Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Early Childhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Early Childhood - Essay Example According to Montessori, â€Å"the development of articulate speech occurs between the ages two and five --- the age of perception in which the attention of the child is spontaneously directed to external objects and the memory is particularly attentive†(Montessori, Chapter 18, 2004). Montessori said that there are four stages in the language development which are the auditory or listening, oral, manual and interpretive (reading). She also introduced the concept of sensitive periods which are critical for a child’s development. The sensitive period is that period in a child’s development whereby he is unconsciously aware that a certain skill is to be learned at that period. It is the time when a person has the best opportunity to learn something. Examples of the sensitive periods in a child’s environment are the sensitivity to movement, sensitivity to order, sensitivity to language and sensitivity to sensory impressions. Sensitivity to movement occurs at ages two to four. This is the time when the child moves around in order to learn about his environment. Practical life exercises are used in Montessori schools during this sensitive period. Practical life exercises is one of the four areas of the Montessori prepared environment. This area resembles the work at home such as washing the dishes or sweeping the floor. The teacher introduces the name of the activity while the movement is being performed. Social grace and courtesy activities are introduced such as the use of â€Å"May I†or â€Å"Can I†. Language skills are further developed from these practical life activities. Sensitivity to order also occurs at the same time as the sensitivity to movement. Sensitivity relates to spatial, social, sensory and temporal. Children at this age become more aware of the order in time and space. According to Montessori at this stage, order becomes the child’s foundation to make sense of his environment. Another important se nsitive period is that of the sensitivity to language which is one of the longest-lasting sensitive periods which starts at age three to six. After this period the rate of absorption for new words will never be the same again. The child becomes attracted to human sounds which drive him to speak his native language. After age six, the sensitive period for language weakens and the child then moves on to grammar work as he improves his reading skills. The sensitivity to sensory impression is another period in a child’s development. This is when the child becomes interested in his environment and wants to learn more about it. This need is answered by Montessori’s sensorial training where the senses are being developed and refined. An important method used in teaching language in Montessori schools is the Three Period Lesson which is a teaching technique used to give formal vocabulary lessons. Language is given after experience of that which is to be named. The three period s support the three stages of learning. The First Period (Naming) is an introduction of the names to be learned by presenting names that are nouns using color tablets. The colour tablets which were used in the sensorial training of the child are also used in this activity. The first step is to lay the primary colors in a row in front of the child. One color is isolated and the teacher says the name of the color after which the child is encouraged to say the same. The same procedure is repeated for the other colors. The Second Period (Recognition) is the practice of
Monday, October 28, 2019
Euphoria Case Study Essay Example for Free
Euphoria Case Study Essay Human life as we know has been proven better with a scientific discovery created through the efforts of Pseudoscience Research Inc. (PRI), a conglomerate pharmaceutical corporation responsible for other life-changing advances in modern biological science and technology today. This new discovery is guaranteed to improve the quality of life for most people and would eventually establish a harmonious society human beings aspire for since time immemorial.            In a lavish ceremony held at the offices of PRI, the miracle drug was unveiled to wide public acclaim. It was described as one of the most innovative and promising invention of the 22nd century. The drug Euphoria is generally regarded as the most effective and best-selling drug since viagra hit the stores. Euphoria comes from the Greek word euphoros meaning healthy. As what its name espouses, Euphoria aims to improve the lives of the majority of people who live life in constant depression, poverty, and hunger by inducing natural happiness and elation. Indeed, Euphoria changes everything.            As a response to the growing demand in society, PRI started to conduct research on a drug that may well be the biological ubermensch of the masses in order to rid of constant financial, social, and personal problems that the individual has to experience on a daily basis. On July 14, 1971, PRI jumpstarted the research on a new medicine that will biologically eliminate problems and hardships of an individual by developing a pill concentrated with endorphins and other happiness-inducing chemicals that will harmlessly alter the genetic code of the person as well as increase the normal endorphin count of the normal human body. Thus, Euphoria was born. Since the drugs invention, it has been tested on human subjects to adhere to the pre-existing laws on animal welfare in lieu with testing. During the early 90s, PRI was threatened with bankruptcy as the company was openly criticized for making an amoral and immoral drug simultaneously. Mostly pro-life groups rejected the idea of the drug, as it did not value human life while intellectuals criticized it as something that is atrocious since it takes out choice of a person to be miserable. But it was a famous Hollywood actress who supported the drug and brought PRI into the A-list of corporations in the world today. The three-time Oscar winner actress argued publicly that the drug has helped her made her career and improved her way of life ever since. Consequently, PRI sales on Euphoria went up by 50% in just a year and soon the company made a name for itself as one of the leading brands in healthcare in 2004. Today, Euphoria has replaced painkillers, anti-depressants, and other small-time antibiotics since it completely prevents the user from getting sick. It has been proven effective with absolutely no side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, stomach pains, chest pains, headaches, fever, and death. Since its invention, the drug has been widely-used by the public and from substantial surveys conducted by PRI itself, it has been revealed that almost 95.457% of the population take the drug as an answer to the problems since there are no other drugs that will enable them to be happy and successful. In addition, that percentage also proves the drugs popularity and effectiveness, as it won numerous awards including the Discovery of the Year recognition from Time Magazine. In 2008, the drug established the name of PRI, becoming the worlds foremost conglomerate in medicinal development. Humble Beginnings            The credit with the creation of the phenomenal drug goes to Dr. William Falsetto, a Harvard medicine graduate, who got the sudden inspiration of creating Euphoria during a friendly banter over a couple of beers when his colleague suggested him to create a drug that has a natural high without the side effects rival to that of viagra and morphine. Because of his background as a distinguished alumnus of one of the top universities in the world, his credibility follows with his invention and therefore the drugs eventual success. [1]            He based his assumptions from an empirical laboratory experiment wherein he carefully tested the number of endorphins that the human body produces at a normal rate. After determining such, he further experimented on the subject with three substantive theories. First is to determine the amount of endorphins that a normal body produces when exercising. In a result published in the PRI research journal from 1991, Falsetto concluded that the body gives off 86% more endorphins that stimulate happiness and elation.[2] However, he debunked his theory stating that exercising is not an activity done by majority of the masses and would therefore cause a low selling and marketing rate. The second theory was to determine the amount of endorphins when eating large amounts of chocolate. The result was also promising but Falsetto soon discovered that chocolate-induced happiness is followed by undesirable side-effects such as diabetes and fluctuating sugar levels of the body. The last theory proved to be the most effective as Falsetto discovered that endorphins could be extracted as a solid powder form and could be placed in regular tablets sold. The formula is of course under strict protection of the PRI, NSA, CIA, FBI, EUROPOL and the United Nations, but Falsetto disclosed in a press interview when the drug reached its 10th year of success that it contains naturally-produced endorphins that add to the natural threshold of the human body and it increases happiness that in turn causes motivation, energy, and a positivist attitude. He boldly added that the drug can replace viagra since it also increases the sexual drive of the human body. Because of his background as a Harvard graduate, the credibility of the drug was never compromised when it went on sale since 1995.[3]            In relation with the drugs almost monumental failure, the Hollywood actress who still refuses to reveal her identity said that it almost saved her life and career. Since then, PRI inaugurated the celebrated actress as one of the chairpersons of the company and eventually her ascension as the CEO of the company. Her statement reached almost the entirety of Hollywoods royalty and soon, millions of people were convinced of Euphoria. Heads of State and royal families soon followed suit, stating the drugs effectivity and rationality over decision-making, political relationships, and terrorist negotiations. The drug also replaced the harmful and illegal drugs such as cocaine and marijuana since Euphoria induced a natural high without the hallucinogens found in the illegal drugs.            In 2001, 92% of the world population agreed on the use of Euphoria and consequently stamped out the drugs immoral and unethical issues regarding its use and nature. The test subjects widely accepted the drug[4] since the drug contains natural endorphins, and it follows that it marginally increases elation and happiness feeling for the person. Since happiness and elation are important for personal motivation, the drug then helps in changing the mood of the person as well as affecting change with regards to eating habits and behavior. Also, work production has also been increased since employees are now very happy with their work. Euphoria also replaces viagra as a safe alternative since the drug is naturally produced. With health issues, endorphins also increase the white blood count of the body and therefore prevent the body from acquiring diseases.[5] Majority of the people agree on the drug since it is right for the body and life as well as the right thing to do. Its moral issues were disproved since there are no deaths or accidents that are linked to the drug.[6]            In 1992, there was a worldwide appeal to governments that the standard of living for most of the countries is declining because of unemployment and poverty. However, as soon as Euphoria was introduced to the world, many agree that the drug has saved many lives. It is noteworthy to mention that in one of the political debates in the UN meeting of 2007, the assembly concluded that the quality of life is steadily declining and if the case is not addressed, more human lives are at stake. Either the drug should be globally legalized or the world would continue to degrade in terms of living standards and health issues. Naturally, the drug was finally given worldwide approval during September of that year, and since then, it has been proven effective.[7] However, several pharmaceutical companies rejected the claim of Euphoria to be a universal solution for biological problems. The case went to court, but it was easily dismissed by the ruling that there were no substantive claims to prove that the drug was indeed ineffective. Consequently, it also proved to be the turning point for major and minor drug companies as PRI bought the companies and formed into a multi-national biological research company.[8] Furthermore, since there are contentions with regards the effects of the medicine, it has concluded that the medicines claims are true. Mr. Falsetto received the Nobel Peace prize for Medicine and named one of the 22nd centurys greatest thinkers.[9]            Because of Euphorias discovery and monumental success, it has been regarded as the drug that saved the world from misery and caused much development in the quality of living for the whole world. There are no more wars, political maneuvering, strife, poverty, and colds. The global quality of life has improved, notable through the many recent milestones in human history such as excessive singing, the development of the cure against AIDS and HIV, and a harmonious societal structure where there is no class struggle and alienation since everybody is equally happy. Thanks to Dr. Willam Falsetoo, the world is now a better place.[10] [1]   Ad Hominem (Argument to the Man) [2]   Error of Fact [3]   Weak Analogy [4]   Ad Populum (Appeal to the Masses) [5]   Hasty Generalization [6]   Equivocation [7]   False Dichotomy [8]   Appeal to Ignorance [9]   Burden of Proof [10] Post Hoc (False Cause)
