Thursday, October 31, 2019

Planning Project of PepsiCo in the United Kingdom Assignment

Planning Project of PepsiCo in the United Kingdom - Assignment Example To achieve this purpose, the chosen company is PepsiCo. Inc. which manufactures and markets diverse brands. The origin of Pepsi Cola was traced from the talent of Caleb Bradham, a New Bern, North Carolina pharmacist more than 120 years ago. Together with Coca-Cola, these two soft drinks manufacturer has revolutionized the beverage industry through their concoction of carbonated soft drinks (CDS), defined by Canadean (2010) as beverages that include sweetened, non-alcoholic drinks containing carbon dioxide (par. 1). The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) (2010) more comprehensively defined carbonates as â€Å"ready to drink including draught dispense; home dispense; regular including sparkling juice; low calorie and zero calorie; cola; lemon including lemonade; lemon-lime; mixers including tonic and bitter drinks; orange; shandy; others including other carbonated fruit flavours, energy drinks, sparkling flavoured water, health drinks and herbal drinks† (British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) 2010, 9). In the UK, PepsiCo. started operations in 1953 and the Pepsi Max brand was firs t marketed in 1993 (PepsiCo UK & Ireland 2011). believe we should be known not just for the financial results we generate but also for the imprint we leave on society as a whole† (PepsiCo UK & Ireland 2011). To achieve this purpose, the organization designed and implemented strategies that focus on healthier products, protecting the environment, and providing holistic support for personal and professional growth for their people. As such, PepsiCo UK aims to transform their core business into providing products with potential health benefits and ensure that they would be catalysts of change in UK’s food and beverage industry (PepsiCo UK & Ireland 2011). Accordingly, the future thrusts of the organization are to lead in the promotion of healthy products by producing and delivering balanced amounts of fruit, vegetables, wholegrain, fiber, and other positive nutrients and food groups  (PepsiCo UK & Ireland 2011).

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Government - Essay Example Goodlad, or David Berliner and Bruce Biddle) questioned the majority of its findings, sometimes pointing at its logical or statistical inconsistencies (â€Å"A Nation at Risk†). According to Berliner and Biddle, for instance, the implementation of new academic-performance standards was ‘misdirected’, as this, and similar, reforms did not lead to any significant changes in the field. Nonetheless, despite such criticisms, numerous investigations and surveys published around 2003, the report’s 20th anniversary, purported to show that the progress done in the field of education was rather significant, with more rigorous course requirements being especially referenced (â€Å"A Nation at Risk†). To my mind, the problems that A Nation at Risk highlighted are still with us, as the public school system is often under-financed, a teachers’ shortage problem is not solved yet, and the education standards are somewhat lacking to face the shifting realities of the U.S. and world economy’s requirements. The conduct of educational reform is dependent entirely on the national and state institutions that are charged with the development of educational sphere. That is why the persistent delays in the conduct of necessary educational reforms point to the absence of political will on behalf of their

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Minimum Wage Debate in the US

Minimum Wage Debate in the US Minimum wage has been a subject of sustained and polarizing debate in the realm of U.S. labor economics right from the time the Department of Labor came into existence in 1913 (Neumark, Salas Wascher, 2014). The debate is older than the official federal minimum wage legislation, which came into force in 1938. Nonetheless, despite the massive attention this subject has elicited over this lengthy period, a consensus concerning the effect of minimum wage on employment is not in the vicinity. Experts have argued plausibly both in favor of and against minimum wage laws. Even so, this paper seeks to add its voice to this debate by arguing that minimum wage laws are necessary because they speed up economic recovery after recessions, safeguard workers from exploitation, and attempt to bridge the income inequality crisis the country is presently witnessing. Annotated Bibliography Meer, J., West, J. (2015). Effects of the minimum wage on employment dynamics. Journal of Human Resources. Retrieved from http://people.tamu.edu/~jmeer/Meer_West_Minimum_Wage.pdf In this journal article, the authors advance a familiar argument in the field of labor economics. In their view, an increase in minimum wage or the existence of laws that specify a particular minimum wage serves to reduce employment growth over a lengthy period. Apparently, the reason most studies that seek to establish a relationship between minimum wage and employment dynamics fail to do so due to the methods they employ. An example is the use of state-specific time trends (p. 1). Thus, the authors utilize state panel administrative employment data to arrive at their finding. Reportedly, the finding is in agreement with a number of other empirical findings. This journal article does not seem to agree with the position outlined in the thesis statement. However, a source, it will help in the development of the argument by bringing in the perspective of those opposed to minimum wages or their increase. A comprehensive and fully developed argument is one that pays attention to the opposing sides argument. This article and others that make similar arguments will serve to create this balance. Neumark, D., Salas, J. I., Wascher, W. (2014). Revisiting the minimum wage-employment debate: Throwing out the baby with the bathwater? ILR Review, 67(3 suppl), 608-648. This article revisits the minimum wage employment debate, apparently after a period of the authors abstinence from this area of focus for some time. According to the article, the minimum wage debate is age old, but in recent times, emergent literature is increasingly propagating the idea that new research in this area is inaccurate. The reason behind such claims is that the new research employs methods that critics say do not consider spatial heterogeneity. The article explores the research designs more closely and concludes that indeed, there is a cause for concern with these new researches. The research designs they employ are faulty. Through such designs, the studies indicate that minimum wage has not interfered with employment noticeably. In contrast, a link exists between minimum wages and employment rates. This article achieves its purpose by considering a number of other studies in the minimum wage debate. The studies it examines are those that claim to find no significant relationship between minimum wage and employment and those that criticize such studies. Insofar as the minimum wage debate is concerned, this article is informative due to fact that it gives the debate a historical context that many article fail to capture. It explains when and how the debate started as well as how it has developed over the years. Despite not taking a clear stand on whether minimum is bad or good, it is a great resource for the upcoming paper due to its informative nature. Orrenius, P. M., Zavodny, M. (2008). The effect of minimum wages on immigrants employment and earnings. ILR Review, 61(4), 544-563. In this article, the relationship between minimum wage laws are examined with the intent of determining the nature of impact such laws have on minimum wage earners. In contrast to natives, immigrants, who constitute the majority of minimum wage earners, are likely to be impacted more by minimum wage laws. Immigrants are often less educated, possess limited English language skills, and less connected socially. Although no direct indications of adverse effects of minimum wage laws on employment among minimum wage earners were established, there is a possibility that such laws influenced the settlement decisions of some immigrants. Trends seem to indicate that they preferred states in which the minimum wage bar was not high. In this article, the minimum wage debate is approached from a new perspective, the perspective of the minimum wage earner. Evidence suggests that although many may assume that minimum wage earners would rush to high minimum wage states, they actually tend to prefer low minimum wage states. The rationale behind this kind of disharmony is that when the minimum wage is high, employers tend to seek experience or higher levels of education. Based on what the article was investigating, immigrants will obviously shy away from such states. Thus, since this whole debate is about minimum wage, the article does well to approach it from the perspective of those groups that fall in the category of minimum wage earners. In other words, it is possible to determine how they feel about the whole issue. This unique approach will help diversify the argument. Pollin, R., Wicks-Lim, J. (2016). A $15 US minimum wage: How the fast-food industry could adjust without shedding jobs. Journal of Economic Issues, 50(3), 716-744. In this article, the possibility of adjusting from the current minimum wage to a minimum wage of $15 per hour without reducing the labor force is examined with fast food restaurants in mind. Apparently, fast food restaurants are the leading employers of minimum wage earners and those who earn below minimum wage. Thus, if they can adjust from the current minimum wage of $7.25 to $15 hourly, then any other employer can. This scenario is projected over a 4-year period with a two-step increment. It is achievable through turnover reductions, trend increases in sales growth, and modest annual price increases over the four-year period (p. 717). And fast food restaurants will not need to lower their profits to make the adjustment. The article is also unique in its approach to the debate. It does not preoccupy itself with whether the increase of minimum wage is bad or good. Instead, it seeks to demonstrate through a breakdown of relevant figures that it is possible for fast food restaurants to accommodate a minimum wage of $15 per hour without eating into their profits. The authors make an effort to be quite thorough in their analysis as well as breakdowns. The practical nature in which tackle this issue proves beyond doubt that a higher minimum wage is possible in America and stands in support of the argument of this project. Highly paid employees are prone to working hard and more effectively. Watanabe, M. (2013). Minimum wage, public investment, economic growth. Theoretical Economics Letters, 3(05), 288. In this article, the author argues in favor of minimum wage increases citing poverty reduction, and reasonable living as its direct outcomes. Despite there being divergent views on the same, through a two-period overlapping generation model, (p. 288) the author endeavors to show that the negativities associated with minimum wage increment can be countered with increased productivity among workers. Moreover, the study establishes that minimum wage increases have a positive on economic growth. This article also argues in favor of the position that is outlined in the thesis statement. This means it will in the development of a strong argument to show that despite the widespread claims that minimum wage increment has negative effects, there is actually a lot of good it can help achieve. The level of language and engagement with the technical economics in this article demonstrates the authors expertise in this field. As a consequence, this article gives an authoritative argument backed by facts and adequate examples. This will serve as a very important resource during the actual writing of the final paper. References Meer, J., West, J. (2015). Effects of the minimum wage on employment dynamics. Journal of Human Resources. Retrieved from http://people.tamu.edu/~jmeer/Meer_West_Minimum_Wage.pdf Neumark, D., Salas, J. I., Wascher, W. (2014). Revisiting the minimum wage-employment debate: Throwing out the baby with the bathwater? ILR Review, 67(3 suppl), 608-648. Orrenius, P. M., Zavodny, M. (2008). The effect of minimum wages on immigrants employment and earnings. ILR Review, 61(4), 544-563. Pollin, R., Wicks-Lim, J. (2016). A $15 US minimum wage: How the fast-food industry could adjust without shedding jobs. Journal of Economic Issues, 50(3), 716-744. Watanabe, M. (2013). Minimum wage, public investment, economic growth. Theoretical Economics Letters, 3(05), 288.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Adam Sandlers what The Hell Happened To Me?: How Music Affects Cult :: essays research papers

