The Impact of Colonialism

It is almost a given now that most everyone considers colonialism as a mistake. They thought that the spreading of ideas, culture, and religion would have a positive effect on the native cultures they colonized. In fact though, these changes had an adverse effect on the peoples of these countries. For although many laud the efforts of these countries to spread Christianity, some question the motives of these countries in dealing the everyday needs of these people. In seeing the natives as inferior the mother countries were able to justify their treatment of them. At this time many subscribed to the belief of manifest destiny and social Darwinism. This is the belief in which the colonizing of other countries is justified by the belief that if God hadn†t wanted these people to be colonized He wouldn†t have let it happen, or would have provided the colonized with the same technology which would make an invasion impossible. Another item that has caused a lot of strife within the lives of the natives is in the area of education. For many natives the history of their country before colonization is very foggy. They have been schooled from day one on the histories of their European conquerors, but seldom is the history of the native cultural even discussed let alone taught. This reminds me of the point made in Jamaica Kincaid†s novel â€Å"A Small Place† in which she comments about getting a day off of school for Queen Victoria†s birthday. In the book Kincaid states that most of the people on the island of Antigua don†t even realize why they have been given a holiday. This type of confusion is typical in dealing with the relationship between colony and colonizer. It is however easy to sympathize with the colonizing country because they are teaching the only thing they know. They can†t teach about the native culture because they have no clue of the history. In fact probably the best method would have been to leave the history part of education in the hands of the natives. In other subjects, such as math, the colonizing may then be able to add insights that may not have been apparent to the natives. But as for the history of the country, there is nothing that a colonizing country can tell a native culture that wasn†t already known. As Jamaica Kincaid implies in her book, if there is one thing that was sorely missed after the English left Antigua it is the fact that for the first time in Antigua there were quality built, well organized places to learn. As kincaid explains in the book, the beautiful library built by the British has since been demolished. And although the renovations for a new one were supposed to end years ago it hasn†t worked out that way. The library has now been moved to a tiny apartment above a grocery store. Where once these books had been categorically stacked on shelves, they were now gathering dust, strewn across the floor and randomly inserted into cardboard boxes. This demise of education in Antigua says only one thing to me, that being that the emphasis of the government is in the wrong place. It is true that Antigua has had their problems with a corrupt government that is more interested in padding their pockets with foreign money than doing anything to improve the state of education. For what does it mean when you have a Minister of Education, possibly that you have no education? Often in looking for the hard-hitting effects of colonialism, the biggest effects are often missed. While pondering the effects of religion, commerce, and education, sometimes the effect of prejudice is left forgotten. We must realize that these are human beings that, in some cases, have just recently gained independence from their mother country. The problem with one country capturing another is the fact that the capturing country now thinks they are in some way superior to the country they have defeated. There is an air of inequality in these situations. One country is taught to feel as if their people are inferior and are therefore subject to obey the laws and rules set down by the ruling peoples. The obvious problem that arises from this position is the fact that there is now a proud native people that have been reduced to feeling as though they are less than the Europeans who have colonized them. This in turn creates a ripple effect that infects the future generations that also feel as though they are inferior. Hopefully eventually this lengthy chain ends, and a few are able to see beyond the situation being presented directly in their face. They are able to see that the prejudice is simply one country trying to keep another subservient to their wishes. And are in turn able to avoid the pit to which every other native has fallen victim to. These are sometimes the leaders that are able to lead their countries out of colonialism and into independence. Then again these leaders sometimes end up being as ruthless, or worse, than the colonizing country. This is where Kincaid†s comment from her book must be looked at a little more closely. She states that it is unfair to harshly judge the job of ruling that the Antiguans did after independence. Her point is that if corrupt ruling is all that you have ever witnessed, one can†t be expected to know how to suddenly run a successful country. For in many of these countries they are neck deep in problems with no end in sight. Yes, they were given their independence by the mother country, but in most cases the natives were left high and dry by the mother country financially. In conclusion, it is unfortunate that our world has been marred by the practice of colonialism. And even more unfortunate that so many countries in the world subscribed that same practice. It is hard to argue that we as a people have matured all that much since the days of colonialism. But if we as humans are able to avoid this terrible practice we are taking a step in the right direction.

Men and Women Eating Disorders

Modern society’s inclination to appreciate thin people has led to a significant increase in the incidence of eating disorders. While eating disorders are highly associated with women, the condition is not gender oriented and as such, can inflict both sexes. This paper discusses eating disorders that occur to both men and women. What is an Eating Disorder? Eating disorder is a condition where victims generally make use of food to achieve physical or emotional objective. This means that people with eating disorders may deprive themselves of food so they will become thin, or use starvation as a means to deal with unwanted feelings or emotions. Eating disorder is   popularly associated with   two conditions,   the anorexia nervosa and bulimia, both of which, can be generally defined as the extreme concern to body weight and image although such other conditions as rumination disorder and pica, which primarily occur among infants are also considered as eating disorders. Another form of eating disorder is binge eating which is most common among people who are on a diet. Psychologist Kelly Bemis described anorexia nervosa as â€Å"a complex physical, emotional, and behavioral changes occurring in individuals who starve themselves because of an aversion to food or weight gain† (Lucas, 2004). Those who suffer from anorexia nervosa are characterized by a false perception about their body size. This perception leads to self inflicted starvation or refusal to eat and which consequently results in severe weight loss that has devastating health and mental implications. Other weight loss strategies include vomiting several times in a day, using laxatives and over exercising. People who suffer from bulimia, on the other hand, are also characterized by the same extreme weight and image consciousness but they have a craving for food, which causes them to go for binge eating. Bulimics generally feel guilty when they overeat and to prevent themselves from gaining weight, use risky weight loss strategies similarly employed by anorexics. People  inflicted with bulimia and anorexia are both characterized with feelings of depression and anxiety. Unlike bulimia where victims overeat and purge themselves after by vomiting or using laxatives, people with binge eating conditions eat large amounts of food but do not purge themselves. They do not use laxatives nor vomit habitually but merely abstain themselves from eating or they go on a diet. A recent study conducted in Harvard Medical School showed that binge eating is now more prevalent than anorexia and bulimia (Stein, 2007). Among the symptoms of eating disorders include extreme weight loss; starvation or refusal to eat; frequent vomiting; obsession with exercise; and depression. Eating disorder is both a physiological and psychological condition, victims of which, do not only lose weight but also suffer from other psychological conditions such as depression. Eating Disorder among Women The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) (1995) reported that ninety percent of the people who are inflicted with anorexia and bulimia are women. Eating disorder among women is reported to begin during the teen years, which when left untreated, can persist through adulthood. The onset of eating disorders among some girls are said to follow after traumatic and stressful life experiences such as leaving home or   death of a loved one. In the case of anorexia, women are usually within the range of 90 percent of ideal body weight before they develop the illness (Blinder, 2001). Eating disorders are also most prevalent among teen-age girls. The National Women's Health Report (1995) accounted that   Ã‚  girls who are at risk of developing eating disorders are highly successful individuals who have feelings of insecurity and who may resort to controlling their food intake and weight to make them feel powerful. Eating disorder among women is highly attributed to the society’s preferential treatment to slim women. One distinct symptom of eating disorder among women is the loss of monthly menstrual cycle, which is the result of being extremely undernourished causing impairment of normal bodily functions such as that of the reproductive organs. Eating Disorder among Men The reason why eating disorders have been greatly associated with women is because more women suffer from the disease than men. For this reason, eating disorders, such as anorexia in   men may become under-diagnosed because most people, even anorexics, are generally unaware that eating disorders can occur to both men and women (Blinder. 2001). Eating disorders, however, are not gender biased conditions and as such, there are also cases of men suffering from eating disorders. It is, in fact,   estimated that ten percent of the eight million people in the United States who suffer from eating disorders are men (â€Å"Issues for Men†, 2006). While symptoms, conditions and implications of eating disorder among men and women are generally almost similar, there are aspects that vary between men and women. For example, eating disorders are more likely to occur in girls who are achievers. In men, most likely sufferers are those who come from lower socioeconomic groups; those who feared competition, and those who were not successful in their academics and in their profession (Blinder. 2001). If culture dictates that men should be big and strong, why is it that eating disorders occur in some men? According to Blinder (2001), males with eating disorders experience â€Å"sexual isolation, sexual inactivity and conflicted homosexuality†. Gays, who are also pressured in becoming physically and professionally successful,   are thus most likely victims of eating disorder. As such, eating disorders is prevalent among male homosexuals. This, however, does not mean that heterosexual males do not develop eating disorders because they do. Male runners and jockeys, for example, who are involved in activities that necessitate low weight and who suffer from too much stress and pressure can develop eating disorders (â€Å"Issues for Men†, 2006 ). Unlike women who develop the condition because they perceive themselves  to be fat, most men who develop the disease are actually overweight prior to being inflicted with the condition. Conclusion While eating disorders have always been associated with women, a number of men also suffer from the condition. There are general similarities in eating disorders between men and women, both sexes primarily use food to lose weight and to deal with emotions. There is however some discrepancy in the characteristics of victims; physical perception and weight prior to illness; and symptoms such that girls lose their menstrual cycles as an effect of starvation. Because the condition is highly associated with women, treatment of males with eating disorders has been difficult. Some male bulimics and anorexics do not realize they suffer from eating disorders because they are not aware that the illness can strike both men and women. References Adolescent and Eating Disorders. (1995, Nov. 1). National Women's Health Report, 17, 3. Blinder, B (2001). Anorexia in males. Retrieved March 8, 2007 from http://www.ltspeed.com/bjblinder/anmales.htm Lucas, A. (2004). Demystifying Anorexia Nervosa: An Optimistic Guide to Understanding and Healing. New York: Oxford University Press Stein, R. (2007, Feb 1.). Bingeing Now Seen As Most Common Eating Disorder. Washington Post, A02

