Frida Kahlo HSC

Friday Kohl â€Å"Art can be an expression of personal experience† Discuss this statement in reference to the life of Friday Kohl. Friday Kohl was described as â€Å"the first woman in the history of art to address with absolute and uncompromising honesty, general and specific themes which exclusively affect women† by life-long lover, Diego Riviera. As a Mexican female artist in the 20th century, Friday's themes expressed in her artworks were considered highly explicit at the time.She was fine artist who used autobiographical through her extensive output f self-portraits. They are evidence of her need for self-expression and her exploration of identity. She overcame many difficult events including polio, long recovery from a serious car accident, two failed marriages, and several miscarriages some having a direct influence on her art. She used these experiences, combined with Mexican and Native American cultural and stylistic influences, to create highly personal painti ngs.Kohl used personal symbolism mixed with Surrealism to express her suffering and anguish through her work. A viewer might classify her paintings as Surrealism, but she considered her art to be realistic. In reference to the statement â€Å"art can be an expression of personal experience†, Kohl has produced a plethora of artworks which express her personal experience. Kohl's many works from 1926 until her death in 1954 were each a response to an event, personal experience or the result of her own personal exploration into her heritage or identity.On September 17th, 1925 one single event changed Kohl's entire future. She was injured in a collision of a tram and a bus in which she suffered serious injuries in the accident, including a broken spinal column, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, eleven fractures in her right leg, a crushed and dislocated right foot, and a dislocated shoulder. An iron handrail pierced her abdomen and her uterus, which seriously dama ged her reproductive ability. After this she was bedridden for months and as she states â€Å"Without giving it any particular thought, I started painting†.This accident also provide many direct influence to her artworks including a small drawing â€Å"Accident† (1925), which portrays a scene with no consideration to the rules of respective and the images of the collision, her broken body lying on the road and her own face looking down upon her can be seen. Also in her later work â€Å"The Broken Column† (1944), this painting is a direct response to her body health slowly deteriorating to the point where she had to wear a metal corset. In the painting Friday is the centre image, with an Ionic column broken in several places as a symbol of her spine.All over her body sharp nails are embedded in her skin which expresses the immense pain which is also highlighted by the desolate, fissured landscape which ads a feel of loneliness. Friday is well known for her unique ness, this developed early in her life with the help of her loving father, Wilhelm Kohl (1872-1941), he provided her with a passion for art as he was a photographer she describes him as an â€Å"immense example to me of tenderness, of work and above all of understanding†.Her affection towards her father is expressed in the painting â€Å"Portrait of my Father† (1951), where she clearly expresses with the bannered across the bottom of the painting his accomplishments ND by positioning him with the tool of his trade a plate-back camera, her respect for him. As a young child Friday suffered from polio, which stunted the growth of her right foot, during her convalescence she spent a lot of time with her father learning how to use a camera and color photographs – experiences which were useful for her later painting.Friday Kohl's self-portraits carried highly personal messages and helped her to shaped her idea of her own self; by creating herself anew in her art, she could find her way to her identity. Such is expressed in â€Å"The Two Friday's† (1939) is a double elf-portrait, which is a complex image, filled with symbolism. This revealing, if enigmatic, work is a direct response to Kohl's divorce from her life-long lover Diego Riviera, and expresses her personal feeling towards the situation. The duality Kohl feels is revealed by contrasting costumes, Mexican and European.The painting is filled with the pain she felt at the separation from Riviera. Kohl has painted two versions of herself – one Friday, wears a Victorian dress, is the one Riviera loved and the other, on the right, dressed in simple Athena dress, is the Friday he no longer eves. The two Friday's hold hands and are also connected by an artery that flows between their two hearts. The Friday on the left-hand side controls the blood flow with surgical clamps and the open artery on her lap may refer to the end of her marriage with Riviera.The Friday on the right-hand s ide holds a small portrait of Riviera as a child. Friday on the right can also symbolism Catholic representations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Friday on the left has her chest ripped open which could be in reference to the Aztec sacrificial practices. A turbulent sky fills the background, and focus is on inner identity and the desiring body. The doubling or split self and the contradictory pairing of an inner and outer reality being played out in the body suggest a surreal vision.Her many self-portraits show an indication of how her style developed over her career, when comparing her earliest self-portrait â€Å"Self-portrait in a velvet dress† (1926) to her later â€Å"Self-portrait time flies† (1929) there is a clear indication of development in style and attention to symbolism. Details like her simple looting, colonial earring, pre-colonial necklace, indicating pre-Columbian and colonial cultural influences, are an obvious progression from her earlier work.A nother example is in the two portraits â€Å"Portrait of Alicia Gallant† (1927) and â€Å"Portrait of my sister Christina† (1928), in these early portraits her style still orientated towards European-influenced Mexican portrait painting of the 19th-century, differ from the later portraits, which reveal a clear trend towards Mexicans, Mexican national consciousness. Her many personal influences are also expressed within many of her arks, she had a love of Chinese poetry which is represented in the subject for the painting â€Å"Portrait of Miguel N.Lira† (1927), her interest in Aztec rituals is represented in the composition of the painting â€Å"My birth† (1932) where the position of the woman giving birth is a direct reference to the goddess Tolerated and her passion for nature and life is represented as a motif in several paintings, including â€Å"portrait of Luther Burbank† (1931) a famed horticulturalist for his unusual passion for vegetable a nd fruit hybrid. In this paint he is depicted as half tree, half human.Her work for he first time turning away from straightforward reality into external reality. Skeleton at bottom relates to her favorite subject – birth of life through death which reflects on her personal experience in the car crash she suffered. The Mexican Revolution which began in 1910 had an effective influence upon the young Friday (only 3 at the time), who would later claim to be born in 1910 as to state she and the new Mexico were born at the same time.Though there are no artworks dedicated solely to the revolution and its effect upon her, it is clear in some of her works the effect the evolution and its figures had upon her like â€Å"Nucleus of Creation† (1945) and â€Å"Self- Portrait dedicated to Leon Trotsky' (1937), the prominent figure and Kohl shared a brief affair and she presented to him on his birthday November 7th, the anniversary of the Russian Revolution.Her idea of creation in relation to sexuality and birth is a recurring theme in many of her later paintings including â€Å"Flower of Life† (1943), depicting a pollinating flower as a powerful representation of sexuality, also in â€Å"Sun and Life† (1947), where the amorphous plant forms are symbols of female and male initial alongside the life-giving sun in the centre and especially in the painting â€Å"Nucleus of Creation† (1945), this painting was directly inspired by the book â€Å"Moses the Man and Monotheistic Religion† by Sigmund Freud, the central figure is the abandoned baby Moses which resembles Diego Riviera surrounded by a fetus, a large sun, an egg being fertilized by sperm and also many influential figures of time including Stalin, Ghanaian and Jesus. Friday was influenced by her inability to have a child and this is a topic she explores through many of her works, in 1932 while in Detroit, United States Kohl suffered a miscarriage which is represented in the pain ting â€Å"Henry Ford Hospital† (1932), where the artist is shown as a small, naked, vulnerable figure in an enormous bed in the front of a vast plain with an industrious, cityscape on the horizon. The bed is stained with blood and flowing from her hand are images of a fetus, flower and other images linked to her miscarriage.Her miscarriage is also depicted in â€Å"My Birth† (1932), where Friday illustrates her own birth where she appears lifeless. Friday's work as a female artist in the 20th century has ad a profound impact on successive female artists. She suffered an early death at the age of 47, and like many artists since her death her work has achieved more popularity than during her life. In the sass Friday Kohl achieved a cult figure status; she is well-known for her adjoining eyebrows and explicitly, yet heavily personal work. Therefore in reference to the statement â€Å"art can be an expression of personal experience†, Friday Kohl's work would suppor t this as many events in her life led to the creation of many artworks. (1620 words)

E-Culture: Ethical Issiues

Topic: E-Culture:Ethical Issiues Electronic technology is changing our life-style to a great extent. Advancement in the fields of information and communication technology (ICT) and electronics has resulted in the emergence e-commerce, e-business, e-banking, e-mails, e-organizations, e-governance, e-journals, e-books, e-medicine, internet, web-shopping, etc, which have set in a trend for e-culture. Electronic culture is enveloping the entire world, it is a global phenomenon.It is the ICT-availability and Internet access that provides opportunities for production of e-culture. e-Culutre: involves preserving and presenting cultural heritage in line with the challenges of the future; exhibiting valuable cultural assets clearly and informatively using state-of-the-art technology . However, the rapid development of ICT globally also has led to the growth of different ethical issues and made life enormously complex.These issues have virtually no boundaries and may affect any country across the globe. â€Å"Ethics are moral standards that help guide behaviour, actions, and choices. Ethics are grounded in the notion of responsibility (as free moral agents, individuals, organizations, and societies are responsible for the actions that they take) and accountability (individuals, organizations, and society should be held accountable to others for the consequences of their actions)†.ICT ethics are not exceptional from the above-mentioned view of ethics. According to some estimates, three quarter of the present generation of people in the countries saturated with computers will be spending 80 per cent of their free time in the cyberspace, therefore it is important to review the ethical issues because it threatens social environment of societies.Globalization and digital convergence in the emerging knowledge society has raised complex ethical issues in relation to the freedom of expression, access to information, right to privacy, intellectual and property rights. The concept is electronic commerce is the use of internet and the web to do businesses. ‘Commercial transactions involve the exchange of value across organizational or individual boundaries in return for products and services’.The internet and it use of e-com have raised several ethical issues about protection of customer and companies. One of the main issues for e-com is intellectual property which includes copyrights and software piracy. The explosion of interest in the internet, with growing numbers of people obtaining access to it has also increased the potential in ethical issue like breeching privacy and security. Purpose of this report is to address the several ethical issue faced by eCulture in terms of e-commerce and its impact on e-commerce .

