Plato and the Allegory of the Cave Essay

The son of a wealthy and noble family, Plato (427-347 B.C.) was preparing for a career in politics when the trial and eventual execution of Socrates (399 B.C.) changed the course of his life. He abandoned his political career and turned to philosophy, opening a school on the outskirts of Athens dedicated to the Socratic search for wisdom. Plato’s school, then known as the Academy, was the first university in western history and operated from 387 B.C. until A.D. 529, when it was closed by Justinian. Unlike his mentor Socrates, Plato was both a writer and a teacher. His writings are in the form of dialogues, with Socrates as the principal speaker. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato described symbolically the predicament in which mankind finds itself and proposes a way of salvation. The Allegory presents, in brief form, most of Plato’s major philosophical assumptions: his belief that the world revealed by our senses is not the real world but only a poor copy of it, and that the real world can only be apprehended intellectually; his idea that knowledge cannot be transferred from teacher to student, but rather that education consists in directing student’s minds toward what is real and important and allowing them to apprehend it for themselves; his faith that the universe ultimately is good; his conviction that enlightened individuals have an obligation to the rest of society, and that a good society must be one in which the truly wise (the Philosopher-King) are the ru lers. The Allegory of the Cave can be found in Book VII of Plato’s best-known work, The Republic, a lengthy dialogue on the nature of justice. Often regarded as a utopian blueprint, The Republic is dedicated toward a discussion of the education required of a Philosopher-King. The following selection is taken from the Benjamin Jowett translation (Vintage, 1991), pp. 253-261. As you read the Allegory, try to make a mental picture of the cave Plato describes. Better yet, why not draw a picture of it and refer to it as you read the selection. In many ways, understanding Plato’s Allegory of the Cave will make your foray into the world of philosophical thought much less burdensome. * * * * * * [Socrates] And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: –Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. [Glaucon] I see. [Socrates] And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent. [Glaucon] You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners. [Socrates] Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave? [Glaucon] True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads? [Socrates] And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows? [Glaucon] Yes, he said. [Socrates] And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them? [Glaucon] Very true. [Socrates] And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow? [Glaucon] No question, he replied. [Socrates] To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images. [Glaucon] That is certain. [Socrates] And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him? [Glaucon] Far truer. [Socrates] And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him? [Glaucon] True, he now. [Socrates] And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he ‘s forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities. [Glaucon] Not all in a moment, he said. [Socrates] He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day? [Glaucon] Certainly. [Socrates] Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is. [Glaucon] Certainly. [Socrates] He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold? [Glaucon] Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him. [Socrates] And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the cave and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them? [Glaucon] Certainly, he would. [Socrates] And if they were in the habit of conferring honors among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honors and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer, Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner? [Glaucon] Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner. [Socrates] Imagine once more, I said, such an one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness? [Glaucon] To be sure, he said. [Socrates] And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the cave, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death. [Glaucon] No question, he said. [Socrates] This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed. [Glaucon] I agree, he said, as far as I am able to understand you. [Socrates] Moreover, I said, you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs; for their souls are ever hastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell; which desire of theirs is very natural, if our allegory may be trusted. [Glaucon] Yes, very natural. [Socrates] And is there anything surprising in one who passes from divine contemplations to the evil state of man, misbehaving himself in a ridiculous manner; if, while his eyes are blinking and before he has become accustomed to the surrounding darkness, he is compelled to fight in courts of law, or in other places, about the images or the shadows of images of justice, and is endeavoring to meet the conceptions of those who have never yet seen absolute justice? [Glaucon] Anything but surprising, he replied. [Socrates] Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind’s eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter light, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other; or, if he have a mind to laugh at the soul which comes from below into the light, there will be more reason in this than in the laugh which greets him who returns from above out of the light into the cave. [Glaucon] That, he said, is a very just distinction. [Socrates] But then, if I am right, certain professors of education must be wrong when they say that they can put a knowledge into the soul which was not there before, like sight into blind eyes. [Glaucon] They undoubtedly say this, he replied. [Socrates] Whereas, our argument shows that the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of being, and learn by degrees to endure the sight of being, and of the brightest and best of being, or in other words, of the good. [Glaucon] Very true. [Socrates] And must there not be some art which will effect conversion in the easiest and quickest manner; not implanting the faculty of sight, for that exists already, but has been turned in the wrong direction, and is looking away from the truth? [Glaucon] Yes, he said, such an art may be presumed. [Socrates] And whereas the other so-called virtues of the soul seem to be akin to bodily qualities, for even when they are not originally innate they can be implanted later by habit and exercise, the of wisdom more than anything else contains a divine element which always remains, and by this conversion is rendered useful and profitable; or, on the other hand, hurtful and useless. Did you never observe the narrow intelligence flashing from the keen eye of a clever rogue –how eager he is, how clearly his paltry soul sees the way to his end; he is the reverse of blind, but his keen eyesight is forced into the service of evil, and he is mischievous in proportion to his cleverness. [Glaucon] Very true, he said. [Socrates] But what if there had been a circumcision of such natures in the days of their youth; and they had been severed from those sensual pleasures, such as eating and drinking, which, like leaden weights, were attached to them at their birth, and which drag them down and turn the vision of their souls upon the things that are below –if, I say, they had been released from these impediments and turned in the opposite direction, the very same faculty in them would have seen the truth as keenly as they see what their eyes are turned to now. [Glaucon] Very likely. [Socrates] Yes, I said; and there is another thing which is likely. or rather a necessary inference from what has preceded, that neither the uneducated and uninformed of the truth, nor yet those who never make an end of their education, will be able ministers of State; not the former, because they have no single aim of duty which is the rule of all their actions, private as well as public; nor the latter, because they will not act at all except upon compulsion, fancying that they are already dwelling apart in the islands of the blest. [Glaucon] Very true, he replied. [Socrates] Then, I said, the business of us who are the founders of the State will be to compel the best minds to attain that knowledge which we have already shown to be the greatest of all-they must continue to ascend until they arrive at the good; but when they have ascended and seen enough we must not allow them to do as they do now. [Glaucon] What do you mean? [Socrates] I mean that they remain in the upper world: but this must not be allowed; they must be made to descend again among the prisoners in the cave, and partake of their labors and honors, whether they are worth having or not. [Glaucon] But is not this unjust? he said; ought we to give them a worse life, when they might have a better? [Socrates] You have again forgotten, my friend, I said, the intention of the legislator, who did not aim at making any one class in the State happy above the rest; the happiness was to be in the whole State, and he held the citizens together by persuasion and necessity, making them benefactors of the State, and therefore benefactors of one another; to this end he created them, not to please themselves, but to be his instruments in binding up the State. [Glaucon] True, he said, I had forgotten. [Socrates] Observe, Glaucon, that there will be no injustice in compelling our philosophers to have a care and providence of others; we shall explain to them that in other States, men of their class are not obliged to share in the toils of politics: and this is reasonable, for they grow up at their own sweet will, and the government would rather not have them. Being self-taught, they cannot be expected to show any gratitude for a culture which they have never received. But we have brought you into the world to be rulers of the hive, kings of yourselves and of the other citizens, and have educated you far better and more perfectly than they have been educated, and you are better able to share in the double duty. Wherefore each of you, when his turn comes, must go down to the general underground abode, and get the habit of seeing in the dark. When you have acquired the habit, you will see ten thousand times better than the inhabitants of the cave, and you will know what the several images are, and what they represent, because you have seen the beautiful and just and good in their truth. And thus our State which is also yours will be a reality, and not a dream only, and will be administered in a spirit unlike that of other States, in which men fight with one another about shadows only and are distracted in the struggle for power, which in their eyes is a great good. Whereas the truth is that the State in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst. [Glaucon] Quite true, he replied. [Socrates] And will our pupils, when they hear this, refuse to take their turn at the toils of State, when they are allowed to spend the greater part of their time with one another in the heavenly light? [Glaucon] Impossible, he answered; for they are just men, and the commands which we impose upon them are just; there can be no doubt that every one of them will take office as a stern necessity, and not after the fashion of our present rulers of State. [Socrates] Yes, my friend, I said; and there lies the point. You must contrive for your future rulers another and a better life than that of a ruler, and then you may have a well-ordered State; for only in the State which offers this, will they rule who are truly rich, not in silver and gold, but in virtue and wisdom, which are the true blessings of life. Whereas if they go to the administration of public affairs, poor and hungering after the’ own private advantage, thinking that hence they are to snatch the chief good, order there can never be; for they will be fighting about office, and the civil and domestic broils which thus arise will be the ruin of the rulers themselves and of the whole State. [Glaucon] Most true, he replied. [Socrates] And the only life which looks down upon the life of political ambition is that of true philosophy. Do you know of any other? [Glaucon] Indeed, I do not, he said. [Socrates] And those who govern ought not to be lovers of the task? For, if they are, there will be rival lovers, and they will fight. [Glaucon] No question. [Socrates] Who then are those whom we shall compel to be guardians? Surely they will be the men who are wisest about affairs of State, and by whom the State is best administered, and who at the same time have other honors and another and a better life than that of politics? [Glaucon] They are the men, and I will choose them, he replied. [Socrates] And now shall we consider in what way such guardians will be produced, and how they are to be brought from darkness to light, — as some are said to have ascended from the world below to the gods? [Glaucon] By all means, he replied. [Socrates] The process, I said, is not the turning over of an oyster-shell, but the turning round of a soul passing from a day which is little better than night to the true day of being, that is, the ascent from below, which we affirm to be true philosophy? [Glaucon] Quite so.

