Perfume Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Perfume - Essay Example Since then perfumes are widely applied in various settings of the sphere. Their role is enormous, ranging from the individual respective, as a consumer learning tool, in mood therapy, in foods, detergents among others (Bennett 49). The broad application of perfumes triggered the researcher to explore their relevance in determining the attitudes of the human organism. The survey used both survey and literature review. The literature review was employed to assist in ascertaining the gap that exists in the study of perfumes and how they elicit moods in humans. Further, the deduction of the literature was vital in determining the current state of affairs, its theories and the developments in the sector. The synthesis of the literature reveals that humans are wired in a way that their sense of smell leads them to automatic approach-avoidance Responses inclusive of general attitudes, emotion and actions. The resultant responses are either positive or negative. Human being search for pleasurable experiences, and they always aim to avoid any painful or negative experiences as per nature. Based on the categorization theory, the study realized that it is possible to break pleasures into forms involving sensory, emotional and social traits (Porcherot 939). The review showed that emotional preferences typically stem from aesthetic stimulation. For instance, the smell of roses can remind one of a pleasant childhood, which arouses good moods in the individual. Sensory pleasances are the simplest forms to comprehend since they involve the pleasures created by sensory contact with outside stimuli. He further argues that Social pleasures arise from contact and interaction with peers. The experiences of persons can involve one form or a mix of the described pleasure types though in the end, individual summaries the experience as a memory that falls into a single

The Christian Ministry in Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Christian Ministry in Africa - Essay Example One of the main difficulties of effectively presenting Christ to Muslims remains ignorance on important issues such as on the Quran, the life of Muhammad, traditions, Muslim beliefs on Christ and prejudices and social beliefs of Islam. An effective missionary ought to demonstrate the highest level of sympathy and a rare appreciation of the important fundamental truths Christianity and Islam have in common. One should exhibit Christianity’s superiority in life and in doctrine by admitting the Islam doctrines’ excellences and life but then immediately prove the superiority of Christianity. This is a trait that is absent in most of the missionaries that attempt to preach Christ to Muslims and one that if properly mastered could be a certain game changer. Arrogant Approach from Missionaries and their Inconsistent Lifestyles At heart, Muslims are not satisfied with Muhammad as a suitable figure as a clear tale of his character and life as indicated in the Quran greatly stand s out and shocks them. Tradition’s whitewash fails to wipe away the inconsistencies in his conduct where for instance, his relations with women present great moral difficulties to many Muslims who are starting to think in higher terms of ethics. A missionary, with great sensitivity and care not to offend his Muslim listeners, should confidently challenge a comparison between the life of Christ and that of Muhammad even as presented in the Quran itself (again highlighting the relevance of a missionary’s knowledge of the Quran).

Wireless Mouse: History and Types

Wireless Mouse: History and Types Introduction Mouse is an input device for computer and it is used to access or run on the computer screen, without mouse we cant move cursor or arrow on the screen, without mouse we cant open, close, there is no such thing or device to replace instead of mouse. In this wireless mouse technology is now running in present world and wireless mouse works with Bluetooth connection and it uses battery power, battery power withstands longtime minimum period of one year and mouse consumes less power in it, in wireless mouse Bluetooth slot is present without losing transmitter. Mouse are of different types: Wire mouse Wireless mouse Touchpad mouse Key contributors: First mice were invented in the year 1944 by Ralph Benjamin and he was invented for the purpose for the fir control radar at world war II. Mouse was conceived by Doug Engelbart in the year 1960. The Engelbart thought up this idea in 1961 and first prototype mouse was created by English in 1964. (4) Engelbart English approached NASA for fund further research and to determine which input device is best for controlling cursor. In the year 1967 Bill English was analyzing the results of the various characteristics of input devices, Periodic table of the elements which has characteristics to define groups along rows and columns, periodic table is the main led to discovery of certain unknown elements, this defined the characteristics of a device that didnt exist before. That device was the mouse, (1) http://www.todayifoundout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/canadian-mouse-340259.jpg The cursor was controlled by a simple mechanism using joystick that Benjamin after thinking and he came up with roller ball and it functions alike to the standard mechanical mouse. Roller ball was coated with rubber and it contacts to the sides of the rollers, rollers can turn in x y directions and that movement was transfer in to proper movement of pointer on screen. This device gave birth to the mouse. First developed: First prototype was developed by Bill English, and kept secretly without knowing outside of the world. Bill English Engelbart approach NASA for further research to get best results. (1) (5) http://www.superkids.com/aweb/pages/features/mouse/mouse.gif Mouse has only two directions to move freely i.e; X and y directions.After few inventions from mechanical mouse, ball mouse was replaced with single ball it can rotate in all direction when compared to mechanical mouse moves only in x and y directions. This version of mouse was changed the entire world later it became the predominant form ans used with personal computer throughtout 1980s and 1990s.(1) Mouse Mechanism http://www.madehow.com/images/hpm_0000_0005_0_img0035.jpg Mouse works with the help of roller ball and ball moves forward and backward direction with the help of diode motion was detected and transforms the motion onto the screen, there is special software to detect the motion of the roller ball and translate the motion on to the screen. Roller ball is used to control the cursor on the graphical user interface on screen, vertical wheel and horzontal wheel are used to move cursor from one point to another point on screen, roller ball has three guides which are used to guide the ball without getting out from the instrument while operating the mouse, the motion of the rollers sends electrical signals to the computer and software is used to convert signals in to user interface i.e; cursor.Mouse connects directly with the help of wire. The basic mouse has one button. http://www.iphone-tips-and-advice.com/image-files/apple_desig_one_mouse_button.jpg The single button has name LISA MOUSESingle button was first introduced by apple company in the year 1983 and material is steel and it was used until 2000.This design was not changed for almost 20 years due to it compact design, for this design they have done a lot of research to get final product, it was acctually designed and renamed by IDEO in 1991. Lisa mouse was failed due to it technical reasons, after that they changed and introduced The Macintosh Mouse material is used is rubber. After this apple introduced two more designs and it doesnt take any effect. (2) https://i0.wp.com/512pixels.net/wp-content/uploads/S3/2012-11-27-mighty.jpg?w=640 In 2005 apple introduced new product witout using mechanism and the name of the product is The Mighty Mouse after 22 years of strugulling they succeded in this product and it works good, the mouse body respond to the click.(2) Wireless Mouse: Wireless mouse or Optical mouse was first demonstrated by two independent inventors in 1980s by John Markoff Sol Sherr, it uses a infrared led and a four-quadrant infrared instrument to detect grid lines in pattern with infrared engrossing ink on a special metallic surface. (Optical Mouse.En.wikipedia.org.N.p.,2017.web.23 Mar.2017.) Optical mouse or wireless mouse uses a light source to detect movements relative to surface, it is different from mechanical mouse, in optical mouse moving parts are not present. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Microsoft-wireless-mouse.jpg Wireless mouse consist of transmitter, reciever, battery, and reciver can be placed behind the battery inside the mouse. The reciever is connected to the computer and transmitter is inbuilt in side of the mouse, reciever and transmitter uses radio frequency to communicate each other to transfer signals from both sides and it is a continous process, if battery power drainsout we need to replace or if the battery is rechargable we need to charge before using. Functions of mouse:- Left click Single click Double click Click and hold Right click Scroll wheel Navigation or Sensor Left click is used for selecting options in left click or button there are three options in that single click is used to highlight folder or selecting the particular tab while browsing web. Double click is used for opening folder, selecting words, opening documents in that folder. Click and hold is for copying files from other sources in to the particular folder, copying images into word documents, highlight the words, drag and drop in web browsing, copying files from usb to pc. Right click is mainly for shortcuts for new folders, new ms office files, for documents or folders right click is to open,edit,rename,cut,copy,delete,properties.This functions are highlighted in that particular button or click. Scroll wheel is used to scroll page up down, zoom in zoom out in maps,images, in some applications scroll wheel is also used to exit particular command i.e; creo software. Navigation or sensor is nothing but identifying where cursor or pointer is located. Sensor identifies the location of cursor or pointer. Touch pad: Touch pad was first introduced by Olivetti and Triumph-Adler in 1992, after that Cirque corporation was developed and commercilaized the touchpad and it was used commonly for various products like notebook and computers. Cirque corporation branded as Glidepoint in 1994, Glidepoint wass the first technology adopted in the notebook omputers as system pointing devices, it performs the same as mouse. Glide point technology reconiged as one of six best products on cover Best products of 1994. PC Magazine 10 january 1995. (3) Apple announced touchpads to powerbook series in the year 1992.(3) http://netdna.webdesignerdepot.com/uploads/2009/01/powerbook_100_pose.jpg Touchpad works two types of working principle, conductive sensing and capacitive sensing. Conductive sensing has two layers one is horizontal and vertical set of wires between two layers there are low conductive material is used for intersection and doesnt flow electricity between these layers. Capacitive sensors detect anything is conductive and it has two parts one is ground and other is sensor. Capacitive sensor is the most common sensor is widely used in everyday life. https://i.stack.imgur.com/CBxTN.jpg when we touch the two layers by using finger for contact to each other at a point and the point gets coordinates and coordinates sends to the system. Functions of touchpad is like mouse; relative motion enables us to move our finger across the surface of touchpad and moves cursor on screen. Under the touchpad two buttons are present and it was like the mouse buttons and it functions same as mouse clicks i.e.; left button, right button. Mouse has scroll wheel and in touch pad it doesnt provide in it, instead of that in touchpad there is an option of hotspot which enables the scroll wheel function in touchpad, there is an option in hotspot like, one finger, multi finger, additional. One-finger there are different option tapping; button, left click, right click; drag and drop. Multi-finger there are zooming; scrolling; rotation; three-finger; four-finger. Additional there are palm tracking; sensitivity; smart motion. Future: Touchpads are replaced with virtual reality, we can control everything on screen using our finger and we no need any physical contact to the object or product, and we can virtually move anything on screen. In future, we cant see mice due to virtual reality is useful for bright future. Mice transforms from mechanical to electrical from past to present, further we can see virtual reality. Virtual reality is the latest technology. Bibliography Battery optimization for mouse technology. Engineering research and applied science 5(1).2147-3471 (2016): 328-331.web. AppleS Mouse: A history -512. 512pixels.net N.p., 2017.web. 30 Mar.2017. First laptops with touchpad as mouse replacement?. Vintage computer forum. N.p., 2017. Web.30 Mar.2017 Father of The Mouse: Doug Engelbart. An Exclusive Interview in Superkids Software Review. Superkids.com.N.p.,2017.web.23 Mar.2017. Smallwood, karl. who invented The computer Mouse?. Today I Found Out.N.p., 2017.web. 26 Mar.2017.

