Emergent Literacy Support in Early Childhood Education Essay

26 preschool teachers and 8 preschool administrators drawn from 8 preschools in Kasempa and Solwezi districts constituted the sample. A total 680 preschoolers were part of the classroom environments in which naturalistic observations were conducted. The data were collected through questionnaires for preschool teachers, designed to capture preschool teachers’ knowledge of emergent literacy and classroom practices. Questionnaires were also administered to preschool administrators and these were designed to capture the schools’ profile on their teachers, philosophy on literacy instruction and availability of teaching and learning materials. For the naturalistic observation of actual classroom sessions, data were gathered with the aid of a Classroom Literacy Checklist. Further data were collected using semi-structured follow-up interviews to fill in any gaps from questionnaires and observations. The findings were that all the preschools investigated had low literacy support as a result of limited language and literacy opportunities for the children and paucity of learning and play materials. Lack of the preschool teachers’ appreciation of emergent literacy rendered them unable to fully provide environments and practices that support emergent literacy. INTRODUCTION Background: The concept emergent literacy was introduced in 1966 by a New Zealand researcher Marie Clay in her doctoral thesis entitled Emergent Reading Behaviour but the term was coined by William Teale and Elizabeth Sulzby in 1986. The term was used to describe the behaviours seen in young children whereby they imitate adults’ reading and writing activities, even though the children cannot actually read and write in the conventional sense. The development of the emergent literacy perspective can be traced from the reading readiness perspective. In the four decades since Clay’s introduction of this term, an extensive body of research has expanded the understanding of emergent literacy. According to current research, children’s literacy development begins long before they start formal instruction in elementary school; it begins at birth and continues through the preschool years even though the activities of young children may not seem related to reading and writing. Early behaviours such as â€Å"reading† from pictures and â€Å"writing† with scribbles are examples of emergent literacy and are an important part of children’s literacy development. With the support of parents, caregivers, early childhood educators, and teachers, as well as exposure to a literacy-rich environment, children successfully progress from emergent to conventional literacy. In other words their growth from emergent to conventional literacy is influenced by their continuing literacy development, their understanding of literacy concepts, and the efforts of parents, caregivers, and teachers to promote literacy. It proceeds along a continuum, and children acquire literacy skills in a variety of ways and at different ages. Children’s skills in reading and writing develop at the same time and are interrelated rather than sequential. Educators can promote children’s understanding of reading and writing by helping them build literacy knowledge and skills through the use of engaged learning activities. As children are moving into conventional literacy, they pass through different periods of development in their efforts to become successful readers, just as they did at the emergent level. Over the past ten years, the concept of emergent literacy has gradually replaced the notion of reading readiness. Consequently, it has a significant impact on the way the teaching of literacy in early childhood programmes is approached. The theory of emergent literacy developed from research in the fields of child development, psychology, education, linguistics, anthropology, and sociology. It has virtually redefined the field of literacy and made educators, teachers, and parents aware that the term reading readiness no longer adequately describes what is happening in the literacy development of young children (Teale, 1986). Research conducted on emergent literacy indicates that support to children’s emergent literacy in early childhood education facilitates easy literacy development in children. Parents, caregivers, and teachers need to ensure that young children are exposed to literacy-rich environments and receive developmentally appropriate literacy instruction. Such environments and experiences have a profound effect on children’s literacy development by providing opportunities and encouragement for children to become successful readers. Thus a preschool should be an environment that supports the  continuation of emergent literacy. In order for a preschool to promote the continuous emergence of literacy, it must be an environment where there is a high variety of authentic literacy activities. It must also be an environment that affords learners opportunities to engage in purposeful literacy activities which are acknowledged as valid literacy behaviour. In the Zambian context emergent literacy is a fairly new phenomenon. Its practice is dependent on what teachers know and believe about it and this also is dependent upon the training that preschool teachers undergo. Against the background of emergent literacy, the concern of early childhood educators should be â€Å"valuing the knowledge children have than with replacing it by highly dubious and narrow models of what literacy is and how it functions† (Hall, 1989: viii). Little is known regarding literacy teaching in preschools in Zambia. This study, therefore, attempted to find out the extent to which classroom practices in preschools in Zambia, with special reference to Kasempa and Solwezi, support the continuation of emergent  literacy in children. Statement of the problem: Although the theory of emergent literacy has been in use for over four decades, it is not known to what extent emergent literacy is appreciated and supported in early childhood education in Zambia. While research has been conducted in other parts of the world, there has been no investigation into its practice in Zambia’s preschools. Thus the problem that was being investigated was that we do not know the extent to which classroom practices in Zambian preschools, and with particular reference to Kasempa and Solwezi, support the continuation of emergent literacy in children. Objectives: This study sought to achieve the following objectives: (i) To ascertain preschool teachers’ knowledge of emergent literacy in children. (ii) To establish the extent to which the classroom environment supports the continuation of emergent literacy. (iii) To establish what literacy instruction programme is in place and the extent to which it supports emergent literacy. (iv) To find out teaching and learning materials that are available in preschools and the extent to which they support emergent literacy. (v) To establish classroom literacy practices that obtain in preschools and the extent to which they support emergent literacy. Significance of the study: The significance of this study was premised on the fact that it focused on one critical area of education namely early childhood education. While a lot of research has been done on the basic and high school sectors of education in Zambia, very little has been done on preschool education. It is indisputable that good early childhood education is a precursor to the other levels of education. This study sought to investigate the extent to which classroom literacy practices in early childhood education in Zambia support the continuation of emergent literacy. Such a study has not been explored before in Zambia. This study, therefore, is significant in that it might provide valuable data on early childhood teachers’ knowledge of emergent literacy and the extent to which classroom practices support the continuation of emergent literacy. It is hoped that such data might be useful to policy makers such as the Ministry of Education and preschool curriculum des igners. In this way, it might provide data on which future curricula for early childhood educators’ training can be based. It is also hoped that the study will stimulate further research into emergent literacy practices in Zambian preschools, which is currently lacking. METHODOLOGY Research design: This study was qualitative as the researcher sought to interpret his observations and the respondents’ views to establish the extent to which practices in the target preschools support the continuation of emergent literacy. However, the study also employed some quantitative elements in the design. The study was also naturalistic because there was no systematic manipulation of any process during observation. Rather the researcher observed live classroom practices in the preschools as the teachers and learners went about with their activities. Sample size: The sample for the study was drawn from eight preschools in the  two study areas, namely Kasempa and Solwezi Districts in North-western Province. The sample size comprised 26 preschool teachers and 8 preschool administrators. 680 preschoolers were part of the classroom environments where the naturalistic observations took place. The sample structure for the preschool teachers is presented below as Table 1: Highest Qualification Males Female Total Untrained Certificate Diploma Primary Certificate Totals Teacher’s (Table 1): Sample Structure for Preschool Teachers in the Study Areas 5 Sampling techniques: Samples were chosen on a non-probability basis on the understanding that respondents would be available, easy to access and ready to participate in the study. As such and convenient and purposive samplings were used. This is because the researcher selected samples according to what was logistically convenient and feasible. Bearing in mind the period in which the study was to be undertaken, the preschools that were selected were those that were not in hard-to-reach areas. This was in line with Ghosh (2006) who says convenience sampling is used when the universe is not defined and when administrative limitations make it difficult for the researcher to randomly select samples. Since purposive sampling is used to target a group of subjects a researcher believes to be reliable for a study (Kombo and Tromp, 2006), in this study it was used to select the eight schools in the study area. The use of this sampling technique was aimed at ensuring that only well-established preschools were targeted. Data collection: Three instruments were used to collect data. The Classroom Literacy Checklist was used as a classroom observation instrument. It was used to check for classroom practices in terms of literacy-richness of the environment, reading practices, variety of literacy activities, authenticity of literacy activities and teachers’ usage of children’s knowledge of literacy. It was adapted from other literacy observation checklists such as the KS1 Format and the National Centre for Learning Disabilities 2004 Literacy Environment Checklist developed by Groover J. Whitehurst (Ph.D.). These observation instruments are designed to assess whether literacy environments in preschools provide a range of quality literacy experiences and a print-rich environment which are important factors in the facilitation and support of literacy learning. Two types of questionnaire were used, one for teachers and the other for administrators. The questionnaires for the teachers sought to elicit information on their training and knowledge of emergent literacy. The questionnaires for the administrators sought to elicit information on the school profile, instructional materials and the school’s ethos on literacy development. Questionnaires were given on the first day of research at each preschool. The idea was to give respondents three to five days of answering the questionnaire, based on findings from the pilot test. Interviews were conducted with teachers and administrators as follow-ups to help fill in gaps or clarify any matters from 6  questionnaires and observations. For the teachers these were done soon after each observation. For administrators these were conducted at least twice in each school, one of which was on the last day of the research at each particular preschool. Data analysis: Since this study was mainly qualitative, data analysis (particularly preprocessing) began during the data collection stage. During lesson observations the researcher made class profiles by recording the children’s level, age range and enrolment. The researcher was also doing a dairy on each lesson observed. Another thing the researcher did at this stage was to ensure that the data were internally consistent. For example, the researcher would make follow-ups with informants to clarify any contradictions and gaps in the questionnaires or interviews. Data preparation then followed and this included summarizing and