The Construction of Women in Sports within the Mass Media Essay Example for Free

The Construction of Women in Sports within the Mass Media Essay Recent studies involving the role of the mass media and gender, particularly within the realm of women’s sports has brought light upon one of the most disturbing issues in society today: the under-representation and misrepresentation of women in mass media. It can be concluded that female athletes, framed by the media as objects of sexuality, or â€Å"sports cuties,† are consistently emphasized for their sexuality instead of their athleticism. Not only does this diminish their achievements in the sports arena, but it also systematically reinforces the idea that sports are a â€Å"males-only† realm. The mass media, using magazine covers, celebrity programs and news articles, focus more on female athletes as symbolic models for female sexuality than as athletes. Constantly, female athletes are portrayed in coy scenarios involving accentuated legs and breasts, or with pouting lips and scantily clad outfits. This paper will highlight some examples of research into symbolic representation of female athletes as passive, emotionally demonstrative and vulnerable objects of the sports world, whereby athletic merit is given second seat to skin and sex. Furthermore, this paper will base itself on the greater theoretical standpoint of hegemony, citing such theorists as Louis Althusser and Antonio Gramsci. The analysis will also base itself on the work of Laura Mulvey, who presents the idea of the â€Å"Male Gaze,† whereby women are shown as sexual objects for the visual purpose of men’s enjoyment. Through this analysis of women in sports and the medias response to female athletes, it is postulated that women have been systematically moved from active participants as subjects, to a more passive role as objects. This fact reinforces a particular hegemonic, patriarchal power structure, and furthermore, reinforces the power roles of those who are responsible for such representations. To lay the foundation for the analysis, it is helpful to first consider the theoretical basis of Althusser and Gramsci. The theory of ideology and hegemony is particularly relevant for the later exposition on the portrayal of women within the cultural eye of the media. Althusser states that false truths are used to maintain power. The group with the power (in this case one could take such an example as Time Warner, the owner or Sports Illustrated for Women) defines the rules of the game. This means that the group in power creates media frames and representations of reality that further construct a worldview that is conducive for the maintenance of the present day structure. Power is given to subordinate classes (the viewers of mass media) by the ruling power (Time Warner), in a way that makes it appear that they are given concessions (â€Å"We give the audience what they are asking for. †) And yet, as Gramsci outlines, these concessions are still a means of maintaining power. The genius behind such a set up lies in the fact that the ideology is created in such a way that the both the ruling class and all other classes believe that such hierarchy of power is inherent or natural. In the case of sports, the watching public believe that women are naturally meant to be depicted as sexual objects, focusing on married life and vacation preferences, instead of the active subject such as a male athlete, where a more clearly demarcated â€Å"sports focus† is enacted. Herein lies a clear real-world metaphor for the theoretical models of Althusser and Gramsci.

Overview Of The Economic Growth Of Poland Economics Essay

Overview Of The Economic Growth Of Poland Economics Essay Polands economy looked bleak during the 1980s. Few would consider Poland as a business hub due to its low economic growth and soaring inflation rate (Nuti, 1986). Fast-forward to the 21st century, Polands economy has changed tremendously. It is not just the only European country to survive the current recession but it is still experiencing rapid growth  [1]  . What could have possibly instigated Polands this drastic change in the time span of only 2 decades? This essay will use the PESTLE  [2]  analysis to understand the positive force that initiated the economic growth and also examine the causes that might hinder Polands future economic growth. Porters Diamond will be used for the critical evaluation and support of the PESTLE analysis. Political Reform The fall of communism in 1989 had led to vast improvements in Polands economy. One might disagree with that because the event took place over 20 years ago, however, the effect of political change does not happen overnight and there would be a time lag involved (Gillespie, 1999). The most significant change after the fall of communism is in stabilising the country. Poland is the 29th politically most stable country with the index score of 4.5 (Economic Intelligence Unit, 2009). This provides a sense of security for investment and business, for example, if Poland is in an unstable situation akin to the current Libyan crisis, people would avoid investing in the country. In contrast to a communist state, a democratic country allows the voice of people to be heard, and their opinions and views to be realised. Citizens in democratic countries tend to have greater respect for the leaders they chose for themselves compared to otherwise. For example, in a company, a bottom-up leadership has a better effect than a top-down leadership because workers would respect the leader and this allows employees to bring out best of their skill set and experience. Similar principle applies for macroeconomic levels. Additionally, a democratic country is highly likely to prosper due to reduced frictional social interactions among citizens (Kariel, 1956). Furthermore, the Polish government has developed a radical program known as the Shock Therapy to curb hyper inflation. Poland was once ruled under a planned economy system. Shock Therapy is a transition from a planned economy system to market economy. It is a sudden release of price, followed by the removal of subsidies and large scale privatisations of previously publicly owned companies (Murell, 1993). This program has both short and long term effects. The planned economy provided employment to almost every citizen but with inflation rates of around 600% (Cottarelli Szapà ¡ry, 1998), low wages and severe shortages of basic necessities. This Shock Therapy suppressed the hyperinflation and stopped the food shortage (Haggard Webb, 1996). However, all these problems are only short term problems. The ideal result lies in the long term measure. One of the key reasons of why Poland economy growth has been so steady in the past few years was because of its market economy (Kornai, 2000). This has provided opportunities for small service firms to contribute to Polands economy (Nunnally, 2010), which was unachievable during the communist era. Market economies encourage international business because the barriers to entry are lowered increasing the opportunity for success and lowering sunk costs. Poland also has excellent relations with foreign countries allowing it to benefit from several advantages such as enjoying tax free zones within the EU since joining it in May 2004 (Papazoglou, Pentecost, Marques, 2006). This is important because imported goods within Europe are cheaper, hence lowering production costs. Another vital factor of entering the EU is curbing the high unemployment rate. Since adopting the free market policy, Poland has high unemployment rates  [3]  . By joining the EU, Polands unemployed workforce is able to look for jobs outside Poland. Lowering unemployment rates is crucial in reducing social problems and creating a better environment for investors. Economic Advantages In addition to political factors, economic factors have also enhanced economic growth. The first step was implementing a floating exchange to curb hyperinflation (Sachs, 1996) which, in addition, helped Poland to survive the current economic crisis by facilitating economic adjustments. During the economic crisis, the Zloty depreciated against the Euro and Sterling. This meant Polish goods were more competitive than European goods both at home and abroad. One might think that there are so many countries with lower exchange rates, so why would investors invest in Poland? The answer lies in the nature of its currency- Zloty is very stable as a currency  [4]  , it only oscillates within a certain range. This is very important for a business because cost of production would not fluctuate and there would be less uncertainty. Investors tend to avoid the risks arising from uncertainty and the Zloty provides a sense of security to businessmen and investors. In planning to adopt the euro i n 2015 (Dnevnik.bg, 2010), Poland will be forgoing the competitive advantage of its currency. To evaluate, this is a good option as the global economy grows as the Euro will provide more advantages (Gulde, Kahkonen, Keller, 2000). Many things have changed since the transitional period of Poland. Polish people have become richer over the years and Poland is one of the richest nations, second only to the Czechs in the Central Europe (Credit Suisse, 2010). Also, an average Polish is three times richer than an average Russian (Jedrzej, 2010). Their wealth leads to strong domestic consumption within Poland  [5]  which led to strong economic growth especially during the recession. Export based countries, such as Singapore, suffered greatly during the recession. The impact of the recession is less in the case of Poland because the domestic market within Poland is large and accounts for more than half of Polands market. Although it is hard to believe, the initial high unemployment rate also boosted economic growth. Polish people are highly educated with 99% of their citizens being educated (TradingEconomics, 2009). Skilled and educated workers tend to be more expensive. However, due to the high unemployment rates, labour costs in Poland are comparatively lower than other countries, such as Germany. This is a strong selling point for investors abroad. These investments are crucial because it has reduced unemployment rates and increased economic activity in Poland, subsequently enhancing economic growth. FDI has increased steadily since 1995 with the exception of 2008 and 2009 due to global economic crisis (United Nation Conference of Trade and Development, 2010). It has boosted economic activities greatly. Other than a cheap but skilled labour force, Special Economic Zones established by the Polish government has also attracted foreign investors. At present, there are 14 Special Economic Zone in Poland (KPMG, 2009). Different areas have different geographical landscapes allowing wide-ranges of businesses to be set up. These areas provide opportunities for tax exemption. The amount of