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 5

International Marketing - Essay Example Conclusion and findings 10 11. References 11 1. Introduction The marketing concept stipulates that the marketing managers ought to meet, anticipate as well as to satisfy the needs of the customers (Strydom, 2004). Of notable concern is the fact that organizations during the contemporary period operate in global environments and their activities are affected by a wide range of factors. It can be noted that there are major environmental influences that affect global and international markets. As such, this paper seeks to evaluate the factors that impact on Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). This organization belongs to the international fast food category. The paper starts by outlining the historical background of the company and the main part will discuss various factors that affect the organization in the environment in which it operates. The paper will also outline some of the strategies that can be implemented in order to improve the effectiveness of the organization. 2. Brief history a bout KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was founded in 1938 by Colonel Harland Sanders in Kentucky. Sanders’ legacy lives on with KFC operating more than â€Å"13,000 restaurants in more than 80 countries and territories around the world serving up the Colonel’s Original Recipe,† (KFC, 2013). KFC mainly specialises in fried chicken which is quite different from the products that are offered by other competitors in the same industry. The founder of the company developed 11 unique recipes using a variety of seasonings to flavour chicken and this has significantly contributed to the success of the company. The company is very popular in different market environments it operates in across the globe. The products offered appeal to the interests of many people and this has helped the company to create a strong base of loyal customers. 3. Company’s rationale behind internationalization KFC is regarded as one of the first fast food industries to go international du ring the 1950s. The rationale behind the company’s internationalization drive was to attract a substantial number of customers so that it can sustain its operations across the globe. The company also sought to establish itself as a force to reckon with in the fast food industry across the globe. The company was mainly interested in developing its brand so that it can attract as many people as possible across the globe. However, KFC has encountered some challenges in its global operations where it can be seen that the fast food industry is comprised of competition. In order to successfully penetrate the global markets, the company ought to design a careful strategy given that the international market is comprised of competition from other rival competitors like McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King. The company also faces challenges in that it lacks expertise in diversifying its products since it mainly concentrate on chicken. Of notable concern is that fact that t he fast food industry is comprised of different segments which include some of the following: family restaurants, sandwich chains, pizza shops, grill as well as chicken chains among other factors. Research has shown that McDonalds dominates in market segments such as burger while KFC dominates in the chicken segment. As such, an effective marketing strategy will help the company to gain a large market share in its operations. 4. Mode of entry in different countries The company used Harland Sanders’ franchising strategy to expand its operations in the international

The Reality of work cultures in the modern economy Essay

The Reality of work cultures in the modern economy - Essay Example However, it also has challenges hence one needs to carry out due diligence to overcome them. For instance, different corporate cultures affect the realization of the benefits, and this works for employees as well as the new organization. This paper will discuss the case of Rosenfeld and its acquisition of Cadbury. It will examine the traditional values of Cadbury and the ways they are different with Kraft. Cadbury was one of the largest and known companies producing chocolate and other creamy products in the UK. The company employed many workforces on permanent and contract in order to deliver services to the large consumer base (Rigby 2010 c). The company also outlined the values in which it related and expected its employees to adhere, and it was important in achieving competitive advantage. However, the company and its employees lost all these values upon its acquisition by Kraft (Marino 2010). It was a loss to the employees as their benefits and the work culture they enjoyed could no longer be guaranteed. One of the traditional values of Cadbury was adequate compensation for work done (Cadbury 2010). Employees were paid for their work without any problem, and this helped in boosting their morale when working. The payment for every worker based on the output and was assured of pay when time reached. This value was important to the traditional company only to be changed by Kraft since it could no longer pay the workforce leading to job loss (Eaglesham 2010). Secondly, Cadbury recognized the value of job security as all employees were guaranteed a job (Scott 2009 b). The company achieved this by opening many distribution and manufacturing centers across with hopes of employing many people and making them secure their jobs. Job security has proved to be an important factor and a motivator of employees’ performances (Beaudin 2010). However, Kraft does not share this value since they do not guarantee their employees permanent employment,

Human Capital Explanation of the Contribution of Education and Essay

Human Capital Explanation of the Contribution of Education and Training in the Economy - Essay Example Human capital explanation is one such explanation; it states that education and training has sizeable impact to the individuals, organizations, and the overall economy (Blundell, Dearden, Meghir and Sianesi, 1999, p. 3). In general, human capital explanation takes in stock the personality attributes, knowledge, and competencies that are embedded in the people’s capabilities to perform labour that ultimately results to economic value production. Human capital explanation suggests that education and training increases people’s productivity by imparting useful values, skills, and knowledge thereby raising their income and facilitating the functioning of economic structures (Burton- Jones and Spender, 2011, p. 32). It should be noted that human capital is itself a product of education and training coupled with other aspects such as experience and discipline. Haldar and Mallik (2010, p. 9) observes that numerous studies that have extensively explored on how education and tra ining impact the economy have shown that they significantly contribute to overall output generation in economy. In the context of human capital, education and training are viewed as investments which enable individuals of a particular society to be equipped with skills and knowledge that improve their productive capacities and employability eventually leading to higher earnings. At the aggregate level, human capital explanation stipulate that education and training contribute significantly to the economy through its impact on productivity growth and domestic output (Burton- Jones and Spender, 2011, p. 40). It is in the light of this, that this essay seeks to explain the human capital explanation of the contribution of education and training in the economy. Additionally, the essay discusses the role that the government should play in support of post compulsory education and training so as to provide the incentive structure to individuals and firms. Burton- Jones and Spender (2011, p. 40) note that the human capital explanation has three main components that are critical in understanding the contribution of education and training in the economy. These components include: knowledge and qualifications gained through formal education; competencies, expertise, and skills obtained through training on a specific job; and innate or acquired ability. According to Becker (2004, p. 11), the human capital explanation is founded on the recognition that the decisions of individuals and firms to invest in human capital is the same to that decisions concerning other types of investments that individuals and firms undertake. As such human capital concept view education and training as human capital investments that involve initial costs such as forgone earnings while an individual is at school, training course fees, and tuition fees among other initial costs that an individual hopes to make returns in the future such as through higher firm productivity or increased earnings. Ha ldar & Mallik (2010, p. 22) argue that just like physical capital investments, human capital investments will be undertaken by individuals or firms that aim at maximizing wealth if the return that is expected from the investments is higher than interest’s market rate. So, how does the human capital concept explain the contribution of education and training in the economy? According to Blundell, Dearden, Meghir and Sianesi (1999, p. 20), human capital has three explanations regarding

The Awful Rowing Toward God Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Awful Rowing Toward God - Assignment Example It seems something that causes ruin, injury or pain would be pretty clear-cut, but what if it is to destroy a cruel dictatorship, to cause injury as a means of repairing an internal injury or to create pain as a means of setting a broken bone? In many ways, evil must be considered to be a changing concept depending on the dominant cultural beliefs at a given time and considered along with the greater context of events. By looking at some relatively recent depictions of evil in today's culture, it is possible to see that evil is usually considered to be an outside force characterized by its creation of unearned pain and destruction.  It seems something that causes ruin, injury or pain would be pretty clear-cut, but what if it is to destroy a cruel dictatorship, to cause injury as a means of repairing an internal injury or to create pain as a means of setting a broken bone? In many ways, evil must be considered to be a changing concept depending on the dominant cultural beliefs at a given time and considered along with the greater context of events. By looking at some relatively recent depictions of evil in today's culture, it is possible to see that evil is usually considered to be an outside force characterized by its creation of unearned pain and destruction.   In the novel The Shining, for example, evil is a bodiless force that is confined for some reason within the area of a remote Colorado resort called Overlook. Within the novel, there is no clear sense of where the evil comes from or why it is attached to that particular location, only that it has likely been in place since the hotel's beginning. There are several instances where people who have died at the hotel are mentioned somewhat offhandedly as if it is too regular to make anyone upset. The Torrence's arrival at the hotel is marked by an angry woman speaking about the time her second husband died out on the roque court (Ch. 9) and they continue to hear about other deaths, increasingly more viole nt in nature, as the book continues. Even early in the story, some of these deaths seem odd, such as the death of the hotel's first owner, working as a caretaker after he'd lost his fortune. "He plugged his finger into a light socket by mistake and that was the end of him" (Ch. 10) or that of his son, who was killed in a riding accident on the property. The evil of the hotel is a disembodied thing, but it has a clear objective - to destroy life by causing extreme pain and mental anguish and to acquire power. The violence of the hotel is introduced in Chapter 12 as the little family is getting a tour of the Presidential Suite on the third floor: "Great splashes of dried blood, flecked with tiny bits of grayish-white tissue, clotted the wallpaper.  