Being a Blonde Haired Girl

Throughout my life many times I have heard the common snickering of†¦. â€Å"What do you call a blonde with half a brain? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â€Å"Gifted! †, or â€Å"What do a blonde and a coke bottle have in common? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"They are both empty from the neck up! † Although, yes, many times people find themselves cracking up at these dumb ‘harmless’ jokes, they are unconsciously supporting the stereotype that blondes are stupid. Even though these jokes are meant to be inoffensive; to some they remain stereotypical and inevitably discriminative.It is common in our society, no matter what the situation is, for a person to involuntarily judge another primarily based on their outward appearance before they obtain any knowledge of what kind of person they are. Universally, Blonde women are denounced as dumb, before they have even released a breath, or even spoken a word to give an acquaintance a mere hint of their intelligence leve l. Despite the fact that many blondes ‘hate’ to be perceived as dumb, our society is making it incredibly hard to avoid with the use of celebrities, actresses, movies, and tabloids.Being a blonde woman has put me in a group whether I like it or not. Being blonde has negative and positive effects on a person with this hair color. First of all, let's take a little look at where this whole â€Å"dumb blonde† idea comes from. One theory is that the ancient. Greeks and Romans so admired their flaxen-haired neighbors to the north, they would bleach their hair to make it blonde. Seeing as they didn't exactly have the health standards we have today, a considerable amount of bleach repeatedly placed on the scalp and being inhaled could have some effect on one's mental status.Another theory is that in the Middle Ages, while the lords and ladies pranced around and shaded their delicate features, common people worked outdoors in the fields and became tanned and their hair gr ew lighter. As the lower classes didn't usually have a formal education, tan skin and blonde hair became associated with unintelligent, lower class people. Then there is the ever famous book by Anita Loos and the movie based upon it, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, starring Marilyn Monroe. Released in 1953, this story about two showgirls-a clueless blonde and a sassy brunette.While perhaps highlighting the â€Å"fun† side of blondes (in fact, brunette women held a demonstration protesting the movie, showing that brunettes could be just as much fun), this certainly did nothing to showcase their intelligence. â€Å"In a study conducted by a psychology professor at the University of Coventry in Britain, 120 men and women assessed photographs of a 21-year-old woman wearing a brown, red, natural blonde or platinum wig. The platinum blonde was rated less intelligent by the participants, particularly by the men. (McGinn) Blonde hair in women has been considered attractive and desirable a nd secondly, the belief that a blonde woman makes little use of her intelligence and relied more on her looks. This stereotype is a combination of historical stereotype, bad press, and human nature. Starting with history, blonde hair is a recessive trait, and therefore somewhat rarer than brown or black hair. Traditionally, this has made it more attractive and desirable. Hence blonde haired woman are perceived to be more beautiful than dark haired women.This can be deemed as a positive stereotyping. However, there is a negative stereotype as well. The dumb blonde is a popular-culture derogatory stereotype, intended to portray the blondes as very beautiful but dumb. Dumb blonde stereotyping entered the American culture in 1900s. Blondes are stereotyped as â€Å"beauties without brains†. This image of the blonde has been exploited in culture, literature, advertising and movies. These, in combination with other forms of media have given the ever-lasting perception of blonde-ster eotypes.The blonde-haired women have been portrayed as dumb-blondes. For example, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a novel, a Broadway musical and a film, exploited the idea of blonde's charm. Many blond actresses have played stereotypical â€Å"dumb blondes† in movies and sitcoms and this has further caused the people to stereotype blondes. â€Å"As a naturally blonde woman I find that I? m defending myself on a daily basis, having to assure people that I? m not an idiot and remonstrate my own common sense against their assumptions of my stupidity.People either assume that anyone with blonde hair must unquestionably be a ‘bimbo’ or if not, feel that they have the right to make jokes to the same effect at your expense. I agree completely that the many young, attractive women who dye their hair blonde and morph into tanned, plastically enhanced Barbie dolls to compensate for their lack of intellectualism, while not making them any less deserving of defense, does give wo men who just happen to be born with blonde hair a bad press. † (Littlemore) Blonde jokes are set to be banned in Hungary after a group of women staged an angry demonstration outside parliament. The protesters handed in a petition claiming they were being discriminated against in every walk of life by bad taste blonde jokes. Their spokesperson Zsuzsa Kovacs said: ‘Blondes face discrimination in the job market, in the workplace and even on the streets. ’† (Unknown) â€Å"Blonde-haired women earn seven percent more than women with other hair colors researchers claim, suggesting looks are worth more than intelligence if stereotypes are correct.The Telegraph reports that the study found that not only do blonde women earn more than darker haired counterparts in the workplace, that they also marry wealthier men, who earn an average of six per cent more than the husbands of other women. The study in the journal, Economics Letters reported that having blonde hair bo osts pay by $3,000 a year for a woman earning the average salary. † (Olsen) The power and control attached to this specific hair color can be useful for any individual. Sometimes it can get a person out of a tricky situation.For example, if a blonde does something stupid, she can pass it off as a so-called â€Å"blonde moment. † Instead of making fun, people will think, â€Å"Aww, cute. That was so silly. † Jessica Simpson made her fortune on this type of situation. Or say a blonde wants to really wow others. She could, with a little persistence, play the dumb blonde for a while. The setup may take quite some time, but when the conversation turns to a topic she knows well or has a strong opinion on, she can unleash all the intelligence she's been hiding.Being blonde has negative and positive effects on a person with this hair color. The dumb blonde stereotype will probably never go away. It hurts sometimes when being referred to as a dumb blonde when in fact that isn’t the case. No matter what the hair color, everyone has a â€Å"dumb blonde† moment every now and then. Also, blondes stick out in a crowd and are noticed more which is nice when it comes to meeting guys or when you’re competing for a job. Also, playing a dumb blonde can even get you what you want without anyone really knowing. Personally, I love that I’m a natural blonde.I currently am trying a new hair color but am finding that it still doesn’t compare to being blonde.Work Cited Littlemore, Vikki. â€Å"The Wrong Blonde Joke. † American Chronicle. Ultio, LLC. , 05 Jun 2009. Web. 8 Nov 2010. . McGinn, Dave. â€Å"Office blonde jokes no laughing matter. † The Globe and Mail. CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. , 24 Nov 2009. Web. 8 Nov 2010. . Olsen, David. â€Å"Blonde Women Earn More Despite ‘Dumb' Stereotype. † Dynamic Business. Dynamic Business, 06 Apr 2010. Web. 8 Nov 2010. . Unknown. â€Å"Blonde Discrimination is n o Joke in Hungary. † IOL News. Independent Online, 24 Nov 2004. Web. 8 Nov 2010. .

