Foundations of Mythology Short Answers Essay

How is the word myth used popularly? For example, what does the statement, â€Å"It’s a myth† mean? In contrast, how is the word myth used in the academic context? After considering the definition in your textbooks and course materials, write a definition in your own words. The word myth is used popularly, for example the statement, â€Å"It’s a myth† generally means that is untrue or a lie. The term myth means is that certain events or stories are embellished and unfounded on the basis of common societal knowledge. They are legends and they are things that seem outrageous, but are not necessarily true. The one I go back to over and over is the picture of the camel spider from Iraq. It was supposed to be a two foot spider that would attach to people without them ever knowing until it was too late. The internet has allowed for many of these fabrications to take hold and become something of an internet urban legend. The word myth in an academic context refer s to stories from the past. I am drawn to Greek mythology where stories are told of outrageous human beings as they are involved with gods and learn life lessons. I think a myth is meant to be a teaching vessel. Why do myths from different cultures around the world address such similar or universal themes? Think about how myths explain the unknown and the tribulations of mankind. People need to know who they are and where they come from and what is their purpose in life. Questions like why the world exists and how it was created. These myths have been passed down from ages throughout history. Each culture has an explanation of creation and the beginning of mankind. From man being created by the God’s from the dust of the earth to the great Zeus the creator of all things. These explain many of the questions that humans have relating to creation and purpose. What is the relationship between belief, knowledge, mythology, and religion? Where do mythology and religion intersect? Where do they diverge? Think a bout the function of myth and religion in helping human beings cope with change, suffering, loss, and death. The relationship between belief, knowledge, mythology, and religion  are all based on an idea of knowing, teaching, and learning to be the best person that you can possibly be. I know this may sound a bit optimistic, but I think that part of living life is to become the best person that one can be. I think that believing something is based on a personal confidence. I think that knowledge is based on a concept of personal improvement. I think that mythology is based on a concept of historical teaching and I think that religion is based on an attempt to find personal peace and personal enlightenment. Where do religion and mythology intersect? They are each historical teachings that are meant to help a person become a better person. The human being will go through a variety of cycles throughout their lives. This will include coping with change, suffering, loss, death, and happiness. What these are meant to do is help a person deal with all of the changes that they are undergoing. How would you defend mythology’s relevance in contemporary culture? Think about familial and cultural traditions. Also, consider how mythology is used in the arts and in advertising to typify human experience. They could be defended by what they are attempting to teach. They are meant to help a person deal with the challenges that take place throughout everyday life. Life is challenging and life is hard. Myths can be defended and should be defended because they are meant to help a person deal with the challenges that take place throughout the hardships of life. When we consider the familial and cultural traditions they are important because they offer insight to historical perspective. They allow us to see how much society has changed and how much people have remained the same in regards to their conflicts and problems. Typifying the human experience is an example. Who could say that our society is not filled with mythology as it is? I think that it is entirely. Movies, books, stories and visual images are all modern mythology. Who is to say that centuries from now societies won’t look back on our culture today and view our movies and books as we view myths and cave art? It’s interesting to think about.

God’s Foreknowledge and the Problem of Evil Essay

In his essay[1] on the possibility of God’s having middle knowledge of the actions of free agents and the relationship of that knowledge, if it exists, to the problem of evil,[2] RM Adams discusses two questions: firstly, whether middle knowledge is possible, even for God, and secondly, whether God could have made free creatures who would always freely do right. These questions highlight the importance of trying to understand how much God knows about the future and the relationship of the answer to that question with the problem of evil. In the present essay I review four major possible views of God’s foreknowledge and highlight their strengths and weaknesses, paying particular attention to Adams’ arguments on Middle Knowledge which lead to his conclusion that there is reason to doubt its possibility. I then review Adams’ arguments about its impact on the problem of evil and, having concluded, as he does, that, middle knowledge being available or not, permitting some evil in order to allow creatures to have free will may contribute to a theodicy but not complete it, I consider how this situation might be improved by accepting that the future is at least partly open. The problem The problem of evil has been the subject of theological dispute for centuries. If God is, as the traditional Christian view would have it, omniscient, omnipotent and perfectly good, how come there is evil in the world? Such a God, the argument goes, would not only wish to dispel evil from the world, but, since he can do anything, he would have done so. Since he clearly has not, either he is not able to do so or he does not care, or perhaps he doesn’t exist. While arguments such as the above call into doubt the possibility of God’s being at once omnipotent and perfectly good, the problem of evil is also closely related to the issue of his omniscience, in particular to his foreknowledge. If God knows everything about the future, including what choices between good and evil I will make, am I really free to make those choices? But does God actually know everything, particularly about contingent future events? There are many views of the God’s foreknowledge; I will consider four principal ones. The Simple Foreknowledge View. This view holds that God knows all truths and believes no falsehoods, or as Hunt puts it ‘God has complete and infallible knowledge of the future’[3], a simple statement and one which is subject to some serious objections. In the context of this essay the most important objection is that it would appear to negate the possibility of human freedom. As Augustine’s interlocutor, Evodius, says, ‘since God foreknew that he [Adam] was going to sin, his sin necessarily had to happen. How then is the will free when such inescapable necessity is found in it? ’[4] Augustine then argues that ‘God’s foreknowledge does not force the future to happen†¦. God foreknows everything that he causes but does not cause everything that he foreknows†¦ sin is committed by the will not coerced by God’s foreknowledge. ’[5] If God did cause or coerce Adam to sin he would be exempt from blame but, Hunt maintains, following Augustine, the simple fact of God’s knowing in advance what Adam (and more generally, we) will do does not constitute coercion. It is true that God’s foreknowing†¦ leaves Adam with no alternatives†¦ But the mere absence of alternatives is irrelevant†¦ simply knowing what the person will do is not an interference of any sort, and its implications for free agency are benign. ’[6] Hunt’s view is that we should ‘trust our intuition’ that Adam is deprived of alternatives but not free will. For me however, this is not my intuition. This and similar arguments elsewhere appear to be doing little more than restating the problem, and do not provide a satisfactory escape route. The problem is one of logic not theology. If it is inevitable, foreknown infallibly, that I will do A then it is not in reality an option for me not to do A. I might think that I am choosing between A and not-A, but if God knows which I will choose then in reality I am deluded: there is no possibility of my choosing not-A and if I don’t have any choice this also seems to remove any possibility of blame or responsibility for my actions. How can I be held responsible for an action which I could not avoid doing? Worse, since I do things which patently are evil and could have been avoided if I really had free will, it is arguable that God himself is responsible for, or at least knows in advance and allows to happen, the evil that I do. In addition to the free-will problem, proponents of the simple foreknowledge view have to explain what we are doing when we pray. Are we asking God to change the future? And if he does graciously agree to change it, would that not mean that he was wrong when he earlier knew, supposedly infallibly, what the future was to include before he changed it? It is an important part of this view of God that he believes no falsehoods, but if our prayers have any effect, that would seem to entail the falsehood of God’s earlier beliefs about that particular aspect of the future. It should be noted at this point that the simple foreknowledge view is fully compatible with the Christian understanding of God’s being outside time. I will return to this later, but sacrificing or compromising this understanding would be a heavy price to pay for many Christian theologians. These objections taken together seem to me to make simple foreknowledge, without some considerable modification, incompatible with an understanding of humans as responsible agents. The other views I discuss below attempt in different ways to make sufficient modifications to deal with this problem while remaining true to scripture. I should of course consider the possibility that, in coming to this conclusion about the difficulties of the simple foreknowledge view, I have not understood the question. Could it be that what I mean by either ‘free ill’ or ‘knowledge’ is somehow different to what generations of theologians have meant? For myself, I maintain that my action is free if I could do otherwise than what I actually decide to do and, crucially, no-one else knows in advance what I will decide to do, not even God. And knowledge in this context can be taken as ‘justified true belief’ which is just the sort of knowledge that God is supposed to have infallibly. It seems that simple foreknowledge is not to be rescued by recourse to a dictionary. The Augustinian-Calvinist View This view, as expounded by Helm,[7] does indeed depend on a careful compatibilist definition of ‘free will’ which enables him to argue that it is not necessary to accept either a modified, reduced account of omniscience, or that human agents are not responsible for their actions. Here ‘compatibilism’ is the view that free will is compatible with causal determinism, a view that Helm maintains was explicitly held by the later Augustine (probably as a result of further thought compared with his earlier writings) and implicitly by Calvin. The latter is evidenced firstly by the distinction he drew between necessity and compulsion, and secondly by his successors’ taking a similar view of free will, calling it the liberty of rational spontaneity while denying the liberty of indifference. [8] Helm distinguishes three concepts of God’s foreknowledge. One is causal in the sense used by Aquinas: God’s knowledge is the cause of things and on this view there is no distinction between what God causes and permits since God foreknows all events and therefore must cause them all. There is an inference from this that God causes future evil but Aquinas is said to have allowed the concept of divine permission whereby God is said to know of it but not cause it. More on that later. The second sense has God’s foreknowledge logically subsequent to his decree and is simply the knowledge of that decree before it takes effect in time, and the third is the reverse of this, with the foreknowledge logically prior to his decree. His arguments entail one or other of the first two senses, but not the third. Based on these starting points Helm raises three arguments in support of the Augustinian position. First there is the role of God’s grace. The argument between those who believe and those who do not believe that God’s foreknowledge is compatible with human incompatibilism, Helm says, is not about the nature of God or of human freedom but about the relationship between God and humankind. Divine grace and free, incompatibilist choice can only be causally necessary for a person’s coming to faith, but not causally sufficient since, given our libertarian will, we could resist such grace and it would not therefore ensure its intended effect. However, scripture tells us that saving grace is irresistible and, when received, liberating: it alone, according to Augustine, ensures true human freedom,[9] and the inference is that such grace is therefore sufficient. The obvious objection here is that some people clearly do resist God’s saving grace, an objection that Helm does not deal with effectively. Secondly there is an argument based on divine perfection as reflected in his omnipotence and omniscience. Helm asks rhetorically how God knows of the causes of evil actions if he is not the cause of them, and quotes Augustine’s answer that God, for the highest reasons (which are at present unknown to us) knowingly permits particular evil actions. 10] In a rather obscure passage, Helm appears to argue as follows: (1) it is theologically desirable that God’s foreknowledge should be as complete as may reasonably be assumed and we should therefore assume that he does foreknow his free creatures freely willed actions; (2) If compatibilism is true then God can foreknow these actions and therefore (3) compatibilism is true. [11] However, as Hunt points out, this is fallacious and Helm should have argued for (2’) If compatibil ism is not true then God cannot foreknow†¦ but he has not done so. Finally Helm argues that God’s omniscience is logically inconsistent with human incompatibilist freedom. He supposes as an example that God foreknew yesterday the truth of the proposition ‘Jones will freely eat a tuna sandwich tomorrow. ’ That foreknowledge is now in the past and is therefore necessary, not logically but accidentally or historically, and therefore it entails the necessity that Jones will eat the tuna sandwich; that putatively free act cannot therefore be free. In that case divine omniscience is inconsistent with incompatibilist freedom. 12] Helm admits that this argument really only works with the assumption that God is in some fashion inside time for ‘yesterday’ and ‘tomorrow’ to have any force. [13] In summary, Helm believes his arguments have made the broadly Augustinian case that divine foreknowledge and human freedom are consistent, but I am hard-pressed to see that any of my objections to the simple foreknowledge argument are any less forceful in response to Helm. My logical worry and the problem of prayer remain, but these are supplemented by the acknowledged need for God to be temporal, at least for part of the argument to be successful. The Middle-Knowledge View This view is that espoused by Luis de Molina, a 16th century Spanish Jesuit theologian, who drew a distinction between three kinds of knowledge that, in his view, God possesses[14]. Firstly, Molina said, God possesses ‘natural knowledge’, that is a knowledge of all necessarily true propositions, such as ‘two plus two equals four’. Since such truths are necessary, nobody, not even God, can make them false. Secondly, God possesses ‘free knowledge’, that is knowledge of all contingent truths that are within his control, but which could have been false under different conditions,. For example ‘I am interested in philosophy’ is a contingently true proposition but God could have brought it about that it was false. Finally, Molina proposes that God possesses ‘middle knowledge’ (so called because it is in-between God’s natural and free knowledge), that is, knowledge of contingent propositions which are true but beyond his control. The most important items of middle knowledge for the purpose of this discussion are the ‘counterfactuals of freedom’ which describe what people would freely do if placed in various possible situations. This is relevant to the problem of evil because ‘it might seem that if God has middle knowledge, He could have secured creatures sinless but free by just creating those that he knew would not sin if allowed to act freely. ’[15] In his discussion of middle knowledge[16] Craig indicates its power and why it is so attractive in the discussion of free will and the problem of evil. If it is true that God has middle knowledge as described above, this not only makes room for human freedom but it gives God scope to choose which free creatures to create and bring about his ultimate purposes through free creaturely decisions. He adduces three lines of argument in support of it – biblical, theological and philosophical. [17] Biblical arguments: Craig uses the example of David and Saul: [18] David is in the Jewish city of Keilah and asks God through an ephod[19] if Saul will attack him there and whether the men of Keilah would give him up to Saul to save their lives. God answers affirmatively to both questions, whereupon Saul heads for the hills, with the result that Saul does not need to besiege the city and the men of Keilah do not need to betray him to Saul. It is clear, says Craig, that the bible passage shows that God has counterfactual knowledge, although he admits that this does not show conclusively that he has middle knowledge. He goes on to accept that biblical exegesis is not enough to settle the matter. [20] Theological arguments: Craig says that ‘the strongest arguments in support of the Molinist perspective are theological’[21] but gives no direct support for this other than to wax lyrical on the power of middle knowledge in theological argument on a range of issues. This may be correct, given the existence of middle knowledge, but that is what we wish to test. Philosophical arguments: Craig asserts that divine foreknowledge and future contingents are compatible ‘for the simple reason that Scripture teaches both’[23] (a theological rather than philosophical statement of course) and goes on to discuss the basis of such foreknowledge. He builds an argument about freedom of action, concluding that ‘from God’s knowledge that I shall do x, it does not follow that I must do x, only that I shall do x. That is in no way incompatible with my doing x freely. ’[24] This is really just a restatement of the problem of free will and Craig does little more here than reassert its truth. Craig’s final conclusion is that ‘philosophically, omniscience†¦ entails knowledge of all truth and, since counterfactuals of creaturely freedom are true logically prior to god’s creative decree, they must therefore be known by God at that logical moment. Therefore we should affirm that God has middle knowledge. ’