Health and pe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health and pe - Essay Example But how could I go about getting my people to exercise hard enough to start keeping weight off before I was replaced as King? I only had time to make about one Royal Decree before the official Weight and See Dinner to see whether I would stay king. If the people had more weight on them than the last Weight and See Dinner, I would need to start looking for another profession. After a lot of heavy thinking and finally falling asleep without a solution, I woke up the next morning with the perfect answer, dance! Instead of forcing my people to participate in strenuous activity, something none of them were necessarily naturally inclined to do, I simply performed a very active â€Å"Dance of Thanksgiving† in front of my astonished assembly just as breakfast was being served. After breakfast, I stood up and performed another dance, the â€Å"Dance of Satisfaction†, which was slower because my full belly just wanted to stretch. I did this same activity before brunch, lunch, the afternoon tea buffet, dinner and nighttime feast. I had so much fun doing it that I could help laughing through some of the dances and, by lunch, some of my people were looking more interested than shocked. By the nighttime feast, about half of them were joining me in the dances. By lunch the next day, everyone was dancing in wild movements of celebration before each meal and slower dances after each meal. By the third day, I caught my people dancing randomly during their other daily tasks just for the joy of movement. This was the perfect solution to the problem for many reasons. First, my people were participating in strenuous activity completely voluntarily, so they didn’t resent me for imposing a new rule and they didn’t resent the activity as something that they had to squeeze in between their other daily activities. Second, dancing is fun and it makes your body feel good, which is itself an encouragement to keep doing it. It also made the food preparers feel good because we

Identification of Problems and Justification for Target Corporation Case Study

Identification of Problems and Justification for Target Corporation - Case Study Example The management system was not in touch with the realities of the Canadian consumers needs. The analogous approach by the management without incorporating the difference in dynamics in culture, demographic and perception of Canadians in comparison to the US consumers by the management played a key role. However, current the leadership of the company has exchanged hands from Tony Fisher to Mark Schindele. This clearly demonstrates that indeed failure of success of the company emanated from the management execution (which might have been poor). Mark Schindele has the mandate and the responsibility to ensure that Target Canada is revived (Pirouz and Hong Para 1). Sourcing merchandise was a critical problem at the company. The storing inventory and distribution of products to the stores doubled the problem. Moreover, Target Canada relied on retailers to distribute its merchandise hence stocking became a real problem. Keeping shelves stocked with minimum stock proved challenging for the company. Majority of the stores were empty. It is completely impossible to sell products that are not available. In less than a year Target opened more than a hundred store with few national distribution centers that were to services these stores. It was impossible to distribute the right product to different stores in a manner that would commensurate with the products that the respective stores actually needed. For instant, in Windsor store, the products offered did not match the taste and preference of the locals. Customers would walk into the stores and would hardly find the desired products. The management was unconscious of the customers’ need analy sis at its various stores.   Many shelves were empty because the stores had too many that they did not need and had little that they needed. It is difficult, in fact next to impossible to change customers shopping habits with empty shelves. Impulse buying may be limited in such scenarios. Basic commodities such as food and other consumables (which are known to run repeat business) were most cases unavailable. In addition, replenishing the products at the stores was poor due to the poor execution of the distribution strategies.   The most affected products were the perishable products. Food and grocery being sourced by a potential competitor called Sobey. Perhaps Sobey stalled in its partnership with Target Company in order to have a competitive age. Another instant was the poor choice of in-store coffee shop. Target Canada was widely and wildly anticipated to prefer Tim Holtorns Company to Starbucks as an in-store coffee shop.   Experts view that had the company partnered with Tim Holtorns then it would have been an ideally strategy to enter into the Canadian market using Tim Holtorns.

Of Mice and Men - novel and film comparison Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men novel and film comparison Essay This is a comparison between Steinbeck’s original novel Of Mice and Men and the 1992 film version. I will be comparing the two beginnings, the presentation of Curley’s wife, and the treatment of a powerful scene. Of Mice and Men is one of those classic stories about friendship, loyalty, sacrifice and broken dreams. The 1992 film was directed by Gary Sinise, who also played the part of George Milton. This film was in fact the first film he had ever directed and I believe it to be very successful. The film follows the overall content of the novel, however, there are some key differences: The introduction to the film has two complete differences, the presentation of Curley’s wife, and also the treatment of a powerful scene, which will be focused on the ending. In the beginning of the Novel, it is set in Soledad. Steinbeck creates a very tranquil opening and gives the impression that it hasn’t been disrupted by human interference. ‘’On the sand bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among them’’. However, even before the reader is introduced to the two protagonists, Steinbeck includes that this peaceful, animal inhabited area is frequently interrupted my humans. ‘’a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water.’’ This quote shows that this has been a place humans have to for a long time. The use of the word’s ‘beaten hard’ is associated with a path which has been walked on for many years. This tells the reader that however peaceful the area may be, it has always been trespassed by humans. The animals react in fear due to the sound of footsteps mentioned again. This also suggests that the animals are not used to humans entering their little world and thus they hide away. ‘’The rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover. A stilted heron labored up into the air and pounded down river. For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.’’ The description of George and Lennie’s entrance indicates that George appears to be in change. ‘’They had walked single file down the path, and even in the open, one stayed behind the other.’’ This shows the reader that there isn’t a close bond of friendship, but more of a leader and a follower, i.e. George being the leader, and Lennie the follower. The description of George and Lennie gives the reader a sense of their characters immediately. ‘’The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose.’’ This shows the reader that George is a man of intelligence and means business. Lennie’s description on the other hand is described as someone who is quite the opposite. ‘’Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.’’ Lennie is described physically with a great use of animal imagery. This adds to the fact that Lennie does lack intelligence. In his description he indicates that Lennie is also someone in need of guidance and cannot think on his own accords which could conclude why George is with him. The beginning of the film is very different compared to the novel. It isn’t shown as peaceful at all. In fact the music used gives a great feeling of intensity and panic. When the piano is included with the rhythm of the violin, it adds a sense of hopelessness. There are notes played on a higher scale of the piano which insist a sense of innocence, however, nothing is suggesting happiness. The opening scene begins on a train with George sitting alone looking very strong in the darkness of the carriage. Although the train is very dark, beams of light shine through from gaps in the wooden walls. The scene is then changed to a much brighter atmosphere with a young woman running in a field in Weed – George and Lennie’s home town. However, music is still very fast and tense which prepares the audience again that this is a sad story. George and Lennie are being chased by men with guns on horseback. It is clear to the audience that George is in charge just by seeing that he is leading the way and telling Lennie what to do. We then see George and Lennie escape, sneaking onto the train and we hear the first convocation between George and Lennie which again indicates that George is in charge as he merely tells him to ‘’shh’’ and ‘’Go to sleep’’. Lennie responds with simple use of the English language which again shows the audience that he has some kind of disability. It’s quite ironic really because Lennie is in a very big character although he cries and depends on George for the majority of things. The incident in Weed is not running in a chronologically compared to the novel as we are introduced to the incident before we actually meet the characters. At the very beginning when we first see George, it is as if the incident in Weed is his memory and he is pondering on it as him and Lennie travel to their destination on the farm in Soledad. In the novel, the readers are introduced to the incident in Weed later on in the novel when George and Slim have a conversation on the Ranch. In the film, the audience is introduced to the Ranch with very country-like music which is fairly happy and uplifting compared to the musical piece the audience are introduced to at the very beginning. In the novel, Curley’s Wife is first mentioned through a conversation with George and Candy. Candy makes it seem like Curley’s Wife is a bit of a flirt before the reader is even introduced to her by saying that even though she is married she’s ‘got the eye’. However, although she isn’t exactly happy being with Curley, she just wants some attention. When the reader is introduced to her she is described wearing very a rather lot of makeup. ‘’She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red.’’ Curley’s Wife wears a lot of red. Red is seen as the most intense colours and is very noticeable. The fact that she wears a lot of red indicates that she wants to be noticed. ‘’She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers.’’ As she lives on a farm, she is not really dressed appropriately for the wife of a rancher. However, Curley ignores Curley’s Wife so it is of no surprise that she is wearing things to attract the other men on the farm. Her body language insists that she is very provocative as if she is tempting the men to go after her. ‘She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward.’ Lennie is very much attracted to her although George and the other men are not. This kind of suggests that Lennie will have something to with her although not in a sense of sexual nature, but similar to the same incidence in Weed where Lennie was accused of attempting rape towards the girl running away when he was only caught up in stroking her dress that he would not let go. In section four of the novel, there is a part where Curley’s Wife enters looking for Curley although in the film this was left out. Perhaps to ensure that Curley’s Wife was wanted to be seen by Gary Sinise as someone who needed sympathy from the audience. During this part of the novel, Curley’s Wife describes her relationship with Curley. ‘’Sure I gotta husban’. You all seen him. Swell guy, aint he? Spends all his time sayin’ what he’s gonna do to guts he don’t like, and he don’t like nobody. Think I’m gonna stay in that two-by-four house and listen how Curley’s gonna lead with his left twice and then bring in the ol’ right cross?’’ This creates a lot of sympathy towards Curley’s Wife as she is obviously rejected by Curley to the point where she isn’t even properly included. The fact that as the reader, we don’t even know her name also suggests that she is unimportant towards Curley and the other characters. Crooks quickly turns on Curley’s Wife insisting that she leaves, however, she has a lot of power over him considering she’s white and back then, black people were simply just slaves and were resented by a lot of people. Knowing that, Crooks backs down almost to a point where he is leaning against the wall. ‘’Listen Nigger/ You know what I can do to you if you open your trap? †¦ Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.’’ This is practically the only time that Curley’s Wife has some kind of power over someone, and because he is treated no better than an animal as he lives next to the barn where all the animals are and not even in a properly built home, more of a shed, suggests that Curley’s Wife only really has power, or a chance to step in on her own accords is towards Crooks. Section five is where Curley’s Wife initially dies due to her trust, and lack of self control in Lennie. Steinbeck has been implying that Curley’s Wife was just really an innocent young woman and all the makeup was just an act for attention. ‘’the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face. She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young.’’ Again the amount of makeup she had on makes her look as if she were still alive ‘’Now her roughed cheeks and her reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly.’’ In the film, the audience are introduced to her again like in the novel looking for Curley. She is dressed in a pink floral dress unlike in the novel where she is wearing mostly red. However she is wearing red lipstick although her eyes are not heavily made up but it is noticeable that she is wearing eye makeup. It is clear that she is not wearing heels because the sounds of her foot steps are quite bold. Compared to the book she is a lot less provocative but the way she speaks to the men on the farm is very flirtatious and her body language is very suggestive, for example she pushes her chest forward and places her hands on her hips which could insinuate her wanting more than just somebody to talk to, although we know she just wants somebody to talk to. When Curley’s Wife leaves, George’s immediate response is towards Lennie is for him to stay away from her due to the incident in Weed. There are three added scenes featured in the film. These were most likely included to show the audience how Curley’s Wife has no sympathy or consideration from the other men at the barn and how Curley himself treats his wife with little consideration. The barn scene, being the first added scene is where we see George taking a tired out horse back to the barn where he also encounters Curley’s Wife. The way she talks to George is very flirtatious and almost as if she is leading him on, however she then goes on about how she wants somebody to talk to her because Curley himself doesn‘t give her any attention and is undoubtedly trying to better himself compared to the other men, thus why he picks on Lennie, who is a lot taller than him and certainly much more stronger. The second added scene is The Speed Ball Scene where we see Curley punching away at the speed ball. This could have been added to enhance the audiences awareness that he is constantly aggressive and obsessed with fighting. Curley’s Wife is sat levelled above Curley with no body around and is clearly very lonely and extremely bored. With all the men working on the farm in the background, and Curley, although not working himself, is still not giving his wife a second thought. This is a clear indication that Curley’s Wife is isolated on the ranch and I think it emphasises the description given about her dead body in section 5 of the novel where underneath all of the makeup and desperate attempts for some attention, she was merely just a sweet, innocent and lonely girl. The final added scene in the film is The Broken Record Scene. She is wearing no makeup and obviously had been crying and is completely on her own. She vents about what had happened Curley got aggressive and smashed all of her four records therefore not being able to play them which reminds the audience of Curley‘s violent nature. The reaction is pitiful and it is obvious that nobody taking any consideration for her. Curley’s Wife then runs off saying that if she ran away no one would miss her etc which could be suggesting her death. All of the added scenes help to enhance the audience’s awareness from the beginning of the film that Curley’s Wife should be seen in a very sympathetic perspective and this is not clear in the novel until Steinbeck’s description of her dead body. A very good example of a powerful scene would be the very ending of both the novel and the film. In the novel, Steinbeck sets the scene for the ending which takes place in Salinas River. He describes the surroundings beautifully and authentically just like in the beginning of the novel which creates a very peaceful image for the reader. ‘’The deep green pool of the Salinas River was still in the late afternoon. Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan mountains, and the hilltops were rosy in the sun.’’ Nevertheless, the peaceful scene is spoiled even before the arrival of Lennie as Steinbeck creates an image that suggests death and readies the reader for what is about to unfold. ‘’A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically.’’ As Lennie arrives he begins to have two hallucinations which are not shown in the film. The first hallucination is of his Aunt Clara and through the conversation brought about by Lennie’s imagination, his greatest fears are revealed. George’s reaction to what Lennie has done and the fact that Lennie has no real understanding of the seriousness of what he has done, which enhances his guilt feeling because he knows that he has disappointed George. The conversation then leads on to Aunt Clara making him feel even more guilty because George has done so much for Lennie and all he does is give him grief when George could do so much more without him. Lennie’s second hallucination is of a rabbit. This is could be a symbol of Lennie’s childlike nature and how the only real bad thing he can think of is how George will not allow him to look after the rabbits and the fact that he will now leave him. The conversation with the rabbit could also show how Lennie is very naà ¯ve and is convinced George will not leave him or get mad. The novel and the film are very similar as far as the conversation between George and Lennie are concerned. In the novel, it is prolonged to gradually build up tension for the reader when they realise that George is going to shoot Lennie. When he finally does, it is clear that this has traumatised George and is a very dreadful thing for George to undergo. ‘’George shivered and looked at the gun, and then he threw it from him, back up on the bank, near the pile of old ashes.’’ George is comforted by Slim and is taken for a drink. However, the reader is reminded of the ignorance by society as they are blinded by what George has just had to go through, which ends the novel. Then ending of the film is very sad. Lennie is found and comforted by George’s voice and soon by ‘The American Dream’ which is referred to several times throughout the film. The audience are unaware of what is about to happen as when George finally shoots Lennie it is very sudden. The music, played at the beginning of the film is again brought back, which is very touching and adds for a great effect to what has just occurred. Instead of the hallucinations Lennie’s fears are brought into the convocation between him and George and are much shorter than in the novel. In the novel, it begins and ends at the Salinas River where as in the film it begins and ends with George sat on the train. Just like at the beginning, there are flash backs, but this time of George and Lennie together. This indicates that George has spent the majority of his time with Lennie and they had a very brotherly relationship. The flash backs could imply George being deeply upset due to t he fact he has killed his best friend.

