Issues, Challenges and Strategies in Successful Implementation of an Essay

Issues, Challenges and Strategies in Successful Implementation of an HRIS Project - Essay Example This article presents a critical analysis of the need for HRIS, features required in HRIS, design & acquisition issues, cost benefits, implementation issues and acceptance issues. Gardner and Lepak et al. (2003) presented that the new role of HR professionals is more of "strategic partners to the business" whereby they are expected to understand the business objectives of the organization and align the HR practices with the business goals defined to fulfil the objectives. Hence the business objectives expand into the HR objectives & related goals that are essentially defined to enhance employee contribution by providing them essential guidance, resources & support and to manage essential transformations & changes required in maintaining the fundamental culture of the organization. The authors argue that IT systems act as the catalyst for human resources professionals in achieving HR goals. Enterprise Resource Planning systems integrate various functional (departmental) information systems across the company such that the information from all departments can be integrated and organized for unified MIS reporting to the senior management enabling them to take quick & effective decisions (Gupta & Kohli. 2006). Human Resources is one of the key departments of an organization and hence HRIS need to be an integral part of ERP. The key result areas for all employees are defined by their respective functional managers but closely monitored by the HR function by virtue of key performance indicators. Kaplan and Norton (1996) developed the balanced scorecard system that helps organizations to design & implement a performance measurement system in such a way that individual performance measures can be tangibly mapped with organizational performance. The author hereby argues that such an integrated framework requires the performance management system to be an integral part of the E RP such that performance appraisal cycles can be carried out by respective supervisors of the employees but human resources function can closely monitor the KPI metrics and map with other soft aspects of the individual in terms of punctuality, knowledge & skill enhancement, trainings, additional certifications achieved, etc. The integrated information of functional KPIs and soft aspects can help the HR function to assess the overall performance of the employees and identify employee development needs as well as take decisions on promotions, increments, rewards & recognitions. 3.0 Requirement Analysis for an

Pain Perception And Processing In Alzheimers Disease

Pain Perception And Processing In Alzheimers Disease Alzheimers patients feel pain as powerfully as others. Pain perception and processing are not diminished in Alzheimers disease, thereby raising concerns about the current inadequate treatment of pain in this highly dependent and vulnerable patient group. Pain activity in the brain was just as strong in the Alzheimers patients as in the healthy volunteers. In fact, pain activity lasted longer in the Alzheimers patients. Pain may be even more bewildering to more severely affected patients. The experience of pain may be more distressing for these patients on account of their impaired ability to accurately appraise the unpleasant sensation and its future implications. Doctors can use a tool called the Pain and Discomfort Scale or PADS. Its a system for evaluating pain based on facial expressions and body movements. People caring for someone with Alzheimers disease or other dementias can do an even better job than doctors can. Caregivers have an incredible capacity even beyond doctors to know the behavior of the person they are caring for and to look for the times they are in discomfort or pain. The trick is to watch the facial expressions and movements of patients when they are not in pain, both during sleep and waking hours. Using this as a baseline, you should be attentive to circumstances where they seem agitated, where eye contact is altered, where there is grimacing or a facial expression indicative of discomfort. As Alzheimers disease progresses towards the later stages, the ability of the affected person to communicate becomes increasingly compromised. Caregivers can no longer ask are you comfortable? or, are you in pain? and get a reliable answer. A caregiver has to interpret what behavior means. Are shouts, screams, severe withdrawal, aggression, due to confusion, something else, or are they signs of pain?   The way in which a normal person experience pain differs. Pain is a subjective experience. People who have problems communicating are disadvantaged. Research into the prevalence of pain in elders in nursing homes is estimated at between 40 and 80 percent. There is evidence that people with cognitive disabilities may have an even higher risk of being under-medicated for pain. Painful conditions such as arthritis, cancer, urine infections are sometimes not treated with painkilling medications. Even when people can communicate effectively research suggests that observers tend to assume that people over-report pain either verbally or in their facial expressions.   Effective pain management for people with dementia is a complex issue. Families and health professionals caring for people with dementia have to acquire new skills and it can be a rather hit and miss situation. The first step in pain management is assessment of the discomfort. Acute pain syndromes commonly follow injuries, surgical procedures, etc. and require standard analgesic or narcotic management. Acute pain syndromes are expected to last for brief periods of time, i.e., less than six months. Pain that persists for over six months is termed chronic pain. Chronic non-malignant pain requires a more complex strategy to minimize the use of narcotics and maximize non- pharmacological interventions. Acute pain rarely produces other long-term psychological problems, such as depression, although acute discomfort will produce distress manifested by acute anxiety or agitation in the demented patient. Mildly demented patients can become agitated or anxious with pain because they rapidly forget explanations or reassurances provided by staff. Amnestic individuals may forget to ask for PRN non-narcotic analgesics such as acetaminophen and these patients need regularly scheduled medications. Disoriented patients do not realize they are in a health care facility and aphasic patients may not comprehend the staffs inquiry about pain symptoms. The symptoms of pain expressed by patients with moderate to severe dementia include anxiety, agitation, screaming, hostility, wandering, aggression, failure to eat, and failure to get out of bed. A small number of demented individuals with serious injury may not complain of pain, e.g., hip fractures, ruptured appendix, etc. Assessment of pain in the demented patient requires verbal questioning and direct observation to assess for behaviors that suggest pain. Standardized pain assessment scales should be used for all patients; however, these clinical instruments may not be valid in persons with dementia or psychosis. The past medical history may be valuable in assessing the demented resident. Individuals with chronic pain prior to the onset of dementia usually experience similar pain when demented, e.g., compression fractures, angina, neuropathy, etc. These individuals can be monitored carefully and non-narcotic pain medication can be prescribed as indicated, e.g., acetaminophen on a regular basis, anticonvulsants for neuropathy. The management of pain in any person requires careful consideration about the contribution of each component of the pain circuit to the painful stimulus. Neuropathic pain is produced by dysfunction of the nerve or sensory organ that perceives and transmits noxious stimulus to the level of the spinal cord. Persons with serious back disease may have herniated discs that compress specific nerve roots. This pain is often positional and produces spasms of the musculature in the back. The brain interprets pain in a highly organized systematic pattern. Discrete brain regions interpret and translate painful stimuli from specific body regions, e.g., arm, leg, etc., misfire in that discrete brain region will misinform the person that pain or discomfort is being experienced in that limb or part of the trunk. A person who loses a limb from trauma or amputation may continue to experience painful sensations in the distributions for that limb termed phantom limb pain. Management of chronic pain involves three elements (1) physical interventions, (2) psychological interventions, (3) pharmacological interventions. Physical interventions include basic physiotherapy that incorporates warm or cool compresses, massage, repositioning, electrical stimulation and many other treatments. Dementia patients need constant reminders to comply with physical treatments e.g., using compresses, sustaining proper positioning, etc., and many do not cooperate with some interventions, like nerve stimulators or acupuncture. Physical interventions are particularly helpful in older persons with musculoskeletal pain regardless of cognitive status. Psychological interventions usually require intact cognitive function e.g., relaxation therapy, self-hypnosis, etc. Demented patients generally lack the capacity to utilize psychological interventions; however, management teams should provide emotional support to validate the patients suffering associated with pain. Demented patients may experience more suffering from pain than intellectually intact individuals because they lack the capacity to understand the cause of their discomfort. Fear, anxiety, and depression frequently intensify pain. Pharmacological management begins with the least toxic medications and follows a slow progressive titration until pain symptoms are controlled. Clinicians must distinguish between analgesia and euphoria. Some medications that appear to have an analgesic or pain relieving effect actually have an euphoric effect, which diminishes the patients concern about perceived pain. The goal of pain management is to remove the suffering associated with the painful stimulus rather than making the patient euphoric or high to the point where they no longer care whether they experience pain. Euphoria-producing medications can cause confusion, irritability, and behavioral liability in patients with dementia. Narcotic addiction is not a common concern in dementia patients as these individuals have a limited life expectancy and rarely demonstrate drug-seeking behaviors. Pharmacological interventions always begin with the least toxic, i.e., least confusing, medications. A regular dose of acetaminophen up to 4 grams per day will substantially diminish most pain and improve quality of life. Clinical studies show that regular Tylenol reduced agitation in over half the treated patients. Chronic arthritic pain with inflammation of the joints may also respond to non- steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDS) or Cox-2 inhibitors. The gastrointestinal toxicity associated with NSAIDS is greater than that of Cox 2 inhibitor medications. Patients who fail to respond to non-narcotic analgesics should receive narcotic-like medications, i.e., Tramadol. Patients who fail to respond to maximum doses of Tramadol, i.e., 300 mgs per day, may require narcotic medications.  

Medea Critical Lens Essay --

The play Medea, written by Euripides is a certain classic of the Greek era. The plot revolves around a woman who is divorced by her husband for another woman, Glauce, daughter of King Creon of Corinth and power. This causes her to become enraged and set on vengeance. In the play she states, â€Å"The glory of one’s life is to be generous with one’s friends and merciless with one’s enemies.† She then goes on to destroy those around her, and to further destroy the semblance of a life she had. This statement hold truth, and is relative to the Golden Rule that states, â€Å"One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself.† Medea is saying that one should do good for their friends and should treat their enemies as one would be expected to be treated: without mercy. This is shown in King Creon of Corinth’s actions towards the other characters in the play, as well as in the actions of To Kill a Mockingbird’s Arthur Radley. K ing Creon and Arthur Radley both show a lack of mercy towards their enemies and show kindness towards their family and/or acquaintances. King Creon is introdu...