Issues in Corporate Governance

CH AP TER 1 – I S S U ES I N COR POR ATE G OVER N AN CE ADVANCED FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT †¢ †¢ †¢ Investment decisions Financing decisions Dividend decisions Financial objectives Primary objective – maximise shareholder wealth Secondary objectives – meeting ‘other’ predetermined targets Stakeholders †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Shareholders Management and employees Customers Suppliers Lenders Government w w w . s tu d yi n te ra cti ve . o rg 1 CH AP TER 1 – I S S U ES I N COR POR ATE G OVER N AN CE Stakeholders Suppliers Measures Price Payment Security Liquidity Taxable profit Inflation Employment Investment Lenders Government w w w . tu d yi n te ra cti ve . o rg 2 CH AP TER 1 – I S S U ES I N COR POR ATE G OVER N AN CE w w w . s tu d yi n te ra cti ve . o rg 3 CH AP TER 1 – I S S U ES I N COR POR ATE G OVER N AN CE Corporate Governance Are the board effective? Are they making good decisions? Can we obtain assurance that they are? Are the board effective? Combined Code Board of Directors Chair CEO Execs Non-execs w w w . s tu d yi n te ra cti ve . o rg 4 CH AP TER 1 – I S S U ES I N COR POR ATE G OVER N AN CE Are they making good decisions? Higgs Report Cadbury Report Greenbury Code Key guidance Smith Turnbull Can we obtain assurance that they are?Disclosure FSA Listing Rules FSA Disclosure and Transparency rules Combined Code w w w . s tu d yi n te ra cti ve . o rg 5 CH AP TER 1 – I S S U ES I N COR POR ATE G OVER N AN CE More formalised Independent audit committee Quarterly reporting USA Sarbanes Oxley Independent directors PCOAB Critical accounting policies Germany EU company law Two-tier board of directors Board of directors Supervisory board Management board w w w . s tu d yi n te ra cti ve . o rg 6 CH AP TER 1 – I S S U ES I N COR POR ATE G OVER N AN CE Japan â€Å"Consensual management† Policy boards Functional boards Monocratic boards w w . s tu d yi n te ra cti ve . o rg 7 CH AP TER 1 – I S S U ES I N COR POR ATE G OVER N AN CE SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK †¢ Sustainability – balancing growth with environmental and social concerns â€Å"At BP, we are working hard to restore trust in our ability to operate safely and responsibly wherever we do business. Our approach to sustainability covers issues relating to governance and risk management, safety, the environment, the energy future and our local and global socio-economic impact. We aim to report on these issues in a way that answers key questions raised by our stakeholders. Carbon Trading 1. Governments hand out free tradable rights to emit carbon dioxide to big industrial polluters 2. Companies buy additional pollution credits from projects that claim to emit less greenhouse gas than they would have without the investment Environment Agency 1. Protects air, land and water used by society in England and Wales 2. Offers guidance to busine sses on environmental issues †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Environmental Permitting Flood Pollution and emissions Waste Water Environmental Audits †¢ †¢ †¢ Energy saving Waste reduction Business processes w w w . s tu d yi n te ra cti ve . o rg 8

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Case study Response Case of the Rotary Compressor - Essay Example Another factor that caused the disaster was lack of expertise for successful design and implementation of the venture. While suggestions were made for outsourcing, and an experienced personnel offered services besides proposals for joint ventures with experienced organizations, General electric resorted to using its personnel that turned out to be inefficient. Reducing the testing period for the product from the proposed two years to two months is another cause of the disaster as flaws could not be adequately detected (Evans, 2007). Responsibility over these failures lies with both the line supervisor and the company’s top management. The line supervisor failed to recognize the potential threats to the project’s success and to enlighten the top management for informed decision making. The management is also responsible for its decision to use internal human resource for the project instead of the proposed outsourcing (Evans, 2007). The disaster might have been prevented by the management implementation of suggestions and recommendations at lower level of the organization’s structure. These included the expressed opinions of the company’s engineering technicians as well as a consultant’s opinion that called for extra measures in undertaking the project. Respecting the proposals would have designed an efficient product, free from the later identified faults. Another possible initiative that could have prevented the disaster is competence in decision making among the organization’s top management. Similarly, adherence to the originally stipulated ‘two-year’ testing period would have identified the project’s problems for either corrective measures or alternative projects (Evans, 2007). The major learnt lesson from the case is the fact that operational efficiency is a very important aspect in a production process. Such efficiencies require focus from a project’s first step, which is preliminary research on feasibility, up to evaluation of a

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Coporate finance - Essay Example 2.1 Describe the business model and strategies of Tesco by taking on strategy and discuss with evidences cited from the case how it is consistent with corporate objective of maximizing shareholder wealth. Tesco’s business model is for the company to what matters better together as it deliver its core purpose to customers. The core retail activities of insight, buy, move and sell are what the company tries to make better as supported by its strategies, among others, of building the Tesco Brand, Leveraging Group skill and scale, operating responsively, establishing multichannel offer for customers. The financial results measure the performance on how the company was able to accomplish its strategies and objective of wealth maximization. The business model of Tesco includes those made from the perspective of strategic choices. The strategies being used in relation to its business model including that of operating responsibly which include maintaining its good profitability, efficiency management of its assets, acceptable liquidity, balanced gearing ratio and responsive investment ratios. As to whether the strategies are consistent with the corporate objective of maximizing shareholder wealth, it could be said that there is good amount of evidence. The results of the company’s profitability, liquidity, good Solvency , and good investment ratios provide good pieces evidence of meeting the financial objectives of the and which are consistent with the objectives of maximizing wealth of shareholders. Making good strategic judgements has a good way to determining the company’s prosperity and building value for its shareholders over the coming decade. Building shareholder value cannot be done in instant or in short-term. It is actually long-term as it may even be sacrificing in the short-run in order to attain the

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Looking for richard Documentary Movie - Essay Example From his impromptu interviews in the streets of New York and the Global Theatre in London, we glean that indeed a lot of people regard a Shakespearean play as all Greek to them. Someone even wryly commented, â€Å"it sucks†. Pacino clearly attempts to modernize this Shakespearean tragedy, lacerate all the 16th century trappings cloaking it and present it under a new light influenced by 21st century modernism. In other words, he wants to make it hip. We can just surmise that Pacino, who was a high school dropout, had belabored Shakespeare in his high school days because of the 16th century lingo that helped to make his high school days exasperating and a survival of the fittest contest. to elucidate and instruct us on the intricacies and character motivations of a Shakespearean play. He particularly disentangles the complexity of the theme in Richard III and outlines in order to simplify the complex relationships by the character personae involved in the War of the Roses i.e. the Houses of York and Lancaster. He teaches us that Richard III is all about the intense competition by both houses to take accession to the throne of England and the ambition and lust for power even within one family and the use of unscrupulous and Machiavellian means to eliminate all those who stand in the way to one’s inexorable march to the throne. Pacino also attempts to show theater afficionados the hectic preparations needed to stage-manage a Shakespearean play. He thus assembles his cast, rehearses them for particular scenes while intermittently analyzing and dissecting the elements composing that segment and possibly to ease the strain of the Shakespearean denouement, he clowns around. Then the actors lay bare their Shakespearean souls with all the intensity they can muster by enacting specific scenes of the play. There was Lady Anne

Corona positive and negative effect on high voltage technology ( Research Paper

Corona positive and negative effect on high voltage technology ( engineering) - Research Paper Example The process by which a current flows into a neutral fluid (air) from an electrode with high potential, by ionizing the fluid in order to create a plasma region around the electrode, is known as corona discharge. Charge is then passed to the nearby areas of lower potential by the ions, or the ions may recombine and form neutral gas molecules. A large enough potential gradients at a point cause the fluid at that point to be ionized and become conductive. A charged object with a sharp point causes the electric field strength around the point to be much higher than elsewhere. When the air around this point becomes conductive, it increases the apparent size of the conductor, making the new conductive region less sharp. This makes the ionization region not able to extend past this local region. Outside the region of conductivity and ionization, the charged particles will find their way to an opposite charged object where they will be neutralized. During the formation of corona, the air around the conductor becomes conductive. This leads to a virtual increase in the effective diameter of the conductor. Due to the increased diameter, the electro-static stresses reduce between the conductors. This reduces the maximum voltage gradient between the conductors. Coronas can be used to eliminate particulate matter from the air streams. The air is first charged, the charged stream is passed through a comb of alternating polarity. This is done to deposit the charged particles onto the oppositely charged plates Corona is able to generate sound energy during its activity. This audible noise can be able to increase during foul weather conditions especially with a lot of rain. Rainwater drops may collect at the surface of the conductors thereby increasing the corona activity, which will make the humming, or crackling sound to be heard especially near transmission lines. Corona is also responsible for causing radio frequency noise especially near transmission lines.

