Conscious Awareness and Brain Processes Essay

A number of scholarly studies on human consciousness identify a close relationship between human consciousness and the brain processes of a human being. This study is an examination of the literature existing on these two areas with an aim of establishing whether there exists a relationship. To achieve this, the study will evaluate consciousness and its functions in a human being, evaluate brain processes and their functions and from the two analyses, make efforts at establishing either a similarity or a distinction exist between them. An evaluation of consciousness Questions about consciousness have been with humans for a long time. According to Pearson (1999), traces of the questioning on the nature of human consciousness were there as early as during the Neolithic period, when burial practices expressed some spiritual belief which had some connotations on some reflections or thought on the nature and existence of human consciousness. The earliest forms of cultures and intimation into human consciousness are therefore only available through historical connotations on the then existing people’s reflection on some aspects of human consciousness. There are those scholars who argue that consciousness, as it is known today’ is a phenomena that arose much later in the development of humans, as late as after the Homeric era as postulated by Jaynes (1974). In this view of the development of consciousness knowledge, earlier humans acted without necessarily correlating their actions and thoughts. As such, they were unconscious of their actions and acted primarily on a response to physical threats as opposed to awareness of need. Earlier scholars who attempted to define consciousness included Rene Descartes in the 17th century and John Locke, in the period of late 17th century (Stanford Encyclopedia, 2006). Their efforts to define consciousness have formed a basis upon which modern human consciousness is constructed from. In Descartes, ‘Principles of Philosophy’, written in 1640, he defined human consciousness as self-awareness. Locke, in 1988 correlated consciousness to both thought and personal identity (Stanford Encyclopedia, 2006). Modern attempts to define consciousness have been attempted by scholars (Gennaro, 1995 and Carruthers, 2000) who postulate that the word consciousness is a broad umbrella term covering a broad range of metal phenomena. In its wide range, consciousness can refer to a state of an organism in its wholeness, also referred to as creature consciousness or to a certain mental process or state also referred to as state consciousness. Since consciousness is a broad term, this section will highlight the meaning of consciousness in different contexts. A person, or a cognitive system, may can be said to be conscious in a number of ways; the first sense is what Armstrong (1981) referred to as sentience. A sentient creature is one that is able to sense its environment and respond to it. In this sense, the ability to sense and respond to an environmental stimulus is equivalent to being conscious. The challenge in this definition lies in making a distinction between the responsiveness portrayed by living and animate creatures such as animals and humans and the responsiveness inherent in inanimate objects such as flowers and trees. This is because a flower responds to physical environmental as evident in withering during the dry season. The other sense of defining consciousness is wakefulness (Cole, 2002). In this sense, an organism is considered conscious not only by possessing inherent ability to respond to the environment but by being in a state or a disposition to actually respond to it. Consciousness in this sense refers to being normally alert or awake. In this definition, an organism would be considered unconscious if it were in a deep state of comma or sleep. In this definition too, there also lies some blurred explanation since by defining consciousness as so, one may need to define it further in terms of levels of consciousness. For instance, it is possible for a creature to be half-asleep, implying that it requires a slight arousal for it to be conscious, as in the definition. Another form of consciousness, identified by Carruthers (2000) is self-consciousness. This is a high level order of consciousness in which the creature is not only aware but also having the correct understanding of the state of its awareness. Among humans, self-consciousness may denote ones ability to differentiate himself from others, in aspects such as language, hierarchy, status etc. One who is unable to make such a distinction would invariably be referred to as self-unconscious. In philosophy, self consciousness is equivalent to self-knowledge, which is used to commonly refer one’s knowledge of particular mental states including beliefs, sensations and desires (Stanford, 2003). A challenge that lies in this definition is that it disregards conscious forms of life, which may still be undergoing growth and development. For instance, a young child may be unaware of his status or privileges and as such, when consciousness is defined in this manner, it may assume that such is not conscious. Features of consciousness As mentioned earlier, consciousness is an umbrella term enveloping a broad range of issues. To distinguish consciousness, it becomes imperative to assess the features that combine to bring out the conscious phenomena. By analyzing these features and later analyzing the features of the brain processes, it will be possible to assess the existence of a relation between the two. The characters of consciousness as identified in literature include; A qualitative character- Siewert (1998) had suggested that there exist some experienced desires or thoughts in all forms of consciousness. These are the ones that form the qualitative character of consciousness but they do not necessarily refer to sensory states. In essence, consciousness embodies some kind of feelings, though it is itself higher than normal physical feeling. When an individual is conscious of something, there is a ‘feel’ attached to it, which happens beyond the physical human feelings. Phenomenal structure- phenomena as applied in both psychology and philosophy denotes how things in the world or the world in general appear to an individual. For consciousness to be complete, this feature ought to be present, that is, there should be an effort deep within oneself that attempts to interpret a certain event or knowledge of the world around an individual. The phenomenal structure of consciousness, as portrayed in theory shows that consciousness is made up not only of sensory ideas but also by complex representations of space, time, body, self and the world (Siewert, 1998). Representational theories of consciousness as published in the Stanford philosophy encyclopedia shows that representation of the world as it is has evolved slowly to become an important theme in the study of consciousness (Stanford Encyclopedia, 2006). Subjectivity- Consciousness is subjective in the sense that what is conscious can only be experienced by that creature in the prevailing condition. Creatures with similar capabilities are the only ones that can understand the’ what-it is like’, a common phrase used to define consciousness (Nagel, 1974). In this sense, consciousness is subjective, that is, it is understood from the creature’s point of view as opposed to being objective where facts would be understandable based on available evidence. Self perspective- According to Searle (1992), conscious experiences exist not as isolated events but as states or modes of a conscious subject to self. For instance, the consciousness of pain is a happening experienced by a conscious subject. The appearance of the sky as blue is a phenomena that appears as so to a subject. This implies that for consciousness to exist, the ‘self’ subject which can be identified by, ‘I think’ needs to be there. The self perspective is a crucial feature in consciousness since for any event to be reflected to the level of awareness; there is need for the intellectual participation of the self through past experience. The requirement for this intellectual part in the subject is an important aspect of this study since intelligence forms one of the brain processes and therefore serves to suggest that there is a close link between consciousness and brain processes. Unity- a conscious system involves some form of unity. Cleeremans (2003) postulate that consciousness has a unity characteristic; this unity is that which arises from the subject’s ability to connect varied information’s and representations and make a coherent judgment. It is this unity in consciousness that can enable an individual to make a relation between past and present interpretations and therefore direct consciousness in a focused direction. Other features that are associated with consciousness include intentionality and transparency, a feature that recognizes the arousal of consciousness about an event due to an individual’s intent to do so (Cole, 2002). For instance, one’s consciousness about the 9/11 attack comes to an individual through an intentional thought. Once the intention matures, the inner self becomes conscious of the event and the individual is said to be ‘aware’. There is also a dynamic flow of information in the conscious state. This dynamic flow is also referred to as a stream of consciousness in which the subject conscious state is active and visualizes events in a dynamic manner, just as in real live (Stanford Encyclopedia, 2003). Through these features, consciousness in a subject performs some functions/ processes, most of which may borrow from both sensory and cognitive aspects. Consciousness plays the first role of flexible control of the physical actions of a subject (Anderson, 1983). When consciousness is defined as self-awareness, it implies that an individual measures and weighs options concerning an issue and as such, all actions are controlled in a state of awareness. In addition, consciousness enhances capacity for social coordination. Humphreys (1982) argues that a subject that is conscious is not only aware of itself and therefore its immediate needs but is also able to extend the awareness to other similar creatures. In a human context, being conscious therefore enables an individual to be conscious of others surrounding him which results to responsiveness to the events occurring in the social arena. Participation and responsiveness to the social environment leads to an integration of the like-subjects so that the social system develops values, beliefs, structures, intentions and perceptions. In addition to social coordination, consciousness presents a subject with an integrated representation of reality. By combining experiential organization and dynamism inherent in consciousness, it presents the world in an easy to understand frame. According to Campbell (1994), the features of consciousness help to constitute a meaningful structure of the world. Additionally, consciousness plays the following functions, all of which are additions, either to physical or cognitive processes; it enhances informational access, enhances freedom of will and intrinsic motivation (Wegner, 2002). Going by these explanations, it is evident that the realm of consciousness is made up of both sensory functions and intellectual processes, implying that a significant part of consciousness is dependent on brain processes. In the section below, a brief outline will be made of what constitutes brain processes and make efforts to establish a correlation between them and the features and functions of consciousness discussed above.

Global distribution

Online through Turning Marks: 30 marks Objectives This assessment item relates to the course learning outcomes 1 to 4 as stated in the unit outline. Students are to form their own groups and select their own group members. There will be a maximum of 5 members in a group. Guidelines: You must use at least 15 peer-reviewed publications to support your essay.In addition, you will need to read and refer to non-peer reviewed documents such as kooks, trade journals and articles to substantiate your discussion. Length: Maximum 4500 words Size 12, Font Times New Roman. Double-spaced. Margin 2. CACM all round. Use the Chicago referencing style. You should demonstrate a mature level of post-graduate writing. Transportation concepts and approaches learnt in this unit must be linked to this assignment.Students will be evaluated (as a group) in terms of their capacity to demonstrate understanding of the key issues in the relevant literature and applying it to the area f transportation and distrib ution management under supply chain competitive advantage and optimal performance'. Writing skills will be assessed. This Includes executive summary, Introduction, body, conclusion, high level of critical analysis and discussion of academic journal articles, supporting articles to the authors opinions and conclusions. Must demonstrate the width and depth of the arguments.A professional level of presentation is expected. All references must be and listed in the reference section. SE illustrations, diagrams, charts and table to enhance your report. Check the Assessment Marking Guide (end of this document). Make sure that you can tick off the items listed as you are writing or reviewing your manuscript. Many of these marks are easy to get. Examples: all references must be cited within the text, summary of main points, using the right referencing style. Check what you have done against the Assessment Marking Guide and make sure they match closely.Use your spell check functions. Proofrea d your document. Volume of global trade has increased multi-fold in the past decade. This has impacted on transportation infrastructure in many countries. The statement the essay needs to be addressed â€Å"Discuss how Transportation optimization has contributed to increased efficiencies in transportation and distribution†. Information may be drawn from trade, practitioner, and academic Journals to discuss this statement.

