Thursday, October 31, 2019

Learning Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Learning Process - Essay Example The Learning process mostly depends on experience and leads to long-term changes in behavior potential. Behaviour potential designates the possible behavior of an individual, not actual behavior As opposed to short-term changes in behavior potential (caused e.g. by fatigue) learning implies long-term changes. As opposed to long-term changes caused by aging and development, learning implies changes related directly to experience. Major research traditions are behaviorism, Cognitivist (psychology) and self-regulated learning (Psychology of Learning 2005). Learning has to be periodically reinforced, so that knowledge will not eventually lose in that individual (Learning 2005). Example can be seen in infants and children. Imitation of a role model is a natural mechanism for infants and children, when learning from experience. Childs play is another method for learning by the example of other children, who naturally gain satisfaction by playing the role of teacher or mentor to a less-expe rienced child (Learning 2005). Learning by teaching, is a method of teaching which allows teachers to share the new lesson contents and let little groups prepare their part in order to teach this contents to the rest of the class (Learning 2005). In education and psychology, learning theories help teachers understand the process of learning. There are two main perspectives in learning theories, constructivism and behaviorism (Learning Theory 2005). Other informal theories of education deal with more sensible components of the learning process. One of these deals with whether learning should take place as a building of concepts toward an overall idea, or the understanding of the overall idea with the details filled in later.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Alexander Popes the Rape of the Lock Essay Example for Free