tax exempted will depend on the size of the investment (Nam, 2004). The Special Economic Zones have attracted investors from all over the world, in particular investors from the EU as the benefits are greatly to their advantage to invest. The regulations are more flexible and they share the same benefits as Polish firms. These, combined with the stability exchange rate of Zloty, have attracted FDI from the EU as all investors stand an equal chance. Porters Factor Conditions Although Poland has enjoyed steady economic growth in recent years, there are still a few factors hindering their growth, for example, having poor transportation systems. Having good infrastructures enables a country to fully utilise their resources efficiently and effectively boosting the economy. Therefore for Poland to improve on their economic growth, they must improve on their infrastructure. In my opinion, the infrastructure would not be a concern because Euro 2012 will be held by Poland and funds had been provided by the EU as an aid to improve on their infrastructure (Szafranko, 2010). Evaluation As previously mentioned, political stability is key to economic growth but there are factors that unsettle Polands stability such as corruption  [6]  . This is a significant disadvantage, for instant, if the government invested in a  £10million project but due to corruption, only  £2 million is injected, the project would either be substandard or incomplete due to the amount of money lost. Furthermore, safety will also be a key concern due to the substandard undertakings. With this kind of uncertainties, investors will have their doubts when investing in the country. However, Poland has taken several measures to reduce corruption, and with more effort, corruption can be reduced. Besides that, the countrys high unemployment rate can also be a concern for the country  [7]  . While it is true that the high unemployment rate saved Poland during the recession, it cannot be a long term plan for the country. A high rate of unemployment would cause stress within the country and crime rate would increase causing instability. Furthermore, it would also prevent the country for optimising their resources. Despite the current high unemployment, recent reports show that the unemployment rate is steadily decreasing over the years  [8]  . Conclusion In conclusion, there are many factors driving Polands economic growth such as political stability and stable exchange rates. Polands external competitiveness has been tested by the rise of the BRIC, notably China. There are numerous reasons why Poland has been able to attract large volumes of FDI, one of which is the Special Economic Zones with tax exemptions lowering business costs. Sound macroeconomic policies have sharpened Polands competitive edge and positioned it well to seize opportunities from joining the EU, therefore attracting more FDI leading to further growth. The main difficulty Poland now faces is corruptions. However, the extent to which this has affected Polands economic growth is hard to determine but the pull factors of economic growth outweighs this problem. There is also room for supplementary improvement to further boost the economy especially the developments of infrastructures. Nonetheless, the growth for Poland is sure to progress with the adoption of Euro an d Euro 2012. Critical Reflection The PESTLE analysis allows clear insight of the country in the macroeconomic level. The political and economic aspects of the PESTLE provide a clear framework on how it affects the economical growth and the extent of the influence. However, the usage of PESTLE is limited to the present and does not give a wider picture of the future such as Poland is planning to adopt Euro in 2015. Under some circumstances, analysing the PESTLE is insufficient in certain aspects such as the infrastructure in Poland. Nevertheless, the Porters Diamond Factor Conditions are used to complement the weaknesses of this issue. However, both models fail to address one major factor, the regulatory factor given in the STEER  [9]  analysis which is important given the recent financial crisis. Furthermore, in my opinion, safety of a country is important as well. Safety is indispensable because it provides certainty for foreign investors. Although the PESTLE analysis is widely used and it provides information on various factors, I think a new model that incorporates more factors should be introduced. There are many factors driving Polands economic growth, however, the level of contribution of each factor is uncertain. One might wonder how Hungary suffered from a different fate from Poland despite both having floating exchange rates. In my opinion, it is not just the floating exchange, but the different factors that complement each other that exist only within Poland to have boosted Polands economic growth. Lastly, research was made based on recent statistics for data accuracy. However, sources from research using resources that date back to 20 years were also used. The results are important because this data provides an insight to the initiation of Polands economic growth after the downfall of communism. Some resources are subject to biased views, making it impossible to obtain a perfectly accurate reasoning. Mixed responses can be seen regarding the countrys progress. According to local Polish people in the university, it is said that Polands economy is not very promising. However, according to other reports, the results say otherwise. In my opinion, Polands progress is very promising but the government should provide more social benefits to the local Polish to prevent outward migration which may lead to brain drain. Bibliography Business Monitor International. (2011). Poland Infrastrucuture Report Q1. Warsaw: Business Monitor International. Cottarelli, C., Szapà ¡ry, G. (1998). Moderate inflation: the experience of transition economies. Hungary: International Monetary Fund. Credit Suisse. (2010). Poles getting rich quickà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Warsaw: Global Wealth Report. Dnevnik.bg. (2010). Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic to adopt euro in 2015 analysts. Sofiaecho , 50. E, P. M. (1990). The Competitve Advantage of Nations. Harvard Business Review , 73-93. Economic Intelligence Unit. (19 March, 2009). Viewsfire. Retrieved 2011 April, 4, from Viewsfire: http://viewswire.eiu.com/site_info.asp?info_name=social_unrest_tablepage=noadsrf=0 Eurostat. (6 April, 2011). Poland Unemployment Rate. Retrieved 7 April, 2011, from Eurostat: http://sdw.ecb.europa.eu/quickview.do?SERIES_KEY=132.STS.M.PL.S.UNEH.RTT000.4.000 Eurostat. (6 April, 2011). Real GDP Growth Rate. Retrieved 7 Aptril, 2011, from Eurostat: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=tableinit=1plugin=1language=enpcode=tsieb020 Gillespie, P. (1999). Too early to say if 1989 was a liberation or a revolution. World News , 16. Gulde, A.-M., Kahkonen, J., Keller, P. (2000). Pros and cons of currency board arrangements in the lead-up to EU accession and participation in the Euro zone. International Economic Review , 173. Haggard, S., Webb, S. B. (1996). Voting for reform: democracy, political liberalization, and economic adjustment. New York: Oxford University Press. Jedrzej, B. (13 October, 2010). Poles are at the forefront of nations increasingly rich. Retrieved 7 April, 2011, from Gelda Waluty Finanse, FT: http://forsal.pl/artykuly/458053,polacy_sa_w_swiatowej_czolowce_bogacacych_sie_narodow.html Kariel, H. S. (1956). Democracy Unlimited: Lewins Field Theory. The American Journal of Sociology , 280-289. Kornai, J. (2000). Ten Years After The Road to a Free Economy: The Authors Self-Evaluation . SSRN , 29. KPMG. (2009). A Special Economic Zone in Poland. Warsaw: Invest in Poland. Laposte. (4 January, 2010). Polands Consumptio. Retrieved 7 April, 2011, from Laposte. McKEEVER INSTITUTE of ECONOMIC POLICY ANALYSIS. (December, 2004). POLAND: Economic Policy Analysis. Retrieved 7 April, 2011, from McKEEVER INSTITUTE of ECONOMIC POLICY ANALYSIS: http://www.mkeever.com/poland.html Murell, P. (1993). What is shock therapy? What did it do in Poland and Russia? Post-Soviet Affairs , 111-137. Nam, C. W. (2004). Types of Tax Concessions for Attracting Foreign Direct Investment in Free Economic Zones. Munich: Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute for Economic Research. National Bank of Poland. (7 April, 2011). Exchange Rate Archive. Retrieved 7 April, 2011, from National Bank of Poland: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=tableinit=1plugin=1language=enpcode=tsieb020 Nunnally, S. (2010). Economic Growth And Low Labor Costs Make For Attractive Investments. Articlesnatch , 1. Nuti. (1986). Hidden and Repressed Inflation in Soviet Economies:Definition, Measurements and Stabilisation . Contributions to Political Econo , 37-82. Papazoglou, C., Pentecost, E. J., Marques, H. (2006). A Gravity Model Forecast of the Potential Trade Effects of EU Enlargement: Lessons from 2004 and Path-dependency in Integration. The World Economy , 1077-1089. Sachs, J. D. (1996). Economic transition and the exchange-rate regime. The American Economic Review , 147. Szafranko, E. (2010). Evaluation of a Possible Development of the Transportation Network in Poland Supported by the EU Funds. Olsztyn Economic Journal , 357-379. TradingEconomics. (2009). Literacy rate; youth total (% of people ages 15-24) in Poland. Retrieved 7 April, 2011, from Trading Economics: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/poland/literacy-rate-youth-total-percent-of-people-ages-15-24-wb-data.html United Nation Conference of Trade and Development. (22 July , 2010). World Investment Report 2010. Retrieved 7 April, 2011, from Invest in Poland: http://www.paiz.gov.pl/files/?id_plik=13224 Appendix Appendix 1 Polands economic growth has been steady with the exception of the economic crisis in 2008. Source: Adapted from (Eurostat, 2011) Appendix 2 PESTLE Analysis In this essay, I utilised the Political and Economical factors in the PESTLE analysis. The PESTLE analysis provided me a clear framework to facilitate my research on the essay. Appendix 3 Polands have high unemployment rate. However, over the last few years, unemployment has been decreasing steadily. C:UsersNicoDesktopunemplo.png Source: Adapted from (Eurostat, 2011) Appendix 4 The Polish currency, Zlotych had depreciates against the Euro from 2008 to 2009 which caused the Polish currency to be more competitive in the market. Low currency value reduces the cost of borrowing hence it attracts investors to invest more in the country. Furthermore, the exchange rate is very stable, making it a reliable currency. Source: Adapted from (National Bank of Poland, 2011) Appendix 5 Polands domestic consumption is much bigger than the export. The high domestic consumption is one of the reasons that allowed Poland to enjoy a positive GDP despite the current economic crisis. Source: Adapted from (Laposte, 2010) Appendix 6 Polands is generally stable politically with the exception of corruptions. Source: Adapted from (McKEEVER INSTITUTE of ECONOMIC POLICY ANALYSIS, 2004) Appendix 7 Porters Diamond Factors Condition The Porters Diamond factors condition analyses nations position in factors of production (E, 1990). From there, the key opportunity and threats can be highlighted clearly. In this case, the infrastructure is examined because it is the weak link in Polands economic growth. However, Poland infrastructure has been growing steadily (Business Monitor International, 2011). Appendix 8 STEER Analysis The STEER analysis is the updated version of the PESTLE framework. The main factor that differentiates STEER from PESTLE is the regulatory factor.

