Interpretation of “Doreen Pope” by M. Loudon

The text under analysis â€Å"Doreen Pope† is a type of publicistic writing, feature article. The author M. Loudon managed to make this text informative and entertaining for the reader. The article concentrates on an interesting theme. The theme of the article is about the role of a teacher in the system of education in GB. The author embodies the theme into incomparable character. The story reveals the image of ideal teacher. M. Loudon convinces us of the importance of the teacher’s role for children.This important idea that the author expresses in the process of developing the theme is the message of the story. The theme is organically connected with the message. And M. Loudon places the main point very appropriately. It has a complex character is created with the help of interaction of implications and develops further. Sufficient arguments, details and examples support the main idea. â€Å"Miss Pope was an enormous success with the children because she had a genuin e affinity with them.She also had an unpretentious disregard for the formal†. The author uses references effectively and her reasoning sounds very logically and convincing. â€Å"Miss Pope believed that children only learnt self-worth and corporate responsibility through recognition of their gifts, however insignificant they might have seemed in scholastic terms: so while she was appreciate of talent and enthusiasm, it was those who were shy, or obstreperous, or who found reading or writing is difficult, which whom she spent the most time.†Such cohesive devices as â€Å"practically, so, also, indeed, just, however† within the paragraphs and the repetition the main character’s name between them catch the reader’s attention, give more prominence to the words. Implication is conveyed by different techniques, artistic details, arrangement of plot structure and images. With the help of it the writer achieved her main purpose. M. Loudon informs the reader about educational system in GB, convinces us of the importance of the role of a teacher. She makes us feel sympathy to the main character and respect her strong personality.M. Loudon reminds us about eternal values and morals in our life. The style of presentation of these ideas is appealing and appropriate for the situation. â€Å"Practically, no one reading this will have of Miss Pope. Her greatness is no obvious and it has never been documented. † Using not very formal style the writer involves us to the situation, invites to an open dialog, creates free and trust atmosphere. The author’s attitude to the character determines the tone of the story. Tone expresses the relationship between the author and the character.It is sympathetic, cheerful, and enthusiastic. M. Loudon resorts to emotionally colored words, such as â€Å"cheerful†, â€Å"jolly†, â€Å"brisk†, â€Å"great†. An extensive image of the character is created by similes  "Miss Pope and Sheena as the Madonna and Child in Renaissance Europe† epithets: â€Å"wholesome woman†, â€Å"unobtrusive clothes†, â€Å"sensible shoes†, â€Å"affectionate woman†, â€Å"insatiable sense of humor†. Metaphors: â€Å"she never lost her cool†, antitheses: â€Å"from sunny childhood to dark adolescence† Intensifiers, such as: â€Å"completely different tot us†, â€Å"such an aloof dog†.Polysyndeton: â€Å"she had an insatiable sense of humor and a huge, rotund laugh, and she never failed to reward even the dullest anecdote. † The use of low-colloquial words intensifies the contrast; make a parallel between primary and secondary school: â€Å"fuck off, posh bitch† The writer applies contrast, parallel structure, framing to visualize the article. The use of these means produces a humorous effect and testifies to the inventiveness and wit of the author. The title of the article catches our attention, gives prominence to the main character due to capitalization.The title is the name of the character that emphasizes its importance in the article, defines sympathetic feelings of the author, and arouses reader’s interest to it. The article raises important and interesting themes. It forces us to be involved in the problem of the role of a teacher. Teacher is a guide, is an inspirer, is a monitor, is a friend, is a second mother, and is a mentor, who teaches simple, but timeless and good values. And M. Loudon was succeeded in paying tribute to an inspirational teacher and created a hymn to a teacher.

Opportunities Challenges Associated Ehealth Australia Health And Social Care Essay

The intent of this paper is to measure and pull out the chances and challenges associated with the use of e-health in Australia. The important alterations in people ‘s life style in recent old ages have raised legion desires to accomplish and limited clip to carry through them in a twenty-four hours. Today from directing mail to telling nutrient, all is done through electronic media sitting at place. Similarly, the wellness concerns are besides solved by the usage of E-health which is electronic wellness system. However, there are different challenges like, fiscal, societal, proficient and legal which are hinderance in the growing and acceptance of E-health system in Australia. The literature indicates the important countries in which the people of Australia are bringing the benefits of the E-health. However, the most of import concern for hereafter of E-health is fiscal support by the authorities which will speed up acceptance of the engineering. Recent old ages have seen a important alteration in people ‘s life style and in order to pull off the basic comfortss one has to work twenty-four hours and dark. In such competitory and scheduled scenario where every minute utilized is counted, people are happening speedy methods to pull off life. Today from directing mail to telling nutrient, all is done through electronic media sitting at place or office. The 24 hours of the twenty-four hours seems to be deficient for completing the work and the inauspicious effects of this busy life consequences in terrible wellness jobs. However, it can be observed that the people sing the infirmary, medical clinic and pathology for assignments to run into the physicians has significantly decreased. The ground for this drastic alteration is the engineering, which has brought a revolution in the wellness sector.Moreover, with the debut of cyberspace the universe seems to be captured in one thaumaturgy box and the words like mail, commerciali sm, wellness are now known as e-mail, e-commerce and e-health. Harmonizing to Maeder ( 2008 ) , e-Health is defined as the technological system with scope of information with systematic communicating for people and tools deployed in health care applications, including package systems for wellness informations direction and processing, computing machine assisted clinical procedure and determination support systems, and systems interoperability constituents. Furthermore, with the rise in the cyberspace users it is noticed that clients now straight entree health care related information over the web as a consequence of which the issues and solutions related with medical specialty, medical informations are available on finger tips. Furthermore, in Australia the National E-Health Transition Authority ( NEHTA ) promises to develop criterions and substructure for interrelated wellness sector, clinical informations criterions for the exchange of clinical information, national criterions to uniquely identify patients, suppliers, merchandises and services and unafraid electronic transportation of information across the wellness sector ( Robinson et al. 2005 ) . This revolution in the wellness sector due to electronic media will supply possible chances and benefits to many people. However, the benefits are hindered by several challenges that include privateness and security of information, technological inefficiency and fiscal scarceness. The intent of this paper is to measure and pull out the chances and challenges associated with use of e-health in Australia. This preliminary reappraisal will research the possible benefits for patients, wellness experts and wellness organisations every bit good as the possible barriers and issues related to e-health use in Australia. 2. Australia: background and context Australia is the universe ‘s largest island and smallest continent. It is besides the driest inhabited continent, and features a broad scope of climatic zones. Today, Australia is place to an estimated 20.3 million people. Australia is a comfortable state with an established capitalist economic system and the overall Australian population is one of the healthiest when compared internationally ( Glover, Hetzel & A ; Tennant 2008 ) . Furthermore, Australia is a developed state equipped with advanced engineering and important research in medical specialty which marks a planetary impact about its wellness sector. 2.1. Health sector in Australia The wellness sector in Australia is governed by public and private organisations. The public organisations are supported by the Government. Harmonizing to Li et Al. ( 2008 ) Australia has a complex wellness system, with patients treated in both the populace and private sectors and in urban, regional, rural and distant countries. Furthermore, wellness service suppliers include general and specialist medical and nursing practicians, other wellness professionals, hospital staff, community wellness workers, druggists. In add-on, the Australian authorities provides chronic and complex conditions, electronic wellness records, and improved safety and quality of infirmary attention ; and better national wellness information ( Glover, Hetzel & A ; Tennant 2008 ) .Furthermore, the new engineerings and research in the medical field has raised important chances related to the use of e-health. 3. Potential chances associated with use of E-health in Australia To speed up the acceptance of an electronic wellness information system across Australia and to develop user specifications, criterions and substructure necessary for an interrelated wellness sector, National e-health Transition Authority ( NeHTA ) has taken major stairss in forming the medical system accurately. Furthermore, Australian Governments approved $ 130 million to present a alone wellness attention designation figure for all persons, a alone designation figure for every wellness attention professional, and a common linguistic communication for wellness communications and to computerise the general pattern for the success of communicating web across the wellness attention system ( Robinson et al. 2005 ) .Furthermore, it is to be noticed that Australian wellness sector is a wide endeavor and is turning with the support from the authorities, as a consequence of this the possible benefits to people, wellness experts and wellness organisations will significantly alter the mental ity of the hereafter wellness attention system. 3.1. Benefits to patient The engineering has flourished the present wellness sector in Australia and the patients are blessed with benefits like easy entree to the studies, medical specialties etc. Maeder ( 2008 ) draws the attending towards the elaborate information system which will supply the patients with prescribed intervention, inauspicious reactions to drugs or therapies, understanding activities of day-to-day life and modifying bad wonts besides it will move as personal monitoring device. Furthermore, Ray ( 2006 ) stresses that the electronic wellness records ( EHR ) will assist patients routinely sing multiple health care suppliers. Similarly, EHR will besides assist each health care supplier to hold an integrated position of the patient ‘s health care position based on an collection of all the patient records. Therefore, these records will give a proper overview of the patient ‘s wellness and will cut down the load of interchanging the information from different health care supplier. Fu rthermore, e-health has driven people towards healthier life with information about yoga, dieting and workout tips that are easy available on web sites. In add-on, medical insurances are besides purchased and renewed utilizing web sites like Medibank, Medicare in Australia. However, the wellness experts like physicians, general practicians are happening this engineering really utile with regard to managing information about the patients. 3.2. Prospects for wellness experts The general practician in Australia seems excessively positive with the usage of computing machine for keeping the patient ‘s information. The history of the disease that a patient is enduring and the medicine that is advised can be fetched from the system which reduces the load of paper work. On the other manus patients excessively have less tenseness of maintaining all the records and they visit the physicians with positive head. Furthermore, Maeder ( 2008 ) emphasizes that E-health tools are progressing human apprehension and interaction every bit good as it supports collaborative activities like statistical sum-ups and graphical show for studies, multiparty conferencing bundles, and tele wellness patient scrutiny applications. Ray ( 2006 ) draws that wellness experts can overview the sum-up of interventions received, consequences from blood trials or X raies and discharge referrals in the Health Link system. Similarly, the benefits of electronic wellness record over the pap er record is its usage enables improved information flow, improved communicating between wellness practicians across different wellness attention scenes, easier entree to medical files, improved issue of prescriptions, and determination support therefore the Australian Government has recognized these advantages, and, through the Department of Health and Ageing, provides financess to the General Practice Computing Group ( Robinson et al. 2005 ) .However, Henderson, Britt & A ; Miller ( 2006 ) argues that medical record used lacks the specificity to find the sum or type of patient information being stored in the computing machine and each physician has a duty to protect his patient ‘s involvement in footings of the privateness of their EHR. 3.3. Aid to infirmaries and wellness organisations The infirmaries and wellness organisations in Australia are divided in public and private sectors with the duty to keep healthy environment in the state. The authorities supports this sector and warrants proper wellness attention to the people.The E-health system has united these organisations to work consistently and co-ordinate with each other which has resulted in clip and cost nest eggs. The engineering has proved easy for infirmaries to reassign and keep patient ‘s information. The infirmaries know the sort of experts present in the other wellness attention organisations and advice the patients to see that topographic point from the system which connect to cardinal database. The squad meetings utilizing video-conferencing engineering are assisting the experts and organisations to work out the critical instances from one topographic point diminishing the long distance travel ( Ray 2006 ) . The wellness direction package ‘s have helped the infirmaries to keep the subst ructure and paysheet. The wellness attention devices like X-ray, CT scan, computing machine aided imaging, endoscopy are supplying speedy methods for analysis of single wellness and the information files are saved in the database for future mention. 4. Challenges associated with use of E-health in Australia The information system has given human society handiness and easiness to manage multiple things at one clip.However, the duty to procure the critical statistics has increased to heighten the quality of wellness informations.The hinderance to E-health systems are substructure, fiscal support to keep the systems, deficiency of proficient experts, societal acceptableness etc. The support from Australian authorities to wellness organisations is still deficient to function the mass. Maeder ( 2008 ) draws the important challenges like cost and demands of chronic diseases like malignant neoplastic disease, diabetes with worsening size and capableness of the professional work force in the wellness attention sector. 4.1. Fiscal Issues The Australian work force mostly depends on the skilled immigrants from other states. The cost for the intervention of diseases like malignant neoplastic disease, cardiovascular etc are really high and the equipments for supervising them is an extra load to the organisations. Second a major issue is the demand for systemic battle with quality and safety betterments which requires excess fiscal support ( Ray 2006 ) .Moreover, Robinson et Al. ( 2005 ) draws that accidental or unwilled revelation of patient ‘s information constitute breach of privateness, loss of wellness insurance and fiscal harm. Harmonizing to Anderson ( 2007 ) a major barrier to execution of EMRs and other clinical IT applications is the primary costs which are really high and the care of the system in add-on which consequences diffident final payments to doctors. 4.2. Technical hurdlings The down clip and clangs are the footings which are common with computing machine engineering and the dependability on systems for storage and endorse up of the information is ever on high precedence therefore the wellness experts have less faith on the engineering and they keep records in paper excessively ( Henderson, Britt & A ; Miller 2006 ) . Li et Al. ( 2008 ) draws that the engineering back uping distributed medical squad depends on apprehension of the human computing machine interaction involved in the engineering. Furthermore, the deficiency of assurance in general practicians towards computing machine systems because of inability to type rapidly, less cognition about package are issues in acceptance of engineering in the wellness sector ( Henderson, Britt & A ; Miller 2006 ) .The immense volume of informations generated by multichannel supervising device provides many proficient challenges like informations transportation, storage and entree. In add-on, it requires appropri ate package to supply analysis, comparing and reading of the informations ( Maeder 2008 ) .The security of the information is besides a country of concern for the proficient experts while implementing the package and proper preparation to be provided to the user. However, Ray ( 2006 ) draws that in Australia the criterions like HL7 seek to procure the transmittal of the informations and supply terminal to stop security demands. 4.3. Cultural and Social Confront The development of engineering has brought assorted positive facets like comfort, clip nest eggs etc but on the other side it has raised the menace to the single privateness. The common people are cognizant of the benefits of the terminal devices and least bothered about the security. The breach of information by authorised users of electronic wellness records is an ethical affair which sends a incorrect moving ridge among people about the new systems ( Robinson et al. 2005 ) . Furthermore, the privateness related to the patient ‘s record is addressed and signed before utilizing it for other instance surveies in Australia ( Li et al. 2008 ) .However ; in Australia the Government enterprises to propagate the cognition refering the security and privateness of informations are a positive measure in the way for acceptance of E-health ( Ray 2006 ) . 4.4. Law and policy obstructions The security and privateness in E-health systems are non as per the statute laws criterions of Australia which is a menace to hereafter of wellness sector ( Robinson et al. 2005 ) . The E-health system has many benefits for the patients and society nevertheless ; the privateness concerns are going legal issues with the wellness attention organisations ( Ray 2006 ) . Harmonizing to the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 ( NSW ) , wellness information must non be disclosed to anyone other than the patient and physician. However, the wellness attention suppliers must take the permission from the patient for revelation of the confidential information for the intent of survey or work outing same instance. In failure of such conditions will ensue in menace to the involvement of people for illustration, describing catching diseases to the appropriate wellness organisation ( Robinson et al. 2005 ) . Legal barriers to E-health acceptance exist in Australia, Torahs sing fraud and maltreatment, antimonopoly rational belongings and province licensing has developed a cloud of uncertainness for wellness attention suppliers to implement the engineering ( Anderson 2007 ) . 5. Decisions Finally, this study has explored current thoughts in the field of E-health acceptance in Australia concentrating in chances and challenges. The wellness sector in Australia is supported by the Government and is booming with the technological development. The different subdivisions in Australia like patients, wellness experts and wellness attention organisations are deriving the benefits from the new system. Additionally, the improved methods have given physicians a tool to manage critical wellness issues and diseases in more structured manner. Equally far as challenges are concerned, there are issues related to societal and fiscal sectors. The major hurdle is with proficient cognition which is an indispensable factor to drive the electronic wellness strategy. However, the current wellness direction has its legal barriers which are to be implemented with the engineering for societal security and privateness. The literature indicates the important countries in which the people of Australia are bringing the benefits of the E-health. However, the most of import concern for hereafter of E-health is fiscal support by the authorities which will speed up acceptance of the engineering. Furthermore, the extra barriers will merely be removed with the inclusion of greater security of medical informations to convert practicians and patients.