Alexander Popes the Rape of the Lock Essay The Rape of the Lock begins with a passage outlining the subject of the poem and invoking the aid of the muse. Then the sun (â€Å"Sol†) appears to initiate the leisurely morning routines of a wealthy household. Lapdogs shake themselves awake, bells begin to ring, and although it is already noon, Belinda still sleeps. She has been dreaming, and we learn that â€Å"her guardian Sylph,† Ariel, has sent the dream. The dream is of a handsome youth who tells her that she is protected by â€Å"unnumbered Spirits†Ã¢â‚¬â€an army of supernatural beings who once lived on earth as human women. The youth explains that they are the invisible guardians of women’s chastity, although the credit is usually mistakenly given to â€Å"Honor† rather than to their divine stewardship. Of these Spirits, one particular group—the Sylphs, who dwell in the air—serve as Belinda’s personal guardians; they are devoted, lover-like, to any woman that â€Å"rejects mankind,† and they understand and reward the vanities of an elegant and frivolous lady like Belinda. Ariel, the chief of all Belinda’s puckish protectors, warns her in the dream that â€Å"some dread event† is going to befall her that day, though he can tell her nothing more specific than that she should â€Å"beware of Man!† Then Belinda awakes, to the licking tongue of her lapdog, Shock. Upon the delivery of a billet-doux, or love-letter, she forgets all about the dream. She then proceeds to her dressing table and goes through an elaborate ritual of dressing, in which her own image in the mirror is described as a â€Å"heavenly image,† a â€Å"goddess.† The Sylphs, unseen, assist their charge as she prepares herself for the day’s activities. Commentary The opening of the poem establishes its mock-heroic style. Pope introduces the conventional epic subjects of love and war and includes an invocation to the muse and a dedication to the man (the historical John Caryll) who commissioned the poem. Yet the tone already indicates that the high seriousness of these traditional topics has suffered a diminishment. The second line confirms in explicit terms what the first line already suggests: the â€Å"am’rous causes† the poem describes are not comparable to the grand love  of Greek heroes but rather represent a trivialized version of that emotion. The â€Å"contests† Pope alludes to will prove to be â€Å"mighty† only in an ironic sense. They are card-games and flirtatious tussles, not the great battles of epic tradition. Belinda is not, like Helen of Troy, â€Å"the face that launched a thousand ships† (see the SparkNote on The Iliad), but rather a face that—although also beautiful—prompt s a lot of foppish nonsense. The first two verse-paragraphs emphasize the comic inappropriateness of the epic style (and corresponding mind-set) to the subject at hand. Pope achieves this discrepancy at the level of the line and half-line; the reader is meant to dwell on the incompatibility between the two sides of his parallel formulations. Thus, in this world, it is â€Å"little men† who in â€Å"tasks so bold engage†; and â€Å"soft bosoms† are the dwelling-place for â€Å"mighty rage.† In this startling juxtaposition of the petty and the grand, the former is real while the latter is ironic. In mock epic, the high heroic style works not to dignify the subject but rather to expose and ridicule it. Therefore, the basic irony of the style supports the substance of the poem’s satire, which attacks the misguided values of a society that takes small matters for serious ones while failing to attend to issues of genuine importance. With Belinda’s dream, Pope introduces the â €Å"machinery† of the poem—the supernatural powers that influence the action from behind the scenes. Here, the sprites that watch over Belinda are meant to mimic the gods of the Greek and Roman traditions, who are sometimes benevolent and sometimes malicious, but always intimately involved in earthly events. The scheme also makes use of other ancient hierarchies and systems of order. Ariel explains that women’s spirits, when they die, return â€Å"to their first Elements.† Each female personality type (these types correspond to the four humours) is converted into a particular kind of sprite. These gnomes, sylphs, salamanders, and nymphs, in turn, are associated with the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water. The airy sylphs are those who in their lifetimes were â€Å"light Coquettes†; they have a particular concern for Belinda because she is of this type, and this will be the aspect of feminine nature with which the poem is most concerned. Indeed, Pope already begins to sketch this character of the â€Å"coquette† in this initial canto. He draws th e portrait indirectly, through characteristics of the Sylphs rather than of Belinda herself. Their priorities reveal that the central concerns of  womanhood, at least for women of Belinda’s class, are social ones. Woman’s â€Å"joy in gilded Chariots† indicates an obsession with pomp and superficial splendor, while â€Å"love of Ombre,† a fashionable card game, suggests frivolity. The erotic charge of this social world in turn prompts another central concern: the protection of chastity. These are women who value above all the prospect marrying to advantage, and they have learned at an early age how to promote themselves and manipulate their suitors without compromising themselves. The Sylphs become an allegory for the mannered conventions that govern female social behavior. Principles like honor and chastity have become no more than another part of conventional interaction. Pope makes it clear that these women are not conducting themselves on the basis of abstract moral principles, but are governed by an elaborate social mechanism—of which the Sylphs cut a fitting caricature. And while Pope’s technique of employing supernatural machinery allows him to critique this situation, it also helps to keep the satire light and to exonerate individual women from too severe a judgment. If Belinda has all the typical female foibles, Pope wants us to recognize that it is partly because she has been educated and trained to act in this way. The society as a whole is as much to blame as she is. Nor are men exempt from this judgment. The competition among the young lords for the attention of beautiful ladies is depicted as a battle of vanity, as â€Å"wigs with wigs, with sword-knots sword-knots strive.† Pope’s phrases here expose an absurd attention to exhibitions of pride and ostentation. He emphasizes the inanity of discriminating so closely between things and people that are essentially the same in all important (and even most unimportant) respects. Pope’s portrayal of Belinda at her dressing table introduces mock-heroic motifs that will run through the poem. The scene of her toilette is rendered first as a religious sacrament, in which Belinda herself is the priestess and her image in the looking glass is the Goddess she serves. This parody of the religious rites before a battle gives way, then, to another kind of mock-epic scene, that of the ritualized arming of the hero. Combs, pins, and cosmetics take the place of weapons as â€Å"awful Beauty puts on all its arms.† Canto 2 Summary Belinda, rivaling the sun in her radiance, sets out by boat on the river Thames for Hampton Court Palace. She is accompanied by a party of glitzy ladies (â€Å"Nymphs†) and gentlemen, but is far and away the most striking member of the group. Pope’s description of her charms includes â€Å"the sparkling Cross she wore† on her â€Å"white breast,† her â€Å"quick† eyes and â€Å"lively looks,† and the easy grace with which she bestows her smiles and attentions evenly among all the adoring guests. Her crowning glories, though, are the two ringlets that dangle on her â€Å"iv’ry neck.† These curls are described as love’s labyrinths, specifically designed to ensnare any poor heart who might get entangled in them. One of the young gentlemen on the boat, the Baron, particularly admires Belinda’s locks, and has determined to steal them for himself. We read that he rose early that morning to build an altar to love and pray for success in this project. He sacrificed several tokens of his former affections, including garters, gloves, and billet-doux (love-letters). He then prostrated himself before a pyre built with â€Å"all the trophies of his former loves,† fanning its flames with his â€Å"am’rous sighs.† The gods listened to his prayer but decided to grant only half of it. As the pleasure-boat continues on its way, everyone is carefree except Ariel, who remembers that some bad event has been foretold for the day. He summons an army of sylphs, who assemble around him in their iridescent beauty. He reminds them with great ceremony that one of their duties, after regulating celestial bodies and the weather and guarding the British monarch, is â€Å"to tend the Fair†: to keep watch over ladies’ powders, perfumes, curls, and clothing, and to â€Å"assist their blushes, and inspire their airs.† Therefore, since â€Å"some dire disaster† threatens Belinda, Ariel assigns her an extensive troop of bodyguards. Brillante is to guard her earrings, Momentilla her watch, and Crispissa her locks. Ariel himself will protect Shock, the lapdog. A band of fifty Sylphs will guard the all-important petticoat. Ariel pronounces that any sylph who neglects his assigned duty will be severely punished. They disperse to their posts and wait for fate to unfold. Commentary From the first, Pope describes Belinda’s beauty as something divine, an assessment which she herself corroborates in the first canto when she  creates, at least metaphorically, an altar to her own image. This praise is certainly in some sense ironical, reflecting negatively on a system of public values in which external characteristics rank higher than moral or intellectual ones. But Pope also shows a real reverence for his heroine’s physical and social charms, claiming in lines 17–18 that these are compelling enough to cause one to forget her â€Å"female errors.† Certainly he has some interest in flattering Arabella Fermor, the real-life woman on whom Belinda is based; in order for his poem to achieve the desired reconciliation, it must not offend (see â€Å"Context†. Pope also exhibits his appreciation for the ways in which physical beauty is an art form: he recognizes, with a mixture of censure and awe, the fact that Belinda’s legendary locks of hair, which appear so natural and spontaneous, are actually a carefully contrived effect. In this, the mysteries of the lady’s dressing table are akin, perhaps, to Pope’s own literary art, which he describes elsewhere as â€Å"nature to advantage dress’d.† If the secret mechanisms and techniques of female beauty get at least a passing nod of appreciation from the author, he nevertheless suggests that the general human readiness to worship beauty amounts to a kind of sacrilege. The cross that Belinda wears around her neck serves a more ornamental than symbolic or religious function. Because of this, he says, it can be adored by â€Å"Jews† and â€Å"Infidels† as readily as by Christians. And there is some ambiguity about whether any of the admirers are really valuing the cross itself, or the â€Å"white breast† on which it lies—or the felicitous effect of the whole. The Baron, of course, is the most significant of those who worship at the altar of Belinda’s beauty. The ritual sacrifices he performs in the pre-d awn hours are another mock-heroic element of the poem, mimicking the epic tradition of sacrificing to the gods before an important battle or journey, and drapes his project with an absurdly grand import that actually only exposes its triviality. The fact that he discards all his other love tokens in these preparations reveals his capriciousness as a lover. Earnest prayer, in this parodic scene, is replaced by the self-indulgent sighs of the lover. By having the gods grant only half of what the Baron asks, Pope alludes to the epic convention by which the favor of the gods is only a mixed blessing: in epic poems, to win the sponsorship of one god is to incur the wrath of another; divine gifts, such as immortality, can seem a blessing but become a  curse. Yet in this poem, the ramifications of a prayer â€Å"half† granted are negligible rather than tragic; it merely means that he will manage to steal just one lock rather than both of them. In the first canto, the religious imagery surrounding Belinda’s grooming rituals gave way to a militaristic conceit. Here, the same pattern holds. Her curls are compared to a trap perfectly calibrated to ensnare the enemy. Yet the character of female coyness is such that it se eks simultaneously to attract and repel, so that the counterpart to the enticing ringlets is the formidable petticoat. This undergarment is described as a defensive armament comparable to the Shield of Achilles (see Scroll XVIII of The Iliad), and supported in its function of protecting the maiden’s chastity by the invisible might of fifty Sylphs. The Sylphs, who are Belinda’s protectors, are essentially charged to protect her not from failure but from too great a success in attracting men. This paradoxical situation dramatizes the contradictory values and motives implied in the era’s sexual conventions. In this canto, the sexual allegory of the poem begins to come into fuller view. The title of the poem already associates the cutting of Belinda’s hair with a more explicit sexual conquest, and here Pope cultivates that suggestion. He multiplies his sexually metaphorical language for the incident, adding words like â€Å"ravish† and â€Å"betray† to the â€Å"rape† of the title. He also slips in some commentary on the implications of his society’s sexual mores, as when he remarks that â€Å"when success a Lover’s toil attends, / few ask, if fraud or force attain’d his ends.