A Synthesis of Current Literacy Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

A Synthesis of Current Literacy Theories - Essay Example As a result, many scholars have different views on the concept of literacy, which leaves the common person more confused. Indeed, although the term ‘literacy’ is seemingly easier to understand by everybody, it has unfortunately proved to be complex and dynamic concept to interpret or even define. As such, we have many educational theorists, scholars, and newspaper editors defining the concept literacy. In the ancient times, literacy only referred to the ability of a person to read and write at an adequate level of proficiency that would enable them to communicate with others (TakingITGlobal, 2012). However, in the recent times, there is no mutually satisfactory measure of what adequate literacy means. As such, this paper will refer to various scholarly sources in addressing the various theories of literature, the issues that relate to literacy, and an analysis of literacy. Additionally, the paper will elaborate, synthesise, and analyse various perspectives on literacy. F urthermore, the paper will discuss the implications of the application of these perspectives to learning in vocational education and training centres. More so, the paper will analyse the various ways that teachers and trainers can apply the concept of literacy to learning in vocational education and training. Some scholars refer to literacy, as the quality or state of being literate or simply being able to read and write. On the other hand, others associate literacy with creative writing or just having knowledge or competence. Moreover, other educational theorists introduce the aspect of visual literacy in understanding the concept of literacy. As such, they relate visual literacy to the ability to recognize and understand ideas conveyed through visible actions or images. However, according to the National Institute for Literacy, The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 defines literacy as â€Å"an individual's ability to read, write, speak in English, compute, and solve problems at le vels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual and in society†Ã‚  (Valenzuela,2002). Additionally, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization thinks there is more to literacy than just being a set of technical skills of reading, writing, and calculating (United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe, 2012). We may need to consider the factors that influence the multiple understandings of this concept. Notably, academic research, institutional agendas, national context, cultural values, and personal experiences influence individuals understanding on the concept of literacy. Indeed, there are four discrete understandings of literacy that include literacy as an autonomous set of skills, literacy as text, literacy as a learning process, and literacy as applied, practised and situated (Education for All Global Monitoring Report, 2006).The four understandings significantly incorporate almost all theore tical understandings of literacy. However, the most common understanding of literacy is as a set of cognitive skills that involve reading, writing, and oral skills. However, it is worth noting that despite the multiple definition of literacy, the literacy levels vary between the developed and developing nations. Indeed, the rate of literacy in the developed nations is much higher than in the developing nations. Nevertheless, there is a worldwide mission to eradicate illiteracy in the world.

Racial Discrimination from Police Essay Example for Free

Racial Discrimination from Police Essay Racial discrimination in the United States is as old as America itself. The United States motto deduces that, although America is a single country, it is made up of people of all walks from all the corners of the world, but some as slaves, especially from Africa. The American population is diverse both culturally and racially thus the name Melting Point. Racial discrimination is the act of subordinating an individual due to the color of the skin or race. Discrimination against people of color began long ago while slavery still existed, and it took a Civil War between the Northern and Southern states to end slavery. In history, racist violence, police brutality, has been used to suppress the racial blacks and to preserve power and privileges for the white race. This was done for five primary purposes. First, it has forced black people into slavery or low wage situations. Secondly, to steal land and other resources. A third was to maintain social control. A fourth purpose was to eliminate conflict in politics, social life, and employment. Lastly, the fifth purpose was to unite white people across the ethnic, class, and gender boundaries. It is not really different of what we see nowadays through every day in the street. It is just getting a little bit smoother , cover up by law that a certain category of people make to protect themselves and the ones who as the privilege to use it. Most of the times, they do not been treated as the minority whenever they do the same mistakes by the justice in this country. The following grounds for suspicion of criminality are among the many reasons that African American motorists are pulled over: Driving a luxury automobile (e. . , Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, etc. ), driving in a car with other black men, driving early in the morning or late at night, driving in a low-income neighborhood, known for its drug traffic, driving in a neighborhood where there have been recent burglaries,†¦ Although the above list may in fact be the reason that a prejudice officers attention is obtained, none of the reasons listed can be filed as a probable cause in the police report. I have so many bad exp eriences with the police that I think, it is just getting worst. We all know, minority people, that they use theses bunch of †laws† to still keep us down because they still, and for more of the â€Å"white people† ,think that they are a â€Å"superior race†. One day, I was with my dad driving around a nice neighborhood with some friend to go pick up one our friend to go at the club. It was late around 11 pm that night. From nowhere the police pull us over and start actin really at their defensive. They asked us to get out of the car, after checking if the car has the proper paper (insurance driver license). They asked us what we were doing there and we answered without stress that we are going to pick up a friend of us to go at the club. One of us asked us, straight up on our face, if we were not here for other illegal purpose in the neighborhood. We were still acting cool, at the same moment two others police cars pulled over. We were surprise by the number of units just for 3 people. They start searching us with some brutality and still asking stupid questions. The car also has been check. They brought a K-9 dog to search the car. We did not know what they were looking for and even if they have a warrant on us. After some so long minutes, they let us go. The think that really made us feel that we were inferior was the fact that one of the cars was following us through the neighborhood until we got out. That experience was the most shameful one I ever been into. I really hate cops since this experience. Being a minority and particularly black is not a crime. I totally presume that most of the police are like that. Racial bias and discrimination are existent in the minds of many individuals, some of whom may have, if it is at all possible, a justification for such thoughts. But when it comes to the protection and justice of a society, race should not even be an issue. The criminal justice system of today fuels its flame of democracy with decisions influenced by a certain individuals race and stature in society, and allows these preconceptions to be the basis of such decisions. Whether it is the African American motorist being pulled over with no probable cause, or the racially spurred brutalizing by the police, racism prevails in the world of criminal justice. Most communities that suffer police discrimination and violence have little control of the economy, or political overseers of the police. Typically the people who do have these powers are the richer communities, with primarily white citizens. I do not think the community or even education can do something about it, it is already in their manners and nothing will change it, The only think that could make a minority person close to their tight circle is â€Å"money†.

Comparing the Film and Novel Versions of Sam Hanna Bell’s December Brid

Comparing the Film and Novel Versions of Sam Hanna Bell’s December Bride If the movie based on Sam Hanna Bell’s novel December Bride is considered to be good, it is only because the novel itself is nothing short of great. Having viewed the movie on two separate occasions, some four months apart, this writer found herself to still be somewhat bewildered by a few of the events portrayed. The novel clears the Irish fog swirling around those events creating a much more solidly constructed story. In addition, the characters of Sarah and Frank are developed to a much deeper level. The great leap in years that occurs at the end of the movie is shortened in the novel and in consequence, the story flows more smoothly. Perhaps December Bride would have faired better as a TV mini-series with hours and hours at its disposal rather than being confined to the short span of time allotted the movie. Within the confines of the movie, before the reading of the novel, this writer found the following several elements of the story confusing: who is Fergus and how does he fit in; Sarah’s standing on the hill looking toward her mother’s house seems unfinished; why does the Reverend Sorleyson treat his wife, Victoria, with such distain; what is the significance of the meal in which Hamilton orders Sarah to cook the fish for the Catholic woman; why does Frank voice no objections at the marriage of Sarah and Hamilton? Read on and ye shall uncover the answers. The novel opens in Chapter One revealing the end of the story. Two elderly persons, Sarah and Hamilton, are being married by the young Reverend Isaac Sorleyson in a church that is nestled in a graveyard. People from the surrounding countryside are huddled among the gravestones brac... ...tride, promising to be at the church with Hamilton in the next week thus bequeathing the father’s name on both her children. Notes: [1] Small boat with oars. [2] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.22. [3] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.27. [4] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.48. [5] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.48. [6] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.41. [7] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.44. [8] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.125. [9] the residence of a Presbyterian clergyman (15th century) [10] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.68. [11] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.134. [12] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.138. [13] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.149. [14] child [15] Bell Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.123. [16] Bell Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.179. [17] Bell Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.289.

