Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener”: Humorous or Tragic? Essay

If ever there are two opposite themes offered in the telling of one tale, it is in Herman Melville’s short story, â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener†. As his perspective swings between the objective and subjective, so swings the theme from comedy to tragedy. Regardless of the two perspectives from which Herman Melville relates the story of Bartleby, the telling of a tragic story with humorous subjectivity, the story’s plot and outcome determines the categorization. In fact, had Melville not peppered the story with his narrative, light-hearted, internal musings, and shared with the audience a â€Å"grasping at straw† style of rationalization, the main theme could only have been categorized as tragic. Regardless of the two perspectives from which Herman Melville relates the story of Bartleby, the telling of a tragic story sprinkled with humorous subjectivity, the actual story line, through its progression should determine its categorization. For this reason, Bartl eby the Scrivener, is a tragedy. Throughout the story Melville relates the many troubling incidents experienced with the mysterious copier. Bartleby’s reactions to his superior are so unlike those which most of us have ever experienced, human nature causes the reader to attempt to apply logic to his eccentricities. When asked to proofread a copy, Bartleby’s outrageous answer is, â€Å"I prefer not to†. Having just been introduced to Bartleby and still formulating a first impression, the audience is required to grapple with a logical explanation for his troubling behaviour. At that point, Melville introduces his first bit of comic relief, enlisting the audience’s empathy in stating, â€Å"To befriend Bartleby; to humour him in his strange wilfulness will cost me little or nothing, while I lay up in my soul what will eventually prove a sweet morsel for my conscience†. Since there is no excusing Bartleby’s behaviour, Melville finds solace in rationalizing his reaction and the r eader is quick to empathize, having found no explanation for the behaviour. When his conscience no longer provides for rationalizing the acceptance of Bartleby’s strange behaviour, Melville invites the reader to appreciate the behaviour’s usefulness. To some degree, the â€Å"little guy† in us is somewhat envious of Bartleby’s statement, â€Å"I prefer not to†. How many times would we have used this statement in our lives if we had no fear of the  repercussions? As the story progresses and Bartleby’s behaviour is becoming the norm, the banter between Mr. Nippers, Turkey and the lawyer becomes filled with the word â€Å"prefer†, the expression which has caused everyone such grief up to that point. After suggesting that Bartleby â€Å"would prefer to take a quart of good ale every day†, Turkey states, â€Å"Oh. Prefer? Oh yes – queer word. I never use it myself†. He then replies, â€Å"Oh, certainly, sir, if you prefer that I should†, upon being asked to leave the room. Melville is calling on the reader’s â€Å"little guy† to relate to the subconsciously driven behaviour of the characters. As the employer becomes more agitated, as a result of his circle of friends and acquaintances’ comments, Melville shares his mental gymnastics with the reader. His though process begins with the suggestion that, allowing Bartleby’s occupation of his offices would result in him having to â€Å"mason up his remains in the wall†, when he died. This not being a logical solution, he moves on to the question of whether or not Bartleby could be considered a vagrant. The reader is astonished with his conclusion that, not only will he not force Bartleby to move, he, himself will move without Bartleby. However extreme the employer’s solution has become, the reader can offer no solution and is dragged, empathetically, once again, into the rationalization of the employer, yet still amused by the bizarre situation. Melville lends humour to one conversation between the lawyer and Bartleby, in the form of contradiction. While visiting Bartleby at the office where he had been left, the lawyer again makes suggestions to Bartleby of ways in which he can better his circumstances. Along with the usual â€Å"I prefer not to†, all suggestions were punctuated with, â€Å"I am not particular†. It is at this point in the story, although amusing in its use of contradiction, the reader comes to realize that Bartleby is not making any kind of statement in his refusal to conform. Having become more evident as the story has progressed, is the fact that Bartleby’s amusing, shocking and at times humorous behaviour is not personality driven but driven by his mental instability. As the story winds down, Melville allows no more room for amusement at  Bartleby’s expense. Bartleby has wound up in â€Å"The Tombs, or to speak more properly, the Halls of Justice†. He has rejected the lawyer’s attempts at conversation and although the lawyer is still trying to make Bartleby’s life easier in the few ways he can, Bartleby refuses to acknowledge it. The sad rumour is shared with the reader, about Bartleby’s experience in the Dead Letter Office, which helps to explain Bartleby’s mental state. Once again, the reader is required to examine his own conscience. Bartleby, as it turns out, if not a product of humanity with all its flaws, is at least an example of it. He draws our attention to this in exclaiming, â€Å"Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity!† â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street†, should be considered a tragedy, if not in the nature of the story-telling, then in the unfolding of the plot. The characters’ eccentricities, when coupled with the narrator’s take on them, have allowed Melville to present the tragedy in an amusing manner but Bartleby has lead such a sad life ending in such a regrettable way, this short story is tragic in theme.

Legislative Requirements Essay

The purpose of this assignment is to identify the key aspects of current legislative requirements and codes of practice for teaching within the animal care sector. As a teacher within the establishment, it is my responsibility to ensure that none of my students are disadvantaged, by taking into account the Equal opportunity legislation, formally known as the Equality Act 2010, which came into force on the 6th October. It states that â€Å"no one is to be discriminated against irrespective of age, ethnic origin, gender, race, nationality, disability or domestic circumstances† the Equality act also replaces the Disability discrimination act. It would be my responsibility as a teacher, to ensure that any resources such as handouts and other learning material are free from bias (Wilson 2008 Pg 21 chap 1). Being in part, a vocational course, the health and safety at work act 1974 would be a key legislative requirement, as an educator I would be expected to demonstrate a model of best practice for my students to look up to and follow, subsequently, The management of Health and safety at work regulations 1999 would also be another piece of legislation which would be particulary relevant Furthermore, as an educator by law I have a duty of care towards my students, the legislation states that as teachers if you are proven negligent, you may have to compensate the injured party, not only does this apply to individuals but the organisation as well, I would have to ensure that whilst providing learners the opportunity to experiment and develop independence, it would have to be achieved in a safe working environment. Reporting of injuries diseases and dangerous occurrences 1995 is also relevant, being an educator in a potentially hazardous environment, more commonly known as RIDDOR, and states that certain incidents are reportable by law, they must be reported to the health and safety executive and the local authority, An example of this being if hospital treatment is needed to be administered to a student following an activity, the educational establishment should have clear guidelines on how to report incidents. There are numerous legislative requirements which as an educator I would have to adhere to. Wilson (2008) states that whilst some of these aspects need only awareness of context, many of them will impact on your first teaching experience, therefore require a detailed knowledge.

Research Project - Strategic Recommendations Paper

Project - Strategic Recommendations - Research Paper Example However, it is important to note that mergers and acquisition would badly affect the competitiveness of a business and produce other unintended outcomes if they are planned thoughtlessly. Modern business organizations take strategic initiatives from time to time to influence the industry forces in such a way to enhance their sales and profitability. This paper intends to give the Microsoft Corporation some strategic recommendations for their future performance in the light of the company analysis and industry analysis already performed in the previous papers. While going through the financial statements of the Microsoft Corporation over the recent years, it is clear that the company had achieved a considerable financial growth throughout 2012 and 2013 fiscal periods and the first half the of 2014 before it began to experience growth declines in second half of the 2014. Although the company is currently experiencing financial setbacks, it still performs better when compared to industry benchmarks. It is interesting to see that in the fiscal year ending 2014, Microsoft was the top leading player in the business software and services industry with a market capitalization of $347.51 billion when the total market capitalization of the industry was $5.728 trillion. Although the company’s cash ratio, current ratio, and quick ratio dropped notably in the recent years, the drop was still better than the industry benchmarks. When the firm’s gross profit margin has been decreasing since 2012, the operating profit margin and net profit margin improved during the period 2012-13 but later slightly dropped in 2014. According to the annual reports, Microsoft’s operating profit margin and net profit margin were 31% and 25.42% respectively in 2014. It is observed that these values were higher than the industry benchmarks at that time, justifying

Home Furnishings Term Project Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Home Furnishings Project - Term Paper Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 F. New Product Developments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 G. Works Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Table of Figures Figure I - LOLA Love Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Figure II - FLEX Loveseat Sleeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Figure III - KLOBO Loveseat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Figure IV – JLOVESEAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Figure V - BOCCA Loveseat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Figure VI - MAGENTA Loveseat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Figure VII - ECO-FRIENDLY Loveseat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Love Seat E-Manual Love Seat Basics Love seats are small sofas or chairs designed for two persons. This type of furniture is called as such due to the romantic connotation that only two persons can sit on it, who most probably have a special relationship. They are also called †Å"double chairs† or â€Å"settees† (Vaughan, par. 1) and was reported to be in existence in America since the 18th century (pars. 2-3). The purpose of making a wider chair during the 17th and 18th century is to accommodate the bigger design of dresses and not for seating two romantically linked individuals (Encyclopedia Britannica, par. 1). It is only in the 19th century that such type of chair was called a love seat or â€Å"courting chair† (par. 2). ... Love seats can in fact form as part of the total decorative setting in the room with the latest trendy designs and color combinations. Love seats have the same height as sofas but horizontally shorter by 10 to 20 inches making them suitable for smaller office area (Decorative Love Seat, pars. 2-3). The design and materials vary with mixture of traditional, modern and sophisticated, and may be thematic or historic (pars. 2-3). Designs, Designer and Manufacturers KI KI love seats are manufactured by KI Group. Its love seat product is categorized under the sofa categories (Commercial sofa, 1). Lola love seat is designed for office setting or any workplace that requires a soothing environment (1). Lola love seat has a beige covering and curves that reflect the contemporary taste in office requirements (1). The design departs from the traditional flat and narrow furnishings commonly seen in offices (1). The curvature of Lola love seat follows the body contour that gives complete relaxatio n despite the pressure that an office environment projects. The thrust of KI designers in going beyond the traditional love seat is reflected in their designs (Flex Loveseat Sleeper, 1). KI Flex Loveseat Sleeper can function as a bed by just pulling the sliding portion beneath the seat (1). The arms are made of solid Maple hardwood while the arm panels, seat and back cushions are replaceable (1). The love seat has the following dimension: total dimension, 61†w x 37.5†d x 33.5† h; seat, 56†w x 20†d x 18†h; and arm, 28† h. There are more than 50 color and fabric upholstery choices for the product lineup ok KI (Approved Fabrics, 1). The online marketing strategy of KI on presenting the types of