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Essay example --
Foucault describes in the â€Å"carceral archipelago†and how it transported the technique from the penal institution to the entire social body on pg. 298 of the text in relation to how technologies, powers and disciplines were connected in a series of prisons, institutions, and other organizations that governed or directed how social norms, punishments and regulations were administered. The archipelago referred to a collection of islands, which show relationships and structural similarities, as well as differences. Foucault uses Mettray as an example to show the emergences of more formalized structure or accountability as we could term it today with examples of power-knowledge over individuals. Foucault describes Mettray as the most disciplinary form at its most extreme, explaining that the models in which are concentrated all the coercive technologies of our behavior (p. 293). The prison was successful because it structured prisoners through the processes of discipline and control. The prison showed that it had the capabilities to transform its functionality to applications and technologies other than the carceral (punitive), such as hospitals, schools, and other public administrations by making the power and knowledge that is held over individuals normal. Its systems, because they were so effective were not destined to remain exclusively to the punitive environment. The technology that they enveloped was extremely useful, and as a result, discipline and structure have been profoundly influential in the development of social norms and behaviors in societies. In modern society, the structure that was present in the carceral environment can be seen in virtually all systems and organizational structures; from federal, state... ...hich in turn is intended to normalize the individual’s behavior. In the application, map my walk, Foucault would view the process of recording and sharing results with peers through electronic communication also as the process of examination. Through the process of sharing information and gathering results and responses, the individual’s behavior becomes normalized through the judging practice; not only being judged both indirectly and directly by their peers, but also by judging themselves through their progress and/or failures. Both are essentially control through observational techniques. It is interesting because they coincide with the pressure that women place on themselves to manifest control over their bodies, both internally and externally. It is similar to a panoptic environment, where the woman monitors her own outcomes. Word Count: 234
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Zoe’s Tale PART III Chapter Twenty-One
The next morning I found out Dad was under arrest. â€Å"It's not exactly arrest,†Dad said at our kitchen table, having his morning coffee. â€Å"I've been relieved of my position as colony leader and have to travel back to Phoenix Station for an inquiry. So it's more like a trial. And if that goes badly then I'll be arrested.†â€Å"Is it going to go badly?†I asked. â€Å"Probably,†Dad said. â€Å"They don't usually have an inquiry if they don't know how it's going to turn out, and if it was going to turn out well, they wouldn't bother to have it.†He sipped his coffee. â€Å"What did you do?†I asked. I had my own coffee, loaded up with cream and sugar, which was sitting ignored in front of me. I was still in shock about Enzo, and this really wasn't helping. â€Å"I tried to talk General Gau out of walking into the trap we set for him and his fleet,†Dad said. â€Å"When we met I asked him not to call his fleet. Begged him not to, actually. It was against my orders. I was told to engage in ‘nonessential conversation' with him. As if you can have nonessential conversation with someone who is planning to take over your colony, and whose entire fleet you're about to blow up.†â€Å"Why did you do it?†I asked. â€Å"Why did you try to give General Gau an out?†â€Å"I don't know,†Dad said. â€Å"Probably because I didn't want the blood of all those crews on my hands.†â€Å"You weren't the one who set off the bombs,†I said. â€Å"I don't think that matters, do you?†Dad said. He set down his cup. â€Å"I was still part of the plan. I was still an active participant. I still bear some responsibility. I wanted to know that at the very least I tried in some small way to avoid so much bloodshed. I guess I was just hoping there might be a way to do things other than the way that ends up with everyone getting killed.†I got up out of my chair and gave my dad a big hug. He took it, and then looked at me, a little surprised, when I sat back down. â€Å"Thank you,†he said. â€Å"I'd like to know what that was about.†â€Å"It was me being happy that we think alike,†I said. â€Å"I can tell we're related, even if it's not biologically.†â€Å"I don't think anyone would doubt we think alike, dear,†Dad said. â€Å"Although given that I'm about to get royally shafted by the Colonial Union, I'm not sure it's such a good thing for you.†â€Å"I think it is,†I said. â€Å"And biology or not, I think we're both smart enough to figure out that things are not going well for anyone,†Dad said. â€Å"This is a real big mess, nor are we out of it.†â€Å"Amen,†I said. â€Å"How are you, sweetheart?†Dad asked. â€Å"Are you going to be okay?†I opened my mouth to say something and closed it again. â€Å"I think right now I want to talk about anything else in the world besides how I'm doing,†I said, finally. â€Å"All right,†Dad said. He started talking about himself then, not because he was an egotist but because he knew listening to him would help me take my mind off my own worries. I listened to him talk on without worrying too much about what he said. Dad left on the supply ship San Joaquin the next day, with Manfred Trujillo and a couple other colonists who were going as representatives of Roanoke, on political and cultural business. That was their cover, anyway. What they were really doing, or so Jane had told me, was trying to find out anything about what was going on in the universe involving Roanoke and who had attacked us. It would take a week for Dad and the others to reach Phoenix Station; they'd spend a day or so there and then it would take another week for them to return. Which is to say, it'd take another week for everyone but Dad to return; if Dad's inquiry went against him, he wouldn't be coming back. We tried not to think about that. Three days later most of the colony converged on the Gugino homestead and said good-bye to Bruno and Natalie, Maria, Katherina, and Enzo. They were buried where they had died; Jane and others had removed the missile debris that had fallen on them, reshaped the area with new soil, and set new sod on top. A marker was placed to note the family. At some point in the future, there might be another, larger marker, but for now it was small and simple: the family name, the name of the members, and their dates. It reminded me of my own family marker, where my biological mother lay. For some reason I found this a little bit comforting. Magdy's father, who had been Bruno Gugino's closest friend, spoke warmly about the whole family. A group of singers came and sang two of Natalie's favorite hymns from Zhong Guo. Magdy spoke, briefly and with difficulty about his best friend. When he sat back down, Gretchen was there to hold him while he sobbed. Finally we all stood and some prayed and others stood silently, with their heads bowed, thinking about missing friends and loved ones. Then people left, until it was just me and Gretchen and Magdy, standing silently by the marker. â€Å"He loved you, you know,†Magdy said to me, suddenly. â€Å"I know,†I said. â€Å"No,†Magdy said, and I saw how he was trying to get across to me that he wasn't just making comforting words. â€Å"I'm not talking about how we say we love something, or love people we just like. He really loved you, Zoe. He was ready to spend his whole life with you. I wish I could make you believe this.†I took out my PDA, opened it to Enzo's poem, and showed it to Magdy. â€Å"I believe it,†I said. Magdy read the poem, nodded. Then he handed the PDA back to me. â€Å"I'm glad,†he said. â€Å"I'm glad he sent that to you. I used to make fun of him because he wrote you those poems. I told him that he was just being a goof.†I smiled at that. â€Å"But now I'm glad he didn't listen to me. I'm glad he sent them. Because now you know. You know how much he loved you.†Magdy broke down as he tried to finish that sentence. I came up to him and held him and let him cry. â€Å"He loved you too, Magdy,†I said to him. â€Å"As much as me. As much as anyone. You were his best friend.†â€Å"I loved him too,†Magdy said. â€Å"He was my brother. I mean, not my real brother†¦Ã¢â‚¬ He started to get a look on his face; he was annoyed with himself that he wasn't expressing himself like he wanted. â€Å"No, Magdy,†I said. â€Å"You were his real brother. In every way that matters, you were his brother. He knew you thought of him that way. And he loved you for it.†â€Å"I'm sorry, Zoe,†Magdy said, and looked down at his feet. â€Å"I'm sorry I always gave you and Enzo a hard time. I'm sorry.†â€Å"Hey,†I said, gently. â€Å"Stop that. You were supposed to give us a hard time, Magdy. Giving people a hard time is what you do. Ask Gretchen.†â€Å"It's true,†Gretchen said, not unkindly. â€Å"It really is.†â€Å"Enzo thought of you as his brother,†I said. â€Å"You're my brother too. You have been all this time. I love you, Magdy.†â€Å"I love you too, Zoe,†Magdy said quietly, and then looked straight at me. â€Å"Thank you.†â€Å"You're welcome.†I gave him another hug. â€Å"Just remember that as your new family member I'm now entitled to give you all sorts of crap.†â€Å"I can't wait,†Magdy said, and then turned to Gretchen. â€Å"Does this make you my sister too?†â€Å"Considering our history, you better hope not,†Gretchen said. Magdy laughed at that, which was a good sign, then gave me a peck on a cheek, gave Gretchen a hug, and then walked from the grave of his friend and brother. â€Å"Do you think he's going to be okay?†I asked Gretchen, as we watched him go. â€Å"No,†Gretchen said. â€Å"Not for a long time. I know you loved Enzo, Zoe, I really do, and I don't want this to sound like I'm trying to undercut that. But Enzo and Magdy were two halves of the same whole.†She nodded to Magdy. â€Å"You lost someone you love. He's lost part of himself. I don't know if he's going to get over that.†â€Å"You can help him,†I said. â€Å"Maybe,†Gretchen said. â€Å"But think about what you're asking me to do.†I laughed. It's why I loved Gretchen. She was the smartest girl I ever knew, and smart enough to know that being smart had its own repercussions. She could help Magdy, all right, by becoming part of what he was missing. But it meant her being that, one way or another, for the rest of their lives. She would do it, because when it came down to it she really did love Magdy. But she was right to worry about what it meant for her. â€Å"Anyway,†Gretchen said, â€Å"I'm not done helping someone else.