Holistic and interconnected

Holistic and interconnected Olivia Wray 13AL ASSIGNMENT 4 UNIT 3 Holistic and interconnected The development of children is often studied as separate topics, for example their different skills are viewed and measured in different ways. However, each area of development influences the others, and is interconnected. Each different development skill is seen differently in every child. Holistic; can be viewed as PIES, physical intellectual emotional and social development. Physical development is a gradual process by which children develop the use and control of muscles. Intellectual development is sometimes called cognitive development, its a process by which thought processes develop so children are able to increase their knowledge and understanding of the world around them; social development involves children learning how to develop relationships and interact with other people. Emotional development is the process of a child developing an understanding of, and controlling their own emotions and learning to express and control emotions that they show to others. The most important years for the holistic and interconnected development of children are most important in the age range 0-3. Different rates but broadly the same sequence Because children develop at different rates, parents and guardians often worry their child is not developing or growing at the correct rate. However, because children grow and develop at different rates, its usually still in the same sequence, and the differences are only minute. This means that children will learn to do things at different ages to each other, but they will have learned things in the same order. An example may be that some children might be able to walk at the age one, where as other might not be able to, until they are 18 months. All childrens milestones will be met when they are ready, however a child cannot walk before they can sit up, the order in which we learn to do things is a ‘norm, its the only way our body will function and work correctly, or else we would not develop at the correct rate. All children are different and unique in different ways, and when they are growing parents and guardians often compare their childs development and growth to other children and the mile stones, however, as children will develop and grow at different times, they will generally be quite similar unless they have a growing deficiency or some other genetic problem that may affect their growth. Nature/Nurture Debate It has already been considered that the influence of nature and nurture in the development of babies and children can be viewed as a debate, but there are other controversies surrounding the principle of development, the nature nurture debate can turn into an argument, as different parents have different parenting skills, and bring their children up with different disciplinary skills etc. An example of the nature nurture debate is what Developmental psychologists say and their differing views about the nature of the change in development. The issue of quantitative and qualitative change raises interesting questions, for parents also. When a child is born ‘clever, it can be questioned whether their parent have a lot of money and could just provide the relevant and best materials for their education, this is just an example. Children may reach milestones of development at different ages. For example, when children take their first step or say their first word, can vary greatly. Milestones are often used to measure development, such as when a child can sit without support. These milestones have to be used with care as the whole (or holistic) development of a child should be considered before drawing any conclusions. However, there is generally accepted range of normal development. Following a milestone, isnt the best way to monitor a childs development, as every child is individual and will vary significantly. THEORIES- nature/ nurture debate The nature-nurture debate is about whether childrens development is influenced by nature (the effect of inherited) or nurture (environmental factors). Because every person who is a parent or guardian, hopes for their child to be happy and healthy, and develop at the expected mile stone rates, parents find bringing up their children and giving them the best really important for a successful development. The potential for growth and development is affected by inherited factors. This is called the interaction with nature. In addition, factors within our environment influence development. This is called the interaction of nurture. There is much debate about how much and in what way either nature and/ nurture affects the process of development- known as the nature-nurture debate. Supporters of the nature side of the argument believe that intelligence is inborn, or innate, and the childs genes have determined their cognitive potential. Supporters of nurture believe that environmental factors, such as the childs stimulating experiences in the early years, have a strong influence on cognitive development. It is generally considered that both nature and nurture interact and influence the developmental process. Stages and sequences- normal ranges of development Children develop at different rates for a variety of reasons. However, development does follow the same sequence. The upper part of the body, especially the brain and head, develops rapidly, while the lower part of the body follows more slowly. This is called head to toe or cephalo-caudal development. Also, development starts from the centre outwards. This is called inner to outer or proximodistal development. Hence, a baby can hold its head up before it can stand and can wave its arms around before it develops fine control over the use of its hands. As there is no such thing as ‘normal development, it can be difficult to follow stages and sequences, as development is individual, and cant be measured in comparison to any one elses. Percentiles Percentile charts help to keep a record of your childs growth and development. Percentile charts are important for keeping track of individuals and comparing their heights weight and other bodily measurements, to expected milestones. Physical development Gross and fine motor skills Gross motor skills are the large muscles of the body that enable functions such as walking, maintaining balance, co ordination, jumping and reaching. During development children reach milestones according to their development individually. At the same time as a childs gross motor movements are developing, so are their fine motor skills. In order for children to develop motor control, children need to: Practice to improve and master the skill Concentrate on small parts of the overall skill, e.g. children learn to place two feet to a stair before developing the more complex skill of alternate feet action. Pay a lot of attention to the action; later they can do the action almost automatically. Have experience of a range of movement activities to develop their memory of motor actions enabling them to cope with more complex situations. 0-3 Newborn babies are born with certain reflexes. These are involuntary, automatic, physical responses, triggered by a stimulus and determined by impulses in nerves. Everybody has some reflexes, for example knees jerk when tapped, which you do not learn to do; they are inborn. This means you cannot control whether you react or not, however as we get older we become more aware of reactions in our bodies and what stimulates our bodies. The large movements include gross motor actions, which involve the use of the whole limb, for example when hopping. Also locomotive skills which are movements needed to travel, for example crawling and walking. These gross motor skills will develop through out your life, babies often are flexible and as they grow and get older, they become less flexible, this is just an example of how motor skills will develop and change, affecting children and babies lives as they begin to do things for themselves and provide for themselves, this relates to the nature nurture debate as it is argued by some that our natural ways of fending for ourselves could be mistaken for the way we are brought up and the environment we are brought up in. Reflexes enable babies to survive, for example seeking and then taking their food. At such a young age gross and fine motor skills are extremely important as they will need to be able to fend for themselves and be able to do things for them selves as they get older, although through a lot of early child hood everythings done for you, by the age of three you usually start going to a care placement, where everything cant be done for you, and this is when children really do have to use their developed skills and start developing new ones. For each individual child they will develop and grow at different rates, this includes their gross motor skills. The patterns in which children develop can depend on many things, and at such a young age, the baby now will wholly depend on their parent/carer. However children are constantly learning new ways in moving, experimenting with their bodies and learning new things about how they can move and ‘travel. The babies reflexes will depend on how they react to some things, again, every child is different, as some children will be physically stronger than others whilst others will be more tame and ‘sensitive, making their reflexes and reaction rates different. The factors that may affect childrens development is their physical state, for example their weight, and their muscle tone. As children between 0 and 3 years, will be growing at a rapid rate, it can sometimes be difficult to be aware of both gross motor and fine motor skills. As a child learns intellectually, with different materials and toys, they will use a number of grasps and skills to control and enjoy what they are doing successfully. For example a 6 month year old is not going to be able to control the movement of a crayon; however an 18 month year old may be able to draw basic shapes, at least to the extent where you can tell what the picture is of. This example shows the rates in which babies and children are changing, and the rates in which they become more and more aware of different skills that they can use. Fine motor and gross motor skills will be learnt and put into practice by different individuals at different times and in different ways. From researching gross motor and fine motor skills I now know that, physical appearance will affect intellectual thoughts, as ridiculous as it may seem childrens learning ability can be affected by their confidence and awareness; if a child doesnt have the confidence to try new skills and ways of doing things at such a young age, they clearly wont be confident enough in their future, the times when they need to do things for themselves and fend for themselves. 