Proposal for Family Life Education Essay

Studies show that the national average for an adolescent’s first sexual intercourse encounter is seventeen years old. Despite this number being very close to the average age in other industrialized countries, the United States holds a higher percentage of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) contraction than those countries (Harper et al, 2010, p. 125). It’s becoming evident that while a majority of the nation’s youth is sexually active, they are not doing so with the appropriate knowledge to keep themselves and others healthy. It’s been proven that if parents were to educate students about sex education, healthy sexual behaviors might increase. Many parents, however, refuse to do this because they feel that talking about sex with youth will make them have sex, ignoring the fact that whether the youth are talked to or not, they are having sex. It has even been stated that some teens prefer to get the information from their parents, as opposed to other educators (Zamboni & Silver, 2009, p. 58 – 59). Unfortunately, if the parents refuse to talk to the students about sex, they become sexually active without this crucial information. As the rates of STDs and teenage pregnancies rise in our country, youths between the ages of 12 and 20 years old could definitely benefit from the introduction of a family life education program focused on teaching the difference between healthy and unhealthy sexual behaviors. A program known as Youth Understanding Sexual Health (YUSH) would be the perfect venue for doing just this. A program developed for teens in middle and/or high school, YUSH is a seven week program that seeks to ensure that these youths realize the difference between healthy and unhealthy behaviors, the consequences and results of participating in both, and how to make sure that they avoid negative, harmful, and otherwise unhealthy sexual behaviors. By instilling this information into the children at early ages before or soon after they have begun to participate in sexual behaviors, the program will meet several crucial goals. First, it will get these students in to a routine of practicing healthy sexual behaviors that they can take with them well into adulthood. Not only will this maintain their own sexual health, but it will protect their other potential sex partners. Second, the new knowledge that the teens will gain from the program will allow them to pass on information to their peers that may not be allowed to participate in the program, be too embarrassed or shy to seek information, or been unable to attend the program sessions for any other reason. Other aspects of society reach popularity in similar manners, including music, movies, video games, dances, or slang, so this information can be expected to spread in a very similar manner. According to Powell & Cassidy (2007), when developing an effective family life education program, its important make sure that they needs of the audience are appropriately addressed (p. 79 – 80). Of the three needs, felt, ascribed, and future needs, both felt and ascribed needs can be determined before the program has started. In order to effectively determine these needs, the appropriate assessments must be taken. Prior to the start of the program, certified family life educators (CFLEs) will conduct an assessment by using focus groups and questionnaires from potential program attendees within the target audience. Since the target audience is composed of students that attend local middle and high schools, the CFLEs will send home two things to the parents of all of the potential students: a letter requesting permission for the teens to participate in the program, which details the material that will be discussed and the extent of the programs, along with a questionnaire for the student and parent to complete together which addresses the information that both parties feel should be addressed in such a program. In order protect confidentiality; the questionnaire will be a two part survey with one aspect for parents and one aspect for the students to fill out. Using the questionnaires from the parents and information from the schools and community, CFLEs will be able to determine the ascribed needs of the program. The information obtained from the students’ surveys will reveal the felt needs of the program. The final category of needs, future needs, will be addressed throughout the duration of the program and will be met through a combination of student comprehension and effective facilitation by CFLEs. If YUSH seeks success, another thing that Powell & Cassidy (2007) suggest is well trained and effective educators. CFLEs will undergo extensive training in which they will learn to fully accept their roles as facilitators, exhibit effective listening skills and communication skills, and how to encourage the youth to participate in the program’s discussions and activities (p. 92 – 112). The National Council of Family Relations (NCFR) (2011) explains that there are certain requirements necessary before an individual can be a CFLE and this involves either graduating from an approved program or taking the CFLE exam. In addition to that certification, and in order to specialize in sexual health, YUSH facilitators will be trained to have a complete understanding of the material and how to appropriately present the information to the teens by means of seminars, training kits, and manuals. Qualified facilitators and understanding of the appropriate needs of the target audience are only two aspects of ensuring that YUSH is a successful program. A location and time for the program’s meeting must be established, as well as the frequency of meetings. When choosing a location, it’s important to make sure that there will be privacy, comfort, and no distractions. The location must be appropriate for the size of the group. With such a large target audience, it will be necessary to have several different groups. The groups can be separated by grade, with about 20 – 25 students in each group. These groups would meet during their health classes during school hours, but without regular teachers and/or administrators in the rooms, so that the adolescents feel comfortable. The curriculum of the YUSH program takes place once a week for seven weeks, with approximately 1 ? hour sessions each week. Each week will have a different topic to focus on with the schedule as follows: Week 1: Introduction to Sexual Health, Opening Questions and Concerns Week 2: Sexual Myths Week 3: Decision-Making, Abstinence Week 4: Protecting Yourself/Contraceptives Week 5: Sexually Transmitted Diseases Week 6: Risky Sexual Behaviors, Sexual Violence Week 7: Re-Cap, Evaluations, Final Concerns During the first session, YUSH facilitators will lead the youth in icebreakers to introduce themselves to one another as well as complete opening surveys that address what each student expects to take away from the program. Also, within this session, there will be questions posed by students to be asked at that time or at the end of the program. Rules of the program will be explained, including maintaining respect for others and their privacy. Participation should be encouraged and questions welcomed (Powell & Cassidy, 2007, p. 103 – 105). YUSH presenters will use a variety of presentation methods in each of the courses including a formal method or informal. Using Week 5’s topic of STDs as an example, the formal method would involve a lecture format with handouts, notes and power point presentations. CFLE would have teens identify what they have learned through this information with quizzes and tests. The quizzes, which would be a combination of fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice answers, will address the different types of STDs, how to contract them, how they are spread, the symptoms of each and how to treat them. This method would also involve the distribution of pamphlets and brochures to sum up the week’s discussion. An informal method of presenting the information involves using games and scenarios to enhance the teens’ understanding of STDs. A Jeopardy format in which youth match symptoms to disease might also be an effective means of presenting the information. YUSH facilitators would also have the option of using various scenarios and role play models to show the ways that STDs are spread, contracted and treated. The Department of Public Health of Seattle and King County (2011) suggests an interactive activity for showing the ways that STDs spread by using several small cups of water, one cup with a water/vinegar mixture, and several pH paper slips. During several different rounds, students will mix the contents of their cups with other students. At the end of the activity, students dip their test strips to see who might be potentially â€Å"infected. † After someone has interacted with the vinegar mixture, or someone else who has interacted with that mixture, they are more than likely infected. The activity shows that even though it may not be visibly noticeable (because the vinegar mixture is still clear like the water); it’s easily spread if no protection is used. The fact that some students may have noticed the vinegar smell shows that though sometimes the symptoms may be noticeable, they can still be overlooked by others (p. 2 – 8). Another informal method of presenting the topics of the week would be via interactive methods such as projects, guest speakers, and field trips which exemplify that week’s information. Guest speakers would be extremely effective during Week 4’s discussion of protection and contraceptives. In this example, guest speakers would come from various family planning centers to show students the various contraceptives options that they can choose from and explain how to decide which ones best fit their lifestyles. Finally, the reasons for supporting and bringing this program to life will be evident in the evaluations of the program’s effectiveness, determined in the last week of YUSH and in the weeks afterwards. According to Powell & Cassidy (2007), the best way to determine the effectiveness of a family life, more specifically sexual education program, is to witness the changes in behaviors and attitudes (p. 185). As rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs decrease in areas that will have adopted the YUSH program, it will be very apparent that the program has worked and that youth were paying attention in the courses. Furthermore, surveys and questionnaires will be distributed on the last day of the program which will seek to determine how participants and parents feel about the knowledge gained in the program. The last day of class will also be used to wrap up the course by answering questions that haven’t been answered thus far and taking suggestions about any necessary aspects of the program. As a follow-up to the program, CFLEs will send additional newsletters to participants as well as invite them back to be program assistants at the next session of YUSH. References Department of Public Health: Seattle & King County (2011, January 1). STD Risks. Family Life and Sexual Health. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from http://www. kingcounty. gov/healthservices/health/personal/famplan/educators/FLASH. aspx Harper, C. , Henderson, J. , Schalet, A. , Becker, D. , Stratton, L. , & Raine, T. (2010). Abstinence and Teenagers: Prevention Counseling Practices of Health Care Providers Serving High-Risk Patients in the United States. Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health, 42(2), 125-132. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from the EBSCO database. National Council on Family Relations. (2011, January 2). CFLE Certification. NCFR. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from http://www. ncfr. org/ Powell, L. H. , & Cassidy, D. (2007).