Breakfast - By John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck was a known writer in the 30’s. He was known for writing about poverty in the 30’s with focus on the life of the exposed working class. His stories takes place around Salinas California where he was born. The short story Breakfast by John Steinbeck deals with the exposed people of the 30’s and their way of managing life with what they are given. The short story features a Narrator, whose name we are not told, however, the narrator is also the protagonist in his own story. The narrator tells us about a memory which brings joy to him when remembering details about it. At first he tells about himself walking along a country road on an early morning, feeling the cold while observing the light growing behind the eastern mountains. As he walks he smells fried bacon and baking bread. He sees a tent where a girl, an older man and a younger man sit. The men bid him a good morning and offers him to sit and eat breakfast with them. The narrator accepts and sits down with them being told that they pick cotton for their own clothes and then they eat and drink as much coffee as they can, refilling and refilling. While they had refreshed themselves with warm food the narrator observed the sun rising above the mountains spraying light upon the valley. The two men and the women offer the narrator to come along and pick cotton with them. However, the narrator declines the offer and separates from the cotton pickers. At the end of the story the reader returns to the narrators present where the he reflects upon the event. The story is located in a valley during the early morning just before dawn. In the beginning the setting is described with the words â€Å"lavender grey† and â€Å"black-blue†. He also feels the touch of the morning temperature as cold, but not painfully cold. All in all the setting we are introduced to at the opening of the story places the protagonist in a sad and colourless environment. Though, while he eats with the cotton pickers, the setting changes from cold and dark to light and red. You could say that the dark-blue and lavender grey colours in the before sunrise represent the lifelessness and sadness, while the red colour mixed with the light, spraying upon the valley, after sunrise represent warmth and joy. The two men and the woman, who the narrator meets, are poor hard working people, who are not wealthy in material. They don’t have chairs, they live in tents and their equipment is described as poor; â€Å"Beside the tent there was a flash of orange fire seeping out of the cracks of an old rusty iron stove. † Even though the cotton pickers have poor conditions they have certain traits that the protagonist remembers them for. Firstly, we are told that they make their own clothes from picking cotton and that they have only been eating well for twelve days. However, they still show generosity towards the protagonist and offer him breakfast. Therefore, we can call them generous. Secondly, they are full of contentment. Even though they live like nomads, finding cotton and food where they can and not living on much, they smile and keep a good vibe. Thirdly they are grateful to god and thank him for what they have; â€Å"The older man filled his mouth and he chewed and chewed and swallowed. Then he said, â€Å"God Almighty, it’s good†Ã¢â‚¬ . Their wealth is not measured in materialism but in attitude towards life. They are not given any names because each of them do not have their own character. This is because they represent a type of people and symbolizes traits. Their simplicity in symbolizing generosity, contentment and being gratefulness to god have a clear affection upon the protagonist. After the protagonist and the cotton pickers part we return to the narrator reflecting on the experience. Here he says; â€Å"That’s all. I know, of course, some of the reasons why it was pleasant. But there was some element of great beauty there that makes the rush of warmth when I think of it. † The sensation the protagonist gets from the experience is from the affection the people had on him with their traits. The details he remembers such as their personality and the sun rising above the mountain spraying a red gleam upon the valley just as he just finished the warm breakfast all culminates into something unique. However, the most significant about the memory is the affection the cotton pickers had and still have on the protagonist. The painting The honeymoon Breakfast from 1887 by Daniel Ridgway Knight contains a newly married couple sitting in the nature preparing their breakfast. All they have is some food and the company of one another, but they seem content about what they have. So in the same way as the cotton pickers the painting expresses their happiness through simplicity and content.