3-7 By the age 3-7 childrens gross motor and fine motor skills have developed. Not all children develop at the expected mile stones but in schools and nurseries there are expectations which expect to be met, adult expectations will influence children to develop skills and will then be praised and rewarded for developing them. Runs well, marches, rides tricycle. Can feed self. Pours from jug. Puts on shoes and socks, buttons and unbuttons. Builds 10- block tower. Is awkward when cutting with scissors. Can wash face and dress self except for tying shoes. Throws ball overhand. Has lots of energy. Hops, skips, and has good balance. Dresses without help and ties shoes. Can print simple letters. Is right or left handed? Competes with friends. Loves to cut, colour, and shape things. Has lots of energy. Likes learning how to use tools. Can bathe and dress with a little help from parents. Is losing baby teeth and growing permanent teeth I have taken these points from a number of places which I have researched. These are just average things children may be able to do, however, some children might be able to do more or less. 7-12 At this age, children can hop on either leg, and balance well along small spaces, their space recognition has improved and they are more aware of what is possible and not. The gross motor skills at this age have increased in both stamina and accuracy, they are also more able to control their bodily actions, and have developed a number of skills. 12-16 Between the ages of 12-16, children will have developed most or all of their fine motor and gross motor skills. As these children have gone through different stages of education they will have picked skills up and used them in their everyday lives, without even knowing. For example holding a pen and controlling it to write in both scroll and print, this is a talent to be able to do, even though the children think its just normal, it does require a number of skills and concentration. 12-16, is the age when puberty starts, and as research has shown children now will start to crave independence, this makes children want to explore with their bodies more and use different techniques when doing things, such as learning a new sport, or taking up a hobby such as art. Emotional development Attachment In children attachment and bonding is a process in which young children form close and loving relationships with their family, and other important people in their lives, such as brothers and sisters, and close friends. Even their early years care workers will have a relationship with the child, and it will be so close that they have built trust and a bond. Close relationships give children a feeling of security and love. This security helps children to cope with new experiences and new situations they may have to face in life. The child needs people in their lives that they can trust and rely on, whilst developing self confidence in the process. Bowlby a child psychologist researched in depth childrens attachment needs and the consequences of lack of attachment. Bowlbys theory relates to the bonds of attachment in children, and explains the relationships children need and want in their lives. Bowlby explained that children develop bonds of attachment through out their lives with different people involved in their lives; he also went on to explaining how relationships can give children a sense of belonging and security. To Bowlby, attachment is trusting, loving and being able to rely on someone that is involved in their lives. New situations and experiences will come into childrens lives, and according to Bowlby, it is through these experiences that children become aware of different personalities in people, and who they should and shouldnt trust. Bowlby also argued that children with lack of attachment grow up to be more insecure, and crave love/attention, often getting them in bad relationships and becoming insecure and over protective. Development of multiple attachments Developing multiple attachments means developing relationships and trust with more than just family, ‘going out the box, meaning they meet new people who become significantly important to them and a relationship is build, forming a bond of attachment. Its important that a xchild doesnt feel fearful in the presence of new adults and children in their lives, they need to feel safe and secure at all times, knowing that who they are with will protect and understand them. Self-concept A self concept is important in a childs life, as it is how they feel about themselves. Self concept is how you look at yourself, and even young children have opinions of themselves and ways they would like to change themselves. Parents and guardians have a duty to praise their children and make them feel good about themselves, for example if a child is of a different culture they may feel ‘out of place, they are not out of place or any different to any other child so parents and carers have a duty to let them know and make sure they feel good about themselves. Personal identity Personal identity is how a child views and judges themselves. Everybody has a personal identity, and will judge it whether they feel negative or positive about themselves, personality or looks. Self esteem and self concept are both factors that will affect personal identity. Bowlby Bowlby drew together such limited empirical evidence as existed at the time from across Europe and the USA. His main conclusions, that â€Å"the infant and young child should experience a warm, intimate, and continuous relationship with his mother (or permanent mother substitute) in which both find satisfaction and enjoyment† and that not to do so may have significant and irreversible mental health consequences, were both controversial and influential. The 1951 WHO publication was highly influential in causing widespread changes in the practices and prevalence of institutional care for infants and children, and in changing practices relating to the visiting of infants and small children in hospitals by parents. The theoretical basis was controversial in many ways. He broke with psychoanalytic theories which saw infants internal life as being determined by fantasy rather than real life events. Some critics profoundly disagreed with the necessity for maternal (or equivalent) love in order to function normally, or that the formation of an ongoing relationship with a child was an important part of parenting. Others questioned the extent to which his hypothesis was supported by the evidence. There was criticism of the confusion of the effects of privation (no primary attachment figure) and deprivation (loss of the primary attachment figure) and in particular, a failure to distinguish between the effects of the lack of a primary attachment figure and the other forms of deprivation and understimulation that may affect children in institutions.. Bowlbys theory is based on attachment, and he explains that when a child forms an attachment with some one they are in a process in which they are forming a relationship, whether it be with family, or with friends, The closer an attachment forms, the more trust that is built, children will often start to rely on people they build attachments with, they will look for security in them and expect a strong relationship. Freud Freud has been influential in two related but distinct ways. He simultaneously developed a theory of how the human mind is organized and operates internally, and a theory of how human behavior both conditions and results from this particular theoretical understanding. This led him to favor certain clinical techniques for attempting to help cure psychopathology. He theorized that personality is developed by the persons childhood experiences. Emotional development of older children 0-3 At a young age babies and toddlers are starting to develop different concepts and abstract ideas, based on the senses of growing and understanding. Babies and children explore using their own senses through activity and movement. They also like to give and receive eye contact as this gives an attachment and makes them feel emotionally involved with the person, this links into Bowlbys theory of attachment. At this age, whether they are a couple of months or 3, they love to get cuddles, and be fed through a bottle, or have contact during feed, bottle or breast. Feeding time gives children a sense of feeling, and they feel close to their parent or guardian, when a child is a couple of months old, they often like to be held close to their guardian, and it reminds them of being in the womb, where they felt safe and secure. Babies respond to things that they see hear and feel, this can be done through play, activity and feeding. All which are important factors for influencing the growth and development in a childs life. At such young ages it is important that young babies and children have plenty of physical contact, and time with their parents, this will form an emotional attachment and they will be ware of the feelings they have for different people they meet during their lives. When babies and children feel emotion it is often because they are happy, or upset, babies between the ages of 0 and 3, wont often feel anger, as they dont understand what feeling angry feels like, however, in some cases they become confused about how they feel, which could be angry. It is important that parents and guardians of children do everything they can to protect and maintain happiness in a childs life. Not caring for the emotional needs of a baby, is emotional abuse, as they dont understand how they should feel, but only how they do feel. Often abusers of children will start with putting things in childrens heads, its not until they are old enough to know how their emotions work. Emotional development in such a young age will start with a child becoming content, and then not content, they will feel safe and secure, then as soon as their parents or guardians leave them, even for a couple of seconds they become distressed and upset, this is just an example of how children emotional development will work. 3-7 At this age children often like to do things unaided, they enjoy being with family, and love playing with other children and alone. They have developed a skill where they can show emotion appropriately, and can view things from different points of view. Children at this age know rules, morals and values in life, and are more able to share toys, ideas and know how to take turns. They have developed a gender role now and are aware that boys and girls are different and will enjoy different things, making friends and having friends for a child of 3-7, is extremely important. 