Characteristics of pastors Essay

Crucial role is played by the minister in youth programming, which is quite similar with the other church-sponsored programs. Awareness of the crucial role was received by the senior author of this paper, when a black clergyman from fifty miles away approached this graduate student in the year 1968. The college students were suggested by the minister to provide youth programs in the rural town. Reading tutorials, sewing classes, sex education, health tips, and current events were included in this project. A major study of black youth development was also led during the project. A small Northeastern town of Rubin was selected for the conduction of the abovementioned study. In the present study, the characteristics of ministers have been highlighted with the help of several findings. The sponsorship of the youth programs has also been associated with these characteristics. In general, youth was most favored by the younger clergy during the study. Some of the most prominent issues are being confronted by the African-American youth, which have been indicated by the Black Church Family Project. It has also been observed the black churches are not addressing these issues adequately. Health-related services and AIDS support programs are some of these problems of the African-American youth. Only twenty-seven churches reported the existence of substance abuse programs. Twenty-seven churches also reported the parenting and sexuality programs in their communities. College students’ financial support was awarded by twenty-nine churches. Twenty-five churches reported youth at-risk programs, in which, delinquency was focused during the programs. Role modeling was provided by fifteen churches. Foster grandparents are some of the examples of role modeling in these churches. Employment and job readiness issues were offered by thirteen churches. Discussions which were the greatest efforts of about fifty-five churches across the country are helpful. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This survey of Black n White churches resulted in gaps between Clergy and formal providers and the gaps grew wider with time. If we compare the Black churches with White churches, we will come to a conclusion that Black Churches proved to be more supportive because it came up with new programs than White churches, it proved to be supportive not only in terms of quantity but it also created some awareness amongst people. They also had a tight budget but always managed to offer strong programs. They managed to control large congregations and large differences in budgets between urban and rural churches. There was some lacking in the linkage between specialty mental health provider and churches. There was a very little interaction with Clergy and the formal mental health service delivery system. Mental health care system was never interested in holding meetings with Clergy or any professional groups. History says that mental health care system has already experienced some mistrust or betrayal from Clergy. Future actions should include building strong associations between providers of health and mental health service and faith communities. They should also pay prior attention to best communication channels and should not ignore apparent absence of communication. Furthermore, they should also work to fill the gaps between cultures and promote free exchange between groups. It is not possible to draw up a clear path but from the study above we can say that urban pastors have more knowledge of mental health detection and are educationally stronger than rural counterparts. Including the fact that Blacks provide more prams than White does not mean that the programs are only for Blacks or it may be not accessible to Black congregations at large. There is a possibility that Blacks may think they are service providers. Or communities that are served are not accepted by the Blacks. This clearly shows that both Blacks and White perceive their missions in a dissimilar manner. Pastors and formal delivery system can benefit from the gaps between mental health service providers and Clergy. Rural individuals are ready to seek general health care help from primary care providers. But they are not ready to seek specialized mental health care. By creating a link between pastors and other church leaders to primary care providers can improve the mental health services for Blacks; by this Blacks can get an effective and strengthened capacity of network. Effective measures should be taken into account to create a strong link between informal and formal networks. This is important to assure the effectiveness of accessible, appropriate mental health care. Joining up the knowledge and matching the capacities and capabilities of churches can prove to be beneficial for the communities and can be healthy in crucial times. â€Å"Most significant for us today, these African American church leaders recognized the importance of what they were doing for future generations of Americans. They wrote histories, biographies, memoirs, and other accounts of religious life in the South during this era. It is through these written texts that we still have access to the many voices that comprise the first century of the black church in the United States. † (2001, np) Churches in other parts of the region like South are well organized; they are very strong to community and cultures resulting in congregational commitment. They respect each others attitudes and behaviors. Mental health care problems in rural areas are due to the lack of stigma and available services associated with mental health. To come up to a healthy solution, creative partnerships between social organizations are essential. For instance, combines churches and informal care will result in providing informal care.

Extracurricular activity Essay

You may not know a lot of people when you start high school. Maybe your friends from middle school are going to a different high school. Even if you know other freshmen, you might feel nervous that you don’t know any upperclassmen. How are you going to make friends among this sea of unknown faces? Most high schools hold a freshman orientation before school actually starts. These are helpful not only because you learn your way around the building and get to meet some of your teachers, but you also get to meet fellow freshmen. That way, when you show up on your first day of school, you may already recognize a few familiar faces. When you talk to people at orientation, you’ll probably find that a lot of them are feeling just like you are. They’re all new to the school and don’t know what to expect. Talking about a common concern with your classmates can spark new friendships. Learning Inside the Classroom How about the workload in high school — is it a lot harder? Again, this is something your classmates are probably worried about, too. The work in high school builds on what you learned in middle school, giving you a more advanced knowledge of many academic subjects. So you may find you have more work to do or that it’s a bit more challenging. But these challenges can make you feel less bored with the usual routine — it feels great when you’ve mastered something really tough. Maybe you’ll find a new appreciation for biology or discover a passion for literature. If you ever find your work too overwhelming, teachers and tutors are available for extra help. While you have more independence as a high school student than you might have had in middle school, there are still many resources to fall back on if you feel the work is too much. Extracurricular Activities High school also has more extracurriculars than middle school did, such as clubs, music and theater groups, student government, and sports teams. This is a fantastic time to explore your interests and try new things. Who said school has to be all work and no play? These activities may take place before or after school, or during free periods or study halls. Because of this, it helps to sharpen your time management skills in your first year. Extracurricular activities are great, but remember to leave free time for yourself. Everybody needs some downtime.

Family Own Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Family Own Business - Essay Example However, the prime objective of the paper is to generate a transition plan for the company with an aim to increase its business’ success rate. Torrini: A Family Owned Business Torrini is remarked to be a dignified name in the family business sector of Europe and is based in Italy. It is one of the ancient family business firms in the county which has flourished for a period of six centuries. The firm produces various kinds of fashionable, high priced jewelleries ranging from rings and precious stones to luxurious watches and even perfumes (Torrini, n.d.). History of Torrini The establishment of Torrini as a jewellery designing, producing and marketing firm can be recognised during the 16th century. However, its roots lay in the 14th century, in 1369, when Jacopus Torrini the founder of the firm settled in Florence as a forger of armour. With the growth of the economy and also due to the transformation in the lifestyle preferences of the county people, Jacopus Torrini initiated to diversify his business in the production of unique and luxurious fine jewelleries (Torrini, n.d.). Since 600 years, the firm has provided a few noteworthy contributions to the creative industry in Italy and other economies of European region. Presently, it is categorised as one of the most prestigious and successful family owned businesses in the region. Subsequently, the management responsibilities have been solely on the family heirs. In other words, the skills, knowledge and creativity were handed down hereditarily to design Torrini products. The firm in the present context is supervised under the leadership traits of Frabrizio Torrini. The other family members having a... This essya stresses that while executing the transition plan the leaders should provide extensive consideration to the conflicts likely to arise among the family members including the potential heirs of the business. In this regard, the leaders need to depend entirely on their conscience and knowledge due to the fact that there are no specific theories prescribed to manage a family business and the conflicts arising during transitions. Torrini, as a brand holds remarkable potential to create strong impulse on the targeted customers. This paper makes a conclusion that family business groups have gained considerable significance in the modern era due to their remarkable inclusion in the economic growth. After the recent economic downturn, the western economies including the European economies have started considering family business units as a crucial element to stimulate their growth providing wider scope to the family business entities. However, the leaders of family business entities are often recognised as reluctant to adopt change due to the fear of losing control and/or disturbing the values preserved in the business’ operations. This can also be identified in the case of Torrini. On the contrary, in the case of Swarovski the business has adopted a modern and strategic technique to ensure the growth of the brand without disturbing the interests of the family leaders and the heritage of the brand providing its wider scope to prosper.

Chemistry of hazardous materials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chemistry of hazardous materials - Essay Example Thus, not only gloves but also other equipments along with protective measures are also necessary while handling phosphorus (Lenntech, 1998). Phosphorus slowly reacts with water and forms phosphine. It should be noted that Phosphine is a poisonous gas that is released when solids like phosphorus are exposed to water. Therefore, phosphorus becomes a water reactant. When this poisonous gas is exposed to water, it can contribute to the danger to the firefighters because the basic element that they use while extinguishing a fire is water. Thus, water can release oxygen from the water-reactive materials and can add to the fire causing the fire to aggravate rather extinguish. In order, to reduce the fire and finally extinguish it, it is necessary to use dry sand rather water to reduce the risk of aggravation of fire. Thus, it is advisable to the fire fighters to use dry sand while extinguishing the fire that is ignited due to red phosphorus (Burke,

