Determining the mass of calcium carbonate obtained Essay

Purpose: The purpose of the experiment was to investigate the mass of calcium carbonate obtained from the reaction between calcium chloride and sodium carbonate. Apparatus: – Three beakers (250 – ml) – Spatula – Balance à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.1g – Filtration setup – Filter paper – Stirring rod – Plastic wash bottle Materials: – Sodium Carbonate – Calcium chloride – Distilled water Procedure 1. Weigh out 4.0g of calcium chloride (111g/mol) and dissolve in enough distilled water. 2. Weigh out 6.0g of sodium carbonate (106g/mol) and dissolve in enough distilled water. 3. Pour the sodium carbonate solution into the beaker containing calcium chloride solution. 4. Stir the mixture. Set up the filtration apparatus. Weigh the filter paper and then filter the mixture. Rinse the beaker and empty the contents in the funnel. Wash the precipitate with distilled water several times. 5. Place the filter paper with the precipitate and leave it to dry out. After it is completely dry, then weigh the dry filter paper with the precipitate. Data Table: Measurements taken in the experiment Mass of the filter paper 2.00g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.01g Mass of filter paper with the precipitate (after filter paper dried) 5.10g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.01g Mass of precipitate 3.10g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.01g* *The mass has an error of (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.01) because of the reading in the mass, in which they show up to only 2 decimal points 1. The equation of the reaction that took place is shown below, in which a grey/white precipitate of calcium carbonate was produced. CaCl2 (aq) + Na2CO3 (aq) —> Ca (CO3) (s) + 2NaCl (aq) Calcium + sodium —> calcium + sodium Chloride carbonate carbonate chloride 2. The theoretical mass and the experimental mass are going to be found out in order to see how much calcium carbonate should be obtained theoretically and how much was produced in the real reaction. To find the theoretical mass of calcium carbonate, firstly we have to find the limiting reagent in the reaction. The mole ratio from the equation is CaCl2 : Na2CO3 1 : 1 The actual mole ratio of reagents present is Mass in g – 4 : 6 Molar mass in g mol ^-1 – 110.98 : 105.99 n = mass – 0.03604 : 0.056609 . Molar mass Having looked at the mole ratio, it is apparent that since calcium chloride has the lowest number of moles present, it is therefore the limiting reagent. The limiting reagent calcium chloride is therefore used to calculate the theoretical mass of calcium carbonate that can be obtained: Theoretical yield = number of moles of limiting reagent x mass of calcium . carbonate = 0.03604 x (40.08 + 12.01 + 16 + 16 + 16) = 0.03604 x 100.09 = 3.6g 3. Therefore theoretically the mass of the calcium carbonate that can be obtained is 3.6g. The theoretical yield assumes that everything reacts perfectly, and we are able to recover everything 100%. These ideal conditions are rarely present and so we would expect the actual yield to be less than the theoretical yield for this reason. To calculate the experimental mass, the following calculation is done: Experimental mass = Mass of filter paper with the precipitate – Mass of filter paper = 5.1g – 2g = 3.1g As expected the experimental mass is lower than the theoretical mass. 4. It is not advisable to use sodium carbonate to calculate the amount of product in the reaction. The theoretical yield depends on the limiting reagent and not the other. Here the two reactants are in a molar ratio 1:1 but the actual molar ratio is 0.03604:0.056609. The sodium carbonate is in excess. It is not possible even under ideal conditions for every sodium carbonate to react to form the product. Therefore it is not advisable to use this. Conclusion Having looked at the results, it is clearly seen that the actual experimental mass is less than the theoretical mass yield. This is not an unexpected result. According to my results the actual mass of the precipitate produced was 3.1g, while that of the theoretical mass is 3.6g. The percentage yield of this reaction can be calculated by; Percentage yield = Actual mass X 100 = 3.1 X 100 = 86% . Theoretical mass 3.6 The maximal yield of a chemical reaction would be 100%, a value that is never reached. Yields about 90% are called very good, yields above about 75% are called good, yields below about 60% are called modest, whilst yields below 30% are called poor. This experiment had a border-line very good yield in regards to these literature guidelines. In practise the theoretical yield based on the balanced chemical equation is never achieved owing to impurities in reagents, side reactions and other sources of experimental error. The possible sources of error in this experiment may include: – Material used may have been tampered with and so would affect the overall results. – Wrong measurements were taken. – Error arrising from human judgement. – The balance only recorded 2decimal points. – The filter paper may not have been left long enough to dry. A possible modification to this experiment would be to make the sodium carbonate the limiting reageant rather then the calcium chloride as it was in this case. This would be done so that we would have a smaller number of moles of sodium carbonate then calcium chloride. Although my experiment was successful, many improvement could have been made to both my experiment and too the experiment. This includes: – Repeating the measurements for more trials so that more accurate answers could be found. – Using an accurate method to measure the mass, so as to reduce the errors in the experiment. – Make sure that none of the compound is accidentally spilled out. – Use larger quantities so to reduce the error in their recording

The Day the Earth Stood Still

The movie â€Å"The Day The Earth Stood Still† is more of a propaganda film with themes than a science fiction film because its sci-fi characteristics almost feel like an afterthought. The movie is set in the early 1950’s, when American's showed deep concern towards Communism. Fear of the unknown, which was associated with Communism, is also a major point of the film and it exploits this theme with knowing veracity. In most respects, Klaatu is the epitome of this fear, and the characters of the film react to the alien with fright, due to our perceptions of the unfamiliar. The scene where Klaatu is shot because the soldier doesn’t know what the unknown device in his hand was is an example of fear in America at that time. Another theme the movie seems to deal with is religious symbolism. The arrival of a spaceship in Washington D. C from the sky carrying a celestial being that wishes to speak to the world but is denied doing so He is wounded and taken to the hospital where he escapes and assumes the identity of a Mr. Carpenter. It is after performing a â€Å"miracle† this Mr. Carpenter finds himself persecuted and executed by the powers-that-be for trying to deliver a message of peace and universal brotherhood. It is only after the Mr. Carpenter is resurrected and ascends into the heavens that his message is allowed to spread amongst the peoples of the world. This whole movie is taken from the bible and is a parody of Jesus Christ, right down to the usage of the name â€Å"Carpenter†, which was the job Jesus took during his lifetime. The movie also predicts what the military thinks like and the power it has and how it cannot always be good. The part of the movie where Klaatu speaks to the scientists about atomic power is an example. He speaks about using it for good like in his space craft, not for making weapons to destroy each other. He goes on to say that continuing to use it that way will only lead to earths destruction. Klaatu is informing the military to think on how they use the science that is given to them and to clean up their act. Another revelation that the film creates about the military is that they are everywhere. When the ship first lands the military had been tracking it and now has posted soldiers around the ship. Later when Klaatu escapes, the military leads the manhunt instead of the police through the city. Finally even after Klaatu’s death the military commands the police to let no one in or out to see the body. All these factors suggest to the viewer that the military is there for them, that if the Communists or another type of threat where to arrive in the United States the military would act at once for the protection of its citizens. The Day The Earth Stood Still remains on of the most significant science fiction movies ever made, and it has lost none of its impact, even after more than fifty years. Its themes can still be applied today because of the fear we have of terrorism and the threat of nuclear attacks from them.

C2 Paper

Paper Reference(s) 6664 Edexcel GCE Core Mathematics C2 Advanced Subsidiary Tuesday 10 January 2006 ? Afternoon Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Materials required for examination Mathematical Formulae (Green) Items included with question papers Nil Candidates may use any calculator EXCEPT those with the facility for symbolic algebra, differentiation and/or integration. Thus candidates may NOT use calculators such as the Texas Instruments TI 89, TI 92, Casio CFX 9970G, Hewlett Packard HP 48G. Instructions to Candidates In the boxes on the answer book, write the name of the examining body (Edexcel), your centre number, candidate number, the unit title (Core Mathematics C2), the paper reference (6664), your surname, other name and signature. When a calculator is used, the answer should be given to an appropriate degree of accuracy. Information for Candidates A booklet ‘Mathematical Formulae and Statistical Tables’ is provided. Full marks may be obtained for answers to ALL questions. The marks for individual questions and the parts of questions are shown in round brackets: e. g. (2). There are 9 questions on this paper. The total mark for this paper is 75. Advice to Candidates You must ensure that your answers to parts of questions are clearly labelled. You must show sufficient working to make your methods clear to the Examiner. Answers without working may gain no credit. N23552A This publication may only be reproduced in accordance with Edexcel Limited copyright policy.  ©2006 Edexcel Limited. 1. Given that f(1) = 0, (x) = 2Ãâ€"3 + x2 – 5x + c, where c is a constant. (a) find the value of c, (2) (b) factorise f(x) completely, (4) (c) find the remainder when f(x) is divided by (2x – 3). (2) 2. (a) Find the first 3 terms, in ascending powers of x, of the binomial expansion of (1 + px)9, where p is a constant. (2) The first 3 terms are 1, 36x and qx2, where q is a constant. (b) Find the value of p and the value of q. (4) N23552A 2 3. y B Figure 1 C P O A x In Figure 1, A(4, 0) and B(3, 5) are the end points of a diameter of the circle C. Find (a) the exact length of AB, (2) (b) the coordinates of the midpoint P of AB, (2) (c) an equation for the circle C. (3) 4. The first term of a geometric series is 120. The sum to infinity of the series is 480. (a) Show that the common ration, r, is 3 . 4 (3) (b) Find, to 2 decimal places, the difference between the 5th and 6th terms. (2) (c) Calculate the sum of the first 7 terms. (2) The sum of the first n terms of the series is greater than 300. (d) Calculate the smallest possible value of n. (4) N23552A 3 5. Figure 2 A 6m 5m 5m B O In Figure 2 OAB is a sector of a circle, radius 5 m. The chord AB is 6 m long. 7 ? . (a) Show that cos AOB = 25 (2) ? (b) Hence find the angle AOB in radians, giving your answer to 3 decimal places. (1) (c) Calculate the area of the sector OAB. (2) (d) Hence calculate the shaded area. (3) 6. The speed, v m s–1, of a train at time t seconds is given by v = ? (1. 2t – 1), 0 ? t ? 30. The following table shows the speed of the train at 5 second intervals. t v 0 0 5 1. 22 10 2. 28 15 20 6. 11 25 30 (a) Complete the table, giving the values of v to 2 decimal places. 3) The distance, s metres, travelled by the train in 30 seconds is given by ? s = ? ? (1. 2 t ? 1) dt . ?0 (b) Use the trapezium rule, with all the values from your table, to estimate the value of s. (3) 30 N23552A 4 7. The curve C has equation y = 2Ãâ€"3 – 5Ãâ€"2 – 4x + 2. (a) Find dy . dx (2) (b) Using the result from part (a), find the coordinates of the turning points of C. (4) d2 y (c) Find . dx 2 (2) (d) Hence, or otherwise, determine the nature of the turning points of C. (2) 8. (a) Find all the values of ? to 1 decimal place, in the interval 0? ? ? < 360? for which 5 sin (? + 30? ) = 3. (4) (b) Find all the values of ? , to 1 decimal place, in the interval 0? ? ? < 360? for which tan2 ? = 4. (5) N23552A 5 9. y Figure 3 3 2 A R B O x Figure 3 shows the shaded region R which is bounded by the curve y = –2Ãâ€"2 + 4x and the 3 line y = . The points A and B are the points of intersection of the line and the curve. 2 Find (a) the x-coordinates of the points A and B, (4) (b) the exact area of R. (6) TOTAL FOR PAPER: 75 MARKS END N23552A 6