Starbucks vs Tim Hortons

A Comparison of Starbucks and Tim Hortons Starbucks and Tim Horton’s are two companies that specialize in the food and coffee service industries. Information about each company, a comparison of how each markets their brand and their differing distribution methods will be provided. Starbucks is a â€Å"premier roaster, marketer and retailer of specialty coffee† (Marketline 2012). This company is globally recognized because of their vast amount of stores, consisting of more than 17,000 retail stores in over 55 countries.Most retail stores are in highly populated areas, like â€Å"downtown and suburban centers, office buildings, university campuses and in select rural and off-highway locations† (Marketline 2012). Starbucks sells other products in addition to coffee, like teas and fresh food items. It also â€Å"licenses its trademarks through †¦ grocery stores and national food service accounts† (Marketline 2012). Some of the brands, besides Starbucks, a re Tazo Tea, Seattle’s Best Coffee and Starbucks VIA Ready Brew.Products for sale in Starbucks stores include Italian-style espresso beverages, cold and iced shaken drinks, and both breakfast and lunch items such as pastries, salads and sandwiches. Starbucks also sells warm food items, coffee equipment provides free wireless internet within its stores. Tim Hortons is like Starbucks in the sense that they provide similar products like â€Å"premium coffee, flavored cappuccinos, specialty teas, home-style soups, fresh sandwiches, wraps, hot breakfast sandwiches and fresh baked goods† (Marketline 2012). Tim Hortons has 3,750 restaurants in Canada and the United States.Most of these (3,148) are in Canada. â€Å"It also offers home-brew coffee through various lines of distribution in Canada and the US, including certain grocery stores† (Marketline 2012). The way in which both Starbucks and Tim Hortons distributes their products is through the various licensing channe ls. For example, Starbucks directly advertises and sells its products in grocery and warehouse club stores in Canada, the U. K. and countries in Europe. This channel is also known as the CPG Channel, which represents the four business segments: the U. S. , international, global consumer products group and other (Marketline 2012).Many licensees also have license agreements with Starbucks where Starbucks sells its ingredients to make these products that are sold in retail stores. Regarding Starbucks, some of these licensing agreements are with North American Coffee Partnership (joint venture with Pepsi-Cola Company), Arla, Suntory, and Dong Suh Foods. With these license agreements, Starbucks is able to have these other companies â€Å"manufacture and market ready-to-drink beverages† like the Frappuccino and Doubleshot espresso drinks as well as manufacture, market and distribute Starbucks chilled cup coffee beverages in Europe, Japan and South Korea.Super-premium Tazo Tea and i ce cream products in the U. S. with Unilever is another example of how the manufacturing and distribution works with Starbucks. Most of these products discussed are sold to foodservice companies that serve the following industries: businesses, education, healthcare, office coffee distributors, hotels, restaurants, and airlines, among many more. National accounts also receive Starbucks (Seattle’s Best Coffee brand), such as SYSCO Corporation, US Foodservice and others (Marketline 2012).Like Starbucks, Tim Hortons uses warehouses for distribution efforts as well. They also market their goods in restaurants and also have self-serve kiosks that consist of pastries and both hot and cold beverages. What differs from Starbucks is the distribution of paper and dry goods in the â€Å"Canada-based restaurants† as well as the frozen baked goods that are delivered to Ontario-based restaurants. Coffee-roasting plants in areas like Rochester, New York and Hamilton, Ontario are also used as third party distributors, which differs from Starbucks’ methods (Marketline 2012).Tim Hortons doesn’t have as many joint ventures as Starbucks, but still also shares that distribution method, as Tim Hortons operates the Maidstone Bakeries facilitiy, which is a 50-50 joint venture with a subsidiary of IAWS and a subsidiary of Starbucks (Marketline 2012). In comparing both Starbucks and Tim Hortons regarding distribution, Starbucks definitely has more of a wide range of distributors and concentrates mainly on coffee and fresh food distribution. Tim Hortons concentrates on their beverages as well as bread, dry foods and pastries distribution as well.So in this sense, they differ a bit in what they distribute and how, as Starbucks uses a lot of licenses and partnerships while Tim Hortons relies on third party distributors and warehouses. Marketing is another key aspect that both Starbucks and Tim Hortons do differently for their company. Starbucks has intensely use d technology applications such as for the iphone, in which a customer can use their mobile phone to make their purchases and it is also connected to the Loyalty Card that Starbucks has (Baker 2012). Starbucks also uses Facebook and online shopping to market their products.For example, in regards to social media, that area is part of the Marketing team in the UK and Ireland. They include customer care and public relations people, as well. Ian Cranna, Vice President for Marketing, stated that Starbucks believes â€Å"that customers want genuine and authentic interaction with the brands they choose to engage in online† (Lifting the lid on social†¦ 2012). Starbucks hosted a â€Å"Frappuccino Happy Hour† and Cranna also admitted â€Å"most of the best ideas come from their customers† and Facebook is a great way to stay connected. Lifting the lid on social†¦ 2012). Also, regarding the online shopping aspects, the Verismo, recently released in September, is S tarbucks’ first home coffee machine and can be bought on Starbucksstore. co. uk. This is â€Å"the first time the chain has ventured into e-commerce† (Baker 2012). According to Androich and Laird, a managing director, Kris Engskov, stated, â€Å"†Up until today making a Starbucks Latte at home was just not possible. Now customers who have been asking for more convenient ways to enjoy Starbucks need look no further† (2012).Starbucks is aiming to also provide self-serve â€Å"Go machines. † Its aim is to provide â€Å"the quality of Starbucks† anywhere (Baker 2012). Tim Horton also uses technology like social media to attract customers and advertise, just as Starbucks does. Tim Hortons did a Facebook campaign with the â€Å"Rolling up the Rim† promotion, which also included television, radio and both outdoor and in-store promotions. Those who liked the Facebook page could download a free ringtone of the â€Å"Roll Up† ringtone as well as create profile pictures with the theme.Free coffee for a year and gift cards were available to win. This attracted thousands of â€Å"likes† on Facebook and really promoted the Tim Hortons name (Androich and Laird 2012). However, what differs from Starbucks is that Tiim Hortons is especially associated with Canada life, and the few regions it inhabits in the northern United States area, while Starbucks is more of an internationally recognized brand because of its wide spread stores. According to Chris Koentges, a writer in Vancouver, Tim Hortons attracts Canadians.In his article, â€Å"Why we are Tim Hortons and Tim Hortons is us! † was a headline on Canada. com (Koentges 2012). Overall, Tim Hortons and Starbucks differ in their marketing by who they market to – as Tim Hortons is mainly in Canada and Starbucks, although predominantly in the United States, is also all over the world. However, they do market their brands in similar fashions on Facebook or other social media channels and providing chances to â€Å"win† certain prized items. References Androich, A. & Laird, K. (2012).Facebook done right. Marketing Magazine, 117(3), 44-47. Retrieved from EBSO Host on November 11, 2012. Baker, R. (2012). Starbucks launches new caffeine fruit drink. Marketing week (Online Edition), 11. Retrieved from American Psychological Association on November 11, 2012. Koentges, C. (2011). The Pandora’s Box of the new Tim Hortons’. Marketing Magazine, 116 (18), 21. Retrieved from the American Psychological Association on November 11, 2012. Lifting the lid on the social brands. (cover story). (2012).Marketing(00253650), 3-5. Retrieved from the American Psychological Association on November 11, 2012. Starbucks Corporation. (n. d). Retrieved from: on November 11, 2012. Tim Hortons Inc. (n. d). Retrieved from on November 11, 2012.

The History and Politics of Charter Schools in Indiana Research Paper - 1

The History and Politics of Charter Schools in Indiana - Research Paper Example Undoubtedly, the numbers of charter schools are increasing rapidly. It has been estimated that there are nearly 4900 charter schools in the United States with an average of 400 charter schools opening on yearly basis (Lake, 2010). On an account, it has been estimated that till 2011, there are total of 36 charter schools that have been authorized in Indiana with 22 schools already functioning while 10 schools were set to start their operations in future. Two schools were shut downed even before opening of their academic operations due to lack of resources while just one school had been shut down officially due to inadequate and unsatisfactory results and governance. These charter schools have increased in number throughout in the state of Indiana with the highest number of charter schools operating in the main city of Indianapolis, where they account for 11 charter schools out of the overall 22 charter schools in the state (Plucker et.al, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of charter schools was coined in late 1980s. Ever since this concept has come into force, it raised a thought that charter schools would help in increasing the quality of education. The historical movement for charter schools began in 1991. This movement was aimed to achieve a new milestone in offering high-quality education through the establishment of wee-defined public schools for both children and their parents (Source: Mayor Sponsored Charter Schools: 2010). Charter school funding is complex to understand and has gone through many phases of development. Many political camps have appreciated the implementation of charter schools as it would influence the process for improving the standard of education all around the United States (Butryomowicyz, 2011). The state of Indiana has played a key role in the national charter school movement. This law was signed in May 2001 by the Governor