Literary Analysis of Bartleby the Scrivener Essay

Bartleby the Scrivener could be described as a story about getting rid of its title character, about the narrator’s attempt to get rid of Bartleby, and Bartleby’s tenacious capacity to be always there. It is the story of an unnamed lawyer and his employee, Bartleby, a copyist of law documents. Confronted not only with Bartleby’s refusal to do work (first to â€Å"read† copies against the original, then to copy altogether), but also with the contagious nature of the particular words of his refusal (Bartleby’s peculiar â€Å"I would prefer not to†), the narrator concludes that, before Bartleby â€Å"turns the tongues† any further of those with whom he comes into contact, he â€Å"must get rid of† Bartleby. At the same time Bartleby feels â€Å"mobbed in his privacy† (27) when the other office workers crowd him behind his screen, they in turn are invaded by his idiosyncrasy – his private idiom â€Å"prefer. † Bartleby’s presence breaks down the clear distinctions between public and private, professional and domestic, between â€Å"privacy† and â€Å"the mob. † By pinpointing Bartleby as the â€Å"cause† of infectious language (language â€Å"turned† bad), the narrator wants to stop the course of a process (the â€Å"turning of tongues†) already in progress. But getting rid of Bartleby is as tricky as getting rid of a chronic condition; the narrator emphasizes a phrase which appears textually in italics: â€Å"he was always there† (20). Bartleby is, as the narrator calls him, a â€Å"nuisance† (40), an â€Å"intolerable incubus. † As a character in the story with a body, he moves very little, but the few words he speaks break out at unexpected moments in the office. Every attempt the narrator makes to control the passive Bartleby and his infectious language fails hilariously (Schehr 97). The narrator experiences a curious tension between the impossible imperative (on the level of the story) to get rid of the subject, and the impossibility (on the level of the narration) to write his complete biography (Bartleby’s â€Å"history†). Thus, Bartleby is also a fable about writing history or biography. In attempting to write what he thinks of as Bartleby’s biography, the narrator merely misnames his writing project, or he emphasizes it from the wrong point of view. In search of Bartleby’s origins, the narrator does not simply narrate (as he thinks) the history of Bartleby the Scrivener; he relates rather the story of his own anxiety vis-a-vis Bartleby. In particular, he relates his anxiety over the scrivener’s silence – and modes of breaking that silence; for we could say that, rather than speaking very little or in particular ways, Bartleby has particular ways of occasionally breaking silence. It is this violence in speech, this unexpected eruption, which the narrator fears. The narrator, whose acquaintances describe him as an â€Å"eminently safe man,† who likes nothing better than the â€Å"cool tranquility of a snug retreat† (4), is thrown decidedly off kilter when faced with what he terms Bartleby’s â€Å"passive resistance† (17). Bartleby’s weapon is his total indifference to truth, whereas the narrator seeks a second opinion on truth from the other office mates. Bartleby could be seen as the one solid block around which the narrator writes his own story about truth rather than the truth about the Bartleby story. Bartleby’s passive resistance actually generates the story — confronted with it, the narrator creates theories (his doctrine of assumptions, for instance), carries on debates with himself, and seeks the counsel of others — all with the opaque Bartleby as the core. In reconstructing Bartleby’s story, the narrator follows an implicit logic which he never directly states. It is the logic of cause and effect. (He is not deliberately hiding this logic, but because he takes its validity for granted, he never comments on it critically. ) Believing in the possibility of finding a specific, locatable, and nameable cause to Bartleby’s condition (as he is able to do with the other office workers, Nippers and Turkey, whose moods vary according to their diets and the time of day), the narrator thinks that by eradicating the cause of the problem, he can alter the effects, the effects of Bartleby’s speaking condition in the office space. McCall follows the same logic as the narrator in seeking causes of Bartleby’s behavior. He mentions remark that when the narrator asks Bartleby to run an errand for him at the post office, â€Å"that is probably the last place, if the rumor is correct, that Bartleby would ever want to go. † (McCall 129). The narrator never considers that his line of reasoning might be faulty — that Bartleby’s condition may not be linked to a specific, locatable, nameable cause. We as readers may be placed in the same position as the narrator in that we never know either the origin of Bartleby’s condition; we witness primarily its effects, or symptoms, in the story. These symptoms reside not only in Bartleby as individual character, but in the very way the narrator tells the story about that character. Rather than speaking about the cause of Bartleby’s condition, one could more aptly speak about the ways in which its effects are spread to other characters within the text. When the narrator impatiently summons Bartleby to join and help the others in the scenario of group reading, Bartleby responds, â€Å"I would prefer not to† (14). Hearing this response the narrator turns â€Å"into a pillar of salt† (14). (Faced with Bartleby’s responses and sheer presence, the narrator oftentimes evokes images of his losing, then waking to, consciousness. ) When he recovers his senses, he tries to reason with Bartleby, who in the meantime has retreated behind his screen. The narrator says: â€Å"These are your own copies we are about to examine. It is labor saving to you, because one examination will answer for your four papers. It is common usage. Every copyist is bound to help examine his copy. Is it not so? Will you not speak? Answer! † (15) The narrator is exasperated when Bartleby does not respond immediately to the logic behind his work ethic. â€Å"These are your own copies we are about to examine. It is labor saving to you. † Examining or reading copy is a money saving activity, from which every member of the office profits (four documents for the price of one reading! ). â€Å"Every copyist is bound to help examine his copy. † To the contract the lawyer emphatically demands from his employee, a bond based on an exchange of reading, Bartleby replies three times, gently, â€Å"in a flutelike tone,† â€Å"I (would) prefer not to† (15). By refusing to read copy, Bartleby refuses to consent to the economy of the office. It is perhaps only to another type of reading, one not based on a system of exchange and profit, which Bartleby consents. Although the narrator says he has never seen Bartleby reading — â€Å"not even a newspaper† (24) — he does often notice him staring outside the window of the office onto a brick wall. Staring at the dead brick wall (in what the narrator calls Bartleby’s â€Å"dead-wall reveries†) may be Bartleby’s only form of reading, taking the place of the economy-based reading demanded of him in the process of verifying copies. About halfway through the story, the lawyer/narrator visits his office on a Sunday morning and, discovering a blanket, soap and towel, a few crumbs of ginger nuts and a morsel of cheese, deduces that the scrivener never leaves the office. Realizing the full impact of Bartleby’s condition, he states, What I saw that morning persuaded me that the scrivener was the victim of innate and incurable disorder. (25) The narrator clearly locates the disorder in Bartleby. Seeing himself in the role of diagnostician and healer, he himself is faced with the â€Å"hopelessness of remedying excessive and organic ill† (24). The narrator’s concern about an individual medical cure should more aptly be a concern about an obsessively private rhetorical debate or a dangerously idiomatic group contagion (Perry 409). Despite his assumption that Bartleby is incurable, or perhaps precisely because he can effect no cure, the narrator beleaguers himself throughout the story with questions or commands to do something about Bartleby (McCall 9). If the private man’s disorder can be passed on to another (one) person, what happens when the condition is let loose out of close quarantine into the public space of the office? Bartleby walks a precarious tightrope between comedy and tragedy (Inge 25). The tragic dimension often resides in the narrator’s turning inward on himself (a sort of tragic compression), then putting himself on trial, an interior moment of accusation which eventually results in the collapse of the narrative in a single sigh or exclamation (â€Å"Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity! † 46). The comic effects are often related to the authoritarian attempt (and failure) to contain the spread of idiom as contagion (Perry 412). If Bartleby has been a figure for tragedy in the lone meditation of the narrator, he becomes a figure for comedy in his contact with his office mates Nippers and Turkey. The more the narrator tries to regulate the contact between the three, the more hilarious — and significantly out of control — is Bartleby’s influence. The effort to contain or control tends actually to promote the epidemic proportions of the narrative. It is the narrator himself who uses a vocabulary of contagion in relation to Bartleby. He says he has had â€Å"more than ordinary contact† (3) with other scriveners he has known. Bartleby exceeds this already extraordinary contact – he has been touched by â€Å"handling† dead letters (Schehr 99). Some critics reproduce the narrator’s language of contagion in talking about Bartleby. McCall, in his study on The Silence of Bartleby, describes â€Å"our† response, the collective readers’ response, to reading the tale: As we go through the story, we watch with a certain delight how Bartleby is â€Å"catching. † We root for the spread of the bug. (145) In a somewhat less delighted vein, Borges says, â€Å"Bartleby’s frank nihilism contaminates his companions and even the stolid man who tells Bartleby’s story. † (Borges 8) In the office scenes where the employees and boss come inevitably together, the â€Å"bug† word is Bartleby’s â€Å"prefer. † Nippers uses it mockingly against the narrator as a transitive action verb when he overhears Bartleby’s words of refusal to the narrator’s plea â€Å"to be a little reasonable. † Bartleby echoes, â€Å"At present I would prefer not to be a little reasonable† (26). If Nippers is suffering from his own peculiar and chronic condition of indigestion, he takes on the symptoms of Bartleby’s condition when he exclaims to the narrator, Prefer not, eh?†¦ – I’d prefer him, if I were you sir, I’d prefer him; I’d give him preferences, the stubborn mule! What is it, sir, pray, that he prefers not to do now? (26) Whereas later in the story the narrator totally loses his critical skill to â€Å"catch† himself in his speech, in this exchange he is still able to articulate the effect Bartleby’s â€Å"word† is having on him. He notes anxiously, Somehow, of late, I had got into the way of involuntarily using the word ‘prefer’ upon all sorts of not exactly suitable occasions. (27) It is this qualifier â€Å"not exactly† which is of particular interest. Bartleby’s use of words is â€Å"not exactly† wrong. â€Å"Prefer† is so insidious because it is only slightly askew, dislocated, idiosyncratic. As McCall accurately notes about the power of Bartleby’s â€Å"I prefer not to,† â€Å"one must hear, in the little silence that follows it, how the line delivers two contradictory meanings, obstinacy and politeness. â€Å"(152) The line calls just enough attention to itself so as to attract others to its â€Å"profoundly mixed message† (â€Å"its perfect yes and no†) in an imitative way (McCall 152). â€Å"Prefer† is as inobtrusive, as contagious, and as revolutionary as a sneeze. The narrator lets it out of his mouth involuntarily. When Turkey enters the scene and uses the bug word without realizing it (without Nippers’ italicized parody or the narrator’s critical comments), the narrator says to him, in a â€Å"slightly excited† tone, â€Å"So you have got the word, too† (27). In this pivotal sentence, the verb â€Å"get† implies â€Å"to receive† (as in â€Å"to receive a word or message†), but more strikingly for our discussion here, it implies the verb â€Å"to catch† – one â€Å"catches† the word as one would â€Å"catch† a cold. The narrator attempts to monitor the contagion by naming the bug and pointing it out to the others. But the word mocks everyone’s will to control it â€Å"prefer† pops up six times in the next half a page — four times unconsciously in the speech of one of the employees, and twice consciously (modified by â€Å"word†) in the narration of the lawyer. Bartleby could be described as a story of the intimacy – or anxiety – a lawyer feels for the law-copyist he employs. The narrator arranges a screen in the corner of his office behind which Bartleby may work. Pleased with the arrangement of placing Bartleby behind the screen in near proximity to his own desk, the narrator states, â€Å"Thus, in a manner, privacy and society were conjoined† (12). The narrator idealizes the possibility of a perfect harmony between privacy and community in the work environment, but it is precisely the conflict between these two spatial â€Å"conditions† which generates the story, defining not only Bartleby’s â€Å"idiocy,† but the narrator’s as well. The narrator most characteristically encounters Bartleby â€Å"emerging from his retreat† (13) or â€Å"retiring into his hermitage† (26). The screen isolates Bartleby from the view of the narrator, but not from his voice. Works Cited Borges, Jorge Luis. â€Å"Prologue to Herman Melville’s ‘Bartleby† in Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, â€Å"Benito Cereno,† â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener,† and Other Tales, ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987 Inge, Thomas M. , ed. Bartleby the Inscrutable. Hamden, CT: Archon Books, 1979. McCall, Dan. The Silence of Bartleby. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1989. Melville, Herman. â€Å"Billy Budd† and Other Stories. New York: Penguin Books, 1986. Perry, Dennis R. â€Å"‘Ah, Humanity’: Compulsion Neuroses in Melville’s Bartleby. † Studies in Short Fiction 23. 4 (fall 1987): 407-415. Schehr, Lawrence R. â€Å"Dead Letters: Theories of Writing in Bartleby the Scrivener† Enclitic vii. l (spring 1983): 96-103.