†I snapped out of my thoughts at that. â€Å"Oh,†I said. â€Å"Well. You know. I'm okay.†â€Å"I know,†Gretchen said. â€Å"I also know you lie horribly.†â€Å"I can't fool you,†I said. â€Å"No,†Gretchen said. â€Å"Because what Enzo was to Magdy, I am to you.†I hugged her. â€Å"I know,†I said. â€Å"Good,†Gretchen said. â€Å"Whenever you forget, I'll remind you.†â€Å"Okay,†I said. We unhugged and Gretchen left me alone with Enzo and his family, and I sat with them for a long time. Four days later, a note from Dad from a skip drone from Phoenix Station. A miracle, it said. I'm not headed for prison. We are heading back on the next supply ship. Tell Hickory and Dickory that I will need to speak to them when I return. Love you. There was another note for Jane, but she didn't tell me what was in it. â€Å"Why would Dad want to talk to you?†I asked Hickory. â€Å"We don't know,†Hickory said. â€Å"The last time he and I spoke of anything of any importance was the day – I am sorry – that your friend Enzo died. Some time ago, before we left Huckleberry, I had mentioned to Major Perry that the Obin government and the Obin people stood ready to assist you and your family here on Roanoke should you need our assistance. Major Perry reminded me of that conversation and asked me if the offer still stood. I told him that at the time I believed it did.†â€Å"You think Dad is going to ask for your help?†I asked. â€Å"I do not know,†Hickory said. â€Å"And since I last spoke to Major Perry circumstances have changed.†â€Å"What do you mean?†I asked. â€Å"Dickory and I have finally received detailed updated information from our government, up to and including its analysis of the Colonial Union's attack on the Conclave fleet,†Hickory said. â€Å"The most important piece of news is that we have been informed that shortly after the Magellan disappeared, the Colonial Union came to the Obin government and asked it not to search for the Roanoke colony, nor to offer it assistance if it were to be located by the Conclave or any other race.†â€Å"They knew you would come looking for me,†I said. â€Å"Yes,†Hickory said. â€Å"But why would they tell you not to help us?†I asked. â€Å"Because it would interfere with the Colonial Union's own plans to lure the Conclave fleet to Roanoke,†Hickory said. â€Å"That's happened,†I said. â€Å"That's done. The Obin can help us now,†I said. â€Å"The Colonial Union has asked us to continue not to offer aid or assistance to Roanoke,†Hickory said. â€Å"That makes no sense,†I said. â€Å"We are inclined to agree,†Hickory said. â€Å"But that means that you can't even help me,†I said. â€Å"There is a difference between you and the colony of Roanoke,†Hickory said. â€Å"The Colonial Union cannot ask us not to protect or assist you. It would violate the treaty between our peoples, and the Colonial Union would not want to do that, especially now. But the Colonial Union may choose to interpret the treaty narrowly and has. Our treaty concerns you, Zoe. To a much lesser extent it concerns your family, meaning Major Perry and Lieutenant Sagan. It does not concern Roanoke colony at all.†â€Å"It does when I live here,†I said. â€Å"This colony is of a great deal of concern to me. Its people are of a great deal of concern to me. Everybody I care about in the whole universe is here. Roanoke matters to me. It should matter to you.†â€Å"We did not say it did not matter to us,†Hickory said, and I heard something in its voice I had never heard before: reproach. â€Å"Nor do we suggest it does not matter to you, for many reasons. We are telling you how the Colonial Union is asking the Obin government to view its rights under treaty. And we are telling you that our government, for its own reasons, has agreed.†â€Å"So if my dad asks for your help, you will tell him no,†I said. â€Å"We will tell him that so long as Roanoke is a Colonial Union world, we are unable to offer help.†â€Å"So, no,†I said. â€Å"Yes,†Hickory said. â€Å"We are sorry, Zoe.†â€Å"I want you to give me the information your government has given you,†I said. â€Å"We will do so,†Hickory said. â€Å"But it is in our native language and file formatting, and will take a considerable amount of time for your PDA to translate.†â€Å"I don't care,†I said. â€Å"As you wish,†Hickory said. Not too long after that I stared at the screen of my PDA and ground my teeth together as it slowly plodded through file transformations and translations. I realized it would be easier just to ask Hickory and Dickory about it all, but I wanted to see it all with my own eyes. However long it took. It took long enough that I had hardly read any of it by the time Dad and the others had made it home. â€Å"This all looks like gibberish to me,†Gretchen said, looking at the documents I was showing her on my PDA. â€Å"It's like it was translated from monkey or something.†â€Å"Look,†I said. I pulled up a different document. â€Å"According to this, blowing up the Conclave fleet backfired. It was supposed to make the Conclave collapse and all the races start shooting at each other. Well, the Conclave is starting to collapse, but hardly any of them are actually fighting each other. They're attacking Colonial Union worlds instead. They really messed this up.†â€Å"If you say this is what it says, I'm going to believe you,†Gretchen said. â€Å"I'm not actually finding verbs here.†I pulled up another document. â€Å"Here, this is about a Conclave leader named Nerbros Eser. He's General Gau's main competition for leadership of the Conclave now. Gau still doesn't want to attack the Colonial Union directly, even though we just destroyed his fleet. He still thinks the Conclave is strong enough to keep doing what it's been doing. But this Eser guy thinks the Conclave should just wipe us out. The Colonial Union. And especially us here on Roanoke. Just to make the point that you don't mess with the Conclave. The two of them are fighting over control of the Conclave right now.†â€Å"Okay,†Gretchen said. â€Å"But I still don't know what any of this means, Zoe. Speak not-hyper-ese to me. You're losing me.†I stopped and took a breath. Gretchen was right. I'd spent most of the last day reading these documents, drinking coffee, and not sleeping; I was not at the peak of my communication skills. So I tried again. â€Å"The whole point of founding Roanoke colony was to start a war,†I said. â€Å"It looks like it worked,†Gretchen said. â€Å"No,†I said. â€Å"It was supposed to start a war within the Conclave. Blowing up their fleet was supposed to tear the Conclave apart from the inside. It would end the threat of this huge coalition of alien races and bring things back to the way it was before, when every race was fighting every other race. We trigger a civil war, and then we sweep in while they're all fighting and scoop up the worlds we want and come out of it all stronger than before – maybe too strong for any one race or even a small group of races to square off against. That was the plan.†â€Å"But you're telling me it didn't work that way,†Gretchen said. â€Å"Right,†I said. â€Å"We blew up the fleet and got the Conclave members fighting, but who they're fighting is us. The reason we didn't like the Conclave is that it was four hundred against one, the one being us. Well, now it's still four hundred against one, except now no one's listening to the one guy who was keeping them from engaging in total war against us.†â€Å"Us here on Roanoke,†Gretchen said. â€Å"Us everywhere,†I said. â€Å"The Colonial Union. Humans. Us. This is happening now,†I said. â€Å"Colonial Union worlds are being attacked. Not just the new colony worlds, the ones that usually get attacked. Even the established colonies – the ones that haven't been attacked in decades – are getting hit. And unless General Gau gets them all back in line, these attacks are going to keep happening. They're going to get worse.†â€Å"I think you need a new hobby,†Gretchen said, handing me back my PDA. â€Å"Your new one here is really depressing.†â€Å"I'm not trying to scare you,†I said. â€Å"I thought you would want to know about all this.†â€Å"You don't have to tell me,†Gretchen said. â€Å"You need to tell your parents. Or my dad. Someone who actually knows what to do about all this.†â€Å"They already know,†I said. â€Å"I heard John and Jane talking about it last night after he got back from Phoenix Station. Everyone there knows the colonies are under attack. No one's reporting it – the Colonial Union has a lockdown on the news – but everyone's talking about it.†â€Å"What does that leave for Roanoke?†Gretchen said. â€Å"I don't know,†I said. â€Å"But I know we don't have a lot of pull right now.†â€Å"So we're all going to die,†Gretchen said. â€Å"Well. Gee. Thanks, Zoe. I'm really glad to know it.†â€Å"It's not that bad yet,†I said. â€Å"Our parents are working on it. They'll figure it out. We're not all going to die.†â€Å"Well, you're not going to die, at least,†Gretchen said. â€Å"What does that mean?†I asked. â€Å"If things really go swirling, the Obin will swoop in and take you out of here,†Gretchen said. â€Å"Although if all of the Colonial Union is really under attack, I'm not sure where you're going to end up going. But the point is, you have an escape route. The rest of us don't.†I stared at Gretchen. â€Å"That's incredibly unfair,†I said. â€Å"I'm not going anywhere, Gretchen.†â€Å"Why?†Gretchen said. â€Å"I'm not angry at you that you have a way out, Zoe. I'm envious. I've been through one attack. Just one missile got through and it didn't even explode properly, and it still did incredible damage and killed someone I care about and everyone in his family. When they come for us for real, we don't have a chance.†â€Å"You still have your training,†I said. â€Å"I'm not going to be able to engage in single combat with a missile, Zoe,†Gretchen said, annoyed. â€Å"Yes, if someone decides to have a landing party here, I might be able to fight them off for a while. But after what we've done to that Conclave fleet, do you think anyone is really going to bother? They're just going to blow us up from the sky. You said it yourself. They want to be rid of us. And you're the only one that has a chance of getting out of here.†â€Å"I already said I'm not going anywhere,†I said. â€Å"Jesus, Zoe,†Gretchen said. â€Å"I love you, I really do, but I can't believe you're actually that dumb. If you have a chance to go, go. I don't want you to die. Your mom and dad don't want it. The Obin will hack a path through all the rest of us to keep you from dying. I think you should take the hint.†â€Å"I get the hint,†I said. â€Å"But you don't understand. I've been the sole survivor, Gretchen. It's happened to me before. Once is enough for any lifetime. I'm not going anywhere.†â€Å"Hickory and Dickory want you to leave Roanoke,†Dad said to me, after he had paged me with his PDA. Hickory and Dickory were standing in the living room with him. I was clearly coming in on some sort of negotiation between them. And it was also clearly about me. The tone of Dad's voice was light enough that I could tell he was hoping to make some point to the Obin, and I was pretty sure I knew what the point was. â€Å"Are you and Mom coming?†I said. â€Å"No,†Dad said. This I expected. Whatever was going to happen with the colony, both John and Jane would see it through, even if it meant they would die with it. It's what they expected of themselves as colony leaders, as former soldiers, and as human beings. â€Å"Then to hell with that,†I said. I looked at Hickory and Dickory when I said it. â€Å"Told you,†Dad said to Hickory. â€Å"You didn't tell her to come away,†Hickory said. â€Å"Go away, Zoe,†Dad said. This was said with such a sarcastic delivery that even Hickory and Dickory couldn't miss it. I gave a less-than-entirely-polite response to that, and then to Hickory and Dickory, and then, for good measure, to the whole idea that I was something special to the Obin. Because I was feeling saucy, and also because I was tired of the whole thing. â€Å"If you want to protect me,†I said to Hickory, â€Å"then protect this colony. Protect the people I care about.†â€Å"We cannot,†Hickory said. â€Å"We are forbidden to do so.†â€Å"Then you have a problem,†I said, â€Å"because I'm not going anywhere. And there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it.