Atmospheric Pollution-( Global Warming) Research Proposal

Atmospheric Pollution-( Global Warming) - Research Proposal Example Time and time again, man has proved his propensity for destroying his own habitat. Globalization and industrialization and the need to compete with the rest of civilization in producing and marketing their products worldwide have pushed such basically agricultural countries as China, India and Brazil to raze down their virgin rainforests to give way to thousands of acres of industrial parks. In Brazil alone, millions of acres of Amazonian rainforests were massively cleared and burned for conversion to villages and industrial parks (King & McCarthy 2005,p.35). As a result, in 1987 alone, it was reported that 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide or CO2, the main component of the so-called greenhouse gases, were evaporated into the air (Rifkin 1993,p.224). Trees are known absorbers of CO2 in the air and soak up enormous amounts of CO2 so that cutting and burning them up were responsible for 20% of all CO2 emissions. In the Sahel region of Africa, natives cut off trees for use as fuelwood and allowed their herds to overgraze what's left of the bushes. As a result there was intense desertification especially in Mali, Chad and Niger as rains stopped in 1970 and temperatures reached up to 49degC causing drought and famine and deaths of animals, plants and people (DiPiazza 2007,p.13). The Nobel-Prize winning IPCC or Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported, "Deforestation, biomass burning including fuelwood and other changes in land-use practices release CO2, CH4 and N2O into the atmosphere and together comprise about 18% of the enhanced radiation forcing" (Humphreys 1996,p.16). Since the industrial revolution in the 1880's, man has been frenetically burning coal, oil and natural gases in factories and industrial plants. Today, that industrial revolution has gone haywire as the unfettered madness to burn fossil fuels result in the release of CO2, methane or CH4, nitrous oxide or N2O and hydrofluorocarbons or CFCs into the air, creating an invisible greenhouse that pollutes the upper atmosphere, lock the heat inside and radiate this heat back to earth. Without these greenhouse gases, all the incoming sunlight normally strikes the earth's surface, causing it to emit infrared waves and most of the resultant heat simply travels unimpeded back into the void. With the presence of these greenhouse gases that envelop the earth's atmosphere, this outgoing infrared radiation is instead absorbed by the greenhouse gases,

The Gender Roles Portrayed by Science Fiction Essay

The Gender Roles Portrayed by Science Fiction - Essay Example According to the research "The Gender Roles Portrayed by Science Fiction" findings society visualizes man as having the potential to exercise power and control more than the woman has. Darwin explained that conditions in nature compel men to develop such traits. According to Darwin, women have a relatively small brain capacity compared to men. This explains why the imagination of man can only allow him to create a being that has masculine traits and advanced intelligence. In addition, the last part of the fiction [portrays how Bowman enters into a different form of life. On entering stargate, Bowman displayed a rare sense of courage and did not let fear carry him over to the next world. Bowman plunges into the new world with expectation and excitement. He does not hesitate to gain the new form of energy to control the world. Kubrick portrays the story as Darwin elaborated. He implies that just as Darwin indicated, men have a greater potential of intelligence than women do (121). In h is fiction, he gives men all the chances of discovering the world and excludes the women. The view he projects to society is that technology and scientific advances are masculine adventures. In the first part of the film, Kubrick presents to us Moonwatcher, who is huge and gigantic compared to his tribesmen. Moonwatcher advances slowly as environmental conditions change from ape-like nature to humanity. He is the first human being to experience bravery and a sense of leadership. He discovers how man can use traditional tools to hunt animals for food. He developed emotions within him as time elapses. Kulbrick draws the picture of man having a higher social standing that a woman right from the start. This picture compares positively to Darwin’s theory. Space odyssey projects masculine superiority in science and technology. This view is evident in our society. Interestingly, Kulbrick displays that some women can work together with men in scientific ventures. He brings in women like Elena who travels to the moon with other women. This only makes one point clear that Kulbrick has realized that both men and women can work together to bring about scientific breakthroughs. In a different fiction story, Alien, then director brings out his perspective of gender roles and traits. In his story line, he reverses what society considers the norm. A crew is out to explore the space with the goal of collecting samples of an alien creature.

ICT Resources for project mgt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ICT Resources for project mgt - Essay Example This paper suggests the use of new information technology techniques such as computerised traffic management system on the roads with weather detection systems (Doyle 2001, p. 47).   The ICT project will involve the use of computerised traffic engineering systems and regulations that will aim at reducing traffic jams through the installation of certain restrictions where possible. One of the ways may include computerised parking systems and restrictions as recent studies have shown that one of the major causes of traffic delays is the snarl-up resulting from vehicles parking in and out of buildings. The use of ICT will boost this process in such a way that there will be efficient flow throughout. Likewise, the government can liaise with road construction companies to incorporate ICT monitoring and control systems at various points such as bypasses and roundabouts in order to enhance the smooth flow of traffic at corners in major cities (Jain 2009, p. 106).   In order to increase efficiency in major towns, some crucial steps have to be taken in the information communication sector. These steps may take time to implement depending on the complexity and extent of the procedure involved. The first phase would be the modification and improvement of the existing infrastructural developments in the ICT sector with a view of increasing the efficiency. This involves the modification of the traffic lights and expansion of the number and functionality of these items by the introduction of modern software (Murthy & Mohle 2001, p. 57).   The second step would be the introduction of new technology on the roads and streets of major towns. A classic example of this process may involve the incorporation of public transportation lanes that are real time and controlled from the central traffic department. One of the best technological tools that a firm or organization can use is

Risks and Complications of Abortion Procedures Essay

Risks and Complications of Abortion Procedures - Essay Example The typical risks and complication of the surgical abortion include excessive bleeding, injury to the uterus and cervix, and infection of the uterus and the fallopian tubes (State of Alaska). Medical abortion involves the use of specific drugs to kill the unborn child. The commonly used drugs include mifepristone, methotrexate, prostaglandins, and salt poisoning. Mifepristone is an inhibitor of the progesterone hormone, and disrupts the lining of the uterus. The disruption deprives the fetus nutrition, as well as protection, and eventually the unborn child dies (American Life League). Methotrexate affects the growing cells of the fetus and other support systems. Injection of the salt to the amniotic fluid renders the child lifeless through dehydration, bleeding, and convulsion (American Life League). The possible complications of the medical abortion include hemorrhage, infection, and severe pain (State of Alaska). Chemical abortion procedures entail the use of drugs that disrupt the implantation of the baby. The method causes the death of the fetus. The common methods of chemical abortion comprise of Ortho-Evra, NuvaRing, Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection, and Plan B. Ortho-Evra and NuvaRing suppress the gonadotropins, and make the implantation of formed baby impossible by disrupting the uterus lining (American Life League). Similarly, Plan B and Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection cause thinning of the endometrium. The potential risks and complications consist of headaches, drug reactions, inability to conceive, vomiting, and nausea (State of

Human Factors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Factors - Essay Example External environment plays a very significant role in the success of the business. The analysis method that will be most appropriate in evaluating the operations of the external environment is the Porter’s Five Force Model, while the PEST analysis would be used in investigating and evaluating the macro environment. Porter’s Five Force Model examines very sensitive and significant areas of the business organization (Porter, 2004). The next aspect of consideration is the internal analysis of the business in distributing the target tape to hospitals that would be very important in understanding and evaluating the operations of the business. This kind of analysis will be very important in determining whether the company will be successful or will collapse along the way. The internal analysis under consideration would include the primary activities like human resource management, finance, customer service, and marketing (Chaffey, 2009). It is however, of great importance for the business to possess unique capabilities and characteristics in order to enable the management develop a strategy that would assist in distributing quality target tapes to hospitals and health care institutions. Another important aspect to note in the implementation is the generic competitive strategies that would enable the firm fit in the competitive nature of the market. Some of the challenges experienced in a competitive environment ar e the increased demand for high quality target tapes and the growing need to adopt new technology in order to serve the diverse needs of the patients. These are the business organizations that would have the ability and the will to join the existing business environment and hence make the competition be tenser. The planners need to understand that profit levels of the business will tend to depreciate because as other organizations strive to join the product market, there will be increased rivalry (Porter, 2004). Therefore, it is

