Wednesday, October 30, 2019

ELEPHANT TALK - KOSHIK Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ELEPHANT TALK - KOSHIK - Research Paper Example Dr. Stoegar and her fellow researchers are of the opinion that Koshik had been kept in solitude for a relatively long period of time, especially during the crucial growing period when an elephant, which is an extremely social animal develop its social skills, and since Koshik had no other elephant to socialize and bond with, he started imitating his trainers. The social habits of Asian elephants are somewhat similar to those of African elephants. They live in groups of 5-20 and thus they are extremely social and need to communicate. â€Å"Parents or alloparents, provide the primary sensory input and regulation of all essential development processes that interact with greater environmental conditions† (West et al, 2003) and since Koshik’s caregivers had taken up the role of his alloparents, their speech and behavior guided the neuro-ethological patterning of Koshik who adapted his speech by putting his trunk tip into his mouth in order to modulate the voice production pr ocess and started imitating the sounds that his caretakers would used to communicate with him. Koshik’s case is not the first of its kind. A male African elephant in Kazakhstan apparently could speak Russian; however lack of scientific evidence in the case makes Koshik the first living elephant who can imitate human sounds. Physiologically, the process of voice modulation in case of Koshik could not be determined because he is too big for an X-ray and is not well trained to undergo such test procedures. So, there was no way to establish the exact place of sound origination or the process of human-like sound production. Researchers had to determine that Koshik was actually speaking Korean words than just making a modulated sound which by chance matched Korean words. They recorded Koshik’s words and played them back to some Korean natives and asked to write down whatever they heard. The answers excited the researchers because they matched the words that the caretakers ha d claimed that Koshik could utter. â€Å"Vocal learning is defined is defined as the modification of the acoustic structure of the vocalization as a result of experience† (Janik and Slater, 2000). Prior to Koshik, elephants have been known to imitate sounds that they heard through modified vocalization. Mlaika, a 10 year old female African elephant who lived among a semi-captive group of African elephants, could imitate sounds of trucks. Spectrogram studies showed that the sound of trucks and the truck-like sounds made by Mlaika were similar and the noises made by Mlaika were very much different than those made by other African elephants (Poole, et al, 1988). Thus, it was proved by researchers that besides birds and marine mammals, elephants were also capable of learning vocal imitation. Dr. Stoegar conducted a similar spectrogram study on Koshik and a group of free ranging Asian elephants. "Human speech basically has two important aspects, pitch and timbre," says Angela Stoe ger of the Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna. The results of the spectrogram test showed that quality and the frequency of each word uttered by Koshik, his trainer and a native Korean speaker matched to a great extent, while the sound graphs of other Asian elephants were very much different, giving the impression that the scientists had been hoping for- Koshik had modulated his vocalization to imitate and communicate with his keeper. However,

Monday, October 28, 2019

Metaphysics and Nominalism Essay Example for Free

Metaphysics and Nominalism Essay Metaphysics shares a breadth of problems concerning ‘universals’. One view that addresses these problems is nominalism. Nominalism is the position that universals do not exist outside the mind. There are different sects of nominalism that expresses various stances about the problem at hand. Austere nominalism, metalinguistic nominalism, and trope theory are the various types of nominalism that refute the claim of realism. Each of these types of nominalism contain their own respective views towards universals and have their own strengths and weaknesses. Austere nominalism, metalinguistic nominalism, and trope theory have many similarities and differences as well as strong points that support the nominalist perspective. Austere nominalism takes the stance that the only things that exist are concrete particulars. These concrete particulars are a category of individuals like individual persons, individual objects, individual animals, or various other individual materials. â€Å"What the austere nominalist wants to claim is that an ontology of concrete particulars provides the resources for dealing with all the phenomena the metaphysical realist claims presuppose an ontology of multiply exemplifiable entities† (Loux 53). The austere nominalist refutes the realist claim that universals are necessary and serve as handling the phenomena of attribute agreement. Rather the austere nominalist’ claim is that the issue needn’t be explained at all. Nominalists believe that realism does not contain more explanatory power than nominalism. Thus, it is much wiser to adopt nominalism because it is much simpler without universals. The leading issue with austere nominalism is that the proponent of universals and attribute agreement are to be ignored without much explanation. The notion that they are unnecessary complications may not seem like a sufficient enough explanation to combat the ideals of realists. However, the benefit to the austere nominalist theory offers a very simplistic approach towards the ideas of attributes and predication. Overall, austere nominalism offers an ontologically simpler metaphysical explantion, but realism may be explanatorily simpler. Metalinguistic nominalism takes into consideration the usage of language when addressing the issue of universals. Metalinguistics nominalists see universals as references about language and not objects. They want universality to be understood linguistically using predicativity for example, when referencing ‘humanity’ the reference is towards human individuals. It is in this view that abstract referencing takes on a different form. It disguises itself as an object language sentence, but is actually a claim about a linguistic expression. This beholds the idea that abstract references like ‘triangular’ is a shape predicate. Metalinguistic nominalism presents a couple problems in its ideology. The fact that the linguistic expressions are talked about in the terms of ‘types’, this notion would make them universals as well. This is unfortunate since the metalinguistic nominalist is trying to eliminate universals altogether. In addition to this problem, another issue arises with the subjectivity of language. The theory does not take into account the possibility of other languages. When an English speaker is talking, they are referring to an English word. Two words of equivalent meaning would not be referenced in the same way according to metalinguistic nominalism. Rather they would both be considered two different words. However, in light of metalinguistic nominalism it does offer a workaround to address the issues of multiple languages. Sellars devised a punctuation that would focus on the equivalent meaning of the word to be addressed rather than the word itself. The punctuation came in the form of a single dot placed on both sides of the word being addressed. Metalinguistic nominalism also offers a bit of clarity in the issue of referring to multiple individuals through the use of distributive singular terms. In the issue of addressing multiple concrete particulars it utilizes a singular term to take possession for all individuals being referenced. For example, ‘American citizen’ in â€Å"The American citizen has freedom of speech† is the distributive singular term. Trope theory is unlike austere and metalinguistic nominalism in the essence that trope theory allows for the use of attributes in its ontology. However, this is not like the belief realist hold which also possesses that attributes are multiply exemplifiable. Trope theorists believe in the opposite. They believe that attributes are not only not multiply exemplifiable, but that they are also particulars. It is believed in trope theory that it is impossible for anything else to possess the same attribute as another. A concerning attribute of trope theory is the fact that it may not sufficiently address the similarity between two different attributes. Trope theorists will argue that two different tropes may be similar and may be the reason why two concrete particulars may appear similar. This doesn’t however, bridge a connection between commonalities between two similar objects. However, tropes offer an elegant approach to the issue of properties. While lacking zero properties themselves, they help define an object without the ontology of particulars and universals. This makes tropes a possibly powerful tool for a nominalist. In contrast to each other, austere nominalism, metalinguistic nominalism, and trope theory are differing forms of nominalism that contain various differences. Whilst all combatting the problems and complexities of universals, they each have ways in which they combat it. Austere nominalists are able to address the issue of universals by denying the existence of them and the notion that they have to be dealt with altogether. This is a very simplistic approach and avoids the need to addressing the phenomena of addressing attribute agreement. Metalinguistic nominalism is able to do the same by changing the phrase of universals into a linguistic reference. This viewpoint also avoids addressing the existence of universals and states that they are just disguised as linguistic expressions. Syntactical and grammatical tools allow for predicativity on several different objects to be used as universality. Lastly, trope theory takes a unique position against universals. Tropes almost seem to take on the appearance of universals in their ability to describe and object, but stray away in the notion that they are particulars themselves. While still being able to provide the descriptive nature of universals, tropes are still very different and add to the nominalist box of tools. Most intriguing of the forms of nominalism is metalinguistic nominalism. While eliminating the problem with universals, it seems to combat the issue in the least aggressive way. Terms that would be considered to be ‘universals’ still have their place in metalinguistic nominalism since they mostly come to be predicates. In addition to the problems that metalinguistic nominalism brings about with the issue of multiple languages, it combats it with a useful punctuation created by Sellars. Each of the forms of nominalism all focus around the problem of universals and realist theory. They combat them through the usage of very different means. Altogether they bring an alternate view aside from realism in three different perspectives. In address to the realist view Alan Watts stated, â€Å"The menu is not the meal†.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Brave New World - Technology :: Brave New World

Brave New World - Technology    Technology, what is it? It’s usually something new, and better than the old idea. Technology started with cars, stoves, TV, radios, etc. Cars takes somebody from one place to another, faster than walking, running, or biking and one could go places without getting tired. Stoves allowed one to conveniently be able to turn on and off heat to a cooking utensil with less clean up. The biggest contributor to making our lives easier would be computers, which has come a long way since its introduction to the world. Also, computers have the ability to be improved more, and more in time. In general, technology started off by comforting our lives. Now, the rapid growth of technology has replaced the need for one’s own intellect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To begin with, technology makes us lazy. One no longer writes with pen and paper, or a typewriter, but with a computer program. The use of a computer program eliminates many things such as a rough draft. Because one can make mistakes, fix it without a mess, and then print a final copy, a rough copy is not made. It is also not needed according to these people, yet as many people know, spur of the moment thinking is not nearly as good as a well thought out plan. Therefore, a rough copy is much better to have, even though most people don’t make a rough copy because they’re too lazy. This lethargy is due to the advanced technology of computers. Also, almost all programs are equipped with a spell-check. Spell-check is, in other words, a dictionary without the definition. So, because of spell-check, one wouldn’t need to use the dictionary, or is it one would be too lazy to use the dictionary? The use of the internet is also used to cheat. People can look for something to plagiarize across the whole world in less than five minutes. These lazy people just cannot resist this temptation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This leads me to my next point, with the use of technology, one no longer exercises their mind. Take the spell check for instance, since one has spell check, they don’t look up words in the dictionary. Spell check, though, doesn’t have definitions, and their might be some replacement words that don’t have the same meaning as the word in your sentence.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Medical Assistant Ethics

