Literary comparison of ballantyne’s coral island

This is to compare R.M. Ballantyne’s Coral Island with William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Both novels situate their characters isolated in an island removed from society and with no adult supervision, thus leaving them to fend for themselves. Without the rules and order of society and civilization, the boys return to their state of nature – however, Ballantyne and Golding have differing views on what that is. Ballantyne’s boys retain their values and behave accordingly to the rules of society, whereas Golding’s boys struggle with their savage primal instinct and the tendency to be primitive and evil. In the end though, Ballantyne and Golding both explore the problem of evil and how their characters struggle with it. THESIS: Lord of the Flies and Coral Island depict how Man will act according to his instincts when he is isolated from society and in doing so show how their characters mature as they face the problem of evil. FIRST POINT: In both books, the boys are stranded in an isolated island and are left to fend for themselves without adult supervision. Coral Island: Ralph, aged 15, Jack, aged 18, and Peterkin, aged 14, find themselves shipwrecked in a deserted island in the Pacific. They build shelters, make fire, gather fruits, build boats and explore the island and nearby islands as well. Lord of the Flies: After a plane crash, Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Roger, Simon, twins Sam and Eric, and a group of boys of varying ages with the youngest ones as young as six or seven, are stranded in the island. The oldest in the group are Ralph and Jack, both twelve years old. They elect Ralph as leader, and set rules on building shelters and fire, and hunting for food. –  Ã‚   both sets of boys are stranded in an island left to fend for themselves –  Ã‚   in Coral Island, the three boys are friends, and have reached their adolescence as compared to the boys in Lord of the Flies, who can still be considered as children. The boys in Lord of the Flies are not necessarily friends but they went to the same school – they were thrown together in a situation and are forced to live together. SECOND POINT:   Both novels explore the problem of evil through the adventures of the boys. Coral Island: Readers follow the adventures of the boys, of their encounter with a shark, of their exploration of the island and Diamond Cave, their meeting with natives, Ralph’s journey with the pirates and his gallant rescue of the natives, Ralph’s reunion with his friends, and finally, their escape from death from the natives who have been converted to Christianity. Lord of the Flies: Readers follow the events in the island as brought about by the character’s actions and attitudes. The fire that swept half the forest was because of the boy’s irresponsibility, as was the fire’s burning out and thus missing to send a signal to a passing ship. Further, their character flaws stimulate the events in the island – Jack’s aggressive and belligerent behavior translated into a confident control of power and command over the weaker ones, and the fear and confusion in many of the boys made them susceptible into engaging into savage and primitive actions, letting go of reason and immersing in their primal instincts. Further, readers see that even the protagonists struggle with their principles, as Ralph and Piggy join in the ritual dance and even help kill Simon. –  Ã‚   Both sets of characters face the problem of evil. The boys in Coral Island face problem of evil from external forces – pirates, natives, the wild, and they face and fight against it when they come across it. Whereas in Lord of the Flies, the boys’ greatest enemy is themselves – the inherent evil that resides in them, the potential to be primitive and savage and to let go of reason, the fear and violence in them, that is the greatest battle that they face. The problem of evil is intrinsic – the boys struggle with the values that society taught them versus their instincts now that they found themselves in the wild with no supervision whatsoever. –  Ã‚   Thus, the isolation in the novels forces the characters to mature. In Coral Island, the boys were presented to behave accordingly, keeping their values intact and even able to Christianize natives. Thus, it shows that even without the controls imposed by society, Man in the state of nature will use his reason over his desires, and maintain order. On the other hand, in Lord of the Flies, the boys were presented indulging in their basic needs of placating their desires over fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure their being saved. The boys struggle with behaving as adults versus behaving like children, between using their reason and satisfying their thirst for hunting, between their morality and their rituals and tendency to be evil. In both novels, the characters had to act beyond their years and had to cope with their extraordinary situation. THIRD POINT: Both books end with returning to civilization, the three boys in Coral Island sail back to England while the boys in Lord of the Flies were found by a Naval officer who saw the fire set by Jack’s tribe. The end of both novels signals the coming of age of the characters, as they come into realization of what has happened to them. Coral Island: After all their adventures, the three boys go back home wiser and more mature because of the experiences that they have had. Lord of the Flies: The Naval officer thought that the boys were all fun and games at the island, but was surprised to find out that two boys have been killed. In a sense, these boys are no longer children – they have seen and participated in such violent acts, and have encountered their dark, evil sides. Upon seeing the Naval officer and asked what happened, the boys break down and cry, realizing what had become of them. Jack’s tribe have become blood-thirsty and completely savage, Piggy and Simon murdered, and Ralph reduced to a figurative pig, a prey running for his life from his former companions. Because of their experiences in the island, the boys matured and have grown wiser, knowing full well now what man is capable of. –  Ã‚   both sets of boys come out of their respective islands different and with a better understanding of themselves, although in Coral Island the boys were not tarnished with evil, while in Lord of the Flies the boys come to a realization of how brutal and inhuman they have behaved. –  Ã‚   Coral Island comes to an end with the boys’ going back to England, with all their little adventures resolved. Lord of the Flies ends with the boys’ crying and realization, and the fight between Ralph and Jack seemed to be over with the arrival of the officer and being rescued. CONCLUSION: Lord of the Flies and Coral Island depict two ways Man will act according to his instincts when he is isolated from society – Ballantyne shows that Man will uphold the values civilization taught him while Golding puts forward that Man will descend to savagery. By isolating the characters from society, Ballantyne and Golding effectively removed the boys from the controlling norms and standards that society imposes to shape the actions and behavior of men. Ballantyne pursues his story focusing on the events that happen to the characters and how they cope with these challenges, in the process showing that man is good and that he has the capacity to fight off evil from external factors. On the other hand, Golding’s story is driven by his characters’ emotions and motivations. The events happen in Lord of the Flies as a result of how the characters behave. The greatest challenge they had to face was in them: they needed to struggle with man’s tendency to descend to savagery and evil. At the end of each book, the boys are saved from the problem of surviving by themselves and are presented with the chance to return to society and civilization. Thus, from both books we garner that isolated from the controlling function of society and civilization, Man will fight for his survival, and behave accordingly. However, Man’s state of nature is debatable, the question of whether Man is innately good or evil is perennial, and at most the two books provide perspectives on how Man might behave stripped of society and civilization. For Ballantyne, this means that Man will use his innate goodness and reason, while Golding puts forward that Man will descend to savagery without the pillars of civilization. It seems that Golding’s portrayal of man’s state of nature is more realistic though, given that he presented younger boys much less exposed to society and dealt more with internal conflict and the crisis of survival, as compared to the adventures of Ballantyne’s characters. In the end, both reflected the attitudes and behavior of men during their time, and showed through their respective narrative how their characters grew and matured; how their way of thinking changed as they coped with the challenges of surviving by themselves.   