Architectural Branding Essay

The 4P’s have been extended to 7P’s namely: Price, Place, Promotion, People, Physical Evidence and Process. Architectural Branding is an important element of Physical Evidence very strongly prevailing in International Brands e. g. Calvin Klein, Nike town, D&G, Prada etc. With the changing Indian Market scenario and customer awareness Indian Brands have now realised to incorporate the culture of Architectural Branding as an important brand element. Possibly Brands like Colour Plus, Wills Lifestyle, Sepia also are trying to incorporate the concept of Architectural Banding. Therefore through an exploratory research on the related topics of branding it was felt that architectural branding will help us in the long run in the industry and would widen our horizon of knowledge. Down the line I felt that this concept would be taught to us in our course curriculum of Fashion Management. Through this topic of Architectural Branding we would get to learn about basics of Architecture, Interior Design and Design Space and relating these subjects to the Market Research and Consumer Behaviour. Information Needed ? Introduction to Architectural Branding Concepts of Architecture †¢ Material †¢ Types of Structure ? Architecture in Retail †¢ Exteriors †¢ Interior Design †¢ Store Layout, Design &

Discussion board 2.2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion board 2.2 - Essay Example The target behavior is one upon which people want to emphasize upon the behavior in essence. Similarly this is measurable and observable at the same time, and is stated within an operational capacity. Hence behavior is important to ascertain because it mentions the significant pointers that are a part of the human life. Behavior is hard to define due to a number of issues because its impacts are either short term based or one for the long term. Behavior leads towards practicing a general act or form that demands a change in attitude (Parnaudeau, 2011). There are a number of examples that have been mentioned in the power point, all of which have one context or the other as far as work manifestations are concerned for the human beings. The examples suggest the basis of success as to how the power point lists down the behavioral regimes and what kind of changes would be deemed as successful right from the onset of one such understanding. The power point also mentions the basis of the AB Cs of behavior which are clearly distinguished by the antecedent, the behavior and the consequence. These tenets list down the significant pointers which play a very imperative role at the formation of the ABCs of behavior in this day and age.

Analyze The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analyze The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - Essay Example This message of warning is clearly conveyed in Franz Kafka’ ‘The Metamorphosis.’ Both Davies and Kafka seem to have the same theme, albeit in different ways. The following paragraphs shall briefly analyze Kafka’s work and explore its relevance in today’s world, its meaning, and the importance of the story in the twenty-first century, and usefulness of the story in this context. Very briefly put, the story of ‘The Metamorphosis’ deals with, as the name indicates, the dramatic transformation of an ordinary sales executive Gregor Samsa, into a fly-like insect, and the struggle to come to terms with this reality. His shock is evident, and he wonders â€Å"What’s happened to me† (source, 1). Samsa reveals himself to be a classic example of today’s stressed personalities; â€Å"the problems of travelling, the worries about train connections, irregular bad food, temporary and constantly changing human relationships, which never come from the heart† (Source, 1). This is very relevant to current day world wherein many of us travel long hours to our workplaces, and meet unknown new people everyday, eat unhealthy food, counting the profits and settling the bills, with no respite or diversion, to the extent of forgetting all else. Very much like Samsa, we devote no time to stop and review our needs and take stock of our situati on from time to time. Thus we are apt to be as shocked and highly unlikely to accept or adapt any change or transformation in our monotonous, routine schedules. The meaning of the story is quite explicit. Man’s excessive pursuit of material comforts only makes him lead tension filled, unhealthy eating habits, encourages fickle mindedness in his mind, and makes him restless, literally like the ‘bug’ that Samsa is transformed into. If man does not change from this – his chosen path of ruin, then he is likely to lose those very characters that make him human, and reduce him-self to the state of being an irritable,

History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

History - Assignment Example Preparation of United States was scornfully insufficient for the warfare. Disasters occurred at the part of America as the force leaded by General William Hull had to surrender to the Canadian force headed by Isaac Brock. Then again the American Army showed good performance on the seas. Constitution achieved victory over Guerrià ¨re and Macedonian was taken over by America and these two are considered the most glorious achievements of the warfare although in 1813 the British supremacy was established on the sea war. In 1813, September, America got the victory at Lake Erie and it paved the path of advancements of United States against the rivals. During the initial months of the year 1814 the economical condition and the supply of resources suffered decline which made the prospects gloomy for America. New England took a hostile approach and Napoleon came back to Europe which helped Britain to invest more power in the ongoing war. In 1814, September, the British fleet was conquered ne ar Plattsburgh. In the month of August the British army made an expedition to the Chesapeake Bay and won at Bladensburg. They burnt the White house and the capitol city Washington. But the victory of Britain was stopped at Fort McHenry near Baltimore. The force of Jackson moved towards New Orleans in Louisiana in the month of November, 1814. Within the period of December 1814 to January 1815, the city was defended from the huge British force headed by â€Å"Major-General Sir Edward Pakenham†. After the â€Å"Treaty of Ghent† the british army stopped further attacks on New orleans. According to Madison US was very much capable of defending themselves and also to capture a large share of Canada at the time of Napoleon’s defeat. Canadian colonies did not have much force from the British. The problems of the Northwestern Frontier were resolved temporarily by the â€Å"Jay Treaty†

