Music has the power to change lives Free Essay Example, 1500 words

The consensual view from within the humanities appears to be that music is cultural rather than natural; music is viewed as constituted of practices, concepts and perceptions that are grounded in particular social interactions and constructions. As Geertz (1973) put it, in promoting a semiotic and interpretive approach to culture, "man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun", and within Geertzs humano-centric web of culture there is little room for the "natural". For Treitler (1980), "Meaning in music is a function of the engagement of codes or orders by the note-complexes of which the musical event is comprised", and musical phenomena are thus "intelligible only in the light of an interpretation which intuits the purpose or intention that they embody". Indeed, Abbate (1991) has suggested that â€Å"There is nothing immanent in a musical work (beyond the material reality of its written and sonic traces) and our perceptions of forms, configurations, meanings, gestures and symbols are always mediated by verbal formulas, as on a broader scale by ideology and culture. † "Music" is seen as the expression of discrete, contingent, socially conditioned factors in respect of which a generalisable - and hence scientific - account is neither relevant nor possible (Cross, 2001). Shepherd and Wicke (1997) published their book â€Å"Music and Cultural Theory†. We will write a custom essay sample on Music has the power to change lives or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The aim of this book as stated in the initial pages is ‘to feed musicology into cultural theory, to consider the implications for cultural theory of a viable theory for the social and cultural constitution of music as a particular and irreducible form of human expression and knowledge’. The authors see their initial task ‘to interrogate those forms of cultural theory which have been central to its development since the late 1950s’ and ‘to determine where the application of cultural theory has had some success in grasping affect in music as socially and culturally constituted’. This book and other similar works help cultural theorists to appreciate music and help musicians or musicologists to recognize the work they do from the viewpoint of theories of culture and society. Music is different things and does different things in different cultures; the bundles of elements and functions which are music for any given culture may overlap minimally with those of another culture, even for those cultures where "music" constitutes a discrete and identifiable category of human activity in its own right.

Comparing and Contrasting Poems by Wilfried Owen and...

These two poems are in some way quite similar, as the authors write about two male characters, an injured man and a young boy, one of whom dies later. Wilfried Owen explored the effects of war on those who live through it by comparing the present life of an injured soldier to his past hopes and accomplishments. Robert Frost‘s poem, is seen as a vision of the inhuman evils of technology, and its violence and bleakness appear to justify such a view. The â€Å"victimsâ€Å" are both young men, but the circumstances of their injury/death are very different, one is war, the other domestic. Each writer used a different form, blank verses or stanzas, and different uses language in their poem, which I am going to analyse later on, as well as the different†¦show more content†¦The use of sharp consonants like s and z sounds, here, create a opposing atmosphere. Later on, the writer tells us how and why this all happened, as well as how everything will be ending in the future. â€Å"Half in appeal, but half as if to keep/the life from spillingâ€Å" through this, Robert Frost, wants to present the boy‘s mind and thoughts. The boy is under shock, in which case doesn‘t let him react to the situation as we would imagine. He shows his arm/hand to the people surround him that it is bleeding heavily but doesn‘t losing his mind. After he recovers form his shock moment, „then the boy saw all-â€Å" „he saw all was spoilt,â€Å" the author describes dis desperateness he expresses towards his sister, to stay whole., â€Å"Little-less-nothingâ€Å" The phrase of the boy‘s dying and death. This is the description, the place being left empty and without any sign of life, which leaves the reader with a projection of the situation in his head. Both poets create an amazing variety of ideas and emotions, created by the story told in the texts. The second stanza in Wilfred Owen‘s poem is particularly effective, where he talks about the solider‘s remembrances of his life before the war. The girls looked even more attractive and alluring as the evening grew darker. „And girls glanced lovelier as the air grew dim.â€Å" Then the contrast. The girls who do acknowledge his presence find it difficult to touch him without showing some sign of revulsion or disgust, as if he was

