What is Happiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What is Happiness - Essay Example These were declared to be unrelated to true happiness (Schervish and Whitaker 16). In his monumental Nicomachean Ethics, he pointed out that the majority of the people believed true happiness to be derived from material things. Nevertheless, people express dissatisfaction with fleeting pleasure and Aristotle rightly points out the futility of expecting honor, possessions, and pleasures to provide true happiness. The latter is based on a principle that these cannot create. (Schervish and Whitaker 16). There is some ambiguity associated with the term happiness, which has come to denote an emotion that is the opposite of sadness. Happiness, per se, lacks permanency and determining whether a person is happy is the province of the person experiencing that emotion. Moreover, the attitude of a person towards this emotion determines whether that person is happy or not. Furthermore, the same stimulus or events may fail to produce happiness in an individual, on each and every occasion. Such is the subjective nature of this emotion (Miller). Thus, happiness is chiefly psychological. On the other hand, there are some scholars, who believe that happiness is not merely a subjective phenomenon. It is their contention that happiness is the outcome of enjoying a trouble-free life. This state of being has been held to be continuous by these scholars. As the underlying elements of such happiness are general in nature, there is no subjectivity involved(Miller). Consequently, any individual under the same circumstances as a happy person should also be happy. Aristotle was of the firm conviction that happiness was understood differently by the elite of society and the common man. Nevertheless, within a specific class of society, there was the consensus regarding what constituted happiness. Thus, it was presumed that the proletariat would equate happiness with some obvious condition like pleasure, wealth or honor. On the other hand, the elite could be expected to relate happiness to critical reflection and excellence (Miller). With regard to happiness being the result of the possession of money and health, the elite would attach minimal importance. Ancient ethics promoted the idea that the manner in which people derived satisfaction in their life was the subject matter of ethics. Thus, the good life had to perforce dwell upon issues, such as the manner of life that a person wanted to lead, performing acts that would promote the good of others, and actions that would benefit the individual (White 3). Aristotle had been seized with engendering an environment, wherein good human functioning and prosperity could develop apace. He was of the opinion that the utmost happiness was to be aimed for, both at the individual as well as the societal level. Physical existence and moral and intellectual qualities were the distinguishing features of a life that was prosperous and good(Ormeci). The human soul, according to Aristotle, is very precious. As a result, it is of far greater importance to fulfill moral qualities, in comparison to other elements. He firmly believed that the best possible life that a man could lead was one whose virtue was adequately supported by material resources (Ormeci).  

Thermodynamics Lab Essay Example for Free

Thermodynamics Lab Essay Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to determine the identity of an unknown metal, and to prove whether the laws of thermodynamics hold when determining this identity. Using the accepted specific heat of water (4186 J/kg  · oC), heat flow between two different sets of water though the conduction of an unknown metal can provide useful data in determining the identity. The heat transfers can be calculated to approximate the specific heat of the unknown metal. When heat is transferred to an object, the temperature of the object increases. When heat is removed from an object, the temperature of the object decreases. The relationship between the heat (q) that is transferred and the change in temperature (DT) is: q = mCDT = mC  · (Tf Ti). After the specific heat of the metal is found, it can then be compared to known specific heat values of various metals, which in turn will allow for a probable identity of the unknown metal to arise. Hypothesis: The identity of the unknown metal is aluminum. This can be inferred from the unknown metals appearance, which resembles aluminum it its color, light weight, and luster. The laws of thermodynamics will hold when determining the unknown metal. The laws of thermodynamics must apply in order for heat flow to occur during the experimentation. Materials: The materials used in the lab were two calorimeters (insulated, Styrofoam containers), an unknown metal in the shape of a wide horseshoe, two thermometers, a balance, water, a beaker, and a Bunsen burner. Procedure: 1.Measure the weight of the Pyrex beaker, and then pour 200 mL into the beaker. Weigh the beaker filled with water. Record both weights to find the weight of the water by itself. Let this mass of water be labeled 1. Next, pour the water into one of the calorimeters and take the temperature of it. This temperature should be the room temperature and the same as the unknown metals temperature. 2.Pour 200 mL of water into the beaker and weigh the beaker filled with water. Record the weight. Let this mass of water be labeled 2. 3.Use the Bunsen burner to heat up the 200 mL of water in the beaker to 75o C. Then pour the hot water into the other calorimeter. 4.Set-up the calorimeters by placing the thermometers and the unknown metal in their specific places. 5.Record temperatures of both calorimeters every minute until thermal equilibrium is reached. 6.Clean and return all materials and dispose of any waste. Conclusion: The graph indicates that heat flow did undergo during the experimentation. The cold water increased in temperature, while the hot water decreased. The two liquids underwent changes in temperature until they both reached thermal equilibrium. This thermodynamics law is called the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics. This law basically states that two bodies will naturally reach thermal equilibrium when in contact. The First Law of Thermodynamics was obeyed as well. Only heat from the warmer body went to the colder body. Heat only travels in one direction, from the hot to the cold, as can be seen from the graph. My hypothesis of the unknown metal being aluminum was correct. The results of my lab showed that the unknown metal was aluminum, and later it was said that the metal had in fact been aluminum. The lab calculations went well. The values were somewhat disparate however. For example, the specific heat was found to be 1200  ± 110 J/kg  · oC, but the actual specific heat of aluminum is 900 J/kg  · oC. This difference can be attributed to the imperfect insulation of the calorimeters. Some heat must have been lost during the experiment, which may have caused a distortion in values as a result. Also, the metal was exposed to the outside air, and likely lost some heat to the air. Overall, the lab was a success. The only improvements I would suggest are to have better insulators and more precise instruments. Better insulation would yield improved results. The metal, which was transferring the heat, should have been insulated so that heat could not escape during the heat transfer. More pr ecise instruments would cut down on the uncertainties, which then would allow for better and more accurate results.

