiving a response to that transmission. Over time, however, the spatial notion behind telecommunications has shifted; whereas early forms – such as optical telecommunications – required line of sight over short distances, modern forms, from visible light, waves, and electricity, do not require line of sight, and do not require close spatial proximity. This is a function of the expansion in the infrastructure of telecommunications globally; a telephone call is transmitted and received to a number of mediating nodes – and passed on – before it reaches its target. As such, especially in the modern period, the point-to-point nature and process of telecommunications has become its most important definition. In its earliest ramifications, though, t his could also have a â€Å"public† dimension ; the fire flare chain used to signal the arrival of the Spanish Armada was both a point-to-point transmission (from the signaller to the navy headquarters), but also a public signal – the meaning of the flares was well understood by those who saw it in 1588. Optical beacon; both â€Å"point-to-point† and â€Å"public† Mass media is broadly defined as â€Å"one-to-many† communication. Such a definition, while useful, has its drawbacks and limitations. Namely, that â€Å"media† has different connotations and structures of transmission than the process of broadcasting itself (McQuail, 2010). Whereas a newspaper would be defined as â€Å"media†, it is the process of distribution and receipt that constitute its â€Å"mass† or â€Å"broadcast† element. Furthermore, in the modern sense there is an attachment to the idea of â€Å"mass media† as â€Å"effective, or even affective, media† as a transmission in which the â€Å"many† are actively engaged with and responsive to the â€Å"one†. Broadly speaking, however, mass media is defined by the transmission of information from one point to many potential points. Importantly, however, it does not have to be received; a television can be switched on or off, receiving only parts or elements of a message, without interrupting the primary transmission itself, which is continuous. The same applies for radio communication, which can be broadcast technically and successfully without any receivers picking the message up (such as a radio wave distress call, or the Morse code that was used to signal the sinking of the titanic in 1911). Secondly, point-to-mass communication is public; that is, its message is not intended for a specific individual or location, but for a potentially infinite number of individuals. While telecommunications are used to share private or even secret information (from a personal phone call to a national secret), mass media is characterised by its publicity. While it does not have to be â€Å"received† however, in order to work technically, it still requires receipt and response in order to justify its initial broadcasting. If radio stations or Television Networks had no audience, the financial rationale for their existence would be lost. In this sense, it is much more fluid in terms of content than telecommunications. The third and final distinction of point-to-mass communication from telecommunications is the fact that it is one way. While the networks and nodes of telecommunications infrastructure are set up in such a way that direct interaction is possible, mediums such as TV or radio do not require interaction – they are not targeted at a specific individual. However, mass media is different again from telecommunications in its social implications ; while the telegraph had the social and economic effect of enabling wider trading networks, of influencing diplomacy, and of – at least partially – connecting otherwise distant areas, mass media has an accumulative and far wider social impact. The printing press was linked with the protestant reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries, with the rise of universities, and with the spread of literacy. These had implications not only for culture, but for social relationships and interactions (Isaac and McKay, 2000, 10). Scholars, such as Joshua Meyrowitz, have suggested that such transformations in social life also have psychological implications, where television in the course of the 20th century had a role in enabling people to relate in new, â€Å"placeless† ways. This is aligned with the argument of Benedict Arnold who, in his Imagined Communities, showed how mass media is implicated in the â€Å"imaginations† of national and other identities, where â€Å"it [the nation] is imagined as a community, because, regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship† an â€Å"imagined community† that is interlinked through shared, mass media experiences and identities (2006, 7). However, because of this one-way or unidirectional technique, mass communication is open to greater fluctuations in responses. As blah argues in a cultural history of radio, there have been times when it was both the primary device for popular entertainment in the home, but also a time when it was not responded to at all (2002, 2-3). Such transformations have a greater effect on the kinds of information transmitted on these media; while it was once characterised by popular, talk entertainment, radio is increasingly a site for music, with talk entertainment having been taken over by audio-visual broadcasts on digital TV, and through audio-visual mass communication on the internet. At the same time, this technology, because of its fluctuations and its impacts, has been a site for greater anxiety than telecommunications; numerous theories of â€Å"media injection† have linked mass media with violent behaviour (such as shootings and â€Å"copycat† killings, such as the rece nt Batman cinema shootings in America). This anxiety stems from the concern over who controls and therefore authorises mass communication, and thus of how it implies a less visible â€Å"systems of oppression† than telecommunications (where personal, emotional lenses are used to internet messages and information received) (Peterson, 2005, 105). It is interesting than that, with the recent Snowden/NSA/GCHQ revelations, that telecommunications has been implicated in the same anxieties that used to structure television and mass media (Gauntlett and Hill, 1999, 72). The internet, however, offers a technology where the main distinctions between telecommunications and mass communication break down and interact. Media such as Twitter, a