Adam Sandler's "What the Hell Happened to Me?": How Music Affects Culture This song means that culture affects how we grow up greater then most people think. I shows that when Adam Sandler was young, he was a well-rounded boy that liked to have fun. The song is also saying that our culture is affecting innocent youth that are forced to deal with the problems that the previous generations made for them. This song shows how all people are affected when they are really just innocent bystanders that have to witness the world at its roughest. They are forced to deal with it although they are truly unprepared for such a harsh treatment. Traits. The song presents cultural traits in that it shows how we grow up and are affected by culture. Cultural traits presented in this song are how we teach children and what we subject them to. Our methods of education and entertainment both affect how we turn out in the long run. The song shows how these traits affect how people grow up, and what they value in life. For example, the song talks about selling lemonade, eating popcorn, and watching parades. Then it goes on to say he's "only happy when [he's] drinking JD" The point is that people are changing because of society and our culture's lack of certain elements, such as respect and discipline. Values. The values presented by this song include the value of respect and discipline, and the need for more strict ways to keep a young mind safe of destruction. These values are presented in the line "I only did the things that Mama said I should, but now I do whatever I want." That line shows that values change as we age and the reason is because of society; obviously if Adam only did what was allowed, culture's values of discipline and respect must have turned him the wrong way, because his mother did not. Other values presented in the song are education and entertainment. This is shown by the lines stating that as a boy, Adam was well-behaved and had fun in parks and carnivals. He played in the snow and he loved sports, but as an adult he only finds pleasure in things he would never had imagined he could have only 20 years ago. Also, it is shown that culture has made such a mess of his mind that he can't understand why he would be in this shape. he presents this information to us in the lines "It makes no sense, I can't believe I'm me.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Night John Essay

Mrs. Barrows Us History I 25 August 2012 Nightjohn Reflection Questions Chapter I 1. The narrator of this story is Sarny and she’s twelve years old. 2. This story is told in first person. 3. Clel Waller is Sarny’s owner. 4. Sarny doesn’t care or really respect Waller because when he isn’t around she calls him dog droppings and many other names. 5. Sarny is not dumb and how I know this is because she’s just quiet and listens to learn new things and if she were to be dumb she wouldn’t learn anything. 6. Sarny’s mother is not around because she was sold when Sarny was four years old and old Delie raised Sarny. . The work that Sarny does on the plantation is working around the quarters, cleaning the yard, gathering eggs, and helping old Delie with the young ones. 8. What Sarny does at night is she gets on a pallet in the back of the long log house and thinks. Chapter II 1. Sarny’s job in the flower garden was to work on the roses an d her job allows her to chew on tobacco leaves to kill bugs. 2. Clel Waller paid one thousand dollars when he bought Nightjohn and this tells me that Nightjohn is worth money. 3. a. Sarny’s mammy prayed in the kettle. b.Sarny’s mammy prayed inside the kettle because they didn’t let pray so had to whisper in it. c. Sarny’s mammy prayed to be free. Chapter III 1. Nightjohn was brought in to the plantation with a rope to his neck. 2. The condition Nightjohn was in when brought to the plantation was bad. 3. The meals in the plantation were buttermilk down the trough, cornbread, and sometimes pieces of pork fat twice a day so the meals weren’t as good. 4. What Nightjohn did the first night on the plantation was teach Sarny the first letter of the alphabet and this tells me he is a genuine guy. 5.What Nightjohn tells Sarny about why reading is not allowed for slaves is that if white folks find out she is going to be in more trouble than she needs. Chapte r IV 1a. Alice was someone used for breeding on the Waller plantation. 1b. The first time that Alice tried to run away she was brought back and got whipped in front of all the slaves. 1c. The next time she tried to escape she got caught and killed by dogs. 2a. Jim was a slave in the Waller plantation. 2b. What happened to Jim when he tried to run away was get caught because he hid in a tree and the tree wasn’t high enough to escape the dogs and got killed by the dogs. a. Pawley was a slave in Clel’s plantation that fell in love with a girl in another plantation. 3b. What happened to Pawley was that he got caught coming back from another planation visiting a girl and Waller cut his heels and bled to death 4. Sarny thinks it’s brave and stupid at the same time to escape because it would be a miracle if slaves actually made it, but they always get caught. 5. Sarny does still continue to learn letters from Nightjohn and what that tells me about her character is that she sticks in what she believes in. 6a.The reason why Mammy reacts the way she did when she catches Nightjohn teaching Sarny is because she could be in big trouble if the white folks find out and she has to protect Sarny from any harm. 6b. Mammy’s attitude changes from being overprotective to being calm and understanding after Nightjohn explains his reason for teaching her. 7a. Nightjohn got scars in his back before he escaped a plantation. 7b. Nightjohn returned after escaping because he came back to teach slave children how to read and write. 7c. He wants to teach slave children to read and write because he wants them to have something to hold on to and to be brave.Chapter V 1. What Sarny is learning in her lessons with Nightjohn is how to read and write. 2a. Sarny was writing in the dirt. 2b. Sarny tells Waller that he deserves to go to hell. 2c. Waller kicks Sarny in the stomach. 2d. The conflict for Sarny is external because it is between her and Waller. 2e. Mammy was p unished and her punishment was getting shackled to the wall. 2f. Nightjohn confessed to teaching Sarny the letters and this tell me he is a brave individual. 2g. Waller cuts two of Nightjohn’s toes with the help of his son Robe. 2h.Sarny believes that Waller is cruel by what he did to Mammy and Nightjohn, and that he deserves nothing but the worse. Chapter VI 1. The actions that John takes after his toes are chopped off are admirable. He starts writing an A while all the slaves in the plantation are around him while saying he has learned his lesson. Then he writes a B saying â€Å"This is B. What I named my wifeâ€Å". One of the slaves then calls over Clel, their owner, and he continues with the next letter in the alphabet. While writing the letter C he says â€Å"This is the letter C like a mouth open just like if you had something important to say†. . Yes, I believe John will be successful with his planned because he is a brave man and would do anything to reach h is goal. 3. What John promises Sarny is that he will always be looking for her and she seems to believe him. I myself believe him because he seems like a man that’s about his words. Chapter VII 1. Nightjohn was successful with his plan because he made it away safely and afterwards came back for Sarny like he promised. 2. What has happened to Sarny since John left was that she never wrote words in the dirt learned the letters A-J. 3. Yes, John kept his promise to Sarny because he came back for her. . John takes Sarny to â€Å"School† and it is so secretive because the white people can’t find out about it. 5. Nightjohn was at the school teaching other kids while he was gone. 6. Nightjohn teaches reading by using catalogs. 7. Sarny feels very glad that she gets to write and learn again. Chapter Words 1. In this short chapter, Sarny tells us how every night he walks to school just to teach them how to read and write. 2. What I think would happen if another chapter w as added to the book is that it will tell us how Sarny is now a wise woman that sacrifices herself to help children learn how to read and write.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Change in Indian Family

Change in the Family structure and Familial relation in India. Introduction Family structure is the way that a household or a family is set up. It is different for every family as families may have single parents, may have both parents or may have step parents involved. The family is a basic unit of society. The study of the change in the family structure in India is quite complex. With the increase in the urbanization and industrialization, the concept of the family in India, which once created and maintained a common culture among the members of the family, is undergoing change.The family life or the family structure has remained the integral part of the Indian Society with the spirit of family solidarity. For generations, India has had a prevailing tradition of the joint family system. Usually the oldest male member of the family is the head of the joint Indian Family system. He is the one who makes all the important decisions of the family. After the urbanization and the economic development of the country, India has witnessed a break up of traditional joint family into more nuclear like family.Cohen, Yebudi A, in his book â€Å"Shrinking Households†, he said that households have reputedly been shrinking in size for ten thousand years or more , right up to the present , and this is a result of an evolving technology that requires fewer co-operating people to secure food, rear children and look after them. The Objective of Study The specific objective of this study is to understand the change in family structure in India and its familial relationship.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