How has the EU-US Open Skies Agreement Affected EU Citizenship of Essay

How has the EU-US Open Skies Agreement Affected EU Citizenship of Germany - Essay Example How has the EU-US Open Skies Agreement Affected EU Citizenship of Germany? The EU-US Open Skies Agreement generally reflects the formation of the ‘US-EU Open Aviation Area Agreement’. In the year 2007, both the regions i.e. the US and the EU had signed a momentous pact in order to liberalise open global transportation and air travel on their respective business markets over the Atlantic Ocean. This pact or treaty is popularly acknowledged as The EU-US Open Skies Agreement. This significant agreement intends to deregulate the concern of air traffic over the Atlantic Ocean through various ways that have been discussed in the following section. It is worth mentioning that this particular agreement has facilitated any airline belonging to the US and the EU to fly to any particular point between these two regions. Apart from lessening the increased level of regulation of air transportation between the aforesaid two regions, the agreement also tends to undertake certain significant steps specifically for normalisation of the global aviation industry (Peterson & Graham, 2008). With this concern, the essay intends to discuss the EU-US Open Skies Agreement and its implications on different EU nations along with the US. Moreover, the way in which this agreement has affected EU citizenship of Germany will also be taken into concern in the essay. The financial interrelation of the US and the EU has been witnessed to contribute in ascertaining greater commercial success on both the sides of the Atlantic. This can be justified with reference to the fact that the formation along with the maintenance of smooth financial interrelation between the aforesaid two nations have opened prospects for better investments, fostered trade in products or services and most vitally facilitated in enhancing the mobility of the individuals through undertaking various major initiatives. One of the initiatives in this regard can be apparently observed as the formation of the Visa Waiver Program. It is determined that the EU and the US are regarded as the t wo biggest air transportation markets throughout the globe. This is owing to the reason that both of these markets together account for in excess of half of all worldwide scheduled passenger travel and 71.7 percent of the globe’s freighter fleet. The formation of the EU-US Open Skies Agreement, which had been signed in the year 2007 and became effective in the year 2008, can be duly considered as a historic decision, as it not only broadly supports the aspect of trade liberalisation but also promotes the development of better international trade as well. In the context of analysing the EU-US Open Skies Agreement, it can be affirmed that aviation often plays a decisive role in driving the vital aspect of globalisation, contributing in expanding travel along with tourism and enabling the business entrepreneurs to make substantial investments. Furthermore, it also plays an imperative part in facilitating trade through bringing business people along with conducting their respecti ve operational functions jointly and developing the products or services in relation to the respective industry. By taking into concern these valuable roles played by aviation, it can be stated that both the regions i.e. the US and the EU had signed the agreement in order to transform and enhance the existing procedure of air travel and trade throughout the Atlantic (Alford &

Hops and fears Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hops and fears - Essay Example The university life is not very smooth especially to the new learners if someone has never familiarized to such an environment. Every student hopes that a course he or she has chosen is the best that any person will ever dream of and the course will lead him or her to success. When joining the Indiana state university everyone believes that, he or she has chosen the best course that could earn him or her good reputation and fame as a role model in the society. Additionally, most students have faith that, when they finish to study their respective courses, they will a get very good jobs related to their area of study. Saris (49) states that, when choosing their courses, most students focus on the prevailing job market conditions about their respective courses in order to achieve their dreams. No one would choose something that would be a stress to him or her therefore, students hope that their areas of specialization is the least stressing and it will create a room for the student to carry out other activities at ease. Therefore, when creating a transition to the university life, most students have much hopes that will assist them achieve their goals in life. However, it is normal for all human beings to feel uncomfortable when they are trying to coupe up with a new environment for instance, when one first joins the campus. Cox (68) states that, on the first few days in the campus, one wonders if he or she will maintain the same excellent performance he or she had back in high school. Since the education in universities is tougher than in high school and someone is among the top performers from various high schools, the person has the reason to fear the competition. Moreover, the universities assign students to their roommates randomly and this is very worrying since no one knows about the character of his or her fellow roommate. Many questions run in some ones head wondering how he or she will adapt to live with a total stranger and tolerate the strangerâ€℠¢s character. Additionally, when someone arrives in the campus amid other students he or she is equally frightened how he or she will make new friends with people he or she has never met before. The new students have a hard time in identifying their ne w best friends who they can cope up with and share similar ideas. Seemingly, a very new university despite its good reputation in the society can stress new students who are adapting to the environment. After around a period of eight weeks most students have adapted to the new environment, some change their hopes and fears depending on the peer influence. Depending on the environment, students start changing he or her courses and choosing others after realizing that the course of his or her choice does not offer what he or she expected in life compared to other courses. A student may also change his or her course when he or she finds out that the course is hard to understand and chooses course that was not part of his or her dreams. S ince by this time the student has identified some of his or her trusted friends, the fears in the campus start subsiding because he or she knows that he or she has somewhere to run into when a problem arises. Most students after adapting to the university environment withdraw their fears and they end up shifting their hopes largely because of peer pressure (Saris 50). By the end of first semester in

Romanesque Architecture and Theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Romanesque Architecture and Theology - Essay Example Jackson further explained that the church embraced the Romanesque architecture to a great deal, and the clergy afterward started to conduct schools using the arts where students could be taught the philosophy, theology, and meanings of letters mostly using the creativity of the Roman art. Â  Jackson explains that the Romanesque architecture was very influential to the Christian theology in that, in the 11th and the 12th centuries, all the major churches and monarchs could only be constructed using the laid down specifications that borrowed heavily from the architecture2. The art was embraced so that all the religious arts could offer easily recognizable buildings through the severity and restraint of the ornamentation used and in fact, as Jackson explains, the art and ornamentation were confined to the hands of the clerics who extensively used the art in the monastic architecture. It would, therefore, follow that; the use of the art in the monastic construction could only have a specific symbolism that the art conveyed to the early believers3. Stalley further explains that the Romanesque architecture to a large extent, although used for ornamentation and construction played a vital role in preserving the memories of saints and martyrs for commemoration by the faithfu l4. Therefore, by being used in the teaching of philosophy and theology as well as representation of the mystery and doctrine of the church, the Romanesque architecture became very vital in transforming and influencing the theology of the day in the medieval church. Â  

Process Analysis Essay on Bias in Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Process Analysis on Bias in Research - Essay Example In regards to the research process, Knox (2010) stated that bias is inaccuracy in data that arises from the manipulated method of data collection and analysis that was employed in the research process.  In regards to the research process, Knox (2010) stated that bias is inaccuracy in data that arises from the manipulated method of data collection and analysis that was employed in the research process.  With reference to the writings by Sharot (2012, P. 8), cognitive bias is described as â€Å"mental errors that arise from simplified information strategies.† Hammersley (1999) further added that cognitive biases are mental errors that are predictable and consistent, and they differ from biases because they are not caused by the personal interest that leads to an inclination towards a preferred outcome. This, therefore, means that cognitive bias is caused by subconscious mental strategies that are used during information processing.   The impact of bias on research, why and how it is important to know bias When a researcher has a bias in the research process then it means that he or she will set the research design in a biased manner in order to obtain the preferred results. Additionally, the data collection process, as well as the sources, will be skewed in a manner that will conform to the results that the research prefers to obtain. To reinforce further the biases, the researcher will manipulate the data analysis process to be reassured of achieving the desired findings or results.   Osterlind (1983) stated that biases in the research process lead to the attainment of results that are not very real or factual more so when the findings are compared with the findings obtained from a research process that was unbiased. Osterlind (1983) further stated that when a research process is conducted through bias then the recommendations from the research are likely to be ineffective or invalid. This is because; the anal ysis of the problem was conducted from a biased perspective rather than from a factual perspective.   Weisberg (2010) in his writings summarily stated that the impact of bias on research is that it lowers or eliminates credibility in the entire research process and even the credibility of the research findings. Additionally, a biased researcher will also suffer from credibility issues and his or her research proficiency may be brought into question as to whether they are genuine or not.

History The World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

History The World - Essay Example The establishment of schools and colleges  also played a role in the education of both the Han people and the Islam. The Arab world where Islam started was the originators of the numerical system that is in use in the contemporary world. The art and architecture practiced in these two regions were a way of expressing their religious feeling to a higher authority. Evidently, the Han people just like the Islam used architectural knowledge that was being taught in learning centers to teach people how they were going to express their religious believes to a given authority. Further, the use of art and literature was also area of emphasis in the two religious groups as they used different artistic expressions and literature to teach each other about their faith and practices. The Islamic world has used different forms of art and literature to conserve and teach people about the religious practices that believed to hold the people together. The ground of controversy which can be identified among the Han dynasty is the large number of spirits that they offered sacrifices to. Whereas the Islamic religion offered sacrifices also, it did not have as much spirits as the Han dynasty. Further, the belief in deity among the Han people was lowered to the emperor who was in some cases revered and worshipped just if he were a

Two articles on globalization of healthcare Article

Two articles on globalization of healthcare - Article Example The analysis of the budget of the healthcare systems seeks to determine whether there is an effective enough control system to account for the allocation of federal funds into medical centers across the country. The major sources of funding are through accounts of medical support, compliance and medical facilities. Allocation of funds for training of the healthcare workforce. Due to an increased number in populations who are aged, higher rates of disease and an increase in the number of people who are insured, the number of physicians and doctors available need to be increased. This is in direct contrast to the proposals in Congress to reduce the federal funds allocated to the training of medical workforce. Federal, state and private funds are allocated to the training of Medicare professionals. The allocation of these funds is through commissions such as Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the national budget and the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. These f unds are divided into direct payment for the salaries of resident and supervising physicians, and the indirect payments to assist in alleviating costs of sustaining a training program. Canada The provincial governments in Canada allocate a considerable amount of their annual budgets into healthcare and the hard economic times has laid financial strains on the allocation of funds into healthcare. This crisis in funding has posed a restraint in the preservation of national principles of healthcare such as free access and universality. Additionally, it has brought to question some of the healthcare provisions, imposed user fees and cost sharing between the public and private sectors. Funds are allocated in the healthcare department based on their effectiveness in treating, diagnosing and improving health considerably with comparison to the quantity of invested resources. The country uses an effective dimension of the economy in which the efficiency of various healthcare methods are eva luated by the government to determine the method that is more economical and benefits more. They assess the effectiveness of a solution based on research on healthcare for example two drugs that have similar or equal effect and serve the same purpose in treating a particular illness are evaluated and the more effective choice of the two is selected. The effective choice would be the one that treats faster and have fewer side effects and in the cost concept, the more effective drug would be the one that generally costs less. The government use committees to evaluate medical practice methods practiced by physicians to reduce the number of excessive practices such as full or partial examinations, house calls and diagnostic tests. These differences between the allocation methods in the United States and in Canada could be attributed to the amount of amount of revenue available in the governments’ budget available for allocation in the health care systems. The funds available in C anada are more strained as compared to the United States and hence the amount of funds to be allocated differ. Article 2 The United States health care system in addition to aiding in combating the travelers’ diseases such as Hepatitis and tuberculosis, should devote their resources to assist other countries in combating other health issues