Organ Donation Saves Lives Essay -- Persuasive, Argumentative, Argumen

About seventy-Four people a day receive an organ transplant, however an average of seventeen people die each day waiting for transplants. Did you know that more than 88,000 men, women and children currently await life-saving transplants? Every 12 minutes another name is added to the national transplant waiting list. Of those 88,000 waiting, 61,000 of them are waiting for a kidney. How many of you reading this are organ donors? I use to feel that I didn't want a doctor taking anything from me after I have passed, even knowing that two of my family members, an uncle and cousin, had severe kidney disease. It wasn't until after they had passed away that I really thought seriously about organ donation. I'm not proud of my prior ignorance or ambivalence on the subject of organ donation. However, I am now more knowledgeable on the subject. I have a bumper sticker on my car that reads, "Don't take your organs to Heaven, Heaven knows we need them here" and how true that is. When yo u hear something like that it tends to make you think about your decision not to donate. But in all honesty I wasn't completely sure about just giving my organs away, I had to do my research on organ donation, I had questions, and I wanted answers. Questions like: How are organs distributed? Can I agree to donate some organs or tissue and not others? If I sign a donor card or indicate my donation preferences on my driver's license, will my wishes be carried out? And Can I change my mind? These are some of the questions I will answer for you today along with giving you a brief description about what life is like waiting on a donor list. The first successful kidney transplant was in 1954 and is the most common transplant today. The primary f... ...donate some organs or tissue and not others? Yes. You can specify which organs you would wish to donate. If I sign a donor card or indicate my donation preferences on my driver's license, will my wishes be carried out? Even if you sign a donor card it is essential that your family knows your wishes. Your family may be asked to sign a consent form in order for your donation to occur. Can I change my mind? Yes, and you have that right to do so. You can change your mind at any time. In conclusion, people of all races, all nationalities, and all ages, depending on the cause of death, die and take with them very valuable organs that can help to fulfill a healthy life for someone who desperately needs them. What if that someone was sitting next to you? What if it was me? Or what if it was you? Don't take your organs to heaven, heaven knows we need them here.

Ansoff Matrix Essay

1ï ¼Å½ What are the four product growth strategies according to the Ansoff matrix? Critically evaluate each of them with an appropriate example of each. Answer1: (1) Product strategies for growth: a useful way of looking at growth opportunities is offered by the Ansoff Matrix as it is a practical framework for thinking about how growth can be achieved through product strategy. It comprises four general approaches to sales growth: market penetration/expansion, product development, market development and diversification. Market penetration and expansion are strategies relating to growing exiting products in existing markets. Market penetration depends on winning competitors’ customers or buying competitors (thereby increasing market share). Defense of increased penetration may be through discouraging competitive entry. Market expansion may be through converting non-users to users or increasing usage rate. Although market share may not increase, sales growth is achieved through increasing market size. Product development is a strategy for developing new products for existing markets. It has three variants: extending existing product lines (brand extensions) to give current customers greater choice; product replacement (updates of old products); and innovation (developing fundamentally different products). Market development is a strategy for taking existing products and marketing them in new markets. This may be through the promotion of new uses of existing products to new customers, or the marketing of existing products to new market segments (e.g. overseas markets). Diversification (entry into new markets) is a strategy for developing new products for new markets. It is the most risky of the four growth strategies but also potentially the most rewarding. (2) For example: market penetration (Cadbury Schweppes did by increasing expenditure by 87 percent over a four-year period); market expansion (Kellogg’s has targeted lapsed breakfast cereal users who rediscover the pleasu re of eating cornflakes when feeding their children); product development (the development of the compact disc is an example); market development (Andy Thornton Ltd., an interior design business, successfully increased sales by entering Scandinavia and Germany, two geographic segments that provided new expansion opportunities for its services.); diversification (Sony’s move into 8 mm camcorders) Answer2: Ansoff Matrix ( can deal with new product) In order to increase sales volume, Ansoff matrix provides a framework, by combining present product and new product, present market and new market into 2*2 matrixes, which are market penetration or expansion, product development, market development and diversification. 1. Existing product + existing market. The strategies for this matrix are market penetration or expansion. For penetration, the most basic way is to win competitor’s customers. This may be achieved by more effective use of promotion (compared with competitors) or distribution, or by cutting prices. Increasing promotional expenditure is another method of winning competitors’ customers, as Cadbury did by increasing expenditure by 87 per cent over a four-year period. Another way to win competitors’ customer is to buy competitors. The biggest advantage of this method is to capture customers immediately. Moreover, buying other rivals can also gain their limited resources and advanced skills and expertise. However, it also has its disadvantages, such as high cost of capital and risk. In addition, in order to protect gained penetration, a company has to discourage new competitors to enter into market. Barriers can be created by cost advantages. For example, low labor cost. Highly differentiated products and high switching costs as well as displaying aggressive tendencies to retaliate play a role in repelling new entrants. As for expansion, there are two methods to boost sales. One is to convert non-user to user, another is to increase usage rate. For example, carnation entered the powdered coffee whitening market with coffee mate, a key success factor was its ability to persuade hitherto non-user of powdered whiteners to switch from milk. 2. New product + existing market. The strategy for this category is product development. It can be achieved by three ways. The first way is innovation. Both extend existing product lines for giving customers more choices and add new feature to trigger the trading up can increase sale volume. The second way is product replacement, which involves the replacement of old brands/models with new one. This is common in car industry and often involves an upgrading of the old model with a new replacement. The final one  is replacement of an old product with a fundamentally different one, often based on technology change. The development of CD is an example. 3ï ¼Å½ Existing product + new market. The strategy is market development, which entail promotions of existing product to a new market, or existing product to a new segment. For instance, nylon is marketed as a replacement of silk, but expanded into shirt, carpet and so on. For new segment, Andy Thornton Ltd. Successfully increased sales by entering Scandinavia and Germany, two geographic segments that provided new expansion opportunities for its services. 4ï ¼Å½ New product + new market. The strategy for it is entering into new markets (diversification). This is the most risky option, especially when the entry strategy is not based on the core competences. However, it can also be the most rewarding, as exemplified by Honda’s move from motorcycles to cars and Sony’s move into 8mm camcorders.

Marketing New Product Essay

Introduction: This case is largely based on Vanessa O’Connell, â€Å"Food for Thought: How Campbell Saw a Breakthrough Menu Turn into Leftovers, the goals we need to reach is to gain the understanding of this company, why they can get the innovation and how they can manage it, also we can learn the experience of this company. The back ground of the company: In 1990, Campbell Soup was the undisputed leader among U.S. soup manufacturers, with a market share of over 75 percentages. Soup consumption, however, was levelling off, and top management was looking for opportunities for growth in related markets. Competitors such as ConAgra (Healthy Choice brand) and H. J. Heinz (Weight Watchers brand) were making sizeable sales and profit gains in their frozen foods lines, stressing their dietary benefits, and this seemed like a good place for Campbell to begin generating new product ideas. Innovation plan: At that era, the U.S. public was becoming more interested in the relationships which are between diet and disease prevention. No requires, no supplies. The Vanessa O’Connell’s focusing on foods that could be used to prevent illnesses such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease (including high blood pressure). Description of Industry: Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB), also known as Campbell’s, is an American producer of canned soups and related products. Campbell’s products are sold in 120 countries around the world. It is headquartered [2] in Camden, New Jersey. Campbell’s divides itself into three divisions: the simple meals division, which consists largely of soups both condensed and ready-to-serve, the baked snacks division, which consists of Pepperidge Farm, and the health beverage division, which includes V8 juices. Marketing Plan: The Company using the differentiated strategy not only provide the common things but also provide the sophisticated products and services in order to feet most of the customers. Soon enough, the rough idea had been generated: a line of foods with medical benefits. The rough idea now needed to be further developed. Organizational plan: The challenge was to develop a food line that not only played a role in the prevention of these diseases, but also would be accepted and adopted by the U.S. population, Campbell’s CEO at the time, David W. Johnson, was 100 percentages behind the food-with-medical benefits idea, this innovation cause the company goes to a high-profit product. The key to success: The Campbell food technologists found this a challenging task—one of the early prototype fibber-enriched rolls â€Å"could have been marketed as a hockey puck,† according to Macnair. By fall 1994, however, about 24 meals that passed early taste tests were ready for clinical trials to determine health benefits. Over 500 subjects ate the meals for 10 weeks, and most reported improvements in cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. None experienced side effects, and many reported they liked the taste. Meanwhile, Mr Johnson created Campbell’s Centre for Nutrition and Wellness, based in the Camden, New Jersey, head office and employing 30 nutrition scientists and dieticians. Next the company came the market test. Campbell marketing staff selected the name â€Å"Intelligent Quinine† (or IQ Meals), and a blue box or can for packaging. The plan was for UPS drivers to deliver 21 meals (mostly frozen, a few in cans) each week to test subjects’ doors. By January 1997, the product was being test marketed in Ohio, backed up with a print ad campaign and a 10-minute infomercial designed to stimulate toll-free calls to Campbell’s information line. Critical Risks: By May 1997, sales in the Ohio market test were dismal, and another problem was arising. Those that had stuck with the program since January were showing health benefits, but now many of them were reporting that they were getting tired of the same nine meals over and over again. Conclusion: The fate of IQ Meals was sealed in a corporate shakeup at Campbell in July 1997. By fall 1997, Campbell announced plans to sell IQ Meals. For using the correct strategy, in 2012, Campbell announced plans to buy Bolthouse Farms, a maker of juices, salad dressings and baby carrots, for $1.55 billion. Analysts saw this as an attempt to reach younger, more affluent consumers.

