The squaters' world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The squaters' world - Essay Example The issue is not about who is right or wrong or whether squatting is good or not, but to understand the situation of squatting as a whole.   Throughout this analysis, we will see that squatting is an alternative movement which fights for its own rights and asserts a different lifestyle that is anti-capitalist. Millions of people squat in the world. It is the oldest way of living. According to the Oxford Dictionary, squatting means â€Å"unlawfully occupy an uninhabited building or area of land.†(Oxford Dictionary 2008). Squatters exist all around the world, from Bombay to New York the action is the same but the purposes differ. In Nairobi shantytown, peoples have no other choice but to do squatting to survive. They sometimes live with several families in the same built â€Å"house†. In a certain way, the squatters are the capitalism’s indirect victims. In western countries, squats represent a warm place to spend the night but also an alternative way of living. It is a strong philosophy which stands up against capitalism. The conditions of living can be poor or good, depending on the country and the geographical situation. Inhabitants can find a free place where many activities occur and where many different people live.   According to Luca Pattaroni from the Laboratory of Urban Sociology of the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, â€Å"research shows that most squatters are people of low income, from a wide range of social background† (Swissinfo 2008). Indeed squatters are not only homeless. They can be young rebels,  artists, or travelers. In many cases, we find students and citizens who cannot afford the extremely high Geneva rental accommodations. There are also many refugees and immigrants from Africa, Latin America and from Central Europe.   Squats are socially centered, where people from uncommon horizon cohabit. Junkie, militant or tramp with any limited age are welcomed to

Symbolism in Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie Essay Example for Free

Symbolism in Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie Essay Tennessee Williams is one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. His first successful play, The Glass Menagerie, embodies his grace and skill as an author and an interpretor of the human experience. This intense drama ventures into familial relationships, societal situations, and the nature of memory. The Glass Menagerie opened in the mid 1940s in Chicago, and instantly became a mainstay in modern short fiction and continues to influence playwrights and authors of all genres. It is through symbolism that Williams reinforces theme, character development, and fate in The Glass Menagerie. One of the first symbols encountered by the reader is the fire escape. The fire escape represents both a literal and symbolic way to leave the house. It also represents a major them in the story – the need to escape. Williams describes the Wingfield house and makes note of the fire escape. He explains â€Å"huge buildings are always burning with the slow and implacable fires of human desperation† (scene i). Certainly this is true of the Wingfield family. Tom wishes to escape from his boring job and current lifestyle because â€Å"Man is by instinct a lover, a hunter, a fighter, and none of those instincts are given much play at the warehouse! † (scene ii). He does succeed, occasionally, in finding comfort in movies, drinking, and magic shows. The fire escape represents his ultimate path to his freedom. His regular trips onto the fire escape to smoke foreshadows the permanent abandonment of his family. In the final speech of the story, Tom states â€Å"I descended the steps of this fire escape for a last time and followed, from then on, in my father’s footsteps, attempting to find in motion what was lost in space† (scene vii). Laura wishes to escape too. However, she seeks refuge not in the real world but within the house and a reality all her own. The fire escape protects her from the outside world. She wishes to isolate herself from the world where her deformity is laughed at and her shy spirit is crushed. Even when she ventures out on to the fire escape she slips representing another failed attempt at entering the real world (scene iv). The high school nick name, â€Å"blue roses† (scene ii), that Jim had for Laura is also symbolic. It is a symbol of the affection that Laura seeks and the cruelty that world offers her. Blue roses are both unusual and mysterious which reflects Lauras personality. The nick name while seemingly affectionate was actually a play on the term â€Å"pleurosis† which Laura suffered from in her childhood. Additional, the use of the name Rose pays homage to Williams sister who was afflicted by a mental disorder and was against her will subjected to a lobotomy which she never recovered from. The Glass Menagerie† is not only the title but also the central symbol within the story. Lauras collection of glass animal figures mirrors several of her personality traits. Her mother references the glass menagerie when talking about Laura and comments â€Å"She lives in a world of her own—a world of—little glass ornaments† (scene v). Laura is delicate and needs to be handled carefully because â€Å"Glass breaks so easily. No matter how careful you are (scene vii). Just as glass is transparent and superficially uninteresting so is Laura. However, in the right light those tiny glass creatures refract light in a number of various and vibrant colors. This is similar to Laura who may appear shy and boring to strangers but becomes alluring and attractive when her false societal mask is peeled away and her inner spirit is exposed. Jim is almost instantly enamored with Laura and tries to comfort her by stating â€Å"You think of yourself as having the only problems, as being the only one who is disappointed. But just look around you and you will see lots of people as disappointed as you are† (scene vii). The menagerie also represents the imagined world Laura lives in – full of color but based on unstable illusions. The most important and functional symbol within the short story is the glass unicorn. The unicorn is Lauras favorite figurine. Jim states â€Å"A unicorn, huh? —aren’t they extinct in the modern world? † (scene vii). Laura, like the unicorn, is ill equipped to exist in this world full cruel acts and evil people. The fate of the unicorn, extinction, foreshadows what will Lauras future will hold. It also becomes a symbol of the initiation and normalization of Laura into the real world. As Jim and Laura dance the unicorn is broken. Jims kiss destroys Lauras uniqueness. She fades effortlessly from her heightened experience with Jim into a normal existence as he explains he must rush off for an appointment with his girlfriend. She gives the broken unicorn to Jim as a keepsake because the unicorn â€Å"is just like all the other horses†(scene vii) now. This is symbolic of everything that Jim destroyed and took from Laura in that single evening. Symbolism is a literary device that Williams employs in almost all of his writing. Using common place items – the fire escape, glass figurines, roses – allows the theme, character development, and the denouement of the story to be easily accessible and understood by the audience. The glass menagerie is physical image and memory that all readers can take away from the story. Symbolic of a life lived in fantasy because it could not survive in the worlds cruel reality.

The First Day :: Personal Narrative Essays

The First Day      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was a bright sunny day, the sky was a soft shade of blue and there was a slight breeze in the air. I stepped out of my moms red shiny CRX as she said ‘Good Luck' to me. I forced up a weak smile as I shoved the door, and it made a woosh noise as it closed. I took a deep breathe and started walking towards the man entrance. I thought to myself, ‘Why does the school have all the buildings seperated?'      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I slowly walked forward as I started looking at all the other kids, most were in groups and all talking laughing and smiling. I felt very small, like I was an alien who had just landed on planet Earth. I thought to myself, ‘I should be at home, with my friends talking and laughing'. But I wasn't,   I was in Rocklin, California. Id moved here at the begging of August. And I'd hated it ever since. But I was willing to give Rocklin a shot, even though ever kid I'd met in town so far had said ‘Rocklin is the worst school'. As I walked forward with the white scrunched up piece of paper that told me my classes, I tried to look like I fit in. As I looked around for my class, I noticed I was on the wrong side of the building. ‘At least I know where the main building is,' I said to myself.   The main building looked bright and cheery, like the sun.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I trudged over to the main building trying not to look at anyone,   the pavement looked really white. When I got to the main building I walked up to a Miss Kerby, sitting behind a desk and asked her if she could tell me where this building was. Instead I felt like I had just been arrested for murder. I was bombarded with about 5 questions all at once. I answered them all, and with a negative tone she told me ‘I cant help you, you need your mom to go sign these'. I felt shocked and a huge amount of anger mounting up inside me. I walked straight out of the building. I didn't need to get crap from some lady when I was trying to get used to a state that I had never been too. I walked home and slammed the front door shut, and screamed at the top of my lungs ‘I hate it here, I am moving back to Illinois with my dad!' And ran upstairs to my room, slammed The First Day :: Personal Narrative Essays The First Day      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was a bright sunny day, the sky was a soft shade of blue and there was a slight breeze in the air. I stepped out of my moms red shiny CRX as she said ‘Good Luck' to me. I forced up a weak smile as I shoved the door, and it made a woosh noise as it closed. I took a deep breathe and started walking towards the man entrance. I thought to myself, ‘Why does the school have all the buildings seperated?'      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I slowly walked forward as I started looking at all the other kids, most were in groups and all talking laughing and smiling. I felt very small, like I was an alien who had just landed on planet Earth. I thought to myself, ‘I should be at home, with my friends talking and laughing'. But I wasn't,   I was in Rocklin, California. Id moved here at the begging of August. And I'd hated it ever since. But I was willing to give Rocklin a shot, even though ever kid I'd met in town so far had said ‘Rocklin is the worst school'. As I walked forward with the white scrunched up piece of paper that told me my classes, I tried to look like I fit in. As I looked around for my class, I noticed I was on the wrong side of the building. ‘At least I know where the main building is,' I said to myself.   The main building looked bright and cheery, like the sun.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I trudged over to the main building trying not to look at anyone,   the pavement looked really white. When I got to the main building I walked up to a Miss Kerby, sitting behind a desk and asked her if she could tell me where this building was. Instead I felt like I had just been arrested for murder. I was bombarded with about 5 questions all at once. I answered them all, and with a negative tone she told me ‘I cant help you, you need your mom to go sign these'. I felt shocked and a huge amount of anger mounting up inside me. I walked straight out of the building. I didn't need to get crap from some lady when I was trying to get used to a state that I had never been too. I walked home and slammed the front door shut, and screamed at the top of my lungs ‘I hate it here, I am moving back to Illinois with my dad!' And ran upstairs to my room, slammed