social networking and interactive tool, are both mass media and telecommunications in their infrastructure and technique ; a â€Å"tweet†, or message, can be broadcast to a posters followers (from 0 to millions), while there is also a channel for responding directly – the reply. Similarly, channels such as YouTube allow for individuals to post video content to a mass audience, but also have the feature that enable the viewer to comment and respond. Importantly, however, these responses are not private, but also public; they therefore become part of the public sphere while also being, in a sense, â€Å"point-to-point†. This essay has defined telecommunications (point-to-point) and mass media (point-to-many), and has also described their primary differences. Furthermore, it has outlined, however briefly, the kinds of implications these differences have. In the final section of the essay, it was argued that new and emergent forms of mass communication are unique in so far as they combine aspects of both techniques of communication. Bibliography Anderson, B (2006) Imagined Communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. Verso Gauntlett, D and Hill, A (1999) TV Living: television, culture and everyday life. London: Routledge Hilmes, M and Loviglio, J (2002) Radio Reader: essays in the cultural history of radio. Psychology Press Isaac, P and McKay, B (2000) The Mighty Engine: the printing press and its impact. Oak Knoll Press McQuail, D (2010) McQuails Mass Communication Theory (Sixth Edition). SAGE Peterson, M (2005) Anthropology Mass Communication: media and myth in the new millennium. Berghahn Books 1

The Moral Decline Essay -- pornography, morality, economy, family, divo

Is our society in a state of moral decline? To answer this question we have to define the word â€Å"moral† first. In Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition of the word moral is â€Å"Concerning or relating to what is right and wrong in human behavior.† From this definition we can understand that a moral decline is a decline in knowing the different between right or wrong. In another word our moral is like a guide for every choice we make in our life. Therefore anything could affect our moral reasoning would affect our life. So is our society is a state of a moral decline? I think yes our society in a state of a moral decline because of the raise of pornography, the increasing divorce rate, and the economy. First of all, the rise of pornography is one of the reasons that our society is in a state of moral decline. According to the IFR, a new pornographic video is created in the United States every 39 minute. Pornography rapes people from their identity and deliver them as a body part. For example, looking to the women as a sex object. â€Å" A 2009 study at Princeton that used MRI scans to document how pornography encourages men to perceive women â€Å"more as objects than as humans.†(Desmond) This will cause a sexually aggressive behavior toward women because a sex object is they only thing that the man see the women as. On the other hand we don’t see any objecting to the male in the pornographic industry because they are not cheap enough. This double stander will address a male are superiors, which will affect our equal society. Pornography is sending massage to the women that your body is what you are. An example of that are the magazine covers of nude women in a perfect shape. When a 17 year old over weight girl looks at that picture, firs... ... K. Crowder and J. Teachman. 2004. â€Å"Do Residential Conditions Explain the Relationship Between Living Arrangements and Adolescent Behavior?† Journal of Marriage and Family 66:721-738. Manning J., Senate Testimony 2004, referencing: Dedmon, J."Is the Internet bad for your marriage? Online affairs, pornographic sites playing greater role in divorces." CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/marriage_divorce_tables.htm Kelly, J. B. and Emery, R. E. (2003), Children's Adjustment Following Divorce: Risk and Resilience Perspectives. Family Relations, 52: 352–362. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2003.00352.x E. Mark Cummings, a professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. With USA News June 15, 2012 http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/06/15/parents-fighting-may-have-long-lasting-effect-on-kids

Greek Women in The Odyssey :: Homer

The women in The Odyssey are a fair representation of women in ancient Greek culture. In his work, Homer brings forth women of different prestige. First there are the goddesses, then Penelope, and lastly the servant girls. Each of the three factions forms an important part of The Odyssey and helps us look into what women were like in ancient Greece. The role that the housemaids play in The Odyssey is that of servitude. They are expected to serve the suitors and put up with their rude demeanor. During the course of the ten years that the suitors are there, many of the housemaids sleep with them. Upon returning to Ithica, and slaughtering the suitors, Odysseus makes the housemaids who slept with the suitors clean up their dead bodies. After this he hangs them by the neck, with this gesture he indirectly calls them â€Å"harlots†. This indicates one of many feelings toward women of that time. Then there is Odysseus’ wife, Penelope. She is depicted as an individual. Homer makes her character appear as very clever and also very loyal. Never once during Odysseus twenty years of absence does she remarry. She tolerates the suitors in her home for ten years but never chooses, always with the hope that her first husband, Odysseus, will return. Homer also makes her seem clever when she gets all of the suitors to bring her gifts before she â€Å"chooses one† knowing that they are in a short supply of resources. In another instance he portrays her as clever in the way that she keeps the suitor away by weaving the tunic for Odysseus and secretly taking it apart every night. The role Penelope plays is very important because she is seen as a person, not a possession. Finally, there are the goddesses. They represent women in all their glory. They are very human-like in that they feel the same emotions like jealousy, anger, pride, revenge, excitement, joy, compassion, etc. The exception being that they have supernatural powers. Homer even makes then human-like to the extent that they fall in love with mortals, for instance Calypso.