Assess the Consequences of the Civil War free essay sample

With a single shot of John Wilkes Booth’s pistol, the greatest President that ever served America was dead. With the Civil War barely over and with the country in a complete state of moral and political chaos, Abraham Lincoln’s death could not have come at a worse time. (1) The great leader, the brave revolutionary, the progressive politician – Abraham Lincoln was the man who held an ever-changing America together, the only candidate to lead America forward and leave the brutalities of the Civil War, and of course slavery, behind. As it was, Lincoln’s death at Ford’s Theatre could not have come at a worse time for the nation – the death of a national hero, when the people needed him most. (1) His assassination marked the beginning of political chaos within America’s upper echelons, and most unfortunately condemned the south to decades of isolation and the races to a long arduous painful struggle, which remains. (4c)(1) With one single bullet, the soul was immediately ripped out of American politics and all the work of one great man nearly undone. Never before was a strong leader more needed to capitalise on this great opportunity for the country, than after Lincoln’s murder. A man to carry the mantle for this new â€Å"free† America, a great leader to unite the people once again, a man to make America great. Unfortunately, all they got was Andrew Johnson. If the people had wanted a replica of Abraham Lincoln, they were hugely disappointed. As a Democrat from the border state of Tennessee, Johnson was never going to be a mould in Lincoln’s image. (4c) He became very much his own man – whether this was to the benefit of American politics, is highly doubtful. Never before had a President distanced himself so much from Congress. He was egotistical and narrow-minded and never seemed to fully comprehend the complexity of the war that had taken place. As a white southerner, Johnson’s feelings towards blacks were at best mixed. This was seen in his instruction to ex-rebel states to draw up state constitutions and allow ex-confederate leaders to dominate these state governments. (1) Johnson gave these states pretty much â€Å"free rein† over their own affairs and his policy of silence and non-interference was damaging to the freedmen, allowing the states to remain loyal to â€Å"the ause†. (1) Slavery was officially dead, but oppression was thriving. Violence against the freedmen became commonplace and with the introduction of the hugely controversial â€Å"Black Codes† in many states, blacks were denied all but their basic civil rights. Overall, there was a ridiculously ignorant and narrow-minded, yet widely accepte d, view that â€Å"the blacks at large belong to the whites† (Carl Schulz). (1) The infamous Ku Klux Klan (1865) carried out unprecedented violent attacks on the freedmen. (4f) The cowardice of Johnson was seeing all hopes for a brighter future unravel before the freedmen’s eyes. What would Abe Lincoln have thought? However, Johnson was not allowed have an easy ride – Congress fought back and moved to exclude Johnson’s own senators and representatives from the house. (1) To further rile Congress, Johnson in turn vetoed a proposed Fourteenth Amendment (4d)– which defined a U. S. Citizen (including African Americans) – gave extension of powers to the Freedman’s Bureau, and included a reformed civil rights law. (4d) There was now a complete split between the President and the Republican Party. This in turn united the Republican Party; they were united in their hatred of Johnson and now abandoned him. (1) Inevitably, impeachment proceedings were brought against Johnson instigated by Edwin Stanton (the first of its kind to be brought against any American President). These were rightly rejected by Congress. If this had been passed it would have threatened the basis of the Constitutional system that would have caused political chaos. (4a) However, one positive outcome of the whole affair was that it warned all future Presidents not to follow Johnson’s example. In other words, don’t mess with Congress! In 1868, Johnson was finally replaced through the normal political process, by the people’s choice, the hero of Appomattox and Vicks, Ulysses S. Grant (4c) – a very much passive President whose hunger and dedication to the role must come into question. (1) However, despite Grant’s failings as President, at least Congress was united once again and the Congressional majority could now concentrate on the problem of the South and the blacks without interference. Proposed plans for reform in the South were defeated – plans to industrialize it and form the South in the image of the progressive North deemed impossible. For the South had changed greatly – it was now riddled with economic problems with the death of slavery leaving a void in Southern institutions. The general consensus among many was that it must be left for the southerners to sort out – black and white. (1)(4e) Meanwhile, the radical Republican programme was continuing to make massive strides forward: in March 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment was passed giving blacks the vote: â€Å"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by any state on account of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude†. 2)(4d) The Unionists now had the help of black voters and educating them how to vote and more precisely, how to vote Republican, was a priority. (1)(4e) The freed men were now willing and eager to make the most of their freedom – they were no longer irrelevant in American society – for the first time they had a voice. The freedmen’s cause also had a large volume of support behind it from varying sectors: the scalawags and carpetbaggers (essential to radical reconstruction and always eager for change in the South), the capitalists and industrialists (wanting to capitalise on the rich mineral wealth of the South – coal, iron, oil – and of course to maximise its labour supply), and support also from the national institutions (army, church, Freedman’s Bureau, state militias, Union League). (1) With this formidable force behind it the black’s status was gradually improving. Public education was provided and property qualifications for voting were scrapped along with a framework of law not introduced in southern states. (2) This all helped the modernisation of the South (e. g. famous universities such as Howard, Atlanta and Fisk date from this time). (4e) However as the North progressed at a rapid rate, it found new excitement, new pleasures, new factories, new farms and its people and politicians became increasingly bored with the backward South. Time killed off radical leaders and the passion of newly elected civil war leaders died. Times were changing. 1) The Democratic Party now campaigned for black votes and the Republicans did likewise for white supremist votes. The North was now much more concerned with hating the new threat to American liberty, the Irish and European immigrants. (1)(4b) The South, however, had a different, less passive attitude than their Northern cousins. The South was an entirely different place to the North – it may as well have been another world. Reconstruction for the North involved reintroducing states to the political fold on tolerable terms; for the South it meant rebuilding society from its foundations. 1) The divisions in the South at the time were plain for all to see; divisions between blacks and whites, (2) confederates and scalawags, and the classes (farmer class and planter class. ) There was also the economic problem – a southern economy that was based almost solely on cotton suffered hugely as a result of the abolition of slavery and the resulting shortage of a cheap labour supply. (1)(4f) As a result the despair of the South was expressed through savage race conflict and physical force. (4f) â€Å"This is a white man’s government†. 1) This was a call, made ever louder by the growing power and influence of the Ku Klux Klan. Attempts to prevent blacks from voting, drive them from landholdings and intimidate them to prevent them gaining any confidence were all bru tally achieved. (1) â€Å" Corruption is the fashion†. (1) Meanwhile, American politics was going through its most dishonest era in history. With unmanageable debts arising from attempts to rebuild South and with corruption and incompetence rife throughout the entire Grant administration there was a split in the Republican party. 1) The 1872 election was fought between the Democrats and now â€Å"Liberal Republicans† – thus proving that two-party politics was here to stay. Grant just survived the Democratic challenge. Now, however, the Democrats had a new lease of life, a new optimism based on the anti-business Jacksonian platform. (1) This optimism was further inflated with the Democratic victory in the Congressional election in 1874. (1) Was Reconstruction coming to an end? As it turned out, no. Republican party candidate Rutherford B. Hayes’ administration undoubtedly rigged the 1876 Presidential election in his defeat of Samuel Tilden. 4g) Reconstruction was however unofficially dead and by the looks of it, American politics and morals had gone with it. To avert another civil war and to calm the fuming Democrats – a compromise was reached (The Compromise of 1877). (4G) Hayes promised investment in the South in return for the improved treatment of African – Americans. As it turned out this did turn out to be too good to be true. There were still united attacks on blacks and a general decline in the blacks’ social status. Similarly, Hayes returned the compliment in showing little interest in the South – in a region that always voted Democratic. 1) Overall, it must be said that Reconstruction had failed in almost every way. The South was still in turmoil. The blacks were still being treated as second-class citizens (at best) and the southern whites coping with poor land, poor capital and seemingly no hope for the future. Reconstruction did bring about the 14th and 15th amendments giving a solid grounding for blacks in the North. These amendments however did not properly affect blacks in the South for another hundred years. (1) What would Abe Lincoln think? This was a time when the title â€Å"President† mattered very little. Passive and corrupt Presidents became very much the norm – Presidents seemingly doing their utmost to undo the great work of Abraham Lincoln. President Rutherford B. Hayes rigged 1874 election; (4g)(4c) President Garfield will only be remembered for being shot by Charles J. Guiteau; President Arthur was a quiet dignified President, that’s all. (4c) Congress held all the great power now and this is also where the corruption in American politics was most prevalent. Selfish Senators often used their power and exploited their influence to get wealthier off big business corporations. (1) It was clear, politics stank. It is true that the need to eradicate corruption was not helped by the two-party system that now was clearer than ever in American politics. (3)(2) This old-style Jeffersonian system left states to their own devices thus making the disease of corruption almost untreatable, and of course the corruptors almost untouched. (1) It was the mixture of old politics and a new society – a society unable to cope with the rapid changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution changed America into what it is today – a continental nation, rich and productive economically populous, and industrialized, with various ethnic origins. 4b)(1) America was effectively the first fully modern society but as we have seen, was in a constant struggle with itself to adapt to this new â€Å"Gilded Age†. (3) In my opinion, this proves and merely underlines the flaws in the Constitutional Political system: it is a system that proved incapable of abolishing slavery peacefully and now was evide ntly unable to industrialize America morally. Meanwhile, it was now a fact that the big business millionaires and capitalists that were resulting from industrialisation practically owned state governments. Entrepreneurs such as Frick, Carnegie and Rockefeller held absolute control over this new breed of greedy politician. (1) The businessmen competed furiously with each other taking potentially huge risks in the hope of claiming potentially huge profits. (3) Although the politicians in question were by no means godly, it must be said that they were always loyal to their party and extremely patriotic. They kept promises and looked after their own people. They were in politics to make a good living – it was the â€Å"American Way†. However, the Mugwumps were the first group to make their dissent about this continuing epidemic of corruption matter – a group consisting of mainly liberal Republicans. Although the Mugwumps never posed any major threat to politicians they did have their achievements: (1) helped defeat of James Blaine (Republican) by Grover Cleveland in 1884 election. (2) pushed for introduction of secret ballots by 1892 in thirty-three states ( in an attempt to avoid violence and bribery present in past elections). (3) were essentially the spokesmen for the American conscience at the time. The new expanding free education in America now taught children Mugwump ways – taught morals, patriotism and loyalty. Ultimately, however, the Mugwumps never fulfilled their great potential as a serious political party as they were blind to providing for the poorer classes – unlike the established politicians. (1)(4i) Meanwhile, relatively speaking, times looked healthy for the American economy: abundant rainfall, good harvests, easy credit all resulted in benefits for both towns and farms. The winter of 1886-87 changed all that: cattle were destroyed and so-called ‘cattle-kings’ were ruined. Similarly, the summer of drought in 1887 meant that the Kansas harvest failed. (‘In God we trusted, in Kansas we busted’). (1) Now times looked bad. Income for farmers naturally decreased and instead of blaming their own faults, turned their anger towards the mismanaged railroads. (3) The ruthless competition of building railroads in the East, resulted in the businessmen allowing Free Fares for Congressmen for using certain lines and provided ‘rebates’ for big shippers (e. g. Standard Oil). This resulted in the farmers having to pay more to railways to cover the capitalists’ costs adding to the problems of drought. Farmers were now convinced that there was some kind of conspiracy against American agriculture. (1)(3) Everything the American farmer believed in was under threat from this new monster of industry and commerce. All sections of farmers in both the South and West (despite civil war) came together to form the Farmers’ Alliance in an attempt at improving the farmer’s lot. (4i) Farmers now expressed themselves through politics. In 1888 several farmer’s parties contested state elections and fared well (though at Presidential level everything stayed as normal with Benjamin Harrison (Republican) replacing the sterile Cleveland) The newly formed People’s Party in 1892 was another sign of success on the farmers’ part. The real strength of the party was in the enthusiasm of its supporters – the Populists, headed by General James Weaver, did extremely well in the 1892 Presidential election, gaining a very respectable 1029840 votes. (1)(4i) It was a party aiming to restore the soul of America, a soul that had been eaten away in a haze of corruption and greed since the great Lincoln’s murder. The Populists now set out on this great political crusade (not seen since 1840) and laid the agenda for reforms for the next twenty years. They sought dramatic changes: (1) (1) the free coinage of silver (2) a form of income tax be introduced (3) the sub treasury plan of the Farmers’ Alliance (4) the nationalization of railroads (5) the introduction of the secret ballot system in all states (6) a restriction on immigration (which had risen to unprecedented levels with the arrival of Europeans in search of a better living in America. (7) the limit of one-term for Presidents and vice-Presidents (8) Senators to be chosen by the people (9) and most controversially, it called for a national currency to be introduced that could adapt to the needs of the people. (1)(4) The currency question caused a complete split in Congress between the free traders and the protectionists. This substantial divide meant that no rational tariff would be possible. (4j) Grover Cleveland was one man oppo sed to a high tariff. Siding with the ordinary, working-class views, Cleveland’s popular vote naturally increased and he was re-elected for a econd term in 1892. It would be fair to label this term in office as an unqualified failure. (1)(4c)(4j) The economy immediately floundered. He failed to prevent or withdraw the 1890 McKinley Tariff, which undoubtedly favoured the monopolists. Attempts to restore business confidence failed, as businessmen remained unwilling to take risks at such an unsteady time. Efforts by Cleveland to defend the gold-standard (he was widely known as a staunch ‘gold-bug’) only served to widen the gap between himself and Congress. It cannot be denied that this ’gold-bug’ administration completely failed to help the ordinary people through this economic depression – Cleveland failed to revive the economy. (1)(4j) As expected, the Democrats did badly in the 1894 Congressional elections as a wave of strikes swept the country in a vain attempt to prevent mass lay-offs. And what did Cleveland do to help these people most affected by this economic deadline? He introduced labour injunctions and sent federal troops to Chicago to break the railroad strike. (1) The people demanded and deserved more. Discontent grew, as did socialist ideas (similar to Populist ideas. There was a growing demand for greenbacks to be introduced (Fiat money), (1) which would allow the government to regulate the circulation of money. However Weaver made the fatal mistake of concentrating solely on the currency question in the lead up to the 1896 election as this issue had no appeal for those struggling industrial workers – they just wanted work! In the end, the election transpired to be economically irrelevant – instead it became a straight battle between the industrial society and farming communities and settled the identity of the Democratic and Republican parties for good. 1)(4i) The Republicans, led by William McKinley and his influential understudy Marcus Alonso Hanna represented the higher class society in America and lectured on the importance of the gold standard (Hanna certainly dominated the campaign while coaching McKinley how to behave). (1)(4k) The Democrats, on the other hand, aimed to rid themselves of all Cleveland’s work. In effect, the populists had captured the Democratic Party and this was confirmed when William Jennings Bryan was chosen to head their campaign. 4k) He was a man of reform and spoke for the plain, ordinary people of rural America. â€Å"You shall not press down upon the brow of labour this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold†. (1) Emphatic and deeply biblical, the language spoke of something of huge importance to the Democrats. It must be said that Bryan re-committed the party to its original principles – principles that kept the party out of office for sixteen years, however , principles that were ultimately beneficial to it. McKinley took the election and the Republicans captured both houses of Congress, which signifies the shift from America from a rural nation to an urbanised one. American politics now had a system and the parties had an identity. Hanna brought Republicans to the wealthy side, while Bryan put the Democratic future firmly into the hands of the poor and weak. (1)(4k) In my opinion, this makes the 1896 election the most important Presidential Election in American history. And then for some reason, the economy picked up. Businesses began to boom again, farmers’ hopes improved and most importantly that famous American self-confidence was restored. (1) As it entered the 20th century, times began to look good again. The nineteenth century ended as it began, in violence. McKinley’s declaration of war on Spain in 1898 put a brief halt to the nation’s progressiveness. It was a brief, yet intensely fought conflict that ultimately led to a victory for the U. S. Navy, resulting in the Spaniards relinquishing their claim to ownership of certain parts of the Caribbean and Pacific, to the Americans. The Spanish/American War – April/July 1898). (4h) Many questions had to be answered going into a new century. Could America fulfil its potential? Could the societies of industry and agriculture live in harmony? Could blacks be accepted as equals? Could immigration be controlled in a way to help American citizens? Could America ever find another leader in the mould of Abraham Lincoln? Could American politics regain its moral values? Could America become the great nation that Lincoln once spoke of? As the great man once said; â€Å"With malice toward none, with harity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations† (Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. March 4, 1865). (4c) It was now up to America itself to make him proud.