Is independence consistent with Scotland keeping the pound Essay

Is independence consistent with Scotland keeping the pound - Essay Example de â€Å"The Euro†, â€Å"A new Scottish currency† and â€Å"keeping Pound as a part of a formal sterling currency union.† The UK government argued in this regard that after independence, the economies of Scotland and rest of the UK might start to vary due to certain imperative factors encompassing the formulation along with the execution of the above-discussed policies, fluctuating interest rates and incessantly transforming financial conditions among others (Webb 2-15). It would be vital to mention that the aforementioned factors eventually erupts the question concerning whether independence is consistent with Scotland keeping the Pound. Scottish independence is not simply a subject matter of constitutional sovereignty. It can be apparently observed in this similar concern that there are certain states, particularly in Europe, which are legally sovereign but possess minimal scope towards administering themselves. In this regard, the social arrangement of Scotland represents that the political behaviour of the state has become quite converged in recent days, as compared to the earlier years. Notably, Scotland, among other European states, experienced massive deindustrialisation, owing to which the economy of the state became excessively reliant on consumer spending and on an exaggerated housing market as well. Thus, the sovereignty of Scotland emphasised augmenting public finances and endeavouring towards enhancing the ability of affording a liberal welfare state and most vitally, enriching the public services. It has been argued by the nationalists in this similar concern that Scotland, with its sovereign power, wou ld be able to manage as well as utilise the accessible resources efficiently with the incorporation of various activities that may comprise balancing revenues with international trade, coping with the fluctuations concerning interest rates and contributing extensively towards raising wealth funds (Keating 1-16). It has often been argued that Scotland is

Public Relations in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Public Relations in Business - Essay Example " According to two American PR professionals Scott M. Cutlip and Allen H. Center, "PR is a planned effort to influence opinion through good character and responsible performance based upon mutual satisfactory two-way communication". Corporations use marketing public relations (MPR) to convey information about the products they manufacture or services they provide to potential customers to support their direct sales efforts. Typically, they support sales in the short and long term, establishing and burnishing the corporation's branding for a strong, ongoing market. Corporations also use public-relations as a vehicle to reach legislators and other politicians, seeking favorable tax, regulatory, and other treatment, and they may use public relations to portray themselves as enlightened employers, in support of human-resources recruiting programs. Non-profit organizations, including schools and universities, hospitals, and human and social service agencies, use public relations in support of awareness programs, fund-raising programs, staff recruiting, and to increase patronage of their services. Politicians use public relations to attract votes and raise money, and, when successful at the ballot box, to promote and defend their service in office, with an eye to the next election or, at career's end, to their legacy. PR has had many definitions over... Typically, they support sales in the short and long term, establishing and burnishing the corporation's branding for a strong, ongoing market. Corporations also use public-relations as a vehicle to reach legislators and other politicians, seeking favorable tax, regulatory, and other treatment, and they may use public relations to portray themselves as enlightened employers, in support of human-resources recruiting programs. Non-profit organizations, including schools and universities, hospitals, and human and social service agencies, use public relations in support of awareness programs, fund-raising programs, staff recruiting, and to increase patronage of their services. Politicians use public relations to attract votes and raise money, and, when successful at the ballot box, to promote and defend their service in office, with an eye to the next election or, at career's end, to their legacy. PR has had many definitions over the years and since its early boom days of the 1980s has almost entirely redefined itself. This is probably because most clients these days are far too media-savvy to think that fluffy ideas and champagne parties constitute a good media service (of course this is a good thing, but we do still like a good champagne party). PR these days is often misunderstood, and it's probably the fault of the PR industry itself that most people aren't sure where PR is supposed to stop and marketing, advertising, branding and all the other media services begin. Put very simply, good PR encourages the media (newspapers, magazines, TV and radio) to say good things about your product/service or whatever it is that you want to promote so that more people buy your

Resume,letter,executive summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Resume,letter,executive summary - Essay Example I graduated in year 2009 with a degree in Electrical Engineering, minor in telecommunications applications. I took the state exam for Electrical Engineer Licensure in April of 2010 and passed with the grade of 93.8%. Although I do not have any substantial experience as a licensed Engineer just yet, I have had exposure working for an Engineering firm in 2009, whereby as was tasked to coordinate directly with the resident Electrical Engineers and to provide the necessary assistance in their operations. Some of the projects I was involved in are on semiconductors and vector works. Though limited as my hands on exposure could be, I believe that I was able to gain a considerable amount of knowledge to equip me as I take on my first real job after graduating and obtaining my license. The skills and expertise of an Electrical Engineer are required in construction projects, particularly on the assembly of electrical and electronic systems needed to mobilize the construction team, and post-project to provide the structure the needed electrical system to function according to its design. The person to hold an entry level Electrical Engineer position is not really expected to have intermediate experience on circuit breakers, transformers, induction motors, and other equipment. However, he must have basic knowledge on the principles and basic know hows. He must be able to discuss the principles and apply the concepts as he is prepared to go hands on later on after a period of immersion. Electrical Engineers in an entry level position are expected to assist in the design, implementation, maintenance and improvement of electrical instruments, facilities, products and equipment for various purposes, including commercial, domestic, and industrial purposes. They are also expected to be knowledgeable on the operations of computer-assisted engineering and design software to perform tasks needed to complete a project. As these personnel are still starting up their

Group Leadership Project Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Group Leadership Project Reflection - Essay Example In short, the male-superiority power. Even now in so many countries of the world, especially the third-world countries, women are beaten and thrown in dark rooms. This has given men the nerve to regard women as the followers and not as the leaders. Nevertheless, the women of today have fought tooth and nail to change that ideal and establish themselves also as the leaders. They have same or even better qualifications as men. They have equally better opportunities as men to come forward, and so now they are almost seen as the leaders of the new-world. Today women acquire all leaders’ positions as lawyers, professors, ministers, though not without difficulty. What worked well: Researches, who wanted to work for women and in their favor, and wanted to escalate their position to leaders, have struggled to define leadership qualities that were needed in general, and were possessed by women in particular. Importance of leadership is evident from how well the organization handled by that leader is managed, employee performance and success of the organization. There is also a form of leadership termed as emotional leadership. The women have been found to be better at this leadership as they are more emotionally able to penetrate their colleagues. The women are more attached to their families and so they are opted more and more for these positions. As women are just as competent as men in all fields of work so they are taking part in all possible fields too, like technical, educational and political. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 established a concept of glass-ceiling. According to this, women are able quire good to and safe positions in any... According to the report findings the women of today have fought tooth and nail to change that ideal and establish themselves also as the leaders. They have same or even better qualifications as men. They have equally better opportunities as men to come forward, and so now they are almost seen as the leaders of the new-world. Today women acquire all leaders’ positions as lawyers, professors, ministers, though not without difficulty.As the paper stresses  there is a form of leadership termed as emotional leadership. The women have been found to be better at this leadership as they are more emotionally able to penetrate their colleagues. The women are more attached to their families and so they are opted more and more for these positions. As women are just as competent as men in all fields of work so they are taking part in all possible fields too, like technical, educational and political. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 established a concept of glass-ceiling. According to this, women are able quire good to and safe positions in any business organization but are not able to rise to the surface; this declaration has helped in distinguishing reasons for women’s inability to not be able to rise to power. A work, published by center for leadership, outlined the problems, faced by women when it comes to breaking this glass-ceiling. And it also gave formulas for success early in their careers.

Commentary on Daddy and The Arrival of the Bee Box By Sylvia Plath Essay Example for Free

Commentary on Daddy and The Arrival of the Bee Box By Sylvia Plath Essay Sylvia Plath was born in 1932 to Otto Plath, a German immigrant and Aurelia Plath, an American of Austrian descent. She had a very troubled life, suffering extreme depression and emotional trauma before she committed suicide in 1963 by putting her head into a gas oven. Most of her poems reflect this distress and reveal the sorrows of her short life. The poems Daddy and The Arrival of the Bee Box are both sad and gloomy poems which highlight many aspects of her life and perhaps reason out why she was forced to kill herself. Both the poems are directly or indirectly related to the two most important and influential men of Sylvias life- her father, and her husband Ted Hughes, who himself was a poet. She loved both men, but both of them dominated her and gave her pain and misery which made her life unhappy. As the title suggests, the poem Daddy is primarily about her father, but many references are also made to Ted Hughes. The Arrival of the Bee Box is more about herself, but in spite of that the reader has to know the nature of these two men to understand the poem completely and derive a meaning from it. Daddy highlights the relationship of Sylvia and her father. Sylvias father died when she was just ten. This was the time when she adored her father and his death meant a lot to her. But the poem shows the immense hatred she has towards him as she gradually realized how he oppressed her and dominated her life. To use the word daddy as the title of the poem is in a way ironical because although the poem is about Sylvias father, the word doesnt fit in particularly well, as it is usually used in a positive way, not in a pessimistic and dark way. The poem has a lot of imagery, metaphors and similes which illustrates Sylvias anger towards her father and husband and gives the poem a dark tone. In the poem Sylvia has compared her father to a black shoe while has called herself a foot living in it for thirty years. Usually a shoes job is to protect or comfort the foot, not to make it feel trapped and helpless. Her father was so authoritarian, that he made Sylvia feel just that. Although her father died when she was ten, she says that she lived like the foot for thirty years, barely daring to breathe or achoo. This shows that her fathers nature haunted her even after he died, as it left such a profound and negative psychological mark on her. The word black can be related to death and makes us think of the shoe like a coffin. The idea of a coffin can also be related in the other poem, The Arrival of the Bee Box, when Sylvia calls the bee box a midgets coffin. Sylvias father was a zoology and bee expert, and so again we can notice how she has created a dark atmosphere with everything related to her father. On an abstract level, the bee box can be thought of as Sylvias brain and the bees as her thoughts. The idea of her thoughts being trapped inside a coffin shows how depressed and unhappy she is. The imagery of Daddy is very vivid and striking. Sylvia calls her father a Nazi as she writes, With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo. And youre neat moustache and your Aryan eye, bright blue. She compares her father to Hitler, highlighting how cruel and heartless he was. She calls herself a Jew, indicating how he used his authority to oppress her. Such thoughts make us refer to the Holocaust, in which Jews were tortured and killed by the German Nazis. Although Sylvia was dominated by her father, she has used a Hyperbole to describe the situation. According to me her father must not have been as ruthless as Hitler. She has just used this comparison to express her immeasurable hatred towards him. She has further developed images of her father by calling him a vampire-someone who doesnt kill a person, but haunts it all his life by sucking his blood. She is trying to say that although her father is dead, his character will torment her forever. The imagery of The Arrival of the Bee Box is also strong. We get a clear picture of the bees struggling in the dark box illustrating how Sylvia is thinking and feeling. We get a feeling that her thoughts are tormenting her and that she is in a disturbed state of mind. She compares her thoughts to a Roman Mob and says she is not Julius Caesar to control them. Although it is not mentioned, we know that Sylvia is in such a state of mind because of her broken marriage with Ted Hughes. She might be feeling cheated as Ted Hughes left her for another woman. She must be feeling insecure and lonely and cannot in any way run away from her thoughts. In Daddy Sylvia also says that she found her fathers resemblance in Ted Hughes, who also dominated her and broke her heart. Here she compares their torture to the medieval methods of the rack and the screw which were cruel and bloody. The tone of the poem is of fear and a little bit of anger, blaming her father and her husband for giving her such a horrid life and simultaneously feeling scared of all that has happened to her in the past. The tone of The Arrival of the Bee Box is different, as she is sort of blaming herself for what she thinks. She is agitated with herself because she cannot get rid of her negative thoughts. The last two stanzas of both the poems are very strong and demonstrate an attitude of power and authority from Sylvia. In daddy the tone changes from fear to anger when Sylvia says, Daddy, daddy, you bastard, Im through. One feels that she has overcome all her fears to finally stand up to her father and speak with confidence and fight back. In The Arrival of the Bee Box she shows that she has power when she says, Tomorrow I will be sweet God, I will set them free. But here she makes it a point to tell the reader that she will not misuse her authority like the way Otto Plath and Ted Hughes did. In the last line of the poem she says that the box is only temporary, showing that she will make an effort to remove those thoughts from her mind, which is a positive end to the poem.