Paper on Freeman Dyson's Technology and Social Justice Essay

Paper on Freeman Dyson's Technology and Social Justice - Essay Example As a matter of fact, he effectively counters the arguments of some sections of the society maintaining that technological sophistications have in fact led to a rise in social injustice and inequalities. Dyson elaborates this by coming out with a real-life example. He states that, the invention of diverse household appliances have enabled the advent of a scenario where, the need for servants was eliminated. In addition, sons and daughters of servants have been enabled to pursue higher education, and thus get elevated to middle class. (1) Dyson considers that as a vivid reflection of a key facet of social justice: the segment that was hitherto downtrodden has now been empowered by the knowledge gained through education. And according to him, that became possible solely because of the advent of the aforesaid technologies (domestic appliances). (1) Dyson emphatically argues that technology should be more focused on meeting the needs of the poverty-stricken people, rather than providing m ore luxuries for the affluent. He goes on to add that poverty could be eliminated by appropriately combining the technologies of genetic engineering, solar energy and Internet. In this context, he strengthens his argument by focusing on the fact that there is plenty of untapped solar energy in some zones of the Globe where, severe poverty is the order of the day.

(Art) Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel Essay

(Art) Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel - Essay Example â€Å"In the same way that a painter could reduce the human form or settings to a play of geometrical figures, so could the merchant simplify all things to geometrical configurations† (Lemaitre & Lessing, 1993, p. 15). This common language forced artists to examine the world a bit more closely while also giving them the ability to display more realistic images that were better able to illustrate the natural world. This led to the development of numerous artistic techniques including linear perspective, chiaroscuro and foreshortening, different artistic mediums such as frescoes and new methods of working in often difficult places. These techniques, medium and need to overcome new challenges were all employed by Michelangelo in completing one of his most famous works, the Sistine Chapel. Before he could even begin painting, the first challenge Michelangelo had to overcome was reaching the ceiling itself. The architect of the ceiling project, Bramante, provided Michelangelo with some scaffolding that was suspended from the ceiling on ropes. â€Å"When Michelangelo saw it, he was convinced that Bramante was trying to discredit him in the eyes of the pope because he knew that when the scaffolding was removed it would leave holes in the ceiling and ruin the painting† (Marszalek & Panagakis, 2004). To avoid this problem, Michelangelo created his own scaffolding which was basically a flat wooden platform supported by brackets. These brackets were built out from the walls near the tops of the windows instead of hanging from the ceiling. They had the extra bonus of being reached via a series of zigzag ladders. With the scaffolding problem solved, the old ceiling was removed and a new coat of a special kind of plaster was applied to start the fresco process. This first layer of plaster, â€Å"called the arriccio, would be spread over the entire ceiling to a thickness of roughly three-quarters of an inch,

Electronic medical record implementation in correctional facilitites Essay

Electronic medical record implementation in correctional facilitites - Essay Example The significance of assessable and consistent medical records continues to be the objective of the health care and correctional facilities. The usefulness of electronic medical records cannot be underestimated. Electronic medical records will serve as the core source of information for patient care. The utilization of information technology to keep records allows capturing, processing and integration of more data. This will provide meaningful information as well as contribute to the knowledge of authorized users for lawful uses. In the contemporary world, people have increasingly become aware of their rights. People have become empowered, and thus demand for better services from servicer givers. As such, there is the need to implement electronic record keeping and enhancing customer/patient expectations. The organization also needs to implement electronic record keeping so as speeding patient treatment. It usually takes some time before a patient’s record can be accessed from the manual record. Embracing information technology in record keeping will help expedite patient treatment (Rodin, Jennifer, & Sharon, 2012). Accessing records from online records will be taking less than a minute when there is an information technology technocrat in the records department. ... Adopting comprehensive electronic records is a long and expensive process. Financial and time cost is mainly involved in containing, managing, and recouping costs. Other direct costs that are a barrier to electronic records keeping are the cost of purchasing information technology equipment and training costs. Another organizational barrier is the fear of having the staff buy-in to the organizational change option. It is quite a challenging exercise to have the hospital staff to accept the option of having to change from manual means of record keeping to electronic record keeping. In correctional facilities that have already embraced electronic records, the management expressed that it is a critical challenge to convince the staff on the need for the organizational change. Many staffs have noteworthy concerns with regard to the anticipated upheaval and changes in their daily and routine activities. The concerns are usually compounded by ambiguity regarding the potential merits that t he new system will bring (Rodin, Jennifer, & Sharon, 2012). Correctional facilities also encounter training barriers. Organizations experience tremendous logistical challenges in training virtually the staff and the community on how to use electronic records. The organization needs to enlarge their information technology staff to operate with electronic records vendor in a bid to customize the system. This includes adding information technology knowledgeable clinicians who would bridge the conversation involving practice and technology. The organization may also lack a change agent to help it midwife the process of system changeover (Borkowski, 2009). During organizational change, it is essential to have an appropriate change agent to

Epistemology and Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Epistemology and Research - Essay Example Steup (2011) defines it as the study of knowledge and the justified believes, and importantly about the issues related to â€Å"the creation and dissemination of knowledge in particular areas of inquiry†. Grix (2002) validates this perspective of epistemology by defining it has the theory of knowledge, especially in regard to its methods, validation and the possible ways of gaining knowledge of social reality. Willig (2001, p.8) on the other hand provides additional perspectives by stating how epistemology also involves thinking about the â€Å"validity and reliability of claims to knowledge.† The paths through which the knowledge can be accessed and collected are the various research methods. There are correlations between epistemology and the research methods, as the researcher can take an epistemological position for setting the objectives of a research project process. There is a view that a researcher’s epistemological position could significantly affect the ir choice of research methods. So, this paper will first discus how researchers could take an epistemological position and allow that position to impact their choice of research methods for some favorable results, but that may not be the case all the time, as avoiding that impact of that epistemological position could be helpful for the researchers to carry out a pragmatic research. Researchers need to adopt appropriate and effective research methods, as those methods can only provide the researchers the apt ways to answer the research questions, by aiding in the acquisition of relevant knowledge. As Willig (2001, p.8) states â€Å"research methods can be described as ‘the way to the goal’†. However, to accomplish that, researchers need to first identify the goals or objectives of the research project, then able to justify those objectives and also have a concrete or even an approximate idea of what they need to find out to fulfill those research objectives. â₠¬Å"We need to be clear about the objectives of our research and we need to have a sense of what kinds of things it is possible for us to find out.† (Willig 2001, p.8). Reaching or actualizing this state is only known as adopting or taking an epistemological position. In a way, epistemological position describes the process through which a researcher could see the entity of knowledge in a particular perspective, particularly how it is created and shared. When this position is viewed from the perspective of research methods, it would help the researchers understand their own views, which they have or hold on the various topics, or in particular on the research objectives and consequently, how they can interpret the research. As Bukvova (2010) states choosing – or better realising – one’s â€Å"epistemological position helps to explicate views and opinions on things like truth, knowledge, and reality.† Thus, it can be implied that adopting an epistemol ogical position is a key thing to do on the part of the researchers, in the very beginning of their research work. Taking an epistemological position and allowing it to make an impact on the research methods is welcomed by certain sections of the experts. â€Å"We have seen that for some, the type of method to be used for research is largely determined by one's commitment to a particular epistemological position, and as it assumes a correspondence between epistemological position and research method†