Platos Republic Essay -- Philosophy Justice Plato Papers

In reading the Republic, there is no reason to search for arguments which show that Platonic justice ('inner justice' or 'psychic harmony') entails ordinary justice. The relationship between inner justice and ordinary justice is of no importance in Plato's Republic. We note that Plato tries to argue from the very first book that the true source of normativity lies in knowledge attained by philosophical reason. What is crucial, then, is the relationship between inner justice and acts which brings about a just polis. I. The Unimportance of Ordinary Justice The issue of the relationship between inner justice and ordinary justice has been the subject of critical discussion since it was famously raised by David Sachs. (1) In this essay, I shall argue that the relationship between inner (or 'Platonic') justice and ordinary justice (conceived as doing acts which Glaucon, Adeimantus and the rest of the gathering consider to be just) was of no importance in Plato's Republic. (2) What was important, rather, was the relationship between inner justice and acts which bring about a just polis. My claim about the unimportance of ordinary justice in relation to inner justice is pre-empted to some degree by Gregory Vlastos and Julia Annas. Vlastos distinguished two senses of ordinary justice:(3) (a) the degenerate morality of those who see it as a path to gratification, and (b) the common morality of those who respect virtue and have a firm disposition to act justly ('justice' as Cephalus possessed, for example). Vlastos rejected any connection between inner justice and ordinary justice in the sense of (a), but assumed that inner justice entailed ordinary justice in the sense of (b) and argued for the connection. However, at least the... ...eligion, New York, 1971. (2)I have used the Jowett translation. (3) Gregory Vlastos, Platonic Studies, Chapter 5: "Justice and Happiness in the Republic", Princeton, 1981 (2nd edition), esp. pp. 135-136. (4)Julia Annas, An Introduction to Plato's Republic, Oxford, 1981, see esp. Chapter 6. (5) There are three different ways of dividing the soul in the Republic: i) the division into reasonable, feeling and appetitive parts; ii) the simile of the line which groups its cognitive capacities into understanding and reasoning on the one hand, and belief and imagination on the other; iii) the division in Book X between the knowing part and the perceptive part. The divisions of the line correspond to the divisions in Book X. In Book III, the feelings and appetites are contrasted with reason, so they naturally rely on perception and imagination and not on knowledge.