organizing the data according to categories. At the final stage the  researcher sought to make interpretations of the questionnaire responses, obs ervations and interview responses. FINDINGS This study sought to find out the extent to which classroom practices in preschools support emergent literacy. The study relied mainly on naturalistic observations of live classroom sessions but this was complemented by questionnaires and follow-up interviews. Below is a discussion of the specific findings, divided into five sections, each discussing the findings in relation to each of the five objectives of the study. Preschool Teachers’ Knowledge of Emergent Literacy: The study has revealed that none of respondents had ever heard of the term ‘emergent literacy’. In spite of this, the findings have also revealed that all the respondents have noticed elements of emergent literacy in children when they just enter preschool. The study has further shown that respondents have high awareness levels of children’s emergent literacy behaviours. However, the study has also revealed that generally, the respondents’ appreciation of the children’s emergen t literacy was very poor. One area major area where this was evident was with regard to knowing how to reinforce children’s display of emergent literacy (for 7  example if a child got a book and began to turn pages or if a child stood up and began to ‘read’ around the room). This apparent disparity between the respondents’ high awareness of emergent literacy behaviours and their low appreciation of emergent literacy can be attributed to the respondents’ training. It was clear that preschool teachers are not taught about emergent literacy, hence the respondents did not regard emergent literacy behaviours as a developmental stage in literacy learning. Generally all the respondents tended to subscribe to the reading readiness perspective. In relation to the purpose of the study, these findings suggest that preschool teachers in the study areas cannot provide the necessary support to children’s emergent literacy if they are ignorant of emergent literacy as a developmental stage in children’s literacy learning. Preschool Classroom Environment: This study has revealed that the classroom environments in the study areas have low literacy support. It has also established that the most common aspects of literacy support were the alphabet frieze and month and day names. This effectively means that the environments were not print-rich. The study has further revealed that the preschool teachers had low knowledge levels of how a preschool environment ought to be. In cases where the respondents revealed high knowledge levels, there was a gap between this knowledge and what was obtaining in the classrooms. The findings established that this was due to paucity of resources and having proprietors/managers who were ignorant of preschool education. These findings suggest serious implications on children’s literacy development. First because preschool teachers and proprietors/managers tended to have low appreciation of what a preschool environment ought to be, they cannot provide the requisite envir onment that fully supports the continuation of emergent literacy. Secondly, because preschool children in the study areas have little exposure to a literacy-rich environment, they may not easily progress from emergent to conventional literacy. Preschool Curriculum: This study has revealed that the study areas do not seem to have any clear philosophy regarding literacy instruction. As such the preschools did not have clear literacy instruction programmes. The study has also established that there is no common syllabus for preschools in Zambia. Preschools were using whatever they could lay their hands on. These findings show that it is difficult to measure the schools literacy instruction success when issues of syllabi are vague. Literacy Instruction Materials: This study has revealed a paucity of teaching and learning materials in the study areas. The most commonly available instructional materials are flashcards, charts and building blocks. The study has established that there is a lack of a variety of reading books, workbooks, literacy objects for pretend play, and generally playthings. In view of the paucity of literacy instructional materials in the study areas, there is less support to children’s emergent literacy as children do not have sufficient interaction with a variety of literacy objects. The other implication is that with the paucity of play things, the children spend less time on play related activities and do more of formal learning. Classroom Literacy Practices: This study has revealed that using music is a practice widely employed in all the eight preschools. However, the study has also established that preschool children in the study areas have limited reading experiences. In almost all cases children seldom handle reading books as this is reserved for Reception or Grade 1 levels. This is because teachers do not see this as necessary since the children cannot read in the conventional sense. Further children are rarely read to and hardly engage in shared book reading. It has also been found that there are hardly any independent activities for c hildren not working with an adult. More formal learning as opposed play-related learning has been found to be a common practice. The implication of these findings is that preschool teachers in the study areas are not using developmentally appropriate activities to teach literacy to the preschoolers. CONCLUSION By analysing the classroom practices, preschool teachers’ knowledge of emergent literacy and the environments in the study areas, this study has established that the practices in the eight preschools do not provide sufficient support for the continuation of emergent literacy. A number of factors have militated against high support for emergent literacy. The first factor is the preschool teachers’ lack of knowledge/appreciation of emergent literacy. This has arisen from the nature of training that preschool teachers undergo in Zambia. Coupled with this is the fact that some of the preschool teachers currently serving in schools have not undergone formal training. In this study almost a third of them were untrained. The other factor is lack of resources to construct appropriate structures for  preschools and furnish them with requisite materials. This has been compounded by the fact that preschool education in Zambia is privately run and as such the Government has had n o stake in it. The third fact is the very fact that Government has had no stake in preschool education. This has led to lapses in the registration of preschools and lack of serious and constant monitoring of preschools. As such there is no quality assurance in the provision of preschool education. The results of this study are significant in two main ways: the results have indicated the need for capacity-building preschool teachers in the area of emergent literacy. The results have also demonstrated the need for Government’s keen participation in preschool education. As regards the need for capacity-building preschool teachers, the study has demonstrated that while preschool teachers may notice emergent literacy behaviours among preschool children, they cannot unwittingly provide the necessary scaffolding to emergent literacy if they do not have sound knowledge of the phenomenon. This, therefore, means that emergent literacy must be part of preschool teachers’ curriculum. The need for government’s keen participation in preschool education arises from the fact that most of the inadequacies noted are a result of lack of stringent regulation and monitoring of preschool education. Stringent regulation will ensure that only individuals/institutions meeting the minimum standards are allowed to run preschools. On the other hand, constant monitoring will ensure that high standards are maintained in preschools. Another key way Government needs to participate in preschool education is through provision of grants or instructional materials. It is commendable that preschools are now falling under the Ministry of Education which has expert personnel to oversee the running of education provision in general and preschool education in particular. There is, however, need to come up with a directorate responsible for preschool education. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to acknowledge the valuable contribution of the many people without whom the demands of this research would not have been met. First I pay tribute to my academic supervisor Dr John Simwinga who provided the much needed counsel, guidance and criticisms from the proposal stage right through the completion of this thesis. Thank you for your confidence in me and giving me latitude throughout this academic journey. May God continue to lift you in your academic pursuits. I also wish to thank Mr D.C. Nkosha for having inspired my interest in emergent literacy which led to my pursuing this study. I thank lecturers Mr G Tambulukani and Mr S.B. Hirst for making useful comments at various stages of the study; all lecturers on the NOMA (Norwegian Masters) Literacy Programme for sharpening my academic faculties. Special thanks go to all the participants in Kasempa and Solwezi districts who made it possible for me to undertake the study at no cost. I extend my thanks to all my colleagues on the course with whom I worked well. Notable among them are Ms Mary-Grace Musonda, Ms Georgina Njapau and Mr Benson Kamangala. My gratitude will be incomplete without expressing my indebtedness to my wife for tolerating my academic appetite and for her continued understanding, support and perseverance and remaining a pillar in our home during my long periods of absence. I remain grateful to the girls Tionge and Peggy for enduring my absence and remaining good children while I was away. I am grateful to my employers for granting me paid study leave yet again, without which it would have been impossible to pursue my master’s programme. I shall remain forever grateful for the NOMA scholarship granted to me through the University of Zambia. To God be the glory for the great and many things He has done for me. REFERENCES Barton, D., 2007. Literacy – An Introduction to the Ecology of Written Language. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Bergen, D., 2001. Pretend Play and Young Children’s Development. ERIC Digest, ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education  Bredekamp S. (ed.) 1987. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Freeman, E.B., and J.A. Hatch 1989. â€Å"Emergent Literacy: Reconceptualizing Kindergarten Practice.† Childhood Education, 66, 21-24. Ghosh B.N., 2006. Scientific Method and Social Research. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers. Gunn, B., D. Simmons and E. Kameenui, 1994. Emergent Literacy: Synthesis of Research. University of Oregon Hall, N., 1989. The Emergence of Literacy. London: Hodder and Stoughton Harste, J.C., V.A. Woodward and C.L. Burke 1984. Language Stories and Literacy Lessons. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books. Hiebert, E. H., 1988. â€Å"The Role of Literacy Experiences in Early Childhood Programs.† The Elementary School Journal, 89 (2), 161-171. 12 Hiebert, E. H. and J.M. Papierz, 1990. â€Å"The Emergent Literacy Construct and Kindergarten and Readiness Books of Basal Reading Series.† Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 5 (3), 317-334. McMahon, R., 1996. â€Å"Introducing Infants to the Joy of Reading.† Dimensions of Early Childhood, 24 (3), 26-29 Morrow, L. M., 1990. â€Å"Preparing the Classroom Environment to Promote Literacy during Play.† Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 5, 537-554. Morrow, L.M. (ed.), 1995. Family Literacy: Connections in Schools and Communities. New Brunswick: International Reading Association Serpell, R., L. Baker and S. Sonnenschein, 2005. Becoming Literate in the City – The Baltimore Early Childhood Project. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Sonnenschein, S. L. Baker, R. Serpell, D. Scher, S. Fernandez-Fein and K. Munsterman, 1996. â€Å"Strands of Emergent Literacy and Their Antecedents in the Home: Urban Preschoolers’ Early Literacy Development.† National Reading Research Centre: Reading Research Report No. 48 Teale, W, and E. Sulzby, 1986. Emergent Literacy: Writing and Reading. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation. Teale, W. H. and E. Sulzby, 1987. Literacy Acquisition in Early Childhood: The Roles of Access and Mediation in Storybook Reading. In D. A. Wagner (ed.), The Future of Literacy in a Changing World (pp. 111-130). New York: Pergamon Press. Van Kleeck, A., 1990. Emergent Literacy: Learning about Print before Learning to Read. Topics in Language Disorders, 10 (2), 25-45. Wilson, N and S. McLean, 1994. Questionnaire Design: A Practical Introduction. Newtown Abbey: University of Ulster Press.