Autobiography Essay

As a child, I suffered hardships in many areas of my life, so much so, that even as a young child, I knew my life was considerably different than other children my age. While most children were carefree and out playing, I was inside cooking for myself, cleaning up the house, or watching after my mother. These were normal duties for me and had been for the past 2 years. My mother was in the prime of her addiction and nothing else in life seemed to matter except her drugs and her next high. I did what I had to do to take care of myself, my home, and my mom. I always believed she would wake up one day and realize what she was doing and make things right, end all the madness that my life had become. Norman Vincent Peale once said, â€Å"In every difficult situation is potential value. Believe this, then begin looking for it. † The potential value, the opportunity came looking for me. The Department of Family and Children Services showed up at my house when I was 9 years old. A new neighbor had called and complained that my mother was not fulfilling her duties as a mother and that they were worried about me. DFCS placed me with the Nelson Family, a grounded, stable, and devoutly religious foster family that promised to give me a better life. They were part of Winshape Homes, an organization of foster homes that was founded and supported by Truett Cathy, the founded of Chick-fil-a. Rosemary and Rob, my foster parents, were licensed to have up to 15 children at a time in the household, so I viewed them as experts at raising kids. They showered me with unconditional love and showed me what a â€Å"real† family was all about. Even with 12 other siblings in the household, they took care of our individual needs, loved us the way we needed to be loved, and taught us everything they could. I spent 9 wonderful years with them before I graduated high school and moved onto college. I was dealt a bad hand, so to say, as a child, but I wouldnt change anything in my past. Everything I went through made me stronger, helped me to appreciate what I have, and has taught me to not take things for granted. My mother was never there for me but I am an awesome mother to my children because of her. I am thankful for the family I have now and I am grateful that I have lessons and wisdom to teach my kids. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, but you have to make it through the tunnel before you see the light.

The History Behind the Ballad of Mary Hamilton

The History Behind the Ballad of Mary Hamilton A folk ballad, possibly no older than the 18th century, tells a story about a servant or lady-in-waiting, Mary Hamilton, at the court of a Queen Mary, who had an affair with the king and was sent to the gallows for drowning her illegitimate child. The song refers to four Maries or four Marys: Mary Seaton, Mary Beaton,  and Mary Carmichael, plus Mary Hamilton. The Usual Interpretation The usual interpretation is that Mary Hamilton was a lady-in-waiting at the Scottish court of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) and that the affair was with the Queens second husband, Lord Darnley. Accusations of infidelity are consistent with stories of their troubled marriage. There were four Maries sent to France with the young Mary, Queen of Scots, by her mother, Mary of Guise, when the Scottish queen (whose father died when she was an infant) went to be raised there to marry the French Dauphin. But the names of two in the song are not quite accurate. The four Maries serving Mary, Queen of Scots, were Mary Beaton, Mary Seton, Mary Fleming, and Mary Livingston. And there was no story of an affair, drowning and hanging historically connected with the real four Maries. There was the 18th-century story of a Mary Hamilton, from Scotland, who had an affair with Peter the Great, and who killed her child by Peter and her two other illegitimate children. She was executed by decapitation on March 14, 1719. In a variation of that story, Peters mistress had two abortions before she drowned her third child. It is possible that an older folk song about the Stewart court was conflated with this story. Other Possibilities There are other possibilities that have been offered as roots of the story in the ballad: John Knox, in his History of the Reformation, mentions an incident of infanticide by a lady-in-waiting from France, after an affair with the apothecary of Mary, Queen of Scots. The couple was reported to have been hanged in 1563.Some have speculated that the old Queen referred to in the song was the Queen of Scots Mary of Guelders, who lived from about 1434 to 1463, and who was married to Scotlands King James II. She was regent for her son, James III, from her husbands death when a cannon exploded in 1460 to her own death in 1463. A daughter of James II and Mary of Guelders, Mary Stewart (1453 to 1488), married James Hamilton. Among her descendants was Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.More recently, Englands George IV, while still the Prince of Wales, is rumored to have had an affair with a governess of one of his sisters. The governess name? Mary Hamilton. But no story of a child, much less infanticide. Other Connections The story in the song is about unwanted pregnancy; could it be that the British birth control activist, Marie Stopes, took her pseudonym, Marie Carmichael, from this song? In Virginia Woolfs feminist text, A Room of Ones Own, she includes characters named Mary Beton, Mary Seton and Mary Carmichael. The History of the Song The Child Ballads were first published between 1882 and 1898 as The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. Francis James Child collected 28 versions of the song, which he classified as Child Ballad #173. Many refer to a Queen Marie and four other Maries, often with the names Mary Beaton, Mary Seaton, Mary Carmichael (or Michel) and the narrator, Mary Hamilton or Mary Mild, though there are some variations in the names. In various versions, she is the daughter of a knight or of the Duke of York or Argyll, or of a lord in the North or in the South or in the West. In some, only her proud mother is mentioned. Select Stanzas The first five and the last four stanzas from version 1 of Child Ballad #173: 1. Words gane to the kitchen,And words gane to the ha,That Marie Hamilton gangs wi bairnTo the hichest Stewart of a.2. Hes courted her in the kitchen,Hes courted her in the ha,Hes courted her in the laigh cellar,And that was warst of a.3. Shes tyed it in her apronAnd shes thrown it in the sea;Says, Sink ye, swim ye, bonny wee babe!Youl neer get mair o me.4. Down them cam the auld queen,Goud tassels tying her hair:O marie, wheres the bonny wee babeThat I heard greet sae sair? 5. There never was a babe intill my room,As little designs to be;It was but a touch o my sair side,Come oer my fair bodie.15. Oh little did my mother think,The day she cradled me,What lands I was to travel through,What death I was to dee.16. Oh little did my father think,The day he held up me,What lands I was to travel through,What death I was to dee.17. Last night I washd the queens feet,And gently laid her down;And a the thanks Ive gotten the nichtTo be hangd in Edinbro town!18. Last nicht there was four Maries,The nicht therel be but three;There was Marie Seton, and Marie Beton,And Marie Carmichael, and me.

German-American essays

German-American essays Individual Germans had been coming to the United States since the 17th century, and continued into the late 19th century at a rate exceeding that of any other country. The first to arrive as a group were religious dissenters who landed at Philadelphia aboard the Concord in 1683. These settlers from Krefeld, Frankfurt and Palatinate, were led by a young lawyer, Franz Daniel Pastorius. With William Penns help, Pastorius established "Germantown", the settlement near Philadelphia. Lately, Germantown became the distributing center through which the stream of German immigration poured into southeastern Pennsylvania, and finally overflowed down the Valley of Virginia into the back country of the colonies farther south(Bittinger, 10). By 1727 there were about 20,000 Germans in Pennsylvania; by the start of the Revolution in 1776, the number jumped to 110,000 to 125,000. They were mostly farmers, simple rural folk, a few were skilled artisans. They became the forerunners of today's "Pennsylv ania GermanDutch" culture, and had almost no subsequent connection with Germany. In this early period, political, social, and economic collapse, crop failures, famine, religious persecution and tyrannical rulers were the main factors in this first wave of German immigration. After the Revolutionary War, the revival of German immigration in the 1830's was due primarily to the economic opportunities which America had to offer to men and women who were eager to get ahead in the world. Cheap land, encouraging transportation companies and land speculators, and family letters from the New World spurred this tide, which "not only filled in the older eastern communities, but flowed westward along the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes into the Middle West"(Lass, 68). Censorship, espionage, and suppression drove German radical liberals out of their world (the universities and the Turner societies) into the New World. Another factor that led to Germa...