Does Chinese Investment Really Benefit Africa Essay

Does Chinese Investment Really Benefit Africa - Essay Example In terms of business, the aspect of investment signifies the acquisition of any physical product and/or services which is duly purchased by the producers expecting a considerable enhancement in their future business operations (Myles, 2003). The importance of the aspect of investment is immense for every business organisation. The proper and adequate investment eventually raises the wealth and widens the financial freedom of the business organisations. The idea of investment generally fulfils the personal goals of the investors and also increases the social responsibility towards employees’ family members as well as the community (Myles, 2003). This particular paper broadly aims towards establishing whether the Chinese investments made especially in African continent can be regarded as beneficial. In this connection, various aspects that include the overall investment scenario made by China particularly in Africa along with critical evaluation of Chinese investments in Africa will be presented throughout the discussion. A Brief Overview of the Chinese Investments in Africa The African continent is recognised to be a significant emerging player, especially in the global market. It is also viewed as the most prominent destination for making investments followed by other countries that include China as well as India globally. This is owing to the fact that the establishment of modern technologies along with raising revenues especially from the few of the commodities that include oil and other valuable products in Africa which eventually boosted the financial development along with the advancement of the country. Due to these significant reasons, Africa is emerging as a great investment destination for several nations similar to China. Particularly, the western part of Africa is observed as one of the rapidly growing destinations in terms of investments, especially in the mining segment (Deming, 2010). In this connection, China continuously is forming up bet ter as well as enhanced financial relations with Africa by taking into consideration the emerging worldwide scenario of the African business market. It has further been observed that the African continent is very rich in terms of natural resources that might boost the economy of China to a large extent. However, the country is observed to lack superior infrastructure as well as technology. Thus, the requirement of superior infrastructure as well as technology in Africa include telecommunication systems, roads, computer network systems and power generation among others eventually broadened various opportunities for the Chinese industries or companies to make investments in the African continent (Deming, 2010). It has been apparent that between the year 2007 and 2008, the business trade value between China and Africa was raised by 45 percent. During that year, the total business dealings between the two nations were estimated to be approximately $106 billion (Deming, 2010). However, d ue to the emergence of worldwide financial crisis, a few of the developed Western countries had decided to reduce the volume of investments particularly in Africa. On the other hand, China viewed this particular fact as a business opportunity with the intention of expanding its market share in Africa. It has also been observed tha

Discursive Weapon in the War in Iraq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Discursive Weapon in the War in Iraq - Essay Example Though the weapons used by the Iraqi militants were the cause of mass destruction, human life was harmed by a greater extent. The objective of the war, as addressed by George W Bush, US President and Prime Minister of British Tony Blair was the initial step to free the people of Iraq and western Democracies from the threat of Saddam Hussein. The tie of Iraq with Al- Qaeda terrorist network was the reason of threat for the Bush Government and the 9/11 terrorist attack on the US traumatized the people of America at large. One of the key concepts relating to the article is that it emphasized various significant aspects that include technological weapon system, military hardware, surveillance and intelligence used by the governments to minimize the damage of war and the resulted threats that impose over the common people. The style of journalism was determined based upon the reporting style which assisted the people to understand the situation of war. The truth and the morality were the key factors of reporting that depicted the American war front to be sophisticated in comparison with Iraq. The war reportage plays a decisive role in defining the conflict and its contribution towards upholding legitimacy along with illegitimacy at large. In precise, it can be affirmed that this article emphasizes revealing the significance of reporting during warfare (Gasher 209-224). SECOND ABSTRACT This particular reading explores the notion of representation which can be apparently observed to capture a new along with a significant place in a rich diversity of social identity and culture. It has been argued in the reading that representation is an integral part of the process by which a meaning is created and exchanged between members of diverse culture. It generally involves the utilization of languages, signs along with images that represent any particular object. The thought of representation is based on three concepts that include constructionist, reflective and intentional approach which links language and meaning to culture. According to the reading provided, it can be viewed that every representation has its own meaning which is expressed through language or any other forms and even, the complex meaning of representation is understandable by every individual. Representation is often regarded as the construction of meaning which is used to bridge the gap between a concept and a language. Also, the signs and the codes that are expressed in various representation forms explain the same meaning to every individual. The sign of a language is effective only when it is expressed in the same manner to others. Moreover, the visual signs can also be interpreted by using the conceptual theory and the language system. The theories of representation when reflective, expresses the true meaning of the objects, which is same for the entire world. It has been argued in the article that codes are critical for deriving appropriate meaning as they are duly considered a s the result of social conventions and form a vital part of the culture (Hall 15-64). THIRD ABSTRACT In this article, newspaper is seen as a complex of simultaneous messages, with pictures and captions. According to the readings of the article, the total representation of the newspaper can be segregated into two forms such as visual and textual. The photographs present in newspapers not only comprise written remarks but also images that represents a sense of meaning for the readers. The significance of the readings of this article is to elaborate and analyze the message of the photographs present in the newspapers. According to the author i.e. Barthes, the photograph provides a â€Å"perfect analogon† of the representation of the object in the form of a picture. Moreover, the author

Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Human resource management - Essay Example Personnel management, on the other hand, is mainly concerned with the management of the workforce instead of resources, according to Armstrong (2008, p. 98). Personnel managers, unlike human resource managers mainly handle administrative duties such as ensuring that the immediate needs of employees in an organisation are met so as to ensure effective working environment. Koster and Koster (2007, p.6) also note that the two management functions also differ in terms of the nature of relations. In this regard, whereas HRM focuses more on group interest by ensures that the needs of all the employees in an organization are met, personnel management, on the other hand, focuses more on the interest of an individual employee instead of the group as is the case with HRM. In this regard, the management and employees exhibit a contractual relationship where one recruits and others perform according to Koster and Koster (2007, p.6). Koster and Koster (2007, p.7) allude that the duo also differ i n terms of management and power relations. In this regard, whereas power in HRM is highly decentralized and is shared between lower and middle level management groups. Power in personnel management is highly centralized. ... Armstrong (2012, p.44) argue that line managers plays crucial roles in the organisation by helping in ensuring that the human resource functions are discharged accordingly. The important roles of a line manager have particularly been seen in NHS that has a line manager working alongside the HR manager. Some of the principal duties performed by line managers at NHS include supervision, staffing, and ensuring that employees work in a safe and healthy environment. Regarding supervisory functions, line managers at NHS keeps maintain direct contact with all employees at the hospital through engagement. This gives them the opportunity to monitor the quality of work performed by employees in the course of their duties. At the same time, line managers ensures that every employee report to their duty station in time to ensure effective and timely delivery of services to patients at NHS hospital. Supervisory duties of line managers is very crucial because it also ensures that any vacancy that may arise due to absenteeism or unknown reason is filled to ensure timely discharge of duties according to Armstrong (2012, p.45). Armstrong (2012, p.45) also reveals that line managers can sometimes take up the position left vacant while awaiting the arrival of an employee so as to ensure that no work is left unattended. In addition, line managers ensure that all personnel are present to ensure that no department is left unmanned. Armstrong (2007, p.512) also notes that the line manager at NHS in collaboration with HRM ensures that the hospital has enough staff. In this regard, in case of a shortfall, the line manager is expected to report the matter to the HRM to enable the organisation to hire someone to fill the vacancy. In addition, a line manager as

Labour education and extensive employee development Essay

Labour education and extensive employee development - Essay Example Employee learning explains the process of acquiring knowledge through curiosity to learn. It is a mind-set that has anxiety to get information. Employee learning and labor education will definitely increase the abilities and competency of the employee (Dixon, 1999). Employee development and labor education have become the burning questions for today’s human resource management. Increased downsizing brought by organizational change has amplified the needs of employee development because the labor is needed to be more flexible and responsive at all levels. In the recent years, employee development schemes have seen exponential growth because the learning atmosphere in organizations is boosting. Donaldson (1993) asserts that the organizations have realized the importance of workforce and the need for their education and development in work place (as cited in Lee, 2012). Developing employee abilities can make them more adaptable to internal and external working requirements and definitely add to their learning and confidence which bring in higher productivity to the organization. A research by Lound, Rowe and Parson (2001) confirms that EDS (Employee Development Schemes) have been employed at extensive levels both in public and private organizations. These schemes add loyalty, confidence, and commitment which boost learning in the work place. IRS (1993) puts it as: â€Å"Employee development schemes are proving to be one of the successes of human resource management. They can have real business advantages, creating some of the right conditions for organizations to transform themselves into what has been called the ‘learning organization’, but what might as appropriately be termed the ‘continuously changing organization’, given economic imperatives and a positive impact on individuals’ self-esteem and confidence (as cited in Maguire, 1997). Chris Argyris referred to this commitment as a â€Å"psychological contract†