Managment and Leadership analysis paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managment and Leadership analysis paper - Essay Example Business organizations are cutting down on costs with sponsored travels to conferences, meetings and trainings being usually the first to go. Families are also cancelling their holiday travels as these present significant expenses unwise in the face of job insecurities and shrinking currency value. As people and organizations prefer not to travel, occupancy rates have fallen leading to rapidly shrinking revenues that could be barely enough to sustain overhead costs. Tourism-related businesses are not new to the prospect of crisis and its effects on the industry. War, terrorism and disease outbreaks have severely affected tourism statistics before but the current situation is unique as the effects are immediate but long-lasting. The credit crunch also affects consumer finances while terrorism and diseases only affects consumer confidence. People are easier to convince to take vacations and business meetings when they have the money to spend. The current economic crisis, therefore, calls for an analysis and evaluation of management practices. This paper aims to determine and evaluate hotel management practices designed to address the current economic crisis. First, the state of the UK hotel industry is presented to enable the reader to know the current conditions. Based on this knowledge, an analysis would then be conducted on appropriate measures to be adapted on the following areas of hotel operations and management: revenue management, cost control and guest satisfaction. To know the cure for an ailment, one must first have relevant and useful information. Hence, an understanding of the current conditions of the industry is called for before proceeding with the determination of appropriate hotel management practices. In the following, we will be looking into the trends and developments of tourism and its effects on the hotel industry. As with all other industries, the tourism sector is currently weathering the effects of the

Relationship Analysis in A Christmas Carol Essay

Relationship Analysis in A Christmas Carol - Essay Example In books, the tone of communication is enough to describe the relationship between two characters and the author does not need to explain the relationship separately. The analysis in this paper will be done in a similar manner, i.e. by considering the tone of communication between the characters. Thus, this analysis would show that the context and manner of communication define the relationship between the individuals communicating with each other. This is also one of the most important aspects of the interpersonal communication. The main character of the book is Ebenezer Scrooge who has been described as being a stingy and miser person who stays away from philanthropic activities and spends every penny after giving it a significant thought. Scrooge has no value for the acts of kindness or benevolence and all he cares about is accumulation of wealth. Jacob Marley was the business partner of Scrooge who has been disclosed to have been dead for seven years when the story starts to unfo ld. On the Christmas Eve in the 1840’s Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner Jacob Marley who tries to convince Scrooge to change his ways. In the past, Marley has been described as being the only friend, administrator, business partner and mourner of Scrooge therefore it can be said that both the characters had a similar personality, i.e. they both had love for money. After seven years of the death of Marley, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Marley. Initially the character of Marley does not communicate directly with Scrooge but makes Scrooge feel his appearance in different ways. He then appears in the fireplace in Scrooge’s bedroom. Ultimately, the ghost of Marley appears in front of Scrooge himself. This is where the first verbal communication between these two characters takes place. Initially the character of Scrooge responds coldly to the appearance of the ghost and asks what does the ghost wants from him. The ghost of Marley replies, â €Å"Much!† Scrooge then asks who the ghost was and Marley replies, â€Å"Ask me who I was.† The character of Marley then reminds Scrooge that he was his only friend in his life. Scrooge still remains doubtful but the manner of his dialogue suggests that he is not as cold as he was at his first reaction. He offers Marley a seat and remains unsure whether a ghost would need one. Scrooge remains skeptical whether Marley is real or not and the communication between the characters takes another turn when Scrooge behaves as if Marley is just a figment of his imagination and it is not a real ghost. At one point, Scrooge expresses to Marley that it must be something he had eaten that is playing tricks on his mind. The ghost of Marley lets out a cry that makes Scrooge so afraid he fell upon his knees and begged from mercy. Here, it can be said that the context of communication has changed completely as compared to where it started. Initially, the character of Scrooge was cold t owards the character of ghost Marley. Perception of the characters also plays an important part in the effectiveness of communication between two individuals. If the perceptions of individuals are similar, there would be effective communication between them as the receiver would understand what the sender is trying to communicate (Robbins, 2009). However, if there is difference in perceptions there would be distortion in the flow of communication and a lot of reconciliation would also be required. In this book, the character of

Learning and Development in Organisations Essay - 1

Learning and Development in Organisations - Essay Example I will use two other techniques along with direct observation. First, I will visit the nursing homes to interview some of the elderly residents who might have been living there at least for the last six months or so. I will interview them to know the problems that might have been facing in the nursing home. I will design a questionnaire which I will distribute to all residents of those nursing homes. This technique will be useful as I will be able to know the needs of the residents and the problems they might be facing while living in nursing homes. The collected data will help me identify the learning needs of the caregivers. I will analyze the responses to create a list of activities that the caregivers would need to do in order to be able to provide best services to the residents. The second technique that I will use to know the reasons of decreased effectiveness level of caregivers will be taking interviews of caregivers and nurses. This technique will help me know the problems t hat are making it difficult for caregivers to cope with more challenging residents. I will also inquire the reasons behind lack of confidence in dealing with paperwork. I think interviewing the target population is the best thing one can do to know the measures he/she can take to improve the conditions. Answer No. 2 Reading and analyzing the case, I have learned that the caregivers are falling short of providing best services to the residents of nursing homes. The learning needs that I have become aware of through analysis include lack of confidence, lack of knowledge and practice to deal with challenging residents, lack of ability to make quick decisions on their own, low academic qualification, and less wages. To design a learning solution to meet these needs, I would consider some key factors that are playing their role in decreasing the effectiveness level of the nursing homes. I would consider the nature of the job of caregivers to develop the learning solution. I would researc h the basic requirements of this job and the skills that caregivers should have to be employed for this particular job. To me, no job can be done without relevant skills and knowledge. Therefore, I would get an insight into the set of required skills and knowledge that is required by caregivers to perform this job effectively. Next, I would consider the job environment that the owner of the nursing homes has provided to caregivers for doing their jobs at their best. I think job environment plays a key role in determining the effectiveness level of employees of any company or organization. A good job environment makes employees more productive and satisfied with their jobs. On the other hand, a less secure and unhealthy job environment makes employees dull and ineffective which also puts a negative impact on the efficiency and productivity of the company. Therefore, I would analyze the job environment completely in order to know the factors that might have been causing decrease in th e effectiveness level of caregivers. Next, I would analyze the pay scales of the caregivers. I think high salary is one of biggest motivating factors for an employee. Employees receiving high salaries are satisfied with their companies and usually show more commitment and dedication towards their job tasks. On the other hand, employees who receive fewer wages are in constant search of some new job where they can get higher wages and that approach ad mindset decreases their level of productivity and efficiency. Therefore, I wou