the sin of avarice essays

the sin of avarice essays In life everyone is searching for something or someone. Sometimes we just do not realize we have found it until it is too late. What we find may not always be what we are looking for. This is what happens in the Pardoners Tale by Geoffry Chaucer, the three rioters are searching for death in the physical form. They do find death or rather it finds them in the very end of the story. In my opinion the three men do not find what they are searching for but that death finds them, in a place they never thought to look, in the depth of the human soul. The Pardoners Tale begins with three men in a drunken rage swearing to find death after it steals another one of their friends. If we can only catch him, Death is dead(Chaucer 117). They take an oath to always stick up for one another no matter what, and then they continue on with their search. They come upon and old man who may be death himself. The men are so anxious to find death that they do not see death when they are staring it in the face. Their drunken stupor makes them blind and easily allows death to trick them. The old man tells them where to find death: ...turn up this crooked way/towards that groove...under a tree and there youll find him waiting(Chaucer 117). So they continue their quest. Under the tree they find gold florins. No longer was it death these fellows sought or so they thought (Chaucer 118). When the rioters do find the gold it dissolves their oath of brotherhood and puts them on their path to death. The gold immediately changes their plan of finding death to becoming rich. The sin of gluttony takes over in each man planning to kill the next. The old man, his words, and their pursuit are completely forgotten. This tale confirms what the Pardoner suggests in The Pardoners Prologue; the sin of avarice leads to the sin of murder. The story begins with ...

The Bay Of Pigs Invasion Essays - CubaUnited States Relations

The Bay Of Pigs Invasion Essays - CubaUnited States Relations The Bay of Pigs Invasion The story of the failed invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs is one of mismanagement, overconfidence, and lack of security. The blame for the failure of the operation falls directly in the lap of the Central Intelligence Agency and a young president and his advisors. The fall out from the invasion caused a rise in tension between the two great superpowers and ironically 34 years after the event, the person that the invasion meant to topple, Fidel Castro, is still in power. To underezd the origins of the invasion and its ramifications for the future it is first necessary to look at the invasion and its origins. Part I: The Invasion and its Origins. The Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961, started a few days before on April 15th with the bombing of Cuba by what appeared to be defecting Cuban air force pilots. At 6 a.m. in the morning of that Saturday, three Cuban military bases were bombed by B-26 bombers. The airfields at Camp Libertad, San Antonio de los Ba?os and Antonio Maceo airport at Santiago de Cuba were fired upon. Seven people were killed at Libertad and forty-seven people were killed at other sites on the island. Two of the B-26s left Cuba and flew to Miami, apparently to defect to the United States. The Cuban Revolutionary Council, the government in exile, in New York City released a statement saying that the bombings in Cuba were ". . . carried out by 'Cubans inside Cuba' who were 'in contact with' the top command of the Revolutionary Council . . . ." The New York Times reporter covering the story alluded to something being wrong with the whole situation when he wondered how the council knew the pilots were coming if the pilots had only decided to leave Cuba on Thursday after " . . . a suspected betrayal by a fellow pilot had precipitated a plot to strike . . . ." Whatever the case, the planes came down in Miami later that morning, one landed at Key West Naval Air Station at 7:00 a.m. and the other at Miami International Airport at 8:20 a.m. Both planes were badly damaged and their tanks were nearly empty. On the front page of The New York Times the next day, a picture of one of the B-26s was shown along with a picture of one of the pilots cloaked in a baseball hat and hiding behind dark sunglasses, his name was withheld. A sense of conspiracy was even at this early stage beginning to envelope the events of that week. In the early hours of April 17th the assault on the Bay of Pigs began. In the true cloak and dagger spirit of a movie, the assault began at 2 a.m. with a team of frogmen going ashore with orders to set up landing lights to indicate to the main assault force the precise location of their objectives, as well as to clear the area of anything that may impede the main landing teams to be added when they arrived. At 2:30 a.m. and at 3:00 a.m. two battalions came ashore at Playa Gir?n and one battalion at Playa Larga beaches. The troops at Playa Gir?n had orders to move west, northwest, up the coast and meet with the troops at Playa Larga in the middle of the bay. A small group of men were then to be sent north to the town of Jaguey Grande to secure it as well. When looking at a modern map of Cuba it is obvious that the troops would have problems in the area that was chosen for them to land at. The area around the Bay of Pigs is a swampy marsh land area which would be hard on the troops. The Cuban forces were quick to react and Castro ordered his T-33 trainer jets, two Sea Furies, and two B-26s into the air to stop the invading forces. Off the coast was the command and control ship and another vessel carrying supplies for the invading forces. The Cuban air force made quick work of the supply ships, sinking the command vessel the Marsopa and the supply ship the Houston, blasting them to pieces with five- inch rockets. In the end the 5th battalion was lost, which was on the Houston, as well as the supplies for the landing teams and eight other smaller vessels. With some of the invading forces' ships destroyed, and no command and

How The Nursery Rhyme Eins, Zwei, Polizei Can Help You Learn German

How The Nursery Rhyme Eins, Zwei, Polizei Can Help You Learn German Learning German can a lot of fun if you use a simple rhyme. While Eins, Zwei, Polizei is a nursery rhyme for children, people of any age can use it as a game to expand their German vocabulary. This short rhyme is a traditional childrens song that can be sung or chanted to a beat. It includes very basic German words, teaches you how to count to ten or fifteen (or higher, if you like), and each phrase ends with a different word.   There are many versions of this popular and simple song and two of those are included below. However, dont stop with those. As you will see, you can make up your own verses and use this as a game to practice whatever vocabulary words you are learning at the moment. Eins, zwei, Polizei (One, Two, Police) This is the most traditional version of the popular German childrens song and  nursery rhyme. It is very easy to memorize and will help you remember numbers one through ten along with a few basic words. Both children and adults will find it to be a fun way to finish off your night with a little German practice.   This version of Eins, zwei, Polzei has been recorded by at least two German groups: Mo-Do (1994) and S.W.A.T. (2004). While the lyrics for the song by both groups are appropriate for children, the rest of the albums may not be. Parents should review the translations for themselves before playing the other songs for kids. Melodie: Mo-DoText: Traditional   Deutsch English Translation Eins, zwei, Polizeidrei, vier, Offizierfnf, sechs, alte Hexsieben, acht, gute Nacht!neun, zehn, auf Wiedersehen! One, two, policethree, four, officerfive, six, old witchseven, eight, good night!nine, ten, good-bye! Alt. verse:neun, zehn, schlafen gehn. Alt. verse:nine, ten, off to bed. Eins, zwei, Papagei (One, Two, Parrot) Another variation that follows the same tune and rhythm, Eins, zwei, Papagei demonstrates how you can change the last word of each line to fit the German words and phrases you are learning at the moment. As you can see, it doesnt have to make sense, either. In fact, the less sense it makes, the funnier it is. Deutsch English Translation Eins, zwei, Papageidrei, vier, Grenadierfnf, sechs, alte Hexsieben, acht, Kaffee gemachtneun, zehn, weiter gehnelf, zwlf, junge Wlfdreizehn, vierzehn, Haselnussfnfzehn, sechzehn, du bist duss. One, two, Parrotthree, four, Grenadier*five, six, old witchseven, eight, made coffeenine, ten, go furthereleven, twelve, young wolfthirteen, fourteen, Hazelnutfifteen, sixteen, youre dumb. * A  Grenadier  is similar to a private or infantryman in the military. It is understandable if you do not want to teach your children this last version (or at least the last line), which includes the words du bist duss because it translates to youre dumb. Its not very nice and many parents choose to avoid such words, particularly in nursery rhymes with younger children. Instead of avoiding this otherwise fun rhyme, consider replacing the last part of that line with one of these more positive phrases: Youre great - du bist tollYoure funny - du bist lustigYoure pretty - du bist hà ¼bschYoure handsome - du bist attraktivYoure smart - du bist shlauYoure special - du bist etwas  Besonderes How Eins, zwei... Can Expand Your Vocabulary Hopefully, these two examples of the rhyme will inspire you to use it throughout your studies of German. Repetition and rhythm are two useful techniques that will help you remember basic words and this is one of the easiest songs to do that with. Make a game out of this song, either on your own, with your study partner, or with your children. It is a fun and interactive way to learn. Alternate saying each line between two or more people.Complete each phrase with a new (and random) word from your most recent vocabulary list. It can be anything from food and plants to people and objects, whatever you think of. See if the other players know what that word means in English.Practice two- or three-word phrases on the last line.Count as high as you can and keep finishing off each line with a new word. See who can count the highest in German or who can say more  new words than everyone else.Try to create a theme throughout the song. Maybe your family is learning the German words for various fruits (Frà ¼chte). One line might finish with apple (Apfel), the next might end with pineapple (Ananas), then you might say strawberry (Erdbeere), and so on. This is one rhyme that has endless possibilities and it can really help you  learn the German language. Its hours (or minutes) of fun and can be played anywhere.