† When Ariel speculates about the possible forms the â€Å"dire disaster† might take, he includes a breach of chastity (â€Å"Diana’s law†), the breaking of china (another allusion to the loss of virginity), and the staining of honor or a gown (the two incommensurate events could happen equally easily and accidentally). He also mentions some pettier social â€Å"disasters† against which the Sylphs are equally prepared to fight, like missing a ball (here, as grave as missing prayers) or losing the lapdog. In the Sylphs’ defensive efforts, Belinda’s petticoat is the battlefield that requires the most extensive fortifications. This fact furthers the idea that the rape of the lock stands in for a literal rape, or at least re presents a threat to her chastity more serious than just the mere theft of a curl. Summary The boat arrives at Hampton Court Palace, and the ladies and gentlemen disembark to their courtly amusements. After a pleasant round of chatting and gossip, Belinda sits down with two of the men to a game of cards. They play ombre, a three-handed game of tricks and trumps, somewhat like bridge, and it is described in terms of a heroic battle: the cards are troops combating on the â€Å"velvet plain† of the card-table. Belinda, under the watchful care of the Sylphs, begins favorably. She declares spades as trumps and leads with her highest cards, sure of success. Soon, however, the hand takes a turn for the worse when â€Å"to the Baron fate inclines the field†: he catches her king of clubs with his queen and then leads back with his high diamonds. Belinda is in danger of being beaten, but recovers in the last trick so as to just barely win back the amount she bid. The next ritual amusement is the serving of coffee. The curling vapors of the steaming coffee remind the Baron of his intention to attempt Belinda’s lock. Clarissa draws out her scissors for his use, as a lady would arm a knight in a romance. Taking up the scissors, he tries three times to clip the lock from behind without Belinda seeing. The Sylphs endeavor furiously to intervene, blowing the hair out of harm’s way and tweaking her diamond earring to make her turn around. Ariel, in a last-minute effort, gains access to her brain, where he is surprised to find â€Å"an earthly lover lurking at her heart.† He gives up protecting her then; the implication is that she secretly wants to be violated. Finally, the shears close on the curl. A daring sylph jumps in between the blades and is cut in two; but being a supernatural creature, he is quickly restored. The deed is done, and the Baron exults while Belinda’s screams fill the air. Commentary This canto is full of classic examples of Pope’s masterful use of the heroic couplet. In introducing Hampton Court Palace, he describes it as the place where Queen Anne â€Å"dost sometimes counsel take—and sometimes tea.† This line employs a zeugma, a rhetorical device in which a word or phrase modifies two other words or phrases in a parallel construction, but modifies each in a different way or according to a different sense. Here, the modifying word is â€Å"take†; it applies to the paralleled terms â€Å"counsel† and â€Å"tea.† But one does  not â€Å"take† tea in the same way one takes counsel, and the effect of the zeugma is to show the royal residence as a place that houses both serious matters of state and frivolous social occasions. The reader is asked to contemplate that paradox and to reflect on the relative value and importance of these two different registers of activity. (For another example of this rhetorical techniq ue, see lines 157–8: â€Å"Not louder shrieks to pitying heaven are cast, / when husbands, or when lapdogs breathe their last.†) A similar point is made, in a less compact phrasing, in the second and third verse-paragraphs of this canto. Here, against the gossip and chatter of the young lords and ladies, Pope opens a window onto more serious matters that are occurring â€Å"meanwhile† and elsewhere, including criminal trials and executions, and economic exchange. The rendering of the card game as a battle constitutes an amusing and deft narrative feat. By parodying the battle scenes of the great epic poems, Pope is suggesting that the energy and passion once applied to brave and serious purposes is now expended on such insignificant trials as games and gambling, which often become a mere front for flirtation. The structure of â€Å"the three attempts† by which the lock is cut is a convention of heroic challenges, particularly in the romance genre. The romance is further invoked in the image of Clarissa arming the Baron—not with a real weapon, however, but with a pair of sewing scissors. Belinda is not a real adversary, or course, and Pope makes it plain that her resistance—and, by implication, her subsequent distress—is to some degree an affectation. The melodrama of her screams is complemented by the ironic comparison of the Baron’s feat to the conquest of nations. Belinda’s â€Å"anxious cares† and â€Å"secret passions† after the loss of her lock are equal to the emotions of all who have ever known â€Å"rage, resentment and despair.† After the disappointed Sylphs withdraw, an earthy gnome called Umbriel flies down to the â€Å"Cave of Spleen.† (The spleen, an organ that removes disease-causing agents from the bloodstream, was traditionally associated with the passions, particularly malaise; â€Å"spleen† is a synonym for â€Å"ill-temper.†) In his descent he passes through Belinda’s bedroom, where she lies prostrate with discomfiture and the headache. She is attended by  Ã¢â‚¬Å"two handmaidens,† Ill-Nature and Affectation. Umbriel passes safely through this melancholy chamber, holding a sprig of â€Å"spleenwort† before him as a charm. He addresses the â€Å"Goddess of Spleen,† and returns with a bag of â€Å"sighs, sobs, and passions† and a vial of sorrow, grief, and tears. He unleashes the first bag on Belinda, fueling her ire and despair. There to commiserate with Belinda is her friend Thalestris. (In Greek mythology, Thalestris is the name of one of the Amazons, a race of warrior women who excluded men from their society.) Thalestris delivers a speech calculated to further foment Belinda’s indignation and urge her to avenge herself. She then goes to Sir Plume, â€Å"her beau,† to ask him to demand that the Baron return the hair. Sir Plume makes a weak and slang-filled speech, to which the Baron disdainfully refuses to acquiesce. At this, Umbriel releases the contents of the remaining vial, throwing Belinda into a fit of sorrow and self-pity. With â€Å"beauteous grief† she bemoans her fate, regrets not having heeded the dream-warning, and laments the lonely, pitiful state of her sole remaining curl. Commentary The canto opens with a list of examples of â€Å"rage, resentment, and despair,† comparing on an equal footing the pathos of kings imprisoned in battle, of women who become old maids, of evil-doers who die without being saved, and of a woman whose dress is disheveled. By placing such disparate sorts of aggravation in parallel, Pope accentuates the absolute necessity of assigning them to some rank of moral import. The effect is to chastise a social world that fails to make these distinctions. Umbriel’s journey to the Cave of Spleen mimics the journeys to the underworld made by both Odysseus and Aeneas. Pope uses psychological allegory (for the spleen was the seat of malaise or melancholy), as a way of exploring the sources and nature of Belinda’s feelings. The presence of Ill-nature and Affectation as handmaidens serves to indicate that her grief is less than pure (â€Å"affected† or put-on), and that her display of temper has hidden motives. We learn that her sorrow is decorative in much the same way the curl was; it gives her the occasion, for example, to wear a new nightdress. The speech of Thalestris invokes a courtly ethic. She encourages Belinda to think about the Baron’s misdeed as an affront to her honor, and draws on ideals of chivalry in  demanding that Sir Plume challenge the Baron in defense of Belinda’s honor. He makes a muddle of the task, showing how far from courtly behavior this generation of gentlemen has fallen. Sir Plume’s speech is riddled with foppish slang and has none of the logical, moral, or oratorical power that a knight should properly wield. This attention to questions of honor returns us to the sexual allegory of the poem. The real danger, Thalestris suggests, is that â€Å"the ravisher† might display the lock and make it a source of public humiliation to Belinda and, by association, to her friends. Thus the real question is a superficial one—public reputation—rather than the moral imperative to chastity. Belinda’s own words at the close of the canto corroborate this suggestion; she exclaims, â€Å"Oh, hadst thou, cruel! been content to seize / Hairs less in sight, or any hairs but these!† (The â€Å"hairs less in sight† suggest her pubic hair). Pope is pointing out the degree to which she values outward appearance (whether beauty or reputation) above all else; she would rather suffer a breach to her integrity than a breach to her appearance. The Baron remains impassive against all the ladies’ tears and reproaches. Clarissa delivers a speech in which she questions why a society that so adores beauty in women does not also place a value on â€Å"good sense† and â€Å"good humour.† Women are frequently called angels, she argues, but without reference to the moral qualities of these creatures. Especially since beauty is necessarily so short-lived, we must have something more substantial and permanent to fall back on. This sensible, moralizing speech falls on deaf ears, however, and Belinda, Thalestris and the rest ignore her and proceed to launch an all-out attack on the offending Baron. A chaotic tussle ensues, with the gnome Umbriel presiding in a posture of self- congratulation. The gentlemen are slain or revived according to the smiles and frowns of the fair ladies. Belinda and the Baron meet in combat and she emerges victorious by peppering him with snuff and drawing her bodkin. Having achieved a position of advantage, she again demands that he return the lock. But the ringlet has been lost in the chaos, and cannot be found. The poet avers that the lock has risen to the heavenly spheres to become a star; stargazers may admire it now for all eternity. In this way, the poet reasons, it will attract more envy than it ever could on earth. Commentary Readers have often interpreted Clarissa’s speech as the voice of the poet  expressing the moral of the story. Certainly, her oration’s thesis aligns with Pope’s professed task of putting the dispute between the two families into a more reasonable perspective. But Pope’s position achieves more complexity than Clarissa’s speech, since he has used the occasion of the poem as a vehicle to critically address a number of broader societal issues as well. And Clarissa’s righteous stance loses authority in light of the fact that it was she who originally gave the Baron the scissors. Clarissa’s failure to inspire a reconciliation proves that the quarrel is itself a kind of flirtatious game that all parties are enjoying. The description of the â€Å"battle† has a markedly erotic quality, as ladies and lords wallow in their mock-agonies. Sir Plume â€Å"draw[s] Clarissa down† in a sexual way, and Belinda â€Å"flies† on her foe with flashing eyes and an erotic ardor. When Pope informs us that the Baron fights on unafraid because he â€Å"sought no more than on his foe to die,† the expression means that his goal all along was sexual consummation. This final battle is the culmination of the long sequence of mock-heroic military actions. Pope invokes by name the Roman gods who were most active in warfare, and he alludes as well to the Aeneid , comparing the stoic Baron to Aeneas (â€Å"the Trojan†), who had to leave his love to become the founder of Rome. Belinda’s tossing of the snuff makes a perfect turning point, ideally suited to the scale of this trivial battle. The snuff causes the Baron to sneeze, a comic and decidedly unheroic thing for a hero to do. The bodkin, too, serves nicely: here a bodkin is a decorative hairpin, not the weapon of ancient days (or even of Hamlet’s time). Still, Pope gives the pin an elaborate history in accordance with the conventions of true epic. The mock-heroic conclusion of the poem is designed to compliment the lady it alludes to (Arabella Fermor), while also giving the poet himself due credit for being the instrument of her immortality. This ending effectively indulges the heroine’s vanity, even though the poem has functioned throughout as a critique of that vanity. And no real moral development has taken place: Belinda is asked to come to terms with her loss through a kind of bribe or distraction that reinforces her basically frivolous outlook. But even in its most mocking moments, this poem is a gentle one, in which Pope shows a basic sympathy with the social world in spite of its folly and foibles. The searing critiques of his later satires would be much more stringent and less forgiving.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The communication quality between doctor and foreign patient