Iphone 5C price decision Essay Example for Free

Iphone 5C price decision Essay The fist factor that important in the pricing decision of iPhone 5C is by considering costs. For instance, since Apple Inc. wants to maximize its profits through establishing new products, the price should be set at the point where marginal revenue equals to marginal cost. We know that iPhone 5C is in the perfectly competitive market, the company can reach its maximum profit at equilibrium at X* and P*. To determine the price, Apple Inc. needs to do the marginal analysis. According to profits (Ï€) equals to total revenues (TR) minus total costs (TC), which is Ï€=(P*X)-(fixed cost+variable costs per unit *X), X is the number of units sold by Apple Inc. Of course, manager needs to ask several departments and contractors to know the cost of their product and services. From online websites, I get to know that producing a 16Gbyte iPhone, total BOM and Manufacturing Cost is about $173.45, for a 32Gbyte iPhone 5C is approximately $182.85(which accounts only for hardware and manufacturing costs and does not include other expenses such as software, licensing, royalties or other expenditure)(Andrew, 2013). The manager can differentiating the fixed costs and variable costs based on cost behavior, and plug those numbers into the equation and get an equation between Ï€ and X. then differentiate the equation and set it to zero, the manager can get the number of units when profit maximizing. Finally, plug X into assuming demand function, the manager can get the price and make a decision. But, in the real world, it is not easy to implement the marginal analysis method. So, managers usually try to combine cost-based approaches and market-based approach to make a profit satisfying approach, for example full cost-plus target profits, variable costs-plus percentage markup can both assess to pricing decision. However, the common and basic factor for the methods is costs. The second factor that important in the pricing decision of iPhone 5C is product line and competitors. Strategy analysis is the company needs to consider about the Competitors as well as the whole industry, and then assess to firm’s plan. We can figure out that the competitions in the smartphone market are quite intense, there are numerous competitors and are almost equal size, such as Samsung, Microsoft. So, Apple Inc. has to investigate the cost leadership and the unique producers in order to make a competitive price in the smartphone market. The website take the example of Moto X, which has 18 kinds of colors and the functions are really similar to iPhone 5C (Darren, 2013). The price of Moto X is $599, so the manager should decide a lower price than it to gain a competitive advantage. In particular, the competition is not just from the external market, we know that Apple Inc. promoted iPhone 5C as well as iPhone 5S at the same time. To iPhone 5C, the manager needs to consider about the plastic case, which is $42 less than the metal case cost of iPhone5S (Ben, 2013). So manager should also compare the 5C’s price to 5S. It is an important thing to keep secret of the product’s price before they coming out. The manager of Apple Inc. can survey the expected price of the public, or conduct some historical sample tests before making the final price decision. The third factor that important in the pricing decision of iPhone 5C is the manager should estimate the demand. Assume that we are suffering a financial crisis, most people don’t have extra money to pay for new electronic devices. They have already owned iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S and do not want to pay for another similar product. Then the manager should decrease the price of iPhone 5C to fit for people’s expectation of low pricing, using the profit margin per unit to trade for higher quantities. As I mentioned above, the estimation of demand function is also important in the marginal analysis. In order to estimate the demand, the manager should also make market survey to analyze the targeted customers. According to Pew Internet’s report, Teens and Technology 2013, 37% of U.S. teenagers now own a smartphone (which compares to 23% in 2011). And the increases of U.S. wireless carriers’ family data plans, intensive the parents to buy smartphones for their kids (Jason, 2013). Because the iPhone5C is colorful, has proper functions and easy to control, it must a first-choice for kid’s cellphone. Aimed at attracting teenagers group, the Apple Inc. manager should make the price to a certain level. What’s more, we also have to consider whether buyers are sensitive to price. In economics, we call it price elasticity of demand, which means the percentage change in the numbers of units sod to the percentage change in the price of the product. Assume most people are price sensitive, if the price of iphone5C is much higher than they expected, they will not buy it, which decreases demand a lot. So, listen to the public opinions on price is quite important. Before iphone5C facing to the public, a lot of individuals forecast that the selling price should be low enough to satisfy the low-end customers needs. Somebody was kidding that iPhone 5C is iPhone for China or iPhone for cheap. Apple Inc. wants to occupy more market percentage in developing countries, so they advertised that to make a colorful low-end smartphone. However, the price of iPhone 5C is not as low as we expected. The data shows after releasing the iPhone for 72 hours, both in China, Australia, U.S., the sales of iPhone 5S is almost 4 times compare to iPhone 5C. Especially, the graph says in the â€Å"target† country China, where the 5s is outselling the 5c five to one (Christopher, 2013). So I think the price of iPhone 5C is not reasonable. There are several reasons to explain iPhone 5C price is not appropriate. Firstly, compare to iPhone 5S, people claim 5C just looks an iPhone 5 with a candy-colored plastic shell. According to a report published by UBS, the same memory for 16 Gigabyte iPhone, 5S costs $213 in materials, whereas a 5C costs $156IPhone 5S has metal shell, Touch ID fingerprint scanner, more advanced A7 chipset, Motion Coprocessor and True tone flash for camera. The different price due to plastic case of $42 and finger print sensor of $7. However, the price of iPhone 5C is only $100 less than iPhone 5S. The UBS also estimates the gross margins of iPhone 5S is 45-55% and for iPhone 5S is 48-54% (Ben, 2013). As a rational consumer, I will buy iPhone 5S instead of iPhone 5C, since 5S has much more functions, which is not at a so much higher price. Secondly, the factors of competitor also have huge effects. Samsung is the key part for apple to make its â€Å"retina display† screen, as well as apple use Sony’s sensor in its camera. We know that Samsung and Sony are competitors. Apple Inc. is hiring, relying and paying them. But if someday, Samsung or Sony stop providing essential parts to apple, what will happen? I think Apple Inc. has to produce all manufacturing parts by themselves under a big amount of fixed cost, which will have a big effect on Apple’s price decision. Thirdly, the price of iPhone 5C is not as low as rumored. It brings the question to us, who exactly is Apple targeting? We know that Samsung has galaxy series, which with large-screen and liked by fashion people and developing markets. In china, there are a lot of really cheap phones under 1000RMB, those phones have varieties function and beautiful looking. So when Apple Inc. can really open the market to low-end customers? The price decision and targeting customer is not clear and accurate. I am kind of thinking there must be some sailing strategy when apple promoted 5C and 5S at the same time, with a huge cost performance in my opinion. Maybe Apple Inc. just wants to stimulate the sales of 5S, after people comparing these two products.