Huckleberry Finn ( Huck Finn ) :: Essays Papers

Huck Finn3 Characters found in Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn are shown as being victims of the times through their ignorance to the possibility that all men are equal no matter what color skin one has. Pap, Huck’s father, is the most ignorant character within the book. He blatantly comes out and tells the reader his feeling of blacks, while a character such as Tom isn’t so obvious. Along with these two characters, the Royal Nonesuch and the Phelps’s friends display an ignorance of the times. Huck displays ignorance at its best, and shows that with a little love, it can easily be diminished. Throughout the book characters reveal their basis towards black people through the various situations. The most racist of the characters was Pap. He refused to believe that blacks and whites were equal. Pap walked around with a superior attitude because he was white, which was a common attitude of his time. While some characters, such as Huck, had sympathy towards blacks, Pap did not care for them at all. He thought it to be quite absurd that a free slave â€Å"had a gold watch and chain and a silver-headed cane† while Pap had nothing (24). He was disgusted with the fact that this free slave was allowed to vote and he said, â€Å"I’ll never vote ag’in as long as I live,† to stress how much he despised blacks (24). Pap believed the government to be corrupt because it couldn’t â€Å"sell a free nigger till he’s been in the state six months† (24). He even went on to tell the reader that the free slave was a â€Å"prowling, thieving, infernal, white-shirted nigger† only because he had a different color skin than Pap (24). He never had anything nice to say about blacks, and constantly looked down on them. Twain used Pap’s character. Tom’s ignorance was a lot more subtle than Pap’s. His ignorance was not shown until much later in the book when Huck tells Tom that he is going to â€Å"steal† Jim back. Huck was surprised when Tom said he was going to help Huck steal Jim because Huck thought that Tom would say, â€Å"it’s dirty, low-down business† (203). Huck, knowing that Tom â€Å"was respectable and well brung up; and had a character to lose,† could not figure out why Tom would help steal a slave (210).

Research Statement on the Impact of the American Culture to Canadian Cultural

Historically, Canada has been subjected to various cultures such as that of the British and the French. From as early the 1500s, European explorers, traders, and fishermen from England, Ireland and France helped form the basis of Canadian culture. Now in the modern era, there is another addition in the list of cultural influences affecting the Canadian society. This cultural treat comes in the form of the contemporary American culture.American influence is clearly visible but not fully acknowledge by most Canadians. Several people think that this is an implied disposition but there is also a great number who believe that this is explicitly manifested in the Canadian culture. Proximity and the migration of people, ideas, and capital were deemed to be the cause of America’s immense influence on Canadians (Canada culture).This study aims to uncover the predicament of the Canadian culture in relation to being associated to the American Culture. Public perception of the United Stat es as a global powerhouse in politics, economics and culture has produced a very potent American culture wherein in this case, Canadians have unconsciously embraced it as demonstrated in their fondness for Hollywood, U. S. landscapes and American vernacular (Kellogg, 2004).Determining the starting point, extent and effect of the American influence on Canadian culture will provide an ample amount of information that would explore the ways in which American influences have challenged Canada's cultural values and asks whether Canada is able to maintain its own identity. The period covered would start from post-modern era to present. The time frame relatively represents the age of globalization when culture is intensified and amplified to meet the clamor for innovations.Generally, Post modernism is a movement of ideas arising from, but also critical of elements of modernism. This definition embodies the present state of the American culture. Understanding Culture It is important to unde rstand and identify aspects of culture that leads to its pervasion across geographical and political boundaries. It is equally important to understand the roots of cultural disparity and differences that often places two civilizations, though geographically contiguous, at subtle levels of conflict and confrontation.The cultural spectrum holds different shades for a person, a society and a nation, accordingly helping each of them to assimilate and adapt to a common identity that is defined and shaped by culture. In the process of evolving this collective identity, culture transcends its traditional role of providing an aggregate set of beliefs, customs, norms, values, ethics, traditions, moral, social and legal codes, perceptions, and philosophy, to become the overall physical framework for the society to function.Culture attains a real form, rendering a three dimensional living space for people to experience its living force (Mahant and Mount, 2002). Culture is strongly related with geographical setting of a place, religion, ethnicity, and race, explaining why different countries have different cultures, and also why places on seashore share common elements of culture that is quite different from culture of mountainous places.The imprinting of culture on ways a person thinks, acts, perceives the environment and models his/her reaction is very strong and virtually indelible, determining every aspect of human behavior and giving rise to cultural identity in addition to individual and national identity. Although the classic rational choice framework says that people are independent in choice of their behavior and approach towards events, its seen that at subtle levels the structural model provided by culture acts as final determinant in predicting a person, a society and a nation.Although culture is dynamic, evolving and continuously upgrading itself, in essence, these changes occur within the context of culture’s own timeframe (Mahant and Mount, 2002). On e of the most important contribution of culture to human civilization is the orientation provided towards other cultures, making the culture in question receptive, tolerant, indifferent or outright hostile towards different cultures. Societies are seldom mono-cultural, displaying a range of cultural traits, achieved through generations of trades, contact, and cross cultural mixing.However, although for people belonging to a particular culture, their culture would hardly seem complex, the cultural realities are hidden beneath the surface, difficult to observe and discern from outside. These improper understanding and imperfect perceptions of culture often give rise to conflict when different cultures are required to meet or come across. Cultural Dialogue and Imprinting between USA and Canada In recent times, the Canadian cultural policy has taken an inward looking approach in order to minimize influence of United State Culture while supporting Canadian cultural elements.The rhetoric of cultural protectionism is familiar-aimed towards protecting Canadian cultural, its sovereignty and identity; assuring shelf space for Canada in a world completely occupied by Americanism; assuring a zone of creative independence to Canadians where their tales would be theirs’ alone. This introvert attitude is also promoted with an aim to counter the market dominance of American products, their selling strategies, , their discriminatory policies against Canadian goods and their challenge to Canadian sense of independence, unity, and identity (Mahant and Mount, 2002).It is no wonder that this logic is also forwarded as an argument for protecting and promoting cultural diversity. Such rhetoric have come repeatedly off Canadian politicians, cultural leaders and taken up fervently a large section of Canadian media. (Acheson and Maule, 1999, 329-48). However, these maneuvers lack a historical perspective of US and Canada relation that dates back to the earliest days of colonial settlements. At the time when United States of America achieved its independence in 1783, it comprised of thirteen principle colonies, comprising most of people, and habitable parts of the region at the time.What was left of British North America contained a large territory with scant but primarily English speaking population as a direct result of the American Revolution when most of the loyalist fled there (Maule, 2003). This predominantly English culture implied that this region, which would be later, organized as Canada would bear a close relationship with its politically and economically advanced neighbor. The binding thread of English language and same English culture provided both Canada and USA a common cultural platform, especially in a huge and isolated landscape.The cultural interaction between two countries took place at same frequency and within the same context, and it filled Canadians with a sense of creation and recognition of a joint cultural space where events in Un ited States did not take place across the border, rather across the boundary wall (MacKinnon, 1973). The feeling of continuous cultural space permeated through most of 19th century, as people across border established close links and immigration between the two nations took place with a greater ease than intra-state travel in many countries.Naturally, owing to its superior size, population, vastly greater economy and industrial prowess, USA took the role of big-brother between two nations and for the initial days, Canadians were perfectly content in following USA as a role model for practically all aspects of their life (Maule, 2003). Hence it is no surprise that education, political system and social structure of Canada closely toed on US lines (MacKinnon, 1973). By the beginning of 20th century, US media, press and broadcast were largely dominating their Canadian counterparts.Reports citing surveys conducted in the period 1920-26 state that Canadian readership for US magazines, bo oks and newspapers had gone on all time high, leaving behind British and even their own publications by several degrees (Acheson and Maule, 1999, 329-48). Meanwhile, with emergence of motion picture and wireless broadcast, Americanism, its ethics and its values found a much quicker and shorter route to penetrate Canadian horizons. The cultural extension of USA in Canada was of sufficient strength to mould its business interests to the interest of United States commercial enterprises (Maule, 2003).However, Canadian identity received a major boost post the Second World War, where their armed legions had distinguished themselves. Cultural issues now took centerstage and several commissions instituted by Canadian government were unanimous in their recommendations for establishing councils that would oversee development of Canadian art, literature, music, and aesthetics, independent of the drug laden bohemian US pop culture. By 1957, Canadian government had established the council for ar t and music and opened Canadian public library.The government even took several relatively draconian measures, such as levying tax on popular American magazines in order to divert the readership as well advertisers to Canadian publications. The government also invested in establishing a network of universities and colleges with independent curriculum than their US counterparts (Peers, 1969). Protecting Canadian Culture Canadian culture has always been protective towards its earlier British root, and although there is a continuous influx of people from around the world in Canada, the essential Canadian values hung close to colonial memories for a considerable time(Dean and Dehejia, 2006).Naturally the completely un-conventional and un-orthodox American value system and cultural symbols had always posed a threat to traditional values and cultural system of Canada. Further, the inner progress towards nationhood since 1960 has permeated a feeling of nationalism in Canada, where, coming out of British cultural dominion, they attempted to assert themselves as a national group (Fulford. 1990). Under these circumstances an assault of US cultural values was seen as a threat to the nascent Cultural nationalism and Canadian cultural-value system.Despite instituting these measures, Canadian government could not claim complete immunity by ever growing American influence through its beaming pop culture, movie world and non-conservative attitude towards system of values and ethics. The presence of an active, forward, and rather intruding American culture let Canada to retain at least five different types of measures to protect its culture were still in place. The first of these measures known as ‘Cancon’ regulations have been extant since 1930s and by 1990s they formed a essential if somewhat erratic part of the principle measures in place to check American Culture.Under the provisions of Cancon regulations, its compulsory for Canadian private broadcasters to sh ow at least 60 percent Canadian content during evening â€Å"prime time,†. Although in practice, the duration is considerably lower than what is stipulated, yet it has ensured that at the least some Canadian content is broadcasted. but most show considerably less than these figures would suggest (Kellog, 2004). As a direct consequence of cancon regulation surveys conducted in May 2000 reveal that 35 percent of all music played on Canadian radio stations is Canadian with some quota also for primarily instrumental music.To ensure Canadian presence in television programs, the government has introduced a a point system that measures Canadian-ness of programs in terms of the proportion of Canadians involved (Mahant and Mount, 2002). Although these measures did not necessarily reflect the accurate picture, neither assured Canadian-ness of content, they have remained effective from a general point of view in keeping Canadian culture afloat (Kellog, 2004). The second category of meas ures have consisted trade protection to Canadian broadcasters and media.Although, with introduction of WTO rules and regulations, many of these regulations have disappeared, yet the remnants continue to provide a structural security to Canadian broadcasters (Dean and Dehejia, 2006). In the third set of measurements, Canadian government took steps to increase investment in Canadian media and broadcast industry. The government recognized that cultural performance in Canada is linked with ownership and control. These investment policies have allowed the prevention of American bookstore chains and media industries from comprehensive takeover of their Canadian counterparts.Though the government has allowed limited foreign investment in the cultural industries, the center of its focus has remained on promoting and nurturing Canada based cultural entities (Mahant and Mount, 2002. Under the fourth set of measurement, government decided to directly subsidize Canadian Cultural entities. The s ubsidies have become central to Canadian policies to protect, and encourage Canadian cultural values, entities, art and music, especially after NAFTA and WTO have led to elimination of a number of other protective measures (Mahant and Mount, 2002).For example, according to a 1997 ruling, WTO stipulated that the postal subsidies enjoyed by Canadian magazines would be regarded as an illegal subsidy. Therefore, government has provisioned systems of direct grants and subsidies as a result of which nearly all the forms of Canadian cultural entities, ranging from from book publishing to films to readings by writers and art exhibits enjoys measures of government subsidy and supported (Mahant and Mount, 2002). The serious intents of Canadian government can be estimated from the fact that in 1996-97 government spent more than $5.6 billion dollars in cultural subsidies and grants; Apart from these measures, the Canadian government has also established a number of ad hoc measures, rules and re gulations to protect its heritage and Culture. This ad hoc approach has been necessary especially since WTO and NAFTA have continued to pressurize and impeded government’s efforts to protect Canadian cultural industries and sectors (Mahant and Mount, 2002. Certainly these measures diluted, if not ended, US cultural dominance on Canadian social space.However, US media, riding upon its buoyant economy and its technological enterprise continued to dazzle the world, and it was little surprise that, its culturally closest neighbor, Canada could hardly escape their affect. As the era of globalization, Internet and social networking has dawned upon the world, it is inevitable that Canadian cultural distinctions would at some point of time reflect the values and ethics promoted by a US dominated world (Mahant and Mount, 2002). References Blackwell, J. D. and Blackwell-Stanley, L. C.. Canadian Studies: A Guide to the Sources.Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://www. iccs-ciec. ca/ blackwell. html#culture Canada culture. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://www. university- world. com/canada/canada_culture. html Kellog, A. (2004). Despite American culture creep, Canadian values remain. Edmonton Journal. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://www. gaiecoute. com/default. aspx? scheme=2150. Large Canada Urban Areas Population and Density: 2001. Statistics Canada:2001 McGregor, G. The Beaver Bites Back: American Popular Culture in Canada David H.Flaherty and Frank E. Manning (eds. ). Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1993. 356 pp. CJS Online. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://www. cjsonline. ca/articles/mcgregor. html O'Neil, D. Overview. (2006). Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://anthro. palomar. edu/change/change_1. htm Mahant. E. E. , Mount, G. S. 2001. The U. S. Cultural Impact upon Canada; American Review of Canadian Studies, Vol. 31. Maule, C. 2003. State of the Canada-U. S. Relationship: Culture. American Review of Canadian Studies, Vol. 33, 2003.Neil MacKinnon, â€Å"The Changing Attitudes of the Nova Scotian Loyalists towards the United States, 1783-1791,† Acadiensis 2 (Spring 1973). Acheson, Keith and Christopher Maule, Much Ado about Culture: North American Trade Disputes. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1999. Frank W. Peers, The Politics of Canadian Broadcasting, 1920-1951 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1969) W James W Dean, and Vivek H Dehejia. 2006. Would a Borderless North America Kill Canadian Culture? , American Review of Canadian Studies, Vol. 36. Robert Fulford. 1990. Canada: A Great Northern Paradox? Americas (English Edition), Vol 42.