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Computer forensics - Essay Example This research will begin with the definition of computer forensics as a method utilized for the analytical analysis and investigative methods to identify, gather, inspect and preserve information and evidence which is magnetically encoded or stored. Typically computer forensics is used to offer digital evidence of a broad and specific activity in any area of life. Additionally, a forensic analysis is performed for a wide variety of reasons. In the majority of cases, computer forensics is used for the high profile civil litigation or criminal investigation, however digital forensic methods can be of value in a broad range of circumstances, comprising, basically re-tracing steps formulated when information has been lost. Companies that the author has selected for this report are 1) New York Computer Forensics [Web site: Â  http://newyorkcomputerforensics.com]; 2) Guidance Software Professional Services [Web site: http://www.guidancesoftware.com]. New York Computer Forensics Company ha s skilled and expert computer forensic staff and experts. These people effectively utilize the proven methods and sophisticated software, and tools which can be used to analyze and retrieve the entire data on a crime scene system to an absolute level as probable. In this scenario, this kind of material can include deleted files and e-mail and logs and other details that can be related to the problems and issues being examined.

How powerful is the Prime Minister Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How powerful is the Prime Minister - Essay Example Thomas (1998:92) states that it depends on country to country and on many other factors what tasks will be undertaken by the prime minister and how much he will govern like a policy leader. Attlee and Callaghan were the prime ministers who worked mainly as political managers ensuring the implementation of the policies of parties rather than their personal agendas. Such prime ministers work to save their governments from collapsing. On the other hand, Churchill and Heath belonged to the category of prime ministers who wanted to lead the policy making and put forth their own agenda mainly while agreeing on others very often. This makes us believe that prime ministerial job is so flexible that can be adjusted between contradictory characters and the circumstances. 2. Powers of a Prime Minister In this section, we describe the powers of a prime minster and also the sources of power. 2.1. Power comes from the office The power of the prime minister is because of the office or position he i s in rather than his personal characteristics. His positional power makes his subordinates follow him because his is not only the head of the government but also a party leader with a charisma attached to his seat. He has the power to give a significant lead in the policy making issues (Sapru 2010:181). If he does not use this power, he is talked about negatively in the media and the government loses its direction. One example is that of Jim Callaghan who lost the control over the situation (winter of discontent) and his administration fell apart. 2.2. Removing him is not easy It is a very difficult task to remove a prime minister from his seat especially in parliamentary systems because he is the most powerful person (Kavanagh & Seldon 2008). Since he is also a party leader, he is elected by a large charter and is supported by the leading ministers. This support and authority makes it quite difficult for the leading officials to oppose him like removing him from his seat. 2.3. Prer ogative powers King (1985:231) writes in his book that there are two types of prerogative powers specific to the prime minister position: He can advise, and normally expects to secure, a dissolution of parliament before the end of its natural life span, even in the absence of a defeat in the Commons. He can also terminate the life of the whole government by the simple procedure of tendering his own resignation to the sovereign, which automatically carries with it the resignation of all his colleagues. This means that a prime minister has the power to take the dissolution or resignation decision without even consulting the Cabinet. 2.4. Involvement in every matter A prime minister is the only person in the government who has the right to take an interest in everything going on in the country and make decisions. He takes care of the country business, supervises the ministerial roles (Weir & Beetham 1999:129), and makes use of both his personal and managerial powers to hold the governm ent together. 2.5. Appointing and dismissal power A prime minister has the power to appoint or dismiss someone from his position in the government. This power is initiated by the desire of many ministers and the backbenchers who are hoping to get on the prime minister’s shoes. He can also reshuffle the positions of ministers. This appointing, dismissal and reshuffle power is a unique characteristic of the prime minister. 2.6. Chairing the Cabinet No person other than the prime

The Image Narrative Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Image Narrative - Research Paper Example â€Å"Manga artist Mizuki Shigeru (b. 1922), creator of the famous supernatural series GeGeGe no Kitaro, is one individual who could not be blamed for feeling like a victim.†1 In fact, Shigeru lost his left arm in the war but sees himself, it seems, reflected through his art in the way that the war was torturous and terrible. The key players in the text include Japanese officials, as well as one character we see throughout the panels. They are both parodied, and the character guiding one through the panels who is the main character acts as though he knows nothing about WWII. The cartoon character which is parodied in the panel definitely adds to the overall tone of the piece, giving War and Japan a slightly humorous bent, although little about War and Japan is really humorous. The topic of the cartoon is carnage, massacre, disaster, and war—at their worst. The suffering of the Japanese people is aptly portrayed in this graphic cartoon, bringing the reader to a very dark place. In this sense, it is understood why the cartoon is offensive to some people, both to the Japanese and those who are not Japanese. This cartoon disturbs the reader, but with an overall intent to educate—not just to shock. That is the redeeming value of this cartoon, is that it seeks to educate its readers about the horrors of war as it relates to Japanese history, pre- and post-World War II. This cartoon exemplifies the suffering of the Japanese in different eras, that is supposed to enlighten the reader as to why the Japanese have a certain mindset regarding the war and its effects. III. Second Set of Questions (150 words) Images echo each other in this piece in the sense that violence mirrors itself continually through the piece, not only talking about the Nanking Massacre—but contrasting that with the atomic bomb that dropped on Hiroshima and the carnage that resulted in that. Not only that but, we see the overlap and evolution of soldiers having been sent of f to the South Pacific and Burma from Japan to fight in WWII, an often unseen added element about the War that Shigeru sheds light upon. The images are fixed in terms of being frozen in time, but there is definitely a sense of movement in the images, giving oneself an idea that it is like watching a little movie of World War II from a Japanese viewpoint. The images are more ambiguous when it comes to larger overviews, like the Nanking Massacre and one jungle scenes seen later in the panel. IV. Third Set of Questions (600 words) Sensory stimulation is paramount to War and Japan. The rhythm and pacing is switched up. At first, Shigeru shows us graphic images, and then gives our eyes a rest between graphic images to process what we have just seen, and then the cartoon character narrator tries to explain what is going on in the mind of ordinary Japanese people, bringing the reader back to a sense of normalcy—right before the next image is proffered on-screen. The larger pattern o f movement overall is a wax and wane, bringing us in peaks and valleys to a crescendo of realizing what it means to be a true Japanese—to â€Å"stand tall.† In this way, the progression from panel to panel is very cyclical, nonlinear, and evocative of an emotional rollercoaster in which Shigeru engages us. The turning point of the entire â€Å"cartoon,† if it can be called that—since one usually thinks of cartoons as more humorous than grotesque—is the massacre that occurs after the Manchu people are worked like slaves

The role of technology Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The role of technology - Research Proposal Example According to him it is the driving force behind the major social and cultural adaptations. This paper seeks to evaluate the various technological factors that affect a great deal in altering the social structure and cultural trends. The facets where these factors bring evident alteration are also identified and explored and discussed in this study. Culture does not have a stringent definition. It is rather more of a concept which defines the collective practices, perceptions and doings of individuals constituting a social group. The magnitude of a social group while defining culture varies to all extents. It might be a culture within an organization, a city/town or a whole nation. What holds importance is the common ground that gives birth to a particular trend in culture. However, the trends and extension of culture is not the point of relevance here. What this paper attempts to evaluate is that how changes are brought in a culture and what are the channels which bring these changes as well the facets where these changes are felt the most. We can trace the effects of technology on culture through history but the study focuses the effect of technology on culture in the current scenario. Internet, email, television and mobile phones are some of the aspects that have revolutionized the way we think, act and live our lives in the past few decades. Now man is no more bounded by limitation in any facet of life. He has got access to any place, individual or happening since things now are just a few clicks away and very easy to approach. These inventions were just not mere creations which were going to be totally replaced by some other thing later on. On the other hand, they have developed into mediums which are now borrowing heavily from even the slightest of cultural trends and social needs. These inventions have progressed and developed themselves to be tools which have got their own self prevailing mechanisms. They tune themselves towards the needs of the public and boomerang them back to the society after injecting them with self formulated mechanisms. The impact of internet in reshaping our social and communal lives has been vastly debated by L. Siegel (2009) in his work Against the Machine: How the Web Is Reshaping Culture and Commerce": And Why It Matters. He comments that everything from every day living to shopping and business has been modified itself according to the web. Results & Discussions The modern day technology has grasped all of us in a way that we can not opt to live outside its sphere. Individual independence along with knowledge and awareness has considerably increased. The speed and accuracy for things have remarkably increased along with the ease in handling stuff. On a general level, people are becoming more and more alienated from social groupings and getting confined to their own zones. Each person is equipped and occupied with his own virtual world and real time interaction and actions have