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Final - Essay Example Democrats were of the opinion that there should be a proper democracy everywhere in US, rather than a division amongst tribes and their rule at various places. So US is bound to expand and to spread democracy everywhere across the continent. That would be very natural for Americans and would be in very much favor of country. During those times, every American was full of nationalism spirit and wanted the country to prosper more and more by acquiring other areas of the continent. This air of rather a selfish kind of nationalism was very much in air particularly after freedom war in 1812. There were many aspects behind this motivation. Religious sector was in favor of making the Indian tribes Christian so that the Christian population becomes more and the souls get satisfaction. They say that God wanted all these things to happen with US. The economic factors were also present as the trade would grow more so there had been the greed for making great entrepreneurs. So overall, there had been a great importance of the concept of Manifest destiny in US history (manifest dynasty. 2011 ). Returning to the discussion that is this concept divides us or unite us, we must keep in mind that Manifest destiny contains the concept of superiority of American over other races or people of color. There was also the concept of cultural superiority that Hispanic people and the native tribes are backward and are not able to move in the world on their own behalf. It’s the people of Texas who represent US in the whole world so they should be the ones who rule over it, alone. This concept eventually caused a lot of slavery in the area after the Mexico war particularly, when many locals were made slaves and were treated badly. This racism and color bias is still present in our society in other forms. Today, most white people consider themselves superior than people of any other race in comparison of culture, social

Technology Leadership is a Business Strategy Essay

Technology Leadership is a Business Strategy - Essay Example Even if there were some computers in an organization, it was only with the most senior employees or in research departments. Now though, things have moved on. The development of the internet by the US Army and its public release in the 1980s has created quite a phenomenal change in information technology (Moschella, 1997). Internet forms the very backbone of our society today. New generations fear thinking how we managed to get stuff done when we didn't have this much technology in our lives. Technology leadership goes far beyond the conventional planning processes. It is about the change it can bring about in the very foundations of running the company and the ways and means with which it is run. It creates a whole new way of defining efficiency and goal achievement strategies (Sosik, 2004). This means that the role of the executive director is vital in the deployment of technology. So, technology can not be a success in an origination if employees are not comfortable with it or they do not know the huge benefits of it. We continuously study optimization strategies and efficient working conditions in almost every course, be it related to science or the business fields. This is because computers and technology have helped humans today see that they can get more work done in lesser time. The absolute importance of technology is that an organization accomplish in getting much more work done in a small amount of time and the output is error free as well. Technology today is not even expensive to buy. Many small business organizations are still running on vintage hardware and still are way in the lead because their staff know how get the best out of what has been provided to them. Companies like Microsoft and Linux developers research and develop operating systems with software that is not only easier to use than their previous editions, but which can accomplish more at the same time. We are talking about multitasking. Imagine for a moment, the importance of doing several time consuming tasks at the same time. It takes accountants and engineers hours to develop circuits on paper. But, using computer software, they can produce error free results in a matter of a few minutes. Consumer goods companies like Unilever and Procter & Gamble replace their hardware after every three years just to cope up with the increasing change in computing technology. They know the importance of technology in their goal achievement techniques. This fact is also helped by the fact that each CEO of the company is fluent and comfortable with the use of technology and in annual board meetings they are able to convince the board members, who can actually make or break the company if they disagree with technological innovations, on deploying better and more efficient technology and train employees in the area of using this new technology. Use of technologies in banks like Standard Chartered is vital. The prime example of this is an ATM machine. How easy is it to take your cash out of a machine rather than stand in queues waiting for your turn at the counter Conclusion Technology leadership is the quality most required in today's top companies. This is the reason they are at

Leadership Theories and Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leadership Theories and Practice - Essay Example There could however be a general idea in the minds of every other person who tries to define leadership. At least every one may be thinking of the practice of heading a group of people. With this basic knowledge, McCrimmon (2010) defines a leader as â€Å"a larger-than-life individual in charge of some group - team, company or country.† Quite related to what McCrimmon (2010) states, the Team Technology (2011) posit that â€Å"leadership is setting a new direction or vision for a group that they follow, that is: a leader is the spearhead for that new direction.† One factor that continues to make the acquisition of a single definition to leadership and who a leader is impossible is the fact that different leaders lead their people and run leadership with different styles and theories. This is to say that there seem not to be a single way in which all leaders go about leadership. Leading on, this unevenness and differences in leadership styles and theories bring out a real ization that it is extremely difficult to point out to who a good leader is. This paper therefore attempts to show: by the use of examples of past and present leaders that the most effective leaders are those who are able to apply the most appropriate leadership styles and theories at the right time to get a leadership decision successfully implemented. This stand is taken against the position that effective and good leaders must be judged or identified by virtue of the possession of certain qualities and technical skills. In a book by Daniel Goleman (1995), it was put forth that the traditional qualities associated with leadership- such as intelligence, toughness and possessing certain skills – are required for success, but are insufficient in accurately conveying the abilities of a true leader. There are complex components that have been found to be more crucially associated with effective leadership that go beyond intellectual abilities and technical skills and these compo nents are exactly what this paper seeks to reveal. Different Theories, Different Leaders Theories of leadership have evolved over the years to describe the different ways in which different leaders have ruled and led their people. The diversities associated with these theories point to one fact and that is, there are different leaders. Two of these leadership theories are discussed in this section to proof that effective leadership cannot be generalized but must be based on the kind of leadership theory at use. Trait Theory Debate in literature on whether or not leaders are born continues unabated. In trait theory, Cherry (2011) points out that the trait theory functions on the assumption â€Å"that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership.† For this reason, trait theory sees leadership and for that matter effective leadership from a viewpoint, where leaders are supposed to possess certain behavioral and personality characteristic s in order to be judged as effective or good. Trait theorists would there look for people with certain skills and attributes to take up leadership positions rather than training ordinary persons to take up leadership positions. Some of the traits attributed to great leaders with reference to the trait theory are dominant (desire to influence others), energetic (high activity level), persistent, self-confident, tolerant of stress, adaptable to situations, alert to social environment, ambitious,