Mental Disorders-Causes, Nature, and Treatment Essay Example for Free

Mental Disorders-Causes, Nature, and Treatment Essay James is 35 years old and is a successful salesman. He has never married and has no children. His career focus often makes him appear to be a â€Å"workaholic.† Lately, he has begun to feel extremely dissatisfied, lonely, and bored. He thinks often of quitting, selling everything he owns, and taking off. Is James crazy? Is he depressed? Kay is a young and very attractive high-school teacher who is involved romantically with one of her students. She knows this is illegal, immoral, and unethical, but she continues this dangerous behavior. Is Kay mentally ill? Peter washes his hands at least 25 times a day. Whenever he feels anxious, he runs to the bathroom or kitchen and washes his hands to lower his anxiety level. Is Peters behavior abnormal? Abnormal behavior, often perceived as a sign of mental illness, is not uncommon in our society. This lesson introduces you to mental disorders, the causes of mental illness, and the treatment of mental illness. This lesson presents the following topics: †¢ What Is Abnormality? †¢ Models of Abnormality †¢ Anxiety Disorders †¢ Somatoform Disorders †¢ Dissociative Disorders †¢ Mood Disorders What Is Abnormality? What is abnormal, and just how bad can it get? If you study the portrayal of abnormality in American movies, you would probably think that a person who was identified as being psychologically abnormal could be pretty difficult to be around. In fact, for hundreds of years, people with psychological abnormalities were thought to be possessed by demons. Remember the movie, The Exorcist? Exorcism [The formal casting out of a demon through a religious ritual] became popular in the Middle Ages as a way to cast out demons. Another method used in prehistoric times to â€Å"cure† the insane was trepanning [The process of cutting holes into the skull of a living person]. In this procedure, holes were cut in the skull to provide a way for the demons to be released. During the Renaissance period, belief in demons carried through to a belief in witchcraft. Mentally ill people were called witches and were often put to death. These executions were often carried out by burning at the stake. Thankfully, psychopathology—the study of abnormal behavior—has come a long way over the centuries, and attitudes toward and treatment of mental illness have also changed. Definitions of Abnormal Behavior It is difficult to define abnormal behavior. One way is to use the statistical definitions that frequently occurring behavior is normal and behavior that is rare is abnormal. But these definitions dont work for every situation. Another way to define abnormality is behavior that goes against the norms or standards of society. But going against social norms is not always regarded as an abnormality, especially in the case of championing social or political causes. In addition, behavior that may be unacceptable in one culture may be completely acceptable in another. The social or environmental setting of a persons behavior is a potent factor in the determination of â€Å"abnormality.† Joan hates to go to large parties where she doesnt know anyone. Unfortunately, her husbands business often holds large gatherings, and spouses are expected to attend. Joan delays getting ready until the last minute and then spends the evening feeling uncomfortable because she doesnt look as â€Å"well-put together† as some of the other women. She hesitates to mingle because of her subjective discomfort [Emotional distress or emotional pain] that keeps her from meeting new people and having a good time. Ed is a 34-year-old college student. He has been in college since he was 18, taking one course after another and pursuing one degree after another. He is what some people call a â€Å"professional student.† Ed works the typical part-time student jobs and earns enough to pay for his classes and his student apartment. He once laughingly said that he couldnt stand the thought of a â€Å"real job,† but there is nothing funny about his situation. Ed is extremely anxious about the prospect of meeting the demands of daily life in the real world, and his maladaptive behaviour [Anything that does not allow a person to function within or adapt to the stresses and everyday demands of life] keeps him from achieving his potential. Both Joan and Eds behavior can be classified as â€Å"abnormal.† So, how do psychologists define abnormal behavior? It is the pattern of behavior that causes people significant distress, causes them to harm themselves or others, or harms their ability to function in daily life. Following is a list of criteria for determining abnormal behavior (at least two criteria must be met): †¢ Is the behavior unusual?†¢ Does the behavior go against social norms? †¢ Does the behavior cause the person significant subjective discomfort? †¢ Is the behavior maladaptive? †¢ Does the behavior cause the person to be a danger to themselves or others? Models of Abnormality The theories you have studied about personality can be used to help explain normal and abnormal behavior. Explaining disordered behavior depends on the model used to explain personality. The biological model [Model of explaining behavior as caused by biological changes in the chemical, structural, or genetic systems of the body] proposes that psychological disorders have a biological or medical cause. You might also hear this model called the medical, organic, or disease model. Such models point to brain trauma, infectious disease, or genetic reasons as the cause of psychological disorders. Several psychological models attempt to explain disordered behavior as forms of various emotional, behavioral, or thought-related malfunctioning. The psychoanalytic model explains disordered behavior as the result of repressing, or hiding, ones thoughts, memories, or concerns. Behaviorists believe that disordered behavior is learned behavior, just as normal behavior is learned. Cognitive psychologists [Psychologists who study the way people think, remember, and mentally organize information] believe abnormal behavior to be a result of illogical thinking patterns. Mental Disorders: Causes, Nature, and Treatments We have looked at some characteristics of abnormal behavior. Now lets see how psychologists decide what type of disorder a person has. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) was first published in 1952 to help psychology professionals diagnose disorders. It has been revised several times over the years. The DSM describes about 250 different psychological disorders based on symptoms, the path the disorder takes, and the criteria checklist. The manual divides the disorders into five categories, or axes. †¢ Type of Information: Clinical Disorders and Other Conditions That May Be a Focus of Clinical Attention. †¢ Description in Brief: Psychological disorders that impair functioning and are stressful and factors that are not disorders but that may affect functioning, such as academic or social problems. †¢ Type of Information: Personality Disorders Mental Retardation †¢ Description in Brief: Rigid, enduring, maladaptive personality patterns. †¢ Type of Information: General Medical Conditions †¢ Description in Brief: Chronic and acute illnesses and medical conditions that may have an impact on mental health. [pic][pic] †¢ Type of Information: Psychosocial and Environment Problems †¢ Description in Brief: Problems in the physical surroundings of the person that may have an impact on diagnosis, treatment, and outcome. †¢ Type of Information: Global Assessment of Functioning †¢ Description in Brief: Overall judgment of current functioning, including mental, social, and occupational.   Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Disorders usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adolescence. For example, learning disabilities, ADHD, bedwetting, and speech disorder †¢ Delirium, dementia, amnesia, and other cognitive disorders. For example, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, and amnesia caused by physical causes †¢ Psychological disorders caused by a general medical condition. For example, personality change because of a brain tumor †¢ Substance-related disorders. For example, alcoholism and drug addiction †¢ Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. For example, schizophrenia, delusional disorders, hallucinations, and paranoid psychosis †¢ Mood disorders. For example, depression, mania, and bipolar disorders †¢ Anxiety disorders. For example, panic disorder, phobias, and stress disorders †¢ Somatoform disorders. For example, hypochondria and conversion disorder †¢ Factitious disorders. For example, pathological lying and Munchausen syndrome †¢ Dissociative disorders. For example, multiple personality and amnesia not caused by physical causes †¢ Sexual and gender identity disorders. For example, sexual desire disorders and paraphilias †¢ Eating disorders. For example, anorexia and bulimia †¢ Sleep disorders. For example, insomnia, sleep terror disorder, sleepwalking, and narcolepsy †¢ Impulse-control disorders not elsewhere classified. For example, kleptomania, pathological gambling, and pyromania †¢ Adjustment disorders. For example, mixed anxiety and conduct disturbances You may think you dont know anyone with a psychological disorder, but they are more common than you think. According to the National Institute on Mental Health, about 22 percent of adults over 18 suffer from a mental disorder, that is, about 44 million people in the United States. Many people who study psychology begin to believe they suffer from some type of disorder. Why? Because many psychological disorders are really ordinary variations on human behavior taken to the extreme. Now, lets take a look at some of the various categories and types of disorders. Anxiety Disorders In 2004, Raoul was vacationing with his parents in Sri Lanka when the resort they were staying in was hit by a devastating tsunami. Thousands of people died, and Raouls family barely escaped. To this day, Raoul feels extremely anxious whenever he is near the ocean or hears the sounds of waves breaking on the beach. His heart begins to pound, his hands tremble, and he wants to run away. Raouls anxiety is one of the anxiety disorders [Disorders in which the main symptom is excessive or unrealistic anxiety and fearfulness] that can be traced to a specific event. Anne feels anxious nearly all the time. She wakes up in the morning with a vague sense of dread that intensifies as the day goes on. This free-floating anxiety [Anxiety that is unrelated to any realistic, known source] is keeping her from doing her best at work and is also getting in the way of her close relationships with others. A phobia [An irrational, persistent fear of an object, situation, or social activity] is also a type of anxiety disorder. Phobias are classified as either of the following: †¢ Social phobias [Fear of interacting with others or being in social situations that might lead to a negative evaluation] †¢ Specific phobias [Fear of objects or specific situations or events] Melanie is afraid to go into large arenas. Because of her agoraphobia [Fear of being in a place or situation from which escape is difficult or impossible] she did not attend her sons high school basketball championship game. Agoraphobia keeps her from living life to the fullest. Some other common phobias and their scientific names are given below: †¢ Fear of washing and bathing: Ablutophobia †¢ Fear of spiders: Arachnophobia †¢ Fear of lightning: Ceraunophobia †¢ Fear of dirt and germs: Mysophobia †¢ Fear of snakes: Ophidiophobia †¢ Fear of darkness: Nyctophobia †¢ Fear of fire: Pyrophobia †¢ Fear of foreigners and strangers: Xenophobia †¢ Fear of animals: Zoophobia