Critique of Pure Reason Essay

Immanuel Kant, (born April 22, 1724, Konigsberg, Prussia [now Kaliningrad, Russia]—died February 12, 1804, Konigsberg), German philosopher whose comprehensive and systematic work in epistemology (the theory of knowledge), ethics, and aesthetics greatly influenced all subsequent philosophy, especially the various schools of Kantianism and idealism. Kant was one of the foremost thinkers of the Enlightenment and arguably one of the greatest philosophers of all time. In him were subsumed new trends that had begun with the rationalism (stressing reason) of Rene Descartes and the empiricism (stressing experience) of Francis Bacon. He thus inaugurated a new era in the development of philosophical thought. BACKGROUND AND EARLY YEARS Kant lived in the remote province where he was born for his entire life. His father, a saddler, was, according to Kant, a descendant of a Scottish immigrant, although scholars have found no basis for this claim; his mother, an uneducated German woman, was remarkable for her character and natural intelligence. Both parents were devoted followers of the Pietist branch of the Lutheran church, which taught that religion belongs to the inner life expressed in simplicity and obedience to moral law. The influence of their pastor made it possible for Kant—the fourth of nine children but the eldest surviving child—to obtain an education. At the age of eight Kant entered the Pietist school that his pastor directed. This was a Latin school, and it was presumably during the eight and a half years he was there that Kant acquired his lifelong love for the Latin classics, especially for the naturalistic poet Lucretius. In 1740 he enrolled in the University of Konigsberg as a theological student. But, although he attended courses in theology and even preached on a few occasions, he was principally attracted to mathematics and physics. Aided by a young professor who had studied Christian Wolff, a systematizer of rationalist philosophy, and who was also an enthusiast for the science of Sir Isaac Newton, Kant began reading the work of the English physicist and, in 1744, started his first book, Gedanken von der wahren Schatzung der lebendigen Krafte (1746; Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces), dealing with a problem concerning kinetic forces. Though by that time he had decided to pursue an academic career, the death of his father in 1746 and his failure to obtain the post of undertutor in one of the schools attached to the university compelled him to withdraw and seek a means of supporting himself. Tutor and Privatdozent He found employment as a family tutor and, during the nine years that he gave to it, worked for three different families. With them he was introduced to the influential society of the city, acquired social grace, and made his farthest travels from his native city—some 60 miles (96 km) away to the town of Arnsdorf. In 1755, aided by the kindness of a friend, he was able to complete his degree at the university and take up the position of Privatdozent, or lecturer. Period of the three Critiques In 1781 the Kritik der reinen Vernunft (spelled Critik in the first edition; Critique of Pure Reason) was published, followed for the next nine years by great and original works that in a short time brought a revolution in philosophical thought and established the new direction in which it was to go in the years to come. The Critique of Pure Reason The Critique of Pure Reason was the result of some 10 years of thinking and meditation. Yet, even so, Kant published the first edition only reluctantly after many postponements; although convinced of the truth of its doctrine, he was uncertain and doubtful about its exposition. His misgivings proved well founded, and Kant complained that interpreters and critics of the work were badly misunderstanding it. To correct these wrong interpretations of his thought, he wrote the Prolegomena zu einer jeden kunftigen Metaphysik die als Wissenschaft wird auftreten konnen (1783; Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics That Will be Able to Come Forward as Science) and brought out a second and revised edition of the first Critique in 1787. Controversy still continues regarding the merits of the two editions: readers with a preference for an idealistic interpretation usually prefer the first edition, whereas those with a realistic view adhere to the second. But with regard to difficulty and ease of reading and understanding, it is generally agreed that there is little to choose between them. Anyone on first opening either book finds it overwhelmingly difficult and impenetrably obscure. The Critique of Practical Reason Because of his insistence on the need for an empirical component in knowledge and his antipathy to speculative metaphysics, Kant is sometimes presented as a positivist before his time, and his attack upon metaphysics was held by many in his own day to bring both religion and morality down with it. Such, however, was certainly far from Kant’s intention. Not only did he propose to put metaphysics â€Å"on the sure path of science,† he was prepared also to say that he â€Å"inevitably† believed in the existence of God and in a future life. It is also true that his original conception of his critical philosophy anticipated the preparation of a critique of moral philosophy. The Kritik der praktischen Vernunft (1788, spelled Critik and practischen; Critique of Practical Reason), the result of this intention, is the standard sourcebook for his ethical doctrines. The earlier Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten (1785; Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals) is a shorter and, despite its title, more readily comprehensible treatment of the same general topic. Both differ from Die Metaphysik der Sitten (1797; The Metaphysics of Morals) in that they deal with pure ethics and try to elucidate basic principles; the later work, in contrast, is concerned with applying these principles in the concrete, a process that involved the consideration of virtues and vices and the foundations of law and politics. The Critique of Judgment The Kritik der Urteilskraft (1790, spelled Critik; Critique of Judgment)—one of the most original and instructive of all of Kant’s writings—was not foreseen in his original conception of the critical philosophy. Thus it is perhaps best regarded as a series of appendixes to the other two Critiques. The work falls into two main parts, called respectively Critique of Aesthetic Judgment and Critique of Teleological Judgment. In the first of these, after an introduction in which he discussed â€Å"logical purposiveness,† he analyzed the notion of â€Å"aesthetic purposiveness† in judgments that ascribe beauty to something. Such a judgment, according to him, unlike a mere expression of taste, lays claim to general validity, yet it cannot be said to be cognitive because it rests on feeling, not on argument. The explanation lies in the fact that, when a person contemplates an object and finds it beautiful, there is a certain harmony between his imagination and his understanding, of which he is aware from the immediate delight that he takes in the object. Imagination grasps the object and yet is not restricted to any definite concept, whereas a person imputes the delight that he feels to others because it springs from the free play of his cognitive faculties, which are the same in all humans. LAST YEARS The critical philosophy was soon being taught in every important German-speaking university, and young men flocked to Konigsberg as a shrine of philosophy. In some cases the Prussian government even undertook the expense of their support. Kant came to be consulted as an oracle on all kinds of questions, including such subjects as the lawfulness of vaccination. Such homage did not interrupt Kant’s regular habits. Scarcely five feet tall, with a deformed chest, and suffering from weak health, he maintained throughout his life a severe regimen. It was arranged with such regularity that people set their clocks according to his daily walk along the street named for him, â€Å"The Philosopher’s Walk. † Until old age prevented him, he is said to have missed this regular appearance only on the occasion when Rousseau’s Emile so engrossed him that for several days he stayed at home. From 1790 Kant’s health began to decline seriously. He still had many literary projects but found it impossible to write more than a few hours a day. The writings that he then completed consist partly of an elaboration of subjects not previously treated in any detail, partly of replies to criticisms and to the clarification of misunderstandings. With the publication in 1793 of his work Die Religion innerhalb der Grenzen der blossen Vernunft (Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone), Kant became involved in a dispute with Prussian authorities on the right to express religious opinions. The book was found to be altogether too rationalistic for orthodox taste. He was charged with misusing his philosophy to the â€Å"distortion and depreciation of many leading and fundamental doctrines of sacred Scripture and Christianity† and was required by the government not to lecture or write anything further on religious subjects. Kant agreed but privately interpreted the ban as a personal promise to the king, Frederick William II, from which he felt himself to be released on the latter’s death in 1797. At any rate, he returned to the forbidden subject in his last major essay, â€Å"Der Streit der Fakultaten† (1798; â€Å"The Conflict of the Faculties†). In 1797 Kant published Die Metaphysik der Sitten (The Metaphysics of Morals), comprising Metaphysische Anfangsgrunde der Rechtslehre (The Philosophy of Law) and Metaphysische Anfangsgrunde der Tugendlehre (The Doctrine of Virtue). The former was the major statement of his political philosophy, which he also discussed in Zum ewigen Frieden (1795; Project for a Perpetual Peace) and in the essay â€Å"Uber den Gemeinspruch: Das mag in der Theorie richtig sein, taugt aber nicht fur die Praxis† (1793; â€Å"On the Old Saw: That May Be Right In Theory, But It Won’t Work in Practice†). The large work at which he laboured until his death—the fragments of which fill the two final volumes of the great Berlin edition of his works—was evidently intended to be a major contribution to his critical philosophy. What remains, however, is not so much an unfinished work as a series of notes for a work that was never written. Known as the Opus postumum, its original title was Ubergang von den metaphysische Anfangsgrunde der Naturwissenschaft zur Physik (â€Å"Transition from the Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science to Physics†). It may have been Kant’s intention in this work to carry further the argument advanced in the Metaphysische Anfangsgrunde der Naturwissenschaft (1786; Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science) by showing that it is possible to construct a priori not merely the general outline of a science of nature but a good many of its details as well. But judging from the extant fragments, however numerous they are, it remains conjectural whether its completion would have constituted a major addition to his philosophy and its reputation. After a gradual decline that was painful to his friends as well as to himself, Kant died in Konigsberg on February 12, 1804. His last words were â€Å"Es ist gut† (â€Å"It is good†). His tomb in the cathedral was inscribed with the words (in German) â€Å"The starry heavens above me and the moral law within me,† the two things that he declared in the conclusion of the second Critique â€Å"fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the oftener and the more steadily we reflect on. † IMMANUEL KANT Prepared by: Cherry B. Ordonez Alliona Gem S. Tolentino N- 201.

The Real Value of “E-Business Models”

Summary Note: The real value of â€Å"e-business models† Research Questions Asked * What is the meaning of e-business model? * Do the e-Business model really matter to create a thriving e-firm? * Can only a good e-business model will give the strength to company to get success? * What are the real key factors determining the survival or failure of e-firm? The e-business model is a model used by the e-commerce company to better be organized for providing a product or service, generating revenues and, especially, creating and adapting to the new market and technologies.Summary This article suggests in a critical way how this important model could be applied to different types of company, distinguishing the model by categories. It pays attention how the particular model is not the only successful key of the company, but it will an important tool if the company understands the linkage between it, its core business and the marketplace environment. The article presents some cases of failure and success, and how it creates a thriving for the firm. Supply chain model Direct sales: the firm provides a product or services directly to a customer ( Dell, Cisco, Aol) * Intermediary: the firm sells goods from a third party (Amazon) * Electronic marketplace: make easier the direct communication between buyers and sellers (Autobytel) Revenue model * Income is generated directly from the customer transaction * â€Å"Free sires where the income is generated through advertising or sponsorship (Napster) Internet business can also be distinguished according to the markets they serve * B2B business to business * B2C business to consumer Click and mortar: relies on offline asset * Pure play model: purely net based Failure and key of success Odds of survival of different business models compared| E-tail vs direct sales | 0. 93:1| Portal vs direct sales| 0. 97:1| Marktplace vs direct sales| 1. 30:1| Pay vs free| 0. 80:1| Clicks/mortar vs pure Net | 11:01| * E-tail and portal si tes are slightly less likely to survive than direct sales sites * Marketplace model are likely to survive that direct sales sites * Free sites are a little more likely to survive than pay sites * Clicks and mortar are 11 times more likely than pure Internet sites.Observation : * Firm that are part of group have a strategic advantages as brands, customers and suppliers relationship and cash * E-models are flexible and they enable rapid growth. Why some company in the same market will get success and some are not? * Logistic strategies – Case of eVineyards and Wine. com: the first decides to set up own retails store in each location generating a quicker and more reliable service. The second decided to outsource by relying on retail partners in various location, but it generated longer delivery times and out-of-stock problems Channel conflict: some firms have to cease trading via the Net owing to conflicts with existing channel partners (Starbucks, Levi Strauss, Reebok) * Free a nd pay web sites: the mass of users is attracted when the service is free * Lack of customer benefits is a common cause for the failure of the company * Network externalities: some firms focus on creating an high numbers of user, reeling in a large enough user base to make it attractive for the other users to join (eBay) * Level of utility and value added: to achieve a high target market penetration it may be necessary to be innovative (Priceline)What to take from it? * Each model raises particular issues * There is not a â€Å"perfect model† * Key factor is understanding and managing the particular problem inherent in their model * The chances to be successful are much higher when the firm is a part of a larger group Critique * It's a bit old. * It does not tell us , how is perfect business model look like? Questions for class * Is necessary to have a business model? * What are the key drivers of success in the business model? * How will these change in the future?