Death is not an event in life, death is not lived through Coursework

Death is not an event in life, death is not lived through - Coursework Example When the subject turns to death, there is a gloom all around. How should we understand the relation between death and human life Is death meaningful or is it the representative of a meaningless destruction Does death in reality render life as absurd These are some of the frequently asked questions by people gathered to pay their respect for a departed1. In The Human Province by Elias Canetti (Winner of the Noble Prize for Literature in 1981), he confessed that he found more adversaries to the question of death: "'People always ask you what you mean when you rail against death. They want the cheap hopes from you that are droned about in religion and nauseam. But I know nothing. I have nothing to say about it. My character, my pride consists in my never having flattered death. Like everyone else, I have sometimes, very seldom, wished for it, but no man has ever heard me praising death, no one can say that I have bowed to it; I have acknowledged or whitewashed death. I find it as useless and as ever as ever, the basic ill of all existence the unresolved and the incomprehensible, the knot in which everything has always been tied and caught and that no one has ever dared to chop up"2 "When man is alive, he does not feel the pain of death because he is not experiencing death. When a man dies, he does not feel the pain of death because he is dead and, since death is annihilation, he feels nothing."3 In Antiquity the idea of death was contemplated by many philosophers whose opinion was widely diverging. The nihilist Epicurus thought that death was the ultimate end of all things. In contrary, Plato believed in life after death. Seneca, the stoics was of the opinion that death has to be practised by people still alive: Meditare mortem. With Christianity a fundamental change in the perception of death took part. The religion gave new answers to questions regarding death and life after death. People in the medieval times were confronted with death in many aspects of life: the average life expectancy was low (less than 30 years), the child death rate was high-only few children reached adult years. A large part of the populations was extinguished due to frequent epidemics. During the 14th century the European population was decimated by one third due to the plague (The Black Death). The cemeteries surrounding the churches were not only places for the dead, but also for the living. They were also used for celebrations, court agendas, and public congregations. In medieval times the body of the deceased was more or less sacrosanct. During the following 16th-17th centuries this changed dramatically. Due to anatomical autopsies the sacrosanct view of the corpse diminished. In the 18th century the state or the government had major influence on the rituals of burial and funerals. Burial within the church was prohibited and the cemeteries were dislocated from the central part of the cities to more peripheral locations. This led to a decrease of the "presence" of death in everyday life. During the 19th century the secularisation of death progressed further. The burial rites did not celebrate the deceased, but demonstrated the power and importance of the family of the dead. This is evident, also today, in many cemeteries with abundance of monuments from this time. At the same

After Reading The Road Not Taken Essay Example for Free

After Reading The Road Not Taken Essay Introduction Within works of literature, often times the most valuable part of the work is not that which is readily apparent after a quick reading of the work; the true gems to be found within literature are those which are only discovered after a thorough study of the work and a deep consideration of what the author is really trying to convey to a reader, or perhaps conclusions that readers can draw on their own through the use of their imagination and interpretation. With all of this in mind, Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken will be the focus of this research. Why This Work was Chosen There are several reasons why this work was chosen as the focus of the research; first, even when the work is quickly read and taken just at face value, as was earlier discussed, the words flow beautifully and make the mind of the reader travel, just as the narrator of the work seems to do. When Frost uses such adjectives as â€Å"yellow†, â€Å"grassy† and the like, one feels peaceful and calm. On the other hand, just as this work reveals certain elements to the reader from the first reading, closer review and consideration drives the imagination of the reader to create other reactions and conclusions about the work, and perhaps that is the best thing that any work can do-to inspire the reader to a higher level of thought, emotion and belief. With all of this in mind, it is now possible to discuss reactions to Frost’s work which makes all of these points much clearer. Reactions to the Work Simply put, the first reaction that came about through a study of The Road Not Taken is one of excitement for the limitless opportunities open to human beings as indicated by Frost. When Frost wrote: â€Å"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference† (Frost, 1930, p. 131), what he appears to be saying is that by taking on those challenges and directions in life that other cannot or will not take on in fact can strengthen the individual and give them a deeper and more meaningful life. Additionally, this work has also come across as a highly inspirational one, as it tells the reader that they can be or do anything they choose- representation of the ultimate level of freedom. Conclusion As this research moves toward its conclusion, there are a few key points that deserve repeating. First, this research has shown that through the talents of skilled authors, words can in fact be put into sentences and phrases which transport the reader to another place and state of emotion. In this way, people are able to be enhanced and changed by reading, and experiencing, given works of literature. Second, while many works are captivating and enlightening from the first reading of them, the more and more that they are read and more deeply studied, there are new attributes which come to the surface. Third, and perhaps most importantly, literature proves that the human experience is not something which reaches a certain level or age and is considered complete; rather, it is a constantly changing and ongoing phenomenon which is enriched through things such as literature which expand the mind, broaden the imagination, and soothe the soul of readers. These conclusions came to mind as a result of studying The Road Not Taken and only prove, once again, that choosing this work to research was an excellent idea. References Frost, R. (1930). Collected Poems of Robert Frost. New York: Henry Holt.

Chap 2 Homework Essay Example for Free

Chap 2 Homework Essay 1. Performance, Reliability and responsiveness, Serviceability, and Aesthetics are all significant dimensions of quality in fast food restaurants. First of all, the performance and serviceability of a fast food restaurant is very important because like the name states â€Å"fast food† is exactly that†¦ fast! So in order for it to be considered a fast food establishment it if very important to keep up the flow of traffic in and out of the drive thru and the dining room in a timely and efficient manner without compromising the quality of the food. The second thing is to provide reliability and responsive services for a fast food restaurant such as customer service. If customer service is poor and the food isn’t prepared properly or your orders keep getting messed up then by their bad experience word of mouth will spread and it could drive people away from the establishment and they will begin searching for other places to eat. The last form of quality I believe a fast food restaurant should have is Aesthetics or the way the restaurant looks and smells. For example, we went to Golden Corral a long time ago and it literally smelled like feces. It made eating there hard to do because it stunk so badly. Come to find out they had a sewer leak and had to get it repaired but my family and I stopped going there for quite a long time until it was fixed. It is very important that the facility is clean without debris and trash around it and that even the inside facility is kept up with clean bathrooms, tables wiped and floors mopped. In order to exceed my expectations I would expect to run thru the drive thru and hear a happy or courteous person over the speaker that’s not rushing me to make a decision, acknowledgment when I pay and prompt service when I reach the food window. I would also expect that my food be prepared like I asked and that there be condiments or utensils necessary for me to eat or drink my food in the bag. 2. One way that productivity could have been improved is when Jon (the cashier) needed more batteries for his headset, he could have asked someone else or his manager in the kitchen to obtain them for him so that he could have remained at the window with the customer to receive his payment. Therefore, none of the confusion with the other orders would have happened. 3. Employees Materials Needed Services Provided Jon (Cashier) Batteries for headset Took customer order, and accepted payment Supervisor None Corrected order error on computer Mary/third employee Napkins Handed customer order and napkins List of Improvements: Jon could have asked for assistance in obtaining the batteries for his headset to prevent any confusion with the orders and remained at the window with his customer. The Supervisor should have acknowledged the customer and asked how the customers’ service was and if there was anything he could do for the customer for any inconvenience. Mary should have paid more attention to the customer at her window and his needs, therefore he wouldn’t have had to ask twice for napkins.