The Professional Advice to Rio Tinto Japan Assignment

The Professional Advice to Rio Tinto Japan - Assignment Example Rio Tinto launched a damage control and public relations initiative that was meant to arrest the situation and prevent the company from incurring other major losses as a result of the earthquake (http://mcmaweb01.curtin.edu.au/ 2013). Although it was a success to a certain degree, the company accepted that it had been caught grossly unawares and unprepared (just like Japan) and therefore needed to build a level of preparedness that is sufficient to deal with such situations. This paper is aimed at achieving three things: providing professional advice to Rio Tinto Japan on how to handle the issues that arose from the earthquake. This will be basically done in four ways: a) Developing and using decision criteria to justify the choices among the ‘alternative’ courses of action. b) Based on the decision criteria, developing a range of realistic alternatives to address the ‘issues’ identified c) Deciding on a solution to the ‘issues’ derived from the ‘alternatives’. For each ‘alternative’, providing a justification for the solutions chosen or rejected. d) Providing realistic suggestions on how those ‘solutions’ could be implemented at Rio Tinto. ... It is my intention to avoid making a similar mistake when writing this paper, by being clear and objective with my points and presentations. At the end of this paper, I hope to have come up with a feasible and practical framework to guide Rio Tinto not only on how to handle the effects of the earthquake, but also to build a level of preparedness that makes it capable to deal with a broad range of disasters if and when they happen. I also hope to provide the company with invaluable advice on how to approach the issue of disaster management as a whole, and not just earthquakes. The company will, therefore, be able to avoid a similar scenario in the future. Decision Criteria a) Before formulating the decision criteria, it is important to outline the choices among the ‘alternative’ courses of action and accompany them with the appropriate decision criteria. Choices among the ‘alternative’ sources of action Decision Criteria Training employees on disaster prepare dness Awareness on how to react in case of a disaster. Conducting regular ‘drilling’ exercises Alertness and readiness in case of disasters Reconstruction of the office building to make it capable of withstanding certain disasters The office building should act as a buffer itself by protecting inhabitants from the initial effects of disasters. Acquiring and installing equipment to facilitate safety in case of disasters Warning mechanisms, protective equipment Improving and building communication Facilitate the sharing of information despite the occurrence of a disaster, hence making it easier to pursue courses of action.  

Summary of The Tempest Drama by Shakespeare Essay

Summary of The Tempest Drama by Shakespeare - Essay Example The concept of unveiling the play’s events in a long continuous order dents the play. A good player needs to spell out chronological ideas but these ideas should not run as a prolonged course during the presentation (Baker 145- 150). It is advisable to initiate breaks in the play. An effective component of developing breaks in the play is using songs. The writer should have composed a simple song and made it run throughout the drama. The song should appear before the introduction of key scenes. This not only breaks the monotony in the play but also prepares the viewers for the introduction of a novel idea. Songs are also effective in emphasizing the theme of the play or in recruiting the audience to participate in the play. Audience involvement makes the play be livelier. Another effective approach is dramatizing the play and using other live performance accompaniments. This involves employing approaches such us beating of the drum or other percussion appliances in intervals. Moreover, the play may amalgamate the performance with some melodies from the background. A critical application of these apparatus can improve the live performance. Additionally, the choice of language and tone can radically develop the performance. This means the presentation of different concepts or ideas using varying tones become necessary. Some moods or themes may need to be presented using a low tone while others may demand a high tone. Similarly, some statements need to be cool while others set to depict harshness. Tonal variations sway the audience’s mood making them identify with the play’s mood. Furthermore, the practice improves audience’s attentiveness hence an effective aspect of avoiding boredom. This makes the play interesting and lively. The use of gestures is also a key component of a good play. This critical constituent entirely depends on the actors used in the play. Gestures involve the use of body idioms in speaking the desired information. This entails facial expressions and movement of body parts. Of great consideration is the correct use of these gestures because if used incorrectly, they influence negatively on the quality and usefulness of the plays. Specific expressions and movements are suitable for a particular scenario or theme. In some degrees, this should include the use of appropriate outfits and make-ups. This becomes necessary since the appearance of the performer influences audience’s attitude. It is of worth noting that, gestures outweigh verbal language in communicating certain messages. Gestures naturalize message delivery hence making the play lively (Baker, 120). Importantly, there are some stylistic devices which if effectively utilized can improve the play. Firstly, humorous characters can appear in some scenes presenting the definite message. Humorous characters may involve culprits of ignorance, the misinformed group or chauvinists. These actors simply clash with basic societal ideologie s because of their compromised state. Their condition lands them into awkward and sometimes shameful encounters, which make them perplexed.

Media, Identity and the Popular Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Media, Identity and the Popular - Essay Example Given the power, extent, and outreach of popular media – including films and television, the social construction of characters belonging to racial and ethnic minorities are bound to have a significant impact on the wider audience (Downing & Husband, 2005). Signorielli (2001) described television as "the nation’s primary story-teller" (p. 36) engaged in the role of continuously 'feeding' its audience with healthy doses of what can be construed as 'mainstream' views (Gerbner et al., 2002). The representation of racial and ethnic minorities in films and television, hence, is a critical subject of analysis and needs to be explored because the sheer extent of media outreach and the number of ardent viewers these forms of popular media attract almost ensure a greater social impact over a period of time (Mastro & Greenberg, 2000). This essay aims to highlight, explore, and analyse the manner in which these popular mediums of communication particularly films and television port ray racially and ethnically diverse characters; the gradual shift in such portrayals over time; followed by the influence and impact of the same supported by theoretical implications of such representation. The examples discussed as a part of the study include popular films and television shows from the UK, U.S., and Canada. Media representation of racial / ethnic minorities: An Overview Hall (1981) stated that media as a key tool of propagating ideologies often uses the platform to generate representations of the socio-cultural environment around us by way of images and characters. These characters in turn accentuate the understanding of its audience with regard to the manner in which the world around is and influence them to interpret the messages coded therein with regard to the members of the racial and ethnic minorities. The persistent portrayal of such images leads such characters and / or images to become naturalized enabling the viewers to understand these images and charact ers in the way they are portrayed (p. 11). Cultural theorists focused on investigating cultural and racial representations in popular media have identified the portrayal of 'whiteness' as the dominant theme and as a strategic rhetoric. The images and characters associated with the dominant white population are often indicative of their privileged status in both films as well as on prime time television shows and /or soap operas. It is also often argued that 'whiteness' is often the most dominant and overarching norm against which all other races are measured and compared (Ott, 2010: p. 139). African-Americans have consistently been under-represented as compared to their white counterparts in films and television programs in the United States (Wilson, 1996; Dixon & Rosenbaum, 2004). Although there has been a commendable and dramatic change in trend with regard to portrayal of racial and ethnic minorities on television shows and films over the years, the blacks continue to be either u nder-represented or portrayed in characters / roles that tend to perpetuate and even increase stereotyping (Dill, 2013: p. 253). Most of the popular television shows aired during the previous decade often included Caucasians as key protagonists with supporting

Network Topology and Wiring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Network Topology and Wiring - Essay Example The physical mapping of the network may be geometrical in shape whereas the logical topology would include mapping of the network. Ring Topology – where all elements in a network form a ring, and the unidirectional data passes through all elements in the network and thus, each element has to ensure that the speed is being retained Tree Topology – Where the central hub acts as the node from which intermediate nodes emerge and further nodes may emerge from the that node in such a way that a chain may be formed. The last node is termed as a leaf from where no child node emerges In context to the networking needs of the healthcare center, the mesh topology seems quite relevant. With the enhanced technology measures, the healthcare centers require networking topologies for medical practices, pharmacies, laboratories, even for multimedia purposes like cardiac monitoring alongside other applications. Furthermore, communication patterns need to be developed to deal with payment claims, lab test results and other matters which need to be communicated to various stakeholders (Hoysh, Yoshihashi & Bailey 2012). Various prototypes have been developed to increase networking efficiency in similar technologically advanced healthcare centers. Research and experimentation reveals that mesh network prove to be the most cost effective yet relevant network topology in this context. Such a topology is convenient since it has the capacity to support a wide range of network. Also, delivery time for the conveyance to message may be reduced. As mentioned above as well, a mesh topology is one where every node relays data to any other node in the system. Thus, all nodes essentially cooperate in distributing data in the network. Furthermore, since wireless technology needs to be incorporated, mesh typology is more relevant since it supports such a

Legal Diligence Checklist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal Diligence Checklist - Essay Example Has Joe’s company made adequate provision for removal of debris and other objects from lawns before starting work? The answer to that is yes. This is important because it will demonstrate from a legal point of view that Joe’s company has exercised due diligence in ensuring that the workers are acquainted with safety procedures and know to operate in a safe manner. Therefore, it will negate any charges of reckless endangerment caused by the employer and allegations of disregard for employee safety or non compliance with Government regulations on worker safety and training. In addition to training, Joe’s Company also has provision for appropriate protective gear for the workers in order to ensure their safety at the workplace. 4. Does the employer have an accident investigating and reporting system in place? This ensures that a written record is maintained of all the potentially dangerous accidents that have endangered workers[www.ccohs.ca, n.d.] The answer to that question is a no. This could prove to be a legal liability in the event of a lawsuit for reckless endangerment. 5. Have any arrangements been made by the employer to monitor the workplace? This is important, so that legal allegations made later can be redressed through hard evidence from film. The answer to that is yes, since he has installed motion lights and cameras to monitor workplace activity. 6. Does Joe’s Company have any written documentation of action that was taken against employees violating safety procedures and rules? This is important from a legal standpoint, because it helps to protect against legal liability for worker injury. If a worker has erred and been corrected but repeats the risky action, the employer will not be liable. But the answer to this question is