What Do You Find Interesting About The Work Of Grace Nichols Essay Example

What Do You Find Interesting About The Work Of Grace Nichols Essay Example What Do You Find Interesting About The Work Of Grace Nichols Paper What Do You Find Interesting About The Work Of Grace Nichols Paper Essay Topic: Interesting Grace Nichols was born in Guyana in 1950. She lived there until 1977 when she came to live with her partner, another poet. She writes many poems and anthologies. Her poems are mainly about black people and their sense of culture. She writes about the pride they have to be themselves and not to feel embarrassed about who they are. She has also written poetry about missing her home and about what it feels like to be away. I have chosen to study four poems by Grace Nichols: these are, Beauty, The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping, Like A Beacon and Island Man. These four poems all explore different aspects of cultural diversity. Beauty is about Nichols own views of beauty and not listening to the stereotypical ideas that are impounded into everybodys minds. Nichols doesnt mean beauty in the sense of having a perfect figure and features but beauty in the form of being proud of herself and content with whom she is. This poem is primarily about a fat black woman. Another of these poems is about a fat black woman. The title of this is The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping. Though this poem shows that she is proud of who she is, it also shows a little touch of insecurity within herself. I can tell this through the lines and de pretty face sales gals exchanging slimming glances These lines show that she feels anger towards the girls for having the stereotypical traits of beauty that she was so against in the last poem. It shows how she wants society to change and become less bothered about size. The other two poems are about being away and missing home. Like A Beacon is about Grace Nichols missing her home and the comforts that she used to have there. This poem shows that home is an important aspect of her life. She also seems to take it as an important part of other peoples lives too as the last poem Island Man is about a man from the Caribbean who lives in London: he misses his home and dreams about being there. Even though Nichols has written this poem about others, her sub heading is for a Caribbean island man in London who still wakes up to the sound of the sea. From the sub heading, it could be imagined that she wrote this thinking about herself as well as others. By writing that sub heading, it sounds as if she relates to the island man who features in her poem. It seems as if she wrote the heading to show her readers in that position that she empathises with them. Titles of poems can sometimes say a lot about a poem. Beauty is a short simple title. If the reader had only got as far as the title, it could be presumed that it would be similar in content to the stereotypical views of beauty or about the scenery. When the poem is read fully, it is actually about a fat black woman. It would surprise the reader because the first thought in a persons head is not one of beauty. The poem The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping, has a long but precise title. It tells you exactly what the poem is about. It is very direct and it hides nothing. To say, in the title of a poem The Fat Black Woman shows that Nichols is not ashamed to say, or to be who she is. One could presume that the poem is autobiographical because it changes from third-person text; to first-person text for the line Lord is aggravating. This indicates that she knows personally how this situation feels. For her to describe herself as a fat black woman in a poem, which is likely to be read by many people, takes a strong-minded person who isnt afraid to emphasise the fact that she is who she is. Like A Beacon is not a title which appears to give anything away. The word beacon can be associated with belisha beacons by a zebra crossing but this poem is not about these. In this poem, beacon is meant as a strong, important light. Nichols is implying that her home is the warmth and strength that she loves and is an important part of her life. Shes basically trying to say that her home is the light of her life. Island Man has a short title. It tells the reader very little (that it is about a man from an island) but the sub heading tells the reader a lot more. For an island man who lives in London and still wakes up to the sound of the sea. It explains what the poem is about and what it is trying to say, but it is very long. It is an appropriate sub heading but is too long to be a title. Island Man says what it needs to and the sub heading adds to it perfectly In most of these poems, she uses third person narrative but in one she uses first person and in another she switches between the two. In her poem Beauty, Nichols uses third person narrative. This is an effective form to use because it makes the poem general and open to all fat black women, not just Nichols herself. If it were in first person narrative, the poem may not seem beautiful it would seem quite conceited on Nichols part. In third person, the poem is left completely to the imagination of the reader. I. e. what the fat black woman looks like and how she feels when she is walking the fields or riding the waves. In first person, the reader perhaps knows what she looks like and since she is so bold to say she is beauty, the reader can get an idea what she is feeling too. The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping also uses third person narrative throughout the poem except for one line where it moves to first person. Her use of both techniques is very effective and changes the mood of the poem largely. Though Nichols mainly uses third person it seems obvious that she is writing about her own experiences as she shifts to first person, which suggests that she agrees and somehow sympathises with the character in the poem. Like A Beacon is the only poem in which she uses first person narrative throughout. It is effective as it gives the reader the feeling of understanding her character and her inner thoughts a lot better. The poem talks about how Nichols feels and what she misses from home such as the food that her mother used to cook. If Nichols wrote the poem in third person narrative, it would not have such an impact because it would feel as if she was presuming that this was how people felt and it would not be as effective. Because this poem is about Nichols herself, it leaves the reader thinking or imagining how they would feel if they left home and what they would miss. Island Man also uses third person narrative. This is effective in this poem as it makes the poem seem as if it is a dream. It distances the reader from the person in the poem and makes the whole situation seem further away. If it had been written in first person, it would have made the reader feel closer to the person in the poem and so it would have made it feel less like a dream and more like life. Third person narrative gives you the feeling of distance, which makes the poem more enjoyable to read. Nichols uses many techniques to create the moods that she feels are appropriate for her poems. In her poem Beauty, Nichols wants to create the image of warm, calm settings. This is effective because the poem is based on beauty and warm, calm things are thought of as beautiful. The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping wants to create an angry and miserable mood. Nichols does this by using hard alliteration and pathetic fallacy. She uses winter to create cold images and hard alliteration to create the presence of anger and annoyance. This is effective in the poem because she is aggravated at the fact that the shop is prejudiced against women with clothes sizes over 14, as they dont have any. The poem Like A Beacon is trying to set the mood of the beacon being warmth and the light of her home, the Caribbean, and where she actually is, London, the cold place and not somewhere she would like to be. She talks about the things that she misses about home: in search of plantains Saltfish/sweet potatoes. The alliteration of the s makes those two lines sound very calm and positive. Island Man is trying to create two images: One of a beautiful, tropical place and the other of a dull, grey, cold place. Nichols tries to accomplish this mood using different styles of writing. For example: to make London sound dull, Nichols uses words such as groggily which is related to waking up and still being really tired and miserable. To make the Caribbean sound tropical, Nichols uses words like emerald which is related with beautiful jewellery so it make the island sound calm and a place on a similar level with Heaven. A main theme used in Nichols poetry is Cultural Identity. Nichols is not ashamed of who she is or what her background she has. She makes it very clear that her past is very important to her through her poetry. In her poem Beauty, Nichols states that Beauty is a fat black woman. This contrasts with the western ideal of female beauty i. e. white, thin, tall, and blonde. Nichols directly challenges these stereotypes and strongly asserts black female cultural identity. It is essentially a celebration of the beauty seen in a large, black, curvaceous woman. The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping is very similar to Beauty as it is also about a fat black woman. This poem also adds the fact of prejudice towards fat black women. This shows the divide between cultures. The poem Like A Beacon, uses a different form of cultural identity. It shows the difference between London and the Caribbean through the way Nichols describes what she misses about her home. She talks about the food that she used to eat (plantains, salt fish, sweet potatoes) which are not things that the English (white) culture is used to. Nichols poem Island Man is similar to the cultural identity in her poem Like A Beacon. It also talks about the differences between London and the Caribbean. This poem talks about the beauty and warmth of the Caribbean islands and the beaches there. It also talks about the cold and grey areas of London. It shows that the cultural identity of the island man is the opposite of a person who is from London. Nichols language techniques vary in her poetry depending on what she feels she should use to emphasise points or moods. She uses personification in both her poems Beauty and The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping. In Beauty, she says while the sea turns back to hug her shape. Nichols uses a soft mood to make the woman seem even more beautiful. She does this by saying; that even the sea wants to hug her-though the sea has no feelings. In the poem The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping, Nichols uses it to achieve almost the opposite affect of which it had in Beauty. She uses the lines frozen thin mannequins fixing her with grin to emphasise the fact that the woman in this poem is quite paranoid, being in this shop. She presumes that even the plastic mannequins are laughing at her, though of course, that is not possible. This shows her insecurity about her size, particularly the views of others about it. Nichols uses alliteration in three of the four poems. In The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping, Nichols uses hard alliteration to create a flowing image (bright, billowing, breezy. ). In the poem Like A Beacon, Nichols uses this language technique when describing the food that her mother used to cook. The s in saltfish/sweet potatoes lingers as it is read and it gives the reader the sense of the lingering smells of these foods as they were being cooked and afterwards too. Island Man also uses alliteration. Here, s is also used (sun surfacing) but she uses it to be sharp and snappy as the next word is defiantly and sharp and snappy words or letters seem quite defiant. In some of her poems, Grace Nichols uses particular words to create a mood or image. In Island Man she uses hard words-such as groggily, metallic, surge and crumpled-to create a dull and gloomy image of London. She also uses soft words-for example surf, wombing and emerald-to create a bright, happy image of the Caribbean. In her poem Beauty, she uses many soft word-such as hug, cheek, breezed and drifting-to create the warm beautiful image of the woman in it. Grace Nichols uses many techniques to emphasise points and to make lines stand out. In the poem Beauty, she uses repetition. She repeats the lines Beauty s a fat black woman to emphasise what the poem is about. She uses the structure of the poem to emphasise the same point as she leaves Beauty on its own to show that it is important. In The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping, Nichols uses rhyme, repetition and the structure to make lines stand out. Most of this poem is written in verses but to show how the character in the poem feels, she leaves the line Lord is aggravating on its own. Though that is only one line, i t seems to stand out and the reader reads that first. It makes you think a great deal about the feelings of the subject. Nichols also uses rhyme at the end of this poem. It is the only time that she does this and it is very effective: that when it comes to fashion the choice is lean nothing much beyond a size 14. It really stands out and makes the irritation of the subject much greater. If rhyme had been used throughout the poem, it would not have been so effective. Nichols use of repetition in this poem works very well. The poem is all about a long unproductive day and repetition exaggerates that. She repeats the word journeying twice and it gives a real sense of boredom and tiredness. In her poem Like A Beacon, Nichols also uses the structure to emphasise a main point. She wants to make it clear about how she feels. She has written I Need This Link on its own, in between the two verses. The poem flows very well until it gets to that line. Nichols separates it and this makes the reader stop and think about what the poet is trying to say. Island Man uses repetition. Nichols uses it to exaggerate the first word and to make the mood of the poem clearer. It works well and it accentuates the dull image that Nichols is trying to paint of London e. g. groggily groggily. These four poems by Grace Nichols are poems that I have found very interesting. They all use ideas about cultural identity and racial difference and this makes the poems very engrossing. Though I have never been in the situation of missing home (Like A Beacon and Island Man) or having to deal with prejudice against my size (The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping), I feel, through reading the poetry that I understand and sympathise greatly with people who have to deal with these things. The poems have given me a greater understanding of the culture of Grace Nichols and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading and working on them.