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT-2ND ASSIGNMENT Essay

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT-2ND ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example Given the dynamic nature of work that needed to be done, the organization demands high level knowledge and information from the employees. According to the studies made the company has incorporated training and motivational programs for the employees so that they can meet the demand effectively. Conclusion: Thus from the study we can make out that when the company was in danger of losing its market share, the company started focusing on its human resources, which ultimately enabled the company to get back on the track. The company realized the importance of incorporating such policies in their strategic decision making process. Self Evaluation: The presentation provides the highlights of the major aspects that a transport company might consider while designing their Human Resource policy. These policies are uniquely different than the human resource policies which are generally being adapted in manufacturing concerns. Skills along with values constitute the main plan of the entire process of employee development. The service companies specially should consider employees to be the one of the most critical asset component and they should value them accordingly. It should be remembered that with the level of competition present within the industry, the company cannot afford a very liberal payment structure. As with the amount of scope available, any skilled and experienced employee can shift to any other given organization. This would cause a great harm to the parent company not only in qualitative aspects but also in the profit making process. The services provided by all the airlines are similar in nature, so the main part of difference comes in the way the service is being offered to the passengers. The employees who have adequate knowledge and experience can do just that. But with the lack of proper payment structure, frequent shifting of employees may make the continuous process of value creation difficult. It will also dilute the

Television violence Essay Example for Free

Television violence Essay * Children watch an average of four hours of television daily. Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, much of todays television programming is violent. Hundreds of studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found that children may : * Become immune or numb to the horror of violence * Gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems * Imitate the violence they observe on television * Extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness. Children who view shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, they are more likely to imitate what they see. Children with emotional, behavioral, learning or impulse control problems may be more easily influenced by TV violence. The impact of TV violence may be immediately evident in the childs behavior or may surface years later. Young people can even be affected when the family atmosphere shows no tendency toward violence. * While TV violence is not the only cause of aggressive or violent behavior, it is clearly a significant factor. Parents can protect children from excessive TV violence in the following ways: * pay attention to the programs their children are watching and watch some with them * set limits on the amount of time they spend with the television; consider removing the TV set from the childs bedroom * point out that although the actor has not actually been hurt or killed, such violence in real life results in pain or death * refuse to let the children see shows known to be violent, and change the channel or turn off the TV set when offensive material comes on, with an explanation of what is wrong with the program * disapprove of the violent episodes in front of the children, stressing the belief that such behavior is not the best way to resolve a problem * to offset peer pressure among friends and classmates, contact other parents and agree to enforce similar rules about the length of time and type of program the children may watch * Parents can also use these measures to prevent harmful effects from television in other areas such as racial or sexual stereotyping. The amount of time children watch TV, regardless of content, should be moderated because it decreases time spent on more beneficial activities such as reading, playing with friends, and developing hobbies. If parents have serious difficulties setting limits, or have ongoing concerns about their childs behavior, they should contact a child and adolescent psychiatrist for consultation and assistance.