Difference Between Samstag, Sonnabend, and Sonntag

Difference Between Samstag, Sonnabend, and Sonntag Samstag and Sonnabend  both mean Saturday and can be used interchangeably. So why does Saturday get two names in German? First of all, which version to use depends on where you live in the German-speaking world. Western and southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland use the older term â€Å"Samstag†, whereas eastern and northern Germany tend to use Sonnabend. The former GDR (in German: DDR) recognized Sonnabend as the official version. Historically the term Sonnabend, which means The evening before Sunday, can be traced back surprisingly to an English missionary! It was none other than St. Bonifatius, who was determined during the 700’s to convert the Germanic tribes in the Frankish empire. One of his items on his to-do list was to replace the word Samstag or Sambaztac as it was known then, which was of Hebraic origin (Shabbat), to the Old English term â€Å"Sunnanaefen.† This term made sense since it signified the evening and later on the day before Sunday and thus was easily integrated into old high German. The term â€Å"Sunnanaefen† evolved into the middle high German â€Å"Sun[nen]abent† and then finally into the version we speak today.As for St. Bonifatius, despite his successful mission among the Germanic people, was killed by a group of inhabitants in Frisia (Friesland), which is known nowadays as the Netherlands (Niederlande) and northwestern Germany today. It is interesting to note that the Dutch kept the original version for Saturday only (zaterdag). The Cultural Meaning of Samstag The Saturday  evening was always the day where they would show the main blockbusters on TV. We remember studying the TV magazine - we admit, we are a bit older- and really feeling the Vorfreude (joy of anticipation) when we saw a Hollywood movie being shown on Saturday. On Saturdays, they would also show the big entertainment shows like Wetten Dass...? which you might have heard of. Its host Thomas Gottschalk (his name literally means: Gods Joker) most likely still lives in the US nowadays. We loved that show when we were younger and less thinking about what was going on there. Later we realized that it was actually pretty horrible. It entertained millions of people and so far everyone following into Gottschalks footsteps has failed to continue his success. It was big news when they finally put that dinosaur to sleep.   Sonnabend versus Sonntag Now that you know that Sonnabend is actually the evening before Sonntag (Sunday) you might be able to easily distinguish these two German weekdays. The Sunday though is a very special day in Germany. In our youth, it was the day that the family would spend together and in case you were religious youd go to church in the morning to start off the day. It was also the day all the stores in the countryside are closed. Which lead to a little culture shock when we came to Poland in 1999 and saw many stores open on Sunday. We had always thought that the Sunday was some kind of Christian holiday but as the Poles were even stricter Christians than the Germans, we couldnt quite grasp this. So dont be surprised when you come to Germany. Even in the bigger cities, the main stores are closed. The only way to get what you urgently desire is to go to a Tankstelle (gas station) or a Spti (late shop). Expect the prices to be up to 100% higher than usual.

Philosophy and Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy and Media - Essay Example Neo begins to seriously reflect upon the nature of his identity and existence in the middle of the movie as he is already taken to the Nebuchadnezzar. This rather personal and philosophical search begins with Agent Smith saying that Neo is seeking answers to his own questions although Neo himself does not even realize he is doing this. The point is that Neo’s search for himself and questions about his existence begins with a doubt, much like the 17th century philosopher Rene Descartes who wrote, â€Å"†¦it will be sufficient to justify the rejection of the whole if I shall find in each some ground for doubt† for this systematic process of doubting is â€Å"the only way to achieve clear and well-reasoned conclusions† (Author, Year). This means that if Neo had not doubted his existence, he would have simply stayed in the Matrix and, although such ignorance would have felt like bliss, he would forfeit all the possibility of knowing who he really is and what rea lity is actually like. As Morpheus tells Neo what he and reality are really like as well as what the Matrix is, this is the only time that Neo begins to realize his true identity and only then is he able to start being conscious of his own existence. Besides, â€Å"it would be impossible to be self-conscious if we didn’t have a personal identity of which to be conscious† (Author, Year). After Morpheus explains to Neo what he calls â€Å"the desert,† which is a rather simplistic term for what the real environment looks like in contrast with the virtual environment in the Matrix, Neo is shocked but is enlightened at the same time (Berman & Wachowski, 1999). Nevertheless, as he learns the truth that he is a person of and from this â€Å"desert,† it is only then that he comes to develop true self-consciousness. Moreover, Neo bases his own existence on his mind, or, more specifically, on the activities of his mind, or on his mental faculties. He knows that he exists only through his thoughts and his beliefs. The actions of his thoughts are evident in the scenes where he discovers his hidden abilities merely by thinking through his Kung Fu training with Morpheus and the one where he has to jump from one building rooftop to another. Through these scenes, Neo is able to prove once again a rationalistic approach to reflecting on his own identity. According to Descartes, â€Å"†¦it would even happen, if I should wholly cease to think, that I should at the same time altogether cease to be† (Author, Year). Therefore, realizing that he is a thinking being and that it is through this thinking faculty that he defines his own existence, Neo then proceeds from this and develops his self-consciousness and the various aspects of himself – physically, emotionally and intellectually – from his thinking mind. Furthermore, he also chooses the Real World as the place where he develops aspects of himself and not from the Matrix, wh ere such aspects are fake. In short, upon knowing that his true identity is that of the Real World, Neo has now attained a degree of self-consciousness where he would make choices only based on the context of the Real World and not anymore of the Matrix. The Matrix then, which is represented by Agent Smith

Nottingham Contemporary Gallery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nottingham Contemporary Gallery - Essay Example This makes the area, overall, a better place to live for everybody, while increasing property values. This project examines whether this was the case with Nottingham after the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery came into the area, which had the aim of transitioning the neighborhood from the industry of lace to an area that is more based upon innovation. The results of this project, along with a literature review and conclusion, is the focus of this paper. Literature Review Lace Quarter and Nottingham Contemporary Gallery Then and Now The Nottingham Contemporary Gallery is part of a unique landscape, in that it sits in an area where the alluvial Trent Valley meets a sandstone bluff. Nottingham itself became a part of the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century, its primary product being lace. According to Matthews (2008), Nottingham became during this period of time the world centre for the lace trade, because skilled engineers were able to make lace machines, and the buildings w hich surrounded the Town Hall became the lace market. This was the area where the merchants could congregate, because it was close to warehouses and sales offices. Mason (2004) writes that during the peak of the lace production, which was around 1810, that there were up to 1,800 frames which were knitting the net that would become known as â€Å"Nottingham Lace.† The major groups of warehouses that created this lace was at Hounds Gate and Castle Gate, and around St. Mary’s Gate (The lace industry waxed and waned during the early part of the 20th Century, and entered a decline in the 1930s (Matthews, 2008). With the decline of the lace industry came an overall decline of the area surrounding the site of the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery. Therefore, there became a need to re-use this site, and the arts centre, and the city living apartments planned around it, was the idea for this new use (Matthews, 2008). Meanwhile, the old buildings which served as lace warehouses du ring the height of the lace era have been re-used as flats, bars, offices and colleges. These are the buildings which remain in the physical core of the Lace Market, and the buildings that remain are large and distinctive, marked by Victorian architecture, an architectural type that came to be valued in the late 1960s, therefore the buildings came to have historical significance (Ferris, Long (2009) states that the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery, which is at the heart of the urban renewal for the area, is a gateway for the city. The NCG â€Å"draws an extraordinarily large swathe of the city into visual dialogue† (Woodman, 2009, p. 12). The Lace Quarter is still visible to tourists and residents alike, and the gallery borders this quarter. The building itself was built in response to another type of legacy, that of contemporary art, which is appropriate, considering that Nottingham has a vibrant art school and a history of performance art. The building itself was designed to reflect the physical character of the site, which means that it would reflect the sandstone bluff and valley upon which it sits, as well as reflect the architecture of the grand buildings that served as the lace warehouses (Administrator, 2009). Moreover, the gallery is not just a gallery – rather, it is an arts centre, with a connection to the local arts community. The curator of public programmes, Rob Blackson, ensures the gallery’

The Politics of a New Industrial Order Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Politics of a New Industrial Order - Essay Example elieved that every individual is equal and no one should be treated unequally in the society so they struggled to remove corruption and influence of rich people on the society. They also aimed to increase the government-public relationship so that there will be no communication gaps between and the problems of people could be solved. (Ideas and movements, 19th Century) To carry on with their motives and beliefs the progressives used different tactics. Many intellectuals wrote about the horrors of poverty, urban slums, dangerous factory conditions, and child labor to inform the people and get their support which was needed for the movement to succeed. The next major thing in the early reform period was abolitionism that is the force to remove slavery from the society. It also prohibited the intake of intoxicants as it pollutes the mind. After that was the struggle for the rights of women and the decreasing value of rural areas. After that it was the turn of social Darwinism to be removed from the society. This step was taken to loosen the grip of wealthy people on the society. The movement benefitted the people by loosening the power of their bosses on them. It helped them in getting rid of the gentry. The steps to stop labor exploitation gave safer work environment to the workers and this dropped the death rate. Different acts that were passed helped the investors (Sherman Antitrust Act 1890). Apart from benefits, the movement had some drawbacks. It triggered long work hours as the economy was expanding and the labor worked for very long hours. The next flaw was that by increasing the public-government relationship, the movement increased the chances of corruption and bribery. The movement encouraged schooling but at that time the industry had a great influence due to which the intellectual became reluctant to teach and thus the students became reluctant to study.