Marketing Assignment Essay Example for Free

Marketing Assignment Essay My chosen retailer is Pick n’ Pay which is a company owned by South African entrepreneur Raymond Ackerman in 1967. Pick n’ Pay was able to gain a large share of the market because Raymond Ackerman’s policy of putting offering customers the best value for their money before profit maximisation and various social responsibility programmes have made them a household in South Africa. Question 1 Pick n Pay bridges the following gaps: * Space. * Time. * Information. The space and time, value gaps are bridged by pick n’ pay, by establishing what the market really wants and providing consumer what they want at the right price in the right environment. -Information on products is readily available in stores during promotions and generally accessible in store. -Pick n’ Pay offers financial services like credit on large purchases like appliances. -Through bridging these gaps Pick n’ Pay has been able to establish long term relationship with consumers. Question 2 An organisation has to perform its primary amp; auxiliary marketing activities efficiently and in a timely manner to ensure that the needs/ of the customer are met. Pick n’ Pay also owns its own transportation fleet so they have more control over meeting demand on time. * Pick n Pay conducted detailed market research in order to properly serve its market as all store formats are as diverse as the geographic area they operate in, from the large hypermarkets to the express stores in petrol stations, they cater to all different market segments. Pick n’ Pay also own Boxer supermarkets which cater to low income groups such as rural areas. * They form of standardisation and grading is their policy of giving consumers double their money back on Pick n’ Pay products if they not satisfied with the quality, This policy enabled Pick n’Pay to gain the trust of consumer which translates into Customer loyalty. All other products offered by Pick n’ Pay have to follow certain regulations before being offered to the public. Pay has to take the necessary steps to ensure that products like fruits are available all year round which means such products need to be stored in fridges and other products have to be stored properly so they don’t get damage before getting to the actual store so they don’t incur any losses. * The risk of loss or damage is to be mitigated by the form of having insurance policy to cover the business. * Pick n’ Pay borrows money from banks to cover the day-to-day operations; Raymond Ackerman says many businesses that were destined for greatness failed because they didn’t have enough cash to run their daily operations. I would say Pick n’ Pay uses the societal marketing-oriented concept because of their environmental initiatives which have even gained the organisation a Sunday Times Top Brand Grand Prix award for the company that did the most to promote â€Å"green† issues and social upliftment of communities. Raymond Ackerman stresses the importance of doing â€Å"good† business which means implementing sustainable practices in the work environment and doing what the business is obligated to do in terms of social responsibility. Here are some environmental initiatives have introduced: * Green Products- Products that are 100% recyclable with active ingredients that are made from sustainable,natural ingredients. * Introduced limited edition eco-friendly bags to limit the use of plastic bags * Pick n’ Pay vehicles use a low sulphur content diesel and ozone-friendly lubrication oils. * Setting up recycling points at Pick n’ Pay stores * In 2009 they opened up 3 Pick n’ Pay express stores, starting a new era of green retailing. These type strategies will gain the business long term customers because of its awareness of contributing positively to the environment. Question 4 I would say my chosen retailer has evolved to this level because they the good relationship it has with its stakeholder that’s why they have been able to offer the market such good prices and within any business you need to maintain good relationship with your suppliers for example, this would ensure that everything is delivered in a timely time and with your employees to ensure that their product are product and know what’s expected of them. Pick n Pay has a number of policies and guidelines to govern relationships with its stakeholders so every interaction with its stakeholders is morally sound and is in line with the correct practices so that customers are satisfied and customers are retained. Question 5 5. 1 The micro environment of Pick n’ Pay is its internal stakeholders which would be: * Employees * Investors * Management The business has full control over this environment. The market environment is the outside of the business and the business can only control this environment to a certain degree. The market environment comprises of: * Suppliers * Competitors- Checkers,Spar,Woolworths. * Customers * General Public – Brand Perception and Brand awareness. 5. 2 Pick n Pay is a company that focuses a lot on physical environment and socio economic issues as it recognises the importance of sustainability practices in its business due to the fact that natural resources are not available in infinite quantities and the damage us humans are doing to the environment. Pick n’ Pay has also implemented programmes that challenge socio economic issues such as unemployment. Here some the changes and programmes implemented to adapt to changes/trends in the macro environment: * Setting up recycling points at Pick n’ pay which in turn provides employment. * â€Å"Green† products – 100% recyclable products with natural active ingredients that don’t harm the environment. * BEE programmes which allows people from disadvantaged backgrounds to own a Pick n’ Pay franchise store. * Pick n’ Pay company also recently extended its ‘Green Range’ of household products to include garbage bags made from 100% recycled material, 70% of which is post-consumer recycled materials.

Results negatively Essay Example for Free

Results negatively Essay According to this result then, we must accept the null hypothesis that there is no significant association between the age of the children and the ability to conserve number. Discussion Having analysed the results, with the df of 5, the critical value for an alpha value of 0. 05 is 11. 07 and because our figure was smaller than this, the result becomes non-significant. Consequently, there was no significant relationship between the age of children and their ability to conserve number. Hence the experimental hypothesis was rejected and the null hypothesis accepted. Compared to the 3 year old children, the 5 year olds conserved slightly better. Only 4 of the 3-year-olds got the right answer whereas 5 of the 5-year-olds answered correctly. Having said this, 3 year old tended to get more wrong answers. 8 of the 3-year-olds got the wrong answer, compared to only 5 wrong answers from the five-year-olds. This shows that there may be a slight difference between 3 and 5 year olds in conserving number, as 5-year-olds seemed to conserve better. Also during the experiment it was observed that, in the 3-year-old condition, 2 out of 7 children actually counted the blocks before answering. In contrast 5 out of 7 children counted before answering in the 5-year-old condition. The fact that those who did not count still got the right answer could be put down to the child simply guessing. As the outcomes of psychological experiments are often subject to uncertainty, interpretation is required in order to find out whether or not there is an association between the independent variable and the dependant variable. Similarly, there could be many different reasons as to why these differences occurred. Although this study did not portray any significant gender differences, variances in gender must be taken into account. The environment a child grew up in could effect their ability to conserve. Factors such as the childs parents financial position and educational status could effect the intelligence of a child. Due to lack of learning resources, the childs education could suffer because they are not able to achieve their full potential. In addition, biological and innate elements could account for the differences between the ability for the child to be able to conserve. Some children may be predisposed with such genes, which may hinder their progress. The results of this study agreed with Piagets views and conclusions. According to Piaget, the child did not posses the concept of the conservation of number. Similar to Piagets experiments and results, this study also found that there was no significant association between the childs age and the ability to conserve. Conversely, this study refutes Light et als conclusion that maybe Piaget underestimated the childs ability and stated that children can in fact conserve number. In a psychological experiment there are many components which could have effected the results. Similarly, the sample size of this experiment could have led the results to be non-generalisable. The sample size was extremely small this could have effected the results negatively. Firstly it lacks validity and reliability because the results could not be generalised. Secondly, if more children were used there was more chance of the results being reliable. In addition, there were many methodological problems, which could have biased the results especially due to the fact that the participants were children. During the course of the experiment, it was noticed that the children tended to give the experimenters opinion rather than their own by imitating the experimenters words. For instance, when the child was asked if the cubes were the same, less or more, then they tended to answer more. Conversely, when these same three words were said in a different order, the child still tended to repeat the experimenters last word. A way of eliminating this problem could be by asking the child to write their response down. Alternatively, a computer could be used to lessen the interaction between the experimenter and child, in order to use these two methods. However, further investigation maybe required, as some children may not be able to read or write. Another, vital observation was made, some children, especially the three year olds tended to treat the experiment as a game. After one answer, they wanted to start playing with the cubes. This problem could be overcome by making the whole process a bit more interesting for the child. Other factors, which were not directly visible, were that firstly, children may not understand what is being asked of them to do, therefore their answer may reflect self-desirability. Secondly, children especially the three-year-olds, do not always realise the difference between real and make believe. Thirdly, adults may find it difficult to relate to children as their emotions and ways of thinking contrast. Fourthly, children should be relaxed, they might feel threatened at the slightest of things. In addition, children need an incentive or motive to do something for someone and are very easily influenced. A cognitive explanation of this is that children have short attention spans therefore get bored easily and want to do something else. Having said this though, problems like these exist in every experiment regardless of whether the participants are children. The sign of a true experiment is one, which devises new techniques to overcome the difficulties. In conclusion, it can be said that the findings of these studies are in line with previous studies, specifically Piagets. Therefore according to this study results children still do not have the ability to conserve number.