The communication quality between doctor and foreign patient 1. Introduction While traveling is getting easier and migration is taking place frequently, cultural differences and communication problems have emerged as a new problem of today. The most important case communication is inevitable for a non-speaker of the native language is being a patient. Some undesirable outcomes may occur if the patient can not give the correct information. With the recent migrations in the western countries such as Germany, France, USA, Canada, UK, Holland the number of non-speakers of the native language has become noteworthy. In Turkey, there is also an increase in the number of foreign patients with the real estate sales to the foreigners in the places such as Antalya and Bodrum. On the other hand, highly qualified healthcare professionals and competitive pricing increased the share of health tourism in the whole tourism income (http://www.medicaltourisminturkey.org). On the ground of the importance of communication, according to various resources, 80% of the medical mistakes are caused by giving incorrect information [13,8]. Having gained more and more importance recently, foreign patient-doctor communication and the gaps it has, will be evaluated with the view of knowledge management, and finally, the method developed to prevent the incorrect information translation will be introduced. 2. Literature Review Foreign patients do not know the local language and therefore the language of the doctor is analyzed in detail. [1,2,10,14] In the basis of this study, lies the increase in the number of the non-speakers of the language of migrated country. For example in USA, 18% of people older than 5 years speak another language at their home (U.S. Census Bureau 2002: QT-P16, cited in Lee 2003:3). This information takes place in the article of Alexander and friends (2009) that contains interesting data about the non-speakers of native language: â€Å"In Geneva, Switzerland, 43% of the population is foreign born and about 25% of the population speaks a language other than French at home.† 2.1. Culture Edward Tylors definition is cited as the first definition of culture[15]. Tylor(1903/1988) defines as â€Å"culture or civilization, taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society†.As one of the famous authors who has decoded the most about his studies on culture, Hofstede (2005:4) defines culture as â€Å"the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another†. According to these definitions, language is critical for both underlined words. â€Å"Capabilities† are built by interpretation of language. â€Å"Collective programming of mind† programming codes are generated by language. We can say that culture is created by language. The effects of culture on health care are similar to those of language. For example in Turkey (strong uncertainty avoidance and collectivist culture) women are willing to be consulted to a woman obstetrician ( H2 hospital Director of Quality Department), in USA (weak uncertainty avoidance and individualist ) there is no such problems. According Collins et al. (2002, cited in Lee 2003:5): â€Å"Effective communication between patient and doctor is critical to good medical outcomes.† So a woman patient form a different culture may affect the medical outcomes. In literature, several paper [2,6] use language and culture interchangeable but in this paper we will use the language as creator of culture. 2.2. Developed Methods To Pass Trough The Language Barrier Information transfer (communication) between a patient and a doctor is generated in two ways. If the patient and the doctor speak the same language and their cultures are close to each other the transfer is established directly. If there are differences in the language and the culture of patient and doctor, a proxy is used. Followings are the proxies developed in the situation if the patients do not know the local language: Going to hospital with a friend or relative who knows local language and using him or her as translator. -In the deep interviews done with medical sector workers, most of the foreigners live in Turkey use this method, but if the friend or relative in the role of translator does not know the local language so much then some problems may emerge. Interpreter establishes the communication between patient and doctor. -This method is specially used in private health care enterprises in Turkey. Because of cost, increasing effects, interpreters are not chosen by patients who have no good economic welfare. In many countries the language requirements of interpreters are not defined, and non-medical professional interpreters are used widely. In the study of Karliner et al.(2007) â€Å"professional interpreters are associated with improved clinical care more than is use of ad hoc interpreters, and professional interpreters appear to increase the quality of clinical care for limited English proficiency(LEP) patients to approach or equal that for patient without language barriers.† Also many studies showed that professional interpreters who do not know the culture of the patient may offend the patient and the patient may lose confidence [3] .- Translation of those who are not medical staff -This type of translation is more common among immigrants. Because of large numbers of Turks living in Germany, it is quite probable to find non-medical staff that knows Turkish in the hospital.- If the medical staff knows foreign language. -The manager of public hospital and the managers of H1 and H2 hospitals said that the most important communication problem of medical sector is medical staffs without foreign language.- In these studies low content rates of the patients can be seen. The most satisfactory method is bilingual staff and the least one is translation of relatives/friends of the patient. 3. Data and Method The aim of this paper is to improve communication quality between doctor and foreign patient. The research question is How can we improve the communication quality between doctor and foreign patient? Yin (1994) defined a case study as â€Å"an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident.† Kohn(1997) states that â€Å"Yin suggests the methodology may actually be more powerful for explanatory purposes in its ability to answer questions of how and why†. In this paper by the definition of case study methods and the structure of the research question. Semi-structured interviews and observations are used for data collection and case study method is used for analyzing data. 3.1. Selecting Cases In Turkey there are 5 types of hospital. H1 private and multi branch, H2 private unique branch, H3 private, multi branch and foundation supported ,H4 public hospital, H5 university hospital. Cluster sampling method is used because population is heterogeneous. The population is first divided into separate groups of elements which is called as clusters, H1, H2, H3, H4, H5. A sampling from the hospitals in service in different cities, eager to provide data and known as the best in their cluster, is generated. As some hospitals demanded during the negotiations, the clusters they belong to are mentioned instead of their names. Table 3 -Hospital Characteristics in each Cluster Cluster Total Staff (approximately) Total Branch Is there a department for foreign patient? Informant H1 7500 17 Y Hospital Director(M.D), Professor of PhysicalMedicine andRehabilitation H2 450 1 N Director of Quality Department, Head of Nursing Department, Emergency Doctor(M.D), Emergency Nurse, Senior Staff of Public Relation H3 800 4 N Medical Director(M.D), Manager of Human Resources H4 1600 1 N Head of Nursing Department, Emergency Doctor(M.D), Emergency Nurse, H5 More than 10.000 1 N Emergency Doctor1(M.D), Emergency Doctor2(M.D), 3.2. Problems with patients who do not know Turkish In some regions of Turkey, there are people who do not know the native language. We see that usually a relative or a friend of the patient help the communication as a translator (H1 Professor of PhysicalMedicine andRehabilitation). During the deep interviews with H3 Medical Director, he says: â€Å"Citizens from the eastern region of our country, and immigrants from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa come to hospital when they are ill, with a relative or a friend of them; and we intervene the patients with the translation of these people.† The process goes on in two ways for the non-citizen patients. If the patient can speak English; as the public relations, nurses or the doctor can, the communication is established with the help of staff. But if the patient speaks a language other than the staff can do, then a translator is required. Hospital Director in H1 hospital stated that: â€Å"The number of our foreign patients that become ill in Turkey is less than the patients that was ill before coming to Turkey. We sent our doctors to other countries and enable them to meet doctors working in clinics and hospitals. In the next step, foreign doctor sends his/her patient to us. Before the patient arrives, we get the tests and diagnosis applied to the patient. We meet the patient at the airport and accommodate the patient according to his/her economic welfare. All the transportation and other needs of the patient are met by our department established for this purpose. Taking into consideration the countries most foreign patients come from, we employ that staffs who know their language. Because the number of foreign patients in H1 hospital is more than other private and public hospitals, many applications were developed in accordance with the needs. For example, if the patient gets lost anywhere in the hospital and shows the card given to him/her to any hospital employee the problem is solved. â€Å"In the frame of JCI accreditation, the patients and employee are not asked to identify themselves according to their room number. For the probability of being lost in the hospital mostly used sentences takes place in Turkish and in the language of the patient. When patient shows his or her need in own language, the Turkish translation takes place under it then the communication is established.† In H2, H3, H4, H5 hospitals, patients usually come after they get ill in Turkey. Quality manager of H2 hospital: â€Å"Our patients usually come us after an illness in Turkey or according to the recommendation of their acquaintance who were satisfied from our service. Among our patients, there is a group which establishes contact with us before they come to examination and shows the previous cure documents, and the other group comes without any plan or foreknowledge.† In 2007 the distribution of the foreign patients came to H2 hospital is as follows: Many demographic features of the patients are: 64% are men and 36% women. 52% paid cash, 26% used assurance and 21% cured for free by the hospital. Foreign patient level in all hospitals is about 1%. If we consider the graphic which Hofstede(2005:191) has drawn according to the cultures of the countries; The patients coming to H2 hospital take place in all four areas. These patients took service in 15 different departments. In communication with these patients, proxies were used. In 2007 H1 hospitals foreign patients came from 69 different countries such as Afghanistan, Argentina, Germany, Angola, Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, UK, USA, Canada, Finland, Czech Republic, India, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Uruguay shortly all quadrants of Hofstedes culture dimentions. In literature LEP (limited English proficiency) concept is used but limited Turkish proficiency, limited Arabic proficiency, limited Chinese proficiency are also problem. When we look at the problems about the culture and language, the cases in USA and Europe countries are common for all countries and should be solved in all countries. In mostly used method, using proxy, the main problem is the transfer of the knowledge. Knowledge changes while transferring from one place to another, so knowledge can not be transferred but translated. For example; in communication with simultaneous translation the question of Turk doctor â€Å"Neyin var?† is translated as â€Å"what is wrong?†or â€Å"obligation† word is used. But the purpose here is to ask â€Å"What seems your chief complaint today?† In the article of Holden et al(2004) which includes usual examples, the following part takes place: â€Å"For example, Japanese speakers of English are influenced by the notions of politeness. Rather than categorically refusing a request, Japanese might say: ‘Ill think about it (which means â€Å"there is no way I am going to do anything about it.; or, often with a great sucking of breath between clenched teeth: ‘Thats very difficult, meaning that something is a sheer impossibility.† 3.3. Specific Situation Patient Name : Y.S. Year : 2008 Age : 48 Nationality : Greece â€Å"The patient comes to Bursa because of the dead of a friend of him. He goes to emergency with stomach ache. He is alone. The patient speaks English and Greek. After he turns to information desk, he is taken to the emergency doctor. The emergency doctor knows only Turkish. A professional interpreter is called. Patient tells the interpreter that when he first comes to the emergency he could not express himself to the hospital employee and he needs immediate cure. In addition, he says that he was depressed even before the therapy and if he didnt have to, he would not come to a Turkish doctor.†(Interpreter, H2 hospital Emergency Doctor(M.D), Emergency Nurse, Senior Staff of Public Relation) As we can understand from these expressions the patient has a negative point of view against Turkey because of the dreary events between Turkey and Greece in the past. This point of view is considered as a code given form the society he lived since his childhood [18] As the patient has to wait despite the emergency, he uses accusatory expressions. He says that â€Å"the doctor in the emergency is young and inexperienced†. That the translator is easy-going and that he mentions the negative behaviors of the patient after the examination has been an important factor in the success of the treatment. â€Å"After the therapy blood test and abdominal USG are demanded. Then gastroenteritis is diagnosed and his prescription was filled.† (Emergency Doctor) â€Å"After making a good bargain, patient lowers the price and pays in cash.†(H2 Director of Quality Department) Because of the proximity of a less individualist society and relatively low prices in Turkey, the patients says that he also has a tooth ache and wants to see the therapy room for teeth. After seeing the room he takes a tooth therapy, as well. 4. Solution In this article we stated that knowledge is translated not transferred. Culler(1982) states that â€Å"every understanding is a misunderstanding.†[4]. If every understanding is a misunderstanding then communication between different cultures using different proxies is a distorted understanding. To establish the communication in mother language gains importance. â€Å"Communication between physicians and patients is fundamental for medical care.†(Joos et al.1996, cited in Lee et al. 2003). The solutions are developed in a way that the patients take less time of the proxies. Physician reads the report in his/her own language both audibly and visually, and may also provide videos and audios in the language of the patient[5,19]. The method developed in the scope of this article is a little more different. Native speaker doctors prepared the questions for diagnosis in their own language as well as the answers to such questions. Until the diagnosis the patient chooses the questions in own language then physician and patient gets the printouts in their own languages. The forgotten point in the developed audio and video based system is, while answering physicians question without the system patient uses own language and physician does not understand. Videos are important in one-way communication as giving information about how the test will be done like as urine test. How can we solve communication problems between foreign patient and doctor? Can XML be a solution? XML is defined by the W3C: â€Å"Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a simple, very flexible text format .Originally designed to meet the challenges of large-scale electronic publishing, XML is also playing an increasingly important role in the exchange of a wide variety of data on the Web and elsewhere† (http://www.w3.org/XML) We can use xml for information transfer from one language to another one. We use transfer because native speaker doctors prepared the questions for diagnosis in their own language as well as the answers to such questions. Foreign patient and doctor use software in their own language, culture and words. Foreign patient and doctor information transfer process can be modeled as below: Both foreign patient and the doctor can see every question in their native language and culture. 4.1. Software This software can support all languages. When we add a new language program XML file is extending. When we add a new language it will be located in this section: en de tr fr new language code I have only migraine data for testing software in Turkish, French, German and English languages. Lets think that our doctor is a Turk and patient is a French native speaker. Doctor select question in his/her native language â€Å"Ã…Å ¸ikayetiniz nedir?† and patient see this question in his native language â€Å"Quest ce quil vous arrive ?†. CultureStr for doctor is â€Å"tr† and for patient is â€Å"fr†. If we add a new language this section will be extend. and . Screen shot: 5. Conclusion Translations done by ad hoc interpreters and professional interpreters who does not know patients culture are equivalent according to the transfer of the knowledge but are not equal. Because of this, these are the translation of knowledge rather than transfer of knowledge. Our solution can be a solution for knowledge transfer problems and limited all language proficiency. What we need is only questions for every complaint, what doctor are asking to their patients. It is not easy but if we do this, a visit to a foreign country will be much safe and a patient will have a chance to chose his/her doctor in which country he/she wishes. Every understanding may be a misunderstanding because what we understand may be different from what is said by others. We understand equivalent of what said by others, not equal. By this project we are trying to extend understanding. As we mentioned before according to varied resources 80% of the medical mistakes are caused by wrong information (wrong information transfer). If we extend enough equivalent it will be nearly equal, at this point medical mistakes will decrease. 6. Acknowledgement We gratefully acknowledge the support of Yalà §Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±n Aytek ÃÅ"stà ¼ndaÄÅ ¸, Asst. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Erà §ek, Didem Parlak, Ä °smail Cahit Gà ¶rmez, Asst. Prof. Dr. Melike Ã…Å ¾ahiner, Asst. Prof. Dr. Ã…Å ¾ule ÃÆ'-ncà ¼l, Prof. Dr. Zeynep Gà ¼ven, Dr. Demet Dinà §, Dr. ÃÆ'-mer AydÄ ±n, Dr. ÃÅ"nal Egeli, Senem Kayas, Dr. Suna YÄ ±ldÄ ±rÄ ±m and Onur Uslu. 7. References [1] Alexander B., Perneger TV., Bovier PA., Loutan L., and Stalder H. Improving communication between physicians and patients who speak a foreign landuage. British Journal of General Practice 2003: 53: 541-546 [2] Alexander B. and Hudelson P. Communicating With Foreign Language- Speaking Patients: Is Access to Professional Interpreters Enough? Journal of Travel Medicine 2009: 1-6 [3] Collins KS., Hughes DL., Doty MM., Ives BL., Edwards JN., and Tenney K. Diverse Communities, Common Concerns: Assessing Health Care Quality for Minority Americans. Findings from the Commonwealth Fund 2001 Health Care Quality Survey. New York: Commonwealth Fund. [4] Culler J. On Deconstruction, New York: Cornel University Press 1982. [5] Galvez E and Stronks A (2007) â€Å"Hospitals, Language, and Culture† Joint Commusion International(http://www.jointcommission.org/NR/rdonlyres/E64E5E89-5734-4D1D-BB4D-C4ACD4BF8BD3/0/hlc_paper.pdf Last accessed Agust 2009) [6] Gale DD. Cultural Sensitivity Beyond Ethnicity: A Universal Precautions Model. The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice 2006:4(1):1-5 [7] Holden NJ. and Kortzfleisch HFOV. Why Cross- Cultural Knowledge Transfer is a Form of Translation in More Ways Than You Think. Knowledge and Process Management 2004: 11(2): 127-136 [8] Joint Commition International. http://www.jointcommission.org/SentinelEvents/SentinelEventAlert/sea_25.htm Last accessed: June 2008 [9] Joos SK., Hickam DH., Gordon GH., and Baker LH. 1996. Effects of Physician Communication Intervention on Patient Care Outcomes. Journal of General Internal Medicine 11(3): 147:155 [10] Karliner LS.,JAcops AE, Chen AH and Mutha S. Do Professional Interpreters Improve Clinical Care for Patients with Limited English Profeciency? A Systematic Review of the Literature. Health Service Research 2007: 42(2): 727-754 [11] Kohn LT. Methods in Case Study Analysis( Panel discussion conducted at the 1996 meeting of the Association for Health Services Research) 1997. [12] Lee SM. A Review of Language and Other Communication Barriers in Health Care. Office of Public Health and Science 2003. [13] Packard, C.Finding Links between Healthcare Safety, Communication, and Cultural Norms and Assumptions. Carle Selected Papers 2009 Vol.50 No.2 : 55-58 (http://www.carleconnect.com/CSP/CSP%20Fall_Winter%2007/13.Packard.pdf Last accessed Agust 2009) [14] Perloff RM., Bonder B., Ray GB., and Ray EB. Doctor-Patient Communication, Cultural Competence, and Minority Health. American Behavioral Scientist 2006: 49(6): 835-852 [15] Vatrapu R., and Suthers D. â€Å"Culture and Computers: A Review of the Concept of Culture and Implications for Intercultural Collaborative Online Learning. IWIC 2007: 260-275 [16] Hofstede G. And Hofstede GJ. Cultures and Organizations Software of the Mind. McGraw-Hill. 2005 [17] Yin, R.K.Case Study Research, Design and Methods, 2nd ed. Newbury Park, Sage Publications, 1994. [18] Hostede G.and Hofstede GJ. Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, Second Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2005. [19] http://pgsi.com (Last accessed Agust 2009) 8. Corresponding Author Serkan Tà ¼rkeli, AcÄ ±badem University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Healthcare Management, Istanbul, Maltepe, Turkey,Tel:(0090) 505 488 84 45, Fax:(0090) 216 589 84 85 E-Mail:[emailprotected], Web:www.nasnim.com/serkanturkeli