MTV essays

MTV essays Everyone remembers Michael Jackson's red leather jacket covered with zippers and the sexy style of Madonna. MTV, or music television, nationally publicizes these images and entertainers, and others like them. The station also promotes an idealized teen lifestyle, reflecting the images of these famous artists, that contrasts with the realities of the Generation X lifestyle. While some view the station as "illustrated radio" or an entertainment network for viewers' pleasure, others more accurately assess it as an advertising enterprise that endorses products and promotes attitudes. The advertisements that are both hidden in videos and placed in regular slots, influence viewers. Whether or not MTV critics agree with these "messages" that the network sends out, it has become a huge franchise generating large profits and great popularity. During the 1980's, MTV grew from being strictly a music video station to an original, three-station network that became the choice of several generation s of viewers and the advertisers who court them. MTV's entertainment, commercialism, and messages satisfy and influence many types of viewers, giving them a healthy sense of group identity. In 1981, MTV became one of the first stations to be able to appeal to such a populous audience as the twelve to twenty-four year old age group. The chief operating officer of Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment Company (WASEC) felt that there was "a body of young people being ignored," hence the company designed MTV (Denisoff 37). Although at first success was unpredictable, the MTV network fought off competition by such competitors as the powerful Turner Broadcasting System (Daspin 20). "There isn't room for two or three services doing the same thing," commented MTV's Bob Pittman (Hedegaard 38). Later, the MTV network came out with VH1, or Video Hits One, a music station for older viewers, and Nickelodeon, a children's service station (Daspin 19). These two stations a...

Welfare Essays - Federal Assistance In The United States

Welfare Essays - Federal Assistance In The United States Welfare Welfare Welfare is a government program that provides money, medical care, food, housing, and other things that people need in order to survive. People who can receive help from these welfare programs are children, elders, disabled, and others who cannot support their families on their current income. Another name for welfare is public assistance. There are many organizations that supply this public assistance. Such as Salvation Army and other groups. Public assistance benefits help many people who live below the poverty line, an income level is established for families. If your income is below this you would be eligible to receive this help. Welfare in the United States Federal and state governments in the Unites States serve the poor people through about 60 public assistance programs. Most people receive help through one of the four major programs. These programs are Medicaid, Aid to families with dependant Children, Social Security, or Supplemental Security, or the food stamps program. I will discuss the four programs individually. Medicaid provides free medical care to the poor people. Funds vary from state to state. In some situations, people who may be able to pay daily needs, but can't afford large medical bills may also be able to receive Medicaid. Some services paid for are bills such as doctor's visits and nursing home care. Most Medicaid funding comes from the federal government. The rest is supplied by the state. Each state runs their own Medicaid program. A.F.D.C. provides cash benefits to dependent children and the parents or the guardians taking care of them. Most families that qualify for A.F.D.C. have just one parent in the home. About 80 percent of these families are headed by a woman. A.F.D.C. also pays benefits to two-parent families if both parents are unemployed. Most A.F.D.C. funding comes from the federal government. The states provide the rest of the money and administer the program. The sizes of families' payment vary from state to state. Next is Social Security Income. This provides financial Aid to people in need who are at least 65 years old, blind, or disabled. The federal government finances and administers social security income programs in most states, though some states supply the federal payment and are able to run their own programs. Finally, the Food Stamp Program helps low-income households buy more and better food than they could otherwise afford. Each participating household receives a certain number of coupons called food stamps. The stamps are issued by the federal government. The number of stamps a household receives varies with the family's size, income, and expenses. Cooperating grocery stores accept the stamps like money for food purchases only. There are other programs such as energy assistance and public housing. Energy assistance, which is federally financed but administered by the states, helps people pay fuel bills. Public housing provides low cost rental apartments in government owned buildings. State and local governments fund and administer their own general assistance programs. These programs provide financial aid for needy people who do not qualify for other types of welfare. People waiting to receive assistance from other programs also may get temporary emergency aid from general assistance. Back in the early days, welfare resembled the English system. Social governments were responsible for helping the poor. But the colonies and later the states, sometimes helped the local government provide aid. The first federal welfare program, began after the Revolutionary War, they provided pensions to war veterans. During the Civil War these pensions were expanded to cover soldiers' widows and orphans. In the early 1900's, primary responsibility for providing welfare benefits shifted from local to state governments. During these years, states enacted programs to aid dependent children and the elderly. The criticisms of welfare ranges over a number of social and economic issues. Some people criticize welfare programs for not providing high enough benefits to eliminate poverty. Spending on welfare would have to increase greatly to eliminate poverty, and many people believe the cost is already too high. Many critics of the welfare system charge that providing a steady income to needy people encourages idleness. Actually, most welfare benefits go to elderly, blind, and disabled people and mothers with young children. But welfare does discourage some recipients from working harder by reducing benefits if their income