Representations of media in film

Representations of media in film Question 2: Compare and Contrast the Approaches to the Representations of the two different Media in Almost Famous (2000) and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004). Word count: 2305 Almost Famous is a 1998 American film directed by Cameron Crowe, it tells the story of the 1970s American hard rock band Stillwater struggling in the harsh face of stardom from the perspective of a Rolling Stone Magazine journalist William Miller (Patrick Fugit). Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a 2004 American parody film directed by Adam McKay, it tells the story of how Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), a famous television news anchor in San Diego, descends from fame and later comeback. I choose these two films as both protagonists William Miller and Ron Burgundy are from San Diego and these two different stories happened in the same period of time – mid 1970s. They both portray the media effects on audiences and their reaction to these audiences. In Almost Famous, audiences are portrayed as active to the music industry and have a good knowledge of the entertainment business. In contrast, audiences in Anchorman are presumed as passive receivers of TV news information rig ht at the beginning. It lacks serious critics of events. Females are presented considerably in both films as important but a menace to the male characters. Almost Famous treats women less seriously but females are free to do what they like. On the contrary, female characters in Anchorman are constantly under male power and cannot do what they want but they are treated more justly as a practitioner within the industry. Both films shed light upon the gender inequality in a serious tone. I am going to use theories of ‘reflexivity’ to examine how audiences are portrayed respectively in two different types of media. I will also use the theories of ‘self-reflexivity’ to compare the difference between two industries in terms of the production and competition. I will use ‘intertextuality’ to discuss the genres of two films. Reflexivity, argued by Rosenberg (1990. p3), refers to the process of an entity acting back upon itself. Almost Famous and Anchorman both reflected the media effects on audiences. Almost Famous started its story in the house of the Millers. The first actual audience mentioned in the film is William Miller’s sister Anita Miller (Zooey Deschanel) who is a real fan of rock n’ roll music. She is an inner-directed person and regards rock n’ roll music as an integral part of her life and her future. Elaine Miller (Frances McDormand), mother of William and Anita, is a traditional-minded woman who teaches in a local college. Her ideas would not allow Anita to get involved with the low culture she deemed. Anita angrily leaves her home at the age of 18 and starts her career as an air stewardess. At the very beginning of the film, the notion of ‘audience’ is seriously examined. The first audience of music is portrayed as brave and, most-importantly, fully awar e of their own behaviours and wants. Before Anita leaves home, she holds her brother William and tells him ‘Look under your bed’. Judging from those worn surfaces of records and the notes she made on each one of them, we can speculate here Anita has been a very loyal fan and has spent much time, energy and money on the medium she consumes. William is clearly influenced by her sister as he later grows up to be an even more loyal fan to rock music. It would be hard to imagine that in such a strict household, an obedient young child like William Miller will grow up to be a journalist on rock n’ roll which is against his mother’s will. He often writes for Creem magazine and knows every song from his lyrics. The devotion wins the chance for him to make friends with musicians as he uses the word ‘incendiary’ to describe the ‘Fever Dog’ song of Stillwater right in front of its members. His passion in pursuing his career as a journalist e ven makes him give up the chance of attending his graduation ceremony. Another important character inside the film is Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), the founder of Band Aid. She gathers friends to support bands they love instead of just passively listening to their songs without thinking. Penny and William sometime challenge the thoughts of their idols and will give them some constructive ideas. The sad thing is that they have never been regarded seriously until the very end of the film. Anchorman also examines the media effect on audiences but in a less serious tone. From the beginning, a non-diegetic voice narrates the traits of television audiences in the 1970s – ‘There was a time, a time before cable, when the local anchorman reigned supreme, when people believed everything they heard on TV’. This statement at the very beginning positions TV audiences as passive receivers of information. The first time when Ron Burgundy starts broadcasting, an old rocker-like man yells in a bar ‘hey everybody, shut the hell up, Ron Burgundy is on’. The following scene is a toddler saying her first words ‘Ron Burgundy’. It is a clearly a computer generated scene. However, it is a metaphor of the overwhelming power of television in 1970s. ‘Stay classy San Diego’ is what Ron Burgundy says every time at the end of his broadcasting. Then we see people from different places (home, bar, work place), young or old, white or black , repeat after Ron. This scene fortifies the idea of Television’s manipulation over audiences. In a general case in film, males are often portrayed as heroes who struggle and females are put to a less important position (Mortimer, 1997). In both films, females play a great part of the plot but inevitably become portrayed as sex objects. In Almost Famous, Penny Lane and her band aid claim to be supporters of band only, however, ironically, they failed to escape the fate as groupies. Penny Lane is in a very subtle but intimate relationship with Stillwater’s guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup). In many occasions Penny is braless and wears a very thin top or blouse. When the band Stillwater travels to Cleveland, Penny Lane and Russell Hammond are flirting with each other and Penny only wears her panties. There is even short scene showing her breasts and her full naked back. Other girls, for example, Polexia (Anna Paquin) is one hundred percent a groupie who tried every time to make out with rock stars and even travels all the way from America to Europe to be with Deep Purple. When William Miller is writing his ideas for Rolling Stone magazine in a bathtub, Penny comes straight in to pee just in front of him. Later William is dragged out by three other young women into bedroom. They claim to ‘deflower Opie’ and ‘Opie should die’. Later we see the pace of imaged has been slowed down, the vibe on the screen becomes highly erotic when they start to undress William and themselves. In Anchorman there is only one woman who has been seriously portrayed – Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate). When she enters the Channel 4 News station for the first day, members from Channel 4 News Team try to seduce her and refuse to take her seriously as a journalist or a colleague. Veronica became the object of their sexual imagination when they talk about her good body inside the office. Later Ron tries to date her and succeeds at that night and has sex with her. When Ron talks about her life with Veronica in the future with his teammates, Veronica is only wearing a cook apron. The conversation is highly erotic too and Veronica in his imagination is a full-time housewife without any careerism. The image of women is degraded and the relationship between male and female protagonists becomes obvious. Women are portrayed as men’s most important and shiny ‘accessories’, however, to a certain extent, they are a threat to the career of the male prota gonists. The flight scene in Almost Famous exposes the promiscuous relationships between band members which cause a huge brawl between them. In Anchorman, Veronica, with her talent and hard work, makes Ron out of job and takes over as the Channel 4 New anchor. In both films, ‘women function as erotic objects both for the characters within the story and for the spectator, who identifies with the main male protagonist and derives a sense of omnipotence from this identification’ (Mulvey, 1975. p14). Talking about gender inequality, it is a different landscape between these two films. Women in the music industry are more likely to be themselves. They choose their favourite music, the bands they watch, the food they eat, the place they are and the life they want. Being a journalist in the Television industry, Veronica is not lucky enough to be like them and choose the things she likes to do. As she mentions ‘it is the same everywhere that men make jokes of women. To be the best journalist is the way to get respect’. The good thing is that Veronica achieved success and became the first female anchor in America. And later the configuration of having two anchors, one male and one female, report news is nowadays a fixed form. Females inside television industry are treated more seriously as ‘women’ in contrast to ‘sex objects’ in music industry. ‘Self-reflexivity is used to describe films or texts which self-consciously acknowledge or reflect upon their own status as fictional artefacts or the processes involved in their creation’ (Krenn, 2007. p36). Almost Famous exposes some of the ugliest facts about the rock music industry. Hypocrisy is the most severe problem within the industry and inside people. The first time William meets Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee), Jeff tries to glorify himself by stating ‘rock n’ roll is a way of thinking, a life style. Fame and money are not important but the chicks are great’. He sounds like a rascal who is desperately for staying the spotlight, a hobo who is desperately to be cool. When he says all these things, we can see that Russell is looking at him contemptuously which shows that he knows Jeff is pretending to be someone he is not. Russell, compared to Jeff, has a more honest attitude on music. He tells William what makes a song is actually those tiny mistakes. You need only one in the song, and it is what makes fans remember it. The production process in Anchorman seems not very professional. The film constantly shows the mistakes inside Channel 4 News Studio such as the mistakes on the teleprompter and Ron Burgundy’s grumpy character and his low IQ (e.g. He reads out anything he sees). The sense of responsibility is different in two films. Stillwater gives up a show half way and leaves the venue straight away. In television news industry however, when some emergencies happened, there is always a back-up plan to keep thing going. Mead (1934) and Cooley (1902) showed clearly that ‘reflexivity among human beings is rooted in the social process, particularly the process of taking the role of the other and of seeing the self from the others perspective’ (Rosenburg, M. 1990, p3). The Rolling Stone magazine which trashed Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’ also ended the career of Stillwater. They hasted too much to be famous but lost themselves. William’s article wakes them up but it is already too late to re-establish a good public image. Ron Burgundy learnt from his failure and realised the hard work of Veronica, he finally got to know who he should be and together they made a huge progress for television news industry. The most hilarious sequence in Anchorman is the fight between five news teams. They fight each other near a factory which make people think of the typical gang fight scenes in other films. The fight is fierce and the casualties are heavy. The siren of the police ends this chaos. This is a satire of the vicious and sometimes illegal competitions for higher ratings inside the television news industry. ‘Intertextuality strongly linked with postmodernism, designates, in its narrow sense, the ways in which a film either explicitly or implicitly refers to others films (e.g. through allusion, imitation, parody or pastiche), or in its broader sense, the various relationships on (film) text may have with other texts’ (Nelmes, 2012. p191). Both films are based on historical events, so they are themselves inherently examples of ‘intertextuality’. Almost Famous is a drama in terms of genre. It vividly retells the stories of a band which failed to become a hit. It tells us a story about chasing dreams and making mistakes. Those pieces of fine music are an intertext of nostalgia for old good times. Anchorman is a parody and this decides it will not analyse events in a more serious fashion, but it shows a historic event of women being recognised in the television broadcasting industry. It is these use of techniques of intertextuality that add power of credibility to the films. Compare and contrast the representation of media in these two films, the media’s effect over audiences has been examined in both films. Almost Famous tends to analyse the audience’s reaction to media effect from the perspective of individuals. Most notably, it uses three characters, William, Anita and Penny, to show audiences’ active reaction to the medium they love and live on. Anchorman tends to present television news audiences as a passive whole group. The individual characteristics are diminished. Both films recognise the importance of females inside the society. Females in Almost Famous have more freedom to do what they like but failed to be taken seriously as ‘women’ by the society. In Anchorman, the gender inequality is a more prominent problem but females are justly treated as ‘women’ with dignity and characteristics. They both used ‘intertextuality’ to create the sense of reality, but one with a more serious tone as a drama and the other less critical as a parody. Bibliography: Cooley, C. H. (1902) Human Nature and Social Order. Charles Scribner’s Sons. Krenn, S. (2007) Oriental and Postmodern Elements in Moulin Rouge!. Università ¤t Stuttgart Deutschland Mead, G. H. (1934) Mind, Self and Society: From the Standpoint of s Social Behaviourist. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Mulvey L. (1975). Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. In: L. Braudy and Marshall Cohen (eds), Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999, pp.6-18. Nelmes, J. (2012). Introduction to Film Studies. 5th Edition. London: Routledge. Rosenberg, M. (1990) ‘Reflexivity and Emotions’ in Social Quarterly, Vol. 53, No. 1. (Mar, 1990), pp 3-12. Fimography: Almost Famous (2000). [Film] Directed by Cameron CROWE. USA: Dreamworks. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004). [Film] Directed by Andy MCKAY. USA: Dreamworks. 1