Analysis of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty

Analysis of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 represented the time when the United States expanded to the West by buying an area previously owned by France for the price of 15 million dollars.[2] The purchase represented the major diplomatic success of a young nation and an opportunity to double its size and become a leading power. The area purchased would later become â€Å"the states of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, almost all of Oklahoma and Kansas, and large portions of what is now North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Colorado, and Louisiana.†[3] The treaty represented an interesting view of the relations between France and the US that promoted the sale of Louisiana by Napoleon Bonaparte. Additionally, the treaty also served to bring in a major political battlefield between the Federalists and Republicans concerning Article III of the treaty, raising the questions of whether the president can sign treaties and incorporate new people of a gained territory into th e union. This research paper will analyze the treaty and delve into the context behind the purchase of Louisiana by dividing it into three parts: the first part devoted to the relations between France and the US, the second to the provision of the treaty and the third to the consequences of the treaty on the constitution and its interpretation. The Relations between France and the USA Prior to the Louisiana Purchase Treaty, the relations between France and the United States of America in deep rift and experienced setbacks that led the two nations to be at war with each other unofficially. In the American side, it is known that the US received a great help in its war against Britain during the American Revolution, funding and weapons for the revolutionary warrior came directly from France. For instance, one of the major battles of the American Revolution in which America won was Yorktown, a battle that would not have been won without the help of the French navy.[4] This help did not come for free but was transformed into debt which the US agreed to pay to the kingdom of France. However, by 1792 France no longer was a monarchy but a republic exemplified by the execution of the last Bourbon king, Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette in 1793.[5] Acting on this political novelty, the US chose to neutralize its country regarding the English-French war by abrogating the Alliance Treaty of Mutual Support between the kingdom of France and the United States of America. Then the US canceled paying the debt that was owed to the kingdom of France and not to the newly formed republic.[6] These two policies angered France and thus induced the two countries to be under unofficial war that was called the Quasi-War. Under these circumstances the Americans were wary when the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso of 1800 retroceded the territory of Louisiana from Spain, under King Charles IV, to the republic of France. What made the Americans feel anxious upon hearing about the secret treaty, was the possibility that French might refuse American access to the Port of New Orleans, which is of utmost importance to the Americans as it is the only way planters in the Ohio valley area could transport their goods to the American cities in the Atlantic coast. Therefore, many voices in the US such as Alexander Hamilton were asking for a military action to seize the port o f New Orleans.[7] Because Thomas Jefferson occupied the post of the American ambassador in France from 1785 to 1789, he was intending to solve the issue peacefully with France. Jefferson found an opportunity to address his fears of the French presence in the Louisiana territory through playing two sides as he accepted to help France during the slave revolution in Santo Domingo[8] to stop trading with the leader of the rebellion of Toussaint LOuverture, or at least prevent the slaves from getting any goods and at the same time abandoning his promise in a diplomatic way without igniting any conflict between the two countries. Jefferson`s decision to help France during its struggle can be explained through the fear of the Southerners from a spillover of the slave revolt.[9] However, Jefferson changed his mind when a large French army was noticed in the vicinity of Santo Domingo. As it is stated by Thomas Fleming: When Pichon (a French diplomat in The US) sought help from Secretary of State Madison, he found himself answering difficult questions: Why was the French army so large? Shouldnt Paris have explained the first consuls plans before the expedition sailed? He also mentioned the report from Tobias Lear that part of the army was destined for Louisiana†¦He asked Madison to cooperate with France by allowing him to publish a letter announcing that trade with Santo Domingo was henceforth limited to ports controlled by France. He hoped Madison would publish a statement in support of this policy. Madisons answer was a masterpiece of evasion. He said it was very difficult to control the â€Å"national spirit† of a nation as commercially minded as the United States. The Southern states might support such an embargo because they feared the rebellious message LOuverture personified. But the Northern states, already rather hostile to the South, would violate it with impunity to sell their products to LOuvertures regime[10] Secretary of State James Madison found a clever of way of both keeping good relations with France and at the same time making sure that the revolt in Santo Domingo would eventually exhaust the French soldiers and prevent them from making their way to Louisiana. The United States of America at the beginning was not intending to buy the area of Louisiana, on the other hand the basic aim of Jefferson was to convince Napoleon Bonaparte to sell him the city of New Orleans. Jefferson was moved by the fear that foreign countries were intending to obtain the city hence, as the city serves to control the river of Mississippi, would jeopardize the right of America in the river. With Spain refusing to give access to Americans to use the river of Mississippi and access the port of New Orleans in 1798, due to a conflict between the US and Spain even though America signed the Pinckney Treaty, also known as San Lorenzo treaty, with Spain in 1795. Jefferson needed a way to let Americans gain access to the Mississippi River without being compelled to the desires of a foreign country. When Jefferson`s emissary, James Monroe, and Robert Livingston, proposed to Napoleon selling the city of New Orleans to the US, Bonaparte was ready to give not only the city b ut the whole area of Louisiana. The argument of Bonaparte was according to Thomas Fleming: I can hardly say I cede it to them,† Napoleon admitted. â€Å"For it is not yet in our possession. [But] If I leave the least time to our enemies, I will transmit only an empty title to those republicans whose friendship I seek. They ask for only one town of Louisiana [New Orleans]; but I consider the whole colony as completely lost, and it seems to me that in the hands of that growing power, it will be more useful to the policy and even the commerce of France than if I should try to keep it.[11] The readiness of Napoleon Bonaparte to not only sell New Orleans but also the whole territory of Louisiana surprised Jefferson and made him interested in buying the land. To his utmost astonishment, Robert Livingston was instructed by Thomas Jefferson to bargain a deal with Napoleon regarding the city of New Orleans and Florida with the price of 10 million dollars. At least, in case the deal was repudiated by Napoleon to at least obtain an agreement on the access to the port of New Orleans and the Mississippi river.[12] France`s Minister of the Treasury, Franà §ois Barbà ©-Marbois, played a pivotal role in convincing Bonaparte to sell the territory by pointing to its uselessness without the colony of Santo Domingo. Jefferson as well as Bonaparte were keen on signing the treaty as soon as possible, because Jefferson needed access to the land before any foreign country contesting the treaty, mainly Britain and Spain, would try to invade the territory. While Bonaparte was eager to ha ve money as soon as possible to finance his war adventures in Europe. Both Leaders were aware of the lack of legality in the Louisiana Purchase treaty due to Article III of the Treaty of San Ildefonso which states: His Catholic Majesty promises and undertakes on his part to retrocede to the French Republic, six months after the full and entire execution of the above conditions and provisions regarding His Royal Highness the Duke of Parma, the colony or province of Louisiana, with the same extent that it now has in the hands of Spain and that it had when France possessed it, and such as it ought to be according to the treaties subsequently concluded between Spain and other states.[13] The legal issue concerned the phrase that France will not cede the Louisiana territory to any foreign country. However, practicality won over legality and the legal issue was ignored, mainly due to the need of French empire for fund to cover its war expenses. As the United States could not summon the amount of 15 million dollars, Americans propose instead to sell their bonds to France and thanks to Baring and Company of London and Hope and Company of Amsterdam America was able issue 11.25 million dollars to cover its wars and empire building expenses.[14] The Provisions of the Treaty The Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed on April 30, 1803. The treaty includes 10 articles and the audience was the Americana and French public. The treaty begin by mentioning that the misunderstanding, embedded in Article III and Article V of the Convention of 1800 between the French Republic and the United States of America regarding the US claims based on the Treaty of Friendship Between Spain and The United States in October 27, 1795, would be solved upon the signature of the treaty. The American delegated to Robert R. Livingston and James Monroe the task of signing the treaty with Francis Marbois Minister of the public treasury from the French side. Article I specified the right of France in the territory regardless of the provisions of Article III of St Ildefonso as France was the former owner of Louisiana territory before it was given to Spain. In Article I, France used the adjective â€Å"incontestable title†[15] to describe its ownership of the territory. Thus, Spain cannot compel France to not sell the land to any third party or dispute its title to the area. In addition, the treaty is seen as strong proof of his (Napoleon) friendship[16] to the United States. Therefore, the territory to be given to the US is the same one given to France by Spain as it was stipulated in the treaty of St Ildefonso with with all its rights and appurtenances.[17] Nevertheless, The Louisiana Purchase Treaty angered the Spaniards during its ratification by France and The US. First, because it violated Article III of the Treaty of San Ildefonso, and second, because Spain was not interested in seeing Louisiana under the hands of Americans as it will divert their attention to the silver mines in New Spain[18]. However, due to the military weakness of Spain, it eventually and reluctantly accepted the situation. Article II stipulates that all the islands and territories, unless they are private property, are going to be in the possession of the US. Article III postulates the right of the inhabitants of Louisiana Territory to be given full rights just like the US citizens, based on the US constitution the federal government will protect the rights of freedom, respect of their property and religion. The fear from the mistreatment of the Louisiana inhabitants, who were predominantly Catholic, was generated from the fact that since the US is predominantly Protestant the right of Catholics will be transgressed. Furthermore, there is also the issue of private property of the inhabitants of the territory once it will be transferred to the US, the concern that the US might usurp them of their rights. In order to make sure that the points agreed on by both the government of France and the US are respected, Article IV states that France will send a Commissary[19] to the area of Louisiana to make sure that the provision of the treaty are all done without any problem. Article V addresses the issue of the soldiers of both Spain and France that are already in the territory during the signature of the treaty. Upon signature of the treaty they will be under the command of the commissary appointed by Thomas Jefferson with the idea that they will be embarked to their countries in the period of three months. The purpose of lingering the stay of both Spanish and French soldiers was issued on the grounds of practicality, as the US did not know the whole region and the deployment of those soldiers will take time to prevent any conflict between the three militaries. Article VI addresses the right of Indians that live in the territory and asking the US to abide by the treaties signed between Spain and Indians. Although France describes its title to the Louisiana territory as â€Å"incontestable,†[20] it is worth mentioning that France did not literally sell the land of Louisiana to the US but instead sold its claims to it, as the area was already inhabited by Indians.[21] The French Foreign Minister, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, did not even know the exact boundaries of the territory it was just speculated that the area covers â€Å"from the Canadian border to the mouth of the Mississippi, and from the western bank of the great river to â€Å"the Shining Mountains,† the Indian name for the Rockies.†[22] Article VII stipulates that both France and Spain have the right to access the port of New Orleans without paying any duties other the one being paid by US citizens in the period of 12 years. At the same time, no other nation other than Spain and France would have the same privileges to the port of New Orleans. The bottom line was to not disturb the economic activities that were already in the territory by the treaty and to allow the people who did business in the area to adjust to the provisions of the treaty without losing their economic activities and protect their way of living. The period of 12 years will start after three months from the ratification of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty. Nonetheless, even after the period of 12 years, France will still be treated as the footing of the most favored nations[23] in New Orleans port according to the words of Article VIII. Besides the issue of US neutrality during France-England war, the major problem that prompted the Quasi-War, the question over the future of US debt towards France was addressed in the Louisiana Purchase Treaty under Article IX: The particular Convention Signed this day by the respective Ministers, having for its object to provide for the payment of debts due to the Citizens of the United States by the French Republic prior to the 30th Sept. 1800 is approved and to have its execution in the Same manner as if it had been inserted in this present treaty, and it Shall be ratified in the same form and in the Same time So that the one Shall not be ratified distinct from the other.[24] Article IX abides the US to continue paying its debt, prior to 1800, to France even though the regime in France has changed from a monarchy to a republic, thus solving a major issue as it was the reason behind the rift in the relations between the two countries after the French revolution took place in France. The agreement reached regarding the debt was of utmost importance to the French as they emphasized that the ratification of the treaty goes hand in hand with the ratification of the debt by making them two face of one coin. Article X, points to the fact that the treaty shall be ratified in the Space of Six months[25] after the signature of the treaty, while bearing in mind that the original treaty is the French version which is understandable as the French are the ones who were selling the land. The treaty was eventually signed by Robert Livingston, James Monroe and Barba Marbois, while the exact date of signature is April 30 in the French version it was written as the tenth of Floreal.[26] Regarding the English version of The Louisiana Purchase Treaty and apart from the difference in terms of French Republican Calendar, Article I included an excerpt from Article III of the Treaty of San Ildefonso in which the English verb â€Å"cede† was the equivalent of â€Å"rà ©trocà ©der† in the French version of the treaty.[27] The verb retrocede implies that the area of Louisiana was in prior possession of France whereby the verb â€Å"retrocede† means return back while the verb cede overlooks the fact that Louisiana was a French territory in the beginning, and instead deems it as a transfer of Spanish territory. In fact, the first settlers in Louisiana were the French, however due to the defeat of France and its allies (Spain) in the Seven Years War against England between 1756 and 1763. France decided to give the area to Spain under the Treaty of Paris in 1783 to compensate for the Spains loss of Florida.[28] The use of the word â€Å"cede† by Am ericans implies that Americans were not interested in allowing the French to one day come and ask for the territory again, they had with Spain. The Consequences of the Treaty on the US Constitution and its Interpretation Thomas Jefferson might have won the battle over the illegality of the treaty as it transgressed Article III of San Ildefonso Treaty. However a battle was awaiting him internally over the constitutionality of the treaty. The interpretation of constitution was a major issue that divided the two parties in congress. The Republicans were saying that anything that was not included in the constitution is unconstitutional while the Federalists wanted to broaden the constitution to give more influence to the central government. This line of reasoning changed with the Federalist resorting to a narrow and limitless interpretation of the constitution in contrast with the Republicans who were aiming for a broad interpretation of the constitution to allow the integration of Louisiana territory into the union. The origin of the sudden change of both parties has to do with the concern of New England that allowing the US to grow West would hurt its electoral power.[29] They were not against the inq uisition of Louisiana as a territory as they were also hoping to enlist Canada into the union but for political reasons the Louisiana Purchase was threatening to the Federalist Party. Ironically, it was the states of New England who paid for the Louisiana Purchase due to its high import duties compared to the South.[30] Jefferson was faced with a dilemma: he is republican who is strict to label any policy that is not described in the constitution as unconstitutional and simultaneously wanting to find a loophole for the treaty to be constitutional. Basically, Thomas Jefferson wanted to buy the Louisiana territory without the need to ferret the constitution for any provision that would make the purchase legal. President Jefferson faced two options either to search for a constitutional provision that would allow him to make the purchase or sign the treaty without the need of a backup from the constitution. In the end, President Thomas Jefferson opted for the latter choice under the advice of Attorney General Levi Lincoln by playing on words, which is instead of saying adding a new territory the USA, would say expand its territory that already existed.[31] In his eighth Congress speech, President Thomas Jefferson avoided talking about the constitutionality of the Purchase, and as there were more Republ icans than Federalists in the house the treaty was signed by the congress. Conversely, many Federalist congressmen opposed the treaty such as Gaylord Griswold who not only tackled the issue of constitutionality of the treaty but also asked for proof that the territory was under French rule and not the Spanish one. Federalists were trying to find any loophole about the treaty as they were afraid that America would be overwhelmed by Louisiana which would result in the loss of their political and economic power. Nevertheless, the Republicans consolidated their case with two arguments: first, if the constitution does not specify the right of the state to sign treaties then not only is The Louisiana Purchase Treaty illegal but also all the treaties that America signed in the past. Second, it is true that the US constitution never stated the expansion of America, yet the constitution cannot be confined to the instance when the constitution was drafted, as the Northwest and South expansion were not settled, thus the illegality of the treaty cannot be viewed from a narrow understanding of the constitution. Article III of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty stated: The inhabitants of the ceded territory shall be incorporated in the Union of the United States and admitted as soon as possible according to the principles of the federal Constitution to the enjoyment of all these rights, advantages and immunities of citizens of the United States, and in the mean time they shall be maintained and protected in the free enjoyment of their liberty, property and the Religion which they profess. [32] The constitutional problem of the treaty rested in this Article as it talked about including new people into the Union. The problem of including the population of Louisiana into the Union was based on the fact that America, for the first time in its history, included an area that is diversified in terms of language (French), religion (Catholicism) and race (Creoles) in contrast with the Anglo-Saxon-protestant character of the US.[33] Under Article III of the treaty, the population of Louisiana had the â€Å"rights, advantages and immunities of citizens of the United States.†[34] However, Jefferson did not keep the promise of the Treaty of Louisiana Purchase to treat them like Americans. What is surprising is that Napoleon did not use this pretext to get Louisiana back as it is stated by Thomas Fleming: â€Å"no one seemed to give any thought to the way the legislation violated the treaty with France, which had guaranteed the inhabitants all the rights of U.S. citizens. The J effersonians were giving Napoleon a perfect pretext to declare the sale of Louisiana invalid whenever it suited him.†[35] The way the rulers were appointed by Jefferson in Louisiana raised the issue not only of the constitutionality of Article III but also the lack of submission to Article III in the first place. As it is stated by Thomas Fleming: In New Orleans†¦the new U.S. rulers were facing a hostile populace†¦It contained not a trace of democracy. Every official, from the governor to judges, was appointed by the president. There was no provision for trial by jury. Jefferson had decided that the French Creoles lacked the education and experience to participate in democracy.[36] Therefore, Article III faced two problems: was it constitutional? And was it fulfilled? Eventually, Thomas Jefferson would abide by the provision of Article III when the congress passed an act in March 2, 1805 that would allow the state of Louisiana to have an elective body of 25 members.[37] Conclusion The Louisiana Purchase treaty was a major treaty that allowed the US to double its size and become a strong power as well as empowering the central government. Jefferson was a pragmatic person who in spite of his strict definition of the constitution, thought it was for the best interest of the United States of America to seize the opportunity of acquiring a vast land. The constitution issue of the treaty paved the way for the Supreme Court under the chief justice John Marshal in 1828 to regard the powers of the president to sign treaties as a constitutional right, thus ending the issue of illegality of the treaty as both acquiring new territories is allowed in the constitution either by conquest or treaty.[38] In addition to solving the constitutional dilemma, the treaty was a major build-up for peaceful relations between France and the US or to be more accurate the return of the relations between the two countries to be normal in spite of the regime change in France. Bibliography