Hero Essay Example for Free

Hero Essay Heroes are often stereotyped as fairytale characters who are endowed with supernatural powers that make them strong and buff. In reality, a hero can be an ordinary human being who strives to do extraordinary things to help others and make a difference in the world. A true hero not only possesses the qualities of strength and bravery, but also embody selflessness, morality and perseverance, essentially becoming a role model for all of those around him or her. Oprah Winfrey is just one example of an average person in our society who fits the characteristics and role of being a hero. She has devoted her time, skills, attention, and resources towards making the world a more prosperous place for others by educating, motivating, inspiring and rescuing people all over the world. Through the great generosity of Oprahs Angel Network and the construction of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, Oprah Winfrey has proven herself to be a true role model and inspiration to all by her selfless deeds that make her a true hero of our times. To begin with, Oprah Winfrey was born into poverty to a single mother in Mississippi and faced many difficulties and grievances throughout her childhood years. She was sexually abused by her uncle, cousin, and family friend and became pregnant at the age of fourteen; her son died a short while after. Oprah then moved to Tennessee with her father where she began her career in the entertainment business. Her career began with a job on the radio at the age of nineteen and eventually led to the creation of the Emmy-winning talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show. According to Forbes Magazine, in 2003, Oprah became the first African-American woman to reach billionaire status, breaking through cultural, geographical and gender barriers, letting the world know it’s not your circumstances, but your heart that determines how far you go in this world. As Oprahs name became more widespread, so did her generosity. The Oprah Angel Network began to donate one hundred thousand dollars for the Use Your Life Award to all of those who dedicated their lives to helping others and had numerous achievements regarding humanitarian issues. Furthermore, she regularly gives charity to organizations such as AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Childrens Memorial Hospital and the Chicago Academy of the Arts. In addition to those organizations, Oprah has also gave out her sincere wishes and help to those poor souls who have been affected by the Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. She donated over one million dollars to the Tsunami relief fund and ten million to those who were gravely affected by the disaster of Katrina. Growing up with a childhood full of hardships and being able to overcome them truly makes Oprah Winfrey an inspiration to everyone. Her selflessness, generosity, and general love and compassion for human kind has brought so many changes to our society that cannot be overlooked. Her immense perseverance and selflessness are just two contributing factors that make her the person she is today; a hero. Most importantly, Oprahs dedication to helping under privileged students obtain their education makes her a role model and symbol of hope for children all around the world. She created the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, where girls learn to use their full capacity to become excellent decision makers and the next leaders of our generation. The best African American teachers and administrators will be appointed in this school to help the girls excel in their knowledge and education. Not only is she the founder of the school, but the Oprah Winfrey Foundation contributed ten million dollars to maintain it as well. Oprah is helping to fight the battle against illiteracy one step at a time, and through her actions against it, she creates a foundation that many other people can follow. By giving so much importance to education, she becomes an inspiration and motivation that encourages girls all around the world to pursue their education further. By providing education, Oprah is empowering girls everywhere and giving them more options in their life than they ever imagined. As Oprah once stated, â€Å"Education is the path to the future. I believe that education is indeed freedom. With Gods help, these girls will be the future leaders on the path to peace in South Africa and the world. Once again, Oprah proved herself to be selfless and moral woman who persevered in becoming a role model for all of those around her. Her generosity is now the reason that girls in South Africa actually have a chance to make something of themselves and to receive an education. With one simple donation, she changed the lives of thousands of girls and created a brighter, much better future for them than they could imagine. By doing such deeds open-handedly and without anything in return, Oprah Winfrey is a genuine hero of our society. In conclusion, heroes are not people like Superman or Batman, but rather those who do everything in their ability to make the world a better place and Oprah Winfrey is just one of many who fit the criteria of being a true hero. She is engulfed around being selfless, moral, brave, perseverant, and a role model and inspiration to everyone around her. The generosity of Oprahs Angel Network has helped many impoverished people and even led to the construction of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. With donations like these, Oprah has literally changed the future for African American girls in South Africa and helped them become more independent. She is now looked upon as a symbol for hope and a prosperous future because of all of her charity work concerning humanitarian issues. Heroes like Oprah Winfrey inspire everyone with their openness and compassion, essentially becoming a symbol for hope with their vision for a brighter and better future.