What were the cultural and social factors that created the conditions Essay

What were the cultural and social factors that created the conditions for the adoption of radio (wireless) by home users in the 1910s and 1920s - Essay Example The social changes that took place included the rise of mass entertainment in the form of radios as well consumer culture. Various social and cultural factors played a vital role in the adoption of radios by home users in the years 1910s and 1920s as the document discusses (Popular Science Monthly, 1917).   Broadcasting started acting as a crucial instrument in the political and social organization in early twentieth century. The aspect played a very crucial role in enhancing the adoption of radios by home users. At the peak of influence created by this factor, national leaders started making use of radio to address the entire nation. It was because the leaders had come to realize that radios had potential to reach large numbers of the citizens. The factor, therefore, created a necessity of the citizens to own and also adopt a radio so that they would remain updated on any update from leaders. The aspect hence caused many home users to adopt radios after recognizing how significant it was in communication (Hilmes, 2013).   The outbreak of First World War in Europe also triggered the necessity of understanding the activities that were taking place. The factor led to massive adoption of radio by domestic users. The main reason happened to be many people wanted to know the well about of their well about of their relatives in different places of the United States. Towards the final years of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, radio broadcasting was under strict regulations from the government’s leaders. In 1910s, an Act that gave radio broadcasting freedom was enacted in the United States. One of the factors that got addressed in the Act was freedom of radio stations to be privately owned (Gernsback, 1924). The freedom gave helped the radio broadcasters to air diversified content in terms of news and entertainment. The factor created a sound condition for the adoption radio in homes. Much was available in the radios from

Building compstract The Pazzi Chapel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Building compstract The Pazzi Chapel - Essay Example Il Gesu Church (Church of the Gesu) of the Piazza del Gesà ¹ is situated in the centre of Rome, Italy and much bigger than Pazzi Chapel. Constructed by Vignola from 1568 to 1580 and funded by Allessandro Cardinal Farnese. This thesis compares the research that has been done on the Pazzi Chapel and, in turn, compare it the Il Gesu Church. Thesis statement While the Pazzi Chapel is gaining popularity by the day, there have been a number of attempts to discredits it popularity based on features such as setting, building mass, facades interior, construction, materiality, style and colors. The closest comparison that the Pazzi chapel building can have is the Il Gesu. However, is the Pazzi better than Il Gesu? The construction system of the chapel was loaded bearing masonry, made of concrete masonry blocks. Cement and synthetic adhesives are used as mortar to bond the masonry. The context of the chapel was intended to be a chapter house for religious teaching purposes. The interior and exterior of Pazzi Chapel are controlled by pillar type, which is popular during the Renaissance period. The architect shrewdly uses pillar type structure inside Pazzi Chapel to divide the front colonnade at facade into five, and the middle one is the biggest to separate the colonnade into two parts, and to highlight the center . The Pazzi Chapel, this small but gorgeous building reaches the vertex of the early Renaissance style.3. This chapel is full of rational and peace atmosphere and the constant change of the chapel causes a bright contrast with gothic architecture form. An attribution to the altar that was placed opposite to the entrance reflected from the inside, located at the center of the chapel that is visible from the facade. Six monolithic Corinthian columns symmetrical to each other supported the facade of the chapel, and a semi-circle opening is located in the upper part of the facade. There were no decorations on the column itself, but on the upper part of the facade, religious symbols were carved on the wall and around the dome. There were two narrow bays to the either side of the central bay. Four rectangular panels are located at the either side of the semicircular archivolt. The upper part of the facade was designed for the preparation of revetment. The basic symmetrical geometric form of deposition was used on the facade that was continuing designed on the interior. Differently, Brunelleschi not only used simple geometric from to design the interior part of the chapel, but also re-arranged these geometrical displacement. For example, circular domes were built above the rectangular structure. The ceiling of the chapel was evenly divided into twelve triangle shapes. The walls of the chapel are associated with six fluted Corinthian pilasters. These pilasters were lateral to the narrow bays. The narrow bays support as the medium to the arched window. Not to mention, there was a large rectangular window was built on the rear side of the wall. The window itself reflects the facade. The decorations of the chapel were majorly made in terra cotta, twelve terra cotta Apostles were encircled by the roundels, and twelve niche-shaped moldings were under the Apostles of the lambs. These Apostles were arranged in a group of three placed on the four corners of the chapel faces the compass and the color of all these pilasters, domes, even the chapel were majorly white. All of these arrange symbolized Florence as a heavenly city. Even though the chapel is small,

Teamwork and Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Teamwork and Motivation - Essay Example Innovation and increased productivity are possible if employees are trained and educationally motivated. Continuous learning and employee training should be planned by the organization through their tenure at some regular interval of time. This not only results to higher motivation but also lower turnover. Training also prepares employees to assume more control over their jobs and less supervision, thus building better employee loyalty, satisfaction, and motivation.In the motivation plan, continuous evaluation in a specific cycle should be a must do for the primary aim of measuring progress and determining needs for improvements. This will entail measurement of attitudes, morale, and workforce motivation to determine ways in which the design and implementation of the plan at least once for a year (Deming, 2013).A true competitive advantage for an organization is achieved through well trained and motivated human resource co-ordinating their efforts and energy vitally for the entityâ⠂¬â„¢s goals of accelerating performance, lowering turnover and increasing productivity.In supporting the elements the two-factor theory (Hygiene-theory) by Fredrick Herzberg can be used in order to understand the factors influencing peoples' attitudes and work. According to this theory, satisfaction is caused by (satisfiers) factors related to work itself, achievement, recognition, and responsibility. He argues that motivation is an inner force driving individuals to personal and organizational goal attainment.

Business Plan Solutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Plan Solutions - Essay Example The music retail store can also be funded by informal investors like family, friends, relatives, employees, or colleagues if they are willing to chip-in some of their available money. This possibility of course, is positively related to their support to Rhoda's business venture. More formal sources of equity will be angel investors and venture capitalists. Angel investors are usually affluent individuals who provide capital to small start-up businesses. These individuals often hope for high returns on their investments (Ward, 2000). Rhoda Allegro can also seek equity financing from venture capitalists. Venture capitalists are also individual who supplies capital for the start-up or expansion of a business venture. Like angel investors, venture capitalists are looking for higher returns on their investments than traditional investments. The main difference between angel investors and venture capitalists is that the former is usually equipped with skills in managing a business while the latter is a professional investor. An angel investor is often interested in adding value to the company aside from profiting from his/her investments (Ward, 2000). In summary, Rhoda Allegro's business can be financed by formal and informal sources of financing.

Just-in-Time (JIT) Techniques Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Just-in-Time (JIT) Techniques - Assignment Example Thus by thinking about the problem the problem it can be viewed and finally when the problem eventually becomes clear leads to kaizen. If one makes it a rule to deal with defects only after they occur and thus the number of its staffs tends to fall. Therefore, things that are running smoothly should not be subject to any control. If you commit yourself to just finding and fixing problems, you'll be able to carry out effective control (within an organization) with fewer personnel†. This concept is very well applied in Toyota. Since everyone at Toyota is involved equally at the business improvement plan. The people at Toyota participated in the meetings which are held regularly and discuss the progress and also consider the new initiatives. Thus, everyone at Toyota is expected to contribute and all the ideas are equally listened to by the management of Toyota. Unlike other organization there are no suggestion boxes in Toyota as people are not afraid to talk about the new ideas an d plans (Hope & Player, 2012, p. 211). The success of Toyota an automotive company has been able to achieved success with the techniques of lean which is monitored by most of the organization (Blanchard, 2007, p. 97). According to the managing director of Toyota, the long principle of Toyota production System (TPS) will continue to work with the system of Just In time and will not change in the future and its production is able to meet all the upcoming challenge. Just in time revolves around the concept of producing of only what is needed and thus transferring only what is needed. Instead of the system of push system, it represented only to the pull system where the workers get and fetch what is required. Tools, such as the Kanban (the information card); and on the display board, as well as poka yoke the error prevention, was developed in order to implement the pull strategy (Toyota, 2012). The Toyota Production System had the ability to fulfill the demand of the customers efficient ly and promptly by way of linking the production to market place. JIT relies on the process of assembling the sequence only when they are required and needed (Toyota (A), n.d). Just in time offers a continuous, smooth and an optimized workflow with measured and careful work cycles and with the on demand movement of goods, materials capacity and reduce the cost of the time wasted. The members of the team can concentrate on each of their task without any interpretation which finally leads to better quality; deliver at the given time and of course peace of mind for the customers of Toyota. Potential Benefits — and Drawbacks — of Such JIT Techniques Are Limited to Large Manufacturing Businesses or Whether They Have Wider Applications for Other Organizations Benefits and Drawbacks Just in time has benefited many of the organization in many different ways and some of the benefits includes such as with the help of just in time the set up time can be reduced which allows the o rganization to eliminate the time needed to set the inventory; the flow of inventory increases from the warehouse to the selves; employees with multi skills are used at an effective and efficient way. Employees with multi skills allows the companies to move the workers to the required department with ease and confident; the relationship between the suppliers and the

Critically assess Hindu film 'Daya Sagar' (1978) that depicts the life Essay

Critically assess Hindu film 'Daya Sagar' (1978) that depicts the life of Christ. In what way might your chosen film be said to be religious - Essay Example said to have had a long history of use as a missions tool in India, being used to tell the story of Christ to the Indian population in a presentation that makes them feel that they can own the story, since it presents the religious tale in a way that seems culturally relevant. In this sense, the film has a long history of presentation as a religious film. However, as a strictly academic matter, this raises an important set of questions: James Wall (1971), the editor of The Christian Advocate wrote a classic volume of film interpretation that begins with a consideration of censorship of such themes as sexuality in modern cinema and moves toward an aesthetic consideration of the filmmaker’s responsibility when presenting a film as a religious work. In the book, he argues that it is only natural for people oriented toward religion to move beyond a secular concern for assessing film according to religious values to developing standards that can direct the production of film that serves the purposes of religion in a more proactive manner. After all, he writes, concerning Christianity specifically, the need to communicate religious messages is felt as a requirement of the faith by adherents of religion, and film is a particularly good medium to use to communicate with the masses (p. 18). Once we consider the fact that, according to Christian doctrine, â€Å"all realms† are to be used for the Glory of God, i t is no longer controversial to consider the possibility that film, which is sometimes thought to deal mostly with serious secular topics such as drugs and sex, can be used to represent religion as well. In many ways, in fact, appropriating film as a religious tool is similar to the practice of putting Christian-themed lyrics to popular songs in bygone eras, including some tunes that may have been heard more likely in a saloon rather than a bar. It is using an evocative medium to tell a compelling message, and doing so in a way that appeals to the masses. One