There are numerous ethical issues that a medical assistant may encounter in a daily office or hospital setting. It is unethical to have a conversation with a fellow coworker regarding a patient. The patient may overhear or worse they may be related to someone in the office. It is no one’s business as to why the patient had an appointment. Another unethical behavior that is unacceptable is foul language in front of the patients. They do not need to hear that kind of language under any circumstances. When a patient comes in to see you and smells of urine or alcohol, be courteous to the patient and do not judge the patient. This patient may not have the means to shower daily or they may be sick and are unaware of the odor. A good thing to remember when dealing with an ethical issue is always do the right thing at the right time and it will never become an issue. Medical Assistants need to put themselves into the shoes of the patient. They need to ask themselves, how would I want to be treated? How would I like to be recognized in the eyes of the health care worker? How would I want my family treated? In doing this little experiment on a daily basis they will come to realize that we all are human and need to be treated equally, no matter what the situation may be. The general skills of a Medical Assistant consist of basic customer service. They must be able to communicate between the doctors and the patients. They need to do this within the legal and ethical boundaries. Document every conversation because if it is not documented then the conversation never happened. Educate the patient within the scope of practice. Let the patient know of community resources for future reference of patients’ needs. Operational functions are also a part of the daily duties of a Medical Assistant. Performing inventory of supplies and equipment so items can be replenished. Doing these functions will always help in maintaining the highest quality of care for the patient. Clinical skills of the CMA of general patient care to make them as comfortable as possible. Many diagnostic procedures are required of the CMA; from collecting specimens to performing radiology tests. Fundamental principles consisting of sterilizing rooms and equipment are skills that a CMA will do daily. Doing these clinical skills while practicing standard precautions must be a high priority for everyone in the health care facility. Administrative skills are essential for a CMA to do the job that is required of them. It is all done via computer so there typing skills must be adequate for them to succeed. From patient schedules to bookkeeping to insurance forms, all is done on a daily basis. Licensure is when a government agency authorizes individuals to work in a job. A CMA does not need a license to work. Professions needing licenses are nurses and therapists. Registration is a professional organization in a specific health care field that administers exams and/or maintains a list of qualified individuals. CMA’s can apply for a registration credential. This would give them a better paying job and more responsibilities at their present facility. Certification involves the issuing of a certificate and credentials by a professional organization to someone who has met the experience and education guidelines of that organization. This basically tells everyone that you have finished your schooling for Medical Assisting. For a Medical Assistant to maintain his/her certification they must recertify either by passing the CMA exam again or by receiving sixty recertification points, thirty of which must be AAMA approved CEU’s. The points must be as follows 10 administrative, 10 clinical, 10 general and 30 from any combination of the above three categories. You must also submit proof (photocopy of the card and length of program) of current, provider level CPR certification. Continuing education units (CEU’s) can be received by reading online books and taking a test when finished. The AAMA sponsors many workshops, seminars, and county, state, and national conferences for MA’s to remain current in their field and earn the CEU’s. For the safety of the patient and employee, an MA should never perform any tasks that are outside the scope of the MA practice. Outside the scope of a Medical Assistant’s practice would be suturing a wound, administering a pap test for a female patient, or possibly giving the patient the diagnosis of the symptoms they are experiencing. A physician should never delegate the full range of physical therapy to anyone other than a physical therapist. Under no circumstances should the Medical Assistant do any duties that are outside their scope of practice. If I were approached by my supervisor to perform outside of my scope of practice, I would calmly and rationally refuse the request. I do not feel that any job is worth losing if you are asked to perform it wrong. I would explain to my supervisor politely that I am not qualified to perform the task asked and I would suggest someone else in the facility that is capable. I would let them know I would be willing to help out with any other task that is within my scope of practice. In order to find the article listed, I went to google. com and found an article from AAMA website on scope of practice act for Wisconsin. You can also go to AAMA website. Click on site map. Go to CMA today and scroll down. Click on Public Affairs Articles. Scroll down until you see the article found on google. If I were approached by a patient or a fellow coworker and referred to as a nurse, I would explain to them that I am a Medical Assistant and explain some of my job functions. I would let them know that there is a big difference and the title does need to be corrected. I would let them know that if I were to acknowledge the comment of being called a nurse, I could lose my job as well as my career. They may not understand that it is a very serious offense. I would explain them that the actual nurses would not be able to be titled as a doctor so the same holds true for me. When a medical assistant misrepresents herself/himself, they are in fact making the entire profession look bad in the eyes of the patient. The disciplinary results that could happen to the medical assistant are far greater than the prestige of stating you are who you are not. State disciplinary actions can result in fines and other criminal penalties. All office personnel should avoid referring to the medical assistant as a nurse also not just the patient. The doctor can also lose his career and/or a fine. I could lose my certification also.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Case: Supply Chain Management and Application Software Packages

Info from case total revenue for last reporting = 110 million cio reviewed 3 following implementation strategies: -classic disintermediation – removal of intermediaries in a supply chain. connects supplier directly with customers -remediation-working more closely with ecisting middlemen partners. strategy could be affected by high contracting risks. -network-building alliances and partnerships with both existing and new suppliers and distributors involving a complex set of relationships. Networks tended to reduce search costs for obtaining information, products and services. selected remidiation – because it best fits the firms goal of simplifying data sharing throughout the supply chain -also had longterm and positive relationship with its primary distributors, which would ameliorate the high contracting risk. â€Å"The firm purchased stock woods from a number of producers and processed them to meet specific customer specifications. Approx. 60 percent of woodsynergy s ales were in high-end furniture† Problems 1 – Choice of implementation plan is wrong – LONG TERM -CIO chose remediation because it best fit the firm's goal of simplifying data sharing throughout the supply chain; furthermore, the CIO noted that woodsynergy had a long-term and positive relationship with its primary distributors which would ameliorate the high contracting risk issue† -the best way of simplifying data sharing is eliminating any unnecessary party that the information needs to travel to. -remove the distributors and engage the customers directly -who are we to decide how your existing distributors will feel after you amend any contracts to include any new information system to the SCM that ultimately creates more overhead for them? the business model of woodsynergy suggests that â€Å"the firm was committed to delivering information to the right people at the right time so that strategic and operational decisions were made properly and quicklyà ¢â‚¬  -benefit going national prevented by local distributors – if woodsynergy engages their end users directly it will promote better customer relationships as well as open potential national and international markets/ Causes -long-term relationships with distributors -contracts with distributors -CIO decision seems biased Alternatives choose classic intermediation -stay with remediation -choose networking Solution: Chose Classic intermediation †¢Removes the middleman †¢The middle man share shift to suppliers, Woodsynergy and to the customer, making the company more profitable and increasing the customer loyalty †¢Efficiency – instead of suppliers shipping first to the Woodsynergy and then Woodsynergy shipping the products to the customer, supplier can ship straight to the customer Implementation: (implanting the plan – find the need, develop the program, and implement it and the evaluate it) Business need †¢System investigation †¢Syst em analysis †¢System design †¢Proframming and testing †¢Implementation †¢Operation and mainenance 2 – Prototype Built – short term problem *** -â€Å"due to budget and time constraints the project team chose to build a gateway prototype without addressing problems of integrity and timeliness with the systems data. The project team decided to improve the data quality at a future date† – customers data needs to be secure. Period. For any duration no matter how short. â€Å"Two of the key drivers included in gateway design were data standardization and real-time interface† -It should be real-time interface and data integrity as aligned with Woodsynergy’s business goals. -release data standardization at a later time instead of data integrity Causes -budget -time constraint -phase 1 of prototype does not directly correlate to business goals Alternatives -cloud system from 3rd party -key drivers in phase 1 = data integrity and real-time interface/data standardization at future date/release †¢Application software packages – off the shelves. ONE MORE alt Solution: †¢Application software packages – off the shelves. oPrewritten, pre-coded application software commercially available for sale oA lot of choices, with rating/reviews from its customers/users oOther companies are already using them oSome software companies even let you try them oQuicker solution, gives the it team to work on the bigger problem or new software oIt may be cheaper than labour and resources spent building prototype that may put company`s customer`s information at risk Implementation – . Identify potential vendors 2. Determine the evaluation criteria a. Functionality of the software b. Cost and financial terms c. Vendor`s reputation – success stories/customer reviews d. System flexibility e. Security f. Required training g. Data handling h. Ease of internet interface i. User friendly 3. Evaluate ven dors and packages 4. Chose vendor and package 5. Negotiate a contract 6. Implement the software 7. Train the staff/users 3 – Project Team Questionable – Short term and Long term? *** Causes launched multiple it based supply chain management initiatives -researched how gateways are used in their business and understand the different of technology on the internet† in first few weeks – this should take a few days at most -phase 1 of prototype not aligned with business goals –decision criteria— this is what I think would be the criteria, we can discuss if you have others *** -budget – need better coaching on team goal and better planning -increase customer satisfaction -be consistent with corporate mission -Time constraint – implement fairly quickly -improve profits within acceptable risk parameters Solution – BE consistent with corporate mission Implementation †¢Be consistent with corporate mission oTrain and remind the m in every morning huddles oBefore implementing the any new plan or developing new software or making the decision to devolve a new software, correlate it with the business strategy oDelegate effectively to team members oHold them accountable – stay on top of their performance oGive the team budget – quarterly yearly or project based – so there will not be any wastages Source: /http://plato. acadiau. ca/courses/Busi/IntroBus/CASEMETHOD. html/