Research Enhanced Interpretation of a Short Story Paper

Enhanced Interpretation of a Short Story - Research Paper Example The brothers Philly and Neil are aptly described in terms of their actions in the story scenes, and hint on their family background and a glimpse of their past. The issue of their dead sister, Sarah Rose whose picture resides in Neil’s wallet and brought out at will when the boys seem to be at a loss, just whets the appetite of the reader, as her story is not brought to fruition. The truth in the feelings of forbidden love shared by Jules and Philly does not necessarily emerge in words, but finds expression in meaningful glances, and eventually, physical intimacies. Restraining themselves in consideration of their present partners Neil and Mandy becomes more difficult as it becomes obvious that the feelings are mutual between them. Neil and Mandy have become mere shadows in the story as they kept mum of whatever observations they may have of the palpable emotions between their respective partners. Jules is one young lady who has yet to find her true self. She is a wanderer who tries to take in life’s adventures as it comes, but needs to stand up for her own convictions. Before coming into the lives and homes of brothers Neil and Philly, she has traveled extensively as a teenager, and has become vulnerable to temptations. She’s played the role of girlfriend to Neil even if she didn’t feel like it just because it was expected of her. It balanced the equation with Philly and Mandy being lovers. She read into Philly’s glances a feeling of being loved by him, which developed her own feelings for him as well. Out in the snow when Philly was mistakenly shot by Neil, she validated that feeling from him as they kissed. There were no words necessary to know such truth. Philly restrained his feelings for Jules out of respect for his brother, Neil who treated her like his girlfriend. Not once did he utter a word to anyone to give him away. It was only with his longing looks aimed at Jules that he was able to express this hidden love for

St George Bank Corporate Performance Centre - Human Resources Essay

St George Bank Corporate Performance Centre - Human Resources - Essay Example This paper illustrates that literacy was traditionally viewed as the ability of an individual to read, and communicate using symbols in a defined social context. In this context, a literate individual can ‘derive and convey meaning, and use their knowledge to achieve a desired purpose or goal that requires the use of language skills, be they spoken or written’. Such an individual can reorganize the meaning of a given language from one knowledge base to fit in another knowledge base. The concept of literacy has evolved over time with the changes that are observed in the society so that in the modern setting it has grown to include knowledge of the applications of information communication technologies and other critical literacy in the daily operations. The use of modern technology such as computer and the internet is common in the current work place to facilitate various organizational functions. The organizations are showing increasing concern on customer satisfaction i n order to attract and retain customers as one of the strategies for competition. Customer satisfaction will in turn be influenced by the quality of service provided (speed, accuracy, and convenience). The application of modern technology is appropriate in achieving this objective. The employees need to be conversant with these modern technologies to ensure that they are effectively applied at the workplace. However, this may not be achieved since some of the employees are illiterate and this hinders their ability to learn and understand the application of such modern technologies.... This led to the development of training reforms with the initiation of programs such as Towards a Skilled Australia (1994-1998), A Bridge to the Future (1998-2003), and Shaping Our Future (2004-2010) all emphasizing on the essence of adult literacy and numeracy skills (Smith, 273). This has set pace for adult learning in different organizations within Australia. This paper focuses on various aspects of adult learning and training employed at St George Bank, Australia. The use of adult learning principles to develop workforce at St George The level of literacy has been relatively high in the general population in Australia in the past few decades with low levels of literacy recorded for indigenous students (Department of Education Science and Technology, 2012). These individuals move on to become employees in organizations. However, significant developments are often recorded in the operations of organization necessitating training and development programs for the employees. Such empl oyees will be trained at older ages applying the principles and processes in adult learning. Adult learning is necessary to enhance a change in the skills of the adults, their behaviors, their knowledge level, or attitudes and thoughts towards some concept (Russell, para.2). The learning process among adults may take a different dimension from that observed among the young learners, largely because the adults have had some experiences and expanded individual understanding of a given concept. Significant differences are observed in the ‘degree of motivation, the amount of previous experience, the level of engagement in the learning process, and how the learning is applied’ (Russell, para.2). Generally, an effective adult learning process will occur if there is

Stragtegic Business Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Stragtegic Business Plan - Term Paper Example Focus has been given to thinking about the process of developing e-commerce, as well as the benefits and challenges of e-business. From these, some insights into appropriate strategizing for the business are offered. Furthermore, there is a comparison of the online store in this context with other similar stores in the United States. The identified online stores are considered the top competitors of the online store in the market. Nonetheless, in order to overcome some of the challenges and ensure growth, a SWOT analysis of the store is explored in order to understand important aspects in the internal and external environment of the online store. In the conclusion, focus is given to the attribute of a leader. These are discussed as part of the strategy to ensure the growth and survival of the online store. Nonetheless, this paper bases on different e-business issues to develop a strategic business plan for the online store. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Background 5 Current Thinki ng Relating to the Topic 6 Relationship to current/other organizations 10 Conclusion 11 Appendices 13 References 14 Introduction One of the fastest growing business fields in the world today is e-business. Internet usage has experienced an overwhelming growth. It is estimated that the number of internet users in the world has grown by 400% between the years 2000 and 2010. For this reason, different companies have looked for ways through which they can interact with customers online. One of the ways is through setting up websites. Here, companies offer different services to their online customers, who might not be able to reach the physical stores. In addition, some businesses have become internet-based, with no physical stores. Nonetheless, the number of businesses that are online-based continues to grow today (Torabi, 2011). In order for any business to be successful, it must have a strategic plan. This maps the strategy that the business will adopt in order to attain its goals (Ba si, 2000). I have special interest in entrepreneurship, and this study program has made me knowledgeable in matters of entrepreneurship. Therefore, using the knowledge acquired in this program, this strategic business plan is meant for an online store, which deals with cell phones, iPads, and other electronic devices. Since this is a new online store, this strategic business plan should help the store to establish itself in the online market. According to Basi (2000), when developing a new business, an entrepreneur is faced with various business-related issues. This paper will therefore, focus on some of those issues. Furthermore, this paper will explore the current thinking relating to e-business. This is important, as it will offer insights in major areas the strategic business plan should base. In addition, the paper will include a comparison of the store in the context, with similar online stores. Since this paper also discusses with marketing in e-business, there will be a SWOT analysis of the online store. This will help to identify major factors in its internal and external environment, which is important in the development of strategy. Background The online business store was developed mainly to sell cell phones, iPads, and other electronic devices directly to customers. The prices of the electronics in the store are made affordable in order to attract more customers (May, 2010). The products sold in the store are ordered directly from manufacturers and importers. The

St George Bank Corporate Performance Centre - Human Resources Essay

St George Bank Corporate Performance Centre - Human Resources - Essay Example This paper illustrates that literacy was traditionally viewed as the ability of an individual to read, and communicate using symbols in a defined social context. In this context, a literate individual can ‘derive and convey meaning, and use their knowledge to achieve a desired purpose or goal that requires the use of language skills, be they spoken or written’. Such an individual can reorganize the meaning of a given language from one knowledge base to fit in another knowledge base. The concept of literacy has evolved over time with the changes that are observed in the society so that in the modern setting it has grown to include knowledge of the applications of information communication technologies and other critical literacy in the daily operations. The use of modern technology such as computer and the internet is common in the current work place to facilitate various organizational functions. The organizations are showing increasing concern on customer satisfaction i n order to attract and retain customers as one of the strategies for competition. Customer satisfaction will in turn be influenced by the quality of service provided (speed, accuracy, and convenience). The application of modern technology is appropriate in achieving this objective. The employees need to be conversant with these modern technologies to ensure that they are effectively applied at the workplace. However, this may not be achieved since some of the employees are illiterate and this hinders their ability to learn and understand the application of such modern technologies.... This led to the development of training reforms with the initiation of programs such as Towards a Skilled Australia (1994-1998), A Bridge to the Future (1998-2003), and Shaping Our Future (2004-2010) all emphasizing on the essence of adult literacy and numeracy skills (Smith, 273). This has set pace for adult learning in different organizations within Australia. This paper focuses on various aspects of adult learning and training employed at St George Bank, Australia. The use of adult learning principles to develop workforce at St George The level of literacy has been relatively high in the general population in Australia in the past few decades with low levels of literacy recorded for indigenous students (Department of Education Science and Technology, 2012). These individuals move on to become employees in organizations. However, significant developments are often recorded in the operations of organization necessitating training and development programs for the employees. Such empl oyees will be trained at older ages applying the principles and processes in adult learning. Adult learning is necessary to enhance a change in the skills of the adults, their behaviors, their knowledge level, or attitudes and thoughts towards some concept (Russell, para.2). The learning process among adults may take a different dimension from that observed among the young learners, largely because the adults have had some experiences and expanded individual understanding of a given concept. Significant differences are observed in the ‘degree of motivation, the amount of previous experience, the level of engagement in the learning process, and how the learning is applied’ (Russell, para.2). Generally, an effective adult learning process will occur if there is

Marketing Managemant 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Managemant 4 - Essay Example Using the ACCORD model for strategic marketing of the rose plant is recommended in order to maximize the returns. The ACCORD model of adoption will support the innovation by providing an in-depth analysis of the various aspects of the new product. Acting like an underlying checklist, the model will highlight the potential benefits and risks associated with the product, thus assisting the acceptance and adoption. Advantage: The innovative rose bushes, which are created to survive without any pruning, spraying or dusting, surely provide a comparative advantage over the natural counterparts which are rather temperamental and need much more care. The innovation has an edge over the natural plant which needs to be pruned to ensure lush blooms. With the new variety claiming to grow without the usual problems involved with rose bush care, the innovation offers an obvious advantage to the users. Compatible: The new rose plant is extremely compatible with the user’s lifestyle. Unlike the normal rose plant which demands high maintenance, the one developed by Angelica nursery promises prolific flowering with minimum maintenance. The plant is scientifically bred to grow and flower without any specific care requirement so the users can maintain it as per their lifestyle, thus lending a higher level of compatibility to the innovation. Complexity: The innovation is easy to handle and does not require the user to learn any new methodology. Communicating the benefits of the innovation to the customers is hassle free. The level of complexity involved in handling these innovative rose bushes is much less than that of a natural rose plant which demand special attention. Observable: The growth and flowering of rose bushes are observable even with minimal care. This will cause the early adopters to endorse and recommend the product to the others. The innovator segment of the