Links Between Language and Culture

Links Between Language and Culture The objective of my research My research is based on understanding about how culture is linked to language and verse-visa. This topic wonders me sometimes; I was unable to get a better understanding. I know it is very confusing, hard to understand as people always argue about it and limited of resources to actually find out about the truth. There are too many researchers giving different interpretation and perceptions about language and culture. I am very curious and interested in giving my own opinion and do some research of what has been described liked before. I hope that my reader will have bigger picture. The context of my article is as follows: Jump to: The differences between language and culture How language and culture connects with each other? How language interacts with culture? How language interacts with context? How words are extracted from culture? How phrases are extracted from culture? (example of the Mayas)(Chinese words or characters) Why culture and language is important? Biography The difference between language and culture Language is a form of communication that is used by human beings and animals. Through this communication, is used through either none and verbal communication. Studying just language can be classify as phonology and grammar where phonology represents sounds which has different sets of phonemes that makes understand and learn the proper pronunciation. Grammar can further be categorized as morphology which combing sounds and morphemes are sounds combined in larger units used in making a normal speech. Non communication is another type of communication that includes facial expressions, tone of voice, sense of smell, sense of touch, and body motions. Language is always argued but it is said that language is a component of culture because much of the rest of it normally transmitted orally. Its impossible to understand the subtle nuances and deep meaning of another culture without knowing its language well. Culture gives the perceptions of identification within a society, where we are identifying individually or group. Language influences our culture and the way how we think as most people say that language is part of our culture because its the way how we used and see it within our environment, therefore its the way how we interpret it because anthropologies found out that it depends how people identify or categorize things in the environment and that provides important insights into the interests, concerns, and values of their culture. It influence our language because from since we were born, we have our first language, the language we are the language we were thought this comes from our parents generation, therefore our native language is part of our identity and which tells us more about our culture. Like for example, in Belize, there are three kinds of Mayas existing, namely Mopan, Kekchi, and the Yucate, but the big question always rose as to how we differentiate ourselves. We identify ourselves by the language we speak, the culture we are living, our beliefs, although some things are simila r but we have different approaches of doing things. Language is all about culture and culture is all about language, because this is main basic product of human, then human uses language to communicate with this then commutation brings the culture to the society. For example as mentioned culture is a product of language and language is a product of culture therefore these interpretation how the world see language and culture and to assume culture is to know a culture is knowing a language. Its not necessarily that one should know a culture or must know the culture, in my personal opinion it there must be something that should be known, because this relates each other. For example, I am in Taiwan studying, I do know little about their language, and little about their culture which fits to know the reality about the people and the environment. While others do know about the culture but know a little or none about the language. Nevertheless with further research I found out about an article published in 1990 by the world declaration on education for all (WDEFA) mentioning literacy in the mother tongue strengthens cultural identity and heritage. Based on my understanding, since language relates to each other, any mother tongue language spoken should be maintained so keep up the culture meaning that that language should be readable and writable. Comparing and looking at the history of the Mayas, the most interesting part of Maya is there writing systems, like their pictograph the picture images with universal meaning, ideographic-picture image with arbitrary meanings, logograph which is the units in writing representing whole words, syllable units represent syllables and alphabet units representing sounds that are How language and culture connects with each other? Language and culture are connected in several other intricate and dynamic ways. The language is a product of culture and simultaneously the culture is shaped by how the language allows us to view it. In any kind of language things are view differently but it must orient in a friendly manner. The background of most inhabitants of a culture are similar because we centuries ago we tend to hear the same stories that were said. Language connects culture in many ways, through changing the needs and trends in culture, For example words and expressions maybe needed to express concept that are been discovered or even been invented. These discovery or inventions are used in everyday life. Since culture describes the way live and think while language shows the way we speak and express ourselves becomes changeable from time to time and places, for example, there are some words that described or distinguish people living in rural or urban areas. On the other hand some words used mean the opposite in different places; both can have a positive or negative point of view so there particularly these happen due to changes in culture. How language interacts with context? Context is a notion used in the language science (linguistics, sociolinguistics, discourse analaysisi, pragmatics, semiotics) in two different ways namely as verbal and social context Verbal context referes to surrounding text or talk of an expression(word sentence conversational turn, speech act ext) influences the way we understand the expression Social context were defined in terms of objective social variables such as those of class gebder or race more rescently, tend to be defined interms of social indentity being construed and displayes in text and talk by languages uses Language interacting with context form are extremely difficult to delineate because sometimes things are hard to differentiate especially when deciding whether certain things belongs to a culture and also when making decision The context of culture is language socialization, ths merges ti the communication practices with the context of culture. Studying the language perspective is the pursuit of cultural underpinning thea give meaning to the communication interaction between expert and novice member within and cross contexts of situation. Researchers theorize about culture within different theoretical frameworks, looking culture to which includes bodies of knowledge, structures and of understanding, concepts of the world, and collective representation which are extrinsic to any individual and contain more information that any individual could know or learn. How words are extracted from culture? Extracting words from culture are the most difficult to describe because culture concentrates from various aspects of human life and history. An example of words extracted from culture is tequila as that is essence of Mexico which symbolizes its culture. The other article that I had read is about the Chinese folk model of facial expressions which was analyzed at linguistic perspective view. This research was provides how facial expression are perceived and interpreted by people in the Chinese language. Also the findings are about how facial is encoded from culture view of perceptions and conceptions of a face which are not commonly reflects in the English language Let me continue about how the Mayas got their words. The Mayas spoke many languages as well and the languages are transcribed via hieroglyphs and other written on substances. They painted their words on bark paper that has disintegrated, while just two were presumed to be prestigious forms of the Maya language which were said to be from southern area and one from the Yucatan peninsula, Epigraphy, which means writing on something, refers to writing on an enduring substance like stone. As such, it was impressed, inscribed, or chiseled rather than written with the stylus or reed pen applied to ordinarily decaying media like paper and papyrus. Common topics of epigraphy include epitaphs, dedications, honors, laws, and magisterial registers The Rosetta Stone, which is housed in the British Museum, is a black, possibly basalt slab with three languages on it (Greek, demotic and hieroglyphs) each saying the same thing. Because the words are translated into the other languages, the Rosetta Stone provided a key to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs As the origins of the Maya languages are rose in the western hemisphere from three major families, then splitted into dialects, as the time changes, the languages were changing too and became distinct. There were words, vocabulary that reflects importance things in every culture, most of the time one word can having different meanings in different cultures. The language structure of the mayas sounds similar, while the features difference in meanings based on sounds namely pitch of vowels, glottalization of consonants, glottal stop. The history studied mention that when the Spanish developed the roman alphabet for the maya language they ignored glottal and tone distinctions. The maya language is considered to be polysynthetic referring to one complex word expressed many ideas and the word order are structured as verb-object-subject or verb subject. There is no femine and masculine pronouns but prefixes signal the genders for example naixil Few researchers like Woodbury view the purpose of languages that its linked to essential cultural content. He first described what can be transmitted and interpreted by the native speaker is more complete than if another language is used to convey the same message. For example the use of directional in Man and other Mayan languages is a linguistic trait which conveys and decisive meanings besides the idea of direction. These speakers can communicate and comprehend the metaphorical ideas that are added to messages. Secondly he describe that if a group of people loses their native language, their cultural heritage is also lost. Another example will be some of the Chinese words linking to Chinese culture and beliefs. Like for example a wedding cards that are designed, it is design in a traditional that refers to good blessing, a drawing or a word written or a Chinese character ?on the card signifies blessing, unlimited fortune and happiness. Chinese characters usually have one or more meanings and some of them are particularly loved by Chinese people. Here is the top ten list of the lucky ones. Fu Blessing, Good Fortune, Good Luck Fu is one of the most popular Chinese characters used in Chinese New Year. It is often posted upside down on the front door of a house or an apartment. The upside down fu means good luck came since the character for upsite down in Chinese sounds the same as the character for came. Lu Prosperity It used to mean officials salary in feudal China. Fengshui is believed to be the Chinese way to health, wealth and happiness. If you are interested in Fengshui, you may check out the book The Feng Shui Kit. Shou Longevity Shou also means life, age or birthday. Xi Happiness Double happiness is usually posted everywhere on Chinese weddings. Cai wealth, money Chinese often say money can make a ghost turn a millstone. It is to say money really can do a lot of things. He harmonious People harmony is an important part of Chinese culture. When you have harmonious relations with others, things will be a lot easier for you. Ai love, affection Dont need to say any more about this one. Just want to point out ai is often used with mianzi together. Aimianzi means be concerned about ones face-saving. Mei beautiful, pretty The United States of American is called Mei Guo in the short form. Guo means country so Meiguo is a good name. Ji lucky, auspicious, propitious Hope all is well. De virtue, moral De means virtue, moral, heart, mind, and kindness, etc. It is also used in the name for Germany, i.e., De Guo. How phrases are extracted from culture? Phrases are extracted from culture that express or expand imagination of a reader and a listener Why culture and language is important? Culture is so important because these practices can continue to be passing on to generations to generation and younger generation will be able to see and read about what had existed long ago. This refers to practices of beliefs, religion, lifestyle, or traditions and festivals and this is what makes a community representing culture. Any culture represents the principle of an individuals life because it is so unique for this counts the attitudes, personality, and other behavior characteristics. While language is main tool used every day, be it different dialect, it still makes us survive. This is the only we can communicate or spread ideas from one to another. Therefore language make us identify ourselves of who we are and while culture describe what we do. Language and culture is so important when doing business, presently in most parts of the world things are quite good because they interact with each other and by being successful each country needs to understand the different languages and most of all needs to know the general background of a countrys culture. The main advantage of being able to speak another language is that it allows easy communication among each other. Therefore learning another language gives us deeper understand of the culture, gives sensitivity to have us maintain strong relationships. Biography I am the second child of Mr. and Mrs. Cresencio Cho Sr. born on September 11 in a lovely village named San Antonio Village, Toledo District, Belize. My primary school days were great; I enjoyed it a lot and earned few awards. My secondary education was quite challenging but I still made it through with the help of my parents. After completing my high school, I began working as receptionist at a resort, cashier at the one of the high schools cafeteria in southern Belize, then became interested in teaching, did three years of elementary teaching under the Catholic mission, then decide to change my career. I apply for a scholarship with the international cooperation development fund of Taiwan and I was fortunate to receive it, and thats how I came to Taiwan, Presently, I am a senior student, majoring in business administration. My hobbies are cooking, chatting, singing, listening to music, and sewing, meeting new friends. I love travelling, since 3 years living in Taiwan, I love the country, environment, the convenience it has and of course the people who are always welcoming. I became interested in taking this class with professor Blundell, language and culture, I really enjoyed the content of the class, especially in sharing his experience, this motivate me that I want to experience the same if I get the opportunity although my major is business. I mostly enjoyed the outing arrangement, visiting the museum, this make the class more interesting getting to know more about Taiwans culture especially to learn about the indigenous people. Learning about the indigenous people of Taiwan makes me compare my cultural background, I belong to the indigenous group of my country Belize known as the Mayas, particularly I belong to the Mopan Maya group, Belize has three types of Mayas, the Mopan, the Ketchi, the Yucate. From what I observe and learn, we do have some similarities in our lifestyles. The only difference is the way how live, because like for example, ancestral objects can still be seen, the offerings, the beliefs, This class is very beneficial, if theres another similar course as this one, I will be more than interested to learn more. I am willing to share my knowledge based on what I have seen, I have heard what I have learned, what I personally experience being here for four years.

Early European Exploration Essay -- European History

Early European Exploration European explorers first landed on the shores of what would later become North America more than 500 years ago. Not long after the first explorers had entered the "New World" they found out that they were not alone on this new frontier. Their neighbors in this new land were the Native Americans who had been there for centuries, virtually unaware of life outside the continent. Thus began an inconsistent and often times unstable relationship between the European settlers and the North American Indians. Two nations who had particularly interesting relationships with the Native Americans were the British and the French, both of whom took different approaches to their relations with the Indians economically as well as culturally. Neither nation had complete trust for the Indians, nor did the Indians ever completely trust the men who arrived on "floating islands with many tall trees". Nonetheless, they did interact with one another in their daily lives. Both economically and culturally the French and British went about their interactions with the Native Americans differently. Through first hand writings and documents as well as observations by historians, it is evident that the British and French interacted with the Indians of North America in different ways. In the early beginnings of exploration, both the British and French had relatively good relationships with the Indians because of the economic success that came with simple cooperation. The fur trade with the Native Americans quickly proved successful because of the outrageously high prices it could be sold for in Europe. Years later the economic goals shifted and so did relations with the Native Americans. The French, headed by Samuel de Champlain, ... ...ntually evolved, as the colonies grew, into the highly-conflicted relationships between the two groups in later decades and centuries. Both the nations of France and Britain invested countless amounts of time, money and men into the colonization of the new world. And because of this, both France and Britain did receive the benefits that North America had to offer. In both cases, had the American Indians simply not been there when the first explorers arrived, the history of this continent, and this nation would have been drastically different. The ways the British and the French went about living on the same lands as the Native Americans were so different that they can, in some ways, be considered opposite. Even so they both proved successful in settling land and forming the beginnings of what later would become the present-day nations of Canada and the United States.

How to Invest Money

The money is not the most important thing in life, but sometimes is really necessary, how to spend it sometimes could be a difficult work, some people are great spenders, others spend the money carefully, but in life, we always have the necessity to spend it, in a lot of difference ways, in my case, i am not a big spender, I am a thrifty person, i take a lot of care in how I spend my money, because in fact, i do not work yet, it is my parents money so i have to think a lot of how i use it. I always try to save money for the future, we all never know when we would need it, in this moment of my life I spend the majority of my money in clothes, shoes, make up, food and things like that but all the time i am looking for supplies and discounts because i think i a very smart way to save money. I do not like to buy a lot of things, i prefer to use my money in traveling, going out with my friends and family, knowing new places or doing interesting things, because the material things are gonna stand with you just for a while, but memories are forever. If I win the lottery, I will do a lot of things. First of all I will put all the money in a bank account, and hire someone who helps me to manage my money, the i will discuss with my parents how to spend all that money because i know the have a lot of experience and will give me the best advice. I will by a beautiful house at the beach, with a big pool, in which i can invite all my family and friends and have fun, and another important thing, i will travel all the world!!! , know the most beautiful places in the world, France, England, Australia, etc, learn about their cultures and history, and make one of my dreams came true, go to the snow. I think that a smart way to spend money is to invest, so i will invest in properties, etc. Another thing I would do with all that money would be have my own business, buy a big house for my parents at the mountains, a study in a great University. In fact if i have more money left, i will use it all in charities, and to help people in all over the world, like orphaned children, help hospitals, poor people, etc, and of course help my best friends. I think the money is always going to be necessary but we decide how to make it important in our lives.