Marlon Brando won the Academy Award for his performance in The Essay

Marlon Brando won the Academy Award for his performance in The Godfather movie but he refused the Oscar. Examine how this pseudo - Essay Example While trying to avoid the paparazzi seems to be the desire of those who have a pubic persona, in truth, without publicity, the success of a career would most likely not reach the level that has put them in the public eye. In 1973 Marlon Brando was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in The Godfather (1972). Brando attempted to use his status and celebrity, and the event of his receiving the award, in order to promote his personal agenda in defending the occupation of Wounded Knee and the plight of the Native Americans. The creation of pseudo-events have been a framing factor in the way in which the media has been used in order to create celebrity. The media uses celebrities to create sensationalized storied through which they sell their information product, while celebrities use the media in which to frame their image in the eye of the public in order to sell their product - themselves. Sometimes, however, as in the event of the 1973 Academy Awards, celebrities use the ir status in order to sell an idea to the public, to support an agenda that is outside of the framework of the reason that they had become celebrities. Celebrity As Daniel Boorstin suggested, celebrity is the state of being known for being known, a fabrication of human greatness based on expectations of greatness (Turner 5). The power of celebrity has reached proportions to where the public looks to the famous in order to find ‘truths’ rather than to the figures who are central to an issue. Cashmore states that society puts an â€Å"extravagant value† to the lives of celebrity through a preoccupation with people who will never actually have a connection to the average person (1). The context for the emergence of the concept of celebrity is defined by the conditions under which the right mix of circumstances allowed causes to trigger the overall effect. Cashman cites the seminal time period being the 1980’s in which the media began to expand and grow in inf luential power and at the same time, a general loss in confidence diminished the power and influence of political leadership (Cashman 2). However, the power of celebrity had been growing from the time of the emergence of the film industry. . Celebrity culture emerged from a consumerist society as people became commodities on a much larger scale than had ever before been established. As the perfection of scripted lives from the stories within the movies was transferred onto the embodiment of the characters through the actors who portrayed them, an expectation grew around the figure of the celebrity. That expectation was fed by the media who made reports that either confirmed or denied the perception that the public had about an individual. The job of the publicist was to try to control the information, attempting to provide a public framework for the sale of the celebrity image in order to create a forward continuation of his or her career. The media is a tool of sales, the release o f information the advertising on which a person is commoditized. Celebrity is primarily an invention of the 20th century, an invention of media production in which the individual is known for being known (Giles 4). The concept is not defined by profession or

Mystic Monk Coffee Essay Example for Free

Mystic Monk Coffee Essay Introduction Mystic Monk coffee company is a cloistered monastic environment where monks from the Carmelite monastery of Clark, Wyoming spend their daily manual labour hours roasting coffee (Thompson, 2012, pg. 420). The monks are a religious sect of the Catholic church and are fully dedicated to their religious and spiritual side, which requires most of their daily hours, be spent praying or contemplating in silence; this leaves little time to spend on coffee roasting productions, especially due to the small population of monks that are able to live at the Carmelite monastery. There were many restrictions that the Carmelite monks faced with their coffee productions such as having restricted roasting capacity, inadequate land and partial workers. Father Daniel Mary, the prior of the Carmelite order, had a vision of expanding the small monastery of 13 monks, by creating a new Mount Carmel in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming. There is a nearby location called the Irma Lake Ranch that would include a large house, caretaker house, guesthouse, a gothic church, a convent for Carmelite nuns, a hunting cabin and a dairy and horse barn; this would allow the monks to expand their opportunities, as well as expand their Carmelite monk residents (Thompson, 2012, pg. 421). This vision is everything that Father Daniel Mary ever dreamed, the only thing prohibiting the change, is that the Irma Lake Ranch will cost the monks $8.9 Million. The Mystic Monk coffee company only earns money based on their coffee sales (11% of revenues) and donations from private donators; the Carmelite monastery received a $250,000 donation which they can use at their discretion (Thompson, 2012, pg. 420,423). The following report will take a look at the options that are available to the Carmelite monks and what would be the most strategic plan that should be enforced in order for the monastery to be successful. External and Internal Analysis S.W.O.T. Analysis Strengths * Fair trade/ Organic Arabica beans * Variety of coffee flavors * Accessories (t-shirts, cups, CD’s) * Online shopping is available * Tea has been added to selection * Free labour/ No wages paid * Affordable/ reasonable retail price * Membership â€Å"coffee club† * Favors catholic market (large)| Weaknesses * Limited roasting capability (540 lbs/day) * Limited production due to worship * Cant expand due to limited land * Coffee is not a necessity (trend?) * Caffeine is highly addictive (health) * Purchase beans instead of growing * No business expertise/ experience * No absolute competitive advantage * Poor earnings (11% of revenues)| Opportunities * Expand availability into grocery stores * Collaborations (Keureg, Tassimo) * Other purposes (weight loss, bio fuel) * Increase advertisements * Expand into international market * Start a franchise * Open coffee shops (Starbucks, Tim’s)| Threats * Poor coffee growing season * Natural disaster/ weather * Eco nomic Conditions (recession) * Established competition (Folgers, nabob) * Others’ personal religious beliefs * Dependant on donations/ revenues| (Mystic Monk, n.d., pg. 1) Alternatives The Mystic Monk coffee company has to look at their options before they are able to make a decision regarding the continuation of their business. The two options that are available to the Carmelite monks at this point in time are: 1) stay at the current location of Clark, Wyoming, and continue operations as they are and use some donation money to purchase another roaster to help increase production or 2) see if the owners of Irma Lake Ranch would â€Å"gift† them a portion of the ranch without monetary repayment, as a donation, and they would pay the owners as a lease to own the remaining balance of the land, until a breakeven point has been reached. Discussion of Alternatives The first option is to stay at their current location to continue operations as they are. The advantages of choosing this option are: 1) retaining their donations and revenues to improve their current monastery, 2) there is little to no risk involved. The disadvantages of choosing this option are: 1) there is little opportunity to expand the Mystic Monk Company, 2) they cannot easily increase their Carmelite population. The second option is to move to a nearby area, which would involve purchasing the Irma Lake Ranch. The advantages of choosing this option are: 1) the Mystic Monk Coffee can increase production easily, 2) there is a large opportunity to expand, 3) the new Carmelite monastery would allow its population to double. The disadvantages of choosing this option are: 1) there is a tremendously high level of risk involved, 2) the owners may not gift the monks any land. Recommendation After evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative, a decision has been concluded that the most practical and strategic option would be to receive a portion of the Irma Lake Ranch, as a â€Å"gift† without monetary repayment, then pay the land owners on a lease to own schedule with the increased earnings projected from the new Mount Carmel location. This is the most logical selection if they want to expand and improve their Mystic monk coffee brand, as well as their community; the Carmelites will have no opportunity to grow or expand if they choose to stay where they are and continue on as they have been, as well as soon they will not be able to keep the supply at an adequate level to cover the demand for their products. The Carmelite monastery would have more financial opportunities available with this purchase, such as milk production from the dairy cows, horse rides on the trails through the forest, increased population to help roast and package the coffee. Also, the monks would have sufficient land to be capable of growing and producing their coffee beans without the need of suppliers, which in turn will decrease the cost of goods sold and drastically increase the Mystic Monk’s net profit margin from the current 11% of the sales revenue. The risk on this investment is exceptionally high, but if it is successful, the reward and pay off could be far greater than projected. Action Plan A realistic action plan must now be devised, to ensure that the previous decision is executed correctly, otherwise the Carmelite monks and the Mystic Monk coffee company will not be successful. The monastery is incapable of affording the Irma Lake Ranch with the funds that they currently have, including the $250,000 donation. The Mystic Monk coffee company should confront the current owners of the Irma Lake Ranch and see if they would be willing to â€Å"gift† them a portion of the property without monetary repayment, which could be considered a donation; the remaining balance owing on the land could be contracted as a lease or rent to own situation, where a breakeven point would be reached in a reasonable time frame. Also, because the property has been â€Å"gifted† to the Carmelite monks, they would be eligible to receive a tax break, which would significantly affect their financial status. The new property would be able to offer the monastery an opportunity to expand their brand by introducing tourism, sustainability and other financial opportunities. If the Mystic Monk coffee company decided that they would be capable or growing their own beans on the new land, they would be able to drastically cut costs on the cost of goods sold and eliminate suppliers, which in turn will increase their marginal earnings from the sales revenue. All of these new opportunities are realistic and show that the increased earnings would rapidly and effortlessly be able to pay off the remaining balance owing to the original Irma Lake Ranch owners. Conclusion In conclusion, the Mystic Monk coffee company has been successful with its entrance into the coffee market, however demands are increasing and new opportunities are being presented to the Carmelite monastery. If they wish to grow and expand their business and community, they are going to need to take the risk which is to relocate to a more practical location, ideally the Irma Lake Ranch. Irma Lake Ranch offers many new prospects to the Carmelite monks, which they would not be exposed to if they stay at their current location. This property can allow them to be independent from suppliers and venture into new venture projects such as introducing horse trail rides and milk from the dairy cows. Although the monks are a non-for-profit group, the sales revenue will mostly be paid to the original property owners until the principal amount is depleted, the rest of the money from earnings and donations will be put towards building, growing and maintaining the new Mount Carmel Monastery. References Mystic Monk Coffee | Buy Coffee Beans Online | Online Coffee Store. (n.d.). Mystic Monk Coffee | Buy Coffee Beans Online | Online Coffee Store. Retrieved January 24, 2013, from http://www.mysticmonkcoffee.com/store/storefront.php Thompson, A. A., Peteraf, M. A., Gamble, J. E., III, A. S. (2012). Case 1. Crafting and Executing Strategy (18th Edition ed., pp. 420-424). New York: McGraw-Hill/ Irwin.