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

25+ TERRIFIC Repetition Examples in Literature

25+ TERRIFIC Repetition Examples in Literature 25+ TERRIFIC Repetition Examples in Literature Editing 101 will always tell you the same thing: avoid repetition in your writing. But make no mistake, repetition isn’t a pariah in   the world of prose! In fact, when executed with finesse, it can make a piece of writing all the more compelling.This post will take you through the basics of repetition. And because the best way to understand a literary device is to see it in skilled action, we’ll also cover 30 remarkable examples of repetition in literature. (To skip past the next section where we define repetition, you can jump straight to those examples!)Repetition definitionRepetition is the act of repeating sounds, words, phrases, or full sentences. As a literary device, it’s used to stress key points, or to achieve a certain rhythm, tone, or style of prose - which is why you’ll often find it in poetry.However, while it can be used to highlight important details or enhance rhythm, repetition needs to be done with care. If you accidentally repeat wor ds or re-state the same information for readers over and over (and over) again, it can become jarring. For instance, if you’ve already told readers that a character has an unusual beauty mark on their shoulder, mention it once and leave it at that. Hearing about the beauty mark every time that character is in a scene is tiring. If it’s crucial to bring it up more than once, find new and interesting ways of bringing attention to it - instead of just stating its existence, maybe you can have another character comment on it.If you’re going to repeat a word, phrase, or idea, it needs to have a purpose. Pinpoint exactly why it needs to be said again - or if there’s another way you present it that adds more to the narrative.To   figure out the right way to use this literary device, you first have to learn the different types of repetition. Learn more about how Reedsy can help you craft a beautiful book.Types of repetitionDid you know that there are at least 15 main types of repetition? They fall into two categories: words and sounds. Let’s start with...Repetition of Words1. Anadiplosis The last word of a clause or sentence is repeated as the first word of the next one.Example: "Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hatred; hatred leads to conflict; conflict leads to suffering." - Yoda, in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.2. Anaphora The word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences is repeated.Example: â€Å"It rained on his lousy tombstone, and it rained on the grass on his stomach. It rained all over the place.† - The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger3. Antistasis The repetition of words or phrases in different or contrary senses.Example: â€Å"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.†   - Benjamin Franklin4. Conduplicatio The frequent repetition of a word or phrase within a paragraph, in order to expand upon its meaning.Example: â€Å"Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children." - Martin Luther King, Jr.5. Diacope The repetition of words separated be additional words, which alter their meaning.Example: â€Å"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.† - Henry V by Shakespeare6. Epanalepsis The word both at the beginning and at the end of the clause or sentence is repeated.Example: â€Å"Next time there won't be a next time.† - Phil Leotardo, in The Sopranos7. Epimone The word or phrase is repeated to place emphasis on its meaning.Example: â€Å"Mr. Dick shook his head, as utterly renouncing the suggestion; and having replied a great many times, and with great confidence, ‘No beggar, no beggar, no beggar, Sir!’† - David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (Are you a Dickens fan? Read up on 15 of his classics novels in our guide to Dickens!)8. Epiphora The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of a series of clauses or sentences.Example: If you did know to whom I gave the ring, If you did know for whom I gave the ring And would conceive for what I gave the ring And how unwillingly I left the ring, When naught would be accepted but the ring, You would abate the strength of your displeasure. - The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare9. Epizeuxis The successive repetition of a word or phrase within one clause or sentence.Example: â€Å"The horror, the horror.† - Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad10. Negative-Positive Restatement An idea or phrase is presented in negative terms, and then repeated in positive terms.Example: â€Å"The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young.† - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde11. Polyptoton The same root word is repeated in different forms.Example: â€Å"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.† - Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Seuss12. Symploce The repetition of a word or phrase both at the end and at the beginning of a clause or sentence. (In other words, a combination of   anaphora and epiphora.)Example: "The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  - â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† by  T.S. EliotSound RepetitionDo you hear that? Is it bat, a rat, or a gnat? And speaking of sounds that repeat themselves, let’s take a look at...13. Alliteration The successive repetition of consonant sounds in the stressed part of a word.Example: â€Å"She sells seashells by the sea-shore.†14. Assonance The vowel sounds are repeated.Example: â€Å""Hear the mellow wedding bells†¦Ã¢â‚¬  - â€Å"The Bells† by  Edgar Allan Poe15. Consonance The repetition of consonant sounds in successive or closely connected words. The difference between consonance and alliteration is that alliteration is at the beginning of the word (so â€Å"Peter Piper†), but consonance can be anywhere in the word.Example: I'll swing by my ankles. She'll cling to your knees. As you hang by your nose, From a high-up trapeze. But just one thing, please, As we float through the breeze, Don't sneeze. - â€Å"The Acrobats† by Shel SilversteinOkay, now that we’ve gotten seamlessly up to speed (pardon the alliteration), on the different types of repetition, let’s look at some exemplary examples from literature (pardon the polyptoton).Repetition examples in literatureLet’s turn this section into a little quiz. Try to guess what kind of repetition each quote is using as you read through - the answers will be provided at the bottom!Example #1:  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by  Douglas Adams"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space."Example #2:  The Innocents Abroad by  Mark Twain"They are not paid for thinkingthey are not paid to fret about the world's concerns. They were not respectable peoplethey were not worthy peoplethey were not learned and wise and brilliant peoplebut in their breasts, all their stupid lives long, resteth a peace that passeth understanding!"Example #3: Deep River by  Shusaku Endoâ€Å"Hatred was spreading everywhere, blood was being spilled everywhere, wars were breaking out everywhere.†Example #4:  A Tale of Two Cities by  Charles Dickensâ€Å"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.†Example #5:  Beloved by  Toni Morrisonâ€Å"Beloved is mine; she is B eloved.†Example #6:  Lolita by Vladimir Nabokovâ€Å"What I present here is what I remember of the letter, and what I remember of the letter I remember verbatim (including that awful French).†Example #7:  Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthyâ€Å"And stepping softly with her air of blooded ruin about the glade in a frail agony of grace she trailed her rags through dust and ashes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Answers:  a) Epimone; b) Symploce; c) Epistrophe; d) Anaphora; e) Epanalepsis; f) Anadiplosis; g) AssonanceExamples of repetition in poetryRepetition is especially prevalent in poetry, as it can help achieve a certain resonance with readers. Again, read through the following examples of poetic repetition and guess what type each uses.Example #1: "Stopping by Woods On a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frostâ€Å"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.†Example #2: "Do Not Go Gentle into the Good Night" by Dylan Thomasâ€Å"Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage, against the dying of the light. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight, Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.†Example #3: â€Å"Annabel Lee† by Edgar Allen Poeâ€Å"It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me.†Example #4: "Song of Myself, 3" by Walt Whitmanâ€Å"There was never any more inception than there is now, Nor any more youth or age than there is now, And will never be any more perfection than there is now, Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now.†Example #5: "A Child is Born" by Stephen Vincent Benetâ€Å"Life is not lost by dying! Life is lost Minute by minute, day by dragging day, In all the thousand, small uncaring ways.†Example #6: "The Gnome, The Gnat, The Gnu" by Shel Silverstein"I saw an ol' gnome Take a gknock at a gnat Who was gnibbling the gnose of his gnu. I said, "Gnasty gnome, Gnow, stop doing that."Example #7: "Coda" by Dorothy Parkerâ€Å"There’s little in taking or giving, There’s little in water or wine; This living, this living, this living Was never a project of mine.†Answers: a) Epizeuxis; b) Assonance; c) Consonance; d) Epiphora; e) Diacope; f) Alliteration ; g) Epizeuxis Did you know there are over 15 types of repetition? Now that you know how to make repetition your writing’s best friend, let’s give a shout-out to your best friend when it comes to removing unnecessary repetition: CTRL+F. We are all guilty of over relying on specific words that crop up in our writing again and again. Get acquainted with your own habitual words, and then use CTRL+F to sweep your document for them. Find, remove, repeat! 😊Do you incorporate repetition into your prose? Is there a specific type that you favor? Leave any thoughts or questions in the comments below!