†And then I left, dramatically, partly because I think that was what Dad was expecting, and partly because I was done saying what I wanted to say on the matter. Then I went to my room and waited for Dad to call me again. Because whatever was going on between him and Hickory and Dickory, it wasn't over when I stomped out of the room. And like I said, whatever it was, was clearly about me. About ten minutes later Dad called for me again. I went back into the living room. Hickory and Dickory were gone. â€Å"Sit down, Zoe, please,†Dad said. â€Å"I need you to do something for me.†â€Å"Does it involve leaving Roanoke?†I asked. â€Å"It does,†Dad said. â€Å"No,†I said. â€Å"Zoe,†Dad said. â€Å"No,†I said again. â€Å"And I don't understand you. Ten minutes ago you were happy to have me stand here in front of Hickory and Dickory and tell them I wasn't going anywhere, and now you want me to leave? What did they tell you to make you change your mind?†â€Å"It's what I told them,†Dad said. â€Å"And I haven't changed my mind. I need you to go, Zoe.†â€Å"For what?†I said. â€Å"So I can stay alive while everyone I care about dies? You and Mom and Gretchen and Magdy? So I can be saved when Roanoke is destroyed?†â€Å"I need you to go so I can save Roanoke,†Dad said. â€Å"I don't understand,†I said. â€Å"That's probably because you didn't actually let me finish before you got on your soapbox,†Dad said. â€Å"Don't mock me,†I said. Dad sighed. â€Å"I'm not trying to mock you, Zoe. But what I really need from you right now is to be quiet so I can tell you about this. Can you do that, please? It will make things go a lot more quickly. Then if you say no, at least you'll be saying no for the right reasons. All right?†â€Å"All right,†I said. â€Å"Thank you,†Dad said. â€Å"Look. Right now all of the Colonial Union is under attack because we destroyed the Conclave fleet. Every CU world has been hit. The Colonial Defense Forces are strained as it is, and it's going to get worse. A lot worse. The Colonial Union is already making decisions about what colonies it can afford to lose when push comes to shove.†â€Å"And Roanoke is one of those,†I said. â€Å"Yes,†Dad said. â€Å"Very definitely. But it's more than that, Zoe. There was a possibility that I might have been able to ask the Obin to help us here on Roanoke. Because you were here. But the Colonial Union has told the Obin not to help us at all. They can take you from here, but they can't help you or us defend Roanoke. The Colonial Union doesn't want them to help us.†â€Å"Why not?†I asked. â€Å"That doesn't make any sense.†â€Å"It doesn't make sense if you assume the Colonial Union wants Roanoke to survive,†Dad said. â€Å"But look at it another way, Zoe. This is the first colony with colonists from the CU rather than Earth. The settlers here are from the ten most powerful and most populous Colonial Union worlds. If Roanoke is destroyed, all ten of those worlds are going to be hit hard by the loss. Roanoke will become a rallying cry for those worlds. And for the whole Colonial Union.†â€Å"You're saying we're worth more to the Colonial Union dead than alive,†I said. â€Å"We're worth more as a symbol than as a colony,†Dad said. â€Å"Which is inconvenient for those of us who live here and want to stay alive. But, yes. It's why they won't let the Obin help us. It's why we don't make the cut for resources.†â€Å"You know this for sure?†I asked. â€Å"Someone told you this when you went back to Phoenix Station?†â€Å"Someone did,†Dad said. â€Å"A man named General Szilard. He was Jane's former commanding officer. It was unofficial, but it matched up with my own internal math.†â€Å"And you trust him?†I asked. â€Å"No offense, but the Colonial Union hasn't exactly been on the up-and-up with us lately.†â€Å"I have my issues with Szilard,†Dad said. â€Å"And so does your mom. But yes. I trust him on this. Right now he's the only one in the whole Colonial Union I actually do trust.†â€Å"What does this have to with me leaving Roanoke?†I asked. â€Å"General Szilard told me something else when I saw him,†Dad said. â€Å"Also unofficial, but from good sources. He told me that General Gau, the Conclave leader – â€Å" â€Å"I know who he is, Dad,†I said. â€Å"I've been keeping up with current events.†â€Å"Sorry,†Dad said. â€Å"He said General Gau was being targeted for assassination by someone in his own close circle of advisors, and that the assassination would happen soon, probably in the next few weeks.†â€Å"Why'd he tell you this?†I asked. â€Å"So I could use it,†Dad said. â€Å"Even if the Colonial Union wanted to tell General Gau about the attempt – which it doesn't, since it probably would like to see it succeed – there's no reason to believe that Gau would consider it credible. The CU did just blow up his fleet. But Gau might listen to the information if it came from me, because he's already had dealings with me.†â€Å"And you were the one who begged him not to bring his fleet to Roanoke,†I said. â€Å"Right,†Dad said. â€Å"It's because of that we've been attacked as little as we have. General Gau said to me that neither he nor the Conclave would retaliate against Roanoke itself for what happened to the fleet.†â€Å"We were still attacked,†I said. â€Å"But not by the Conclave itself,†Dad said. â€Å"By someone else, testing our defenses. But if Gau is assassinated, that guarantee dies with him. And then it's open season on Roanoke, and we'll get hit, fast, because we're where the Conclave had its biggest defeat. We're a symbol for the Conclave, too. So we have to let General Gau know he's in danger. For our own sake.†â€Å"If you tell him this, you'll be giving information to an enemy of the Colonial Union,†I said. â€Å"You'll be a traitor.†Dad gave me a wry grin. â€Å"Trust me, Zoe,†he said. â€Å"I'm already neck-deep in trouble.†His smile disappeared. â€Å"And yes, General Gau is an enemy of the Colonial Union. But I think he might be a friend to Roanoke. Right now, Roanoke needs all the friends it can get, wherever it can get them. The ones we used to have are turning their backs on us. We're going out to this new one, hat in hand.†â€Å"And by we you mean me,†I said. â€Å"Yes,†Dad said. â€Å"I need you to deliver this message for me.†â€Å"You don't need me to do it,†I said. â€Å"You could do it. Mom could do it. It would be better from either of you.†Dad shook his head. â€Å"Neither Jane nor I can leave Roanoke, Zoe. The Colonial Union is watching us. They don't trust us. And even if we could, we can't leave because we belong here with the colonists. We're their leaders. We can't abandon them. Whatever happens to them happens to us too. We made a promise to them and we're going to stay and defend this colony, no matter what happens. You understand that.†I nodded. â€Å"So we can't go. â€Å"But you can, and secretly,†Dad said. â€Å"The Obin already want to take you off Roanoke. The Colonial Union will allow it because it's part of their treaty with the Obin, and as long as Jane and I stay here, it won't raise an eyebrow. The Obin are technically neutral in the fight between the Conclave and the Colonial Union; an Obin ship will be able to get to General Gau's headquarters where a ship from the Colonial Union couldn't.†â€Å"So send Hickory and Dickory,†I said. â€Å"Or just have the Obin send a skip drone to General Gau.†â€Å"It won't work,†Dad said. â€Å"The Obin are not going to jeopardize their relationship with the Colonial Union to pass messages for me. The only reason they're doing this at all is because I'm agreeing to let them take you off Roanoke. I'm using the only piece of leverage I have with the Obin, Zoe. That's you. â€Å"And there's something else. General Gau has to know that I believe the information I'm sending him is good. That I'm not just being a pawn again in a larger Colonial Union game. I need to give him a token of my sincerity, Zoe. Something that proves that I have as much to risk in sending him this information as he has in receiving it. Even if I or Jane could go ourselves, General Gau would have no reason to trust what we say to him, because he knows both Jane and I were soldiers and are leaders. He knows we would be willing to sacrifice ourselves for our colony. But he also knows that I'm not willing to sacrifice my only daughter. And neither is Jane. â€Å"So you see, Zoe. It has to be you. No one else can do it. You're the only one who can get to General Gau, deliver the message, and be believed. Not me, not Jane, not Hickory and Dickory. No one else. Just you. Deliver the message, and we might still find a way to save Roanoke. It's a small chance. But right now it's the only one we've got.†I sat there for a few minutes, taking in what Dad asked of me. â€Å"You know if Hickory and Dickory take me off Roanoke, they're not going to want to bring me back,†I said, finally. â€Å"You know that.†â€Å"I'm pretty sure of it,†Dad said. â€Å"You're asking me to leave,†I said. â€Å"You're asking me to accept that I might not ever see any of you again. Because if General Gau won't believe me, or if he's killed before I can talk to him, or even if he does believe me but can't do anything to help us, this trip won't mean anything. All it will do is get me off Roanoke.†â€Å"If that's all it did, Zoe, I still wouldn't complain,†Dad said, and then quickly held up his hand, to stop me from commenting on that. â€Å"But if that's all I thought it would do, I wouldn't ask you to do it. I know you don't want to leave Roanoke, Zoe. I know you don't want to leave us or your friends. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Zoe. But you're also old enough now to make your own decisions. If when all was said and done you wanted to stay on Roanoke to face whatever came our way, I wouldn't try to stop you. Nor would Jane. We would be with you until the end. You know that.†â€Å"I do,†I said. â€Å"There are risks for everyone,†Dad said. â€Å"When Jane and I tell the Roanoke colony council about this – which we will do once you're gone – I'm pretty sure they are going to kick us out as the colony leaders. When news gets back to the Colonial Union, Jane and I are almost certainly going to be arrested on charges of treason. Even if everything goes perfectly, Zoe, and General Gau accepts your message and acts on it and maybe even makes sure that Roanoke stays unmolested, we will still have to pay for our actions. Jane and I accept this. We think it's worth it for a chance to keep Roanoke safe. The risk for you here, Zoe, is that if you do this, you might not see us or your friends again for a very long time, or at all. It's a big risk. It's a real risk. You have to decide whether it's one worth taking.†I thought about this some more. â€Å"How long do I have to think about this?†I asked. â€Å"All the time you need,†Dad said. â€Å"But those assassins aren't sitting around doing nothing.†I glanced over to where Hickory and Dickory had been. â€Å"How long do you think it will take them to get a transport here?†I asked. â€Å"Are you kidding?†Dad said. â€Å"If they didn't send for one the second I was done talking to them, I'll eat my hat.†â€Å"You don't wear a hat,†I said. â€Å"I will buy a hat and eat it, then,†Dad said. â€Å"I'm going to come back,†I said. â€Å"I'm going to take this message to General Gau, and then I'm going to get back here. I'm not sure how I'm going to convince the Obin of that, but I'm going to do it. I promise you, Dad.†â€Å"Good,†Dad said. â€Å"Bring an army with you. And guns. And battle cruisers.†â€Å"Guns, cruisers, army,†I said, running down the checklist. â€Å"Anything else? I mean, as long as I'm going shopping.†â€Å"Rumor is that I might be in the market for a hat,†Dad said. â€Å"Hat, right,†I said. â€Å"Make it a jaunty hat,†he said. â€Å"I promise nothing,†I said. â€Å"Fine,†Dad said. â€Å"But if you have to choose between the hat and the army, pick the army. And make it a good one. We're going to need it.†â€Å"Where is Gretchen?†Jane asked me. We stood outside the small Obin transport. I had already said good-bye to Dad. Hickory and Dickory waited for me inside the transport. â€Å"I didn't tell her I was leaving,†I said. â€Å"She is going to be very upset about that,†Mom said. â€Å"I don't intend to be away long enough for her to miss me,†I said. Mom didn't say anything to that. â€Å"I wrote her a note,†I said, finally. â€Å"It's scheduled for delivery tomorrow morning. I told her what I thought I could tell her about why I left. I told her to talk to you about the rest of it. So she might come by to see you.