Innocence lost in John Boyne’s Boy in the Striped Pajamas :: John Boyne, Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a fictional tale of the unlikeliest of friends: the son of a Nazi commandant and a Jewish concentration camp inmate. Written by John Boyne and published in 2006 by David Fickling Books, the story was made into a major motion picture in 2008. The novel, set in Nazi Germany, begins when nine-year-old Bruno and his family must move from their lovely home in Berlin to a new house in an unfamiliar place called "Out With." Tempted to explore his new environment, Bruno is told that there are certain places that are "Out Of Bounds At All Times And No Exceptions." Unable to fight his adventuresome spirit, however, Bruno ventures forth into the unknown one afternoon. Bruno comes upon a fence that he follows until he sees a young boy sitting on the other side of the fence. The shoeless boy is wearing striped pajamas and a cloth cap. Bruno also notices that the boy is wearing an armband with a star on it. Bruno makes fast friends with the boy, Shmuel, and they quickly discover that they share the same birthday. The boys discuss their families and where they are from. At the end of their first meeting, Bruno asks Shmuel why there are so many people on his side of the fence and what they are doing there. A few days later, Bruno's father has dinner guests; the man's name is "the Fury" and his date is called Eva. Bruno instantly dislikes the couple. Bruno's sister Gretel, whom he refers to as "the Hopeless Case," is smitten by the man and tries hard to impress him and his lady friend. Bruno, however, is disgusted by his sister's behavior and her budding romance with a young soldier. Much like Bruno hears "Auschwitz" as "Out With," he also incorrectly hears "the FÃ ¼hrer" as "the Fury." Boyner masterfully tells the story from Bruno's perspective; it is clear that the innocence of Bruno's childhood remains intact despite the fact that he is living on the periphery of a death camp and has met Adolf Hitler. Bruno continues to explore the woods near his house and often finds himself at the fence spending time with Shmuel. Bruno brings him food, and the friends lament the fact that they cannot explore together or play a game of football. Shmuel confides in Bruno that he is unable to find his father and he is worried.