Monday, October 21, 2019

Organization and Key Performance Indicators Greenpeace

Organization and Key Performance Indicators Greenpeace Greenpeace is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that focuses on global environmental issues. The NGO uses â€Å"none combative approaches and creative confrontations in its quests for green solutions and a peaceful future† (source: https://www.greenpeace.org/international/). Greenpeace strives at ensuring that the â€Å"Earth nurtures life in all its diversities† (source: https://www.greenpeace.org/international/).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Organization and Key Performance Indicators: Greenpeace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As such, it aims at protecting biodiversity in all its forms, prevent pollution and abuses of the Earth’s natural resources, eliminate all nuclear threats, and enhance peace, global disarmament, and non-violence. Greenpeace Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) relate to areas of Human Resources (HR), communications, and volunteer relations. In the HR department, KPI s include compensation, rewards, and benefit plans, recruitment, employee orientation, administrative tasks, employee relations, and level of engagement or satisfaction among employees and volunteers. Administrative duties including managing personnel files, update organizational charts, participation in employee meetings, review employees’ information for wrongful entries. Recruitment indicators covers areas of finding qualified staff, application forms have correct details, accurate posting of vacancies, and recruits go through all areas of pre-employment procedures. Employee orientation includes arrange for orientation trainings, educate new hires on organizational culture, and get information regarding wages, benefits, rewards, and payroll. KPIs also include induction and signing of codes of conduct, and monitoring of acceptable trainings.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF L earn More Compensation KPIs entail processing of payroll with no mistakes, check areas of overtime, account for paid leave days, and analyses of vacation benefits. In addition, there is also demonstration of knowledge of the organizational compensation policy, and motivational aims. Employees and volunteer relations cover areas of promotion of teamwork, management of conflict, responses from the HR department regarding queries, and both employees and volunteers willing to demonstrate a sense of cooperation and retention. In the area of volunteer relations, KPIs cover office assistances, hours of inputs in campaigns, number of copies translated from English to French, the number of volunteers involved in fundraising, campaigns, and volunteers that have completed their schedules successfully. Communication department KPIs includes public relations, advertisement, promotion, and e-promotions. SMART Goals for the Organization and the chosen departments We begin by identification of goals that are crucial for the success of the organization. Goals reflect the desired outcome Greenpeace wants to accomplish or achieve in the future. These goals are tactical in nature as they define short-term aims from specific organizational departments. They aim at motivating the staff and increase the level of commitment, offer guidance, and provide a platform for monitoring and measuring performance (Barton, 2000). Goal definition within an organization provides opportunities for conceptualization the way forward for the organization. Consequently, it enables responsible departments to develop and master the future direction of the organization. This is a means of assuring stakeholders that the organization will achieve its mission within a specific period. Scholars recommend that goals should meet some defined criteria that those responsible for their monitoring and measurement can use to gauge such goals (Barton, 2000). Most organizations have adopted the SMART approach to define and evaluate their goals. Goals must identify the mission and stakeholders of the organization. SMART goals help the organization identify appropriate KPIs for measuring achievements towards such goals. Identification of SMART goals in the organization helps the organization defines a path of serving its mission and creating value to various stakeholders involved. KPIs usually monitor and measure the organizational SMART goals identified in any department (Davis, 2009). In this context, the goals must demonstrate certain characteristics such as specific, quantifiable, attainable, reasonable, and timely.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Organization and Key Performance Indicators: Greenpeace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, we must apply SMART principle to any goal that relates to KPIs. We shall have SMART goals for the organization in HR, communications, and employees and volunteer engagement and sat isfaction rate. At the same time, there shall be three KPIs for the goals that we seek to improve. These goals take into account impacts of KPIs on every indicator, and abilities of both employees and volunteers to execute them successfully. Therefore, the organization has full control over the goals. In the HR department, we seek to look at HR department response to queries from employees and volunteers. We have noticed that the HR department takes longer than usually to respond to both volunteers and employees’ queries. Thus, we have identified SMART goal to monitor and measure performance for improvement purposes. We seek to increase the rate of responding to queries by the HR department from 72 hours to 24 hours between June 2012 and December 2012. This represents a 33 percent increment in the rate of response. In employee and volunteer engagement, we seek to know the overall level of both employees’ and volunteers’ satisfaction and engagement with the organ izational work aspect of eliminating nuclear threats. Thus, the goal is to enhance the level of both employees’ and volunteers’ engagement in work aspect of eliminating nuclear threats from the current 10 percent to 25 percent by the end of the year 2012. This represents a 15 percent increment in six months. Greenpeace work aspects depend on communication. Thus, setting goals for communication is fundamental for success of the organizational mission. The goal is to enhance the use of social, and trendy media platform for campaigns in promoting the green future from the current 40 percent to 70 percent by the end of the year 2012. This reflects an increase of 30 percent in a period of six months. Increased Accountability Explanation of how Smart goals will enhance performance, transparency, and accountability including supporting strategies that demonstrate how to reach the goal The primary aims of organizational goals are to motivate employees and volunteers. Thus, goa ls should demonstrate ambition but not serve the purpose of demoralization. Goals for measuring performance must show elements of action e.g. increase, and highlight areas of time lines, rating, and quantities.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These goals are relevant to departments and are specific in terms of areas of focus. This approach attempts to align goals with specific departments and in turn the organizational mission. For instance, Greenpeace aims at increasing the level of employees and volunteers’ involvement in achieving the goal of eliminating threats of nuclear activities by 15 percent within six months. Time and end periods enable employees and volunteers to know when they should achieve their goals. Thus, employees and volunteers no longer see such goals as suggestions but real. The department should measure goals and performance using job appraisal processes. The specific nature of goals enables easy evaluation of the achievements against set targets. Studies show that a yearly performance review tends to have low levels of effectiveness due to longer durations. This explains why we set Greenpeace goals within six months. This reduces possibilities of referring to goals when appraisal period appr oaches. Short-term goals enable employees and volunteers focus on their activities of the day and avoid distraction to achieve both individual and departmental goals. Goals also promote accountability and engage employees and volunteers in productive activities for the organization. Greenpeace goals are SMART. This is one approach of enhancing accountability in measurement and performance. Employees and volunteers must set SMART goals for their respective departments. The department must capture all SMART elements in every goal that it aims to measure. Departments must identify specific areas such as time, quantities, rates, and names of indicators so as to reduce complexities associated with defining goals. In fact, employees, departmental heads, and volunteers should give the name of the goal, its detailed description, milestones, means of gauging outcomes, commencing date, and date when it is due. The department must set priorities for attainment of its goals. In cases where ther e are competing priorities, the department must identify the most crucial goal for its success. Consequently, it must focus its resources and effort in order to attain such goals. For instance, Greenpeace communication department must prioritize popular and emerging social media so that it can reach that segment of populations instead of relying on print communications. Both employees and volunteers must comprehend the value of each goal and levels of competency they require. Prioritization enhances decision-making in cases of scarce resources. The department should also create a means of reminding employees and volunteers about goals and their components such as due dates and milestones achieved and gaps. This improves transparency and accountability. SMART goals tend to align both the workforce and organizational goals in order to achieve organizational mission. Most studies have demonstrated that, employees who understand how their daily inputs contribute to the overall mission o f the organization are more accountable than their counterparts who lack such knowledge. Therefore, for improved performance, accountability, and transparency, employees and volunteers must understand that their individual contributions do matter to the organization. The department should communicate to its workforce through setting goals at slightly higher levels and then distribute the targets to the workforce. The idea of distribution enables every staff conceptualizes how an individuals efforts are necessary for Greenpeace to achieve its overall goals. It also enables every staff track his or her achievements and current status. This enhances a sense of accountability in the department. Accountability, transparency, and performance go together. People tend to perform tasks best when there is a supervisor or when they can easily identify effects of their contributions in an organization. Therefore, the department should provide tools to enable its workforce monitor and communicat e their progress. The organization can implement technological innovation that can assist employees monitor their progress through employees’ portal or in the organizational intranet. Such applications provide summaries of what an individual should deliver, time, and the gaps left. This provides opportunities for employees and volunteers to keep their team leaders up-to-date with their performance statuses. Managers can have unlimited access to their direct reports performances. At the same time, the executives can also access such reports and can also send their feedback to individuals who directly contribute to organizational goals. Such levels of monitoring enhance accountability, transparency and improve performance among employees. Likewise, the management can redirect resource to areas that need attention so as to enable everyone account for their performances. How the planning process and establishment of SMART goals and increased accountability among employees will le ad to a better employee (and volunteer) retention and increased employee morale Performance management using SMART goals to enhance both employees and volunteers morale and retention is not an easy task. Thus, several skills and training are necessary among departmental managers. Training is necessary to enable managers feel confident about tasks before them. This is useful in cases where some management team may be newly promoted. According to MacMillan, managers must â€Å"understand human behavior, how to motivate, how to develop, provide coaching, and handle conflict† (MacMillan, 2012). Managers play significant roles in observing and managing the prevailing circumstances, offer motivation, and manage issues that may interfere with implementation of SMART goals. Enhancing morale and motivation implies that managers must understand individual differences of the workforce such as abilities, experiences, and support needed. Thus, preparing managers for planning, implementati on of SMART goals, evaluation, and provisions of feedback will lead to goal achievements, employee motivation, and retention. The organization should also link â€Å"SMART goals, performance with rewards and recognition† (MacMillan, 2012). Performance management should be fair, transparent, and equitable so that employees can believe in the process. Rewards, benefits, and compensation should be consistent throughout the organization. Consistency ensures that there is transparency and accountability and in turn enhances employees’ satisfaction with the goals and job. Organizations that link their â€Å"compensation procedures with performance must be critical of this issue† (MacMillan, 2012). The organization should have consistent and fair compensation policy across all departments. Thus, any deviation may lead to dissatisfaction and reduced morale and motivation among employees. How the overall plan will better enable the organization to fulfill its mission A b etter implementation of SMART goals for achieving Greenpeace mission of green and peaceful future starts with performance planning. SMART goals are the basis for performance planning. SMART goals have actionable plan that will guide both employees and volunteers work towards achievements of the organization overall mission. Achieving the mission through SMART goals should be a collaborative process among management teams, employees, and volunteers. Every target element must have a clear description and realistic expectation. Planning processes must identify both long-term and short goals that work towards achievement of organizational mission. At the same time, there should be clear implementation strategy on how each department shall attain its objectives. Every department must prioritize its goals. There should also be a clear and detailed method of evaluation. Greenpeace must also identify factors that may hinder it from achieving its SMART goals. Organization should offer traini ng, motivation, and mentoring to overcome any issues that concern employees or volunteers such as behavior, attitude, skills, or knowledge. The departments must carry out regular monitoring, assessment, and solve issues that may hinder SMART goals for achieving organization mission. There can also be changes in direction, reallocation of resources, and training during implementation stages. Communications and feedback are crucial during these stages so as to enhance continuous improvement of the team. Mission aim should be an ongoing process in the organization. Processes of planning, setting SMART goals, performance planning, monitoring, feedback, and continuous training are mandatory for achieving the mission of the organization. These processes also provide opportunities for the organization to identify any gaps that may affect progresses. There should be full participation of all members of the organization so that teamwork can deliver the mission. References Barton, R. (2000). Organizational Goal Setting and Planning. Murray, KY: Murray State University. Davis, J. (2009). Managing and Achieving Organizational Goals. New York, NY: American Management Association. MacMillan, A. (2012). Importance of Performance Management Process Best Practices To Optimize Monitoring Performance Work Reviews/Feedback and Goal Management. Raising the Bar on Performance Management Process, 1, 1- 6.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Turn-Taking Definition in Conversation Analysis

