Propaganda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Propaganda - Essay Example Propaganda The word ‘propaganda’ was defined by Linebarger (1954) as consisting of â€Å"the planned use of any form of public or mass-produced communication designed to affect the minds and emotions of a given group for a specific purpose, whether military, economic, or political" (p. 39). With the definition, one could effectively present an analysis of an advertisement that has been recognized as one of the best viewed ads of 2011: â€Å"Volkswagen’s â€Å"The Force†, in which a young Star Wars fan tries to use â€Å"The Force† on his father’s new Passat† (Holmes, 2011, par. 2). The advertisment definitely falls under the definition of a propaganda in terms of using mass-produced communication through the television and posting online with the purpose of eliciting emotion from the audience regarding the launching of 2012 Passat. In this regard, the paper aims to proffer issues pertinent to an analysis of the ad according to the foll owing categories: context, ideology, visual appeals, language, identification and otherness. The main message of the ad would be discussed as well as its effectiveness in eliciting emotional appeal from a wide range of audience. Context The ad was created by Interpublic Group's Deutsch Inc.'s Los Angeles office and was released online on February 2, 2011 (Hall, 2011). It was created for the Super Bowl, but, according to Holmes (2011), â€Å"VW had posted the clip online two weeks before the sporting event — allowing the clip to rack up 10 million views before it ever aired on TV† (par. 2). It was reportedly posted in YouTube and has topped the most viewed and shared branded video totalling â€Å"4.71 million social media shares and 46.05 million views since its online release† (Hall, 2011, par. 1). Description of the Ad? The advertisement began with the famous Star Wars music at the background and a boy in a Darth Vader suit walking along the hall of their home trying his supposed telekinesis powers on different objects: the stationary bike, the dog, the washing machine, a doll seated on a bed, and even a plate of sandwich that was reluctantly pushed over to him by his mother – all to his dismay and disappointment. When he heard his father’s car coming through the driveway, he immediately tried his power on the new Passat. Without his knowledge, and as observed by his parents over the kitchen window, his father used the remote control to start on the ignition of the Passat to coincide with his prodding for ‘the force’ - in total amazement and surprise of the boy. ?Message The message of the ad was that the vehicle responds to the needs of the family, including an unsuspecting boy – who wanted to test if he has any powers on objects. By responding to his efforts, the new Passat would be emotionally appealing to the boy and to the whole family. As reported by Pathak (2011), its creator, Mike Sheldon, CEO of Deutsch LA, the West-Coast arm of Deutsch Inc., disclosed that the main message of the ad was to focus on tapping â€Å"into humanity rather than sheet metal. "We've got every element, from John Williams’ music to a cute six year old," he said. "The Passat is a family car, it's new this year and we have to reach those people"† (Pathak, 2011, pars. 11 & 12). Ideology The basic ideology that framed the worldview in this ad is the human appeal provided by the new Passat by being packaged as a family car – more than seeing it as a piece of steel parts and for its functionality. By using a boy and the appeal of the Star Wars character, Darth

Say No to Columbus Day Essay Example for Free

Say No to Columbus Day Essay It is my belief that although many people celebrate the holiday of Columbus Day, that it should be celebrated because Christopher Columbus was not who he had seemed to be. I have learned that not only did he not know where he was, but he wasn’t even the first to discover the New World. He also committed a mass genocide against the Arawak’s. Columbus Day is a U.S. holiday that commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. Columbus Day was unofficially celebrated in a number of cities and states as early as the 18th century but did not become a federal holiday until the 1937. For many, the holiday is a way of both honoring Columbus achievements and celebrating Italian-American heritage. Throughout its history, Columbus Day and the man who inspired it have generated controversy, and many alternatives to the holiday have appeared in recent years When Columbus first arrived at the Bahamas, he was greeted by the Arawak Indians who showered him and his crew with gifts and food. After being around them for some time, he decided to take the search for valuable items to a new level. He took some of the people by force and demanded to know where the materials like gold and such were located and then he forced them to show him and start to find them, sort of like slaves. He also learned that the Arawak people were so generous that they would give him anything he asked them for; he then proceeded to ask them for nearly all of their belongings which had any monetary value. The fact of him doing this is easily enough to prove that he was just out for money and did not care about any of the Arawak Indians or his crew for that matter. He is said to have been greedy enough to take credit for finding land even though a crew member, Rodrigo, had found it first and it is also said that he is to have taken the $10,000 yearly pension for life (Source B). The second treachery Columbus was a part of was the taking of the Arawak Indians as slaves and servants, here is a quote from his journal: â€Å"They would make fine servants†¦With fifty men we could subjugate them and make them do whatever we want† (Source B). This just shows that he is a man who doesn’t care about other people’s feelings and is perfectly fine with killing and enslavement, two things America is against. In total, the records show that originally, Columbus rounded up 1,500 Indians, he chose 500 as the best, killed the other 1,000, and 200 died on the ship due to poor living conditions and starvation. The 300 who were left were auctioned off as slaves in Spain. Nearly all of the rest of the Arawak people were killed by foreign disease. A third and final reason why we should not celebrate Columbus Day is because Christopher Columbus did not find North America on purpose and he was also not the first to find the continent. Leif Ericsson of the Vikings found North America and had already established a settlement in Nova Scotia by the time Christopher Columbus found his way here which just proves that his skills as a navigator and a sailor were not even very great, if he kept sailing to Asia and had not found North America, he would have done a circle around the world, missed Asia and ran into Africa. Many Americans view Columbus as a heroic figure whom is celebrated every year. Children look up to him, as an amazing person for being able to â€Å"discover† America and citizens are able to spend a whole day off from work/school to reflect on his greatness. However, this greatness should in no way be glorified, because it is absurd to call Columbus a hero. Columbus had taken credit for things that he didn’t accomplish, brutally abused Native Americans and caused slave trade, which led to mistreatment of Native Americans for years to come. I strongly believe that Columbus day should not be celebrated because of the torture, slavery, and lying that was caused by him. Columbus had taken credit for things that he didn’t accomplish. He wasn’t the first to discover America since there were already people living there  and others had known about this land. Also, there was a myth being taught at schools that had said Columbus was the one to prove the earth was round. Many educated Europeans had already believed in the world not being flat during the time of Columbus. However, those who didn’t agree with this statement mocked the ones who did. Lastly, Columbus was not the first non-American to discover the new world. â€Å"There is, indeed, considerable evidence that people from all around the world, including Europe, had visited the Americas for trade, fishing, refuge, and even settlement.† (Source: Why We Should Abolish Columbus Day by G Rebecca Dobbs) Therefore, Columbus had not truly succeeded in the things we know about him and did more negative things than positive. Columbus Day, a holiday dedicated to the famous explorer for his achievement of arriving in the New World. We construct plays, arrange parades, and have erected monuments of Columbus to praise him for his discovery; for he had triggered the wave of European interest in the Americas. When it comes to the roots of Columbus’s arrival in Hispaniola, most people think that he arrived on an island with primitive natives who gladly gave up their land to him†¦without so much as a complaint. Only recently have the true accounts of his expedition come to light. Nowadays, the innocent and naive tale of Columbus’s discovery has turned into a story about a horrifying and unjust conquering of a land, and the domination of its inhabitants. When Christopher Columbus arrived in Hispaniola in 1492, he had thought that he arrived in India, and he expected for the land to be inhabited by the Indians. Instead he landed in present day Hispaniola, which was home to the friendly, and defe nseless, Arawak people (also known as the Taino people). They had never seen Europeans before with their giant ships, extravagant clothing, and strange language; so they were excited and interested in meeting Columbus and his crew. The Arawak brought the Europeans gifts, food, and water. They wanted to open their home to the newcomers, and hoped to be able to become acquaintances with them and that they would trade with each other. Instead of returning the natives’ generosity and kindness, Columbus treated them cruelly, by making them slaves and forcing them to work to exhaustion and death, slaughtering thousands of men, women, and children till there was only five hundred Arawaks left by 1550, and not giving them  enough food, so they died from famish. Christopher Columbus has been viewed as a hero for several centuries. Children in elementary schools all over the nation are taught that he discovered America. However, there were many other people who were indigenous to the land already and the Vikings arrived in America almost 500 years before Columbus. Christopher Columbus, as it turned out, was responsible for widespread genocide; he permitted his men to rape, murder, mutilate and enslave indigenous people. The evil deeds of Columbus far outweigh the few accomplishments he achieved. It doesn’t make sense for the United States to recognize this supposed Christian with a national holiday, so America should stop celebrating Columbus Day. The initial recorded Columbus Day celebration in the United States was on October 12, 1792. Nevertheless, the first official Columbus Day happened in 1892, when President Harrison issued a proclamation for Americans to commemorate the day. The Knights of Columbus lobbied state legislatures to legalize the holiday. Colorado did so on April 1, 1907. New York followed suit in 1909. In 1971, Columbus Day was designated as a federal holiday on the second Monday of October (Library of Congress).