†â€Å"I'll talk to her about it,†Jane said. â€Å"I'll try to make her understand.†â€Å"Thanks,†I said. â€Å"How are you?†Mom asked. â€Å"I'm terrified,†I said. â€Å"I'm scared I'll never see you or Dad or Gretchen again. I'm scared I'm going to screw this up. I'm scared that even if I don't screw this up it won't matter. I feel like I'm going to pass out, and I've felt that way since this thing landed.†Jane gave me a hug and then looked to my neck, puzzled. â€Å"You're not taking your jade elephant pendant?†she said. â€Å"Oh,†I said. â€Å"It's a long story. Tell Gretchen I said for her to tell it to you. You need to know about it anyway.†â€Å"Did you lose it?†Jane asked. â€Å"It's not lost,†I said. â€Å"It's just not with me anymore.†â€Å"Oh,†Jane said. â€Å"I don't need it anymore,†I said. â€Å"I know who in this world loves me, and has loved me.†â€Å"Good,†Jane said. â€Å"What I was going to tell you is that as well as remembering who loves you, you should remember who you are. And everything about who you are. And everything about what you are.†â€Å"What I am,†I said, and smirked. â€Å"It's because of what I am that I'm leaving. What I am has been more trouble than it's worth, if you ask me.†â€Å"That doesn't surprise me,†Jane said. â€Å"I have to tell you, Zoe, that there have been times when I have felt sorry for you. So much of your life has been completely out of your control. You've lived your life under the gaze of an entire race of people, and they have made their demands on you right from the beginning. I'm always amazed you've stayed sane through all of it.†â€Å"Well, you know,†I said. â€Å"Good parents help.†â€Å"Thank you,†Jane said. â€Å"We tried to keep your life as normal as possible. And I think we've raised you well enough that I can tell you this and have you understand it: What you are has made demands of you all your life. Now it's time to demand something back. Do you understand?†â€Å"I'm not sure,†I said. â€Å"Who you are has always had to make room for what you are,†Jane said. â€Å"You know that.†I nodded. It had. â€Å"Part of that was because you were young, and what you are is so much larger than who you are,†Jane said. â€Å"You can't expect a normal eight-year-old or even a fourteen-year-old to understand what it means to be something like what you are. But you're old enough now to understand it. To get an appreciation for it. To know how you can use it, for something besides trying to stay up late.†I smiled, amazed that Jane remembered me trying to use the treaty to stay up past my bedtime. â€Å"I've watched you in the last year,†Jane said. â€Å"I've seen how you interact with Hickory and Dickory. They've imposed a lot on you because of what you are. All that training and practicing. But you've also started asking more of them. All those documents you've had them give you.†â€Å"I didn't know you knew about that,†I said. â€Å"I was an information officer,†Jane said. â€Å"This sort of thing is my job. My point is that you've become more willing to use that power. You are finally taking control of your life. What you are is starting to make room for who you are.†â€Å"It's a start,†I said. â€Å"Keep going,†Jane said. â€Å"We need who you are, Zoe. We need you to take what you are – every part of what you are – and use it to save us. To save Roanoke. And to come back to us.†â€Å"How do I do it?†I asked. Jane smiled. â€Å"Like I said: Demand something back,†she said. â€Å"That's unhelpfully vague,†I said. â€Å"Perhaps,†Jane said, and then kissed me on the cheek. â€Å"Or maybe I just have faith that you're smart enough to figure it out on your own.†Mom got a hug for that. Ten minutes later I was fifteen klicks above Roanoke and climbing, heading for an Obin transport, thinking about what Jane had said. â€Å"You will find that our Obin ships travel far more quickly than your Colonial Union ships,†Hickory said. â€Å"Is that right,†I said. I wandered over to where Hickory and Dickory had placed my luggage and picked out one of the suitcases. â€Å"Yes,†Hickory said. â€Å"Far more efficient engines and better artificial gravity management. We will reach skip distance from Roanoke in a little under two days. It would take one of your ships five or six days to reach the same distance.†â€Å"Good,†I said. â€Å"The sooner we get to General Gau the better.†I unzipped the suitcase. â€Å"This is a very exciting moment for us,†Hickory said. â€Å"This is the first time since you have lived with Major Perry and Lieutenant Sagan that you will meet other Obin in person.†â€Å"But they know all about me,†I said. â€Å"Yes,†Hickory said. â€Å"The recordings of the last year have made their way to all Obin, both in unedited and digest form. The unedited versions will take time to process.†â€Å"I'll bet,†I said. â€Å"Here we are.†I found what I was looking for: the stone knife, given to me by my werewolf. I had packed it quickly, when no one was looking. I was just making sure that I didn't imagine packing it. â€Å"You brought your stone knife,†Hickory said. â€Å"I did,†I said. â€Å"I have plans for it.†â€Å"What plans?†Hickory asked. â€Å"I'll tell you later,†I said. â€Å"But tell me, Hickory,†I said. â€Å"This ship we're going to. Is there anyone important on it?†â€Å"Yes,†Hickory said. â€Å"Because it is the first time that you have been in the presence of other Obin since you were a child, one of the members of Obin's governing council will be there to greet you. It very much wants to meet with you.†â€Å"Good,†I said, and glanced at the knife. â€Å"I very much want to meet with it, too.†I think I actually made Hickory nervous right then.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Mankind’s Ability to Survive in Elie Wiesel’s Night Essay
In Elie Wiesel’s Night, he tells of how his family went from being just a regular family in a small town called Sighet, Romania to being thrown into a concentration camp and split apart and then how he and his father were treated and how he got out. Through the novel, Wiesel and his family go from living like regular people living in their home to being in the â€Å"ghetto†, then transported on cramped train cars to Auschwitz, a Nazi death camp for Jewish people. He tells us of what he and his father went through and also tells us of his getting out of the camp. The novel starts out in Sighet, Romania. The small town where Elie Wiesel grew up as a young boy. He grew up with two older sisters and a younger sister. There is an old beggar there that people call Moishe the Beadle. Wiesel spent a lot of time with this man as he had faith and wanted to someone to help him in his Kabbalah studies. When Wiesel asked his father his father asked him why and said no. No one listened to Moishe the Beadle when he had to get deported and then came back with news about what was to come. Everyone thought he was crazy. When people from other places started coming and changing things in the town around for example making â€Å"ghetto†areas, the people started to believe. People were given a certain amount of rations for their family and different families were called for deportation every week. This could also be known as selection. In the ghetto of Sighet, they made up their own government system, police force, social assistance office, labor committee, and hygiene department. In May 1944, the government system was told that their ghettos will be closed immediately and the residents will be deported. The people are not told where they will go, but only that they may take a few of their personal items with them. The voyage to the death camp Auschwitz was long, depriving and harsh. One woman that was in the train car with them named Madame Schachter kept screaming hysterically that she could see flames until beaten to silence by others that wanted her to be quiet. When they got closer and saw the chimneys for themselves is when they came to reality and knew what was happening Upon getting to the camp they are separated by gender, men on the left and women on the right. Wiesel’s mother and younger sister go straight to the gas chambers. Wiesel and his father make it past the first selection in the camp. They do this by lying about their ages; Elie claimed he was 18 and his father in his early 30s. Elie stayed with his father, doing everything he could to make sure he stayed that way. The struggle to survive for Elie and his father was filled with pain, hunger and torture. Some ways that they used to survive were sharing rations with each other and other people, steal rations from others and make sure they were strong enough not to get put in the selection to go to the gas chambers. In August 1944, Wiesel and his father were transferred from Birkenau to Auschwitz III, where their lives changed to avoiding violence and constant search for food, this camp was a work camp. In January 1945, the Germans made all the â€Å"inmates†in the camp march to camps in Germany. Wiesel and his father made it Gleiwitz and were put on a freight train to Buchenwald, 350 miles from Auschwitz. They survived this by doing their best not to fall behind or on the ground; if they fell behind they were shot and trampled on. Wiesel was with his father the whole time. The prisoners were allowed to take a hot bath. They go to the barracks, Wiesel left his father behind. He found his father in a block for the sick and weak. The other men in his father’s bunk beat him to get his food. The men eventually beat him to death and another sick man was in his bunk the next time Wiesel went to see him. His father was brought to the crematorium before dawn by the Kapos. Wiesel was transferred to the children’s block. On April 5, 1945, the â€Å"inmates†were told that their camp is to be liquidated and they are going to be moved. On April 11, a Jewish resistance movement attacked the remaining SS officers and took control. The first American tank arrived at the front gates at six in the evening. The camp was liberated and Wiesel was freed. Everything that Wiesel and his family went through, throughout the novel, tells of how he survived going from death camp to work camp and again to another death camp. He did a lot of things that he didn’t mean, but in doing so he was just trying to survive himself and do what he could to help his father survive as long as he did.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
The Infamy of Amaru essays
The Infamy of Amaru essays The Inca of yesterday is the same modern Peru of today. Both the old and the new Inca/Peru hold the same two people dear to their hearts. TÃ ºpac Amaru, whose untimely death at the age of 28 left the accent Inca in silence, was an Incan revolutionary leader of the sixteenth century (Werlich, 41). Amaru is remembered by his Incan and Peruvian peoples alike as being the one who changed the political atmosphere and the morale of their people. Amarus name has survived throughout five centuries as a symbol against injustice. Amaru was born during the year of 1571, into a lineage that stemmed from a long line of royalty. Amaru was a direct descendent of Huayna Capac, who was the Eleventh emperor of the Inca empire. Amaru was also the fourth Vilcabamba emperor to rule. Vilcabamba was a region in the Inca Empire made up of mountains and jungle wilderness located north of Cuzco (Werlich, 47). TÃ ºpac was the legitimate son of Inca Yupanqui and being a legitimate son has great significance according to Incan Belief. The Incas believed only the legitimate children or the children of whose mother was loved more could rule. One text has his initial name as Amaru TÃ ºpac Inca. Not much is written about the history of TÃ ºpac Amaru but what was kept record of mainly focuses on his birth and the details during his revolutionary responsibilities. What is clearly understood from that time of his rule is the immense wealth of love that was bestowed upon him by his Incan peoples. When TÃ ºpac Amaru was killed, the Conquistadors had his decapitated head mounted on a pole. The head of TÃ ºpac Amaru was supposed to strike fear in those Incans who plotted rebellious deeds. Quite to the contrary, the Incas did not fear the Spaniards nor saw Amarus severe head as a sign of defeat. Rather the Incan people came out in masses to celebrate their leader (Stirling, 138). This made it known that the Incas would not be subdued quietly. TÃ ºpac Amaru l...