Physical And Cognitive Development Of Infants

Physical And Cognitive Development Of Infants Select one of the following age groups: infants, toddlers or young children. Focus on two developmental domains (select from: physical, social and emotional, language and/or cognitive development) of the child. Describe how these two domains develop within your chosen age group with the support of human development theories and concepts studied in this course. Identify a range of teaching strategies that promote a childs development in each of the two selected domains. Development describes the growth of humans throughout the lifespan, from conception to death. The study of human development helps to understand how and why people change throughout life. This includes all aspects of human growth, including physical, intellectual, language, social and emotional and spiritual development. Papalia and Olds (1998) define lifespan development as a lifelong process of development (p.10). This essay describes the physical and cognitive development of infants (birth-12 months) and also discuss about some teaching strategies that promote physical and cognitive development of infants in the early childcare centres. Physical development refers to progressively gaining control over large and small muscles. Gross motor (large muscle) skills allow a child to do things like roll over, sit, crawl, walk, and throw a ball. Fine motor (small muscle) skills enable children to do things like draw, and eat with spoon. The development of new motor skills allows children to make new discoveries. As they explore, they begin to make sense of their environment (Berger, 2001). The physical development of infants is very important. Although children develop at different rates, they learn to control their bodies in the same progression (Berk, 2006). Arnold Gesell, an American psychologist, is one of the first theorists who approached to determine developmental measure for children. He developed his theory by studying a number of children (Terry, 2008). Newborn babies have very few motor skills. Their muscles are not strong enough to control their body, while their sense of hearing and smell are keen. Infants move by reflex when they are newborns. They move automatically in response to various stimuli. Some reflexes help parents to make sure that infants will get what they need to survive (Berk, 2006). For instance, when the mother touches the cheek of a newborn, the baby starts moving his/her mouth in search of a nipple. When the mother touches his/her mouth or when his/her mouth touches the nipple, the baby starts sucking. Also, infants have other reflexes such as reciprocal kicking (Terry, 2008). In five months, most babies gain control of their arms and head. Gesell considered this process of physical growth a genetically determines series of events that unfolds automatically (Berk, 2006, p.14). He believed that physical development occurs to each child in a fixed order, and a certain development happens when an individuals inner system is prepared. Gesell also suggested head-to-tail and centre-to-edge sequence (Berk, 2006). In other words, control develops from head to toe, and from the centre of childrens bodies out through their arms and legs to their fingers and toes. For example, a child learns to lift his/her head first and then sit, crawl, walk and run (Terry, 2008). Gesell also stated that an infant gains control of the head before arms, and masters moving arms before fingers. According to milestones of motor development, infants can lift their upper body by using their arms two months after their birth, and sit by themselves a few months later. Then, infants become able to control their lower body to do things like walking and jumping (Berk, 2006). When the children are of nearly one year, they are gradually developing their fine motor skills like grabbing objects. They begin to stack blocks or other toys. Also they can pick up small pieces of cereal, open and close small boxes, and turn knobs on toys because their pincer grasp becomes more coordinated (Berk, 2006). Another aspect of physical development is shaping senses. A childs sense of taste, smell and hearing are more developed than sense of sight. Infants can recognize the difference of flavors, peoples smell and tones of voice, while their vision is unclear. In addition to these four senses (taste, smell, hear and vision), infants develop their sense of touch (Berk, 2006). Teachers play an important role in promoting childrens physical development. They should provide safe indoor and outdoor spaces for children to move their bodies. Educators should provide materials and equipments according to the age and developmental level of infants (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). Educators can promote physical development of infants by reinforcing and encouraging them. Educators should help and encourage children when they are learning new skills (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). For example, when an infant is taking the feed from his/her bottle, educator should encourage him/her for holding the milk bottle (Terry, 2008). Educators should provide the opportunities for children to use their senses to explore, shape, volume and other characteristics of objects (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). Educators can promote physical development of infants by providing equipments and opportunities for gross motor skills. To do this, educators should set up the room in a way that infants have the freedom to explore in a range of safe spaces (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). For instance, some infants have started crawling, so teachers should divide the space so that the infants, who do not crawl, wont get hurt. Educators should provide a range of materials and equipments that helps children to use their large muscles. For example, push bikes, tunnels and so on (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). Educators can promote physical development of infants by providing equipments and opportunities for fine motor skills. To do this, educators should provide opportunities for infants that help them to develop small muscles by grasping, dropping, pulling and fingering (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). Treasure basket is a good resource that teachers can use to develop fine motor skills of infants (Terry, 2008). As human beings grow, they gain knowledge and produce different thoughts, and also their ability of memorizing develops. This change of intelligence is called cognitive development. The early years of a childs life are crucial for cognitive development (Berger, 2001). Cognitive development of the baby means the learning process of memory, language, thinking and reasoning. Babies develop at their own pace. So, it is impossible to tell exactly when every child will learn a given skill. Jean piaget and Lev Vygotsky are two of the famous cognitive theorists (Tesar, 2008). After birth of a baby, their intelligence develops rapidly during the first two years. According to Piagets cognitive theory, infants explore and understand their world by using their senses. For example, smelling, sucking, throwing, and mouthing and so on. Piaget proposed four stages of cognitive development, which he believed occur in a certain order to everyone at individuals own rate (Berk, 2006). The first stage of development is called sensor motor stage that applies to children from birth to two year. During this stage, an infants knowledge of the world is limited, but developing, to their sensory perceptions and motor activities. Behaviors are limited to simple motor responses caused by sensory stimuli. Children utilize skills and abilities they born with, such as looking, sucking, grasping and listening, to learn more about the environment. This stage has further six sub-stages (Berk, 2006). During first sub-stage, which is reflexive schemes (0-1 month), the child understands the world through inborn reflexes such as sucking and looking. The second sub-stage, which is primary circular reactions (1-4 months), involves coordinating sensation and new schemes (Berk, 2006). For instance, if a child accidentally puts his/her finger in mouth and has started sucking it, then later on, that child intentionally repeat this action. By repeating these actions, infants find them pleasurable (Tesar, 2008). During third sub-stage, which is secondary circular reactions (4-8 months), infants start paying attention on the world around them and begins to intentionally repeat an action in order to trigger a response in the environment (Berk, 2006). For example, a child intentionally picks up a toy from the floor to put that toy in his/her mouth (Tesar, 2008). In the fourth sub-stage, which is coordination of secondary circular reactions (8-12 months), object permanence occurs, demonstrating that memory is developing. Infants realize that an object exists and they begin to recognize certain objects as having specific qualities (Berk, 2006). For example, if the mother shows the baby an attractive toy and then hides that toy under the blanket. The child in this sub-stage can find the toy (Tesar, 2008). According to Piaget, infants develop their memory and imitation skills through these sub-stages. New born babies respond to what they feel through senses and also imitate facial expressions. As children grow, they enjoy repeating actions as well as becoming able to remember familiar people and objects (Berk, 2006). The ways children adapt to situations were described by Piaget as assimilation and accommodation. Children organize their own experience when they encounter the similar events during assimilation, whereas in accommodation, the children adjust old knowledge to new understandings when unfamiliar situations come (Bruce Meggitt, 2005). According to Vygotsky, childrens learning is influenced by people in their society. His idea of zone of proximal development is that childrens intelligence expands more when they are supported by adults or older children than when they are working by themselves. Infants gain knowledge not only from their own discoveries but also from what other people illustrate to them (Nixon Gould, 2003). According to Piaget, the teacher should provide an environment where children can explore themselves. Teachers play an important role in the development of children. Teachers should create an environment where they can interact with the children and observe them closely (Tesar, 2008). Teachers should provide opportunities for infants to use all senses to explore the world around them. For example, providing treasure basket is a good example to promote infants cognitive development. By doing this, educators can help children develop new concepts and gain thinking and reasoning skills (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). By providing musical instruments, teachers can help children to acquire knowledge of different sounds and children know the difference of high and low volume (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). Teachers should provide finger food to the infants. By doing this, children can smell, taste or squish the food. This helps infants to get familiar with the taste, hardness, softness and smell of the provided food (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). Teachers can promote infants cognitive development by interacting with them in different ways. This helps children to promote their confidence and curiousity. Educators can promote infants confidence and curiosity by praising their successess. For example, if a child roll over or hold a toy for the very first time, then the teacher should praise that child. By doing this, teachers can help children in buliding their self confidence and inceases their curiosity for achieving success for next time (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). In conclusion, physical development occurs to infants automatically according to genes in the fixed sequence. Also, babies gain control of their upper body before lower body. Infants gain knowledge of world through explorations by using their senses as well as organizing previous experiences when they face unfamiliar situations. According to Vygotskys point of view, an infants cognition expands with the support from people around them. Educators play a prominent role for the physical and cognitive development of infants.

Essay example --

Our world is growing! Growing in population that is, but the resources are staying the same. To help with the growing of the population that will be happening in the 21st century, science and agriculture need to work hand-in-hand. They need to stand together to make a break through together, to insure that everyone will have food on their plate. We need to work to have larger yields with the land we have. Some people say that humans need to change their diet, and others say that we should destroy hundreds of acres of wild land. According to Feed Nine Billion website, people feel that the only way things will be improving, is if everyone becomes a vegetarian. But others disagree. The people who think that this is the only way do have a good point. Grains and vegetables do produce so much faster than animal production. Then again, you can’t just assume that everyone will follow, and turn to becoming a vegetarian. Besides think of all the farmers that would be out of a job! These farmers could have been family business, just like a dairy farm that is located outside of our town. R&D dairy farm has been handed down generation after generation. Funding has to become an essential in today’s society for this new advance in technology that will be needed. We aren’t only having problems worrying about feeding the next generation; we should be concerned now. Did you know, that in the last 11 years, six of those years the population has consumed more than what was produced? The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations website, just this year the cereal production has gone up eight percent. Imagine what will be expected in the 21st century. People are demanding more food now, than they ever have. Scientists say that far... ...t too expensive for the farmers. The second step is that broader awareness is required. According to Sarah Alexander, â€Å"different farmers trust different sources, such as vendors, crop consultants, and university extension services.† Farmers are going to need to be open minded to new things, in order to feed the human race. The last step is farmers need the right incentives. Farmers want to know about the good that they are doing. Farmer’s want to know how they are saving the environment, and how they are producing more food, and feeding more people than they were before. If we all work together, feeding the nine will be possible, and even likely. Farmers need to know how much they are needed, for this process and know that new ways of farming will help in the long run. People don’t have to change their diets so everyone can be fed. Together, we can feed the world.