Starbucks Organizational Behavior Essays -- Business Analysis

Starbucks Organizational Behavior A company's understanding and use of organizational behavior concepts can make or break it. Just as important, if a company ignores these same concepts, it can easily spell disaster. Starbucks intertwines and successfully uses three main organizational behavior concepts to increase the strength of the organization: organizational culture, organizational structure and motivation. The implementation of these concepts has definitely benefited the company, creating a monopoly in the United States as a coffee retailer and service company. Organizational Culture In the text, Organizational Behavior, Stephen P. Robbins defines organizational culture as, "a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations" (2005). Starbucks has a very strong organizational culture and strives to maintain it. Everything centers on the organizational culture within Starbucks. While being a customer service-based company and understanding that the customer satisfaction and loyalty are what will make the company profitable, Starbucks takes a different approach to customer service than other companies. By hiring employees that fit in the organizational culture (ICFAI, 2005) and treating their employees well (Lefevere, n.d.), Starbucks brings in and retains customers through their happy employees. The qualities that Starbucks hires for are "adaptability, dependability and the ability to work in a team" (ICFAI, 2005). The culture is supportive and laid back (Montana, 2005). Howard Shultz, Starbucks president and CEO, has the theory "that if you treat your employees well, they will treat your customers well" (Starbucks, 1997). In the excerpt from ‘Starbucks' Human Reso... ... website: http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=27282 Nelson, Bob. (2000, March 13). How Starbucks energizes its employees. bizwomen.com. Retrieved March 20, 2007, from bizjournals website: http://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/consultants/return_on_people/2000/03/13/column72.html NYSE Group (2007). Starbucks Corp. Retrieved March 24, 2007, from NYSE Group website: http://www.nyse.com/about/listed/lcddata.html?ticker=SBUX&fq=D&ezd=1Y&index=5 Robbins, Stephen P. (2005). Organizational behavior (11th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Pearson Education. Inc. Starbucks case study: background 1971-87; private company 1987-92. (1997). McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved March 20, 2007, from the McGraw-Hill Companies website: http://www.mhhe.com/business/management/thompson/11e/case/starbucks-1.html http://www.mhhe.com/business/management/thompson/11e/case/starbucks.html

Dbq Reconstruction After Civil War, Political and Social Essay

As the American Civil War came to a bloody end with the northern side conquering, it was evident the newly reunited Unites States was in ruins economically, as well as socially and politically. Beginning in 1865, this initiated the beginning of the Reconstruction era with the purpose of rebuilding and reestablishing America. Among the American people were the newly freed African Americans whom who were dumped into society frequently destitute, unaided, and unknowing. Although the north had won and blacks were given freedom, they still had fight to exercise their newly given rights. While Reconstruction was meant to recreate, reform, and restore America into a successful, united country while integrating recently liberated African Americans into society, the establishment of political and social change to equalize blacks unfortunately did not come about until after the demise of the nineteenth century. Although finally given constitutional rights, civil liberties and privileges in addition to legally being regarded as a citizen of the United States, African Americans still had to struggle for their acceptance and entitlement in political American. Anti-black violence customarily was used to scare and prohibit blacks to play a part in politics. Although legally given the right to vote (Document C) as well as having Enforcement Acts passed protecting the politics of African Americans and more fiercely prohibiting extremist groups and acting racists, blacks were still hesitant in exercising this liberty. Southerners, Democrats and other opposing individuals thought that through brutality and intolerance, they could keep their political power while possibly eliminating the Republican Party, their adversary faction. One extremist organization that originated on ideas including white supremacy and white nationalism was the KKK, formally known as the Ku Klux Klan. Through violent acts and terrorism, this hate group showed their opposition on non-white individuals, although primarily recently liberated African Americans. Other forces acting against blacks were the Jim Crow Laws, although generally enforced in the southern states, which outlawed blacks from putting their recently obtained rights and liberties into practice (Document H). In addition to these laws, regulations, dubbed Black Codes, were passed by the South for the sole purpose of limiting the freedom of former slaves. Although legalized as citizens and given the civil and constitutional rights, liberties and privileges as any other civilian (Document B), African Americans still had to fight to utilize and employ them. The Reconstruction era was intended to bring about political changes to society for the benefit of integrating African Americans, alas, Reconstruction would pass before favorable changes were achieved.

Allegory of the Cave Summary

Allegory of the Cave Summary Plato’s Allegory of the Cave presents an enthralling concept that holds strong to this day. In the allegory three main ideas are illustrated : that we have been conditioned to a definite reality since birth, we scorn being brought into the ‘light’ of knowledge, and that we (as a society) reject anything that contradicts the notions of our preconceived reality. Clever Plato took these ideas and weaved them into an intriguing story of prisoners trapped in an underground cave, and then what happens when one of them was enLIGHTened.Surprisingly it applies in many ways to our society in modern times, nowadays no one questions what is true and what is false. It’s exactly as Aldous Huxley feared, we’ve become lost in a sea of information which debilitates us to gain conscious understanding of information. We’ve been raised in a society of ‘don’t question it’ which leaves the people vulnerable to the pe ople carrying the statues across the fire, creating our sense of reality. When we are first brought into this cave at the beginning of the allegory, it contains prisoners bound by chains in such a way as to force their heads to stare at this wall.It continues to tell us that they’ve been this way since birth, and that a massive fire behind them that allows them to see shadows broadcast onto the wall, periodically people go be the fire with statues of people and creatures which cast shadows onto the wall and this ‘shadow world’ is what the prisoners consider their reality. They are all content with this knowledge and nothing changes until one of the prisoners is set free. The prisoner, once he’s set free, is blinded by the fire the moment he turns his head to face the fire.He looks back to the shadows which he identifies as reality, and looks back and forth between the fire and the wall until he finally accepts that the fire may be more ‘real’. His enlightenment is continued as he’s forced up the stairs and forced into the sunlight to view the real world. He begins slowly only identifying shadows at first and slowly progresses until he’s able to identify the sun, and contemplate the sun as an idea and not just as an object.He continues learning about this new reality until he is fully convinced. Remembering his former companions he grows full of pity for them, knowing that they don’t share his knowledge of what is ‘real’ and what is a mere shade of reality. With this thought in his head he heads back to the cave. Once he’s back in the cave his eyes are full of darkness and he’s unable to see things as clearly as his companions, for he had grown accustomed to the reality of light, because of this his former companions made fun of him.They knew he wasn’t as adept to their reality, which they perceived as being the right one. Seeing what happened to their former companio n when he was taken into the light, they decided that they’d never ascend because if they ascended they’d lose their sight of ‘reality’. With that the enlightened one left, knowing that his companions were lost in blissful ignorance, and he could do nothing to convince them for fear of death.

Battle of Pydna in the Third Macedonian War

Battle of Pydna in the Third Macedonian War Battle of Pydna - Conflict Date: The Battle of Pydna is believed to have been fought on June 22, 168 BC and was part of the Third Macedonian War. Armies Commanders: Romans Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus38,000 men Macedonians Perseus of Macedon44,000 men Battle of Pydna - Background: In 171 BC, after several inflammatory acts on the part of King Perseus of Macedon, the Roman Republic declared war. During the conflicts opening days, Rome won a series of minor victories as Perseus refused to commit the bulk of his forces in battle. Later that year, he reversed this trend and defeated the Romans at the Battle of Callicinus. After the Romans refused a peace initiative from Perseus, the war settled into a stalemate as they were unable to find an effective way to invade Macedon. Establishing himself in a strong position near the River Elpeus, Perseus awaited the Romans next move. Battle of Pydna - The Romans Move: In 168 BC, Lucius Aemilius Paullus began moving against Perseus. Recognizing the strength of the Macedonian position, he dispatched 8,350 men under Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica with orders to march towards the coast. A feint intended to mislead Perseus, Scipios men turned south and crossed the mountains in an effort to attack the Macedonian rear. Alerted to this by a Roman deserter, Perseus sent a 12,000-man blocking force under Milo to oppose Scipio. In the battle that followed, Milo was defeated and Perseus was forced to move his army north to the village of Katerini, just south of Pydna. Battle of Pydna - The Armies Form: Reuniting, the Romans pursued the enemy and found them on June 21 formed for battle on a plain near the village. With his men tired from the march, Paullus declined to give battle and made camp in the nearby foothills of Mount Olocrus. The next morning Paullus deployed his men with his two legions in the center and other allied infantry on the flanks. His cavalry was posted on the wings at each end of the line. Perseus formed his men in a similar fashion with his phalanx in the center, light infantry on the flanks, and cavalry on the wings. Perseus personally commanded the cavalry on the right. Battle of Pydna - Perseus Beaten: Around 3:00 PM, the Macedonians advanced. The Romans, unable to cut through the long spears and tight formation of the phalanx, were pushed back. As the battle moved into the uneven terrain of the foothills, the Macedonian formation began to break down allowing the Roman legionaries to exploit the gaps. Surging into the Macedonian lines and fighting at close quarters, the Romans swords proved devastating against the lightly armed phalangites. As the Macedonian formation began to collapse, the Romans pressed their advantage. Paullus center was soon reinforced by troops from the Roman right which had successfully driven off the Macedonian left. Striking hard, the Romans soon put Perseus center to rout. With his men breaking, Perseus elected to flee the field having not committed the bulk of his cavalry. He was later accused of cowardice by those Macedonians who survived the battle. On the field, his elite 3,000-strong Guard fought to the death. All told, the battle lasted less than an hour. Having achieved victory, Roman forces pursued the retreating enemy until nightfall. Battle of Pydna - Aftermath: Like many battles from this period, exact casualties for the Battle of Pydna are not known. Sources indicate that the Macedonians lost around 25,000, while Roman casualties were over 1,000.  The battle is also seen as a triumph of the legions tactical flexibility over the more rigid phalanx. While the Battle of Pydna did not end the Third Macedonian War, it effectively broke the back of Macedonian power. Shortly after the battle, Perseus surrendered to Paulus and was taken to Rome where he was paraded during a triumph before being imprisoned. Following the war, Macedon effectively ceased to exist as an independent nation and the kingdom was dissolved.   It was replaced by four republics which were effectively client states of Rome.   Less than twenty years later, the region would formally become a province of Rome following the Fourth Macedonian War. Selected Sources Third Macedonian WarBattle of PydnaHistory of War: Battle of Pydna