Zoe’s Tale PART II Chapter Fifteen

The next several months were very tiring. Early mornings: physical conditioning. â€Å"You are soft,† Hickory said to me and Gretchen the first day. â€Å"Despicable lies,† I said. â€Å"Very well,† Hickory said, and pointed to the tree line of the forest, at least a klick away. â€Å"Please run to the forest as quickly as you can. Then run back. Do not stop until you return.† We ran. By the time I got back, it felt like my lungs were trying to force themselves up my trachea, the better to smack me around for abusing them. Both Gretchen and I collapsed into the grass gasping. â€Å"You are soft,† Hickory repeated. I didn't argue, and not just because at the moment I was totally incapable of speaking. â€Å"We are done for today. Tomorrow we will truly begin with your physical conditioning. We will start slowly.† It and Dickory walked away, leaving Gretchen and me to imagine ways we were going to murder Hickory and Dickory, once we could actually force oxygen back into our bodies. Mornings: school, like every other kid and teen not actively working in a field. Limited books and supplies meant sharing with others. I shared my textbooks with Gretchen, Enzo, and Magdy. This worked fine when we were all speaking to each other, less so when some of us were not. â€Å"Will you two please focus?† Magdy said, waving his hands in front of the two of us. We were supposed to be doing calculus. â€Å"Stop it,† Gretchen said. She had her head down on our table. It had been a hard workout that morning. â€Å"God, I miss coffee,† she said, looking up at me. â€Å"It would be nice to get to this problem sometime today,† Magdy said. â€Å"Oh, what do you care,† Gretchen said. â€Å"It's not like any of us are going to college anyway.† â€Å"We still have to do it,† Enzo said. â€Å"You do it, then,† Gretchen said. She leaned over and pushed the book toward the two of them. â€Å"It's not me or Zoe who has to learn this stuff. We already know it. You two are always waiting for us to do the work, and then just nodding like you actually know what we're doing.† â€Å"That's not true,† Magdy said. â€Å"Really? Fine,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Prove it. Impress me.† â€Å"I think someone's morning exertions are making her a little grumpy,† Magdy said, mockingly. â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† I said. â€Å"It means that since the two of you started whatever it is you're doing, you've been pretty useless here,† Magdy said. â€Å"Despite what Gretchen the Grump is hinting at, it's the two of us who have been carrying the two of you lately, and you know it.† â€Å"You're carrying us in math?† Gretchen said. â€Å"I don't think so.† â€Å"Everything else, sweetness,† Magdy said. â€Å"Unless you think Enzo pulling together that report on the early Colonial Union days last week doesn't count.† â€Å"That's not ‘we,' that's Enzo,† Gretchen said. â€Å"And thank you, Enzo. Happy, Magdy? Good. Now let's all shut up about this.† Gretchen put her head back down on the table. Enzo and Magdy looked at each other. â€Å"Here, give me the book,† I said, reaching for it. â€Å"I'll do this problem.† Enzo slid the book over to me, not quite meeting my gaze. Afternoons: training. â€Å"So, how is the training going?† Enzo asked me one early evening, catching me as I limped home from the day's workout. â€Å"Do you mean, can I kill you yet?† I asked. â€Å"Well, no,† Enzo said. â€Å"Although now that you mention it I'm curious. Can you?† â€Å"It depends,† I said, â€Å"on what it is you're asking me to kill you with.† There was an uncomfortable silence after that. â€Å"That was a joke,† I said. â€Å"Are you sure?† Enzo said. â€Å"We didn't even get around to how to kill things today,† I said, changing the subject. â€Å"We spent the day learning how to move quietly. You know. To avoid capture.† â€Å"Or to sneak up on something,† Enzo said. I sighed. â€Å"Yes, okay, Enzo. To sneak up on things. To kill them. Because I like to kill. Kill and kill again, that's me. Little Zoe Stab Stab.† I sped up my walking speed. Enzo caught up with me. â€Å"Sorry,† he said. â€Å"That wasn't fair of me.† â€Å"Really,† I said. â€Å"It's just a topic of conversation, you know,† Enzo said. â€Å"What you and Gretchen are doing.† I stopped walking. â€Å"What kind of conversation?† I asked. â€Å"Well, think about it,† Enzo said. â€Å"You and Gretchen are spending your afternoons preparing for the apocalypse. What do you think people are talking about?† â€Å"It's not like that,† I said. â€Å"I know,† Enzo said, reaching out and touching my arm, which reminded me we spent less time touching each other lately. â€Å"I've told people that, too. Doesn't keep people from talking, though. That and the fact that it's you and Gretchen.† â€Å"So?† I said. â€Å"You're the daughter of the colony leaders, she's the daughter of the guy everyone knows is next in line on the colony council,† Enzo said. â€Å"It looks like you're getting special treatment. If it was just you, people would get it. People know you've got that weird thing you have with the Obin – â€Å" â€Å"It's not weird,† I said. Enzo looked at me blankly. â€Å"Yeah, okay,† I said. â€Å"People know you've got that thing with the Obin, so they wouldn't think about it if it was just you,† Enzo said. â€Å"But the two of you is making people nervous. People wonder if you guys know something we don't.† â€Å"That's ridiculous,† I said. â€Å"Gretchen is my best friend. That's why I asked her. Should I have asked someone else?† â€Å"You could have,† Enzo said. â€Å"Like who?† I said. â€Å"Like me,† Enzo said. â€Å"You know, your boyfriend.† â€Å"Yeah, because people wouldn't talk about that,† I said. â€Å"Maybe they would and maybe they wouldn't,† Enzo said. â€Å"But at least I'd get to see you every once in a while.† I didn't have any good answer to that. So I just gave Enzo a kiss. â€Å"Look, I'm not trying to make you feel bad or guilty or whatever,† Enzo said, when I was done. â€Å"But I would like to see more of you.† â€Å"That statement can be interpreted in many different ways,† I said. â€Å"Let's start with the innocent ones,† Enzo said. â€Å"But we can go from there if you want.† â€Å"And anyway, you see me every day,† rewinding the conversation just a little. â€Å"And we always spend time together at the hootenannies.† â€Å"I don't count doing schoolwork together as time together,† Enzo said. â€Å"And as much fun as it is to admire how you trained Hickory to imitate a sitar solo – â€Å" â€Å"That's Dickory,† I said. â€Å"Hickory does the drum sounds.† Enzo gently put a finger to my lips. â€Å"As much fun as it is,† he repeated. â€Å"I'd rather have some time for just you and me.† He kissed me, which was pretty effective punctuation. â€Å"How about now?† I said, after the kiss. â€Å"Can't,† Enzo said. â€Å"On my way home to babysit Maria and Katherina so my parents can have dinner with friends.† â€Å"Waaah,† I said. â€Å"Kiss me, tell me you want to spend time together, leave me hanging. Nice.† â€Å"But I have tomorrow afternoon free,† Enzo said. â€Å"Maybe then. After you're done with your stabbing practice.† â€Å"We already did stabbing,† I said. â€Å"Now we're on to strangulation.† Silence. â€Å"Joke,† I said. â€Å"I only have your word for that,† Enzo said. â€Å"Cute.† I kissed him again. â€Å"See you tomorrow.† The next day training went long. I skipped dinner to head to Enzo's parents' homestead. His mother said he'd waited around, and then headed over to Magdy's. We didn't talk to each other much the next day during school. Evenings: study. â€Å"We have reached an agreement with Jerry Bennett to allow you to use the information center in the evenings twice a week,† Hickory said. I suddenly felt sorry for Jerry Bennett, who I had heard was more than a little terrified of Hickory and Dickory, and probably would have agreed to anything they asked just so long as they left him alone. I made a mental note to invite Bennett to the next hootenanny. There's nothing to make an Obin look less threatening than to see one in front of a crowd, bobbing its neck back and forth and making like a tabla drum. Hickory continued. â€Å"While you are there, you will study the Colonial Union files of other sentient species.† â€Å"Why do you want us to learn about them?† Gretchen asked. â€Å"To know how to fight them,† Hickory said. â€Å"And how to kill them.† â€Å"There are hundreds of species in the Conclave,† I said. â€Å"Are we supposed to learn about each of them? That's going to take more than two nights a week.† â€Å"We will be focusing on species who are not members of the Conclave,† Hickory said. Gretchen and I looked at each other. â€Å"But they're not the ones planning to kill us,† Gretchen said. â€Å"There are many trying to kill you,† Hickory said. â€Å"And some may be more motivated than others. For example, the Rraey. They recently lost a war with the Enesha, who took control of most of their colonies before they were themselves defeated by the Obin. The Rraey are no longer a direct threat to any established race or colony. But if they were to find you here, there is no doubt what they would do.† I shuddered. Gretchen noticed. â€Å"You okay?† she asked. â€Å"I'm fine,† I said, too quickly. â€Å"I've met the Rraey before.† Gretchen looked at me strangely but didn't say anything after that. â€Å"We have a list for you,† Hickory said. â€Å"Jerry Bennett has already prepared the files you have access to for each species. Take special note of the physiology of each race. This will be important in our instruction.† â€Å"To learn how to fight them,† I said. â€Å"Yes,† Hickory said. â€Å"And to learn how to kill them.† Three weeks into our studies I pulled up a race who were not on our list. â€Å"Wow, they're scary-looking,† Gretchen said, looking over my shoulder after she noticed I had been reading for a while. â€Å"They're Consu,† I said. â€Å"They're scary, period.† I handed my PDA over to Gretchen. â€Å"They're the most advanced race we know about. They make us look like we're banging rocks together. And they're the ones who made the Obin what they are today.† â€Å"Genetically engineered them?† Gretchen asked. I nodded. â€Å"Well, maybe next time they can code for personality. What are you looking at them for?† â€Å"I'm just curious,† I said. â€Å"Hickory and Dickory have talked to me about them before. They're the closet thing the Obin have to a higher power.† â€Å"Their gods,† Gretchen said. I shrugged. â€Å"More like a kid with an ant farm,† I said. â€Å"An ant farm and a magnifying glass.† â€Å"Sounds lovely,† Gretchen said, and handed back the PDA. â€Å"Hope I never get to meet them. Unless they're on my side.† â€Å"They're not on a side,† I said. â€Å"They're above.† â€Å"Above is a side,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Not our side,† I said, and switched the PDA back to what I was supposed to be reading. Late evening: everything else. â€Å"Well, this is a surprise,† I said to Enzo, who was sitting on my doorstep as I came back from another thrilling night at the information center. â€Å"I haven't seen you too much recently.† â€Å"You haven't seen much of anybody recently,† Enzo said, standing up to greet me. â€Å"It's just you and Gretchen. And you've been avoiding me since we broke up the study group.† â€Å"I'm not avoiding you,† I said. â€Å"You haven't been going out of your way to look for me,† Enzo said. Well, he had me there. â€Å"I don't blame you for it,† I said, changing the subject a little. â€Å"It's not your fault Magdy threw that fit of his.† After several weeks of increased sniping, things between Magdy and Gretchen finally reached toxic levels; the two of them had a shouting match in class and Magdy ended up saying some fairly not forgivable things and then stomping off, Enzo trailing behind. And that was the end of our little band. â€Å"Yeah, it's all Magdy's fault,† Enzo said. â€Å"Gretchen's poking at him until he snapped didn't have anything to do with it at all.† Already this conversation had gone twice to places I didn't want it to go, and the rational part of my brain was just telling me to let it go and change the subject. But then there was the not quite rational part, which was suddenly getting really annoyed. â€Å"So are you hanging out on my doorstep just to dump on my best friend, or is there some other reason you dropped by?† Enzo opened his mouth to say something, and then just shook his head. â€Å"Forget it,† he said, and started to walk off. I blocked his path. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"You came here for a reason. Tell me what it is.† â€Å"Why don't I see you anymore?† Enzo said. â€Å"Is that what you came here to ask me?† I said. â€Å"No,† Enzo said. â€Å"It's not what I came here to say. But it's what I'm asking you now. It's been two weeks since Magdy and Gretchen did their thing, Zoe. It was between the two of them, but I've hardly seen you since then. If you're not actually avoiding me, you're faking it really well.† â€Å"If it was between Gretchen and Magdy, why did you leave when he did?† I said. â€Å"He's my friend,† Enzo said. â€Å"Someone had to calm him down. You know how he gets. You know I'm his heat sink. What kind of question is that?† â€Å"I'm just saying it's not just between Magdy and Gretchen,† I said. â€Å"It's between all of us. You and me and Gretchen and Magdy. When was the last time you did anything without Magdy?† â€Å"I don't remember him being there when we spend time together,† Enzo said. â€Å"You know what I mean,† I said. â€Å"You're always following him, keeping him from getting hit by someone or breaking his neck or doing something stupid.† â€Å"I'm not his puppy,† Enzo said, and for that minute he actually got a little angry. Which was new. I ignored it. â€Å"You're his friend,† I said. â€Å"His best friend. And Gretchen is mine. And right now our best friends can't stand the sight of each other. And that leaks into us, Enzo. Let me ask you, right now, how do you feel about Gretchen? You don't like her very much, do you?† â€Å"We've had better days,† Enzo said. â€Å"Right. Because she and your best friend are at it. I feel the same way about Magdy. I guarantee you he feels the same way about me. And Gretchen isn't feeling very friendly to you. I want to spend time with you, Enzo, but most of the time, both of us are a package deal. We come with our best friends attached. And I don't want the drama right now.† â€Å"Because it's easier just not to bother,† Enzo said. â€Å"Because I'm tired, Enzo,† I said, spitting out the words. â€Å"Okay? I'm tired. Every morning I wake up and I have to run or do strength exercises or something that tires me out right after I've gotten out of bed. I'm tired before the rest of you are even awake. Then school. Then an entire afternoon of getting physically beat up in order to learn how to defend myself, on the chance some aliens want to come down here and kill us all. Then I spend my evenings reading up on every single race out there, not because it's interesting, but just in case I need to murder one of them, I'll know where its soft spots are. I hardly have time to think about anything else, Enzo. I am tired. â€Å"Do you think all of this is fun for me? Do you think it's fun for me not to see you? To spend all my time learning to hurt and kill things? Do you think it's fun for me that every single day I get my nose rubbed in the fact there's a whole universe out there just waiting to murder us? When was the last time you thought about it? When was the last time Magdy thought about it? I think about it every day, Enzo. My time is spent doing nothing but. So don't tell me that it's just easier for me not to bother with the drama. You have no idea. I'm sorry. But you don't.† Enzo stared at me for a minute, and then reached over to wipe my cheeks. â€Å"You could tell me, you know,† he said. I laughed a small laugh. â€Å"I don't have time,† I said. That got a smile from Enzo. â€Å"And anyway, I don't want you to worry.† â€Å"It's a little late for that,† Enzo said. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said. â€Å"It's all right,† he said. â€Å"I miss it, you know,† I said, wiping my own face. â€Å"Spending time with you. Even when it meant spending time with Magdy. I miss having the time to really talk to you. I miss watching you fail at dodgeball. I miss you sending me poems. I miss all of it. I'm sorry that we've gotten mad at each other lately, and that we didn't do something to fix it. I'm sorry and I miss you, Enzo.† â€Å"Thank you,† Enzo said. â€Å"You're welcome,† I said. We stood there for a minute, looking at each other. â€Å"You came here to break up with me, didn't you,† I said, finally. â€Å"Yeah,† said Enzo. â€Å"Yeah, I did. Sorry.† â€Å"Don't be,† I said. â€Å"I haven't been a very good girlfriend.† â€Å"Yes you have,† Enzo said. â€Å"When you've had the time.† Another shaky laugh from me. â€Å"Well, that's the problem, isn't it,† I said. â€Å"Yes,† Enzo said, and I know he was sorry he felt he had to say it. And just like that my first relationship was over, and I went to bed, and I didn't sleep. And then I got up when the sun came up and walked out to our exercise area, and started everything again. Exercise. School. Training. Study. A very tiring time. And this is how my days went, most days, for months, until we had been at Roanoke for almost an entire year. And then things started happening. Fast.