Child Observation And Development

Child Observation And Development Observation skills are one of the most important skills for social workers to have. Social work involves imposing on peoples lives. Developing the ability to manage anxieties this creates, is essential, ensuring the child remains the focus within complex situations (Trowell and Miles 2004). Child development theories provide guidance on age-related changes in behaviours, thoughts, feelings, and social relationships (Bee and Boyd 2010). Social workers need knowledge of child development, to make an informed assessment whether a child is developing within the spectrum of normal or if they are a child in need. The observation model was an adjusted version of the Tavistock Model for studying infants. The original model observes a baby, an hour a week for the first one or two years of life, within the family home (Fawcett 2009). The observer does not take notes, as it allows them to notice all behaviours, movements and expressions of the child. Everything is recorded in detail after the observation. This can lead to forgetting some information within the write up. This model encourages the observer to avoid making judgements about the childs behaviour and development until after the observation and to reflect on each observation (Fawcett 2009 and Quitak 2004). The emphasis on reflection is strength of this model. It allows the observer to understand and separate their emotions and from the childs emotions (Trowell and Miles 2004). This skill is essential for social workers to make informed assessment of the child. Unlike the Tavistock Model, I completed five, one hour observations, in a nursery for three and four year olds. I did not take notes until observations 4 and 5, where I noted Sallys language for accuracy. I completed detailed write ups straight after each observation and then took time to reflect upon my emotions and thoughts and Sallys development. The nursery was part of a primary school, run by the local authority. The building was separate to the rest of the primary school. Its situated in a relatively affluent, middle class area, reflected in lower levels of free school meals compared to the general population. The nursery is open five days a week and the parent decides the days and times their child attends. Children can attend 8.30am to 11.30am, 12.30 to 3.30pm or all day from 8.30 to 3.30pm. Each session has between 15-20 children attending and the nursery has a total of forty children registered. The two teachers have degrees in early years education. They work part-time, one on Monday and Tuesday and the other Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. There is a nursery manager and a nursery assistant working full-time and a volunteer supporting two days a week. The nursery manager supports children within the classroom and appears to have equal status to other staff. The nursery is governed by Ofsted. The last report in October 2009 awarded the nursery a level of good. The report stated the overall effectiveness, outcomes, quality of provision and management of the Early Years Foundation stage was good. The staff make home visits to all children before starting nursery, to introduce themselves to the parent and child. The nursery is well equipped for young children. There is a large outside playing area, with plenty of age appropriate toys, including plastic climbing frames, slides, bikes and drawing areas. There are windows all the way around the nursery making it light and airy, and the walls are covered with educational material and childrens work. String hangs across the nursery where childrens work is attached. One end of classroom is the free play area with bean bags, childrens sofas, books laid out and an interactive white board, which the children can use. The other end is for the children sit together as a class. There is a role-play area, containing a childs kitchen, and a water tub with toys in. There are four tables in the nursery one set up for painting and art, one for writing and the other two with different activities everyday on. There are two computers each with educational games opened on them. When the weather is dry children are encouraged to play outside. All the children wear school uniform, navy jumper/cardigan, black trousers or skirt and a white t-shirt. I observed a Muslim, British-Pakistani girl called Sally. She is aged 3 years and 5 months. She attends the nursery five days a week from 8.30am-3.30pm. She is slightly shorter than the average height, has long black hair, with big brown eyes. Her parents are married and her mum works at a local high school teaching I.T. She has an older sister and two cousins attending the primary school. She has been attending day care since about a year old, but began this nursery in September 2012. I chose this nursery because it was a five minute walk from my house. It took a few weeks to contact the nursery manager because they were attending home visits. After speaking with this nursery manager she recommended Sally because she had normal development, attended the nursery regularly and thought her parents would be happy to give consent. I gave the nursery the information from the UEA and the consent letter for Sallys mother to sign, which was returned, signed to me. I did not speak directly to Sallys parents and was not introduced to Sally or the class. When I arrived at the observation I took a seat and started observing, which felt uncomfortable. In future observations, I would ask to be introduced to the class as someone watching how children grow, so I am not a stranger in the room. Sally was aware I was watching her but was unaware who and why I was doing this, which may be confusing for Sally. In future, I would speak to Sally, on my last observation to explain who I was and why I had been watching her. My observations took place 01/10/2012, 12/10/2012, 9/11/2012, 24/11/2012 and 27/11/2012. Originally I organised my observations for Friday mornings between 9-10am. I planned this, so I could compare Sallys development to limit other factors influencing her behaviour, such as tiredness at the end of the day. My first observation was scheduled for 28/09/2012; however, Sally was off sick. I decided to observe Monday 01/10/2012 between 9-10am, because I was at university the following Friday. I had arranged an observation for 26/10/2012 but this was Eid and Sally was off school and the following week was half term. This created the large gap between the second and third observation. I completed my final observation on a Tuesday afternoon, 2.30-3.30pm, because it allowed me to observe Sally being collected by her aunt. Although the observations did not occur evenly spread, I was able to observe the difference in Sally with the different teachers. Observations one and five were completed with one teacher, two three and four the other. I chose observation three to analyse because provides a general overview of all areas of Sallys development. Observation in full 23/11/2012 Child observation 9.00-10.00am Three teachers and 17 children present When I arrived Sally was sitting in the back of the classroom being read a story by a volunteer helper. She was looking at the book at she was read to and listening to it. This lasted for around 2-3 minutes until the teacher rung the bell. Sally got up and put her fingers in the air and started to move her fingers back and forth (all the class do this to show attention is on the teacher). The teacher announced it was time for the good morning song and all the children needed to be seated on the carpet area. Sally moved over towards the carpeted area. She stopped at the Playdough table and began to make small round shapes with the Playdough and out them into paper cake holders. She was cutting the Playdough with a plastic spatula, to break the Playdough up into smaller sizes to fit in the cake holders. There were other children at the table doing the same thing as Sally was there. The teacher said everyone should be sitting on the carpet; Sally looked up and then looked down again to carry on what she was doing. As she noticed the other children leaving she left. She and another boy were the last two to leave the table. Sally sat down on the carpet and pulled her trousers up to her knees and crossed her legs, putting her hands in her lap. She sat swaying for a short period of time side to side gently bumping into the boy sitting next to her, while he done the same towards her, smiling at each other. The teacher went round and said hello to all the children, Sally replied hello loudly with a wave towards the teacher. Sally looked over at me after she said hello and then quickly looked away. The teacher began singing the good morning song, Sally did not sing along except for a few words. The teacher then said she had got the song wrong and Sally, along with all other children began to laugh. Sallys face was animated with a large smile across her face. She had got up on her knees and was kneeling, rocking back and forth. The song began again and Sally sung along. She said Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday too. When she said the too she said this a little bit loud with her facial features becoming more prominent. Her lips pointed out further as she said too. Sally counted one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven as the days of the week were counted. Sally was sat rocking on her knees as she sung to the song. As the song finished a nursery assistant touched Sallys arm to indicate to sit back on the carpet and move backwards a bit. Sally responded to this and sat back down on the carpet with her legs crossed an arms tucked in her lap. Sally pulled up her socks. She pulled them so they were up as far as they could go, she then continued to tug at them, appearing to try make them go higher up her leg. She did this for both legs. She then began to press the bottom of her shoe as this made the lights in the sole flash red. The teacher told the class they would be doing a Christmas play and they would be getting dressed up and singing. The children were asked to stand up in a circle to practice some nursery rhymes. The class sung humpty dumpty. Sally knew all the words to this and sung along. She temporarily held the childs hand next to her. Sally followed actions of the class to fall down when humpty dumpty had a great fall, then got up after the teacher said they didnt need to fall down. Sally put her hands out in front of her with clenched fists and began to pretend to ride a horse, when the rhyme said all the kings horses. Sally was smiling while she was saying the rhyme. The class then sung Hey Diddle Diddle. Sally smiled during this rhyme but did not say too many words. She was looking around at other children, many of the other children did not say as much as the teacher did to this rhyme. The class was asked to sit back down and the teacher would pick the children sitting well to choose activities to play with. Sally sat with her legs crossed and her arms between her legs, so she ended up sitting on her hands, and she was rocking back and forth. Sally was chosen to pick an activity. Sally went over to the Playdough table and along with another 5 children began to make shapes with the Playdough. My view was blocked by the other children and could not see what shapes she was making but saw her interacting with other children. Sally looked at me a few times while she was playing with her Playdough, but showed no expression on her face as she looked at me. I smiled at her and then looked away around the classroom. Sally did not smile back when I smile at her. Sally then moved over towards the back area where the teacher had gone. She sat down in the back corner on the childrens sofa with a book. She looked through the book quickly looking at each page quickly before turning the page. She sat there for a few minutes doing this, another girl came and sat next to her and looked at the book. My view was partly blocked by the children in front of her dancing. Another girl went over and stood in front of her, they exchanged words. I could not hear what was being said because of the children in front of her. Sally moved over to the table and began to look at the nursery rhyme sheets which were lying on the table. She looked at each one and then moved onto the next sheet. The teacher came over and said to Sally do you want me to read one to you? Which one would you like? Sally replied that one and pointed to a blue sheet. The teacher began to read this. The teacher was then distracted by another child and left after reading the rhyme. Sally got up and moved slightly away from the chair she was sitting on. Sally got up and began to dance alongside the teacher to a train song. The song has a video which is shown on the interactive white board. Sally was put her hands out in front of her slightly bent and made them go round in circles, like a trains wheels. The teacher said I like your dancing Sally, have you been practicing? Sally looked up and smiled at the teacher and carried on dancing. She began to become more animated in her moves, moving around the carpet with her arms going up and down. Sally said my foot and the teacher looked down and said sorry Sally, are you ok? Sally continued to dance to the song. The next song was a song about stars and Sally moved her arms out the side and her spread her legs (like a star) and then began jumping up and down. Sally danced for the whole song. She then danced to the football song, and pretended to kick a football with her leg. The teacher said Sally come here and Sally went over towards the teacher. She stood next to her and she explained the order for the children to choose the song on the interactive whiteboard. Joanne would be before Sally. The teacher told another child this and as she said and then Joanne, Sally said and then meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and then me. Smiling and looking in the direction of the teacher. As the song finished she said out loud your turn! To the child who was next to choose the song. A boy went up to Sally as she was dancing and she showed her a toy butterfly. Sally looked at him and smiled and said thats not mine. She briefly took it off him and looked at it and then handed it back to the boy. The boy walked away and as he did another boy came up to Sally and started to push her. Sallys face went from smiling to frowning. The boy stopped as they both got closer to the bookcase, and sally moved away from him, still frowning. The teacher said are you pushing sally Harry? As Sally saw the teacher approach her bottom lip dropped and started to wobble, Sally walked towards the teacher and looked up towards her. She made a few sounds like she would begin to cry. This quickly stopped as the teacher spoke to the boy, Sally now had her back to me but I could see she was rubbing her face as the teacher spoke to Harry. The boy apologised to Sally after the teacher had asked him to sorry Sally. The teacher moved away to a different area of the classroom, Sally followed her. I could not hear what was said, but appeared to ask the teacher a question and tell her a short story. The teacher knelt down to Sallys height and listened and responded to her. The teacher asked Sally whether she wanted to paint a picture for her mum or to do some writing. Sally said writing Mrs (teachers name). Sally followed the teacher to the writing table. She stood at the table for a few seconds then looked at the drawing table. She walked over to get an apron and stood beside the table. She looked at the girl standing next to her, who had just sat on the chair in front of her and then stood up. She went to sit on the chair, but then got up again. They both stood next to the chair. Sally stood looking at the table and the other