Refugees and Biopolitics

Refugees and Biopolitics Refugee: The Victim of Biopolitics While we acknowledged as citizens of our country are enjoying our basic rights as a human as well as a citizen, have turned a blind eye to those millions of people around the world who are forced to live on the margins of social, political, economical and geographical borders. These people are known as the refugees; people in search of a refuge. They can also be called immigrants or asylum seekers. Victims of their nation’s political functioning these people are forced to find haven on an alien land. At times, these people (called the ‘Others’) are constructed as a danger to ‘Us’. â€Å"Fear of the Other is produced, circulated and capitalized on to achieve political and economic purposes† (Robin). The questions that arise here are as many as why are these refugees treated as the ‘Others’? Aren’t they humans like ‘Us’? Weren’t they born as Man and, as a result, are entitled to be acknowledged with the basic human and citizenship rights? And most importantly, why and how do these people become the victims of biopolitics? This paper is an attempt to find the answers to such questions. In his book Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life, Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben has devoted an entire section titled ‘Biopolitics and the Rights of Man’ to describe the suffering of these refugees who are denied even the basic human rights in a new country. Becoming a victim of his fate â€Å"the very figure who should have embodied the rights of man par excellence the refugee signals instead the concept’s radical crisis† (Agamben 126). The crux of Agamben’s essay is based on Hannah Arendt’s claim that the fates of human rights and the nation-state are linked together, which means that the decline of one also implies the end of the other. This means, that by altering the rights of these people who later become refugees, the nation is leading towards its own decline. â€Å"The paradox from which Arendt departs is that the very figure who should have embodied the rights of man par excellence the refugee signals instead the concep t’s radical crisis† (Agamben 126). Agamben completely understands the refugees’ condition as it is and that’s why he has titled his book as Homo Sacer. To understand the meaning behind this we need to go back to the Roman antiquity, where the cancellation of a citizen’s rights by the sovereign produced the threshold figure of homo sacer, the sacred man who can be killed by anyone as he has no rights but can’t be sacrificed because the act of sacrifice can only be done within the legal context of the city from which homo sacer has been banished, as can be seen in the case of refugees from Rwanda (Agamben 133). â€Å"He is an outlawed citizen, the exception to the law, and yet he is still subject to the penalty of death and therefore still included, in the very act of exclusion, within the law† (Downey). Homo sacer blurs the line between an outlaw and a citizen and, hence aptly portrays the figure of Agamben’s refugees. In his essay ‘Biopolitics and the Rights of Man’, Agamben has talked about the devastating impact of biopolitics on the refugees. The word ‘biopolitics’ has been formed out of two words: bio (the life) and politics, and means the â€Å"regulation of the life of populations† by politics (Zembylas). When Agamben says â€Å"Biopolitics† or â€Å"Biopower†, he refers to the social and political power that the nation-state has over human life. In order to protect the population’s biological well-being, the state acts preventively and thus it goes against the ‘Other’: â€Å"If you want to live, the other must die† (Foucault 255). And in this way, the killing is justified in the name of security. Biopolitics â€Å"establishes a binary categorization between ‘us’ and ‘them’, or between the ‘normal’ (legitimate citizens) and the ‘abnormal’ (illegal immigrants, un-qual ified refugees or bogus asylum seekers). The former deserve to live, while the latter are expendable† (Zembylas). Agamben talks about the first move of classical western politics: the separation of the biological and the political. This can be seen in Aristotle’s separation between life in the polis. Bios is the political life and zoÄâ€Å" is the bare life. â€Å"The entry of zoÄâ€Å" into the sphere of the polis the politicization of bare life as such constitutes the decisive event of modernity and signals a radical transformation of the political-philosophical categories of classical thought† (Agamben). For Agamben, at the political level, biopower means that what’s at stake is the life of the citizen itself; not only his existence but also his life. Agamben also examines the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, 1789 and concludes that the bare natural life (birth) is the source and bearer of rights as mentioned in the first article of the Declaration, which says that â€Å"Men are born and remain free and equal in rights†. This should mean that despite leaving their country, the refugees deserve equal rights. But at the same time, he reminds us that the very natural life vanishes into the figure of the citizen, in whom rights are â€Å"preserved†. This means, that although a man is born free and has equal rights, these rights are valid only as long as he is a citizen. So, when he leaves his country and becomes a refugee, he is devoid of any citizenship rights. And, since the Declaration can attribute sovereignty to the â€Å"nation†, Agamben says, â€Å"the nation closes the open circle of man’s birth† (Agamben). Now, that the sovereignty lies with the nation, this is where the biopolitics enters the scene. Now, when biopolitics enters the scene, what we can see is the discrimination it does. A format of this discrimination can be seen in the real life accounts of Mexican-American writer, Luis Alberto Urrea, who in his book Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border, talks about his experience in Tijuana (a city in Mexico adjacent to the Mexican-American border) where thousands of immigrants/refugees from different parts of Central America arrive every day, with the hope that they might be able to cross the Mexican-American border and make it to The United States. He provides an account of the struggles of these refugees, who after spending all their money, leaving their homeland behind and facing all sorts of violence do make it to Tijuana but only to face more violation. Reaching Tijuana isn’t the most painful hurdle for them, the real struggle begins after they reach there and begin the journey of crossing the highly-guarded Mexican-American border. The border, strengthened by Border Patrol, makes the idea of reaching the other side of the fence (USA) a ‘dream’ for these refugees. The biopolitics comes here in the form of both nations’ Border Patrols who stop these immigrants from entering North America. The danger is present not only in the form of the ‘foreign’ Border Patrols but also in the form of the ‘local’ coyotes (guides) who at times turn on these refugees and take all their money away from them. If the coyotes don’t attack them, there are rateros (thieves), if the rateros don’t, there are pandilleros (gangs) who will. If the refugees are lucky enough (or rather, smart enough) to avoid these thugs, they will eventually collide with the authoritative Border Patrols who catch them and transport them back to Tijuana, forcing these desperate refugees to start their struggle from scratch. When these refugees return back unsuccessfully to Tijuana they are without a place to live, without any money to fulfill their basic needs, sometimes they are even without clothes and shoes. In many cases they are even â€Å"bloodied from a beating by pandilleros, or an â€Å"accident† in the Immigration and Naturalization Service compound. They can’t get proper medical attention. They can’t eat, or afford to feed their family. Some of their compatriots have been separated from their wives or their children. Now their loved ones are in the hands of strangers, in the vast and unknown United States† (Urrea 17-18). It is clear that North America doesn’t want these Central American refugees, and after a time even these refugees’ spirit starts to break. They start ‘living’ in Tijuana where they sell chewing gum, their children sing in traffic and at every stoplight they wash the car windshields. â€Å"If North America does not want them, Tijuana wants them even less. They become the outcasts of an outcast region† (Urrea 19). All these circumstances are a result of biopolitics which stops these ‘Others’ from mixing with the ‘Us’. These refugees are not welcomed in Tijuana, which is a place that itself isn’t welcome in Mexico. Tijuana is Mexico’s cast-off child. Although, she brings money and attracts foreigners, no one would dare claim her. Some people there don’t count Tijuana as a part of Mexico. For them the border is nowhere. But, in reality a border does exist there. That borer is ‘invisible’. Here, we can refer to Etienne Balibar’s concept of ‘inner borders’ which are â€Å"invisible borders, situated everywhere and nowhere† (Balibar 78). While talking about Europe’s Schengen Convention, Balibar says that â€Å"one of the major implications of the Schengen Convention [†¦] is that from now on, on ‘its’ border [†¦] each member state is becoming the representative of the others† (Balibar 78). By this, he is referring to the exploitation a refugee/immigrant/asylum seeker faces when more than one (Schengen) nations come together to exploit these refugees by prohibiting them entry (to asylums, etc.) in nearly every European nation (who have signed the Schengen Agreement). The border of these Schengen nations is biopolitically constructed, and â€Å"is indeed the only aspect of ‘the construction of Europe’ that is currently moving forward, not in the area of citizenship, but in that of anti-citizenship , by way of coordination between police forces and also of more or less simultaneous legislative and constitutional changes regarding the right of asylum and immigration regulations, family reunion, the granting of nationality, and so on† (Balibar 78). Although, the Declaration of Rights, (based on the birth-nation link and leading to national sovereignty) was expected to succeed the collapse of the ancien rà ©gime (where the concept of national citizenship was absent), Agamben clearly says that after World War I â€Å"the birth-nation link has no longer been capable of performing its legitimating function inside the nation-state, and the two terms have begun to show themselves to be irreparably loosened from each other† (Agamben 132). This leads him to talk about the immense increase of refugees and stateless persons in Europe. He lists several Europeans (1,500,000 White Russians, 700,000 Armenians, etc.) who were displaced from their countries in the first half of 20th century. Then, he talks about the mass denaturalization and denationalization of their own populations committed by France in 1915 with respect to naturalized citizens of â€Å"enemy† origin and by Belgium in 1922 who revoked the naturalization of citizens who have committed â€Å"anti national† acts during the war. He then mentions the â€Å"most extreme point† of this process when the Nuremberg laws on â€Å"citizenship in the Reich† and the â€Å"protection of German blood and honor† introduced â€Å"the principle according to which citizenship was something of which one had to prove oneself worthy and which could therefore always be called into question† (Agamben 132). This highlights the fact that by u sing the biopolitical weapons of Fascism and Nazism, countries stripped their own citizens off of their citizenship and human rights and ultimately pushed them towards their death. Agamben claims that, â€Å"Today it is not the city but rather the camp that is the fundamental biopolitical paradigm of the West† (Agamben 181). The two resulting phenomenons: 1) The massive increase in the number of refugees and stateless persons in Europe, and 2) European states allowing the mass denaturalization and denationalization of their own populations, â€Å"show that the birth-nation link, on which the Declaration of 1789 had founded national sovereignty, had already lost its mechanical force and power of self-regulation by the time of the First World War† (Agamben 132). What actually happens is that the governments suspend civil rights during social crisis and decide who is to be excluded and who is to be included. The refugees are the ones who are excluded. The camp signifies a state of exception in which â€Å"the originary relation of law to life is not application but Abandonment† (Agamben). The one who is banned is not simply set outside the law but rather abandoned by it. This highlights the fact that the nations and their biopolitics truly lack the humanitarian aspect. Agamben sees a separation of humanitarian concerns from politics. Instead, what’s visible to him is a solidarity between humanitarianism and the political powers it should fight. This contradiction is a primary reason for the failure of several committees and organisations (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, for example) who work for the problem of refugees and the protection of human rights. They simply refuse to comment on the actions of political regimes. â€Å"This distinction is also seen in the general populace of many nation-states in which great compassion is demonstrated by donating millions of dollars to fund humanitarian aid, while showing great hostility to those same suffering faces when they are more proximate strangers† (qtd. in Zembylas). Although, these organizations function for the right of these refugees, they fail to resolve their problems in any way. These humanitarian organizations â€Å"maintain a secret solidarity with the very powe rs they ought to fight† â€Å"The separation between humanitarianism and politics that we are experiencing today is the extreme phase of the separation of the rights of man from the rights of the citizen† (Agamben 133). Now, the big question is how to stop the exploitation of these refugees at the hands of nations’ biopolitics? Some might suggest that since the concept of ‘refugees’ is a result of ‘borders’, a ‘borderless world’ would aptly solve the problem of refugees. But, â€Å"such a ‘world’ would run the risk of being a mere arena for the unfettered domination of the private centers of power which monopolize capital, communications and, perhaps also, arms† (Balibar 85). By saying this, Balibar is pointing towards the omnipresence of biopolitics which makes the fact clear that a world without borders and biopolitics can only exist in a state of utopia. First of all, what Agamben suggests is that the concept of the refugee must be separated from the concept of the human rights because refugees are devoid of any of those rights. It should be clearly visible to everyone where they stand. Secondly, the refugees are born in a nation and they should belong to it but they aren’t allowed to, and since they are born as Man they should be considered citizens but they aren’t. This is why the refugees must call into question the existing fundamental concepts of the nation-state: the birth-nation and the man-citizen links. Refugees should make nations and humanist organizations see how much they are lacking in their humanitarian approach. Lastly, refugees have got the power to ask the nations to renew their existing political categories where â€Å"bare life is no longer separated either in the state order or in the figure of human rights† (Agamben 134). If there would be no separation of bare life, then there wouldnâ€℠¢t be any discrimination against the refugees. This way they will be recognized as humans and citizens just like any other person and their discrimination at the hands of biopolitics will eventually see a decline. Works Cited Agamben, Giorgio. Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1995.  126, 132, 133, 134, 181. Print. Arendt, Hannah. The Origins of Totalitarianism. New ed. New York: Harcourt, Brace World,  1966. N. pag. Print. Balibar, Etienne. Politics and the Other Scene. London: Verso, 2002. 78. Print.  Downey, Anthony. Zones of Indistinction. http://www.sothebysinstitute.com/files/research/zones.pdf. Sothebys Institute of Art, 26  Apr. 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. Foucault, Michel, and Mauro Bertani. Society Must Be Defended: Lectures at the Collà ¨ge De  France, 1975-1976. New York: Picador, 2003. 255. Print. Robin, Corey. Fear: The History of a Political Idea. New York: Oxford UP, 2004. N. pag. Print. Urrea, Luis Alberto. Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border. New York:  Anchor, 1993. 17, 18, 19. Print. Zembylas, Michalinos. Agambens Theory of Biopower and Immigrants/Refugees/AsylumSeekers. Journal.jctonline.org/index.php/jct/article/viewFile/195/83. Journal of  Curriculum Theorizing, 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