Thematic Unit Guidelines

†¢Have an attractive and informative â€Å"Title Page† and â€Å"Table of Contents†. Expectations for these and all other unit components are described below under â€Å"Thematic Unit Components†. Also, be sure to review the â€Å"Thematic Unit Assessment Rubric†. Do not use 3-ring binders or plastic sleeves please. †¢Integrate no more than three subject areas for which there are relevant content standards – one of these subject areas must involve mathematics or social studies education. Integrating both subject areas is preferable but not mandatory. Teach and assess a clearly defined theme or topic that will enable elementary students to meet their local school district curriculum standards or the Colorado Model Content Standards. Planning for Student Learning: Review your school district's curriculum standards or Colorado Model Content Standards and think about what you want your students to learn, know and be able to do as a result of this unit. Begin gathering student and teacher resources and start thinking about how you will teach and assess students' learning relative to the content standards you select. Ask yourself: †¢What do I need to learn myself in order to teach this unit well? †¢What kinds of resources will I need to teach this unit? †¢What types and genres of children’s literature are available? †¢Are there artifacts, simulations, songs, photographs, etc. I could use? †¢What human and material resources are available in my community? Thematic Unit Components Title Page and Table of Contents – The â€Å"Title Page† should feature the title of your unit, grade level(s), the semester you taught the unit, and your program – Elementary PTEP or Post Baccalaureate Licensure Program. Also include your name, your cooperating teacher’s name, and the name of the elementary school and school district in which you are student teaching. The â€Å"Table of Contents† should, at minimum, list each of the unit components described here under â€Å"Thematic Unit Components†. Assessment criteria for â€Å"Developing,† â€Å"Proficient,† and â€Å"Advanced† levels of performance for all unit components may be found on the â€Å"Thematic Unit Assessment Rubric†. Rationale Statement – Every Thematic Unit needs a convincing rationale. Rationale statements should be organized and presented in FOUR sections. Section 1: Introduction – Students and teachers need to know what will be learned as a result of participating in this unit. In this section, explain why your unit topic is an important one for young learners. Describe how students might use this knowledge â€Å"in the real world†. Section 2: Community, School, and Classroom Setting – Describe the community, school, and classroom where you are student teaching. Include information about the community, school, classroom setting, and characteristics of students that are important to consider when teaching this unit. For example, how many male / female students are in the class? How would you characterize students' socioeconomic status? Will you be teaching students with special needs or students whose primary language is not English? Do you have any particular concerns about classroom management? Describe the physical setup of your classroom (a diagram might be helpful). What kinds of technologies are available and will you use of any of them to teach and assess student learning? Knowing and acting on this background information will help you develop, modify, and differentiate instruction and assessment that accommodates the full range of diversity in your students. The goal here is to individualize the teaching and learning process by designing lessons that challenge all students at an appropriate level of difficulty. Section 3: Meeting the Colorado Model Content Standards – Curriculum standards describe what students should learn, know, and be able to do as a result of participating in your unit. In this section, list all of the school district or Colorado Model Content Standards your unit addresses. Under each content standard write lesson objectives that describe how or what students will do to meet that particular standard. Remember that if you list a content standard then you are obligated to teach and assess students' learning on that standard. Also, make sure that you are able to explain how particular lesson objectives enabled students to meet particular standards. You will need to address content standards three times in you unit. First, by listing them here in your rationale statement along with corresponding lesson objectives for each standard, a second time in each lesson plan or learning cycle, and a third time when writing your â€Å"evaluative essay† (which is described below). Here is a suggestion. Develop your lesson plans first, along with appropriate content standards and lesson objectives; next, write (cut and paste) the content standards and lesson objectives from lesson plans into your rationale statement. Finally, after you teach the unit, explain how students met the standards in your evaluative essay. Section 4: Assessing Student Learning – Describe how you will assess student learning relative to each content standard using preassessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment. A. For preassessment, describe the techniques you will use to find out what students already know or think they know about the unit topic. You will need to record and interpret preassessment scores for each individual student (using a pretest) as well as for the whole class (for example, using a KWL chart). Preassessment results are used to provide evidence of student learning gains at the end of the unit by comparing them with summative assessment results (using a posttest). Preassessment data can also be used to revise the unit before teaching it, for example, by changing some of the content or instructional strategies you use, to make more informed decisions about individualizing instruction, and to alter or modify how you will assess student learning. B. For formative assessment, describe the techniques you will use to facilitate students’ acquisition of knowledge and skills by providing constructive feedback that, at the same time, allows the teacher to keep track of students’ progress on a daily basis. This is the time when teachers are constantly â€Å"on their feet† monitoring the learning process, helping students learn new skills and knowledge, and making sure that they are â€Å"practicing perfectly† in order to apply new skills and knowledge effectively to real-world situations and make presentations to real audiences. C. For summative assessment, describe the techniques you will use to evaluate what students learned, in combination with preassessment and formative assessment results. All three forms of assessment should be designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and dispositions you claimed students would learn according to the standards. Remember that multiple assessments provide a much more complete and â€Å"fair† representation of what a student really knows and is able to do compared to any single or â€Å"one-shot† assessment. Be sure the three forms of assessments are aligned with the content standards and lesson objectives; in other words, be sure that you teach students to the standards and assess their learning in terms of the standards. Unit Goal – The unit goal should be derived from state and district curriculum standards; however, you should also be familiar with curriculum standards established by national professional organizations, for example, IRA (International Reading Association), NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics), NCSS (National Council for the Social Studies). The unit goal reflects the unit's curriculum standards but should be stated in your own words. For example, the unit goal for a unit on Colorado History might state: â€Å"Students will understand how our state has grown and changed over time. From the period of early exploration to the present day, I want my fourth graders to become familiar with specific contributions made to the development of Colorado by its rich diversity of people and natural resources. † Lesson Plans – Use the Learning Cycle format for writing lesson plans and develop enough instruction for one full week of integrated teaching and learning: plan on teaching the unit for approximately five hours. For each lesson specify how you will determine what students already know about your lesson's topic (preassessment), how you will monitor students’ progress in meeting content standards during the lesson (formative assessment), and how you will evaluate students’ work at the end of the lesson (summative assessment). Good assessment tells the teacher as much about the effectiveness of her or his own instruction as it does about what students learned and how they learned it. Keep this point in mind when writing your â€Å"evaluative† and â€Å"reflective† essays (described below). Possible Extension Activities – How can I help children extend, enrich, and elaborate upon the major understandings in this unit? What could students do to apply or â€Å"transfer† their learning to real-world problems and situations in ways that will make new knowledge more meaningful for them? List and briefly describe at least three possible extension activities – you do not need to design lesson plans for each extension. A simple one-paragraph description of each extension will suffice. Resources Used – Include all of the resources you used to teach this unit. You may organize your resources by indicating who they are most appropriate and/or by their type; for example, â€Å"Teacher Resources† might be listed separately from â€Å"Student Resources†. Internet Resources† (such as websites) might be listed separately from â€Å"Children’s Literature,† and videotapes, simulations, artifacts, museums, social agencies and guest speakers might also be listed under separate categories. Evaluative Essay – In the first of these two final essays, use all of the assessment data you collected from students to present a clear picture of their learning. Use tables to display and summarize quantitative data and always include examp les of several students' work on various projects and assignments at several different levels of performance. Use narrative to explain quantitative results and what students learned. Present and explain your assessment results in ways that the reader can use to evaluate the extent to which your students met content standards. Hence, this essay should be written as a technical report consisting of both qualitative and quantitative evidence and analyses of student learning. The evaluative essay should present evidence of learning for each student in the class on each one of the unit's curriculum standards. Summaries of whole-class learning (i. e. , what students learned as a class) should also be included. Reflective Essay – One major reason for planning, implementing, and evaluating this unit is to give you practice teaching and assessing student learning over time in a real elementary-school classroom. This work sample is a very authentic task for teachers. As you plan, teach, and assess students' learning, you will be meeting many of the Performance Based Standards for Colorado Teachers. In this essay, describe and explain how planning, teaching, and assessing this unit enabled you to meet the Performance-Based Standards for Colorado Teachers that are listed on the â€Å"Thematic Unit Assessment Rubric† which follows.

Free Essays on Juvenille Delinquency

How do you combat juvenile delinquency when psychologists believe â€Å"much of the delinquency grows out of the adolescents need to rebel against the restrictions of the adult world?† You can’t dispose of adults. So why not eliminate adult restrictions? Yet, restrictions are imposed to offer to offer the framework for societal order. Without adult restrictions, all teenagers would be free to be delinquents. Yet, psychologists say the cause of delinquency stems from adult restrictions. Is this a double-edged sword? Or could you redirect or eliminate the adolescent need for rebellion? If so, you could curb delinquency. Most juvenile offenders go on to become chronic offenders. Male juvenile delinquents are more likely to commit violent or serious crimes like rape, murder and armed robbery (Pancratz, p.7). Obviously, this has a damaging effect on society. Whereas females tend to commit less serious crimes like shop lifting, teenage males are the lifelines for drug trafficking. By being the main consumers, they have an inside handle on the drug culture. As crack babies are born and robberies and murders are committed, it becomes more clear how their drug use has a negative effect on society. Teenagers under the influence of drugs become more violent and rebellious in a world of adult restrictions. Along with authority conflict, parents’ lack of quality time with their teenagers, divorced parents, alcoholic and abusive parents, inadequate schools, drugs and high unemployment create frustration in juveniles that turns to anger and eventually juvenile delinquency (Pancratz, p.7). The temptation of making easy money through drug trafficking is too hard to resist. In addition, boys have to deal with elevated levels of testosterone, machismo and a lack of boundaries. Girls have trouble dealing with poor social and economic status (Green and Stanford, p.162). They have a Cinderella attitude. They hope that someone will... Free Essays on Juvenille Delinquency Free Essays on Juvenille Delinquency How do you combat juvenile delinquency when psychologists believe â€Å"much of the delinquency grows out of the adolescents need to rebel against the restrictions of the adult world?† You can’t dispose of adults. So why not eliminate adult restrictions? Yet, restrictions are imposed to offer to offer the framework for societal order. Without adult restrictions, all teenagers would be free to be delinquents. Yet, psychologists say the cause of delinquency stems from adult restrictions. Is this a double-edged sword? Or could you redirect or eliminate the adolescent need for rebellion? If so, you could curb delinquency. Most juvenile offenders go on to become chronic offenders. Male juvenile delinquents are more likely to commit violent or serious crimes like rape, murder and armed robbery (Pancratz, p.7). Obviously, this has a damaging effect on society. Whereas females tend to commit less serious crimes like shop lifting, teenage males are the lifelines for drug trafficking. By being the main consumers, they have an inside handle on the drug culture. As crack babies are born and robberies and murders are committed, it becomes more clear how their drug use has a negative effect on society. Teenagers under the influence of drugs become more violent and rebellious in a world of adult restrictions. Along with authority conflict, parents’ lack of quality time with their teenagers, divorced parents, alcoholic and abusive parents, inadequate schools, drugs and high unemployment create frustration in juveniles that turns to anger and eventually juvenile delinquency (Pancratz, p.7). The temptation of making easy money through drug trafficking is too hard to resist. In addition, boys have to deal with elevated levels of testosterone, machismo and a lack of boundaries. Girls have trouble dealing with poor social and economic status (Green and Stanford, p.162). They have a Cinderella attitude. They hope that someone will...