Film Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film Critique - Essay Example But when a film resulted to an individual committing heinous crime taking 12 lives and wounding 40 more, can it still be considered as entertaining or more on alarming? The Dark Knight Rises is the last of the Batman trilogy written and directed by Christopher Nolan released under Warner Bros. Picture. Earning $160.9 million during its opening weekend, the film is a mixture of action, drama, suspense, and adventure bringing with it a powerful cast starting from Christian Bale who gave every emotion needed to bring Bruce Wayne and Batman to life. Michael Cane gave justice to the heartwarming role of Alfred as a loyal butler and surrogate father of Bruce Wayne. Anne Hathaway was just right to be the sly cat woman who turned Batman’s ally, and Tom Hardy was very much Bane in the film you would hardly see recognized him. The Dark Knight Rises ties the knot of the previous two Batman movies Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). The film begun with the iconic hero sufferi ng from loss and questioning the value of his existence as a savior of Gotham City and ended with him rising from his own grief fuelled by anger on the chaos and desire to restore peace in the city. The film’s exposition on the characters of Bruce Wayne and cat woman during their first encounters would give away the upcoming relations of the two protagonists in saving Gotham City. The movie offered numerous clues of its plot through expository scenes and dialogues. Some of these are the eulogy for the Mayor that is a hint on the reason of Bruce Wayne’s internal struggle, and Selina’s words to Bruce Wayne when they danced at a party insinuated the looming chaos in Gotham City and her role in the rise and fall of Batman. The rising action was developed by the writers and the director when Batman was captured by Bane and the latter gained control over Gotham City including its assets and people by creating friction and promoting strife. As the chaos continues, view ers are kept interested in the movie by showing Bruce Wayne’s struggle to come in terms with his own pride and prejudice. The character of Blake is a great support in building the action as he continues to build secret alliances with other agents to save the police forces and Gotham City. The film’s climax started when Bruce Wayne was able to settle his personal issues, climbed out of the dungeon, and conspired with Selina to help him free the police forces trapped underground and battle with Bane to free Gotham City. The director’s style is nonlinear narrative using flashback scenes to connect the plot and psychological thriller with the elements of action, mystery, and drama that showcases the emotional and mental construction of his main protagonist and antagonist characters. To keep viewers glued in their seat towards the end of the film, Nolan used flashback technique as with the past two Batman movies he directed. The flashback revealed the story of lead c haracters which explains the oddities in their behavior like when Miranda and Bane revealed to Batman their alliance. The same flashback technique was used when the old man in the prison was retelling to Bruce Wayne the story of the child who was able to climb out of the dungeon. Christopher Nolan marked a difference in this movie by using IMAX form in filming 50 minutes of the movie which makes action scenes and background more vivid because of its better resolution. This however affected some of the short dialogues of the

Models for EBP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Models for EBP - Essay Example According to Hulme (2008), the validation process helps in the determination of the credibility of the information obtained from any research carried out. The most essential requirement prior to the development of Stetler model is the compliance to the pre-set rules and regulations governing the organization. This is because these standards boost quality in service delivery and discipline in the sector. In addition, this compliance creates confidence of the stakeholders, in the organization fraternity because of the quality of service in the organization and the involvement of the organization in the assessment of the compliance of the sector to the set standards. Organizations undergo programs tailored at offering proper training in order to have delivery of quality service. Therefore, these programs include the master plan of evaluation in the training. This is because this plan acquaints organizations with the necessary information regarding a firm’s goals. For, instance, it highlights the areas of the faculty that need evaluation. This includes methods to be employed in the evaluation. The kinds of people to participate in the process are anchored in the plan. The action plans required to give feedback on the various inferences made with regard to boosting the quality in organizational service delivery. In addition, the Stetler model helps in the assessment of the proposal for funds for various projects, and it also helps in the submissions of research reports and the normal assessment reports. The evaluation is important in the total quality management, the benchmarking, the restructuring and the continuous improvement of the quality of the master plan of organizational performance (Hulme, 2008). It acts as a source of primary data for internal reviewing of the efficiency of an organization. This is aimed at boosting quality in delivery of service and prompt response to non-value adding roles. This evaluation is necessary in the benchmarking

Genetic experimentation and development Research Paper - 3

Genetic experimentation and development - Research Paper Example The gene treatment has spared the family from a $60,000 annual bill for essential medication treatment without the gene treatment or therapy. As of late, sixteen coronary illness patients, who were truly waiting for death, got an answer through duplicates or copies of a gene that triggers vein development and growth by infusion direct into the heart. By developing fresh vessels around obstructed arteries, each of the sixteen patients’ demonstrated change and six were totally rid of agony. (Bohlin, n.d.) But this therapies were only used as a last resort, when all else failed. The most important question here is what about when genetic engineering is used other than life-threatening situations. For example, when it is used, by parents who can afford them, to genetically enhance the intelligence of their children or the physique of the person is changed according to his or her liking; thus, initiating a chaotic situation in our elite classes who may start a war to create the gen etically ‘perfect’ human beings. Thus the prospect of any equality between human beings would be eliminated altogether just because e.g. their parents were not able to afford a genetically enhanced mind. Coming towards the stem cell research, it has a lot of potential. A stem cell is a cell that can make precise duplicates of itself for an indefinite period of time. This cell can produce special cells for different tissues in the human body, for example, cerebrum tissue, heart muscle and liver tissue etc. These cells could be spared and utilized later to produce special cells, when required. (University of Maryland Medical Center, n.d.) But this is usually seen as a way of human cloning. But it has greater potential than that, for example, growing broken teeth or ruptured arteries or veins. The main question hair is that should genetic engineering be allowed for further development? Yes, it

IT Project Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IT Project Management - Assignment Example Three cells on top, a full width cell in the middle showing Activity name and three cells on bottom. Each of these cells represents important information about the activity as shown below in the picture:- Calculation of Early Start and Early Finish time: Early start time in the first activity is set to 1 whereas duration is given in the requirements. Early finish time is calculated by adding duration in early start time. Early start time of the next sequential activity is set to the previous activity’s early finish time. Adding duration, Early Finish time is found. All activities are traversed in the forward direction and their early start, duration and early finish time is found in this way and written in their respective cells. Early start time of activity that is approached by two or more activities is set to the highest time. For example Activity 14 is approached by Activity 8 which has early finish time as 76 and Activity 12 which has early finish time as 39. The highest early finish time is 76 so early start time of Activity 14 is set to 76. Calculation of Late Start and Late Finish time: Reaching to the end of the activity or finish traversing is restarted in the backward direction. The last activity’s early finish time is set to its late finish time. Deducting duration, late start time is set. Traversing backward previous activity’s late finish time is set to the late start time of the current activity. Then deducting duration, late start time of previous activity is found. All activities are traversed in the backward direction and their late finish, float/slack and late start time is found in this way and written in their respective cells until the start is reached. Late finish time of activity that is approached by two or more activities is set to the lowest time. For example Activity 5 is approached in backward direction by Activity 6 which has late start time as 22 and Activity 7 which has late start time as 65. The lowest early finish time is 22 so late finish time of Activity 5 is set to 22. Calculation of Float or Slack time: The Float or Slack time is the difference between late finish and early finish time. It is same as the difference between early start and late start time. All the activities that have float/slack as zero is critical activity and must be part of the Critical Path. Start and Finish Activity box: Each diagram begins with the start box having values of zero for early start, duration, early finish, late start, float and late finish. Each diagram ends with the finish box having values of maximum days needed to complete for the project. It is set in all the cells of early start, duration, early finish, late start, float late finish. Directional Arrow: Each activity is linked with a directional arrow to show the sequential flow of the activities. The arrow can be in the forward direction to show the progress of work flow or up and down direction to show the parallel works. No backward dire ction is allowed in the network diagram because the time once passed never returns. Task 3: Constraints of Days and Amount Applying constraint of completing project within 70 days has forced to break up two of the activities. Activity 6 of 15 days which has been now changed to Activity 6(a) and Activity 6(b) each of 10 days duration calculated by 2/3*15 formula given in constraints. Similarly Activity 8 of 39 days is now

Knowledge Management. Chunnel Project FTA Final Research Paper

Knowledge Management. Chunnel Project FTA Final - Research Paper Example The Chunnel project faced innumerable challenges in its initiation phase. When there is lack of scope then it leads to resource planning, cost estimating as well as budgeting difficulties. Furthermore, the other challenge faced by Chunnel was related to air-conditioning cost as well as formation of Intergovernmental Commission (IGC). The project was bid at US$5.5 billion but it completed at US$14.9 billion. The project took extra US$8.4 billion of funds to complete successfully. It was also noted that the project required additional 19 months to complete. The main reasons behind the delay in the project were the alteration in the decision made by the IGC. It was noted that the decision of IGC to alter the design of the Eurotunnel from 600 mm doors to nearly 700 mm doors deferred the project to 9 months. It was because of the contractual agreement the project was not capable of paying much attention towards teamwork. During the course of the project, it was difficult for the team memb ers to come to a mutually agreeable solution when confronted with material issues because of the incomplete requirements as well as scope changes. Therefore, lack of communication seemed to be one of the significant challenges faced by Chunnel. During the development step, the project faced issues related to lack of investment in team building. Furthermore, project office did not consider previously leant lessons while preparing the project details. The project was making use of new technology and furthermore, it was an underground construction which was considered as a challenging task for the project manager and the workers. The control of the project was in the hands of financing banks as well as construction companies that paid due attention towards the factors of profit maximization as well as risk maximization. However, there was lack of focus upon the task of operations. With the implementation of the knowledge management