Education Essays Bilingualism United States

Education Essays Bilingualism United States Bilingualism United States The United States Children Growing Up Monolingual Understanding, Identifying, and Examining Bilingualism in the United States: An Interdisciplinary Approach Why do so many children in the United States grow up monolingual? The United States is regarded as â€Å"a melting pot†, in which people of different cultures, races, and religions are joined together so as to widen a multi-ethnic society. Americans have had various beliefs about whether or not English should be the official language in this country. There have been diverse decisions in English Only acts throughout the United States’ history. These English Only acts demonstrate some of the reasons why so many of the United States’ children grow up monolingual. It’s no wonder that immigrants to this country are swayed to lose their mother tongue or even their entire customs and traditions. It is difficult to understand the close ties that language has with certain group ethnicities (Gerstle, 2001). Language is one of the major ingredients of individuals’ identities and ethnicities. The United States should consider a proposal that would include a more enhanced plan for the welfare of certain groups, so that they could fully contribute in our society and encourage a more bilingual or multilingual society that would prepare Americans for a more expanding global society. The United States should consider itself to be at an advantage when it comes to bilingualism. There is a flood of immigrants coming into this nation every year and every immigrant brings with them a unique idiom. Throughout American history, the typical pattern of language usage among immigrants has been a rapid shift from non-English monolingualism to bilingualism to English monolingualism in the third generation (Fishman, 1980). Americans have more of an advantage, because of their high percentage of immigrants, to encourage bilingualism to its citizens. The United States could benefit from the advantage because bilingualism could better prepare the U.S. citizens for an ever-expanding global society (Sheriff, 2007). Major Reasons for Bilingualism in the U.S. One significant element to bilingualism in the United States begins with providing better welfare of specific groups of people who cannot, because of language barriers, contribute fully in our social organization. Another reason for bilingualism in the U.S. is the interest of professional second language groups, who find it essential to continue their support for language study development (Roeming,1971). In addition to the significant elements to increase bilingualism, native speakers might find it meaningful to continue their mother tongue, traditions, and cultures. One important reason for this is that there have been findings that concluded â€Å"a foreign language facilitates mastering the higher forms of the native language† (Lambert Tucker, 2007). Bilingualism could better prepare the U.S. citizens for an ever-expanding global society (Sheriff, 2007). American citizens need to examine outside their borders and learn from the mistakes and successes of other countries, furthermore countries that are thriving with developed citizens with bilingual or multilingual proficiency (Pufahi, 2001). It is essential that the United States’ citizens become a society with multicultural character and reflect as the â€Å"melting pot† nation, so which as they are regarded (Safty, 1988). Why an Interdisciplinary Approach There are many factors that contribute to bilingualism in America. It is important that it be examined for the reasons listed above. The information must be explored from multiple viewpoints, in order to successfully develop a system of improvement. By applying an interdisciplinary approach to the issue, the viewpoints from specific disciplines can be investigated and integrated to provide successful modifications. While disciplines can blind or sway, they become, when used relevantly, our keenest lenses on the world. The disciplines are the most useful means for illuminating those generative issues that have perennially engaged the curiosity of thoughtful human beings (Gardner and Boix-Mansilla, 1994). The interdisciplinary process involves integrating disciplinary insights into a particular problem and it does not attempt to integrate disciplinary perspectives. However, before one can identify insights, one must first identify the disciplines relevant to the problem (Repko, 2005). Bilingualism influences many divisions of this nation. It is difficult to apply only one study of discipline to this multifaceted crisis. The issue needs to be analyzed in more areas of disciplines, so that all factors are considered. This complete examination of bilingualism in the United States could help render all major concerns that affect Americans and their legal citizens. Significant Disciplines There are several disciplines that could contribute to the concerns of bilingualism in America. The disciplines that are considered to be the most critical are Education, Sociology, and Modern Languages. The goal of this investigation is to consider the most important welfare of the United States’ citizens concerning bilingualism. There are several other disciplines that contain factors involving bilingualism, but these disciplines may only briefly be illustrated in this paper. The disciplines that may be briefly studied are Economics, History, Linguistics, Political Science and Psychology. The investigation concentrates mainly on the most critical disciplines. Education, Sociology, and Modern Languages are the disciplines that will be fully investigated for the purpose of the problem at hand. Discipline 1: Education The discipline of Education contains methods that can assist in teaching a system. Teaching techniques can have effective implications to address specific issues. It is important to understand well enough specific structures in order to effectively acknowledge them. The purpose of teaching techniques is to have a sound knowledge base, so that students can build as they are exposed to different life experiences. If a student is well educated, then they are able to interpret good judgment, experience and wisdom (Britannica, 2006). These are the reasons why it is essential that students at an early age be instructed in the issues of foreign languages. Students are able to acquire two languages simultaneously almost â€Å"with the same ease [he] learns his first one because he is doing so at a stage of mental development which proceeds parallel to the mechanisms of language acquisition.† The influence of Education has been proven to be an effective way to promote a Bilingual society ( Safty, 1988). The discipline of Education would allow students to further understand and comprehend the structures of bilingualism and promote the importance of the issue in America’s society. Discipline 2: Sociology The discipline of Sociology contains methods of how and why people are structured in society. Societies are structured as individuals or as part of associations, groups and institutions. Societies are examined to reveal how and why people are structured in specific ways (Britannica, 2006). It is essential to include this discipline’s insights to the issue of bilingualism in the U.S. It should be researched why certain societies do not fully contribute in our society, because of language barriers. Also, it should be examined why certain members continue to contribute to the support of language study. Professional linguists observed evidence of behavioral function in two languages with enthusiasm without recognizing that the disparate cultural levels of the two languages may cause serious individual socio-psychological problems (Roeming, 1971). It is essential to understand how or why people are structured in societies, so that there can be a greater awareness of how Americans can gain a higher participation in bilingualism. Discipline 3: Modern Languages The discipline of Modern Languages involves the structure of languages, syntax formation of languages, and learning capabilities of second language learners. The structure of languages can in some cases be transformed from one language to another. Positive cognitive gains should be expected from bilingualism if the second language is introduced after the child has achieved a certain threshold level of competence in his first language (Diaz, 1983). The syntax-formations of languages are sometimes similar in structure. In an intensive investigation it revealed that exposure to French facilitated the comprehension of certain English syntactic structures (Safty, 1988). Also, the learning capabilities of second language learners can sometimes be very diverse from that of native language learners. It is essential to understand the formalities of Modern Languages, so that the proper proposal can be assessed of bilingualism in the United States. Significant Disciplines Other disciplines that should be briefly studied are Economics, History, Linguistics, Political Science and Psychology. Economics involves the set of principles and techniques by which a society decides and organizes the ownership and allocation of economic resources. History includes the social structures and the interaction of different group in society rather thatn affairs of state. Linguistics encompasses semantics, syntax, and phonology. Synchronic linguistic studies aim to describe a language as it exists at a given time; diachronic studies trace a language[s historical development. â€Å"Political Science contains the nature of states, the functions performed by governments, voter behaviour, political parties, political culture, political economy and public opinion. Psychology illustrates the concerns of personalities, attitudes, motivations, and behaviour of an individual or a group† (Political Science, 2008). The disciplines listed above may be briefly included in this investigation for the purpose of the United States’ citizens examining the importance of increasing bilingualism or multilingualism. Purpose of Interdisciplinary Studies The purpose of this investigation is to understand, identify, and examine bilingualism in the United States. The issue of bilingualism in America is a major concern that needs to be reviewed with more than one aspect of discussion in order for all Americans to agree on the topic at hand. The interests of specific groups of people who are not able, because of language barriers, to contribute fully in our social organization should be reviewed. Also, it is ethically accurate for native speakers to maintain their mother tongue, traditions, and cultures studies. It also should to be reviewed why beginning foreign language study early supports achievement of higher levels of language proficiency and why bilingualism can enhance certain cognitive skills and intellectual development. If the issues listed in this paper are understood, identified and examined then the United States could better prepare the U.S. citizens for an ever-expanding global society with specific groups’ interest included. Background The United States was founded on diverse cultures unifying to establish a new nation of opportunities. The history of America has demonstrated the struggles of diverse cultures trying to create a multicultural nation. One of the major concerns in the United States has been bilingualism. In the beginning Americans tried to define what the nation stood for and what customs and cultures were considered American. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, We have one language here, and that is the English language, and we intend to see that the [assimilation] crucible turns our people out as Americans. These events in American history resulted in federal and state laws, judicial decisions and administrative regulations which were largely sympathetic to the idea of language rights. Official English Movement In the nineteenth century of the United States there were languages other than English that were widely spoken, a strong â€Å"English only† struggle developed at the turn of the century as a flood of immigrates from Southern and Eastern Europe increased xenophobic feelings in Americans. The â€Å"Americanization† movement that grew between 1900 and 1920 demanded national unity upon cultural homogeneity and a common language (Citrin, Reingold, Walters, Green, 1990). The planned drive for â€Å"official English† in the 1980s was what started change in America. Senator Hayakawa (Republican, California) feared that if the United States failed to promote a common language then they would create instability and polarization similar to Canada, Belgium, and other linguistically divided countries. Hayakawa first proposed an amendment to the Constitution to declare English the official language to the United States in 1981. Hayakawa established the â€Å"U.S. English,† the organization which quickly became the leading advocacy group of the â€Å"official English† movement. Today there are 44 states and numerous countries and municipalities that have considered laws or initiatives that declare English to be their sole official language (Citrin, Reingold, Walters, Green, 1990). There are organizations that fight to make English the official language of the United States. ProEnglish is a member-supported, national, non-profit organization founded in 1994. ProEnglish is one of the organizations dedicated to making English the official language of the United States. They disapprove of such orders such as the Executive Order 13166, which states that any entity which receives federal funds must provide whatever services it offers in any foreign language spoken by anyone likely to receive those services. It says failure to do so is likely to constitute discrimination on the basis of national origin as prohibited by Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights law (ProEnglish Activism, 2008). The â€Å"English only† movement and the immigrants struggling to strive in American societies demonstrates the diverse viewpoints that their citizens hold about bilingualism. Bilingual Education The United States has had bilingual education since the 1840’s. It was believed that a form of bilingual schooling originated in Cincinnati in 1840. Cincinnati was one of the many communities in which the majority or a large minority of the population was German-speaking. German immigrants were coming to America in huge numbers during the ladder decades of the 19th century. There were private and parochial German schools established, furthermore German parents had to pay tuition and school taxes. As a result of the German schools the native-born Americans became concerned that speakers of other languages would be assimilated into their speech and way of life. They decided to unite the German schools with the public schools and swayed the students to aspire to learn the German language. This resulted in students learning German and English languages together (Andersson, 1971).