Design Theories in education

Design Theories in education Introduction Almost every characteristic of people’s daily lives involves problem solving and learning. Whether they are working, playing games, studying or engaging in any activity, people are always continually applying or adding to their ever-expanding pool of knowledge. Learning starts at birth and it ends when one dies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Design Theories in education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It takes place everywhere i.e. in schools, home, at work e.t.c. Learning refers to the act of acquiring knowledge through such aspects as socialization and observation. Morrison, Ross, Kemp (2001), in their studies stated that for learning to be carried out effectively, there must be some key elements which include the learner, the teacher and the information to be learned. There are many different types of design theories that use the tenets of learning theories to build effective instruction. I nstruction design theories usually describe how instructions are organized with an aim of achieving objectives. Design theories are perspective theories in that, they enable a teacher or an expert to select and organize instructional events to enhance the learning process. The basis of design theories is on how people learn (Morrison, Ross, Kemp, 2001, p. 62-83). The following essay is concerned with educational design theories. The essay focuses on how the design theories can help improve the constructed responses in reading on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE). The Wiggins’s theory of backwards design The Backward Curriculum design was developed by Wiggins and McTighe. The Backward Curriculum Design is based on the notion that the design process should first identify the set objectives to be achieved and then work backwards to create instruction. This approach to curriculum design is completely different with the traditional approach which first ident ifies what topic requires to be covered. It departs from the common approach in that, the teacher starts with the end in determining the curriculum instead of starting with a textbook. The Backward design has three main stages. The first stage identifies the desired results. According to this theory, the teacher has the role of identifying the course objectives, as well as the enduring understanding i.e. the learning that should be covered over long-term.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Question format which focuses on the line of inquiry is used in identifying the desired learning. Benchmarks or state standards are used in determining the desired learning. The second stage is the assessment of the desired results and outcomes. This stage aims at defining the forms of assessment that best demonstrates the students’ understanding and skill. There are three types of ass essments i.e. performance task, criteria referenced assessment and unprompted assessment. The third stage determines the sequence of learning experience that is ideal for the students. The Backward design can help improve the constructed responses in reading on the WKCE because it has the effect of delaying the selection of teaching as well as other instructional strategies until the last stage of the process (Moore, 2005, P.45). Gagne’s nine events of instruction Gagne’s nine events of instruction is a learning theory that was developed by Robert Gagne. Each of Gagne’s nine events is meant to boost the learning process or to ensure that learning takes place effectively. Information processing learning theory is the main basis of these events and is key in the success of every event. According to this theory, the first presentation of the instruction is supposed to motivate the learner. The event thus, has the role of focusing the learners on the goals to be acc omplished. Learning cannot take place effectively without focusing on the tasks. Some of the methods that are used for gaining the attention of the students include presenting discrepant events. It can improve the constructed response in reading in that, the teachers can gain the attention of learners through actions that makes them to focus on the tasks to be learned (Mastrian, McGonigle Mahan,2011,P.97). The second event is informing the learner about the objective to be accomplished. The learner should be provided with the learning outcomes. This plays an important role in enabling the learner to know his or her instructional destination. The learner is able sort out the necessary materials from a list (Briggs, 1991, P.199-206).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Design Theories in education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Stimulating recall of prerequisite learning is the third event of Gagne’s learning th eory. According to this theory, learning is intended to build on what is already known. Learners are required to have prerequisite knowledge or skill in order to integrate them with new ones. This in turn helps to improve the constructed response in reading (Briggs, 1991, P.199-206). The fourth event of Gagne’s learning theory is presenting the stimulus material. This event of instruction presents the learners with the necessary information to be learned. The main aim of presenting materials is to ensure that the learners have basic knowledge on the tasks to be learned (Briggs, 1991, P.199-206). The other event of Gagne’s event of instruction is providing learning guidance. The main role of this event is to provide the learners with an opportunity to know what actions bring an ideal performance. Usually, learners are better placed to perform tasks on their own after observing from others. The teachers can provide learning guidance to learners by showing them all the st eps involved in solving a problem (Briggs,1991,P.199-206). Eliciting performance is the sixth of Gagne’s nine events of instruction. The learners are provided with an opportunity to test out their understanding through certain activities or questions. The learner is thus given an opportunity to practice what requires to be learned in this event (Briggs, 1991, P.199-206). Providing feedback is the seventh event of instruction according to Gagne’s nine events. Feedback is usually provided to learners in order to convey information about their accuracy or correctness of their performance (Briggs, 1991, P.199-206). The other instruction event of Gagne’s nine events is assessing performance. Assessing performance provides the learner with an opportunity to demonstrate the learning outcomes without the assistance from teachers (Briggs, 1991, P.199-206). The last event of Gagne’s nine events of instruction is the enhancement of retention and transfer. Knowledge and skills are mainly valuable if the learners can apply them at appropriate times (Briggs, 1991, P.199-206).Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The four elements of teaching for understanding The standards for the four elements of teaching for understanding include the following i.e. generative topics, understanding goals, understanding performances and ongoing assessments (Reigeluth, 1999, P.108). A generative topic is concerned with the topic selection. This element requires that the learners should be presented with topics that are easily understandable and authentic. The main features of this element of teaching for understanding are that the topic should be relevant, connectible, accessible and interesting to both the learners and the teacher (Reigeluth, 1999, P.108). With regards to understanding goals, the element requires that the students should do their best to understand the learning outcome. Goals should not be ambiguous. The teacher should share goals with the learners in order to enable them to fully understand the learning outcomes (Reigeluth, 1999, P.108). Understanding performances provides the learners wit h an opportunity to prove their understanding of the learning objectives. This element of teaching for understanding enables the teacher to actively engage his or her learners (Reigeluth, 1999, P.108). The ongoing assessment is the fourth element for teaching for understanding. The main role of ongoing assessment is to provide the teachers with a forum of assessing the performance of the students and thus make improvements where necessary. Ongoing assessment should be done on regular basis and should be explicit (Reigeluth, 1999, P.108). Conclusion The best process of instruction that will ensure that students complete or even do the constructed response sections of the exam is the Gagne’s nine events of instruction. This method of instruction is ideal because it is goal driven. It is appropriate for the students as it can enable them to form a constructed response. Gagne’s nine events of instruction enhance the learning process in that; it has the ability of identifyi ng the learning outcome. Also, it identifies the events that should take place, organizes them in a sequence manner and ensures that each event includes all the relevant information for the objectives to be attained. Reference List Briggs, L. (1991). Instructional design: principles and applications. New York: EducationalTechnology. Mastrian, K, and McGonigle Mahan, W. (2011). Integrating technology in nursing education: tools for the knowledge era.Sadbury: Jones Bartlett Learning. Moore, K. (2005). Effective instructional strategies: from theory to practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE. Morrison, G, Ross, S. Kemp, J. (2001). Task Analysis in  Designing Effective Instruction. New York: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Reigeluth, C. (1999). Instructional-design theories and models, Volume 2.London: Routledge.