Chanakya And His Influence On Modern Day Espionage

Chanakya And His Influence On Modern Day Espionage Chanakya, more prominently known as Kautilya, was one of the greatest philosophers, thinkers and tacticians, not just India, but the world itself had ever seen. This Indian Machiavelli, ironically, who was prominent before the times of Niccollo Machiavelli himself, had carved himself a place among the greats of Socrates, Aristotle and so on and so forth. But, despite of his significant contributions towards the soul of many constitutions, his tactics and policies being used and abused by many a rulers to make or break a state with the help of nuclear warfare and low profile assassinations, what the common man tends to miss is the link between the headlines of todays world and the brain child of an intellectual, who had once laid the foundation of one of the mightiest empires the Common Era had ever seen, the Magadha Empire under his student and emperor , Chandraguptha Maurya. This leads any curious mind to a question, as to what had helped the empire of Magadha assert its position as one of the most dominant empires, be it on quantum of economic stability or military strength, of that era. The answer had always lied right in front of us. A closer analysis of todays crisis and their remedies and its reference and comparison to Chanakyas work , the Arthashastra , unearths the roots of modern political and economic events, to the depths of an era existent before Jesus Christ himself. No matter how deep history tries to bury his contributions with the sands of ever changing modern conspiracies and progression, Kautilya will remain to be one among the greatest political masterminds , who has undoubtedly contributed a lot to what we, our recent fore-fathers , and the generations to come, call, called and will call, our modern world. Introduction This research is done with an objective to determine whether the modus operandi of modern espionage agencies of various states functioning across the world has, if, ever implemented the tactics and policies, on how such an organization should be operating, prescribed by the great Indian teacher, Chanakya, also known as Kautilya, in his work, the Arthashastra. This research primarily focuses on checking the credibility and practicality of his tactics and policies in the field of espionage, with respect to the present world scenario. This comparison and analysis is basically done with an intention to answer any question, which attempts to form a relationship, moreover a link, between Chanakyas ideas about espionage and covert operations and the modern screenshot of the latter two. The researcher has done his research with the translation of the Arthashastra as the base and has further relied on various online as well as print media for the completion of this analytical comparison. Before one may jump straight onto comparing the analytical results of few incidents around todays world with that of the ideologies of the great thinker Kautilya, one may take an interest in knowing more about who Kautilya, or known better by the name Chanakya, as a person was. The origins of this great mastermind has never met the real rays of sun. But his presence throughout the golden era of Indian history had been inscribed in almost every available text from that era, both foreign and domestic. Chanakya had a key role in the rise of Chandraguptha Maurya as the ruler of the mighty Magadhan empire , and that too at the young years of the emperor. Chanakyas ideas and philosophies is what was believed to establish and assert the power of Magadha as one of the strongest empires of that era, and an Indian empire which could give any other civilization a great competition in terms of economic prosperity as well as the formidability and strength of its army and the efficiency of its intelligence network. Chanakya, not only emphasized in his work, Arthashastra, to establish a kingdom where there was no political corruption or instability, no economic insecurity , but also where the threats from any enemy rulers , moves against the emperor ,both internal and external attempts could be foiled in an efficient and effective manner, without the outbreak of any controversies. It is on this particular aspect of his work, his take on the role and function of espionage , in establishing a st rong empire and breaking one that of an enemy, and how his work is interpreted and implemented to suit the modern era of global warfare by todays rulers. For this study to be beneficial, one must be aware of the tactics and methods of functioning of espionage organizations in the Magadha empire under the plans laid down by Chanakya himself. The covert operations wing under the supervision of Chanakya was very much sophisticated, yet efficient in nature. After the appointment of the imperial ministers , the next important job for the king was to recruit his a reliable network of spies, both to keep an eye on the minister as well as to nudge any moves against the emperor, both internally and externally with respect to the empires territorial jurisdiction. The duties of these spies covered acts of reporting the rumors being spread around by people, good or bad, about the emperor; news and rumors being spread about the emperor in the neighboring countries; eavesdrop on plans of attack and other political strategies to gain an upper-hand on the Magadhan empire by the enemy rulers; to torturing and extracting valuable information from the enemys generals; to discreetly assassinate high officials of the Magadhan empire, who are found to be corrupt; as well as high bureaucrats of enemy states ; create political confusion in other states to gain an upper-hand over the enemy state while the emperor is staging an attack, and so on and so forth. The spy network is broadly categorized into two main headings, one would be that of the agents stationed in one place, city, town etc., while the other would be that of agents who travel around from one place to another in search of information that could be of beneficial to the progression of the state as well as very much significant to the security of the empires integrity as well as survival. On how the secret service is to be formed, Chanakya prescribes that it is the responsibility of the king to make the potential candidates undergo through seven tests of loyalty. Any information validated through three spies shall be accepted as the truth while if any spy was found inefficient or his intelligence false, then he or she ill be executed. The intelligent officer should be a person of high intelligence, sharp mind and courageous with un-doubtable loyalty to the emperor and his motherland. For his valor and loyalty, backed up with his efficient operations, he shall be rewarded by the emperor appropriately for is services. Covers used by agents: The spies, station both within and outside the political boundaries of the empire, blend in with the people by utilizing cover like that of a monk, a house holder, trader or an ascetic. The agents are provided with sufficient resources, so that they can take up a cover of their choice, suiting the need of the hour and the advantages which can be possibly gained if such a cover is undertaken. So far was only about the stationed agents. The roving agents takes up the roles of Assassin, Poisoner and wandering nuns. Assassins are usually the most courageous in the land, who are usually mercenaries who are willing to put their life in the line of fire for earning a few nickels. While the poisoners, on the other hand are basically people who show m=no mercy or any signs of kindness to any being around him. Transmission of intelligence: The intelligence collected by the spies are all collected and transmitted through different means. The transmitter will not have any idea who the gatherers are, and nor will they have any clue as to what the message contains. They make sure that the message is encrypted in such a way that only the receiver can decipher it and put it into the required mode of action so as to facilitate the smooth and safe functioning of the government. They may be in the forms of songs, speech, symbols or other coded words like place names with numbers, names of goods and commodities, important ranks etc. in the absence of messengers, the agents who are assigned to a particular station might make excuses like being unwell , health wise, or any emergency had arisen at their hometown or homes, so that they can get out of the stations and directly convey their messages to the required senior officers to take further actions regarding the news. At times, instead of deploying agents of their own inside the buildings of the enemy kings and potential enemies of the state, Chanakya also says that one can convert an existing official in the required zone to be an asset of the emperor. These officials maybe corrupt minister in the enemies council, generals of the armies of the enemy kings, or the staff of minister of the ministers of the emperor. To command their loyalty, it is advised that the families and loved ones of the double agent might be held hostage so that the double agent will work more sincerely and effectively so as to save the lives of his loved ones. Agents may also be deployed to observe the operations of the rulers of enemy territory, by taking up the covers of domestic help inside the houses of the enemy generals and ministers, traders and merchants in the cities, farmers in the villages and nomadic herdsmen in the frontiers. Forest dwellers were also used to keep an eye on enemy operation across the border, an d they were rewarded for function efficiently on performing their assigned duties. Counter espionage: It was not sufficient just to have an effective spy network to keep an eye on the activities of the enemies of the state, according to Chanakya. In-fact, the state should also run a parallel network of espionage, which could prevent enemy spies from collecting important data from within the empire. To blow the enemy operatives cover, the king might take steps like assigning spies of great caliber and very low profile to investigate into such matters, post staging an act of disloyalty among the councilors so as to attract the enemy spies and take advantage of the resultant situation. The spies, both in espionage and counter-espionage wings , may take up disguises of a variety of choices, out of which the most prominent ones would be cart driver, juggler, fortune teller, soothsayer, prostitute, brothel keeper, rich widow, craftsman, actor, doctor, physician, lunatic, physically impaired person, merchant baker, astrologer and so on and so forth. It is surprising to know being aware of the fact that Kautilya had spent his whole lifetime in India, the modern day espionage organization , the research and analysis wing , has not implemented any of Chanakyas tactics in the mode of operations. Holding that thought, if one was to evaluate the developments in the espionage field across the world, it may be found that the foreign governments are actually acting in accordance to what the Indian scholar planned for establishing a full efficient government. Few of the most efficient intelligence wings across would be the central intelligence agency of the united states of America, supported by their covert operations military wing, and the Secret intelligence service, more prominently known as the mi6 and its sister units in Britain, the Mossad of Israel, reputed for producing one of the most efficient assassins across the globe, and the Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki and its sister units in Russia. The American intelligence wing: The espionage agency of America basically comes under the command of the Cia, which directly reports to the president. The intelligence gathering is done by this organization, while its assassination duties are executed by their own trained operatives. At times, these same duties are outsourced to the covert operations units of the armed forces within the country, or of foreign nations. The covert op units of the united states armed forces includes the us navy seals, the delta force unit and so on and so forth. The efficiency of the united states espionage could be observed on taking 2, among the many allegedly available incidents, in the history. One of the m being the assassination of the once tagged worlds most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, at his secret residence in Abbottabad , in Pakistan. The intelligence with regard to his whereabouts were not available to any of the other nations, not even its closes neighbor and the one neighbor with whom the country has strong political tension, India . The Cia gathered this intelligence, allegedly, through a doctor who had been regularly visiting the mansion in which laden had been using as his safe house. The more surprising fact , in this case if one may be bias towards the united states claims, is that , the intelligence agency was so efficient in uncovering the whereabouts of this international terrorist, who had found his safe-house in a hotspot for insurgent issues, and that too just a few hundred miles away from the states capital ci ty . it is also to be noted that despite the cover provided by the Pakistan government, who was once, and still is an ally of the us govt., and the safe-house being very next to a Pak army base camp, the us had still managed to unearth the hideout and send in special forces to infiltrate into the compound, and successfully completing the execution of the target. The means by which they entered the hostile territory, without setting off any alarm in the Pak intelligence radar, is also a towering evidence of the efficiency of their intelligence wing. But on taking a closer look at this whole event, it can be established that what the united states government and what Chanakya had prescribed in Arthashastra are both in one sense very similar. The deployment of spies, the assassination of the target, the mode of operation etc., are all very much similar. The Mossad. The Mossad is yet another deadly intelligence agency known across the world for producing the few among the finest and most merciless assassins in the world. The Israeli secret service had been very discreet in its activities as well as covert operations , both within its territories as well as outside it. One of the recent happenings which could indicate the presence of their spies throughout the world would be that of the assassination, or rather execution of Muhammed Suleiman, the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assads special presidential advisor for arms procurement and strategic weapons . Suleiman was shot to death , allegedly by a Mossad operative. The reports states that means of execution was by means of sniping the target and the assassin had fled with the help of a boat. The means of escape was chosen with respect to the ease of escape as well as the position and routine by which the target had moved into the hot-zone, which was in Suleimans case, his walk along the coast side of the beach. This is one more, among the many other examples as to how the modern world has adopted the tactics of Chanakya to deploy spies and assassinate important dignitaries of the enemy ruler by closely observing the targets and identifying the loop holes in their routines and utilizing them to the benefit of the assassin as well as the state. Modern day Indian scenario and Chanakya. In the present India, the intelligence wing has been divided into two main section, one the Intelligence Bureau, which deals domestic intelligence and counter intelligence functions of the intelligence wing , and the Research and Analysis Wing, which deals with the external intelligence affairs of the nation. Despite having the ideologies of a great philosopher like Chanakya himself to our rich and prominent political heritage, the modern Indian officials and Governors has failed to implement an improvised version of the great teachers tactics of espionage in the present day scenario, which would have been of great use to preserving the stability and security of the state as a nation , not succumbing to any sorts of threats from both internal and external forces, if it had been implemented properly. Unlike its western and much advanced counterparts, the Research and Analysis Wing has no recorded significant achievements or successful covert operations to boast about other than a few controversies and corruption charges against its officials, like any other politically governed body in India. Mixing Kautilyas ideas of a perfect state with mud, the present Indian scenario depicts the picture of the Indian intelligence service as just another body which corrupt politicians of both the home and foreign nations use to their own personal agendas or laying foundation to another international controversies. One may also note that the repeated number of bombings and terrorist attacks that had happened in the metropolitan cities across the country itself is a towering indicator as to how inefficient is the present day spy network under the modern Indian government. But, one may also claim that the same lack of lustrous records could be a part of being a highly efficient intelligence organization. Yet given the picture of the present scenario of Indian intelligence, an individual may say that it is high time they stop making laws and start breaking a few , so that they co uld make an effective, as well as a deadly network of spies and assassins, so that they can help their nation survive through any hidden as well as exposed and exploited crisis , and ensure the failure of the enemies of the state. CONCLUSION Being made aware of the similarities of the functioning of Chanakyas model of an espionage system and the system of present world scenario prevelant in different states, one may conclude that Chanakya has immensely contributed towards the establishment of effective spy networks throughout the world. Though , in todays world, espionage and counter-espionage is very much related to national security and eliminating the threats to the same ,in the worms eye view; one may look at the same from a broader perspective to find that it has partially succeeded in making the world a better , or as one may say, a safer place to live in, for the common man. But an individual may also not neglect the blatant truth that the same espionage networks and their operations are somewhat , or is alleged to be, clandestinely responsible for causing tension, or even worse, erupting wars among two or more states. Moreover, the more they make people feel secure about todays world , the more they tend to creat e strenuous relationships among the states throughout. But, as far as Chanakyas ideology of the existence an effective intelligence and counter-intelligence body for a state is concerned, the researcher may conclude that most of the states across the globe has succeeded in establishing efficient clandestine networks ,which lives up-to he had portrayed in his work ,as an efficient network.