Monday, October 21, 2019

#FreelancerFriday #1 - Rebecca Faith, Editor

#FreelancerFriday #1 - Rebecca Faith, Editor #FreelancerFriday #1 - Rebecca Faith, Editor â€Å"In my experience successful authors are open to revision. It’s not easy to hear the eighty or ninety thousand words you’ve just poured your soul into are not up to par. But if you can leave a little bit of your ego behind and dive into the art, and find someone you trust to be there with you, I don’t think good authorship is beyond many people. It’s a form that invites participation for those who are willing to do the work.†Rebecca Faith is one of the members of Reedsy's advisory board, and also an outstanding editor.A quick anecdote that probably says more about Rebecca than any interview possibly could. The interview below is the first half-hour of our conversation. As I was thanking her, I mentioned that I didn’t want to take up any more of her time with questions about editing that would just be thinly-veiled attempts to find guidance with my own (pretty blocked) novel I’m working on. She pushed through my chronic shyness whe n it comes to talking about creative projects, and spent another half-hour, right there, listening patiently and dispensing insightful advice. Advice, by the way, that went way beyond any of the feedback I’d had from beta readers, best friends, anonymous message boards, and so on. It was neat to see someone almost spontaneously giving off editorial assistance. But you can meet her for yourself below.–REEDSYHow would you describe what an editor does for an author? It seem like the simple answer is â€Å"They edit,† but I wonder what you see that as consisting in. Some would see editing as just being fixing spelling mistakes.REBECCA FAITHSometimes it is. It really depends on the kind of editing we’re talking about. There’s a very nuts and bolts straightforwardness about proofreading and line editing. Those editors bring a level of professionalism and polish to written work, and you really can’t put a price tag on that. It’s very importa nt.But developmental editing or content editing has surged in prominence since self-publishing has become more popular. A good editor helps drawn an amateur into more professional ranks by offering a lot of insight about craft, character development, style, plot production, and so on. There’s a nice collaboration between good editors and authors that really teases out the creative process. The most succinct way that I could say this is a good editor helps an author inhabit their work more fully and helps them stretch beyond their perceived limits of skill.REEDSYI like that. You’ve identified the two very different parts of the editing process.REBECCA FAITHThere’s the technical side which is grammar, conventions, â€Å"How the hell do you use a semicolon?†; and there’s the subjective side: â€Å"Yes, you might have conceived your ideas and your characters in a particular way but I’m here to help you reach beyond the limits that you’ve imposed on your own imagination.† I don’t know that you can ever quantify that or articulate it without experiencing it first-hand, but that’s my best effort.REEDSYCould you talk about how talking to an author can be part of that process? It seems tricky to do a developmental edit working with the manuscript alone.REBECCA FAITHI think the face-to-face or phone-to-phone interaction is important. It’s more important for content editing or developmental editing because there’s a certain kind of idea exchange; where the characters or the content come alive. A good editor feels the reality of a book as strongly as the author does. If a particular passage feels awkward, or it’s not reading well, or there’s a continuity issue - meaning it’s not lining up with the rest of the book - a live chat gives us the opportunity to troubleshoot it. That’s very hard to do with just the page. I might say â€Å"This line of dialogue feels h ollow to me and I don’t now if you mean x, y, or z, but what’s being communicated to me is this.†The developmental work requires a live component, although I was resistant to that when I first started editing. It’s always quite nerve wracking to work with people and their art. It’s important to take the right tone and tack when you’re talking out things. Who am I say to say to an author â€Å"I don’t think your character would do this.† Thats a lot of ownership on my part. Face-to face work needs good editors who have a very cogent understanding of how to bring out an author’s best work while also pressing those limits that we talked about.REEDSYAre there limits on what an editor can do for an author?REBECCA FAITHAt some points I’ve had to say â€Å"Look the work is not good, the book is not good, and you should stop working on it. Let’s go back to some craft lessons, let’s talk about short stories, creative non-fiction, let’s learn how to write.† An editor can’t take an author who has no skills and no desire to revise, and make that person a better writer. So I suppose the limit of an editor is a closed mind. There’s not much you can do with someone whose work is atrocious but who doesn’t believe it, and who doesn’t trust in the curated opinion of an editor.An editor is like a chef. Good chefs have developed their palates: they’ve tasted everything, single ingredients, complex foods, they’ve honed their tongue like a fine-edged sword, and that sword can taste the difference between ‘tangy’ and 'sour.’ A good editor has honed their literary palate by reading everything: genres they love, genres they don’t; they’ve read craft books, they’ve read the Chicago manual, they read blogs about punctuation and they’ve developed a keen taste for what good writing is. Then, like a chef, they can transform that into any dish. A good chef can’t just cook one thing well, and a good editor can’t just edit one genre. Generally an editor is going to take that sophisticated palate and apply it across anything.The resistance is the diner who salts his food before he eats, who is not willing to taste and be led on a culinary journey. Authors who don’t want to open their eyes and their minds to their editor will never get better. The only limit of a truly excellent editor is an author who won’t release their mind to that help.REEDSYWhat’s the appeal of editing? I feel like most people told to sit in a room with unedited work would balk at that; do you like what you do?REBECCA FAITHI love what I do. I wanted to be an editor since other girls were dreaming of being ballerinas. I don’t think I had language for what I wanted to do; I just started hoarding red pens and hoping for the best. I love losing myself in line editing the same way others love losing themselves in doing the laundry. There are correct answers. There’s a certain comfort in that, it’s almost mathematical. Grammarians, people who truly love our language, can at once respect the rules of that language and acknowledge that language is a communicative tool; and so there’s also play within grammar. It’s not all cut and dry; there are moments where we break the rules.But my real pleasure as an editor is the developmental editing. Helping someone discover the work that lives in their soul is a privilege. Being in that space with an author who’s trying to give life to something that does not exist outside of their own mind is an incredible thing to witness, and I’m in awe every time.I’m working with a client now who came to me with a full completed draft. After the first three chapters I went to her and said â€Å"You know, this is really terrible. I think it’s not the story you want to tell; I th ink it’s just the story that occurred to you first.† We’ve been working together on a draft where you don’t even recognise where it came from. She’s working so hard and so well and so productively; she’s writing a book she won’t just be proud of but that people will love. Watching that happen, watching someone’s mind give life to things that are not there, that’s magic.So I suppose it takes a certain amount of creativity for someone to go into editing. You have to have a mind that sees potential where it’s hiding, but also a mind that makes space for someone else to roam around freely, and create. There’s a balance for good editors between offering structure, lending out my palate, and also sitting back and saying â€Å"What do you taste? What are you baking?† I’m a sous chef in the kitchen. It takes a certain kind of person to enjoy that behind the scenes work.REEDSYWhat makes a good developme ntal editor? It seems difficult to look at two people and tell who’s better. I’ve heard experience thrown around as a way of doing this.REBECCA FAITHI think experience is important. But there’s a balance between being the scaffolding, and then also the architect. A good developmental editor gives authors the structure they need to be free. If you’ve ever had to write an essay for a class, you’ll know writing for a prompt is much more directed than writing on 'a topic of your choice.’ That’s the death knell for a lot of people because it’s too much open space. A good developmental editor creates a structured place for an author to live in, creatively. They have no ego about their author’s work. As much as I invest in my authors work- and I feel the heartbeat of their characters and I care deeply about what happens to them - I have no desire to make that work my own. There’s a lack of covetousness with a good editor wherein you truly are working in service of another person’s artwork, and I think that’s a quality even experience can’t necessarily teach.REEDSYOnce you’ve engaged with a client and want to start an edit, what happens?REBECCA FAITHA lot of my clients have just an idea for a book. For those people we start with a one page synopsis, which is much much harder than you might imagine. For people who have a completed first draft I start reading and after 25 or 30 pages I edit and make margin notes. I send that work back to the author and then we talk. We talk about the work, we talk about the edits, about subjective and objective things; we do grammar lessons and we also talk about character motivation and how things are shaping up. Generally we’ll proceed along in that fashion until the end of the book. First drafts are generally extremely malleable and change very quickly. A lot of rewriting happens after a first draft so I’ll also guide write rs through rewriting, what’s interesting to me as a reader, questions they should be asking themselves about their characters, and we go through the work using it as a practicum for being a better writer and expanding the usefulness, utility and beauty of a manuscript.REEDSYSo what about when someone has just an idea?REBECCA FAITHThe line that I draw is that a substantive editing is based off a completed first draft, while in developmental editing we’re developing from an idea.In developmental editing, you come to me with an idea. We start by talking about it and I require a one-page synopsis. People spend months on a one-page synopsis. It makes plain where there’s not enough plot, which is often a problem - authors tend to have a pretty good handle on the beginning and end of a book, and the middle is a wasteland where forward momentum goes to die. The one page synopsis helps us hone in on conflict, character development, protagonists, antagonists; a lot can be accomplished within the confines of an 8.5" x 11" page. That usually requires a few hours of Skype conversation, a few drafts, a lot of brainstorming.From there we move into what I call chapter-snapshots. You get a short paragraph, maybe five or seven sentences, to articulate what happens in each chapter. Again, we’re trying to avoid the problem of authors getting off to a sprint when the race begins, then having an asthma attack laying down at the side of the road by chapter 12. That foundation-laying helps engage authors engage with and confront the problems of their work.After that we start writing. The snapshots are very productive, and usually make people feel pretty excited. The author has now done the work of creating some of that structure on their own, and it becomes much easier to then say â€Å"OK, I’m going to write chapter one† because you know where chapter one begins and ends/ Working within those structures I often find that people become much m ore creative. They might say â€Å"I started to write chapter one but it’s much more difficult than I expected because I had so many ideas while I was writing,† and then we revisit how those ideas integrate into the chapter snapshots and the synopsis.It’s very difficult to build on nothing, so once an author does the hard work of laying the foundation, the house goes up quicker than you might imagine.REEDSYSo there isn’t some place an author needs to be in before you can come in and help. You can be there at any stage of the project.REBECCA FAITHAnyone with even just the flame of desire to write a book can work with me. If someone comes to me and says â€Å"I want to write, but I don’t know what to write,† that’s OK. I start by asking that person what they like to read. I help them curate their own literary palate. I ask them what movies they like, what music they like; like, â€Å"What is your artistic profile?† Based on that I’ll make some recommendations about authors that are doing great work, and we’ll talk about books. We’ll talk about reading. I might give a couple of small writing assignments: free-write for me about someone in your office from the time they wake up to when they sit down at their desk.Writing is a thankless and difficult process. To anyone with the heart to do it I say bring it on. So many of us are limited in our ability to produce art. Not everybody has the skill or patience for an instrument, or we don’t have the balance and the grace for dance, and when we dip a paintbrush in paint we just end up with splatters on a canvas. But writing uses something that’s inborn. We all have this language. Because of the structure of writing, because of the structure of grammar and good story production, pages are just waiting to be filled. It does take some discipline, I’m not saying it’s easy - it’s the hardest work you can do in some ways, artistically. But it’s there if you have language. It’s a true laying bare of the soul, and anyone who’s willing to do that work is welcome to call me.REEDSYIf writing is a thankless and difficult process, is there a parallel for what you’d call the editing life?REBECCA FAITHEditing is not thankless! Editing is wonderful, in fact. I feel very close to my clients; by the end of our work many of them are friends. Editing is intimate process because, and this goes back to you asking about the qualities of a good editor, an editor mustn’t create shame; an editor has to actively quell embarrassment. The safe space that we create for our authors is a place where they can take risks and fall flat on their faces and not feel stupid about it. How many people have adult-to-adult conversations about sex, religion, ideology? These issues all come up in the course of creating three-dimensional characters. Authors and editors have to bring their whole his tories to the table and be comfortable with that. I’m very humbled by the collection of books I have at home where I’m mentioned in acknowledgements. I think editing is the long straw; I wouldn’t have it any other way. I find my work deeply gratifying.In my experience successful authors are open to revision. It’s not easy to hear the eighty or ninety thousand words you’ve just poured your soul into are not up to par. But if you can leave a little bit of your ego behind and dive into the art, and find someone you trust to be there with you, I don’t think good authorship is beyond many people. It’s a form that invites participation for those who are willing to do the work.REEDSYRevision is interesting, because it’s such an important part of writing, but it doesn’t apply to other uses of language; it would be insane to revise everything you say before you say it.REBECCA FAITHIt would, but think about the times you wish you could have taken it back! The thoughtfulness we can bring to writing is a double-edged sword; if you’ve ever read something overworked you know what I’m talking about. But putting work on a page is an opportunity for people to really lay bare a certain amount of soulfulness, look at it objectively and say â€Å"Who am I? What is this?† There’s so much value in that clarity. I think authorship is a process of self-discovery as much as it’s a process of discovering worlds that don’t exist yet.You invite an editor to accompany you and be a spirit guide. Editors who don’t take that privilege incredibly seriously should not be editors. It’s humbling to be entrusted with that privilege. I think people who want to write should write, and editors are out there who want to help.REEDSYWhen do you think the writing process ends? In traditional publishing it seems like it passes into the hands of the publisher. How would you talk about whe n a manuscript ends, for authors and for editors?REBECCA FAITHSome people say that work is never finished. I think that’s incorrect, and also very depressing.REEDSYLike, the idea that you don’t finish a novel, you put it away.REBECCA FAITHI think that’s just†¦ what an awful thing to say. I think work reaches a place where it’s take the form that we’ve imagined it to. We feel like the journey we’re talking about has ended. Our characters have completed their journey. The work has reached a level of polish that’s industry-standard and acceptable. There’s an objective level to that - is it free of errors, as error free as a work can be? We also have to look at our characters. Have they changed? Have they grown? Have they gotten from point A to point B? I think that’s our best view of what’s happening.REEDSYThanks Rebecca.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert Study Guide