buy custom Past Influences on Present Societies essay

buy custom Past Influences on Present Societies essay Colonialism was a major milestone in world history. European nations took over countries in Africa, Asia, and America in order to exploit resources and find markets for their manufactured products. However, many other effects resulted from colonization of different countries. Current socioeconomic or political situations in many countries are influenced by the systems introduced by the colonialists. Different countries were influenced in various ways by colonization. Some of the legacies introduced by colonialism have ended while other persist and are part of the social organization of different countries. This paper will look into some of the legacies that have persisted in different countries from colonialism. It will involve examples of countries where the legacies of colonialism are reflected in the organization and social structures of the countries. Ways through which legacies of colonialism are reflected in the world Discussion of religion as an important legacy Europeans travelled to their new colonies with the aim of converting the colonies into extensions of their home countries. This resulted in the expansion of their religious beliefs and practices to their colonies. Many of the countries that were colonized had traditional and indigenous religions that Europeans did not like. Christianity was the main religion practiced by Europeans. Therefore, the native communities in countries colonized by the Europeans were taught the importance and advantages of modern religions (Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin 40). Most of the countries that were colonized were converted into Christianity. Religion is a central part in the organization and socialization of a country. Colonialists were of the opinion that their religion was superior to the indigenous religions practiced by the natives in their colonies. Changes that were made by the Europeans concerning the religious beliefs of people in different European colonies have persisted to the current state. Many countries in Africa, Asia, and America practice the religions that were introduced by their colonial powers. This situation resulted in variations along the lines of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. These countries chose their religions based on the beliefs of their colonialists, as opposed to their early beliefs. Countries that were colonized by the Germans or Portuguese are mostly protestant while many Italian colonies are Roman Catholic (Poddar, Patke and Jensen 358). The colonialists discouraged the practice and teaching of other religions such as Islam. The colonizers felt that their culture and religious practices were superior to those of their colonies, which they termed as backward. Most of the native people in the colonies were convinced about the superiority of European culture and religion and followed them. In light of this, most of the people in former European colonies still practice the religions introduced by their colonial leaders. The motives for colonization were varied, while most of the colonizers were interested in the resources that the colonies had, others were interested in spreading modernity. This resulted in their persistence in teaching the doctrines of westernization, which included teaching Christianity to the natives. Assimilation was the main strategy that Europeans used to get conformance from the natives. It was thus necessary for them to ensure that the teachings would be followed without rebellion. Europeans gauged their power in comparison with other European nations by considering how much influence they had on their colonies. Therefore, they ensured that the doctrines of religion and their beliefs were incorporated in the administration of their colonies. Western imperialism was central in the indoctrination of native colonies for the Europeans. This perspective of the superiority of Western religions compared to native religions practiced in different colonies has persisted to the present (Duiker and Spielvogel 816). This makes religion one of the most significant reflections of colonial legacy in the world. Discussion of Economic Activities as a Legacy of Colonialism Economic activities practiced in different parts of the world vary depending on resource endowment. Colonialists viewed resource endowment as the main factor influencing their decisions to colonize other countries. Africa, for example, was colonized for its resources in minerals and arable land. The colonialists were only interested in the raw materials that they could derive from their colonies. This meant that little processing was done in the colonies. The colonies were also markets for the finished products that emanated from the industrial revolution in Europe (Chiriyankaandath 38). Colonialists were of the opinion that their wealth as nations could be increased by gaining control over resources in other countries and exporting as much as possible. This legacy has persisted in many developing countries that were former colonies. They maintain trade ties with their former colonial superiors by exporting raw materials to them. The result of this is economic activities that focus on the production of primary products such as unprocessed raw materials and agricultural products. Most countries in Africa produce raw agricultural goods such as coffee, cotton and others, which are exported for processing in other countries. This was the organization of the economy during the colonial era. European nations wanted colonies to extract minerals and agricultural raw materials such as cotton, which were exported to Europe for processing. Although this practice results in loss of revenue due to the low value of exports, many former colonies import the processed products from their buyers of raw materials. This practice was embedded in the policies implemented by the colonial rulers in order to retain economic control over their colonies. Policy change in these countries has been slow in these countries, with the former colonialists having control of government agencies in order to protect their interests. Production of primary goods is labor intensive, which the colonialists utilized for their economic progress. Economic emphasis in different colonies was dependent on the abundant resource in the colony. This resulted in varied types of economies in the territories. Production was meant or exports, as opposed to local consumption, which has influenced economic practice in former colonies today. Many former colonies still focus on the producing of products for export such as production of cash crops, instead of food crops. Legal and governance system as a legacy of colonialism Many colonial territories had indigenous governance systems that they followed before their colonization. The colonial governments had to impose their rule on the territories in order to gain control and govern them effectively. The governance policies implemented in the different colonies were in line with the governance structures of their colonial rulers. The legal systems of many colonies such as those in Africa were deemed as being disorganized and ineffective in giving adequate control to a central government. Colonizers, therefore, had to implement their legal systems to govern the territories. Upon independence, many former colonies did not change the legal systems that were put in place by the colonialists. In many cases, colonies had a common constitution with their colonizers. The government structures in these colonies, therefore, resemble those of the colonizers. Judicial and other administrative systems are also derived from the colonial government. The maintenance of law and order in the colonies was the main reason for the setting up of colonial governments. This resulted in a government that did not act in the interests of the natives. Therefore, the governance structures were undemocratic and imposed rules and policies on people. Decisions and policies were made in the government without any input from the local people. This practice has persisted in many former colonies especially in Africa, where government policies are implemented with minimal input from the citizens. Though most countries have adopted democratic forms of government, participation of people in decision-making is limited in matters such as formulation of the national budget. Government and legal systems are very crucial in a country. The legacy of colonialism on the legal system adopted in the countries is significant because it was difficult for the former colonies to change these structures after the end of colonialism. The legal and governance structures of many countries are greatly influenced by the structures introduced by the colonial government. Examples Spread of Christianity in the Philippines The Philippines is the only country in Asia, which is predominantly Christian. A majority of the people in this county are Roman Catholics, with only 5% being followers of the indigenous Asian religions such as Taoist Buddhism and other indigenous animistic religions. This spread of Christianity in the country resulted from the long period of colonization of the country by Spain. Spaniards colonized the Philippines between 1550 and 1898 and influenced the religious beliefs of the Natives. Most of the communities in the country were not centralized, and power was vested in few individuals such as warriors and headmen (Russell). The political organization of the country enabled the Spaniards to convert large numbers of people. One of the first strategies used by the Spaniards in converting the natives to Roman Catholicism was mass baptism of locals as a favor from Chief Humab for healing his son. The Spanish friars were protective of the people against collonial oppression, which won them favor from the locals. Christianity is practiced in a variety of forms in the country; the native Filipinos adapted the practices of Roman Catholicism. Initially, the Spanish clergy destroyed indigenous religion by destroying their places of worship and their idols. New moralities were also imposed on the Filipinos by discouraging polygamy, slave holing, and consumption of alcohol (Russell). In essence, the colonization of the Philippines resulted in a legacy of syncretism in the form of Christianity practiced in the country. Catholic practices introduced by the Spaniards blended with the indigenous practices of the native Filipinos. The legacy of colonialism on the religious practices of Filipinos is evident in the enactment of Christian scriptures, which were used to teach Christianity to the natives by the Catholic Priests (Russell). Kenya as an Agriculture-Driven Economy Kenya was one of the countries in Eastern Africa that was colonized by the British. The British colonialists were interested in the agricultural potential of the country. The central highlands were especially lucrative for the British due to the resemblance of the climate to that of their homeland. Their exploitation of the country was in introducing cash crops such as coffee and tea, which would be exported to Europe for processing. The native4s were forced to grow coffee and tea on their land, as opposed to food crops such as sorghum and sweet potatoes, which were common. The productivity of the land in these crops was high, and the British discovered the importance the climatic conditions for these crops, which were important for their industries (Ndege 10). Development of development of the economy and over reliance on agriculture can be traced to the colonial economy. The British exported the harvested tea, coffee, and other products for processing in their country meaning that there was little development of industries in Kenya. The market for these primary products was used as a tool for exploitation and political control. This legacy has persistent in recent times through the regulation of prices by the government (Ndege 7). The economy also has a narrow base, which was inherited from the colonial structure of limited diversification. The economy is also dependent on Britain in terms of technology and financing. This means that the deficit in the balance of trade because of the economic structure is a significant impact of the legacy of British colonialism in Kenya (Ndege 8). French colonial governance in Guinea The governance institutions implemented by the colonial government in Guinea were meant to suppress the natives. This was aimed at allowing the French exploit the resources available in the country. They were mainly principles of denomination, which was the mission of colonialism (Sawyer 3). Democracy was not a very significant item in the agenda of governance practices implemented in the country. The government is over centralized, which results in too much control on the founders. The structure of governance implemented in Guinea was specifically meant to prevent rebellion from the natives such as the Samoure Toure led resistance. The nature of the colonial experience in Guinea shaped judicial and other forms of legal governance in the country. The French administration was repressive and extractive, which resulted in low levels of goodwill between the elites and the government. Guinean leaders wanted immediate freedom from the French, which caused an angry response from the French. The abrupt departure of the French resulted in destabilization of the country. The Malinke leadership took over the social order in the country causing a divide in the country. Political parties that were formed in the country were aimed at filling the gap left by the abrupt exit of the French. The first political party was formed by trade unionists and focused on democratic centralism (Sawyer 5). Therefore, the structure of political parties in Guinea is a direct replication of th e structure of governance adopted by the French colonialists. Conclusion From this analysis, it is clear that colonialism resulted in aspects that have persisted in the social, economic, and political structures in the former colonies. The religion imposed on the natives in The Philippines resulted in development of syncretic religion, which incorporates aspects of the indigenous religion in Roman Catholicism. The legacy of colonialism on economic development is clear from the analysis of the Kenyan economy, which is based on agriculture and little diversification in manufacturing. French colonization of Guinea led to development of democratically centric political parties modeled after the policies implemented by the French colonial government in the country. This paper, therefore, provides some of the examples of reflection of legacies of colonialism today. Buy custom Past Influences on Present Societies essay