children sitting at it, clutching her apron. The teacher said to another child the shape was a diamond, Sally said diamond as she stood there. The teacher replied yes. Sally began to draw a shape in the air with her fingers. She made the shape of a diamond. She moved her arm down and outwards, then down and inwards. She then moved her arm back up. The teacher said yes thats a diamond shape. The teacher said to Sally you have to wait until theres a space for you to do ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.oh there is a space now James has just finished. Sally walked over to the teacher and looked at her. I could see if she asked for her help to put the apron on. The teacher said I want to see if you can put your apron on, can you do it? The teacher then showed Sally how to put her apron on, putting it over her head and arms through the wholes. Sally sat down at the table and picked up different sponge shapes to print them onto the paper. She printed the amount of shapes she wanted on the paper and then put the sponges back; each sponge had different colour paint. She put each sponge in the correct pot it had come from. She said to another girl can I put that back? she was standing up leaning across the table with her arm pushed out, trying to put the sponge back in the correct pot, which the girl was holding. The girl handed the pot to her. After she had finished her painting she took her paper over to the teacher and stood next to her, showing her. The teacher said lets have a look at your painting, thats lovely. Can you name the shapes for me? sally pointed to each shape saying diamond at the diamond shapes, circles at the circles and squares at the squares. Sally got stuck on one diamond shape as she had printed it in a different direction to the others. The teacher said thats a diamond as well; look if we turn the page you can see its a diamond. She tried to walk behind the teachers chair, between a small gap and a set of drawers. The teacher said what do you say..excuse me please. Sally replied excuse me please. The teacher moved her chair and the stack of drawers and Sally walked through the gap. Sally came and sat next to me at the table I was sitting at, where the teacher was also sitting. Sally was kneeling on the chair. The teacher was talking to another child about the hedgehogs they had previously made. Sally lent across the table and said I did one, I did one. She began to feel the clay hedgehogs she had made previously. They had uncooked spaghetti sticking out of the for the hedgehogs spikes. As she touched them she said ow ow. She turned to look at me and said I just touched a hedgehog holding her hand out in front of her, to show me her hand. I replied are you ok She smiled and turned away. She then turned back to me and said whats your name? I smiled and said Lisa. She turned away again. Sally asked the teacher wheres my hedgehog à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I dont want to touch the spikes She had small whiteboards in front of her to write on. She was using her fingers to clear the pen which had been left on it. A nursery helper came over with some tissue for her to use to wipe it off. She looked over to the girl sitting on the other side of the teacher. The teacher was holding a laminated name card with Sarah written on it. Is that how you spell Sarah? Sally asked the teacher. The teacher said yes its similar to your name sss, s for Sally. Sally asked the teacher wheres my name? The teacher found Sallys name out of the stack of name cards and showed her, her name. Sally was still leaning forward towards the table and had not sat back properly on her seat. Her bum was on the front edge of the chair and she was leaning forward, towards the table. The teacher told her she was worried she would fall off her chair and onto the floor and pulled her seat closer to the table. Sally told the teacher you just, just pushed me! the teacher responded saying she meant to push the chair in. Are you ok? Sally said yes and the teacher said sorry. Sally said she was trying to write all the names of the children in the nursery. She was saying James, John, Ellie, Rob drawing small black circles, about three or four in row, resembling a word. The teacher asked her if she was writing the names of all the children in the class. Sally said she was as. Sally wrote a letter resembling a P and the teacher said if you draw a line down from there (pointing to where the circle of the p meets the line down) you can create an R. R for Rob Sally looked at the teacher and asked her how do you spell my name on the board? The teacher wrote Sally on the white board and said can you copy and write your name? Sally used the black whiteboard to attempt to write her name. Sally was writing small black blobs and circles which appeared to be drawing instead of writing. Sally was concentrated and focused on attempting to write her name. She said rub my name out and no one can see; Sally was rubbing the board with her hand to remove the marker pen. The teacher said to her good thing can start again. Observation ended Analysis of one observation Cognitive development Piaget suggested children have an active part in developing knowledge and understanding (Bee and Boyd 2010). He suggests cognitive development progresses through stages, relating to changes in brain structure and intelligence. The stages are sensori-motor stage (0-2 years), pre-operational stage (2-7years), concrete operational stage (7-12years) and formal operational stage (12+ years) (Smith, Cowie and Blades 2005). Sally is 3.5 years, therefore at the preoperational stage of development. During this stage children develop symbolic thought, the ability to think of one thing but representation it in a different form, enabling language development and imaginative play (Smith, Cowie and Blades 2005). The preoperational child has egocentric thinking, focusing only on their view and believing everyone has the same view. They struggle to understand conservation small changes in appearance do not change the object or its quantity (Bee and Boyd 2006). However, Vygotsky suggested Piaget did not acknowledge the impact the social environment has on cognitive development. Vygotsky believed social interaction is vital for cognitive development, he believed children maximise their potential working with more capable others (Schaffer 2004). Vygotsky described the zone of proximal development (ZPD), the difference between the childs knowledge and, with support, what they are capable of learning. A more capable person offers guidance and support, to the child during the task. Demonstrating how to complete a task and giving feedback on whats right or wrong. The guidance provided a level above the childs current level of understanding, but not above what they are capable of learning, its within their ZPD. This guidance is called scaffolding (Schaffer 2004). These are examples, demonstrate Sallys preoperational stage of cognitive development, this is expected for Sallys age. Sally demonstrates symbolic thought through her use of language and through her actions. Sally sung Humpty Dumpty, clenching her fists and began pretend to ride a horse. Sallys ability to use symbolic thought was shown through her action of pretending to ride a horse her thought was represented in her actions. This was also shown when Sallys dancing to a football song. She pretended to kick a football with her leg. Showing Sallys ability to hold the thought of a pretend ball and express kicking it in actions. Sally had difficulty understanding conservation. After painting she struggled to name a diamond because it was a different position. The teacher said, Thats a diamond as well; look if we turn the page you can see its a diamond. This shows Sally struggling to understand shape remains unchanged even if its position on the paper is different. Scaffolding examples are shown between Sally and the teacher. Sally wrote a letter resembling a P, the teacher said if you draw a line down from there (pointing to where the circle of the p meets the line down) you can create an R. R for Rob. Before this Sally attempted to write the names of children in the class, one called Rob. This was within Sallys ZPD because she had created a P; the teacher recognised this and guided her to write an R, from the P. Sally asked how do you spell my name on the board? The teacher wrote Sally on the white board and asked can you copy and write your name? Sally attempted to copy this. This demonstrates the teacher giving examples and guidance to complete an action. Language development Social Learning Theory (SLT) suggests language is learnt through imitation and reinforcement (Smith, Cowie and Blades 2005). Skinner suggested children imitate adults speech, developing language. Noises resembling words are reinforced, and therefore repeated, overtime developing into words. Children use adults for guidance on what sounds and words to make, correct meaningful words are responded to positively, incorrect words are corrected, until speech becomes adult like (Smith, Cowie and Blades 2005). This is supported by children having higher language abilities when spoken to more often and developing the same language and accent as adults they spend time with (Smith, Cowie and Blades 2005). However language is learnt to quickly for this to fully explain language development (Passer and Smith 2003). Chomsky argues language has an innate, biological basis. The Language Acquisition Device (LAD) allows language to be learnt (Smith, Cowie and Blades 2005). LAD identifies regularities in language, tests new words against these, either accepting or rejecting them (Smith, Cowie and Blades 2005). Children appear to develop language through the same stages, understanding certain grammar before others, making similar errors in production and comprehension at each stage (Whitaker 2010) supporting LAD theory. Sheridan (2008) suggests certain speech patterns are evident at ages three and four. At three children ask lots of wh questions (what, when, why), identify objects by function, count up to ten (learnt by repetition) and listen to stories, wanting favourites repeated. At four children know nursery rhymes, use understandable, grammatically correct speech, begin counting objects and can count up to twenty (Sheridan 2008). SLT is evidenced when Sally needs to walk past the teacher. The teacher said what do you sayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦excuse me please. Sally replied excuse me please. Sally imitated the teachers words; this was reinforced by the teacher letting Sally past. Shes learnt saying this, means other people move out of her way. As Sheridan (2008) suggested for three years, Sally listened whilst being read to, She was looking at the book as she was read to and listening to it. This lasted for around 2-3 minutes until interrupted. In addition Sally counted one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven. Sally sung nursery rhymes, Humpty Dumpty, and Hey Diddle, Diddle and used complex, grammatically correct sentences; Is that how you spell Sarah? and how do you spell my name on the board? Suggesting Sallys language is slightly above whats expected for her age, showing signs of a four year old level (Sheridan 2008). Teachers at the nursery commented her language is above what they would expect for her age. Sallys language development being slightly above expectations could relate to attending a high quality nursery, since an early age. The National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Research Network (2000) suggested high quality day care is associated with better cognitive and language development although quantity of time in day care had neither positive nor negative effects on these developmental areas. Language development was measured on parental feedback, not standardized testing. Possibly biasing results, parents may not want to think their child is underachieving so exaggerate ability. Social development and play Piaget suggested childrens play goes through stages. Constructive play is the first to be achieved (before 2 years), pretend play (2-3 years), socio-dramatic play (3-5 years) and rule governed play (by 5 or 6 years) (Bee and Boyd 2006). Sally is at the socio-dramatic stage of play. Two or more children take roles to act in a pretend scenario. Dunn and Cutting (1999) found children who pretend play with friends, maintain friendlier play for longer. This helped children develop Theory of Mind understanding others thoughts and feelings. Socio-dramatic play is evidenced in later observations. Parten (1932) suggested different types of play, solitary independent play (alone), parallel play (alongside each other, little interaction), occurs between 2.5 and 3.5 years, associative play (activities completed with others, without organization or direction) occurs between 3.5 and 4.5 years and cooperative or organised supplementary play (organised activities, aiming towards a goal). Evidence is discussed in the next section. Theres limited evidence of Sally playing in this observation. She displays associative play at the table, playing with Playdough and interacting with five other children. Play is not organised, they are completing similar activities without a specific goal. Howes, Phillips and Whitebook (1992) suggest lower quality care can result in children wandering, not being involved in social activities or play with peers and teachers. This can have a negative impact on childrens social and cognitive development. However higher quality care with developmentally appropriate activities, encourage children to socialise and interact with teachers and peers have more socially competent children. Moral development Kohlberg refined Piagets theory of moral development, suggesting three levels of development, each containing two stages (Kohlberg and Hersh 1977). Preconventional Level is level one, containing stage one The punishment and obedience orientation and stage two The Individualism, instrumental purpose and exchange. Level two is Conventional Level, containing stage three Mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships and interpersonal conformity and stage four Social system and conscience. Level three is Postconventional or Principled Level, containing stage five The social-contract orientation and stage six the universal ethical principle orientation (Kohlberg and Hersh 1977). Kohlberg suggested people move up through stages, but few reach the Postconventional level. People understand reasoning one stage above theirs but struggle understanding above this. Being in a social group is important to learn what is morally right and wrong (Kohlberg and Hersh 1977). Therefore children i n day care have the opportunity to learn from others about right and wrong. Children below nine are usually at the Preconventional level, including Sally. Reasoning and judgements are based on what authority says is right or wrong (Bee and Boyd 2010), for Sally this is teachers or parents. Right or wrong is understood as whats punished, children follow rules to avoid punishment. Stage two; rules are followed when in their immediate interest. Good, is what has pleasant results (Bee and Boyd 2010). Kohlberg suggests, despite gender or culture moral development happens this way (Passer and Smith 2003). Although, Sally is British-Pakistani she will progress through these stages. Kohlberg is criticised for having a male bias theory and basing his theory on clinical research using scenarios, not based on real life (Smith, Cowie and Blades 2005). Sally displays moral development resembling stage one. Shes well behaved, following rules during the observation. The class have been told when the bell rings, stop, put their hands up and look at the teacher. When the bell rung Sally go