A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert Study Guide â€Å"A Simple Heart† by Gustave Flaubert describes the life, the affections, and the fantasies of a diligent, kindhearted servant named Fà ©licità ©. This detailed story opens with an overview of Fà ©licità ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s working life- most of which has been spent serving a middle-class widow named Madame Aubain, â€Å"who, it must be said, was not the easiest of people to get on with† (3). However, during her fifty years with Madame Aubain, Fà ©licità © has proved herself to be an excellent housekeeper. As the third-person narrator of â€Å"A Simple Heart† states: â€Å"No one could have been more persistent when it came to haggling over prices and, as for cleanliness, the spotless state of her saucepans was the despair of all the other serving maids† (4). Though a model servant, Fà ©licità © had to endure hardship and heartbreak early in life. She lost her parents at a young age and had a few brutal employers before she met Madame Aubain. In her teenage years, Fà ©licità © also struck up a romance with a â€Å"fairly well off† young man named Thà ©odore- only to find herself in agony when Thà ©odore abandoned her for an older, wealthier woman (5-7). Soon after this, Fà ©licità © was hired to look after Madame Aubain and the two young Aubain children, Paul and Virginie. Fà ©licità © formed a series of deep attachments during her fifty years of service. She became devoted to Virginie, and closely followed Virginie’s church activities: â€Å"She copied the religious observances of Virginie, fasting when she fasted and going to confession whenever she did† (15). She also became fond of her nephew Victor, a sailor whose travels â€Å"took him to Morlaix, to Dunkirk and to Brighton and after each trip, he brought back a present for Fà ©licità ©Ã¢â‚¬  (18). Yet Victor dies of yellow fever during a voyage to Cuba, and the sensitive and sickly Virginie also dies young. The years pass, â€Å"one very much like another, marked only by the annual recurrence of the church festivals,† until Fà ©licità © finds a new outlet for her â€Å"natural kind-heartedness† (26-28). A visiting noblewoman gives Madame Aubain a parrot- a noisy, stubborn parrot named Loulou- and Fà ©licità © wholeheartedly begins looking after the bird. Fà ©licità © starts to go deaf and suffers from â€Å"imaginary buzzing noises in her head† as she grows older, yet the parrot is a great comfort- â€Å"almost a son to her; she simply doted on him† (31). When Loulou dies, Fà ©licità © sends him to a taxidermist and is delighted with the â€Å"quite magnificent† results (33). But the years ahead are lonely; Madame Aubain dies, leaving Fà ©licità © a pension and (in effect) the Aubain house, since â€Å"nobody came to rent the house and nobody came to buy it† (37). Fà ©licità ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s health deteriorates, though she still keeps informed about religious ceremonies. Shortly before her death, she contributes the stuffed Loulou to a local church display. She dies as a church procession is underway, and in her final moments envisions â€Å"a huge parrot hovering above her head as the heavens parted to receive her† (40). Background and Contexts Flaubert’s Inspirations: By his own account, Flaubert was inspired to write â€Å"A Simple Heart† by his friend and confidante, the novelist George Sand. Sand had urged Flaubert to abandon his typically harsh and satiric treatment of his characters for a more compassionate way of writing about suffering, and the story of Fà ©licità © is apparently the result of this effort. Fà ©licità © herself was based on the Flaubert family’s longtime maidservant Julie. And in order to master the character of Loulou, Flaubert installed a stuffed parrot on his writing desk. As he noted during the composition of â€Å"A Simple Heart†, the sight of the taxidermy parrot â€Å"is beginning to annoy me. But I’m keeping him there, to fill my mind with the idea of parrothood.† Some of these sources and motivations help to explain the themes of suffering and loss that are so prevalent in â€Å"A Simple Heart†. The story was begun around 1875 and appeared in book form in 1877. In the meantime, Flaubert had run up against financial difficulties, had watched as Julie was reduced to blind old age, and had lost George Sand (who died in 1875). Flaubert would eventually write to Sand’s son, describing the role that Sand had played in the composition of â€Å"A Simple Heart†: â€Å"I had begun â€Å"A Simple Heart† with her in mind and exclusively to please her. She died when I was in the middle of my work.† For Flaubert, the untimely loss of Sand had a larger message of melancholy: â€Å"So is it with all our dreams.† Realism in the 19th Century: Flaubert was not the only major 19th-century author to focus on simple, commonplace, and often powerless characters. Flaubert was the successor of two French novelists- Stendhal and Balzac- who excelled at portraying middle- and upper-middle-class characters in an unadorned, brutally honest manner. In England, George Eliot depicted hardworking but far-from-heroic farmers and tradesmen in rural novels such as Adam Bede, Silas Marner, and Middlemarch; while Charles Dickens portrayed the downtrodden, impoverished residents of cities and industrial towns in the novels Bleak House and Hard Times. In Russia, the subjects of choice were perhaps more unusual: children, animals, and madmen were a few of the characters depicted by such writers as Gogol, Turgenev, and Tolstoy. Even though everyday, contemporary settings were a key element of the 19th-century realist novel, there were major realist works- including several of Flaubert’s- that depicted exotic locations and strange events. â€Å"A Simple Heart† itself was published in the collection Three Tales, and Flaubert’s other two tales are very different: â€Å"The Legend of St. Julien the Hospitaller†, which abounds in grotesque description and tells a story of adventure, tragedy, and redemption; and â€Å"Herodias†, which turns a lush Middle Eastern setting into a theater for grand religious debates. To a large extent, Flaubert’s brand of realism was based not on the subject matter, but on the use of minutely-rendered details, on an aura of historical accuracy, and on the psychological plausibility of his plots and characters. Those plots and characters could involve a simple servant, a renowned medieval saint, or aristocrats from ancient times. Key Topics Flaubert’s Depiction of Fà ©licità ©: By his own account, Flaubert designed â€Å"A Simple Heart† as â€Å"quite simply the tale of the obscure life of a poor country girl, devout but not given to mysticism† and took a thoroughly straightforward approach to his material: â€Å"It is in no way ironic (though you might suppose it to be so) but on the contrary very serious and very sad. I want to move my readers to pity, I want to make sensitive souls weep, being one myself.† Fà ©licità © is indeed a loyal servant and a pious woman, and Flaubert keeps a chronicle of her responses to major losses and disappointments. But it is still possible to read Flaubert’s text as an ironic commentary on Fà ©licità ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s life. Early on, for instance, Fà ©licità © is described in the following terms: â€Å"Her face was thin and her voice was shrill. At twenty-five, people took her to be as old as forty. After her fiftieth birthday, it became impossible to say what age she was at all. She hardly ever spoke, and her upright stance and deliberate movements gave her the appearance of a woman made out of wood, driven as if by clockwork† (4-5). Though Fà ©licità ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s unappealing appearance can earn a reader’s pity, there is also a touch of dark humor to Flaubert’s description of how strangely Fà ©licità © has aged. Flaubert also gives an earthy, comic aura to one of the great objects of Fà ©licità ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s devotion and admiration, the parrot Loulou: â€Å"Unfortunately, he had the tiresome habit of chewing his perch and he kept plucking out his feathers, scattering his droppings everywhere and splashing the water from his bath† (29). Although Flaubert invites us to pity Fà ©licità ©, he also tempts us to regard her attachments and her values as ill-advised, if not absurd. Travel, Adventure, Imagination: Even though Fà ©licità © never travels too far, and even though Fà ©licità ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s knowledge of geography is extremely limited, images of travel and references to exotic locations figure prominently in â€Å"A Simple Heart†. When her nephew Victor is at sea, Fà ©licità © vividly imagines his adventures: â€Å"Prompted by her recollection of the pictures in the geography book, she imagined him being eaten by savages, captured by monkeys in a forest or dying on some deserted beach† (20). As she grows older, Fà ©licità © becomes fascinated with Loulou the parrot- who â€Å"came from America†- and decorates her room so that it resembles â€Å"something halfway between a chapel and a bazaar† (28, 34). Fà ©licità © is clearly intrigued by the world beyond the Aubains’ social circle, yet she is incapable of venturing out into it. Even trips that take her slightly outside her familiar settings- her efforts to see Victor off on his voyage (18-19), her journey to Honfleur (32-33)- unnerve her considerably. A Few Discussion Questions 1) How closely does â€Å"A Simple Heart† follow the principles of 19th-century realism? Can you find any paragraphs or passages that are excellent specimens of a â€Å"realist† way of writing? Can you find any places where Flaubert departs from traditional realism? 2) Consider your initial reactions to â€Å"A Simple Heart† and to Fà ©licità © herself. Did you perceive the character of Fà ©licità © as admirable or ignorant, as hard to read or totally straightforward? How do you think Flaubert wants us to react to this character- and what do you think Flaubert himself thought of Fà ©licità ©? 3) Fà ©licità © loses many of the people who are closest to her, from Victor to Virginie to Madame Aubain. Why is the theme of loss so prevalent in â€Å"A Simple Heart†? Is the story meant to be read as a tragedy, as a statement of the way life really is, or as something else completely? 4) What role do references to travel and adventure play in â€Å"A Simple Heart†? Are these references meant to show how little Fà ©licità © really knows about the world, or do they lend her existence a special air of excitement and dignity? Consider a few specific passages and what they say about the life Fà ©licità © leads. Note on Citations All page numbers refer to Roger Whitehouses translation of Gustave Flauberts Three Tales, which contains the full text of A Simple Heart (introduction and notes by Geoffrey Wall; Penguin Books, 2005).