3 Steps to Create an Online Course From Your Book

3 Steps to Create an Online Course From Your Book 3 Steps to Create an Online Course From Your Book Authors don’t just make money from books. Often, the majority of their income comes from what is behind the books. Recently my friend Gregory was four weeks out from publishing his first book. He had spent the better part of a year writing and preparing to launch his book. Just a few weeks out from the launch he realized he had neglected to think about something important: how was he going to monetize the back end? The journey of self-publishing hits a major milestone with the launch of a first book, but it does not end there. While a well-launched book can certainly earn a good income, if you do not monetize the back-end of the book by  consulting, speaking, or creating online courses then you are not realizing the full potential of self-publishing.As they say, a book is the new business card. But, you can’t just have a business card you need the business behind the business card as well.There are several ways to monetize the back end of a book:ServicesSoftwareConsu lting / CoachingSpeaking / WorkshopsCreate Online Course (fastest and most scalable)While I am biased, my absolute favorite method is to create  an online course. It doesn’t take 6-12 months to develop like a software product would, and it doesn’t rely on your personal time like offering services, consulting, and speaking.Knowing that I specialize in online courses, Gregory reached out to me for help with producing a course for the new book he was about to publish. I’ll be sharing  3 steps to create online courses from your books. With these tips you too can maximize the results of your next (or a previous) book. Imagine if you take every book you have published, which people are buying for $5-$10, and quickly transform the same content into a parallel product for which you can charge 10 to 100 times  that amount.3 Steps to Create an Online Course From Your BookAs the owner of a course production company, people often have the same question when it comes t o turning a book into an online course:What’s the difference? Why would people pay more for the same material?Great question. There are a couple key differences between a course and a book (aside from the obvious differences in format).Step 1 Understand the differences between a book and a courseTone If you were to read your book out loud, verbatim, that would be an audiobook which has a very different feeling to an online course.Focus Again, using the audiobook example, your audiobook might be 15 hours long, while you course is 5 hours long. A large part of the value of a book is exploring the â€Å"why† of a topic or possibly the history, while a course is designed to be extremely actionable. That means the content requires great focus.Specificity Books are filled with great stories and great ideas. They plant important seeds in your mind, and might even have some simple exercises at the end of the chapters. That being said, it takes a lot of effort to apply what you learn from a book. A significant part of the value of an online course is how easy it is to take action. If it’s a course about networking, you can provide email templates, step-by-step guides to follow, software tools you can use. It’s designed to be immediately actionable, while a book on networking might discuss more general concepts on networking such as why it’s a good idea to go to a conference, to make good eye contact, to introduce people to each other, etc.If you want to see some real life examples of the differences, check out the audiobook and the online course version of Gregory’s book to compare (you can do a free preview of each to see what I mean). Both are based on the same content, but the tone, structure, focus, and specificity is quite different. Step 2 Build an online course from a book or a manuscriptHere is the exact process we used to build courses in dozens of different industries, following our Course In A Box Method:1.) Dec ide the Format   There are many ways to build a course. You can build a text-based course, a video-based course that focused on live filming, or on recording your screen while you teach someone to program, or by recording slides as you teach. Usually it’s a mix. You can also have courses two hours long, or 20 hours long. With or without PDF handouts. With or without bonus content (such as expert interviews).Here is what we decided on  for Gregory’s course: Ultimately 3 modules, with 3-5 lessons each The lesson length would average about 10 minutes (although it ranges from 5-15) The content style would primarily be a mix of recording well-designed slides, mixed with bonus content like expert interviews, follow-along PDF guides, etc.Pro tip: How do you decide the course length/structure? One module should bring people through a major milestone. For example, setting up a website before beginning to write content and market the site in later modules. One video should have one clear, stand-alone step in the process. For example, video 3 of module 1 for Building Your New Website might entail setting up the site hosting, video 4 might be configuring wordpress, etc.2.)Turn the manuscript into a course script This means cutting the fat and changing the tone as discussed above. Your course should clearly get people from point A (where they are now) to point B (where they want to go) and this should be clearly reflected by the course script. Even if your book is quite long, you can do this in about a week if you maintain focus3.) Turn the script into a slide plan This is a document which matches up the main ideas in the script with slides that you will be recording. Most people jump straight from script to slide design, but this (quick) intermediary step ensures that your course has a good flow to it and stays organized4.) Turn the slide plan into slides Create a slide template that you like, then customize slides to match your slide plan. Or better yet, outsource this process to a professional.5.) Record the scripts as an audio file Sit down and read your script as enthusiastically as possible.Pro tips: Don’t try to record your screen with the slides at the same time, the quality will be lower. Record the audio separately then match the slides in post production.Leave a pause and say â€Å"SLIDE X† between slides. This will help with the next step, editing.6.) Combine the slides and audio file into a video file Self-explanatory. It is not  recommended that you do this yourself, as a professional likely would do it better/faster. Invest a few hundred bucks to get it done right the first time.7.) Find useful places to add extra materials PDFs, expert interviews, new examples, templates, etc. Just ask yourself every time you say do this, â€Å"how can I help them do that?†8.) Clean up, edit and structure everything into a finalized course Did everything stay organized? We recommend using a google drive folder structure that we link to below to keep things organized.9.) Upload the course to your website If you want the simplest option possible, go with Teachable. This is what we used for Gregory’s course as well. If you want something more sophisticated, go with MemberMouse (another popular option we use with clients).Step 3 Connect the book and the courseNow that youve completed the course, how do you get people from your book to find your course, and vice versa?  The simplest way is to directly link from your book to your course website. However, sometimes people will complain about that approach â€Å"they are just trying to sell their other products!!!†Another way is to direct people to a companion website which offers additional resources and downloads for free in exchange for their email address. Then you will want to set-up an email autoresponder which offers additional value and guides them through the process from having read the book to wanting to delv e  deeper and buy  the course. Pro tip:  Add this download link to the beginning AND the end of the book, and preferably a few times in the middle. Not everyone finishes every book they buy, so you want to make sure they see the link even if they stop after the first chapter. In fact, you can even include the page with the link in the â€Å"free preview† of the book on the kindle store to get even more people to see it.What kind of results would this really get?Let’s say you get 5,000 downloads as part of your book launch, then 1,000 purchases per month after that20% of those people who grab the book also check out the linkThen 50% of the people who visit the page submit their email addressFinally, 10% of those people who join your list also purchase your courseResults:You now instantly have 500 more people on your email list, and 100 more people per month ad infinitum50 people buy your course during your book launch, and 10 more people buy every monthIf your cou rse is priced at $500, then that is $25,000 in additional revenue during your book launch, and $5,000 every month after thatand that, my friends, is the power of combining a book with an online course.I know writing a book is hard (I’ve written several myself) and by the time it’s done and published you may feel done yourself. But, don’t forget that offering a course is your chance to either kick start or rapidly grow your business. The best way to maximize the value of your book is to lead people from your book to discover other parts of your brand.Give the people who  love your book the opportunity to work with you further, either through an online course or through one of the other methods discussed above. Leave a comment with questions about this process, or share your  results creating an  online course from your book.  I look forward to hearing about your success.

Coca-cola projact Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Coca-cola projact - Research Paper Example Frank M. Robinson a bookkeeper and the partner to Dr. Pemberton was the one behind the name â€Å"Coca-Cola† and again he designed the trademarked, distinct script, which is still used today. During the earlier periods the company sold the beverages in glasses. However, in the late 19th century, two lawyers came in to obtain permission from Chandelier to sell the drink in bottles. This was the beginning of the bottled beverage, which is currently located in every part of the globe. After the lawyers were granted the permission to sell the beverage in bottles, the company put up competition for the design of the Coca-Cola bottle. The competition ended when an Indiana Company won the tender to manufacture the bottles. The company manufactured a unique, decent looking bottle, which could be identified in the dark. The shape of the bottle is still retained by the company to date. The bottle was used as a step to distinguish the company from the other competitive companies by posting its unique attributes. Coca-Cola Company was sold to Ernest woodruff for $25 in 1919. His son Robert later on succeeded him in 1923. Robert is entrusted with the honor to introduce the company to the World Olympic Games in 1928 and expanded its distribution of the beverage to many countries around the world (Coca-Cola Company Web). Another fact that boasted the company was during the 2nd World War, Coca-Cola offered a lower rate in terms of price to the uniformed soldiers. During this time of the war many people got the opportunity to taste the drink, and after the war, Coca-Cola was in a good position in comparison to the previous period before the war (Coca-Cola Company Web). The company also ventured into the manufacture of juices. It started by buying Minute Maid juice manufacturing company. Roberto Goizueta became the chairman and CEO of the company in 1980’s (Coca-Cola Company Web). He reigned during