Social Determinants of Health

Social Determinants of Health Q1. The Social determinants of health is the observed social, economic, mental and environmental health factors that affect the quality of life of society or its people. The basic formation of these factors have been separated and placed into 10 different categories social gradients, stress, early life, social exclusion, work, unemployment, social support, addiction, food and transport (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). One example of a social determinant of health is the social gradient. The social gradient is a socio-political theory that places people on a social ladder and categorises them based on their overall financial, social and hierarchical standing in society (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). The social gradient demonstrates that life expectancy is shorter and affliction of disease is higher if you reside further down the social ladder (Marmot Wilkinson, 2006). The social gradient demonstrates the effect of social standing on people and how it effects quality o f life, therefore making it a Social Determinant of Health. Q2. Causes of the causes is a term used to describe the social determinants of health for each category and how it may impact upon the other categories. For example Marmot and Wilkinson state that it is not an accident that people regularly consume food with high saturated fat and salt content. What causes this to occur is food availability, culture, affordability and culture as well as many other possible external influences (Marmot Wilkinson, 2006). Then if healthy food prices were to escalate, poorer citizens would struggle to purchase healthy food. The poorer citizens then resort to purchasing cheaper and unhealthier food which contain unhealthy amounts of sugar and fats. These sugar and fats then cause obesity, heart problems and many other diseases and illnesses that effect these people of lower socio-economic status (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). This demonstrates that one category caused an effect in another. In Fig. 8. in the book EN: Social determinants of health it shows the mortality rate from coronary heart disease in comparison to fruit and vegetable supply in selected European countries. (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010) This graph demonstrates that a decrease in health food supplies in kg/per person/per year causes an increase in standardised death rates aged 35-74. There is a direct effect of food prices going up as lack of supply, these items would become less affordable as well as vice versa. A good diet and adequate food supply are main areas of health promotion and overall well-being of a person. (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010) These cause and effect issues are the main issues in dealing with health problems as one change could drastically effect the lives of Australian citizens, particularly those who are in a lower socio-economic standings. (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010) Q3. Barbara is a 52 year old unemployed, single mother who has fallen on hard times. She receives inadequate payments from the government via the Newstart allowance scheme, and struggles to pay off her car loan and rent. Barbara has many problems, however the main focus of this question will be on her social support, her ability to cope with the mental and physical stresses of her life and her health issues involving her current unemployment. Barbara describes her social life as being ‘non-existent’ as a result of her financial difficulties and doesn’t normally get to see her friends, now simple socialising events such as grabbing a coffee with her friends is seen as a luxurious expenditure (Thompson Ramsay, 2013). Socialising is an important experience within our lives, without the help and support and friendship of others, maintaining quality of life would be near impossible. Lack of a social life can even lead to physical problems as explained in the book ‘Social Determinants of Health the Solid Facts’ on the graph Fig. 6 (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). The graph shows results gathered of both male and females in America, Where the age-adjusted mortality rates are compared with level of social integration. The graph demonstrates a correlation of when there is a decrease of social integration, it results in an increase of age-adjusted mortality rate (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). This highlights that we are a social species, isolation can be very damaging and could cause a variety of mental anguish and mentals issues such as depression or even physical problems like an increase of disability from chronic diseases (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). As evident in Fig. 6, lack of social integration can cause physical harm to our bodies and is a quintessential in maintaining our physical health (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). Therefore, Barbara’s lack of social behaviour increases her risk of dying slightly, as small as the increase is, these small Health factors can easily pile up and cause large changes in quality of life. Barbara’s stress mainly forms from her recent unemployment and her increasing debt of her car loan, which escalated to be more than the actual car is worth (Thompson Ramsay, 2013). This emotional strain can be observed on Barbara’s face as she received a Coles gift card for 60 dollars from the Spiers Centre employee (Thompson Ramsay, 2013). Barbara becomes emotional and continually thanks the Spiers centre employee for helping her with her current situation, she highlighted that she would for once be able to pay for her own groceries and toiletries instead of resorting to borrowing them. Barbara’s Stress could also can activate the flight or fight response in the body, resulting increase in heart rate and alertness by stored energy from diverging blood to the muscles, this is known as the stress response (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). Turning on this stress response â€Å"diverts energy and resources away from physiological processes important to long -term health maintenance† (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). Therefore, during periods of long durations of continued stress can lead to increase vulnerability of a wide range of conditions and diseases such as â€Å"diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, depression and aggression† (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). The major cause of the Barbara’s other two issues stated can be linked back to her unemployment. Due to her lack of income, she has resorted to many desperate attempts to keep herself afloat financially. This includes buying items based on budget instead of necessity. The fact that she lost her job as a result of poor health indicates that she was having health issues even before finance and employment were specific problems in her life (Thompson Ramsay, 2013). Therefore, the current events would only aggravate her situation of stress and social isolation she currently is experiencing. Q4. The basic fundamentals of stress can be outlined by what are the causes of stress in the first place and what can be done to remedy these stress factors? According to the Australian Psychological Society, â€Å"Australians aged 18-25 and 46-55 reported the lowest levels of wellbeing† (The Australian Psychological Society, 2014). Stress is caused by many factors, majority of these factors are the result of financial and family issues which is the leading cause of stress amongst Australian citizens (The Australian Psychological Society, 2014). Similar to all previous surveys conducted, issues involving health concerns are frequently rated as sources of stress to people who experience personal health issues, problems with maintaining their healthy and active lifestyle and also issues where a close person’s health has been compromised (The Australian Psychological Society, 2014). With this information you can easily target particular age groups that are experiencing the se issues more than others, and try to involve not just informative ways of creating prevention and improvement but also with the use of practical techniques. Stresses in life come from expectations we have for ourselves, as well as expectation from others for us. In a radio interview with Terence Cheng a researcher from the University of Melbourne’s Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, studied and identified statistics that proved the existence of a midlife crisis, Ashley Hall a reporter for the ABC asked about his findings into. Terence Cheng’s study shows that after the age of 18 there is a gradual decline in happiness until the age of around 40 to 42 years old (Hall, 2014). The stresses in life occur where many events can cause huge outcomes in the happiness of a person, events such as marriage, losing one’s job, illness and death of a close loved one can cause major swings in the happiness and stress of the person experiencing these life events (Hall, 2014). Alan Oster the National Australia Bank’s chief economist conducted a survey that had similar results from the National Australia Bankâ₠¬â„¢s Quarterly Australian Wellbeing Index. Alan Oster states that â€Å"what weve had is that the lowest tended to be in the 18 to 29 year olds, where I think there was a lot of stress in terms of unemployment† (Hall, 2014). These ages indicate where stress is becoming most of a problem, The Australian Psychological Society and Alan Oster both state that slumps in happiness as well as wellbeing occur around the age of 18 to mid-20s because of unemployment. Australia has an unemployment rate of 6.1% which is 115th in the world (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2015; Trading Economics, 2015). We could attribute this to our aging population where there is a total increase of one person every 1 minute and 21 seconds (Australian Bureau of Statistics , 2015). Jobs are drying up as a result of this population increase and therefore my project proposal is to decrease unemployment rates in Australia through funding small and large business, as well as implementing a bonus stimulus for people who have one child or less, in an attempt to slow population growth. The small and large business proposal will be funding small and large businesses for use only allowed on expansion amongst city and urban areas of Australia . This is hoped to create more venues for jobs, allow expansion of companies creating new section for workers, and thus decrease the unemployment rate in Australia.