Creation and Development of New Firms Assignment

Creation and Development of New Firms - Assignment Example Side by side, the trouble of poverty also became highlighted in these emerging economies of the entire world. However, in order to recover from such distressful state, most of the countries, especially the emerging or developing countries are reliant on economic liberalization. Due to such economic shift, most of the emerging economies and the firms of recent age are entirely responsible for economic recovery of the world (Yalcin & Kapu, 2008, p. 32). Due to which, most of these firms offered high concentration over the development of the entrepreneurship programs. Therefore, the importance of entrepreneurship program is highlighted in this assignment and it also focuses on five significant areas: Creation and development of new firms Success rates of entrepreneurial activities Global entrepreneurship in developing economies Degree of risks or safety of entrepreneurial programs Present entrepreneurs and innovative technology Creation and Development of New Firms In recent age, the em erging economies of the world are always trying to develop large number of new firms so as to improve their financial condition. Along with this, it also helps in improving the profit margin and revenue of the firms might also be improved. It also helps in enhancement of the employment rates resulting in upliftment of the living standards of the citizens of the economies. As a result, the reputation of the developing economy increases to a certain extent among other neighboring ones in the entire world. For the above reasons, the rate of entrepreneurship is increasing day by day and thereby improving the prospects of the firms and the employees as well. This is mainly because, the entrepreneurs of recent age are extremely talented and intelligent and comprise of excellent management and leadership skills that are extremely essential to control and operate any business firm or organization in this competitive age. As a result, the level of interaction among the employees and the mana gement is extremely high resulting in invention of varied types of new ideas and facts that might result in betterment of the organization (Yalcin & Kapu, 2008, p. 31). So, the prospect of the entrepreneurship has been increasing and it is resulting in amplification of the rate of development of new firms in the emerging economies. Success Rates of Entrepreneurial Activities As the entrepreneurs of recent age always try to develop and introduce new ideas and information for the betterment of the firm. This is done only after analyzing the situation and the strengths and weaknesses of the firm. By doing so, an entrepreneur might attain get a better analysis of the essential requirements of the firm. On the basis of that, the entrepreneur might develop the plans and the strategies that might lead to its betterment. Along with this, after the plans are finalized, the goals and objectives are also developed after consulting with the other employees of the firm. Then, to attain such obje ctives, the innovative skills and talents as well as equipments are introduced within the employees of the organization. Therefore, with the coordinated efforts of the employees, equipments and management, the objectives might be surely achieved resulting in success of the organization. Due to which, the working condition of the organization improved resulting in enhancement of the rate of devotion of the employees towards work. This is the

Why Foreign Investors Need to Look at Political Risks in India Essay

Why Foreign Investors Need to Look at Political Risks in India - Essay Example Some of the emerging markets that have captured the attention of intellectuals around the world are China, India, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey. Among the above list, China and India are the markets with the greatest potential. These are the markets where companies enter for quick return on investments. â€Å"Even though emerging markets generally do not have the level of market efficiency and strict standards in accounting and securities regulation like advanced economies -- such as the United States, Europe and Japan -- they are most sought after by investors for the prospect of high returns, as they often experience faster economic growth as measured by GDP.† (Rediff Business, 2011) China’s economy is the fastest growing economy in the world at present. Similarly, India’s growth rate is expected to surpass even that of Japan. Studies by various organisations show that the emerging market economies are set to overtake all the G7 economies by 2020 . Such studies do have enough reasons to substantiate their views. This essay will deal with the strategic expansion of IKEA with its Greenfield operations in India. India had recently opened up its market for 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the retail sector. IKEA did not waste even a day after the decision, the company has started framing board room strategies for the Indian market. Company IKEA is undoubtedly the world’s largest furniture retailer. Though furniture is its flagship product, it is also one of the largest home furnishing retailers in the world. The Company which was established in 1943 is headquartered in Leiden, Netherlands. What make IKEA different from the competitors are its modern and unique furniture designs. Moreover, IKEA designs are also eco-friendly compared to the competitors. When it comes to managerial efficiency and vision, IKEA is a benchmark for any businesses. The company gives extreme focus to cost control and product development bec ause of which they are able conquer new markets without much effort. Cost control gives them an edge over the pricing. The continuous product development helps them to keep pace with the changing trends. IKEA has been on a continuous growth path ever since its inception. The story is no different in 2012 too. â€Å"Net profit at the privately-held Swedish firm, known the world over for low-price, self-assembly, flat-packed furniture, rose 10.3 percent to 2.97 billion euros ($3.8 billion) in the year to last August.† (Reuters, 2012) Russia, China and Poland were the countries that contributed more to the overall sales of the company. This huge increase in profit is despite of the hike in raw material prices. Even at a very high raw material cost the company did not pass it on to the customers. It continued supplying products at lower prices as it used to be. The company is planning for about 3 billion euros of investments worldwide in the coming years. IKEA has constituted its product portfolio in such a way that even during a slump in demand due to economic problems, there are products that are focussed on the cost conscious customers. Because of this, IKEA is able to maintain sales and market share even during a slump in the economy. IKEA is now focussed on its strategy for the emerging markets such as China, India and Russia. Investment Unlike many other companies, IKEA wants their business units to be under their sole ownership. They are not ready for partnering with a domestic player which is why they backed out from Indian market entry years before (India permitted only 51% FDI in retail then). They enter the market with a careful study and examination of the market from

Effects of Agriculture Essay Example for Free

Effects of Agriculture Essay The evolution of man through agriculture was expressed thoroughly by Jared Diamond in his article. The transition from a Neolithic way of living to a Paleolithic way of life had many negative effects. Having people settling down to build organized cities and companies meant there would be social inequalities. Women were usually the first targets to social inequality. Having people stay in one area and having them live together in villages created the uprising of epidemic diseases that created a widespread of death in communities. During this time growing their own food did not ensure that they would eat. Farmers that had failing crops would lead to starvation for their families. The change from nomads to farmers and agriculturists was not filled with full prosperity. Social inequalities created the basis for the organization of social classes and positions in every society. Women were the first group to experience social inequality. Women being weaker than men were always subject to doing less rigorous but more labor. While a man would be hunting for game, a woman’s responsibility would be to gather small vegetables and fruit if the man returns with no meat. A woman was expected to clean, nurture the small children, prepare a meal and in most cases hold a baby in her womb. Paleolithic lifestyle from the eyes of a woman suggests that a woman was not entirely pleased with the life she lived. A woman was forced into marriage with unknown knowledge of the man before. A woman craved loved but sometimes didn’t feel it in the relationships she was in. Woman were also forced to stay at home which limited the knowledge a woman can have given that she can’t even go outside. Social Inequality limits the progress of a society and women were a prime example. Epidemic diseases not only killed thousands of people and made populations decreased greatly, but also imbedded the fear of death into the minds of many people. And epidemic disease is a widespread of disease that’s transmitted from person to person. This epidemic will not stop until a vaccine is created. An example was the Black Death that plagued European countries from 1348 to 1350. Another example would be smallpox that devastated many countries and civilizations including Ancient Egypt and countries in Europe. After the Neolithic time period and the rise of agriculture, there was also a rise in epidemic disease. Having people live together in unsanitary areas quickly made people vulnerable to bacteria and other viruses. Having no knowledge of this, people of that time period would spread the bacteria to one another through physical contact which would get each other sick. Having large villages would result in a large percentage of people dying because they aren’t moving due to the end of their nomadic life, and are in one place. Also, having an overpopulated area would create a faster way for an entire civilization to perish. Epidemics in the Paleolithic time period contributed to the first mass deaths during that time period. Having to stop moving around and becoming farmers was a very helpful thing to many peoples’ lives, but that didn’t necessarily mean they had something to eat all the time. Farmers worked very hard on their plantations to ensure they had enough food for the next harvest and enough food to survive the harsh winter to come. The harvest would be successful and could also be the reason why entire families would die. A plantation would fail and lead to starvation for most families due to many environmental reasons. Droughts would occur to limit the water supply of crops. Starting to grow plants during the wrong season would definitely ensure a failing plantation. Insects and animals would destroy the hard work of these farmers by eating what the crops have produced, or just destroying it all together. Animals such as raccoons, wolves, or coyotes would see these plantations as an easy access to food and destroy a season’s hard work. Insects such as locusts would devour all in its path and the crops were an easy target for a large group of locusts. The life of a Paleolithic farmer could be prosperous but could be very harsh at times. There are many things that could contribute to the failure of a person that is living a life of agriculture from the Paleolithic time period. There were many limiting factors to making this an unsuccessful way to live, but social inequality, epidemic diseases, and failing crops that led to starvation stood out the most. It was harsh to live a very open life when being a woman subject to social inequality during this time. Living a filthy unsanitary lifestyle would lead to the death and the rise of epidemics to occur in many civilizations. The failing of a farmer’s crops could destroy his life for that season and ruin his family with just one thing to happen to his plantation. The effects of agriculture had not only a positive alternative of living but a heavy, negative, and devastating effect in the life of farmers of the Paleolithic time period.