My Personal And Professional Development Education Essay

My Personal And Professional Development Education Essay In this essay I will critically evaluate my personal and professional development with relation to QTS standards for classroom management. Using current theories and research I will identify problems and put forward possible solutions to improve my future practice. This will be achieved through reflective practice, in which I will keep a journal of my progression and identify key areas for development. Using this record of my developing class management, I will critically evaluate my own progression. If acting is the art of stopping people coughing, teaching is the art of stopping them throwing things around (McManus 1995) During my first placement in school, I was able to experiment with a variety of teaching techniques for all aspects of teaching. Due to the type of school I was placed at, the key factor I had to address was classroom management. The school had extensive problems with pupil behaviour, therefore before any meaningful learning could take place classroom management had to be dealt with. By the end of the placement my tutor gave me some extremely positive comments about my progress in this area and advised that I must continue to focus on classroom management to achieve outstanding lesson observations in the future. She explained that once I no longer had to think about discipline in the classroom and it became more natural, I would then be able to spend more time on other aspects of teaching. The importance of behaviour management to all aspiring teachers has been highlighted by many theorists over the years, effective classroom management is essential to effective teaching (Capel et al , 2005). With this focus in mind I began my second placement with a strong motivation to develop my management techniques using all the resources available. This was an ideal area of development for me to use in my learning journal, where I could record my problems, try out new techniques and critically evaluate my progression. This would then provide me with a wealth of strong evidence to prove I had met the appropriate standards required to achieve Qualified Teaching Status (QTS). These standards, set by the government, cover the range of skills a teacher must have in order to teach satisfactory lessons. Several of these cover classroom management and through this assignment I will be able to asses how successfully I have achieved these standards. Before I can begin to evaluate my practice I first need to set a clear definition of classroom management and what it will encompass. A clear and straightforward definition is given by Wragg (1993) Class management is what teachers do to ensure that children engage in the task in hand, whatever that may be'. Although simplistic this is essentially what all teachers must address every lesson. Before any meaningful teaching can take place, students behaviour in the classroom must be acceptable for all pupils to be able to learn. However, this essential concept then opens up a wide variety of variables which affect a students behaviour in lessons. It is these aspects of behaviour management which I will focus on in my reflective practice. When studying classroom behaviour teachers of often talk about poor or bad behaviour shown by pupils but this can vary depending on the teachers point of view. Bad behaviour is therefore defined by the level of disruption caused to a childs learning. Lawrence (1984) is quoted, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦disruption amounted to anything which prevented the teacher from achieving worthwhile results with the pupils. Describing disruptive behaviour as, a general refusal to be taught, doing no work or refusal to obey'. Knowing what is bad behaviour then allows the teachers establish techniques to anticipate and reduce its occurrence. All student teachers hoping to develop their class management must accept the responsibility they have for all pupils behaviour. Many teachers are understandably reluctant to acknowledge that the reason for pupils misbehaviour may be found as often in their teaching as in the pupils inability or failure to learn (Charlton David, 1989). Therefore teachers must understand that it is not solely the child or their background that is to blame for misbehaving. The teachers actions and decisions are possibly the most important factor effecting a pupils behaviour in their class. Having this in mind, a trainee teacher should take a greater responsibility of their management techniques and focus on improvements. Effective classroom management is based on these basic principles; expressing authority, conveying enthusiasm, proactivity and preparation. (Bryson 1998). These four principles are the basic structure for establishing classroom management on which teachers can build their practice. However, developing these skills, especially as a student teacher, are notoriously complicated as they are often hard to practice. List of qualities for those working with troublesome children: teachers must be stable, compassionate, sensitive, intelligent, resilient, mature and physically fit. (Houghughi 1978) Behaviour management relies heavily on a teachers personality, mannerisms, acting ability and particulary confidence. Teaching skills are difficult to get a purchase on because they are dynamic rather then mechanistic in character (Eisner 1982). Yet there are many theorists who have developed techniques which can enhance and improve these skills. I will put into practice many of these theories durin g my placement and evaluate them in my reflective log. I will record the success or failure of these strategies and suggest ways in which they have enabled me to meet any QTS standards. In order to achieve this I must first establish an effective way to record and evaluate my classroom management using a reflective practice model. Although we all learn from experience, more and more experience does not guarantee more and more learning. We should not rely solely on our natural process of reflecting on experience, but actively seek ways to ensure that reflection itself become a habit. (Beaty 1997). Thus, to ensure progression is optimal a structured and focused method of reflection must be carried out by learners. During my time in placement B I will keep a journal describing my progress in improving classroom management during half a term. This will focus on one single year 8 class, who I have observed as having many behavioural issues. By recording the problems I faced and the successful and unsuccessful management techniques I used, I will have a detailed account of my teaching development. I will use this journal as a key source when relating classroom management theories to real life practice. This reflective procedure is essential for trainee teachers and is the key focus of this assignment. Dewey (1933) is acknowledged as a major instigator in the twentieth century of the concept of reflection, drawing on the ideas of many classical theologians such as Plato, Aristotle, Confucius and Buddha (Houston, 1988). Since then several models of reflection have been presented in the last thirty years. Gibbs (1988), John (2000), Atkins Murphy (1994) and Kolb (1984) have all produced differing models which offer different methods of reflection. David Kolb (1984) believed that learning occurs in a cycle in which learners engage in and then observe and reflect on experiences. The learner can then integrate reflections into their own theory, allowing them to estimate how to react in the future. This basic outline is a good structure on which to base my journal but a more detailed and specific model for reflection would be of greater use. Gibbss (1988) reflective cycle developed Kolbs theories but adapted them into a more user-friendly model (appendix 1). Gibbs model suggests the learner describes what happens, explains their feelings at the time and then evaluates the positives and negatives of the experience. From this information the practitioner can then analyse the situation and make conclusions about what needs to be changed and what should remain. This allows the learner to set action plans to suggest what could be done in a similar situation in the future. This is a very accessible method for reflection which offers the learners opportunity to reflect on the key aspects of their learning and then use this information to set realistic targets. Christopher Johns (2000) is more critical of Gibbss cycle quoting This might be useful for the novice reflective practitioner but remember, within a reflective perspective such structures are merely devices to help you reflect rather then impose a prescription of what ref lection is. Although I agree with Johns argument I believe I am still a novice reflective practitioner and so feel comfortable adopting Gibbs model. Johns (1994) model for structured reflection (MSR) can be used as a guide for analysis or reflection on an experience and would be useful for more complex decision making and analysis. MSR supports the need for the learner to work with a supervisor throughout their learning experience. He refers to this as guided reflection, and recommends that students use a structured diary. Platzer et al (1997) identify this as a strength of the model, as it is one of the few models of reflection that refers to the development of supervisor based reflections. Rolfe et al (2001) criticises the MSR, as it only responds to a situation, which has been resolved. It does not give enough flexibility for the practitioner to evolve their practice as the situation changes. However I will incorporate the need for a learner to work with a supervisor, such as my subject tutor, into my own reflective practice as it gives me an experienced perspective on my development (see LDJ). I will predominantly use Gibbss reflective cycle when evaluating my progression in classroom management but also incorporate Christopher Johns theory of supervisor supported reflection. I will organise it following Hollys (1989) Log Diary Journal (LDJ) pro forma to structure each entry of my reflections. This will allow me to clearly state my lesson information, objectives, activities and dates in one column labelled Log. The second column, headed Diary, will contain a description of what occurred, my feelings on what had happened and evaluations of this experience, i.e. one half of Gibbs cycle. The final column, labelled Journal, will contain the second half of the cycle, analysing situations, drawing conclusions and setting targets. This section will also contain the comments and suggestions made by my subject tutor and supervisor. This model of reflection should then give me a sufficient amount of information to make significant progress in the classroom. On arrival at Placement B I was given a timetable of the classes I would be teaching, giving me the opportunity to observe each class with their regular teacher over several weeks. Knowing the areas of development I needed to focus on during this placement I was aware that behaviour was going to be a key target. One group I was required to teach were a bottom set year 8 class. From the first lesson I observed with this group it was abundantly clear that the classroom management needed to be addressed. The class contained 18 pupils all with varying Special Educational Needs (SEN). These ranged from severe physical and mental disabilities to strong social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. This large array of barriers to learning meant the teacher had to differentiate each lesson in a very wide ranging way. Attainment levels were set comparatively high compared to children with similar learning difficulties and the class had not met their target grades as a group since joining th e school. However after talking to the head of science the reason for the weak performance seemed to be caused by the poor behaviour shown in the classroom. During three weeks of observing the group classroom behaviour was the worst I have ever seen (LDJ log 1). The majority of students left their seats and often ran around the class arguing or fighting with other pupils. Equipment was continually thrown around the room and work torn up or dropped on the floor and ignored. Many pupils refused to even take their coats off in the classroom. Around 4 or 5 students were behaving very well and concentrated on the work set by the teacher. However the rest were at this point so accustomed to spending each science lesson misbehaving that they did not seam to know that this was not how to behave in a lab. The reason for this poor behaviour was not simply caused by the pupils SEN and disabilities. Since beginning school a year and a half earlier the class have not had the same science teacher for more than a few months. The science department has had