7-12 Children at this age will be able to control how they feel about other people and different situations. They know how to keep their own thoughts private, and hide their true feelings. They dont only know who they are, but know who or what they would like to be like, they become critical about themselves and start wanting changes, for example putting their mam or sisters make up. At school and where they live children start to form close relationships with other children, often sticking to their own sex. 12-16 This age is when they are experiencing education, exams and facing up to different morals. They will be physically and intellectually developing rapidly, causing sexual feelings for others, and thought of how they want to change! Children will often be going through puberty now and this will cause a lot of how they feel about themselves and others. Social development Parents show a great deal of interest in their childs developing personality. Even babies only a few weeks old display distinct personalities. Personality is thought to be a result of a combination of nature and nurture. In other words, it is influenced not only by what is inherited from parents, but also by our environment. The childs initial temperament affects the childs developing personality. Environmental factors then come into play. Our experiences are very important in forming our personality. Some babies are very placid and easily soothed, whilst others seem to find it difficult to settle. The reaction of parents and carers to difficult children is taught to be crucial in reinforcing this type of temperament or helping not to emphasise it. An important aspect of social development is the development of children moral or pre social behaviour. The family, other significant adults and children have an important role to play in this. Pro social behaviour Pro social behaviour is how a child intends to act socially, they might want to make new friends at school, but find it hard, and they might want to be involved in a social group but feel embarrassed or not good enough. Being influenced is important for a childs social skills to develop, if they are from a family who dont really socialise and just stay together as a unit, the child will think thats the norm and wont want to socialise- this is a key issue as children need socialise as a factor of development in life. Moral development Moral development comes from children seeing or doing something ‘wrong and facing consequences, then learning from then. Children need to do and see things go wrong in order to learn from them. Some children find it difficult to identify wrong and right, meaning they dont understand what morals are; also what is and isnt acceptable. Development of aggression Aggression can develop in a child as they get older, have behavioural difficulties, or suffer from some sort of abuse or hard time in their lives. When children let things build up in them emotionally, they feel anger for anyone around them, they feel like they need somebody to take their troubles out on. Children can act aggressive when not getting their own way, whether its just the way they are or they are copying someones behaviour from home. Managing unwanted behaviour Many children have behavioural difficulties, which are due to different reasons, not all aimed at the parents nurturing skills but other psychological problems that may consist. Managing unwanted behaviour can only take place by using the correct strategies; most strategies in which promote social and emotional development. Anyone working in an early years setting will be aware of the coping strategies and the different behavioural problems, such as hyperactivity, which wont be completely stopped in the setting, but controlled. Some children who have behavioural problems may use aggression when they find them selves in awkward situations, the child cant help how they are acting so it is important that an adult controls them as they may become anxious and scared. Also it is important that the environment is made suitable for the child, and to treat the child ‘differently to the other, giving them a sense of importance and respect. If a child becomes withdraw, its important that they are made to be included with others, as they will fee more equal in a sense that they arent just the naughty child. Conditioning Classical conditioning may influence behaviour in children and how they behave around certain people. For example children will become relaxed and ‘act themselves around friends, but, when they see their head teacher, will become quieter politer and intimidated. This is a natural reaction, as you expect different rules boundaries and happenings with different people, this happens especially in children. Reinforcement Reinforcing good behaviour is done through prizes and rewards. Children prefer to be rewarded with something they love; and not their something they love to be taken away. Reinforcement can be done in many different ways, and by different people in a childs life; for example if a child misbehaves at school, their teacher telling them if they behave to a standard they will receive a prize, rather than telling them if they misbehave they will lose something they enjoy, such as their lunch break. This good behaviour may be reinforced by a reward of a  £5 note if the childs behaviour has been good during the visit, this is an example of reinforcing good behaviour. Social learning Social learning happens through learning oft those in your every day surroundings. Parents are friends are main influences of social learning and they can copy and develop their personalities and actions, for example if a childs older sister, their role model, smokes, they will want to as well; as they see it as correct or ‘cool, thinking doing this will make them more like their role model. Imitation A younger child imitates the other childs behaviour, e.g. a younger child may copy an older childs use of bad language. Role models Children may see members of their family as role models. For instance, an older sibling gets a reputation at school for behaving badly so the younger child feels the need to follow the family tradition by using the other child as a role model. Adults may reinforce this pattern of behaviour by their expectations based on their knowledge of the family. Cognitive and language development Vision Babys visual sensory system isnt fully mature at birth, however during the early years, babies develop and mature eye sight, meaning they are able to physically see, and develop stimuli, causing them to be able to further away. Babies looked at the face-pattern more than anything else presented to them, meaning they become familiar of faces of family members, parents and anyone involved in their early life, rather than other things such as toys, or books. Fantz a child psychologist that I have researched, concluded that babies have an inborn preference to respond to faces and an innate perceptual knowledge of the face. However other studies carried out have shown that babies have a preference for increasingly complex patterns and their capacity for differentiating patterns steadily develops. From Fantzs research he found out that babies at a very young age are aware of colour shape and patterns, and do start to have preferences before they know what something is. Also, his study showed that when a child is learning to speak etc, seeing a shape they like, for example a strawberry, will help them remember, say and understand the word. Hearing From birth babies seem to have an inborn preference for hearing the human voice. Condor and Sanders carried out some experiments on babies that were just a few hours old, and the experiment showed that

I Want to Become an Educator Essay -- College Admissions Teaching Phil

I Want to Become an Educator Why is education such an essential part of our culture? We, as a society, are extremely materialistic and view education as a ladder to a higher socio-economic plateau, which consists of better job opportunities and a better lifestyle. Education is at the core every career imaginable and, regardless of technological advances, there will always be a need for teachers. Teachers touch lives every day. I am becoming an educator because I feel that I can positively influence the lives of others. I am confident in my ability to interact with others as I look forward to improving students’ lives through education. I feel that in order for students to prosper they must be comfortable with their learning environment. I plan to have an well-organized classroom with various bulletin boards highlighting current chapters of study, as well as announcements and assignments. I also believe that you must keep students both interested and involved to achieve successful learning. Desks in my classroom will be organized in one large â€Å"U† formation facing my desk in the front to create a feeling of unity and coherence. To further promote this goal I will assign a seating chart (possibly alphabetically) to aid in the diffusion of cliques and to avoid exclusion of these who may have the tendency to be isolated. Individual and group projects will be incorporated into my curriculum to provide students the opportunity to work both independently, as well as a team member. My teaching style, although eclectic, will be predominantly pragmatic. The class (with my discretion) will establish our classroom rules and penalties in a democratic fashion. I will be teaching vario... ...aming. This issue is of particular relevance to me because my 6 year-old nephew was recently diagnosed with mild autism. Mainstreaming is a very difficult subject that teachers must face. Placing students that are physically, socially or mentally challenged into a fast-paced learning environment is extremely adverse for the student, as well as the teacher. In conclusion, the ideas presented here are an overview of my personal beliefs regarding education. I expect that experience may cause me to add to, delete or otherwise alter some of these views. It is my desire to continue to learn from my instructors, peers and ultimately my students so that I may become a well-rounded and effective educator. Someday soon, I would like to be able to describe my classroom as community of learners, having produced good citizens as well as educated individuals.