The Internets Impact on Traditional Genres of Art :: Technology Computers Essays

The Internet's Impact on Traditional Genres of Art Data technology and computers are without a doubt already playing a major role in very many peoples’ lives and will probably do so far into the future. Every single day the little power-up sequence of turning a computer on happens millions of times all over the world, and is commonly more and more often followed by making the computer â€Å"go online† via the Internet and the World Wide Web. â€Å"In a few years men will be able to communicate more effectively through a machine than face to face.† (Mayer 1999, p14). This dramatic statement is from an article written by two computer visionaries; Licklider and Robert Taylor as far back as in 1968. They realized in the 1960’s that people weren’t satisfied with just interacting with their computers. They wanted to use their computers to interact with other people. The rise of the personal computer by Apple and IBM introduced the rest of the world to computing. In the 1980’s PCs became a common fi xture in homes and offices, and the Internet and the World Wide Web started to kick of. People were using their computers as Licklider and Taylor had prophesized, as a medium to interact with other people. Today computers are - next to telephones and face-to-face conversations - without a doubt the most used medium for communication in industrialized countries. People send enormous amounts of emails every day, videoconferencing is getting more and more common and online chatting rooms and discussion forums are becoming increasingly more popular. Actually, according to www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm the amount of internet users worldwide 1st of September 2004, was as many as 800,040,498, as opposed to â€Å"only† 360,971,012 in 2000. A growth of no less than 121.6 %. So how is this impacting on traditional genres of art? As mentioned above the Internet is a very fast growing medium, also for interaction between people. This relatively new medium has not only created a lot of new types of occupations and businesses, it has also in many ways altered a number of the existing ones. This also applies within the field of art. As art has traditionally been thought of as something one can touch or view up close, like a painting or a sculpture, some find it hard to accept digital art to be a proper form of art. But as Shawn Olson – a former photojournalist and now the author of â€Å"Artistic Network creative arts† on the web - states; â€Å"I've heard people say that technology lessens the value of art.

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) :: essays research papers

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Digital Subscriber Line new technology that takes advantage of standard copper telephone line to provide secure, reliable, high-speed Internet access. DSL refers to the family of digital subscriber line technologies, such as ADSL, HDSL, and RADSL. Connection speed for DSL ranges from 1.44 Mbps to 512 Kbps downstream and around 128 Kbps upstream. Unlike traditional connections DSL such as analog modems and IDSN, DSL deliver continuous â€Å"always on† access. That means multimedia-rich websites, e-mail, and other online applications are available anytime. DSL makes it possible for you to remain online even while you’re talking on the telephone-without jeopardizing the quality of either connection. DSL is available in a spectrum of speeds. Some are best home use, while others are designed to accommodate rigorous business demands. Whether for business or the home, DSL, offers unsurpassed price/performance value compared to other online options. There are the five facts tha t one should know about DSL. It is remarkably fast. With DSL service, you can benefit from Internet speeds that are up to 12 minutes faster than a typical ISDN connection and 50 times faster than traditional 28.8 Kbps modems. This means that in the 12 seconds it takes to read this information, you could have downloaded a 2 megabyte presentation file or web photograph. It would take 10 more minutes (600 more seconds!) to download the same with a traditional 28.8 Kbps. It’s highly reliable. One can depend on DSL because its proven technology takes full advantage of the existing telecommunications infrastructure. It’s inherently secure. DSL network provides a dedicated Internet connection via private telephone wires, you can bypass dial-up intruders or shared network hackers. Unlike traditional dial-upp modems or cable modems. DSL protects your valuable data with the most secure connection available. It’s surprising affordable. DSL is widely recognized as the most cost-effective connectivity solution for small buisness. DSL delivers industrial- strength like speed to multiple users at only 25% of typical TI costs. There is no better price option available. DSL is also an exceptional value for home users. At about $2 a day for services that meets the needs of most people. The connection is always on. It’s ready to run every minute of the day. There’s no more logging on and off. No more busy signals or disconnects. This gives you the freedom to focus on what you want to accomplish on line rather than focusing on trying to get connected.

Gallipoli Essay

A relevant idea in the film Gallipoli, produced by Peter Weir, is that war is a tragic waste of life. Weir made this idea seem relevant in the world today by using film techniques including music, dialogue and symbolism. Gallipoli is the story of a young man who went off to World War One. This particular film narrates the story of an eighteen-year-old from Western Australia who boarded a troop ship bound for Gallipoli. These soldiers fought the Turks in a campaign to capture Constantinople in 1915. It was Archy Hamilton’s sacrifices that highlighted the main idea that war was a tragic waste of life. Music is the first technique used to show us that war is a tragic waste of life, an idea that is relevant in the world today. Adagio in G Minor was a fitting sad and sombre piece. It was played along with blue lighting and visual effects such as the smoke when the soldiers crossed from Lemnos to Gallipoli. This piece of music really made me feel sad. It really helped to convey the sombre mood. The blue lighting and smoke also helped to add to the tension of the scene. This scene reminded me of animals heading off to a slaughterhouse. The superior officers acted as the humans, whilst the soldiers acted as the animals. It was these attitudes towards life and society that really helped me to understand that war is a tragic a waste of life. The officers’ attitudes showed that they did not seem to care about the soldiers’ lives or personalities. They just wanted to win the war. This idea is backed up by the dialogue between Major Barton and Colonel Robinson. â€Å"If the Turks get back in their trenches we’ll get cut to pieces! † â€Å"I still say you must go. † This attitude of the officer’s also has relevance in today’s world. There are still people out there nowadays who are so ambitious that they do not care what is in their way or who gets hurt. They are determined to reach their goal, for example a parliamentary race for election or an athlete’s fight for a champion title. Dialogue is a technique used to show us that war is a tragic waste of life, an idea that is still relevant in the world today. In the opening scenes we are shown a tracking shot of Archy sprinting and his ‘world-class’ time. This is showing us a brief snapshot of Archy’s talent. Later in the film Uncle Jack says to Archy, â€Å"You’ve got the God-given ability to be amongst our very greatest. † This piece of dialogue really conveyed to me the extent of his talent and that he could go far. This is why I was dismayed to find out that Archy was killed in action. The enemy does not care who is in the firing line or what the opposition’s personal talents are, they are just there to win the war. So not only is war a tragic waste of life, but a waste of talent too. Eric Bogle’s hit single ‘And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda’ also backed up this idea. In the song he mentioned the â€Å"wounded and maimed. † This refers to those men like Archy, who had the potential to go far but war got in the way. Their talents were wasted or never had the chance to develop, because their countries were fighting over a minor issue that could have been resolved. This idea is also relevant in the world today because everyone has the potential to do or become something great. You just have to look deep inside yourself to find it. That is why it makes me so sad to see people wasting their talent and potential over one silly and stupid mistake and then end up going to jail. Another technique used to show that war is a tragic waste of life is symbolism. Symbolism is also used to show that this idea is still relevant in the world today. One example of this would be the use of watches. We are shown a close up shot of Uncle Jack clocking Archy’s record-breaking time. Later in the film, before Archy goes over the top of the trench, we are shown him hanging up the watch along with his other meagre possessions. This shows us that it means something to him. I believe this is because it reminds him of back home, his friends and family. The watch is also a symbol of Archy’s talent and is something that brings Uncle Jack and Archy closer. I also believe that the use of watches is used to symbolise death and that death runs on it’s own clock. This idea is also relevant in the world today when people face the tragedy of cancer. We cannot control whether we will be alive tomorrow, we just have to let life run its course. It made me really sad to see the watch being hung up on the bayonet because I felt it brought me to the end. Also, when Uncle Jack is saying goodbye, he said, â€Å"Take care of it boy. This is referring to the watch. This statement reinforces Archy’s youth by using the word â€Å"boy†. It also reinforces the meaning of the watch for him. To conclude, the techniques used to show that war is a tragic waste of life are music, dialogue and symbolism. These techniques were also used to show this main idea’s relevance in today’s world. I think the world today has become smarter than the days of world wars. There will still be skirmishes, but mankind has become smart enough to know not to sacrifice everything all over again.

To What Extent And Why Did German Nationalism Change Between 1789 And 1840?