Monday, October 21, 2019
Booker T Washington1 essays
Booker T Washington1 essays Booker Taliaferro Washington was the foremost black educator of the later 19th and early 20th centuries. He also had a major influence on the southern race relations and was the dominant figure in black public affairs from 1895 until his death in 1915. Born a slave on a small farm in the Virginia back country, he moved with his family after emancipation to work in the salt furnaces and coal mines of West Virginia. After a secondary education at Hampton Institute, he taught an upgraded school and experimented briefly with the study of law and the ministry, but a teaching position at Hampton decided his future career. In 1881 he founded Tuskegee Normal and Industrial on the Hampton model in the Black Belt of Alabama. Though Washington offered little that was innovative in industrial education, which both northern philanthropic foundations and southern leaders were already promoting, he became its chief black exemplar and spokesman. In his advocacy of Tuskegee Institute and its educational method, Washington revealed the political proficiency and accommodational philosophy that were to characterize his career in the wider arena of race leadership. He convinced southern white employers and governors that Tuskegee offered an education that would keep blacks "down on the farm" and in the trades. To prospective northern donors and particularly the new self- made millionaires such as Rockefeller and Carnegie he promised the instillment of the Protestant work ethic. To blacks living within the limited distances of the post- Reconstruction South, Washington held out industrial education as the means of escape form the web of sharecropping and debt and the achievement of attainable, self-employment, landownership, and small businesses. Washington acquired local white approval and secured a small state accumulation, but it was northern donations that made Tuskegee Institute by, 1900, the best-supported black ...
Sunday, October 20, 2019
The ULTIMATE Guide to KDP How to Succeed on Kindle Direct Publishing
The ULTIMATE Guide to KDP How to Succeed on Kindle Direct Publishing The Ultimate Guide to KDP: How to Succeed on Kindle Direct Publishing What do Andy Weir and Luke Jennings have in common? Not much - at least until self-publishing through Amazon changed their lives. Jennings, with his Booker Prize nomination, already belonged in the writerly mainstream. Weir, on the other hand, wrote code before he ever wrote novels, learning C as a teenager to work with combustion researchers.Since then, both have released books through Amazon’s self-publishing platform, Kindle Direct Publishing. Jennings’ novella, Codename Villanelle, became the basis for the acclaimed BBC thriller Killing Eve. Weir, meanwhile, saw his first novel, The Martian, turned into a Matt Damon blockbuster by the same name.Amazon turned a journalist and a programmer into international publishing sensations. Want to succeed on KDP like they did? Let’s take a look at everything you’d need to do to make this powerful sales platform work for you. Before we're done, we'll turn the killer book you wrote into a self-published bestseller . How do you turn the book you wrote into a self-published bestseller? How to sell ebooks on AmazonYou’re here because you want to sell as many copies of your book as possible. You might think that’s easier said than done. But truthfully, the formula behind making book sales is simple: Traffic x Conversion = Sales.Traffic gets eyeballs on your book, while conversion turns those gawkers into buyers. On its own, traffic does nothing for your bottom line. Every internet-user in California could find your book page in the same afternoon, but their 18 million clicks will only frustrate you if none of those virtual window-shoppers turns into an actual shopper. On the flip side, you might have a book page so bewitching that everyone who finds it compulsively mashes the orange buy button. But if only three people ever stumble on your page, your black-magic conversion rate still only nets you three sales.Both factors go into making sales. But on Amazon specifically, conversion is more important. You see, Amazon, on top of being a search engine, is also a book recommendation tool. It makes and sends book suggestions to users based on their browsing and shopping history. Most huge Amazon success stories happened because, at some point, Amazon started marketing their book for them. So how can you get them to do the same for your book?Well, Amazon has the same goal as you: selling books. The more books they sell to its users, the happier they'll be. So when their algorithms have a choice between promoting two books with a similar sales history, Amazon will naturally favor the one with greater on-page conversion. They know the extra traffic they send to that book page will turn into more sales than the other book.As a result, one of the worst things that can happen to an author on Amazon is to get a lot of traffic with very poor conversion. This will immediately flag the book to Amazon's algorithms as a "loser," and it'll never get recommended.So in short, on Amazon, conversion is even more important than traffic which is why you must, first and foremost, focus on optimizing your KDP book's Amazon product pages.Optimizing your KDP book’s Amazon product pageNow, let’s talk about how you get the sky-scraping conversion rate of your dreams. Youà ¢â‚¬â„¢ll need an Amazon product page that tempts viewers into hitting â€Å"Buy now with 1-Click.†Remember that workplace cliche about dressing for the job you want and not the job you have? While we don’t recommend aping your boss’s favorite suit, this principle does apply to maximizing conversion on your product page.To be a bestseller, your book should look like a bestseller. That means dressing your words up in the right packaging, so they seem worthy of book club adulation and blogosphere hype. To achieve that, you’ll need to optimize your product page with three things:A polished cover;A punchy description; andBook reviews.As a bonus, set up an author page on Amazon Central with a bio that tells your story as engagingly as possible.1. Create a polished coverSay I'm a bookworm shopping for my next read. As a huge fan of Ender’s Game, I want something in the same vein, so browse around the Kindle Store. Do you know how many books there are in that Military Science Fiction category? More than 20,000.A lot of these might be self-published, but a good number of them also come from traditional publishing companies. These industry behemoths have four-figure design budgets and will producing pixel-perfect book covers. 3. Leverage your existing audienceThis one’s pretty obvious. If you have an existing audience - whether that’s a sizable mailing list, thousands of Twitter followers, or a horde of disciples who follow you wherever you go - let them know about your book.Unless, and we can’t stress this enough, your existing audience doesn’t read in your genre. Make sure you don’t t pollute your Also Boughts!4. Cross-promote with other authorsA great way to reach new readers is to cross-promote with other authors. Plenty of indie authors do that through newsletter swaps: you promote their new release to your mailing list, and they do the same for you when you launch your book.Of course, this only works if you have a mailing list. So if you don’t, you know what you should do next.5. AdvertiseAnother sure-fire to reach new readers? Leverage the three main advertising platforms that have proven successful for authors selling their books:Facebook advertising : take our free course here;Amazon advertising: yep, we also have a free course for those;Bookbub advertising: I’ll let you guess where this link will take you.Amazon ads can be pretty effective at providing a solid baseline of sales - even at full-price. But Facebook and BookBub will work much, much better if your book is discounted (or free), and they are also a lot easier to scale.If this is your first time publishing a book, don’t worry: you don’t need to do all these things. You just need to plan your launch well, and try at least some of these tactics.And remember, if you want an experienced professional to help you along the way, we’ve handpicked specialist book marketers on Reedsy who do just that. So don’t hesitate to get in touch and ask them for a quote!Have you joined the ranks of indie authors publishing through KDP? What do you wish you’d known before you started? Tell us about your experiences or drop some pearls of wisdom be low!