Paul Tillich Response to Modern Criticism Essay Example for Free

Paul Tillich Response to Modern Criticism Essay This course explores the themes of Paul Tillichs philosophical theology, with special attention to his analysis of meaning and its apparent loss in modern society. The course will also evaluate Tillichs response to the problem of meaninglessness and his effort to interpret the Christian message. WHAT IS EMPIRICISM? According to John Scott Gordon Marshall, empiricism, in philosophy, is â€Å"the attitude that beliefs are to be accepted and acted upon only if they first have been confirmed by actual experience†. This broad definition accords with the derivation of the name from the Greek word empeiria, meaning â€Å"experience. † Primarily, and in its psychological application, the term signifies the theory that the phenomena of consciousness are simply the product of sensuous experience, i. e. of sensations variously associated and arranged (Andrew M. Colman: 2003:242). It is thus distinguished from Nativism or Innatism. Secondarily, and in its logical (epistemological) usage, it designates the theory that all human knowledge is derived exclusively from experience, the latter term meaning, either explicitly or implicitly, external sense-percepts and internal representations and inferences exclusive of any superorganic (immaterial) intellectual factor. Empiricism is thus opposed to the claims of authority, intuition, imaginative conjecture, and abstract, theoretical, or systematic reasoning as sources of reliable belief. Its most fundamental antithesis is with the latter (i. e. with Rationalism, also called intellectualism or apriorism). Forms of Empiricism According to Catholic Encyclopedia empiricism appears in the history of philosophy in three principal forms: (1) Materialism, (2) Sensism, and (3) Positivism. a. Materialism: Materialism in its crudest shape was taught by the ancient atomists (Democritus, Leucippus, Epicurus, Lucretius), who, reducing the sum of all reality to atoms and motion, tau ght that experience, whereof they held knowledge to be constituted, is generated by images reflected from material objects through the sensory organs into the soul. The soul, a mere complexus of the finest atoms, perceives not the objects but their effluent images. With modern materialists (Helvetius, dHolbach, Diderot, Feuerbach, Moleschott, Buchner, Vogt, etc. ), knowledge is accounted for either by cerebral secretion or by motion. b. Sensism: All materialists are of course sensists. Though the converse is not the case, nevertheless, by denying any essential difference between sensations and ideas (intellectual states), sensism logically involves materialism. Sensism, which is found with Empedocles and Protagoras amongst the ancients, was given its first systematic form by Locke (d. 1704), though Bacon (d. 1626) and Hobbes (d. 1679) had prepared the data. Locke derives all simple ideas from external experience (sensations), all compound ideas (modes, substances, relations) from internal experience (reflection). Substance and cause are simply associations of subjective phenomena; universal ideas are mere mental figments. Locke admits the existence, though he denies the demonstrability, in man of an immaterial and immortal principle, the soul. Berkeley (d. 1753), accepting the teaching of Locke that ideas are only transfigured sensations, subjectivizes not only the sensible or secondary qualities of matter as his predecessor had done, but also the primary qualities which Locke held to be objective. Berkeley denies the objective basis of universal ideas and indeed of the whole material universe. The reality of things he places in their being perceived and this perceivedness is effected in the mind by God, not by the object or subject. He still retains the substance-reality of the human soul and of spirits generally, God included. Hume (d. 1776) agrees with his two empiricist predecessors in teaching that the mind knows only its own subjective organic impressions, whereof ideas are but the images. The supersensible is therefore unknowable; the principle of causality is resolved into a mere feeling of successiveness of phenomena; its necessity is reduced to a subjective feeling resulting from uniform association experienced in consciousness, and the spiritual essence or substantial being of the soul is dissipated into a series of conscious states. Lockes sensism was taken up by Condillac (d. 780), who eliminated entirely the subjective factor (Lockes reflection) and sought to explain all cognitional states by a mere mechanical, passive transformation of external sensations. The French sensist retained the spiritual soul, but his followers disposed of it as Hume had done with the Berkeleian soul relic. The Herbartians confound the image with the idea, nor does Wundt make a clear distinction between primitive con cepts (empirische Begriffe, representations of individual objects) and the image: Denken ist Phantasieren in Begriffen und Phantasierenist Denken in Bildern. c. Positivism: Positivists, following Comte (d. 857), do not deny the supersensible; they declare it unknowable; the one source of cognition, they claim, is sense-experience, experiment, and induction from phenomena. John Stuart Mill (d. 1870), following Hume, reduces all knowledge to series of conscious states linked by empirical associations and enlarged by inductive processes. The mind has no certitude of an external world, but only of a permanent possibility of sensations and antecedent and anticipated feelings. Spencer (d. 1903) makes all knowledge relative. The actual existence of things is their persistence in consciousness. Consciousness contains only subjective feelings. The relative supposes the absolute, but the latter is unknowable to us; it is the object of faith and religion (Agnosticism). All things, mind included, have resulted from a cosmical process of mechanical evolution wherein they are still involved; hence all concepts and principles are in a continuous flux. d. Classical Empiricism: Classical empiricism is characterised by a rejection of innate, in-born knowledge or concepts. John Locke, well known as an empiricist, wrote of the mind being a tabula rasa, a â€Å"blank slate†, when we enter the world. At birth we know nothing; it is only subsequently that the mind is furnished with information by experience. e. Radical Empiricism: This was advanced by William James, an American pragmatist philosopher and psychologist, based on the pragmatic theory of truth and the principle of pure experience, which contends that the relations between things are at least as real as the things themselves, that their function is real, and that no hidden substrata are necessary to account for the various clashes and coherences of the world. James summarized the theory as consisting of (1) a postulate: â€Å"The only things that shall be debatable among philosophers shall be things definable in terms drawn from experience†; (2) a factual statement: â€Å"The relations between things, conjunctive as well as disjunctive, are just as much matters of direct particular experience, neither more so nor less so, than the things themselves,† which serves to distinguish radical empiricism from the empiricism of the Scottish philosopher David Hume; and (3) a generalized conclusion: â€Å"The parts of experience hold together from next to next by relations that are themselves parts of experience. The directly apprehended universe needs, in short, no extraneous transempirical connective support, but possesses in its own right a concatenated or continuous structure. † The result of this theory of knowledge is a metaphysics that refutes the rationalist belief in a being that transcends experience, which gives unity to the world. According to James there is no logical connection between radical empiricism and pragmatism. One may reject radical empiricism and continue to be a pragmatist. Jamess studies in radical empiricism were published posthumously as Essays in Radical Empiricism (1912). According to him, it is only if it is possible to empirically test a claim that the claim has meaning. As all of our information comes from our senses, it is impossible for us to talk about that which we have not experienced. Statements that are not tied to our experiences are therefore meaningless. This principle, which was associated with a now unpopular position called logical positivism, renders religious and ethical claims literally nonsensical. No observations could confirm religious or ethical claims, therefore those claims are meaningless.