† The 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s were a low period for foreign languages in general, which almost disappeared from the elementary-school curriculum. On January 17, 1967, a historic bill was introduced in the Senate of the U.S. by the senior senator from Texas together with seven other senators as co-sponsors. The bill was to ensure that students whose native tongue was not English would be better assisted in school. On January 2, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Bilingual Education Act, with the words, â€Å"Thousands of children of Latin descent, young Indians, and others will get a better start- a better chance in school (Andersson, 1971)†. Federal policy in bilingual education since 1960 has been made to ensure equal educational opportunity for minority-language children of limited English proficiency (LEP). They began because of court decisions enforcing civil rights legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act (EEOA) of 1974 (Secada, 1990). There is a debate for Bilingual Education in which there are those who believe that the goal of the program should be to assimilate LEP students into the mainstream as quickly as possible. Then there are those that believe that the program should help develop dual language competence and literacy, multicultural awareness, and enhanced self concept which could lead to other desirable goals (Secada, 1990). In the 1960s the concept of a federal bilingual education program revealed to be politically popular, and there were more than three dozen bilingual education bills introduced into the House of Representatives. On January 17, 1967, Texas Senator Ralph Yarborough and six cosponsors introduced S. 428, the American Bilingual Education Act (BEA), an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. This amendment was to ensure a better education to â€Å"the special educational needs of the large numbers of students in the United States whose mother tongue is Spanish and to whom English is a foreign language (Lyons, 1990)†. The 1974 amendments lengthened the formation and operation of the BEA, they also supported the law’s focus on English-language development and neglect of native-language development. The amendments also excluded federal support for two-way bilingual-education programs like the Coral Way model. Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in federally aided programs and activities and entailed on grant-making agencies accountability for guaranteeing compliance. In 1974 the United States Supreme Court delivered its first and only response to the legal responsibilities of schools serving LRP students. The case was Lau v. Nichols, a class-action suit by the parents of nearly 3000 Chinese pupils in the 16,500 students San Francisco public school system. There were only a small percentage of students that received special instruction and the remainder received none. The plaintiffs alleged that the school district’s conduct violated both the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The plaintiffs requested that the laws be improved and the school districts policies ensure quality instruction for bilingual students. Multilingual-multicultural programs were even more determined in providing instruction in and development of English and at least two other languages (Lyons,1990). In the 1980s the Regan administration cut funding to the bilingual education programs and at the time there was an increase in the number of LEP children needing BEA-funding services. There were at least 3.6 million LEP students that were attending schools in the Unites States. The LEP school-age population was expected to increase, through the year 2000, two and one half times as fast as the general school-age population (Lyons, 1990). During Regan’s term in office he appointed William J. Bennett to be his successor. Secretary Bennett announced to his citizens: Early study of foreign languages makes sense. The imitative capacities of young children give them natural advantages as language students. And language study is good for them. It allows children a taste of the size and diversity of human experience and helps them to distinguish similarities and differences between their own and other cultures and peoples. It may even have a positive effect on their command of English (Lyons, 1990). Integrated Disciplines The disciplines discussed in this investigation are Education, Sociology and Modern Languages. They are essential for the complete investigation of bilingualism in America. Education contains the major aspects of bilingualism in America. Education is the major reason for bilingual studies. Education is the primary reason that American citizens gain comprehensive understanding of a second language. This is the reason that Education is reviewed first in this intense study. Sociology is the next discipline viewed. It is essential to the issue of bilingualism because societies determine what kind of community they desire to exist in. They vote and protest the issues that concern their communities, furthermore determine the idioms used in their societies. The last discipline that is viewed is Modern Languages because of the importance of language structures and facets. These disciplines are viewed in this order due to their importance in the issues concerning bilingualism in America. Other Bilingualism Historical Events Beginning in the 1990s there was a clear presence of xenophobic culture in the California citizens. The California Proposition 277 in 1998 was designed to dismantle bilingual education. Also the Proposition 187 was created to make English the official language of the state. Governor Pete Wilson and other politicians made speeches using a kind of language that demonized the so-called â€Å"illegal† immigrants (Macedo, 2000). These events lead to other states trying to mimic California’s actions. The presence of xenophobic culture was seen much earlier in American history. It can’t be forgotten the English re-education camps designed primarily to yank Native Americans mother tongues. Native American children were taken form their parents and sent to boarding schools with the main objective of cutting them off from their â€Å"primitive† languages and â€Å"savage† cultures (Macedo, 2000). The historical events that have taken place in the Unites States history have brought us to the nation you see today. Bilingualism is still a major issue among American citizens. The issue is still a major debate among our new electing partys nomination for presidency. The recent debate among the two running Democratic Partys nomination, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, were asked about bilingualism in the United States. Their responses to the question are below. Clintons comments: I think its important for as many Americans as possible to do what I have never been able to do, and that is learn another language and try to be bilingual because that connects us to the rest of the world. I represent New York. We have 170 languages in New York City alone. And I do not think that we should be, in any way, discriminating against people who do not speak English, who use facilities like hospitals or have to go to court to enforce their rights. But I do think that English does remain an important part of the American experience. So I encourage people to become bilingual. But I also want to see English remain the common, unifying language of our country (Clinton, 2008). And Obamas: Well, I think it is important that everyone learns English and that we have that process of binding ourselves together as a country. I think thats very important. I also think that every student should be learning a second language. I want to make sure that children who are coming out of Spanish-speaking households had the opportunity to learn and are not falling behind. If bilingual education helps them do that, I want to give them the opportunity. But I also want to make sure that English-speaking children are getting foreign languages because this world is becoming more interdependent and part of the process of Americas continued leadership in the world is going to be our capacity to communicate across boundaries, across borders, and thats something frankly where weve fallen behind (Obama, 2008). The controversy between these two Democratic presidential candidates about bilingualism reveals the major importance of bilingualism in America today. The problem requires a full investigation with the most comprehensive understanding of the issue. The issue should be viewed by all aspects of the problem. The disciplines of Education, Sociology and Modern Languages could give a full investigation on many facets of bilingualism in America. The concerns of bilingualism need an interdisciplinary approach due to the many aspects of the issue. The interdisciplinary approach would allow many viewpoints to be examined and ideas to be fully understood (Repko, 2005). A look back of the history of bilingualism in America is an important aspect to viewing the problems that we see today. It is essential to acknowledge the events that have taken place in America history in order to fully understand the elements of bilingualism in this nation. Reference List Andersson, Theodore (1971). Bilingual Education: The American Experience. The Modern Language Journal, 55, 427-440 Berriz, Berta (2006). Unz Got Your Tongue: What Have We Lost with the English-only Mandates? Radical Teacher, 10-15 CAL:Digest (Pufahi, I., Rhodes, N., Christian, D.). (2001). What We Can Learn From Foreign Language Teaching in Other Countries. Center for Applied Linguistics. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/0106pufahl.html Citrin, J., Reingold, B., Walters, E., Green, D. (1990). The â€Å"Official English† Movement and the Symbolic Politics of Language in the United States. The Western Political Quarterly,43, 535-559 Clinton, Hillary (2008, February 21). The importance of bilingualism in America. Lecture presented for the American public in the United States. Diaz, Rafael (1983). Thought and Two Languages: The Impact of Bilingualism on Cognitive Development. Review of Research in Education, 10, 23-54 Encyclopedia Britannica (2006). Encyclopedia Britannica Incoporated, Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, Retrieved February 6, 2007, from http://www.britannica.com Gardner, H., Boix-Mansilla, V. (1994) Teaching for Understanding Within and Across the Disciplines. Educational Leadership, 14-18 Garica, E., Bryant, J. (2007). Helping Young Hispanic Learners. Educational Leadership, 34-39 Gerstle, Gary (2001). Beyond the Melting Pot. New Leader, 28 Leonard, K. (2007). English Only Is English Lonely. American Libraries, 3 Lyons, James (1990). The Past and Future Directions of Federal Bilingual-Education Policy. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 508, 66-80 Lubell, M., Zahran, S., Vedlitz, A. (2007). Collective Action and Citizen Responses to Global Warming, Political Behavior, 29,391-413 Macedo, Donaldo ( 2000). The Colonialism of the English Only Movement. Educational Researcher, 29, 15-24 Muhlko, C. (2007). Too Cool for School. New York Times Magazine, 125,126 Obama, Barack (2008, February 21 ). The importance of bilingualism in America. Lecture presented for the American public in the United States. Pease-Alvarez, L., Hakuta, K. (1992). Enriching Our Views of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education. Edcuational Research, 21(2), 4-6+19 Political science. (2008). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Retrieved February 27, 2008, from Portes, A., Lingxin, H. (1998). E. Pluribus Unum: Blingualism and Loss of Language in the Second Generation. Sociology of Education , 71(4), 269-294 Pratt, Mary Louise ( 2002). What’s Foreign and What’s Familiar? Modern Language Association, 117(5), 1283-1287 Roeming, Robert (1971). Bilingualism and the National Interest. The Modern Language Journal, 55(2), 73-81 Safty, Adel (1988). French Immersion and the Making of a Bilingual Society: A Critical Review and Discussion. Canadian Journal of Education ,13(2), 243-262 Secada, Walter (1990). Research, Politics, and Bilingual Eduation. The Annals of the American Academy, 508, 81-106 Sheriff, S. (2007). Nuestros Amigos. Teaching K-8, 46-47