Approaches to Combating Terrorism

Approaches to Combating Terrorism Discuss intelligence approaches to combating terrorism? In 2011, DOJ and FBI operate 104 Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in the United States of America. Both the agencies includes 4,000 law interpreting officers and agents whose duty is to inquire the terrorism related events taking place in USA. To investigate terrorist plots their operations are highly tactual and focused on the investigation. Through investigation intelligence got constituted to restrict and defeat terrorist acts. JTTFs develop an important system to share intelligence news with FBI who further conveys it to other agencies to overpower terrorism. The other major work of these task forces is to develop harmony between low interpreting sources and the state with United States of America on intelligence related matters. The threat of homegrown jihadists occurred and the several top most security clearance issued to local police working with JTTF. A significant dilemma for law enforcement and intelligence offi cials who straddle the public realm of ideas and the secretive realm of terrorist operations is how to sift the law-abiding, nonviolent radical attracted to jihadist rhetoric from the would-be terrorist who merits targeting. The vast amount of terrorist-related material available on the Internet in a relatively anonymous setting attracts homegrown individuals open to radicalization. Many of these individuals may show great interest in radical content, engage in radical discourse, but not become terrorists. A growing pool of those who view jihadist as â€Å"cool† and engage in online â€Å"talk† may make it harder for police to identify actual terrorists. After 9/11 attacks law interpreting got more focused and prioritized factor of intelligence got highlighted in the inquiry process. Deputy Attorney General, Paul McNulty, while working described the law abiding sector focused, proactive and intelligence attitude towards terrorist acts and to prevent it for the security of the nation. Intelligence gathering is one of the basics in inquiring and get rid of any other emergence of terrorist attack in future. Investigations require some level of factual predication, while an assessment does not.206 However; assessments are to follow a specifically articulated purpose. The guidelines have established six authorized purposes: Check leads on individuals or activities, Check leads on groups or organizations, Collect information to analyze potential threats and vulnerabilities, Gather information for intelligence analysis or planning, Vet and manage the agency’s confidential human sources (informants), and Collect foreign intelligence. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has criticized the FBI’s amassing of racial and ethnic data based on the new guidelines. It allows for the collection of information about ethnic or racial communities and justifies the gathering of such information for proactive purposes. The guidelines s tate that it should be done if it â€Å"will reasonably aid the analysis of potential threats and vulnerabilities, and, overall, assist domain awareness for the purpose of performing intelligence analysis. One ACLU official has described this as racial profiling of entire communities. Discuss the role of state and local law enforcement? Terrorist attacks take place in United States of America, whether from foreign or homegrown terrorists. The local and homegrown terrorist attacks and their propagation like weapons explosives and participants all take place in local territories. The whole plan of terrorist attack got prepared locally so, to prevent from these kind of attacks responsibility not only lies on central government it also the part of local and tribal government take action against it. On daily basis up to 17,000 officials gather investigation report suspicious individuals and incidents which as crime connect with any possible terrorism activity. The case of Oklahoma C ity bomber Timothy McVeigh. He was arrested after a traffic stop when Oklahoma State Trooper Charles J. Hanger noticed that McVeigh’s yellow 1977 Mercury Marquis had no license plate.233 Using his home state as an example, a former U.S. Attorney maintains that â€Å"evidence of a potential terrorist threat or organized criminal enterprise is far more likely to be found in the incidental contact with the 10,000 police officers in the state of Washington than by the less than 150 FBI agents assigned to the Seattle Field Division. The role of state tribal and local both are very important because any kind of intriguing act take place locally security agencies should be high alert to take action against it as soon as it occurs because it may be connected to any kind of terrorism activity which will harm the nation on high extent further to check and balance locally will help to detect brutal terrorists. The Nationwide Suspicious Activity Report Initiative (NSI) is a program to p ush terrorism-related information generated locally between and among federal, state, local, and tribal levels. Specifically, it is a framework to support the reporting of suspicious activity—from the point of initial observation to the point where the information is available in the information sharing environment.245 It is a standardized, integrated approach to gathering, documenting, processing, analyzing, and sharing information about suspicious activity that is potentially terrorism-related while protecting the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. The intent is for this locally generated suspicious activity reporting to be combined in a systematic way with other sources of intelligence at the federal level to uncover criminal activity, including terrorism.

Critique Review of the Film The Pursuit of Happiness Movie

Critique of the Film The Pursuit of Happiness - Movie Review Example It goes to extra lengths to inspire its viewers even when it shows much of what happens when one does not have as opposed to how to get what everyone wants to have: that is moneyThe film has two key characters, Chris Gardner and his son. Chris Gardner is a character that goes to extra lengths to alleviate his family from poverty. He struggles so hard to make ends meet despite being evicted from the apartment (Muccino, 2006). Unlike the common conception where people struggle financially because they are school dropouts or drug addicts, Gardner is shown as a talented and bright young man who is unfortunate. Together with his son, they endure so many hardships including sleeping in shelters, subway, and hotel when he is lucky to get money during the day. From the look of how the characters dress, the film’s setting takes place at a time when America’s economy was under a recession. Research shows that the last few years of this century are not the worst hit by the economi c recession as compared to the early 1980s (Leonhardt, 2009). However, despite this, Gardner aims at showing the world that the poor do not need an army to fight poverty. All that a person needs are proper shoes as shown in several scenes and a positive attitude regardless of the problems at hand. As a viewer, it is also critical to note that Will Smith, who is Chris Gardner in the film, does an exceptional job at convincing viewers of the struggles that people face just to survive. There are not so many films that portray how people struggle financially and in relationships so convincingly. I believe that the film drives the point home allowing viewers to make note of its logos of the logic contained in its interesting display of characters’ behavior. Though Smith is only acting, this is a message that reminds all those who have the resources particularly the middle-income families that all this can go away.

Contemporary Middle East Discussion Questions (1 source each, approx Essay

Contemporary Middle East Discussion Questions (1 source each, approx 125 words) - Essay Example This is well seen in the case of Egypt and Persia in which case the effects of these forces continue to play. Many people were always skeptical to the idea of giving away their resources as a way of creating much interconnection with the state (Finkel, 2006). 2) The Wahhabi Muslim fundamentalists believed that Muslims should return to the very fundamental Islamic ways as outlined in the Quran and the Hadith. Much of their beliefs were informed by the teachings of medieval theologians like Taymiyyah. They believed in the Islamic doctrine of Tawhid in which the unity and uniqueness of God were greatly revered (Philby, 2004). More importantly, these Muslim fundamentals believed that philosophical interpretations of the Quran and the Hadith could mislead the people. As such they totally opposed such interpretations. On the other hand, Muslim modernists like Malkom Khan were pushing for the reconciliation of the Islamic faith with such modern values like democracy, nationalism, equality a nd progress. In this case, the critical evaluation of issues in the context of jurisprudence was greatly cherished. Indeed, these beliefs have considerable impact in the Middle East to this day. 3) The Osmanlilik reform movement was developed during the first constitutional era in the Ottoman Empire. ... In this regard, aspects of head tax, conscription, and military service were applied to everyone in equal measure. Citizenship of the empire was therefore a common affair irrespective of any orientation or affiliation. It should however be realized that Osmanlilik was greatly rejected by many Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Many of the adherents of Osmanlilik were lost during the first Balkan War and this led to its eventual failure. 4) The Young Turks Revolution of 1908 was driven by a group of likeminded Turkish nationalists, pluralists and a group of other secularists who totally blamed the Sultan for the harried state of the Empire at the time. The Sultan had suspended the parliament and this was restored effectively by the revolution. It was however realized that the process of replacing monarchic institutions with constitutional ones was not easy as had been initially presumed. The unity of the young Turks and the wide support they enjoyed across the land and beyond was indeed i nstrumental in their successful deposition of the Sultan in 1909. In a way, the Young Turks basically stood for change as opposed to the state of affairs realized at the time. Their goals were therefore different from those of the Osmanlilik (Ruggiero, 2003). 5) The general area of the Middle East greatly attracted much of Europe leading to the European domination of the region and the subsequent influence. Politically, the United Kingdom began this influence by taking over the government of Cyprus which was a protectorate of the Ottoman Empire. This was basically as a result of the Cyprus Convention. In this regard, the British greatly influenced the political, social and economic life of this region. In the same way as Syria became part of the French protectorate, it was

Multivariate Data Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Multivariate Data Analysis - Assignment Example These variables need to be specified prior to setting up a structural model. The process through which these latent variables are decided is known as Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Thus, the measurement model for a CFA also comes in the form of a multivariate regression equation. However, CFA precedes SME since the exogenous variables included in an SME are determined through CFA. CFA and SME together form a measurement model and help in evaluating the underlying relationship between variables, with least measurement errors. An SEM generally consists of a number of multivariate equations which often leads to errors in recording the inputs. Hence the preferred form of input representation in an SEM should be through a covariance matrix with defined row and column names, so as to avoid confusion and errors in providing inputs. Post-estimation, there remains the task of assessing the fitness of the predicted model. Model fit implies the degree to which the estimated model can resemble the observed population model. Hence, the more that the observed covariance matrix corresponds to the estimated one, the better is the model fitness. Generally, model fit could be of two types – goodness of fit and badness of fit; in the former case, the estimated model is considered to be a good representation as the value of the statistic rises in contrast to what the defining factor should be in case of the badness of fit. Examples of the goodness of fit are GFI, CFI, and TLI and those of badness of fit are RMSEA and SRMR. However, there is no benchmark to evaluate the validity of the model based on the value of goodness of fit of the same. The only way-out would be to assess the goodness of fit by figuring out the same via multiple indices.