History 1311 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History 1311 - Essay Example The French later came to the new world with the intention of tracing a new route to the pacific ocean but instead ended up colonizing territories such as Quebec where they planted a variety of crops such as wheat and sugar for the home market. However, other European nations most notably England also put a stake in the new world. Their interest, like the Spanish was also both economic and political but the settlers had a more comprehensive list of reasons for exploration. Many of them were escaping the collapsing feudal system that had resulted in rural-urban migration and consequently abject poverty. Others were escaping political instability and hoping to make a fresh start in the colonies. The British throne used the new world a place to dump their unwanted populations; it was common for criminals to be exiled to the new lands. However, with time as the mercantile culture spread in the British lord realized how important the new land could be as a colony where they could grow food for export back home and to their increasing territories around the world. They encouraged settlements and after a time they took over, eventually colonized, and occupied America until they were finally driven out in the 18th century when American seized her independence. In 1787, Delegates met in Philadelphia to write a new constitution, which was to replace the articles of the confederation; the delegates wanted to create a constitution that would provide both liberty and order for the chaotic government given the size and diversity of the United States. The new constitution was written with the objective of forging a strong union between the various states as well as create a structure of power that could be checked by the people. Their experience with the British government had taught them of the dangers or a tyrannical government and they ensured to put up checks and balances so that the executive, legislature and

Suicide Among the Elderly Around the Holidays Essay Example for Free

Suicide Among the Elderly Around the Holidays Essay Based on statistics, there is one elderly suicide committed every ninety minutes and this percentage relates to the age group of 65 years and above (National Mental Health Information Center). Suicide among the older people is growing rampantly. There are a number of reasons for committing suicide, and this ranges from depression to alcohol or substance abuse. This testimony becomes very helpful to not only Americans but to everyone in the world. Because of this testimonial, many are made aware of the truth or causes of why the elderly starts to think of taking their lives. Baby Boomer Care. (2007). â€Å"Why Do The Elderly Commit Suicide? † Retrieved June 5, 2010, http://www. babyboomercaretaker. com/senior-health/Why-do-the-Elderly-Commit-Suicide. html It has been accounted that statistically, there are more suicidal attempts and acts among the elderly than the teen and younger adults. Living in isolation, depression due to loss of a loved one, physical health, inability or difficulty to cope with crisis and stress are the usual causes and reasons our elderly perform suicidal attempts and actions. Having this information makes us wary and aware of the causes and reasons of such actions. â€Å"Elders who are at a high risk of suicide usually show certain behavioral and personality traits such as higher dependency, being overcome by an intense sense of helplessness and hopelessness, possess poor crisis management abilities, are extremely irritability, and demonstrate a certain degree of antisocial behavior (Baby Boomer Care). † Suicide Among the Elderly During the Holidays Lawson, W. (2003). â€Å"Holiday Suicide Myth. † Retrieved June 5, 2010, form http://www. psychologytoday. com/articles/200401/holiday-suicide-myth Although there have been many speculations and stories that most suicides happen during the holidays or winter season, this surmise is nothing but a hypothesis or a hunch and is considered as a myth. In fact, researchers and statistics express that suicidal acts and attempts of elders drops and declines during the holiday season. McIntosh, J. (2003). â€Å"Suicide and the Holidays: Myths and Facts† Retrieved June 5, 2010, form http://www. medicinenet. com/script/main/art. asp? articlekey=54647 Suicidal attempts are unlikely to happen during the winter season or Holidays. Old people take their lives on the basis of loneliness, stress of losing a love one, depression and isolation. During the holidays, people are surrounded by family, relatives and friends. This is a â€Å"season of giving. † And when we are surrounded and with friends and family, we are most able to socialize and express our feelings. In the case of the older people, ranging from 65 years and above, this is the time that they are unlikely to be left alone with their thoughts and memories of the past. Thus, suicide during the holidays a myth and an assumption. McIntosh, J. Phd (2008). â€Å"How to Help A Suicidal Older Men and Women. † Retrieved June 5, 2010, form http://www. healthyplace. com/depression/suicide/how-to-help-a-suicidal-older-men-and-women/menu-id-68/ â€Å"The causes of elderly suicide are treatable and suicide is preventable. Risk Factors for elderly suicide and how to help suicidal seniors (McIntosh, 2008). † Suicide among the elderly is a given fact and it is not a hypothetical topic to talk about, it really is happening at our present date. However, the reasons and causes of suicide may be treated and prevented. Old people who are suicidal usually experience pain, whether physical or emotional. They also may be feeling distressed and dissatisfied with their current life situations. There is a growing rate of 50 percent of suicidal actions from the older people. There is a way to help and prevent suicide from happening. If we look and pay much attention to the signs and symptoms we may be able to help these people from committing suicide. Nuys, D. V. PhD. (2009). â€Å"An Interview with Thomas Joiner, Ph. D. on Why People Commit Suicide. † Retrieved June 5, 2010, from http://www. mentalhelp. net/poc/view_doc. php? type=docid=29060 Suicide is a growing public health problem today. Suicide is one of the results and outcome of having mental disorders. Suicide is a common product of depression, stress and loneliness. Though this is a fact, this is controllable. Feeling and being depressed, stressed and lonely can always be managed. Having a positive mind and trying to be active in spite the old age will greatly help decrease the number of people committing suicide. Bibliography: Rosenberg, M. (1996). â€Å"Testimony on Suicide Among Older Americans. † Retrieved June 5, 2010, from http://www. hhs. gov/asl/testify/t960730a. html Baby Boomer Care. (2007). â€Å"Why Do The Elderly Commit Suicide? † Retrieved June 5, 2010,from http://www. babyboomercaretaker. com/senior-health/Why-do-the-Elderly-Commit-Suicide. html National Mental Health Information Center. (n. d. ) NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION Retrieved June 5, 2010, from http://mentalhealth. samhsa. gov/suicideprevention/elderly. asp Farberow N. L. (1961). â€Å"The Cry for Help. † Retrieved June 5, 2010, from http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=odocId=98403730 McIntosh, J. (2003). â€Å"Suicide and the Holidays: Myths and Facts† Retrieved June 5, 2010, form http://www. medicinenet. com/script/main/art. asp? articlekey=54647 McIntosh, J. Phd (2008). â€Å"How to Help A Suicidal Older Men and Women. † Retrieved June 5, 2010, form http://www. healthyplace. com/depression/suicide/how-to-help-a-suicidal-older-men-and-women/menu-id-68/

Cultural Characteristics of India Essay Example for Free

Cultural Characteristics of India Essay With more than half of the workforce being in agriculture, services however, is the biggest contributing factor the economic growth in India. The information technology (IT) sector is where most of the growth is taking place. Many companies in the United States are beginning to outsource their help desk and programming specialties to India where the labor is cheaper and there are an abundance of qualified individuals. In-fact many of the positions you see in IT are filled by people native to India simply because training for these specialties is limited in the U. S. For example, if you were looking to hire an Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) developer it is highly unlikely that you will find a U. S. citizen with these skill sets, and if you did the U. S. candidate would certainly be demanding more money. India’s ability to train highly qualified IT professionals and ability to provide cheaper labor will continue to contribute to their increase in economic growth. Ultimately, it is those cultural characteristics we have discussed in class that has led India to so much growth over the last decade. They are a collectivist society, with a large power distance and a different set of value orientations from our own. Higher education is of upmost importance, and often times, much more important than interpersonal relationships. This is evident of the fact that they place so much importance on one’s education and its correlation to family status when selecting a bride/groom in an arranged marriage. India is considered a large power distance culture because there is a clear hierarchy within the family, â€Å"the father rules authoritatively, followed by the eldest son and moving down the ladder by age and sex† (Neuliep, 2009. 9). Within the Indian culture the children are expected to be obedient and many Indian children feel that their parents really don’t understand what it is like to grow up in today’s diverse society. Indian parents constantly expect their children to go to the right schools, only converse with people who share the same cultural backgro unds and to marry within their own race and religion. There are many different religions in India which include: Muslim, Hindu, Christian and Sikh. In India, even though you may share the same ethnicity if you do not share the same religious beliefs, marriage is forbidden. In my research I have come across a common theme within the Indian culture, and that is that Indian parent’s love to gossip about everything; they constantly discuss who got into what school, and who is getting married to whom. It’s not to say that Indian parents don’t want what’s best for their children because they do. In the article Indian Parents and Societal Pressure the author Arti Nehru states, â€Å"The really sad part about all of this is that parents truly want their children to be happy. But they are unsupportive in many instances because they worry about ne thing: What will people say? † The Indian culture is more of a collectivist culture who has the tendency to stress the importance of a group over the importance of the individual. Neuliep confirms that, â€Å"In collectivist cultures, people are not seen as isolated individuals. People see themselves as interdependent with others their (e. g. , their ingroup), where responsibility is shared and accountability is collective. A person’s identity is defined by his or her group memberships† (Neuliep, 2009. Pg. 41). Most of their values come from their traditional beliefs, their religious devotion and their secular spirituality. It is these value orientations that shape the way the Indian culture communicates with individuals in their own culture as well as with individuals outside of their culture. Values can affect the way people communicate within their own culture and with people of different cultures. They are â€Å"evaluative beliefs that synthesize affective and cognitive elements to orient people to the world in which they live† (Mooney, 2001, 2828). The value orientation model is used to compare high-context cultures such as the Indian collectivist culture with low-context individualistic cultures such as the United States. It can be broken down into six different categories: self, family, society, human nature, nature, and supernatural. In a collectivist culture such as the Indian culture â€Å"self† refers to how one may view themselves in relationship to others, and can further be broken down into three different sub-categories: self-identity, age, and activity. In India self-identity would suggest that people value conformity and cooperation. In India people are â€Å"interdependent with others, and for them, responsibility and accountability are shared and divided among the group members. † (Neulip, 2009, 63-64). Age for a collectivist, high-context culture is admired when they are old and conversely, in an individualistic, low-context culture, age is admired when they are young. In a collectivist culture like India the people tend be very spiritual and believe that people should embrace life. The activity one performs on a daily basis is of less importance in a country like India. Whereas in the United States, activity ften refers to how people identify themselves through their activities such as their professions and occupations. Often times when Americans are asked who they are, they will answer with what they do for a living; indicating that they tend to associate who they are, with what they do. Family within a collectivist culture such as India tends to be more authoritative in nature. The â€Å"head of the household† will make the decisions rather than having everyone work together as a democracy when making decisions. In India, families are less mobile, and will always attempt to sit down together when eating dinner. There is often a strict hierarchy that is followed among family members with the man of the house being at the top. The men and women in Indian families have very different roles within the family, which coincide with one’s hierarchal power. The male of the house makes the decisions, provides for the family and the women often times make the meals at night and take care of the children. In Indi,a family is a very important concept and marriage is considered to be sacred and is meant to last a life time. The term â€Å"society† in India can be broken down into two categories: social reciprocity and group membership. According to Neuliep â€Å"social reciprocity refers to the mutual exchanges people make in their dealings with others† (65). In collectivist cultures like India, if one asks another for a favor it is expected that an equal exchange of favors will occur. In India, group membership is often a pervasive formality; they have a tendency to join only a few different groups over a life-time. In the United States membership in a group is usually short lived, whereas in India people are highly selective and group membership is usually a prolonged commitment. This idea of a prolonged commitment to a group stems from those same cultural values that marriage does. In India, they practice arranged marriages and it is considered a lifelong commitment that is viewed as sacred. What may seem strange to the youth in the United States is actually embraced by youth in India. Many children in India feel that it gives them the ability to focus on their youth, and their education without the distraction or worry that an adolescence relationship can bring to the picture. It is also said that the youth in India â€Å"feel secure in their parent’s ability to choose an acceptable partner for them, trusting that their parents have enough experience and knowledge to do so without creating a disastrous situation† (Galt, 2011, 2). Many cultures like India believe that when marriages are not pre-arranged they tend to burn out too quickly. They believe it is because the two people have already gotten to know each other, rather than spending a life-time together after marriage getting to know each other. Marrying a person you don’t know gives one a lifetime to learn to love them, as opposed to the American ideal of learning a person inside and out before entering into marriage† (Galt, 2011, 3). In the United States, many believe that the idea of an arranged marriage is something that is forced upon the two getting married. This however isn’t true, in India before a marriage can become official the bride and groom are afforded the opportunity to meet each other to decide if they would like to go forward with the marriage. You might be surprised to hear that any rejection to a proposed marriage rarely occurs, and more often than not the proposed bride and groom will go through with the wedding as planned. This is because the parents of the bride and groom do their due-diligence and will often times spend years looking for a suitable bride or groom. They spend countless hours meeting with the families and friends, â€Å"considering hundreds of different aspects and comparison points before the potential bride and groom ever meet each other† (Galt, 2011, 6). In many ways the Indian culture is different than our own, we have the tendency to be more of an individualistic culture while they tend be more collectivist. We are considered a low-context culture, while India is considered a high-context culture. We value or independence and look out for our own self-interests over that of the group. In India, they value the group over the individual and believe that if one fails, they all fail. Even though we may differ culturally we are still similar in many ways, the biggest being our level of diversity; we are both comprised of many different values, ethnicities, and religious beliefs.