The Dairy of Lady Murasaki Essay Example For Students

The Dairy of Lady Murasaki Essay Early in history, the male gender has been the dominant force. The male aristocracies has been responsible for producing the writing, arts, and architecture, â€Å"which is traditionally consider to be humanity’s historical legacy.† However, the â€Å"silence voice† will not remain silent, because historians have sought them out. Due to the fact, historians have sought the â€Å"silence voice† we have been able to learn more about women history. One way they made it possible for us to learn about it is by writing books such as The Dairy of Lady Murasaki. The Dairy of Lady Murasaki is a paramount historical document that marks one of the major turning points in women’s history. The book has great insights into the 11th century of women experiences at the court of the Japanese emperor. This is significant because during the height of the Heian Period (794-1192), which Lady Murasaki lived, Japanese had no writing system of their own. Also, it was considered improper for a woman to know how to write Chinese, the writing system Japanese used then. Men were not happy. They wanted to â€Å"keep the language of bureaucracy in male’s hands.† This however, did not stop the women of Japan from striving for success. We will write a custom essay on The Dairy of Lady Murasaki specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Women went on and developed the written Japanese language. This was the first attempt woman made in Japanese history, and in their quest to become the â€Å"sound voices† instead of the â€Å"silence voice.† One can compare these women to the famous black man Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass had to struggle to learn to read because his slave master did not want him to. Nevertheless, we saw that the more they tried to prevent him from learning, the more he strove for success, just as these women. The Japanese Women did not stop after the development of the written Japanese language. They went on to write poems, prose, and dairies, thus proving to the males that they are capable of writing; also that no one could hold them back from reaching success. Lady Murasaki was one of these women that strove for success. She was the Empress companion and tutor. She had knowledge and court values that she inherited from her father. Due to this she was able to handle her position very well. Though she held her position well, as a consequence of her gender her experience of the court life was different from those of males. She couldn’t discuss what she knew about what was going on in the court because of fear of being known as a gossip. We see this when she states, â€Å"now if I go and describing for you in this manner, I am sure I will get the reputation for being a gossip, especially if it concerns those close to me. It is so difficult to discuss people I meet every day and I should avoid commenting on anyone about whom I have second thoughts.† One can say she feels this way because women were mainly known for gossiping and nothing else in those days. She wanted to know for more then just that. That’s why even though L ady Murasaki knew what almost everything that was taking place in the court, she kept it between her and her dairy. As one sees, religion is not something that Lady Murasaki paid much attention to. She did not see Shinto and Buddhism as â€Å"being traditions in any way commensurate.† Her reason for that was Buddhism entered the Japanese court system the merging Indian and Chinese religion was considered unoriginal. There are however many types of Buddhism and ritual side we see in her dairy. â€Å"Murasaki herself must have been well aware that Buddhist rituals she saw at court and the path of salvation through the worship of Amida were a root connected.† Amidism has â€Å"provided the major source of personal solace for these women.† Shinto was not an actual system in any sense. It was rather the practice of certain rituals connected with fertility, avoidance of pollution, and pacification of the spirits of myriad gods. Therefore, it was not linked to matters of private concerns. .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d , .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d .postImageUrl , .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d , .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d:hover , .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d:visited , .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d:active { border:0!important; } .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d:active , .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ueff69f038621c62a335d1b431e97c61d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Hesters Story EssayIn essence, I accept that such a thing, as â€Å"fundamentally gendered experience of history† exists. After reading the diary, I am convincing that women had to work hard to get recognition from male elite. Such â€Å"gendered approaches to history are valuable† to humanity and are more valuable to women as a whole. This gendered approach was the start for women in Japan along stride to become people â€Å"with history.†

Think Different Exercise Essays

Think Different Exercise Essays Think Different Exercise Essay Think Different Exercise Essay Master of Suspense, pioneered many techniques in suspense and thriller genres. Albert Einstein: Scientist and responsible for the theory of relativity. Amelia Earth: First female to fly over the Atlantic Ocean Bob Dylan: His songs help to aware the population about the civil rights. Businessmen Fuller: Famous Architect, designer, author of more than 30 books. Dry. Martin Luther King Jar. : Leading civil rights between sasss and asss Frank Lloyd Wright: The creator of organic architecture which the purpose was to create a harmony between the humans and environment. Gandhi: Led India to independence, civil rights and freedom. (Without using violence) Jim Hanson: Creator of the Moppets John Leno: A Peace and Human Rights leader that works along with Sir F McCarty on one Of the most important music group Of all times. Maria Callas: Well known opera singer of the 20th century. Martha Graham: Inspired generations on Dance Muhammad All: A Boxer, A champion, and well known for the values he practiced outside of the rings. Pablo Picasso: Responsible for the cubist movement, inventor of sculpture, collage and other important styles. Rich Brannon: Founder of Virgin Group. Ted Tuner: Founder of CNN Thomas Edison: Inventor for the photography, motion picture and electric light bulb. Contributions Rooted to Creative Thinking The seventeen (17) individuals that were shown in this 1997 Apple commercial all contributed in critical thinking, which had inspired the work as well as help progress the world. Alfred Hitchcock films had been cream to show the various amounts of psychological characteristics. Albert Einstein was responsible for the theory of relativity, which had proven to the world that the light orbiting the sun from another planet could be measurable. T had helped the world predict solar eclipse, as well as many other phenol activities from the solar system. Amelia Earth has proven to the world the it was possible to fly across the Atlantic Ocean with one flight. Bob Dylan music had caused awareness regarding the civil rights. Businessmen Fuller had developed products that were easily mass-produced in the simplest FCC possible. Dry. Martin Luther King Jar. Had lead the civil rights movement, hi had opened many new doors for a wide range of individuals. Frank Lloyd Wright had tried many different way to create harmony between individual s well as the environment. Gandhi, without any means of violence had managed to lead India into independence. Jim Hanson had created the Moppets, which had entertained millions of children around the world for several years and till this day are still being entertained. John Leno create music with Sir Paul McCarty to create peace, as well as human rights. Mi Callas, no matter how weak she had become, had gone out their to create opera music for everyone to hear her strong vocal range. Martha Graham inspired many generations of dance. Muhammad All, had been a huge inspiration to thousands of people around the world for his strength and talent in boxing. He was what people called, a champion. Pablo Picasso ha spoken to millions of people through his art. Richard Brannon, the founder Virgin Group had helped thousands of artists pursue their dreams, which inspired thousands of other individuals. Ted Turner, the founder of CNN h. Provided the world with a station that included not only news, but entertainment as well. Lastly, Thomas Edison with his many attempts had created electricity for individuals to use to better their vision in the dark.