German nationalism did change between 1789 and 1840, regarding their aims, characteristics and demographics, but only to some extent. The changes and continuation of nationalism were essentially affected by the international context and the domestic factors which both stimulated and stagnated German nationalism throughout the period. Although the nationalists may have not achieved their ultimate aim for political unity by 1840, the events during this period had indeed strengthened the ‘cultural well'.The aims of the nationalists did change, but the change and continuity depended on the domestic situation and were influenced by the international context. The initial aim of the nationalists was to have cultural unity and the idea of a ‘grossdeutcheland'. They hoped to achieve a German identity through sharing the same language and taste in art, literature and music. The nationalists were inspired by the words of Hegel and his idea of the ‘volksgeist' and Fichte's prin ciple of ‘German superiority and the ‘fatherland'.The desire for cultural unity remained and continued from 1789, as sown in the Wartburg Festival in 1817 where they created the German Lutzow Freikorps flag, and this was also carried out in the Hambach festival 1932. Moreover, the location of it being the refuge of Martin Luther is significant and to the nationalists, it gives a historic foundation to Germany. Although cultural unity wasn't the main aim later on, the events of the Battle of Leipzig 1813 and particularly the Rhine Crisis in 1840, did inadvertently deepen the ‘cultural well'.The fact that Theirs claimed that the Rhineland, which became a historical ground for the Germans after the war of liberation, was France's natural border, intensified the cultural well. The Rhine crisis attacked the nationalists culture and historic past, and thus led to the Rhine song movement. Becker's popular poem became available for everyone to read, and this widespread nes s strengthened the cultural unity. Hence the international factors didn't change their aim for cultural unity, but helped enhance it.Another fundamental aim of the German nationalists is to have political unity in the Deutsche Bund by amending the structure of the Bund system. They desire a constitution in each state, and although this exists in Bavaria, Wurttemberg and Baden, the main states Prussia and Austria do not adopt this system. The formation of the Deutsche Bund (German Confederation) in 1815 after the War of Liberation made the nationalists against the Bund and its system because it was reactionary.This sparked ideas about liberalism and wanting a constitution, and this began to be expressed in the Wartburg Festival in 1817 where they burnt effigies and created manifestos. Before the creation of the Bund the nationalists didn't want political unity, and the freikorps were fighting for their nation. However, the creation of the bund had changed their aims into wanting poli tical unity. Nevertheless, the nationalists were restricted from achieving their aim, because they were being repressed by the Carlsbad decrees 1819 created by the Bund in result of Wartburg.This meant that the nationalists could not openly attack the Bund, had no rights of association and were prevented from writing manifestos. They were further repressed by the 6 Acts 1834 in response to Hambach, and so this repression prevented the nationalists from changing and trying to achieve their aims. Hence the political context restricted the nationalists and so there was a decade of no change. However, it wasn't until the Rhine crisis which allowed the nationalists to express themselves more since the Bund appeased them and allowed Becker's popular poem to be published in every newspaper, available to all.This to some was seen as a turning point or a big change as the Bund was supporting the nationalists to some extent, but only because the nationalists were not against the Bund. This co uld suggest that although the nationalists didn't manage to make changes to the political system, they did change and improve the relationship between them and the Bund. Thus, the political context did stagnate and restrict the nationalist movement in terms of their aims, but it did help them achieve cultural unity. The characteristics of the nationalists indeed changed from 1879- 1840.The French Revolution in 1789 inspired the nationalists into having liberal ideas, which the Bund were reactionary to. This reactionary and conservative system made the nationalists anti-establishment, since they rejected the French ideas of having constitutions, freedom of speech and press and rights to vote. This liberalism was shown in both Wartburg and Hambach where they created their manifesto of demands to reform the government, and this anti- establishment continued throughout this period. It can be said that theRhine Crisis proves there to be a relationship formed with the nationalists and the Bund since Metternich sympathised the nationalists, they still remained anti-establishment. Although the nationalists were inspired by French idea's, they were always hostile to France. This was because of the constant intervention and triumph of France, with the Treaty of Tilsit 1807 on Prussia after Battle of Jena and Auerstedt, and in particular the War of Liberation 1815 which was fought on the Rhineland, and finally the Rhine Crisis 1840.France has always remained a national enemy in the eyes of both the Bund and the nationalists, and this hostility intensifies particularly in 1840 when Theirs claims the Rhineland is France's ‘natural borders' and sends troops there. Hence France is a key factor to why the characteristics of the nationalists have stayed the same and changed. One key change however is the behaviour and method of the nationalists. As a result of the repression from the Carlsbad decrees 1819 and the 6 Acts 1834, the nationalists were very limited and restri cted as they couldn't express their demands openly, as there was strict censorship.Thus this lead to romanticism, where underlying political messages were hidden in art literature and music. France's interference in the Rhine Crisis influenced the ‘Rhine song movement' , as since the nationalists were under censorship, they expressed themselves romantically. Thus, the characteristics and behaviour of the nationalists did change through romanticism, but their ideas of anti-establishment and hostility to France continued, and all were effected by France and the political context.In hindsight, the demographics of the nationalist movement may seem to grow and become widespread, but in reality it essentially stayed the same. The nationalists primarily consisted of middle-class educated bourgeoisie students and lecturers who were referred to as the burschenschaft. There were only 1,000 burschenschaft out of 10,000 students in the German Confederation, and so the initial scale of how many nationalists there were is very small compared to the general size of the population.During the War of Liberation, only 12% of those who fought were freikorps who fought for the ‘German nation', whilst the others were conscripted soldiers fighting only for their monarchy. Hence this proves that the demographics in the beginning was very small, and so nationalism was not very known or popular. The nationalists hoped to gain more supporters by having discussion circles and gymnastic societies. Nonetheless, in the Wartburg festival, merely 500 burschenschaft members attended, again showing how not many people shared the same nationalist ideas.Perhaps this was because of the disorganisation of the Wartburg festival, as the burschenschaft did not productively state what they want to do, but rather complained about the current Bund, making it difficult for others to understand their true aims. In contrast to Hambach 1832 however, there was a big increase in attendance of 20-30 ,000 people. This was seen to be the most ‘popular political festival'. Conversely, a lot of the people who attended were peasants who were most likely there to sell food for their own economic reasons, not for the political side to it.Also, although Hambach seemed to be more organised than Wartburg, only the literates could understand and read the invitations, and so again it seems that only the educated middle class burschenschaft were exposed to the political agenda, not the illiterates who made up almost most of the population. Again, it wasn't until the Rhine crisis did the demographics change a little. The fact that an average, unknown court clerk wrote the poem in September 1840, makes it more relatable to the public which is why it was widespread.The Bund allowed the poem to be published in every German newspaper, which also means that more people were becoming literate and so there was more support and ideas spread faster across the regions. This could have affected t he demographics, in increasing but not as much since it was still lead by the middle class burschenschaft. What limits the nationalists into achieving their aims is that they have no clear leader, and so perhaps if there was one, the ideas could become more widespread, hence once step further to achieving their aims.The demographics does in essence stay the same throughout the period, it being the very few educated middle class. In conclusion, German Nationalism did change in terms of their romantic behaviour and political and cultural aims, and the key factors to why these changes occurred was mainly the influence of France, and the political changes within the Bund. Yet, their ideas and characteristics of being hostile to France and remaining antiestablishment and the small scale of demographics continued to stay the same from 1789-1840 because of the repression in result of censorship, and again French intervening.It seems that throughout this period, a pattern has emerged where the nationalists create a festival or event, which leads to repression and a decade of censorship. This repression lead to the change in behaviour, where they expressed their ideas through romanticism building their cultural well and then France's influence leads to the cycle occurring again. However, we cannot ignore the fact that, although the nationalists may have not achieved their political aims, the events through this period has definitely built upon their ‘cultural well', and so had achieved cultural unity to some extent, and this is a change.