3 More Cases of Superfluous Semicolons

3 More Cases of Superfluous Semicolons 3 More Cases of Superfluous Semicolons 3 More Cases of Superfluous Semicolons By Mark Nichol Some writers avoid semicolons either because they are not certain of the punctuation mark’s functions or because some people consider it stodgy, or both. It is in fact quite simple and practical to use, but beware of employing one when a comma will do just as well, as in the following examples, each followed by a discussion and a revision. 1. Proponents argue that the surge in foreign demand for US exports will strengthen the value of the dollar; in turn, a strong dollar would increase the demand for imported goods; therefore, the net effect on trade is neutral. Using two or more semicolons in one sentence to divide independent clauses (in a role sometimes called the weak period) is an error. In such a case, replace one with an actual period and capitalize the next word to begin a new sentence: â€Å"Proponents argue that the surge in foreign demand for US exports will strengthen the value of the dollar. In turn, a strong dollar would increase the demand for imported goods; therefore, the net effect on trade is neutral.† 2. It is a strange sort of adventure film, in that it spends as much time in Europe as it does in the rain forest; is as anthropologically curious about the social customs of early-twentieth-century Britons as it is about the indigenous peoples of the Amazon; and cares as much about what is destroyed as what might be found. When a list of more than two phrases within a sentence consists of one or more phrases that themselves include commas, using commas to divide the longer phrases will confuse readers because the hierarchy of the sentence’s organization is unclear; use semicolons (in the strong-comma function) instead to set the longer phrases apart from each other. In this case, however, the only comma in the sentence merely sets the introductory phrase off from the rest of the statement, and the organization of the three phrases that follow is clear without resorting to semicolons; use commas instead: â€Å"It is a strange sort of adventure film, in that it spends as much time in Europe as it does in the rain forest, is as anthropologically curious about the social customs of early-twentieth-century Britons as it is about the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, and cares as much about what is destroyed as what might be found. 3. The auditor improves information for decision making across the organization by assessing the reliability of performance metrics and monitoring systems the organization has in place; using analytic tools to create lead performance indicators and trending metrics to signal when risk events might be approaching or occurring; and recommending automation of key controls or selected processes to enable effective monitoring. This sentence does not require semicolons, even with the complication of conjunctions within the separated phrases that function as items in a list- as mentioned above, they are necessary only when one or more phrases within that list themselves include punctuation: â€Å"The auditor improves information for decision making across the organization by assessing the reliability of performance metrics and monitoring systems the organization has in place, using analytic tools to create lead performance indicators and trending metrics to signal when risk events might be approaching or occurring, and recommending automation of key controls or selected processes to enable effective monitoring.† (As before, the fact that each phrase begins with a distinct verb strengthens the structure of this sentence.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should Know7 Patterns of Sentence StructureAffect vs. Effect

Oversimplification and Exaggeration Fallacies

Oversimplification and Exaggeration Fallacies Fallacy Name:Oversimplification and Exaggeration Alternative Names:Fallacy of Reduction Fallacy of Multiplication Category:Faulty Causation Explanation The causation fallacies known as oversimplification and exaggeration occur whenever the series of actual causes for an event is either reduced or multiplied to the point where there is no longer a genuine, causal connection between the alleged causes and the actual effect. In other words, multiple causes are reduced to just one or a few (oversimplification) or a couple of causes are multiplied into many (exaggeration). Also known as the reductive fallacy because it involves reducing the number of causes, oversimplification seems to occur more often, perhaps because there are so many ostensibly good reasons for simplifying things. Well-intentioned writers and speakers can readily fall into the trap of oversimplification if they are not careful. One impetus for simplification is the basic advice given to all who want to improve their writing style: dont get bogged down in details. Good writing needs to be clear and precise, thus helping people to understand an issue rather than confusing them even more. In the process, however, a writer can easily leave out too many details, omitting critical information which needs to be included. Another important impetus which can lead to oversimplification is the overuse of an important tool in critical thinking: Occams Razor. This is the principle of not assuming too many factors or causes for an event than are necessary and is often expressed by saying the simpler explanation is preferable. Although it is true that an explanation should be no more complicated than necessary, one must be very careful not to construct an explanation which is less complicated than necessary. A famous quote attributed to Albert Einstein states, Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler. Examples and Discussion of Oversimplification Here is an example of oversimplification which atheists often hear: 1. School violence has gone up and academic performance has gone down ever since organized prayer was banned at public schools. Therefore, prayer should be reintroduced, resulting in school improvement. This argument obviously suffers from oversimplification because it assumes that problems in schools (increasing violence, decreasing academic performance) can be attributed to a single cause: the loss of organized, state-mandated prayers. A myriad of other factors in society are completely ignored as if the social and economic conditions havent changed in any relevant way. One way to reveal the problem in the above example is to reword it slightly: 2. School violence has gone up and academic performance has gone down ever since racial segregation was banned. Therefore, segregation should be reintroduced, resulting in school improvement. Presumably, there are racists around who would agree with the above, but very few of those who make the argument in #1 will also make the argument in #2 - yet, they are structurally the same. The reasons for both examples of oversimplification is actually another Causation Fallacy, known as Post Hoc Fallacy. In the real world, events typically have multiple, intersecting causes which together produce the events we see. Often, however, such complexities are difficult to understand and even more difficult to change; the unfortunate result is that we simplify things. Sometimes that isnt so bad, but sometimes it can be disastrous. Sadly, politics is one field where oversimplification occurs more often than not. 3. The nations current lack of moral standards was caused by the poor example set by Bill Clinton when he was president. Granted, Clinton may not have set the best example imaginable, but it isnt reasonable to argue that his example is responsible for the morality of the entire nation. Once again, there is a wide variety of different factors which can influence the morality of individuals and groups. Of course, not all examples of oversimplification identify as the cause something which is completely irrelevant: 4. Education today isnt as good as it used to be - obviously, our teachers are not doing their jobs.5. Since the new president took office, the economy has been improving - obviously he is doing a good job and is an asset to the nation. Although #4 is a rather harsh statement, it cannot be denied that teacher performance does impact the quality of education which students receive. Thus, if their education isnt very good, one place to look is teacher performance. However, it is a fallacy of oversimplification to suggest that teachers are the sole or even primary cause. With #5, it should also be acknowledged that a president does impact the state of the economy, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. However, no single politician can take sole credit (or sole blame) for the state of a multi-trillion dollar economy. A common reason for oversimplification, especially in the political realm, is a personal agenda. It is a very effective means for either taking credit for something (#5) or for placing blame on others (#4). Religion is also a field where oversimplification fallacies can be readily found. Consider, for example, a response which is heard after anyone survives a major tragedy: 6. She was saved through Gods help! For the purposes of this discussion, we should ignore the theological implications of a god who chooses to save some people but not others. The logical problem here is the dismissal of all the other factors which contribute to a persons survival. What about the doctors who perform the life-saving operations? What about the rescue workers who spend insane amounts of time and money in the rescue effort? What about the product manufacturers who made the safety devices (like seat belts) which protect people? All of these and more are causal factors which contribute to the survival of people in accidents, but they are too often ignored by those who oversimplify the situation and attribute survival to just a single cause: the Will of God. People also tend to commit the fallacy of oversimplification when they simply dont understand what they are talking about. This is a common occurrence in science debates because so much of the material can be comprehended best only by experts in specialized fields. One place where this is seen quite often are the arguments some creationists offer against evolution. Consider this example, a question which Dr. Kent Hovind uses in an attempt to prove that evolution isnt true and isnt possible: 7. Natural selection only works with the genetic information available and tends only to keep a species stable. How would you explain the increasing complexity in the genetic code that must have occurred if evolution were true? For someone unfamiliar with evolution, this question may seem reasonable - but its error lies in vastly oversimplifying evolution to the point where it becomes unrecognizable. It is very true that natural selection operates with the genetic information which is available; however, natural selection is not the only process which is involved in evolution. Ignored are such factors as mutation and genetic drift. By oversimplifying evolution down to just natural selection, however, Hovind is able to portray evolution as a one-dimensional theory which cannot possibly be true. It is in such examples that an oversimplification fallacy can also become a Straw Man Fallacy if a person takes the oversimplified description of a position and then proceeds to criticize it as if it were the genuine position. Examples and Discussion of Exaggeration Related to, but much rarer than, the fallacy of oversimplification is the fallacy of exaggeration. Mirror images of each other, an exaggeration fallacy is committed when an argument tries to include additional causal influences which are ultimately irrelevant to the matter at hand. We can say that committing a fallacy of exaggeration is a consequence of failing to heed Occams Razor, which states that we should prefer the simpler explanation and refrain from adding entities (causes, factors) which are not specifically necessary A good example is one which is related to one of those used above: 8. The rescue workers, doctors and various assistants are all heroes because, with the help of God, they managed to save all of the people involved in that accident. The role of individuals like doctors and rescue workers is obvious, but the addition of God seems gratuitous. Without an identifiable effect of which can be said to be necessarily responsible, the inclusion qualifies as an exaggeration fallacy. Other instances of this fallacy can be found in the legal profession, for example: 9. My client killed Joe Smith, but the cause for his violent behavior was a life of eating Twinkies and other junk food which impaired his judgment. There is no clear link between junk food and violent behavior, but there are other identifiable causes for it. The addition of junk food to that list of causes constitutes a fallacy of exaggeration because the real causes only end up being masked by additional and irrelevant pseudo-causes. Here, the junk food is an entity which is simply not necessary.