Polish Immigration and the U.K Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9500 words

Polish Immigration and the U.K - Dissertation Example In May 2011, Polish immigration was back on the rise again with some 545,000 Polish passport holders currently (2011) living in the United Kingdom. Back in 2003, only 75,000 were living in the U.K., the year before Poland joined the European Union in hopes of finding ways to jump-start its own economy (Pidd 2011). Nearly 43,000 Poles immigrated over from September 2009 to September 2010 whereas, before that, there had been a drop of 12,000 Poles who had moved back to Poland. Yet, it would appear that Poland, as a country,   had not lived up to expectations in job development and economic growth. So, back to England they went, not because England was having any sort of economic boom but that even poorly paid jobs in the U.K. were better than anything they were finding back home. Most of the immigrant Poles were from the eastern part of Poland which is typically poorer than the rest of the country (Pidd 2011).In a more general population overview, immigrants to the U.K. tend to be mo re working age people such as students and those looking for jobs and, as these people flow in, an increase in aggregate demand also occurs, increasing spending which impacts GDP (Pettinger 2012). During the middle of the last decade, more Eastern Europeans, such as the Polish, immigrated to the U.K. because of demand for builders and plumbers. The U.K. population is also aging and this meant that with younger immigrants coming in to pick up such jobs, they would be paying income taxes but not so likely to be claiming benefits. Additionally, with nearly 428,225 international students studying in the U.K. in 2010 to 2011, this influx contributed ?2.5 billion to the educational sector and helped finance domestic students’ education as well (Pettinger 2012). Yet, there is the problem of overcrowding, particularly in cities and limited areas for building more residential areas because of the desire to maintain a certain amount of green area. The European Union (EU), overall, was hit hard during the economic crisis and government budgets and employment outcomes were not what had been hoped for, even from a few years back. The aggregate government budget for the EU went from less than

Interest of the United States of America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Interest of the United States of America - Essay Example Whereas Theodore Roosevelt, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger are usually remembered as having viewed foreign policy primarily as a tool for the use in the pursuit f power and national interests. Realism in its most concentrated form argues that the head f state should solely be interested in achieving things which will further national interests, with complete disregard for things like human rights if they don't directly contribute to this achievement. A common explanation for the realist way f thinking is concisely put when it is stated that, 'leaders must deal with the world the way it is, not as they would wish it to be. The key assumptions f realism say that; states are the main components f the international system and that these states are motivated and ought to be motivated by their own interests and the search for power. It is also assumed that; the balance f power is imperative to international stability and that relations between states should be trying to obtain this international balance f power, not to change other states policies. (Ikenberry 2006) During the presidential debate f 11th f October 2000, when George W. Bush was asked to speak about what the guidin g principle for his foreign policy would be, he took a classic realist line: "The first question is what's in the best interest f the United States What's in the best interest f our people When it comes to foreign policy that will be my guiding question. Is it in our nation's interests" A true realist will oppose giving 'moral' concerns priority over foreign policy objectives. They object to what is often seen by other states as unwanted 'medalling' in idealist approaches to foreign policy, as there are both practical and political difficulties when intervening in the domestic affairs f other states. Interference in the internal affairs f another state is seen as an infringement f its sovereignty. This sort f behaviour would only make the USA unpopular in the wider world and this does not serve American interests, in fact it would obstruct its ability to pursue them. In realist terms humanitarianism is an often-unaffordable luxury, as is the ability to only align themselves with states f common moral and political beliefs. However the practice f power politics cannot often oblige. The USA has in the past been willing to support extreme right-wing regimes, even when they are known to be violators f human rights, so long as the regime was pro-America, or at least anti - communist, (the 'lesser f two evils' strategy). It can be summarised in one sentence; the world must be taken as it is found and statesmen should stay faithful to moral principles where possible but must always be willing to bend these principles when necessary to protect the interests f the state. Modern day realism tends to reject the multilateral approach to action, as favoured by the Clinton administration. It is unclear, however, if this change in favour f American unilateralism will be a lasting one. (Mead 2007) Pure idealism argues that one should take the moral route under all circumstances, regardless f the effect it has on the states national interests. Idealism is motivated by the key assumptions that; the state is only one f the

Multivariate Data Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Multivariate Data Analysis - Assignment Example These variables need to be specified prior to setting up a structural model. The process through which these latent variables are decided is known as Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Thus, the measurement model for a CFA also comes in the form of a multivariate regression equation. However, CFA precedes SME since the exogenous variables included in an SME are determined through CFA. CFA and SME together form a measurement model and help in evaluating the underlying relationship between variables, with least measurement errors. An SEM generally consists of a number of multivariate equations which often leads to errors in recording the inputs. Hence the preferred form of input representation in an SEM should be through a covariance matrix with defined row and column names, so as to avoid confusion and errors in providing inputs. Post-estimation, there remains the task of assessing the fitness of the predicted model. Model fit implies the degree to which the estimated model can resemble the observed population model. Hence, the more that the observed covariance matrix corresponds to the estimated one, the better is the model fitness. Generally, model fit could be of two types – goodness of fit and badness of fit; in the former case, the estimated model is considered to be a good representation as the value of the statistic rises in contrast to what the defining factor should be in case of the badness of fit. Examples of the goodness of fit are GFI, CFI, and TLI and those of badness of fit are RMSEA and SRMR. However, there is no benchmark to evaluate the validity of the model based on the value of goodness of fit of the same. The only way-out would be to assess the goodness of fit by figuring out the same via multiple indices.

Interest of the United States of America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Interest of the United States of America - Essay Example Whereas Theodore Roosevelt, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger are usually remembered as having viewed foreign policy primarily as a tool for the use in the pursuit f power and national interests. Realism in its most concentrated form argues that the head f state should solely be interested in achieving things which will further national interests, with complete disregard for things like human rights if they don't directly contribute to this achievement. A common explanation for the realist way f thinking is concisely put when it is stated that, 'leaders must deal with the world the way it is, not as they would wish it to be. The key assumptions f realism say that; states are the main components f the international system and that these states are motivated and ought to be motivated by their own interests and the search for power. It is also assumed that; the balance f power is imperative to international stability and that relations between states should be trying to obtain this international balance f power, not to change other states policies. (Ikenberry 2006) During the presidential debate f 11th f October 2000, when George W. Bush was asked to speak about what the guidin g principle for his foreign policy would be, he took a classic realist line: "The first question is what's in the best interest f the United States What's in the best interest f our people When it comes to foreign policy that will be my guiding question. Is it in our nation's interests" A true realist will oppose giving 'moral' concerns priority over foreign policy objectives. They object to what is often seen by other states as unwanted 'medalling' in idealist approaches to foreign policy, as there are both practical and political difficulties when intervening in the domestic affairs f other states. Interference in the internal affairs f another state is seen as an infringement f its sovereignty. This sort f behaviour would only make the USA unpopular in the wider world and this does not serve American interests, in fact it would obstruct its ability to pursue them. In realist terms humanitarianism is an often-unaffordable luxury, as is the ability to only align themselves with states f common moral and political beliefs. However the practice f power politics cannot often oblige. The USA has in the past been willing to support extreme right-wing regimes, even when they are known to be violators f human rights, so long as the regime was pro-America, or at least anti - communist, (the 'lesser f two evils' strategy). It can be summarised in one sentence; the world must be taken as it is found and statesmen should stay faithful to moral principles where possible but must always be willing to bend these principles when necessary to protect the interests f the state. Modern day realism tends to reject the multilateral approach to action, as favoured by the Clinton administration. It is unclear, however, if this change in favour f American unilateralism will be a lasting one. (Mead 2007) Pure idealism argues that one should take the moral route under all circumstances, regardless f the effect it has on the states national interests. Idealism is motivated by the key assumptions that; the state is only one f the