War on terror Essay Example for Free

War on terror Essay The statement, â€Å"One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter,† has become a great obstacle in war on terror. In the struggle against terrorism, the problem of definition is a crucial element in the attempt to coordinate international collaboration, based on the currently accepted rules of traditional warfare. Due to that reason the herein literature review includes a work which deals with the legal issues related to terrorism. The relevance of works related to the direct war on terror to this review is obvious. In particular this review includes the works dedicated to the general outline and principals of the study of terrorist organizations as well as works dealing with the study of financial activity of terrorist organizations. The first work under review is the book Terrorism and Organized Hate Crime: Intelligence Gathering, Analysis, and Investigations by Michael R. Mpa Ronczkowski. (2004) Material in this book can provide personnel of different services with an understanding and approach for gathering intelligence and conducting analysis on terrorism-related matters. For me personally this work is valuable due to its clear classification of terror activity. The author distinguishes the following types of terrorists’ activity: Political terrorism, Ecological terrorism, Agricultural terrorism, Narco terrorism, Biological terrorism, and Cyber terrorism. Besides the author defines and presents the peculiarities of each of the type. The important element of the work is that it describes the history and roots of modern terrorism. The book is also distinguished by the wide scope it covers, it doesn’t limit only to the terrorism in the Asia but also deals with domestic terrorism. In case with the USA the author claims that evolution of domestic terrorism, organized groups such as gangs and crime families have a long-standing presence in the U. S. The genesis of domestic terrorism lays in hate. And finally the author suggests the way to distinguish common criminal actions from terror. The criminal group with clear hierarchal structure is a distinguishing feature of terrorism. The article Terrorism, Counterterrorism and International Law examines terrorism and counterterrorism from the point of view of international law. The work highlights the legal vagueness of the notion of terrorism. Thus this work continues an issue discussed in the previous work. The author poses the two disputable questions one in the context of Israel/Palestine: â€Å"Israelis call suicide bombers a terrorist Palestinians call them a martyr. Who is right? † and another one â€Å"Why is the attack on the Twin Towers called terrorism, while the bombing of a hospital in Kabul is not? † International law appears to be unable to give a clear response to these questions. Nevertheless, the author observes that according to the up-to-date situation with international law in certain cases it can identify terrorism. So, the taking of a hostage for the purpose of obtaining the liberation of a political prisoner fits the definition of a terrorist act. The same crime committed solely for the payment of ransom does not. The hijacking of the four planes on September 11 was a megaterrorist act. It is questionable; however, whether the hijacking of a plane bound for Florida to enable the hijacker to land in Cuba fits the general view of terrorism. The search for appropriate methods of fighting terrorism must necessarily include the understanding of the motives that guide the terrorists in their actions. The article Understanding, Responding to and Preventing Terrorism makes an attempt to explain the roots for the terrorism directed at the United States, and the rage that fuelled the attackers on September 11. The author defines the most significant among the reasons that cause such violent attitude towards American nation. Thus he points to the globalization of poverty, Washingtons continued support for Israels treatment of the Palestinians, U. S. bombing and sponsorship of the devastating economic sanctions against Iraq, and the alliance between the United States and Arab monarchies such as Saudi Arabia, where the U. S. maintains a significant military presence. Analysing causes of terror he differentiates certain types of terrorism such as individual terrorism; International State terrorism; State regime or Government terror and some others. However, the author does not focus solely on the faults of the nations that generate terrorist groups but claims the responsibility for the United States bombing of Afghanistan and Israels massacre of the Palestinians which violated international law as well as questions lawfulness of an invasion of Iraq. Finally, this work offers useful suggestions, in the context of international law, for creating peaceful alternatives to respond to terrorism and to deter it in the future. The next work under revision is the journal article State Terrorism and Globalization: The Cases of Ethiopia and Sudan by Asafa Jalata. The article scrutinizes the essence of state terrorism in Ethiopia and Sudan in regional and global contexts. Nowadays Ethiopian and Sudanese states have been formed, consolidated, and maintained by state terrorism and global connections. The Ethiopian state was created by the alliance of Abyssinian (Amhara-Tigray) dependent colonialism and European imperialism, and the Sudanese state by British colonialism known as the Anglo-Egyptian condominium. The work is significant by the study of historical background to the processes of state formation in the two countries. It also explores the global, regional, and local processes through which the modern Ethiopian and Sudanese states emerged. The examinations of connection between terrorism, globalism, and the process of racialization and ethnicization of state power may appear helpful for exploiting a rational means for fighting terrorism. Finally article is useful by its conclusion that in these two countries there can be no multicultural or multinational democracy, peace, stability, or development without removing the conditions that have facilitated external dependency and domestic terrorism. The September 11 attacks constitute a virtually unprecedented threat to security of the modern society and way of life. The attacks have thus evoked a natural demand both for retribution and for measures to keep people safe. The article The Death Penalty an Obstacle to the War against Terrorism? by Thomas Michael McDonnell deals with a fundamental question, namely, whether, as a matter of law and policy, the federal government should use the death penalty against those found to have been involved in the September 11 attacks, in particular, and, more broadly, against those who belong to or have allied themselves with al Qaeda. Meting out the death penalty to international terrorists involves difficult moral, legal, and policy questions. The September 11 crimes were not only domestic crimes, but also international ones. Yet most countries in the world have abolished capital punishment. None of the four currently operating international criminal tribunals is authorized to impose a death sentence. In addition, the advent of the suicide bomber turns the deterrence justification for the death penalty inside out. Might the death penalty help create martyrs rather than discourage similar attacks? Could the imposing the death penalty increase support in the Islamic world for al Qaeda and other extremist groups? These are the question the author raises in this work. The article examines these questions in the context of the Zacarias Moussaoui case, the supposed twentieth hijacker, who, on September 11, 2001, had been held in custody for twenty-six days. It mostly deals with criminal liability imposed not on the actual perpetrators, but on accomplices and co-conspirators, secondary rather than primary actors, discusses current American law and supports the idea of death penalty as one of possible way to prevent or at least impede terrorism. And the last work under consideration is the article by Zachary Abuza Funding Terrorism in Southeast Asia: The Financial Network of Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya. The author here points out to one of the most influential factor that hinders the war on terrorism as a financing of terrorist organization. Thus he asserts that mechanisms for funding terrorism have continued unabated in Southeast Asia, and to date no terrorist assets or funds have been seized in the region. The knowledge of the financial aspects of terrorists’ activity may considerably accelerate the solution of this painful problem. For example, Al Qaedas financial basis was built on a foundation of charities, non-governmental organizations, mosques, websites, fund-raisers, intermediaries, facilitators, and banks and other financial institutions that helped finance the mujiheddin throughout the 1980s. This network extended to all corners of the Muslim world. The goal of counter-terrorism is to constrict the environment in which terrorists operate and their logistical and financial support networks is one of the most important elements of this environment. This will restrict terrorists’ means to travel, communicate, procure equipment and conduct attacks. This is, as the author suggests, arguably the most difficult part of the war on terror, as terrorist organizations use myriad ways to fund their operations, legal and illegal, overt and covert, with paper trails or without. He finally arrives to the conclusion that tracking this funding has to become a priority for law enforcement or counter-terrorist officials. To assist this investigation he provides with comprehensive account of the way such organizations like Jemaah Islamiya, Al Qaeda get financed. To conclude this critical bibliography I’d like to note that international law is still unable to give a well-defined, clear definition of terrorism. Thus basing only on the international law it is impossible to win the war on terrorism. This war demands the use of such notions as universal human values and justice which are considerably wider than any law and what is more at some circumstances contradict law. But only incorporation of human aspect into the legal process can help to defeat terrorism. Bibliography RONCZKOWSKI, Michael R. Mpa Terrorism and Organized Hate Crime: Intelligence Gathering, Analysis, and Investigations. Boca Raton, FL, CRC Press, 2004. WEISS, Peter. Terrorism, Counterterrorism and International Law. Arab Studies Quarterly. : 2002: 11+ COHN, Marjorie. Understanding, Responding to and Preventing Terrorism. Arab Studies Quarterly. 2002: 25+ JALATA, Asafa. State Terrorism and Globalization: The Cases of Ethiopia and Sudan. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 46 (1-2): 2005: 79+ MCDONNELL, Thomas Michael. The Death Penalty an Obstacle to the War against Terrorism? Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 37 (2): 2004: 353+ ABUZA, Zachary. Funding Terrorism in Southeast Asia: The Financial Network of Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya. Contemporary Southeast Asia. 25 (2): 2003: 169+ Retrieved April 04, 2006 from http://www. asiamedia. ucla. edu/article. asp? parentid=7520