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 64

Assignment Example These groups of whites also wanted to see the unification of the African race and uplifting of the people so that the entire region could reach and realize its full potential (Hill, Dixon & Rodriguez, 2011). This paper will examine the movement that was and is UNIA, and why it is considered, in some instances, as being bigger than the civil rights movement that many people are familiar with. The basic principles of the UNIA include the establishment of a united brotherhood among all races, regardless of whether they are white, brown, or black. This was the basic tenet of the movement as established by Marcus Mosiah Garvey, whose main intention was to enable every race to identify with itself, and create its own view of the world (Hill, Dixon & Rodriguez, 2011). This was without regarding one race inferior while another superior. Also, the movement sought to uplift every African in the region and any other region in which the movement had its reach. In America, for example; during the conception and growth of the movement, African-Americans welcomed the movement because it came at a time when there were no opportunities for people in the region. During the course of Garvey’s endeavors, he started a company that would assist in bringing Africans in Diaspora back to Africa, which is considered to be their home. Education was also a top priority for the movement at the time, and to this day, is still a crucial element in its growth. The educational institutions that the movement set out to establish were meant to be a hub for international and worldwide courses on the various activities that people could undertake. This was in a bid to eradicate poverty and the mentality that the black race was inferior in terms of thinking or conducting their business. It was meant for the overall good of the African race with the existence of both industrial and commercial interaction (Grant, 2008). Garvey

Nutritional Claims of Omega-3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nutritional Claims of Omega-3 - Assignment Example These claims are believable, taking into account the many health benefits associated with fish products. 3. Yes, it does. People might tend to rely on this supplement instead of going for specialized hospital treatment. 4. This article is from a reliable medical source called WebMD and has been reviewed by peers. 5. WebMD is not in the business of selling nutritional supplements, or any other services at all. 6. The information provided on Omega-3 supplements is neither based on a person’s personal experience nor their opinion. Instead, it is as a result of research conducted by a group of professionals and reviewed as well. 7. I tend to believe this article and the information it provides. 8. The science behind this article is relatively good but recommends contacting a doctor before depending on the supplement as a solution to cardiovascular complications. 9. The study is controlled in that the conclusions are drawn from the comparison of the health of people using Omega-3 a nd those not using it as a dietary supplement. 10. The participants and researchers were both aware of the usage of Omega-3 as a supplement intended to counter heart diseases and cardiac arrest.

Teaching English Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Teaching English Language - Essay Example In 1990, one in 20 public school students in grades K-12 was an English language learner (ELL), that is, a student who speaks English either not at all or with enough limitations that he or she cannot fully participate in mainstream English instruction. Today the figure is 1 in 9. Demographers estimate that in 20 years it might be 1 in 4. The ELL population has grown from 2 million to5 million since 1990, a period when the overall school population increased only 20 percent. By far, the majority of ELLs - 80 percent - are Spanish speakers" (Teaching English Language Learners, p3). CALP - (cognitive academic language proficiency) the dimension of proficiency in which a learner manipulates or reflects on the surface features of language in academic contexts, such as text-taking, writing analysis, and reading academic texts. The following definitions have been earmarked for further study: "Predictable and consistent classroom management routines, aided by diagrams, lists, and easy-to-read schedules on the board or on charts, to which the teacher refers frequently; Graphic organizers that make content and the relationships among concepts and different lesson elements visually explicit; Additional time and opportunities for practice, either during the school day, after school, or for homework; Redundant key information, e.g., visual cues, pictures, and physical gestures about lesson content and classroom procedures; Identifying, highlighting, and clarifying difficult words and passages within texts to facilitate comprehension, and more generally greatly emphasizing vocabulary development; Helping students consolidate text knowledge by having the teacher, other students, and ELLs themselves

International Business Strategy of Zara Case Study

International Business Strategy of Zara - Case Study Example The firm that is analyzed in the paper is Zara. This Spanish fashion retailer is the leader in Europe, followed by the Swedish, H&M and UK’s Marks & Spencers. Headquartered in the industrial estate of Sabon-Artexio, outside A Caruna in Spain, Zara has over 2700 stores round the world, the latest having opened in China, Serbia, Sweden and Tunisia in 2006 and in Poland, Romania and Russia in 2008. Inditex SA, the holding company, clocked revenues of $8.5 billion in 2007, of which Zara contributed 66 percent. The expansion strategy positively contributed to the increase of Inditex’s share value. The other fashion brands in Inditex’s stable, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius and Oysho, though having the potential of cannibalizing some of Zara’s advantage, are really no competition to Zara. Zara has stores in over 60 countries in Europe, America and Asia. However, the retailer has not gone whole hog in international expansion, particularly in th e United States and Asia, because it has not expanded its supply chain wide enough to sell in these markets without holding high inventories. Instead, the company focuses on consolidation in the European markets, entering recently into Ireland, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Finland and Italy and is expanding in England and Germany. Zara’s business strategy is in contrast to most other apparel and other consumer product retailers in the world. Zara produces as many as 12,000 new items of clothing every year, which is nearly four times the average of the apparel industry. Besides, it replaces stock in 3 weeks, which is also 12 times faster than the industry average (Diaz, 2005). Zara's distinctive competence is consisted of vertical integration of design, just-in-time manufacturing system, delivery and sales; flexibility structures, low inventory, quick customization response and specific human capital (Castellano 1993; 2002). Amancio Ortega, founder of Inditex , claimed the aim of Zara is to " democratize fashion by offering the latest fashion in medium quality at affordable prices" This paper will discuss Zara's business model, particularly in relation to its supply chain and customization system, to understand whether its transnational business strategy is flexible, efficient and adapt to a learning process, which, according to Ghoshal's (1987) model, are the goals of a global firm. Theoretical Background The strategic tools that a global company has in order to gain competitive advantage are through exploitation of differences in input and output markets that exist in different markets. Besides, benefiting from economies of scale of operating in different markets and activities, global firms can gain competitive advantage that optimizes risks, efficiency and absorption of learning in different markets (Ghoshal, 1987) For some companies, global integration may result in competitive advantage through economies of scale. For some others, global expansion may not result in competitive advantage when the corporate hierarchy thrusts such a strategy on the company because of difficulties managing large organizations that blur centralized and decentralized policy decisions (Ghoshal, 1987). Since the second half of the 20th century, transnational companies have been the main agents of globalization in all industries, whether through investments, trade and the internet (Gereffi, 2001). In times of globalization, a firm's competitive strength in

Teaching English Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Teaching English Language - Essay Example In 1990, one in 20 public school students in grades K-12 was an English language learner (ELL), that is, a student who speaks English either not at all or with enough limitations that he or she cannot fully participate in mainstream English instruction. Today the figure is 1 in 9. Demographers estimate that in 20 years it might be 1 in 4. The ELL population has grown from 2 million to5 million since 1990, a period when the overall school population increased only 20 percent. By far, the majority of ELLs - 80 percent - are Spanish speakers" (Teaching English Language Learners, p3). CALP - (cognitive academic language proficiency) the dimension of proficiency in which a learner manipulates or reflects on the surface features of language in academic contexts, such as text-taking, writing analysis, and reading academic texts. The following definitions have been earmarked for further study: "Predictable and consistent classroom management routines, aided by diagrams, lists, and easy-to-read schedules on the board or on charts, to which the teacher refers frequently; Graphic organizers that make content and the relationships among concepts and different lesson elements visually explicit; Additional time and opportunities for practice, either during the school day, after school, or for homework; Redundant key information, e.g., visual cues, pictures, and physical gestures about lesson content and classroom procedures; Identifying, highlighting, and clarifying difficult words and passages within texts to facilitate comprehension, and more generally greatly emphasizing vocabulary development; Helping students consolidate text knowledge by having the teacher, other students, and ELLs themselves

A machine for living Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

A machine for living - Essay Example This aspect of phenomenology in architecture is referent to both a philosophy that had a significant influence on contemporary architecture, as well as an experience of building materials and built space in sensory aspects. The environment in phenomenology is defined concretely as the place, while what occurs within it â€Å"Take’s place†. The place is made up of concrete things that have material color, texture, shape, and texture, which coalesce to create the character or atmosphere of the environment. In turn, this atmosphere enhances specific spaces to embody variant properties according to the unique environmental and cultural functions that they exist in2. This research paper will seek to evaluate the meaning of the architectural phenomenology experience in terms of conscious and unconscious vision. Interpretation of the phenomenological experience using these two aspects will be carried out using two works by Le Corbusier; the Villa Savoyet started in 1928 and the Ronchampe in 1945. The two works by Le Corbusier show marked difference in terms of integrating conscious and unconscious vision in their architectural concepts. The Villa Savoyet was a masterwork in purist design and acts as one of the best achievements of Le Corbusier in creating a house that was a machine for living in3. Along with other Villas created by le Corbusier during this period, the Villa Savoyet was demonstrative of precision architecture in which every feature of the design is justified in urban and design terms, emphasizing conscious vision. However, his work in the mid to latter part of the 20th century, including the Ronchampe, testified to a shift in this concept of visual precision, instead showing a duality of architectural experience with regards to conscious and unconscious vision, which is a major element of architectural phenomenology4. Le Corbusier’s early work, especially in the 20s, was a lighting rod for many architectural