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Education Patient with Written Information to Reduce Anxiety and Dissertation
Education Patient with Written Information to Reduce Anxiety and Better Compliance in Undergoing Cadiac Catheterization - Dissertation Example __________________ for their unwavering guidance and direction throughout the course of this dissertation planning, preparing and drafting. The points needed to mention in the acknowledgements as below. I would also like to thank and acknowledge the support of the staff of ____________ Education (U.K.) administrative office. A special thanks and appreciation goes out to my family members, classmates and colleagues for their sincere support and encouragement without which I could not have completed this dissertation. I also want to thank everyone who helped me in anyway whatsoever. Abstract Aims This research study is a critical appraisal of the effectiveness of educational information intervention on patient anxiety in preparing for cardiac catheterization. Methods This is a critical literature review. The critical literature review is conducted using a framework for conducting a critical appraisal of quantitative research as recommended by Coughlan, et. al.,(2007). The critical appr aisal is also conducted using a framework for conducting a critical appraisal of qualitative research as recommended by Ryan, et. al.,(2007). Six journal articles were selected based on the study’s inclusion and exclusion criteria. ... Specifically, this study finds that patient education prior to undergoing cardiac catheterization significantly decreases fear, uncertainty and distress among patients anticipating the experience of undergoing cardiac catheterization. In turn, patients are more willing to comply with pre-cardiac catheterization and post-catheterization instructions. The combined effect of compliance and reduced anxiety helps patients make a more fruitful and time efficient recovery. Discussion Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed. The weaknesses and strengths of the research and the underlying research studies critically appraised are revealed. The study makes recommendations informed by the results and the analysis of the results. This study is important because it can contribute to existing knowledge by identifying the current status of the knowledge relative to the reduction of patient anxiety over undergoing cardiac catheterization via education and what areas may require further research for improving on the current knowledge base. Moreover, by identifying the current status of knowledge relative to reducing patient anxiety via education for improving the effectiveness of cardiac catheterization, nursing practices can be informed by the benefits of using education as a method of managing patient anxiety. Conclusion Essentially, this research report identifies and explains how this research can inform research and practice relative to the reduction of patient anxiety in anticipation of cardiac catheterization. This study concludes that the reduction of anxiety and psychological distress prior to undergoing cardiac
Friday, October 18, 2019
Talk about philosophies and theories behind entrepreneurial behavior Essay
Talk about philosophies and theories behind entrepreneurial behavior - Essay Example Organization is very significant since it permits coordination between all other aspects vital in production (Marshal, 1994). The chosen entrepreneur plans and manages his firm from all-organizational and product delivery aspects. When he gets a chance to design an intricate website, he hires interim web designers to work on the job as he looks for other business opportunities. The entrepreneur has the tenet of not getting any money before the project is completed. Through innovation and organized manner, the entrepreneur establishes a new commodity and product enhancement. The business strategy of developing a long-term commodity seems to be viable for the entrepreneur (Marshal, 1994). In order to attain long-term commodity, he must comprehend the product in details. Further, need to predict transformations in product demands in the market. In addition, he needs to have full information about the risky environment that the product might operate. From the author’s findings, it is clear that the entrepreneur is working on improvement of the website by including new technology such as three dimensions. If this technology is implemented, it will create increased demand and in turn, he will develop a reputation of being the first Omani pioneer organization to use three-dimension technology. In reference to the Marshal theory, which asserts that skills and knowledge of entrepreneurship are infrequent and limited, he also maintains that a few people can show such skills in practical. Despite this people can undergo training to achieve these skills and knowledge but it is always reliant on business environment and economic condition. The demand for three-dimension technology is on the rise in Omani but due to lack of resources, the technology has not been fully implemented. Despite this several academic institutions offers courses on web design, which increases people knowledge about the technology. In reference
Case4 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Case4 - Article Example This happens even despite the fact that the author made that amount of money in a short period of time. The issue of income averaging does not work in favor of the people who receive payment in large lump sum payout. This is because a tax rate of certain number of years would produce a total tax bill void of present value considerations with more than fifty percent of marginal rates. Introduction of the income splitting with joint returns in 1948 meant that the overall difference between the tax on the lump sum payment in five year distribution with income splitting amounts to over fifty percent of the money to be paid with the lump sum tax of more than two percent the amount of the smaller tax bill. The case is relevant to the American federal income tax system in the sense that it talks about the impacts of high marginal rates with enormous progressivity. Therefore, in order to ensure fairness, the federal income tax system need to introduce income splitting and averaging provisions in the tax policy, and lowering the marginal rates as well as decreasing the number of brackets. Just like my colleague Robert referred to Mikesell’s work that splitting the income in the five year phase would lessen the tax load from $85,092 to $48,213, I agree that this would be a big step in adjusting the federal income tax system operations. For example, altering the dollar amount would act as an effective way of lessening the marginal rate from approximately 84.55% to 56.05%. To revise the tax code, income averaging can be considered to promote compliance with the current tax system, which depends on the corporation of citizens to pay the shares. These measures ensure that individuals a re not taxed heavily since their taxes are calculated on the present value of their
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Answer the questions related to fundamentals of finance Research Paper
Answer the questions related to fundamentals of finance - Research Paper Example For example, a company which is forced to delay investments to achieve earning target is trapped in short term vision. This tension can be described as a disturbance in equilibrium of maintaining balance between profitability & earning and growth & development of a firm. For example, a company focused on boosting high margin by reducing costs may also have to compromise on research and development or other investment on technological advancement. This may result in loosing profitability in long term to competitor. This tension can be described as a disturbance in equilibrium of maintaining balance between creating companywide benefits and utilizing individual potential of the units to the optimum level. One example of a firm trapped in such tension can be an organization which is swinging its operation between centralization and decentralization of its operations. The purpose of the Financial Statements is to provide information about the financial position, performance and comparative financial trend of the firm to various stakeholders in order to facilitate them in economic decision making. Internal financial statement, however, is prepared for internal management and managers. It facilitates them in financial analysis and making business decisions. Whereas, financial statements intended for public is used for external stakeholders such as investors, shareholders and regulators etc. The fundamental difference between the two is that financial statements for the public is standardized and regulated by the authorities and regulatory body. It has to comply with minimum international and local accounting standard. Furthermore, the public statement is required to be audited and endorsed by the external auditors. On the other hand, there are not strict regulatory standards for internal statements and are used for internal decision making. It is purpose driven and can be
Critically analyse how the government debt problems initially faced by Essay - 3
Critically analyse how the government debt problems initially faced by a few relatively small economies could trigger such a wide impact in financial markets - Essay Example for what are all the more strictly trades, associations that encourage the exchange monetary securities, for instance, a stock trade, or merchandise trade. Much exchanging of stocks happens to a trade; still, corporate activities are outside a trade, while any two organizations or individuals, for whatever reason, may consent to offer stock from the one to the next without utilizing a trade. Exchanging of monetary forms and bonds is generally on a reciprocal premise, albeit a few bonds exchange on a stock trade, and individuals are building electronic frameworks for these like stock trades. The European debt emergency began as a little neighbourhood arrangement stun in Greece; however, it now undermines the survival of the euro with possibly broad results for the world economy. Since December 2011, budgetary markets have balanced out sort of, however principal issues stay unsolved. These emergencies are because of crucial monetary improvements, for example, development and aggressiveness, and mostly to uncooperative conduct between the principles arrangement creators in Europe. One of the conundrums of this emergency is that, notwithstanding all its issues, the euro has remained moderately firm in its inward (swelling) and outer quality (conversion scale). Money related markets might be concerned with a few parts of the euro region, essentially in the south, however, in any case they see the euro as significant cash on the planet (Arezki, Candelon, & Sy 2011). Then again, the euro will just keep up this part if European governments can get the sovereign debt emergency under control. The experience has demonstrated that Europe needs a much tighter type of monetary legislation if it needs to satisfy the aspiration of giving the worlds option hold cash. While an arrangement of occasions has continuously developed the European debt emergency, it is critical to recognize sudden stuns and basic essential issues in Europes financial legislation. Their collaboration has
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Answer the questions related to fundamentals of finance Research Paper
Answer the questions related to fundamentals of finance - Research Paper Example For example, a company which is forced to delay investments to achieve earning target is trapped in short term vision. This tension can be described as a disturbance in equilibrium of maintaining balance between profitability & earning and growth & development of a firm. For example, a company focused on boosting high margin by reducing costs may also have to compromise on research and development or other investment on technological advancement. This may result in loosing profitability in long term to competitor. This tension can be described as a disturbance in equilibrium of maintaining balance between creating companywide benefits and utilizing individual potential of the units to the optimum level. One example of a firm trapped in such tension can be an organization which is swinging its operation between centralization and decentralization of its operations. The purpose of the Financial Statements is to provide information about the financial position, performance and comparative financial trend of the firm to various stakeholders in order to facilitate them in economic decision making. Internal financial statement, however, is prepared for internal management and managers. It facilitates them in financial analysis and making business decisions. Whereas, financial statements intended for public is used for external stakeholders such as investors, shareholders and regulators etc. The fundamental difference between the two is that financial statements for the public is standardized and regulated by the authorities and regulatory body. It has to comply with minimum international and local accounting standard. Furthermore, the public statement is required to be audited and endorsed by the external auditors. On the other hand, there are not strict regulatory standards for internal statements and are used for internal decision making. It is purpose driven and can be
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Is Globalization Americanization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Is Globalization Americanization - Essay Example Contradictory to the various claims that American culture is being adopted by many countries around the world, it should be emphasized that many of these practices did not originate in the US. Beginning with the spread of the English language, the television and music industry and reality programs many of these have in fact originated from outside the US. However, despite the lack of an inherent culture in the US, one cannot neglect the fact that events taking place in Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Hollywood are having an upper hand in this globalization drive (Nye, 2002). But, most importantly as many people have argued, Americans lack their own culture and have only imbibed various cultures from other countries. However, sociologists believe that such a cultureless state is also a form of culture. The various immigrants who had settled in the US brought and practiced their culture and this multicultural cohabitation has created a new culture which is now being increasingly adopte d by many countries (Ssenyonga, 2006). ... The fast food industry which has been hugely popularized in the US by food chains such as McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King which sell pre-prepared foods such as burgers and French fries has now opened its base in many other countries. Though they are being widely discouraged by dieticians across the world by associating its consumption to the rise of obesity among children and adults, it has not deterred the people from eating such foods. Hence American cuisine is becoming synonymous with junk food and obesity (Ssenyonga, 2006). However, even these fast foods are changed to reflect the tastes and needs of people in other countries; a good example being the McDonald’s menu which is different in China. Thus though the concept of fast foods has been adapted from the US, it is delivered in a manner which is acceptable by the people of other countries (Nye, 2002). Apart from fast foods, other cultural influences from the US which have migrated to other coun tries include music and television. The music industry in the US which is driven to a large extent by rap artists such as Eminem and Snoop Dogg has had a huge impact globally both musically and on the dress culture. People around the world were exposed to hip-hop, jazz and country music which originated in the US (Ssenyonga, 2006). However, it is only the music which is inherently American, as the top three leading music companies in the US are owned by British, German and Japanese and not by Americans (Nye, 2002). The television media has also contributed to the spread of American culture. Hollywood has changed the face of movies across the world with its