Article summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Article summary - Assignment Example In the twenty-first century, the fundamental constraints of air transport are the environmental impact aviation has on the environment. As a result of the high demand for aviation services globally, there is an increasing emission of pollutants to the environment. In addition, there has been a slow progress on noise reduction. Several people are affected by these side effects from air transport. Despite these, the effects of the air transport are increasing as the economy and demand for aviation services grow globally. If not addressed adequately and quickly, the environmental impact of air transport may prove to be the primary constraint to the growth of air transport in the modern century (Ian Waitz, Jessica Townsend, Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Edward Greitzer, & Jack Kerrebrock, 2004). Environmental pollution not only come from air transport, several other means of transport such as motor vehicles, trains, ships gravely contribute to the impact seen in the environment. From the article, we can learn about the harmful effects of pollution. Despite the fact that evolution of transport systems such as air transport plays an enormous role in shaping the global economy and transports the fact remains that the environment is seriously affected. If the issues are not tackled the economy and the transport system will be soon get affected too. Waitz. I., Townsend. J., Cutcher-Gershenfeld. J., Greitzer. E., & Kerrebrock. J. (2004). Report to the United States Congress AVIATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT A National Vision Statement, Framework for Goals and Recommended Actions 1,

Automotive Production Levels Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Automotive Production Levels - Research Paper Example It is price which either actually exists in market or market is moving towards it assuming no market impediments or government policies exist to prevent equilibrium to be reached. At equilibrium price, both forces do not have any tendency to change, provided all other things remain same (Abel and Bernanke, 2005). If all the conditions of free market are met, then GM should have been able fetch sales of 2478001 units of vehicles in second quarter. If compared this figure with its last two quarter units sold, there exits a gap of 87000 vehicles in all. Price elasticity of demand is a quantitative measure (coefficient) showing percentage change in the quantity demanded with respect to percentage change in price (Leamer, 2009). Price elasticity for second quarter of 2012 for GM motor is – 0.95. Negative coefficient of price elasticity shows negative relation of price and demand. Categorization is made based on where the elasticity coefficient lies from 0 to 1. Price elasticity of GM being -0.95 refers to inelastic demand. It refers; only large proportionate change in price can bring small proportionate change in demand which results in steeper demand curve. This kind of elasticity is usually for products that are considered necessities and importance of vehicle has no question in every aspect from business to personal lives. Since it has inelastic demand and there lies a gap between equilibrium price and average unit price of about $ 4000.00 i.e. 19,558 - 15,527 respectively, management can increase profitability by increasing it price that will finally benefit its total revenue which is going negative. If calculated elasticity is considered to be of another brand say A than comparison would guide the future strategy. For instance, if competitor’s brand A increases prices by the differential discussed in previous question, then there is little chance that its customers would switch to ours due to inelastic demand.

The Electoral College System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Electoral College System - Essay Example The existence of Electoral College Vote system has ensured that only candidates who win the majority Electoral College votes ascend to power. The Electoral College vote system comprises of 538 electors who determine the occupant of the white house. The presidency of the USA is won by whoever gets 270 of the electors’ votes. Electoral College votes vary in different states and the winner of a state’s majority votes wins all the college electoral votes of that particular state. In Bush vs Al Gore case, Al Gore had won in the popular votes, but there was a fierce disagreement over who won the Florida state. Florida State was to decide the winning candidate in terms of electoral votes. Bush won the majority votes in Florida by being declared popular vote winner in that state. This case was later taken to the Florida court, which ordered a recount, but there was a problem on the method to be used in recounting. However, the case was later taken to the US Supreme Court, which nullified the recount process and later made unsatisfactory decision the ultimate winner was George W. Bush. Considering that even the US Supreme Court justices were divided on this matter, it is unclear whether the decision made was political or was strictly based on judicial grounds. Thanks to Al Gore who conceded defeat having realized that based on the supreme court decision, he only managed 266 electoral votes against Bush’s 271 (Baker 1-3).The Electoral College system is believed to be catering for the minority and special group interests. A candidate must consider these groups since their votes may be a determinant in winning a particular state’s popular votes hence college electoral votes. In addition, the college electoral votes promote political stability by allowing only two major parties to exist.

Organization Behaviour Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organization Behaviour - Research Paper Example Correspondingly, studies have revealed that various factors are associated with the theory of OB, which makes it a multidimensional approach to contemporary management, constituting the perceptions of job satisfaction, organizational commitment and job attitudes among others. Among its various dimensions, this research paper will mainly discuss the topic of job attitudes with the focus on investigating the level of both job satisfaction and organizational commitment within a specific business organization, i.e. Kaiser Permanente Northwest. Notably, it is the employees involved in the operational process of any business organization, responsible for the determination of organizational culture. Hence, job attitude amid employees, determined by their job satisfaction degree, can be apparently observed as a crucial facet to enhance their organizational commitment and subsequently, outline the organizational culture (Saari and Judge 396-407). With this concern, the research paper intends to conduct an OB audit of an American healthcare organization, i.e. Kaiser Permanente Northwest. The outline of this research paper has accordingly been structured with a brief overview of this healthcare organization, followed by the analysis of data gathered, to conclude the findings as well as the results obtained from the interviewees. Subsequently, certain recommendations, based on the analysis about how the healthcare organization might address its weaknesses or deficiencies, with respect to the above stated topic and a solid conclusion have also been incorporated in the outline. Kaiser Permanente (KP) is a health care company and America’s leader in formulating effective nonprofit health plans. Established in the year 1945, KP was created to help provide Americans medical care during the situations of Great Depression as well as World War II when health care was unaffordable. As of December 31, 2013, KP has a network of 38 hospitals, approximately 190,000

Illegal Immigration Instigate More Crimes Research Paper

Illegal Immigration Instigate More Crimes - Research Paper Example Some immigrants come to the United States specifically with the intention to destabilize the peace of the society whereas some immigrants start doing criminal activities when they do not find jobs or any kind of work in the countries where they migrate. However, people should not think negative of all immigrants because the nature and activities of every person are not the same. It is only a small number of immigrants who are actually involved in criminal activities. Some reports say that 12 to 15 percent of immigrants become involved in illegal activities. Drug trafficking is also one of the most critical issues associated with large-scale immigration to the United States of America. Go states, â€Å"The US suffers an annual loss of about 70 billion dollars due to drug-related illnesses, death, and drug-related crimes†. Drug trafficking is a business which earns a lot of money not only to the drug dealers but also to all other people involved in this business. Researches show that approximately 13.2 million illegal immigrants living in the United States are Mexican-Americans and a large number of them are drug dealers. Illegal immigrants come to the United States to earn good money but due to lack of documents, they fail to get jobs and get involved in drug trafficking. â€Å"Many are simply coming to the United States to look for work but are accosted, and they become subjects of the drug cartels† (CNN Wire Staff). Here, we must say that it is just a small percentage of the illegal immigrants become victims to drug dealers. Most of the immigrants are hardworking and careful individuals who obey the social, political, and labor laws and regulations of the foreign countries. Reports confirm that U.S. GDP may increase by 0.75 percent annually due to large-scale immigration. â€Å"Immigrants bring innovative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit to the U.S. economy† (Griswold). Apart from the positive and negative aspects of illegal immigrants, the government of America needs to maintain a proper check on the activities of all immigrants. Moreover, the border control mechanisms should also be improved in order to stop people from entering the country illegally.

The death penalty is not a deterrent Research Paper

The death penalty is not a deterrent - Research Paper Example These criminologists confirmed the previous finding that there is no deterrent effect for capital punishment. Perceptions and attitudes of peoples towards the death penalty can change with increased knowledge. If there’s enough information campaign by people in government and those concerned, favourable opinion can be gained for the abolition of capital punishment. The European Union adopted its Charter of Fundamental Rights which states that everyone has the right to life and no one shall be condemned to the death penalty, or executed. This should be binding on all peoples and all states, big and small. But for the victim’s side, there is demand for justice or retribution. When someone in the family is a victim of a crime, such as when a daughter has been raped and murdered, the family demands justice. Rae states that there is an ‘imbalance created in the social order’. There is a demand for justice created by the imbalance and thus a demand for a restorat ion of the balance in society. While society must exercise power and all individuals must submit to that power, society must give everyone a chance. Killing does not solve social ills and it is uncivilized. 1.1 Definition Death penalty is a punishment instituted by society where a convicted criminal is punished and put to death; the crime committed is a capital offense. It is different from unauthorized form of killing, or killing committed for revenge or lynching. (Garland 70) Capital punishment or death penalty can be considered the strictest punishment for a grievous offense. The term grievous or capital offense varies in definition and commission in different countries. Capital crimes include treason, murder, manslaughter, rape, and in some countries, they include arson, counterfeiting, and theft. (Banner 5) 1.2 History of the death penalty Capital punishment is an integral part of American history. The first execution occurred in Jamestown in 1608, when Captain George Kendall w as sentenced to death for spying for Spain. By the middle of the seventeenth century, around fifty people were executed. After a century, executions were done by the thousands. By the end of 1945, more than 17,000 people had been executed. (Allen and Clubb 9) Most ancient countries enforced capital punishment for serious offenses, but sometimes other offenses like blasphemy, adultery, or magic practice and witchcraft, were considered capital offense. English common law listed eight capital crimes, such as treason, petty treason, murder, larceny, robbery, burglary, rape, and arson. (Mandery 21) By the beginning of the eighteenth century, majority of the executed were African Americans or of African descent, with whites appearing to be a minority of those executed. 1.3 Ancient Laws Early laws on the death penalty can be found in the Ancient Laws of China. The Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon enforced the death penalty for 25 different crimes. But murder was excluded from these crimes . The Code followed the principle of â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,† and set measures to compensate for injuries to slaves, domesticated animals, and property. Thieves who did not have the ability to pay restitution were put to death. The first historically recorded death sentence was done in Egypt in the sixteenth century BC, and the offender, who was convicted of committing magic, was sentenced to take his own life.