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Reflection on Demonstrating a Skill Personal Statement

Reflection on Demonstrating a Skill - Personal Statement Example This paper is a reflection of a demonstration of a skill to a peer. I employed Gibbs' reflective cycle which is fairly straightforward and encourages a clear description of the situation, analysis of feelings, evaluation of the experience, analysis to make sense of the experience, conclusion where other options are considered and reflection upon experience to examine what I would do if the situation arose again. So while I was there at the clinic where I work, I figured there is someone I can help on some skills. Turns out that there was a student nurse who was in placement for the day, to assist and to observe, and to learn in the process. To prep up, I established some rapport with her so she would feel comfortable with me when the time comes that I would have to teach her some new skills. I also arranged and prepared the things that would possibly be necessary for the work ahead for the day, asking her assistance when necessary so she would become acquainted with them. The first patient arrived, a ten year old girl with her mom, and I greeted them with a smile to make them feel at ease. As a standard procedure, the patient's name was withheld in accordance with The Code of Professional Conduct (NMC 2002). While doing so, I introduced myself and the student nurse to the patient and her mother and explained exactly what my work entailed and what I was going to do. Afterwards, we checked the patient's health concern and apparently, the child is suffering from asthma from time to time and as an aid, she needs to know how to take her inhaler through a large volume spacer to help her with her condition. As such, she needed to know how to use the device so she can readily utilize it when the need arises. So in essence, I had three students watching me demonstrate how to use the device --- the patient, her mother and the student nurse. In this case, I utilized two teaching styles: patient-centered and student-centered. I showed them the device and demonstrated how to put the device together, how to use the spacer and how to maintain it. I did this in a relaxed and open manner to give them an impression that it is rather easy to do it, and then asked the patient to demonstrate back to me what I had just taught them. This is important to see if the patient has understood what has been conveyed to them. Kemm, et al (1995) states that a client is more likely to want to assimilate information that has been conveyed to them, if the planned learning is relevant and made interesting to the individual client. Besides the patient, I also asked the student nurse to demonstrate the skill back to me. In promoting learning in practice, mutual respect and valuing the merit of passing on nursing skills through practice-based learning is crucial (Glen and Parker, 2003). I also provided verbal guidance and encouragement to the patient and guided her when necessary. Role models, according to Morton-Cooper and Palmer (2002), provide an observable image for imitation, demonstrating skills and qualities for mentees to emulate. The patient's visit ended well and before she and her mother left, both of them assured me that they are already confident that they can utilize the device properly and with much practice, it is going to be easier after a while. Hopefully, the new skill helps the patient with easing her poor health condition. Truthfully speaking, I am fully aware that the teaching session went well. I would credit it to the fact that my mentors taught me

Friday, October 18, 2019

The health and sanitary conditions within womans prisons (United Essay

The health and sanitary conditions within womans prisons (United Kingdom) not mental health - Essay Example (Toolkit for health care needs assessment in prisons) A committee known as Friends World Committee for Consultation have been taking up the issue of criminal justice and caring about the conditions that prevail in the prison for the last 350 years of their existence in UK. This committee feels that particularly there is need to give importance to women and girls particularly female juveniles under the age group of 18 years, in the prison during their imprisonment period following trial. Also there added concern is also includes their stay in hostels or similar places like the prison or about the general health care conditions of the babies and children of imprisoned women when both the child as well as the mother are inside the prison. (Women in Prison and Children of Imprisoned Mothers Preliminary Research Paper) The reason for the emergence of such committees is to understand and make the issue of the conditions of women and girl prisoners inside the prison, and also to collect information and ideas to resolve the issues and analyze them better. It is generally felt that though both men and women are subjected to imprisonment, there has been little consideration about the care and various needs of the imprisoned women. This way of omitting the care taken on women prisoners could be due to the strength of the women prisoners that is the number of women prisoners are much lesser in number when compared to men. (Women in Prison and Children of Imprisoned Mothers Preliminary Research

Prison Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Prison Culture - Essay Example The inmate subculture shows the lives of inmates but it varies from one prison institution to another (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2009). Being deviants in society, the inmate subculture is often not in accordance with the values of society and is opposed to institutional rules. What may be regarded as deviant behavior and unacceptable in the free world is encouraged and rewarded inside prison walls (Clemmer, 1940) There are two theories that explain the formation of an inmate subculture (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2009). The first is the deprivation theory which states that the inmate culture is formed in response to the deprivations in prison life. The deprivations experienced by inmates are those of deprivation of liberty, autonomy and security, deprivation from the use of goods and services, and deprivation of heterosexual relationships (Sykes, 1958). The other theory is the importation theory which maintains that the inmates bring with them their subculture from the outside world. There ar e different types of inmate subculture as discussed by Irwin and Cressey (1962).