Promote learning Essay Example for Free

Promote learning Essay In this area of play I believe it should be stressed that children should be praised as they have put a lot of work into something even if it is totally non-recognisable as anything, considering some of the most famous artists drew/painted in abstract and their work is widely appreciated. At this age creative activities will be greatly influenced by key stage one requirements. They will have creativity incorporated into the learning of other topics. They will be beginning to learn some creative skills and follow instructions to carry them out. Also children will be developing a wider concentration span and more advanced fine manipulative skills. Tassoni and Beith (2002 p375) state that between the age of four and six Children are more interested in creating things e. g. making a cake, drawing cards and planting seeds. They enjoy being with other children although they may play in pairs. Children are beginning to express themselves through painting and drawing as well as through play. They are enjoying using their physical skills in games and are confident when running and climbing. Materials that can be used in creative play and that will also promote learning: sand and alternate materials, water, painting and drawing materials, malleable materials, adhesive materials, construction and scrap materials. At the beginning of the Foundation Stage children use their bodies to explore texture and space, this will develop towards the end of the Foundation Stage to children exploring colour, texture, shape, form and space in two or three dimensions. (Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage curriculum early learning goal for exploring materials p121). At the beginning of the Foundation Stage children show an interest in what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel and towards the end of the Foundation Stage this develops to the children responding in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel. (Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage curriculum early learning goal for responding to experiences and expressing and communicating ideas p127). 2. Imaginative play- imaginative play is a lot to do with role-play, it can be carried out for enjoyment purposes in everyday play and it can be incorporated by practitioners so the children can explore different situations and fantasy worlds and acting. At the beginning of the Foundation Stage children use isolated words and phrases and/or gestures to communicate with those well known to them and towards the end of the Foundation Stage children develop to speak clearly and audibly with confidence and control and show awareness of the listener. (Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage curriculum early learning goal for language for communication p 55). 3. Physical play- The term physical play is a term that can be used to describe the type of play in which children use their large muscles and exercise their whole body. They learn to control large and small muscles and develop co-ordination and surplus energy is expended (Tassoni and Beith 2002 p 382). Physical play is where children are using their muscles (large and small)) for enjoyment purposes. There is a less called P.E (physical education) in which children can develop and refine their skills and muscles in different e. g. dancing, athletics, and climbing apparatus. During self-directed play, children can be physical in the following ways, rolling, balancing, skipping, sliding, hanging, running, kicking, jumping, hopping, pushing, pulling etc. there are ten areas of co-ordination in which children develop in: At the beginning of the Foundation Stage children should be able to negotiate an appropriate pathway both indoors and outdoors this will develop to the children showing respect for other childrens personal space when playing among them. This will eventually at the end of the Foundation Stage develop into the children showing awareness of space, of them and of others. Stage curriculum early learning goal for sense of space p109). Example of the three types of play and how they promote the desired learning 1. For an example of creative play, I am going to describe a play opportunity for this age group. Gloop is a mixture made simply from mixing corn flour and water in a bowl. A few additional resources that could be used are, smaller bowls, cups, plastic utensils (all of different shapes and sizes). It is a strange substance that can be made to different consistencies. When made with a lot of water it will be in liquid form when left dormant and will run through fingers when scooped up but when rolled between hands it will become solid and return to liquid when stopped. When made thicker it will be able to be sliced and it will slowly return to the original form. It can be picked up in a lump and will slowly drip/run. This activity I think is suitable for all ages that are a school, I have tried it with the following age groups, five, seven, ten and thirteen and was also enjoyed by adults. Children will begin to understand liquids and solids, shapes and sizes (through cups, bowls etc) and texture. The play opportunity Gloop will help to encourage creative skills because it takes many forms, the children can experiment and explore the texture, the consistency and the properties of it. It uses a lot of fine motor skills, using the fingers and hands to pick up and roll, squeeze through and transfer to other containers. This will promote in the way of experience, the children will learn by doing. 2. An example of imaginative play. Creating a home corner would encourage child-led imaginative play. A home corner can be adapted to suit a subject that is being taught. In the home corner or separately there could also be dressing up clothes to assist in role-play. For this type of play this is an example of an imaginative play opportunity. The subject being taught is animals; the home corner is rearranged and decorated to resemble either a jungle or a zoo. This could also be linked with asking children questions about animals and what theyre characteristics are, they could also take turns in groups acting in general about the subject. A home corner would improve imaginative skills in children by encouraging them to participate in role-play activities. The children can make up their own games and enforce their own rules for the game. The children can work in groups or alone and can also dress up and use props to assist their game. Imaginative play can be linked with social skills as the children will be working in groups and pairs in child led activities and in structured activities led by an adult in the setting. These skills will be helpful in later life for the children to make healthy relationships. 3. One play opportunity for physical play is swimming some schools have pools on the property and use them for regular lessons, however for schools that do not have this facility can organise to go on weekly trips to the local pool or just as a one off. Swimming is a great way of exercising as well as good physical fun. Swimming uses all of the muscles in the body and can be developed and refined. Swimming can link with all of the ten areas of co-ordination. It is suitable for all ages particularly because there can be different classes for different abilities and there is always room to progress. Children with any sort of impairment can also join in as there should be helpers available and equipment that would aid them getting in and out of the pool. Swimming would improve physical skills in children by working all of the muscles at the same time and progressing at this. It will strengthen muscle including the heart; maintaining and developing bone density. It allows the children to exercise their whole bodies inside and out! There is also opportunity for fine motor development in the form of bricks and bands, which are thrown to the bottom of the pool at different depths, which the children have to collect. It is important to encourage children but not pressure hem as it may have adverse affects later in life. The role of the adult in all of the play opportunities is to supervise the children; it is also to provide any materials or equipment that will be needed. The adult will have to think about health and safety for the activity to make sure that no harm comes to the children. The adult will be there to explain what to do initially and be there to answer any questions the children may have. The adult will also ask questions to encourage the children to think about the subject more deeply; these questions will normally be open ended so the childrens answers will not be one-worded. The adult will also encourage the children to stick at the activity for a decent amount of time and to help the children to think up new ways of playing the game and to plan different rules.