Illegal Immigration Instigate More Crimes Research Paper

Illegal Immigration Instigate More Crimes - Research Paper Example Some immigrants come to the United States specifically with the intention to destabilize the peace of the society whereas some immigrants start doing criminal activities when they do not find jobs or any kind of work in the countries where they migrate. However, people should not think negative of all immigrants because the nature and activities of every person are not the same. It is only a small number of immigrants who are actually involved in criminal activities. Some reports say that 12 to 15 percent of immigrants become involved in illegal activities. Drug trafficking is also one of the most critical issues associated with large-scale immigration to the United States of America. Go states, â€Å"The US suffers an annual loss of about 70 billion dollars due to drug-related illnesses, death, and drug-related crimes†. Drug trafficking is a business which earns a lot of money not only to the drug dealers but also to all other people involved in this business. Researches show that approximately 13.2 million illegal immigrants living in the United States are Mexican-Americans and a large number of them are drug dealers. Illegal immigrants come to the United States to earn good money but due to lack of documents, they fail to get jobs and get involved in drug trafficking. â€Å"Many are simply coming to the United States to look for work but are accosted, and they become subjects of the drug cartels† (CNN Wire Staff). Here, we must say that it is just a small percentage of the illegal immigrants become victims to drug dealers. Most of the immigrants are hardworking and careful individuals who obey the social, political, and labor laws and regulations of the foreign countries. Reports confirm that U.S. GDP may increase by 0.75 percent annually due to large-scale immigration. â€Å"Immigrants bring innovative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit to the U.S. economy† (Griswold). Apart from the positive and negative aspects of illegal immigrants, the government of America needs to maintain a proper check on the activities of all immigrants. Moreover, the border control mechanisms should also be improved in order to stop people from entering the country illegally.

Issues and Dilemmas of Contemporary Public Administration WK 6 Term Paper

Issues and Dilemmas of Contemporary Public Administration WK 6 - Term Paper Example The behavioral responsibility is also undertaken subjectively where the considerations are based on unfulfilled responsibilities, and lack of moral recognition and authority. These offer conduits for identifying primary goals and major purposes reflected in the invoked public domain characterization. The assertions made by Bang, (1999) indicate that policies needed to support the implementation of government programs are aided by administrative responsibility. Ethical codes of conduct that are ideally required have been seldom and this has impacted negatively on public administration. The image that the society is being painted with is based on the ethical responsibility and unethical values have led to poor performance. Further, public morality is directed towards achieving relevant results that also include identifying issues required to create adequate performance at various governmental levels. Privatization plays a crucial role in promoting public administration. The promotional aspect of public administration according to Bailey, (1996) is established by ensuring that efficiency and efficacy have been taken into consideration. Ultimately, the research process involves delivery quality services where privatization models are put into consideration. The identities made by Bang, (1999) show that privatization is fully embraced through good governance structures include defining new paradigms that help to create promotional transformation at organizational and cultural

Sunshine and Sunset Laws Essay Example for Free

Sunshine and Sunset Laws Essay Sunshine laws created by different states are based on the Sunshine Act passed by Congress in 1976. In the United States, for the first time, the Sunshine Act requires that â€Å"multi-headed federal agencies† or those agencies that are headed by a committee instead of an individual such as the Securities and Exchange Commission hold their meetings regularly in public (Bardes et al., 2011, p. 423). As the term implies, the government wants more transparency, as well as, give interested parties the opportunities to observe or participate if possible. Moreover, these agencies are also required to provide public notice of these meetings in advance to allow people to take note of the agenda and be able to prepare questions if they have any. According to the Act, the term â€Å"meetings† encompass any formal or informal gathering of agency members and this includes even conference calls (Bardes, et al., 2011). The only exceptions to this rule of openness are meetings pertaining to court cases and personnel issues, among others. Currently, sunshine laws exist at all levels of government in practically every state. Nevertheless, each state has its own version of sunshine laws. For example, in California, open meetings must be held within the boundaries of the jurisdiction of the organization (BoardSource, 2010). In Virginia, there are about 20 exceptions to sunshine laws. In Colorado, electronic mail, if used to discuss public concerns, also constitutes as a meeting (BoardSource, 2010). It must be noted that states such a Florida and Utah have had sunshine laws even before the passing of the Sunshine Act (McLendon Hearn, 2006). The purpose of sunshine laws is to promote public access to information especially when it comes to decision-making processes that the government takes. Sunshine laws also aim to improve these decision-making processes by allowing public access (ACUS, n.d.). Among the most important policies that sunshine laws highlight are (i) expanding upon the democratic tradition of the United States; (ii) providing a check on governmental power; (iii) making government officials more accountable to  citizens; (iii) ensuring that information and the authorities that bring it â€Å"remain diffused and broadly accessible by different interests within society† (McLendon Hearn, 2006, p. 646). To note, sunshine laws ensure that the investing public are kept abreast of what’s happening among the agencies that function because of the taxes they are paying. Sunset Law Meanwhile, a sunset law is a statute or provision within a statute that requires periodic reviews of the justification for the continued existence of that specific law, â€Å"administrative agency, or other governmental function† (Hall, Clark, Ely, Grossman Hull, 2002, p. 770). This means that there are certain agencies, for instance, that will not be in existence forever. It is necessary to put a termination date for certain committees, for instance, since they need to be funded and once their works are over there is no more sense in keeping them. Occasionally, Congress identifies an end date when it establishes federal agencies or programs. In the event that an affirmative decision is not made for the continuance of an agency or program, then the â€Å"sun sets† on them and then they become automatically terminated (Hall, et al., 2002, p. 770). The purpose of sunset laws is to solve the problem of â€Å"legal obsolescence† which is a term used to describe the â€Å"reduced usefulness or applicability of a statute, regulation, or agency† (Hall, et al., p. 770). Sunset policies are unique in the sense that they mandate expiration of regulations and agencies on a specified date unless it is determined by legislature that the regulation or agency continues to be useful. The underlying rationale here is that a well-run agency or still-useful regulation will have no trouble getting renewed. States started adopting sunset laws between the late 1970 and early 1980 (Hall, et al., 2002). It is important to note that although Congress passed the Sunset Act of 1977 in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, it was never signed into law (Hall, et al., 2002). Sunset laws bring transparency and accountability because there are multiple reasons why laws become obsolete and therefore no longer useful for citizens. Among these reasons are (i) laws are created as  response to specific problems or crises; (ii) specific problems with laws may not manifest themselves for decades; and (iii) certain laws become obsolete in the face of international competition and rapid technological advancements. (Hall, et al., 2002). Because some laws have funding components, or are administered by the same entities for years, sunset laws enhance transparency and accountability. In conclusion, both sunset and sunshine laws are created so that the publics various rights in a democratic society are promoted. The sunshine laws promote greater public participation in government matters while sunset laws ensure that government funds are not squandered in committees or agencies that do not serve any purpose. References Administrative Conference of the United States. (n.d.). Government in the Sunshine Act. Retrieved on August 17, 2012 from http://www.acus.gov/research/the-conference- current-projects/government-in-the-sunshine-act/ Bardes, B., Shelley, M.C. Schmidt, S.W. (2011). American Government and politics today: The essentials. Independence: BoardSource. (2010). The handbook of nonprofit governance. New York: John Wiley Sons. Hall, K., Clark, D.S., Ely, J.W., Grossman, J.B. Hull, N.E.H. (2002). The Oxford Companion to American Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press. McLendon, M. K., Hearn, J. C. (2006). Mandated openness in public higher education: A field study of state sunshine laws and institutional governance. Journal of Higher Education, 77(4), 645-683.