Theories of Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Theories of Emotional Intelligence (EI) Discuss how intelligence and emotion are linked and refer to the differing theories that unite these features in order to assess their relevance for adults. Introduction In 1990, Mayer and Salovey wrote, ‘Emotional Intelligence‘[1] (E I) which gave rise to this concept as a medium of individual assessment that accurately describes the attributions for responses to successes and failures in life. In 1995, Daniel Goleman wrote his popular follow-up to this work, entitled, â€Å"Emotional Intelligence, Why it can Matter More than IQ. †[2] Here Goleman, expanded upon this concept and provided it with an often criticised[3] and lay version of the earlier notions of Mayer and Salovey. This paper, concentrates largely on the works of Mayer and Salovey and Goleman as a tool to establishing the inherent link between emotion and intelligence. This paper will therefore begin by giving an overview of the origins of the concept of Emotional Intelligence and how these two attributes of the human condition are linked. There will be a description and critique of the meaning, distinctive nature and importance of E I. Following this, there will be exploration of Mayer and Salovey’s four areas of E I, which are assessed on the basis of the MSCEIT ability test. These four areas will be compared with the five areas stated by Goleman and each will be critically assessed. Finally there will be a discussion of the practical applicability of E I to the education of adults and its relevance in various genres of the workforce. A. The Origins of E I 1. Emotion Mayer and Salovey stated that the traditional image of emotion is as a vice of human nature that is to be controlled as it was perceived to have the capability of fully possessing the individual to create â€Å"a complete loss of cerebral control,[4]† thus depriving him of his rationality. This was then turned on its head with the new concept of emotion as the motivating force which for the first time gave insight into emotion as an integral function of the human condition. Emotion is therefore a response mechanism whereby the appropriateness of its intensity has been determined through natural selection. 2. Intelligence The same professors then turned their attentions to intelligence, which they acknowledge the definition provided by Wechsler, which describes intelligence as: â€Å"the aggregate of global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his environment. [5]† 3. Emotional intelligence The concept of emotional intelligence was therefore created by Mayer and Salovey as a means of identifying types of intelligences that go further to identify the social context of intelligence beyond that of the conventional IQ intelligence. They did this because they noticed that the two concepts are not wholly separable but their work was largely unnoticed at the time of its publication in 1990. Indeed, it was not until Goleman’s publication in 1995 when the E I concept finally gained popular recognition. The reason for this was the appeal of everyday life, and adult referencing to the E I concept, which provided it with a more workable model for the lay person. B. The Link between Emotion and Intelligence 1. What is E I? Salovey and Mayer define E I as a subset of social intelligence, namely, the ability to understand, manage and manipulate the responses of others[6]. E I is a sub-set of this concept that is defined as the ability for the individual to understand ones own feelings and the feelings of those around them: â€Å"the ability to monitor one’s own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among the and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions. †[7] The ability itself is a measurement of how an individual is able to make decisions based on their own and other’s personal, emotional responses throughout life. Goleman noticed profound differences in test groups of children in relation in simple temptation exercises when he referred back to his subjects fourteen years after the initial tests[8]. The result was a profound tangent of social maladjustment in those who acted on impulse and profound social adjustment in those who were able of overcome emotional urges. [9] 2. The Distinctive Nature of E I Unlike the conventional IQ concept, E I deals with emotion, which is given driver status as a key element to the personal influences that affect our lives. In contrast, the conventional IQ deals specifically with intellectual abilities such as dimensional perception, numerical ability, literacy and problem solving. Unlike emotional intelligence, the vital social dimension is not provided for. This means that IQ, although accurate in the determination of intelligence, provides no indication of success in life and emotional intelligence is a more complete picture[10]. 3. The Importance of E I Goleman’s writing on the subject of Emotional Intelligence has found its way into the main curricular of schools in deprived areas of the USA. An example is that of the New Haven, Connecticut Public Schools[11] with large scale unemployment and poverty. The result is an inherent need to diffuse the types of social problems that depressed areas such as these can create. The ability to understand ones own emotion, those of others around you and make decisions rationally based on these responses is vital to social wealth. This expands throughout all human, emotive concepts such as self esteem and confidence to interact with others, which inherently lead to improved abilities in leadership and teamwork. C. The three Areas of E I according to Mayer and Salovey in 1990 In order to fully understand the origins of E I, it is essential to draw upon the original three branch model of firstly, appraisal and expression, secondly, regulation and thirdly, utilization of E I that are present in the 1990 paper[12]. In 1997[13], these concepts were re-devised to encompass identification, use, understanding and management of emotion but they came after the publication of Goleman’s book, â€Å"Emotional Intelligence,† and contain the same broad concepts of the original 1990 paper. Another reason for scrutiny of the earlier work is that the 1990 text was the primary inspiration for Goleman. Explanation of the 1990 categories below does refer to the four branch model devised in 1997. 1. Appraising and Expressing Emotions in the self and others This is a double pronged notion of firstly identifying emotions in oneself and others and then using them to achieve a specific goal, which are facilitated through verbal and non-verbal communication. To understand others, perception is facilitated through body-language and empathy, all of which are key social skills. Mayer and Salovey state that clear communication of emotion is necessary in order to effectively convey feelings as well as be able to decipher emotive responses. The verbal version of clarity is therefore the use of coherent language as a way of expressing emotion. The non-verbal version of emotive expression is as far more widely used tool in emotive expression and appraisal as our specie is well adapted in the art of producing many facial expressions. E I is a recognition of the assessment level in ability to both express and empathetically decipher this non-verbal method of emotive communication. Empathy in particular is regarded by Mayer and Salovey as one of the most base and essential tools in any social specie[14]. 2. Regulating emotion in the self and others This is the process of understanding emotions in order to, ‘monitor, evaluate and regulate,’ them[15]. Mayer and Salovey also refer to the longer lasting ‘mood’ as a key facet of the emotional spectrum that also requires regulation. Moods and emotions tend not to be conscious decisions but are states of minds that the individual can learn from in order to ascertain for the future the precise environments and situations that will bring about these moods. This results in conscious efforts to either avoid or seek the behaviour that will trigger the mood. The complexity of this model is added to by further notions of social association so as to avoid jealousy and promote pride and also to more prominently recall positive mood stimulants as opposed to negative ones[16]. Further to this is the inherent desire to know full sorrow, which although somewhat baffling, is in its own right an educator as to the potential extent of profound joy[17]. Regulation of emotions in others is an essential tool for the workforce as it is key to the employer’s ability to pick out the best employees. This is determinable from indications such as appearance and grooming in the workplace, attention to work ethic, punctuality and contribution to the working environment[18]. 3. Utilization Utilization relates to the management of emotions and in the self. Mayer and Salovey refer to the varied ability in us all to ‘harness emotions in order to solve problems. ’[19] The mood that we are in will draw attention to different solutions that are dependent on a requisite mood as inspiration. This has the result that multiple moods create varied solutions that give way to skills in creativity, flexibility of planning and motivation. 5. The Meyer, Salovey and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) In 1999, Mayer and Salovey’s 1997 four branch model of Emotional Intelligence was developed from an earlier test to measure performance tasks that assessed the ability to perceive the intensity of emotion. The test takers are required to answer questions relating to the outcome of increased intensity of emotion and changes in mood and the predominant task is to therefore select the correct course of action in a given situation. This is the E I equivalent to the IQ test and is a clear indication of the technical stance of Mayer and Salovey. D. The five Areas of E I according to Goleman 1. Self Awareness This is very similar to Mayer’s observation of the identification of emotion in oneself. Goleman points to the maxim of Socrates, â€Å"know thyself[20]† as a major key to the fulfilment of life. ‘Metacognition’ or ‘Self Awareness,’ are essential in order for us to be able to recognise our emotions and, more importantly, the thoughts that these generate: â€Å"being aware of our mood and our thoughts about that mood,† Goleman, accurately draws upon the profound spectrum of differences that are inherent among us in our ability to be self aware. He states that, on the one hand, some of us can be engulfed by our emotive responses and others can be accepting of them but neither of these groups is active in the pursuit of escape from emotional extremity[21]. On the other hand, the self aware individual applies rationality to the emotion in order to aid in its diffusion[22]. 2. Self Regulation An awareness of the self is a fundamental requirement towards self regulation which will allow us, not only to ‘know ourselves,’ but also regulate or control our emotive responses. The afore mentioned, self aware group, who actively rationalise their emotions are the most sophisticated self regulators. Plato himself made the definition between, ‘passion’s slave’ and sophrosyne[23] or: â€Å"care and intelligence in conducting one’s life; a tempered balance and wisdom,[24]† The ability to temper such emotions as rage is regarded as the forefront emotions to which escape is sought. [25] 3. Motivation Positive thinking is a further sophistication of E I that extrapolates from Mayer and Salovey’s notion on seeking specific moods. Goleman uses the concept of ‘hope,’ whose intensity in the individual will determine the outcome following a failure[26]. In simple terms, the defeatist will be utterly demoralised whereas students of a high hope will have the will power to motivate themselves to try harder. High commitment to motivation through hope will most certainly yield a positive outcome. In addition, the status of flow, which Goleman describes as the ’zone[27]’ between boredom through lack of personal stimulus and overwhelming sensations intrinsic to acute difficulty is the exact wavelength that teachers should seek in order to obtain optimum motivation. The problem however is that this is profoundly difficult in large classrooms where the state of ’flow’ is different for each student. 