3d imaging using matlab Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

3d imaging using matlab - Essay Example However, none of these algorithms succeed to process more than a few tens of images when the amount of missing elements reaches 90% of the measurement matrix and cameras have large field of view (Martinec & Pajdla 2005). (Martinec & Pajdla 2005) proposes an algorithm has the following advantages: First, it provides an overall scene structure in a single step without requirements such as linear ordering of images in a sequence. Second, the solution is obtained as a global optimum of a reasonable cost function defined on an approximation to the original SFM (structure-from-motion) problem. (Martin & Doerry 2005) modify the existing Polar Format MATLAB implementation utilizing the Chirp Z-Transform that improves performance and memory usage achieving near real-time results for smaller apertures. They also add two new image formation options that perform a more traditional interpolation style image formation. These options allow the continued exploration of possible interpolation methods for image formation and some preliminary results comparing image quality are given. In this paper we review the principles used in reconstruction of three dimension images from two dimension images from a digital camera. The reconstruction algorithm of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is presented and implemented in MATLAB in the following sections. This section overviews the process of representing a three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional representation. The projection process loses one dimension. This process is usually central projection in which a ray from a point in space is drawn from a three dimension world point through a fixed point in space, the centre of projection. This ray will intersect the chosen plane as the image plane. The intersection of the ray with the image plane represents the image of the point. This projection is similar to the camera in which a ray of light from a point in the world passes through the lens of a camera

Anti competitive behaviour amongst oligopoly firms and government Essay

Anti competitive behaviour amongst oligopoly firms and government regulations - Essay Example For this study, a brief concept of competition law will be provided followed by discussing some economic factors that enables oligopolistic firms to violate the competition law in the markets. Upon discussing the negative economic consequences of forming oligopoly firms, the role of government regulations on how to control and minimize the negative impact of collusion within the oligopolistic market will be thoroughly discussed. Competition law promotes free trade and healthy competition among the local and international businesses in order to protect the economic welfare of the consumers from businesses that will abuse its market power within a particular industry. (Vedder, 2004; Opi, 2001) As part of promoting free trade in the market, competition law is very much focused on eliminating and reducing the cases of monopolistic competition. Basically, the promotion of a free trade competition enables the consumers to enjoy the privilege of With the purpose of dominating the market, product characteristics dictate the ability of oligopoly firms to enter into collusion. Using the Nash benchmark, the study conducted by Engel (2007) reveals that there is a higher possibility for companies that sell heterogeneous products with few substitutes to collude as compared to businesses that sell homogenous products. It means that businesses that offer heterogeneous products have more competitive advantage or niche as compared to other businesses. The size of the market and the number of manufacturers that produces the same product also affects the ability of oligopolistic firms to enter into collusion. Basically, the bigger the market size in terms of the total number of people within a population would mean that there is a bigger demand for the product. On the other hand, the lesser the number of manufacturers that produces the same type of goods would mean that the supply for the product would be lesser as compared a situation

Behavioural Aspects of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Behavioural Aspects of Marketing - Essay Example Even in the remote, unheard of societies, all people remain consumers with diverse interests and gullibility to get influenced in their decisions. Placing the consumers in the market place and psychologically dissecting their behaviour could be a cross-subject study of psychology, marketing and advertisement results. When we take consumers individually, it is necessary to take the perception and the factors influencing it. Learning and the resultant memory that motivates further action with changed or unchanged values that cause involvement and attitudes are very important. It is necessary to remember that this research region is very young, influx and energetic. It also is being 'constantly cross-fertilised' by external perspectives belonging to various disciplines. It is interesting to know the everyday activities of people. In one of the most influential works in the field, Solomon et al have impressively provided a comprehensive and contemporary detail of the currently prevalent consumer behaviour. The arguments are lively and practical while portraying the strategic marketing issues, diverse European values etc. They also provide a peek into the multi-dimensional European lifestyle, buying habits, marketing behaviour, their relationship with the global market and the behavioural fluctuations. They wrote in the preface: "The field of consumer behaviour is, to us, the study of how the world is influenced by the action of marketers. We're fortunate enough to be teachers and researchers whose work allows us to study consumers". This consumer behavioural insight has to be applied to our Whole Foods Market. USUAL BEHAVIOUR OF CONSUMERS The advertisements are so persuasive today that it is impossible not to listen or get influenced. Marketing opportunities, to a large extent are connected with the cultural dimensions that influence the behaviour issues and concepts. This does not mean that cultural compulsions do not change at all. We have seen that even in the rigidly religious countries, where almost everything is a taboo, consumer behaviour changes, but changes with ultimate slowness. Consumers are eager to new experiences, especially in the food region, with the recent food and nutrition knowledge. Solomon et al have drawn a multi-dimensional portrait of European consumers within which they have shown the European modern family structure and how it has influenced the household decision making. They have shown the traditional influence of the culture which still holds its own in addition to the influence and compulsions of income and the social class and how they command the consumer behaviour and individual decisions. Basic model of consumer decision making might follow the traditional path of problem recognition, search for the information, evaluation of alternatives, decision of choice, evaluation after the purchase and all these are adequately influenced or dictated by the values, lifestyle, cultural and cross-cultural differences. Habit forming products, non-habit forming products that are not purchased regularly fall into two different categories and are not influenced by the same decision making process. Then comes the power of

Someone is growing kittens in a bottle, effectively making Bonsai Essay

Someone is growing kittens in a bottle, effectively making Bonsai kittens - Essay Example The site's creator describes and illustrates in detail the method for abusing these animals" (Humane Society, 2008). III. Relating to the Audience: As long as this hoax has been around and for the sake of preventing animal cruelty, it is important that each of you know about Bonsai kittens and the possibility that there may actually be people out there doing this to the poor animals. IV. Thesis: The Bonsai kitten Internet hoax caused a massive negative public reaction, and even though it was only a hoax, many individuals and animal rights groups took great offense to the Bonsai kitten website and its content and pictures. I. In 2000, what has become known as the Bonsai kitten website appeared, depicting some very disturbing images of kittens being stuffed into bottles, as well as being fed, breathing, and ridding themselves of waste through tubes. (Wikipedia, 2008) II. The kittens were supposedly stuffed into these bottles as a form of decoration and were not removed until their bones and bodies had become twisted into some sort of desired shape to make them appear less "mundane" than regular animals. Bonsai kitten website. (2008).

Discussion question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion question - Assignment Example cision-making, problem-solving, planning, long-term memory and meta-cognition† (Feinstein 187), functions connected to language, thinking and motor skills. On the other hand, myelination is the process in which neurons are wrapped in white, fatty matter while pruning is the â€Å"elimination of synaptic overproduction,† both of which are important in thinking development (Feinstein 188). Some researches support the hypothesis that negative influences like environmental deprivation and lack of early movement experiences in childhood can impact on brain development. Environmental deprivation includes poor language environment. Vocabulary growth is influenced by a child’s exposure to word quantity and quality when the language areas of the brain start to become active. On the other hand, the advances made by a child in his motor skills are shown to affect brain development as voluntary movements cause glucose production and more blood flow to the brain. Both will â€Å"in all likelihood† increase neural connections. Their deprivation therefore will imply a missed opportunity for the child to develop the best possible language skills and motor abilities. To prevent this, parents must ensure an enriched early childhood experience through interesting social-emotional, physical-sensory-motor and language cognition as well as exposure to â€Å"repetitive task s, attention-focused activities, and meaningful tasks.† Moreover, children should be taught both large muscle and small muscle movements in order for them to accomplish correct form and technique in motor skills (Feinstein 187-193). Jean Paget, one of the chief researchers in child plays, believed that children begin their make-believe plays at the age of two, increasing every year until age six and starts to wane thereafter. Earliest make-believe plays are usually done solitarily without the necessary material, are half-done, inanimate objects being made animate, and pretend activities of certain persons. When the

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 32

Reflection - Essay Example The most relevant information that I have learnt about the concept of diversity is that, there are various strategies which can be put in place in to enhance diversity. People can be trained and sensitized on different cultures to be able to understand, interact and accept others. I learnt that diversity boost production rate in an organization due to different ideas from diverse places. Additionally, diversity training enhances effective diversity management and this in turn motivates people to cooperate well. However, diversity is prone to various problems like discrimination, inequality in subordinate groups and harassment of employees. Diversity is important to me because it eliminates problems caused by differences in race, gender, or culture. Consequently, when people adapt to diverse working conditions positively, they help in eradication of conflicts and increase productivity of the organization.Basically, this research has really changed my thinking and approach to diversity and leadership. For instance, I have realized that lack of diverse workforce is in most cases caused by discrimination and stereotypes among us. People can learn a lot when they interact and work with diverse people with different cultures, belong to distinct races or gender. The most relevant information about the research based on diversity and healthy living is that everyone’s life is always influenced negatively or positively. However the case, they are affected physically or mentally therefore, appropriate exercise is necessary in order to live a healthy life. In this research, I have learnt that positive feelings increase our attention capacity as well as emotional well being. Participation in activities helps in elimination of prejudices. Additionally, I have gained knowledge on diversity climate which concentrates on views of openness and reaction towards a particular group of diversity. Have knowledge on people’s personalities, backgrounds and habits make one to be