Analysis of Birches by Robert Frost Essay -- Birches Robert Frost Poet

Analysis of Birches by Robert Frost In the poem Birches by Robert Frost, Frost portrays the images of a child growing to adulthood through the symbolism of aging birch trees. Through these images readers are able to see the reality of the real world compared to their carefree childhood. The image of life through tribulation is the main focal point of the poem and the second point of the poem is if one could revert back to the simpler times of childhood. The language of the poem is entirely arranged through images, although it contains some diction it lacks sound devices, metaphors, and similes compared to other published works by Frost.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first half of the poems’ images are of life, coming of age, and death. The first three lines in the poem represent the image of childhood and adulthood. â€Å"When I see birches bend to left and right Across the lines of straighter darker trees, I like to think some boy’s been swinging them.† Childhood is represented when the branches swing Frost thinks there is a boy swinging on them. Adulthood is represented by straighter darker trees because darker is a reference to older trees just by the nature of the color as compared to a birch tree which is white or light in color. â€Å"But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay. Ice storms do. Often you must have seen them Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning. After a rain. They click upon themselves As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel....

Miltons Passage :: Milton History Essays

Milton's Passage Works Cited Missing In this passage Milton surveys the battlefield after the inconclusive first day of fighting between the rebellious third of the angels and the equally-sized contingent God has sent to face them. The purpose is to portray the disarray and destruction caused by the battle, especially on the side of the fallen, and to contrast that chaos and baseness with the dignity and honor of the champions who defeat them. Little has been accomplished by the fighting, except to demonstrate the difference between the warriors on the two sides. Neither side is defeated, but the side of good has displayed its superiority in valor and glory, and the evil have shown themselves to be the lesser precisely because of their moral inferiority. Though they have fought to a draw, only the angels do so honorably, holding their ground as we watch the Satanic Host fly in a state of fear and panic. Milton seems to evoke a parallel with two of the most famous battles in history, as presented by the father of his tory, Herodotus: the Spartan duels with the vast Persian force of the Great King Xerxes. In the first battle, at Thermopylae, the Spartans stood their ground faithfully, and through obedience and discipline shamed their (in Herodotus' portrayal) morally inferior foe by forcing them to pay an outrageous price for victory. In the second, at Plataea, the Spartans this time defeat their more numerous foe, again due to their inherent superiority, which is ascribed, ultimately, to their virtue. If Milton's scene is imagined cinematically, the view begins low, looking down to see "all the ground" where the detritus lay "strown," "in "heap[s]," and "overturn'd" (388-90), and generally tipped over and fallen down in a catalogue of ways. The rebel angels' fallen condition is made literal by the work of the loyal warriors, whom we see in exactly the opposite condition, in spite of having fought just as hard and taken the same beating. We look up from the jumbled mass to see the angels in their state of "high advantages" (401), seeming to fly in formation unbroken by the onslaught, unperturbed by their wounds. Milton presents a dual image of battle lines shifting and being wrenched out of shape in parallel with the picture of bodies being crushed and mangled. Following his announcement that the devils' "Mightiest quell'd", we are shown that the "battle swerv'd" and we see "inroad[s] gor'd" into the broken battle formations and the broken bodies of the fighters (386-87). Milton's Passage :: Milton History Essays Milton's Passage Works Cited Missing In this passage Milton surveys the battlefield after the inconclusive first day of fighting between the rebellious third of the angels and the equally-sized contingent God has sent to face them. The purpose is to portray the disarray and destruction caused by the battle, especially on the side of the fallen, and to contrast that chaos and baseness with the dignity and honor of the champions who defeat them. Little has been accomplished by the fighting, except to demonstrate the difference between the warriors on the two sides. Neither side is defeated, but the side of good has displayed its superiority in valor and glory, and the evil have shown themselves to be the lesser precisely because of their moral inferiority. Though they have fought to a draw, only the angels do so honorably, holding their ground as we watch the Satanic Host fly in a state of fear and panic. Milton seems to evoke a parallel with two of the most famous battles in history, as presented by the father of his tory, Herodotus: the Spartan duels with the vast Persian force of the Great King Xerxes. In the first battle, at Thermopylae, the Spartans stood their ground faithfully, and through obedience and discipline shamed their (in Herodotus' portrayal) morally inferior foe by forcing them to pay an outrageous price for victory. In the second, at Plataea, the Spartans this time defeat their more numerous foe, again due to their inherent superiority, which is ascribed, ultimately, to their virtue. If Milton's scene is imagined cinematically, the view begins low, looking down to see "all the ground" where the detritus lay "strown," "in "heap[s]," and "overturn'd" (388-90), and generally tipped over and fallen down in a catalogue of ways. The rebel angels' fallen condition is made literal by the work of the loyal warriors, whom we see in exactly the opposite condition, in spite of having fought just as hard and taken the same beating. We look up from the jumbled mass to see the angels in their state of "high advantages" (401), seeming to fly in formation unbroken by the onslaught, unperturbed by their wounds. Milton presents a dual image of battle lines shifting and being wrenched out of shape in parallel with the picture of bodies being crushed and mangled. Following his announcement that the devils' "Mightiest quell'd", we are shown that the "battle swerv'd" and we see "inroad[s] gor'd" into the broken battle formations and the broken bodies of the fighters (386-87).

Explain the Importance and Benefits of Assessment for Learning Essay

Assessment for learning is an essential part of a child’s education as it defines whether or not the objectives of teaching are being met, assessments affects decisions about grades, educational needs of children and in some cases funding. Assessment for learning is a significant way to raise a pupil’s academic achievement and is centred on the belief that in order for children to progress in school then they must understand the purpose of their learning, where they are in relation to this purpose and how they can achieve their goals. Assessments will help a pupil reflect on their own development which in turn will help them recognize and appreciate their own strengths as well as developing an insight into themselves as students. If a child is given the opportunity to discuss their learning either with a teacher or one of their peers then they will develop a deeper understanding of their learning which can build confidence and motivate them as students. Effective assessment will identify individual educational needs of all children as well as informing them about their specific performances and achievements, this will then allow teachers to utilise approaches that are personalised to the needs of a child. Assessment can be used not only to measure learning but also to promote learning by teaching children how to ask questions as well as answering them, by emphasising to a child that it is acceptable to ‘Have a go’ and that by giving the wrong answer it is still learning.