Benefits of Healthy Eating in Early Childhood

Benefits of Healthy Eating in Early Childhood Paul Dervey Introduction In this assignment I will be focusing on the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle, diseases and prevention of diseases. I will discuss the chronic diseases that can be prevented and the ways that help to reduce the risks of developing these, and look at major food groups and how these can impact a healthy active lifestyle. I will explore activities for a healthy lifestyle and how they contribute to a reduced risk of obesity and illness. I will also define the meaning of wellbeing and how this can be achieved for children and their families. Leading a healthy lifestyle Leading a healthy lifestyle is paramount in everyone’s lifetime as there are many ways in which a child and their family can prevent diseases or a chronic illness, and mental health related problems. The British Heart Foundation have carried out research into living healthily and staying healthy, and discussed that ‘eating healthily can stop you gaining weight, which in return reduces the risk of illness’ (http://osclinks.com/59). Chronic illnesses concerning obesity are linked with poor diet and not much exercise. The major types of chronic illness are:- Coronary heart disease- This occurs when the blood supply is blocked by fatty deposits due to a high diet of saturated fats. Cancer- Eating a poor diet which could lead to obesity has several risks. The research that has been undertaken so far in the United Kingdom suggests that newly diagnosed cancers could have been halved if a person was to lead a healthy lifestyle. Stroke- This is where there is a restriction of oxygen to the brain. Eating healthily and undertaking plenty of exercise daily can reduce the risks of a stroke. Diabetes- This is a chronic health condition in the United Kingdom affecting around 2.8 million people. Diabetes can be controlled by the use of insulin, eating sensibly and exercise depending on the type. Complications and problems can occur if diabetes is not controlled properly, such as heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, eye problems, and nerve pain and foot ulcers. High blood pressure- This could lead to a stroke or coronary heart disease, which could be due to lack of exercise or being overweight. The above chronic illnesses may be prevented by having a good healthy diet on a day to day basis and exercise. Being healthy would reduce the risk of being or becoming obese which would therefore prevent these diseases occurring. Cases in the past where children have been mistreated showed that children require a balanced nutrition diet. The Victoria Climbie case in February 2000 highlighted the importance of young people’s services working together to reduce the risks of ill care towards children. ‘This case highlighted the importance of multi-agency working and information sharing in order to protect children and prevent them from harm’. (www.safenetwork.org.uk). The Children Act 2004 was introduced and the green paper within Every Child Matters which identified five outcomes that are important to children and young people. These are to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve an economic well-being (www.everychildmatters.org.uk). These outcomes have meant that organisations are now working together and sharing information to protect children and young people. This case highlighted the importance of providing children with nutrition. Eating healthily Eating healthy has many benefits which include the prevention of chronic illnesses and mental wellbeing, which in turn could lead to behavioural problems. Children who sit around the table during family time with their families are less likely to become ‘choosy eaters’. Eating as a family also promotes family bonding time and encourages children to try different varieties of nutritious foods. Behavioural problems could stem from missing essential minerals and vitamins in a child’s diet. A healthy diet should include different nutritionally balanced meals. The main types of nutrition groups are:- Carbohydrates which provide a high energy level amongst essential B vitamins such as iron, fibre and calcium. These will be found in foods such as potatoes, bread, pasta, rice and starchy foods. Protein is essential in a child’s development as it supports body cells, repair and body growth. Proteins contain vitamins and acids which help to keep the bodies cholesterol levels low. Proteins are found in foods such as meat, eggs, fish, bread, milk, and a range of dairy products. Unsaturated fats can be beneficial for the body lowering its own cholesterol in the blood. Not all fats are harmful to the body, however saturated fats can increase the body’s cholesterol. Unsaturated fats can be found in olive oil, sunflower oil, tuna, salmon and nuts. Fruit and vegetables are recommended by Government guidelines for an individual to consume five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. However, new research has highlighted the need for seven pieces per day. Fruit and vegetables contain essential minerals and vitamins to help prevent diseases such as heart, stroke and cancers, while helping to maintain a balanced weight. Sugars are within food such as fruit and milk, but there is a high concern for other sugary foods such as fizzy drinks and sweets where sugar is added to these. All of the above foods are advised to be eaten in portion sizes, including several of the different major foods daily. Nutrients are present within foods such as fibre and potassium, which help to maintain a healthy body. It is important to get the correct balance of the above foods in order to get the maximum benefits of being healthy. Fruit and vegetables should be the biggest portion of food consumed, with protein and carbohydrates in the remaining part of the diet. Sugars and fatty foods should be limited within the diet. When planning meals, seasonal changes may be taken into consideration as individuals consume different foods according to the time of year. For example, salads in the summer and vegetables in the winter. Activities for young children Activities and exercise are essential for a child as they grow up into adolescence. Setting good habits and providing a good exercise pattern will keep the body from accumulating unwanted fats, which could lead to chronic illness and a high body mass index. ‘The Department of Health suggested that the number of 2-15 year olds taking part in the recommended amount of exercise is only 30%’ (OSC P10). This is concerning, however opportunities can be made available for children in the house that individuals would not normally think were classed as exercise such as housework and gardening. Activities do not necessarily have to include attending the gym or running a marathon, it can be as little as one hour a day as stated by professors in Glasgow. ‘In 2006, professors identified through a study of 545 nursery school children, that one hour of exercise a day was required for children to maintain a healthy body mass index, in addition to eating a healthy diet’ (OSC P15). Activities which can be carried out with young children can focus on physical and mental wellbeing such as walking or taking trips to the local park exploring the environments and growing independent with new surroundings. Children’s play centres give children a chance to meet other children and gain confidence playing with others. Creative activities such as cooking encourage parents and children to taste new healthy foods and explore the variation of colours and textures. This would promote a kinaesthetically approach of learning for the child. Other physical activities for young children could include children acting out words in books, using bodies to make shapes and letters. Nature walks and other outings to explore the environment could also be part of physical development. For babies, reaching and rolling are important to explore the world around them. Toddlers go from crawling, to standing, then walking. Pre-schoolers balance along obstacles, move to music and role pla y. Activities for young children can contribute to a healthy lifestyle as they can provide many benefits which include promoting healthy growth and development, and helping to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Benefits could also include, improving balance, co-ordination and strength while improving posture. Activities would assist with the development of gross and fine motor skills and improve things such as concentration, confidence and self-esteem. Activities provide opportunities to develop social skills and make friends and establish connections between different parts of the brain (www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au). These benefits show that physical development is important for children, and adults need to support this by role-modelling and encouraging throughout childhood to promote a healthy lifestyle. Wellbeing Wellbeing is defined as ‘the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy, with security and safety. When looking at a child’s wellbeing there are many factors to focus on to give a healthy wellbeing for both the family and the child. The key aspects are like a stone in a bridge where there is a supportive structure which keeps everything upright. A loving environment would give a child and family the safe factor in life, and would bring a secure feeling to an individual. An example of this is where a child is comforted, and provided with love and reassurance. By ensuring routines are in place within the family, this would give everyone involved a sense of stability. A bedtime routine would show the child that there is a time to settle down after playing during the day, and consistency with times would allow the child to set healthy balances of time. A positive supportive attitude would create and improve self-esteem, which is essential for a child as they are growing up into society. An example of this could be when letting a child play and share toys with other children, reassuring the child to share when they are reluctant. Creating a positive atmosphere where a child and their family can thrive and always try to look forward in life is important. This could include taking more time to think about a situation and how the ch ild can adapt to this, while showing consistency. Wellbeing in a child is about the child developing to ensure the child feels valued, supported and confident in their choices. This will enable children to feel positive about themselves and have a positive outlook on life. Choice and opportunities would support children with independence by giving them the opportunity to take the lead role. Wellbeing can be achieved for children and families together through strong attachments. Conclusion From this assignment it can be seen that a healthy lifestyle is of importance to young children and families. There are many benefits that are highlighted in leading a healthy lifestyle, and I have discussed how problems can be caused by not leading a healthy lifestyle. Early intervention looking at diet and activities, benefit young children as they grow up to learn how important being healthy is, and adults play a supportive role within this. (1797 words) Bibliography Childcare Level 3, Open Study College, Unit 1- Healthy Living course notes. Gavigan, C. (2009) Healthy Child Healthy World. Plume books, New York. Framework- 5 key outcomes [Online] available from: http://www.every-child-matters.org.uk/Framework_5_key_outcomes [Accessed 29.10.14] Multi-agency working [Online] available from: http://www.safenetwork.org.uk/training_and_awareness/Pages/multi-agency-working [Accessed 4.11.14] Benefits of eating healthy [Online] available from: http://www.patient.co.uk/health/healthy-eating  [Accessed 9.11.14] Physical Development [Online] available from: http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/teachers-childcare/physical-activity.aspx [Accessed 9.11.14]