Develop understanding of learning and teaching mathematics Essay - 1

Develop understanding of learning and teaching mathematics - Essay Example Scaffolding in education teaching refers to the process by which the instructor segregates the learning into chunks ant then provide the practitioners with a tool or a structure, for every chunk created. The use of scaffolding as a strategy in learning has demonstrated a number of strength and power in enhancing understanding by the learners. In the mathematics filed scaffolding has gotten powerful in showing and telling, by enhancing knowledge absorption and understanding through seeing and modeling (James and Wilson, 2002). It has gotten a lot of strengths by tapping into prior knowledge. In this case, the mathematical course instructor asks the students to avail their own experiences to each other, hunches and ideas concerning the concept and content of the study. They are therefore asked to illustrate how the particular concept of study has either direct or indirect relation to their life experiences as well as their day to day life activities. Through this, the practitioners get in a position to make a lot of connections in mathematics study as well as increasing their capability of grasping the arithmetic concepts on their own. Scaffolding has demonstrated a lot of power and strength giving the practitioners time to talk. This is due to the fact that in a mathematics lessons, all the practitioners need time to undertake the processing of new arithmetic ideas and information. As a teaching strategy it has emerged more effective in providing the room for learners to verbally create sense of as well as articulating their learning with other mathematical learners. As a structured strategy, it is more effective since it works best with practitioners despite their differing levels of maturation. The use of scaffold strategy in teaching has demonstrated a lot of strength when it comes provision of pre-tech vocabulary. Pre-tech vocabulary is at times referred to as frontloading vocabulary, involving administering of

Natural Law and Sexual Ethics by Janet Smith Essay Example for Free

Natural Law and Sexual Ethics by Janet Smith Essay I am honored to be among the lecturers in this series on natural law. Many of the speakers are among my heroes and friends. One of my heroes, Alasdair MacIntyre, used one of his favorite terms in his talk: he spoke of plain persons and their grasp of morality and natural law in contradistinction to the experts and professional philosophers and their grasp of these matters. A few years ago in Dallas he gave a talk entitled Do plain persons need to be moral philosophers? When I was asked to give the response to his talk, I was most honored because I considered Prof. MacIntyre one of the foremost moral philosophers in the world and it was a thrill to comment on his work. I felt dreadfully underqualified — I felt like some high school kid going up against Larry Bird — until I realized that I need not respond as an expert, as a moral philosopher of his caliber, but that I could respond as the quintessential plain person — for that is what I am. After all, I am Janet Smith, daughter of John and Anne Smith; I grew up at 5 Hill Street and went to Home Street School — I could go on but it is all very plain. The point I am making here is not merely a flip one — designed to ease us into more serious matters through an attempt at humor. There is a serious point here — natural law, is the plain persons morality — in a sense it is simply plain old common sense. There are profound and sophisticated ways at explaining natural law, but the practiceof reasoning in accord with natural law principals, according to the theory itself, is natural to plain persons — that is, natural to all mankind for natural law holds that many of the most fundamental principles of moral reasoning are obvious, that is easily known by all. Yet, in spite of the plain commonsensicalness of natural law, it can seem shocking and provocative in many ways, for like natural law, plain old common sense does not command a lot of followers these days and can be shocking when juxtaposed to the values of our times. My talk is going to be very basic in several respects. It will review some of the basic principles that other speakers have covered, some in depth, some more in passing. It will also be very basic in being the one talk that attempts to make an application of natural law to concrete moral issues; issues in the realm of sexual ethics. My job is not to justify natural law ethics but to explain it and apply it. As did many of the earlier speakers I will largely be following the thought of Thomas Aquinas on these matters and of Aristotle from whom Aquinas learned many of the principles that informed his teaching on natural law. I shall also incorporate into my arguments the thought of another stellar natural law theorist, still alive and well: I shall make use of the work of Karol Wojtyla, now known as Pope John Paul II. I will refer to him as Wojtyla simply because I do not want to be thought to be invoking his authority as Holy Father; I cite him simply as a philosopher who has made great advances of our understanding of natural law, particularly in regard to sexual ethics. So let me begin with a review of the principles of natural law. As several other speakers have noted, Aquinas maintains that the first principle of natural law is do good, avoid evil. As he notes, that is a self-evident principle and obvious to all; if we want to be moral we should do good and avoid evil. No controversy here. The question is, of course, what is good and what is evil and how to we come to know which is which? Some think we cant know what is good and evil so the best we can do is live by the conventions of our times. Others think it best to let our passions be our guide to whatever we want to do. Others think only revealed religion can give us absolutes. These three positions capture the predominant views of our times. Aquinas holds none of these positions. He argues that reason should be our guide to morality. Not only does he hold that the first principle of natural law, do good, avoid evil is self-evident, he argues that there are other self-evident first principles, such as harm no man. These he says are imprinted in the minds of all by God; I believe other precepts such as provide responsibly for your offspring, give to each man his due and seek knowledge would qualify as precepts that Aquinas thinks all men know. Men (and I use the term generically here and throughout) may act against these precepts out of passion or because ignorance of some fact operative in a situation, but all would agree that such principles are moral truths. Aquinas goes on to say that what he calls primary precepts of natural law are naturally and immediately known by man; he cites the 10 commandments as examples of these types of precepts. These precepts are justified by the primary principles. From the most general principle give to each man his due, from an understanding of what one owes to ones mother and father, it is clear that one should honor ones father and mother. Now this is not to say that one discovers the moral law by discovering these precepts in a deductive manner moving from the most general to the more particular. Rather, it seems that often moral discovery, as the discovery of other general truths, moves from the particular to the universal. That is, an individual could witness or participate in a transaction and quite immediately make the moral judgment that the act is good or bad. That is, for instance, an individual could witness someone honoring or dishonoring his parents and judge the action to be good or bad; from this action and others of the same sort one may come to formulate the law that one should give each man his due. But it is because we already naturally know — in an unexpressed and unformulated way — that one should give each man his due, that we are able to see readily that honoring ones parents is good. Much in the same way that we, without musical training, can judge certain tones to be off pitch, we have moral perceptions that some actions are good and some bad, without having any explicit training about such kinds of actions. I speak of these as moral perceptions not because they are equivalent to sense perceptions, but because of their immediacy and their unformulated quality; indeed, I believe them to be rational in several important respects, not least because they are cognitive acts and they are in accord with reality. Let me speak now about rationality and the Thomistic claim that one should act rationally. Indeed, one could formulate the first principle of natural law not only in the most basic formula do good, avoid evil; in Thomistic terms, several formulas serve to express the same truth: for Aquinas, the following phrases are synonymous: act in accord with nature; act in accord with reason or act rationally; act in accord with virtue; act in accord with the dignity of the human person; act in accord with a well formed conscience; indeed, act in a loving way, properly understood, serves as well. While it would be of great profit to elaborate how each of these phrases is synonymous with the other, I want to devote most of my efforts here to explaining how act in accord with nature and act in accord with reason are synonymous and worthy guides to moral behavior. First we must try to get as clear as we can what it means to say act in accord with reason or act rationally. In our day, reason often gets a bum rap. This is a fault not of Aristotle or Aquinas but of Descartes and Kant and their followers. Since they retreated into the mind and abandoned the senses and emotions and nature as guides to truth, they made reason seem like something coldly logical, impersonal, abstract and completely devoid of experiential and emotional content. In their view, mathematics and geometry are seen as the quintessential rational acts; to be rational is to operate totally within ones mind and to be completely unemotional. Another view of rationality that dominates modern times is the view that only that which can be measured scientifically deserves any recognition as objective truth. No truths other than those substantiated by scientific proofs — truths that can be quantified largely in the laboratory — count as truth. No proof other than scientific proofs count as truth; only science and that which approximates to scientific truth is truly rational. Neither view is the view of reason and rationality held by the ancients and medievalists — those who defined the view of natural law I am defending here. The ancients and medievalists did not think rationality was possible without the senses and the emotions for both are tools to reading reality; they provide the intellect with the material needed to make a good judgment. The etymology of the word rational is rooted in the word ratio which means measure or proportion. One is being rational when ones thought and action are measured to, are proportionate with, or when ones thought and action correspond with reality (which itself is measured or governed by discernable laws; more about this momentarily). The thought that leads to acting in accord with reality is called rational. Now this thought need not be and perhaps only rarely will be the kind of abstract, cold, logical reasoning of a Descartes, Kant, or research scientist. This thought can be intuitive, creative, poetic, inductive, deductive, indeed, whatever human thought can be. It is all called rational thought not because it proceeds by syllogism or because it is subject to certain scientific tests; it is called rational because it corresponds with reality — and this includes all of reality, the spiritual and the transcendental as well as the logically provable and the scientifically measurable reality. Such thought cannot proceed without abundant data from our senses and our emotions. The intellect processes such data and orders it; it determines what values are important in the data and decides on the appropriate response. If one acts rationally, one then acts in accord with the ordering done by the intellect. While the intellect should govern the emotions, it is not a natural law teaching that all rational behavior will be devoid of emotion. Again, the emotions can provide essential data to the intellect. Emotions that are well-habituated may lead one quite spontaneously to respond correctly to situations. One may spontaneously get angry at witnessing some act of injustice and, if one knows ones emotions to be well-ordered, one could respond quite immediately and correctly to the situation — and even angrily to the situation. Indeed, at times it may be an appropriate response to reality to rant and rave. One doing so, is properly called rational, in spite of our common parlance. This talk of the mind and of rationality as something that is measured to reality suggests, as mentioned above, that reality is a thing that can be grasped. Natural law depends upon such. It rests upon the claim that things have natures and essences that we can know and correspond our actions to. There are many reasons for making this claim. One is the fact that things act in a predictable fashion; when we learn the properties of oil and water, for instance, we can predict certain things about their behavior. The fact that we build bridges which stand, that we make artificial hearts that work, that we put men on the moon, also indicates we are able to measure our thoughts to the external world and to act in accord with it. Moreover, natural law operates on the premise that nature is good; that is, that the way things naturally are is good for them to be; it holds that the operations of things and parts of things contribute to the good of the whole. The wings of different birds are shaped in certain fashions because of the sort of flying that they must do to survive; different digestive systems work in different ways because of what is being digested. Indeed, natural law holds that the natural instincts of natural things are good; they lead them to do what helps those things function well and helps them survive. Since natural things have an order there is said to be a ratio or order to them; not one of which they are conscious but one that is written into their functioning. Natural law holds that we live in a universe of things that have a ratio to them and that we shall get the best out of these things if we act in accord with the ratio or nature that is written into them. Now, man is a natural thing. He, too, has parts and operations and instincts that enable him to function well and to survive. Man differs from other creatures in that he has free will; that is, he can either cooperate with his nature or act against his nature, whereas other natural things have no such freedom. What enables man to be free is his reason, his rationality; he is able to weigh and measure different courses of action and to determine which actions are good or bad. According to natural law, those actions are good which accord with his nature and with the nature of other things. Since man is by nature a rational animal, it is good for him to act in accord with his reason. By acting rationally he is acting in accord with his own nature and with a reality that is also ordered. When he acts rationally, he acts in accord with his own nature and reality and in accord with the nature and reality of other things. Now, lets get concrete. Lets talk about acting in accord with the nature of a few specific things. Take tomato plants, for instance. Tomato plants have a certain nature. In order to have good tomato plants one must act towards these plants in accord with their nature; one must water them, give them sunlight and good soil if one wants to produce good tomato plants. Such is acting in accord with nature in respect to tomato plants, such is rational behavior in respect to tomato plants. If ones tomato plants fail to produce tomatoes, one knows that one is doing something wrong; if ones tomato plants produce good tomatoes, one knows one is doing something right. Prof. Charlie Rice, whose book Fifty Questions on Natural Law that I understand several of you are reading, speaks of the rationality of putting oil and not molasses in the engine of a car. One needs to act in accord with the nature of things if one wishes them to perform well. So now let us, moving quickly, move to human nature. If a human being wishes to function and perform well, what does his nature require of him? Let us begin with his physical nature. There is a considerable consensus about what makes for physical health and what is conducive to physical health. Those who dont get sick, who are able to function well in their daily activities, who are not overweight, we call healthy. We know how to produce such individuals. We are regularly and rightly advised to eat well, exercise regularly, and to get plenty of sleep. Those who do so generally flourish physically — because they are acting in accord with nature, with reason, and with reality. Psychological health is also understood to some extent; we know we need friends and rest and interests to sustain our psychological health; that is our nature; that is reality. Nor are we in the dark about what makes for moral health or moral goodness. We recognize the goodness of the various virtues such as self-discipline, reliability, justice and fairness, kindness, truthfulness, loyalty, etc. those who exhibit these qualities we generally recognize to be good — that is morally good — human beings. Parents who have children who display such qualities are rightly proud of them; their tomato plants turned out well. So, in regard to sexual behavior, to sexual moral health, so to speak, what qualifies as acting in accord with nature, with reason? How do we determine what it is? Now, for Aquinas, these are not difficult questions, though, apparently, they are extremely difficult questions for modern times. We are terribly confused about what proper sexual behavior is. College newspapers are filled with news of campuses that are devising codes of moral sexual behavior — codes that are designed primarily to stop or reduce the incidence of date rape on campus. These codes suggest, mandate, require — I am not certain what is the correct word — that in sexual activity neither individual proceed to the next level of sexual activity without obtaining the permission of the other individual. These codes reflect what has been the principle governing sexual behavior in modern times for sometime — whatever one feels comfortable with and whatever one agrees to is morally o. . This is basically what we are teaching to our young people and they are doing much what one would expect given that teaching. As long as it feels good, and they have consented to it, there is no reason for them not to do it. Is this working; is this principle leading to moral health or moral sickness? What can we say about the moral sexual health of our society? What does the fact that 68% of African-American babies are born out of wedlock suggest? The figure is now 22% in the white community and rapidly growing.