Discussion question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion question - Assignment Example cision-making, problem-solving, planning, long-term memory and meta-cognition† (Feinstein 187), functions connected to language, thinking and motor skills. On the other hand, myelination is the process in which neurons are wrapped in white, fatty matter while pruning is the â€Å"elimination of synaptic overproduction,† both of which are important in thinking development (Feinstein 188). Some researches support the hypothesis that negative influences like environmental deprivation and lack of early movement experiences in childhood can impact on brain development. Environmental deprivation includes poor language environment. Vocabulary growth is influenced by a child’s exposure to word quantity and quality when the language areas of the brain start to become active. On the other hand, the advances made by a child in his motor skills are shown to affect brain development as voluntary movements cause glucose production and more blood flow to the brain. Both will â€Å"in all likelihood† increase neural connections. Their deprivation therefore will imply a missed opportunity for the child to develop the best possible language skills and motor abilities. To prevent this, parents must ensure an enriched early childhood experience through interesting social-emotional, physical-sensory-motor and language cognition as well as exposure to â€Å"repetitive task s, attention-focused activities, and meaningful tasks.† Moreover, children should be taught both large muscle and small muscle movements in order for them to accomplish correct form and technique in motor skills (Feinstein 187-193). Jean Paget, one of the chief researchers in child plays, believed that children begin their make-believe plays at the age of two, increasing every year until age six and starts to wane thereafter. Earliest make-believe plays are usually done solitarily without the necessary material, are half-done, inanimate objects being made animate, and pretend activities of certain persons. When the

Using Social Networking Websites for Social Media Marketing in Fashion Industry Essay Example for Free

Using Social Networking Websites for Social Media Marketing in Fashion Industry Essay Social media is â€Å"the media that is published, created and shared by individuals on the internet, such as blogs, images, video and more† (Strokes, p. 350), as well as â€Å"online tools and platforms that allow internet users to collaborate on content, share insights and experiences, and connect for business or pleasure†. (Strauss Frost, p. 326). The term social media marketing describes the usage of blogs, online communities or social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook for marketing, sales, customer service and public relation in order to engage online communities for the purpose of generating the exposure, opportunities and sales. Social media marketing is a process where interest and excitement is generated in a service or a product through various online social outlets. Fashion industry is one of those areas which fly under the radar of a lot of social media marketers. Social media marketing in the fashion industry is a marketing style which allows brand to connect with their target audience through online outlets such as Facebook, Youtube, Blogger, Twitter,etc. The number of fashion insiders accepting social media has skyrocketed. Companies get to capture a larger target audience by becoming a part of the social media network. Since internet has become such an inexpensive and easily accessible tool, it has become an ideal platform to gain the loyalty and build consumer trust. It is the practice of expanding the number of one’s business and social connects by making connections through individuals online. The online promotions and discounts offered by a brand helps them to create customers and have them choose one brand over another. These online incentives also increase brand competition which in turn urges these brands to optimize their social media presence. From a brand’s perspective, fashion is an experience with very specific feelings and emotions they hope to create for the wearer. The idea of going social frightens quite many brands because they are not very sure as to how to translate these feelings online. Although many brands believe that this might weaken their relationship with the customers but it has proved to be a very healthy and genuine interaction between brand and client. The majority of the industry thought this would tarnish brand image, but American Apparel, TopShop and emerging independent designers were early adopters of social marketing. Once they started reporting positive results, other brands followed. Now almost every brand from Louis Vuitton to Victoria’s Secret have created a presence in several social communities, the most notable being Facebook. â€Å"Customers can feel like they are part of the brand’s extended family, and therefore the brand itself, while the interactive element further deepens that relationship,† said Alex Bolen, chief executive officer of Oscar de la Renta. The emergence of communities like social networks, forums, wikis and blogs made the brands aware that they need to participate and create dialogues with people online. The apparel industry being a product and service-based industry largely depends on the consumer needs and acceptance for growth, and therefore the customer is of prime importance. A one to one communication with the client, which is generally not achievable for retail organizations, can be increased as this medium can enable easy feedback, brands loyalty and personal attachment with the product. By implementing interactive strategies, video messages and blog contents every business type can interact and create a network of people interested in the services offered. While retailers and brands are still battling with social media to measure its marketing value, they have used Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social communities to develop digital marketing strategies to enhance online sales and increase retail store traffic. Gucci is doing it. Social Media Platforms There are various components of social media marketing solutions. These options also help in creating awareness and connecting with the user base. Social Media Marketing Platforms: 1. Blogs are a great traffic source. Popularly employed by businesses, it is a very effective method of marketing the services being offered by the firm. They allow companies to give a detailed description of their products and services. The description may include anything from its use to its justifications to links to other pages. 2. Applications, fan pages, groups and communities etc are great platforms for promoting the business and interacting with consumer groups. Facebook or Twitter for example give companies a chance to promote their services in an individual manner by the help of a separate page. They allow the brand to put up videos, images, detailed descriptions,etc. 3. Many businesses have made hay using online video sites like YouTube and Vimeo. Banking on the fact that e-commerce is scaling new heights, in the present time, substantial business with the buyer is done through the net. Keeping this in mind, a high-fashion garment exporter for instance can build a business page on facebook for his company. Catering to the fact that today even the buyers are active users of such sites, one can create a focused buyer group and though the page, can market his products to all potential buyers at the same time. This makes business easier, accessible to people worldwide and reduces travel time. Simultaneously by creating a Linkedin profile, the employer and all the employees can promote themselves making the company more reachable and in turn more sensitive to the needs and concerns of the industry. The designers can blog about the new trends and styles spreading a positive energy of fashion around the business, which will eventually mark a professional impression for the organization at large. Alternatively, one can use social media to simply spread awareness and exporter can create a buzz about what are they doing and what they wish to do in future.