Employment Barriers of Ex Offenders Essay

Finding Employment quickly is a priority for individuals leaving prison, and is usually mandated as a parole requirement. Ex offenders often require some flexibility in their jobs, in order to meet court ordered or parole mandates, such as drug counseling, and therapy, and to meet regularly with their parole officers. Returning prisoners also enter a competitive labor market with a combination of literacy problems, limited skills, and limited experience . Therefore they have limited access to job offering career ladders, mobility, training, or a job security. The lowest paying, lowest skilled jobs are the easiest to secure. Many make what they can of these opportunities because need to work to meet the obligations of their release. An ex offender is a person who has been convicted of criminal offense and has completed their sentence either in prison or in the community. Over 600,000 people are being released from prisons each year. Many suffer from various of serious difficulties as they attempt to reenter society. Among the most challenging situations they face is that of reentry in the labor market. Employment can be called a cornerstone of successful supervision. Employment for offenders reduces recidivism. It has been shown to be an important factor in reintegration, especially for men over the age of 27 years of age who characterize most individuals released from prison. Offenders reentering the community have a better chance if they are given enough support to stay out of trouble for the first 6 months following release. Offenders are destined for minimum wage, unskilled, menial jobs. Lack of education and job skills are the primary reasons, but the problem goes beyond that. Criminal convictions stigmatize offenders, directly limiting their future work opportunities and consequently encouraging them to return to crime for a source of income. Not only is it the predominant community attitude against knowingly hiring individuals with felony convictions, but strictly enforced laws prohibits licensing of such persons in many occupations. When you help offenders improve themselves and develop a sense of responsibility and self-esteem, employment opportunities will become more readily available A barrier is something that makes it more difficult for a person to job search or successfully complete the hiring process. Employment fills a vital need for most individuals; it provides income, social connection, and feelings, of societal contribution and self worth. For ex offenders returning to the community after a period of incarcerations, employment can make the difference between succeeding and returning to prison. (ISEEK) There are a numerous myths and truths with employing ex offenders: Myth: Ex offenders are only capable of doing manual or repetitive work Truth: Ex offenders represent a cross section of workforce. Many of them have valuable, in demand skills and qualifications Myth: Ex offenders are not educated  Truth: Nearly one in three have graduated from high school and or college Myth: Ex offenders are unreliable Truth: Ex offenders are as reliable as other workers. Myth: Once a criminal, always a criminal Truth: Ex offenders cannot prove themselves unless someone gives them a second chance Myth: Someone will always have to watch over an ex offender Truth: Ex offenders are people who paid the price for their crime and most of them want to make a fresh start. Ex offenders do not require extra supervision on the job Myth: Other employees will not want to work with them Truth: There is no need for employees other than line managers to know of the employee’s past Myth: The existence of a criminal conviction is an indication of being trustworthy Truth: Many people assume that ex offenders have basic character flaw that is not found in the normal population. Myth: Our company policy excludes ex offenders because of the type of work involved or legal restrictions. Truth: It is common misunderstanding those certain professions and certifications bar people with criminal records, just to name a few. Ex offenders have a variety of characteristics that greatly limits their employability and earnings which include limited education and cognitive skills, limited work experience, and substance abuse and other physical and mental health problems. Ex offenders face significant barriers to employment after release from prison. Barriers include employer attitudes towards individuals with criminal records, legal barriers, educational and financial obstacles, substance abuse and health issues, and lack of stable housing. The work experience that they had accumulated prior to incarceration was generally well below what it might have been in the absence of their participation in crime On top of that periods of time they have spent incarcerated have impeded them from gaining any additional private sector experience, an no doubt help erode whatever job skills, positive work habits or connections to employers they might have had beforehand. Thus, if and when they do attempt to reenter the labor market after incarceration, the poor skills and very limited work experience that they bring with them limits both employability and earnings potential. Most offenders reenter the outside world with little other than $ 40 of gate money or no money, no housing, no credit, no transportation, no driver’s license, no documents, no insurance, and no appropriate clothes for job interviewing and work settings. They also have limited access to health care services. Finding a job is difficult when you’re struggling to meet basic needs for food, shelter, and clothing. Many community based organization and support groups, such as Goodwill Industries, Salvation Army, churches and other nonprofit organization, assist offenders with such basic needs. Ron 2005) A large fraction of these men suffer from substance abuse and other health problems. Among the small fractions of ex offenders who are women, numbers suffer from depression and or past sexual abuse. All of these factors limits employability because they limit the basic job readiness that employers almost universally seek as a pre-condition for employment. Besides these skills a nd health problems, most ex offenders are minorities, nearly half are African American, an nearly a fifth are Latino and Asian. To the extent that minorities continue to suffer labor market discrimination, this will further impede the ability of ex offenders to gain employment or earn higher wages. Most return to low income and predominantly minority communities that have relatively few unskilled jobs, and to peer groups who presumably provide relatively a few contacts to the world of legitimate work. (H. J. Holzer 2003) In addition to the barriers these individuals face have little control, the attitudes and choices that they make may also limit their employment outcomes. After months and possibly years of incarceration, few ex offenders reenter society with a positive I can do it attitude. Many feel worthless, hopeless, and unwanted. Their negative attitudes are obvious to family members, friends, and employers. These attitudes affect their motivation to take action that lead to success in finding a job. They are filled with anxiety and uncertainty, uncertainty of how people will receive them, uncertain about their families, uncertain about their housing and financial situations, uncertain whether or not they will find a job, succeed on the outside or become another recidivism statistic. Ex offenders is a significant group in the labor market. It has been estimated that they constitute up to one third of the working population. At least 90 per cent of those leaving prison enter unemployment and they comprise between 2 and 3 percent of the average monthly in flow to the unemployment pool. Ex offenders re substantially more likely to remain unemployed in the long term rather taking a number of short term jobs. It is likely that a large number of these men might be able to find some kind of work if they search long enough, but at jobs that pay very low wages and provide few benefits or chances for upward mobility. Many ex offenders may simply choose to forego these employment options, in favor of illegal opportunities or more casual work. They may accept these jobs temporarily, but may not retain them for very long. Their attachments to the legitimate labor market might be quite tenuous over the longer term, both as a result of these relatively unappealing options, or perhaps because of their own estrangement over several years from the world of work. Thus, the limited employment outcomes that ex offenders experience will at least partly reflect barriers, perhaps compounded by their own attitudes towards and response to these circumstances. The barriers faced by ex offenders because of their very limited skills, poor health, and race or area of residence often reflect a difference between these characteristics and those sought by employers on the demand side of the labor market. Education is often a key to success. It frees offenders from many barriers to employment. Ex offenders tend to have low levels of education, lack many skills associated with better educated people. The poor skills and work experience of most offenders generally conflict with the skills and credentials sought by employers, even when trying to fill relative unskilled jobs. Those with substance abuse an other health problems are the least likely to be job ready, and will likely face few job offers or high discharge rates upon being hired. (Ron 2005) The federal government, as well as many state and local governments, place special legal restrictions on people with criminal records. Many drug offenders are prohibited from acquiring public housing or receiving other forms of public assistance. While employers cannot discriminate against individuals solely on the basis of their criminal record, they can refuse to hire if they can show that your background will negatively affect their workplace and business. State and local governments may include additional restrictions on certain opportunities, especially any position that deal with public safety. Finding work can be a challenge for some job seekers with criminal backgrounds. Having a criminal record can undermine employment prospects so that ex offenders are often penalized by the courts and later in the labor market. Having a job is widely recognized by ex offenders and those that work with them as the single most important factor in their resettlement and in preventing reoffending. It helps to know which barriers might be in the way and how to handle employer attitudes. Employers perform checks to gain additional information about ex offenders and checking seems to have no effect on hiring ex offenders for those employers not legally required to perform checks. Ex offenders looking for work often have a harder time than other job seekers. A felony conviction can be considered a barrier to employment. While employment is critical to ex offenders successful reintegration, prospective employers have their own set of interests when considering whether to hire an ex offender. Stoll,2008) Most employers are unaware of the tax incentives, bonding programs, and intermediary organizations currently in place to facilitate employment of returning offenders. Early work experience sometimes leads to wage growth over time, though this has not been particularly true among welfare recipients and others. Employers generally seem interested in the support system that seek to bridge the gap between ex offenders and prospective employers, but need to know more about the programs and how they fit with their needs. Although, many employers like to give a qualified es offender a second chance, they are averse to taking risks that they feel could threaten their workplace or reputation. In spite of the numerous barriers to employment of ex offenders, there is reason for some degree of optimism. Employers who had hired ex offenders reported mostly positive experiences. A great number of employers are reluctant to hire individuals with a past, citing lack of skills and work history, untrustworthiness, and fear of liability for negligent hiring, among other things. Criminal record information has the potential to present unintended barriers for offenders seeking employment. Across the country, states have provided employers with varying degrees of access to criminal record information on prospective and current employees. Advocates for limiting the availability of criminal record argue that providing such information to employers unfairly discriminates against ex offenders an makes it more difficult for them to obtain employment. Many employers argue that they should know who their employees are and whether they pose an unnecessary risk to the work place. (Holzer 2003) The United States Congress created two financial incentive programs to benefit employers who hire ex-offenders. One program gives an employer a tax break of $2,400 once an ex-offender has been hired and has worked for a certain number of hours. The other provides fidelity insurance bonds as an incentive to hire an ex-offender who might normally be considered high risk by mainstream insurance companies. These programs are often under-utilized. As a provider, you should educate your employer contacts about these programs and inform them that the State or your organization can assist them with the paperwork. Some employers have reported that they were â€Å"on the fence† about hiring an ex-offender, but the financial incentives â€Å"sealed the deal. † (Stoll 2008) Another program is The Federal Bonding Program issues fidelity bonds which serve as insurance policies for employers. Bonding protects an employer in case of theft, forgery, larceny, or embezzlement of money or property by an employee covered by the bond. The bond coverage is usually $5,000-$10,000, free for an employer, and good for up to one year. The bond becomes effective the first day of employment. Federal Bonding Program as an employer job-hire incentive that guaranteed the job honesty of at-risk job seekers. Job seekers who have in the past committed a fraudulent or dishonest act, or who have demonstrated other past behaviour casting doubt upon their credibility or honesty, very often are rejected for employment due to their personal backgrounds. Their past life experience presents an obstacle to their future ability to secure employment. More specifically, employers view these applicants as being â€Å"at-risk† and potentially untrustworthy workers. This fear is further heightened by the fact that Fidelity Bond insurance commercially purchased by employers to protect against employee dishonesty usually will not cover at-risk persons because they are designated by insurance companies as being not bondable. As a result, these job applicants are routinely denied employment. Carter 2007) Ex-offenders, including anyone with a record of arrest, conviction or imprisonment, and anyone who has ever been on probation or parole, are at-risk job applicants. When you combine figures for the US inmate population and the offender population in the free community who are now on probation or parole, the total number of persons under correctional supervision approaches 7 million individuals. More than 600,000 inmates are released from prison or jail annually. Past experiences reveal that 67% of them will be recidivists. Failure to become employed after release is a major factor contributing to the high rate of recidivism. Having a record of arrest, conviction or imprisonment functions as a significant barrier to employment since employers generally view ex-offenders as potentially untrustworthy workers and insurance companies usually designate ex-offenders as being not bondable for job honesty. (U. S. Department of Justice) There is restriction to the federal bonding program; workers must meet the State’s legal age for working. The job usually is to be for at least 30 hours per week. Workers must be paid wages with Federal Tax automatically deducted from their pay check. Self employed persons cannot be covered. A total of $5,000. 00 bond coverage is usually issued, with no deductible amount for the employer. The employer gets 100% insurance coverage. Larger bond amounts can be issued if the certified agency issuing the bonds has acquired a special bond package and has determined a larger bond amounts are appropriate.