Facebook Manic Essay Example for Free

Facebook Manic Essay Facebook is a social networking service launched in February 4, 2004, owned and operated by Facebook, Incorporated. The name of the service stems from the colloquial name for the book given to students at the start of the academic year by some university administrations in the United States to help students get to know each other. Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow Harvard University students Eduardo Saverin (business aspects), Andrew McCollum, (graphic artist), Dustin Moskovitz (programmer), and Chris Hughes. According to The Harvard Crimson, the site was comparable to â€Å"Hot or Not† and used photos compiled from the online facebooks of nine houses, placing two next to each other at a time and asking users to choose the hotter person. The websites membership was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and Stanford University. It gradually added support for students at various other universities before opening to high school students, and eventually to anyone aged 13 and over. Facebook has affected the social life and activity of people in various ways. With its availability on many mobile devices. Facebook allows users to continuously stay in touch with friends, relatives and other acquaintances wherever they are in the world, as long as there is access to the Internet. It can also unite people with common interests and/or beliefs through groups and other pages, and has been known to reunite lost family members and friends because of the widespread reach of its network. January 2009 Compete.com study ranked Facebook as the most used social networking service by worldwide monthly active users. Quantcast estimates Facebook has 138.9 million monthly unique U.S. visitors in May 2011. According to Social Media Today, in April 2010 an estimated 41.6% of the U.S. population had a Facebook account. Facebook has turned into a national obsession in the United States, resulting in vast amounts of time lost and encouraging narcissism. Facebook being one of the most famous social networking site comes with it’s own pros and cons. There are many disadvantages of using facebook. Many people believe that  facebook has a lot of advantages and is convenient to use. But they ignore all the disadvantages that come with it. Excess of everything is bad and the statement is true for facebook.

The Effects of Teen Pregnancy on Children Essay -- The Adverse Effects

There are many obstacles for children of teenage mothers to face. These children have serious disadvantages in contrast to those children who come from nuclear families. Often they lack a father figure, have a high poverty rate, and there are incidents of depression and mental health problems. Many people are blaming the sex education programs in schools and the additional federal aid being offered to single parents as major causes for the country’s high rate of teen pregnancies (Carole). Although, the real purpose of sex education and federal aid is to help empower the mother and child so they can eventually lead productive lives. The lack of a father figure in the home is the cause of many major problems, which builds into a chain reaction. The child may suffer emotional problems when there is no father present; these problems may be hazardous to their future. Many children tend to be effected mentally because these powerful emotions have the potential to do permanent damage to the child’s life. Children who do not have a father present in the home often feel unloved. Parental rejection is a very traumatizing event in a child’s life. â€Å"Children who lack a father figure in the home may experience sadness and depression, aggressive behavior, frequent illness, difficulty in school, eating problems, and sleeping disorders† (Jacobs). Males and females are affected differently by the absence of a father. To be able to learn how to become a man, a boy needs a male role model in his life. Oftentimes, children choose unpleasant characters to mold themselves after if they do not have a good role model. Males that grow up in one-parent homes may gain negative personality traits like immaturity, laziness, and disrespect f... ...en resort to drugs and crime as outlets. These outlets lead to dead-end jobs, jail, and sometimes early death for single parent children. Many of these children end up having kids of their own at an early age; therefore carrying on the vicious cycle of poverty, poor education, joblessness, and lack of hope for the future. Bibliography: Carole, Morgan, George N. Chapar, and Martin Fisher. â€Å"Variables Associated With Teen Pregnancy.† Adolescence. June 1, 1995: NA. Electric Library. Archbold Community Library. 19 March 2015. Jacobs, Joanne. â€Å"Children Who Are Having Children.† San Jose Mercury News. Apr. 2, 1989: 7C. SIRS Knowledge Source. Archbold Community Library. 19 March 2015. Young, Tamera M., et al. â€Å"Internal Poverty and Teen Pregnancy.† Adolescence. Vol. 36 (Summer 2001): 16. EBSCOhost. Archbold Community Library. 19 March 2015.

Educating Exceptionally Talented Students Essay -- Special Education

Concern for at-risk learners forces the education of high ability learners to take a backseat in traditional classroom. Standard instruction and curriculum based on a pacing and sequencing method does not always allow students to accelerate. By definition, the term â€Å"gifted† exemplifies exceptionality often regarding intellect, creativity and leadership. An identification of gifted suggests that an individual requires specialized services and curriculum that are not always addressed by traditional methods of education. High ability learners require a challenging curriculum and specialized educators to prosper academically. The negligence in discharging one’s exceptionality can often lead high-ability learners to foster resentment, boredom and frustration. Traditional instruction and curriculum is not always structured to benefit the needs of exceptional learners. Gifted education programs are essential in educating exceptionally talented students due to the indivi dualized approach toward a student’s unique learning-style. Self -contained gifted classrooms offer a structured environment that allow for social and intellectual growth opposed to the traditional classroom. The inherent flexibility within the gifted program facilitates gifted development of a high-ability learner through acceleration and enrichment. Self-contained gifted classrooms serve as a school within-a-school segregating exceptional learners from the traditional classroom and curriculum. This offers a more individualized approach towards learning and instruction required in adapting to the unique abilities and learning styles of a gifted student. Homogenous classrooms of gifted students allows for accommodations of content, instruction and environment creati... ...litate intellectual and social growth due to the inherent flexibility which adequately accommodates for diverse learning styles. High ability learners deserve the same amount monitoring and guidance as underachieving students. Gifted programs are targeted at rendering an affective curriculum that challenges high-ability learners where as some traditional classrooms exercise pacing and sequential methods. Through a self-contained gifted classroom one receives the individualized attention and guidance needed to reach full potential. Works Cited Refrences Acceleration. (2004). Retrieved from http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=383 Delcourt, M.A.B., Cornell, D.G.,& Goldberg, M.D. (2007). Cognitive and affective learning outcomes of gifted elementary school students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 51 (4), 359-381. from Research Library. (Document ID: 1390043111).

My First Step Into College Essay

As I have started my college career I noticed that the writing is a lot harder than it ever has been before. More in depth, more to do and of course the deadlines and due dates are much shorter. Time and time again I’m reminded that my time management skills have really brought down my writing ability and that I need to apply myself to my writing more to avoid failing a paper or even a class. My experience in first taking English 1100 and having to retake it have pushed me to better manage my time and focus on writing well put together essays that are college level. I learned that the whole structure of this class is a little bit a new experience and some I have done before. Just like everyone, I’m not perfect, I have strengths, and many weaknesses in my writing that I could improve on but I would really like to improve my writing. Last semester was a hectic and not very good start to my college career because I failed to deal with the pressure from the expectations given by my teachers, and my parents. The teacher gives the due dates and the instructions to the students, me included, but the only thing I could seem to follow perfectly is the deadline aspect of the papers. That was an important yet easy expectation to follow because if you did not turn it in on time then you don’t get a grade for it basically, which is something I didn’t want to let happen, although my lack of time management skills did not help the content of that essay live up to the teachers expectations. I have learned from this that it is hard to finish a paper when you get home from work at 10:30 dead tired, and you stay up till one in the morning finishing it when you could have done it on your day off and not have had to worry about it the night before. That was after the two days of pre writing I did for the paper. It was another narrative but more personal. It was about either a place or person that is significant in your life. I chose my girlfriend, I love her to death and I don’t go out much so she was the only thing listed under the prompt that I could write a significant and relevant to the prompt narrative. It was going well I was asking my girlfriend for help as far as proofreading and editing. It was great to have her there because she is a much better writer than I am. That paper was going well until I had to stay up late the night before to finish it. Needless to say I didn’t feel good about how it was going to turn out and I was kind of right. I was given a C minus, mostly for a lot of spelling issues and run on sentences, which could have been fixed if I did not have to rush to finish the paper and if I would have hit the spell check button. I fell a little short of my parent’s expectations who expected C plus’s, B’s, and A’s out of me. It was a little hard telling them my grade and explaining why it was so low and how I should have taken more time on it and how I should not have slacked off. As hard and annoying as it was to hear it they were right, I couldn’t slack off and pass the class. Unfortunately I couldn’t buckle down in time enough to save my grade and I ended up failing the class with a C minus which for my major is not passing. Through out the rest of the semester I did improve my writing later on especially personal essays and comparison reflections the relate to me. I did also learn that by fixing my time management skills and taking more time in the whole writing process improved my last two papers which were a research essay and a reader reflection of a text I received a B and a B plus which was surprising to me but was the reward for my learning to apply myself and handle the pressure of the expectations given to me by my teacher and my parents. Throughout my first semester of college in English 1100 I have learned how important the expectations that my teachers and parents give me are. They are set in place so that I can grow as a better, more organized student, as well as growing as a writer and better understanding what makes a good essay, the experience taught me a lot and now I am ready to apply myself and redeem myself.