Understanding culturally responsive teaching and multicultural educ

Understanding culturally responsive teaching and multicultural educ Multicultural education is all about students learning in different modes and about teachers responding effectively to recognize and detect the differences in learning. Culturally responsive teaching always focuses on perceived strengths of students and liaising between mismatch between cultures followed at home and the school. Culturally responsive teaching is a systematic approach to modern day teaching by taking into consideration many aspects of culture and its values. In a classical study, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Gloria Ladson-Billings demonstrated the examples of a culturally relevant teaching module. The main goal of this study was to find out why some teachers were successful with teaching African American children what other teachers could not. The researcher also wanted to pinpoint those specific behaviors that made these teachers successful in teaching. For this study, she chose all parents and principals from four schools that exclusively taught African American children, to pick those teachers, who they considered excellent in terms of teaching. As one could guess, the choices made by principals and parents were entirely different. Principals They chose teachers, who possessed very low numbers of discipline referrals, who had very high attendance rates and top test scores. Parents Parents chose teachers who were helping, enthusiastic, interested in teaching students and those who actually understood that students want to mix with a community that had both white and colored students. The result In all, nine teachers, both white and black, were selected for the experiment. Out of them, eight agreed to participate in the study. The researcher conducted this study for several years; after many years of dedicated research, the researcher could observe many conflicting scenarios. Teachers who participated in the program were all different, each with their own teaching styles, strategies and personalities. The results that were pooled from the exercise were too confusing and the researcher just wanted to abandon the program because of these conflicting results. However, the researcher could suddenly find some remarkable, striking and subtle features that were associated with the experimental module. 1) All the eight teachers, who participated in the exercise voluntarily chose challenging schools, those were complex and difficult to teach. 2) All of them felt that they were responsible for the success of their students 3) Teachers were very sensitive and receptive towards race and class discrimination in society. 4) In fact, they wanted to fight bias and prejudice that were so common in schools 5) Lastly, teachers considered both students home and classroom as inter-related and connected. This perception helped them to learn from different neighborhoods. The methods used by the teacher were very interesting and refreshing. All of them respected other cultures, classes and religions. They also honored the crafts, customs and traditions followed in the community. Teachers also invited parents to share traditional experiences and customs of each community. Teachers cajoled students to learn and master both home and Standard English (home English is the one that students speak in their homes). One of the most striking and interesting aspect of the exercise was that even teachers were willing to learn from students and parents experiences and opinions. Eventually, the researcher, Gloria Ladson-Billings, could summarize the research findings and arrive at a package of principles for meaningful and community teaching. These culturally responsive principles are as follows: 1. Stronger self-esteem and self-image is possible, only when the students experience academic success and satisfaction. Students who do not believe in themselves or in their abilities may have very poor academic achievements. Students always like lessons that are in consonance with their learning styles. Students also like to learn the basic knowledge and skills those are necessary for achieving success in their classrooms. 2. To succeed in classrooms and elsewhere, students must develop and retain core competence. A home is where one can find opportunity for learning. Not many teachers teach about educational experiences that students could gain in a community setting. Many teachers teach just the classroom skills and techniques. The researcher made it a point to include community as a foundation for meaningful teaching. She believed that teaching should look beyond the traditional classroom. She wanted to avoid a perceived conflict or friction between the classroom and home. Teachers can create and set up and meaningful and positive academic environment by teaching beyond traditional classrooms and by integrating learning with the concepts, customs and traditions of local community. 3. It is possible to encounter and challenge social injustice by developing highly critical consciousness and awareness. An intelligent and culturally inclined teacher needs to connect and gel with the needs and of the students as well as the local community. He or he may also need to work hard to enhance and improve the quality of life experienced in the school and community. Stop and Think Just, ask this following simple questions to yourself Can you recall an incidence in your school when you felt a disconnection? Did you see an apparent difference between the life portrayed in the textbooks and the real world where you actually lived? Do you feel that the method used in the case study were effective? If effective, why do you think so? Can you relate students skills and experiences with the skills and experiences of the community from where they come from? Do you feel that culturally responsive principles work in your class? How do you enhance or develop your students core competencies? Schools are just like a sanitized bubble that is entirely insulated from the problems that are faced in the real world. As a culturally enabled teacher, you should try to break open this bubble, so that students can experience the problems of the exterior world. Culturally relevant classroom will try to confront and eliminate real social problems. You should know and learn what it means to be an effective and culturally responsive teacher, so that you can enhance and broaden your feeling of what it needs to become a successful teacher. Collate and accumulate the following viewpoints that help you to be a good teacher. To be a good teacher, you may need to consider Ladson- Billings three points and later imbibe certain skills, attitudes and knowledge. 1. The type of teaching methods and skills that you need to acquire to become a culturally responsive teacher. 2. An ability to diagnose and detect different needs of students and action plans for different learning styles. 3. Developing and harnessing critical thinking and cognitive skills to help students excel in their studies. 4. Acquire a skill known as wait time, where you will remain silent and listen to the answers given by all students. Note: Previous studies have demonstrated that teachers with the noblest intentions often fail to use effective teaching skills. Chapter 11 of this book, Becoming an Effective Teacher, will provide you additional equitable teaching skills that can help you fine-tune your teaching career. Developing Attitudes to become a culturally responsive teacher Attitudes are very important for every teacher. What type of attitudes do you want acquire, so that you can become a culturally responsive teacher? Do you have any meaningful methods that help you teach students, whose cultural background is entirely different from yours? Most of your students may come from similar race, ethnicity and classes. Most of us may share a common set of values and opinions, while the way in which we socialized in the past may also be quite similar. As you get ready to teach, you may work hard to go away from your familiar territory and search for different viewpoints. The more different you become, the more likely you will be capable to welcome diverse life experiences and attitudes that are meaningful and agreeable. To become a culturally responsive teacher of very high caliber, you may need to acquire skills and knowledge about various groups and their experiences. The amount of skills and knowledge sets that you possess may be insufficient enough to teach your students. The skills and methods that you use may be inaccurate as well. To become a successful teacher, you may need to educate about yourself, your students and their requirements. Try to know and understand the educational implications of your students cultural backgrounds. This chapter will assist you traverse this unique path. Just consider this example. A number of African American community members often prefer aural and participatory learning to writing. If you are adamant and bent on using writing activities only, then your students performance may come down. Research findings also suggest us that girls and women have the habit of personalizing knowledge, skills and prefer learning by the way of experiences and first hand observation. Make sure that you create personal connections and events that will definitely enhance the success rates of female students. The big challenge that all teachers face is the ability to acquire beneficial and accurate cultural insights that eventually assist them to connect their classroom with the underlying culture. This needs to be done while preventing the likelihood of falling into the trap of stereotypic thinking. Do you know that difference between a useful cultural insight and a destructive stereotype? If you do not know, the next section will assist you learn the essential difference between them. Knowing Stereotypes The second chapter demonstrated the essential differences between different stereotypes and generalizations. Here, we will attempt to evaluate and analyze them very closely. What are stereotypes? Stereotypes are the firm and absolute beliefs that all members of a particular group possess; stereotypes will have a fixed set of parameters and characteristics. The word stereotype took its birth in a print shop. It is almost like a type. It is also like a one-piece plate that repeats a particular pattern without any individualism. Today, stereotypic thinking relates to cultures that neglect individuality and is applied consistently to every member of a group. Stereotypic thinking is rigid and non-flexible. It is set on a particular form of thinking that is unfair and unjust. Stereotypic people always try to save their time bypassing their normal thinking process. Stereotypes are a set of special characteristics those are attached to a group of individuals, based on their allegiance to a certain group with no qualification of thinking process. People who are stereotypes always use highly simplistic words that border on a sense of rigidity. For example, they may use words like à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. All Blacks are or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..All Hispanics are or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ All Asians are. In fact, these preconceived expressions are applied to certain groups without making any distinction; most of them are pre-conceived ideas and expressions. In fact, stereotypes are the way of thinking in a sloppy and unfair manner that undermines the basic values of a culturally different school. Consider the following examples: A typical stereotypic line of thinking may be: 1) All Hispanics are very poor in studies 2) All Asians are academically very smart and intelligent 3) Jews are very rich 4) African Americans are very good in sports Note: Stereotypes are impermeable to contradictory information. Examples: 1) Go and find a very poor Jew 2) Find me a Hispanic person with a doctorate degree 3) Give me an example of an Asian student who fails in math test 4) Find an African American, who is not an athletic. 5) Find a European American, who is not clean and hygienic Each of these strings of thought process is a perceived anomaly and every one of them is an exception to the set rule. As a result, the stereotypes always endure and persist. A typical stereotype is very dangerous and it can hurt and damage peoples egos. Stereotypic thinking in a school can even more be dangerous, as it can impede learning process. It also inhibits the ability to search for new information, not just ordinary and contradictory ones. Threat posed by Stereotypes Just consider the following example of stereotype and try to assess its damaging nature. Opinion polls published in the recent past inform us that about 50% of white Americans agree and endorse typical stereotypes relating to blacks and Hispanics, like most of them are not intelligent and skilled. Such stereotypic thinking acts like a double-edged sword; they can influence whites, blacks and Hispanics in equal measures. They can adversely influence the expectations, behaviors of whites, while blacks and Hispanics should live in a society that professes such beliefs. Consider the following case study published sometime back: In a study, the researchers asked both the whites and African American students to take somewhat difficult verbal examinations. Two groups took the verbal skill test a control group and an experimental group. In the control group, students took tests in a typically normal manner to measure the intelligence. On the other hand, the experimental groups consisted of students and they did not know that they were taking tests. Here, the psychology of their verbal problems was put to test. The researcher made sure that the two groups were matched to keep variable parameters like abilities of the students, time to test and the quality of tests almost similar. Results In the experimental groups, black test participants were successful in solving twice as many unique problems, as the ones those among the control group. On the other hand, the white test participants could solve almost the same number in both the groups. In another similar experiment, researchers found out that performance level of black test takers was very bad, when the examiners asked them to enter their race and ethnicity type on the test form. The outcome that you see here in this study is very simple. The outcome relates to the stereotypic threat. A number of factors like can influence academic performance: Self image Trust on others A Sense of belonging towards others When you learn that there is stereotype, you are more likely to act like a stereotype than when it does not exist. When you care most about your academic performance, you are more likely to be vulnerable to stereotypic threat. Many research studies demonstrate that why African American and other ethnic students tend to perform very well in college tests than their SAT scores predict. In many cases, the standardized test scores cannot be taken as an indicator and they are more often misleading. Likewise, many other people often fail as victims of stereotype threats especially Latinos in English tests, females in math tests and elderly people on short-term memory tests. Sometimes, even a bright student with very strong test scores may fall a victim to stereotype mentality. In fact, even a bright white student is not immune to stereotype; white students failed to perform to their expected levels, when they heard about their comparison with the Asian students. In fact, no one is immune from stereotype threat. Stereotype can limit a students ability to perform well in academics. Stereotype can convince a student that intellect is a fixed trait, that some ethnic groups are more intelligent than others are, and that his or her future is determined at the birth itself. Mind you, your intellect is just like your brain and it can change and transform over time. Your potential is truly amazing. If you believe that you can teach your brain to become smarter and intelligent, to grow like what you can do to your muscles through exercises, you can easily eradicate stereotypic thinking from your mind. Similarly, you can even enhance your test score, as well as the academic excellence. As a teacher, you are also dealing with ethics, values and characters of your students. When stereotypes exist among your students, they can damage your students and their learning potential beyond repair. When you give proper instruction, your students can overcome any type of stereotype. A good anti-stereotype course curriculum is the one that represents unique diversity across all races, ethnicity, genders, religions and socio-economic status. If you have the ability, you can even confront stereotype directly, head on with full conviction. You may just need to explain what stereotype is and how students can neutralize it. Never ever, ignore the perils of stereotype and its ability to damage your students mind and academic career. Dealing with generalization Generalizations recognize that there are special trends within a wide swath of people. Al members of religious, racial and ethnic groups have something that is common to them. They also share many things together. Generalization has many special characteristics: 1) They can give you some insights 2) They do not signify hard and fast conclusions like stereotypes 3) They do not consider that everyone in a group possess a fixed set of characters. You can never apply this axiom to everyone. You can modify it, as and when you collect fresh and new information. There will be many exceptions to generalizations. It is so common to see people using most common words like many, commonly, often or tend to, as different forms of generalizations. They also recognize that people may belong to different groups almost simultaneously. Example You can find Israeli Jews, Asian Jews, Arab Jews and even Polish Jews. Yet, they are all Jews altogether. Similarly, you can find African Indians, Caribbean Indians, Fiji Indians or even East African Indians. Yet, they are all Indians altogether. You can get a hunch or clue about a group through generalizations. These clues could form very important links, when you are planning to teach your class. When you do not know anything about your students or when you know very little about them, generalizations could be very useful tools to feel the pulse of the classroom. Generalizations provide you an educated guess to learn more about your students. As time passes and when you learn more about your class, you can then reject those generalizations that are vague and false. Using generalizations to create a culturally responsive teaching module Is it possible to develop a culturally responsive classroom by using generalizations in the teaching modules? Assume that you have a number of Native American students in your classroom. Now, let is also assume that you conduct some research on the learning preferences of these students. After conducting that research, you will discover that these students prefer to learn their lessons in a highly cooperative group that cherishes community and family values to individual competition. With available results, you will decide to modify your teaching methods that actually cater to the demands of students. Rather than using the same old model of teacher centric approach, you may start working on several academic topics at the same time. You will design a teaching module that specifically asks open-ended questions that demand answers related to student experiences of life. You may also wish to wait for some time for your students to answer your questions. Usually, Native Americans tend to wait for some time to give their answers. Native American students also tend to respect natural and supernatural forces very much. They also like to see native Indian expressions, words and syllables apart from legends and signs in their course curriculum. When you give them a chance to learn, by the way of sharing rather than competition, your students can learn well and perform better. Generalizations are always flexible. With experiences of teaching a diverse group of students, you can easily acquire better skills and techniques that help you in confronting any type of stereotypes. With valued experiences, you can also become the most productive teacher, who can be culturally responsive and sensitive as well. Let us kick start that process right now in the next section. Journal Activity Why generalizations and stereotypic thinking is dangerous for the society? List some important reasons and find solutions to overcome them. Is it possible to create culturally responsible teaching module by overcoming stereotypes and generalizations? Think of some teaching modules that you feel are good for you and study them in detail. Pause and Reflect Have you come across instances of stereotypes and generalizations, when you were studying in your school? If yes, write them down and analyze them. Do you feel that your present attitude towards a culturally diverse classroom is conducive enough to teach without any inhibitions or limitations? Give reasons why you are capable enough to teach a diverse classroom.