Turn-Taking Definition in Conversation Analysis In conversation analysis, turn-taking is a term for the manner in which orderly conversation normally takes place. A basic understanding can come right from the term itself: Its the notion that people in a conversation take turns in speaking. When studied by sociologists, however, the analysis goes deeper, into topics such as how people know when its their turn to speak, how much overlap there is between speakers, when its OK to have overlap, and how to consider regional or gender differences. The underlying principles of turn-taking were first described by sociologists Harvey Sacks, Emanuel A. Schegloff, and Gail Jefferson in A Simplest Systematics for the Organization of Turn-Taking for Conversation in the journal  Language, in the December 1974 issue. Competitive vs. Cooperative Overlap Much of the research in turn-taking has looked into competitive versus cooperative overlap in conversations, such as how that affects the balance of power of those in the conversation and how much rapport the speakers have. For example, in competitive overlap, researchers might look at how one person dominates a conversation or how a listener might take some power back with different ways of interrupting.  Ã‚   In cooperative overlap, a listener might ask for clarification on a point or add to the conversation with further examples that support the speakers point. These kinds of overlaps help move the conversation forward and aid in communicating the full meaning to all who are listening. Or overlaps might be more benign and just show that the listener understands, such as by saying Uh-huh. Overlap like this also moves the speaker forward. Cultural differences and formal or informal settings can change whats acceptable in a particular group dynamic.  Ã‚   Examples and Observations Television programs, books, and films present some fine examples of turn-taking. Christine Cagney: Im being quiet now. That means its your turn to talk.Mary Beth Lacey:  Im trying to think of what to say.(Cagney Lacey, 1982) Once a topic is chosen and a conversation initiated, then matters of conversational turn-taking arise. Knowing when it is acceptable or obligatory to take a turn in conversation is essential to the cooperative development of discourse. This knowledge involves such factors as knowing how to recognize appropriate turn-exchange points and knowing how long the pauses between turns should be. It is also important to know how (and if) one may talk while someone else is talking- that is if the conversational overlap is allowed. Since not all conversations follow all the rules for turn-taking, it is also necessary to know how to repair a conversation that has been thrown off course by undesired overlap or a misunderstood comment. Cultural differences in matters of turn-taking can lead to conversational breakdown, misinterpretation of intentions, and interpersonal intergroup conflict. (Walt Wolfram and Natalie Schilling-Estes, American English: Dialects and Variation. Wiley-Blackwell, 2006) The Wolf: Youre Jimmie, right? This is your house?Jimmie: Sure is.The Wolf: Im Winston Wolfe. I solve problems.Jimmie: Good, we got one.The Wolf: So I heard. May I come in?Jimmie: Uh, yeah, please do.(Pulp Fiction, 1994) Turn-Taking and Parliamentary Procedure The rules regarding turn-taking in formal situations can differ markedly than between people who are speaking casually together. Absolutely fundamental to following parliamentary procedure is knowing when and how to speak in your correct turn. Business in deliberative societies cannot be conducted when the members are interrupting each other and when they are speaking out of turn on unrelated subjects. Etiquette calls interrupting someone else rude behavior and unfitting for people in refined society. [Emily] Posts book of etiquette goes beyond this to describe the importance of listening and responding to the correct topic as being part of good manners when participating in any form of conversation. By waiting your turn to speak and avoiding interrupting another person, you not only show your desire to work together with the other members of your society, you also show respect for your fellow members. (Rita Cook, The Complete Guide to Roberts Rules of Order Made Easy. Atlantic Publishing, 2008) Interrupting vs. Interjecting Sometimes butting in while someone is talking may not be considered as interrupting, but only interjecting. To be sure, a debate is as much about performance and rhetoric (and snappy one-liners) as it is about meaningful dialogue. But our ideas about conversation inevitably shape how we perceive the debates. This means, for example, that what seems an interruption to one viewer might be merely an interjection to another. Conversation is an exchange of turns, and having a turn means having a right to hold the floor until you have finished what you want to say. So interrupting is not a violation if it doesn’t steal the floor. If your uncle is telling a long story at dinner, you may cut in to ask him to pass the salt. Most (but not all) people would say you aren’t really interrupting; you just asked for a temporary pause. (Deborah Tannen, Would You Please Let Me Finish ... The New York Times, Oct. 17, 2012)

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Total confinement Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Total confinement - Term Paper Example Such units are meant for aggressive inmates. Generally, the units are single-cell, and are designed for confining inmates for up to 23-hours in one day over extremely period of time. Inmates in control units are mainly barred from enjoying normal contact with prison officials and fellow inmates. In contrast, the definition of a control unit is still debatable, since different countries have their own ways of categorizing prisons as Supermax (Rhodes, 2004). However, there are some general features which apply across board as far as Supermax prisons are concerned. Firstly, Supermax prisons provide long-term imprisonment of convicts. Once a criminal convict has been transferred to a control unit, he or she is expected to serve their sentence for several decades or indefinitely. Secondly, prison wardens and the administrators are at liberty to exercise high-handedness in their effort to exalt punishment on or in management of inmates (Rhodes, 2004). Any decisions made by the administrators or guards working in control units are final. Thirdly, Supermax prisons provide limited opportunities for inmate activities. The administrators limit entertainment, education, and recovery plans from substance abuse. In a nutshell, control units deviate from the generally rehabilitative culture of other prison facilities. Finally, inmates in Supermax prisoners are segregated from other prisoners, and as such, they are in solitary confinement. Supermax Prisons are primarily meant for intensive, and permanent solitary confinement purposes, which essentially deprives the inmates some of their human rights. The segregation policy is designed to inflict punishment upon the prisoners and safeguard them from causing self-harm or injury to others. Supermax inmates are allowed limited interaction with individuals from outside, perhaps because such interactions may heighten their criminal behaviour. In control units, inmates are normally permitted

History According to Neo-Conservative Historians Essay

History According to Neo-Conservative Historians - Essay Example Strauss believed liberal government policies were providing the masses with rights, power, and leisure that their simple minds neither deserved, nor were capable of responsibly wielding. Invariably, according to Strauss and Neo-Cons, the devolved masses give rise to Hitler-like evil. Strauss firmly and fully believed that the inherent weakness and ignorance of the masses, social-liberal policies, and the "excess" freedom of leisure coupled with the right to choose their own leaders provided the ingredients for humanitys demise. For Strauss, these devolved masses required strong authoritarian leadership comprised of those intellectually and socially superior (Ray, 1993). In nearly every aspect of todays American political life and foreign policy we see Strauss theory of constant struggle and conflict being employed and carried out. The media has often decried the obvious combative, angry, and mean-spirited nature of Americas contemporary political discourse. FOX News, which is the propaganda and disinformation outlet for the Neo-Conservative movement, has, by design, ensured Strauss theory of conflict plays out in the American political life. It certainly isnt by accident that prominent Neo-Conservatives like Bill Kristol are often featured on FOXs programs (Ray, 1993). Furthermore, the only purpose for the network to employ the bellicose and outrageous OReilly, and venomous and angry Sean Hannity is to divide American against American and instill a degree of political nastiness never before witnessed. A quick trip around the AM Radio dial will make apparent an entire legion of Republican and Neo-Conservative propagandists doing their part to foment all-out political warfare in the United States. Finally, few propagandists are loved and cherished more deeply by the Neo-Cons than the hate-spewing and liberal demonizing Ann Coulter (Halper & Clarke, 2005). The

Friday, October 18, 2019

E.H. Carr and Historical Thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

E.H. Carr and Historical Thought - Essay Example Though to properly assess the academic value and relevance of his claim, it is first necessary to analyze the broader intellectual context to which Carr sought to make a contribution. As such, it will be necessary to briefly address the very same question he himself posed, for the pragmatic purpose of assessing the accuracy of his claims. The American historian and political philosopher Allan Bloom, in his cultural jeremiad on the state of university education in the closing decades of the twentieth century, lamented what he saw as the contemptuous antagonism felt for one another by the aforementioned three main divisions of modern academia. According to Bloom: While both social science and humanities are more or less willingly awed by natural science, they have mutual contempt for one another, the former looking down on the latter as unscientific, the latter regarding the former as a philistine. They do not cooperate. And most important, they occupy much of the same ground. Many of the classic books now a part of the humanities talk about the same things as do social scientists but use different methods and draw different conclusions;... (1987, p. 357) And yet history does not easily fit into any of these main categories. History, unlike the natural sciences, cannot conduct a controlled experiment because its object of study, being the past, is incapable of being ‘recreated.’ Bloom made note of this general dilemma, that is, the categorization of the work of the historian. History may not, on the other hand, claim to be a social science: its goal is not to predict human action (as is the case in any sort of study of human behavior), but rather to understand past actions (Bloom 1987, pp. 243-380). Thus, in many ways, history enjoys a sort of liminal existence which transcends the natural and social sciences, not to mention the humanities.