The Problems With The American Anti Intellectualism Movement Politics Essay

The Problems With The American Anti Intellectualism Movement Politics Essay The anti-intellectualism movement facing America today is a problem with far-reaching implications. There is currently a revival of this movement in American political life. Anti-intellectualism is defined as the opposition to or hostility towards intellectuals, or to an intellectual view or approach (Merriam Webster). The anti-intellectualism movement is characterized by the contempt for advanced education, the liberal arts, and science. Anti-intellectualism in the political sphere has founded itself on contempt for intellectuals, claiming that they are elites who are committed to ideological playfulness rather than practical application. However, it seems that toying with past and present ideas is necessary to engender the most effective political policies. Anti-intellectualism is a result of a failing education system, the integration of church into state, and the ease with which political pundits can drive the media. Currently, anti-intellectualism is spreading like a plague thro ugh the American political landscape. We as citizens can inoculate this disease through a complete overhaul of the US education system. An improvement to the educational system could occur with increased liberal arts integration into primary, secondary, and university education curriculums. In addition to the education system, the general American public needs to be edified about the basic American democratic tenant of separation of church and state. Furthermore, implementing more regulation on political pundits and demagogues in the media is necessary for the progression and success of politics in America. Anti-intellectualism seems to promote the attitude that knowledge which is not profitable has no value and is not worth learning knowledge for knowledges sake (DeFilippis, The Oklahoma Daily) is of little importance in anti-intellectualism. However, knowledge for knowledges sake (liberal arts education) could prove to be very beneficial in politics. Neither primary nor secondary schools consider the liberal arts a priority, and at the level of university education, students are expected to declare majors that funnel them into profitable jobs a very small percentage of university students are encouraged to engage in the liberal arts. Our current education system will eventually lead us to be alienated from one another because people will only be educated in their particular profession. Liberal arts education, because it educates the whole individual, gives citizens an understanding of why their particular profession contributes to the whole. Therefore, all people will be able to see why all jobs are important. Liberal arts education encourages knowledge of many subjects. It would seem that knowledge of many subjects would be most effective in impacting political ideas since politics incorporates so many facets of life. Liberal arts education infuses students with knowledge of the historical and philosophical underpinnings of the US. Having historical and philosophical knowledge of America is fundamental to making informed political choices that best reflect what was intended for this country- we would not want to collapse into what our founding fathers escaped from. Liberal arts education would create more informed and progressive voters and politicians because they would be acquainted with a broad scope of policies that have not worked in the past; this would allow us as an electorate body to spring into the future by creating new ideas and better political policies. Furthermore, people educated in the liberal arts who have developed ordered intellects seem n ecessary in politics since these people are more educated in a variety of issues that affect a variety of people. As a result, those educated in the liberal arts will have the ability to understand and undertake issues that apply to many persons (the entire American populous), and not just one group. Liberal arts education promotes the progression of the individual mind which in effect promotes the progression of the collective mind which then positively affects the electorate and the decisions they make in the face of new problems. Furthermore, with the emergence and further development of the globalized world, American citizens need to be educated on global issues now more than ever in order for America to be a respected nation and one that can pride itself on having substantial knowledge of nations we interact with the most. We are only a respected country insomuch as other countries respect us, but we are currently looked upon unfavorably in the world market. Americas main competitors and closest partners in the world are very committed to education with liberal arts based curriculums- if we expect to be a competitor in the world market, it would be in our best interest to implement a stronger liberal arts education system. Liberal arts education would give people the knowledge necessary to understand the foundation of America and our position as a nation relative to other countries. In addition, liberal arts education would give us a better understanding of the global political issues America faces because we would have knowledge of global problems and how these problems evolved. One of the main tenets the founding fathers implemented in America was the separation of church and state; the fact that religious values and principles are gaining importance in political rhetoric is inconsistent with this basic American democratic tenet. The anti-intellectualism movement caters to folksy type Americans who are generally committed to tradition and faith. This integration of religion into American politics is aided by the anti-rationalism component of anti-intellectualism which is characterized by relying on faith rather than rational ideas to formulate the best political infrastructure for society. This relegates us to the level of animals; our rational faculty is something that constitutes us as humans, so it seems odd that we would want to denounce such a faculty. America is a secular nation, and as a result, religion should not have a place in the political sphere nor in the realm of education. This anti-intellectualism movement favors faith; as a result, evoluti on theories are considered controversial, and creation theories find a place for themselves in the US education system. Schools are supplementing textbooks with creation theories as an alternative to evolution. This contradicts the basic tenet of the separation of church and state and the secularism of America. Creation theories should not have a place in our nations public schools, and implementing such values in education steers young minds away from the basic principles of America. In addition, the anti-intellectualism movement has managed to bring Barack Obamas religious affiliation to the forefront of our political discourse. This should be a non-issue- America is a secular nation and therefore, politicians religious affiliations should be of no consequence to our political forums. Liberal arts education would teach people about the basic tenets of America and it would reaffirm the history and philosophical reasons behind the separation of church and state and why it is so vita l to this country. As a result, commitments to faith would not enter the political realm because citizens would understand that they have no place in American politics. Lastly, there needs to be more regulation on political pundits and demagoguery in American politics. The ease with which political pundits can spew political rhetoric and gain a respectable following is an indication of the anti-intellectualism problem we are facing in America. Political pundits in mainstream media have no substantial ideas to propose- they are quick to complain about current presidents and politicians, yet they never really propose solutions; they merely champion principles. However, principles are not enough to carry a nation in the political arena- policies are necessary, and implementing policies requires intellectual people. In essence, politics are constituted by policies and policies are constituted by ideas; as a result, ideas are fundamental to politics. Ideas are things which we come to know through rational, intellectual thought- we have to toy with ideas from the past and ideas for the future in order to come up with creative, effective political policies . Having a broad scope of knowledge makes coming up with new, creative ideas easier. If people are educated in the liberal arts, they will have this broad scope of knowledge which will help them come up with new and improved political ideas. Anti-intellectualism seems to contradict what politics really are- one must engage in intellectual discourse in order to achieve effective political policies. The political pundits and politicians most involved in the anti-intellectualism movement often cite the founding fathers and the constitution in order to support their political rhetoric this has implicit contradictions. This is because America was founded by intellectuals- the leaders were the intellectuals (Hofstadter, 145). If the intention of the founding fathers at the inception of America was to place intellectuals at the helm, anti-intellectualism seems contrary to their intentions. Glenn Beck is a perfect example of a political pundit and a demagogue. He plays the side of the common people, yet he makes millions of dollars a year for his talk show- he is not a common person. The trend we are seeing in America is the attainment of good jobs via bachelors degrees and more recently the move towards advanced degrees for any hopes of advancement. Yet someone like Glenn Beck, who is not university educated, has a very powerful, high-paying job engaging in controversial political d iscourse citing religion and the founding fathers. People idolize Glenn Beck and obtain their political ideas from him, and while he is not university-educated and is making millions of dollars a year, those who champion him the most have to make it in this world via their merit. Furthermore, Glenn Beck is skewing what is fundamental to America- one of his hot topics, religion, is NOT fundamental to America- the separation of church and state is fundamental to America. The only thing we have as citizens to represent ourselves and our ideas is our vote; it should be the most informed, intellectual, reliable vote possible. It is critical that we feel confident in our own education and in our own intellectual capacities and not rely on someone else to tell us what is important. The demagoguery that people such as Glenn Beck participate in would be a non-issue if people were liberal arts educated. This is because the false fears that Glenn Beck incites in people would collapse if people had their own knowledge of current issues and the liberal arts backgrounds which would enable them to think for themselves. People fail to realize the absurdity behind his rhetoric because of their lack of education. Anti-intellectualism will eventually lead to the destruction of the American democratic state and the ideals to which democracy is committed. The anti-intellectualism movement needs to be destroyed, otherwise our weak political structure will continue to fail, and America will continue to endure the bad reputation it has gained in the world market. It is most likely no coincidence that the peak of the political anti-intellectualism movement is at a time in which we have an abundance of political policy crises. We will gain respect as a country and as a competitor in the world if we rid ourselves of this anti-intellectualism movement. Liberal arts education can cure our problem by giving citizens a broad scope of knowledge which would allow us to make informed and thoughtful political decisions rather than relying on the ill-advised rhetoric spouted by anti-intellectuals. Liberal arts education would also afford us the knowledge of what basic tenets shape the American political infras tructure.

The Great Depression in the United States Essay -- essays research pap

The United States? Downfall Screams, tears, and cries for help were all part of America's downfall. From 1929 through 1941 there was only one thing that was plentiful, sorrow. During this time the United States was faced with another obstacle. It changed America in many ways. One hard struggle lead to the next. The later events all started with the crash of the stock market. This period can only be explained by its name. So, the stock market crash in the United States caused businesses to close, banks to fall, and many people to become unemployed, causing this twelve-year period of suffering to become known as ?The Great Depression?. As stated by Nelson Cary in his overview of the Great Depression, ?the core of the problem was the immense disparity between the country?s productive capacity and the ability of people to consume?. There were more introductions of new items in the United States than before, during, or after World War I. The Government had tremendous debt from this war. The economy suffered greatly during this time because of the immense deficits left from the war. The farmers and the wage earners received printed money that actually had no true value. The overproduction made the lower class, such as farmers and trade smiths, become part of the higher class. Therefore there was not a balance between lower and higher, thus making the market tip. The bottom line was that paper money at that time had no real value. So, even if you had money, people would not take it because there was not a balance for the banks to stand on. Most people then were categorized to be in the lower class. So now, once again there was not a balance between lower and higher class. All people experienced suffering. ?Broth... ...bout 800,000 people left Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The government then abandoned the AAA act when the tax on food processors was ruled to be unconstitutional. As you can see, the United States of America has changed greatly since the Great Depression. Our idea of what we need and what is poor has changed greatly since this period. This twelve year time period shows how things can change, and how people can adapt to economic crisis when they are forced to. Without our fall, other countries may have experienced this. So, this period of American history still serves as a lesson today. As quoted by many people, ?If we do not know our history, we are destined to repeat it?. In conclusion, you can see the Great Depression caused great calamity and sorrow, but in the end, it was one of the best learning experiences the United States has ever seen.

American Masculinity: Defined By War Essay -- War and American Masculi

War has been a mainstay of human civilization since its inception thousands of years ago, and throughout this long and colorful history, warriors have almost exclusively been male. By repeatedly taking on the fundamentally aggressive and violent role of soldier, Man has slowly come to define Himself through these violent experiences. Although modern American society regulates the experiences associated with engaging in warfare to a select group of individuals, leaving the majority of the American public emotionally and personally distant from war, mainstream American masculinity still draws heavily upon the characteristically male experience of going to war. In modern American society, masculinity is still defined and expressed through analogy with the behavior and experiences of men at war; however, such a simplistic masculinity cannot account for the depth of human experience embraced by a modern man. Whether engaging in European trench warfare or fighting through the jungles of Vietnam, a soldier must learn to cope with the incredible mental stress brought on by the ever-present threat of a grisly death. The physical stress introduced by poor nutrition, a harsh and hostile environment, and the cumulative physical effect of emotional trauma only serves to make a trying situation even more taxing. It is out of this violently stressful environment that the coping mechanisms that characterize wartime masculinity arise. A natural response to such a violent environment is to simply behave in a way that portrays no weakness. If the soldier does not show any signs of weakness, he finds it much easier to convince himself that he can survive by his strength. In asserting his control over himself by hiding all of his weaknesses, h... ...y and war still abound; however, these analogies cannot capture the full masculinity of the modern man as they do not allow for the formation of intimate personal relationships, such as that between husband and wife, which lie at the heart of ordinary civilian life. Works Cited Kriegel, Leonard. â€Å"Taking It.† Reconstructing Gender: A Multicultural Anthology. Ed. Estelle Disch. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. 194-196. Messner, Michael A. â€Å"Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities.† Reconstructing Gender: A Multicultural Anthology. Ed. Estelle Disch. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. 120-137. O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Broadway Books, 1990. Petrie, Phil W. â€Å"Real Men Don’t Cry†¦ and Other ‘Uncool’ Myths.† Reconstructing Gender: A Multicultural Anthology. Ed. Estelle Disch. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. 221-226.