a lot of staff absences and so this class has had a lot of supply cover as their main teacher has been absent for 8 months. This lack of consistency has meant pupils have not yet learnt how to behave appropriately in a science lesson. This class therefore gave me the perfect opportunity to log my progression of classroom management in Placement B, with the hope of helping this class to begin some actual science learning. With this in mind I prepared for my first lesson with this group. Classroom management starts well before the students reach the classroom itself, involving careful preparation of both teaching and the room, alongside detailed planning. Dymoke Harrison (2008). After several weeks of observations I felt I was well prepared for my first lesson with 8E4. Yet after the first hours lesson I realised how unprepared I had been (Log 1). Although I had collected all the available data on each pupil and had observed the class with different supply teachers the behaviour was still far below what I had expected. One factor which I believe caused this was the time it took students to set up at the start of the session. Rutter et al (1979) reported that where teachers were waiting for classes and able to supervise their entry there was less school disorder. At the beginning of the first lesson I had trouble with the ICT equipment and so was unable to greet the students as they entered the room. I asked students to line up at the back of the room then sat studen ts in a random order. This did not set the tone of the lesson well as it took far too long to organise and students were bored and easily distracted. The start of a lesson is vital in establishing the pace for the rest of the session but also informs students on what they should expect from the new teacher. Wragg (1984) showed that experienced teachers, when compared with students, were more likely to greet the pupils, occupy a central position in the room, wait for silence before speaking, issue directions authoritatively and use eye contact. Therefore I must always ensure that I have prepared for the start of each lesson and I set the tone I want for the following sessions in terms of behaviour. Marland (1975) points out that a straightforward start to lessons, with something that occupies pupils at their desk, allows the teacher to cope with interruptions and late-comers. I will try wherever possible to prepare fully for lessons and anticipate any behavioural problems in my plann ing to stop any issues arising. We believe that the most effective way to manage behaviour problems is to prevent, or at lease minimise, their occurrence. Successful teachers were noted to be far more adept at preventing them. (Charlton David, 1989) The first activity I had planned with this class was to create a set of simple classroom rules which students will design and follow (LP1).This was based on the work of McManus (1995) One way of proceeding with classes that are already out offhand is to draw up jointly a short list of rules and make up some sort of bargain with the class. Suggesting, It is more effective to express the rules positively, so pupils know what they have to do rather then not do. I had seen this done before and felt is was suitable for this already disruptive class. However when I asked the class to suggest their own classroom rules they gave knowingly silly or inappropriate suggestions. I had anticipated this happening and so had my own pre prepared rules. However when evaluating my lesson I now realise I should not have given in as quickly as I did in providing the class with some rules. If I had pushed students to state their own rules they would have produced a much more powerful management tool. Givi ng the students ownership of rule setting allows the teacher to transfer extra responsibility on those breaking the rules as they had agreed on how they should behave in the class. I will therefore ensure pupils always decide their own classroom regulations, giving myself more ways to manage behaviour. Since the rules were set I have continually been reinforcing them at the beginning of each lesson. Bull and Solity (1987) note the importance of stressing to the class the natural consequences of keeping the rules, making it easier to withdraw the artificial system. This has been an area that my subject tutor suggested I need to improve (Log 1). Now that the classroom rules are known, when they are not followed by students I must show the consequences of pupils misbehaving. I had set out to use the whole school system of 2 warning then a room removal. However in the first few lessons I continued to give out warnings even when students should have been removed to a different class. In future I must be consistent with the schools discipline procedures and show to students I will follow through with my threats. After the unsuccessful first lesson I had decided to set up a reward system for those in the class who do behave well in lessons. This would then act as an incentive for the rest of the group to change their own behaviour for the chance to earn a reward (Log 2). Bull Solity (1987) suggest Token rewards such as points are also useful as immediate rewards because they can be given for different behaviours and are relatively easy to administer at the time they are earned. The raffle ticket system I set up did work very well. Though not successful enough to improve every childs behaviour instantly, a large section of the class were visibly motivated by the reward. I was able to use the incentive of gaining a prize to ensure students sat at their desks and attempted the work set. Over the following lessons I continued the raffle system and it became an increasingly powerful tool for classroom management, especially when students saw others who had behaved well collecting their prizes (Lo g 6). This raffle ticket system has also worked well with slightly older classes I have taught and I will continue to use it in the future. This is a very useful technique for effective behaviour management. In Log 3 I noted that By teaching a more interesting and exciting topic I believe pupils are more likely to be engaged in the lesson and behaviour will improve. My tutor had suggested in the previous lesson that the activities and success criteria set were not suitable for all the students in the class and that this could have been a reason for the poor behaviour. Gannaway (1984) found that pupils were less likely to co-operate in lessons, especially ones judged boring, if there was too much writing. With this in mind I planned lessons that I hoped would be more engaging to the students and therefore reduce behavioural issues. I spoke to the Head of Science in school who gave me permission to try a different subject topic with 8E4, as the planned scheme of work was very abstract and difficult to understand for students of this ability. Log 4 showed that students were interested as soon as they entered the room and did not want to be removed from the lesson. The lesson was maintained in short chunks to keep the pace up and reduce the amount of disruption. By choosing a subject (CSI) that was more exciting and accessible students behaviour did improve. Although this worked well for this class I will not have the luxury of picking my own scheme of work with other groups I teach. I therefore need to find ways of making the more boring and disengaging science topics more interesting for students. Studies have shown that pupils behave better and complete more work in rows. Further, pupils seated in the front and centre of the room are said to be more attentive. (McManus 1995) Log 3 highlighted the need for a more structured seating plan. Rather then using the random collection from the first lesson I sat down and drew up a more considered plan. I put students into groups of 3 or 4 of mixed ability and equal gender. Based on the advice from my tutor this would mean those who struggle academically would be supported by the brighter pupils. Rewards would be awarded to groups, meaning the pupils had to work together and learn how to co-operate. This was a major issue in the class as many of the pupils are violent and hostile towards each other (Log 1,2,3). The new seating arrangements worked a lot better then the previous plan. I had intentionally placed the 3 most disruptive pupils at the front and centre of the room where I could constantly watch their actions. I maintained thes e groups over the next lessons and most groups eventually started to work together cohesively. Even though they still do not work together harmoniously, when compared to the first two lessons the behaviour has vastly improved. After slowly building on the small steps of successful previous lessons Log 5 showed how it can all fall apart again. I attempted a practical experiment with the group which did not go as planned. As soon as the practical began, students began messing around and acting in an unsafe manner. 3 pupils had to be removed and I also ended the practical early for safety reasons. (Log 5) This experience highlighted to me that I need to develop a better awareness of what is occurring in my classrooms. Marland (1975) coined the term lighthouse effect in which successful teachers frequently scan the class and regularly make remarks to show they are missing nothing. I do this too infrequently in my lessons and it is an area that needs to be strengthened as I progress. After the lesson 5 disaster (Log 5) I planned a far more regimented practical for lesson 6 (LP6) based on classroom management theory. Partington and Hinchcliffe (1979) noted that effective classroom managers prepared effectively and extensively; as well as the content they planned for organisational matters such as movement, time and the task of particular jobs. With this in mind I structured the practical activity of lesson 6 extremely tightly. We completed the practical together as a group, doing one little step at a time. This meant all students knew exactly what to do and did not get confused or left behind. We did not move on to the next step until all students were ready. All behavioural issues could be dealt with much easier as students were keen to be involved and work at the same pace as the rest of the group. I was surprised at how well this structured approach worked and it will be the template for all future practicals. At the end of my first half term at Placement B I had a detailed review meeting with my subject tutor. I asked about my progress in terms of classroom management and the areas I need to improve. The main target he suggested was to look at my own body language and research some theories on this subject. Kohl (1986) gave a very fitting description of his teacher training. In one short week I went from informal Herb, with an open collar and sweater, to Mr Kohl with a suit and tie, a very controlled manner and an unnatural, stern look. My students had taught me that I had to establish my authority before I could teach them anything. I need to follow Kohls lead and adapt my presence and demeanour in the classroom. Rather then appearing fragile or weak I need to portray my authority over the students. This can be achieved not only through my voice or my threats but in my gestures, stance and position in the classroom. Goffman (1968) observed that impressions given off, as distinct from tho se deliberately given, are normally taken as a more accurate guide to a persons inner state. I must constantly be aware of the signals I am portraying to the class and try to ensure they are the signs I want to give to the room. Having experimented with several different classroom management techniques I have highlighted those which have improved my own practice and those which have not. Throughout these evaluations I have often felt that many strategies which I have observed or attempted often have the opposite effect. Teachers control strategies can sometimes exacerbate rather than alleviate situations (Cooper 1993). I do not necessarily believe that just because a class is well behaved or quiet that their learning is improved. Docking (1992) builds on this feeling, arguing The word control has mechanistic connotations, implying that teachers order their charges around without respecting their personhood. There is little room for discourse, listening to and trying to understand the voice of the pupil. The best way for pupils to learn is most often when they are arguing or discussing a subject. To an observer this may appear to be bad behaviour and poor classroom management. Yet it is only when students are allowed to apply their knowledge in discussions with others that effective learning can really take place. I therefore need to focus my attention not on ensuing a classroom is silent and all pupils follow my commands but that students are making as much progression as possible. Word Count 4, 323