Origins Of Alternative Education In India Education Essay

Origins Of Alternative Education In India Education Essay According to one of the view, education has been derived from the Latin word educare which means to bring up or to raise. According to this view, education is process of imparting to an individual certain information and knowledge which was considered by the society. Education implies the modification of the behaviour of the individual by imposing standards of society upon him. Thus, this derivation gives the concept of teacher-centred rather than child-centred education. There is another group of thinkers who believes that the term education has been derived from the Latin word educere which means to lead out or to draw out. Education therefore, means to lead out or draw out the best in man. It is the process of drawing out from within rather than imposing from without. In the Indian Context the Education means The Indian Synonyms of Education are the words Shiksha and vidya. Shiksha is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root Shas which means to discipline to control to instruct or to teach. Similarly Vidya is also derived from Sanskrit verbal root vid which means to know. Hence the disciplining the mind and acquisition of knowledge have always been the dominant theme in Indian approaches to understanding the education. Experimental learning The experimental education is an organic and constantly evolving approach to learning .According to them they believe that anyone can do it. The ideas advocated can be replicated almost anywhere, and can be used, as some are doing, in mainstream (government and private) schools. This type of pedagogy helps in Enhancement in Education. It explores the ways in which children can discover their own talents and interest, at their own talents and interest, at their own places, in their own ways, assisted by teachers, parents, and friends and others-learning in and from their neighbours, their village, their community and the environment in which they live. It tells that how education can be successful in terms of childs own need for knowledge. This kind of education therefore relies heavily on experiential learning which compiles of innovative approaches, method, and idea of learning, aim to be child centred). The relevant and liberating education should include:- Being child-focussed- the child is the centre. The child dictates the pace and interests. Allowing learning in multiple ways. Enhancing the senses through learning. Not being exclusive, there is a (government-prescribed) examination for school completion, nor it should exclusive in the terms of class, gender, caste or religion. Meeting a childs life -enriching needs in compliance with child rights, imparting spiritual values, knowledge of moral, social norms and duties and finally, it should try out to meet life-development needs of functional training of innate talents, and vocational education. The importance of education being child-centred, starting from what the child knows and is interested in, and at the pace preferred by the child. Now Approach to primary education has been formally accepted not only by the one country but also by the whole world including the developed and under developing countries as a human right for almost half a century. Yet, today even we enter into the era of 21st Century; there is only about three-quarters of children of school-going children are able to attend a primary school. In a developing countries large number drop-out of children took place before reaching Class V and there are many others who are never able to reach schools. Although the country like India in which the government had placed a high priority on education in policy statements, every time fails because of proper implementation is lacking in the policy. Thus an India stand with 30 per cent of the worlds illiterates has female literacy rates much lower than in sub-Saharan Africa [PROBE 1999]. The worlds largest number of children who are out-of-school is reached the mark which is close to 59 million are in India, ou t of which 60 percent are girls (Human Development Report 2000, UN).37 percent of the children from India are unable to reach Class V [Haq and Haq 1998]. And this despite the Directive Principles in Article 45 of the Indian Constitution which prescribes that the state shall try to provide, within a tenure of ten years from the commencement of the Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they reach the age of 14. Although after this decision the number of primary schools has increased 2.82 times since 1951 and enrolments have improved, the responsibility of the government for creating a satisfactory infrastructure has in practice not been matched by corresponding out-lays which continue to remain woefully inadequate at around 3 per cent of the GDP. The vast number of maze of literature on primary education in India has identified various reasons for its abysmal state; why children drop out and why they remain un enrolled or not going in the school. In th is space several studies have been done which indicated that the poor quality of schooling is responsible for low retention [Colclough 1993; Bhatty Kiran 1998; PROBE 1999; Banerji 2000; Dreze and Gazdar 1996]. However, most of these studies look at the problem of education within the confines of the classroom. They tend to ignore or underplay the fact that besides poor quality, demotivated or un interested teachers and inadequate infrastructure, there are larger other structural constraints which impede access of children to schools. There are several literature written on primary education in India also reveals that access and retention remain problem areas in this sphere. Origins of Alternative Education in India History Overview The present mainstream educational system was inaugurated in India in the mid-nineteenth century. Over the next century; it almost completely supplanted earlier educational institutions. There had, earlier, been a wide network of small village schools- pathsahlas, gurukuls and madarasas. There was a concept of One Village-One School and was become the norm in various parts of the country, up to the earlier nineteenth century. A large number of such learning schools-reportedly100, 000 was just in Bihar and Bengal. They played important social role and were, in fact watering holes of culture of traditional communities. (Dharampal, 2000).Students from various castes studied in these schools, although there was no such discrimination on the basis of castes, creed and colour. It was open for all but there must have been disproportionately representation in the school, the boys outnumbered girls. Most of the girls learnt a range of skills within their homes; from parents, relatives, and pr ivate tutors- including Arts, crafts, practical skills, agriculture, health and languages. Harking back to the tradition of monasteries and ashrams, schools interspersed training in practical life skills with academic education. As the time goes on within the overall context of decline of local economies, these went into decline and decay under colonial rule. Intentionally the policy was employed by the government to wipe out this community based schooling, and replace it with an alien model. In 1931, Gandhi alleged that today India is more illiterate than it was 50 or a 100 years ago (M.K.Gandhi 1931, Dharampal 2000). He also added that British administrators had à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.scratched the soil and begun to look at the root, and left the root like that and beautiful tree perished. Indigenous education was replaced by an alien and rootless, deliberately set up, as it was explained by Lord Macaulay (1835), to form a class who interprets between us and the millions we govern. Despite the transfer of power in 1947, Indian schools continued in the same mould. Some changes were introduced: the government expanded its reach and network of schools in both rural and urban areas and local vernacular languages were accepted as medium of instruction in these schools. Today we have vast network and number of government in our country and growing number of private run institutions. Yet, the basic format remained the unchanged, a large number of school today based on derivative and mechanistic model. They are designed to produce individuals who fit into modern society and its (Consumerist and competitive) Values, and are easy to govern since they learn to be highly disciplined within hierarchical, centrally administered institutions. Schooling thus, tends to reinforce social inequalities-Class, caste and gender. Affluent Children go to privately run schools, while poor attend schools run by the state because for poor access to private school has become the dream. Despite of Vital differences in facilities and funding, all these schools share a similar ethos. The ascent is on absorbing information rather on original thinking and imagination. The set up is centralised and bureaucratic, teachers distanced from students mostly merely doing a job, while school act as a delivery points for a set curriculum and content. Schools generate failures in large scale-contributing to crises of confidence at national level. Early Pioneers Alternative or the experimental learning to the educational system began to emerge as early as the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centurys. Some of these efforts really mark a significant change and their efforts are still visible. Social reformers began exploring alternative education by the late of nineteenth century. Swami Vivekananda, Dayanand Saraswati, Syed Ahmed Khan, Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule and others promoted the idea of education as a force for social regeneration, and set up schools/institutions toward this end. Vivekananda and Dayanand Saraswati combined religious revitalisation with social service/ political work, through the Rama krishna Mission and Arya Samaj Schools respectively. Syed Ahmed Khan set up the Aligarh Muslim University (originally, Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College), with the goals of imparting modern education without compromising on Islamic Values. Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule were actively concerned with overcoming the social inequalit ies. They mainly work with the dalit children and girl schooling in Maharashtra. There were some Significant educationists emerges in half of the twentieth century included Rabindra Nath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Gijubhai Badheka And Sri Aurobindo. By the mid of the 1920s and 1930s, these stalwarts had created the number of viable models of alternative learning, as a considered response to the ills of mainstream education. Some of the ideas were in alliance with the struggles for national Independence and the revitalisation of Indian society. The alternatives emphasised commitments, and reciprocal links between school and the society. Rabindranath Tagore pointed out several limitations of school set up by colonial authorities, in his writings Shikhar Her Fer (1893) and Shikhar Bahan (1915). As a child, Tagore had refused to attend School; he later wrote, What tortured me in my school days was the fact that the school has not the completeness of the world. It was a special arrangement for giving lessonsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦But children are in love wit h life, and it is their first love. All its colour and movement attract their eager attention. And are quite sure of our wisdom in stifling this love? We rob the child of his earth to teach him geography, of language to teach him grammarà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Child-Nature protest against such calamity with all its power of suffering, subdued at last into silence by punishment. (Tagore, in Chakravarty1961,pg 218; in Prasad2005, pg81). Tagore set up his own alternative to the prevailing educational system: Vishwa Bharati in Shantiniketan, Bengal. Classes here, were- and still are held in the lap of nature. Vishwa Bharati becomes a centre for excellence in art and aesthetics, creative activities and awareness of local as well as world cultures. Gandhis view resembles Tagores in the emphasis on contextually relevant education, mother tongue as the medium of instruction, and opposition to examination-oriented bookish reaching. He translated his vision into practice through a series of school, starting in Phoenix Farm and Tolstoy Farm in South Africa and continuing into schools set up in Champaran, Sabarmati, Wardha and many other parts of India. Gandhi developed Nai Taleem or Basic Education in which students devoting few hours daily to academic pursuits, and the rest of the day to the performance of Bread Labour that includes craft work, agriculture, cooking, cleaning and related tasks. His approach to education aimed at strengthening village life and communities. As early as 1917, When Gandhi began five small schools for peasants children in Champaran, then he said, The idea is to get hold of as many children as possible and give them an all round education, a good knowledge of hindi or urdu and through that medium, knowled ge of arithmetic, rudiments of history and geography, simple scientific principles and some industrial training. No cut and dried syllabus has yet been prepared because according to him I am going on a unbeaten track. I look upon you present system with horror and distrust. Instead of developing the moral and mental faculties of the little children it dwarfs them. Stage crafts, arts, sports and celebration of festivals from all religion were important parts of Nai taleem. In Nai Taleem there were no textbooks as such, but students were constantly encouraged to use library and can get the knowledge of diverse field. In the library education is not only the motive but exposure to different field or subjects are also required. Educationist Gijubhai Badheka emphasised on childrens need for an atmosphere nurturing independence and self-reliance. He gave this idea an institutional basis by establishing Bal Mandir in Gujarat in 1920, and in his writings, he identified the different facets of idea. Gijubhais Divaswapna (1990) is the fictitious story of a teacher who rejects the orthodox culture of education. This classic piece of writing by him yields rich insights into effective teaching, as it describes experiments in education undertaken by an inspires teacher in a ordinary village school. Gijubhai explains and clearly showed that how to teach history, geography, language and other subjects through stories and rhymes, in a way that appealed to children. He believed in arousing the childs curiosity in a thousand and one things ranging from insects to stars, rather than routine textbook teaching. Gijubhau wrote a number of books and booklets for parents, teachers, general readers and captivating stories and ve rses for children. J. Krishnamurti too thought of education in connection with the whole of life. It is not something isolated, leading to alienation. He looks closely at the process of learning in relation to human life. In the biography of Krishnamurti, pupul jayakar quotes him speaking of that period in his life some 75 years later.The boy had always said, I will do whatever you want. There was an element of subservience, obedience. The boy was vague, uncertain, and unclear; he didnt seem to care what was happening. He was like a vessel, with a large hole in it, whatever was put in, went through, nothing remained.( J. Krishnamurti: a biography. Arkana,1996). He noted that the teachers have a responsibility to ensure thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦when child leaves the school, he is well established in goodness both outwardly and inwardly. Krishnamurti set up two schools in the 1930s, Rajghat Besant School in Varanasi, UP and the Rishi Valley School in Andhra Pradesh, over the decades, the KFI (Krishnamurti Foun dation of India) has kept alive its commitment to meaningful education, expanding its network of schools to Chennai, Uttarkashi, Bangalore and Pune. Like Gijubhais and Gandhis schools, KFI has shown that alternative education can be made accessible to those from underprivileged backgrounds as well. Learning goals are individualised for each child, and teaching aids are carefully designed using cards, books, puppets, stories and local material. A visit to any of this school of Krishnamurti bring to his thought: Education is not just to pass examination, take a degree and a job, get married and settle down, but also to be able to listen to the birds, to see the sky, to see the extraordinary beauty of a tree, and the shape of hills, and to feel with them, to be really, directly in touch with them. Mainstreaming Alternatives Innovation of Alternatives Schools can spread to mainstream Education? Though it might seem fragmented and confusing, the landscape of alternative schooling is certainly fertile! From the range of schools discussed earlier, it is clear that there are people scattered across the different parts of the country, dreaming of a different kind of education, and many who are actually living out their dreams. Most of the experiments are small but fundamentally replicable. They reached out their target population in a meaningful ways to diverse children, from the different economic backgrounds and from diverse social settings. Several Experiments are clustered in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra with the sprinkling in other places including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bengal, Gujarat, Delhi, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and others. It is instructive to remember that sometimes, there is no hard and fast line dividing the mainstream from the alternative. Even hardcore mainstream schools gradually adopt some elements of alternative learning in their pedagogy to teach the children. Lots of primary and nursery schools across the country have for instance have adopted the some elements of Montessori and play way methods, through which children enjoy the learning and grab the technique more quickly and efficiently. Widespread questioning has propelled even the government to usher in some improvements. Thus, non formal education campaigns links education to social awareness. The Bihar Education Project ( in partnership with UNICEF) has opened Charwaha Vidyalayas (for children grazing animals) and Angana paathshalas (courtyard schools for girls in remote areas). The Central governments Education Guarantee Scheme, and Alternative and Innovative Education Scheme employ flexible strategies for out of school children, incl uding bridge courses, back to school camps and residential camps for accelerated learning. In some of these, learning outcomes have proved to be of quite a high standard (Education for All 2005). Premier teacher training institutions such as the District Institutes for education and training (DIET) have incorporated a few creative, child centred pedagogies. The NCERT has devised a new, state of art curricular framework for school education. Yes all this is still a far cry from the realisation from the full blown alternatives. It is really sad to know that mainstream education still dominates the lives of the vast majority of Indian children. It mainly depends upon its philosophical foundation which rest on large scale, centralised, examination oriented teaching, with flexible daily schedules and rigid syllabi. In India they are many such examples which can be illustrated to a number of groups who were engaged in putting in their best efforts to bring about significant change in the field of education. They believe in their own work it does not matter to them that their effort was not in the large scale or that it was not visible to all people in the country. They think that if they or their work even influence the few young minds, they set us thinking about the enormous possibilities that would open up if the if local or national government support this changes. The government policy to set up a National Institute of Op en Schooling (NIOS) was found to be the most popular and significant step toward improvement in the field of education. Such a step opens the door to informal and individualised pace of learning, which was welcomed by most of the alternative schools. Indeed it was the first time when alternative learning was coming on their path of main stream professional education. With this government initiative to open NIOS has made possible the following: The opening of school for slow learners Inclusive education for the differently able along with normal children. Delinking of the methodology of a learning programme from the stringent requirements of the Board Examination. Addressing the different pace of learning. Giving a point of entry to the mainstream from an alternative paradigm. In Pedagogy of Hope, Freire writes, I do not understand human existence, and the struggle needed to improve it, apart from hope and dream'(Freire 1996). Keeping the hope alive is not easy. To even identify and explore existing alternatives-however they may be possibility of being imperfect and incomplete but still it is an exercise in hope. So today it is very necessary need to reach and stay close to mainsprings of alternative educational thinking-which nestles within the visions of wider transformative socio-political changes. These alternatives will continue to develop, expand and widen. We are required to shed the notion that There is No Alternative and instead, work toward bringing and actively increasingly cohesive, meaningful alternatives to the society. Why such Education is needed? According to Martha C. Nussbaum, she explains in one of her article that Public education is crucial ingredients for the health of democracy. Recently there are many initiatives has been taken around the world in the field of education, however they are mainly narrow down their focus on science and technology, neglecting the important subject such as arts and humanities. They also focus on the internalization of information, rather than on the formation of the students critical and imaginative capacities. The author demonstrated the live example which she has experienced in Bihar with the one of the Patna centred Non government organisation named Adithi. When they reached a place near to Nepalese border, they found very meagre facilities. Teaching is done mostly outside the classroom on the ground, or under the shade of barn. Students were suffering from basic facilities such as paper and only few slates were available that has to be passed hand to hand. However it was creative educa tion. Next she visited the girl literacy program, house in a shed next door. The daily schedule of girls were little busy as in the morning they went for herding of the goat, So there classes began around 4p.m. about 15 girls in total comes to this single classrooms age 6-15 years for three hours of after work learning. There are no desks, no chairs, no blackboard are available, and there is only few slates and bit of chalks but these problem does not stop girls from coming to the class and the passion of the teacher is also one of the major factor of this binding. The teacher is themselves among the poor rural women assisted by the Adithi program. . Proudly the girls brought in the goats that they had been able to buy from the savings account they have jointly established in their group. Mathematics is taught in part by focusing on such practical issues. Author thinks that there are many things to learn from given examples but few of them can be: first, the close linkage between education and critical thinking about ones social environment; second, the emphasis on the arts as central aspects of the educational experience; third, the intense passion and investment of the teachers, their delight in the progress and also the individuality of their students. Now the author elaborates model of education for democratic citizenship. According to her there are three types of capacities are essential to the cultivation of democratic citizenship in the todays world (Nussbaum, 1997). The First is a Capacity stressed by both Tagore and Jawaharlal Nehru. They emphasise on the capacity for critical examination of oneself and ones traditions, for living what we may follow Socrates; we may call the examined life. This capacity can only be obtain if we train one self, Training this capacity requires developing the capacity to reason logically, to test what one what he or she reads or says for consistency of reasoning, correctness of fact, and accuracy of judgment. Testing of this sort frequently creates new challenges to tradition, as Socrates knew well when he defended himself against the charge of corrupting the young But he defended his activity on the grounds that democracy needs citizens. Critical thinking is particularly crucial for good citize nship in a society that needs and required to come to grips with the presence of people who differ by ethnicity, caste, and religion. Then after she describes the second part of the her proposal Citizens who cultivate their capacity for effective democratic citizenship need, further, an ability to see themselves as not simply citizens of some local region or group, but also, and above all, as human beings bound to all other human beings by ties of recognition and concern. It is very essential that they have to understand both the differences that make understanding difficult between groups and nations and the shared human needs and interests that make understanding essential, if common problems are to be solved. This means learning quite a lot both about nations other than ones own and about the different groups that are part of ones own nation.This task includes showing students how and why different groups interpret evidence differently and construct different narratives. Even the best textbook will not succeed at this complex task unless it is presented together with a pedagogy that fosters critical thinking, the critical scrutiny of conflicting source materials, and active learning (learning by doing) about the difficulties of constructing a historical narrative. This brings me to the third part of my proposal. As the story of the dowry play in Bihar indicates, citizens cannot think well on the basis of factual knowledge alone. The third ability of the citizen, closely related to the first two, can be called the narrative imagination. This means the ability to think what it might be like to be in the shoes of a person different from oneself, to be an intelligent reader of that persons story, and to understand the emotions and wishes and desires that someone so placed might have. As Tagore wrote, we may become powerful by knowledge, but we attain fullness by sympathy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ But we find that this education of sympathy is not only systematically igno red in schools, but it is severely repressed (Tagore, 1961, p. 219). Finally, the arts are great sources of joy and this joy carries over into the rest of a childs education. Amita Sens book about Tagore as choreographer, aptly entitled Joy in All Work, shows how all the regular education in Santiniketan, which enabled these students to perform very well in standard examinations, was infused with delight because of the way in which it was combined with dance and song. Children do not like to sit still all day; but they also do not know automatically how to express emotion with their bodies in dance. Tagores expressive, but also disciplined, dance regime was an essential source of creativity, thought, and freedom for all pupils, but particularly for women, whose bodies had been taught to be shame-ridden and inexpressive (Amita Sen, 1999). Story of a Bird A very beautiful story has been demonstrated by the author about the education that if there is no proper guidance is given to teacher towards the children, then it led to the severe damage to childs mind. According to her there is no more wonderful depiction of what is wrong with an education based on mere technical mastery and rote learning than Tagores sad story The Parrots Training. A certain Raja had a bird that he loved. He wanted to educate it, because he thought ignorance was a bad thing. His pundits convinced him that the bird must go to school. The first thing that had to be done was to give the bird a suitable edifice for his schooling: so they build a magnificent golden cage. The next thing was to get good textbooks. The pundits said, Textbooks can never be too many for our purpose. Scribes worked day and night to produce the requisite manuscripts. Then, teachers were employed. Somehow or other they got quite a lot of money for themselves and built themselves good houses. When the Raja visited the school, the teachers showed him the methods used to instruct the parrot. The method was so stupendous that the bird looked ridiculously unimportant in comparison. The Raja was satisfied that there was no flaw in the arrangements. As for any complaint from the bird itself, that simply could not be expected. Its throat was so completely choked with the leaves fro m the books that it could neither whistle nor whisper. The lessons continued. One day, the bird died. Nobody had the least idea how long ago this had happened. The Rajas nephews, who had been in charge of the education ministry, reported to the Raja: Sire, the birds education has been completed. Does it hop? he Raja enquired. Never! said the nephews. Does it fly? No. Bring me the bird, said the Raja. The bird was brought to him, guarded by the kotwal and the sepoys and the sowars. The Raja poked its body with his finger. Only its inner stuffing of book-leaves rustled. Outside the window, the murmur of the spring breeze amongst the newly budded Asoka leaves made the April morning wistful. (Tagore, 1994) This wonderful story hardly needs commentary. Its crucial point is that educationists tend to enjoy talking about themselves and their own activity, and to focus too little on the small tender children whose eagerness and curiosity should be the core of the educational endeavour. Tago re thought that children were usually more alive than adults, because they were less weighted down by habit. The task of education was to avoid killing off that curiosity, and then to build outward from it, in a spirit of respect for the childs freedom and individuality rather than one of hierarchical imposition of information. I do not agree with absolutely everything in Tagores educational ideal. For example, I am less anti-memorization than Tagore was. Memorization of fact can play a valuable and even a necessary role in giving pupils command over their own relationship to history and political argument. That is one reason why good textbooks are important, something that Tagore would have disputed. But about the large point I am utterly in agreement: education must begin with the mind of the child, and it must have the goal of increasing that minds freedom in its social environment, rather than killing it off.