The Battle of France Essay -- The Fall of France, Nazi Invasion of 194

1. Introduction 2. History 3. Planning/Preparation 4. Execution/Action 5. Lessons Learned 6. Works Cited Introduction In the spring of 1940 Europe was enveloped in war. The German military machine had already conquered Poland, Denmark, and Norway. However, not content with northern and eastern expansion, Adolf Hitler wanted to control the western countries in Europe. Hitler had long been obsessed with attacking and controlling France. After their defeat in World War I, the German people, government, and military were humiliated by the enormous post war sanctions leveraged against them from the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler wanted to defeat and humiliate the French people in the same way that his country had to experience. For him, revenge was necessary. The German plan was to swing into France using a new tactic know as Blitzkrieg or â€Å"Lightning War†. Blitzkrieg used speed and surprise along with highly concentrated tank corps, supported by mechanized infantry and airplanes. Warfare was in a state of transition. Older commanders and generals in the French and British militaries were very cavalry and infantry focused. These commanders believed that cavalry, infantry, and artillery would assure victory in any circumstance, against any foe. They clung to the static tactics of the bygone World War I era. World War I had been fought primarily on French soil, and the military as well as the government never wanted that to happen again, therefore they wanted to reinforce their main border against any future German. Little did they know that only twenty two years later they would be bested by German forces in a way that would shock the world. This research will be analyzing many important assumptions, oversights,... ... many French commanders not even knowing where their own subordinate units were located.11 The French placed their defense in old, outdated tactics of static warfare. Gone were the days of two sides slugging it out against prepared reinforced defense structures. Closely integrating concentrated armor, infantry, and closely supported by aviation assets all combined to crush France in a matter of only six weeks. France was simply not prepared for this new age of warfare. Works Cited Horne, Alistair. To Lose a Battle: France 1940. New York: Penguin, 1990. Jackson, Julian. The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. â€Å"The Holocaust.† Holocaust Encyclopedia, last modified June 10, 2013, http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005425.

Waiting For The Mahatma

R. K. Narayan is one of the postcolonial writers of India who are found to project the nation building attitude in their writings. His Waiting for the Mahatma, set in the surroundings of the writer’s created village Malgudi, is woven against the unconventional backdrop of the freedom movement. But in spite of using directly the national experience as the central theme as did Raja Rao, Narayan puts it in the background giving preference to the personal narrative.In Waiting for the Mahatma, the story develops through the development of Sriram’s character, his encounter with different situations and his romance with Bharoti. At first, Sriram is presented a lazy and complacent young high school graduate living with his grandmother. He has no knowledge of the condition of the country. But once he meets and falls in love at first sight with a young woman, a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and is involved in the freedom struggle. Actually his development through the novel from part 1 to 5 is our medium to know different aspects of the novel.The protagonist, Sriram, is an insipid person who can be easily influenced by anyone. At the outset of the novel, in Part I, we acknowledge that he grows up under the loving care of his grandmother, after the early death of his parents. In that time his life was controlled by his granny. When he is twenty, his grandmother hands over the fat sum of money she had been saving in his name. His irresponsibility is known immediately, when he wants to withdraw a huge sum of Rs. 250/-, but his watchful grandma restricts it to a decent Rs. 50/-. He had no choice rather obey her.Then he came into contact with Bharati and fell into love at first sight. He met her as she was making tin collection for the freedom movement. Bharati’s father had been shot dead while offering Satyagraha against the British during the first Non-cooperation Movement. She, who was just an infant then, was adopted and brought up by the Sevak Sangh, a G andhian institute, as a foster daughter to Gandhi. Bharati has no existence without Gandhi. She has no independent character of her own. She only symbolises Gandhi model of love, non-violence and freedom.Sriram comes into contact with Gandhi through Bharati. The nearer he goes to Bharati the more he learns about Gandhi. Sriram left his Granny at Kabir Road at night leaving behind his household things and went to become a non-violent soldier of Gandhi. His aim was to remain with Bharati. â€Å"Gandhiji welcomed Sriram and told him: ‘â€Å"Before you aspire to drive the British from this country you must drive every vestige of violence from your system. . . . You must train yourself to become a hundred percent ‘ahimsa’ soldier’†. Gandhi could easily read what type of a man Sriram was.So he advised him to leave his materialistic life and accept a spiritual life. Meanwhile Sriram, a pleasure seeking man, was totally changed to a freedom fighter and a fo llower of Gandhi. As part of propagating Gandhi’s message, especially ‘Quit India’, Sriram came to the village named Solur. He halted before a shop and bought two plantains and a bottle of soda. The shop man told Sriram that he had nice biscuits and asked if he wouldn’t try it. Sriram asked him if the biscuit was English. He replied, ‘â€Å". . . Purely English biscuits which you cannot get for miles around.In these days no one else can get them. ’ ‘Have you no sense of shame? ’ Sriram asked. Sriram has transformed from a wayward selfish modern materialist to a spokesman of traditional values, swaraj and nationality. In pursuance of Gandhi’s wishes, while Bharati courted arrest, Sriram kept himself out of it and fell a prey to the machinations of a revolutionary terrorist Jagdish. Temporarily he found satisfaction in his job of setting fire to the records in half a dozen law courts, derailing a couple of trains, paralyzing the work in various schools and exploding a crude bomb.â€Å"But he enjoys these bouts only as â€Å"a relief in his lonely drab life, isolated from all human association. His revolutionary activities give him a feeling of romantic importance and an image of a character out of an epic† but he feels a loss of direction and â€Å"a certain recklessness† about himself. The freedom that he abrogates for himself in disorder as destruction proves him false† Sriram became a violent soldier of freedom. He became a slave of Jagdish who was a follower of Subash Chandra Bose. Jagdish turned the Mempi temple into a fortress.â€Å"Sriram did many destructive works on the request of Jagdish. Soon he understood that by destroying things none could oust the British from India. He felt that Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent weapon was superior to the violent weapon. He was arrested under the Defence of India rule† . Sriram needed a prolonged training in understanding a nd realizing the meaning of love and the wider implications of non-violence in this and the context of freedom. Bharati made him aware of the feminine beauty and Gandhi truth.The materialist Sriram was converted into a spiritualist and patriot by the effort of Bharati and Gandhi. Sriram’s name recalls that of the great hero of the Indian epic the Ramayana. â€Å"While there is some irony here, considering the nature of this particular hero, the detail is significant. The novel could be read as a kind of parable with Sriram as a figure representative of the Indian nation, attracted to the Gandhian teachings but lacking the moral fibre necessary for faithful continued adherence to them†.In the plot of this book, the transformation of the protagonist due to his meeting and falling in love with Bharati is significant. The path of the protagonist’s progress has been from a state of isolated individualism to a state of involvement with others and issues that transcend the self such as love and nationalism. The novel clearly shows how personal life of people is affected by political events. Sriram and Bharati cannot consummate their relationship until India is independent.Even the scope of romantic love is severely crippled under British colonialism. Waiting for the Mahatmais a story of progress and growth of the hero Sriram. From a materialist he has grown to a patriot and man of values. â€Å"At one level, therefore, Waiting for the Mahatma is a story of progress of young, irresponsible, carefree Sriram into a passionate lover, a responsible citizen of the country with a record of considerable sacrifice and a term in jail to make him a complete patriot† Waiting for The Mahatma R. K. Narayan is one of the postcolonial writers of India who are found to project the nation building attitude in their writings. His Waiting for the Mahatma, set in the surroundings of the writer’s created village Malgudi, is woven against the unconventional backdrop of the freedom movement. But