Jane Austen Essay -- essays papers

Jane Austen 6. How does Mansfield Park interrogate the relationship of power and gender? Mansfield Park by Jane Austen is a classic realist text, which is almost exclusively focused on a small strip of society, namely the upper-middle class of rural England; the class to which she herself belonged. Throughout her novel, Austen portrays the disadvantaged position of woman, presenting the issues of gender stereotyping and marriage choice as the main problems they have to confront. â€Å"Gender came to be seen as a construct of society, designed to facilitate the smooth-running of society to the advantage of men†1, proving that men gained power throughout the socially constructed subordination of woman. Taking a post-structuralist approach to Mansfield Park, we can see that there is a â€Å"pretence that bourgeois culture is ‘natural’†¦to limit meaning in the interests of control, repression and privilege†2. Austen’s writing embodies middle-class values, and portrays an ideology that emphasises patriarchal rule, along with social and economic power, with little reference to the hardships of the working class. This text is therefore a form of oppressive ideology, in which women are kept in their socially and sexually subordinate place. When Sir Thomas Bertram discovers that Fanny will reject Henry Crawford’s proposal, the cruelty of male power is evident, enforcing the gender role. He does not understand her refusal of a secure marriage, and attempts to change her answer by redefining what she says. Sir Thomas is an authoritative male, and represents the male-dominated system that tries to take control of, and organise a woman’s life for her. Although Fanny represents female resistance by opposing Sir Thomas’s judgement, Auste... ...ation to the women, as they can use their influence and power in a good or bad way. Austen takes the disadvantaged position of women, and analyses sexual stereotypes and prejudices in great detail. Therefore male power and female helplessness are explored fully in her novels. Bibliography: Jane Austen, Mansfield Park (Penguin, 1994) Simone De Beavouir, Women and the Other; Literature in the Modern World, Dennis Walder (Oxford University Press, 1990) Marilyn Butler, Romantics, Rebels & Reactionaries (Oxford University Press, 1981) Mary Eagleton, Feminist Literary Theory: A Reader (Basil Blackwell Ltd, 1986) Terry Eagleton, Criticism and Ideology (Oxford University Press, 1976) Terry Eagleton, Literary Theory: An Introduction, 2nd Ed (Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1996) Dennis Walder, Literature in the Modern World (Oxford University Press, 1990)

Brainwash Training in the Army :: Personal Narrative Writing

Brainwash Training in the Army I never would have imagined I would leave the Army brainwashed. Everyone has the preconception that basic training would be kind of hard and that you would leave in shape. Everyone finds boot camp challenging, and the reward you get for completing it? You leave a brainwashed killer. I joined the Army National Guard while I was a senior in high school. I was tired of Bristol and my unfulfilling life in Tennessee. I could not wait to leave and go far away from home and see what other places had to offer. In August I left for Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, a basic training post. There were a five or six of us that left from Knoxville by van to get there. We arrived around midnight. As soon as we stepped out of the van we were ushered into a room like cattle. There was already over a hundred people sitting elbow-to-elbow on the floor. This room was extremely small and overcrowded, but I managed to wedge myself between two people. Someone was standing behind a counter telling that we could not have weapons, drugs, pornographic material, and things for gambling with. After that, the people in charge, drills sergeants started yelling at us and telling us to get up and run out of the building. They ran us to another building. This building had our beds in it. We were told to go upstairs, put our things on the bunks, and come back down. The drill sergeants said that we had one minute to accomplish this and that fifteen seconds of it had passed. All of us darted up the stairs, knocking each other down, trying to make it back down in time. All of us arrived back down stairs to the screaming of drill sergeants. They were saying, "Front leaning rest position move". Once the drill sergeants saw me they got really angry. I was just standing there because I did not know what front leaning rest position was. One of the drill sergeants came over and began to verbally assault me, yelling, "Are you deaf? I said, FRONT LEANING REST POSITION MOVE!" I told him I did not know what that was. He replied that it was the push-up position in a very unfriendly manner. He said it was all right that I did not know what that meant, because I was another dumb inbred from Tennessee.

Proposed Computerized Examination

Computerized Examination is an application that establishes a connection between the university and the users specifically the teachers and students. This application covers only two features of course management system mainly the examination and course monitoring. Teachers use the application to prepare and deploy the examinations. The students, on the other hand, can take the test at their most convenient time and know their results instantly. Course Monitoring System is defined as an application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of courses or training programs. This application covers the courses that the students take when they take an entrance test.This system will help the teachers determine the number of students taking the course they want. The system can also monitor the student applicants’ courses, population and other pertinent information concerning their examinations. Details such as the total number of test takers, the total number of students applying for a particular course and also the number of students who passed and failed are included in the proposed system. The organization of the Guidance and Counseling Services of Filamer Christian College in June, 1973 was prompted by two administrative concerns: 1) arising conflicts in some of the academic units, and; 2) in order to prepare for accreditation in 1980.The advent of the professionalization of the guidance and counseling known as â€Å"Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004† (RA 9258) strengthened the programs and services through upgrading the qualification and proficiency of the guidance workers. The Guidance and Counseling Center is trying to make unnecessary improvements and innovations every now and then to respond to the guidance needs of the university. Their vision is to have a professionalized guidance services for the development and enrichment of individual and group lives; Mission is to provide a proactive, functional guidance se rvices for the development of holistic, well-functioning individuals, and; Goals is to provide stable, proactive function programs in the basic areas of Guidance Services. Guidance and Counseling offers the following services like: individual inventory services, testing service, individual and group counseling, information service, research and evaluation, placement and  follow up, and orientation.The Career Guidance and School Promotion activities bring the school closer to the elementary high school graduates of the province within reach. Seminar-workshops are conducted annually to help the graduating students learn the basics of jobs hunting and facilitate an understanding of career development. An information center is established and maintained for educational, social and occupational information to guide clients in decision making. Scholarships, job opening and job requirements are posted for public notice. Provide educational, social and occupational counseling to guide ind ividual’s choice and decisions through homeroom guidance, classroom guidance, and guidance hours during departmental convocations.To enhance program, the Guidance and Counseling Center organized the Peer Counseling Program which actively involves volunteer students trained for the work. Their system is capable to produce result but they need more in improving for the better and faster release for the entrance examination and for the monitoring of course. In five years, Filamer Christian University will have efficient and faster method of obtaining a computerized examinations and in monitoring the courses.Problem StatementTraditional examination method spans thousands of years in our country, and frequent exams today brings a lot of problems as well.1. The Guidance Office is using complicated forms.2. The test checkers are having a hard time checking the papers and separating the courses that the students take. 3. The current manual system is inefficient.Problem Objectives Gen eral Objective To analyze and develop an online entrance examination and course monitoring system for the Guidance office of Filamer Christian University.Specific Objectives 1. To design the proposed system that features user friendly electronic tests and accessible online. 2. To design the proposed system that automatically checks test papers and monitors the specific courses chosen by student applicants. 3. To design the proposed system that can prevent the common  errors experienced through manual test checking thus achieving accuracy in automatic test checking results.Scope of the ProjectThe guidance counseling department is directly involved in the development and implementation of the proposed system since the department is directly in charge of giving examinations to student applicants in the institution. It includes the examinations, monitoring of courses in every department of the freshmen students in the university and scholarships that the Guidance and Counseling Office offers.Computerized Examination and Course Monitoring System handles all the operations and generates reports as soon as the test is completed which saves the precious time of faculties spent on reviewing answer sheets. The proposed system includes course monitoring. It excludes the services of the Guidance Office like the Individual Inventory Services, Individual Group and Counseling, Information Service, Research and Evaluation, Placement and Follow Up and Orientation. The institution that will be directly involved and integrate the proposed system is in Filamer Christian University.Significance of the ProjectThe University will benefit from it because the proposed system can be a featured innovation in relation with student services specifically in introducing online entrance examination and course monitoring.The Guidance counseling department will benefit from it because the proposed system introduces an efficient alternative to manual examination. Faster turnout of the examina tion results will help the different colleges in the processing of the student applicants’ which will also yield in higher enrollment. The student applicants can instantly get their test results through computerized examination which will help them to conserve their time and effort in waiting for the results.Definition of TermsTerms here are conceptually and operationally defined for better understanding of the readers.