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Dangerous Knowledge Essay -- Essays Papers

Dangerous Knowledge The pursuit of forbidden knowledge is the impetus and downfall of man's quest to understand the unknown. In the Bible, God warns man that knowledge brings more regret than it does value: "He that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow" (Ecclesiastes 1:18.). Throughout the history of mankind, man has been faced with the temptation to reach the level of God. The Tower of Babel is the first attempt by man to become as powerful as God when man tries to build a tower that reaches the heavens. " 'Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth' " (Genesis 11:4). In the end, God punishes man for attempting to know what God should only understand. "So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city" (Genesis 11:8). The pursuit of knowledge is at the heart of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Robe rt Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The main characters, Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll, attempt to reach beyond accepted human limits and access the secrets of life. As a result, the ruthless pursuit of knowledge proves dangerous as both men eventually destroy themselves and everyone dear to them. The thirst for knowledge is a hidden evil that man can only see after it has destroyed his life. Frankenstein is a young scientist who is blinded by the fame and dangers of the knowledge of creation. "So much has been done," exclaims Frankenstein after he hears a lecture on famous scientists. "More, far more, will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unk... ...one, but scientist Lewis Thomas says, "We cannot wish away the "Frankenstein Impulse"-we must instead try to channel it in a democratic and ethical direction" (Article Finder). The thirst for knowledge is a hidden evil that man can only see after it has destroyed his life. Had Frankenstein and Jekyll followed the advice of Thomas then maybe their findings would have turned out to be good rather than evil. Perhaps God grants the pursuit of knowledge to those he knows will abuse it in order to make an example of their irresponsible pursuit of knowledge and to prove that some knowledge is off limits to man. Works Cited Goodall, Jane. "Frankenstein and the Reprobate's Conscience." Studies in the Novel 31.1 (1999): 19. Madigan, Timothy J. "Defending Dr. Frankenstein." Free Inquiry 14.4 (1994): 48. Ribalow, M.Z. "Script Doctors." The Sciences 38.6 (1998): 26.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Online learning Essay

Online learning tools are of great utility; they are widely used in learning practice. Market offers a variety of solutions that differ in their level of sophistication and functions offered. The purpose of this paper is to discuss three available solutions and model their utilization in learning process, namely FlexTaining, Rollbook, and Moodle. The FlexTraining Total e-Learning Solution by National Training Systems is effective software for e-learning management. Since online education is becoming increasingly more common and popular, e-learning management solutions have gradually started to gain greater relevance. The software is utile and user-friendly, therefore it can be effectively used during the online learning phase. It provides for a possibility to incorporate various file formats, including Video, PowerPoint, Flash, and PDF; it can be used to crate a truly multimedia environment. The solution has won recognition from leading educational institutions, major multinational companies, and governmental agencies alike. The software is powering e-learning for Duke University, Stanford University, Microsoft, Phillips, U. S. Department of Labor, U. S. Department of Air Force, and a host of other institutions and organizations. The tools offered by the FlexTraining Total e-Learning Solution include Visual Course Builder (allows creating classes), Assessment Tool (allows creating online tests), FlexAuthoring (allows developing course content), and Reporting and Analysis (allows tracking students’ performance). While most of the functions offered by the FlexTraining are available in other software solutions, its unique feature and most useful tool is, in my opinion, FlexAuthoring. It offers template-based authoring for creating lesson plans and course content. It is an invaluable tool for inexperienced teachers who need guidance in structuring their material. Another powerful feature of the FlexTraining is pre- and post-assessment. It is useful as a monitoring tool that enables teachers to determine whether training needs have been fulfilled. It can further become the basis for teachers’ self-assessment and continuous improvement. Availability of interactive exercises is also a useful feature of the FlexTraining. It compensates for lack of face-to-face contact with a teacher; lack of such contact is often cited as one of the biggest disadvantages of distance education. In addition, the software offers opportunities for self-paced training, thus being accommodating students’ preferences for instructor-led or individual learning. Searchable document libraries make navigation easier both for teachers and students. All these functions can be of enormous use during the online learning phase and are enabling for students in their work in online environment. Rollbook by Intellum is usually used for corporate training, yet it has a number of unique features that can be of great utility in classroom settings. This software solution is rather simple as compared with other programs available on the market. Its unique features include a calendar (a personal schedule of events and authorized sessions), a branching group structure (a structure that allows forming smaller subgroups within large groups and customizing functions such as reports or mailing lists for these smaller groups), learning paths (a function that groups relevant courses into learning tracks) and design of course certificates. An alterative to the proprietary FlexTraining and Rollbook is the open source solution called Moodle. It offers most of the functions FlexTraining and Rollbook have (such as chat, forum, polls, assignments, quizzes, etc. ), yet it has several advantages. The strength of all open source technologies, apart from the apparent cost cutting, is the ability of different software developers to continuously improve and update solutions. Moodle’s focus is on interaction between teacher and students and especially among students. For instance, similar courses can be grouped together as a meta course, allowing students fro different yet related course to interact with each other. Moddle is also better suited to accommodate multimedia: students can upload multiple files in any format as one assignment (for instance, if a research project consists of a text file, several images, and a video, this function is very handy). All the aforementioned resources enable students to use the Internet in an ethical, legal, and educational way. All these software packages, by virtue of their functional orientation, are empowering tools, since e-learning makes education more available and affordable for all. Their focus on continuous education is another significant advantage of online learning method. The FlexTraining software also allows teachers to check for plagiarism. All the documents uploaded to the system by students can be compared with Internet sources, sources from the Document Library, and previous works submitted by the same student or other students. This function gives teacher an opportunity to detect plagiarism immediately and take appropriate administrative action. Plagiarism is one of the most widespread and harmful examples of dishonest academic practices. Although this phenomenon is condemned by all educational institutions, plagiarism still pervades many spheres of education. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to ensure that student’s academic essays and papers are original. A student who engages in plagiarism deprives him/herself of the opportunity to benefit fully from the education s/he is undertaking. Since every assignment is designed in order to help students to gain deeper knowledge of a certain subject, evading independent research and analysis hinders the continuity and integrity of the education process. Copying the ideas of other people without proper acknowledgement is a practice that all teachers should try to eliminate completely. This is possible to do only with special software. Helping students to understand and avoid plagiarism is the key to introducing them to Internet use following the principles of ethical, legal, and educational approaches. As concerns Moodle, its open source philosophy is the software’s added value: together with better quality, it makes students reflect on the differences between proprietary and open source programs. Such a critical reflection on the role of the Internet in challenging the fundamentals of capitalism and empowering creative commons might make students more aware of the problems of Internet governance and ethical use of this powerful tool for the benefits of all and not only privileged few. Rollbook and Moodle have a closer focus on individual and peer-to-peer learning, as opposed to the FlexTraining’s focus on instruction-led teaching and strict progress monitoring. Thus, Rollbook and Moodle are better suited to educate students about Internet’s ability to offer innumerable opportunities for individual and collective learning. References Intellum, Inc. (2008). ‘Hosted Learning Management System. ’ Retrieved July 4, 2008, ffrom http://www. intellum. com/web2006/hosted_lms National Training Systems. (2008). ‘FlexTraining Total E-Learning Software Solution. ’ Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://www. flextraining. com N/a. (N/d). ‘Moodle. ’ Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://moodle. org