Oppresive Force Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"Oppressive Forces† Amy Tan’s â€Å"Mother Tongue† and James Baldwin’s â€Å"If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?† discusses the power in language and how it is defined as a tool for communication but is used to shape people’s perception of others. Both Tan and Baldwin state that language is used as an oppressive force that doesn’t properly acknowledge minorities and the lack of proficiency in â€Å"standard† English doesn’t allow them to participate with society equally. Within Baldwin’s essay he makes it clear that the black community is not accepted because of the language in which they speak. It isn’t the fault of the language but the role in which society refuses to acknowledge their history. He states, â€Å"It is not the black child’s language that is despised. It is his experience.† (pg 534) He is arguing that the reason Black English is looked past as being a language is not because of what he or she is says but what he or she represents. Language is directly linked to culture, refusing a language directly dishonors its culture. Baldwin argues that no matter what people say, they are judged on the way they speak. He firmly states, â€Å"Language, incontestably, reveals the speaker.† (pg. 532) This further explains the fact that the Black community is seen as unequal because of this barrier in unacceptable tongue. The word black itself is negatively correlated throughout language. For example blacklist, black humor, black hole, black cat, blackmailed, and the black mark... Oppresive Force Essay -- essays research papers â€Å"Oppressive Forces† Amy Tan’s â€Å"Mother Tongue† and James Baldwin’s â€Å"If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?† discusses the power in language and how it is defined as a tool for communication but is used to shape people’s perception of others. Both Tan and Baldwin state that language is used as an oppressive force that doesn’t properly acknowledge minorities and the lack of proficiency in â€Å"standard† English doesn’t allow them to participate with society equally. Within Baldwin’s essay he makes it clear that the black community is not accepted because of the language in which they speak. It isn’t the fault of the language but the role in which society refuses to acknowledge their history. He states, â€Å"It is not the black child’s language that is despised. It is his experience.† (pg 534) He is arguing that the reason Black English is looked past as being a language is not because of what he or she is says but what he or she represents. Language is directly linked to culture, refusing a language directly dishonors its culture. Baldwin argues that no matter what people say, they are judged on the way they speak. He firmly states, â€Å"Language, incontestably, reveals the speaker.† (pg. 532) This further explains the fact that the Black community is seen as unequal because of this barrier in unacceptable tongue. The word black itself is negatively correlated throughout language. For example blacklist, black humor, black hole, black cat, blackmailed, and the black mark...

Existentialist View Of Human Condition :: essays research papers

Existentialist View of Human Condition Two of the main principles of Existentialist Human Condition are: That man exists and then creates himself and what man chooses for himself he chooses for everyone else as well. Lets examine the first principle: man exists and then defines himself. What it means is that man is created on this earth and is nothing but a body, blood and guts. What he chooses to do and to be is what makes him a man. If a man comes into this world and chooses to steal, cheat, kill and lie then that is what that man has made himself to be. While society may see him as a "evil" person, that is what is right for him. Now on the other hand if a person chooses to be generous, kind, honest and loving, society may see him as a "good" person while it is still right for him. According to the Existentialists, a person is placed on this earth with no predisposed "good" or "evil" values, one man is not created with any more good or evil than the next. By the decisions we make in life we create ourselves. Next the second view, what man chooses for himself he chooses for everyone else. This is a view I really believe in. Everything we do in life effects someone else, whether we no it or not. Every time we drive our car. Every time we eat something, spend money, go for a jog someone else is effected. For an example: a man goes to the store and buys a stereo. First of all the clerk the clerk is effected because they have to check you out, so you have taken some of their time. The store is effected because they are minus one radio from their store. The manufacturer now has to make one more to replace the one that was bought from the store. The manufacturing employees are effected because put the radio together, and so on. On the other hand a man who chooses to steal that same stereo will effect even more people.