Bhopal India disaster Essays

Bhopal India disaster Essays Bhopal India disaster Essay Bhopal India disaster Essay Bhopal India disaster Name: Course: Date: Bhopal India disaster The Bhopal gas leak disaster that happened in India in 1984 was recorded as one of the most disastrous accidents in the world. The location of the accident was the union Carbide pesticide plant in Madhya Pradesh. The gas leak managed to affect over 100,000 people with poisonous methyl-isocyanine particles. The scope of the gas leak was estimated to be about six kilometers from the source of the gas accident. The initial death toll stood at 2,000 people most of who worked at the plant as employees. Much later, the toll rose to 8,000 after an hour. After three days of investigation, the victims of the gas leak were estimated to be over a hundred thousand (Palit, 2010). The exact health implications of the Bhopal gas leak were not fully released until 1994 when parts of the documents were released to the public. Over 500,000 people were labeled as being gas affected with most of the victims suffering from nervous system failure, different types of cancers, kidney and liver failures (Tho mas, 2010). The pesticide plant UCIL was a branch of the Union Carbide Corporation and immediately distanced itself from the gas disaster. Eventually, the Indian government forced them to pay over $400 million in compensation for the deaths and physical injuries. The occurrence of the disaster pointed toward an increased enforcing of international standards in dealing with environmentally hazardous chemicals to avoid similar accidents in the future. The topic of controversy even after the disaster was the fact that the plants’ scientists refused to divulge any information on the nature of the gas. Warren Anderson, the managing director, was accused of homicide, but he was never tried at both the US and Indian trials. Possible causes of the gas leak accident There was a lot of confusion after the plant was closed to outsiders after allegations arose that the plant had not complied with most regulations touching on worker safety, working conditions, emergency procedures and equipment maintenance. The most significant investigation into the cause of the gas leak was done by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and revealed the following results. Water seeped into MIC storage tanks and triggered an exothermal effect that exuded large amounts of toxic gas that broke open the safety valves. There were safety scrubbers that would normally cut off any excess gas, but these were dismantled for repair when the tragedy occurred (Sheehan, 2011). The main cause of the accident was established as negligence of safety procedures. First, no valves were installed to prevent water from seeping into the MIC storage tanks. The company also did a poor job of maintaining the flaring and cooling systems of the machinery and even on the fateful day, they were not in proper working condition. At the factory, coolant units had been drained off for usage in another part of the plant and the gas flare had been off for over three months. The reason given for the low safety standard at Union Carbide branch were financial in nature and involved massive budget cuts to the safety fund. The company had also made massive errors by procuring and installing equipment that had not been approved as safe for handling toxic components (Fact Finding Mission on Bhopal, 2009). Effects of the Bhopal gas leak accident Environmental effects The Dow Chemical Company that took over the control of Union Carbide Company in 2001 reported that there were still large volumes of poisonous waste at the site of the accident. As of 2011, the site was still highly contaminated with residues of mercury and hexachlorobenzene (Sheehan, 2011). Efforts were made to seal some of the toxic wastes into open barrels, but the severe rainfall and flooding washed off the chemicals into domestic water sources such as rivers and still ponds. Research done by environmentalists revealed that the locals consumed water that contained up to 500 times more toxic material than was humanly possible to consume. This has led to mutation and extinction of various species of flora and fauna in the area (Sarangi, 2012). Efforts to mitigate the accident and avoid future similar incidents The Indian Government was highly cooperative with lawmakers to ensure that repeats of such biochemical accidents were outdated. The state passed the Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster Act as a method of ascertaining that allegations and lawsuits arising from the gas leak accident would be dealt with promptly and fairly. Within the Act, there were clauses that made such cases only adjudicated by the state. Through this act, all cases were removed from US jurisdiction and awarded to Indian courts. The agreement by UCIL to pay the $470 million was one of the results of such adjudication (Sarangi, 2012). Various stakeholders in the chemical industry globally used the Bhopal disaster as the perfect opportunity to plan to reinforce the safety regulations to deter any future lapses that would result in disasters. The Bhopal disaster proved that problems involving industrial hazards are tied to global market changes. Practical and consistent international operating guidelines for hazardous industries were proposed and ratified in international platforms such as the UN General Assembly and the European Union. These policies and norms have worked exceptionally well in measuring performance of hazardous chemical producers in India (Fact Finding Mission on Bhopal, 2009). The Bhopal incident served to change the trend and structure of industrial chemical production in India and the rest of the world. Though many lives were lost and the environment destroyed, the accident served to reinforce the authority of the Ministry of Environment and other stakeholders as well as renewing the world’s commitment at controlling the industrial activity that posed a potential threat to their well-being and that of the environment. References Fact Finding Mission on Bhopal. (2009). The Bhopal gas disaster, impacts, responses, current status, and recommendations for the future: executive summaries of studies. New Delhi: Fact Finding Mission on Bhopal Palit, A., National University of Singapore. (2010). The Bhopal tragedy verdict: Can India handle industrial disasters? Singapore: Institute of South Asian Studies. Sarangi, S. (2012). Compensation to Bhopal gas victims: will justice ever be done? Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 9, 2 Sheehan, H. E. (2011). The Bhopal gas disaster: focus on community health and environmental effects. Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 8, 2 Thomas, G. (2010). The Bhopal gas disaster and the poor state of occupational health and safety India. Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 7, 4