Wireless Networks :: Networks Telecommunications

Wireless services symbolizes a development of technology, and perhaps a new era of telecommunications, but these services have been used for over a century and remain identical with the "radio". The modest beginning of wireless services takes us back to the 19th century at time when Guglielmo Marconi, "the father of radio" made his mark in the world of wireless technology. When Marconi started experimenting with radio waves (Hertzian Waves) in 1894 his idea was to produce and detect radio waves over long distances. In 1896, Marconi was successful and obtained a patent and established the Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company Limited, the first radio factory in the world. In 1901, signals were received across the Atlantic and in 1905 the first wireless distress signal was sent using Morse Code. Wireless technology ultimately progressed as an invaluable tool used by the U.S. Military. The Military configured wireless signals to transmit data over a medium that had complex encryption, which makes unauthorized access to network traffic almost impossible. This type of technology was first introduced during World War II when the Army began sending battle plans over enemy lines and when Navy ships instructed their fleets from shore to shore. Wireless proved so important as a secure communications medium many businesses and schools thought it could expand their computing arena by expanding their wired local area networks (LAN) using wireless LANs. The first wireless LAN came together in 1971 when networking technologies met radio communications at the University of Hawaii as a research project called ALOHNET. The bi-directional star topology of the system included seven computers deployed over four islands to communicate with the central computer on the Oahu Island without using phone lines. And so, wireless technology, as we know it, began its passage into every house, classroom, and business around the world. Wireless network technology has been implemented for a number of things including cell phones, PDA's, and personal and business computers. There are three types of wireless networks, wide area networks (WAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), and personal area networks (PAN). Wide area networks include the networks provided by the cell phone carriers. Wireless local area networks are networks set up to provide wireless connectivity within a certain coverage area. Personal area networks are networks that provide wireless connectivity over distances of up to 10m or so. Wireless networks have many advantages, but also has many disadvantages to.

Journal Topic :: essays research papers

Journal 1 Echternacht, Lonnie & Wedmaier, Cheryl. (2000) Business Professionals’ and Business Educators’ Perceptions of Database Competencies Needed for Entry-Level Employment. NABTE, 34-39. How much education does a student need to receive a good job? The business world changes so much that a person is not able to keep up with the education that goes along. In the article it gives you the idea that a person can graduate from college and then in five years, what they learned is not used any more. Business changes so much it is hard to tell what the future will do. Researches think that students need to learn different skills to help them out in the work place. The purpose of the study was to find out what database competencies are important for a job in the business field. Also, how do the experts rate the competencies that are giving to them? The researchers sent out questionnaires to teachers who use or teach database classes. The questionnaires were made up from different resources that had extensive study on the background. The researchers sent them out by e-mail to all chosen participants. The participants were asked if they would mind being part of the study and if so e-mail them back. The study would consist of three parts all three parts would consist of participants communicating with the researchers. The first part the participants had to rate the competencies of database material. The researchers sent out 64 competencies and the participants could delete and add any to the list. Part two consisted of revaluating their pervious work. The participants could make changes if they felt it was appropriate. The researchers sent out information again to have participants complete three rounds of study. The study showed the competencies that the participants thought were important. The researchers took the range from all of the participants. It scored them from one to six. Six is the highest and one is low and the participants did not spend much time teaching it or thought it needs to be taught. Save the database file, enter records into databases, and review, edit, and delete database files were some that scored a six. The conclusion showed that people with interest in the business field should be aware of data base software and database management systems.

Essay --

George Washington was the first President of the United States. He was elected on April 30, 1789 Washington had the respect of everyone. Washington had many intriguing qualities. An example would be his quality of concern for his men. Throughout the Revolutionary War, Washington lost many of the battles, but he chose to lose them, rather than to win and risk all of his men’s lives. He made tactical retreats to save his men. George Washington, our first President, won over the hearts and earned the respect of the people of the United States because of his strong character, and not because of his political genius. In fact he never even went to college, due to lack of money. George Washington had the respect of not only politicians, lawyers, wealthy plantation owners, but also the respect of people who were not considered to be people. Such peoples included slaves and women. A man named Phyllis Wheatley became the first black poet of America. He talks about Washington’s greatness at the Siege of Boston in one of his poems, claiming virtue to always be at his side. Another poem was wri...

The Power of the Latino Vote

With the Presidential Elections coming in less than a year, candidates have stepped up efforts to attract the various groups of voters all over the country. One of the groups that candidates have targeted significantly is the Latino or Hispanic voters. The attention and importance that has been given to the Latino Vote can be traced back to the fact that Hispanics are slowly becoming the largest minority population in the country. With the large segment of the Hispanic population becoming eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential elections, candidates are viewing the Latino Vote as greatly influential in determining the results of the elections. In the past presidential elections, Hispanic voting has been considerably less than other racial or ethnic groups in the country. Since the presidential elections in 1980, the percentage of reported voting of Hispanic voter has been less than 30%. (Jamieson et al, 2002) This is significantly less than the reported voting percentage of African American voters. In every presidential election since 1980, African-American reported voting was between 50 to 56 percent. Meanwhile, voters of Asian origin had almost the same percentage as the Hispanic voters. (Jamieson et al, 2002) These data are only significant when one considers the population of each of the said races. Latinos greatly outnumber Asians in the country. Therefore, the low turnout of Hispanic voters is more significant than that of Asian voters. The importance of the Latino vote can be better understood from a demographic perspective. For the 2008 presidential elections, an estimated 12 million Latinos will be registered to vote. At the same time, there are 6.7 million unregistered voters. (LULAC, 2007) These votes can easily swing the results of the election. From this perspective alone, it is evident that the Latino vote is vital. Presidential candidates have acknowledged such fact. For this reason, there has been increased effort to court the Latino Vote. References Jamieson, A., Cheeseman Day, J. and Shin, H. (February 2002). â€Å"Table C. Reported Voting in Presidential Election Years by Region, Race, Hispanic Origin, Sex, and Age: November 1964 to 2000.† Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2000. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC. League of United Latin American Citizens. (1 Oct. 2007). Maximizing Latino Voting Power, Defeating Anti-Immigrant Efforts. Retrieved 27 November 2007 from: .   