Impact of Boxer Rebellion on Chinas World Relations

Impact of Boxer Rebellion on Chinas World Relations What impact did the Boxer Rebellion have  on China’s relations with the rest of the world? The Boxer Rebellion instigated an unprecedented coordinated military response from international powers after The Righteous and Harmonious Fists more commonly known as the Boxers had mutilated and slaughtered thousands of Chinese Christian converts, Western missionaries and foreign nationals.[1] The atrocities occurred between 1898 and 1900 when the Boxers began targeting their perceived enemies in the Shandong region of China before spreading north to Beijing. The Boxers could not differentiate between the Christian missionaries’ desire to proselytise China’s peasants and forced westernisation. This paper contends that the Boxer Rebellion both wounded and opened relations between China and the outside world. Clearly, the discriminate violence of the Boxers shocked and angered the international community.[2] Therefore, far from achieving their objective of purging China from globalisation and the westernisation of Chinese peasants, it caused the world to hone in on Chin a. Inadvertently the Boxer Rebellion opened international relationships with China and the outside world. Countries like the United States refrained from argumentative dialogue and began to have meaningful diplomatic discussions with the Chinese government. Nevertheless, the Boxer Protocol, signed in 1901, seriously affected China’s relationship with the world. The protocol virtually bankrupted China’s economy. The Qing Dynasty was forced to pay three hundred and thirty three million United State dollars indemnity to foreign countries affected by the Boxer’s violence.[3] The Boxer Rebellion like the majority of insurrections has no narrative from the insurgents. The historiographies of rebellions are a combination of texts of victims, politicians, historians and other academics as in the case the Boxer Rebellion. The majority of eyewitness accounts are usually anonymous but reveal the harsh reality of death associated with insurrections. Cohen gives a perfect ex ample of this when he cites an eyewitness account of a Chinese individual who witnessed the scene of death during the Boxer Rebellion in Tianjing in 1900, the eyewitness describes the atrocities of the rebellion, they declare, ‘There are many corpses floating in the river. Some were without heads, others were missing limbs. The bodies of women often had their nipples cut off and their genitalia mutilated†¦ There were also bodies in shallow areas by the banks with flocks of crows pecking away at them. The smell was so bad we had to cover our noses the whole day. Still, no one came out to collect the bodies for burial. People said that they were all Christians who had been killed by the Boxers and the populace dare not get involved.’[4] Boyd contends that ‘most Westerners went to China to make money or to make converts.’[5] Neither reason was popular with the Righteous Harmonious Fists (Boxers). They viewed themselves as representatives of the Chinese peasantry and rigorously opposed all foreigners. Although, by the end of the nineteenth century, China’s population had reached three hundred and fifty million the majority of Chinese peasants had never encountered foreigners or Western missionaries.[6] Nevertheless, the Boxers held a strong belief that foreigners and Christian missionaries were responsible for the breakdown in the fabric of simple Chinese peasant society and they dishonoured their traditional spiritual and community. Furthermore, the Boxers attributed China’s natural disasters such as flood, drought and famine to the corruption of Christianity. Drought followed the great flood of the Yellow River in 1898 and left two million peasants starving and desperate. The Boxers a bott om up organisation without official leadership saw themselves as representatives of the peasantry in the Shandong region of northern China.[7] Likewise, the missionaries imposed power in the villages they occupied and they were involved in legal decision-making. The missionaries infuriated the Boxers even more because they were not just content to proselytise Christianity they also rejected Confucianism.[8] Harrison contends that the Boxers believed Catholic missionaries posed the greatest threat to Chinese morality. She argues that the Boxers targeted villages where the well-established Catholic missionaries had taken on the role of officials. The Boxers believed that because central government had failed to tackle the issue of village politics and moral issues they would take the law into their own hands.[9] However, this argument is neutralised by the excessive violence and murder of Catholics committed by the Boxers in the villages of central Shanxi.[10] The Boxers believed they were impervious to pain; they could withstand attack from both sword, and bullet. Their strange beliefs made them merciless fighters and a therefore a dangerous enemy of foreigners, Chinese Christian converts and missionaries. Even if their beliefs were well founded and justifiable, their methods of resolving their perceived problems were inexcusable and crude.[11] The Boxers fervent mystical beliefs are not a new phenomenon because allegedly, in preceding years Chinese peasants had experienced similar supernatural powers following natural disasters. Male peasants believed that they acquired special ‘religious’ spiritual powers to overcome the disasters.[12] However, the Boxers method of dealing with the threat was incomprehensible. Fleming’s contentious claim that at the beginning of the Boxer regime, ninety percent of the Boxers were just peasants in ‘fancy dress’ is debateable. However, he declares that as time went by thei r ‘sartorial costume’ of red and yellow turbans and sashes became less important and the majority of Boxers held strong political ideologies.[13] Following the suppression of the Boxer’s by the international counterinsurgency force,[14] each nation affected by Boxer violence sought retribution. However, some nations were less harsh than others were. For example, the United States highlighted this in their response. Secretary of State John Hay fearing China’s partition by European nations following the Boxer Rebellion issued a memorandum in July 1900 to those countries affected by the rebellion. Hay suggested that they should continue to support China’s ‘administrative and territorial integrity.’[15] In reality the United States were protecting their own trading interests in China. Furthermore, the United States practised a strict anti-imperialistic foreign policy.[16] However, the United States outward support of the Qing Dynasty was a contradiction of their policies towards Chinese immigrants. Ironically, the Chinese Exclusion Act 1882 and the Geary Act 1892 effectively prevented Chinese peop le from entering America.[17] After the suppression on the Boxer Rebellion, China supported American military presence in Beijing to repel any further rebellions following the defeat of the Boxers. The United States politely refused and withdrew from China in October 1900. The commander of the American counterinsurgency force stated, ‘Let us hope that this generous, charitable, and magnanimous treatment of the vanquished may prove an example to the nations of the world, and a step forward in the world’s progress toward a higher and nobler humanity. We are glad to know that this work is appreciated to you. It is needless to tell you, however, that the United States does not maintain an army for the purpose of furnishing the city of Peking with good municipal government, and as a business proposition your appeal for the United States forces to remain longer in Peking has little to stand upon.[18] Britain was slow to respond to the Boxer Rebellion.[19] However, retrospectively the Boxer Rebellion caused Britain to adopt a more vigorous foreign policy. Indeed, because of the inadequacies of the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Lord Salisbury in dealing with the Boxer Rebellion, the Conservative government made significant changes to the Diplomatic Service.[20] Sir Claude MacDonald the British minister in Beijing despite being fully aware of the Boxers violence against foreigners, Christian converts and missionaries in northern China refused to contemplate that the Boxer would spread across China.[21] Indeed, Otte contends that Britain’s blasà © attitude to the Boxer violence only changed after the siege of Beijing legation district that began on June 14th 1900. For fifty-five days, the Boxers laid siege to the square mile legation district in Beijing.[22] When the multilateral counterinsurgency force finally arrived in Beijing in August 1900, they displayed to the world for the first time that a sense of unity was possible. The multilateral force consisted of all the nations who had personnel in the legation. The force consisted of approximately twenty thousand troops. The Japanese were the dominant force with ten thousand troops. Japan demonstrated to China and the world that the importance of China was truly international and not just Eurocentric.[23] Furthermore, the multilateral force with the aim of rescuing the personnel and their families from the Beijing Legation district were given different instructions from their governments. German emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II commanded his troops to show no mercy to the Boxers after they had murdered the German Minister in Beijing Baron von Ketteler. The Kaiser declared to his troops before they left Bremerhaven, ‘Just as the Huns a thousand years ago, under the leadership of Attila, gained a reputation by virtue of which they still live in historical tradition, so may the name of Germany become known in such a manner in China, that no Chinese will ever again to look askance at a German.’ [24] Clearly, the Boxer Rebellion affected relations with Germany and this was borne out by the first point in the Boxer Protocol, it declared, ‘†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Prince of the First Rank, Chun, was appointed Ambassador of His Majesty the Emperor of China, and directed in that capacity to convey to His Majesty the German Emperor the expression of the regrets of His Majesty the Emperor of China and of the Chinese Government at the assassination of his Excellency the late Baron von Ketteler, German Minister†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. The Chinese Government has stated that it will erect on the spot of the assassination of his Excellency the late Baron von Ketteler, commemorative monument worthy of the rank of the deceased, and bearing an inscription in the Latin, German, and Chinese languages which shall express the regrets of His Majesty the Emperor of China for the murder committed†¦[25] The first article of the Boxer Protocol clearly highlights China’s humiliation. Germany like other governments wanted to punish and embarrass China after the Boxer Rebellion. The proceeding articles in the protocol all required apologies, monument erections, the destruction of Chinese arms and fortresses, and the forfeiture of land to foreign powers.