Hispanic Groups Living in US Essay Example for Free

Hispanic Groups Living in US Essay It is very common for someone walking down the streets of any American city and hears Spanish spoken. The federal government of America coined this term ‘Hispanic’ way back in 1970’s to refer people tracing their origin in Spanish speaking countries which were former Spanish colonies or those who can trace their origin to Spain or its territory. This represents a varied range of countries and ethnic groups with different social, political and emotional experiences. A large part of Hispanics still try to characterize themselves in terms of their individual ethnic identity as Mexican, Cuban, and others rather the whole term ‘Hispanic’. Hispanic Americans, n. d. ) The wide range of the Hispanic group includes Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, El Salvadorians, Guatemalans, Nicaraguans, Columbians, Central and South Americans among others. The Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and Cubans form the largest part of the Hispanics living in America. (Tienda and Mitchell, 2006) America’s cultural canvas is very vivid as each group brought their respective culture’s specialty with them which has totally mingled in the main force. The Hispanic community has left their mark over traditions, customs and cultures throughout the country and the bilingual education structure of America displays the growing importance in the country as they are the largest minority community. It has been noticed that people from the Hispanic groups have done well in various fields and their progress is something to be watched. The 2002 census showed the Mexicans forming the largest part of the population with 66. 9%, followed by Central and Latin Americans at 14. 3%, third position held by Puerto Ricans, others 6. % and last Cubans at 3. 7%. (The Hispanic Population, 2002) Majority of the Hispanics are native born neutralizes citizens or have acquired legal residency status. They are largely concentrated in the west part of the country especially the urban areas of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, and Texas. There is a tendency among them to live in family units which are generally large in size unlike the non-Hispanic Whites. In comparison to Whites communities, the rate of unemployment and poverty is much more in the Hispanic groups. Mexican Americans are the one to form the largest part of the Hispanic population living in America and they are also the largest group of White Hispanics. The Mexican immigration could be traced in the past decades as they started establishing themselves in the 1600s in southwestern parts of the country who later became New Mexico, Arizona, California, Colorado and Texas. (Stacy, 2002) The work at railroads and steel industry of the Midwest America attracted them in the 1800s and this immigration is still continued to the present time. Today majority of Mexican Americans are U. S. born citizens. The major causes behind the migration of Mexicans to America are self-liberty, quality education, modes to improve economic condition and achieve good living standard. Spanish is the main language for Mexican Americans, some of them are monolingual. But most can fluently speak both English and Spanish. The attitude of the Mexican Americans is something to be watched as more than 90% of them are literate. Their respect towards others is also acclaimed as their communications are respectful in manner. They are one of the strict believers in the concept of familism (Nash, 2007) and value family considerations over individual as well very much rely on family in times of crisis. Patriarchy is the trend of Mexican American family. Earlier, they used to neglect family planning but at present time they have been active in that. Largely they are the followers of Roman Catholicism. They look at churches as powerful source of hope, faith and strength while spirituality and religion play significant role in times of illness, health and life. Their housing conditions are really bad as they live in colonies not appropriate for living to low-income. Central and South Americans stand second in the American Hispanic population. They owe their origin to different countries such as Guatemala, Venezuela, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, and Argentina among others. These groups of people display a vast diversity due to their different origins. Most of them migrated from their respective countries in the period of 1970s and 1980s when the region was going through political turbulence. Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala were suffering from civil wars that made their people to flee in search of stable life. In the present time too, the immigration is on due to different causes. Although many of them arrived in U. S. as refuges, gradually they acquired political asylum from the state. Cheap accommodation and easy immigrant services made most of the Central and South Americans settle in California. They speak other languages rather than Spanish, which is a main language, such as French and Portuguese. Though Catholicism is the main religion, Protestants and Jews as well as other beliefs are followed by this group. They have high religious values. Males are treated as the head of the family. Due to intermarriage among this group and other Hispanics or Europeans, they have become much diversified. The education level of Central and South Americans is much appreciable than other Hispanics but still they lack behind in employment tin respects of other groups. Third largest group belonging to Hispanic community are the Puerto Ricans as they became U. S. citizens after Jones Act of 1917. (Stacy, 2002) But they are not allowed to vote in U. S. Presidential elections. They are mainly settled in industrial areas such as the states of Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, and New York due to the availability of employment opportunity. Wherever they settled, they tried to hold on their tradition and culture and formed various groups and organizations to support them. Puerto Rican Americans pay huge respect to education but still they maintain a low level than other Hispanics which makes parents encourage their children to pursue good education for better future. They are bilingual speaking both Spanish and English. The expressive nature of Puerto Ricans and their hospitality is well known. They possess high respect for women, parents and elderly people and family units that they even allow more than one family living together. Puerto Ricans are followers of Catholicism and seek support from religion and spiritualism in tough situations. Their approach to health and illness is based on these beliefs. Cubans too comprise a significant part of the Hispanic community. Cuban immigration to America can be traced back to history but the major wave was created during the political turmoil of 1959 which still continues today. They have their bases at Miami, Florida and New Jersey. They can be considered as the most affluent among all the Hispanic groups due to their well performance in education, which led to better employment opportunities and a good quality lifestyle. Till recent past they faced problem in speaking English, but nowadays they have overcome that. The Cuban Americans are very much into their culture that they most often do not show much interest in the Anglo culture. They hold a rather conservative outlook towards politics due to their experience in their native country. They possess diverse beliefs of religion; still Catholicism is more prevalent among them. They stand against communism holds much important place in U. S. The Hispanic groups in spite of their various origins share some commonalities as well some major differences among them. Spanish is a bond that binds all of them, while most of them are bilingual. Approach towards education is another common factor between them as all the groups show very much respect to education as they know it is the only key to good living. Religion too makes them stand on a common platform as most of the Hispanic Americans are followers of Catholicism. Political perspective is one thing that creates differences among these groups as each of them has their respective political idea. Cuban Americans support Republicans as they are inclined towards conservative idea of politics whereas Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Central and South Americans have a liking for democrats. Still, Catholic faith, language and belief in their respective culture make them stand on a single platform.