A critical review of a story in the press Essay

The story I have chosen to review is about Derek Bond, a 72 year old pensioner from Bristol. Mr Bond was arrested by South African authorities, when he arrived for a family holiday with his wife in South Africa. Mr Bond was detained at the request of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, on suspicion of being one of America’s most wanted criminals; the alleged crime a $4. 8 million telemarketing fraud. Fortunately, for Derek Bond it was a case of mistaken identity. Eventually he was released, with the help of media intervention after a traumatic three week ordeal, locked up, in a South African prison. The story broke in a television news broadcast by the BBC six o’ clock evening news, on Tuesday 25th February 2003. The story was published by the newspapers the following day, 26th February 2003. The two newspapers I have chosen to compare the story are, The Guardian, and The Daily Mirror. The Guardian is a politically left-of-centre broadsheet newspaper aimed at professional middle- class Britain. The Guardian uses formal vocabulary to report on the facts of a story it is writing about. The Guardian costs 55 pence to buy, and provides, national and international news, policy and politics section, finance, sport, theatre, art reviews, and finally human interest supplements. The Guardian offers extremely good value for money, over an average of 35 pages. In contrast, The Daily Mirror is a politically left-of-centre tabloid newspaper aimed at working- class Britain. The Daily Mirror uses informal vocabulary consisting of common words that are easily understood. This would indicate that it’s aimed at a lower readership, than The Guardian. The Daily Mirror costs 32 pence to buy, and provides, national news, showbiz gossip, advertising, holiday offers, horoscopes, television listings, finance, and, finally sport. On average, the reader will get 60-70 pages of coverage. ANALYSIS DAY ONE – THE GUARDIAN The coverage of the story began on Wednesday 26th February 2003. It was placed on page three of the newspaper on a day when front page news headlines focussed on, â€Å"War rebels challenge Blair,† about the up and coming war on Iraq. The article, in question was headlined, â€Å"The Name’s Bond – but is he a fraudster wanted by the FBI or a Bristol family man? † The headline was printed black on white, with an approximate letter size of one inch. The effect of this is a play on the catchphrase of James Bond 007 spy films, to create mystery and intrigue, and grasp the readers’ attention. Two feature photographs 5†³ wide, and 8†³ long, in size are placed directly beneath the headline. The photograph on the left hand side, of the real fugitive is in black and white print. This image shows him looking very sombre, similar to an FBI, â€Å"Mugshot† photograph. In contrast, the photograph of Mr Bond is in colour, portraying him as a respectable family man dressed in evening attire, smiling and looking very healthy. This obviously shows the contrast in style between the two men. A further two photographs appear directly beneath Mr Bond; one of the police station, in Durban where he was held, and the other a photograph of his three children. Both photographs are in colour and approximately 3†³ wide and 2†³ long, in size. The reason behind these two photographs is so the reader is given an insight where Mr Bond was held, and too see the look of pain and disbelief, on the faces, of his children. A sub-heading occupies the top left hand corner, which summarises the whole story. Emotive words have been used, â€Å"Victim,† and â€Å"Theft,† to attract and engage the readers’ attention. Different styles of typography have been used across the whole page. For example, a bold print dropped capital letter, one inch in size, at the beginning of the opening paragraph, to draw the eye of the reader, to the introduction, and not browse over the story to the end. Directly beneath the photograph of fugitive, Derek Sykes, alias Derek Bond, a different style of typography has been used, to show a comparable section in which comparisons are made between, what Mr Bonds family claim, and what the FBI claim is true. This has been highlighted by the use of a sub-heading in red bold print. In addition to this, bullet points have been used to divide the statements. ANALYSIS DAY ONE – THE DAILY MIRROR The coverage of the story also began on Wednesday 26th February 2003. The story was placed on page nineteen of the newspaper, in contrast to The Guardian where the story was placed on page three. This means that The Guardian, considers the story of rather more importance, than The Daily Mirror. Two totally different headlines stole front page coverage, firstly, â€Å"Is Richard the No 1 VILLAIN in TV soap history? † Secondly, â€Å"MUTINY- 100-plus Labour rebels to defy Blair over Iraq. † This is typical of a tabloid news headline; TV soap is given priority over the Iraq crisis. The story began with a bold print capitalised headline, â€Å"THE NAME’S BOND †¦ † The letters are one inch in size. The headline is similar to The Guardian, but leads the reader on to the next part of the page. The typography of White on Black has been used to highlight two sub-heading statements, which are as follows: â€Å"Is he a toupee wearing $4. 8m fraudster and one of the FBI’S most wanted criminals†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Or a balding 72-year-old wine-tasting Rotarian who lives in Bristol? † Each statement has a letter size of half an inch, and is placed in a 3†³ squared black box, creating maximum effect of the WOB. Directly beneath the first statement is a round photograph of fugitive Derek Sykes, in black and white, 3†³ in diameter. The photograph used by The Daily Mirror, is identical to The Guardian, but is scaled down in size and a different shape. In addition, a photograph of Mr Bond is placed directly beneath the second statement. Basically, this reveals who, The Daily Mirror thinks is the real, and false, fugitive. Furthermore, a photograph of Mr Bond’s children appears beneath the main headline, which is black and white, and 2†³ squared in size. The photograph is different to the one used by The Guardian; it’s in a different place, and in addition is not posed. It seems to have been taken by chance, rather than with consent from the family. ANALYSIS DAY 2 – THE GUARDIAN By the following day, Mr Bond had been released as the FBI’s mistake was acknowledged. The story on day 2 is given front page priority. A sub- heading in red bold print is placed as a footnote; the footnote reads, â€Å"Good news for Mr Bond,† followed by a brief summary, and the reader is directed to page 3, where the story continues. In addition, to the footnote a cartoon caption appears next to the directional pointer, which is sarcastically laughing at the incompetence, of the FBI.

Candide Essay

Throughout his novel Candide, Voltaire utilized satire, characterization, and techniques of exaggeration and contrast to attack Candide’s two-dimensional outlook on life and to disprove the overly optimistic philosophy that Candide and Pangloss represent. While the experiences of Candide and Pangloss conflict dramatically with this philosophy, both choose to maintain their beliefs in this regard. Voltaire uses Candide as a tool to accuse the various aspects of his zeitgeist. Through his techniques, he attacks multiple points of view and even the Enlightenment he represented. Candide is a story about the two dimensional character of Candide, who is taught from birth not to think for himself and to accept the ideals of others. He chooses to follow the local philosopher Pangloss, who preaches that everything is good, and that the world is the â€Å"best of all possible worlds†. Throughout the story, Voltaire dramatically disproves this philosophy over and over, but the protagonist sticks with this belief. Each of the characters in Candide represents a different aspect of his zeitgeist, most of whom Voltaire brutally attacks with his satire. After examining Candide in Western thought and movements, there is no doubt that the work is highly critical of many of the social institutions of the time. Still, while criticizing many of the societal aspects such as religion, the class system and the detested monarchy in France Candide is not free from the biases and â€Å"unenlightened† thoughts that the revolutionary movement in France was based upon. The philosophers wanted to work through established forms, including the monarchy and even the Church† by doing so, there were not quite as revolutionary in their beliefs since they did not attempt to go outside of the system of oppression to draw their insights. Even though Voltaire was known for verbally announce the equal rights of women, this emotion is not apparent in his fiction, especially considering the fact that the main female characters are prostitutes, women that marry for money, disease-spreaders, and most importantly victims. In terms of religion, Candide explores the hypocrisy that was rampant in the Church. Consider for example, the inhumanity of the clergy, most notably the Inquisitor, in hanging and executing his fellow citizens over philosophical differences. Moreover, he orders the flogging of Candide for merely, â€Å"listening with an air of approval† thus proving himself somehow implicit in blasphemy. Church officials in Candide are depicted as being among the most sinful of all citizens; having mistresses, engaging in homosexual affairs, and operating as jewel thieves. These three subjects—religious intolerance, greed, and denial of love are satirized and portrayed as wrong and harmful in Voltaire’s Candide. They are portrayed as dangerous tyrannies over the mind of men that serve only to counteract logic and damage the general welfare.

Choose two pieces of literature, one labeled fantasy and one labeled Essay

Choose two pieces of literature, one labeled fantasy and one labeled realistic fiction that treat the same important theme, such as family, getting along with your peer group, the value of imagination, etc - Essay Example However, Salinger’s book is ultimately more effective, because it must function in a world familiar to reality, rather than a fantasy world of whimsy. In Frank Herbert’s â€Å"Dune,† Paul Atriedes is a young prince whose family moves to a desert planet. After the death of his father, Paul must join with local freedom fighters to overthrow the Harkonnen spice empire. In the process, Paul becomes a sort of living legend, and a combination Muhammad- and Jesus-figure. He is able to do this because â€Å"Dune† is not a world that has to function familiar to the reader’s reality. In Salinger’s book, Holden Caulfield is also a sort of prince; his parents are wealthy, he is white, and he goes to an expensive boarding school. And like Paul, he must overcome his demons and become a man. But it is much harder for Holden, because he is intimately familiar with the crazy world that is close to New York reality (realistic fiction). And instead of earning the respect and women of freedom fighters through knife fighting, Holden is taken advantage of and beat up by a pimp. His story is funnier, and also more human than Paul’s; this is because his story has to function by the rules of

Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Nursing - Assignment Example The nurse failed to follow the 6 rights prior to the administration of a medication. This went against the required nursing practice. The consequence of this act put the patient’s life at risk because the patient had a negative effect from the dosage administered. The nurse went ahead and ignored filling out the incident report. The physician and the supervisor get information from filled incident reports. Failing to fill implied that the nurse was concealing certain crucial information. The nurse’s act to ignore the incident report violated rules of practice in caregiving. It further put the patient’s life at risk which is opposite to what nurses should do. Patents are entitles to a healthy life, and the caregivers should do their best to see this done. However, the nurse’s actions did not match this requirement. Failing to fill out the incident report did not depict an aspect of duty to care, since it encompasses all that is required of the nurse. The nurse who failed to verify the correct dosage as a witness is also implicated in the failure to fulfill duty to care. This is a procedure carried out in order to ensure that the patient’s life is not endangered, given the practices undertaken by the nurses. This nurse ignores her duty and the result is a negative effect on the patient. This does not only raise concerns in the care giving institutions, but also externally, since patients have a right to proper treatment and administration of medication. Concealing what had unfolded during shift change would complicate the matter even further. During shift report, the nurse had already presented what had happened, evidenced by the fact that the patient was in ICU. Contradiction of information between that presented during shift report and the one the nurse is to present by filling out the incident report would require that investigation into the matter be undertaken. Nursing ethics require transparency and accountability (Ginny, 2009).