Teaching Philosophy Statement :: Teachers Education Essays

Teaching Philosophy Statement Education is an experience that will contribute to all aspects of one’s future. The process of that experience is a long progression that should be a positive era in one’s life. Receiving an education should be an enjoyable experience, one in which when you look back and reflect on it you feel that your time was well spent receiving it. A person should learn how to think critically and for them self. They should learn to be an individual not always comply to other people’s opinions. A philosophy of education should be established so that one may understand and articulate the decisions made in the school and classrooms. The overall purpose of education is to not only to prepare children intellectually but also emotionally, socially, and physically for the world that awaits them. It is important that students develop in these areas of maturation. In today’s society almost every job requires some sort of education. As an educator I hope to connect with students and motivate them to acquire such an education. I hope that my students learn to appreciate the benefits of physical fitness and also learn that it can be fun, as well as challenging. I am majoring in k-12 Physical Education and Athletic Training. I plan to teach at the high school level while also serving as the school’s Athletic Trainer. Idecided to also be a physical education teacher because I want to connect with the children not only through athletics but also through the classroom. I want to be not only a teacher but also a positive role model for the children, someone they can come to in a time of need. Since my classroom will more than likely be in a gymnasium I will not be able to determine how it is set up. However, I will be able to determine where the children sit during class time. The children will be in lines parallel to each other for stretching before activity begins. Each week a new person will come to the front of each line to lead the stretches, and the person that was at the front the week before will go to the back.