The Relationship Between Father And Daughter English Literature Essay

The Relationship Between Father And Daughter English Literature Essay In this term paper I will compare two books that I really liked: The lovely bones and The liars club. I decided to write about them, because I believe that both stories are very similar and very well written. I also think that the authors of these books are admirable women who have struggled with life, society and family. For this reason, I consider important to compare the two books. I will start to write about the lovely bones. At the beginning, I did not wan to finish reading the book, because it is a hard story that talks about the raping of a little girl. Therefore, I felt so angry and frustrating. But then I understood that I had to continue reading the book if I wanted to know the meaning of it. The point of view of the lovely bones is first person and it is narrated by Susie Salmon, the girl that was horribly raped and murdered by her neighbor. The entire story is about the grief that the Salmon family is experimenting after Susies death. However, there was a member of the family who suffered the most: Susies father, Jack Salmon. This man loved her daughter so much that when he knew that she was killed, life became a hell for him. As a result, his marriage was very affected and his wife cheated on him. I found a quote that explains the relationship between Susie and her father: His own father had taught him how to build ships in bottles. They were something my mother, sister, and brother couldnt care less about. It was something I adored. The den was full of them. He would call me in whenever he was ready (Sebold, Alice p, 45) Unlike her siblings, Susie enjoyed her fathers hobby. This man loved to build ships in bottles, because his father taught him how to do them. So, he shared this hobby with their children, but the only one who liked and care about it was Susie because she had a very strong relationship with her father. Therefore, when she passed away, his father Jack wanted to die as well. On the other hand, Mary Karr in her book The liars club showed that her relationship with her father was very special and unique. For example, she mentioned that he used to be a very lovely father with her and her sister and that even though he was many years in the war, when he came back home he always wanted to spend time with his family. However, Marys father did not have a good relationship with the rest of the family, because his mother in law did not like him and as a result, his marriage was falling apart. This quote explains the situation he was living: Mother threatened divorce a lot of times, and Daddys response to it was usually a kind of patient eye-rolling. He never spoke of divorce as a n option. If I asked him worried questions about a particularly nasty fight, hed just say I shouldnt talk bad about my mother, as if even suggesting they might split up insulted her somehow (Karr, Mary pa, 35) As we can see, Marys father did not want to get divorce maybe because he wanted to be with her two children. Moreover, he said to Mary that even though he had conflicts with his wife, she had to love her mother no matter what. I think this man showed that he was a good husband and a good father since he always asked Mary to respect her mother. This case is very similar to the conflict that Susies parents had in the book The lovely bones. As we know, when Susie died, all the family struggled with the fact that she was not longer with them. Each of them faced Susies death differently. The father, for example, was obsessed to find the killer, the sister Lindsay did not want to talk about it, the brother was very innocent to realize that her sister had passed away and the mother decided to cheat on her husband to relieve the pain. I said before that Susies father and Marys were similar because both men were married with women that, from my point of view, did not care about their children . Marys mother cared only about herself. She just wanted to have fun and get another husband that is why she went on a trip with his Latin-American boyfriend and left her children. Susies mother did the same thing when she decided to move to another state in order to be alone and deal with her daughters death. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SIBLINGS I believe that in the two books that I decided to compare, the relationship between siblings is one of the most important topics. In this part of my term paper, I will compare Susies relationship with her brother and sister and Mary Karr relationship with her sister Lecia. Susie Salmon had one brother called Buckley and one sister called Lindsay. The tree of them were very closed and cared very much about each other. There is a quote on the book The lovely bones where Susie says that once she saved her brother life. a three-year-old Buckley had swallowed it. Buckley was choking, his body bucking, and I carried him with Nate trailing into the garage, where my fathers precious Mustang sat. I put Buckley in the back and grabbed and grabbed the keys from the unused terra-cotta pots where my father hid them. I sped all the way to the hospital. if the hadnt been there, the doctor later told my mother you would have lost your little boy (Sebold, Alice p, 93,94) As the quote explains, Susie saved her brother because she loved him very much. She also had the courage to do it since many people would not dare to do what Susie did. Susie loved Buckley so much that she did not think about anything but to safe her little brother. Later in the book, this strong connection is demonstrated when in one of the chapters, Buckley said to his dad that Susie touched his cheek and that he felt that Susie was seeing them from heaven. Susie also got along well with her sister Lindsay. Both girls enjoyed being together, not only because they were sister but also because they were the same age. As a result, when Lindsay knew that her sister was dead, she did not want to talk about this tragic event to anybody. For me, it is very understandable the way that Lindsay felt. Some people like her deal with death like by being quite and reserved. Some others share their feelings in order to release their pain. But what really cares is to remember the people who we love. Now, the author of The liars club also had a good relationship with her sister Lecia. These two girls suffered a lot not only because they had many problems in their home, but also because they have an alcoholic mother and a hysterical grandmother. I found a quote that explains how Mary Karr felt strong because of her sister: Lecia and I both behaved like savages at any opportunity. When she was only twelve, Lecia could beat the dogshit out of any neighbor boy up to the age of fifteen. For my part, I can remember standing behind the drainage ditch in our yard cussing Carol Sharp for bloodying my nose (Karr, Mary pa, 40) In this quote, Mary Karr explains that she used to play pranks with her sister and that thought she had problems in home, she tried to forget them by playing with her Lecia. From my point of view, it is very difficult to live you life normally when you know that your family is hurting each other. For this reason, I admired Mary Karr very much, because she tried to forget all her problems. Unfortunately, when you are a child, all these family conflicts affect you and the only thing that you can do about it is to move on with your life just as Mary Karr did. On the other hand, I also believe that she was conscious about her family problems, but she could not do anything about it. I can not imagine what it feels like to live with a family that is full of traumas and that does not care about you. For example, Mary Karrs grand mother was a bitter woman who did not love their grand children and who lived in the past. That is why Mary Karr did not suffer when her grand mother passed away. I nstead, she felt relieved and free. Susie Salmon also had a special grand mother, but unlike Marys she was a good person who loved their grand children very much. This woman was an alcoholic but she took cared of their grand children while her daughter Abigail decided to move to another state. These two women were so different, but as any human being has flaws. Now, in the next pages of my paper I will talk about the role of the mothers in the two books The lovely bones and The liars club THE ROLE OF A MOTHER IN A FAMILY It is well known that a mother represents many important things in a family. She is the one who takes care of her children, because she has a protective instinct that a father does not have. For this reason, it is unbelievable for me to understand why Susies mother abandoned their children in order to forget her dead daughter. I can understand that it is very painful to lose your daughter, but by abandoning your other children you are not going to resolve anything. Now, I also comprehend that as human beings we need to have our space, because is our right. But when you have a family like Susies mother you also have to think about them. Another thing that also surprised me was that Susies mother cheated on her husband. Even now I can not understand what she did. There is a very good quote that explains Abigails attitude according to Susies point of view: Len kissed her forehead hard and closed his eyes. She took his hand and placed it on her breast. She whispered in his ear. I knew what was happening. Her rage, her loss, her despair. The whole life lost tumbling out in an arc on that roof, clogging up her being. She needed Len to drive the dead daughter out (Sebold, Alice p, 152) This woman desired to forget her daughters death by cheating on her husband. She thought that her pain was going to disappear if she transferred all his sorrow in another person, but I think that is not the correct way to resolve our problems. She could have gone to a therapist or talking to her husband about Susies death. Infidelity is something that I can not comprehend. Unfortunately, Abigails infidelity did not bring Susie back. Instead, this deception caused Abigail more pain and more remorse to her life. At the end of the book, we know that Abigail returned with her family because Jack had a heart attack, but we never knew if she stayed again with them or if she decided to be brave enough in order to tell her husband that she had cheated on him with Len Fenerman. In the book The liars club Mary Karr explained that her mother was always worried about herself, just exactly like Susies mother. You might think that I am judging these women very hard, but I just can not understand why they behaved that way with their children. I mean, when you decide to have children is because you know that you have to take care of them, yet there are some mothers that do the opposite thing. Mary Karrs mother for example, tried to be a good mother, but I feel that she had a very hard background that did not allow her to live her life peacefully. Even Mary Karr recognized that when she finished her book, it was very hard for her mother to read it. At the same time, Mary said that she was very supportive when the book was done. Another thing that it was hard to assimilate for Mary and her sister Lecia was live with their stepfather Hector. He constantly had arguments with Marys mother and they did not have a good relationship. There is a quote that explains this situation: Other nights were occupied with Mother and Hector fighting. The litany of his innate low-lifedness got seared into skull during this time. Hector was a pussy, was her main gripe. Also, he lacked gainful employment, which meant Mother accused him of sponging off her all the time. As this quote explains, Marys stepfather did not support his wife economically. Therefore, Marys mother argued with him and had many conflicts. Plus, he was an alcoholic who was worried more about drinking than about taking care of his wife, his house and his stepdaughters. When I think about the problems that Mary had to deal with, I really felt sorry for her. She was only a child when her parents got divorce and when he had to accept a new father figure. I can see Marys life like a quest. During her childhood, she lived so many bad things that made her stronger, but at the same time made her more vulnerable. In order to conclude this term paper in the next to pages, I will talk about the most difficult topic in both books: raping. The reason why I decided to write about it at the end, was because I want to reflect about how raping can change your life. TWO GIRLS WHO LOST THEIR INNOCENCE The books that I decided to compare in this term paper talk about a very hard topic: raping. In the lovely bones, the main character Susie Salmon was horribly raped and killed bi her neighbor Mr. Harvey. This story is fiction, but the author of it was raped in real life. For that reason, she wrote this book. As we know, Susie Salmon was a fourteen year old girl who had a normal life and who wanted to fell in love for the first time. Unfortunately, all of her dreams were destroyed by a disgusting and despicable man named Mr. Harvey. He took away Susies innocence when he raped her. After this, he decided to kill her so she could not accuse him of anything. But Susie was not dead in a one hundred percent, because her spirit went to heaven. She saw her family and her killer from there. She saw all the pain that Mr. Harvey had caused after he killed her. But she also saw that her family got over her death and moved on. Here is a quote in which Susie explains her raping: Mr. Harvey made me lie still underneath him and listen to the beating of his heart and the beating of mine. How mine skipped like a rabbit, and how thudded, a hammer against cloth. We lay there with our bodies touching, and, as I shook, a powerful knowledge took hold. He had done this thing to me and I had lived. (Sebold, Alice p, 14) The only thing that I can say about this quote is that I can not imagine what this girl felt in that moment. For me, it is very difficult to understand how these criminals can exist. I mean, this man took advantage of a child who was not big or strong enough to defend herself. Killing a person is horrible, but killing a kid who is weak and innocent is the most despicable act in the world. From my point of view, Mr. Harvey was a scum of the earth who did not deserve to be alive, because she also killed other children. All of them were girls that had a life, dreams and hopes for the future. But this killer ruined their lives and left sorrow in their families. Finally, in the book The Liars club Mary Karr narrates that she was raped, when she was a little girl. This event changed her life and her perspective about the world. The quote says: He pulled me off my shorts and underwear and threw them in the corner in a ball, over where I knew there could be spiders. He pushed down his pants and put my hand on his thing, which was unlike any of the boys joke about hot dogs and garden hoses. It was hard as wood and felt big around and felt big around as my arm. He wrapped both my hands around it, and showed me how to slide them up and down (Karr, Mary p, 66) When I read this fragment of the book, I really felt so angry and frustrated. I can to imagine the desperation that Mary Karr experimented. She as Alice Sebold experienced how it felt to be raped and humiliated by a man. But at the same time this horrible experience made them successful and brave. So, my conclusion for this term paper is the following: every person forms his character based on his personal experiences. As a consequence, in life we can follow two paths: the one that is related with hate, vengeance and sadness and the one that is connected with love, success and hopes. I believe that the authors of the books that I compared follow the second path, because they decided to heal their emotional wounds in order to move on. That is a lesson that all human beings should learn. Nobody said that life is easy. Nobody said that life is pink color. However, god made us strong to achieve any objective that we have. He made us intelligent to understand that life is something that id full of bad and good moments. For this reason, these two authors, Alice Sebold and Mari Karr succeed when they decided to tell their stories to the world. They had a lot of pain in their lives, but they also decided to cure their traumas to move on and have a good life.

Whippets :: essays research papers

In this research paper I will attempt to explain what whippets are. I will try to give the necessary information to show the benefits and possible side effects. I will discuss a brief history of the gas and how young adults obtain the chemicals to make â€Å"whippets†. Whippets are charge dispensers that deliver nitrous oxide as (en.wikipedia.org) describes. Nitrous oxide is a colorless, non-flammable gas. It has a slightly sweet taste and odor. It is non-toxic and non-irritating and when inhaled in small quantities can produce mild hysteria and giggling or laughter. That is why it is also referred as the "laughing gas". When inhaled in pure form it will cause death by asphyxiation because at atmospheric temperatures and pressure, the oxygen in nitrous oxide is not available to the body. (www.idavette.net) Nitrous Oxide gas was first discovered by English scientist in 1772 and was first published about in 1776. Through his experiments he discovered Nitrous oxide's analgesic effects in 1800. From 1800 to 1840, Nitrous was primarily used for recreation at traveling public shows, but in 1844-1845 Nitrous was recognized as having some medical use in dentistry. In the late 1800's William James published some accounts of his work with Nitrous Oxide and called its effects of "some metaphysical significance". Nitrous has remained popular throughout the 20th Century and is sold over the counter in small cartridges ("whippets") for making whipped cream and in large tanks for industrial and medical purposes. Whipped cream dispensers are the most common used by young adults. The nitrous oxide is then inhaled. Many people use nitrous oxide for the benefit of its psychological effects. Long-term use in large quantities has been associated with symptoms similar to vitamin B12 deficiency: anemia and neuropathy. It can be habit-forming, mainly because of its short-lived effect and ease of access. Its use is thus restricted in many districts such as California. (en.wikipedia.org) Nitrous oxide causes euphoria, dizziness, and, in some cases, a mild aphrodisiac effect. It can also result in mild nausea or dizziness if too much is inhaled in a short time. The anaesthetic function of nitrous oxide is not completely understood, but it is thought that the gas interacts with the plasma membranes of nerve cells in the brain and thus affects the communication among such cells at their synapses. Nitrous oxide induces a state of behavioral disinhibition, analgesia, and euphoria. Unless the compound is administered with at least 20 percent oxygen, hypoxia can be induced.