The Effects Of The Memory English Literature Essay

This essay is an effort to analyze the importance of memory in Cormac McCarthys The Road, which I consider that the memory plays a important function to remain alive or non in that revelatory universe. In order to make this, I will explicate the memories and the dreams of the adult male and of the child and so I will do a comparing between their memories and dreams. The Road tells us a narrative of a male parent and his boy in an revelatory universe, in which they have to be going to the South to happen a warmer clime. While they are in the travel the adult male remembers minutes, state of affairss, and memories of the yesteryear. He besides has dreams, which some of these are about his married woman. When he dreams with his married woman, he remembers her in different ways, some of them romantic and others anti-romantic. In the first dream for illustration he remembers her in a manner that can be romantic. his pale bride came to him out of green and leafy canopy. Her mammillas pipeclayed and her rib castanetss painted white. She wore a frock of gauze and her dark hair was carried up in combs of tusk, combs of shell. Her smiling, her downturned eyes. ( 17 ) . It seems a self-contradictory dream, a romantic dream in the center of that revelatory universe, where the dead is one of the closer things you have in your ideas. However the 2nd dream of with his married woman is non romantic, in contrast, is terrorizing. In his dream she was ill and he cared for her. The dream bore the expression of forfeit but he thought otherwise. He did non take attention of her and she died entirely someplace in the dark and there is no other dream nor other waking universe and there is no other narrative to state. ( 32 ) . I think the two dreams are deformed contemplations of the yesteryear. The first dream would be a romantic transition that he had with her before the revelatory universe, in which the nowadays is besides assorted, because she is described by words like pale bride, rib castanetss painted white like if she was dead. This romantic dream could sham felicity for him, but in world, that memory is merely aching him. He can non maintain believing about the yesteryear, because that is a weak point for his endurance. If he keeps believing in past memories, he will be distracted in the present. The 2nd dream is besides a memory when his married woman moves off from them to decease entirely. In this portion he is more realistic about the present and even if is a thirsty dream, is better for him because he has to separate the yesteryear from the present and the unreal ideas, from the existent 1s to concentrate more on endurance. At the beginning of the novel, the adult male and the male child has a conversation about retrieving and burying memories: -Just retrieve that the things you put into your caput are the forever. You might desire to believe about that. -You bury some things, dont you? – Yes. You forget what you want to retrieve and you remember what you want to bury. ( 11 ) Stating that, about retrieving and burying, we could believe that the beautiful, happy memories are traveling to be forgotten, and that the terrorization memories remembered. So why does he after that retrieve a perfect twenty-four hours of his childhood, This was the perfect twenty-four hours of his childhood ( 12 ) , when he was in a lake with his uncle in a boat? Like it is said, the happy and beautiful memories arent helpful to last because he is traveling to hold problems concentrating on endurance. But there could be another possibility about the happy dreams or happy memories, one that could be utile. That happy dreams or memory could assist the adult male to believe that there was a life before the revelatory universe, and may that can give him more strength to remain alive. The child besides has dreams, bad dreams. He was born in the revelatory universe, so all the memories he has are about that new universe, but that doesnt mean that is bad. There is a point in the novel that the male child dreams that his male parent dies, and the male parent Tells to him that the good dreams are traveling to concern him. When your dreams are of some universe that ne'er was or of some universe that ne'er will be and you are happy once more so you will be and you are happy once more so you will hold given up. ( 202 ) . Because when you dream something that you want, when you wake up, you will see that was merely a dream and that you will ne'er see that. So in that point, you will give up your gusto for life. About the bad dreams he didnt say anything, but we could believe that if the good dreams will give up your gusto for unrecorded, the bad 1s could intend that you want to populate. When he said that, we can believe that at the beginning of the novel, when he had the romantic dream and the memory of the perfect childhood twenty-four hours, that he was worried and may be that he wouldnt privation to remain alive. There are no memories about the child, merely dreams, so the lone comparing that we can do with his male parent is with the dreams. The childs dreams are ever bad dreams and the male parent dreams are bad and good. The child hasnt got any memories about the universe before the revelatory universe, so thats why he ever has bad dreams, and may be, thats is why he is non so much worried like his male parent, because he merely knows the new universe. In the other manus, the male parent has good and bad dreams. The good dreams are memories before the revelatory universe, and the bad 1s of the revelatory universe. Besides we can state that the male parent has dreams with his married woman and that the male child doesnt. We could state that the male child may hold forgotten all most all of her memories, because he ne'er dreams with her. In contrast, the adult male dreams with his married woman because he doesnt bury her. There is besides a minute when the adult male thinks about why they do nt maintain her in their lives. He thought about the image in the route and he thought that he should hold tried to maintain her in their lives in some manner but he didnt cognize how. ( 56 ) . If the adult male thinks that, could be because he wants to explicate what could be love for the child. In the class of the novel the male child is burying about her, he doesnt bury her at all but he remembers fewer times. Is traveling to go on the same with the male parent memories when he is dead? I think the child will retrieve a batch the adult male, more than his female parent, because the female parent wasnt in the journey with them ; she was with them merely in their house. So he will retrieve his male parent and that is traveling to assist him to last, because when he will retrieve his male parent, at the same clip he will retrieve the things that the male parent did to seek for nutrient, or a perfect site to kip. Apart from the adult male and his boy, there are more people in that revelatory universe, but some of them arent good people and the child and the male parent name them bad people. These individuals are the blood cults, brutal packs of man-eaters These people are wholly integrated in the new universe, they kill people, and they eat people I think that these people have wholly forgotten the former universe and besides that they have forgotten all the memories about that universe. They are non human existences, they are and they act like animate beings. There are besides good people, for illustration the 1s that the child meets when his male parent dies. These people still remembers the former universe and they still have memories of the yesteryear, and thats why they are good people, because the remember how to be human existences and non animate beings.

Excerpts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Excerpts - Essay Example In the item of the questionnaire, the women slept under five hours were 10 in PROM (-) (3.2%), 7 in the PROM (+) (11%). (p=0.018) The women who ate regularly three times a day were 296 in PROM (-) (94%), 52 in PROM (+) (84%). (p=0.0068) About the number of toothbrush of 1st, in PROM (-), three times were 82 (26%), twice were 207 (66%), once were 26 (8.2%). In PROM (+), three times were 11 (18%), twice were 42 (68%), once were 9 (14%). (p=0.0110) We cross–examined it about physical condition and behavior in each group. Only in PROM (-), Connection was found about "under sleep five hours" and "feeling of sleep shortage" (p=0.00), â€Å"fatigue† and â€Å"feeling of sleep shortage", "awareness of the cill" and "the prevention action for the cill". 　The purpose of our survey is to reveal the practice of Japanese midwife toward pregnant-women in the maternity home and bringing out some evidences of midwifery judgment based upon touching pregnant women. 　The questionnaire of the study was sent to the maternity homes (218 institutions), and the effective reply was used as data. The maternity home is the institution where the midwife opens independently. That survey items are the number of the attending midwives in the pregnant-women medical examination, medical examination time, the part which touches in the body of a pregnant woman, the purpose of touching, the time which touches, etc. The ground total of the quantitative data was carried out and qualitative data performed a content analysis. 　The numbers of reply institutions were 67 (30%). The average medical examination time spent on one pregnant-woman was 48.1 minutes (n=62, SD= ±17.2). The longest time which the average of the total of the time to touch the body of the pregnant-women in one pregnant-woman medical examination was 21.9 minutes (n = 98, SD= ±14.8). The part which touches was mainly the leg from the

Zulu Culture and living Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Zulu Culture and living - Research Paper Example The Zulu people are full of character and celebrate their cultural distinctiveness through cultural festivals. Currently the Zulu tribe is divided; some people have moved into urban centers while others are still in their native habitat (Kwazulu-Natal province). Zulu community has a little population in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique. The Zulu people have exciting traditions and their daily lives incorporate both the traditional and modern practices in beliefs, music, rituals, arts and rites of passage. The Zulu tradition is rooted in the Nkulunkulu the creator. The Zulu people are agriculturalists practicing both farming and keeping of domesticated animals. The Zulu mode of subsistence played a critical role in shaping their economic organization. Division of labor was along gender lines and there was clear-cut distinction between male and female roles in the society. Men performed chores that were considered more cumbersome and required a lot of time out of the homestead. They inc lude land cultivation with oxen-driven sledges, carrying logs, constructing food storage barns and tending the cattle. On the other hand, women performed household chores like child rearing, cooking, fetching water, collecting firewood, spreading seeds in the farms and hoeing. Their religious beliefs and values were influenced by their mode of subsistence (Gatsha, 1992). This is because they represent the peoples needs incase of crop failure, infestation of the firms by crops destroying insects and crop harvest. Religion was also used to deal with uncertainties and explain things that could not be explained by culture. The Zulu people had a centralized form of government. The king was the central ruler and was accorded maximum respect. The king delegated power to chiefs who were in charge of the districts. The family heads were obligated to maintain law and order in their homesteads. Mode of Subsistence Traditionally, the Zulu people were agriculturalists; they practiced mixed farmi ng. A lot of significance was attached to cattle, goats and poultry. A man’s wealth was measured by the size of his cattle herd. Cattle were a source of meat and milk and hides. They were also used in paying bride price (lobola) and cattle sacrifice was the main way of appeasing the ancestors. Women took care of the agricultural activities and they grew crops like maize, pumpkins, sugar reeds and tubers. Economic organization In the 19th century, the Zulu people practiced mixed farming. They grew crops and raised livestock. Women collected grass that was used in thatching new and renewing thatches, making baskets, sitting mats, straws (beer sieves) and pot lids among other products. Women plastered and re-plastered houses belonging to their brothers, aunts, husbands and parents. Ploughing fields was a collective chore to both men and women. Men span the oxen and control the ploughs that were drawn by the oxen. Women and boys spread the seeds and finally, women did hoeing and harvesting. Men collected the harvest on sledges that were drawn by the oxen. Women were obligated to clean and polish the living huts. Men on the other hand carved wood utensils, walking sticks and milkpails. Men collected logs that were used in fencing, constructing and repairing kraals. They also built bans that were used for food storage and dug pits used for food storage in the kraals. Young men looked after cattle and slaughtered the animals for ceremonial festivals. Men also tanned the animal skin that was later used in making leather products (Zibani, 2002, p.138). The waves of change brought about by modernization have not spared the Zulu community. Division of labor is still gender based. Men are regarded as the