Dan Bricklin, Bob Frankston, and the First Spreadsheet

Dan Bricklin, Bob Frankston, and the First Spreadsheet Any product that pays for itself in two weeks is a surefire winner. That’s what Dan Bricklin, one of the inventors of the first computer spreadsheet. VisiCalc was released to the public in 1979. It ran on an Apple II computer. Most early microprocessor computers had been  supported by BASIC and a few games, but VisiCalc introduced a new level in application software. It was considered a fourth generation software program. Before this,  companies were investing time and money creating financial projections with manually calculated spreadsheets. Changing a single number meant recalculating every single cell on the sheet. VisiCalc allowed them to change any cell and the entire sheet would be automatically recalculated. VisiCalc took 20 hours of work for some people and turned it out in 15 minutes and let them become much more creative,† Bricklin said. The History of VisiCalc Bricklin and Bob Frankston invented VisiCalc. Bricklin was studying for his Master of Business Administration degree at Harvard Business School when he joined up with Frankston to help him write the programming for his new electronic spreadsheet. The two started their own company, Software Arts Inc., to develop their product. I dont know how to answer what it was like because early Apple machines had so few tools,† Frankston said about programming VisiCalc for the Apple II. â€Å"We just had to keep debugging by isolating a problem, looking at memory in the limited debugging – which was weaker than the DOS DEBUG and had no symbols – then patch and retry and then re-program, download and try again and  again...   An Apple II version was ready by the fall of 1979. The team started writing versions for the Tandy TRS-80, the Commodore PET and the Atari 800. By October, VisiCalc was a fast seller on the shelves of computer stores at $100.   In November 1981, Bricklin received the Grace Murray Hopper Award from the Association for Computing Machinery in honor of his innovation. VisiCalc was soon sold to Lotus Development Corporation where it was developed into the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet for the PC by 1983.  Bricklin never received a patent for VisiCalc because software programs were not eligible for patents by the Supreme Court until after 1981. Im not rich because I invented VisiCalc,† Bricklin said, â€Å"but I feel that Ive made a change in the world. Thats a satisfaction money cant buy.   Patents? Disappointed? Dont think of it that way, Bob Frankston said. Software patents werent feasible then so we chose not to risk $10,000.   More on Spreadsheets The DIF format was developed in 1980, allowing spreadsheet data to be shared and imported into other programs such as word processors. This made spreadsheet data more portable.   SuperCalc was introduced in 1980, the first spreadsheet for the popular micro OS called CP/M. The popular Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet was introduced in 1983. Mitch Kapor founded Lotus and used his previous programming experience with VisiCalc to create 1-2-3.   Excel and Quattro Pro spreadsheets were introduced in 1987, offering a more graphical interface.

Economic Experiences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Economic Experiences - Essay Example The US has had its moments of ups and downs in its economic experiences. Asia, Africa, and Latin America have had their seasons too. Some economic experiences that happened in some of the Asian countries in the 90's are being repeated in the US and Africa. In the same Vein, some popular and unpopular American economic viewpoints are also replicated in other countries worldwide (Columbus & Wusu, 2006). For beginners, the United States economy is the most important national economy in the whole world today. By the end of 2007, its gross domestic product (GDP) was approximated to be over $13.8 trillion. The European settlements in the 17th and 18th centuries form the basis of the United States economy. America had many colonies which evolved from insignificant majestic economies to a miniature, autonomous farming economy. In 1776, these colonies became what is today known as the United States of America (The U.S. Economy, 2007). From its inception, the United States developed into a gigantic, amalgamated, and industrialized nation which today comprises over a quarter of the total global economy. The huge growth has been necessitated by among other factors, endowment of enormous natural resources including coal, oil, and timber, possession of huge area of highly prolific farming lands, a large united market, a good entrepreneurial spirit, and a obligation of devoting in human and material capital (The U.S. Economy, 2007). The United States economy has its own advantages and limitations when compared to other economic experiences witnessed around the world, especially in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Following the great depression of the 1930's, the economy experienced hard-hitting recessions. Periods of high unemployment and slow economic growth rate were recorded in United States economy (Lee, 2002). When government officials realized the dangers posed by the recession, they responded by reducing taxes to enable consumers to spend more. The government also facilitated a swift growth in the money supply thus encouraging more spending. This offered a remedy to the woes facing the economy at that time. The economy continued to grow steadily until 1970's, when inflation fears were acknowledged mainly due to the economic anguishes brought about by major price increases and the Vietnam conflict. Instead of fighting recession that was threatening to destroy the gains made on the economy, government officials made efforts to control inflation by opposing tax cuts, curtailing growth in the money supply, and limiting spending (The U.S. Economy, 2007). Fiscal policy was widely used by the government to control and stabilize the economy in much of the 1960's. Government officials, including the president and members of the United States Congress manipulated state revenues to influence the economy. High unemployment, huge state deficits, and acute inflation levels witnessed during this period weakened the public's confidence in fiscal policy as a mechanism for controlling the

Case analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case analysis - Assignment Example With time, the Enterprise devised other strategies that were more attractive to the customer than the competitors’ and that included the door-to-door and drop-off services. This was important in developing as well as improving relationships with the customers and taking reliability to another level. The service involved picking the customers from their homes and dropping them off and increased the company’s market share after establishment of the â€Å"We’ll Pick You Up† campaign. The company’s pre-established culture was also customer oriented through a founding value that viewed customer service as Enterprise’s way of life. Second, Enterprise had invested in training their employees to be customer oriented. When hiring employees, the company sought for employees with customer-specific characteristics that include customer service skills, flexibility, and good communication skills. Third, the company ensured that their customer experience was convenient mostly with respect to the cars and the reception that the customers received when they visited the company. The customer experience maintained three major aspects that they fulfilled in the best way possible that incorporated the cleanliness of the cars, the transaction speed, and the attitude as well as the helpfulness of the employees. Lastly, the company encouraged the customers to give feedback on the quality of the services they received. The company wanted to improve repeat purchase through feedback. For instance, the customers were asked if they were completely satisfied or just satisfied. Although the vast majority stated that they were completely satisfied, the company sought to resolve issues with the customers that were not completely satisfied by asking them whether they would accept a call from the branch manager. The Enterprise acquired several assets to enable itself in providing the best services. First, the company did not

Journal on Poems Essay Example for Free

Journal on Poems Essay The poem portrays the definitions of sanity and madness. However, these definitions vary from the perspective of people and the surroundings as pointed out in the second line. In other words, the poem points out that for certain people, something normal is considered insane and vice versa. 2. The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Basically, for me, the poem depicted a common experience in life wherein one makes a choice between two things and then wonders what could’ve happened had he or she took the other option. The situation shown in the poem reflects a reality that everyone faces in life which is making a choice and standing by that decision. However, as illustrated in the poem, despite the choices people make regarding, for example, careers and business ventures, there will also be times that one doubts whether he or she made the right decision or not. 3. Design by Robert Frost The poem basically illustrates that most of the time the world’s beauty can be appreciated through observing the natural things such as the spider and the moth. In addition, as the title suggests, life is basically a design. It is natural for a spider to eat the moth as it was designed to do so. However, since the spider killed the moth, the author also wonders why the â€Å"designer† allows such a thing to happen. In short, while the author acknowledges the beauty natural order of things, he also questions why horrible events, such as death, happen. 4. Mending Wall by Robert Frost Initially, the poem suggests that there are no need for walls between neighbors as this suggests division. However, at the end, although the speaker in the poem still did not favor the construction of a wall between him and his neighbor, he acknowledged the fact that walls are important as these set boundaries and limitations. Basically, the poem also illustrates that in real life, â€Å"walls† or boundaries, which are best exemplified by laws and rules, are necessary to maintain order. 5. Cross by Langston Hughes The poem clearly depicts the speaker’s confusion about his identity. As the title of the poem says, the speaker is a â€Å"cross† between a white man and a black woman and is confused about his true identity. He also wonders if he would share the same fate of his mother and father and yearns to know where he really belongs to. The poem also depicts two realities in life which are discrimination and racism. Basically, the poem suggests that if these two did not exist, the speaker would not have to long for acceptance and would not have to search for his identity.

Character of Hester in Lawrences The Rocking Horse Winner Essays

Character of Hester in Lawrence's The RockingHorse Winner Hester is one of the main characters in D.H. Lawrence’s â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner.† The story describes a young boy, Paul, who tries to win his â€Å"mother’s love by seeking the luck† (Kaplan 1971), which she believes she does not possess. Lawrence â€Å"condemns the modern notion that happiness and luck come from the outside, rather than from within; that happiness must take the form of money and goods rather than the erotic, parental, and filial love† (Kaplan 1972). The story is an â€Å"ironic and materialistic tragedy† (2). Many characteristics of Hester are revealed as she begins to realize that her luck, which she believes she does not have, starts to come back all because of her son’s special talent he has with a rocking horse. To Hester, the special things that her son gives her are just not enough. Her greed, selfishness, and dominance over others emphasize her overpowering character. Throughout the story, the mo ther’s greed becomes more and more overpowering. The son, Paul, is very determined to find luck for his mother, but the mother’s greediness keeps nagging on Paul. Hester, the mother, tells her son that she is not lucky, and it is â€Å"better to have luck than money because luck brings money† (Kaplan 1971). To Hester, money is the most important thing in the world for her. Even though Hester knows she does not need the money, there is something in the house that entices her to think â€Å"there must be more money, there must be more money† (852). This incantation reveals the mother’s greed that emphasizes her character. This house becomes â€Å"haunted† (852) by the mother’s unspoken thoughts. Her thoughts are mostly about whether she really loved her son unconditionall... .... Paul talks to his uncle and tells him that he does not want his mother to know that her demands are insatiable. All of these characteristics help the reader to develop a better understanding of Hester’s character. The story is a â€Å"brilliant study in the sustained use of symbolism to suggest with bold economy the death-dealing consequences of the substitution of money for love† (Kaplan 1973). Hester’s greed, selfishness, and dominance over others has brought an understanding of her rudeness and self-pity towards others including her son. Bibliography: Kaplan, Carola M. â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner.† Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1986. 1971-1973. Kalasky, Drew, ed. Short Story Criticism. New York: Gale, 1995. 253-259. â€Å"Lawrence, D.H.† Discovering Authors. Vers. 2.0. CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale, 1996.