Imperative Mood - Definition and Examples in English

Imperative Mood s in English In English grammar, the imperative mood is the form of the verb that makes direct commands and requests, such as Sit still and Count your blessings. The imperative mood uses the zero infinitive form, which (with the exception of be) is the same as the second person in the present tense. There are three major moods in English: the indicative mood is used to make factual statements or pose questions, the imperative mood to express a request or command, and the (rarely used) subjunctive mood to show a wish, doubt, or anything else contrary to fact. Etymology From the Latin, command Examples Save Ferris. (Slogan in the movie Ferris Buellers Day Off, 1986)Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. (Philo of Alexandria)Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity. (Christopher Morleys final message to friends, colleagues, and readers, published in The New York Times after his death on March 28, 1957)Go to the edge of the cliff and jump off. Build your own wings on the way down. (Ray Bradbury, Brown Daily Herald, March 24, 1995)If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee. (attributed to President Abraham Lincoln)Roar, roar, roar, Henderson-Sungo. Do not be afraid. Let go of yourself. Snarl greatly. Feel the lion.(Saul Bellow, Henderson the Rain King. Viking, 1959)Touch the great artery. Feel it bound like a deer in the might of its lig htness, and know the thunderless boil of the blood. Lean for a bit against this bone. It is the only memento you will leave to this earth. Its tacitness is everlasting. In the hush of the tissue wait with me for the shaft of pronouncement. Press your ear against this body, the way you did when you were a child holding a seashell and heard faintly the half-remembered, longed-for sea. (Richard Selzer, The Surgeon as Priest. Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery. Simon Schuster, 1976) Let the river rock you like a cradleClimb to the treetops, child, if youre ableLet your hands tie a knot across the table.Come and touch the things you cannot feel.And close your fingertips and fly where I cant hold youLet the sun-rain fall and let the dewy clouds enfold youAnd maybe you can sing to me the words I just told you,If all the things you feel aint what they seem.And dont mind me cause I aint nothin but a dream.(lyrics by Jerry Merrick, sung by Richie Havens, Follow)Shut up, Brain, or Ill stab you with a Q-tip! (Homer Simpson of The Simpsons)Never give in  . Never give in. Never, never, never, neverin nothing, great or small, large or pettynever give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. (Winston Churchill)Get up, stand up, Stand up for your rights.Get up, stand up, Dont give up the fight. (Bob Marley, Get Up, Stand Up!)Just do it. (Nike advertising slogan) Come in, then. Dont stand staring. Close that door quick! Hustle! Dont scrape your feet on the floor. Try to look intelligent. Dont gape. (P.G. Wodehouse, Something Fresh, 1915) Pronunciation: im-PAR-uh-tiv mood

Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Report - Coursework Example The period is deemed to be the duration taken for one complete oscillation. The frequency can be deemed to be the number of oscillations that the pendulum can make per unit time the inverse of which is the period i.e. f = 1/T. The amplitude is the longest distance that is traversed by the pendulum in reference to its equilibrium position. The displacement causes the exertion of force that tends to restore the pendulum to its equilibrium position (Nethercott & Walton 2013). The sum vector of the gravitational force of the mass of the pendulum (mg) and the tension force (T) shown in Figure 1. They constitute the restoring force whose magnitude depends on the displacement from the equilibrium position. Therefore, the restoring force F can be calculated as The negative sign is an indication that the restoring force is in the opposite direction of the displacement. For small amplitudes, ÃŽ ¸ is small and therefore ÃŽ ¸ can be used in place of sinÃŽ ¸. Therefore, the resulting equation is The aim of this experiment is to estimate the acceleration due to gravity using a pendulum. For purposes of this experiment, the independent variable is the length of the pendulum whereas the period is the dependent variable (Bolton and Bolton 2012). The table top stand with clamp was placed on a flat working surface. The string was then passed through the pendulum bob and knotted as appropriate to hold the bob in position. The string with the pendulum attached to one end was passed through the split cork, and the length of string adjusted to 0.85m before being clamped onto the retort stand. A Vernier calipers was used to measure the diameter. The length of the string was adjusted to about .8 m. Therefore, the length of the pendulum is l = ls + r .where r is the radius of the bob. The pendulum was then displaced approximately 5Â º from its equilibrium position and left to swing back and forth. The time taken for 6 complete oscillations was recorded

Boys and Girls by Alice Munro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Boys and Girls by Alice Munro - Essay Example In â€Å"Boys and Girls†, the author highlights the story of a young girl, who had greater concern for her favorite horses, in the first person narrative. The girl, though very young, helped her father in his farming work mainly by caring for the horses. The internal conflicts of the girls start when he father decides to kill the old horse to feed his foxes. In an attempt to save the horse from death, she lets it free and waits fearfully for her father’s response on finding that she was the culprit behind the escape of the horse. The story develops from there with her little brother’s enthusiasm to get the horse chased back home with the help of a hired hunter. Most parts of the book represent the author’s concern over the societies that undermine the roles of women in active social life. As Martin comments, â€Å"it is not a funny story, but in fact, a poignant comedy† (45). In a situation of the story, when her brother tells everyone during a dinn er that the girl was the reason behind the missing of the horse, her father replies by saying â€Å"Never mind, she’s only a girl†. ... The siblings were given a room to share in the home with a number of safety instructions from their father. As Hooper reflects, â€Å"Boys and Girls returns readers to an already familiar Munro place where mother’s sphere of things is boring and repressive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (12). The author expresses the ways in which boys enjoyed more social freedom than girls in a family. Girls had to fear almost all factors ranging from darkness to strangers in her time. When the decision making was a question before their life, it was always a conflicting situation between the prospects of parental approval and social acceptance. As Munro writes, even when she had to see the way her father shot the horse with the help of his farm hand, she only told her brother â€Å"Now, you have seen how they shoot a horse.† This expression shows the acquired numbness of the author from the experiences of her childhood in which she used to witness her father engaging in the trade of animal husbandry that involved killing of animals for money. In another context when her father says to her mother with a blood stained appearance that he had shot old Flora, the mare, her mother replied saying â€Å"Well, I don’t want to hear about it, and don’t come to my table like that.† This expression sounds the general disagreement among women with the ‘killing business’. While focusing more on the protagonist, the author can be seen to have given little significance to her name – to a great extent, it may be because of the influences of her own childhood experiences of low self esteem forced by the over preference prevailed in common families of her society. In the story, the girl is critically disregarded by her family members after the birth of her brother. She was treated

Poor Communication within a Business Research Paper

Poor Communication within a Business - Research Paper Example Effects of poor communication to a business Ideally, for any business organization to succeed proper and effective communication becomes the backbone of this achievement. The effects of poor communication stream down from the organization’s top management organs to the least level of employees. The miscommunication may overflow to consumers in that the sales team may give minimized attention to the needs of their consumers hence delivering poor service to them. Essentially, the low morale of employees, in house miscommunication, non-content customers, and poor output or performance by staff becomes the product of poor communication. I. Low morale and motivation of employees Negative morale mothers animosity and harshness among staff members if their working environment is not fulfilling. In essence, the improper articulation of organizations goals and objectives to employees by the management translates to decreased morale. Sequentially, the general output by the employee’s decreases because of this inappropriate impact. Additionally, when team members do not have access to adequate information needed in the delegation of their tasks they lack motivation as they feel the need to work extra in order to fulfill their duties (Frater, 2003). Eventually, the working environment created is one characterized by bitter moods that end up spilling to the customer. In this regard, the top management needs to establish proper communication channels between them and their team players to ensure that their customers benefit from their services. A negative cycle may develop in the business, which may attract low sales and dismal performance by the business. Th e personnel become weak in the execution of tasks and implementation of the organization goals. Mainly, the whole idea of going in to a business undertaking is making a profit. Therefore, it will prove unworthy to continue venturing in a nonprofit able venture because of reasons that are preventable. In a counter approach, a business needs to ensure that the morale levels of its staff members are intact for the continued growth of a business. II. In house miscommunication and misinterpretation Subsequently, poor communication within a business setting has the ripple effect of compromising the in house

FDI Inflow in India through Manufacturing Sector Essay

FDI Inflow in India through Manufacturing Sector - Essay Example Although India is an under developed country and the government has taken all possible measures to boost up the FDI in all the sectors specially the manufacturing sector. The best econometric model which suits the inflow of FDI's in manufacturing sector is "Time Series Econometric Model". The variables of time series econometric model are stated below: After developing the variables, firstly, we need to assess their properties. Its existence both in long and short term is outlined through the time series analysis. Secondly, one needs to find out those variables which are dependent to each other so as to categorize them either in short term or medium term basis. Moreover, corrective and appropriate measures need to be taken in selecting the variables because only some of these variables produce good results in the long run while the rest do not. The most important thing regarding the application of this model in the manufacturing sector is the data provided. Because in third world or under developed countries like India the manipulation in the data might occur which may create problems in analyzing the real model. The Indian market is very attractive for the foreign investors due to its massive growth in population, economy and various other demographic factors. The Indian government has taken every possible measure to attract the foreign investors and due to this fact stock market of India has attained a new height and its trading volume has grown up exponentially over the last few years, right before the world economy went into a recession (Mehul). In the last 10 years, 27 billion dollars have been injected in the Indian economy, most of which was invested in the manufacturing sector, as availability of cheap labor is one of the key factors that attracts foreign investors. On an average India's overall manufacturing base has attracted investments worth 3.4 billion dollars from 2000 to 2008 in the form of FDI (The Financial Express). There is a huge potential in the manufacturing industry of India and economists estimate more than 12 billion dollars to be injected or invested in India's manufacturing sector in the next 5 years (The Financial Express). Statistics reveal that India is the fourth largest country in terms of FDI but they are still way behind in comparison with China, to refer to the proportions of FDI in India's manufacturing industry is around 37 in comparison to 67 per cent of China (Bhanu 3). Although there is a huge potential and flexibility in both the markets but due to the government policies, tax free zones, availability of cheap labor and resources, China finds its way comfortably at the top (Swapna ). Similarly, another important statistic, is comparison between the manufacturing and the service sector. Service sector in India has only been able to attract $2.34 billion of FDI in the past years. To Examine Motives of FDI Inflow in India Indian economy has made huge impact on the global economy being a huge market