Analysis of My Papas Waltz Essay -- Poetry Theodore Roethke

In the poem "My Papa's Waltz" written by Theodore Roethke, the interpretation of the poem depends on the readers`perspective. Some people think that this poem is one of a happy exchange between a father and son. Other people believe that this poem has a hidden message of parental abuse. In my point of view, the imagery and language, the symbolism, and tone in the poem gave me the impression of the love between the father and son, not of an abusive relationship. "My Papa's Waltz" is a poem presented in a form that uses specific images and language to present a happy memory that a man has of his father, even in a situation where his father was drunk. Words such as "romped" (line 5), "waltzing" (line 4), "clinging to your shirt," (line 16) express the enthusiasm of the event and the boy's response to it. Simultaneously, the poem starts with the author stating that his father is very drunk by mentioning "the wiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy" (line 1-2). In addition, a waltz is a type of dance in which someone must lead and the father is the one leading the child in t...

Dufays Piece for Peace: an Ironic Battle Between Structure and Word Es

Dufay's Piece for Peace: an Ironic Battle Between Structure and Word On April 8, 1433, the Pope Eugenius and Sigismundus, King of the Romans, united to sign a treaty of peace. The king was crowned Holy Roman Emperor and there was much celebration. To commemorate this joyful occasion, Guillame Dufay wrote the motet "Supremum est mortalibus bonum" ("The highest good for mortals is peace"), including the names of these two honored men in his great sustained chords near the piece's conclusion (Bent, CD notes). Dufay's main text is shared by his top two voices, the triplum and motetus, and is divided into two stanzas. The first 12 lines comprising the first stanza speak of the benefit of peace to men of all classes and of the freedom and joy it brings to the natural world. The second stanza, encompassing the final 8 lines, prays for the eternity of peace and praises Eugenius and Sigismundus, the envoys of peace. Dufay carefully sets these words to music, colorfully painting their meanings before our eyes through his rich melodic lines. Ironically, however, as he also struggles to bring isorhythmic structure and support to his work, he battles between text and design, foregoing a sense of peace to create a curious collage of his musical ideas. Dufay's motet is of isorhythmic design, employing a repeating tenor line that moves slowly beneath the other parts, functioning as a foundation for the work. As noted by Grout, isorhythmic motets have tenors built up of colors (the "repeating series of pitches") and talea (the "long recurring rhythmic unit").1 Dufay's tenor has six 15 bar units of a certain talea. His piece is curious, for we could interpret it as having two colors, since the entire melodic line of the tenor repeats only o... ... the last three measures of the work's introduction, bringing the motet full circle. The last two beats of bar 119 tease us with odd tension and dissonance on the final "men," which is peacefully resolved on the final cadence of bar 120. (Play Example 12) With "Supremum est Mortalibus bonum" Dufay has created a piece that lavishly illustrates text while also employing fauxbourdon and isorhythmic design. With so many competing forces fighting to be displayed and heard, Dufay's work about peace is ironically at war with itself. Though a fine composition on all these levels, a careful listening and analysis leaves us feeling unsettled and certainly not at peace! Works Cited: 1Grout, Donald J. and Claude V. Palisca, A History of Western Music, (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1996) 104-105. 2 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Vol. F, 434.

Htrl – Notes

7/5/12 Notes – How To Read Literature by Thomas C. Foster Introduction: How'd He Do That? 1. Interpreting Literature A. Same Story, Different Theory, Why? The Professor is a lot more experienced than his students â€Å"We don't get it. And we think you're making it up. † – His mind is open to different theories and situations, making him somewhat optimistic. While they're pretty much closed minded only viewing situations from one point of view. They're not using the same method of thinkingThey don’t have the same â€Å"language of reading,† the students aren’t applying the same rules and strategies that the professor has learned to apply over time Putting aside the age difference, simply, people don’t think alike B. Grammar of Literature Novels, poems, plays, movies, etc. all have patterns. After the pattern is complete the audience is either pleased or not. Memory, symbol, and pattern are interpreted differently, separating professori al reading from everyone else Memory – After watching a great movie, it sticks to you.So when reading a book that the same events somewhat relates to the characters actions in the movie, one will automatically apply what they saw in the movie to the characters action which opens up another view or interpretation of what’s going on. Symbol – Professors read symbolically, opening their minds to different ideas and comparisons between different things that a student, for example, wouldn’t be able to find alike any way, shape, or form. Pattern – Observing a pattern of literature has a lot to do with mechanism 2.Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It's Not) A. When It's Not? The story with the young teenager didn’t seem like a quest but in fact was because it had the same characters and actions that a quest has, it's a quest in disguise. A quest consist of five things and the story had those five exact things, it just wasn’t so obvious The quester is usually young and inexperienced The quester usually fails the stated task In a quest, there’s always challenges and trials 3. How, Where Have I Seen This Before? A. Connecting the dotsAfter studying and practicing literature for so long, a person begins to recognize patterns and concepts Studying literature is mostly practice After studying one thing and read others, you begin to connect the two and think â€Å"where have i seen this before† 4. It's Greek to Me A. Myths Myths show sacrifice and lost or heroism and loyalty Authors use myths to have a nice plot We sometimes use myths in our daily language, for comparisons Most myths function in the same manor Every myth have a hero with a dangerous and difficult goal that they either achieve or don’t achieve B.Underworld The underworld is a setting for final battle Conflicts in the story is made clear in the underworld 5. Is That A Symbol? A. Symbolism Sometimes an author would use allegories instead of symbols Allegories shows a specific message just as an item can be symbolic, so can an action Imagination, instincts, and past experiences is used to find symbolism in literature 6. Does He Mean That? A. 7. †¦ So Does The Season A. â€Å"†¦ writers can work magic with the seasons† Famous authors have used seasons as an advantageAuthors use seasons as different symbols for different things For example: age, moods, life, and death Not only do they use seasons but they also use holidays 8. One Story 9. Don't Read With Your Eyes A. Perspective You shouldn’t read from your point of view When reading certain things to fully understand and get a clear vision it is important to sometimes feel sympathy or even empathy Reading from another perspective helps you to better understand the text When reading something from a different culture one doesn’t have to accept the idea, just sympathy