Poetry from Anthology

In this essay I will be exploring how the poets expressed their views in a strong and effective way. I shall be writing about three poems. †¢ Base Details by Siegfried Sassoon †¢ On the life of man by Walter Raleigh †¢ Those bastards in their mansions by Simon Armitage Base Details Siegfried Sassoon In this essay I will be describing the contrasts and explore the attitude of the poet in a strong and effective way. This poem is written by Siegfried Sassoon, who was a soldier during the First World War. He used the majors and the soldiers as protagonists of this poem.The poet has described the physical attributes of the majors who would stay at the base, because they were fat, short of breath. Siegfried uses number of abusive and mockery words to describe their behaviour towards one another. In the beginning of the poem the poet says that he’d live in with the majors at the base. He used abusive and mockery words to describe the physical attributes they posses. Th e poet says that â€Å"Bald†, â€Å"short of breath† and â€Å"scarlet†. The word â€Å"bald† means that they didn’t have any hair on their head, and â€Å"short of breath† refers towards their shape and body figure.The lexis† scarlet† has a lot of meanings, but in their case it means that they were guilty. The majors were the main reason for the death of the soldiers. These three words highlight the characteristics of them, as well as it was mentioned in the first two lines of the poem. Afterwards, Siegfried immediately talks about the soldiers whose fate was inevitably a fateful misery. The author observes the fact that, they were active and they used to get forced towards the frontline. This is evidenced from the poem he states that: – â€Å"And speed glum heroes up the line to death†.Nevertheless, since they met their fate bravely and gave their life in the war, this made them a true hero. Additionally, the poet goes back to the description of the major’s actions. So the poet uses the word â€Å"Guzzle† and â€Å"Gulp† in the â€Å"best hotel†. In this context the poet describes that the poet himself and the majors would eat and drink in an excessive manner. Therefore the word â€Å"guzzle† means to eat in an excessive manner, and the word â€Å"gulp† to drink in an excessive manner as it makes a gulping sound, therefore the poet used them two word to make it effective.Moreover, since the war is still happening the majors would continuously eat and drink. To such an extent that the poet has described their faces as â€Å"Puffy† and â€Å"petulant†, the poet has used the mockery words again to describe the majors. The word â€Å"puffy† means that they would be fat and â€Å"petulant† means to be swollen. Afterwards he uses the sarcasm attitude towards the soldiers by stating: – â€Å"Poor young chap, Roll of Honou r is an alliteration which the poet has used. I’d say†.He’d say â€Å"poor young chap† to show their grief towards the soldiers, and â€Å"Roll of Honour† is a faceless list of names of the soldiers. In reality the majors weren’t really cared for them whilst they were burying the soldiers. Nevertheless, after burying them they would continue their sarcastic conversations about their innocent soldiers. Siegfried proofs this from the poem he says that â€Å"I’d say I used to know his father well; yes, we’ve lost heavily in this scrap†. This shows up their fake and strong relationship between them. He also mentions the word â€Å"scrap† to describe the war.The majors would describe this war as a scrap. This war means nothing to them, regardless they’ve lost heavily amount of soldiers. This part of the poem is a technique of euphemisms. This war was like a board games, how a player would sacrifice a counter to g ain victory. In conclusion, the poet gives a scenario or a clear contrast of the soldiers and the majors. They’d be scattered everywhere. I mean that the majors would â€Å"toddle† due to their fat and overeating. Therefore they’d walk slowly and safely, since they are not at the battlefield.On the other side, the soldiers would be â€Å"stone dead†; this means that they would be still dead at the battlefield. Finally, the rhyming scheme of this poem is (ab, ab, cd, ee,). Also the last two lines of this poem is known as† Rhyming Couplet†. Since they rhyme at the end and those two words are â€Å"dead† and â€Å"bed†. Those Bastards in their mansions Simon Armitage This poem is written by Simon Armitage, he has dedicated this poem towards the poor people, and this poem is from the collection of ‘taking a stand’. This poem features the division between the poor and the rich.Simon Armitage is totally against it; therefo re he is taking a stand protecting the poor from the rich. Thus, I will be explaining this poem. Firstly, the author is referring the rich people as ‘bastards’ which is on the first line of the poem, because if there was to be a poor walking in front of their house they would ask each other â€Å"who is he? †, â€Å"why is he dressed in that manner? † where is he from? † etc. That’s why the author referred them as ‘bastards’. In this situation the rich people would be alarmed and clutch their possessions closer.After while, he says that he would save the poor masses and protect them from different kind of destruction, and bring them a form of benefit. â€Å"I’d poisoned the dogs and vaulted the ditches† gives a form of proof from the poem itself. Moreover, there state is really ragged because not only there’s a division between them, the poor people would also get oppressed by the rich. Thus, Simon Armitage de cides to break through the front door, it is also evidenced form the fifth line of first stanza, so that he would bring them benefit.This is clearly observed in line