Alice Munro and Anton Chekhov Essay

The comparative analysis of the stories of two famous contemporary writers Alice Munro and Anton Chekhov gives an opportunity to follow the development of the genre of short stories in Canadian and in Russian literature. Both are stalwarts of their respective literature. Commenting on the greatness of A. Chekhov, E. B. Tager writes: As far as Chekhov is concerned, it is not enough to say that the nineties ushered in a new stage in his literary career, these were the years when Chekhov’s genius was formed and he came to occupy one of the leading places among the greatest exponents of realism in the world literature of that time. (15) The proliferation of women writers is a remarkable feature of the Canadian literary scene of the second half of this century. It is interesting to note that most of the women writers have taken up the fiction as their favorite genre. Alice Munro opted for short story genre. In her early period of her literary career, her mastery as a short story writer is amply revealed. In an interview to Graeme Gibson, Munro said â€Å"— I grew up in a rural community, a very traditional community—. The concern of everyone else I know was dealing with life on a very practical level—† (246). Both the writers wrote stories under different circumstances of social life, customs, cultures, traditions, family surroundings, etc. in Ontario and Russia. What is the significance of comparing both the writers? Chekhov comes to help in this regard when he writes in 1888: â€Å"It is possible to gather all the best of the creations of artists of all ages and using the scientific method find out the common factors which stipulate their value† (218). With this perspective at the back of mind, let us see Munro and Chekhov. The article writer has no intention of looking into literary links between the two countries. Nor does it necessary to analyse the historical surroundings. The main objective is to make a comparative study of the artistic merits of Munro and Chekhov as short story writers. Alice Munro’s work is often compared with the great short story writers. For example, the American writer Cynthia Ozick wrote, â€Å"She is our Chekhov, and is going to outlast most of her contemporaries.† There are a number of similarities in both these writers. One remarkable similarity reveals from their interviews and writings. Chekhov strives to come closer to the life of ordinary people. He wants in a broader and deeper way to be got acquainted with reality. â€Å"If I am a doctor,† wrote Chekhov in 1891, â€Å"then I need patients and hospitals, if I am a literary man, then it is necessary for me to live among people† (255). On the other hand, Munro writes about the human condition and relationships seen through the lens of daily life. Munro grew up in Wingham, in Huron County, Ontario, on the banks of the Maitland River. She is able to deal with all sorts of people, and small towns. Another similar point between them is the delineation of women. Chekhov often ponders over the fate of Russian women. Sophia (â€Å"Volodya Senior and Volodya Junior†, 1893) Vera (â€Å"In the Native Land†, 1897), Nadya (â€Å"The Bride†) are some of the representative of Russian society that Chekhov depicts. Munro was fond of reading southern women writers, like Eudora Welty, Flannery O’Connor, Katherine Ann Porter, Carson McCullers, as these women â€Å"could write about the freakish, the marginal† (Jeanne McCulloch, Mona Simpson, 2). Collections such as The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo & Rose (1977), The Love of a Good Woman (1998), Lives of Girls and Women (1971), and Too Much Happiness (2009), depict the plights of girls, young women and unmarried women. When Munro was compared to Chekhov for certain similarities and differences, Munro expresses her feelings: â€Å"I have recently re-read much of Chekhov and it’s a humbling experience. I don’t even claim Chekhov as an influence because he influenced all of us. Like Shakespeare his writing shed the most perfect light – there is no striving in it, no personality. Well, of course, would not I love to do that!† (Internet: â€Å"A Conversation with Alice Munro†). There are critics and reviewers who have or share different opinions. According to The New Review, â€Å"The comparison to Chekhov is absurd, both qualitatively and innovatively. She even pales besides someone like Doris Lessing, who also trumps her in quality and daring† (Internet,I). The New Review further observes: â€Å"She is more like Canada’s Eudora Welty, although her tales are less brocaded and ornate. Yet they are dull, as she seems to be obsessed with her own ideas of her past, like too many workshop writers of the present, but her biggest flaw is that she simply is predictable† (Internet, I). However, there are critics and reviewers who compare Chekhov with Munro. Cynthia Ozick eulogizes her saying that Munro is â€Å"one of our greatest contemporary writers of fiction— our Chekhov† (Internet, I). Alice Munro is routinely spoken of in the same breath as Anton Chekhov. She resembles the Russian master in a number of ways. She is fascinated with the failings of love and work and has an obsession with time and our much – lamented inability to delay or prevent its relentless movement forward. A frequent theme of her work – particularly evident in her early stories – has been the dilemmas of a girl coming of age and coming to terms with her family and the small town she grew up in. In recent works such as Hatehip, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (2001) and Runaway (2004) she has shifted her focus to the travails of middle age, of women alone and of the elderly. There is the same penetrating psychological insight. Like Chekhov, Munro focuses her attention not on the external events, but on the internal life of the heroes and heroines of her stories. In Munro’s fictional universe, as in Chekhov’s, plot is of secondary importance: all is based on the epiphanic moment, the sudden enlightenment, the concise, subtle, revelatory detail. Chekhov builds up the plots with great mastery. Very often these are rich in events. But even in these cases it is not the events which are of primary importance but the process of spiritual evolution of the heroes of his stories. Events interest the another to the extent they leave their mark on the spiritual life of the heroes. In the construction of plots, we find there is a lot in common between the stories of Munro and Chekhov. Another signification feature of Munro’s is the (typically Canadian) is the connection to the land, to what Margaret Atwood has called a â€Å"harsh and vast geography† (2). Munro is attuned to the shifts and colours of the natural world, to life lived with the wilderness. Her skill at describing the constituency of the environment is equal to her ability to get below the surface of the lives of her characters. Munro and Chekhov set their stories in the small towns. Most of the stories of Chekhov focus on Sakhalin, a place that gave much of the subject for his novels. Chekhov reflects upon the bourgeois society that is responsible for many victims. Munro has all praise for small towns as settings. As she says: When you live in small town, you hear more things, about all sorts of people. In a city you mainly hear stories about your own sort of people. If you are a woman there’s always a lot from your friends.— In a city, I would only have read about it in the paper; I wouldn’t have picked up all the threads. (Jeanne McCulloch and Mona Simpson, 1) Most of the stories are set in a fictionalized version of Huron County. Her stories insist on exploring economic and cultural specificity of this milieu, and she has sought to capture the rhythm and idiom of the region. One of the main artistic methods used by Chekhov is his objectivity in depicting reality. Commenting on Chekhov’s method of narration, A.P. Chadakuv, the Soviet critic observes: â€Å"The final victory of an objective manner of narration was during 1889-1890— Just in the year 1890 Chekhov formulated his aesthetic credo, his main artistic principle – the principle of objectivity† (22). S. Ramaswamy, inhis article on â€Å"The Art of Alice Munro† (2009), comments that â€Å"It is a sort of self-reflexive narrative and the â€Å"I-narrator’s† involvement with two â€Å"husbands† and interesting characters† (80). Ramaswamy, analyses the art of technique of Something I Have Been Meaning to Tell You (1974) and says â€Å"This technique of the writer commenting on the writing while writing it is what makes it the self-conscious, self-reflexive ‘metafiction’. This technique is best illustrated in Alice Munro’s putting a few lines in the italics and then objectively commenting on them herself in the next lines in ordinary print† (80-81). Reviewing the short story form one notices that both the writers, Chekhov and Munro have successfully used the form in an innovative manner to highlight the predicament and dilemma of men and women. A close look at artistic features of the stories of Munro and Chekhov shows that they were not only great masters but also the innovators in this field. WORKS CITED Basu, Sankar. Chekhov And Tagore. New Delhi: Sterling, 1985. Chekhov, A. P. Complete Collected Works. Vol. 14 (tr. S. B.) Moscow, 1949. Print Chudakov, A. P. Poetics of Chekhov. Moscow, 1971. (tr. S. B.) Print Gibson, Graeme. Eleven Canadian Novelists. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 1973. Print Mc Culloch, Jeanne. etal. Alice Munro The Art of Fiction No. 137 The Paris Review. Munro, Alice. Something I Have Been Meaning to Tell You. London: Vintage, 1974. Print. Ramaswamy, S. â€Å"The Art of Alice Munro†. The Literary Criterion. Vol. XLIV. No. 2, 2009 Tager, E. B. Russian Literature at the end of 19th century, and the Beginning of the 20th century, Vol. I Moscow, 1968. (tr. S. B.) Electronic Material: 1. The New Review. www.laurahird.com 2. Relatable short stories by Alice Munro Susanmarlow. Dec 2011