Abolitionists Essay -- essays papers

Abolitionists Strategies of Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and John Brown Abolitionist Movement was a reform movement during the 18th and 19th centuries. Often called the antislavery movement, it sought to end the enslavement of Africans and people of African descent in Europe, the Americas, and Africa itself. It also aimed to end the Atlantic slave trade carried out in the Atlantic Ocean between Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Many people participated in trying to end slavery. These people became known as the abolitionists. The three well-known abolitionists are Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and John Brown. Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), born into slavery as Isabella, was an American abolitionist and an advocate of women's rights. She joined the abolitionist movement and became a travelling preacher. She took her new name-Sojourner Truth-in 1843 and began preaching along the eastern seaboard. Her strategy consisted of walking through Long Island and Connecticut, speaking to people about her life and her relationship with God. She was a powerful speaker and singer. When she rose to speak, wrote one observer, "her commanding figure and dignified manner hushed every trifler to silence." Audiences were "melted into tears by her touching stories". She traveled and spoke widely. Encountering the women's rights movement in 1850, Truth added its causes to hers. She is particularly remembered for the famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech she gave at the woman's rights convention in 1851. Although Truth never learned to read or write, she dictated her memoirs to Olive Gilbert and they were published in 1850s as The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave. This book, and her presence as a speaker, made her a sought-after figure on the anti-slavery woman's rights lecture circuit. Harriet Tubman was closely associated with Abolitionist John Brown and was well acquainted with other abolitionists, including Frederick Douglas, Jermain Loguen, and Gerrit Smith. After freeing herself from slavery, Tubman worked at various activities to save to finance her activities as a Conductor of the Underground Railroad. She is believed to have conducted approximately 300 persons to freedom in the North. The tales of her exploits reveal her highly spiritual nature, as well as a grim determination to protect her charges and those who aided t... ... others to do what she needed them to do. Her subjects listed to what she had to say and were encouraged enough by her words not to give up and to continue their journey to freedom. As a result of the abolitionist movement, the institution of slavery ceased to exist in Europe and the Americas by 1888, although it was not completely legally abolished in Africa until the first quarter of the 20th century. While the abolitionist movement's greatest achievement was certainly the liberation of millions of black people from servitude, it also reflected the triumph of modern ideas of freedom and human rights over older social forms based on privileged elites and social stratification. Bibliography: Baines, Rae. Harriet Tubman-The Road to Freedom. New Jersey: Troll Asssociates, 1982. Bernard, Jacqueline. Journey Toward Freedom-The Story of Sojourner Truth. New York: Norton Publishers, 1967. Ripley, Peter C. The Black Abolitionist Papers. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1985. www.askjeeves.com Visited site November 14, 2001 www.encarta.msn.com Visited site November 14, 2001 www.encyclopedia.com Visited site November 14, 2001

Harmartias in Julius Caesar :: Julius Caesar Essays

Harmartias in Julius Caesar Throughout the play of "Julius Caesar" Brutus makes many mistakes or harmartias, which eventually lead to his tragic downfall. Although Brutus makes many harmartias I feel that these three are the most important. The largest harmartia that Brutus makes is listening to Cassius, in the beginning. Another harmartia Brutus makes is deciding not to kill Antony. Brutus also makes the mistake of meeting Antony's army in Philippi instead of waiting at the camp. These three harmartias of Brutus will be greater explained in the next three paragraphs. Brutus made a large harmartia listening to Cassius' speak about assassinating Caesar. Brutus is very naive and because Cassius is clever he can make Brutus agree with him. Cassius himself even says, "If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius, He should not humour me." (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 314-315). If Brutus did not listen to Cassius, he wouldn't have joined the conspiracy, and Brutus' tragedy would have never happened. This is why Brutus should have never listened to Cassius' conspiracy plan. A large harmartia that Brutus made was not killing Antony. Brutus says, " For Antony is but a limb of Caesar." (Shakespeare Act 2, Scene 1, Line 165). . Brutus feels that Antony would not be able to do anything without Caesar, and would probably commit suicide. Cassius thinks that Antony should be killed, but does not argue with Brutus. Antony ends up being even stronger without Caesar and is a tyrant ruler in a triumvirate. Antony and his army are the reason why Brutus kills himself. If Brutus did kill Antony he would probably of lived and been a ruler Rome. Another harmartia that Brutus made was meeting the armies of Antony and Octavius in Philippi instead of having them come closer to the camp. Once again Cassius thinks differently than Brutus. Cassius says, "'Tis better that the enemy seek us; So shall he waste his means, weary his soldiers, Doing himself offence; whilst we, lying still, Are full of rest, defence, and nimbleness." (Shakespeare Act 4, Scene 3, Line 198-201). Brutus thinks that they should meet at Philippi because the enemy armies will grow on the way to the camp.

Margins: Meaning of Life and Frazier Essay

In Ian Frazier’s essay, â€Å"In Praise of Margins†, the author talks about his childhood life and how he had â€Å"margins† where he and his friends would do things and nothing would matter because they wouldn’t care. â€Å"Marginal† thought is valuable because it allows adults to use their imagination. His purpose is to try new activities without shame; it’s the spur of the moment that defines margin. I think his view about marginal activity is comprehensive and relatable. When we think of margins, we think of the extra space on the edge of the paper that we can’t write out of. But marginal has another meaning to it which has to do with the economic world and how we function with margins in our life such as personal experiences. Marginal space is key to the coming of age process in each person’s life whether we share the same activities or not. Although it’s not easy to pin point it out but marginal spaces are needed to escape from everyone’s present problem in everyday life. I agree and believe with Frazier when he is talking about the meaning of marginal because it is true that margins sometimes do not come out the way you want it to be, nothing or nobody is perfect and there are always something ruining the perfect moment that we all have or want. Marginal act take such a high valued meaning according to Frazier because the places and activities that he discovered through his childhood is something that has been lost in the past and also in many societies, especially the economic society. According to Frazier, he added, â€Å"†¦the margin is where you can try out ideas that you might be afraid to admit to with people looking on. † (7) This is an important concept to anyone’s life. One person’s marginal space can different from another person’s as long as it is an activity in which the person escapes from reality. In an economic society, time is considered money and Frazier’s activity of sitting on a tree for hours is more on the lines of suicidal, in economic society’s terms. Frazier agreed that he felt useless at the time of just sitting but as he grew older, the useless time of gazing off turned into something sacred towards him. The sitting in the tree gave him memories and something to reflect back on. It came upon me when I took my nephews out to the ice rink at the Christmas in the Park; I realized if I never done this I would have missed out on what defined me as of today. Though it’s all fun and games I know that it’s one of the activities you can do once in a while that can take you away from your stress and busy day life-style. Reflection cannot happen when there is nothing to look back on. There are always memories that others have whether it be good or bad. It might be their first time driving or their first time swimming. Any memory is something someone can reflect back onto to see who they are and to see how they got to the place they are now. The economic society always keeps moving on and thinks about the future, while human beings need time to focus and reminisce from where they came from. If someone keeps running straight with their heads down, they might get far but eventually, they will get lost. In order to stay on track and know where you’re heading, at times the person needs to look back to see where they started from. Know where you are is the most important thing to knowing who you are and Frazier realized the great importance of that. Frazier’s useless â€Å"marginal† activity such as just plainly sitting brought out the importance of just doing things not to gain a profit but to gain something to reflect on. When Frazier was younger, he had his own marginal place and would always go out to â€Å"the woods†; it was his â€Å"part-time address, destination, purpose, and excuse† (1). While Frazier ran around bumping into bushes and branches, slipping and sliding through thick brown dirt; I was ice skating at the ice arena, hop-scotching, and playing house. Throughout my childhood, I dedicated numerous hours in the freezing cold ice arena at the local mall, hop-scotched afterschool with my neighbors, and played house on the weekends with my cousins. These activities may sound typical as a child but it had a significant meaning towards me. It was my purpose to grow upon these marginal experiences. In the end, all that matters is being able to free your mind from something that you free yourself from caring about what others think. And I believe that I accomplish my marginal activity as a child, through every fall and bruises that I received while ice skating, I couldn’t care less about what others had to say about me because I knew that every time I got up it’ll only make me a better skater in the end. Although changes occurred and I grew out of the marginal acts, agreeing with Frazier’s realization, â€Å"†¦and suddenly there was nothing up there for us. † (4) The excitement of skating on the slipping cold ice with no shame of failing can only be done as a marginal act, because I can no longer look at the rink the same way I did when I was younger. Nor can I play hop-scotch the way I did, hopping from one box to another is like going from one class to another today. Instead of playing house with my cousins, we became college students looking for a stable job that can support our education. I agree with Frazier that the â€Å"remember whens† really does faltered and â€Å"playing† time doesn’t have to end here. Although margins can be done differently and looked at differently, marginal is necessary for a person of all ages to let loose in order to overcome the pressure and stresses of everyday life. Frazier’s marginal activities consisted of breaking ice, climbing trees, and picking fruits. My marginal activities consisted of ice skating, hop-scotching, and playing house. Marginal activities may vary from being active in a sport, traveling, singing or perhaps even enjoying a movie night on the couch; by the end of the day marginal activities is necessary in order to free yourself from the strains of everyday life.

Ethnic Minority Adolescents Essay

Define and give two examples of diversity as a dimension of ethnic minority adolescents One important dimension of ethnic minority adolescents is their diversity. It is highly evident that ethnic minorities are different in terms of their historical background, economic experiences, and social qualities (Santrock, 2007). They may also have different traditions, beliefs, and practices, among others. However, even though these ethnic minority groups have legitimate differences from other people, they should not be considered as inferior beings entirely as they are still human being just like the people who often discriminate against them. In other words, instead of criticizing or belittling the differences, one should acknowledge, accept, and most of all, respect their differences as this allows one to get along with them in a society that is filled and multiply and vast cultures and ethnicities. Acknowledging and respecting their difference would also mean putting oneself in their shoes and thinking about how would they feel. One example of diversity as a dimension of ethnic minority is their different customs and traditions. For example, a Mexican-American adolescent’s way of praying should not be ridiculed but instead be respected most especially if does not affect or impact the normal lives of other people. This also includes his or her food preferences and clothes, among many others. Another example is when an Asian-American boy is expected to be fluent in Chinese even though he was born and raised in the United States. This is a case of stereotyping as the boy, even though he has Chinese roots, has assimilated into the American culture and is not familiar with the language of his heritage. In short, people should keep an open mind when dealing with different ethnic minority adolescents. They should always apply a multicultural perspective and embrace the fact that one of the distinguishing aspects of these groups is their diversity. By doing so, these ethnic minority adolescents would grow up having an easier time associating with people from other ethnic groups. References Santrock, J. W. (2007). Adolescence. United States: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.