The Seagull by Anton Chekhov Analysis

The Seagull by Anton Chekhov Analysis The Seagull is one of Anton Chekhovs first acclaimed plays, he claimed it to be ‘five tons of love. It is a comedy of frustrated lives; each character has to deal with their own disappointments in their life in their own way. Like most of his plays The Seagull is set in the countryside rather than in the city, the reason for this is that, in the countryside people are forced into the same company with each other everyday. This also brings forth the psychological realism style in which Chekhov wrote. He was influenced by great Russian Realists like Tolstoi, Dostoevsky and Turgenev and it is evident in all his plays including The Seagull. As far as it has been established, The Seagull was the first of Chekhovs plays to be acted out in English. The Seagull is a naturalistic play in which the tone remains the same throughout the play. It is not a theatrical play but rather a play which presents people of ordinary and everyday life. This is especially evident through the plot and ac tion. Plot and Action. Although it is hard to establish the exact motoric moment of a naturalistic play because there is no definite action starting, one could say that the arrival of Arkadina and her lover Trigorin is the motoric moment as that is when events start to develop. In the first Act the audience is presented with the image of a country estate setting, the estate is owned by a former government employee, Sorin. On appearance its seen or rather noticeable that Sorin is a very sickly man. In this act his sister, a famous actress; Arkadina arrives at the estate with her lover, the writer Trigorin, for a short vacation. During this act all the guests of the estate are on their way to watch a play written and directed by Arkadinas son Konstantin Treplyov, this is to be he latest attempt to create a fresh and new theatrical from, and that also presents a dense symbolic form of theatrical art. He does this to win his mothers favor. He really tries to create a new theatrical genre. The leading lady is a girl from a neighboring estate, called Nina, â€Å"as the star of the world†, which is obviously assumed to be her role within the play. During a discussion about the play Arkadina makes is clear that she thinks it is silly and disregards it as rid iculous and in a state of disgrace, Konstantin storms of the stage. It is here where we have our first crisis. Chekhovs plays created drama out of everyday circumstances such as loving and longing, like Konstantin longing for his mothers approval here, rather than the grand gestures of heroes and heroines of his earlier plays. The interesting and troubling love triangles are revealed. The Seagull is a play filled with unrequited love because almost all the characters love someone who does not return their affection. Nina is courted by Konstantin, who loved and admired the daughter of the estate steward, Masha, who is in turn admired by the school teacher Medviedenko. While Masha confides in the good and elderly Doctor Dorn, he simply blames it on the romantic spell the moon and lake has spread amongst the youngsters of the country. Medviedenko loves Masha but she does not feel the same about him: â€Å"I am touched by your affection but I cannot return it that is all.† It is because of all these sub-plots that makes the play almost anti-emotional. In the first act it is established that Konstantin feels like a failure to his mother. The second act starts with revealing the outside of the estate, during what seems to be a lovely afternoon, with Arkadina (amongst others) reminiscing about happier times ‘the good old days. Short after Arkadina and the house steward Shamrayef is caught in the middle of a rather heated argument, right then and there Arkadina decides to leave and return to Moscow: â€Å"Under the circumstances I shall go back to Moscow this very day†, its a very dramatic way to handle things; throwing all your dolls out of your cot because someone wouldnt give you a horse. As the rest of the party started making their way back into the house, Nina stayed behind. Its a rather curious thing when Konstantin surprises Nina with a gift a dead seagull. Its strange for a boy who is in love to give the girl of his dreams a dead seagull that he shot. Its no surprise when Nina face turns to horror and disgust at the sight of the strange gift, presented to her by the boy who is courting her. Altho ugh it is imperative to remember that this seagull becomes a very important symbol in the play because Konstantin claims that he will soon end his life in the same way. At that moment Trigorin approaches the scene, upon spotting the handsome and talented writer, Treplyov storms of the stage in a jealous rage. Its obvious that Nina takes a liking to Trigorin when she asks him to tell her about his life as a writer. He explains to her that its definitely not an easy one. A conversation starts between the two, Nina tells Trigorin about her desire to become an actress. Nina confesses to Trigorin that she does realise that its not an easy life but is willing to do everything in her power to make a success of her dreams and aspirations to become an actress. When Trigorin sees the strange gift Konstantin has given Nina, it inspires him to write a short story, he starts: â€Å"A young girl lives all her life on the shore of a lake. She loves the lake, like a seagull, and shes happy and free, like a seagull. But a man arrives by chance, and when she sees her, he destroys her, out of sheer boredom. Like this Seagull†. It seems as though he is using the story to lure her into his den of poetic romanticism and passion and to no ones surprise, it works. Right at that moment Arkadina calls him to reveal to him that she has changed her mind about leaving immediately and would rather like to stay on a little longer. When Trigorin leaves the set Nina stays behind, ranting and raving about how modest and famous he is and describes him as her ‘dream. Chekhov centers his plot on the romantic and artistic conflict between the young and up-coming Nina and the ageing Arkadina as well as the ever experimental Konstantin and the legendary Trigorin. Most of the Seagulls action happens off-stage and the plot is developed by the way in which the characters deal with what has happened. Therefore when the play does eventually continue in act 3 we are made aware of the fact that Konstantin tried to commit suicide and that Trigorin and Arkadina are leaving. Konstantins suicide is a result of Nina not returning his love but choosing Trigorin over him where his mother does the same (taking the writers side). Chekhovs The Sea-Gull has similar attributes to the plot as Hamlet. There is a play within a play. In the same way in which Hamlet tries to win Queen Gertrude back from his uncle Claudius, Konstantin tries to win his mother from Trigorin. The plot thickens when Arkadina and Konstantin have another argument about Trigorin whilst at the same time we see that Trigorin and Nina make plans to meet up in Moscow. In between the two acts (that is act one and two) Konstantin attempts to kill himself; he fails at this attempt and walks around with a heavily bandaged head for the duration of Act three. At this point Arkadina and Trigorin have come to a decision to depart from the country estate. Trigorin is found eating breakfast in the kitchen, when Nina enters and presents him with a medallion that proving her ever lasting devotion and admiration for him, she also includes a line from one of his own books: â€Å"If you ever need my life, come and take it†. At first she seems foolish and you are left with a thought of a silly teenage obsession, especially when she resorts to begging him to let her see him one last time before he leaves to return to Moscow with Arkadina. Nina disappears off-stage just before Arkadina and Sorin enters; its easily seen that Sorins sickness is worsening by the minute. Trigorin also leaves the scene, to go finish his packaging for the trip back to Moscow. Arka dina and Sorin engages in a short word war, after which Sorin collapses of pure grief, luckily Medviedenko is present to help the weak and sickly Sorin off the stage. At that point Konstantin enters and asks his mother to please change his bandages, while Arkadina s changing his bandages he starts an argument, by disregarding Trigorin. The argument is ended and Konstantin leaves in tears. Trigorin then reenters and asks her if they can stay on at the estate but Arkadina flatters him into leaving for Moscow anyway. As Arkadina leaves the stage Nina enters for a final goodbye, she tells him of how she is running away to become an actress against her parents wishes. They kiss passionately and scheme to meet in Moscow. Two years pass and once again most of the action took place off-stage like Nina and Trigorin who did meet up in Moscow, had an affair but Trigorin left Nina for Arkadina when Nina lost the baby. Masha, despite her feelings for Konstantin married Medviedenko and they have a child together. Instead of elaborate events Chekhov focuses on smaller detail in the plot. When act 4 starts we see that Konstantin has finally published some short stories. Arkadina and Trigorin are once again back on Sorins farm because of Sorins unstable health. The tension is never lost in the play and there is a very short build up to the climax of the play where Nina comes to Konstantin to speak to him without any of the other characters knowing. She starts by describing their lives and stating that even though the achieved what they wanted life is still not that good. Before she leaves she says that she still loves Trigorin despite of everything that has happened. That was rather unnecessary, poor guy. Figur es, because after that all the characters enter again and we hear a gun shot and then (finally) the play has reached its climax when Konstantin shoots himself like he shot the seagull earlier. He was never pleased with his work and he could never please the woman he lovedso what would you do? There is not much of a denouement as Dorn enters to tell Trigorin to take Arkadina away because Konstantin has shot himself. (I truly hope her conscience will drive her insane). Everything that happens in the plot is a result of their surroundings. The environment in which the characters are put in The Seagull is that of a farm in the country, and without a Playstation Im sure you can imagine they did a whole lot of soul searching. It is this soul searching that highlights most of the themes we find in the play. Themes The theme of unrequited love and the passing of time become apparent in the play. As earlier mentioned the play starts off with all the characters loving someone but the person they love have another love interest and they show no commitment, its like a vicious circle. Masha really loves Konstantin but he does not return her love so she believes that her love for him will eventually pass with time or if she waits long enough he come to his senses and love her back. But this never happens and by the time (of act 3) she changes her mind and decides upon Medviedenkos love which he has had for her from the beginning: â€Å"By marrying Medviedenko† When Trigorin threatens to leave Arkadina (who is an ageing actress holding on fiercely to her status) she begs him to stay with her: â€Å"Am I then so old and ugly that you can talk to me like this without any shame about another woman I could never endure it should you desert me.† As time goes by Sorin becomes more ill. As time passes in the play their desires and love for certain things or people grow stronger which ultimately leaves them hopeless, this brings us to the second theme. Alienation and loneliness come to all the characters at some point in the play. The character that is clearly the most isolated is Konstantin. Once again as we have established numerous times, this is because the character cannot reach the person he or she loves. Konstantin is isolated because of his strange artistic style that he tries to create and because Arkadina, his mother, rejects him while all the other characters look up to her. To put the cherry on the cake for this poor man, when he turns to Nina for comfort she denies him and therefore he becomes even lonelier. He truly feels that he receives no understanding and that he wants to be left alone: â€Å"And for heavens sake, all of you leave me alone! Go away.† In the same way Sorin feels very lonely and he has never had the love he wanted: â€Å"Women never liked me.† He wants to leave the country but everybody is so absorbed in their own lives that no one ever listens to the poor man when he speaks. Towards the end of the play Nina becomes lonely in her own sense when she is rejected by Trigorin, she lost her baby and her parents dont want her. We clearly see her disorientation: â€Å"I have been wandering about on the shores of the lake ever since I came back. I have often been near your house, but I have never had the courage to come in.† When one becomes lonely you start to judge your life automatically trying to find the source of your alienation. This then brings us to the third theme of self evaluation that includes self awareness or self consciousness. The characters in the play have more than enough time to do this, seeing that the main idea in Chekhovs work is internal action. Sorin speaks of how he is actually more suited for the city because all he wants to do on the farm is sleep: â€Å"For some reason boy, country life doesnt suit me† Arkadina explains why she looks so fabulous and why Masha looks so much older that herself: â€Å"my heart and mind are always busy.† â€Å"I am always well groomed, as the saying is, and carefully dressed, with my hair neatly arranged.† Quite a vain lady if you ask me. Sorin compares his life to Dorns and says that Dorn has had a full life and must not judge his unhealthy lifestyle of drinking and smoking. Nina evaluates her life by concerning herself with the fact the she would do anything to become a famous actress. She states that she would love to swap places with Trigorin anytime: â€Å"To find out how a famous genius feels. What is it like to be famous? What sensation does it give you?† Whilst al the characters have time to do self evaluating they try to figure out lifes meaning which is the next theme! Yay! This is the theme of existentialism. Existentialism suggests that humankind must find something to make life meaningful and to fill their own voids. The one very prominent character in this theme is Masha who brings the theme forth in the beginning of the play when she mourns her life as Medviedenko says: â€Å"Why do you always wear mourning?† This suggests that her life is meaningless; she is frustrated and bored with her life because she cannot win Konstantins love and without that her life is meaningless to her: â€Å"I shall not marry for love, but marriage will at least be a change, and will bring new cares to deaden the memories of the past.† Both Konstantin and Nina believe that they will find meaning in their work; while Nina believes that as long as she is acting she is fulfilling her purpose: â€Å"I believe, and do not suffer so much, and when I think of my calling I do not fear life.