The Betrayal and Loyalty in Macbeth and Kite Runner

â€Å"A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything. † Baba says these words to Rahim Khan while he is talking about Amir at the end of Chapter 3, and the quotation reveals important traits in both Amir and Baba. With these words, Baba sums up one of Amir’s major character flaws—his cowardice—and Baba shows how much value he places in standing up for what is right. Baba is reluctant to praise Amir, largely because he feels Amir lacks the courage to even stand up for himself, leaving Amir constantly craving Baba’s approval.Amir’s desire for this approval as well as his cowardice later cause him to let Assef rape Hassan. The quotation also foreshadows the major test of Amir’s character that occurs when he must decide whether to return to Kabul to save Sohrab. As Amir searches for redemption, the question he struggles with is precisely what concerned Baba: does he have the courage and stre ngth to stand up for what is right? â€Å"I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world.Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba. † When Amir says this, toward the end of Chapter 7, he has just watched Assef rape Hassan,and rather than intervene, he ran away. Amir says he aspired to cowardice because, in his estimation, what he did was worse than cowardice. If fear of being hurt by Assef were the main reason he ran, Amir suggests that at least would have been more justified. Instead, he allowed the rape to happen because he wanted the blue kite, which he thought would prove to Baba that he was a winner like him, earning him Baba’s love and approval.The price of the kite, as Amir says, was Hassan, and this is why Amir calls Hassan the lamb he had to slay. He draws a comparison between Hassan and the lamb sacrificed during the Muslim hol iday of Eid Al-Adha to commemorate Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son to God. In this context, Hassan was the sacrifice Amir had to make to get the kite and ultimately to gain Baba’s affection. â€Å"That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for he last twenty-six years. † At the outset of Chapter 1, just as the book begins, Amir writes these words. With them, he hints at the central drama of the story and the reason he is telling it. To the reader, the quotation functions as a teaser. It piques the reader’s interest without revealing exactly what Amir is talking about, and from the time period Amir mentions, twenty-six years, the reader gets an idea of just how important this moment was. As the story unfolds, we realize that the deserted alley Amir refers to is wh ere Hassan was raped, and that this event has largely defined the course of Amir’s life since.This is what Amir means when he says that the past continues to claw its way out. Try as he might to bury it, he was unable to because his feelings of guilt kept arising. As a result, he figuratively continues peeking into the alley where Assef raped Hassan, literally meaning that he keeps going over the event in his mind. â€Å"There is a way to be good again. † (pg. 2) Rahim Khan said this to Amir to encourage him to help Hassan’s son escape Afghanistan. †And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You can’t love a person who lives that way without fearing him too.Maybe even hating him a little. † (pg 15) This is Amir’s assessment of his father. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb. † (pg. 76) Here Amir describes the look on Hassan’s face as Assef and two others rape him. The look reminds Amir of a sacrifical lamb. I envied her. Her secret was out. Spoken. Dealt with. † (pg 165) Amir makes this comment to the reader after Soraya tells him the whole story of how she ran away with a man and shamed her family. He wishes he could tell what secrets he carries around, too. Baba had wrestled bears his whole life . . In the end, a bear had come that he couldn’t best. But even then, he had lost on his own terms. † (pg 174) Baba has died and Amir sums up his life with these words. The Search For Redemption Amir’s quest to redeem himself makes up the heart of the novel. Early on, Amir strives to redeem himself in Baba’s eyes, primarily because his mother died giving birth to him, and he feels responsible. To redeem himself to Baba, Amir thinks he must win the kite-tournament and bring Baba the losing kite, both of which are inciting incidents that set the rest of the novel in motion.The more substantial part of Amir’s search for redemption, ho wever, stems from his guilt regarding Hassan. That guilt drives the climactic events of the story, including Amir’s journey to Kabul to find Sohrab and his confrontation with Assef. The moral standard Amir must meet to earn his redemption is set early in the book, when Baba says that a boy who doesn’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything. As a boy, Amir fails to stand up for himself. As an adult, he can only redeem himself by proving he has the courage to stand up for what is right.The Love and Tension Between Fathers and Sons Amir has a very complex relationship with Baba, and as much as Amir loves Baba, he rarely feels Baba fully loves him back. Amir’s desire to win Baba’s love consequently motivates him not to stop Hassan’s rape. Baba has his own difficulty connecting with Amir. He feels guilty treating Amir well when he can’t acknowledge Hassan as his son. As a result, he is hard on Amir, and he can on ly show his love for Hassan indirectly, by bringing Hassan along when he takes Amir out, for instance, or paying for Hassan’s lip surgery.In contrast with this, the most loving relationship between father and son we see is that of Hassan and Sohrab. Hassan, however, is killed, and toward the end of the novel we watch Amir trying to become a substitute father to Sohrab. Their relationship experiences its own strains as Sohrab, who is recovering from the loss of his parents and the abuse he suffered, has trouble opening up to Amir. When we got to Kabul, I [Rahim Khan] discovered that Hassan had no intention of moving into the house. â€Å"But all these rooms are empty, Hassan jan. No one is going to live in them,† I said. But he would not.He said it was a matter of ihtiram, a matter of respect. He and Farzana moved their things into the hut in the backyard, where he was born. I pleaded for them to move into one of the guest bedrooms upstairs, but Hassan would hear nothin g of it. â€Å"What will Amir agha think? † he said to me. â€Å"What will he think when he comes back to Kabul after the war and finds that I have assumed his place in the house? † Then, in mourning for your father, Hassan wore black for the next forty days. (16. 24-25) You may be confused by the voice here. It's actually not Amir – Rahim Khan gets one chapter in the book.Rahim Khan recounts his trip to Hazarajat to find Hassan and bring him back to the house in Kabul. When Hassan does move back to the house with Rahim Khan, he refuses to live where Baba and Amir lived. Does Hassan's refusal suggest that Hassan is only Amir's servant and the two never achieved an equal friendship? (Side question: Does Hassan sense – on some unconscious level – Baba's true relationship to him? Is that why he mourns Baba for forty days? ) I felt like a man sliding down a steep cliff, clutching at shrubs and tangles of brambles and coming up empty-handed. The room wa s swooping up and down, swaying side to side. Did Hassan know? † I said through lips that didn't feel like my own. Rahim Khan closed his eyes. Shook his head. [†¦ ] â€Å"Please think, Amir Jan. It was a shameful situation. People would talk. All that a man had back then, all that he was, was his honor, his name, and if people talked†¦ We couldn't tell anyone, surely you can see that. † He reached for me, but I shed his hand. Headed for the door. [†¦ ] I opened the door and turned to him. â€Å"Why? What can you possibly say to me? I'm thirty-eight years old and I've just found out my whole life is one big fucking lie!What can you possibly say to make things better? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing! † (17. 57-63) Rahim Khan tells Amir about Baba's betrayal of him, Hassan, and Ali. Here's the story: Baba slept with Sanaubar, Ali's wife, and fathered Hassan. But Baba never told Amir or Hassan about it. We wonder if Rahim Khan's revelation makes life easi er or harder for Amir. On the one hand, Amir sees, for the first time, the similarities between himself and his father. Now he knows he wasn't the only one walking around with a ton of bricks (a. k. a. secret guilt). But does this really help Amir?Is it comforting at all to know his father made similar mistakes? Amir's betrayal of Hassan brings him closer to Baba in ways he couldn't have predicted. Although the two don't share the same secrets, they do share the secrecy of guilt. â€Å"You know,† Rahim Khan said, â€Å"one time, when you weren't around, your father and I were talking. And you know how he always worried about you in those days. I remember he said to me, ‘Rahim, a boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything. ‘ I wonder, is that what you've become? † (17. 4) Rahim Khan has just asked Amir to rescue Sohrab from Kabul. Amir is initially resistant, so Rahim Khan tries three times to convince Amir to undertake t he task. (The task is obviously a redemptive quest because there's no reason Amir has to rescue Sohrab. Rahim Khan tells Amir he has enough money to get Sohrab, so it seems like anyone could have performed this task. ) Anyway, Rahim Khan gives Amir three reasons why he should rescue Sohrab. One, because your father thought you couldn't stand up for anything and here's your chance to prove him wrong. Second, it's my dying wish that you rescue Sohrab.And third, Hassan was actually your half-brother, so you owe it to him. We think all these reasons add up and Amir agrees to rescue Sohrab. Of course, the third reason seals the deal, but they're all important and end up motivating Amir. How could he have lied to me all those years? To Hassan? He had sat me on his lap when I was little, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, There is only one sin. And that is theft†¦ When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. Hadn't he said those words to me? And now, fifteen yea rs after I'd buried him, I was learning that Baba had been a thief.And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he'd stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor. His nang. His namoos. (18. 5) This is a central moment in the novel because it revises our picture of Baba, and thus our picture of Amir. Amir's guilt, all these years, has partly resulted from Baba's very strict adherence to a personal code. Baba's set of principles include honor (nang), pride (namoos), and loyalty. Now Amir finds out the following: not only did Baba â€Å"steal† Ali's honor and pride, but he stole a sense of self from Hassan, and a brother from Amir.What are you supposed to do when you find out the single most important figure of authority and morality in your life strayed from his principles? That's right, go on a personal quest of redemption to rescue your half-nephew from a sadistic, Mein Kampf-toting member of the Tali ban. I unfolded the letter. It was written in Farsi. No dots were omitted, no crosses forgotten, no words blurred together – the handwriting was almost childlike in its neatness. (17. 7)| First, it's amazing that Hassan learns how to read and write as an adult. But even more amazing is the aura of innocence still surrounding Hassan.Hassan lives through a tragic attack at a young age. His best friend, Amir, betrays him. He and his father leave their home. War comes to Afghanistan. But through all this, Hassan holds onto something like innocence. Chapter 16 – 17 Going to Kabul becomes a test of Amir’s honor, loyalty, and manhood. Amir is clearly afraid to go. He knows the city is extremely dangerous, and in returning there he would risk everything he has, including his life and the welfare of his family. Kabul will also undoubtedly recall memories of Hassan and his past that Amir would rather not confront.Rahim Khan recognizes that the decision is a difficult one for Amir. To convince him, he brings up the conversation he once had with Baba, when Baba said he feared that Amir would not be able to stand up to anything as a man if he could not stand up for himself as a boy. Amir concedes that Baba may have been right. Then Rahim Khan reveals that Ali was not Hassan’s father, and implies that Hassan was, in fact, Baba’s child. Hassan and Amir, then, would be half-brothers, and Sohrab would be Amir’s nephew, obligating Amir further to find the boy. The dilemma brings together the tensions Amir has struggled with in the novel.By rescuing Sohrab, Amir can become the man that Baba always wanted him to be, and he can finally atone for the ways he failed Hassan as a friend. â€Å"Do you know what I will tell Daoud Khan the next time he comes to our house for dinner? † Assef said. â€Å"I’m going to have a little chat with him, man to man, mard to mard. Tell him what I told my mother. About Hitler. Now, there was a leader. A great leader. A man with vision. I’ll tell Daoud Khan to remember that if they had let Hitler finish what he had started, the world be a better place now. † (Hosseini 43) Assef claims that Hitler was his role model.He has a same point of view as Hitler has. He wants the country to be one race, one religion and one belief. This is also related to the holocaust in WWII. We all know that Hitler’s actions fund the worst actions in human society because he started the WWII. He was also racist against people who have different beliefs and race. Similarly, Assef copied Hitler and isolated the Hazaras from the rest of the country. This prove that his attitude toward the country and those Hazaras end him up with suffering the serious consequences. Assef and Hitler‘s actions are the worst actions in human. His blue eyes flicked to Hassan. Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our watan. They dirty our blood. † He made a sweeping, grandiose gesture with his hands. â€Å"Afghanistan for Pashtuns, I say. That’s my vision. † This is a significant because this quote does a good job in terms of portraying Assef’s attitude toward those Hazaras. Assef said this when he is harassing Hassan. We all know that Amir was put in a situation where he has to decide whether he has to stand up for himself or following the belief of Pashtun bully.Assef harassed Hassan and Amir for not following their beliefs and he eventually joined Taliban and killed tons of Hazaras. This harassment due to different religion lead to the worst action the Taliban has done and this lead to the disunity of the country. Assef slipped on the brass knuckles. Gave me an icy look. â€Å"You’re part of the problem, Amir. If idiots like you and your father didn’t take these people in, we’d be rid of them by now. They’d all just go rot in Hazarajat where they belong. You’re a disgrace to Afghanistan. †This quote indirectly tells us that Assef’s attitude will lead Afghanistan to downfall and his point of view will drive him forward to join the Taliban to kill those Hazaras. He thinks Pashtun who spend time with the people with a different religion are disgrace to Afghanistan. His point of view is the same as Hitlers. He think those Hazaras should be always oppressed and Afghanistan is the land only for Pashtun. This is an unfair way of differentiating people. Afghanistan will have the potential to become more united without Taliban’s prejudice and the attitudes toward people with different religion.