Ski Stories, Retold :: Personal Narrative Writing

Ski Stories, Retold My parents were avid amateur skiers. For years they have told me the stories of their attempts down the hills and across the countries of Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and Switzerland. My dad becomes animated, imitating the huffing and puffing of his trips and laughing until his belly bounces, a result of less physical activity since those adventures. My mom laughs more quietly and requires more questions to keep her stories going. But both remember the same highlights and downfalls. When they were both stationed in Bitburg, Germany they signed up for the USAFE (pronounced u-safe-y) ski team. USAFE is the United States Air Force – Europe, the American Air Forces in Europe and European Air Forces. â€Å"Some were very good. They had made the Junior Olympics [before joining the Air Force],† Mom said, â€Å"but we were just doing it for fun and a free vacation.† They had minimal ski practice beforehand, but couldn’t pass up the prospective of a free vacation. They got TDY (temporary duty elsewhere) for the ski competitions, so they didn’t have to take leave time. One competition lasted for a week in Berchtesgaden, Germany, a small village near Austria. Mom did the giant slalom and the downhill. The giant slalom is a downhill event with two parallel poles called gates spread apart from other gates all the way down the mountain. The object is to ski through the gates in a specified order as fast as possible. Mom can’t remember how well she did but she â€Å"maybe made it down.† She said, in reference to the downhill event, â€Å"I made extra turns to try to slow myself down. I was fourth place or something; there weren’t many in it. Dad did well in his cross-country event. He was tenth.† Dad said, â€Å"We were lousy.† He chickened out at the top of the downhill. â€Å"We had to stand up there, all cold and holding our poles close, and then just throw ourselves down. We got so stiff, and it hurt so bad.† Mom joined in, â€Å"The tension. Oh, we were so tense. Our neck muscles and shoulders. Because you’re up there and so scared. [Those nights] we filled up the hot tub several times.† Both remembered Harry Morse, the ENT (Ear-Nose-Throat doctor).

Islam in Bed with Europe in “My Son the Fanatic” Essay

My Son the Fanatic is a film that addresses the cultural conflict of both Islamic integration in into Europe and English culture, as well as the relationship that arises between a father and his Muslim son when the child grows up to become an Islamic fundamentalist. (Udayan Prasad, 1997, England; screenplay by Hanif Kureishi) A Pakistani cab driver in a Northern English town has an affair with a prostitute and chauffeurs her and her colleagues to make extra money. When his son becomes an Islamic fundamentalist and joins in an effort to clean up vice in the town, the family’s loyalties and beliefs are tested. This film completely tests the conflict that exists with Islam encountering the European world through migrations and cultural development. Kureishi reveals the core conflict of the reality of English sexual revolution of the 60’s encountering Islamic sexual regression of the present era. In the New York Time’s article â€Å"My Beautiful London†, author Rachel Donadio, notes, â€Å"One of the most revealing insights into Britain’s recent social history comes early in â€Å"My Son the Fanatic,† Hanif Kureishi’s tender and darkly prescient 1997 film. It’s morning in an unnamed city in northern England, and Parvez, a secular Pakistani immigrant taxi driver brilliantly portrayed by Om Puri, watches Farid, his increasingly devout college-age son, sell his electric guitar. † The essence of this cultural conflict between Islamic and Western English culture can be seen in both in how the filmmaker and the central character, the taxi driver Parvez and his son Farid, are raised. They are both brought up by mullahs and nuns alike which reveals the complex nature of multicultural issues a Muslim immigrant might encounter living in Europe. The potential for plot development is endless as the director notes â€Å"You can’t ask people to give up their religion; that would be absurd,† he wrote in The Guardian. But hard-line views might modify â€Å"as they come into contact with other ideas. † That was the essence of â€Å"effective multiculturalism†: not a superficial exchange of festivals and foods driven by liberal guilt, but something else entirely — an encounter with human desires in all their complexity. Higson poses the question in his article â€Å"The Limiting Imagination of National Cinema,† â€Å"When is a cinema ‘national’? , asks Susan Hayward (1993: 1). As if in answer, Crofts delineates several different types of ‘national’ cinema that have emerged in different historical circumstances (1993, 1998). They have performed quite distinct functions in relation to the state (Higson, p63). Hanif Kureishi’s work â€Å"My Son the Fanatic† fits this description exactly. The Film is historical and has an effect on multicultralism through its relevance and relation to England and the happenings of the ‘state. ’ In also being historical, â€Å"My son the Fanatic is also a product of National Cinema†, as â€Å"Proclamations of national cinema are thus in part one form of internal cultural colonialism: it is, of course, the function of institutions—and in this case national cinemas—to pull together diverse and contradictory discourses, to articulate a contradictory unity, to play a part in the hegemonic process of achieving consensus, and containing difference and contradiction Higson p. 139). Islamic law is formally composed of literal translations of Arab tribal customs and ancient Muslim traditions as well as the Koran, and quotes from the Islamic prophet Muhammad as well as his predecessors. â€Å"When you get down to it, there are two types of people in Kureishi’s work: those running toward sex and those running away from it (p. 6)† In the film Parvez’s son Farid notes that he is seeking â€Å"Belief, purity, belonging to the past,† and then he notes â€Å"I won’t bring up my children in this country. † This represents the classh between what is now his fundamentalist beliefs through devotion to Islam and the clash European cultures poses on those beliefs. Farid sees no way both ways of life can exist together. Likewise, Parvez represents the embodiment of a westernized Muslim, so much so that he can’t identitfy with son. In the film this conversation boils up into a conflict in which Parvez begins to beat his son repeatedly, until his son shouts to him â€Å"who’s the fanatic now? † A major motif of the film that Kureishi mentions in his interview, is the concept of old Sharia law and the ancient traditions of the past being re-imposed on a post-sexual revolution present. Kurishi points this intergenerational drama out as ironic when he says, It perplexed me that young people, brought up in secular Britain, would turn to a form of belief that denied them the pleasures of the society in which they lived,(Donp. 7 he goes on to pinpoint that exact issue that faces the relationship for shared for young people concerning Islam and western culture to date when he says, â€Å"the West, the Nietzschean project, has been to drive out religion and to produce a secular society in which men and women make their own values because morality is gone. Then suddenly radical religion returns from the Third World. How can you not laugh at that? How can you not find that a deep historical irony? † This irony Kureishi speaks of is the main theme of the film. In Richard Dyer’s essay The White Man’s Muscle, he talks about stereotypes that have been enforced connecting as far back as the Greek era, and that now dominate film and television basically promoting the superiority of white masculinity. Body hair is animalistic; hair ¬lessness connotes striving above nature. The climax of Gli amori di Ercole has Hercules fighting a giant ape, who has previously behaved in a King Kong-ish way towards Hercules’s beloved Dejanira, stroking her hair and when she screams making as if to rape her; close-ups contrast Hercules’s smooth, hairless muscles with the hairy limbs of this racist archetype. (Dyer) Here Dyer points out how the uppermost essence of masculinity is equated with shaven white muscle, through its very contrast to that of hair apes, who are historically associated with blackness. He acknowledges the racist aspects of this archetype, but also gives notice to the private boys’ club-like tradition that has formed from this prejudice. This mentality demonstrates the epitome of the world in which A state agency for assessing public religious schools had given a top rating to a Muslim school that was advocating a return to the Caliphate; the interior minister at the time, Jack Straw, came under fire for suggesting that it might be difficult for a community-relations functionary to meet with constituents who wear a full veil; an Indian woman living in England was lured back to India and murdered in an honor killing; the archbishop of Canterbury said he thought England might consider making some accommodation for Shariah, or Islamic law. What, I wondered, did Kureishi make of all this? (,p. 7) â€Å"There aren’t any answers to these questions,† he replied. â€Å"They’re just questions that everybody has to engage in and think about. What is it like to make a multicultural society? How far do you go in multiculturalism? Do you have parts of the country under Shariah law, for instance? What would that mean? How does that work? You have to take this stuff seriously. † (p. 7) In sum, â€Å"My Son the Fanatic† is potent with cultural complexity and relevance. The film speaks volumes about current issues facing the Western world today as well as those being posed by, and imposed upon the Middle East. One can’t see this film and overlook the tension brewing between the two cultures of the Muslim world and the Christian European environment in which it finds itself. The film does an excellent job of providing authentic interpretation for a conflict that is undyingly relevant and prevailingly influential in today’s socioeconomic and political climate. Work Cited Bordwell & Thompson â€Å"Film History† 2004 Donadio, Rachel â€Å"My Beautiful London† New York Times August 8, 2008 Dyer, Richard â€Å"The White Man’s Muscles† in White London Higson, & Fowler, Catherine. â€Å"The European Cinema Reader† London New York Ptacek, J. , & Dodge, K. Coping Strategies and Relationship Satisfaction in Couples. The Society for Personality and Social Psychology, 21(1), (1995). 76-84. Savran, David. (1998). â€Å"Taking It Like a Man: White Masculinity, Masochism, and Contemporary American Culture. † 380 pp.