† One never thinks that Konstantins void has truly been fulfilled ev en though he does publish some work. In the same manner Sorin never comes close to finding the meaning of his life and at times he wonders why he is still alive. The last theme I will be discussing is the theme of the role of the artist. All four of the protagonists; Arkadina, Nina, Konstantin and Trigorin, are artists. They are either aspiring or settled artists. Co-incidentally they are all in love but they all handle their situations very differently. Kostantin uses his artistry to gain his mothers approval of him and it is also because of his failure in the beginning of the play that he believes that is the reason Nina stopped loving him because he says: â€Å"All began when my play failed dismally. A woman can never forgive failure.† It seems Chekhov was a smart man On the opposite end on the rope of success, Trigorin receives a great amount of attention because of his fame. Everybody respects him and does not judge him, so it is easy to see why Konstantin felt violated and ashamed, and to top it off Nina gives Trigorin a gift and says: â€Å"Think of me sometimes.† She totally fell for his fabulous artistry. Both Trigorin and Arkadina had a good life because people respect them. She uses her position as the established actress to excuse the manner in which she speaks at times. People almost put her on a pedestal as Nina says: â€Å"How strange it is to see a famous actress weeping† This is because Nina really longs for fame and the glorious life of an artist. In the play Chekhov makes it out to be the ultimate thing as Nina goes as far as to say: â€Å"For the bliss of being a writer or an actress I could endure want, and disillusionment, and the hatred of my friends† It could be said that in The Sea-Gull there is an illusion at the beginning of the play that the life of an artist is great however towards the end of the play when looking at Nina and Konstantin it is in fact not so very true. Characterization The first character I will discuss is Konstantin Treplyov. Konstantin is an emotion and unstable (or over dramatic; depends on which way you look at it) character and this is evident in the fact that he first threatens to commit suicide: â€Å"So shall I soon end my own life.† He does not only attempt it, he succeeds at it. This is a result of the fact that he never finds anything to fill his existentialistic void with. The one thing he believes will fill it is Nina, Konstantin is hopelessly in love: â€Å"I want to see her, I must see her. I shall follow her.† But Nina never returns his love. He likes to an individual despite the fact that he knows his type of writing might not be welcomed by everybody but still he writes it: â€Å"No, we must have it under new form. If we cant do that, let us rather not have it at all.† He is a very jealous man; he mostly portrays this jealousy towards Trigorin who has everything he dreams of, an established career as a writer and the affection of both Arkadina and Nina. Nina Zarietchnaya is the second character to discuss. She is ambitious and she will do anything to become a famous actress. She even slipped out of the house as her parents did not approve of her dream. She is passionate about her acting but she does not believe in herself enough to conquer: â€Å"It is a dream of my life which will never come true.† We come to see that Nina is lonely towards the end of the play because her parents have written her off and Trigorin has dropped her like a hot potato. She says to him when he leaves her for Arkadina: â€Å"One must know how to bear ones cross† She competes with Arkadina for Trigorins love. Nina is the character to see herself as the seagull, signing off letters under the name and always drawn to the lake and free until someone shoots her down. Arkadina is the mother of Konstantin and a very well-known actress. Because of her acting ability she is judgmental when it comes to Konstantins pays: â€Å"What decadent rubbish.† She thinks less of her son than herself and a lot of her actions are self centered. Actresses in this particular play have a high status, and Arkadina becomes egoistic and arrogant when asked about other artists: â€Å"Dont ask me who those antediluvians are! I know nothing about them.† She is so afraid that Konstantin will take away her limelight even though she has long passed her prime. She is a very stingy person; she wont give money to her ill brother or to Konstantin who needs new clothes even though she does have the money: â€Å"I really havent the money.† And later on she says: â€Å"Of course I have some money, but I am an actress and my expense for dress alone is enough to bankrupt me.† She is Trigorins lover. Trigorin is a well-known writer who never, well, stops writing. Whenever he has an idea or hears something he likes he writes it down and he sometimes gets lost in a fantasy world. He is drawn to the lake where he could fish the whole time as there is nothing that he finds more pleasing and this is seen when he says: â€Å"There must be a lot of fish in this lake.† He is however rather modest when he replies to Ninas question on his fame: â€Å"Either you exaggerate my fame, or else, if it exists, all I can say is that one simply doesnt feel fame in any way.† One could say that he is a follower, when Arkadina wants them to leave he puts up a half hearted fight and then leaves. When the opportunity arises for him to have an affair with Nina he grabs it but then leaves her again. He does not see himself as a good writer but merely as someone doing his duty: â€Å"Here lies Trigorin a clever writer, but he was not as good as Turgenev.† He is admired by all the chara cters in the play and he is Arkadinas lover. He never gets into any real conflict with anyone. They all see him as a great artist for whom thy have great respect. The other two characters we meet in The Seagull are Masha and Sorin. Mash is unhappy with her life because she cannot fill up her void, she loves Konstantin but he does not love her back. (Why cant these people just move on?!) This is evident when she says: â€Å"I dress in black to match my life. I am unhappy.† She marries Medviedenko to get over Konstantin; she has a baby with her husband but refuses to go home to look after the child: â€Å"Nonsense, Matriona will feed it.† She is rude towards her husband: â€Å"Would I might never see your face again.† Sorin is quite the opposite, he is quiet and misunderstood because no one listens when he talks. He is supportive towards everyone but especially toward Konstantin: â€Å"I am devoted to him and he is fond of me† He never really got to do the things he wanted to do and he lives in a country that he hates. He even mentions how he never got marries, spoke eloquently or became an author. The other characters in the seagull play rather minor roles, but we can still come to notice their unique character traits. Medviedenko is a polite man and very apologetic; despite the fact that Masha is being a ‘female dog toward him, he replies: â€Å"I should not have troubled you all but the baby† Dorn is a doctor and his opinion is respected. He also has a secret attraction towards Paulina. He is very observant and also a father figure for both Masha and Konstantin: â€Å"I do not love my father, but my heart turns to you. For some reason, I feel with all my soul that you are near to me† Language, dialogue and symbolism Through the dialogue the tension of the play is kept throughout because there is not a lot of action that takes place. It is for this reason that the speech is filled with pauses especially between acts. Just like there are pauses, moments of silence also carry weight and contributes to the mood and feel of the play. Chekhov uses language that can easily be understood and he does not write in metrical patterns. The ‘word in the play is of utmost importance and the feel end weight of the play lies with it. The characters are a true representation of life and therefore they communicate in that manner. Sometimes the characters talk in short sentences and not in paragraphs in order to keep the action in the play going strong. In The Sea-Gull, the play which Konstantine wrote is filed with personification: â€Å"and the unhappy moon now lights her lamp in vain.† Chekhov likes to refer to well known characters in the script like Napoleon, Caesar and Alexander the great. He als o makes use of quotes by William Shakespeare: â€Å"Thou turnst my eyes into my very soul† -As mentioned earlier there are a few comparisons between The Sea-Gull and Hamlet. The dialogue is packed with descriptions as Chekhov pays attention to the finest details in the play. For instance where Arkadina speaks of how good she looks, she really goes overboard in her descriptions. Dorns character often sings: â€Å"tell her, oh flowers† The characters sometimes sit and philosophise about life and Chekhov makes use of metaphors for example when Konstantin describes how he feels about Nina not loving him: â€Å"wake to find this lake dried up and sunk into the earth.† Repetition in words become apparent, I think the reason for this is, because of the theme of existentialism, the repetition in words contribute to the repetition of their meaningless, pretentious and void less lives. Most words are repeated three times (three was considered an unlucky or evil number) â€Å"words, words, words.† â€Å"and have to go back to it and begin to write, write, write.† As this is naturalism; Chekhov wrote in everyday prose with the normal cliches as well. To establish the simplicity of the play he refers numerously to nature. Banham: â€Å"Chekhovs way is to supply a thousand details for his creatures to remain true to themselves while they also interact and reflect the embracing mood of the moment as a group† Banham, M. 1988. Cambridge Guide to Theatre. New York: Cambridge University Press. The main symbol in the play is the seagull, which is also what the play is called. Funny enough, the play was inspired by an actual dead seagull Chekhov found on the beach. The seagull is mention in the beginning of the play and we are constantly reminded of it. The seagull is an innocent bird with an average life that is destroyed by human indifference; this is the image we create. Firstly we see Konstantin as the seagull after shooting it he places it at Ninas feet and threatens to take is life in much the same way. He thought of himself as an aspiring artist until he killed the seagull his mother mistreated him. The same violence he portrays is killing the seagull is a symbol for the inner conflict and violence inside him. The same way Nina also associated herself with the seagull by signing letters she writes to Trigorin as ‘the seagull. Nina becomes the wounded seagull which returns home to the river to heal. Ninas dedication to her art ultimately reverses her fate and she becomes strong, and takes strength like the seagull: â€Å"I am a seagull† Another rather important symbol is the lake. For every character the lake has a different meaning. For Trigorin for instance it is a place where he is at peace and he can catch fish all day. For Nina it is a safe haven and a reminder of home where she receives comfort. Konstantin gets the simplicity he wants from it when he stages his play there: â€Å"no artificial scenery needed. The eye travels directly to the lake, and rests on the horizon.† This is Anton Chekhovs way of moving to naturalistic theatre. The weather in the play is a symbol of moods. Every time there is a storm brewing we know an argument is on its way. In the beginning the weather is bad when he fails and later when he shoots himself. In other words, the weather is used as a foreshadowing mechanism. This again can be emphasised by the way Chekhov incorporated simplicity in the naturalistic manner that he wrote in. Other elements Some interesting things about Chekhov come to mind. His very first plays were one act comedies which were very entertaining. His first full length plays Ivanov and The wood demon was unsuccessful. The Wood demon was so badly critisised that Chekhov vowed never to write again. In the same manner The Seagull was also unsuccessful when it was first performed at the Alexandrisky Theatre in St Petersburg. The main reason for this is because people were not use to new ideas and this play had nothing in common with the other popular plays of that time because it was devoid of dramatic action and more internal action was focused on. It was Vladimir Nemirovich Danchenko who came to Chekhovs rescue and convinced him to let the newly found Moscow art theatre perform his play, this lead to the great success of The seagull. Konstantin Stanislavsky staged The Sea-Gull in 1898 and as you can imagine he turned it into a great success. It is interesting to know that Chekhov an Stanislavsky did not ge t along, for Chekhov did not like the way Stanislavsky directed his play, with total and complete devoid of action onstage. But we know this was the major introduction to the internal action of a character and the play was indeed popular so you can imagine Chekhov quickly forgave Stanislavsky. The Sea-Gull was performed in the Joseph Papp Public Theatre as part of the New York Shakespeare Festival summer season in Central Park from the 12th of August 2001 to the 26th 2001. (One would think Shakespeares plays should be performed at his festival.) Directed by Mike Nichols and (this is my favorite part), starred Meryl Streep as Arkadina and Natalie Portman as Nina. The Royal Shakespeare Company performed the piece in January 2008 and then most recently The Classic Stage Company in New York City revived the work in March 2008 in a production. It was Paul Schmidts translation and it was directed by Viacheslav Dolgachev. An acclaimed Russian critic, Nebakov, stated that Chekhov was not a great writes but a pleasant one. Chekhov noted that fiction was his wife and drama his noisy impudent and tiresome mistress. His reputation rests on the plays: The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, The three sisters and the Cherry Orchard. He is the son of a former serf but his grandfather bought their freedom. His father beat him up but he inherited his mothers gentleness. Chekhov studied medicine but his writing took up most of his time. He started off with his short comic sketches and that paid for his university fees. Chekhov fell in love with Olga Knipper, a leading actress, and married her in 1901. He died shortly after of Tuberculosis in Germany at the age of 44. The Seagull is a landmark play for the world of drama. Influenced greatly by existentialism it portrays how each individual must find a manner in which to fill their own empty gap of void in their lives in order to live a happy life. It is a comedy in which we observe how people can rub each other up n the wrong way causing so many hilarious conflicts and how people end up failing one another. The way in which Konstantin has to work to win his mothers affection is ridiculous but captivating. Although the tone never changes there are clear changes in the characters. I rather enjoyed reading The Seagull because of the fact that nothing is going on yet it involves so much action and therefore it is different from popular normal comedies. Bibliography Banham, M. 1988. Cambridge Guide to theatre. New York: Cambridge University Press Chekhov, A. 1994. Uncle Vanya and other plays. Translated by B.Hulick. Canada: Bantam books. The seagull. 2007. Wikipedia. (online). Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/_seagull (accessed on: 12 August 2008) Hochman, S. 1984. Encuclopedia of world drama. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Thomas King :: Biography, Author