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Sengoku Period in Japanese History

The Sengoku Period in Japanese History The Sengoku was a century-long period of political upheaval and warlordism in Japan, lasting from the Onin War of 1467–77 through the reunification of the country around 1598. It was a lawless era of civil war, in which the feudal lords of Japan fought one another in endless plays for land and power. Although the political entities that were fighting were actually just domains, the Sengoku is sometimes referred to as Japans Warring States Period. Pronunciation:  sen-GOH-kooAlso known  as:  sengoku-jidai, Warring States Period The Onin War The Onin War that initiated the Sengoku was fought over a disputed succession in the Ashikaga Shogunate; in the end, nobody won. For the next century and a half, local daimyo or warlords vied for control over the different regions of Japan. Unification Japans Three Unifiers brought the Sengoku Era to an end. First, Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) conquered many other warlords, beginning the process of unification through military brilliance and sheer ruthlessness. His general Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536–598) continued the pacification after Nobunaga was killed, using a somewhat more diplomatic but equally pitiless set of tactics. Finally, yet another Oda general named Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542–1616) defeated all opposition in 1601 and established the stable Tokugawa Shogunate, which ruled until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Although the Sengoku Period ended with the rise of the Tokugawa, it continues to color the imaginations and the popular culture of Japan to this day. Characters and themes from the Sengoku are evident in manga and anime, keeping this era alive in the memories of modern-day Japanese people.

Monday, October 21, 2019

How does Amy Tan link her first four stories in Joy Luck C essays

How does Amy Tan link her first four stories in Joy Luck C essays How does Amy Tan link her first four stories in Joy Luck Club? The author Amy Tan wrote Joy Luck Club the novel. In the novel, Amy Tan attempts to link the first four chapters, Joy Luck Club, Scar, The Red Candle and The Moon Lady together. Amy Tan based on the framework of the first chapter Joy Luck Club which was based on the Jing-mei Woo to create a connection on the other three protagonists. She linked the three chapters under the aspects of the structure of the writing, the similarities of the protagonists and the themes she stated in the novel under the main factor of Chinese beliefs and tradition. Amy Tan organises the structure of Joy Luck Club by constructing it as a structural device. Before she begun her story, she wrote a parable which gave the readers some hints about her story. This parable explains briefly what the story is mainly about. In the parable Amy Tan links the four stories by focusing on the mother and daughter relationship which is found in the four chapters. This is noticeable in the phrase In America Ive a daughter just like me. It also tells the readers that the stories involve places in China and America from the parable. This could be spotted in the phrase many years ago in Shanghai stretching its neck toward America. The parable also stated the thoughts of the four mothers in the story which is changing the lifestyles of their next generation. Amy Tan showed this with the phrase I will make her speak perfect American English. In each of the four stories, the protagonists tell their story in the Joy Luck Club within the Mah-jong table. Although Am y Tan aims to tell the story to us as readers, the protagonists are actually telling the story to the daughters too. This is to let the daughters know more about their mother. Amy Tan writes the four stories mainly using the format of first person...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Free Online Research Papers Throughout the duration of this course we have touched on many different topics and disorders that all have been truly unique and very interesting. However, the chapter I found the most interesting was Anxiety Disorders and particularly Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Therefore, I will present a brief history of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder such as, its origin and how this disorder has affected individuals over generations. I will be touching on all aspects of this disorder ranging from how this disorder can be acquired in many different ways, forms to its multiple effects on individuals, and how this affects their behaviors and life style. I will also discuss treatments and some specific examples of PTSD. Forever, humans have been put under stress and in stressful situations, which have the ability to aggravate or make one so distressed, they will actually demonstrate mental and physical symptoms from this encounter with stress. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder works under similar principles, PTSD can be defined as a severe psychological reaction, lasting one month and involving intense feeling of fear, helplessness, or horror, to intensely traumatic events, events involving actual or threatened death or serious injury to oneself or others (Alloy, Riskino, Manos, 2005, p.157). In other words PTSD is the, â€Å"hypermnesis linked to the trauma which produces various emotional disturbances that result in a state of increased hypersensitivity towards environmental stimuli â€Å" (Tapia, Clarys, Isingrini El-Hage, 2007).Insinuating after this intense traumatic experience or episode one is going to experience an anxiety to stimuli that reminds the victim of this initial experience. PTSD can also be diagnosed in two different forms in the DSM-IV-TR, which are Acute and Chronic PTSD. The different forms are recognized by the severity of an individual’s disorder; Acute lasting just a month or so then gradually fading away. Then there is the Chronic form that is much more server and last for years, even decades, and in some cases a lifetime (Alloy et al., 2005, p.157). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has not always been defined or distinguished by DSM as it was portrayed above. Not until the third edition of the DSM published in 1980 was PTSD placed as a subcategory of anxiety disorders, then again it was republished with the fourth edition in 1994 defining it as a new stress response category (Beall, 1997). The true origin or time when the term PTSD was defined was in 1908s yet for many years before this there have been terms which were used to describe the symptoms of this disorder which was commonly associated with war fatigue. These are terms such as â€Å"shell shocked†, â€Å"combat fatigue† and â€Å"combat neurosis†, were terms, which mainly arose during World War I (WW1) to describe some soldier’s depression, anxiety, nightmares and panic attacks after returning from battle. This followed through WWII where the same symptoms were observed. A study on 1,089 Dutch veterans 50 years after the WWII showed that 50% o f these people were still suffering from PTSD in some way and only 4% showed no symptoms at all. The next major war, the Vietnam War, saw much of the same but on a larger scale due to many factors. (Alloy et al., 2005, p.158). At one time war fatigue was one of the only causes of PTSD; however, today we now know that it is one of the major causes and there are many other stressors, situations, and events which can cause one to endure the same symptoms of PTSD; both acute and chronic. For many generations Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was mainly related to war fatigue. Yet it is now known that virtually any trauma that can be considered life threatening or that severe, compromises the emotional well-being of an individual, or causes intense fear is a cause of PTSD. In other terms PTSD can derive from any stress, fear, situation or event, which can cause injury, death, emotional damage or even intense fear. So this can happen in many different situations; for example, a plane crash, a natural disaster (tornados, earthquakes, etc.), an assault, a car crash or even rape. It all depends what each individual feels will compromise their well being to what situations can actually be a trigger for the start of PTSD. A perfect example of this was after two large earthquakes in Iceland 100 children between the ages of 10-15 were chosen from the hardest hit areas to be examined and questioned for symptoms of PTSD. The results were quite interesting where 59% an extreme fear of injury during the quake 49% fear of death and 30% felt completely helpless. This Natural disaster triggered the symptoms of PTSD among these children and left an imprinting fear or anxiety of earthquakes with them (Bodvarsdottir, Elkit Gudmundsdottir, 2007). The effects and symptoms of PTSD can also be portrayed through each individual in a variety of ways, shapes and forms. According to the â€Å"National Institute of Mental Health† there are three main categories which symptoms can be grouped under. The first category is re-experiencing symptoms, which can be anything from flashbacks (reliving the experience), nightmares, and frightening or even suicidal thoughts. These types of symptoms can be triggered from anything that reminds the victim of the traumatic experience. Types of triggers could be a place, thought, word, object or almost anything that reminds the individual of the traumatic event. The second category is avoidance symptoms, which include avoiding certain places, objects, and people. The victim might feel socially numb and have strong guilt and depression. One may have loss of interest in once enjoyable activities and they may have trouble remembering the actual traumatic even which triggered the PTSD. The last cat egory is hyperarousal symptoms such as feeling on edge, anxious, being easily startled, having sudden outburst, and having difficulty sleeping (NIMH, 2009). All of these symptoms interfere with the victim’s ability to function normally or to the extent they did before the triggering event. This may be anything from ones sleeping pattern being disoriented, insomnia, lack of energy or motivation and even fear or loss of social activity. In many cases the individual may lose the ability to function properly or at all in social situation, which can lead to a social phobia. A particularly good example of this is when Vietnam Veterans returned form war. Instead of being greeted with praise and welcomed they were spat on and called baby killers due to the political view at that current time. Along with most likely having some form of PTSD these men were also repressed by society forcing down upon them, â€Å"social stigmatization and isolation† (Nietlisbach Maercker, 2009). In many cases this caused victims to become violent and distant from love ones, this is a possibility for any case of PTSD not just war veterans. However there are treatments that can be used to counter act PTSD. Treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder include a variety of techniques that are designed to help the victim through a recovery process. These techniques include forms of psychotherapy where the victims and encouraged to form relationships with family or friends. The individual should begin relationship building as well as emotional and cognitive connections with the trauma. The victim should also recognize the divergence between pre and post trauma values, meaning how their values have changed. Learning to modify one’s since of self establishes a meaning for the trauma being experienced. Also, it is important to reestablish appropriate self-management and social skills so they will be able to live a normal life (Marshall Dobson, 1996). These types of therapies along with constant reestablishment into society and their family along with reassuring yourself confidence is very key in through PTSD. There are medications, which are also used such as paroxetine and sertralin e, which are both anti-depressants. These are used to treat depression, fear, worry, anger and feeling numb inside. In many cases this is paired with psychotherapy and the various techniques discussed above to help the victim through the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (NIHM, 2006). In conclusion Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a very concerning disorder, which is triggered by a traumatic event that induces the fear of death, injury or emotional damage. This has been seen through the ages yet became very prevalent in the first and second World Wars were men came home with bouts of battle fatigue or being â€Å"shell socked.† This was also seen all throughout Vietnam and on a larger scale due to the political views during that era. PTSD was then defined in the DSM-III in 1980 as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. We now know, that PTSD can be caused not only from war but almost any traumatic event in an individual life, which triggers the immense fear of death, injury or emotional damage. This affects individuals in a variety of ways through symptoms such as re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoidance and hyperarousal. In some case impairing ones ability to function normally in social situations. However, there are treatments that are designed to target the specific symptoms and affects to rebuild the victim’s confidence, relationships, and life style to what it was to previously to the traumatic event. References (2006). National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved from nimh.nih.gov/health/publicati Alloy, L., Riskino, J., Manos, M. (2005). Abnormal psychology current perspectives 9th edition (pgs. 157-158) New York McGraw Hill. Beall, L. (1997). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Bibliographic Essay. Retrieved from www.lib.auburn.edu/socsci/docs/ptsd.html Bodvarsodottir, I., Elkit, A., Gudmundsdottir, D.B. (2007). Post-traumatic Stress Reactions in Children after two large Earthquakes in Iceland. Nordic Psychology 58(2), Jul, 2006. pp. 91-107 , doi 10.1027/1901-2276.58.2.9 Marshall, R., Dobson, M. (1996). A gereral model for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in war veterans. Psychotherapy Vol 32(3), Fal, 1995. pp. 389-396 , doi 10.1037/0033- 3204.32.3.389 Nietlisbanch, G., Maercker, A. (2009). Effects of social exclusion in trauma survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Trauma 1(4), Dec, 2009. pp. 323-331 , doi 10.1037/a0017832 Tapia, G., Clarys, D., Isingrini, M., El-Hage, W. (2007). Memory and Emotion In Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Canadian psychology 48(2), May, 2007. p. 106-119, doi 10.1037/cp2007012 Research Papers on Post Traumatic Stress DisorderThree Concepts of PsychodynamicPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Definition of Export QuotasHip-Hop is ArtBringing Democracy to AfricaMind TravelThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andAnalysis Of A Cosmetics Advertisement