Downfall from Arrogance

Downfall from Arrogance The Crucible Is a peculiar name to put for a play. In literal meaning, a crucible Is a special pot In which you put materials In. The pot then goes In the fire, and you end up melting the contents, but not the pot itself. The way Miller named his play as The Crucible is what literary experts call symbolism. Arthur Miller's basic purpose of writing this play was to signify that people react to situations in many dfferent ways. In that same way, he symbolizes the attributes of each character as well.In this play, The Crucible, the character Reverend Parris's consistent arrogance conveys the uthor's message that before anything else, people will always tend to care for themselves. Reverend Parris's personality trait can be examined through chronological order † from Act 1 to Act 4. Who was Reverend Parris? As described in Act 1, Parris is the head of the church of the town, and he is considered a respectable person. In his mid-forties, he has already lost h is wife, and has a daughter named Betty. In Act 1, Reverend Parris plays a dominant role, along with his arrogance and pride.At the beginning of this act, when Betty is on the bed lying what seems to be nconscious, Reverend Parris tells Thomas Putnam, â€Å"leap not to The people wanted to call In Reverend Hale, the towns expert on witchcraft, to examine Betty and find out what had been going on. Parris, through his arrogance, decided that it would not be a good idea to call in Hale because if Betty were to be announced as a witch, it could ruin his name, since she was his daughter. Just to save his name of being the head preacher of the town, he persisted on not calling in Reverend Hale.Parr's, along with his undermining arrogance, created a saddening effect on the the town. He Is the main pastor, and so when people hear things from him, they tend to believe him. All that he did was not to keep the people of the ton away from evil. He did what he did so he would hear what he wante d to hear. He wanted to hear that he would not lose his position. Eventually, he did give in and towards the end of Act 1, they do call in Hale. Parris was not at all present in Act 2 directly, although he was in fact mentioned once when they talked about a book in which he kept a record of all the people present on Sabbath Day.Throughout the whole act, however, there was ot a single Instance where his arrogance took an effect on any of the people. In Act 3, however, his arrogance plays a crucial role. When Danforth is talking to John Proctor and Abigail, he decides to step in and say to Danforth that â€Å"this is a trick to blind the court! † (107). He does this again to protect his own name because he does not want Danforth to believe what Mary Warren is saying. During the trial, he asks Mary Warren to faint in front of all the people, falsely. The reason for his demand is because he Is grasping for evidence to prove that Abigail and the girls are not guilty.Parris has a c onvincing effect on Danforth throughout the whole of the trial because he is trying to protect Abigail, and Danforth has come to a point where he cannot go back. Danforth's own arrogant nature wont let him reconsider his decisions. Since Abigail has already been proven innocent, Danforth literally won't listen to new evidence unless some creative logic occurs. Once Elizabeth comes to the trial, Parris Is even more Olstraugnt He tnlnKs tnat EllzaDetn wlll agree wit n Proctor aoout tne adultery he committed, and thus ruin his name for sheltering an adulterer. Ironically, that does not happen.Elizabeth, who Just wanted to save her husband's name, said that Proctor did not commit adultery. All this while, she knew that he did. At the end of Act 3, we can see that Parris's arrogance and prideful nature is helping him to get through another round of impulsive evidence put indirectly against him, that could have again hurt his position in Salem. Act 4 is the last act of the play, and in th is act, everything changes. Parris comes running to the Jail, where he tells Danforth that Abigail has vanished, along with all of his money. He asked Betty, who told him that they girls were talking about some ships.Within the lines, we can interpret that Abigail disappeared by riding off on a boat. Parris's view of the whole situation changes, because he then realizes that he made a grave mistake by blaming innocents. He pleads to Danforth to postpone execution and to free the accused, but Danforth, again with his pride that he never failed to make the right decision, decides that he will not reconsider his decision. When Proctor tears up the paper that could have saved his life, Parris looks unto him in utter astonishment. If Parris was in such a situation, he would probably live with the shame, although his arrogance might ake him suffer.That happens when he realized that people are turning against him. He â€Å"fear[s] that there will be riot here† (127). He completely b reaks down in front of Danforth after he recounts the knife incident. In conclusion, Parris signifies many different characteristics, but his most important trait being his arrogance, and it affected him negatively. This essay analyzed this trait through the chronological order of acts, from Act 1 to Act 4. He may have gotten through with his arrogance by directing people to love him and keep him in his position, but when the people