Walton S Mississippi: An American Journey | Analysis

Walton S Mississippi: An American Journey | Analysis Before his travelling to Mississippi, he never really felt the severity of the issue of racism, for he was born into a neighborhood where people kept what prejudices they had to themselves (4). For Anthony and most of the blacks today, Mississippi is something from which the blacks had freed [themselves], washed into the past. The blacks like Anthony today enjoy the fruits of success, freedom and equal rights from the sacrifices of their ancestors. Their biggest concern surrounds trivial questions like whether to have espresso or cappuccino after dinner (9). Most of his knowledge surrounding issues of racial discrimination towards African American are limited to textbooks and conversations with family. During the night of the assassination of Martin Lurther King, Anthony, who was only seven by that time, refused to take out the garbage'(5) for he was terrified of the dark. He knew that Mississippi had something to do with [his] fear (5). His real image of Mississippi came only when his school, Notra Dame lost to Ole Miss (University of Mississippi) during a football game. He was petrified by the scene where the Ole Miss supporters raise the controversial Confederate flags to support their team. He was befuddled by their acts but he realized that something was not right. His experience towards racism was strengthen during his stay in New York to report the protest march in Brooklyn neighborhood in the wake of Yusuf Hawkins murder where he realizes the existence and the severity of racial discrimination. The roads were filled with whites who were throwing watermelonsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and shouting NIGGERS! (7) He was terrified. He thought that such kind of open racism would only happen in the past, during the pre-Emancipation period. But he was wrong. It happened right in front of him, in this contemporary metropolitan New York. He knew something was wrong but he could not figure out what. That was when he decided to embark on the journey to Mississippi; to discover the root of the problem and find explanation for his many observations, he need to go back to a place where everything begins and that is, Mississippi. During his travelling in Mississippi, he has learnt and observed things that could never be learnt from textbook. During his visit to the Ole Miss football game, among the sharply and richly dress (161) spectators raised Confederate battle banner that were in everywhere, particularly among the alumni (161). Anthony was again befuddled by his sight. Shouldnt the Confederate flag, which is the ultimate symbolization of racism and oppression towards blacks, be removed in this day and ages? What was the intention of white Mississippians raising the Confederate flag? Dont they know that the flag was the key symbol of the period of greatest pain and suffering of the blacks ever in the American history? As he searched for the answer, he soon learnt that the Mississippians have not truly recovered from the pre-Emancipation period. Beneath the seemingly peaceful racial relationship are the prejudices which are deeply rooted in every Mississippians, that even the passage of time could not erase them completely. In places like football stadium in Mississippi, blacks would not be present, as Anthony suggest, for the blacks did not [feel] belong and certainly were not missed (162). There is still a great rift between the black and whites, that Mississippi contains two cultures of blacks and whites that are mutually hostile at each other. Just like the confederate flags that were waving high in the stadium, the whites see it as a representation of history and heritage while blacks think that the flag is a totem of subjugation. Two contrasting and opposing idea, again, reflected the very core problem of the contemporary Mississippi society the lack of understanding and tolerance between ra ces. After having been meeting with a few people like Mrs. Luckett and visiting places like the big mansions that whites reside, he realized that he was missing one major linkage in his search for the true and ugly American history his father. Being a direct victim of racial prejudices and oppression in the 50s, Anthonys father Claude did not talk to his child very much about his past. Anthony realized that by involving his father in his search for the roots of the problem, he would be able to find the linkage between his family past history with the disgusting, violent and often brutal Mississippi history. Through his father, Anthony knew that he was able to learn and feel the suffering of a black directly. Claude was born in Holly Spring. Just like many black children, he too faced with a lot of discriminations from the whites. For instance, he has to receive old books which always have pages missing (215) in school. Unlike the white kids, he didnt get to ride the bus. When there was n o school, Claude had to work in cotton field from early morning till at night. Through the vivid description of his father, Anthony finally understands how the aspect of Mississippi was like, that he often find hard to imagine. It was not until the brutal and merciless murder of his friend James, coupled with the hatred towards whites that he had long carried with him that James decided to leave Mississippi for Chicago, for he was tired of the racism and meanness'(213) here. He wanted to be treated like a boy, like a man (213). Through his journey to Mississippi, Anthony is able to gain more appreciation towards the Blues music, that blues has increasingly shadow everything, including his own worldview and those of [his] parents (227), as the detune notes (227) of the blues truly reflect and echoes the delivers of the spirit, the growl and the shriek (227) of the oppressed blacks towards the society. As Anthony continues to reveal one of the bloodiest chapters in the American history and associated them with his observations, he was petrified and abhorred by the ugliness of history the oppression of whites towards blacks and the inhuman and disgusting acts that have ever committed. He appreciates what his journey had taught him, though they might not necessarily be pretty. He tried to find the answers for what had happened around him. However, for each question he tried to answer, it will branch into three more, into infinitudes that he could no longer grasp (211). He started to view the problems, which he put the blame on the blacks, that trouble that blacks in South Chicago as an continuation of prejudices that rooted in the long history of Mississippi and American in general. He had finally learned to stop to evade and forget (275) the history but to embrace and call them [his] own. (275) In Mississippi: An American Journey, Anthony Walton travels back and forth in the river of Black history and his real-life journey to Mississippi. Waltons journey covers not only places that cast 200 years of history but also a long list of people: sharecroppers, planters, his parents and relatives, famous writers, bluesmen, aristocrats-white and black, those who create the history and those who inhabit it now. To Walton, once one of those who suffered from historical amnesia (274), this journey is a process of answering the contradictions and illusions around him, a process of gaining knowledge instead of being an American innocent, (274) and a process of deciphering his heritage, Mississippi, a place bearing the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. (274) However, it is not the knowledge increment of truth and stories that disappoint him but the acknowledgement of that the past has not yet passed do. Waltons innocence refers to his limited understanding of racism, Mississippi, even America. His knowledge of these is confined to awareness of them but not the insight into them. Walton once believed that the journey would bring him clarity and master of historical tradition of his race to compliment his inexperience. Certainly, the journey does give him enough fruit to appease his hunger. But what he discovers in Mississippi exceeds what he wanted to know. The knowledge he gains from the journey is that he progressively understands that the innocence comes from his happily suffering the historical amnesia that leads Americans to think they are innocent of history because they won-their values prevailed, their goals were achievedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Moreover, the realization of the pervasion of the darkness of Americas history wakes him up from the dream of the pursuit of truth and enlightment. In the prologue of Mississippi, Walton depicts a powerful scene in which his father, Claude, recounts an event happened on a Christmas Eve forty years ago. Claude points a shuttered building and says James Crump, his childhood friend, was shot right here where used to be a bus station because somebody called the sheriff and complained about James singing and clapping his hands on Christmas Eve. In Waltons mind, his father is a quiet man, well behaved, middle class as him, and never associated with violence because of his religion. But, what he sees in Claudes eyes when he recounts the story is indignation and grief that astonishes him. This old man turns to be a character lived under racism that he had never known. The increasing understanding of his fathers lives inspires him to reexamine racism and Mississippi. In a later chapter, Claude tells Walton the stories of his work during his escape from Mississippi to the North. Walton asks Did you ever want to hurt white people? (216) Claude responds with an ironic smile Most definitely. I hate white people, with a passionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I hated them as much as they hated me. I often had visions of wiping out the entire white community. (217)Upon this time, Walton is amazed that his father and thousands of other people who experienced and suffered from racism did not push their suffering down into another generation. (274) But, compared to what confused him before the journey, the toll of daily discrimination and hostilities he paid at New York, Walton realizes that he is still living in the same life as his father did except for the physical labor. Though Walton and other younger blacks can be well-educated, though their parents tried hard not to pass down their suffering and grief to them, the truth that young blacks are unconsciously suffering from the racism cannot be omitted, as long as they are blacks. The augmented knowledge of his father pushes him to realize the vagueness of what he deeply believed before-history is [as being] progressive, as having a purpose. In college, Waltons connection to Mississippi is only when his school, Notre Dame, loses a bitterly fought football game to Ole Miss, which is also the University of Mississippi. What he only knows about University of Mississippi at that time is that there is lots of Confederate hoopla surrounding the Rebels (6) and he does not glad about that. During his journey, he visits University of Mississippi several times, with his mother, Dorothy, and his friend, Mona. Walton and Mona go to the homecoming football game. In the stadium, he once again catches the sight of the Confederate flag among the alumni occupying a half of the stadium. The whites claim the rebel flag represents history and heritage whereas blacks see it as a totem of their subjugation; and it was astonishing to see fifty thousand whites waving Confederate flags to urge on their black gladiators. (162) This striking scene shows that racism is still here, at Mississippi. The society is still separate; the cost of their parents generation has not yet been paid off. However, as Walton and his mother wander around the campus, they find that some of the college students of Ole Miss and other younger blacks generation seem to comfortably live in the freedom in the cost of the 250-year battle of black Mississippians for recognition and civil rights, especially the battle for Ole Miss. (91) No one black student seems to be aware of what had happened here and what is going on here. In Dorothys eyes, A lot of them dont really identify with the cause of Mississippi or with blackness, or with what it took to get here. They dont care what it took as long as they can get in on some of the benefitsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ They probably dont even know who James Meredith is. (91) Statistics even shows that nine out of ten of the black college students in Ole Miss dont know who Medgar Evers was. The reality and statistics both convince Walton of the persisting racism in Mississippi and the ignorance of the generation of young blacks. He defines this symptom as amnesia, an epidemic disease among young blacks. Fortunately, Walton recovers from the journey to Mississippi. In contrast to his previous innocence, Waltons new knowledge about Mississippi and the persisting segregation helps him see the hooplas as something more concrete than mere dislike. The emotion is more complex. It is filled with centuries of hatred and violence, the same as what he sees from his fathers eyes. Dorothy once asked him about William Faulkner when he was in graduate school at Brown University, because she wanted to write about a Nobel laureate from her hometown, New Albany. Walton laughed out loud and informed her that this Faulkner was white. So? she replied. Walton tries hard to not think of Faulkner during his trip to Mississippi because in his mind, Faulkner was a white, a celebrator of the Confederacy and the owner of a big house out on Old Taylor Road whereas himself is a descendent of those who had been the slaves of his Sartorises, Compsons and Sutpens, who had suffered enormously under the Snopeses. But, he realizes he was wrong. Faulkner is everywhere in Mississippi. What Faulkner says about the past is undoubtedly right-the past isnt dead. It isnt even past yet. Faulkners novel Absalom, Absalom! reflects the history of South and foreshadows its future. In the novel, Supten disavows his black son by a black woman while embraces the white son by a white woman. The refusal of admitting the black son sets off a chain of incidents that lead to the destruction of the entire Sutpen family and plantation. After two years of his trip, Walton comes to decipher the metaphor in the novel as the reality what he is examining in Mississippi. The states tragic history is testimony to what this refusal has wrought. And it is now likely that the members of the two racial groups are permanent strangers, doomed to gape and stare but not see, blind to each other as siblings, humans, Americans. (163) Walton also refers Faulkners family story as the history of Mississippi. Faulkner understands the conflict in the hearts of Mississippian because he has deeply fallen in love with a black woman, Caroline Barr. However, when looking around at Faulkners marvelous mansi on, Walton can hardly find anything implies the existence of Caroline and manifests the love of them. Waltons new knowledge or acceptance of Faulkner is the product of his journey, clearing his innocence, recognizing the truth and exposing the scar of history. The book Mississippi: An American Journey emphasizes the shift of Waltons innocence to knowledge of history of blacks, of Mississippi, and of America. In the journey to Mississippi, the cotton plantation, the Rosaline mansion, the resting place of Medgar Ever, Holly Spring, New Albany, and Ole Miss are not simple places or scenic spots to Walton. The long roster containing Richard Wright, President Roosevelt, Ross Barnett, Meredith, sharecroppers, and bluesmen is not merely a review of history neither. They are testimony of racism, hatred and the logjam of history. In the end of the epilogue, Walton points out that Most of all, we want to be innocent of how much the ghosts and bones of our beautiful landscape have shaped and twisted virtually everything that has happened here; and we want to remain ignorant of how costly our innocence is to our government, our communities and our hears. But now, after the journey, Walton is glad that he could recover from the amnesia, never embrace t he ghosts and cradle the bones and call them his [my] own. (275) again. Work Cited Anthony, Walton. Mississippi: An American Journey. New York, Vintage, 1996. Innocence to knowledge Anthony Walton, a black upper middle class man with an Ivy League education, decides to journey back to Mississippi in hopes of discovering more about the, the troubled soul of the south(Caryl Phillips). He describes his experience in his book entitled, Mississippi: An American Journey. Mississippi is a landmark place for him because both his parents were raised there and as a child he spent countless summers with family members there. In the end of his long journey Walton reviews over all that he has learned and witnessed while in Mississippi and he concludes that his findings have taken him from a state of innocence into painful knowledge he did not have before (272). Walton explains this knowledge to be much like the knowledge Adam and Eve received once they, [ate] the fruit of the tree of knowledge, because, [he] became aware of things [he] could never not know again (272). Now Walton is no ignorant person, he studied at both Brown and Norte Dame University, so when he talks of acquiring knowledge he is simply saying he was given in depth information on topics he did not know there level of severity. It is not just Walton who did not know the extent of Mississippi history, but he said Americans in general had this amnesia about the past (272). Some of the realities Walton received were the stories told by older family members. His father told the first story of the book, and that was of his friend being shot to death on Christmas Eve. This story was told as they were walking in Mississippis humid summer weather in the exact location that the killing took place. At the time of the story Walton could only focus on how terribly uncomfortable he was in the weather, while it seemed like his father had stepped in a time machine that put him back at the scene. The deceased boy was innocent, young, and had not hurt a soul that night, but without the slightest bit of questioning was shot and killed instantly by a white man for expressing his happiness. Seeing the emotional and long term effect this had on his father, Walton began to get a glimpse into the sufferings his father experienced as a child in Mississippi compared to the privileged life style his father had given to him. A life style in Illinois where people, kept what prejudices they had to themselves (4). That single story was the beginning of a long str ing of knowledge Walton would collect. In the journey Walton and his mother visited Ole Miss. Ole Miss is the University of Mississippi, the fighting ground for people like his mother and fathers generation. As the two of them sat on campus, Dorothy Walton, his mother reminisced on her dreams about Ole Miss. She said although her generation was not able to attend it she would think, if i could get a chance to go here, that would everything alright, (95). Dorothy also noticed black students on campus who did not acknowledge her and she felt as if they had disconnected and forgotten about all the hard work before them that allowed them to be where they are (91). For instance the first black man to attend Ole Miss, James Meredith, having to be escorted by, five hundred U.S. marshals, border patrolmen, and deputized prison guards (94).Walton listens to her and thinks back to the time when they were touring colleges for him and that bit of information about Ole Miss and his mothers discontent with blacks interaction on campus let him understand the true cost of education. Walton would attend an Ole Miss football game while in Mississippi and witness a sign of racism he had never seen before. He was obviously aware that black people were not always admitted into the university and therefore the past alumni would be white; what he did not know was that the alumni carried, Confederate battle banner[s] everywhere (161). That flag was not a flag that displayed unity amongst all but one that was symbolic of a time where blacks where suppressed and unequal. Whether the flag represented history or not it was offensive to groups and Walton had to be in disbelief when he saw it. These signs were the pieces of the knowledge puzzle he was putting together in his head. Throughout Waltons journey he continues to ask the question of worthiness. His aunt and his mother were approached with the question. He wanted to know from his aunt was it worth moving up north and then moving back to Mississippi where racism is different from up north. She said the ghettos up north were the cause of death for many black men and if she wanted her sons to succeed then they would need to be in another area. This was an eye opener for Walton because he grew up in the north an assumed its was better then the rural south. Walton also asks his mom was it worth having black students who went far but did not even recognize each other? The response that his mother, Dorothy, gives is yes it being worth all the struggles her generations and the ones before endured. He then understands everyone wants better for each other whether it be now or in the future. This was where Waltons innocence was diminished because he now understood that his success was because of the sacrifices o thers before him made, and uncovering these sacrifices was like the key to knowledge. Mississippi: An American Journey is truly a journey that people take as they read the story Walton writes. He brings to the light all of the dark in Mississippis history that he learns. Through Waltons lens Americans and himself know little truth about Mississippi other than its racist and segregated past. What Walton ends with is not petty events and insignificant details found on the street or in a history book, but critical details and events he never knew existed. His newly found knowledge gave him a sense of the strength within the black people of Mississippi and the courage to embrace the past ghost and call them his own(275).