six. † The gift of fire from the burning torches. These properties are like gift thus he used the word ‘gift’ to show the preciousness of it. This part of the poem refers towards the Greek mythology about Prometheus and Zeus. Prometheus was Greek God and also the first god to create human beings. Not only that he stole fire from Zeus and distributed it towards the whole of humanity. Zeus became really furious, upon knowing that Prometheus gave a precious element to the mankind.Therefore, Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to the peak of a mountain, so that everyday eagles would peck from his liver. Since, Prometheus was immortal each night his liver would grow back. Nevertheless, after distributing the properties he would teach them how to get rid off themselves from the great oppression and how to take a stand against the cruelty of the rich. Thereafter, since they don’t have any weapons to face against the rich, what they would do is that they would use the same chains and shackles which they were tied by.They use those chains to take a stand against the rich and break the division of the privileged ones and the non-privileged ones. In conclusion, the poet is alarming himself bravely in the second line of third stanza that â€Å"they’d have me sniffed out by their beagles†. Simon speaks regarding their troops of dogs, which the rich would keep to guard their properties. Since in the beginning of the poem talks about poisoning the dogs, therefore the dogs certainly will be able to catch and he’ll get imprisoned as well as face other severe consequences.But on the last stanza he says that â€Å"me, I stick to the shadows carry a gun†, here the poet clearly and bravely shows himself that he’s fearless and he’d hide himself fr om those bastards in their mansions. On the life of Man Sir Walter Raleigh This poem has been written about the life, by using extended metaphor throughout the poem. It also gives a bit of idea by looking at its title. It has been written by Sir Walter Raleigh. He has expressed his attitude and his views towards this life as a form of ‘Sacrifice’. There are other numerous views regarding this life.I will be exploring his attitude in a strong and effective way. In the beginning, Sir Walter Raleigh asks a rhetorical question that â€Å"What is Life†. Then he gives immediate response by saying â€Å"A play of Passion†. The word â€Å" play† is referring towards the life, meaning that how it works or it carries on etc. in this context it is blatantly giving the indication towards a theatre play. The poet has used the theatre play to show the example of life. Then he tells the situation of life, therefore he says his opinion upon saying the word â€Å"p assion†.Passion is giving the meaning of going through strong emotions and lot of sacrifices. There are many people who’d go through sacrifices in their life. The most famous example is Christ, who went through lot sacrifices, to such an extent that he died to take away his people’s sins. Later on, he states that there is a small amount of laughter or amusements takes place in our life. He compares this amusement as a small amount of time. Therefore, he says that â€Å"Our mirth the music of division. † He indicates this back to the play, this shows that when all the actors go for a short interval.Whilst some orchestra will appear on the stage to entertain the audiences as well as some will eat, talk, or go to the toilet. This is done so that they can split up the acts. Additionally, the poet talks about the beginning of life. He takes the human beings as actors and a place where they would get dressed. He states â€Å"Our mother’s womb the tiring houses can be†. He uses the word â€Å"womb† to link it towards the green room, and then the poet elaborates more about this point to show what happens. He states further upon saying â€Å"Where we are dressed for this short comedy†.Sir Walter supports the view of life as short progression of time; therefore he has mentioned the word â€Å"short† as well as â€Å"comedy†. The word â€Å"comedy† refers towards a play which ends happily. Moreover, Sir Walter Raleigh identifies a link of life with God. He asserts that God is watching us sharply, thus he quotes â€Å"Heaven the judicious sharp spectator is†, he is using metaphor to make God as our audience. The poet strongly believes that he will get accounted for whatever he does in this life. Therefore, he explains further that god is looking over us continuously and judging us according to our actions.He says â€Å"That sits and marks still who doth act amiss†. Meanwhile, the aut hor describes the grave where everyone will end up at the end of their life. He quotes† our graves that hide us from the searching Sun†. The poet is using the word â€Å"hide† to show that the earth will be filled over us. He uses metaphor of the stage again, like the way he has mentioned at the beginning. He gives an example on saying that â€Å" Are like drawn curtains that when the play gets done the curtain draws close, exactly the same way a life of a person ends by filling earth over him/her.Finally, the poet ends this poem describing the progression of time. He states â€Å"thus march we playing to our latest rest†. The word â€Å"rest† shows that they’ll be in luxury in the next world, since a person has sacrificed or take this life as strong emotions. It also show that the poet is being theist based on this fact. Then on the last line he says â€Å"only we die in earnest and, that’s no jest†. He is referring towards the poem once more that, this life is nothing or it has no value to him. Therefore, he has mentioned the word â€Å"earnest† and â€Å"jest† to show that we truly die and that’s no joke nor it’s fake.