Decision-Making Models And Leadership Theories Of Wal-Mart Research Paper

Decision-Making Models And Leadership Theories Of Wal-Mart - Research Paper Example The leadership concepts and decision-making models will be critically analyzed. Wal-Mart is among the leading American multinational retail corporation that operates warehouses and discount stores (Nandagopal & Sankar, 2009). It has created numerous employment opportunities within the United States and across the world. However, a majority of its workers live below the poverty line due to its poor pay and poor styles of leadership. The company has been criticized by a number of groups such as labor unions. There have been protests against the company’s policies as well as business practices. Racial and gender intolerance is yet another area that sees the company face a lot of criticism Poor leadership is the main organizational problem that has affected the operations of the company. The leadership at the company has been involved in various unethical practices as well as failure to address the issues facing the employees. The management staff is the key stakeholders in the problem. This problem has been going on for a long period of time until a bribery scandal at the company was revealed in 2012. This problem is attributed to poor leadership at the company and it affecting the brand image of the company. The poor leadership at the company has impacted negatively on the other internal stakeholders within the company (Albareda, et al, 2008). The employees of the company have been greatly affected as the management has been unable to address their welfare problems. The employees are being paid poorly despite being subjected to a huge workforce. The values and behaviors of the organization have also been affected by the poor leadership. The ethical values of the org anization have been compromised by the widespread corruption at the company. The public image of the company has also been affected by the corruption scandals and poor leadership.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Ways of Seeing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Ways of Seeing - Essay Example This paper outlines that ways of seeing has seven essays that have been divided into two major forms. This includes; four essays that use words, images, and the remaining three that uses only images to illustrate given information or an idea. This book /video categorically illustrates that ‘seeing comes before words’. The way the child looks and recognizes before he or she can speak is an example that justifies the illustration that states that seeing comes before words. In another scenario, ways of seeing establishes the place in the surrounding world. We usually see the sun set in the evening and justify that the earth is turning away and this shows that explanation behind the scenario never quite fits the vista within our eyes. According to Fuery and Kelli, the key of dreams painting presentation shows how a gap exists between words and seeing.   From this essay it is clear that various scenarios have been portrayed in this book in regards to ways of seeing. The method of seeing however, encounters changes on an image perception. As established by various scholars, an image either can be recreated or reproduced to represent a set of appearance hence; suggesting that we use the word since all images are man-made. In regards to valuation of an image, it is therefore known that an image gives a value in response to its representation. In regards to the national gallery, the firm has reproduced several Leonardo’s cartoons like the Virgin and Child with St Anne and St.  

Pat Barker's novel Regeneration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pat Barker's novel Regeneration - Essay Example He has a cause for the fight, the heart for the fight, the will, grit and determination for the fight; and finally, to receive the rewards or punishment of the fight with a balanced mental attitude provided he lives through to fight another war! In fierce wars, the casualties-- death and wounded--are many. A solider obeys the commands and fights the war; he is not supposed to question the whys and the whereabouts related to the wars! In the novel, Barker introduces a soldier, S. Sassoon, who questions the merits of the war that he has been asked to fight. One of the important clauses of his protest letter as recorded by the author (1993, p.3) is: â€Å"I am not protesting against the conduct of the war, but against the political errors and insincerities for which the fighting men are being sacrificed.† Dr .River, though professionally a medical man, has his opinions about wars and the futility of using the brutal force by one section of the humankind against the other. The pat ient I choose to make an argument about how this awareness affects him is Siegfried Sassoon. The dilemma of Dr. Rivers is-- he is rendering a yeoman service to the country by healing soldiers, mostly by treating them for anti-war-complex which amounts to preparing them for another round of war. Once physically fit, they are bound to report for duty. Dr. River is not happy about the state of affairs.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Ways of Seeing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Ways of Seeing - Essay Example This paper outlines that ways of seeing has seven essays that have been divided into two major forms. This includes; four essays that use words, images, and the remaining three that uses only images to illustrate given information or an idea. This book /video categorically illustrates that ‘seeing comes before words’. The way the child looks and recognizes before he or she can speak is an example that justifies the illustration that states that seeing comes before words. In another scenario, ways of seeing establishes the place in the surrounding world. We usually see the sun set in the evening and justify that the earth is turning away and this shows that explanation behind the scenario never quite fits the vista within our eyes. According to Fuery and Kelli, the key of dreams painting presentation shows how a gap exists between words and seeing.   From this essay it is clear that various scenarios have been portrayed in this book in regards to ways of seeing. The method of seeing however, encounters changes on an image perception. As established by various scholars, an image either can be recreated or reproduced to represent a set of appearance hence; suggesting that we use the word since all images are man-made. In regards to valuation of an image, it is therefore known that an image gives a value in response to its representation. In regards to the national gallery, the firm has reproduced several Leonardo’s cartoons like the Virgin and Child with St Anne and St.  

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Teaching as an Act of Love Essay Example for Free

Teaching as an Act of Love Essay Antonia Darder presents a portrait of why Freire’s work as an educator was so influential in creating an understanding of education as an art. Teaching truly became an art when educators like Freire began to understand the importance of education in the movement of social change. The presence of love in the classroom, the type of love that is lively, forceful, challenging, and inspiring was the type of love that Darder thought was a lasting influence that Freire had on the field. She emphasized the conviction that Freire held in liberating students through education, he believed in the humanizing aspects of education. Freire believed that education was the tool for contributing to the human-ness of our political and economic existence as social beings. The article says that, â€Å"Freire exposed how even well-meaning teachers, through their lack of critical moral leadership, actually participate in disabling the heart, minds, and bodies of their students –an act that disconnects these students from the personal and social motivation required to transform their world and themselves† (498). The author argues that his greatest contribution to the field of education was his ability to be compassionate and his regard and concern for his students. The articles that we read this week discuss the concept of fear, but more importantly the ability to overcome and use the fear as a powerful force in the classroom. He said that it is the fear of freedom that affects the educator and creates a barrier in the classroom from the liberating practices that many educators believe are important. The way he describes the fear of freedom is the fear of being free from the status quo, the fear of the oppressed classes to realize a freedom from the oppressing classes. Freire thought that the experience of fear was a symbolic fight against the struggle that the liberating educators believe in. Freire said the experience of fear was important because it is a chance to recognize where the fear comes from, what it means, and how it can be used. He said that fear can be transformed into courage; the courage to make a move away from the status quo, our fear can be harnessed into a motivation. Teachers are affected personally by the relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed; the dominant ideology has such an influence over the subordinate classes that it affects educators because of the fear that they hold within. Freire’s experiences with oppression developed his political purpose, he wanted to create a liberatory practice to challenge the conditions that limit the capacity in the oppressed class to change the world and right the wrongs of social injustice. Freire hoped that educators would confront their fears and use their beliefs about the social structure to teach liberating lessons and influence the future. He thought the way for educators to teach the lessons in which they believed in was to work together, he believed in the power of solidarity to empower a political movement. Freire wanted educators to network and work with one another to emancipate students from the social inequalities of our time, through networking they could empower one another and give force to their beliefs. Darder introduces the term praxis – she describes it as the union of action and reflection. The teacher needs to have the ability to practice both of these aspects of education; only through action and reflection of the importance of the act of teaching will the ideas of critical pedagogy be realized. Reflection: This article made me feel a little better about the issues that we have been reading about throughout this course. The tone of most of the readings thus far has been negative and has made me feel pessimistic about the future of the educational system. The issues that our reading assignments have discussed seem to run so deep in our social consciousness that there is little hope in reversing the trends of social inequality. This fear makes becoming a teacher seem dismal; if all we have to hold onto on our road to teaching is the notion that the patterns of inequality are getting worse and the elites are becoming more powerful how are we as teachers supposed to do anything at all to help our students and ourselves. I enjoyed this weeks reading selections because it brought a defining focus upon the fear that teachers experience and gave a bit of advice on how to use the fear as a powerful force. I believe that the fear that Freire spoke of is one that is shared by many educators. It is a fear that does not diminish with time or experience, on the contrary, it eats at you as you plan your lessons, as you teach your students, and it goes home with you and stays with you outside of the classroom. Freire’s thoughts on the ability of the educator to channel the fear of being fired or being targeted as a radical into a powerful force was inspiring. It was great how he took something negative and turned it into a tool that can be used in a positive way, he encouraged educators to talk about it and network with one another to begin to express their political views about education. He said, â€Å"Acting alone is the best way to commit suicide† (485) and he hoped that instead of acting alone, teachers would work together in their fight. He argued that education is political in nature and this implies that the educator is a political being. I plan to sit quietly at meetings only long enough to have enough people on my side to be able to be heard when I want to speak up on an issue. Freire used the phrase â€Å"rock the boat† in this weeks readings, I use the phrase â€Å"rock the boat† all the time and I even used it in a recent conversation with my administrator. I was able to talk to her informally about a discrepancy I was having with the other members of my teaching team, and I told her, â€Å"I didn’t want to rock the boat. † She looked at me, smiled and laughed as she said, â€Å"Rock the boat! Rock the boat! † I was lucky enough to choose the right battle in this case and my administrator was on my side, I am so glad I did not let the fear of confronting the issue consume me.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Examining The Sentencing And Punishment Of Crime Criminology Essay