Rule of Taliban Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rule of Taliban - Essay Example After several bombing instances, the Taliban were attacked by the United States of America which made them to escape to other areas for safety (Barth, 12). This left them with a mere 5% of the entire country under their control, these were regions on the north and eventually escaping to Pakistan start being driven out of their last city(Kunduz). It was until recently that first signs of their return were detected. Arguments have risen across different political, religious, social and economic divides of whether ruling power needs to be taken back to them or not. The varied opinion on whether Taliban should be allowed to take back Afghanistan under their rule has been strengthened by the impact felt during their regime whether it were positive or negative. Many people believe that despite the pessimistic views labeled against Taliban, lots of positive developments were realized during their regime as compared to before and after their ousting. It should be noted that despite Taliban being considered reckless on women, they were arguably of importance to the economy and social wellbeing of the Afghans. Some of the reasons cited for letting Taliban regain control of Afghanistan include, but not restricted to their goal of minimizing and eliminating crime at all cost. They succeeded in doing so by coming up with their own kind of Islamic law that entailed death sentences and amputations. Crimes committed such as rape incidence against women were minimized by ensuring that women did not walk out of the house without being in company of male counterparts. Wearing of burga (clothes that covered women’s entire body from head to toe) imposed by Taliban also helped with reducing rape incidences. Those found guilty of violating Taliban laws were thoroughly punished by religious police. Cases of children being used as sex slaves also reduced tremendously (Mason, 102). Taliban advocated for basic and isolationist

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Madonna and Child by Duccio di Buoninsegna Essay

Madonna and Child by Duccio di Buoninsegna - Essay Example The rough parts of the background also prove the painting’s current condition. The painting shows the picture of the Virgin holding her child (Christ). The virgin is adorned in black clothing while the child has brighter clothing. The Virgin's face and the inner parts of the clothing are also bright. The edges of the clothing also contrast sharply with the outer black part since they have been painted with a golden thin line. All these parts of the virgin and the child have been set on a golden background, which is somehow rough. The roughness in the background is slightly because of the rough patterns especially the ones on the ends of the painting just beneath the frame. On the virgin’s head is a halo. The virgin seems to be in a seated posture and the child is on her lap. She is also keenly looking at her child whose gaze is also directed towards the mother. The child’s hand also seems extended towards the mother’s veil as it pushes this part of her clothing probably with an aim of getting a better glimpse. One of the notable elements of the painting is the gaze between the mother and the child, which is mostly used to represent the future of a child, which would be full of pain and tribulations. The same future is also depicted by the luminous parts of the Virgin's garments. As seen earlier, the outer part of the mother’s garment is somehow dull. However, the inner parts of her garments are luminous, which is also used to represent the discussed element of the child’s future. The halo on the Virgin's head is probably used to depict her holiness. In addition, the mother ways of holding the child also depict the child’s humanism though she is of a godly descent. The painting is among the artworks in the Byzantine period, which were mainly influenced by biblical stories.  

Economic Statcraft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economic Statcraft - Essay Example Relations between our countries became soured by the hostage-taking, military confrontation and harsh allegations after the Islamic revolution. Until recently, the strained relations are further emphasized by the sanctions that are in place that has seriously dampened the economic growth of the country. Both Iran and ours. The number of sanctions in the past two decades has also been instrumental in shaping its trade policy and its partnerships in the immediate region. In reacting to the terrorist attacks and their various networks terrorizing other countries as well, the choice to place an economic sanction on Iran is in retaliation to their attacks. This is to control the persistence of such acts and present a down ward trend if applied immediately. This sanction should be considered by Iran as an act of good faith to prove that diplomatic relations that deteriorated will have no further subsequent effects on trade relations in the even they accept. The hostage-taking in the embassy in Tehran hurting and killing Americans strained the relations between the two countries although it was downplayed by the international media might change if Iran is sanctioned economically. Possibly, strategies that can be applied are trade restrictions covering the economy as it will be extremely difficult to focus on local productions while recovering lost â€Å"allies† during the hostage-taking incident. Secondly, a political sanction may work best in curbing Iran’s influence and clout in the world trade market. Persuading other countries, like Europe and Japan and other U.S. sympathetic countries to limit their involvement with Iran through diplomatic connections could greatly affect Iran’s GNP. This could be done but is r isky and costly because in the process Iran may react at the first sanction through creativity. Meaning, Iran will place its emphasis on diversifying its international trade routes in order to maximize its trade grounds

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Madonna and Child by Duccio di Buoninsegna Essay

Madonna and Child by Duccio di Buoninsegna - Essay Example The rough parts of the background also prove the painting’s current condition. The painting shows the picture of the Virgin holding her child (Christ). The virgin is adorned in black clothing while the child has brighter clothing. The Virgin's face and the inner parts of the clothing are also bright. The edges of the clothing also contrast sharply with the outer black part since they have been painted with a golden thin line. All these parts of the virgin and the child have been set on a golden background, which is somehow rough. The roughness in the background is slightly because of the rough patterns especially the ones on the ends of the painting just beneath the frame. On the virgin’s head is a halo. The virgin seems to be in a seated posture and the child is on her lap. She is also keenly looking at her child whose gaze is also directed towards the mother. The child’s hand also seems extended towards the mother’s veil as it pushes this part of her clothing probably with an aim of getting a better glimpse. One of the notable elements of the painting is the gaze between the mother and the child, which is mostly used to represent the future of a child, which would be full of pain and tribulations. The same future is also depicted by the luminous parts of the Virgin's garments. As seen earlier, the outer part of the mother’s garment is somehow dull. However, the inner parts of her garments are luminous, which is also used to represent the discussed element of the child’s future. The halo on the Virgin's head is probably used to depict her holiness. In addition, the mother ways of holding the child also depict the child’s humanism though she is of a godly descent. The painting is among the artworks in the Byzantine period, which were mainly influenced by biblical stories.  

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Language Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Language Development - Essay Example ing process, the young, impressionable children not only learned the three R’s, but also developed holistic personalities, by internalizing knowledge into awareness, wisdom, rigorous denial and self-discipline. The Gurus not only taught them the Holy Scriptures, but also the manner of living and leading virtuous, noble and beneficial lives. This process ensured that the children became worthy citizens in their later lives. When the learning environment in the house is conducive to studying, and the parents of the child are themselves well educated, the child would be in a position to imbibe the teachings of the parents quickly and learn fast. Similarly, the child’s friends and neighbours also play a very important part since the influence of the friends and relatives with whom the child is interacting plays an important role in moulding his future personality. If the friends and neighbours are well-trained and intelligent children, coming from respectable and well- to-do families, it will be seen that the child would be able to pick up good learning habits from early years itself, which would sustain him in his later life. The formative years of the child, that is the period between 4 – 12 years are very crucial for the child, and whatever good inputs and reading habits are acquired by the child would stand him in later life including his learning habits and writing skills. Thus, it is s een that the situations that foster early language developments could be seen in terms of the parental influence, including that of early teachers, governesses, friends and relatives. If these were well attuned to nurturing and nourishing the child’s natural curiosity, forming good learning and reading habits, it would foster his language skills. Moreover, it is also necessary to build good reading, writing and recitation skills that could be â€Å"validated by research and practice while delivering the basis of all major aspects of research work.† (Gunning,