The New Face of Poverty Essay Example for Free
The New Face of Poverty Essay Most people describe poverty as a lack of essential items, such as food, clothing, and shelter. When individuals are not able to afford nutritious meals, attend school regularly, or have access to health care, regardless of their income, they can be considered to be in poverty. The new face of poverty involves many people who are homeless because problems that arose, or unforeseen circumstances occurred, forcing them into these situations. In the essay, â€Å"The Untouchables,†Kozol wrote about the struggles and hardships Richard Lazarus and others encountered because of homelessness. Jo Goodwin Parker wrote a vivid first hand description about living in poverty in the essay, â€Å"What is Poverty? †. Lazarus lived on the street struggling to survive, where as, Parker lived in a house struggling to support her family. In New York, Lazarus either slept in a park or in a dilapidated hotel operated by a shelter organization. Other homeless people, unable to find room in a shelter or afraid of something within the shelter, seeked sanctuary in public transportation buildings, subway tunnels, or church doorways. Parker struggled to provide anything but the bare essentials for her family. She lived without hot water, soap, shampoo, hand cream for cracked red hands, or materials to do any repairs on the unkempt, decrepit house. Each night, she washed all the clothes her school aged children possessed, in cold water, hoping they would be dry for the next school day. Lazarus felt the American public looked at homelessness as â€Å"the rejected waste of society†(263). He feels the homeless were useful when performing menial tasks or donating blood. He thinks people living in regular homes may not complain about their current situation if they see homeless people and fear they could be in the same state of affairs. In the same way, Parker said, â€Å"Poverty is looking into a black future†. She feared for her children’s future imaging them being behind bars because they could steal for things they wanted. She also feared her children could turn to drugs and alcohol to escape the grip of poverty. She also feared her daughter may end up in the same poverty lifestyle. Parker also felt poverty eroded away one’s pride and honor. Both Parker and Lazarus landed in these situations because of circumstances beyond their control. Parker married young and moved to another town with her new husband. Losing his job forced them to move into a small rundown house in her old hometown. Parker’s husband worked a few odd jobs, but most of their money went toward food. After three years, and three babies, he left, leaving her to support the family. Lazarus received an education from a private military school, and then held a job in data processing for seven years. Lazarus then lost his job, his wife, his children, his home, and then became homeless. These two people exemplifies the new face of poverty. The attitudes of the American public toward helping Lazarus and the homelessness, and people like Parker living in poverty, have eroded. Kozol writes, â€Å"So from pity we graduate to weariness; from weariness to impatience; from impatience to annoyance; from annoyance to dislike and sometimes to contempt†(265). Treatment of the homeless in most cities have became harsh. An anti-homeless activist in Phoenix stated he was â€Å"tired of feeling guilty about the homeless†(Kozol 262). A columnist from a major magazine wanted the homeless evicted from the streets. When Parker asked for help, she received seventy-eight dollars a month to clothe, feed, and provide shelter for herself and three children. Attitudes toward the poor have evolved into indifference, or worse, hatred. In contrast, these essays are about the asperities of a man and a woman. The essay about Lazarus recounted the plight of a homeless man and the public negativity toward homelessness. Although this story portrayed one of misfortune, compassion for the fellow man was buried by those holding bias toward homelessness. The essay about Parker summarized the misfortunes of the life of a woman. This woman struggled to provide for her three children. Most of the people living in poverty are currently in this situation due to unfortunate circumstances.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Education Studies Theories Of Learning Reflect Education Essay
Education Studies Theories Of Learning Reflect Education Essay It is widely understood that most of a childs learning and development takes place with an educational environment a school setting for example. But this does not mean to say a child learns approaches used in schools, which assist children to develop physically emotionally intellectually and develops by just listening to a teacher alone, there are a variety of different methods and sociably as well as to develop their language skills. Throughout my assignment i intend to reflect upon my own learning experiences, and discuss these in relation to different learning theories. In addition to this, i will then take into account what this may mean for my future learning and development and what different skills, qualities and abilities i feel are essential in order me to be an effective educational practitioner Before i am able to reflect on my own learning experiences, I must establish what learning actually is. I personally feel that learning is the way in which an individual has the ability to learn and develop in different ways for example cognitively emotionally and socially, we always need that guidance from a teacher, parent, peer. A leaner needs to recap over existing knowledge or behaviour in order for it to be improved or develop. What we learn at any time is influenced by our previous learning. An extension to this is defined by Nisbet (1986,p.11) who goes on to explain that we may certainly learns new ways of doing things and certain rules but we continue to rely on our previous habits that we have picked up from past experiences of learning. B.F. Skinner who was a behaviourist, his main contribution to behaviourism were the notions of positive and negative reinforcement. He also developed the idea of behaviour shaping, which is training humans to carry out new tasks through a s eries of increasingly complex activities leading to the desire goal. Where as Burns (1995, p99) talks about learning being relatively permanent changes in behavior as the result from experience, internal processes such as thinking, attitudes and emotions. Another definition of learning is defined by John Locke who was an English philosopher who believed, the learner starts off as a clean slate (Tabula rasa) onto which learning and experiences would be imprinted. Whether one agrees with the different learning theorists or theories, our personal development is largely facilitated by teachers or MKO (more knowledgeable other) who should have the motivation, understanding and knowledge to develop our full potential from an early age. Abraham Maslow believes the hierarchy needs to be met before and individual can start their learning process these are physiological needs, safety and security, belongingness and love, and self -esteem and Self-actualization. a learner whether it is a adult or child cannot learn unless they are warm, have shelter, fed and are loved. The learner has to feel safe and protected in the environment, we must also feel loved and belonging in order to achieve our full potential. Another important set of needs in the hierarchy is self-esteem, high level of confidence an individual- learner needs to have a positive view on themselves and finally self-actualization refers to the need for self-fulfilment a positive state of mind. I feel these hierarchy needs are crucial in order for an individual to learn because if we are homeless, cold, hungry, or unloved then in my opinion we would not be concerned about our intellectual development. This first experience of learning that I will discuss is learning to drive a car. Many of my friends and family had passed their driving test, and had the freedom to go wherever they wanted without asking for a lift or arranging a time that was best. I used to watch in envy as they drove past, but I was too scared to get behind the wheel myself, because I was involved in a serious car at the age of 10. I was planning to go to study away the following year at Preston University and my mum encouraged me to start taking driving lessons, so I could travel back on the weekends and be more independent, she had promised to buy me my first car and assist with the running of it. I eventually got the courage and started taking lessons. Throughout my learning I did struggle with certain manoeuvres, for example a 3 point turn in the road I used to hit the curb as I would reverse backwards, because my instructor had said he cannot give me guidance all the time because the examiner would not guide me on the day. My instructor had picked up on me finding it difficult and stopped teaching me other manoeuvres for the time being, and every lesson I had involved two turns in the road until i could do them. He made it challenging every time because he didnt take me to the same roads and some of the roads where narrower than others. So I spent 1 year working at getting to level of being a good safe dri ver then I was ready to take my test, and passed. Looking back at what it was that actually motivated me to get behind the wheel and put my fears behind me, was the fact that most of my friends my age could drive and in some sense u could say I felt left out, and was always the one sat as a passenger rather than the one actually driving. Since beginning this subject of study I have developed and understanding about different levels of motivation, a child or adult being able to be motivated themselves individually in order to learn effectively. I am going to use examples to explain what I exactly mean by this and how it is relevant to my learning experience. I was intrinsically motivated because I wanted to learn to drive, so I was more independent and didnt feel unaided, I was also extrinsically motivated because my mother said when I pass she will buy me my first car, so I was rewarded for my achievement at the end. Now I will go on to explain which theories or learning theorist are most relevant in my learning experience. REFRENCEFirstly the constructivism theory of which Piaget ideas were integrated into, he believed children using direct experience and then exploring and learning, in their own way at their own pace, whilst being involved in an activity. My learning to drive experience demonstrates that I learned at my own pace because it happened over a period of time. Banyard and Hayes (1994, p.259) explain how Albert Bandura believes that people can learn new information and behaviours by watching other people, known as observational learning where we model other behaviour and I knew roughly how to start because i used to watch my mother and friends when I was a passenger. Bruner (1960) explained how learning is an active process revisiting basic ideas over and over, building upon them and elaborating to the level of full understanding. This was possible through the concept of the spiral cu rriculum. Bruner believed information being structured so that the basics can be taught first, and then complex after, then re-visited at more complex levels later on. For example first I learned how to drive on local quite roads, then at a later stage once my confidence built up and I gained more knowledge I was taken on busier main roads during rush hour. My next learning experience I will discuss in my essay is learning my timetables. I recall back to when I was in first school about year three or four, my teacher gave me a set of time tables to learn and then take sheet home to practice . I remember I was finding it difficult to get to grips with the 6 times table, so I asked my mother to help me. She made me some flash cards and turned learning them into a game. We laid the cards out on the table and I had to match the cards together for example, the card 36 to 6 x 6. I really wanted to do well because my mother had said if i did well she would take me to toy shop. When my mother would come to pick me up from school the teacher would tell her how well i did, and when we used to go shopping into town my mother would buy a tamagotchi. So I was most defiantly motivated in learning them. When thinking about this learning experience since doing this topic, has made me come to realise that because my learning style is kinaesthetic, this was the reason why I found the flash cards helpful and easier for me to learn, because I was moving things around rather than just looking at the sheet reading them and trying to remember them. The theories that I found relevant to my learning experience here was Edward Thorndikes laws of effect theory, in addition and skinners positive reinforcement theory were the most important, both of the theories are very similar. Banyard and Hayes (1994, p.267), states that behaviour that has a positive and rewarding outcome is therefore more likely to reoccur in similar situations. The other theory i found relevant was the Social Constructivism theory, of which ideas Vygotsky ideas of learning were integrated into. Recalling back to my learning experience when I was receiving guidance and help from my mother, Vygosky would view it as scaffolding which was one of his most important concepts. He believed that without scaffolding from the More Knowledgeable other (MKO) we only have the ability to reach our zone of actual development (ZAD) meaning we would only achieve what we are cable of without help, on the other hand if our learning is scaffold then we have the ability to reach our zone of proximal development (ZPD).REFRENCE In terms of my future learning, it is important that I stay persistent so I can reach my goal in becoming a primary school teacher. I understand that every child is different with their own unique learning styles, every child learns in their own way and pace and it is important to meet their learning needs. I also believe that it is important for me to be able to view tasks how a child would receive it, as this is what will make me a effective practitioner because I will be able to adapt the teaching approach to that individual if needed Another vital part of this essay is to discuss the skills and qualities I feel are essential for any effective educational practitioner. Listening effectively to the children is an important skill a teacher needs, so they can cater for the different learning styles in order to give them the best possible opportunities to learn. I also feel it is crucial that a teacher is warming, kind and approachable so the children feel comfortable in talking about anything no matter the problem or situation. Another skill I feel is crucial is having excellent communication, having the ability to communicate with other teachers, students of all ages and parents. It is also vital that the educational practitioner has a positive attitude and is patient even in difficult situations. On reflection of my essay, I have realised how much knowledge I have achieved, which I can use in the classroom in the future. I have learnt that not everyone learns in the same way, was as the teachers need to make learning fun and efficient. Whilst doing this essay I realised why certain outcomes occurred in terms of my own learning experience i.e. motivation, positive reinforcement and support network around me.
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