Gay Marriage Essay

Marriage as defined by Chambers 21st Century Dictionary is one the state or relationship of being husband and wife, two the act or legal contract of becoming husband and wife and three the civil or religious ceremony during which this act is performed; a wedding. Gay marriage has been a topic that has been discussed in the United States for several years now. You have people that have different viewpoints on how they feel about gay marriage more so the big question everyone argues is whether it is right or wrong. We will be discussing gay marriage in this paper focusing on the ethical problems this issue faces. We will look at gay marriage from the deontology theory and then contract the theory from the relativism, emotivism and ethical egoism theory. Lastly I will discuss which of these views I discussed is closer to my view on gay marriage. Growing up I was always told marriage is between a man and a woman and that God wants us to be married and be fruitful and multiply, fruitful meaning having children. This is something that I was told by my parents, grandparents and the church. I chose to discuss gay marriage because it is really something that I have conflicting feelings about based on what I think is right and what I have been told is right, when I was growing up as a young child in a Christian environment. Many Christians quote that God found it unacceptable for same sex relations to take place, because it is wrong. Furthermore, God created woman for man and man for woman, not woman for woman or man for man, as stated in the book of Genesis. You have polls that have been conducted where people still think that gay marriage is wrong. Then religion may be one of the most controversial issues regarding gay marriage, many religions find gay marriage to be immoral and a sin. I think that same sex marriage should be allowed although many of my family and friends wouldn’t agree with my choice. I look at the issue like any other issue that our country has faced like women suffrage and slavery. I don’t think a couple should be discriminated or treated unfairly just because of their sexual preference. The United States of America Constitute states that all men are created equal and have certain unalienable rights. Thomas Jefferson offered as his examples of such rights â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness† (Mosser, 2010). So shouldn’t same sex couples be allowed to have those same rights, shouldn’t they be able to enjoy the life of an American dream that we all aim to achieve. By not being able to pursue these rights we could look at this as a violation of the Constitution. This can present an ethical problem for same sex marriage. Deontology ethics claims that the way to decide if an action is moral is to examine the intentions. Mosser writes that â€Å"deontology looks at the reason for which an act is done, and the rule according to which one chooses to act. Deontology doesn’t deny that acts have consequences; rather, it insists that those consequences should not play a role in our moral evaluation of such acts† (Mosser, 2010). Any time there is an ethical issue there is an ethical problem to follow that issue. First ethical problem we will look at is gay parenting. Many people believe that children being raised by gay parents will deprive them of normal development. Many Americans believe gay men and lesbians should not have or adopt children and that children would not develop â€Å"correctly† with homosexual parents, although research has shown that same-gender couples are as nurturing and capable of parental obligations as other couples. † (Avery, Chase, Johansson, Litvak, Montero, & Wydra, 2007). In the article Children Raised, 2001 a â€Å"study of 55 children–19 ra ised by lesbian couples, 10 by single mothers, and 26 by heterosexual couples–found uniformity among the categories vis-a-vis social skills, well-being, and academic performance†. I feel as long as a child is being raise by people who love them whether they are male or female and if they are being raised by a same sex couple the love the child would get from both parents won’t deprive them of any development deprivation. Although many children may experience some form of negativity from other people like classmates or people who may be against gay marriage. You might hear sometimes how children don’t understand why their parents can’t be married or they treated indifferently or talked about because their parents are gay. Another problem we have is with control. Society deems that is okay for a heterosexual couple to be out in public hugging and kissing each other in public. You have some cities or states that may prohibit this action for homosexual couples. Society sees this as wrong and I think that is why you have a lot of people who are afraid to come out and say that they are gay. Nowadays people are just a little more open to discuss their sexuality as before they were not because they were afraid of the repercussion that they may face. It is even worst for those who are in high power position like celebrities, government officials or people who may be well known throughout the community, as soon as they reveal that they may be gay it is plastered all over the news media, social networking sites and various magazines. It is really bad when they say oh this person was out holding hands or seen kissing his partner out in public. It is easier if you leave in a state that is more receptive to this like California, New York and Massachusetts. You really won’t see this behavior being favored in the Bible belt (the south). My thing is leave them alone if they chose that lifestyle that is their choice, they should be allowed like any other person in this country to freely walk out in public and hold hands and share a kiss. Now another problem is that some people believe that a same-sex couple raising children could destroy the family and social background that our society currently accepts with an opposite-sex couple. I think a child could still develop normally when they are provided the same love and nurturing necessities of life when provided by either couple whether gay or straight. A child needs love and encouragement to grow and flourish as an individual and that can be provided by people whether gay or straight. The environment a person is raised in does contribute to the type of person that they become, if they are receiving love, support and being nurtured by a gay couple it’s no different than opposite couples. Couples whether gay or straight will have that influence to teach a child what is wrong and what is right in life. As a child spend time with family members whether, gay or straight this will be part of the development process to teach a child who they are. I think a child growing up in a same-sex marriage or relationship will allow a child to learn tolerance and acceptance. They will be more prone to accepting things that others may not and be able to tolerate things more than others, cause having a child in an opposite-sex marriage or relationship they may not learn those same values as much as the other person. Same sex marriage would benefit children by increasing the durability and stability of their parents’ relationship. This will also bring increased social acceptable of and support for same-sex families, although those communities that meet gay marriage with rejection or hostility might not materialize. There really is no evidence that heterosexual couples are any more effective than same-sex couples at raising children. Religion is another ethical problem that we must look at when it comes to gay marriage. Religion as defined by Collins English dictionary is â€Å"belief in, worship of, or obedience to a supernatural power or powers to be divine or to have control of human destiny. Two any formal or institutionalized expression of such belief: the Christian religion. Lastly the attitude and feeling of one who believes in a transcendent controlling power or powers. Religion teaches us to believe in god or God or whoever we may believe in, it also teaches us kindness towards others, patience, tolerance and many other things to help us in our daily lives. Religion also teaches us to be able to accept other that may not be the same as us. Some people, including Christians, Jews, Catholics, etic†¦believe that it is wrong for people of the same sex to have a loving relationship with each other. I think each religion might have different interpretation on the teachings that is in the Bible, once religion ay interpret a section of the Bible one why while another will interpret that same section a different way. Does it might either religion right or wrong? No, it doesn’t it is one person interpretation over another. Growing up in a Christian environment it was quoted from the Bible that God found it unacceptable for same-sex relations to take place, because it is lustful and wrong. Then it says that God created man for woman and woman for man not man for man or woman for woman. As a Christian many people say that the primary purpose of marriage is procreation to be fruitful and multiple and that cannot take place in a gay marriage. Equal protection is another problem. The federal government responsibility is to protect and keep all citizens safe, this includes protection under the law. Religion has played a factor in influencing the votes of government officials to ensure equal protection under the law for heterosexuals but not for homosexuals. Bickford states that religious views continuously look down on homosexuality and condemn it. These views continue to influence the American government and the choices made when voting on laws for equal protection. Our government was formed on the basis of separation of church and state but some people are not able to accept that. So why is our government so influenced by religious organization in dictating what action they should take when it comes to voting on these laws? I don’t know if they fear that they would be retaliated against or loose support or funding from religious organizations. I know everyone is entitled to their own religious beliefs but to allow those beliefs to harm citizens in our country is unacceptable and it isn’t right. These actions cause hatred to spread throughout our country because of that. The government says that every citizen of the United States shall receive equal rights. Now why did the government pass out the defense of marriage act? The Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. I think this act is immoral and unfair because it restricts the rights of gay and lesbian citizens. This act should not have been passed because there really isn’t a reason to justify that act. Mosser states â€Å"The deontologist argues that we have a duty, or an obligation, to treat other people with respect; human beings have dignity, and we must take that dignity into consideration when dealing with them. (We also expect others to respect our dignity when they deal with us. ) As the most famous deontologist, Immanuel Kant (1724—1804), put the point, we should never treat another person only as a means to our ends, or goals, but should regard them as ends in themselves. In other words, I can’t simply use a person to get what I want nor can someone use me to get what he or she wants. We have to consider that other person’s needs and desires, respect them, and try to avoid violating them† (Mosser, 2010). The deontologist in this aspect would resolve gay marriage as stating that all human beings should be treated equally. They are human beings so they should be treated the same way that others are being treated. If a woman and a man is able to marry then a man and a man or a woman and a woman should have that same option. A deontologist would also argue that a person shouldn’t be treated differently just because of their sexual preferences. Deontology is like living your life by a set of rules. Now the rules can be used to push yourself into doing the â€Å"right† thing, even if you’d rather not. Now this would help by saying gay marriage is right and it is the right thing to do for same-sex couples, however there will always be exceptions, and this is where the theory falls flat on its face. You will always have someone who will debate this theory. Relativism is the idea that one’s beliefs and values are understood in terms of one’s society, culture, or even one’s own individual values. (Mosser, 2010). Now relativism on the other hand would say for gay marriage that what’s wrong for gay marriage is not necessarily wrong for someone else. Therefore, you have no right to tell two men or two women that they cannot marry, just because you feel personally that it is wrong. What you believe and hold as true is not necessary what someone else believes and holds as true. Relativism would argue that same-sex couples ould argue that marriage is right because this is what they believe in it is part of their values and beliefs. Relativism says that no matter how you argue a point even if every point is completely proven you cannot change someone’s beliefs. This will not work because it is their belief based on how they were raised, religion or even their social influences. I feel that at people whether heterosexual or homosexual should be afforded the same rights under the law of our Constitution. I just wish people would put their differences to the side when it comes to this topic about gay marriage. What really makes me upset is Christian people that I know in my family and at the church they are so quick to judge someone else and say it isn’t right but I am quick to remind them that we are all sinners. Even though you may not like the lifestyle someone chose to leave you can’t make that person change who they are. If they chose to be with another man or another woman that is their prerogative. Then they are so quick to get upset with the government when it comes to these issues. Everyone wants to bring church into politics. I really thing that is a sticky situation and it is so tough given the country that we live in because of the diversity that our country has experienced. I just feel that if someone choses and wants to marry someone from the opposite sex let them. I would say the theory that closely match my belief given the two that I discussed is relativism. I don’t see how gay marriage would bring harm to children that are being raised by gay parents. I don’t think same-sex couples should be deprived of certain benefits or rights because of their sexual orientation. In the article in USA today for gay marriage it states â€Å"But preventing gay parents from marrying hurts their kids, as does denying them equal rights to insurance and Social Security benefits, says Aimee Gelnaw, executive director of the Family Pride Coalition† (Elias, 2004). Why should we deny them these rights that they should be entitled to? If two people want to get married, neither society nor the government should be involved. Religion should stop having such a big influence of political policies and the deeper the donation the more they lean towards pleasing that particular religion. As stated earlier our Country’s constitution allows for the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Nothing gives one person the right to decide what is wrong and what is right when it comes to same-sex couples. What would it be like if the Constitution only allowed certain types of people to be married like only people who tall and has blond hair or black hair. What if they put some stipulation that only whites can marry or only blacks. I am sure that would cause an outrage and scram discrimination. See this is what happens when our government puts limitations on its citizens. This papers has identified some of the ethical problems with gay marriage we have examined what gay marriage is like using the deontology and theory and contrasted it with the relativism theory. I am not gay but I think that a person should be able to choose who they want to be with. I don’t think they should be discriminated against, and at the end of the day it is their choice who they decide they want a relationship with, whether it be a person of the same or opposite sex. Society is so caught up in being in everyone business and who is doing what we want to tell people this is the right way to live or you should do things this way because it is right. Who is to say what that something might be better or right for someone else? Lets’ stop forcing our values and beliefs on others and allow people to be who there are. If they are Christian and they are gay or whatever religion they may be I say leave that between them and their god we should not be the ones judging or condemning them because of something that they believe in or desire. We are no better than the next person.