in spite of using directly the national experience as the central theme as did Raja Rao, Narayan puts it in the background giving preference to the personal narrative.In Waiting for the Mahatma, the story develops through the development of Sriram’s character, his encounter with different situations and his romance with Bharoti. At first, Sriram is presented a lazy and complacent young high school graduate living with his grandmother. He has no knowledge of the condition of the country. But once he meets and falls in love at first sight with a young woman, a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and is involved in the freedom struggle. Actually his development through the novel from part 1 to 5 is our medium to know different aspects of the novel.The protagonist, Sriram, is an insipid person who can be easily influenced by anyone. At the outset of the novel, in Part I, we acknowledge that he grows up under the loving care of his grandmother, after the early death of his parents. In that time his life was controlled by his granny. When he is twenty, his grandmother hands over the fat sum of money she had been saving in his name. His irresponsibility is known immediately, when he wants to withdraw a huge sum of Rs. 250/-, but his watchful grandma restricts it to a decent Rs. 50/-. He had no choice rather obey her.Then he came into contact with Bharati and fell into love at first sight. He met her as she was making tin collection for the freedom movement. Bharati’s father had been shot dead while offering Satyagraha against the British during the first Non-cooperation Movement. She, who was just an infant then, was adopted and brought up by the Sevak Sangh, a G andhian institute, as a foster daughter to Gandhi. Bharati has no existence without Gandhi. She has no independent character of her own. She only symbolises Gandhi model of love, non-violence and freedom.Sriram comes into contact with Gandhi through Bharati. The nearer he goes to Bharati the more he learns about Gandhi. Sriram left his Granny at Kabir Road at night leaving behind his household things and went to become a non-violent soldier of Gandhi. His aim was to remain with Bharati. â€Å"Gandhiji welcomed Sriram and told him: ‘â€Å"Before you aspire to drive the British from this country you must drive every vestige of violence from your system. . . . You must train yourself to become a hundred percent ‘ahimsa’ soldier’†. Gandhi could easily read what type of a man Sriram was.So he advised him to leave his materialistic life and accept a spiritual life. Meanwhile Sriram, a pleasure seeking man, was totally changed to a freedom fighter and a fo llower of Gandhi. As part of propagating Gandhi’s message, especially ‘Quit India’, Sriram came to the village named Solur. He halted before a shop and bought two plantains and a bottle of soda. The shop man told Sriram that he had nice biscuits and asked if he wouldn’t try it. Sriram asked him if the biscuit was English. He replied, ‘â€Å". . . Purely English biscuits which you cannot get for miles around.In these days no one else can get them. ’ ‘Have you no sense of shame? ’ Sriram asked. Sriram has transformed from a wayward selfish modern materialist to a spokesman of traditional values, swaraj and nationality. In pursuance of Gandhi’s wishes, while Bharati courted arrest, Sriram kept himself out of it and fell a prey to the machinations of a revolutionary terrorist Jagdish. Temporarily he found satisfaction in his job of setting fire to the records in half a dozen law courts, derailing a couple of trains, paralyzing the work in various schools and exploding a crude bomb.â€Å"But he enjoys these bouts only as â€Å"a relief in his lonely drab life, isolated from all human association. His revolutionary activities give him a feeling of romantic importance and an image of a character out of an epic† but he feels a loss of direction and â€Å"a certain recklessness† about himself. The freedom that he abrogates for himself in disorder as destruction proves him false† Sriram became a violent soldier of freedom. He became a slave of Jagdish who was a follower of Subash Chandra Bose. Jagdish turned the Mempi temple into a fortress.â€Å"Sriram did many destructive works on the request of Jagdish. Soon he understood that by destroying things none could oust the British from India. He felt that Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent weapon was superior to the violent weapon. He was arrested under the Defence of India rule† . Sriram needed a prolonged training in understanding a nd realizing the meaning of love and the wider implications of non-violence in this and the context of freedom. Bharati made him aware of the feminine beauty and Gandhi truth.The materialist Sriram was converted into a spiritualist and patriot by the effort of Bharati and Gandhi. Sriram’s name recalls that of the great hero of the Indian epic the Ramayana. â€Å"While there is some irony here, considering the nature of this particular hero, the detail is significant. The novel could be read as a kind of parable with Sriram as a figure representative of the Indian nation, attracted to the Gandhian teachings but lacking the moral fibre necessary for faithful continued adherence to them†.In the plot of this book, the transformation of the protagonist due to his meeting and falling in love with Bharati is significant. The path of the protagonist’s progress has been from a state of isolated individualism to a state of involvement with others and issues that transcend the self such as love and nationalism. The novel clearly shows how personal life of people is affected by political events. Sriram and Bharati cannot consummate their relationship until India is independent.Even the scope of romantic love is severely crippled under British colonialism. Waiting for the Mahatmais a story of progress and growth of the hero Sriram. From a materialist he has grown to a patriot and man of values. â€Å"At one level, therefore, Waiting for the Mahatma is a story of progress of young, irresponsible, carefree Sriram into a passionate lover, a responsible citizen of the country with a record of considerable sacrifice and a term in jail to make him a complete patriot†

Racism and Sociology Essay

The Plight of Man   Racism has punctuated the shaping of society for centuries, each major instance of which has helped dictate the direction of social interaction. Although we have come a long way in addressing the situation, it still remains a prevalent issue today. Being a global citizen in this day and age, one has a responsibility to be tolerant, as social circles overlap in a multicultural environment, and the luxury of being informed, grace of the globalizing advances in technology and social media. We live in a melting pot society and the idea of â€Å"Racism† holds no place in the modern world. Being collections of individuals who perceive ourselves to be members of the same social category, we share similar emotional involvements and we experience social overlap. To have conflict or strife in the community, as a result of racial animosity, degrades the moral pillars upon which society is built and results in what is effectively a civil war. The population experiences stratification and the distribution of social rewards are poorly distributed, as are the burdens. These institutionalized mis-allocations as a result of race or ethnicity continue to perpetuate prejudice and create a minority group, which is characterized namely by lack of social power or authority. The term â€Å"Prejudice† refers to attitudes of aversion and hostility toward the members of a group simply because they belong to it and hence are presumed to have the objectionable qualities ascribed to it. The results of deeply engrained racial prejudices are active racial discriminations and the arbitrary denial of privilege, prestige, and power to members of a minority group. With every stigma attached to members of a certain culture, the potential for conflict and separation increases, as does the social and political stress. These prejudices can be very deeply engrained, because of the nationalistic tendencies, on both sides, to carve your own independent nation out of an existing state. These tendencies set the tone and direction for the social interactions to come. In North American society, immigration has long since been a part of our heritage and until recently had very lenient immigration laws allowing immigrants from Africa, China and people of varying faiths and groups to retained their  cultural identities and distinctiveness for many years.   As a result of these multi-ethnic societies, certain ethnic groups can lose their personal distinctiveness through the process of assimilation, or retain their identity and integrity through the process of pluralism. Assimilation refers to those processes whereby groups with distinctive identities become culturally and socially fused. Pluralism refers to a situation in which diverse groups coexist and boundaries between them are maintained. There are two distinct direction in terms of mind-set when practicing pluralism: Equal Pluralism, where ethnic group members participate freely and equally in political and economic institutions. And: Unequal Pluralism, where economic and political participation of minority groups is severely limited by the dominant group and may even entail genocide. Through the scope of global media we’ve been able to catch a glimpse all of these social phenomenons at play. From racist remarks in professional sports leagues, to hate fueled attacks at home as well as abroad, we can see these interactions affect public opinion and incite unique reactions.   