Describe Wilson's Moral Diplomacy policies Research Paper

Describe Wilson's Moral Diplomacy policies - Research Paper Example Thus, Wilson’s moral diplomacy policies were essential as they encouraged people to develop reliable and desirable international relations, especially between the United State and other democratic nations. According to the text, Experience History, Volume 2: To 1877, strong international relations and affairs are the origin of development and economic growth in nations, and this is observed from the developments in the United States. The moral diplomacy policies fostered by Wilson were essentially rooted on the economic power with the understanding that democracy was, and is still the most salient aspect of a stable and growing country. Moral democracy was encouraged in the nation as it endorsed democracy and peace in the respective nation and other nations that had similar moral beliefs with U.S (James, Brian, Christine, Mark & Michael, 149-476). Reflecting on the argument of Wilson, (James, Brian, Christine, Mark & Michael, 149-476) the execution of the policies majored at c ondemning imperialism, as this aided the nation in improving its relations with other nations. In addition, the economic growth of the nation would be rapid as U.S was ready to support other nations who had democratic governments and had positive impacts to the economy and developments in U.S among other democratic nations. ... According to the text, implementation of the moral policies in the United State improved the international affairs among other democrats in the sense that the social, political and economic sectors of the respective nations were improved leading to standardized living styles in the nations (James, Brian, Christine, Mark & Michael, 149-476). The president used the fact that United State is a leading participant in the world economy to convince, and force other nations to submit to his moral diplomacy to improve the nation’s economic relations with other countries. Considering the article, The National Experience: A History of the United States (Pt. 1 & 2), the authors tried to define moral diplomacy as a tool that president Wilson attempted to use to win the social, political and economic support from other nations that were democratic. The writer shows how the President hoped to manipulate, and control other nations through economic pressures, and he achieved this by the effor ts he made in denying other nations that were, not to his idea economic support. According to the president, â€Å"The force if America is the force of moral principle†, and this was the phrase that he used to win support from other nations, thus raising the economic relations of his nation, U.S (John, William, Edmund, Arthur & Kenneth, 289-892). The moral diplomacy, according to the authors had several benefits and demerits to United State and other participating nations. For instance, American’s economic interests in other democratic nations are raised in the sense that, since U.S is a key player in the world economy, other nations depend on her for their economic development and this consequently raises the economic interests she has with other countries.

Role of Government in Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Role of Government in Economy - Essay Example This was done for the protection of the interests of the investors and capitalists of that time because the newly born country was not in a position to support its economy on its own and the confidence of the investors had to be built up. The strategy was successful and was the most significant factor behind the rapid economic growth of the country in the immediate years after the War of Independence. However such a strategy could not have lasted forever and therefore during the later part of the 19th century farmer and labour movements started to emerge in different parts of the country in protesting about the oppressive behaviors of the investors and capitalists. Under these circumstances, government had to change its strategy and with the emergence of the first labor union in 1820’s the government started intervening in the economic affairs of the country. The emergence and establishment of labor unions in the country was a significant factor in bringing about a revolution in the economic life of the country (Danny). These changing conditions resulted in the formulation of an educated middle class in the country which forced the government to introduce regulations in the business practices in order to ensure the provision of rights to the employees, establishment of free market economy and to ensure quality control. The Sherman Antitrust Act which ensured the presence of competition in the market by barring large enterprises from establishing a monoply in a single industry and the Interstate Commerce Act, a regulatory mechanism for the railroad industry which required the railroad fares to be kept within a reasonable range, are two of the very first pieces of legilation completed by the congress regarding the economy of the country. These acts were enforced as laws during the years of the progressive Republican President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909). President Roosevelt was of the opinion that the rapid economic progress of the country has made it m andatory for the government to introduce regulatory mechanisms regarding commerce, industry, finance, planning and economics. Therefore a number of regulatory bodies and institutions were formed during Roosevelt’s and President Wilson’s years in the office. These include Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug Administration and Interstate Commerce Commission. In response to the Great Depression, the government of President Franklin D. Roosevelt came up with the idea of three Rs; Relief, Recovery and Reform. This strategy required the government to directly involve in the economy of the country and thus during the implementation of the New Deal, an era of rapid economic reforms in the country, government’s involvement in the economy of the country reached its peak (Fishback). The idea of public welfare was practically adopted by the government in the New Deal era and many important laws which govern the economy of the country today were formulated during this ti me. The government started patronizing labor unions and the standards for minimum salaries and fixed working hours were established during this tim

Leadership of Richard Branson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leadership of Richard Branson - Essay Example He treasures his employees’ insights in order to evaluate his success or failures and forge ahead. The trait enables the employees to learn from among themselves, from the industry and also from the mistakes they make in order to reach their desired levels. The company’s strategy stipulates â€Å"†¦reach for the skies and screw business as usual.† The company values learning for the realization of its strategy. In addition, the leader carry’s a notebook in every sitting so as to listen and jot down vital views in order to transform the ideas into actual strategies (Dearlove, 2007). c)Being passionate- the entrepreneur is occasionally passionate in everything that he does. Based on Dearlove (2007) he continuously engages the employees to be happy and passionate in their activities in order to achieve. His confesses that his $5 billion worth has been propelled by his passion and fun at work. The employees are paid below the market wage-price but are still loyal and passionate to the company. 2.a)Adventuring- Richard is highly adventurous both in business and social life. The entrepreneur is occasionally spontaneous in his business endeavors and never backs down for fear of criticisms or failures. In Dearlove (2007) the company has over 400 companies and partnerships which have aggressively attacked the market in order to attain new heights. The company has instilled the entrepreneurial spirit in its people; who are frequently advised to try new things. The adventuring spirit is supported by the company’s policy ‘to screw the rules and make mistakes’ since rules were made to be broken. b) Minimal bureaucracy- The entrepreneur is a down to earth person who despite his billions, occasionally engages with the employees or other members of the community in a cup coffee, community or corporate social responsibilities. Virgin group has an open social policy where the management

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Analysis Essay Example for Free

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Analysis Essay Vladimir Nabokov’s choice of subject in his novel Lolita shocked readers, but that was essentially why he chose it. Beetz, states that Nabokov’s first inspiration for the novel came from a newspaper story about an ape â€Å"‘who after months of coaxing by a scientist, produced the first drawing ever charcoaled by an animal: this sketch showed the bars of the poor creature’s cage’ Nabokov said. As many critics have remarked Lolita is not about sex but about love. Even more it is about obsession-and the destructive power it can hold over the lives of its victims.†(Beetz 2481) Also with out the shock value of Lolita’s risque subject of the â€Å"love story† between a man and his twelve year old step daughter, the book most likely would not have become as famous as it is. As Serafin states, Lolita became very popular underground after it was banned in Europe. The taboo of it being banned mixed with Nabokov’s sparkling wit made Lolita a sensation.(338) As Hart says in the 1950’s peoples attitudes towards sex were still very puritanical and conservative.(158) By exploiting the scandalousness of the violation of the last sexual taboo, the relationship between an adult and child, Nabokov was able to really show the extent of the power of infatuation, love and obsession. As Nabokov shows in his novel Humbert Humbert knows what he is doing to Lolita is wrong, but his burning desire for her drives him to violate his own morals. He even used morals to try and justify his actions, â€Å"The moral sense in mortals is the dutyWe have to pay on mortal sense of beauty†(Nabokov 300) In this quote Humbert dilutes himself into thinking he has a moral obligation to appreciate the beauty that is Lolita, when in reality he has a moral obligation to leave Lolita alone and allow her to have a normal childhood. Another quote in which Nabokov shows how Humbert’s obsession controls him is the following; â€Å"I felt proud of myself. I had stolen the honey of a spasm without impairing the morals of a minor. Absolutely no harm done.†(Nabokov 65) In this quote he is referring to â€Å"pleasuring him self† while near Lolita with out actually touching her. The very nature of his actions show his desperation and it soon become apparent that Humbert’s twisted fantasies will not satiate his obsession for long and that he will act on it and â€Å"impair the morals of a minor†. By using the shock to readers of a relationship between an adult and a child, Nabokov successfully was able to show the extent of what obsession and love can drive a person to do. Humbert’s obsession lead him to ruin the lives of himself, Clare Quilty and the childhood of Lolita. Nabokov choose his taboo subject for Lolita to increase the impact of the character’s actions as driven by his own infatuation.