My Dream in Field :: miscellaneous

My Dream in Field When I was young, I of ten told to myself that when I grew up I could be anything I wanted to be and I always took for granted that this was true. I knew exactly what I was going to be, and I would spend hours dreaming about how wonderful my life would be when I grew up. One day, though, when did I grew up I realized that things had not turned out the way I had always expected they would. When I was little, I always played with boys. I rarely played with girls, and I often hung out a bang of boys; I was very interested with them. We would play soccer and go swimming. Al most every summer afternoon, all the boys in my neighborhood and I would meet on the field to get a soccer game going. Surprisingly, I was always to be favored by all my friends, boys. I was very fast and I could kick the ball far and exactly. I loved soccer more than anything, and I would not miss a game whenever it was showed in television. My brother played soccer too, and I would go the field with my friends to watch him play. It was just like the big leagues, with lots of people, the lights that shone so high and the bright you could see other fans sitting far away. I loved to go to my brother’s game. I would sit and cheer on my brother and his team. My attention was focused on the field, and my heart would jump with every shoot straight toward the both of goals. And more much exciting when the world cup seasons came. I would spend lot of time to sit in front of television to watch with whole of my family. The favorite team that we favored was the England. When the England won, I would be so excited I could not sleep; when they lost, I would go to bed angry just like all my brothers and parents. I have never forgotten the first time my dad and I went to watch the major league soccer game where I decided to be a major league soccer player. The excitement began from my house to the stadium and during the time of game. Now, I was six years old, and almost people in my country would use bicycles to move or travel around.

Eating disorders: a problem Essay

Eating disorders are a world-wide problem. There are many types of eating disorders. There are programs out there to help people with eating disorders. With so many types we must understand the differences by looking at each type, how it affects teenagers, and what influence the media has on this issue. Eating disorders come in many different types. One of these is anorexia. Anorexia is a serious disease which causes a severe lack of eating. The proper name is anorexia nervosa.  Anorexia nervosa causes people to lose more weight than is considered healthy for their age and height. Persons with this disorder may have an intense fear of weight gain, even when they are underweight. They may diet or exercise too much or use other ways to lose weight. Their self-esteem is usually overly related to body image. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001401/) Anorexia nervosa has many warning signs that can tell someone if they have a problem. Someone may refuse to eat certain foods/food categories and deny their hunger all together. A person may develop â€Å"food rituals† in which they arrange foods in a certain way, excessively chew, eat in a certain order, etc†¦ One may withdraw themselves from their friends, family, or society. They may frequently make a comment about being â€Å"fat† or â€Å"overweight† despite their weight loss. (http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/anorexia-nervosa) Another type of eating disorder is bulimia nervosa. Bulimia is an illness in which a person binges on food or has regular episodes of overeating and feels a loss of control. The person then uses different methods — such as vomiting or abusing laxatives — to prevent weight gain. Many (but not all) people with bulimia also have anorexia nervosa. The purging of food usually  brings a sense of relief. ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001381/) One form of an eating disorder is binge eating. Binge eating is an eating disorder in which a person eats a much larger amount of food in a shorter period of time than he or she normally would. During binge eating, the person also feels a loss of control. Some causes of binge eating include genes, such as having close relatives who also have an eating disorder. Depression or other emotions, such as feeling upset or stressed. Unhealthy dieting, such as not eating enough nutritious food or skipping meals. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0003749/) Some symptoms of binge eating are, eating large amounts of food in a short period, for example, every 2 hours. A person is not able to control overeating, for example is unable to stop eating or control the amount of food. A person may keep eating even when full (gorging) or until uncomfortably full. Sometimes a person feels guilty, disgusted, ashamed, or depressed after eating so much. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0003749/) Some treatment can be done for people with a binge eating problem. The goals are to lessen and then be able to stop the bingeing incidents. Be able to get to and stay at a healthy weight. Get treated for any emotional problems, including overcoming feelings and managing situations that trigger binge eating. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0003749/)

Assess the importance of school factors such as racism Essay

Assess the importance of school factors such as racism and pupils’ response to racism in creating ethnic differences in educational achievement. Racism is a system of beliefs that defines people as superior or inferior, and justifies their unequal treatment, on the basis of biological differences such as skin colour. Individual racism refers to the prejudiced views and discriminatory behaviour of individuals. Institutional racism exists when the routine ways an organisation operates have racist outcomes regardless of the intentions of the individuals within it. Racism and pupils’ response to racism are internal factors which means they happen within schools and the education system they may cause ethnic differences in educational achievement which refers to the differences in educational achievement between the ethnic groups within schools for example, Black and Pakistani pupils do worst at GCSE and Indians and Chinese do best as supported by the DfES (2007). Even though internal factors may have contributed to ethnic differences in educational achievement, external factors outside of the education system such as pupils’ being materially deprived may also affect ethnic differences in achievement. The item seems to support the proposition that school factors such as racism and pupils’ response to racism may cause ethnic differences in educational achievement as the item states ‘Bangladeshi, black and Pakistani pupils achieve less well than other pupils at all stages of education which is supported by the DfES (2007) that found on average just over a half of all Bangladeshi, black and Pakistani girls left school with five or more GCSE grades A*-C. However this was a lot lower for boys with only a half of Bangladeshi boys leaving school with five or more GCSE grades A*-C and less than this for Pakistani and black boys. The item uses Gillborn and Youdell (2000) to explain these differences as being the result of teacher racism this is supported by Jenny Bourne (1994) who found, schools tend to see black pupils’ as a threat and would label them negatively, leading eventually to exclusion. They item also suggests that that gender differences play an important part in creating ethnic differences in educational achievement as it has been found that among white and black working-class pupils girls do better than boys, but among Asians boys do better than girls. Overall the item seems to believe that factors within school such as labelling and teacher racism lead to ethnic minority pupils being treated differently therefore being unable tofulfil their true potential as they feel as though they are less important and less time and attention is given to them leading to ethnic differences in educational achievement. As a result of negative racist labels, teachers may treat ethnic minority pupils differently, disadvantaging them and bringing about a self-fulfilling prophecy that leads to under-achievement as Gillborn and Youdell (2000) found teachers had ‘racialised expectations’ about black pupils and saw their behaviour as threatening and black pupils felt as though they were underestimated by teachers. Gillborn and Youdell conclude that conflict between white teachers and black pupils stems from teachers racist stereotypes rather than pupils’ actual behaviour. This can cause under-achievement because it leads to: high levels of black boys being excluded and black pupils being placed in lower sets or streams. This study clearly supports the proposition that school factors create ethnic differences in educational achievement as the study suggests that teachers low expectations of black pupils leads to them being treated differently and oppressed by teachers leading them under achieving. Research has also found that Asian pupils are also stereotyped by teachers as Wright (1992) found Asian pupils were stereotyped by their teachers and treated differently: They were seen as a problem and were often ignored and teachers assumed that Asian pupils would have a poor grasp of English and would use simplistic words when teaching them. This study is a little surprising as Asian pupils have the highest percentage of pupils leaving school with five or more GCSE grades A*-C. Pupils may react in a variety of different ways to racist labelling in school, including forming or joining pupil subcultures this may lead to the under-achievement of ethnic minority groups creating ethnic differences in educational achievement. Sewell (1998) found that black boys adopted a range of responses to teachers’ racist labelling of them as rebellious and anti-school. One reaction was to join a subculture known as the ‘rebels’ they were a small but highly visible minority of black pupils. They rejected the school’s goals and rules and conformed instead to the stereotype of the ‘black macho lad’. They despised both white boys and conformist black boys. Their aim was to achieve the status of ‘street hood’. O’Donnell and Sharpe (2000) found a macho ‘warrior’ response similar to the ‘rebels’ among some Asian boys. However, despite only a small minority of black and Asian boys actually fitting the stereotype of ‘macho lad’,teachers tended to see all in this way. This resulted in the under-achievement of many boys, as a result of discrimination of teachers. However studies show that not all minority ethnic pupils who are negatively labelled accept and conform to labels. Some remain committed to succeeding despite racist labelling: Fuller (1984) studied a group of high achieving black girls in year 11 of a London comprehensive. The girls maintained a positive self-image by rejecting teachers’ stereotypes of them. They recognised the value of education and were determined to achieve. They didn’t seek teacher’s approval and remained friends with black girls in lower streams. This study would oppose the proposition as this study suggests that not everyone that is labelled in a negative and racist way conforms to their label or accepts that they will not achieve within education. Many sociologists argue that although the racist labelling practised by some teachers is important, it is not an adequate explanation for the widespread ethnic differences found in achievement. Instead, they argue, institutional racism must be focused on. Institutional racism is discrimination against ethnic minorities that is built into the way institutions such as schools and colleges operate on a routine basis, rather than the intentions of individual teachers. The ethnocentric curriculum is an important example of institutional racism. ‘Ethnocentric’ refers to attitudes or policies that prioritise a culture or one particular ethnic group whist disregarding others. Many sociologists have argued that the curriculum within British schools is ethnocentric. Troyna and Williams note that it gives priority to white culture and the English language. Whilst Ball sees the history curriculum in British schools as recreating a ‘mythical age and past glories’, while at the same time ignoring the history of black and Asian people. This may result in minority ethnic group pupils feeling that they and their culture are not valued in education and this diminishes their sense of self-esteem, which has a negative effect on their educational achievement as they feel as though they are worthless causing them to under-achieve. The CRE (1992) study of ‘Jayleigh’ school found that Asian pupils were consistently placed in lower sets and were less likely to be entered for exams causing them to under-achieve resulting in ethnic differences in educational achievement. Similarly, the workings of the ‘A-C economy’ meant that black pupils were placed in lower sets and hadless chance of gaining qualifications. Even though internal factors may have contributed to ethnic differences in educational achievement, external factors outside of the education system such as may also affect ethnic differences in achievement. Cultural deprivation theory claims that the under-achievement of some ethnic groups is caused by inadequate socialisation in the home. This explanation has two main aspects: Intellect and language skills – cultural deprivation theory claims that children from low-income black families lack intellectual stimulation. As a result, they fail to develop reasoning and problem-solving skills. Bereiter and Engelmann claim that the language of poorer black families is ungrammatical and disjointed. As a result, their children are unable to express abstract ideas- a major barrier to educational success. Some claim that children who do not speak English at home may be held back educationally. This could cause the ethnic differences within educational achievement as according to cultural deprivation theorists ethnic minority pupils would lack the ability to succeed at exams. The other aspect of the explanation of cultural deprivation contributing to under-achievement is attitudes, values and family structure. Differences in attitudes and values towards education may be the result of socialisation. Most children are socialised into the mainstream culture, which instils competiveness and a desire to achieve, thus equipping them for success in education However some children are not socialised in this way and the lack of a male role model for many African-Caribbean boys may encourage them to turn to an anti-educational macho ‘gang culture’. Murray (1984) argues that the high rate of lone parents and a lack of positive male role models lead to the under-achievement of some minority pupils causing ethnic differences in educational achievement. This is support by Moynihan (1965) who argues that the absence of a male role mode produces inadequately socialised children who fail at school. Cultural deprivation theorists also claim that the subculture into which some black children are socialised is fatalistic and focused on immediate gratification, resulting in a lack of motivation to succeed. The belief that cultural deprivation causes ethnic differences in education would not support the proposition as cultural deprivation is an external factor and the proposition suggest that factors within school are the main cause of ethnic differences in achievement. Material deprivation is the lack of physical or economic resources that are essential for normal life in society. Material deprivation explanations of ethnic differences in achievement argue that educational failure is the result of material factors such as poor housing and low income. Ethnic minorities are more likely to face these problems. For example Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are more likely than whites to be poor this would lead to ethnic differences in achievement as some ethnic minorities may lack the necessary resources to achieve educational success. Also for many minorities overcrowding is an issue leading to many pupils being unable to revise or suffering from sleepless nights. The lowest achieving ethnic groups are those with the lowest social class position proving that class as well as ethnic background is also an issue in ethnic differences in educational achievement. In conclusion internal factors such as racism and pupils’ response to racism clearly are an important factor in ethnic differences in achievement as the way pupils are treated within school could lead to them feeling as though they do not belong they will therefore resent school and everything it stands for leading to the failure of examinations and then being classed as under achievers and creating ethnic differences in educational achievement. However external factors also contribute to the ethnic differences in educational success as if a student is to achieve within education they will have had to have been adequately socialised into a competitive culture that strives for success. They will have also have had to be surrounded by role models and equipped with the necessary resources such as educational activities and quality housing to be able to achieve their full potential. While these factors clearly affect pupils’ achievement, racism in wider society may be bigger cause. Members of minority groups face direct and indirect discrimination at work, within the housing market and within education. As a result, they are more likely to have low pay or be unemployed, and this affects children’s educational opportunities as they will feel as they will never amount to anything and are constantly being held back because of the colour of their skin or where they have come from.