[26] However, as previously mentioned, the most damaging article in the protocol was the three hundred and thirty three million dollar indemnity with four percent interest. Undoubtedly, the multilateral troops took revenge on the Boxers and their supporters, Boyd contends that rumours of looting, rape, and torture committed by multilateral troops spread throughout Beijing. [27] Schoppa argues that the Boxer Protocol is the lowest point in Chinese international relations and their ultimate humiliation. The protocol signed on the 7th September 1901 between China and the Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Spain, United State s, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, and Russia was yet another unequal treaty that humiliated the Chinese government. The terms of the protocol not only restricted China’s domestic privileges, they increased foreign interests in China. Therefore, the fifty years of humiliation that began with China’s defeat in the Opium Wars extended into a new millennium. Therefore, the Boxer Protocol crippled Chinese spirit, economy and international prestige.[28] Although, the Boxer Rebellion and the consequent protocol severely damaged China domestically and their international reputation it instigated the dismantlement of their biggest burden, the corrupt Qing Dynasty. The Empress Dowager Cixi deceived the international community by pretending that her troops were suppressing the Boxers. However, the reality was that she despised foreign intervention as much as the Boxers did. She cleverly encouraged the Boxers to turn the Chinese peasantry and country against the foreigners. The Boxers declared ‘Support the Qing, destroy the Foreigners.’ Foreigners included missionaries and Chinese Christian converts. As Esherick contends, the Boxer Rebellion was not a true rebellion, as they did not oppose the Chinese Qing government.[29] The rebellion failed to resemble the excepted definition as ‘an organized armed resistance to an established ruler or government.’[30] Once the Qing dynasty realised that counterinsurgency would overthrow the Boxers they soon renounced their involvement so they could continue in the eyes of the West as a legitimate government.[31] However, inevitably the Boxer Rebellion demonstrates that China’s international relations were damaged by the more primitive actions the Boxers and the more sophisticated and sinister intervention of the Qing Dynasty.[32] In conclusion, the Boxer Rebellion clearly left an indelible mark on China both domestically and internationally. The ruthless action of the Boxers against foreigners, Chinese Christian converts, and missionaries was viewed by the outside world as unjustified and inexcusable. The Boxers clearly believed that they were acting in the best interests of peasants who made up the majority of the Chinese population. Their violent activities led to the Boxer Protocol in 1901 that almost bankrupted China through the huge financial reparations. The further articles of the protocol heaped further humiliation on China and allowed international powers access to prominent trading areas. However, arguably inadvertently the Boxer Rebellion prevented China from being colonised by major international powers. The Boxer Rebellion undoubtedly stirred the United States to intervene in order to save their trading rights in China. They sent a clear message to Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Russ ia to support China’s administrative and territorial integrity. Furthermore, the Boxer Rebellion was the catalyst for disintegration of the dishonest Qing Dynasty. Although, the Qing Dynasty under Empress Dowager Cixi supported the Boxers it was not to protect the interests of China’s peasantry. Even though the Boxer Rebellion eventually instigated improved foreign diplomacy, it is indisputable that their actions not only led to the massacres of foreigners, Chinese Christians and missionaries it led to thousands of deaths of their own people. The international counterinsurgency forces showed no mercy when they exacted retribution on the Boxers and their sympathisers. The ease in which the Boxers and Imperial guard were defeated by the multilateral counterinsurgency forces compelled the Chinese government to modernise their military. The Boxer Rebellion reiterated the Eurocentric ideology that the Chinese are uncivilised. Furthermore, the rebellion alienated the western community from China even though it inadvertently improved international diplomacy and rid China of the corrupt Qing Dynasty that ultimately led to China becoming a republic in 1912. The ease in which the Boxers and Imperial guard were defeated by the multilateral counterinsurgency forces compelled the Chinese government to modernise their military. Bibliography Books Boyd, J., A Dance with Dragon. The Vanished of Peking’s Foreign Policy (London: I. B. Tauris Co. Ltd, 2012). Cashman, D., America in the Age of the Titans: The Progressive Era and World War I (New York: New York University Press, 1998). Cohen, Paul, in ‘Humanising the Boxers’, in Bickers, R. Tiedemann, R. (eds), The Boxers, China, and the World (Plymouth: Rowman Littlefield Publishers Ltd, 2007), pp. 179-197. Cullinane, M., Liberty and American Anti-Imperialism: 1898-1909 (New York: Palgrave MacMillian, 2012). Durschmeid, E,. Beware the Dragon, China: 1,000 Years of Bloodshed (London: Carlton Publishing Group, 2008). Esherick, J., The Origins of the Boxer Uprising (Oakland: University of California Press). Fleming, P., The Siege at Peking (Edinburgh: Birlinn Ltd, 2001). Harrison, Henrietta, in ‘Humanising the Boxers’, in Bickers, R. Tiedemann, R. (eds), The Boxers, China, and the World (Plymouth: Rowman Littlefield Publishers Ltd, 2007), pp. 1-15. Otte, Thomas, ‘Heaven knows where we shall finally drift’: Lord Salisbury, the Cabinet, Isolation, and the Boxer Rebellion’ in Kennedy, G. Neilson, K. (eds), Incidents and International Relations: People, Power, and Personalities (Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2002). Schoppa, K., The Columbia Guide to Modern Chinese History (New York: Columbia University Press, 2000). Seonnichsen, J., The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2011). Spence, J., The Searching of Modern China (London: Century Hutchinson Ltd, 1990). Steiner, Z., The Foreign Office and Foreign Policy, 1898-1914 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970). Journals Oulett, ‘Multinational counterinsurgency: the Western intervention in the Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901’ Small Wars Insurgencies. 20: 3.4 (2009): pp. 507-527. Radio broadcast Bragg, M., ‘The Boxer Rebellion’ In our Time. BBC radio 4 archive broadcast (21.30, 9 March 2009) Internet source ‘Rebellion.’ Oxford English Dictionary (03 April 2014). Available online: http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/159201?isAdvanced=falseresult=1rskey=nNKkrE Date accessed: 02 April 2014. ‘Boxer Protocol, 1901, Peace Agreement between the Great Powers and China 09/07/190’ (03 April 2014) Available online: http://china.usc.edu/(S(ivfmlzuvquerbb45edthpbze)A(irVj2QZVywEkAAAAYWQzZmNiZGMtZTBhNC00MDc1LTg5ZTItOGQ4OGU4MGI0NTk3Uo36FF2grKtLe_4GD64z6sKQqsw1))/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=420 Date accessed: 03 April 2014 1 [1] Oulett, ‘Multinational counterinsurgency: the Western intervention in the Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901’ Small Wars Insurgencies. 20: 3.4 (2009): p. 511. [2] Durschmeid, E,. Beware the Dragon, China: 1,000 Years of Bloodshed (London: Carlton Publishing Group, 2008)p. 172. [3] Spence, J., The Searching of Modern China (London: Century Hutchinson Ltd, 1990), p. 235. [4] cited by Cohen, Paul, in ‘Humanising the Boxers’, in Bickers, R. Tiedemann, R. (eds), The Boxers, China, and the World (Plymouth: Rowman Littlefield Publishers Ltd, 2007), p. 186 [5] Boyd, J., A Dance with Dragon. The Vanished of Peking’s Foreign Policy (London: I. B. Tauris Co. Ltd, 2012), p. xvi. [6] Fleming, P., The Siege at Peking (Edinburgh: Birlinn Ltd, 2001), p. 36. [7] Bragg, M., ‘The Boxer Rebellion’ In our Time. BBC radio 4 archive broadcast (21.30, 9 March 2009) [8] Ibid. [9] Harrison, Henrietta, in ‘Humanising the Boxers’, in Bickers, R. Tiedemann, R. (eds), The Boxers, China, and the World (Plymouth: Rowman Littlefield Publishers Ltd, 2007), p. 12 [10] Harrison, Henrietta, in ‘Humanising the Boxers’, p. 7 [11] Oulett, ‘Multinational counterinsurgency: the Western intervention in the Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901’, p. 508. [12] Bragg, M., ‘The Boxer Rebellion’ In our Time [13] Fleming, The Siege at Peking, p.36. [14] Oulett, ‘Multinational counterinsurgency: the Western intervention in the Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901’, p. 508. [15] Cashman, D., America in the Age of the Titans: The Progressive Era and World War I (New York: New York University Press, 1998), p.436. [16] Cullinane, M., Liberty and American Anti-Imperialism: 1898-1909 (New York: Palgrave MacMillian, 2012), p. 4. [17] Seonnichsen, J., The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2011), p. xiv. [18] cited in Oulett, ‘Multinational counterinsurgency: the Western intervention in the Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901’. p. 518. [19] Otte, Thomas, ‘Heaven knows where we shall finally drift’: Lord Salisbury, the Cabinet, Isolation, and the Boxer Rebellion’ in Kennedy, G. Neilson, K. (eds), Incidents and International Relations: People, Power, and Personalities (Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2002), p. 30. [20] Steiner, Z., The Foreign Office and Foreign Policy, 1898-1914 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970), p. 180. [21] Otte, Thomas. ‘Heaven knows where we shall finally drift’: Lord Salisbury, the Cabinet, Isolation, and the Boxer Rebellion’, p. 26 [22] Otte, Thomas. ‘‘Heaven knows where we shall finally drift’: Lord Salisbury, the Cabinet, Isolation, and the Boxer Rebellion’, p. 29 [23] Bragg, M., ‘The Boxer Rebellion’ In our Time [24] Fleming, The Siege at Peking, pp. 135-136 [25] ‘Boxer Protocol, 1901, Peace Agreement between the Great Powers and China’ (09/07/1901). Available online: http://china.usc.edu/(S(ivfmlzuvquerbb45edthpbze)A(irVj2QZVywEkAAAAYWQzZmNiZGMtZTBhNC00MDc1LTg5ZTItOGQ4OGU4MGI0NTk3Uo36FF2grKtLe_4GD64z6sKQqsw1))/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=420 Date accessed: 03 April 2014 [26] Fleming, The Siege at Peking, pp. 250-251 [27] Boyd, J., A Dance with Dragon. The Vanished of Peking’s Foreign Policy, p. 22. [28] Schoppa, K., The Columbia Guide to Modern Chinese History (New York: Columbia University Press, 2000), p. 171. [29] Esherick, J., The Origins of the Boxer Uprising (Oakland: University of California Press), p. xiv. [30] ‘Rebellion.’ Oxford English Dictionary. 2014, Available online: http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/159201?isAdvanced=falseresult=1rskey=nNKkrE Date accessed: 02 April 2014. [31] Ibid. [32] Esherick, The Origins of the Boxer Uprising, p. 312