Analysis of Learning Theory Essay

Teaching and education in the church utilizes both the spiritual, as well as the psychological. Andy Stanley and Lane Jones in their book Communicating For A Change discuss teaching the Bible in a clear and concise way that encourages one to change. William Yount in his book Created to Learn examines traditional learning theory and how it applies to teaching the Bible. Andy Stanley has come up with three ways one can approach teaching the Bible. The first way is to teach the Bible to people. This method is just to educate the people about Bible facts. It does not address doctrine or to dig deeper into biblical truth. Stanley states, â€Å"This is the perfect approach for the communicator whose goal is to simply explain what the Bible teaches.† This is not a very helpful teaching method. Just knowing Bible knowledge will not impact one’s life. Change requires application. The second way to approach teaching Scripture is to teach people the Bible. This is the traditional way pastors and teachers approach the Scriptures. It is three points and a poem. Stanley states, â€Å"This goal differs from the first in that the communicator takes his audience into account as he plans his approach.† The third method of teaching is the method the authors present, which is hearing and doing. Stanley states, â€Å"A third goal, and the one I subscribe to, is to teach people how to live a life that reflects the values, principles and truths of the Bible. In short, my goal is change. I want them to do something different instead of just think about it.† This is best summed up when James states to be a doer of the Word not just a hearer, in the first chapter, talks about being a hearer and a doer of the Word. Appling the Word is the only way one will see any change in one’s life. Learning also has a psychological aspect as well. There are various theories on how one learns. One such theory is behavioral learning theory. Behavioral theory teaches that one learns through conditioning. Edward Thorndike has adapted traditional beha vioral learning to the classroom. William Yount describes Thorndike’s law of readiness. â€Å"The law of readiness states that learning proceeds best when learners are properly prepared to respond†¦In the classroom, learning proceeds best when learners are made ‘ready’ – when they are engaged in the subject – at the beginning of the session.† The law of readiness takes into account the environment where learning takes place. By providing the optimal learning environment, the teacher is creating an atmosphere that encourages learning. Learning also takes place through repetition and practice, which is known as the law of exercise. The third law Thorndike recognizes is the law of effect. Yount states, â€Å"The law of effect states that any response that is followed by pleasure or reward strengthens the association between that response and its stimulus.† This theory treats human learning just like training an animal. It does not take into consideration man’s spiritual nature. However, conditioning is useful in classroom management and conduct. Another theory of learning is social learning theory. Albert Bandura is the psychologist who popularized this theory. It has four stages. Stage one is known as attention. Yount states, â€Å"Attention is attracted, intentionally or not, by the perception that models help status competence, popularity, success, or similarity.† The concept of modeling is best described biblically as discipleship. The next phase is called retention. Yount states, â€Å"Retention – ‘retaining information or impressions’ – refers to the observer’s encoding of the model’s behavior into memory so that it can be remembered and produced at a later time.† This is done by mentally storing the information in one’s brain. The third stage is production. Production is practicing the observed behavior and adapting it based on feedback. This concept is learning by doing what one has seen in the model. Jesus sent out the disciples in groups of two to put into practice what they have learned. The fourth stage is motivation. The learning is motivated by their behavior being reinforced. This is done through feedback, both positive and negative. Social learning theory is consistent with the process of discipleship. Mentors are able to model what the Christian life looks like and the disciples put that behavior into practice. A third learning theory is cognitive learning theory. One form of cognitive learning is known as discovery learning. Yount states, â€Å"Discovery learning builds upon direct instruction to help students see the relationships among principles and concepts. It leads to longer-lasting retention of the material, as well as higher self-esteem in learners. Discovery learning encourages the development and use of creative thinking skills, involving formal logic, but more, including beliefs, desires expectations, emotions, and intentions of learners.† Discovery learning is made up of five concepts. The first concept is structure. This is organizing material in a concrete way in order to be taught. It is organizing material into outlines or graphs and the like. The next concept is presentation. Yount states, â€Å"Bruner believed that people possess different modes of under standing, and that these modes were available to learners of any age. He called these modes the enactive, the iconic, and the symbolic.† The enactive mode is learning by doing and seeing presentations. The iconic mode is learning visually by pictures and such. The symbolic mode is learning by describing complicated concepts verbally. The third concept is economy. This concept deals with the idea that providing too much information can cause overload and actually hinder learning. Stanley refers to this when evaluating traditional Bible teaching. The next concept is power. This power is best found in keeping learning simple and concise. Breaking concepts down into formulas or diagrams is helpful. The final concept of discovery learning is motivation. Yount states, â€Å"Intrinsic motivation sustains that will to learn; extrinsic motivation does not. Intrinsic motivation comes from the student’s own curiosity, their drive to achieve competence, and reciprocity – the desire to work cooperatively with others. These are rewarding in themselves, and thus, self-sustaining. The fourth learning theory is educational humanism. This concept takes the whole person into consideration and is learner focused. Yount states, â€Å"Learners are persons; therefore, life-changing learning engages personal attitudes, emotions, and values. The goal of educational humanism was to personalize the classroom.† There are several positive aspects to humanistic learning. One is the ability for teachers to build relationships with their students. This can also apply the modeling concept of social learning. Another positive aspect is the ability for students to explore their feelings and emotions. Yount states, â€Å"In the context of Bible study, exploring personal feelings and sharing personal testimonies are means to spiritual growth as God’s Word speaks, and Bible truths are discovered, personalized, and integrated into the authentic activities of life.† Learning theory impacts how one approaches teaching the Bible. In the opinion of the author, social learning theories, as well as, aspects of discovery learning and humanistic learning are effective in teaching the Scriptures. The concept of modeling is biblical. When Jesus told the disciples to follow Him, He was inviting them into a modeling relationship. This is the call to discipleship. By discovering biblical truth and applying to one’s life, both individually and in community, is how one grows in Christ. Bibliography Stanley, Andy and Lane Jones. Communicating For A Change. Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2006. Yount, William R. Created to Learn: A Christian Teacher’s Introduction to Educational Psychology. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2010. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Andy Stanley and Lane Jones, Communicating For A Change, (Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2006), 93. [ 2 ]. Stanley and Jones, 94. [ 3 ]. William R. Yount, Created to Learn: A Christian Teacher’s Introduction to Educational Psychology, (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2010), 178. [ 4 ]. Yount, 179. [ 5 ]. Ibid., 219. [ 6 ]. Ibid., 220. [ 7 ]. Ibid., 221. [ 8 ]. Ibid., 242. [ 9 ]. Ibid., 243. [ 10 ]. Stanley and Jones, 102. [ 11 ]. Yount, 244. [ 12 ]. Ibid., 313. [ 13 ]. Ibid., 323.

A’ Minimum Of Two’ A Short Story

A Minimum Of Two A Short Story â€Å"Minimum of two† is a collection of short stories written by Australian writer Tim Winton. He writes his stories in different views such as first and third person, mainly for the reader to feel the story more in depth. The book features 14 short stories which are; Forest Winter, No Memory Comes, Gravity, The Water was Dark and it went forever down, Nislam’s Friend, Minimum of two, Distant Lands, Laps, Bay of Angels, The strong one. Holding, More, Death belongs to the dead his father told him and sadness to the sad and finally Blood and water. Throughout all of these stories there is relevant trauma for past events, coming to an outcome of growth in either a positive or negative way. The short story that in my opinion is the most powerful in regards to trauma and growth is the story â€Å"Minimum of two†. It’s written in first person view of the husband (Neil). This is a deep story about a married woman called Greta getting raped by a senior in her de partment by the name of Fred Blakey. He is taken to court by Greta and Neil and is sentenced to 5 years imprisonment but for Neil this is not enough because he went through ample suffering through the recovery of Greta in the way that she did not want to be intimate with him because she was sensitive as expected after being raped. With this issue, Neil decides to take matters in his own hands and contemplates killing Blakey when he gets released, he tells his friend Tony Mitchell that he will be doing this. Mitchell doesn’t agree with what Neil wants to do, but Neil doesn’t listen to him and ends up killing Blakey when he got out. His conscience then catches up with him and he then feels like the most horrible person, saying that he feels that he was a â€Å"dead man†. The main trauma in this story is the rape of Greta by Fred Blakey, this is mainly trauma from Greta as she becomes sensitive and doesn’t get intimate with Neil, this is also a traumatic for him, and this is shown in the way he writes about his feelings. It seems like her intimacy with him is a great thing for him making this story traumatic for both Neil and Greta. In the ending Neil kills Blakey and comes to a negative growth of feeling sorry for himself, as well as losing his best friend Tony Mitchell. The next story that showed trauma and growth is the story called â€Å"Distant Lands†. It’s written in the third person view. This short story is about an overweight woman working at her father’s newsagency. This woman is called â€Å"Fat Maz† she was teased and tormented through high school and also was not supported very well by her parents, they also treated her as if they didn’t know her or that she wasn’t their daughter. There was a day though that changed her life, a stranger Pakistani man comes into the newsagency, and opens the book â€Å"Distant Lands† has a glance and leaves. As she goes to inspect the book sh e realises the blurb saying â€Å"You will want this book never to finish†after she reads the blurb she is interested in reading the book, as she is reading it the Pakistani man comes into the newsagency once again and this time re-opening â€Å"Distant Lands† and smiling at Fat Maz, he gives her money and some confidence to leave her garbage job helping at her father’s newsagency