911 Narrative Essay

The Power of Words September 15th, 2001. â€Å"That moment was when I learned the importance of words. Whether you may be angry, sad, or happy, you must use your words wisely. Love everyone, and tell them so every day†(George Phoenix. ) ______________________________________________________________________________ Morning of September 11th, 2001. Phoenix went to the cafeteria to get his usual coffee, milk and Danish. Returning from the cafe with his food, he entered into an elevator heading to his office on the 67th floor. The tight space was uncomfortably cold and silent, with extremely strange yet catchy elevator music playing.Prior to work he had gotten into an argument with his wife and as he slowly sipped his coffee savoring every ounce of it, he was contemplating the words he would say to her when he returned home. Five other men crowded into the elevator: Four were everyday workers in the twin towers, and the other was the monthly window washer. The smell of cleaning pr oducts and expensive cologne began to take over the air. You could see it on every face waiting for their stop that it was about to be a long day. The drawn out elevator ride was almost over. Only eighteen more floors to go and it would be time for him to sit down and rest his body.Suddenly, as the elevator hit the 50th floor, there was a large â€Å"boom† and the elevator began to bang violently from side to side. One of the men reached over and pressed the emergency button. As they all sat frustrated and worried waiting for a response, they became incredibly antsy. After what seemed like an agonizing amount of time, the operator informed them frantically that the building was under attack, and the loud â€Å"boom† they heard was a plane crashing into the building. The mood of the elevator drastically transformed from frustration to pure fear.As the smoke quickly became overwhelming, George instinctively grabbed his hanker chief and dipped it into his milk. He recalle d once being instructed that a wet cloth covering the face will help a person breathe during a fire emergency. Never having thought he would actually be in a situation that would put such a trick to use, he found the situation unfathomable. Wisely, they decided to keep calm and think of a way out. The window washer grabbed his squeegee and used all his might in an attempt to pry the doors open, asking with strained breathes for the others to join in and help.As a result, they finally got the doors open. George felt a sense of relief, as they were sliding the door open, but was hit by reality when he was met with two giant, painted letters – 50. Right in front of the doors; in front of his escape to enjoy the rest of his life with his beautiful wife, was a wall offering no escape. Then and there he pulled out his phone and dialed his wife, only to discover that there was no signal. The frustration he had towards himself was overflowing. All he could think about was how meaning less were. The frustration then gave him a kick to push on.He began to pierce through the wall with the metal end of the squeegee. After piercing a small hole the men all crowded around it trying to breathe in every bit of fresh oxygen they could. As a group, they worked towards kicking at the wall. Eventually they were able to create a hole big enough to crawl through. Before long George and the other men were discovered by a firefighter and led down the stairs. Every step he took he thought about hurrying home to his wife and saying the things he should’ve said before he left. Phoenix is a hero. His focus and ability to stay calm under pressure was phenomenal.There are many lessons a person could get out of this incredible story. But I think there was one extremely important lesson Mr. Phoenix wanted people to learn out of his story. That 43 minutes of his life taught George the importance of words, and that no matter what your emotion may be, you must use your words wisely . The day a person’s life is taken away remains unknown. Each life and therefore each day in a life is precious and should be valued. No matter what may be going on in life, keep your head held high and tell everyone that you love how much they mean to you. You never know when or what your last words may be to someone.