Research Analysis: Acceptance of Non-Abstinence Goals

Research Analysis: Acceptance of Non-Abstinence Goals Aaron Glogowski Dr. Michael E. Dunn Davis, A. K., Rosenberg H. (2013). Acceptance of Non-Abstinence Goals by Addiction Professionals in the United States. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27(4), 1102-1109. doi: 10.1037/a0030563 Alan K. Davis and Harold Rosenberg have observed some formerly unexpected results from the use of drugs and alcohol recreationally. While the effects of excessive drug and alcohol use have been monitored and proven to be unsafe and unhealthy, recent studies have shown that a controlled use of them, otherwise referred to as non-abstinence, may bring several health benefits. Addiction professionals specializing in substance use disorders (SUD) are beginning to open their eyes to new alternatives of drug therapy for their patients. While many of these views are controversial among the professional world, many clinicians and doctors are starting to turn to the idea of non-abstinence in an attempt to help their patients more in the long term, by giving them short term goals that are easier for them to achieve. In this article, Davis and Rosenberg have catalogued their findings from a study that they conducted on the changing attitudes and ideals of professionals in many different clinical fields, in regards to the practice and implementation of non-abstinence. Davis and Rosenberg conducted their study based on previous surveys that they found that had been created to determine people’s opinions on the idea of non-abstinence. They asked the participants about how acceptable they thought it would be to administer a suggestion of non-abstinence to patients in eight different categories. They divided these categories based on the type of substance use disorder, as well as the severity of the problem and the intended final result from the practice. All of the survey respondents were then asked (using the eight categories from the previous question) to give a proportion of patients whom they had prescribed a non-abstinence procedure to. They gave proportions in increments of 25%, from none to 100%. After this, the participants were asked to rate its acceptability in different clinical settings. The survey was concluded with questions about the personal history of the respondents, such as their work environment, and whether or not they had any past history with substance abuse. The survey respondents were mostly Caucasian members of the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Counselors, and over half of them had previous experience with a substance use disorder. The results appeared to be in favor of non-abstinence being used as a mid-term goal on the way to giving up drug abuse, however, only 32% of respondents said it was acceptable to use non-abstinence as an end-goal. When the issue came to alcohol abuse however, 51% agreed that non-abstinence was an acceptable end-goal. On the other hand, when it came to drug or alcohol dependence, far fewer participants agreed with non-abstinence as a procedure. The participants ranked non-abstinence acceptability for drug dependence as 27% for an intermediate procedure, and 15% for an end-goal. They found very similar results with alcohol dependence, at 28% and 16% respectively. No matter what type of drug or severity of the problem, Davis and Rosenberg’s participants seemed to disagree with non-abstinence more often than agree with it. At least half said that they would not consider non-abstinence as a procedure in any case, regardless of the situation. Most of the respondents who were against non-abstinence thought it was ineffective, or it did not agree with the treatment philosophy that they had laid out for themselves. Some other reasons why participants disagreed with non-abstinence included things such as a fear for a medical condition that a patient could have, or worries over the legality of the substance that was being used, or the context in which the patient would be using it (such as underage drinking, or drug use in a stressful work environment). Another key player in the determination of the acceptability of non-abstinence procedures was the environment in which professionals would be recommending the procedure. In both rehab and detoxification programs, the majority of survey participants found it to be a completely unacceptable treatment, with unacceptability ratings at 74% and 68% respectively. However, outpatient programs, DUI/DWI education programs, and independent practices saw significantly better results in terms of acceptability, with unacceptability ratings at 57%, 45%, and 28% respectively. Davis and Rosenberg also observed various characteristics of their respondents to determine whether there was any correlation between those factors and their acceptance of non-abstinence programs. They found that participants who had history with alcohol or drug related issues tended to disagree with non-abstinence programs more than those who had no history with drugs and alcohol, however, the variation was so small that it was deemed insignificant. In observing the results of their study, Davis and Rosenberg noticed some outside circumstances in relation to their topic of discussion. They realized in conducting the surveys that there was a possibility of bias, especially in regards to whether or not the addiction professional was willing to work with the client. They found that some professionals were simply unwilling to work with clients who were attempting to continue taking drugs or alcohol in moderation. These professionals were less likely to accept the possibility of non-abstinence treatments. These same professionals also accepted the fact that some of their clients may resort to non-abstinence procedures anyway, even if they didn’t prescribe or condone the procedure. Davis and Rosenberg’s study, when compared with previous studies on the subject, found that American addiction professionals had become more accepting of non-abstinence in terms of drinking than they had been 20 years prior. The amount of participants who rated non-abstinence as an acceptable mid-goal for alcohol abusers is twice as many as 20 years before their survey. Davis and Rosenberg claim that the increase in acceptance could be due to several factors, including an understanding of non-abstinence as a potential method for reducing long-term harm, and a reduction of total abstinence, or the 12-step program. Other regions still appear to be more accepting of non-abstinence in general, whether it is for a mid-goal or an end-goal. From previous studies, Rosenberg found that the United Kingdom had over an 80% acceptance rate of non-abstinence for alcohol abusers, and a 68% mid-goal as well as a 50% end-goal for alcohol dependence. Overall, even though America is slowly becoming more accepting of non-abstinence, they still have a long way to go before they reach the United Kingdom’s acceptance level. Davis and Rosenberg realize that their study may be skewed by outside factors, such as the study being a web-based study, or an inherent bias with the way that questions were asked. With regard to the outliers, Davis and Rosenberg conclude their study with notice for those practicing non-abstinence as it is becoming more common, especially in outpatient or independent practices. Everyday Use, Alice Walker | Symbolism And Characters: Everyday Use, Alice Walker | Symbolism And Characters: In the story Everyday Use, Alice Walker uses a detailed description to help describe the symbolism of the unique and highly valued quilts, as well as, contrasting the characters throughout the story. The quilts stand as a specific symbol and as more than just a creative piece of artwork throughout the story. According to an article written by Sam Whitsitt, the quilt, itself, represents the history and tradition that binds the African culture to the past and the past to the present (Whitsitt, 445). The quilts helps portray the theme of African American heritage throughout the story and binds Mamas ancestors and her heritage altogether. The quilts signify the bond between each generation and the impact they have on each main character in the story, which include Mama, Dee and Maggie. Walkers usage of the quilts throughout the story also helps demonstrate the differences between each of the characters. The quilts are the main focus in the story that brings out the characters true person alities and shows the differences in those personalities. Throughout the story Everyday Use by Alice Walker, the quilts help portray the unique cultural symbolism of the African culture and the way they view quilting, as well as, illustrating the differences of the main characters in the story. In the story, quilting is used as a symbol to signify the African American past. The quilts are a primary symbol that stands for the ties of heritage and the distinctive culture of Mamas family. According to an article written by Claudia Tate, Barbara T. Christian, the person who showcases the corpus of Walkers works and the traditions of African-American literature, explains that Walker articulates the metaphor of quilting to represent the creative legacy that African Americans have inherited from their maternal ancestors (Tate, 308). Quilting is part of the African American past and travels from generation to generation. According to an article written by David Cowart, the quilt that Dee, or Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, fights over links her generation to previous generations and, therefore, the quilt is shown to represent the African American past (Cowart, 171). There are many types of unique patterns in the quilts that Mama and Dee are disputing over. According to Whitsitts article , many African American quilters employ large, often abstract designs, the use of these different designs shows the uniqueness of the quilt (Whitsitt, 454). The patterns in the quilts represent the African American past and Mamas heritage. In both of them were scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty and more years ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jattells Paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece, about the size of a penny matchbox, that was from Great Grandpa Ezras uniform that he wore in the Civil War (Walker, 113). The use of these different types of patterns in the quilts symbolizes the history of Mamas family and the creativeness they had. The precious materials used in making the quilts represent the culture and the high value they each contain. The fabric that is used in the making of the quilts shows Mamas unique culture and the love her family has for their culture. The work Mama, Grandma Dee, and Big Dee put into the quilts show their strong African American herit age and background. In the African American culture many quilts travel from generation to generation to show ones familys culture and where they came from (Cowart, 171). The quilts Dee and Mama are fighting over are to be traveled from generation to generation, also, to help keep the culture alive. The quilts play a major role in the family because of the prestigious heritage they each contain. They help show the distinctive African heritage and special cultural symbolism. The quilt ties everything, heritage included, together. As the quilts are passed down the familys history and culture is past down, also, which makes the quilts play a special role in the African American culture. The quilts made by Mama, Grandma Dee and Big Dee are not only used as a symbol throughout the story but are shown as objects that the African American culture keeps in reserve because of the value the they contain (Whitsitt, 455). The quilts contain a historic value because of the creativeness that was put into making them. As Patricia Mainardi notes in Whitsitts article, many inhabitants of the African culture who make the quilts sign them and date them to show the high value they contain and also put a list in their will of who should inherit the quilts they make once they pass away (Whitsitt, 455). The quilts have a specific value and are treated with much care because of the strong culture they uphold. Throughout the story Mama and Maggie distinguish the quilts as more than just a piece of artwork, instead they see them as something to treasure in remembrance of loved ones. According to Whitsitts article, the quilt represents those values of things which do not circulate, do not wander, do not gel traded or sold but, rather, stay at home (Whitsitt, 454). They value them because the quilts remind them of their beloved relatives, such as Grandma Dee and Big Dee. The quilts portray a high value throughout the story and because of this high value Mama promises the quilt to Maggie for when she marries (Whitsitt, 455). Mama wants to give Maggie the quilts because of the history they each contain and because Mama wants the quilts to be utilized in everyday use. If the quilts were to be hung on the wall, like Dee wanted to do to preserve the African American heritage, then the true culture wouldnt be shown. On the other hand, if the quilt was put to everyday use, like Maggie would do with the quilt, then the African heritage would be shown and kept alive because it was being put to use. Mama wants to give Maggie the quilts for that reason. Mama knows Maggie will preserve the quilts and put them to everyday use to remember her ancestors and their families history and culture. Throughout the story the quilt not only shows symbolism and value but also helps in contrasting each character. According to the article by Susan Farrell, Dee is seen throughout the story as shallow, condescending, and manipulative, as well as, overly concerned with style, fashion, and aesthetics, and thus as lacking a true understanding of her heritage (Farrell, 179). Mama remembers Dee as a fearless girl who, unlike herself, would always look anyone in the eyes. Hesitation was not part of her nature (Farrell, 181). Dee is seen throughout the story as very different then Mama and Maggie because she is very selfish and demanding (Farrell, 181). Maggie, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of her sister. Maggie, throughout the story, was seen as the quiet and timid child with no characteristics that related to her sister. In Farrells article, she states that most readers see Mama and Maggie as having a true sense of heritage as opposed to Dees false or shallow understanding of the past (Farrell, 183). Mama and Maggie are seen throughout the story as wanting to cherish their heritage by keeping the quilts to use, as well as, to remember loved ones. Dee, on the other hand, sees the quilts as something that should be kept in reserve and to hang on the wall as a unique piece of artwork. Maggies moderation in the story contrasts with Dees courage (Farrell, 183). When Dee says that Maggie would ruin the quilts by putting them to everyday use, and that hanging the quilts would be the only way to preserve them, Maggie, like somebody used to never winning anything, or having anything reserved for her, meekly replies: She can have them, Mama, I can member Grandma Dee without the quilts(Farrell, 183-184). Once this occurs, Mama acts in a different manner than she has before. She sees Maggie standing with her hands hidden in her skirt and says: When I looked at her like that something hit me in the top of my head and ran down to the soles of my feet. Just like when Im in church and the spirit of God touches me and I get happy and shout (Farrell, 184). This powerful feeling causes Mama to do something she never had done before; she snatched the quilts out of Dees hands and dumped them into Maggies lap(Farrell, 184). This scene in the story is the only part where Mama acts differently than before. Instead of acting like the patient Maggie, Mama begins to act more like Dee, with her refusal to back down and her motivation to stand up for herself (Farrell, 184). The quilt in the story acts as a way to contrast the characters and show their different personalities. Throughout the story, the quilts symbolize and show the value of the African American culture, as well as, acting in a way to show the differences between the main characters in Everyday Use. The quilts play a major role in Everyday Use and are mentioned throughout the entire story. The quilts have an impact on each character throughout the story, and they help in contrasting each character and showing symbolism of the African American culture. The mentioning of the quilts display the importance of the African American heritage and the true value it has on Mama, Maggie, and Dee. Dee is shown wanting the quilts to just hang on the wall and show their unique culture from afar. In actuality, the quilt is shown as a symbol of the African American heritage and importance of remembering loved ones. The remembrance of Mamas ancestors will also be preserved forever with the use of the quilt in everyday life. The values of the quilts are shown as a way to remember the loved ones who helped in the making of them and also of Mamas ancestors. The quilts portray the unique cultural bond between Mamas ancestors and her heritage. The quilt binds Mamas ancestors and the value of her heritage together and shows the impact the quilt has on her, Maggie and Dee. The quilt brings out the diverse personalities of Mama, Maggie and Dee throughout the story and the different views they have on their heritage, as well as, the actions they each take. With the usage of the quilts, the distinction between each character is shown, as well as, the unique cultural symbolism throughout the entire story.

Bastard Out Of Carolina Essay -- English Literature

Bastard Out Of Carolina â€Å"Pay Attention to Detail† ========================= One must consider a little history on Dorothy Allison in order to see how the directions that she takes the novel add up. When she was 24, Allison lived in a lesbian-feminist collective. The women there gave her the confidence she needed and the ability to see the value in her own writing (Amazon.com). During this time, she also found someone who seemed normal, yet she had experienced the same â€Å"incest† (Megan 74). This discovery removed some of her separation that she believed her abuse created between her and the world (Amazon 74). Allison actually was born a â€Å"bastard† (Amazon 78), and her life was further complicated through dealing with her â€Å"brutal† step-father (Amazon 76). When she began writing, her goal as a writer, especially in Bastard Out of Carolina centers on having â€Å"compassion† and no â€Å"rage† (Megan 75). Allison hoped to further her goal in this book by making Bone appear to be able to survive through making others take ownership in the wrongs that have been dealt to her (Megan 73). Through Bone, Allison could comprehend how her childhood could have been better, so she would not raise her child in the same manner (Megan 75). In writing Bastard, she also learned how to turn a poem into a novel, a valuable skill for one who usually begins writing poetry (Megan 72). Which creates themes present in the novel and in order to truly get an appreciation of Bastard Out of Carolina, by Dorothy Allison, one must take a close look at the main concepts: Abuse, Fire, Legitimacy, Social Class, Hands, and Identity; to see how they all play a role in the overall tone and personification of the book. One of the main concepts in Ba... ...p to the man who tries to destroy her. In conclusion, we saw how in writing Bastard, she also learned how to turn a poem into a novel, which created themes present in the novel and in order to have truly gotten an appreciation of Bastard Out of Carolina, by Dorothy Allison, one must have taken a close look at the main concepts: Abuse, Fire, Legitimacy, Social Class, Hands, and Identity; to see how they all played a role in the overall tone and personification of the book. Works Cited: "Amazon.com Talks to Dorothy Allison." http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/show-interview/a-d-llisonorothy/ 1261-2240565-375045 (22 March 1998). "An Evening to Remember:Dorothy Allison." http://www.progway.org/dorothy.html (22 March 1998). Megan, Carolyn E. "Moving Toward Truth: An Interview with Dorothy Allison." The Kenyon Review Journals 16.4 (Fall 1994):71-83.