Monday, October 14, 2019

My Favorite Holiday Destination Essay Example for Free

My Favorite Holiday Destination Essay I have been going to Lumina resort my entire life. Even though my teenage years, where it seemed nothing could entertain my adolescent attitude, I looked forward to vacationing on the lake of bays every summer. As a child, I recall Petticoat. For a few hours every day my parents got a break to do as they pleased, as my sisters and I made crafts, learned songs, played games, and heard stories. It was also a great way to make friends with other children visiting the resort. Lumina always has great Petticoat leaders. The children just adore them; always sitting on their laps, waving at them in the dining room, or dragging along their ankles when the week is over and it’s time for goodbyes! Returning as a teenager never seemed like a lame family holiday. With all the returning friends I had made in years previous, the activities and fun seemed endless. Tubing became a sport to us. Lounging in the sun never seemed so relaxing – with the waves licking the shores and the breeze coming off the bay. I learned how to wakeboard at Lumina; the staff spent countless years helping me stand up on the wake, and never grew tired of my mistakes. Movies in the TV room, playing cards on the deck, eating junk food in the beautifully preserved cabins. All great memories. Every night we would sneak to Frosties – the on-resort convenience store – and get a little something sweet to enjoy. As a young adult, I can’t say I’ve ever had such a great time. The lake of bays club always promises something fun. Wine and Cheese night starts everyone off at the beginning of the week to meet new guests and reconcile with old friends. Poker, pool, and darts allow for good fun with fellow vacation-goers. Live entertainment is my family’s personal favourite. Tobin – the artist that has been recruited for the past few years – is amazing, and keeps the audience dancing, drinking, and having fun. Karaoke night is the night to let loose and show all your new and old friends your talent. Of course, the beach, water activities, sports, tournaments, and excursions are just as much fun in adulthood as they were in childhood. The chef, Shawn, makes some of the best dishes I’ve ever tasted. Whether it’s a classic Caesar salad, or a new recipe, Shawn always promises taste and quality. One of the best benefits to Lumina is the food is included in the price. For your vacation period, you do not have to cook once (this is a great thing for mothers!). The staff are some of the most sociable, and helpful individuals. Tec and Vicky (the owners) can always be found if something needs to be done, or assisted with.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Change of Management in Nursing: Causes and Impacts

Change of Management in Nursing: Causes and Impacts Problems in nursing practices Nursing practice refers to the process of protecting, promoting and optimizing health and abilities, preventing illnesses and injuries through the treatment of human response. Nursing is a health sector which is concerned with the protection and the care of individual. The purpose of this assignment is to elaborate more about problems that are involved in the nursing practice, there importance and how they can be evaluated. In the nursing sector there are many problems which encounter the nurses working there hence this leads to a poor working environment or may also lead to poor nursing skills. Most problems encountered in the nursing sector are always influenced by the management in the health sector. Most health sectors have poor managerial skills which prove to have minimum likelihood of operating under good conditions. The managerial issues in the health sector have led to the diminish of good and quality nurses who are able to provide the best and reliable services to the patients in the hospitals. The managerial hierarchy is always involved in many factors concerning the health sector which includes:Staffing,Satisfaction on patient’s needs,Inter relationships among the working nurses, Job hazards and their appropriate safety in the sector, Advances in technology about the hospital equipments and Patient relationships. Managerial hierarchy is the stronghold’s part of a certain sector where it should provide the best skills for the proper working of the whole health sector. It is important and guaranteed that health sector should have the best working condition worldwide in order to ensure that each and every person with health problems is treated with much care. There are many important factors which are always applicable to the management in the health sector. They include: Good management reduces costs made to in the health sector. This helps in realization and maximization of results through fewer inputs by proper planning. The management will be able to use physical, financial resources in order to reduce cost production involved in the health sector. Good management will help in the realization of the sector’s goals. The nursing management will be able to arrange the best factors which are eligible to offer the best services to the patients through the nurses hence providing an effective manner of achieving its goals. Good managerial skills will establish equilibrium to the sector whereby it enhances the health sector to survive under different and variable working environment. There is optimum utilization of available resources. The management will utilize the human resources productively. It will provide maximum utilization of the scarce resources by providing its best solutions in the health sector for various uses. Good management will also provide essentials for the prosperity of the society. An efficient management will enable increase the welfare among the people of the society. In the journal, Advanced and Specialist Nursing Practice: Attitudes of Nurses and Physicians in Israel states that with the introduction of new and advanced nursing roles, the profession is undergoing dynamic change. Realization of such changes will be easier to accomplish if the nursing community and other healthcare professionals welcome the process of change in the nursing sector. The journal says that the goal is to evaluate Israeli nurses towards the introduction of new nursing roles and to expand the scope of nursing practice. In the journal Managerial responses to Medicaid prospective payment in the nursing home sector proposes that healthcare reform at the national level is extremely improbable. The nursing professionals should have adequate skills on the provision of care to the sick patients. It claims that with better skills in health sector helps in providing a suitable working environment (Brodsky Dijk, 2011). In the journal, Managing Nursing Assets: A primer on maximizing investment in people argues that nurse managers require critical competencies and skills to thrive in today’s health care environment. A nurse manager’s relationship with nursing staff is the primary variable that can reduce turnover and improve unit morale in a variety of different ways hence self confidence is required. Changing the health management staff refers to the processes and human beings and techniques deployed in order to effectively manage the required change for a better outcome. Change will always occur in a sector when there is a problem which continually exists. A change of health management will involve implementation and provided risks to the existing sector. The change should be realistic and also achievable. It can also be in terms of increased performance and reduction of costs. There should be a change in terms of management in the health and nursing sector. Management hierarchy should be stable in order to establish a good working environment for the nurses so that they can deliver good services to the patients in the hospitals. Establishment of changes in the health sector should be towards the realization of goals made through the provision of better services. Changing the old operating management leads to the birth of a new system which probably has better skills compared to the previous one. For a nursing sector to have benefits there should be adequate knowledge on how to effectively manage it. Without the existence of change control command system in a sector there will be assumptions that there is poor management in the health and nursing sector. There are many changes which are always suggested especially when there is suitability of changing the management board. This will include: Changing the control board in the health sector. This will involve targeting key people especially those who don’t give a well presented outcome of what they have done in the course of their work. Lazy managerial workers are supposed to be prevented from operating in such fragile health sectors so that better and quality services are provided. Nurses in the managerial hierarchy who have less skills about there work should be of rid to the health sector (Reid Coburn, 2010). There should be effective identification, validation and communication among the people working together. This will enable proper communication among the people working together in the hospitals hence providing a good working environment. Implementing and evaluating the change in practice. This will involve the building the systems for knowing the patients, identification of problems early, communicating them and managing the changes of the patient at an early stage. Integrating and maintaining the changes brought into practice. This will develop knowledge and skills in assembling topics concerning the clinical nursing issues. This will enhance recognizable knowledge and provide well formulated answers for clinical questions. There are factors which are considered during the implementation of the changes made. One of these strongly considered factors is the individual patient or family needs and preferences. Family backgrounds will largely affect the changes made through implementation. A certain family will come up with an idea of transferring their own patient to another hospital maybe due to poor services provided in the nursing facilities. This will lead to thorough and keen investigation of the nursing facilities which will probably lead to most changes which will cause implementation of the nursing structure. Most patients are unable to give their own thoughts on services offered to them. This is because there is limited patient engagement with the nurses present in the nursing facilities. The patients will be unable to interact with the nurses due to poor interaction skills experienced from the nurses hence there is limited communication among them. Patients are supposed to engage effectively in speaking for better services to be provided on them. Patients are supposed to conquer the obstacles which prevent them from engaging in decision making among them. The patient may have additional needs that are supposed to be analyzed in multiple dimensions. Patient values and there preferable needs are of clinical interview whereby the implementation of the nursing changes will lead to evaluation of patient values. There needs should be expressed to the managing sector so that the nursing team will provide with all the necessities while in the nursing clinics. This will ensure that all the system within which the practices for patient nursing cares differ from the majority or one’s own (Reid Coburn, 2010). Patients and family needs will lead to the analysis of ethical and legalized implications that the patient has to describe the boundaries of the nursing clinics. The value shared in decision making among the patient and families will be embraced even during conflicts. This will lead to the analysis of strategies that will empower the patients and families in terms of health care. Patients are engaged in active partnerships during illness moments hence there is respect over patient preferences and reasponsibilties.Barriers are eliminated to presence of families hence there is changes in nursing clinics. Integration of principles involved in effective communication with quality knowledge and safety among them will give a description of good reflective practice. Continued analyzing and improving of a patient’s level will enhance changes through communication with the nurses in the nursing care facilities (Flannery Grace, 2009). When patients demonstrate knowledge concerning their health, they will appreciate their strengths and weaknesses and practice the need for quality conduct. .Flexibility of the patient values are more important in terms of been supportive to specific interventions whereby there is impact implicated on changes made. Health cares managers should be able to recognize that there is need for engaging patients and family members in matters concerning them so that the health cares will deliver more and better resources to them. As there are changes taking place in the nursing sector, it is important to evaluate the results made after the changes have been made. Evaluating will involve the relations between the original strategy and the sector’s objectives. When the changes are not evaluated it will become difficult for the management sector to show how well they have been managing the whole process. When the management is able to review and monitor its own objectives there will be further improvements that is required in a health sector. When the change is not successful, the managers are still able to evaluate why the change process had to fail. The best way of evaluating change processes is through performance indices. If a sector’s objective is to increase productivity then its output can be compared to the input. Evaluation of the outcomes made helps in keeping the processes of change stable. Change is considered as the biggest challenge for all sectors even though large or small. Change is at a pace whereby it is universal and it is known to be increasing with time. References Brodsky, E., Dijk, D. V. (2011). Advanced and specialist nursing practice: Attitudes of nurses and physicians in Israel. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 40(2), 187-94. Retrieved from Reid, W. M., Coburn, A. F. (2010). Managerial responses to Medicaid prospective payment in the nursing home sector. Hospital Health Services Administration, 41(3), 283. Retrieved from Flannery, T. P., Grace, J. L. (2009). Managing nursing assets: A primer on maximizing investment in people. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 23(4), 35-46. Retrieved from