Love Is Sacrifice Essay

I left work today realizing just how fortunate I am to be on the track towards a successful career. And on top of that, the fact that I actually enjoy my job makes it even better! It’s definitely been a long road. I think about how I had to deal with rude and ignorant customers as a convenient store cashier during junior high, the strenuous labor working alongside my mother at the dry cleaners in high school, and then finally those dreaded double shifts waiting tables for three years during college. And yet I look at what I have today and realize that I haven’t obtained these things for myself. All of it has been provided by the hands of the good Lord, and the sacrifice of my parents. It’s truly amazing what a parent’s love for his/her child can accomplish. How much they are willing to sacrifice for the sake of their children. I must say without a doubt that is one of the most important lessons my parents have taught me. Love is sacrifice. My parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1979. My mother came to this country first in January of that year, along with her parents and her siblings. She left behind her husband and her two daughters in search of a better life for all of us. Being away from your child even for a minute is the hardest thing to do as a mother. Not a day went by during our separation that she didn’t think of us, did not long to hold us in her arms and to sing us to sleep with sweet lullabies. She fought back tears and endured heartache every day, but she knew that in the long run, this would all be worth it. My dad tells me that during this time while I was in Korea under his sole care, I would look up at all the airplanes that flew by and cry out, â€Å"Um-ma, Um-ma† (mother in Korean). My father would shake his head and tell me that it wasn’t my mother and I would burst into tears. My father and my aunts (his sisters) told me they had never seen an infant cry as much as I did during the time my mother was gone. Finally, almost a year later in December of 1979, we were reunited with my mother at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport. My father likes to tell me how our reunion was delayed, because I had to use the bathroom and couldn’t hold it in. So the flight was delayed twenty minutes for its departure to the good old USA because of little moi and her weak bladder (oops!). When I finally saw my mother, I immediately ran into her arms. I must have been the happiest little girl in the world at that very moment. But my sister (who was not even one at the time my mother left) didn’t recognize her and clung to my father refusing to go into my mother’s arms. I can’t imagine the heartache my mother must have felt when her own child didn’t recognize her. Even as my mother retold the story to us, she choked with emotion recalling the alienation she sensed at that moment. What a sacrifice she made. But a child never forgets the womb from which she was conceived and in no time at all, my sister was Mom’s little baby girl again. My mother is my role model of strength and courage. My parents had heard such wonderful stories about life in America. But life wasn’t wonderful in the beginning. My grandparents, two uncles, my aunt, and my parents all lived together in a small apartment in Maryland. They could hardly speak the native language. They had no money to their name. They were starting off from scratch. They began as cashiers at local convenient stores, worked in dry cleaners, and basically took whatever job they could get. Here they were, educated and skilled, yet working these blue-collar jobs in the hopes that one day their children wouldn’t have to. My parents both worked long hours. We hardly saw them and soon found ourselves becoming â€Å"latch-key† kids. My sister, brother, and I basically grew up taking care of ourselves. My father was also attending seminary at the same time studying to be a pastor, which I think ended up being one of the greatest sacrifices he made. There’s no money in ministry. No glory. Very little benefits. But I learned quickly that the treasures on Earth fade away just as quickly as the sun rises and the sun sets. My father saw the eternal reward and was willing to sacrifice everything he had for it†¦ including a comfortable life for himself and his family. I find myself awestruck at how my father even raised a family of five on his salary. I make more than double what he ever made as a pastor. And I’m having a hard enough time managing my finances as a single person, much less raising a family. Yet my father knew this was his calling in life and he knew it would not be an easy road for any of us. My father is my role model of sacrifice and incredible faith. My sister and I had to work our way through college, studying diligently when we weren’t working odd jobs to pay off our tuition and rent. Though those years were hard and we found ourselves ready to give up at certain points of our college career, we made it through. But I remember the moments where I felt I just couldn’t go on living like this. I remember vividly one night during my sophomore year in college when I came home after a horrible night at the restaurant and found myself weeping quietly in the corner of my room (hoping my roommates wouldn’t hear). I stayed there the rest of the night, wishing with all my heart that my life were different. Yet it was the hope and dreams of something better down the road that got me through those hard days. Although my parents couldn’t give us much in terms of material things, they gave us so much more. My sister, brother, and I have a deep appreciation and understanding of hard work and sacrifice. Having experienced the hardships ourselves, we are only that much more grateful for what our parents did for us. The chance they took to go to a different country where everything was foreign to them so that they could give their children a better life than they had known for themselves. To sacrifice their own dreams and ambitions so that we could see ours come true. Now as college graduates with promising careers, my parents proudly see that their sacrifice was well worth it. Mere words cannot say thank you enough.

Liberty and Equality Essay

The principles of liberty and equality are what led America to be the great country it is today. Those terms would not be as meaningful if Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and many other founders of our country did not embrace those ideas and adopt them from the Europeans. The strong belief in liberty and equality led this nation to adhere to those standards set by the great leaders above. Without liberty, equality, and those who fought for the pursuit of these ideals, life in America would not be the same. The great leaders who helped bring liberty and equality to America did not create these concepts; they were adopted from the European countries that were also fighting for equality and liberty. William Russell claims that the idea was not formed in America. He states, â€Å"The climate of America did not breed liberty, nor did its geography foster equality† (Russell 55). Even though the idea might not have come from Thomas Jefferson himself, he was stil l instrumental in the formation of American values and the implementation of democratic ideals in America. Jefferson strongly believed that every citizen deserved to be equal. He did not like the fact that some people had more rights than others, because this implied that not everyone in America was the same. Jefferson had the perfect opportunity to express his feeling and he did; when he helped draft the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wanted to make sure that no group’s rights were limited. Jefferson also highlighted the importance of everyone’s ability to pursue their own ambitions, by stating that we all possess â€Å"unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness† (The Declaration 7). This statement has become iconic because of its message—anyone can and should be able to follow their dreams. This step was crucial in the formation of America’s democracy. Similarly, George Washington upheld the values of liberty and equality by citing views comparable to Jefferson’s. Washington strengthened his argument when he included the notion of God’s involvement in the success and the happiness of  the people in America. In his First Inaugural Address, he expresses to the people that the Almighty Being has the power and the will to heal all defected humans and to bring happiness to every human being in this country. Washington asks that God’s â€Å"Benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people in the United States a government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes† (First Inauguration 44). Washington believed in the importance of God in guiding citizens toward a thriving government and nation, which he believed would lead to the happiness of the American people. He states the significance of sticking to rules placed by the Almighty, because the nation that follows the rules of Heaven will receive smiles. Like Washington, Abraham Lincoln also felt that God was an influential Almighty Being, who could help America meet its longtime goals of Liberty and Equality. Lincoln wanted everyone—from the slaves to the slave owners—to be in an equal nation under God. He expressed these thoughts in the â€Å"The Gettysburg Address.† In this speech, he explains that the current Civil War was being fought to preserve the idea of total equality, and to abolish the institution of slavery. Lincoln states that the nation under God â€Å"Shall have a new birth of freedom† (Gettysburg 93). The war’s purpose, to settle a longstanding dispute between the North and the South, evolved from Lincoln’s desire to rid the nation of slavery. Both Washington and Lincoln believed everyone—including African Americans, women, and any other marginalized group—had the right to freedom. Likewise, Henry David Thoreau’s essay â€Å"Civil Disobedience† exp resses his thoughts and feelings about laws set by the government. Thoreau explains the role of liberty and equality in America differently than Washington and Lincoln. He decides against using God as a persuasive tool. Instead, he encourages people to stand up to the government and disobey the laws they feel are denying justice to certain people. Thoreau believed that to fight a law in a â€Å"civil† way, you must â€Å"Cast your whole vote, not a stripe of paper merely, but your whole influence† (Civil Disobedience 9). He suggests that if one person expresses his or her idea of justice, more people may speak up and fight back. He believed this would lead to the government’s forced compliance with more just acts of liberty and equality. Martin Luther King Jr. took Thoreau’s ideas to heart. He very famously stood up to laws he believed were unjust during the Civil Rights movement. He fought a very long  time to bring a greater level of equality to Ameri ca, especially for African American people. King felt that liberty and equality had been denied too long for African Americans. He expresses that thought in a letter from his jail cell in Birmingham. King writes, â€Å"We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights† (King Web). King’s frustration led him to believe that his best option was what Thoreau describes: civil disobedience. Ultimately, King’s pursuit of liberty and equality proved incredibly worthwhile; his acts of civil disobedience changed the landscape of American culture. Throughout history, America has had great leaders of all backgrounds and religions. This diversity has strengthened our desire and pursuit of equality and liberty for all. Each great leader, writer, and thinker has contributed to the molding of America as a democratic land. Each person encouraged others to contribute to their cause, resulting in a country where liberty and equality have truly become a group effort. Works Cited Jefferson, Thomas. â€Å"Declaration Of Independence.† The Declaration of Independence and Other Great Documents of American History, 1775-1865. Ed. John Grafton. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2000. 5-9. Print. King, Martin L., Jr. â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.].† Letter. 16 Apr. 1963.Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]. University of Pennsylvania, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. . Lincoln, Abraham. â€Å"The Gettysburg Address.† 1863. The Declaration of Independence and Other Great Documents of American History, 1775-1865. Ed. John Grafton. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2000. 92-93. Print. Thoreau, H. D. â€Å"Civil disobedience.† Civil disobedience, and other essays (pp. 1-18). New York: Dover Publications. Print. (Original work published 1849) Russell, William Fletcher. Liberty vs. Equality. New York: Macmillan, 1936. 54-55. Print. Washington, George. â€Å"George Washington: First Inauguration Address.† The Declaration of In dependence and Other Great Documents of American History, 1775-1865. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2000. 43-46. Print.