Martha?S Vineyard – Labov

1. 0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction 1. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Martha? s Vineyard – where old traditions are still of value Martha? s Vineyard is a small island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, USA. The island has a permanent population of about 6000 inhabitants. It is separated from the mainland by the Atlantic Ocean and there are no big businesses or any McDonald to be found on the island. Here, life is not as hectic as on the mainland and old traditions are still of value. The inhabitants have a way of showing their connection and dedication to their homeland, which is also a way of identifying themselves.This term paper will be about sound changes in connection with social identity. I will examine the innovative study of language variation and change in the islands community, observed and examined by William Labov (1963). I will analyze and discuss the study made by Labov. Labov? s study is based on the characteristic sound pattern discovered while listening to the inhabitants of Martha? s Vineyard. This sound change has a focus on the centralization of diphthongs. Centralization is the phonological change in which a vowel becomes more central than normal (Lawrence Trask 2000 : 53).Diphthong is a vowel sound which is pronounced by quickly moving from one vowel position to another (Deckert, Vickers 2011 : 33). The sound changes made by inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard, observed by Labov were: /ay/ as in fight, right and sight and /aw/ as in loud and about. Labov? s observations exposed that the centralized diphthongs only occurred in a particular linguistic context. Some groups used the sound change more than others. The group of fishermen was among these. Labov also observed that some inhabitants purposely did not pronounce the diphthongs differently to people from the mainland.Having looked at different social factors, as for example, age, ethnic group and occupation it became obvious that the attitude towards the island was an essential aspect to explain this phenomenon. The decision whether or not to use the island or the mainland pronunciation depended the attitude towards Martha’s Vineyard, whether or not being positive or negative. Labov named this phenomenon â€Å"island identity† (1963). To understand what â€Å"island identity† is it is important to define the term â€Å"identity†. What is identity and how do we identify ourselves?Can there be a connection between identity and speech? In this term paper I will attempt to answer these questions. 2. 0 The study, sociolinguistic pattern and meaning 2. 1 Background knowledge Martha’s Vineyard is divided into two parts, which are the up-island and the down-island. By the time Labov made this study, the island had approximately 6000 inhabitants. The majority lived in an area of the down-island which contains of three small towns, called Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. The remaining inhabitants lived in the rur al up-island area with only a few villages (Labov 1972: 5).The inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard were divided into four major ethnic groups. The main group was the descendants of old families with English origin. The second major group was descendants of Portuguese origin who migrated from the Azores and the Cap Verde Islands. The third group was descendants of remnant native Americans. The last group consists of inhabitants of various origins, who were of no relevance for this study (Labov 1972: 6). Another group became relevant for this study. This was the group of summer visitors who came in large groups in June and July.There would be around 42. 000 visitors on the island every summer (Labov 1972: 6). It could be a possibility that the summer visitors brought the sound change from the mainland to the island, which would mean that this group would have the major influence on the pronunciation of the diphthongs /ay/ and /aw/ but it becomes clear that the influence of visitor s are not as obvious as it might seem, since Labov only mentioned that this group had an indirect influence. To clarify this, it is essential to have a look at the economic situation of the island.In 1960 Martha's Vineyard was the poorest of all countries of Massachusetts and this was not only due to the high unemployment rate in Massachusetts back then (Labov 1972: 27). The islands? major industry was the fishing industry on the up-island. The large-scale of fishing went out of New Bedford on the Grand Banks and as a result it became harder to keep this industry going (Labov 1972: 27). It became almost impossible for the fishermen to make a living from their wages and their families became dependent on two earnings. Another problem forced the economic and psychological pressure.Convenience goods were at a very high price (Labov 1972: 28) and the goods were brought on the island with ferry from the mainland. This transport was expensive and permitted the salesmen to expand the price s of their goods. Some would say that the constantly growing tourism came as a blessing for the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard, but at the same time it also became a curse, especially for the fishermen who felt very connected to the island and the traditions connected to it. For them it was difficult to accept the increasing dependence on tourism.The following observations and results are of importance in order to understand the connection between the above mentioned background information and the language variation in this study. 2. 2 Accomplishment by Labov and its meaning for the inhabitants In 1963, as the study of Martha’s Vineyard was relized, Labov observed a striking way of pronouncing words such a fight, right and sight, and words such as loud and about. This striking ways of pronunciation clearly diverged from the near parts of the mainland (Meyerhoff 2006: 16f. ). The inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard pronounced the diphthongs /ay/ and /aw/ in a more entral position which is a phonological change termed centralization. In order to figure out why many inhabitants used the centralized diphthongs, Labov deliberated an interview schedule in which /ay/ and /aw/ frequently occurred (Labov 1972: 12). Here Labov did not only put his focus on the linguistic aspect but on the social aspect as well. This means that Labov did not only put focus on the language but furthermore he wanted to examine the reasons for this sound change and in which way it was used in a social context and by whom. Why did some speakers use the centralized diphthongs more than others?This is why this study by Labov is not just of study of linguistics but also counts as a sociolinguistic study (Deckert, Vickers 2011: 1). Labov started asking inhabitants questions concerning their lives on the island. He also recorded them while they were reading lists of words naturally containing /ay/ and /aw/ sounds out loud (Meyerhoff 2006: 17). He interviewed 69 inhabitants of different ages, occupation, ethnic groups and from different geographical distribution. The table underneath is taken from Labov? s study and shows age levels and numbers of inhabitants using the centralized vowels /ay/ and /aw/:Table 1 (Labov 1972: 22) |age |(ay) |(aw) | |75- |25 |22 | |61-75 |35 |37 | |46-60 |62 |44 | |31-45 |81 |88 | |14-30 |37 |46 | Having a look at this table, it appears that inhabitants from the age of thirty-one up to age forty-five frequently tended to centralize the diphthongs. However, inhabitants younger than thirty-one and older than forty-five, did not have a high use of the centralized diphthongs.This means that the sound change could not only be dependent on the age of inhabitants being interviewed. Therefore Labov focused on other social factors which might have an effect on the production of this sound change. He interviewed inhabitants from different parts of residence, hereby people form the up-island as well as people living at the down-island. T he statistics shown below demonstrates different cities on Martha’s Vineyard. It also shows the numbers of inhabitants from these cities using the centralized diphthongs: Table 2 (Labov 1972: 25)    |(ay) |(aw) | |Down-island |35 |33 | |Edgartown |48 |55 | |Oak |33 |10 | |Bluffs  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   | | | |Vineyard Haven  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   |24 |33 | |Up-island  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     |61 |66 | |Oak |71 |99 | |Bluffs  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   | | | |N. 35 |13 | |Tisbury  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   | | | |West Tisbury  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   |51 |51 | |Chilmark  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   |100 |81 | |Gay Head  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |51 |81 | This t able clearly shows that the inhabitants living on the up-island used the sound change more frequently than inhabitants living on the down-island, especially the inhabitants of the town Chilmark. In Chilmark they were shown o have a unique tendency of centralized diphthongs. The up-island was more of a rural area and it was known for its fishing industry. Most fishermen were living and working in Chilmark. The following table shows the centralization by the different occupational groups observed by Labov. . Table 3 (Labov 1972: 26) |   |(ay) |(aw) | |Fishermen |100 |79 | |Farmers |32 |22 | |Others |41 |57 |According to this table which shows the usage of centralized diphthong by fishermen, farmers and other occupations, shows it becomes clear that the fishermen were the one group who most frequently made use of centralization. Some of the farmers and people of other occupations also used this sound change but their numbers were strikingly low compared to the numbers of fishermen us ing the centralization. When comparing the results of all three tables it becomes obvious that the Chilmark fishermen in the middle working age level were using the centralization more frequently than any other groups on the island.However, hereby it is still not revealed why this group of inhabitants at this age and living and working in that one place where the fishing industry still played a big role in the island economy (Labov 1972: 29), were using the sound change more frequently than the other groups of inhabitants. It is central to understand the meaning and importance of the fishing industry for the inhabitants and the island itself to fully understand the interaction of social and linguistic patterns. Most of the fishermen from Chilmark felt deeply connected to the island since most of them were descendants of the old families (Labov 1972: 28).The fishing industry used to be a major part of the economy, before the large-scale fishing went out of New Bedford on the Grand Ba nks (Labov 1972: 27). The fishermen were proud to be independent, to stand on their own feet and earn their living with their own bare hands. Fishing was an old tradition on this island (Labov 1972: 29) but as an ever-growing number of summer visitors came to the island a big part of the fishing industry moved away and the inhabitants became forced to be more dependent on tourism. Chilmark changed from the traditional fishing industry to modern tourism.Many of the inhabitants accepted but the fishermen had a hard time acknowledging this change (Labov 1972: 28). They made their living from fishing. For these men fishing was not just a job, but it was also a way of living and an old tradition they did not want to give up. Two brothers from Edgartown which were also fishermen were among the interviewed. They both had a tendency to centralize the diphthongs very frequently (Labov 1972: 30). These two brothers were the last decendants from the old families (Labov 1972: 30).If they were t o leave the island, there would be no descendant left in Edgartown and there would be no one to keep up the traditions of the old families. These two brothers are another example that clarifies the importance of the fishing industry. It also clarifies that the Chilmark fishermen as well as the fishermen from Edgartown shared social orientation. They felt deeply connected to the island which was their home. For this reason they also both shared an aversion to the many summer visitors. The summer visitors would invade the cities of Martha’s Vineyard, and thereby the growing tourism would invade ajor a part in the economy. Though many of the inhabitants appreciate the tourism, the fishermen suffered more and more under economic as well as psychological pressure (Labov 1972: 28). The dependence on summer visitors grew and thereby the independence of the fishermen was reduced. The more inhabitants lived a traditional way of life the more they used the centralization. This fact dem onstrates the relationship to the diphthong centralization and the social orientation. Labov learned that another social factor had an outstanding influence on the sound change.He observed attitude towards the island, whether it was positive or negative, was of reason for the usage of this sound change. Labov found out that high school students and their use of the centralization depended on their plan whether or not to stay on the island. He therefore interviewed students from Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. The students who wanted to stay on the island showed a much higher use of the centralized diphthongs than the students who wanted to leave the island after finishing school (Labov 1972: 32).Not only inhabitants from the old families had a high use of the centralization, but Portuguese at the age of thirty-one to forty-five revealed to have a very high use of the sound change in comparison to the other age groups (Labov 1972: 26). The Portuguese of this age group belonge d to the third and fourth generation. This generation was the first one which had entirely adopted the ways of life on the island (Labov 1972: 33). They too felt deeply connected to the island, their home.The middle aged Portuguese showed a higher use of centralization than the younger Portuguese, even though the younger Portuguese showed a higher centralization than the young inhabitants with English origin (Labov 1972: 26). This phenomenon can be explained by the attitude towards the island. Most of the young inhabitants with English origin wanted to leave the island opposed to the majority of the young Portuguese who wanted to stay on the island (Labov 1972: 26). This proves that social attitude towards Martha’s Vineyard was to blame for the use of the centralization.In relation to the social attitude the term â€Å"island identity† becomes important. To fully understand this term it is important to explain what â€Å"identity† really means. To define what â €Å"identity† really is, is easier said than done. Identity can be a name of a person but it can also be a way of behaving or other details like gestures or mimics. In Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English by Langenscheidt, there are more than a few explanations. For example: â€Å"The qualities and attitudes that a person or a group of people have, that make them different from other people† (Langenscheidt 2006: 805).The term â€Å"national/cultural/social identity† is listed in this dictionary as well and is defined as â€Å"a strong feeling of belonging to particular group, race, etc. † (Langenscheidt 2006: 805). After having studied Labov`s observations, his results and defining the term identity, it becomes clear that the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard used the sound change to identify themselves. They created an access to their identity with the help of language, and used the centralization as a way to differentiate themselves from sum mer visitors. This strong bond to their home, the island, is termed by Labov as â€Å"island identity†. Island identity† describes the use of the centralization as an expression of the strong connection, the inhabitant? s ancestry and their home land. Inhabitants who used this sound change also revealed their attitude and connection to the island. The ones using the sound change were the ones who felt deeply connected and identified themselves with the island. Thereby the sound change became an indicator of the inhabitant's attitude. The inhabitants who showed a negative attitude towards the island the ones who did not feel connected to it and wanted to leave, did not use this centralization.They simply did not identify themselves with the island. On behalf of those inhabitants who had a positive attitude towards the island the language variant hold prestige. For some inhabitants the sound change had a higher status than for others, although the speakers were not always aware of the importance of the sound change. This is the reason why there are two types of prestige which are termed overt and covert prestige (Meyerhoff 2006: 37). Overt prestige is linked with language variants that speakers use for special reasons.The speakers using the overt prestige have the motive of sounding, for example, politer or even more educated, which means that they obviously are aware of using that variant (Meyerhoff 2006: 37). For the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard the covert prestige played a central role. The speakers who were using the centralization did not want to sound nicer or better than other people on the island. This pronunciation was not the standard or the general norm but it was based on group identity and the way the inhabitants differentiated themselves from other inhabitants and summer visitors. 3. 0 ConclusionThrough the study of Labov, he demonstrated that social factors play a role in how people speak and he also clarified the deep soci al function language has to define sn identity. Labov? s study was of importance for the social linguistic. The centralized diphthongs observed by Labov were most frequently used by the thirty-one up to forty-five age group and was typically observed used by people who lived and worked on the island, who felt deeply connected to the island. The connection between the positive attitude towards life on the island and the usage of centralization was outstanding.The inhabitants who lived a traditional way of life, had the highest degree of centralization. Since being a fisherman was a traditional occupation, this means that the main part of the inhabitants on the up-island had a higher use of the sound change since that was the place where the fishing industry was based. The down-island was the area where less people were using the centralization. It consist of small towns and these towns were the attraction for the increasing number of summer visitors.Consequently, it can be said that the centralization is an indicator of solidarity. A way of showing where you belong and that you are proud of your home and its traditions. For the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard it was also a way to oppose to the people of the mainland and the new service economy. This sound change made them stand out. By centralizing the diphthongs the inhabitants of island created a way to connect their social identity to language. The language functions as a tool to stick out of the crowd. It is as a reminder of their roots. . 0 Bibliography Deckert, Sharon K. ; Vickers, Caroline H. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. 2011. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. Labov, William. Sociolinguistic Patterns. 1972. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Langenscheidt. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. 2006 Meyerhoff, Miriam. Introducing Sociolinguistics. 2006. Abingdon: Routledge Trask, Robert Lawrence. The Dictionary of Historical and Comparative Linguistics. 2 000. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Ltd