Who you feel is a public speaker Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Who you feel is a public speaker - Term Paper Example Charles Krauthammer, the famous orator in America, can similarly be considered as an apt example for contemporary effective public speakers. The five elements involved in effective public speaking are, â€Å"who is saying what to whom using what medium with what effects?† (The Definition of Public Speaking). If one is using these elements effectively in his speaking he is most likely to establish himself as a successful public speaker, so is the case of Charles. For Jaffe, â€Å"public speaking occurs when one person prepares and delivers a speech for a group that listens, generally without interrupting the speaker’s flow of ideas†( Jaffe 1). In the case of Charles in America, his words were highly valued by the American people and so he may be ranked in the category of famous speakers. Various reasons force a person to speak before the public. Earlier public speaking was considered to be the only source to spread pieces of information among the people. For instance, in the Catholic churches this was very well made use to spread the gospel. As the years passed by speakers used this medium for many purposes. It may be either to pass information or to amuse the audience, or to follow the ideals of the speaker. In the modern world public speaking has been proved to be an indispensable factor in politics, religion, policies, entertainment programs, and the like. Whatever be the purpose, the speaker, Charles takes great roles to work upon. His views on science and politics have received the attention of many. For him â€Å"Science has everything to say about what is possible. Science has nothing to say about what is permissible† and on politics† and he considers Obama as a leveller who â€Å"has come to narrow the divide between rich and poor. For him the ultimate social value is fairness. Imposing it upon the American social order is

Women in the World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women in the World - Essay Example The paper also looks at the reasons for the different kinds of oppression faced by women. Basically, in every field where man and women interact, discrimination can be seen in one form or another. This paper tries to bring out the nature of oppression against women, not only in America, but also across the world and across the various religions. It also brings to attention the female oppression in the fields of politics, science and technology. The paper ends in a positive note hoping for the creation of a new horizon for women across the world. Keywords: Women, Discrimination: The fact that discrimination against women still exists in most countries across the globe, is a blemish to humanity. The discrimination â€Å"ranges from tacit male dominance in religion and philosophies to the brutal male oppression, for instance Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) that is still carried out in some communities†(Female Oppression 2008:1). ... After much struggle and strong opposition from the women community and other social organizations, the system of Apartheid is eliminated from Africa. But women in Africa still suffer cruel discrimination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Poverty and illiteracy of Africa are other major reasons for the unequal treatment of women. South Africa reports the world’s highest number of rape cases, which is about half a million each year. Ironically, the actual number of rape incidents is much larger than the official reports. Even among the many reported cases, only a few receive justice from the court of law. According to a study done on the rape cases in Africa, about 69% of the 394 rape cases that were reported, only 17 cases fetched justice. This is really a pathetic situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Genital mutilation in Africa is greater than any other continent in the world. The four type of Genital mutilation as per the WHO classifications are practiced in Africa. On the basis of a study about 60% of African women are circumcised. Africa is not only the part of the world where discrimination occurs on such a rampant scale. It is a surprising fact that discrimination against women occurs not only in underdeveloped countries, but also in developed countries like America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even in the modern world of technology, the traditional roles of women and men are not still revolutionized. Men are still seen as the breadwinners and women as the homemakers. Even though career oriented women and domestic centered men are present in the modern world, the inequality in the opportunities that both the genders share is still great. There is a wide gap between the positions of men and women in the technically perfect

Who you feel is a public speaker Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Who you feel is a public speaker - Term Paper Example Charles Krauthammer, the famous orator in America, can similarly be considered as an apt example for contemporary effective public speakers. The five elements involved in effective public speaking are, â€Å"who is saying what to whom using what medium with what effects?† (The Definition of Public Speaking). If one is using these elements effectively in his speaking he is most likely to establish himself as a successful public speaker, so is the case of Charles. For Jaffe, â€Å"public speaking occurs when one person prepares and delivers a speech for a group that listens, generally without interrupting the speaker’s flow of ideas†( Jaffe 1). In the case of Charles in America, his words were highly valued by the American people and so he may be ranked in the category of famous speakers. Various reasons force a person to speak before the public. Earlier public speaking was considered to be the only source to spread pieces of information among the people. For instance, in the Catholic churches this was very well made use to spread the gospel. As the years passed by speakers used this medium for many purposes. It may be either to pass information or to amuse the audience, or to follow the ideals of the speaker. In the modern world public speaking has been proved to be an indispensable factor in politics, religion, policies, entertainment programs, and the like. Whatever be the purpose, the speaker, Charles takes great roles to work upon. His views on science and politics have received the attention of many. For him â€Å"Science has everything to say about what is possible. Science has nothing to say about what is permissible† and on politics† and he considers Obama as a leveller who â€Å"has come to narrow the divide between rich and poor. For him the ultimate social value is fairness. Imposing it upon the American social order is

Skills required for a successful health and safety practitioner Essay

Skills required for a successful health and safety practitioner - Essay Example Technical training also equips individuals with numerous other skills that enhance their success in the profession. Slide 3, Among such skills is communication. Health practitioners interact with their patients on numerous platforms. Such interactions require adequate communication. Among the most essential roles of a health practitioner is diagnosis a process that requires a patient to describe his feelings to a health practitioners (Patel and John 91). Slide 4, The health practitioners must understand the descriptions and make accurate diagnosis thus advising appropriate treatments. The need for effective communication skills commands proficiency in language. As the medium for communication, the health and safety practitioners must have the ability to speak the appropriate language and do so appropriately in order to enhance the effectiveness of the communication processes (Storey and Craig 21). Slide 6, Health and safety practitioners must understand relevant laws. Laws and codes of conduct are vital in the practice since they help curb the rise of legal tussles that may jeopardize the career of an individual. Ethical codes on the other hand influence the decisions that safety and health practitioners make thus ensuring that the practitioners uphold the values of a society (Stellman 55). Slide 7, The nature of the career requires the practitioners to make decisions urgently in order to overcome challenges. The conditions are always precarious and a decision can either save or lose a life. Despite such, the health and safety practitioners must always make such decisions and advise their patients appropriately. This requires the practitioners to have effective analytical skills in order to analyze their circumstances and device appropriate decisions to help overcome the