When a race is being discriminated against, it becomes very difficult for a person of that race to compete, survive, and strive in that society. Because the allocation of social benefits and opportunity are not based on the merits of the individual, but rather preconceived notions. The contemporary or modern racism has been derived from many different places and ideas, one of the most common ideas being upbringing. As a youth, we are malleable and we rely on our parents to help us become who we are. Part of that involves how their own experiences have shaped their attitude. Distinct opinions, that of which children don’t have the maturity to form on their own. They rely on the education of their parents. But not only that, they believe it whole-heartedly; not having known anything else. This is often where the problem starts. Racism creates boundaries for people with potentially great minds and does not allow for a collective contribution of its citizens, which I believe t o be a critical component of a country’s development and success. If a class of people is not allowed to be educated, they cannot make important contributions in a society of technological advances and medical arenas. The denial of quality education to certain groups of people only serves to obstruct the economic progress of a nation. If we ostracize a  class of people and don’t allow them to participate culturally, we fail to understand and appreciate our differences and similarities, we fail to improve and we fail to develop socially.   These issues can be analyzed from multiple different perspectives. Some see society as a system made up of a number of interrelated and interdependent elements, each performing a function that contributes to the operation of the whole and others as power struggle over scarce resources, while for some, society is based on human interaction. Let’s start with Functionalism, focusing on dysfunction or disorganization within the social system as a cause for conflict. The premise behind the Functionalism perspective on race is that there would be a consensus between different ethnicities and race as immigration continued and our social circles continued to overlap. Naturally, to have this consensus, the minority group would need to assimilate with the larger group. At which point, they would become working and active members of society, contributing towards the benefit of the dominant ethnicity. At the core of Functionalism, is the idea of harmony but Functionalists do say that ethnic differentiation reduces consensus, increases the chances of conflict, and threatens the equilibrium of a society. Racism interferes with the efficient operation, the stability of the system and the achievement of societal goals. The saving grace for this theory is that it also promotes group formation and cohesion. The process of assimilation, in which a minority becomes absorbed into the dominant society -socially, economically, and culturally- infers willingness to participate and becomes a part of the majority social circle. The Conflict Theory perspective would involve all the different groups in society fighting amongst each other for all available resources and opportunities for advancement or personal betterment. When a sub-population feels somehow disadvantaged or are not receiving a sufficient share of the resources, be they money, power, prestige, or respected values and work to overcome those perceived disadvantages. This theory relates back to Marxist train of tho ugh and his famous â€Å"Class Theory† where these struggles for resources are limited to conflict between castes in society. This perspective argues for class-based conflict as an inherent and fundamental part of society, Conflict Theory promotes the idea that racial and ethnic conflict is in fact  tied to class conflict and that in order to reduce racial and ethnic conflict, class conflict must first be reduced. Some cultures in the past, because of these repetitive battles over assets, have been bred out of War and as a result were quick to behave in a conflicting manner. The conflict is related to ethnocentrism and for more reasons than one relates directly to racism. Symbolic Interactionism is the individuals experience with and insight into meaning, as a function of interactions. The primary determinant of behaviour is the understanding that people have for one another. We start to see social problems and conflict in Symbolic Interaction when some social condition is defined by an influential group as stigmatizing or threatening to their values and disruptive of normal social expectations. Society, for a Symbolic Interactionist, is a network of interlocking roles and understanding your role, is pivotal. Social order is constructed mainly through interaction as individuals, through shared ground, explore their social world. The thing that first sets Symbolic Interaction into motion, from a racial perspective, is Competition: creating a niche for people by dividing urban space. Making it a prime medium through which to analyze the effect of racism on behaviour. Generally, the Functionalist perspective looks at society as a complex system. Functionalists aim to focus on different contributions to social solidarity and stability. Orthodox Functionalism did not technically envelop critical analyses of race or ethnicity, going instead for perceiving race as another constituent element. This element, within the larger whole of society, that is assimilated into its harmonious and smooth functioning’s. From this perspective, societies can be seen as finely tuned, interacting, and fundamentally relational constructs that function like organisms, with all different facets of the model are continuously, and unconsciously working towards social equilibrium. Given this repetitive emphasis on equilibrium and harmony, the Functionalist perspective easily allows for specific micro and macro analyses’ of more explicit race-inspired issues such as hate crimes or social power discrepancies and general racial conflict. It allows for the microana lyses in that most of modern sociology is oriented around the individual and trying to identity formation of the socially constructed nature of race. It is much less well adapted to  understanding individual discrimination and prejudice because it ignores the inequalities that cause tension and conflict. The Conflict theory, although it does account for much of the tensions seen is a discriminant world, is much to inclusive of all classes for it to be the main theory that can describe the tensions precipitated by race. To that effect, the Conflict Theory revolves around competition for resources and precipitates a much better scope through which to analyze of racist behaviour. The Symbolic Interaction Theory encapsulates the individualistic nature of mans behaviour as well as the social aspect of it. Peoples interactions with each other are attaching meaning to one another’s actions instead of merely responding or reacting to them. Human interaction is mediated by the use of a more subtle language of symbols and signification, by interpretation, or by ascertaining the meaning of one another’s actions. This can be done collaboratively in the instance of a one on one form of behavioural interpretation, as in attacks, or general attitude interpretation, as in social stigma s. We can clearly see the necessary relationships that define racism, in this day and age, with the Symbolic Interaction alone. Functionalism makes much available through its similar perspective but it’s lack of attention to the micro scale of society and the truly individualistic approach that humans take to understanding, and exhibiting behaviour makes it’s contributions lacking a key aspect of racism. The Symbolic Interaction also takes into account the Correspondence Bias and it’s tendency to overestimate the extent to which people’s behaviour is due to internal, dispositional factors; and to underestimate the role of situational factors. Biology and nature are very deeply connected and share a complex relationship. Early outlook of this relationship revealed that culture is slightly a product of biology. More recent perspective, however, is that human culture has reversed this particular causal direction and, culture can actually influence human evolution, which I personally think is where we’re at now. Racism ranges from the abstract micro interactions that stem from socializing negatively and being misinformed to concrete, cultural objects. We need to strive for a functioning society and the only way there will be  to work collectively. In conclusion, humans are naturally competitive, and naturally we’re going to continue to be competitive in nature. The only thing we can do is attempt to step outside of the boundaries that are set for us socially and the ones we personally set for ourselves. We are inherently social creatures, even though our Western perspective of self is more introspect-based, it ’s all about society in then end. Bibliography (Diana Kendall, 2008). Social Problems in a Diverse Society 2nd. Canadian Edition. Pearson Augie Fleras (2005) Social Problems in Canada: conditions, constructions and challenges. 4th. Canadian Edition. Pearson/Prentice Hall