Examining The Sentencing And Punishment Of Crime Criminology Essay A sentence is a formal judgment pronouncing a specific punishment to be imposed for the conviction of a crime. It may involve the payment of a fine, community service, incarceration, or in capital offenses, the death penalty (Barlow, 2000). It also may consist of a term of probation or parole (although parole has been abolished in many states). Sentences may be meted out directly following the entry of a verdict or at a sentencing hearing scheduled for a later date. In the interim, prosecutors prepare a sentencing report which advises the court of the defendants prior criminal record, aggravating or mitigating circumstances, and other information about the defendant that may assist the court in deciding an appropriate punishment. There have been concerted efforts over the years to standardize the approach toward sentencing, particularly in felony offenses, and to diminish judicial discretion in sentencing. These efforts reflect a recurring perception by lawmakers and the public at la rge that arbitrary or discriminatory practices may interfere with fair and just sentencing in certain cases or for certain crimes. This paper will discuss sentencing, punishment as well as mens rea and actus reus. Judges, not juries, determine punishments for a crime (in capital punishment cases, the jury usually decides whether to recommend death or life in prison). The Eighth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution made applicable to the states by the Fourteenth Amendment provides that excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. In addition to the sentencing prohibitions contained in the Constitution, Title 18 of the United States Code, Part II (criminal procedure), Chapters 227 (sentences), 228 (death sentence), and 232 (miscellaneous sentencing provisions) also govern sentencing in federal courts (McAnany, August 2010). Most crimes are specifically enumerated in constitutions or statutes, and the provision that identifies the specific crime will also identify the appropriate punishment. For example, a statute may read, Violation of this statute constitutes a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 or imprisonment not to exceed thirty days, or both. Given this range of potential punishment, a judge will then consider certain aggravating or mitigating circumstances to determine where along the prescribed spectrum a particular criminals punishment should fall. Common factors considered by judges include: whether the offender is a first-time or a repeat offender, whether the offender was an accessory (helping the main offender) or the main offender, whether the offender committed the crime under great personal stress or duress, whether anyone was hurt, and whether the crime was committed in a manner that was unlikely to result in anyone being hurt, whether the offender was particularly crue l to a victim, or particularly destructive, vindictive, etc., and (sometimes) whether the offender is genuinely contrite or remorseful (Stuntz, 2004). Under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32(a), before imposing a sentence, the court must afford counsel an opportunity to speak on behalf of the defendant. The court will address the defendant personally and ask him if he wishes to make a statement in his own behalf and to present any information in mitigation of punishment. The attorney for the government will have an equivalent opportunity to speak to the court. Similar provisions are contained in most state procedural statutes and rules. In many state courts, a victim or the survivors of a victim may also have the opportunity to address the court and recommend leniency or strictness for the sentence. Under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the Three Strikes statute (18 U.S.C. 3559(c)) provides for mandatory life imprisonment if a convicted felon: has been convicted in federal court of a serious violent felony and has two or more previous convictions in federal or state courts, at least one of which is a serious violent felony. The other offense may be a serious drug offense. The statute goes on to define a serious violent felony as including murder, manslaughter, sex offenses, kidnapping, robbery, and any offense punishable by ten years or more which includes an element of the use of force or involves a significant risk of force (Schiraldi, Colburn, Lotke, 2004). The State of Washington was the first to enact a Three Strikes law in 1993. Since then, at least half of all states, in addition to the federal government, have enacted three strikes laws. The primary focus of these laws is the containment of recidivism (repeat offenses by a small number of criminals). Californias law is considered the most far-reaching and most often used among the states. In addition to three strikes laws, other state and all federal criminal statutes include mandatory sentences that require judges to impose identical sentences on all persons convicted of the same offense. Mandatory sentences are a direct result of state legislatures or Congress response to the public perception of judicial leniency or inconsistency in sentencing practices (Schiraldi, Colburn, Lotke, 2004). Most crimes do not carry mandatory sentences. When sentencing is not mandatory, the judge may fit the punishment to the offender instead of fitting the punishment to the crime. Current debates about criminal justice help to fuel the different approaches to sentencing and punishment. These approaches include the severity of punishment meted, and the specific objective sought by the punishment: retribution, some argue that the primary purpose of punishment should be to punish an offender for the wrong committed as opposed to societys vengeance against a criminal. The sentiment is to punish criminals and promote public safety by keeping them off the streets. Some believe that the primary purpose of punishment should be to rehabilitate criminals to change their criminal ways and to encourage the adoption of a more socially acceptable lifestyle. Most experts agree that this theory is commendable but not practical in prisons. Many criminals boast of coming out better criminals than they we re when they entered prison. Others argue that the perceived punishment for a crime should be so undesirable as to result in deterring someone from actually committing a crime for fear of the likely punishment. These theories are good, but many crimes are committed while the person is under the influence of alcohol and other drugs and the above mentioned approaches wouldnà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t help. Fear of punishment is usually not a deterrent under these circumstances (Hugo, 2010). Punishment is the imposition of something negative or unpleasant on a person in response to behavior deemed wrong by an individual or group. For a number of years, South Carolina operated under a fairly typical death penalty statute which provided for the ultimate penalty for a number of crimes including, but not limited to, murder, rape and kidnapping. The statute predicated the imposition of the death penalty in those situations where the jury made a finding of guilt without an affirmative recommendation of mercy (Hugo, 2010). Beginning in 1962, there was a moratorium on executions nationally even though the death penalty statutes remained in effect. In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Furman v. Georgia held that the imposition of the death penalty was unconstitutional in those situations where either the court or the jury had practically unfettered discretion to impose the ultimate penalty.    The Furman case, in effect, declared most death penalty statutes, including that of South Carolina, in effect to be unconstitutional (McAnany, August 2010). South Carolina joined thirty-four other states in changing their death penalty statutes to provide that under given circumstances the death penalty would be imposed mandatorily. Several people in South Carolina were sentenced under this statute, however, the judgment was not executed upon any prisoner and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in 1976, that while the death penalty was not per se unconstitutional, Greg v. Georgia, that each individual case should be considered upon its merit and that the imposition of the death penalty pursuant to a mandatory statutory scheme was unconstitutional and violate of the Eighth Amendment. The court went on to say that the trier of fact, whether it is the court or a jury, should be allowed to take into consideration conditions in mitigation and aggravation prior to the imposition of the ultimate penalty. This, the court reasoned, would require a two phase hearing in which the jury made an initial determination of guilt or innocence and then the same jury reconvened to take additional testimony as to those conditions in mitigation and aggravation and made a determination as to the punishment, Woodson v. North Carolina (1976) (Stuntz, 2004). Prior to June 1995, Section 24-3-530 of the South Carolina Code of Laws provided that all persons receiving the death penalty shall suffer such penalty by electrocution. Subsequently, the General Assembly amended Section 24-3-530. Effective June 8, 1995, persons sentenced to death may elect to suffer such penalty by lethal injection. However, the election must be made in writing fourteen days before the execution date or it is waived. If the person waives the right of election and the sentence was imposed prior to June 8, 1995, the penalty will be administered by electrocution. If the person waives the right of election and the penalty was imposed on or after June 8, 1995, the penalty will be administered by lethal injection (Stuntz, 2004). Mens rea and actus reus are legal terms used to define a crime. Both Mens rea and actus reus must be present for an accused to be found guilty of a crime (except for strict liability). Mens rea means that the person must have had a guilty mind at the time of committing the crime. That is they must have intended to commit the crime. Actus Reus means wrongful act meaning that the person must have committed an act that is defined as wrong by law. Several common law jurisdictions define act differently but generally, an act is a bodily movement whether voluntary or involuntary. In Robinson v. California, 370 U.S. 660 (1962), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a California law making it illegal to be a drug addict was unconstitutional because the mere status of being a drug addict was not an act and thus not criminal (Kendall, 2009). The sentence is the final act of a judge ruled process. A sentence usually involves imprisonment, a fine, or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime. Changes in sentencing law and policy, not increases in crime rates, explain most of the six-fold increase in the national prison population. These changes have significantly impacted racial disparities in sentencing, as well as increased use of one size fits all mandatory minimum sentences that allow little consideration for individual characteristics. The progress of civilization has resulted in a change in the theory and in the method of punishment. In the past punishment was left to the individuals wronged or their families, and was vindictive or retributive: in quantity and quality it would bear no special relation to the character or gravity of the offense. This paper discussed sentencing, punishment as well as mens rea and actus reus.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Gardens Essay -- Environment, Nature and Culture, Landscape

Throughout the history of mankind, the gardens have been created to feed the spirit. The landscape is a relationship between nature and culture; it expresses who we are and where we from. Furthermore, landscape architecture advances along with society and it adjust to the change of their tastes and way of life. It is at first hand the search for a balance of adapting the environment and the advance society. We can observe the different styles and designs process each culture has, simply by looking at what kind of elements, plants, and regulations it uses. For example in the United States a designer takes into consideration the ADA regulations while in Mexico they don’t, which will result in a different design approach. This means that we might witness a similar design containing a bridge crossing through a pond but one design might incorporate railings and the other one will not. This tells us how one society values the importance of incorporating safety and handicap accessi bility just by using different elements. The following essay intends to discuss how culture can contribute to the design of an exterior space and how it’s reflected in the work of a landscape architect. To accomplish this task I am going to look at two landscape architects from different regions and witness how diverse but also how unified they are to each other by looking at the way they incorporate elements from their culture and other societies. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE IN BRAZIL The first landscape architect that I choose to accomplish my task is Burle Marx. Troguhout his life he designed hundreds of private and public space which helped him get recognized and obtain comitions throughout Latin- America, United States, and across the continent. Burle ... ...Because of the importance of the location of the site the designer took into consideration the culture aspect of the area. The Olympic forest Park combines the traditional Chinese landscape and the feng-shui philosophy with the contemporary design concepts and techniques. Two crucial traditional elements used were the mountain and water feature, these were incorporated in the planning and design of the Olympic Forest Park. An artificial mountain was created and dragon-shape lake flowing along the axis was designed. The mountain designed is called Yandshan Mountain, to accomplish the design of this mountain the designer analyze other important mountains around Beijing. On the south entrance, large stones are located throughout the plaza. the overall design includes rich landforms, mountain chain, islands, and downhill streams that offer diverse eco-habitats (Jie).