Impact of Divorce on Children | Essay

Impact of Divorce on Children | Essay The increase in the rate of divorce may be the most dramatic change in family life and divorce is being more and more common in the modern society. Demographers suggest that about 50% of first marriages would be voluntarily dissolved in recent years (Cherlin, 1992). Compared with statistics in the middle of 19th century which only 5% of first marriages ended in divorce (Preston McDonald, 1979), the number is shocking. Moreover, slightly more than half of all divorces involve children and adolescences aged below 18. More than one million children experience parental divorce every year (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1998, Table 160), and Bumpass (1990) suggested that about 40% of all children will experience parental divorce before reaching adulthood. The statistics and experts opinions demonstrate the trend of increasing divorce rate, and thus there are more and more children experiencing parental divorce. In response to this, the essay is going to focus on the impact of parental divorc e in different aspects if the event happens at the time when the children are in their adolescence and young adulthood. After that, the essay will discuss the impact on them when they grow up into young adults. With the increasing rate of divorce, parental divorce happening at the time when children are in their adolescence and young adulthood is more commonplace. The parental divorce may affect the children in different aspects. The impact may also be widespread. A 25-year study of 60 post-divorce families with 131 children was conducted by psychologist Judith Wallerstein. Wallerstein (2001) finds out that the immediate effects of divorce on children may be different according to their gender, age and developmental stage. For adolescents which are one of the focuses of this essay, they will suffer depression. They will also have suicidal thoughts and express anxiety about having successful marriages. Sandford(2008) also suggests that some findings in 1990s indicated that children of divorce have lower academic achievement. They may also have some behavioral, psychological, relationship or even health problems. Researches done over the past years have consistently shown that divorce has a negative impact on the academic achievement of children of divorce. (Wallerstein, Corbin, Lewis, 1988; Popenoe, 1993). They are more likely to have low grades and score lower on academic tests. They also have lower educational aspirations and are two to three times more likely to be dropped out of school. The impact may continue to their adulthood and lower their social competence as they just achieve lower levels of education and thus lower occupational status. Thus, their income is usually less. Adolescents experiencing parental divorce may also have different psychological problems. According to Wallerstein (2001), the level of depression and anxiety is higher in children of divorce. Their self esteem is also lower and they experience more often use of psychological services. It is found that girls from divorced families are much more depressed than girls from intact families in some cases. For boys, they are more hopeless and discouraged when there are more family distresses. It should be noted that some differences in psychological well-being may due to financial disadvantages. Compared with peers from married families, children of divorce may have a lower standard of living. It is due to two reasons. Firstly, living standard of women usually decline more than mens after divorce (Ross, 1995). Secondly, most children live with their mothers after divorce (Smyth, Sheenhan and Felberg, 2001). Thus they usually live with a lower family income. They will probably move to new r esidences and to poor neighborhoods. Because of the difficult economic conditions, they would have another form of loss and become more depress. Children of divorce are also prone to different behavioral problems. They may have disorders in conduct, difficulty with authorities and behaviors that are antisocial (Hetherington and Kelly, 2002). Compared with children from intact families, they are also two to three times more probably to engage in adolescent delinquency and the conduct problems are more common among boys than in girls. Jeynes (2001) also suggests that adolescent from divorced families have alcohol more often and in larger quantities. They are also more likely to take drugs, have pre-marital sex, end up in prison and commit murder, etc. Apart from psychological and behavioral problems, relationship problems are common among children from divorced families. Sandford (2008) suggests that female adolescents that have experienced parental divorce are more likely to have earlier sexual activities and have more sexual partners than those without experience in parental divorce during their high school years. He also points out that they begin their menstruation earlier. And it seems to be some relationships between early menstruation and early sexual intercourse. It is suggested that the girls having earlier sexual activity have poor self-regulatory skills. It might be attributed to the avoidance of teaching the skills needed to gain self-control in divorced families. Moreover, it might be due to disengagement between these children and their parents at a younger age. Thus their relationship is not as good as that in intact family. Divorced childrens relationship with parents is also weaker (Sandford, 2008). According to research done by Hetherington and Kelly (2002), similar proportion of children from divorced families and from intact families feel close to their mothers (70% vs. 80%). However, only less than one-third of children report such closeness with their father while 70% of children with married parents report these feelings. The findings coincide with other researches that there are high proportion of disengaged or totally absent fathers following divorces. It is the conflicts between the ex-spouses and custody arrangements that cause fathers to feel disengaged from their children. Avoidance of child support payments is also a reason for the fathers to stay away from their children. Because of the above reasons, adolescents from divorced families view their father to be less caring. Marital instability is also another relationship faced by children from divorced families when they grow up and it wil l be discussed later in the essay. Although research found quite a lot of negative impacts on adolescents when they face parental divorce, positive consequences are also possible. A study by Arditti (1999) suggests that the children from divorced families, especially daughters, develop very close relationships with their custodial mother. It may be due to the extra care given by the custodial mothers as their fathers are disengaged from the families. The impact of divorce on children may not be short term. It is possible that divorce will affect the children in different aspects even when they grow up into young adults. Several impacts are confirmed by Amato (2000) that they are consistent with prior research. Firstly, children with divorced parents are more likely to experience psychological problems in adulthood. Secondly, they have more problems in forming and maintaining stable intimate relationships with their partners. Thirdly, they have weaker ties to their parents when they grow up into young adults.   Amato (2000) suggests that divorce is undoubtedly â€Å"a risk factor for psychological problems during childhood and into adulthood†. It is agreed that there is a tendency of adults having parental divorce experience less satisfaction with their lives, higher rates of depression and lower self-esteem. Wallerstein, Lewis and Blakeslee (2001) findings also point out that about one third of the children had serious psychological problems such as clinical depression, poor performance in school or difficulty in maintaining friendships. Moreover, their 25-year in depth study also suggests that even 25 years after the divorce, the children (now adults) â€Å"still recalled the shock, unhappiness, loneliness, bewilderment and anger†. Higher level of depression has also been found to continue in adulthood. Both men and women report comparatively worse of psychological well-being. Although Amato (2000) argues that the adults who experienced parental divorce and are suffering fro m serious psychological problems are not as many as one third of them, the effects of divorce would probably persist into adulthood. Weaker ties to their parents is another impact when children grown up into young adults. Weisberg and Appleton (2003) describe a survey carried out by a sociologist. 1500 adults who had experienced a divorce before the age of 14 and a comparison group of children from intact family were surveyed. It was found that children of divorce (now adults) felt they were outsiders in their own home. They also had frequent feelings of being alone and were less likely to seek comfort from their parents. The weak ties to their parents usually persist into their adulthood. Another research done by Hetherington and Kelly (2002) also found that less than one-third of children of divorce report close feelings to their fathers. And even when they grow up into adult, they doubt whether their fathers care or love them. It is also suggested that children with parental divorce would have more problems in forming and maintaining stable intimate relationships with their partners (Amato, 2000). According to Hetherington and Kelly (2002), children of divorce are more likely than children of intact families to have marital instability and lower marital satisfaction. They generally have more thoughts about divorce and the divorce rates among children of divorce are also a bit higher when they grow up into adults. The phenomenon may be explained by the wariness to commit to a relationship, perceiving divorce as an alternative for unhappy marriages. Moreover, a contentious family life may result in generally weaker relationship skills. Weisberg and Appleton (2003) also stated that a lot of studies have shown that parental divorce is a risk factor for other problems in adulthood. The problems include low socioeconomic attainment, poor subjective wellbeing, increased marital problems, and a greater likelihood of seeing ones own marriages end in divorce (Amato, 1999). It might be hard to understand why the problems persist into adulthood. Weisberg and Appleton (2003) suggested that parental divorce may lead to financial crisis. The original plans to attend college may be abandoned, thus resulting in lower occupational attainment and wages throughout adulthood. For children who were exposed to poor parental models of interpersonal behavior, they might have difficulty when wanting to form stable, satisfying and intimate relationship as young adults. The above considerations suggest that it may be possible that some children show improvement soon after parental divorce in terms of behavior or relationship, however, some effects might only appear when the children reach young adulthood. Although the essay focuses on the impact of parental divorce on children, it is also important to note some of the methods that the children can adopt in order to adjust to divorce and minimize the negative impacts brought. Kelly (2003) suggests that conflicts between parents should be diminished. Competent residential parenting such as warmth and emotional support and adequate monitoring to the children is also needed. The non-residential parents also have a role. They should offer stable financial support to the divorced family. Regular contacts with the children and involvement in issues related to their children should also be carried out in order to help with childrens adjustment to divorce. It is the effort made by the parents that can minimized the impacts mentioned above. As discussed above, it is shown that parental divorce is an upsetting and disruptive event in the lives of the children. Although some scholars argue that children can develop successfully in a variety of family structures and view divorce as an escape from a dysfunctional home environment, more evidences and findings suggest that having experience of parental divorce may cause different problems such as psychological, emotional, behavioral and social problems. The children in divorced families may also deal with relationships in a disturbed manner. The effect may not be short term and can extent to adulthood in some cases. There may be intergenerational transmission of divorce and the adults may have difficulties in dealing with intimate relationship. The marriages of the adults with parental divorce experience would also be affected. It is arguable that not all children from divorced families suffer from these problems. And there are a lot of factors affect the impacts of parental divorce on children or the recovery process such as access to parents or parental support. Sex difference, the family structure or the relationship with parents may also be some of the factors. Although many factors should be considered, some negative impacts are proved that they would happen more frequently among children with parental divorce. And we should understand the impacts in order to find measures that can help the children adjust to divorce.

Dragon Slayer :: essays research papers

Dragon Slayer The musty odor lingered across his nose. "This was it, this was the cave" he whispered under his breath. He knew this would be a challenge. The entrance of the cave was scattered with the bones of many who dared entered. He knew he had to do this even if this was the last thing he ever did. The young knight entered the musty cave with all the silence of a stalking leopard. The cave was a gloomy sight, even in the interior of the cave there were bones of many past knights. This was no ordinary dragon. This dragon had killed more then most and had experience in fighting. He was the most sought after dragon in the world. He has stolen more gold from castles and killed more royal families than any other dragon. This is why the young knight was here, his king sent him on this mission because of his daughter's kidnapping. The dragon snatched her off the castle balcony and took her to this cave. The knight worked his way through the many winding turns of the cave. He knew this could either change his life or end it. The knight knew he had to stay silent and stay in the shadows. If the dragon would hear him it would be all over. The knight could sense the change in the smell as he went deeper into the cave. The smell was at first a musty old smell, the smell that most caves had, but this was different it was as if a rotten carcass had been setting in a warm room for weeks. He knew this smell; it was the smell of a dragon. He was near, so near he could feel the warmth of the dragon's body coming up the tunnel. Then without the slightest clue of danger a ball of flame shot straight by him, so close he could feel the hairs on his face singe with the passing ball of flame. He knew this was a time for action. He ran as fast as he could towards the route the flames had come from. No more than 50 yards of running took him into the dragon's lair. The lair was an awesome sight. There were more riches than any kingdom could imagine in a thousand years. The lair had the knight so awe struck that he had forgotten why he was there.

Blending of Past, Present, and Future in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman :: Death Salesman essays

Blending of Past, Present, and Future in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman      Ã‚  Ã‚   The most significant and challenging aspect to Death of a Salesman is its structure. In reading and watching the play it may appear at first that Miller is relying on the tried but true "flashback" technique in dramatizing the events of the play. In reality, Miller is actually attempting something much different. He is actually trying to fuse the past, present, and future into, what David Biele has aptly termed, a "constant state of NOW." It's not too unlike the Buddhist notion of living in the "eternal present" - meaning, whether we are conscious of it or not, everything that happens, happens now. If you are remember something in the past you are remembering it now. If you are dreaming of something in the future you are doing in now. Miller describes that state as this: I've never been able to make time real for myself. I can't remember whether something happened two weeks ago or three years ago. Or when I was in England the last time. The calendar doesn't seem to exist in my head. It all melts together. It always has. It's probably a form of insanity. I thought I would try to write that way - simply melt the days, the months and the years, because I really do believe that we move through the world carrying the past and that it's always alive in the back of our head. We are making constant references between what we see now and what we saw then, between what we hear now and what we heard then ... one asks a policeman for directions: as one listens, the hairs sticking out of his nose become important, reminding one of a father, brother, son with the same feature, and one's conflict with him or one's friendship come to mind, and this all over a period of seconds while objectively taking note of how to get to where one wants to go. The play then becomes an attempt to dramatize the way, to Miller at least, that the mind actually works. In fact, he originally thought of calling the play, "The Inside of His Head." He wanted the resulting form to "carry the whole freight of a man's life," moving the play forward not chronologically, in a "narrow discreet line, but as a phalanx, all of its elements moving together simultaneously.