Play Area Critique Essay

The area of the pre-school room that I have chosen to critically evaluate is the dress up area. Our pre-school consists of 20 children aged 3-4 years old spread over two sessions, and comprises both boys and girls. In our pre-school we have two polish children, one boy and one girl, who speak both English and Polish, one Chinese girl and one Zimbabwean boy. The rest of the children are Irish. Our pre-school room is one large room in a general childcare facility, located at the rear of the building adjacent to the after-school room, and opens out onto the outdoor play area. The development of a learning environment which supports children‘s learning, socialization, interests and needs, is one of the foundation stones to quality early years curriculum and service. According to Aistear, taking time to develop a good indoor and outdoor learning environment will assist in the development of your curriculum and provide a welcoming and supportive learning atmosphere for the children. There are two roles for the adult in preparing this environment: organising it and resourcing it. In a pre-school room the space should be divided into interest areas i. e.  child-sized areas rather than in a single large group space. The supervisor should create well-defined areas of interest that encourage a variety of types of play and helps children see and experience the choices on offer. As you enter our room, the room the sinks and wash up area are to the left, as are the toilets. To the right is the table top area and arts & crafts corner. To the rear of the room, the book and reading corner is on the left hand side adjacent to the construction area, the dress up stand is along the back wall, and the home corner is a separate area on the right hand side. Our building is relatively new and the room is bright and airy, with most of the toys and equipment in a good state of repair. There is no obviously old or shabby area that needs attention. Primary Research In deciding which area of the room needed improvement, I needed to conduct some primary research. The areas of assessment and planning have become increasingly important in childcare. In order to support children’s learning and development, providers must support each individual child by providing appropriate opportunities, experiences, activities, interactions and materials within the daily service. Therefore, I decided to carry out an observation on the children playing, and an informal interview with the children. Observation and assessment processes can be used to identify the effectiveness of the setting, specific areas of the setting, specific activities and the practitioner. Through observing the children and/or the learning environment we can revise plans and, perhaps, changes to the environment, to improve provision. In carrying out my research I: †¢ observed the children when they were playing using a trail record observation sheet to determine the most and least popular areas of interest. †¢ observed how the space and organisation of the environment was supporting or hindering play †¢ interpreted what I saw and heard in the play †¢ used the assessment information gathered in planning for improving the play areas. The children were invited to participate and give their opinions on the room during the informal interview with the group. Indeed consulting with the children in relation to the development of the space and materials can be empowering for the children and give them a sense of ownership. The results of my research indicated to me that the book area and dress up areas were the least utilised areas of the room during free play time. The book area didn’t overly concern me, as we incorporate reading and storytelling into our curriculum during the day, but I was concerned to see the lack of interest in the dress up area. Home Corner/ Dress Up Area The dress up area should be a very active area in the preschool room where children engage in a lot of role play. When children put on dress-up clothes and pretend to be grown up, they are discovering more than how it feels to dress as an adult. â€Å"Pretend play† helps children to understand how other people think and feel. It gives children the opportunity to discover new experiences or new places they can see only in their imagination. This is called symbolic thinking and is indicative of Piagets pre-operational stage of development. Symbolic thinking is an important, complex skill necessary for many tasks in life, including language and communication, social skills, and even algebra and geometry. When we watch children playing in dress-up clothes, we notice they often use problem-solving skills they see adults use. Negotiation and shared responsibility become easier when children are pretending to be adults. They are gaining a sense of adult rules and expectations. Sometimes children may find the dress-up area a place to confront fears and work through stressful situations. By pretending to be a doctor or a monster, a child gains a sense of power over the unknown, or by acting out a traumatic event and talking about it, it becomes less scary to the child. Furthermore, engaging in dress up play can help further develop practical skills, as little fingers are learning to tie, zip, button and snap. Providing dress up supplies and dress up time allows young children to practice these skills without the pressures of time constraints. Preschoolers will be building fine motor skills and improving self-help while using their imaginations, enjoying creative play and having fun. Dress up play also encourages language skills as kids discuss amongst themselves what they are wearing, the colours and textures of the clothes, and the roles they are playing. Proposal of Recommendations From my observations, I saw that the children often bypassed the dress up stand on their way to other areas, or at times even forgot that it was there. When the children did stop and have a look, they usually pulled out one costume, put it on and ran off to play elsewhere. Our dress up area consists of a child sized clothes rail with 4 costumes 1 x fairy, 1 x princess, 1 x bob the builder, 1 x fireman, and two baskets with some doctor/nurse paraphernalia, a few scarves, a straw hat, a couple of  Halloween masks, fairy wings, a crown and a plastic gun. It became obvious to me from my observation and interview with the children that our assortment of dress up clothes was completely inadequate, both in quantity and in variety. Our costumes were limited to a number of fairytale or cartoon characters, with no reference to ordinary everyday practical contexts. I also realized that we were sadly lacking in accessories, to enable the children to adapt and change the outfits on a day to day basis, thus maintaining interest and motivation. Furthermore, the location and display of the dress up clothes needed attention, to attract the children to this very important play area. Rather than the dress up area existing as a separate area, it should be incorporated into another relevant interest area such as the Home Corner, to help extend play between areas. I picked up on this concept from observing the children, when one child dressed up as a fireman and then went to the Home Corner to â€Å"put out a fire† in the kitchen. Of course it comes naturally to children when engaging in symbolic or pretend play to link areas such as dress up and home corner. In conducting some reading and research into how to effectively organize a dress up area, I learned that the area should be attractive and inviting to children, yet well organised in order for children to discover and explore various costumes, accessories and items of clothing. There also needed to be enough space to allow groups of children to play in the area at the same time. Materials and equipment should be kept visible to the children and easily reached. The supervisor should make sure that the shelving is low level and that dress up equipment is within easy reach of the children. Choosing see-through containers allows the children to see what is inside without taking it from the shelf, or using labels on the outside of the boxes would help the children greatly in choosing items and also at tidy up time, which is an important part of the High/Scope philosophy. In addition to these criticisms of our dress up area, I realised that we have not made any effort to bring cultural or ethnic diversity to our selection. In developing the home corner and dress up area, you should take the profile of the children attending your service into account. Our pre-school has 4 children of different ethnic backgrounds attending, and we as room leaders should endeavour to include their ethnic clothes, music, dance, food and customs into the room, as well as those of other ethnic groups also. Implementation of Recommendations I had an informal meeting with my pre-school colleagues and the centre manager to outline my observations, and proposal of recommendations for improving the dress up area. From this meeting we came up with the following plan of action: |Improvement Area |Action Required |Delegated to |Comments | |Location of dress up area|To be moved to, and incorporated into |Myself & |The layout will be changed one afternoon| | |the home corner |colleague |after playschool session | |Display |Additional rail needed |My colleague |My colleague was to purchase items after| | |Two coat racks to be fitted on wall | |funds made available by manager, and | | |Baskets to be swopped for clear storage| |arrange for assembly with caretaker | | |boxes | | | | |Two additional boxes req. | | | | |Full length mirror req. | | | |Variety |Additional costumes req. |My colleague |Funds to be made available by manager | | |Additional everyday clothing items req. |Myself |for purchase of costumes. Other items to| | |Ethnic clothing req. |Myself |be sourced by myself via request for | | |Variety of accessories req. |Myself |parental contributions and charity | | | | |shops/ jumble sales | |Curriculum |Dress up time to be strategically |Myself & |We will do this through drama, music and| | |incorporated into curriculum |colleague |dance activity. | Therefore to follow through on our plan of action, our centre manager made â‚ ¬100 available for the purchase of necessary items and additional costumes. My colleague went to Home base and purchased the coat racks, child clothes hangars, storage boxes and mirror, and then purchased a child sized clothes rail in Smyth’s as well as some new additional dress up items. These items included a policeman’s costume, nurse’s costumes and some additional props. Dress up clothes should ideally comprise a wide variety of clothes which reflect the occupations of family members, local customs and people in the community, and should not be limited to superheroes or stereotyped dress up clothes. We re-arranged the home corner incorporating the dress up area on a Thursday afternoon, and my colleague had the caretaker fit the coat racks on the wall beside the clothes rails and the mirror. I sent home a letter with the children requesting donations for our dress up corner including a variety of accessories, and I also included the request in our pre-school newsletter. I also asked all the staff in the childcare facility for same. I made sure to specify that all donations should be clean, in a good state of repair and non hazardous for children. I included a list of suggested items which would be greatly appreciated. The response was overwhelming and we took in approximately 5 black refuse sacks of items for use in the area. I went through all the items and took out what I felt was appropriate. These items were washed and sanitized, and double checked by my colleague and centre manager for any safety hazards. I took the remainder of the dress up items given to us, and donated them to our nearest Barnardos charity shop on behalf of the pre-school. This list of items I requested was as follows: |Phones |Old Hair Dryers – Cords Removed |Sunglasses | |Small suitcases |Hats |Large fabric pieces | |Purses & Wallets |Aprons |Belts | |Baby items such as bottles, dodies, babygro’s, |Ties |Feather boas | |blankets etc. | | | |Empty toiletries i. e. shampoo bottles, facecream jars|Scarves |Jackets or shirts with buttons, zippers and | |etc. |Capes & Shawls |snaps | |Sponge Curlers |Tool belts |Crowns | |Handbags |Uniform items |Shoes with laces | |Small dresses |Football kit |Wands | |Leg warmers |Gloves | | We managed to procure most of the items requested via donations, and the families of the foreign national children very kindly donated some items of clothing and accessories from their cultures. For example the mother of the Chinese girl very kindly gave us a piece of Chinese silk fabric and a Chinese fan, whilst the Zimbabwean family gave us an ethnically printed tunic and a small turban style printed hat. We carefully displayed all our dress up items so as to make it interesting for the children to try different combinations, and make it easy for them to find things. Dress up clothes were put on hangars on the rails, hats and belts and aprons etc. were hung on the coat racks, whilst scarves and other accessories were stored in clearly labeled storage boxes and baskets at the base of the rails. A special basket was filled with props such as wands, microscopes, toy swords and other such items to bring fantasy to life. One very important new addition to the dress up area was a full length mirror, which was fitted to the wall beside the rails. This is very important in maintaining interest in the dress up area, and helps the children to observe and assess their choices. Furthermore, allowing kids to self-verify the results of their work is very Montessori. The overall result is that we now have a first class area which the children love. The time spent in the dress up area and home corner area in general has increased hugely, and the children have great fun trying different combinations of costumes. [pic] [pic] Bibliography Harding, Jackie Meldon Smith, Liz â€Å"How To Make Observations & Assessments† 2nd Edition Hodder & Stoughton UK Hayes, Noirin â€Å"Early Childhood An Introductory Text† 1999 Gill & MacMillan Dublin Madigan, Imelda â€Å"Defining, Assessing and Supporting Quality in Early Childhood Care and Education: The High/Scope Ireland Model http://www. cecde. ie/english/pdf/Questions%20of%20Quality/Madigan. pdf Miller, Patricia H â€Å"Theories of Developmental Psychology† 2002 Worth Publishers US. Sylva, Kathy Lunt, Ingrid â€Å"Child Development: A First Course† 1982 Blackwell Publishing UK Aistear – National Council for Curriculum and Assessment www. ncca. ie www. education. com http://www. ehow. com/how_10055611_set-up-fancy-preschool-classroom. html#ixzz29Hs4JKT9 http://www. kildarechildcare. ie/wp-content/uploads/Guide-to-Play-The-Learning-Environment. pdf http://education. scholastic. co. uk/resources/144269 http://www. sagepub. com/upm-data/9656_022816Ch5. pdf