Saturday, October 19, 2019

International and Domestic Food Franchising in Saudi Arabia Essay

International and Domestic Food Franchising in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The country is experiencing a tremendous population growth, along with the fact that its oil reserves are finite. These two major dynamics has and is changing the foundations of the country. The realities of globalisation as well as the understanding that its oil reserves will one day be depleted has seen the country's leadership plan changes to the economic structure of the country to meet current and future needs to bring Saudi Arabia in line with the economic make up of a post oil situation, via the development of a diversified economic structure. The preceding background events, which shall be further elaborated upon herein, represent important facets in this study, along with the underpinnings of the country's surge of industrial projects, and revision of its laws, policies and regulations. The foregoing has been spurred by the broad reasons mentioned, population growth and finite oil reserves, and the application by Saudi Arabia to join the World Trade Organisation, a process that began in 1992. Admission to this body occurred in 2005, with the foregoing admittance requiring massive as well as comprehensive internal reorganisation of the legal, social system, and industry that included the difficult changes in consideration of the country's religion, Islam. Â  

Friday, October 18, 2019

International commercial law coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

International commercial law coursework - Essay Example prohibits quantitative restrictions through the imposition of quota by any contracting party, and this principle is considered to be the cornerstone of the GATT system.1 Brazil has claimed that the quota restriction has been imposed on the ground that the solar plates emit radiation, and so, presumably the restriction has been taken as a measure to protect public health and environment. As per Article XX (b) of GATT 1994, Member states have the right take such measures necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health, provided that such measures are not arbitrary or a disguised restriction on international trade, and relate to all obligations under GATT 1994 including Article XI paragraph 1 thereof.2 Consequently, Brazil’s imposition of quota restrictions on import of solar plates would be inconsistent with WTO law unless Brazil can demonstrate that the measure is covered by Article XX of GATT 1994. Brazil cannot place reliance on Article XX of GATT, 1994 to defend t he quota restriction placed on the import of solar plates for the following reasons: a). Requirement of scientific evidence and risk assessment: In order to claim the exception under Article XX of GATT 1994, there should be sufficient scientific evidence to conclude that there exists a risk for human life or health and that the measures taken by the particular Member State are necessary in relation to the objectives pursued.3 The elaborate rules for application of the provisions of Article XX of GATT 1994, including Article XX (b) thereof, are codified under the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (â€Å"SPS Agreement†).4 As per the SPS Agreement any measure designed to protect human, plant or animal health, should be based on scientific principles and should not be applied without sufficient scientific evidence.5 The SPS Agreement also requires Member States to ensure that any such measures are based on an assessment of the risks to human, plant or animal life, employing proper

European Convention on Womens Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

European Convention on Womens Rights - Essay Example This further leads to women's dependency on men and particularly in circumstances where women are expected to perform in-house responsibilities as well like domestic work and children rearing. (Ball, 2001) Ranging from gender politics to sexual trafficking, European Convention (EC) action has weakened women's social rights more seriously than men's by emphasising upon the issue 'gender inequality'. No doubt EC has taken measures to reduce gender inequality and has diminished gender differences in various aspects of paid, unpaid and employed labour but this is also true that EC has only viewed one side of the picture. The other side EC does not want to view which states that women must be categorised for the household services she performs in the name of duties. With the weakening of welfare systems and restriction of the social rights of citizens to the working population, the gender hierarchy has implicitly embedded in the very notion of worker weighs more and more heavily on the social citizenship of women, especially of those from the weakest social strata. This is evident from the fact that U.N also runs in parallel with the EC when it comes to women's rights. In this context Newspaper article written by Archibald (June 5, 2000) mentions Mrs. Aguirre statement as "the attempted expansion of U.N. women's rights initiatives in the sexual realm has 'angered' women from less-developed countries, where religious faith is strong". (Archibald, June 5, 2000) Whatever is the religious faith and what ever be the nation, EC must understand that women's rights must be measured according to their limitations. I would also like to present her (Mrs. Aguirre) viewpoint in a feminist critical way in which she said that "Parenting and motherhood should not be taken as issues that discriminate men from women". (Archibald, June 5 2000) Now was she trying to convince that the women must not call their voice upon inequality and discrimination Mallik while focusing on women inequality stated a critical question in Magazine article UN Chronicle (Sept 2006) that why is it that despite being on the crossroads of women inequality, the Government is not appointing a woman for the General Assembly (Mallik, Sept, 2006) Similarly, European Court of Justice refused in giving decision in support of migrant women thereby rejecting the idea that children look after could be considered as 'work'. (Ackers, 2004) It seems the EU Convention has tried to keep itself aloof from the matters of resolving the issues of inequality. According to Rubbery (1999) "In the context of the European Union's social policy, equal opportunity is synonymous with material equality. That means the promotion of equal opportunities refer to a process aimed at eliminating inequalities which further justifies that inequality refer to promoting equality between women and men" (Rubery, 1999, p. 7). That simply implies to the fact that working women are no longer taken into account by the EC who are engaged in double duties, i.e., child rearing and employment. While diminishing women's social rights, Let us take a look at the European

International Market Comparison Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

International Market Comparison - Assignment Example Uniliver allows for innovations from all over the world since they have a link for ensuring this in their site (Isobel, 2008). Annual accounting reports of the company is also available nestle, on the other hand, gives an annual report in three minutes. Thus, investor is able to analyse these and make decisions. Nestle gives information about investment opportunities in different regions, in their company. Uniliver provides company news. Nestle, on the other hand, gives press releases that inform investors of the continuing events in the company (Philip, 2008). Nestle gives pictures of the products that they deal in. On the other hand, unilever gives a list of their brands. Both of them achieve the intended purpose by this provision. Nestle provides for a sign in while Uniliver does not. Thus, nestle can control and collect data concerning the interested parties easily (frank, 2005). From the above-varied elements in the websites of both companies, it can be noted that the companies make efforts in globalising their products to the international markets. This has been enhanced by providing information to investors who may take charge in setting up new lines in their products (David, 2008). Information concerning their products is also available in the website in a varied way. This makes the customers aware of the information they may need concerning the products and

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Seven brides for seven brothers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seven brides for seven brothers - Assignment Example The setting of the story in Oregon in 1850, a time of expansion to the west in those territories in conjunction with the notion of Manifest Destiny, gives us a background with which to understand the situation facing the brothers in the place, as basically rough men who had no access to women, and who were basically frontier people staking out the land for their own. The brothers were basically outsiders who were isolated and were venturing out into new territory. The place also was characterized by the relative absence of the rule of law, so that the abduction of the women to be the brides of the six brothers makes sense. The time and place setting of the story contextualizes the way the brothers were socially formed, why they were in Oregon at the time, and gives a context with which to understand their actions relative to the women (US History, 2015; Oregon Secretary of State, 2014; SparkNotes LLC, 2014). The men here are characterized as brutes unfit for female company, though Adam was an exception and was lucky to have gained the heart of Milly so easily, on just a single meeting. The six brothers were portrayed as probably representing the large mass of men who could not find wives, and were relegated to their lonely existences out in the frontier. That said, the women were characterized not as helpless creatures in need of men, but rather as being domesticators and bearers of culture and refinement. Though the men abducted their wives, and Adam put Milly on his list of items to shop so to speak, the women had their own mind and had some control over the actions of the men (IMDb, 2015). There is an element of the immediate in the live musical that is not present in the filmed musical, as can be gleaned from the Ellen Eccles staging of the movie. The live musical captures the film’s spirit to the extent that the former faithfully reproduces the excitement and the special