4. Empathy This is one of the most fundamental of emotive skills[28]. This represents his designation of the attributes that Mayer and Salovey described in their account of the ability to recognise the emotions of others. Empathy is the awareness to register the pains and the joys of others, which Goleman determines as essential for the development of ability to caring for the feelings of others and solidifies relationships between family, friends and partners. Without empathy, serious deficits of human compassion are noticeable and these can manifest in sociopath behaviour, child abuse and other acts that are inherent in a lack of empathy. 5. Social Skills The ability to determine the social structure of ones surroundings is a key skill in the development of knowing the emotions of those around us and being able to shape them. Goleman refers to the specific model of an argument between two toddlers and their mother as an illustration of sophisticated handling of emotional perception in others at extremely young ages[29]. This is related to Mayer and Salovey’s concept of appraising, expressing and regulating the emotions in others in order to achieve a specific goal. The adult counterpart is what Goleman describes as the ‘mastery’ of being able to diffuse the extreme emotions of others. E. Critical Assessment of the works The concept that Goleman adds little to the insights of Mayer and Salovey is to ignore the importance of creating a general work that is accessible to the lay individual. Emotional Intelligence is a scientific study of the interaction of the emotional and rational portions of the brain and any attempt to communicate such study and findings to the general public is surely the ultimate goal of the social science of psychology! Education in this field provides the individual with a greater understanding of how they think and react to life and it is essential that such knowledge become just as integral to the well being of basic fundaments of life as are the more practical skills of reading and writing. Further to this, the concept that Goleman is suggesting that we ‘be nice’ is an overly simplistic summary of his writings. Goleman describes intricate flaws that can occur in the neurological communication between the emotive and rational portions of the brain. He accurately describes the effect that long or short term deficits in either emotional or rational awareness can have on the personality and social, interactive skills of the individual. Meyer and Salovey argue profusely that there is more to E I than the simple feature of being nice and far from being contradicted by Goleman, he extrapolates upon this point. This is accurately illustrated by Goleman’s constant reference throughout the five elements of E I to the subjective decision making that is determined by dominance by the mind of either the emotional or rational brain portions. The result is that an argument to be nice contradicts the internal and external factors related to awareness of emotion in ourselves and others that lead to profound differences in displays of characteristics such as niceness. Goleman argues that a normative balance and sophisticated grasp of the above five skills will lead to the most positive response to a given situation and lead to the greater success in present and future life. These positive responses are not confined to displays of nicety. This is merely a common fiction that results from external perception of constant nic eness in individuals who in reality are highly attuned to their E I and reserve negative emotions for extreme situations. F. The Practical Application of E I as it applies to the education of adults The application of good E I in the work place is of fundamental importance. All five elements of E I contribute to a rounded perception of both the self and others that ensures a sophisticated navigation through the roadmap of social interaction, in which sophisticated levels of E I act to facilitate successful completion of the task in hand. The following are two key examples of how this operates in adult life. 1. Military Sophistication the Canadian Armed Forces Livingstone, Nadjiwon-Foster and Smithers prepared a on the use of Emotional Intelligence in the leadership skills of the Canadian Armed Forces[30]. The Forces are an ideal premise from which to analyse E I as they draw upon the two key areas of social interaction that are dependent on E I, namely, leadership and teamwork but that such skills are essential in all adult groups. Livingstone, Nadjiwon-Foster and Smithers draw upon Mayer and Salovey’s later four branch model of E I and identified key uses for leadership such as idealized influence of the role model and inspirational motivation that create the role model and encourage teamwork under the proficient and respected leader. Further to this, individualised consideration through attention by the leader to the individual skills and needs of each team member are fundamental to the utilization of the full potential of a company of soldiers. The intellectual stimulation required in the location of ‘flow’ and tran sformational leadership as a tool for the creation of job satisfaction are also fundamental to efficient armed forces that thrive on teamwork and leadership. 3. Sales Sales instils a third prong of skill sourced from E I and is highly useful for the adult world. This is the power of persuasion. In no other profession is the skill of establishing fast rapport and engaging in emotional sale through the rapid identification of a buying need more profound and acute than in the sales environment. This is because the hard sale technique, unlike the widespread application of E I for teamwork and leadership, requires the sales person to utilize persuasion in order to harness the emotional impulse. This carries with it a more passionate and more definite decision to make a purchase. Conclusion Analysis of both Mayer and Salovey and Goleman have revealed two outcomes. Firstly there are two versions of the E I concept of which the former is both intellectualised and scientific and the latter, by Goleman, is simplified and popular with greater reference to real scenarios as a tool to illustration. Secondly, it is emphasised that both schools are in harmony and each fulfil the two different yet essential goals for the use and teaching of E I, namely, a technical framework from which to develop further intellectual discourse in the highly relevant application of E I to adult life and secondly, a popular outreach those same adults which facilitates them with the opportunity to soul search their own personal endeavours with Emotional Intelligence. Bibliography Articles Mayer, J. D. , DiPaolo, M. T. , Salovey, P. (1990). Perceiving affective content in ambiguous visual stimuli: A component of emotional intelligence. Journal of Personality Assessment, 54, 772-781. Salovey, P. Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, 9, 185-211. D Wechsler, â€Å"The Measurement and Appraisal of Adult Intelligence,† (Williams and Wilkens, Baltimore, 1958) N. Cantor and J. F. Kihlstrom, â€Å"Social Intelligence: The Cognitive Basis of Personality, in Review of Personality and Social Psychology, 6P (Shaver, 1985) 15-33 Holly Livingstone, Maria Nadjiwon-Foster Sonya Smithers â€Å"Emotional Intelligence Military Leadership, Prepared for: Canadian Forces Leadership Institute (March 11, 2002, as represented by the Minister of National Defence) Salovey, P, C. , Mayer, J. D. (1993). Emotional intelligence and the self- regulation of affect. In D. M. Wegner J. W. Pennebaker (Eds. ) Handbook of mental control (Pp. 258-277). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Mayer, J. D. , Stevens, A. (1994). An emerging understanding of the reflective (meta-) experience of mood. Journal of Research in Personality, 28, 351-373. Salovey, P. , Mayer, J. D. , Goldman, S. , Turvey, C, Palfai, T. (1995). Emotional attention, clarity, and repair: Exploring emotional intelligence using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale. In J. W. Pennebaker (Ed. ) Emotion, disclosure, and health (pp. 125-154). Mayer, J. D. , Salovey, P. (1995). Emotional intelligence and the construction and regulation of feelings. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 4. 197-208. Mayer, J. D. , Salovey, P. , Caruso, D. R. (2000) Models of emotional intelligence. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed. ). Handbook of Human Intelligence (2nd ed), pp 396-420. New York: Cambridge. Mayer, J. D. (2000). Spiritual Intelligence or spiritual consciousness? Journal of Psychology and Religion, 10, 47-56. Text Books D Goleman, â€Å"Emotional Intelligence, Why it can matter more than IQ† (Bloomsbury, 1995) Salovey, P. , Sluyter, D. J. (1997). Emotional development and emotional intelligence. New York: Basic Books and Mayer, J. D. Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey D. Sluyter (Eds). Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Implications for Educators (pp. 3-31). New York: Basic Books. Steve Hein, â€Å"E Q For Everybody† (1996) Full text available at http://eqi. org/eqe96_1. htm Video Daniel Golemen Presents: Emotional Intelligence: A new vision for Educators (Video) (National Professional Resources Ltd, 1996) Footnotes [1] Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9 185-211 [2] (Bloomsbury, 1995) [3] See Steve Hein’s article at http://www. eqi. org/hrcom1c. htm [4] Salovey, P. Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, 9, at p187 [5] D Wechsler, â€Å"The Measurement and Appraisal of Adult Intelligence,† (Williams and Wilkens, Baltimore, 1958) [6] ibid 4 at p 190 [7] N. Cantor and J. F. Kihlstrom, 2Social Intelligence: The Cognitive Basis of Personality, in Review of Personality and Social Psychology, 6P (Shaver, 1985) at pp 15-33 [8] D Goleman, â€Å"Emotional Intelligence, Why it can matter more than IQ† (Bloomsbury, 1995) chapter 3 [9] ibid [10] ibid chapter 6 at pp 80-83 [11] See â€Å"Daniel Golemen Presents: Emotional Intelligence: A new vision for Educators (Video) (National Professional Resources Ltd, 1996) [12] ibid 1 [13] See Salovey, P. , Sluyter, D. J. (1997). Emotional development and emotional intelligence. New York: Basic Books and Mayer, J. D. Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey D. Sluyter (Eds). Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Implications for Educators (pp. 3-31). New York: Basic Books. [14] ibid 1 at p 192 [15] ibid 1 [16] ibid 1 at p 195 [17] ibid 1 at p 196 [18] ibid [19] ibid 1 at p 199 [20] See Goleman chapter 4 [21] ibid p 48 [22] ibid [23] See Goleman at p 56 [24] Quoted from the translation of the ancient Greek by Page DuBois. See Goleman at p 56 (ch 5) [25] Goleman at p 59 [26] Goleman at p 89 [27] Goleman at pp 93-95 [28] Goleman at Chapter 7 [29] Goleman at pp 111-113 [30] Holly Livingstone, Maria Nadjiwon-Foster Sonya Smithers â€Å"Emotional Intelligence Military Leadership, Prepared for: Canadian Forces Leadership Institute (March 11, 2002, as represented by the Minister of National Defence)