Swange Dance

SWANGE DANCE Introduction. Benue State is state of the historic Benue river, a State renowned for the valiancy of its progenitors, a State of notable political gladiators and hardworking people who rightly brand themselves as ‘the food basket of the nation’. Benue is also a State of rich cultures and traditions, as exemplified in the world acclaimed SWANGE DANCE which has brought fame to both the State and the nation. Meaning of Dance Dance is a type of art that generally involves movement of the body, often rhythmic and to music.It is performed in many cultures as a form of emotional expression, social interaction, or exercise, in a spiritual or performance setting, and is sometimes used to express ideas or tell a story. Dance may also be regarded as a form of nonverbal communication between humans or other animals, as in bee dances and behaviour patterns such as a mating dances. Definitions of what constitutes dance can depend on social and cultural norms and aesthetic , artistic and moral sensibilities.Definitions may range from functional movement (such as folk dance) to virtuoso techniques such as ballet. Martial arts kata are often compared to dances, and sports such as gymnastics, figure skating and synchronized swimming are generally thought to incorporate dance. In some cases, the motion of ordinarily inanimate objects may be described as dance (the leaves danced in the wind). History Dance does not leave behind clearly identifiable physical artifacts such as stone tools, hunting implements or cave paintings. It is not possible to say when dance became part of human culture.Joseph Jordania recently suggested that dance, together with rhythmic music and body painting, was designed by the forces of natural selection at the early stage of hominid evolution as a potent tool to put groups of human ancestors in a battle trance, a specific altered state of consciousness. The same could be said of the Swange dance which originated from middle belt of Nigeria, Benue state, among the Tiv, Igala and Idoma people, a locale which is around the River Niger. Swange is a popular social dance of the Tiv people of Benue State in Central Nigeria.It is a dance of fast, slow, rhythmic and undulating movements, expressing youth and vigour. Swange is played at various types of social and religious functions for the enjoyment of the old and the young. The dance is characterized by rhythmic contortion in slow mode & vibrant display, typical of African dance forms. It has wonderful beat and beautiful rhythm. It is heavily percussion- based, aided by a traditional horn (al-gaita), which blows in an unbroken succession for as long as the drumming, Singing and dancing is going on. The dance particularly exhibits fluidity in body movement, which was inspirited by the flow of the River .Sixfootplus had this to say about it â€Å"Swange is the name given to the traditional dance of the Tiv-speaking people of Benue state of Nigeria. The dance is cha racterized by rhythmic contortion in slow mode & vibrant display, typical of African dance forms. It is heavily percussion- based, aided by a traditional horn (al-gaita), which blows in an unbroken succession for as long as the drumming, Singing and dancing is going on. † Some Benue artists mix this dance pattern up with their stage performances to the admiration of their fans; notable amond these are, Zulezoo, Bravo D, Sixfootplus etc.If you have been opportuned to listen to Swange music or watched the Swange dance, let us know what you feel about it. Significance of Swange Dance Swange Dance has been an important part of ceremony, rituals, celebrations and entertainment since before the birth of the earliest human civilizations. [pic] Swange Dance References www. nairaland. com/12749/swange-music-how-see-it http://www. goodlife. com. ng/gltourism. php? gltourism=read&id=164 Joseph Jordania, 2011, Why do People Sing? Music in Human Evolution, Logos, pg. 98-102

Building Construction

The collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River had done major damages in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Many assumptions and speculations about the causes of the collapse of the bridge system had appeared in the public. The public was seemingly confused about the real cause of the incidents and it is their right to be informed about the state of the investigation. The closest and very logical of the causes indicated in some of the investigations are stress or fatigue failure and lack of redundancy.Environment, Design, and Description of the I-35W bridge The I-35W bridge supports a total of eight lanes (four lanes on each direction). The average daily traffic (ADT) is given as 15,000 in each direction , with ten percent trucks. Constructed in 1967, the 581 meter long bridge has 14 spans. The main span is consist of a steel deck truss. The south approach spans are steel multi-beam. The north approach spans include both steel multieam and concrete slab span. There are two steel deck trusses. Builtup plates mostly composed the truss members.Rolled I-beams comprised the diagonal and vertical members. The truss members undergo poor welding details with the connections as mainly riveted and bolted. According to recent evaluation and inspection before the collapse of the bridge, corrosion at the floorbeam exists and rust are forming between connection plates. The two main trussses have an 11. 6-meter cantilever at the north and south ends. Twenty-seven floor trusses spaced at 11. 6 meters are also present. These floor trusses were framed into the vertical members of the main truss.The floor trusses consist of WF-shape members and have a 4. 97- meter cantilever at each end. The design specifications used in the bridge was the 1961 American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO) Specifications. During that time, most of the design uses unconservative fatigue design provisions. According to the fatigue evaluation report provided by the University o f Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies in 2001, the approach spans had exhibited several fatigue problems promarily due to the distortion of the girders.The bridge truss and the floor truss system also exhibited poor fatigue details. Lack of redundancy in the main truss system was also present in the design. It is stated in the evaluation report of the University of Minnesota that cracking due to fatigue cause by a future increase in loading will first appear on the floor truss. According to them this future cracks is detectable since the floor truss are easy to inspect. In the incidence that cracks are not detected, the bridge could still hold the bridge system without the entire collapse of the system.In the report, the failure of the two main trusses of the bridge will definitely take much effect to the bridge system. Fatigue Resistance The Standard Specification and the Load and Resistance Factor Design provided by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AA SHTO) contain similar provisions for the fatigue design of welded details on steel ridges. These details are designed ased on the nominal stress which can be calculated using standard design equations and does not include the effects of welds and attachments.Since fatigue is usually present during sevice load application, the design parameters is only applied during service load conditions. Cracks due to fatigue have insignificant effect on the structures in compression but have tremendous effect on structures that experience tension. With this idea, the assessment on the cracks that propagate on such a bridge as the I-35W should only be consider to elements in tension. Structural Redundancy In all the design criteria of any structural system, loads existed in variety of paths should be significantly consider.The strength and reliability of the system can be ensure by the existence of the redundant paths or elements. Without the existence of this redundant system of elements, the fa ilure of the entire system is much possible. Past survey of the Committee on Redundancy of Flexural System on steel highway ad railroad bridges. The report summarized that a total of 96 structures were suffering some distress. It was also take into account that most of the failures were related to connections which were mainly welded.The report had also collected data which indicates that few steel bridges collapse if redundancy is present. Bridge systems with no redundancy was reported to have large number. In another research conducted by Ressler and Daniels, they found that the number of fatiguesensitive details present in the structure significantly affected the bridges with no redundant elements. Theoritical and Actual Bridge Response Many studies have shown that the simplified calculations used to predict the stresses provide a much higher value compare to the actual service stresses.Though the design calculations and load models provide appropriate results, it has great uncer tainty in the maximum life of a bridge system. However, it is still beneficial to have an accurate estimate of the typical everyday stress ranges. In a large bridge, 20 Mpa is the typical value of the service live-load stress ranges. The stress ranges are typically governed by dead loads and strength design specifications. This is the reason why the stress ranges are small. Since the strength design must account for a single case loading scenario over the life of the bridge, conservative load models are used.In addition to load conservative models, the assumptions provided in the analysis of the design can also be the cause of the large difference of the predicted stress and actual stress. A great example of the effect of the assumptions is the case of the US Highway 69 in Oklahoma. Fatigue damage was said to be present upon the welding that had been used in the widening of the bridge. The design computations of the bridge illustrated that the allowable stress ranges could be exceed ed at over 100 locations on the bridge.However, when the bridge was inspected, it appeared that the measure stress ranges was only 27 percent of the allowable stress ranges. This only shows the great effect of the assumptions used in the design of a certain structural system. Moreover, another study that indicates fatigue failure to be caused by the considerable amount of corrosion takes into account. This is the case of the Bridge 4654 in Minnesota where measured stress ranges ranged from 65 to 85 percent of the calculated analysis.These differences are to be point out to the fact that analytical methods provide assumptions that neglect ways in which the structure resists loads. For example, the study conducted y Brudette et al. , more than 50 years of bridge test data were collected and examined to determine specific load-resisiting mechanisms that are ignored in the design of the system. The study concluded that lower stress ranges in a structure can be due to unintended composit e action, contribution from non-structural elements, unintended partial fixity at abutments and direct transfer of load through the slab to the supports.In another study of the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, they conducted a program of bridge testing that included more than 225 bridges over a period of 15 years. The study noted that much of the bridges can sustain much larger loads than their estimated capacities. Observations were also made regarding the behavior of the steel truss bridge. The observations are as follows: 1) the stringer of the floor system share a large tensile force thus reducing the strains experienced by the chord in contact with the floor system and 2) Composite action in non-composite system was shown to exist.