Cognitive psychology Essay

Cognitive psychology had in its early days concerned itself with the study of attention and consciousness as the main focus of psychological inquiry. Attention had been defined as the means by which the human mind can process a specific amount of information from all the other information present in the immediate environment and from memory (Sternberg, 2006). The most common experience that an individual may have that demonstrates the function of attention is the cocktail party problem; this demonstrates the ability of the mind to actively process single information at a given time and be able to disregard others. This is referred to as selective attention, if we pay attention to every stimulus that is presented to us, and then we would have a stimulus overload and hence would affect our understanding and experience of particular stimuli. In the Stroop effect it was demonstrated that it is very difficult to attend to the color of the ink and the word color at the same time. However, through practice and sensory adaptation, the brain has the ability to adapt to the different stimuli and hence do not give attention to its sensory modalities, for example, a person who work in a coffee bar would likely not pay attention to the aroma of the coffee beans than the customers who frequents it. A closely related concept to attention is consciousness. A person’s consciousness is the degree to which one is aware of his/her feelings and experiences and the awareness that he/she is feeling or behaving in a particular way. Consciousness is important because it enables the mind to actively process information, without consciousness there is no attention (Sternberg, 2006). Although some behaviors may become automatic and does not need to be attended like swimming or eating, in other instances priming which is the ability of the mind to supply missing information based on previous experiences or memory is demonstrated in the ability of the mind to recognize incomplete pictures of familiar objects. Attention is one of the most basic human ability, which is the precursor to learning, to effective communication, to decision-making and even intelligence and self-awareness. Attention is one of those concepts that is not given much thought but undoubtedly is the framework from which so many behaviors are manifested (Sternberg, 2006). Paying attention is one of the biggest problem that modern man have, due to the advanced technology and scientific knowledge that enabled man to create tools that would attend to the usual information that we encounter on a daily basis, our ability to attend to something has become limited. For example, our cars now have GPS which can help us reach our destinations faster than if we relied on our own attending skills, hence we do not pay attention to the landmarks, to sign posts or even to pedestrians because we have the GPS tell us where to go to. Another example is how we have embedded our watches with pulse monitors, we do not pay attention now to how we feel when we jog, but instead rely on the monitor to tell us if we are going faster or slower than our target rate. Even diets have become prepackaged to certain caloric amounts that we don’t pay attention to the amount of food we consume and whether our brain is sending us signals that we are already full. In this fast paced and disposable culture, attention is the least of our concerns, even with the fact that our ability to focus and attend to something is limited and almost always inaccurate if it goes beyond what our brains can process. Attention is also linked to intelligence and learning, an acute sense of awareness and excellent attending skills enable the individual to notice the smallest detail which aids in the processing of information. Perception Perception collectively refers to the means by which we recognize, organize and make sense of the stimuli that we receive from the environment through our different senses. Psychological research into perception had been the focus of the Gestalt theorists and from which they were the first to develop theoretical assumptions and explanations of different perceptual processes (Sternberg, 2006). Gestalt psychology says that the whole is more than the total of the sum of its parts, which meant that although it is important to breakdown perception into its components and structure, the perception of the whole is more important than its parts. Just like attention, the human brain can adapt to the different sensual stimuli that we encounter on a daily basis. Perceptual constancy says that our perception of a certain object becomes stable even if we are removed from the origin of the stimulus; an example is when how we can remember that a certain candy is sweet and sour even if we just look at it. A number of perceptual illusions mostly on visual perception had demonstrated the limited capacity of the human brain to perceive visual stimulus (Sternberg, 2006). The figure and ground principle shows that our perception of an ambiguous object may vary depending on what is perceived and processed first, whether the figure or its background. A sensory accommodating principle, the law of Pragnanz shows that when we are presented disparate and random stimulus, we tend to organize the information to form a coherent whole. Our ability to perceive objects and other stimulus is influenced by a number of factors such as depth, context effects, light and color, directionality and source of stimulus. At present there are other perception theories that propose different approaches to the study of perception. The top-down theories approach says that perception starts from pre-existing and prior knowledge of perceptual cues and processes. The bottom-up theories argue that perception is dependent on the stimulus and data that is to be processed. Perception is in the realm of cognitive psychology and is further studied using the experimental methods. Researches on perception were popular in the early days of psychology but interest waned with the surge of behaviorism. In the last decade however, with the resurgence of experimental and cognitive psychology and with the technological advancements of computers that would measure perception, new interest on perception and perceptual processes have resurged. Moreover, the process by which the human mind perceive the sensory stimuli has been used to model artificial intelligence and the studies of which is geared towards the development of more intelligent robots and machines (Sternberg, 2006). Our ability to perceive the various information present in our environment determines how effectively and accurate our perception of and understanding of the world around us. If for example we lose our sense of sight, life would be very difficult and if not dark, if we become deaf then we would not be able to hear and appreciate our own laughter. Losing one of our senses changes our life and sometimes it would take a long time for us to adjust to the inability to feel, to become aware of where we are and what we are doing. In as much as how limited our perceptual abilities are, what a normal person is endowed with is already enough than missing one of it. Our perception is also influenced by our consciousness and the attention we give to those information (Groome & Grant, 2005), we may be able to sense and perceive various sensory stimuli but if we do not attend to it or if we are not conscious of it, then we cannot attach meaning to what we perceive. Memory Memory is a cognitive process that is necessary for everyday functioning and which is based on the stored information and previous experiences. Memory is composed of three stages, the encoding, storage and retrieval process; encoding refers to how our brain process new information, storage is the means by which we store information and experience, which can either be long-term or short-term memory, the last process is retrieval which refers to the process by which we withdraw stored information. Memory has three information processing model, sensory memory, working memory and long-term memory. Sensory memory is the initial encoding of sensory information and provides very brief storage, iconic memory for visual stimuli and echoic memory for auditory stimuli. Short-term memory or working memory refer to the memory storage where information is temporary held and needs to be used immediately, auditory codes are more easily stored than visual information, the amount of information stored in working memory is very small but can be increased through chunking. Long-term memory is where information is stored for long periods of time or even for a life time. The information stored is usually very important and are used frequently, at present long –term memory can store an infinite number of information. Semantic memory is another form of memory which refers to the general world knowledge which is made up of interconnected networks of information called a semantic network which we use to be able to process new information, however semantic memory also facilitates stereotypes and schemas which affects how we perceive new information. Damages to the brain can cause memory loss such as amnesia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other more specific inabilities to process information. Information can be committed to long term memory through rehearsal, which is to consistently practice and work with the information needed to be remembered such as studying for exams or mastery of skills. Even if the information is stored in long term memory it is still subject to decay especially with the passage of time, if information is not used or retrieved, it will ultimately decay and be forgotten. Memory is one of the major concentrations of psychology in terms of how the brain functions, aside from perceiving sensory stimuli. The study of memory at present is now likened to how computers work and process data, the processes in memory even borrow terms from computer science such as encoding and retrieval. In a way, the brain processes information in much the same way as computers, but how it is encoded has not been adequately understood. Some theorists says that neural networking and the firing of neurons are the means by which information is encoded which is why any damage to the brain would result to memory loss (Baddeley, 1999). There are also conditions wherein memory loss is very specific like the inability to recognize faces that had been previously encountered. Memory serves many functions and which enables us to remember basic functions that are not physiologically automatic, for example, the mastery of reading skills, number skills and even the ability to dress oneself and to tie shoe laces. Our memory is the our storehouse of information and skills, when we go to school, all the things we need to learn is committed to memory and our previous experiences and stored information will help us process new information through accommodation and assimilation. As we age, and as our brain deteriorate, we experience memory loss which makes it impossible for us to live alone (Bredart, Brennen, Delchambre, McNeill & Burton, 2005). Recent research said that memory can still be enhanced even as we get older by continuously engaging in activities that would make use of our brain. Thinking Thinking is a collective term that refers to the process, by which we actively integrate new and previous information, it is also the process by which problem solving, decision-making and creativity is done. Thinking is a cognitive process that engages the mind, memory, learning and stored knowledge in arriving at a decision or a solution to the problem and the creation of new ideas. Thinking is a mental exercise that every person engages in as a means of applying the information and skills gained from learning and knowledge acquisition. There are different forms of thinking; namely productive, convergent and divergent thinking. Productive thinking is the process by which the mind finds a way to be able to produce a new idea, object or project. Convergent thinking is when the mind narrows down its evaluation of related knowledge to come up with a single best answer. Divergent thinking occurs when the object of the mental exercise is to generate as many theories and options for a single problem which is similar to brainstorming. Thinking as a process involves the analysis of related information or the contexts at which a certain problem exists, in analysis, the problem or idea is broken down into its component parts and then scrutinized under some perspective or framework of analysis. There are many ways in which we arrive at solutions to a problem or to decision-making strategies, one of which is insightful thinking. Insight refers to the point wherein a solution is identified after studying the problem, this happens when the individual gains an understanding of the interrelatedness of the information needed to solve the problem. There is also what is called as the use of available heuristics, with heuristics, there is not systematic way of thinking, it may lead to the solution to the problem by chance or it may not. Thinking is a diversified cognitive process, and at times it is very difficult to define when one is thinking, most of us refer to specific situations like problem-solving, decision-making or creativity to refer to different ways of manipulating information and data. However, these all involve the use of previous knowledge, to better understand the present information and to be able to present a comprehensive output using the old and new information. The study of thought process had been probably influenced by the delineation of abstract and concrete thinking as proposed by Piaget, and to some extent the concept of having to concrete examples and being able to think abstractly are very human traits (Eysenck & Keane, 2005). Some theories even say that thinking is the only ability that humans can do and animals cannot. When we think, we take out information relevant to the material we are working on and then evaluate the new information based on what we already know. For example, we know from mathematical principles of whole numbers that 1+1 is 2, when we work with a problem that asks us to do 1+1 then we know it is two, not because we have memorized the information but because we know that a whole number is added another whole number it will become 2 whole numbers, likewise we would know that 1+-1 would not equal to 2 because it has a negative sign. Thinking is probably the only exercise that has tremendous possibilities for generating bright, innovative, creative and excellent ideas (Eysenck & Keane, 2005). When asked to write an essay, I would probably thin first what I would write in it before actually putting it into paper. This refers to the act of identifying relevant information and using our mental faculties to come up with novel and new ways of presenting information and experiences. Language Language is one of the topics that have baffled scientists for the last part of history; the study of language in cognitive psychology is related to how language is acquired and how it is produced. Language refers to the process of attaching meaning to symbols in order to communicate with others. Language as used by man is different from those used by animals; we need mental representations of words in order to identify what it is and to use language as a means of expressing those symbols. For example, a red juicy tomato describes the color, firmness and taste of a round fruit which is used as a vegetable and eaten raw in most dishes. To the cognitive psychologist, language is directly related to the brain since damage to the Broca’s region would affect the speech ability of the individual. Psycholinguistics is the specific study of language as it relates to the human mind. Language is a complex process wherein the mind identifies the object, event, or feeling, and translates it into the existing language repertoire of the individual and then activates the body to produce the sounds that would verbalize the message and the idea. Language can be in written form or verbal, but psychologists are more interested in how verbal language is developed. There are several theories that attempts to explain language acquisition, one of which says that there is an innate biological mechanism that enables us to acquire, process and use language (Plomin & Dale, 2000). This would mean that language is something that we naturally do as a course of development, we are bale to acquire language in much the same way that we can walk or run or crawl. Another theory is hypothesis testing, which says that children develop language through a series of hypothesis testing which is to tentatively prove what they believe to be word relationships language patterns. For example, a 3 year old child may use language in the third person and when adults respond to his words indicating the he should own what he say, then he would know that he need not use the third person. Semantics refer to the study of meaning in a language and is often the focus of experimental research especially when a new word is developed and how a person attaches meaning to a particular word. At present one that is stressed by educators is the concept of metacognition, which is the ability to thin about what we are reading and writing even before we comprehend its entirety. Language is one of those fascinating subjects in psychology, although it is highly technical when it is broken down into its specific parts, it is also a very informative aspect of human existence. Language development and acquisition is often the means by which culture is transmitted and wherein socialization is handed from one generation to the next. Language also mirrors the culture of the society it develops from and this has been the focus of indigenous psychology and cross-cultural studies on the universality of psychological concepts in different languages (Esgate & Groome, 2004). Language is the main vehicle by which we interact and relate to other people, we are able to communicate with each other because we all use language, the inability to express our ideas and thoughts and feelings may leave the person handicapped and isolated from the rest of society. Languages disabilities may also hinder the education of children as learning basically occur in the context of communication and exchange of words and ideas. Language is said to be enhanced when the person has a large vocabulary, which means that the person has a large number of learned words which are available to him to aid him when he communicates with other people. At present the issue of English as a second language is prevalent in the educational system as more and more non-native English speakers are becoming a part of our society (Esgate & Groome, 2004). This has opened another field of study which is how a second language is acquired especially if it is very different in structure and form from the native language.