slavery and the plantation Essays -- Slavery Essays

slavery and the plantation During the era of slavery in the United States, not all blacks were slaves. There were a many number of free blacks, consisting of those had been freed or those in fact that were never slave. Nor did all slave work on plantations. There were nearly five hundred thousand that worked in the cities as domestic, skilled artisans and factory hands (Green, 13). But they were exceptions to the general rule. Most blacks in America were slaves on plantation-sized units in the seven states of the South. And with the invent of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney, more slaves were needed to work the ever-growing cotton game (Frazier, 14). The size of the plantations varied with the wealth of the planters. There were small farmers with two or three slaves, planters with ten to thirty slaves and big planters who owned a thousand or more slaves. Scholars generally agree that slaves received better treatment on the small farms and plantation that did not employ overseers or general managers. Almost half of the slaves, however, live, worked and died on plantations where the owners assigned much of their authority to overseers. The plantation was a combination factory, village and police precinct. The most obvious characteristic was the totalitarian regime placed on the slave. One example of this was a communal nursery, which prepared slave children for slavery and made it possible for their mothers to work in the fields. The woman who cared for black children was commonly designated "aunty" to distinguish her from the "mammy", the nurse of white children. Sometimes one women cared for both white and black children. Boys and girls wandered in around in a state of near-nudity until they reached the age of work. On some plantations they were issued tow-linen shirts, on others they wore guano bags with holes punched in them for the head and arms. Children were never issued shoes until they were sent to the fields, usually at the age of six or seven. Young workers were broken in as water boys or in the the "trash gang." At the age of ten or twelve, children were given a regular field routine. A former slave recalls, "Children had to go to the fiel' at six on out place. Maybe they don't do nothin' but pick up stones or tote water, but thy got to get used to bein' there." (Johnson, 40-45) Cooking on the plantation was a collect... ... with children would be less likely to attempt escape. The marriage ceremony was instructed by the wisest and most respected slave on the plantation, and included the ritual of jumping the broomstick. Males and females were expected to remain faithful after the marriage. The marriages lasted a long time, some thirty years or more. The life on the plantation was the only life known to a slave. Few slaves ever had the opportunity to leave the plantation so it was the only world they knew. One can think of a plantation as an isolated island, with occasional contact from the outside world. It was only through making contact with the outside world that slaves became aware that they too deserved freedom and gained the knowledge to obtain it. BIBLIOGRAPHY E.Franklin Frazier. Black Bourgeoisie. New York 1957 Berkin, Miller, Cherny, and Gormly. Making America: A History of the United States. Boston 1995. Douglass, Frederick. The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. Hartford 1881. Johnson, Charles S. Shadow of the Plantation. Chicago 1941. Olmsted, Frederick Law. The Cotton Kingdom. New York 1948. Green, Bernard V. Bondage of a People. Miami 1991.

The O.J. Simpson Trial Essays -- Trial O.J. Simpson Essays

The O.J. Simpson Trial The O.J. Simpson trial was one of the most recognizable cases in American history. It went on for nine months. There were 11 lawyers representing the O.J. and 25 working around the clock for the largest prosecutor's office in the country. The opinion of the Jury was for the defense, not guilty. I agree with them. It would have been crazy if O.J. was convicted because the evidence was not properly handled or accounted for, the main police officer handling the case was a racist man and the defendant was black. And people who were testifying on the prosecutor’s defense were proven to be lying under oath. First, the evidence such as blood drawn from O.J. was not handled the way it should have been, there was time when the blood was in polices possession that woul...

Will Jamaica Self-Destruct? Essay -- essays papers

Will Jamaica Self-Destruct? Jamaica is an island paradise, located in the northern Caribbean, approximately 145 km south of Cuba and 160 km west of Haiti, with a population of about 2,553,600 million people in 1997 and a land area of 11,000 km/sq. The country has had a low and steady population growth rate of 1.0 percent in 1997. Tourism is Jamaica’s most important industry besides the mining of bauxite (accounts for more than half of exports). It is the country’s largest foreign exchange earner, (generating approximately US$965 million annually) and is still one of its fastest growing industries. These profitable service industries depend on the island and its natural beauty–pure air, abundant sunshine, and clean sandy beaches. This industry is evidence to the close relationship between economic well being and the quality of the natural environment. "You ain’t gonna miss your water, until your well runs dry. No matter how you treat him, The man will never be satisfied." (Bob Marley, 1980) Tourism is both Jamaica’s largest foreign exchange earner and one of its fastest growing industries. A recent environmental study commissioned by the Organization of American States (OAS) surveyed the natural resource base (which supports tourism) and concluded that this base is "heavily stressed" in and around the three main tourist centers (Negril, Montego Bay, and Ocho Rios). The problem is that these areas now support large populations of tourists with high-income lifestyles and these impacts harm both the environment and the people of Jamaica. It could also spoil Jamaica and lead to its own destruction of the land and its deeply engrained culture and roots. Jamaica’s natural resources–tropical temperatures, unspoiled beaches, clear C... ...conomy, R 062059Z, July 1994. Government of Jamaica, Organization of American States, Economic Analysis of Tourism in Jamaica, September 1994. Also, visit the web sight http://www.oas.org Health Analysis, Country Health Data of Jamaica, last revised10/19/99, http://www.paho.org/english/sha/prifljam.html. Myers, Fletcher & Morgan, A lawyers Guide to Jamaica, no date, http://hg.org/guide-jamaica.html , 4/2/00. Seagrasses Policy and Regulation natural Resources Conservation Authority Coastal Zone Management Division, April, 1996, http://www.nrca.org, 4/6/00. Water Resources Authority, March 10, 2000, http://www.wra-ja.org/index.htm , 4/2/00. U.S. Department of State, Background Notes: Jamaica, March 1998. Released by the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs. No author, U.S. Department of State, March 1998, http://www.state.gov/www/background_notes/jamaica_0398_bgn.html

Shakespeare’s Hamlet: A Conflicted Demonstration

Though Claudia also upset this order by murdering King Hamlet), for Hamlet to even consider killing Claudia, he crosses a moral taboo. Furthermore, when the ghost charges Hamlet to ‘Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder' and Hamlet accepts, replying ‘Haste me to Knott, that I with wings as swift/ As meditation or the thoughts of love/ May sweep to my revenge', he once again disregards the Christian value system that asserts Judgment and punishment to be only the right of God, and not of man.Hamlets only redeeming action, Is that after contemplating ‘To be, or not to be', he does not inevitably commit suicide: a death denied Christian burial. Secondly a sense of right and wrong can be derived from common sense, logic and the conscience. In this regard, Hamlet displays no moral integrity, as he firstly used Aphelia by displaying to her a faked ‘antic disposition' (ACTA, Sac. To which she was ‘so freighted' (ACTA, SSL) before allowing her to believe th at her love had been betrayed when he stated ‘I love you not' to her reply, ‘l was the more deceived' (Act, SSL After this, when given the opportunity to kill Polonium, ‘Now I might do it pat' he refrains because the victim ‘now a is a-praying' and the murder then would send him o heaven'. He shows no mercy, deciding to Walt till later when he is behaving In a way ‘That has no relish of salvation Inner choosing then to trip him that his heels may kick at heaven,] And that his soul may be damned and black,' As hell whereto It goes†¦ (ACTA, IS). It is possible however, that this example of postponing the revenge is an indication that Hamlet was perhaps reluctant, and did not truly wish to kill him. This indication of repressed guilt is also shown in ACTA Scenes where Hamlet states ‘†¦ I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things, that it ere better my mother had not borne me. I am very proud, revengeful, ambitio us, with more offences at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in'.Finally, a Judgment of moral integrity can take place when witnessing Hamlet's response to local laws. In this he varied. By Hamlet deciding to take Claudia' life In exchange for his fathers, he was following the pagan value systems of the era which accepted an ‘eye for an eye'. However, on discovering that Guilelessness and be struck off (ACTA, IS), he stole the commission, and illegally replaced it with a copy harming that Without debasement further, more, or less,] He should those bearers put to sudden death,] Not shriving time allowed'.Despite the action saving his life, Hamlet both broke a law, and ensured the death of those who once were his friends. Therefore, though it appears Hamlet believed he must extract his revenge, and at times showed unwillingness to do so, by this action and the behavior he used to carry it out Hamlet betrayed the relig ious rules, logic, common sense, conscience and law of the Elizabethan era, Hamlet displayed an at best conflicted, and at worst absent moral integrity.