Cross Cultural Studies essays

Cross Cultural Studies essays Question: What is the value of making cross-cultural comparisons? (Miller, Pg#11: 1999) Cultural anthropology encompasses all aspects of human beliefs, behaviors and ideas. What would the world be like without any knowledge of other cultures? Anthropologists study different cultures to be more understanding and accepting, more appreciative and to enrich our own culture. What is the "real" problem with the Ku Klux Klan? Perhaps, if they took the time to understand the African-American and Jewish cultures, for example, they would be more accepting of the diversity. Hundreds of years of cultural imperialism has evolved into a legion of hate. Emic studies put the researcher in the middle of the culture, free to interact and discover a new life style. After a few months or even a year in a "different" culture, one has a better understanding of the lifestyle, and understanding leads to acceptance. Once people, especially powerful political leaders, learn cultural relativism war will be a practice of the past and only discussed in history classes. Another reason for cross-cultural comparison is to make us more appreciative of our own culture and environment. For example, members of the Peace Corp volunteer months to years of their lives to live and help in third world countries. They may not be there with the purpose of studying culture, however, living among the people and having to adapt to their way of life gives them a first-hand experience of a third world life. Seeing the way life is without any luxuries make us realize how convenient our lives are. Plentiful amounts of food, clean water, stable shelter and adequate clothing are just a few of the many luxuries that our culture sees as essentials. Many volunteers return from the Peace Corp and adopt a new way of life; much less "extravagant" than the one they led before. Finally, we study other cultures to enrich our own. Where would "Canadian culture" be ...

12 important points to keep in mind while writing MBA application essays

12 important points to keep in mind while writing MBA application essays Test scores and grades are important, but admissions to business school is about more than getting good numbers. To compete successfully with a large group of high quality applicants, put in the work to assure that your essays are outstanding. After over fourteen years helping applicants with thousands of MBA application essays as an MBA admissions consultant, a dozen important points stand out as key to keep in mind when writing these key essays: 1. Answer what was asked. Surprisingly, most applicants think they answered the question asked but did not. Writing MBA application essays is a new challenge for most applicants, who have no basis on which to gauge their answers. An experienced MBA Admissions Consultant can help ensure you havent missed the mark. 2. â€Å"I’ll just write a few common essays, and use them for all my applications.†A typical MBA school requires a set of several essays, ranging from one to as many as ten for some European business schools. Top US b-schools typically require four or five essays. Many schools ask questions which have similar elements but are not exactly the same. To be competitive, each essay needs to be carefully answered as it is asked, which means school by school. And if you do use the same essay twice, be careful to change the school name everywhere, since many applicants overlook thata sure application killer! 3. Stay on track! As you add details about an example, it often becomes harder and harder to follow the line of your thoughts. The school wants to learn about you, not about the situations you’ve been in. Take the readers by the hand and guide them through to keep the focus on your main point, only sharing details that support that point. 4. Put extra effort into the question about your career. Be sure you powerfully portray your short-term and long-term career goals; how an MBA will fill any existing gaps between where you are now and reaching those goals; and (if asked) the level of research you’ve done to match the school’s unique offerings to your future career. Be careful to not simply restate your resume in detail herea common pitfall in many first drafts. 5. â€Å"I’m way over the word limit but there’s nothing that I can cut out!† Schools evaluate your ability to write concisely. An admissions consultant will help you focus on whats important and what isnt so you can stay under the word limit. Don’t give the admissions staff an easy way to choose someone else over you because you ignored the school’s word or page limit instructions! 6. â€Å"I changed my career goals for one school because that school is known for finance, whereas the other schools focus on marketing.† It is a huge mistake to completely change your answers based on what you think a school wants to hear. Schools are looking to understand the real you. It is true that certain characteristics are important for all applicants, such as leadership potential and communication skills. But more than anything else, schools are looking to admit diverse classes. If you try to change yourself to be what you think a school wants, you may be surprised to learn that they already had too many who fit that description and that your unique characteristics were exactly what they were looking for. 7. Do not use overly sophisticated language. Many overdo it, trying to impress a school, but it comes out reading stilted. Stay real and conversational. 8. Your essays should show Leadership, leadership, leadership. The number one quality to emphasize in your essays is leadership. Tell the admissions committee what your unique flavor of leader is. What doyour friends and colleagues say your greatest leadership talents are? Identify these skills as specifically as possible, and support them with examples from your professional (and possibly personal) life. 9. Don’t use examples of your experience prior to college. Schools will think you dont have anything worth talking about since then, and they dont want to admit people who did not (and will not) continue to achieve great things! 10. Never ask anyone, including an admissions consultant, to write essays for you. Schools will automatically reject you if it appears that you didnt write your own essays. 11. Never lie. Even if your personal ethics would allow you to lie in an application, you may be caught at some point, especially with schools now carefully checking out details. Never lie! 12. Never send in any essays with typos, spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. No one is perfect, but sending in essays with typos, misspelled words, or grammatical errors can give an admissions officer an easy way to rule you out. Do you have more ideas of what makes a great business school application essay? Please share your questions/comments below. Need guidance in your MBA/EMBA Application process? Maximize your applications with help from The Essay Experts MBA Admissions Consulting Services. Or feel free to email me directly at larryessayexpert@gmail.com. Larry Sochrin Category:MBA Admissions ProcessBy Brenda BernsteinJanuary 20, 2012

Policy changes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Policy changes - Essay Example The current policy of the USA pertaining to the nuclear program of Iran has failed to serve its purpose and should be looked upon from a different dimension to have any positive effect. Like an expired drug, any outdated or faulty policy, if kept implemented, can have its adverse reaction. This is an important concept to understand. The effect of the USA current policy is not limited to Iran but it shares a common interest of many countries around the world. Iran’s desire to acquire nuclear technology has raised many eyebrows on the international horizon (Davis 2011). America continues to follow a non-lenient policy on this matter and has to come up with a strong response. President Obama’s speech in Cairo also addressed the issue of Iran’s nuclear program clearly stating the country’s policy on the subject. The U.S. has its concerns over Iran’s peaceful propositions. Therefore, a conflict is inevitable. Currently, the U.S. follows a policy of imple menting sanctions and using diplomatic tools to force Iran to give up its desire of pursuing nuclear technology. But nothing much has been achieved so far. Despite this fact few amendments have been made from the U.S. government in their current policy. As mentioned earlier, this has resulted in some side effects. Iran is now more determined to bypass the international forum. Retaliation also came in the form of Oil embargo that was imposed on the members of European Nation. Due to the fact that America has a history of rivalry with Iran, it could be deduced that any American enforcement will aggravate the situation. Moreover, it is the right of any country to utilize its resources to fuel the economy. Iran believes that a nuclear energy can resolve their crisis of energy needs and can boost their economy. Any obstacle from America that prevents Iran from achieving that goal will be viewed as a conspiracy against them. Therefore, a new policy is required to address this particular i ssue. A proposed policy could be a discussion with the Iranian Government over their energy needs, and an alternative solution to that crisis can be provided. How to Implement That Policy? The first and the foremost hurdle that resulted in the failure of the early policy was that it was implemented by the U.S. The history between the countries suggests that any proposition from any side will be dealt with criticism and suspicion (Fayazmanesh 2008). Moreover, this problem is not of the USA alone and president Obama made it very clear in his speech in Cairo that all the steps taken against Iran are in the best interest of all humanity. Let’s closely look at the situation, if Iran acquires nuclear technology, it will definitely initiate a nuclear arm race in the surrounding region that can have severe consequences. We cannot afford a third world war. If initiated, these nuclear weapons can lead to annihilation of our entire planet. But Iran is not ready to give up its program an d will surely reject the future U.S. policies. The cause of such response towards the U.S. policies by Iran can be traced back to history. The only country in the history of mankind that practically used nuclear weapons to destroy two cities and killed thousands of people in a blink of an eye is none other than the U.S. Though, many justifications were