THOMAS KING - WRITER Thomas King is a multi-talented and accomplished writer who expresses concerns of Aboriginal people through literature. He was born in 1943 in Sacramento California to a Cherokee father and a German and Greek mother and grew up in Sacramento. In 1980, King moved to Canada with his nine-year old son and lived in Alberta for about ten years. He returned briefly to the United States in 1986 to receive his PhD in English Literature at the University of Utah, but is now a Canadian citizen and resides in Guelph, Ontario. King is a writer by trade, but has also had an extensive teaching career. He worked as a Professor of Native Studies at the University of Lethbridge, in Alberta, and was also the Chair of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota. He currently teaches Native literature and creative writing at the University of Guelph in southern Ontario. King has written three novels; Medicine River (1990), which was made into a CBC-TV movie, Green Grass, Running Water (1992), and Truth and Bright Water (1997). Green Grass, Running Water was nominated for the Governor General's award for literature in 1992. He received a second nomination for the same award the following year for his children's book A Coyote Columbus Story. King published a collection of his short stories called, One Good Story, That One, in 1993. His essays, poems and other writings have appeared in many magazines, including the "The Hungry Mind Review", and "World Literature in English". King has also edited collections of Native short stories for various publications across the country and created a book of photographs of Aboriginal artists.

Common Program Models :: essays papers

Common Program Models There are various forms of year-round education. The program consists of several plans including, concept 6, multi tracks, and single tracks. These options allow schools to provide a better working environment for students. Most calendars are designed to split the school year into periods with vacation time, called intersession. One popular plan that has been proven to be successful is the concept 6 program. Concept 6 plan has been used successfully at both elementary and secondary levels. It is particularly useful when there is lack of space. It requires that students be divided into three groups, with one group always on vacation, thus releasing a considerable amount of space for instructional use. A high school built for 1,600 students can house 2,400 under a Concept 6 three-track plan. It also can be administered in a single-track pattern. The Concept 6 plan calls for six terms of approximately 43 days each. Students attend four of the six terms but must attend two of their four terms consecutively. The plan provides for 160 or more days a year. In states where 175 or more days of attendance are required, additional days can be completed by over-lapping the groups on half-day sessions the first and last day of each term, by independent study and intersession programs, or by creative off-campus group activities. In states that mandate the number of minuets per year in various subjects as a substitute for the number of days, Concept 6 can operate effectively by extending the minuets of instruction each day so that the total accumulation of minutes of instruction each day so that the total accumulation of minutes equals the minimum number of days required by the state. (Ballinger C.E, pp. 23) Standard multi-track schedules include the 60-20 and 45-15 schedule. Both of these calendars can work in the form of single track scheduling, using multi-tracks school facilities get more use because different groups are in and out of the school, allowing the school to cater to more students. There are benefits for the single track plans. Experts say that single tracks improve attendance and the students are more attentive (Rasmussen, 2000). The main difference between the two is that during single-track programs all of the students and staff follow the same calendar, where as the multi tracks have several different tracks that students and staff are divided into.

Fantasy vs. Reality Essay

Blanche is sufficiently self-aware to know that she cannot survive in the world as it is. Reality is too harsh, so she must somehow create illusions that will allow her to maintain her delicate, fragile hold on life. â€Å"A woman’s charm is fifty percent illusion† (scene 2) she acknowledges to Stanley. Later in the story line when Mitch wants to switch the light on so that he can get a realistic look at her, she tells him that she does not want realism, she wants magic. When Mitch turns on the light during that scene it reveals much more to the audience than just what she really looks like, but it shows that all this time she has been living her life in the dark, hiding herself in the murky shadows of her promiscuity. Her ultimate goal was to manipulate reality until her fantasy becomes reality. She wants life to be lived in a permanent romantic glow, like the light that lit up the entire worlds when she first fell in love. But in this play, reality dominates. The realism of the setting, with its down-to-earth characters and the sounds of the busy life of this corner of New Orleans, suggests that Blanche’s illusions are not going to be sufficient. The fact that Blanche is probably aware of this too is what wins her the sympathy of the audience. Eventually, her thin hold on reality disappears altogether and she takes refuge in an illusory world in which she is about to go on a trip with her imaginary rich beau. The more desperate Blanche becomes in her loneliness, the more deeply she digs herself into an alternate reality, where she is the author of her own demise. Fantasy can be a hard mind set to overcome for most people. The more a person repeats a lie—the more that person starts to believe it is reality. This is one of many themes that can be related to everyday life.

The Nile Turn to Blood

There was a Plague that God had put on Egypt called the Nile turn to blood. Once I read the passage I realized the many powers of God. He told Moses he would make him like God to Pharaoh and he was to say everything that God had commended him to say. God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let his people go which was the Israelites. Pharaoh who had a hard heart did not listen to Moses and did not let the people go instead he asked Moses to perform a miracle and then he would. God gave Moses and Aaron the power to do so and turned their staff into a snake but Pharaoh’s Magicians was able to do the same. So Pharaoh didn’t believe he was a God and refused again to let the people go. Then the Lord told Moses to go back to Pharaoh and met him at the Nile when he goes out for water. Then tell him that the Lord God of the Hebrews said to let his people go so that they could worship him but since he did not listen he will make the Nile turn into blood and all the Fish will die and it will stink and the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water. Moses did what he was told and turned the Nile into blood. Then Pharaoh Magicians was able to do the same so Pharaoh still did not let the People go. This passage relates to this world today in many ways. We may not have a Nile full of blood but we have wars that are carried out in which many people have lost their lives in rivers and lakes and even ponds with their blood drained into them. We have murders who would kill someone and through the bodies in lakes and rivers. We have hunter who will hunt sharks and whales for the fun of it and kill them and their blood are lost in the seas and oceans . We may not have rivers and streams full of blood but we defiantly have blood in them. This whole world is cursed with blood stains and only we have the power to change that. God was in control of the blood in the Nile but we are in control of the blood that are lost in our streets and water. I’ve learned that God is a powerful God and is capable of mighty things. He will do what he says he will do.

Character Cannot Be Developed in Ease and Quiet Critical Lens Essay

Critical Lens Essay Helen Keller once said â€Å"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through the experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved. In other words what this quotation means is what individuals go through in life makes them what they are. Individuals have to go through good and bad to learn love and strength. Two examples that support the validity of this quotation are Night by Elie Wiesel and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.In Night by Elie Wiesel, the protagonist, Eliezer, is taken to Birkenau during World War Two with his father and is separated from the rest of his family. When seeing such horrific conditions in the concentration camp, Eliezer starts to lose faith in God and in himself, yet as his character builds, he starts to mature as time went on. Eliezer’s experiences educate individuals that life in not always far; some individuals lose faith and give u p yet some, like Eliezer, gain strength from their experiences and build up their character.In The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the protagonist, Esperanza, lives on Mango Street with her family and struggles with events where she is faced with adult responsibilities and maturity. In the vignette â€Å"Red Clowns†, she is taken advantage of and experiences an act of nature where she is transformed into a woman. Esperanza shows that overcoming catastrophes make you a stronger person. With such experiences comes strength and maturity.In both Night by Elie Wiesel and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the protagonists, Esperanza and Eliezer are faced with events that make them stronger and better people. They are two examples of individuals that support the validity of the quote that Helen Keller once said â€Å"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through the experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved†. Even when the going gets tough, individuals learn love and strength which allows them to obtain victory and build character and achieve their dreams.