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Othello: the Feminine Perspective Essay -- Othello essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚   Othello, Shakespeare’s tragic drama, has much to say about women and the attitudes of social groups and individuals towards them. Let’s examine, from the top down, from the general to the lower ranks, these outlooks on women and other feminine considerations. Kenneth Muir, in the Introduction to William Shakespeare: Othello, explains the Moor’s blind ignorance of his won wife: Iago begins his temptation on the following morning, and he is able to exploit Othello’s comparative ignorance of his wife. This ignorance is only partly due to the fact that they have had no opportunity of living together. It is due to a number of other factors. Othello comes of royal birth but he has won for himself a place of distinction in the service of the Venetian state by his military prowess. He confesses the one-sidedness of his experience (I.3.86-7):    little of this great world can I speak More than pertains to feats of broil and battle. . . . (32)    The violence against women in this drama is unpalatable for much of the audience. A.C. Bradley, in his book of literary criticism, Shakespearean Tragedy, describes the violence against the heroine as a â€Å"sin against the canons of art†:    To some readers, again, parts of Othello appear shocking or even horrible. They think – if I may formulate their objection – that in these parts Shakespeare has sinned against the canons of art, by representing on the stage a violence or brutality the effect of which is unnecessarily painful and rather sensational than tragic. The passages which thus give offence are probably those already referred to – that where Othello strikes Desdemona (IV.i.251), that where he affects to treat her as an inmate of a house of ill-fame (IV.i... ...ies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Literature. N. p.: Random House, 1986.    Gardner, Helen. â€Å"Othello: A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from â€Å"The Noble Moor.† British Academy Lectures, no. 9, 1955.    Heilman, Robert B. â€Å"Wit and Witchcraft: an Approach to Othello.† Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. Rev. Ed. Rpt. from The Sewanee Review, LXIV, 1 (Winter 1956), 1-4, 8-10; and Arizona Quarterly (Spring 1956), pp.5-16.    Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Penguin Books, 1968.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.      

Friday, October 11, 2019

Comparative Paper of Race/Ethnicity Essay

Racial background and ethnicities are represented in the short stories â€Å"Country Lovers†, â€Å"The Welcome Table†, and the poem â€Å"What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl†. All of these stories have a main character or protagonist black female. All three of these women deal with some degree of discrimination because of their color. The hardships that these women suffer during their life can be suffered by anyone but growing up in a discriminatory situation creates a more dramatic story. The main themes in â€Å"Country Lovers† are love and racial politics. Country Lovers was written during a time when Africa was suffering from racial segregation. This story has irony throughout the entire story. Thebedi and Paulus grow up together and they fall in love. They grew up in Africa during the apartheid when their country did not allow interracial relationships. Paulus Eysendyck was the son of the farm owner and Thebedi’s father worked on that farm. They both knew they could not be together publicly. During the apartheid in Africa it was illegal to have an interracial relationship. There are several dramatic effects in this story. The first is when the narrator talks about Paulus going away to school â€Å"This usefully coincides with the age of twelve or thirteen; so that by the time early adolescence is reached, the black children are making along with the bodily changes common to all, an easy transition to adult forms of address, beginning to call their old playmates missus and baasie little master† (Clungston, 2010). There’s loss of innocence and forbidden love as described here when Paulus watches Thebedi wade in the water â€Å"The schoolgirls he went swimming with at dams or pools on neighbouring farms wore bikinis but the sight of their dazzling bellies and thighs in the sunlight had never made him feel what he felt now when the girl came up the bank and sat beside him, the drops of water beading off her dark legs the only points of light in the earth–smelling deep shade† (Clungston, 2010). This love would by any other means be normal, but since it is during the apartheid it is against the law. Eventually, Thebedi becomes pregnant at eighteen with Paulus’s child. In order to protect herself Thebedi marries another man, Njabulo a laborer on the Eysendyck farm, like her father. When Paulus returns home on holiday he learns of the child, fearing that it is his, knowing the legal issues he could face, he goes to see the child. When Paulus sees the child â€Å"He struggled for a moment with a grimace of tears, anger, and self–pity. He said, â€Å"You haven’t been near the house with it? † (Clungston, 2010) Both Paulus and Thebedi know the consequences if the child is found out about. Two days later Paulus returns to Thebedi’s hut and drowns the child. The baby had been given a proper burial until â€Å"someone—one of the other labourers? their women? —had reported that the baby was almost white, that, strong and healthy, it had died suddenly after a visit by the farmer’s son†(Clungston, 2010). In the end, a trial resulted in a â€Å"not guilty† verdict because of insufficient proof. Each one of these events is dramatic. The main themes of â€Å"The Welcome Table† are impartial Christ-like love and racism. Walker’s story â€Å"The Welcome Table† never mentions a table except under the title it quotes an old spiritual. We are never given a name of the old woman in this story. This creates anonymity about the woman; this is tragic because she is unknown. Based on the description of the woman’s clothes the idea is given that â€Å"Perhaps she had known suffering â€Å"(Walker, 1973). In the story of the old black woman is described as, â€Å"the color of poor gray Georgia earth, beaten by king cotton and the extreme weather† (Walker, 1973). This old Black woman is on a mission. Even though there is no table in this story, the welcome table is a metaphor for impartial love. The old woman heads into a house of god expecting it to have impartial love. The church people discriminated against her because she is black. The good church folk are shocked. The reverend reminds her gently saying â€Å"Auntie, you know this is not your church† (Walker, 1973). The old woman thinks â€Å"as if one could choose the wrong one† (Walker, 1973). She brushes past them all and finds a seat near the back. Inside it is very cold, colder than usual. She ignores the request of an usher, referring to her as grandma, who asks her to leave. The ladies, who are celebrating the impartial love that they presumably have, finally insist and their husbands hurl her out. She is stunned, bewildered, and starts to sing a sad song. Then she notices something coming down â€Å"the long gray highway. † She grins toothlessly and giggles with joy. For it is none other than Jesus, and he is walking toward her. When he came close, he said, â€Å"Follow me† and the old woman â€Å"bounded down to his side with all the bob and speed of one so old†(Walker, 1973). The two of them walk on together. She tells him her troubles, and he listens kindly, smiling warmly. Jesus provides her with the welcome table. The people in the church never knew what happened to her. Some said they saw her jabbering to herself and walking off down the highway all alone. â€Å"They guessed maybe she had relatives across the river, some miles away, but none of them really knew. † The theme in this story is racism and hardship. Smiths poem gives the audience a view into a young girls transition from being a black girl into becoming a black woman during a time when both being a black girl and a black woman are unwelcomed. An Explication: From transition to disappointment. The poem â€Å"What it’s like to be a Black Girl (for those of you who aren’t)† by Patricia Smith, is exactly as it is described in the title. Smiths poem gives the audience an insider’s view into a young black girl’s transition into black woman-hood at a time where both being a black girl and a black woman was not as welcomed. Puberty is usually described by the biological changes a young boy or girl’s body goes through. Smith writes, â€Å"It’s being 9 years old and feeling like you’re not finished,† and â€Å"like your edges are wild, like there’s something, everything, wrong† (Smith, 1991). Though all teens have these thoughts in Smiths poem the black girl also have the added pressures of a racially unjust society. This â€Å"black girl† she refers to in her poem is feeling the awkwardness of her newly changing body and the hope of something different and maybe better to come. The poem tells the story of a young black girl exploring and experiencing what it is to become a black woman in a society that tells her to be white is better. â€Å"It’s dropping food coloring in your eyes to make them blue and suffering their burn in silence. It’s popping a bleached white mophead over the kinks of your hair and primping in front of the mirrors that deny your reflection. † (Smith, 1991) The food coloring in her eyes and the bleached hair symbolize her need to be accepted by society’s idea of proper. â€Å"It’s flame and fists and life according to Motown† (Smith, 1991). The life she knows is Motown music, racial slurs, and fighting. Between â€Å"jumping double Dutch until your legs pop† and â€Å"growing tall and wearing a lot of white† (Smith, 1991) the poem tells us how a young black girl balances her changing body, with her child-like mentality. The wearing of a lot of white is her wearing of the wedding gown often seen as a symbol of womanhood. On that day, she’s starts the next chapter in her life, as a married woman. When Smith talks about â€Å"having a man reach out for you and caving in around his fingers† (Smith, 1919) it gives the reader a better observation of the subservient mentality women dealt with during the 1960’s. Finally, this young black girl is now a woman. Throughout the poem, Smith has helped us to see the transition from a black girl to a black woman. With Smiths’ attention to detail, the reader is able to follow the girl’s changes, both biological and psychological. This poem tells the story of a young black girl’s journey and her experiences while becoming a grown black woman in an era of racial uncertainty. All three women are survivors of a life of racial unjust. These stories are common to everyday life changes and lessons. These hardships, that everyone normally sees, are much more dramatic in a society that discriminates against color. References: Clugston, R. W. , (2010). Journey into Literature. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved March 20, 2011 from https://content. ashford. edu/books/AUENG125. 10. 2/sections/h3. 2? search=Country%20Lovers Walker, A. , (1973). In Love & Trouble: Stories of Black Women. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 81-87. Smith, P. , (1991). Life According to Motown. What it’s Like to Be a Black Girl (for those of you who aren’t). Tia Chucha Press.