Marketing Research Degree Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Research Degree - Essay Example On the other hand it is also important to have the knowledge of how to present the product in effective manner in order to reach the customer in an effective manner. With the changing business needs the new marketing techniques such as product differentiation, branding and advertising are also gaining immense importance. The successful product positioning and promotion is only possible if all the required information in this lieu is gathered and used in the right direction. In order to fulfill modern information needs, new information technologies have also been evolved. The information regarding the buyer preferences and behavior plays an important part in helping the management to take important decisions regarding the product such as pricing, promotion, competition etc. It is important for the company to establish a system in order to acquire a large amount of information for the marketing managers. "Competitive companies study their managers' information needs and design marketing information systems (MIS) to meets these needs. A marketing information system (MIS) consists of people, equipment, and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and distribute needed, timely, and accurate information to marketing decision markers. To carry out their analysis, planning, implementation, and control responsibilities marketing managers need information about developments in the marketing environment. The role of the MIS is to assess the manager's information needs, develop the needed information, and distribute that information in a timely fashion, the information is developed through internal company records, marketing intelligence activities, marketing research, and marketing decision support analysis." (Kotler, 2000) In the case of Dairy Products Limited the MIS can play an important role in successfully marketing the new dessert which the company is planning to launch. An effective MIS will also help in enhancing the exposure level of the company from local market to national market. It is important for the company to design the MIS system in an effective manner. In most of the cases the companies lack information sophistication. Some of them collect a large amount of information but the data is not stored in a proper way to be handled easily. Without an effective marketing information system it will become impossible for the Dairy Products limited to reach to the desired customer. The MIS will help the company in understanding the customer's perception, taste, needs and desires regarding the new product. Without the proper MIS the investment in the production and innovation will not be of any use. "The MIS represent a cross between what managers think they need, what managers really need, and what is economically feasible." (Kotler, 2000) The MIS will provide support to the management in the areas of reduction of price risks, planning for an effective and cheap marketing strategy with technology assessment and development, particularly in evolving and popularizing food product offered by the company. An effective Marketing information system can help in the company in motivating distributors, retailers, and other intermediaries to pass along important intelligence. Through the components of MIS the Company will able to collect information regarding

Project work, Quantitative methods Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project work, Quantitative methods - Assignment Example In fact this is the standard mathematical treatment, especially for mathematical software that does not have input filtering capacity. As the code is presented, users can extend it to suit their individual needs (Wright 2007). 3) Yes. From the values on confidence intervals obtained in section (3) regarding the proportion of subscribers with home broadband, 62% of the respondents answered in the affirmative. At least 57% of all the subscribers have home broadband, and it could be as high as 67%. These are favorable statistics for the venture. Yes. To make the conclusion we refer to the confidence intervals gotten from section (3). The percentage of subscribers who have children, who would in turn require the educational software is 53.4%, with a lower confidence value of 48.6% and an upper limit of 58.2%. this is approximately at least half of the number of subscribers, a favorable percentage. Proportion of men among the subscribers is: 229/410 = 55.85%. The ratio of men to women among the subscribers is 56: 44, which would suggest a fair distribution of articles relating to each gender group. The average age is 30.11 according to the sample, a value that could fall lower to 29.72 years, and a high of 30.5 years for the entire population. This shows that the majority of the subscribers are in the youth

Characteristics of Tabloid Newspapers

Characteristics of Tabloid Newspapers What is common between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, Paris Hilton, Poonam Pandey and Rakhi Sawant. If one has to answer this question from a mere factual point of view, he might falter. This is due to the fact that all these people (and many more like them) strike the common chord of the term Tabloidization. Defining tabloidization might be a little difficult, but if we want to check it out from a birds eye view, it will be the massive changes that have taken place in mainstream media over past few years. The factual meaning, however, comes from the word tabloid, which refers to a particular size used by the British newspapers (23.5 in by 14.75 in). Because of the extensive use of such sized newspapers, we can say that the British print media is tabloidized, quite literally. The typical form of tabloid is marked by two major and distinct features: it devotes relatively less importance to issues of economics, politics and society and focuses more on diversions like sports, scandals and popular entertainment. This new category of journalism and media is believed to be of great consequence, atleast to the practice of journalism at large and it is important to understand the reasoning behind it. In this article we will try to understand how the tabloids function, the historical background and the effect it has on the serious media and on the society. Historical background: The existence of tabloids can be traced back to the first part of the 20th century in Britain. United States and rest of the Europe were a little late to catch up but during the late 30s and post world-war 2 eras, tabloids started to grow here as well. The Daily Mail and Daily Mirror, published by Hammersmith and Rothermere, were the first tabloids in Britain, which were soon followed by the likes of The Sun, published by the Murdoch group and currently Britains highest selling tabloid. In other developing countries, like China and India, the tabloid movement is growing and the growth has been especially rapid in last 10 years or so. Historically, tabloids have existed alongside other quality papers, so to say. But, in recent years, we have been experiencing a glaring gap between serious media and tabloids. We will be using the term serious media only as to be able to emphasize tabloidization as a phenomena which is not looked upon in a very positive manner, specially because of the features mentioned above. Characteristic features of tabloids: One of the main characteristics of tabloids have been that they have always been brash and loud, they have used sensationalism as a medium to engage the readers and give preference to anything and everything that arouses and titillates public interest. The most interesting part about tabloids is that the journalism covers the nuances of the fantastic and the crazily invented which the consumers are not only aware of but also accommodate the same in their reading strategies. Sex, scandals, celebrity, nightlife, glamour, horror, sting operations and probing into the personal lives of people are the areas frequented by the tabloids. Another common aspect across all tabloids is the extensive use of posters and photographs, and usually the reporting lines are used as fillers. Most of the tabloids publish pictures of naked/semi-naked models on page 3 or 5 (Mid-day have them on page 2, known as the Mid-day mates). And other prominent stories include crime, sex, sensational news items, parties, celebrity remarks etc. however, it is wrong to assume that they dont carry other serious news such as politics, economics and other news of national interest, but the tone used is highly personalized and the reporters are opinionated. Such reporting does not provide any scope of objective and analytical reasoning being reported and fostered. Probably the only thing it efficiently does is to teach people to take sides. During the times when a media agenda needs to be set, tabloids will usually do the most myopic possible job. And it doesnt end there; tabloids also have the tendency of juxtaposing reality and fantasy in order to arouse interest and even at times, mislead their readers. There are recorded instances of these tabloids carrying reports of alien attacks etc. The Sun went as far ahead declaring the first inter-galactic treaty being made when they carried a cover page picture of ET shaking hands with President Clinton. Reasons, Consequences and Effects: If we analyse tabloidization from a simple perspective, we will see that it is actually a very simple phenomenon. It is only a transition being driven by market forces from being driven by public agendas. But, if someone has to analyze it in a deeper way, then one must understand the political, economical and social reasons behind the growth of this trend. Tabloidization has coined new terms, junk food and rag sheet for example, but what we can see is the fact that all these have derogatory connotations, primarily due to the fact that issues that concerns the citizen are thrown on the back-burner, while scandal, entertainment and lifestyle has taken the centre-stage. This has definitely harmed the relationship between mass media and politics and current affairs. We will look into a few reasons behind it phenomenon. People want media to be more personalized, more interactive, and by juxtaposing the serious news and the tabloid, private and public spheres are getting connected constantly. This also portrays the shift in peoples outlook and justifies the declining audience for traditional news agenda. Media itself has become more and more corporatized, which had lead to shaping of news in order to be able to cater to the taste of audiences. Like any other corporate business, revenue maximization has given way to the populist agenda. It has become a trend in the competitive industry, especially in a free market. Declining circulation is another major concern. The increasing use of internet news, which massively deploy the tabloid strategy. The worst possible effect of tabloidization is that it fails to serve the prime function of journalism, which is to inform the people about the issues which concern the public interest. As a direct consequence of tabloidization, we can see the change in priority in terms of time-slots; prime-time is no longer news and current affairs, it more about creating a spectacle. Even though the classical definition of journalism does not talk about covering and reporting facts related to politics, economy or other issues of public interest only, they can even choose to cater to the section of people who are looking for content that suits popular taste and public interest. But tabloids are not only accused of sensationalizing news and blowing things beyond proportion but also for publishing and broadcasting information which is not verified and an unbiased opinion is seldom offered. This defeats the very purpose of journalism where the journalist should be seeking the truth and should not be offering a story tailored to suit the preferences of the readers/viewers and advertisers. Justifications: Despite having such negative connotations, there are justifications as well. Some believe that tabloidization (like talk shows) is a boon as they present different lifestyles and cultures which help in human integration. And some argue that is offers an alternative reality and helps utopian and emancipating fantasies. On a very Indian context, it can be compared to the existence of channels like Aaj Tak and India TV, who are actually thriving despite the fact that they are nothing but tabloidized version of news channels. People prefer tabloids as hard news is at times difficult to digest and its impersonal nature doesnt interest them. Tabloidization and journalism: The definition of Conclusion: It is very difficult to reach a common consensus and brand tabloidization good or bad. On one hand, it is almost utopian to expect private media corporations to behave like public service units, especially in a consumerist world, and on the other hand we can debate whether the right of reader/viewer to truthful information is being violated or not. On a broad level, news agenda being more entertainment driven is understandable, but it becomes unacceptable when news is transformed into an entertainment package. The tabloids are engaged at the level of our deepest needs for safety and security and they constantly make us feel vulnerable (Sansani, for example). This is done in order to capture the attention and drive the public agenda through the media agenda. The fact that one third of American still believe that Saddam Hussain was responsible for the September 11 attack, is a glaring example of their success. It might have been better if the tabloids would only have existed alongside the serious news, but unfortunately (or fortunately!!) the line between the two seems to be blurring, and with the dropping demand for traditional media and astronomical rise in media consumption through the digital mediums, the situation will only become more complex. To conclude, we can only say that tabloidization follows the mantra of: Tickle the public, make them grin, The more you tickle, the more youll win