Daughter of Kami: Shinto and Christian themes in ‘Nausica of the Valley of the Wind’

Religion has affected art for centuries, because human responses to art and religion involve similar processes: imagination and emotional involvement (Beit-Hallami, 1983). It seems natural for religion to continue its influence on popular culture, especially film, because of its wide reach. However, looking at Japan, is it possible for a â€Å"non-Japanese† religion like Christianity to exert influence its popular culture, and to what extent? To answer this question, we look at the 1984 animated film of Hayao Miyazaki, Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa). Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is said to be the quintessential Miyazaki film (Osmond, 1998) and it earned 740 million yen, with almost a million viewers. It owes its popularity to the incorporation of universal themes like religion, the environment and industrialisation. It contains so many themes, both Japanese (feudalism, Shinto) and non-Japanese (Greek Mythology, Christianity, European medievalism). It is interesting to note that Miyazaki is often described as a humanist, following no particular religion, yet Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ contains an almost equal amount of references to Shinto and Christianity in the film. There are many English versions of the various terms and names of the characters in the film, partly because there is a more complex manga of the same name. For ease of reference to the film, I use names and terms as they appear in the English-dubbed version of Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ released in 2005, to convey the Shinto and Christian elements found in the film, looking at broad themes as well as symbols. Film synopsis The story in Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ takes place a thousand years after a global war, the â€Å"Seven Days of Fire.† Great Warriors, biological weapons with nuclear capabilities, destroyed everything. However, enclaves of surviving human colonies exist throughout the Fukai, or the Sea of Decay. ,The Fukai is a new ecosystem consisting of a vast toxic forest of giant fungi and giant insects with the Ohmu as guardians. The main protagonist is Princess Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, daughter of the ruler of the Valley, a feudal community protected from toxic spores by strong sea winds. She is a nature-loving pacifist with a gift for communicating with insects and animals. Lord Yupa, a wandering mentor, inspires her to find a way to stop the spread of the Fukai. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ often explores the Fukai to obtain plant samples and cultivate them in her secret room. One day, an airship carrying a Great Warrior embryo crashes into the Valley. This embryo was first unearthed by the Pejites, but it was stolen by the imperialistic Tolmekians. These two states intend to use the Great Warrior to destroy the Fukai and the insects. In the struggle for the Great Warrior, Tolmekia invades the Valley. The Fukai and the insects are assaulted in this struggle, and the Ohmu are baited to the Valley to destroy it. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ sacrifices herself before the Ohmu, thereby calming their rage. They bring her back to life and heal her wounds, and then return to the Fukai, leaving life to return to normal in the Valley. Now we will look at two religions that are referred to extensively in the film: Shinto and Christianity. Shinto Traditional Japanese religiosity is a mixture of Shinto, Buddhism, Confucianism and folk religions. â€Å"Shinto†, meaning â€Å"the way of the kami†, refers to the ancient native Japanese religious practices and sentiments. Shinto has four general tenets: worshipping and honouring the kami; love of nature; tradition and the family; and cleanliness (Picken, 1994, as cited in Wright, 2004). Muraoka Tsunetsugu (1964) distinguishes philosophical and ethical distinctive characteristics of Shinto: 1) accepting life and death, good and evil, as inevitable parts of the world we live in, and 2) reverence for the â€Å"bright† and â€Å"pure†, in all matter and thought, endeavoring to overcome physical pollution with rites of exorcism and bad thoughts with a â€Å"pure and bright heart†. The close link between humans, kami and nature, and the significance of purification and rituals are two themes in Japanese religion that carry on even to Japanese contempor ary religions today (Earhart, 1982). For the scope of this essay, I will look at the Shinto themes of harmony with nature, reverence for nature and life, and instance of purification and rituals found in Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. Wa, or harmony with nature is seen to be of utmost importance. One accepts the good and bad with nature, and tries to make peace with it. Miyazaki explains that Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is based on a Phoenician princess in Homer's Odyssey and a Japanese heroine, a â€Å"princess who loved insects†1. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ believes that humans and the Fukai can live together in peace. She embodies the â€Å"relational resonance with humanity and the natural world† suggested by Tucker (1999). At any rate, the surviving humans have to learn to live with the Fukai or risk destruction by insects. The telepathic Ohmu and other insects can be seen as kami, animistic spirits with powers. The Ohmu went â€Å"blind with rage† when Pejites speared a baby Ohmu in order to bait the Ohmu towards the Valley and destroy the Tolmekians. Disharmony with nature is seen to have damaging consequences. In Japan, nature is still venerated and exalted, even though the actual state of nature may be the opposite. Shinto is associated with reverence for nature and all forms of life. In the first few minutes of the film, Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is shown flying on her aircraft into the Fukai. The toxic jungle is rendered beautifully, with glittering poisonous plants, translucent flying insects and serene music in the background. Here we see the unconditional beauty of nature, be it harmless or poisonous. In a following scene Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ comes across a shell of an Ohmu. It takes up almost the whole frame and Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is miniscule in comparison. She pronounces the shell to be â€Å"perfect† and â€Å"amazing†. Embellished with vivid music, an image of a nature revered for its sacredness and perfection is projected. Reverence for nature also comes from seeing it as sacred, and from knowing its power. In the film, humans fear the lethal spores of the Fukai, and its constant spread. At the same time, as the viewer discovers later on, the Fukai actually has restorative powers. It is in fact cleansing the Earth of mankind's waste left behind from the Great War. Similarly, the Ohmu possess benevolent telepathic powers (although they can only communicate with Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½) as well as the power to destroy humans and civilisation. In another scene, Kushana, commander of the Tolmekian army, announces her plan to burn the Fukai. In response, the Valley people exclaim in hushed tones, â€Å"Burn the Toxic Jungle?†, â€Å"Is it possible?† showing that they consider the Fukai indestructible. These powers of the Fukai and the Ohmu cause humans to fear and respect nature at the same time. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ reveres the life of both humans and insects. She implores countless times to the warring Pejites and Tolmekians, â€Å"Please, no more killing!† and â€Å"I can't bear to have anyone else die†. Instead of killing insects that attack humans, she uses an insect charm to calm them down and coax them back to the jungle. This was the case with an Ohmu who was chasing Lord Yupa, and a giant insect that caused the crash of a Tolmekian airship. When two Pejites captured a baby Ohmu to use as bait, Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ risked injury and her life to try and return the baby Ohmu back to its herd. Being part of nature, both humans and insects are seen as equally important and worthy of preservation. Hence, we can see the importance of harmony with nature, because of its sanctity, power, and its inclusion of all forms of life. Another main theme in Shinto is the importance of purity and the use of rituals to overcome a state of contamination. In Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, the Earth has been polluted by mankind, the worst being the nuclear-like Great Warriors which ultimately resulted in the Earth's destruction. Nausicaa realises the toxic Fukai is actually purifying the world: wastes are absorbed by the trees, which turn into stone, crystallizing the poison into harmless sand. The Fukai symbolises a purifying ritual, comparable to how a â€Å"bright heart† would continuously purify itself by ridding itself of bad thoughts, or wastes. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is an example of a â€Å"pure and bright heart† (Tsunetsugu, 1964) who in her mission for peace, tries to purify the hearts of humans from their lust for war and bloodshed against each other and the Fukai. However, she does not have any clear â€Å"rituals† that she uses to achieve this purification except perhaps, her repeated self-sacrifice. In comparison, Kushana also has a purification ritual of her own. She wants to clear Earth of the Fukai by burning it and destroying it completely in order to build a â€Å"world of prosperity†. This idea of sacrifice brings us to the other religion alluded to repeatedly throughout the film: Christianity. Although Christianity is not native to Japan, and not very well-received throughout the years, its prophetic and theistic messages do have some universal value and some Japanese can relate to them as they are something different from the animistic elements of Shinto. Christianity In many ways, the appearance of strong elements of Christianity, a ‘foreign' religion, is not surprising. Miyazaki's work is strongly Western-influenced due to his education (Osmond, 1998). Christianity still has a relatively small following in Japan, because Shinto and Buddhist rituals are still a major part of Japanese life what it means to be ‘Japanese'. The Christian themes in Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ constitute one of many foreign elements that Miyazaki has appropriated into this film. Here we will look at three doctrines of Christianity: redemption, original sin, and resurrection. Throughout the film, Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ repeatedly saves people. When Lord Yupa, the samurai-like wanderer, returns to the Valley, he praises Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ by saying â€Å"Who else would rescue me when I'm in trouble?† In another scene, the barge carrying Valley hostages comes loose and is about to crash into the Fukai. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ cries out to them â€Å"Everybody! I'll save you for certain!† These examples show the Messianic nature of Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. To further cement her image as a prophet-like being, in another scene Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is speeding back to the Valley after escaping from a Tolmekian ship and in desperation she implores â€Å"Please dear God, please hear this prayer! You must protect the people of the Valley!† Obaba, the wise old woman of the valley, realises this explicitly for the benefit of viewers. At the beginning of the film, Obaba, or Grandmother, recounts the ancient legend of the saviour clad in blue who will come to save mankind and â€Å"guide the people†¦at last to a land of purity†. At the end of the film, she realises that Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is the saviour spoken of in the legend. The theme of redemption is clearly portrayed in the film. However, why does mankind need to be saved? The doctrine of redemption comes hand in hand with the doctrine of the original sin. In the concept of the original sin, mankind is born in a state of sinfulness and is doomed to hell unless he is ‘saved' by accepting Christian beliefs. Lord Yupa explains that he wanders to find out â€Å"if mankind is truly fated to be swallowed up by (the Fukai), or if there is still some hope†. Obaba teases him, claiming that he is in fact looking for the blue-clad Saviour. The film addresses mankind's inevitable doom and the search for a saviour. Symbols play an important part in portraying the doctrine of resurrection. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ appears twice with her arms outstretched – reminiscent of Jesus being crucified on the cross – when trying to stop Asbel and the Pejites from shooting. Here we see that Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ adopted such a gesture as a symbol of righteous fearlessness (she was determined to stop the killing that she felt was wrong) and surrender (she put herself at the Pejites' mercy). In trying to save her people from an attack by the Ohmus, Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is shot twice, burned by acid and finally dies facing the Ohmu stampede. The Ohmus, however, revived Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. Her death and resurrection mirrors that of Jesus' after his death and burial. At the end of the film, a chiko plant grows in the pure sand in the Fukai, symbolising the resurrection of nature at last. We see that it is not only Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, but also nature, that is brought back to life. Conclusion In this essay, we have seen that Christianity can indeed influence a Japanese anime, however, the Shinto elements in Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ are far more extensive. The Shinto themes mainly stress mankind's relationship with nature while the Christian themes focus on mankind's destiny. Apparently Miyazaki did not intend to have such religious overtones in Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. However, in the spirit of symbolic interactionism, these religious themes nevertheless have meaning for those who ascribe meanings to them. Viewers (like me) interpret the images and scenes in the film and make sense of them in different frameworks, such as religion. Did Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ manage to truly unite mankind with nature? Perhaps through the medium of popular cultures, she serves as a â€Å"female Japanese prophet† to remind us to strive towards peace and harmony with nature and mankind.