Narrative Essay :: My Grandpa

"Hello," I stated as I hopped through the door to my grandparent's home without even a knock. My grandma looked up from the book she was reading in her cozy corner chair, "Well, hello there" "Where is grandpa?" I asked as I leaned down to brush my lips across the soft wrinkled cheek of my elderly grandma. "Who's there?" a familiar deep, rough voice sounded from the next room. Smiling I skipped through the kitchen and into a long dimly lit room filled with bookcases, couches, a dining room table and a grand piano. My grandpa, across the room, was surrounded by music stands and piles of sheet music. His trusty violin was in one hand and the long wooden bow with the horse hair strings, that I was always warned never to touch, was in the other. As I walked toward the figure across the room, I noticed his full head of snowy white hair glowing in the dark room. Over his short stocky body hung a green dress shirt and a fuzzy cardigan sweater. He wore slacks held up awkwardly by a belt allowing his small potbelly to hang over it. His face hardly showed the years of worry and stress, but his white bushy eyebrows and growing second chin showed his old age. His smile greeted me. As I drew close to him, his aging arms reached out and wrapped around my body pulling me into a warm loving hug. As he released me from the hug, I said, "Grandpa, I learned a new song I want you to hear." I plopped down on the hard piano bench, and my fingers flowed over the keys. My foot pumped the cold pedal, and the room was magically filled with tones, one after another slowly warming the room. Looking up at my grandfather's soft, blue eyes I saw him crack a smile and nod with encouragement. Soon his violin found its way to its familiar spot between my grandpa's shoulder and his unshaven chin. He swayed slightly as his arm moved the bow across the strings of the violin producing a harmony to the melody I was performing. With a long last note, we both dropped our hands to our sides allowing the music, which had just filled the room with its thick tone, to abruptly end. The room was left in a dead silence, frozen for a brief period of time, as we recovered from the intensity of the piece.

Review of Willa Cather’s My Antonia

My Antonia shows us that it takes time to really uncover everyones true person, and that a book’s cover rarely does the writing any justice. I also found that the Lone Plough represents a mistake that many of us often find ourselves making. But for myself, the biggest learning curve from this book would be that life can at times pass by slowly and seem boring and mundane, but before one knows it life changes, and one is left wondering, how the heck did I get here?Jim Burden’s life changes drastically at the age of 10, when he is forced to travel cross-country by train to live on the Nebraska frontier with his grandparents after the death of his parents. Jim was accompanied by his father’s former farmhand Jake. On that same train headed to Nebraska, there is a Bohemian family headed to the same place. ? Jim's grandparents are simple yet kind people with generous natures. He begins to enjoy the wide open spaces of the frontier. Soon after his arrival, the Burdens g o to meet their new neighbors, the Shimerdas. Jim meets Mr.Shimerda, an educated musician, Mrs. Shimerda a shrewish woman who comes across as demanding, the eldest son Ambrosch, Marek, Yulka, and the eldest daughter Antonia. Soon after meeting, Antonia and Jim become friends. The Shimerdas unfortunately are not faring well in their new country, but do eventually become friends with Peter and Pavel, two Russian men. Jim and Antonia become even closer, after Jim impresses her by killing a snake. Winter follows, Jim gets very ill, and Pavel passes away. Peter then decides to move away, which greatly upsets Mr. Shimerdas.Right in the middle of one of the largest snowstorms that Nebraska had seen in ten years. Mr. Shimerda commits suicide after neatly arranging himself in the barn. The following day when Jim is left alone in the house, he then feels Mr. Shimerda's spirit. The Shimerda family insist that Mr. Shimerda’s body must be buried on their property. While unorganized, the f uneral ceremony is very moving. After this, the Burdens and a few other neighbors come together as one in a combined effort to aid the Shimerdas. In order to help her family, Antonia stops attending school and begins farming in the fields just as a man would.Jim becomes resentful that Antonia is no longer able to spend as much time with him as he would have liked. The Shimerdas briefly upset their neighbors by acting in a very ungrateful way in response to all of the help that they had received from their friends. Eventually though, everyone is reconciled. After living in the country for three years Jim's grandparents decide it best to move to Black Hawk in order for Jim to go to school. Antonia also comes into this town to work for the Harlings. Other immigrant country girls also start working in the town, and they become known as the hired girls.Jim begins to spend a lot of his free time with Antonia and the Harling children. Dancing becomes the new rage in Black Hawk, and Antonia really starts to enjoy it and begins going all the time. When Antonia starts making a bad name for herself, the Harlings ask Antonia to quit going to the dances. In response, Antonia decides to quit her job and starts working for Wick Cutter. During this time Jim becomes a bit antisocial and beings only spending time with Antonia and a few other hired girls. Jim begins to focus on his studies a lot in preparation for college and can’t wait to leave Black Hawk behind as soon as he can.At his college in Lincoln, Jim becomes extremely close with Gaston Cleric, his Latin instructor and mentor. The two start to spend a good amount of time talking intimately together. Although Jim does come to the realization that he is not, and never will, an academic as Gaston is. One of Jim’s favorite hired girl, Lena Lingard, comes to visit him one day, and they begin to rekindle their past friendship by going to plays together. The two begin spend a lot of time together, even though tw o other men are openly in love with her.As a result of Lena’s sudden reappearance his life, Jim begins to let his grades drop. In response to Jim’s lax approach to his schoolwork, Gaston Cleric asks Jim to come with him to Harvard to continue his studies. To Lena’s dismay, Jim agrees, and follows Gaston to Harvard. Before entering law school two years later, Jim decides to return home to Black Hawk, where he hears of Antonia. Antonia had apparently gotten pregnant and was engaged to be married to Larry Donovan. She had apparently followed Larry to Denver, where he proceeded to run off after all of her money was gone.Antonia was forced to then return home to her family's farm where she then gave birth and helped to work the land. Jim heres of this and goes to visit her. Antonia is a bit surprised that Jim is not disappointed in her for poor decisions. Jim finally returns to see Antonia after twenty years passed. He heard that Antonia had finally gotten married, t o a man named Anton Cuzak, and together they had bore about ten children. Jim has also heard that Antonia has had a hard life, and he’s a bit nervous about seeing how the years had affected her.When he arrives at their farm, Jim is greeted by her large family. Antonia doesn't seem recognize him immediately, but becomes extremely excited once she does. She proceeds to show him all around her family’s farm, which seems to be so full of life. Everywhere they go, everyone seems so happy and content. Jim is happy to see his childhood friend Antonia looking well. He stays the night in the barn with two of the boys, so that he may meet Antonia’s husband and eldest son the next day. The following day Jim meets Cuzak, Antonia’s husband.Jim and Cuzak hit it off immediately, and it becomes apparent to him that Cuzak and Antonia's marriage is one of mutual happiness and equality. Jim leaves but promises Antonia’s sons that he will return to Black Hawk one day soon, and take them all hunting. On his way out, Jim finds the old dirt road that he once used to lead him home to his grandparents' farm, and he begins to think about how that road changed his future and how now he has returned full circle back to where he had started years and years ago. Just like with any novel, setting plays a key role.Jim's first impression of his new home on the Nebraska frontier is that it seems vast and empty. He feels that he has stepped out of civilization as he knew it, and that Nebraska will be a new experience, in which he will have to learn to live by a new set of rules and conduct. Jim is leaving his past life completely behind, and will become an entirely new person on the Nebraska frontier. Because of this, he feels as though his old self is now â€Å"erased† and â€Å"blotted out† as he travels to his grandfather's house. I found that the â€Å"lone plough† also held great significance in this novel.To me, it showed that while in the moment something may seem highly important, but in the end its really nothing more than an insignificant memory. Years ago that plough was probably a must have on the Nebraska frontier, and was seen as a shiny new toy to most farmers, but now years later it is left to rust in a field after it became no longer useful to its owner. Looking back at the plough, the farmer probably wouldn’t remember it as the shiny new toy he thought it once was, but instead remembers it as a reliable piece of farm equipment, nothing more and nothing less.While these some what small details hold much importance, I found that the larger picture took me somewhat by surprise and left me remembering this story. For me, while I read the book I found it somewhat interesting with little things happening here and there. With subplots every now and again, and different rising actions eventually leading to a climax. But I thought that the book was rather dull, and lacked interest. Reading it, became mundane to me. That was until the very end. I found that end brought it all together for me.While the story seemed to drag on with little motivation, the end made me realize how much the characters really had accomplished. This reminds me life, from day to day things may seem boring but before you know it, you have accomplished one of your largest goals, and are now looking back wishing that you could do it all over again. I find myself wanting to reread My Antonia to reminisce in the character’s small accomplishments along the way; because while in reality I may not be able to, at least with this book I can relive the climb.