Compare the view of class in Homer, Boccaccio, Austen Essay

Compare the view of class in Homer, Boccaccio, Austen - Essay Example With his kindness, Odysseus wins the total loyalty of his thankful slaves. In Homer’s poem there are moments when Odysseus is described as inconsiderate and stubborn. He loses his caution when he is elated by his triumph over the strong Kyklops Polyphemos. Because of his temporary loss of common sense his puts his men in great danger. Despite his crew unwillingness, Odysseus embarks into the Kyklops’ island. There are other scenes in which Odysseus shows his selfish nature, for example the moment when he sends his crew to the unknown land of Kirke. He does this to avoid a potential danger which puts his life in peril. Although the initial description that Mentor gives is true, to an extend he idolizes Odysseus and portrays him in idealized fashion. In comparison, the protagonist in Dante’s Inferno is Dante himself. The novel is written from first-person perspective, which indicates that the character Dante is narrating the story. In Inferno we have to distinguish between the author Dante and the protagonist Dante. The author creates his character as a fictional one. The novel represents a journey of the protagonist Dante, written as if it was happening to the author Dante. At the beginning the protagonist has pity for the sinners in Hell. He shows how merciful he is. Then he realizes that the sinners deserve to be punished for their wrongdoing. Here the protagonist is described as ruthless. Dante’s character undergoes a noticeable change throughout his journey. His compassion for the sinners reduces as he goes down through Hell. The protagonist is also described as curious and caution at the same time, because he asks Virgil for advice every step on his way. Dante’s character is also adventurous during his journey. He is not afraid of what is happening around him and shows no fear. The protagonist is also wise, because he knows that he can not be hurt, and he can prevent the suffering that the sinners experience. In Emma, Jane

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

International Market Comparison Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

International Market Comparison - Assignment Example Uniliver allows for innovations from all over the world since they have a link for ensuring this in their site (Isobel, 2008). Annual accounting reports of the company is also available nestle, on the other hand, gives an annual report in three minutes. Thus, investor is able to analyse these and make decisions. Nestle gives information about investment opportunities in different regions, in their company. Uniliver provides company news. Nestle, on the other hand, gives press releases that inform investors of the continuing events in the company (Philip, 2008). Nestle gives pictures of the products that they deal in. On the other hand, unilever gives a list of their brands. Both of them achieve the intended purpose by this provision. Nestle provides for a sign in while Uniliver does not. Thus, nestle can control and collect data concerning the interested parties easily (frank, 2005). From the above-varied elements in the websites of both companies, it can be noted that the companies make efforts in globalising their products to the international markets. This has been enhanced by providing information to investors who may take charge in setting up new lines in their products (David, 2008). Information concerning their products is also available in the website in a varied way. This makes the customers aware of the information they may need concerning the products and

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Compare the view of class in Homer, Boccaccio, Austen Essay

Compare the view of class in Homer, Boccaccio, Austen - Essay Example With his kindness, Odysseus wins the total loyalty of his thankful slaves. In Homer’s poem there are moments when Odysseus is described as inconsiderate and stubborn. He loses his caution when he is elated by his triumph over the strong Kyklops Polyphemos. Because of his temporary loss of common sense his puts his men in great danger. Despite his crew unwillingness, Odysseus embarks into the Kyklops’ island. There are other scenes in which Odysseus shows his selfish nature, for example the moment when he sends his crew to the unknown land of Kirke. He does this to avoid a potential danger which puts his life in peril. Although the initial description that Mentor gives is true, to an extend he idolizes Odysseus and portrays him in idealized fashion. In comparison, the protagonist in Dante’s Inferno is Dante himself. The novel is written from first-person perspective, which indicates that the character Dante is narrating the story. In Inferno we have to distinguish between the author Dante and the protagonist Dante. The author creates his character as a fictional one. The novel represents a journey of the protagonist Dante, written as if it was happening to the author Dante. At the beginning the protagonist has pity for the sinners in Hell. He shows how merciful he is. Then he realizes that the sinners deserve to be punished for their wrongdoing. Here the protagonist is described as ruthless. Dante’s character undergoes a noticeable change throughout his journey. His compassion for the sinners reduces as he goes down through Hell. The protagonist is also described as curious and caution at the same time, because he asks Virgil for advice every step on his way. Dante’s character is also adventurous during his journey. He is not afraid of what is happening around him and shows no fear. The protagonist is also wise, because he knows that he can not be hurt, and he can prevent the suffering that the sinners experience. In Emma, Jane

The Normalising Machine Essay Example for Free

The Normalising Machine Essay The normalising machine has two parts to it and I am going to talk about the first part that is what we did in the lessons. We started off by looking at the characters. We had to make a little improvisation up about how the characters are put across to us. We used still images, role plays and prepared improvisations. We had to make it obvious that the characters were greedy, manipulative and just plain stupid. The lessons then progressed and we started to take scenes from the normalising machine book. We made it, again obvious that the characters were greedy, manipulative and plain stupid. We took each lesson one at a time and kept trying to make it more and more obvious that the characters are who they are and people had to guess who was who in the play. We looked at everyone elses performances and discussed their ideas and attitudes towards the play. Some examples of the other groups ideas are: Using different levels, pushing people down to make it seem like they are in control, using still images to emphasise the point they are putting across and using split staging to make it obvious of what they are doing. We discussed how these ideas helped the drama to progress onto the next stage which was trying to be over the top within the role of a character from the normalising machine. I found it very hard to be over the top and I think a lot of other people in the class did too. The drama had to be over the top because the play is very comical and if we werent over the top then it would have just been plain, simple, boring and totally rubbish. I thought that being over the top was a good thing to do but it is also a very hard thing to do. For instance, when Rudolf met Trudy at the tube station, he was so over the top and so outrageous that some people actually got worried that they were too over the top. Also when Rudolf met Mr and Mrs Tolerant he was also very over the top. This was very effective because the Mr Tolerant wanted to beat Rudolf up and he actually got scared of Rudolf because the character was full of beans and giddy as some people said, and when Mrs Tolerant said Rudolf was em barrassing her he got frustrated and worked up as some people said and he told Mr Tolerant to ask him to leave but Mr Tolerant insisted that he stayed. The only thing with Rudolf is that he sometimes gets worked up and feels frustrated because he is doing things wrong when he actually isnt but he thinks he is. Ben percent is Grace Beverly Brices P.R agent. He is the manipulated, sly and cunning character in the play. He swindles his way into the eyes of Grace Beverly Brice and becomes the official spokes person of Judge Juniper Jones. In the scene were he meets Grace Beverly Brice he shows her the contracts of some other people who arent actually celebrities any more but Grace Beverly Brice doesnt realise this and as Ben Percent manipulates her into agreeing to draw up a contract, he gave a sly grin and walks away only wanting 10% of the money she makes from the normalising machine. Also, Ben Percent was the person who finalised Doctor Michael Molecule because Ben got very worked up that Michael Molecule was spreading rumours about Grace Beverly Brice. In this scene we see that when Doctor Michael Molecule enters the room with Ben Percent in it that whoever was in control of the other person would stand up and the person who had no control had been pushed down onto a chair. This is a very effective way of doing things because the audience could see who was and who wasnt in control at that point, and as Ben percent offers for Doctor Michael Molecule to come back on the project of the normalising machine with the excuse that they need something to clear the dust from inside the machine and asks him what he wants to do, Ben Percent pushes Doctor Michael Molecule into the normalising machine and finalises him and gives a very sly and cunning laugh. This was also very effective because the book play shows that Ben percent is a very manipulating any character even if it means finalising them. Grace Beverly Brice is the character that completed the normalising machine because Doctor Michael Molecule got frustrated and couldnt finish it because he didnt know what to add to sedate the radicals and the badicals so Grace Beverly Brice stepped in to finish the project and completed the machine to become a billionaire. Grace Beverly Brice is a manipulated character and a very innocent character who knows what she wants to do with her life but when it all boils down to it she is manipulated by Ben Percent. All the scenes in this play were sometimes complicated to put together and to drop thoughts on, on how to bring the scene together so it looked like the person who was in charge was in charge and the person who was being manipulated was manipulated and the person who was manipulating was manipulating. I think some people found it very hard to be the character they was meant to be playing and to make it seem like they was in charge etc but the groups the people were in dropped some good thoughts and put it all together brilliantly and it looked very professional. I am now going to talk about the development and presentation that the class did. Both groups based their plays on the normalising machine but changed the lines a bit except for my group. We based half of our development and presentation on the normalising machine. This part was the head teachers scene in the normalising machine book. We then went from that scene to a Blind Date scene which was called now been normalised and that was based on the characters from the normalising machine who had been normalised in the normalising machine and wanted to take Trudy on a romantic date. The characters we used are: Trudy, Ben Percent, Doctor Michael Molecule, Rudolf Right and Anthony Badlad. We used these characters because they are the most manipulating, over the top and vile characters in the book. We then used another scene from the book were Trudy takes Rudolf home to meet her parents. This scene is so over the top that even Rudolf was nearly laughing at himself because it was so funny a nd then we went back to the Head teacher who finished the whole play off by using smart and witty comments to make it so that he was put across as evil and cruel. We did this by making him have a very deep voice and made him to shout at the top of his voice for further credit to the character. Over all I think this project was very good fun and we used a lot of skills to put across our point that the characters are who they are. Some of the skills we used are: still images, Role play, development and presentation, role within a role, hot seating, split staging and many more. All the plays that the other groups made were very good. They used all the skills that were needed in the scenes they were acting and even used more skills that werent needed but they put them in any way to make it even better for the audience to watch.