McCarthyism in Film Essay -- Film Analysis

Two films, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Good Night and Good Luck, are produced over five decades apart and illustrated similar anti-communist sentiment. The first film, The Day the Earth Stood Still, was produced in 1951 during the height of the anti-communist movement or in other words McCarthyism. Good Night and Good Luck, which George Clooney directed and starred in, was produced in 2005 as a black and white docudrama film. These two films portray the mood felt by society during the 1950s through two complementary perspectives. The first film shows an overt view by the media toward Senator McCarthy while transmitting a hidden message to the United States government. The second film does the same only five decades earlier. As stated, both films share a hidden agenda which is disgust and distrust toward Washington D.C. from Hollywood. The media and entertainment industry felt hatred toward Washington D.C. and expressed their feelings through cleaver movie scripts and metaphors. Two films in particular, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Good Night and Good Luck carried the message loud and clear. Good Night and Good Luck chose to illustrate the unjust and biased actions of Senator Joe McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Because of his outspoken negative slander McCarthy was considered the high-status target. McCarthy led the charge against Soviet infiltration and in general did not hide his negative feelings toward Communist activity. While Good Night and Good Luck showed a retrospective chronological view of the early 1950s The Day the Earth Stood Still was actually a product of this era with the writers choosing to use fictional characters. The characters helped illustrate their viewpoi... ...2012. Doherty T. Good Night, and Good Luck. Cineaste [serial online]. Winter2005 2005;31(1):53-56. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 22, 2012. Pardon J. Revisiting a Science Fiction Classic: Interpreting The Day the Earth Stood Still for Contemporary Film Audiences. Journal Of Popular Film & Television [serial online]. Fall2008 2008;36(3):141-149. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 22, 2012. Briley, Ron, and Robert Brent Toplin. "Good Night, And Good Luck." Journal Of American History 93.3 (2006): 985-986. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. "George Clooney: 'Good Night, And Good Luck' Came Out Of Anger." Huffington Post. Huff Post Entertainment, 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. .

Gender is a Construct Essay

Each person is born either male or female, these are biological facts. However, no matter how clean cut these biological facts may be, they have social implications. Biologically speaking, there are minimal differences in the ability of male and female persons, none that would indicate a less able sex. Yet the underlying social assumptions associated to sex, translate to gender roles that clearly define a perceived difference because of sex. Gender is a social expectation, constructed through time, insisted and demanded through generations. It is a perception of roles and abilities created by society to define men and women as separate groups (Lerner, p. 238, Wolfe, p. 27-34). Sandra Lee Bartky (p. 61-86) further explains that people are born male and female and not masculine and feminine. Femininity is a social ideology imposed upon women, an attribute which is achieved through forceful and repeated learning (Lee Bartky, p. 61-8). By defining gender as a construct we acknowledge that gender is not an attribute that is biologically defined. Gender does not come innately in a person. Instead, gender is defined and perpetuated by social assumptions and expectations. Gender ideologies determine what is expected of each person dependent on sex, while gender roles determine how each person is to act in fulfilling their expectations and how each person is to relate to each other. Gender is an idea that is socially constructed based on expectations of social roles. The roles the men and women are expected to have in a society, and the perceived ideals of masculine and feminine are formed through social expectations and not biological characteristics. Broadly gender ideologies relate to socially constructed roles that define division of labor, distribution of power, individual rights and responsibilities and differentiation as one relates to society. Works Cited Lee Bartky, Sandra. â€Å"Foucault, Femininity and the Modernization of Patriarchal Power. † Feminism and Foucult: Paths of Resistance. Northern University Press, 1988. Lerner, Gerda. The Creation of Patriarchy: Women & History. USA: Oxford University Press, 1987. Wolfe, Alan. â€Å"The Gender Question. † The New Republic 6 June: 27-34.

Commentary on Tash Aw’s Harmony Silk Factory Essay

The extract from the novel â€Å"The Harmony Silk Factory† by Tash Aw, seems to serve as an introduction within the larger context of the complete novel. The central theme of the extract is the concept of appearance VS reality; some things are, in reality, not what they appear to be. Through the use of characterisation and setting, the author manages to bring out this theme. In addition, the use of setting and characterisation creates a degree of tension within the extract, and draws the reader into the story. Characterisation plays a major part in the extract. The main character of the extract is also the narrator. The narrator is characterised through the use of many literary devices; through his narration, aspects of his personality are revealed to the reader. We find that the narrator has two sides: the face he shows the world around him and the side that the reader is introduced to through his narration. The side that the narrator shows to the world around him and the side of him revealed to the reader are two different personalities. His external appearance is one of a quiet, non-existent, seemingly inconsequential person as can be seen from the fact that â€Å"none of the visitors ever noticed [him]†. However, this quiet exterior belies the fact that he observes all the comings and goings within the silk harmony factory. â€Å"From my upstairs window, I saw everything unfold. Without father ever saying anything to me†. The narrator is fully aware of all his father’s smuggling activities â€Å"opium and heroin and Hennessy XO† and bribing of the â€Å"Thai soldiers†¦with American cigarettes and low-grade gemstones† but never lets his father catch on to that fact. The narrator also states that he is only of â€Å"modest intellect† and this is supported by his father’s belief that he would â€Å"always be a dreamer and a wastrel†. We find however, that his quiet demeanour conceals an observant, keen intellect. Contrary to his self-deprecating statement, we notice that he displays an extraordinary sense of awareness in a child of his age, suggesting that he is extremely intelligent. Even as a child he â€Å"was aware of what [his] father did†. His action of lifting the linoleum and pressing his ear to the floorboards to listen into his father’s Safe Room reveals to us his ingenuity and is a reflection of his intellect. While he does not mange to discern any information, he is sharp enough to realise that the â€Å"low, muffled rumble† was the â€Å"tipping of diamonds onto the green baize table†. While the narrator may appear to be of merely modest intellect, it seems that in reality he is incredi bly intelligent for a young child. His self-deprecating statement also serves to highlight his actual cleverness and quick mind. The theme of appearance VS reality can also be seen in the characterisation of two minor characters: the general and the young lady in the car. The narrator tells us that the general â€Å"didn’t look much like a soldier, but he had a Mercedes-Benz with a woman in the back seat†, which would indicate a fairly high level of affluence and power which comes with the rank of a general in the army. With his â€Å"cheap grey shirt† and gold teeth, the man may not have looked like a general, but other indications would have exposed the reality of what he really was. This is similarly echoed in the characterisation of the young woman in the back seat of the car. The narrator describes her as having â€Å"fair skin, almost pure white, the colour of salt fields on the coast†. The narrator then goes on to state that â€Å"she was young and beautiful, and when she smiled I saw her teeth were small and brown†. This contrast between the state of her teeth and the colour of her skin further highlights the theme of appearance VS reality; while she appears to be pure and white on the outside, her teeth are dirty and decayed. This contrast is highlighted also by the use of visual imagery â€Å"salt fields† when describing the colour of her skin. Furthermore, the contrast between the general and the young woman also emphasizes the theme of appearance VS reality. The general wears a grey shirt, while the young woman is described as having white skin. Where the general’s teeth are gold in colour, hers are small and brown. From this we can see that outward appearance does not seem to be a very good indicator of what the reality really is. Finally, the setting also contributes back to the theme of appearance VS reality. The name of the factory â€Å"The harmony silk factory†, which becomes synonymous with the house, gives no indication as to the activities of vice conducted there. Both physically and figuratively, the narrator’s house seems to be hiding behind the factory. The theme of appearance VS reality is manifested in the physical setting of the Harmony Silk Factory. The characterisation and setting, besides bringing out the theme of the appearance VS reality, also serves to create tension in the story and cause the reader to want to read on. The setting of the house, with its â€Å"small mossy courtyard which never got enough sunlight† gives the location of the extract an air of mystery; the lack of light and dampness of the place (as can be seen by the growth of moss) further builds upon the mysteriousness of the setting. This description appears in the first line of the extract, and the reader’s curiosity is pricked as to what actually goes on within the Harmony Silk factory. Also, the characterisation of the narrator serves to lead the reader on to read the rest of the novel. How is this achieved? Firstly, the narrator is a nameless, 1st person narrator. The use of the 1st person narration serves to give the tone of the extract a feeling of intimacy, or closeness to the subject matter. At the same time, his lack of a name distances him from the reader, again creating an air of mystery which surrounds him. Secondly, the tone of the narrator is very â€Å"matter-of-fact†. He describes somewhat shocking, illegal proceeds with the same tone one would use to describe everyday activities. He matter-of-factly states â€Å"Mainly he smuggles opium and heroin and Hennessy XO† and â€Å"I knew what he was up to and whom he was with†. The narrator describes theses happenings with a certain detachment which seems nonchalant or could be due to the fact that he is already used to this sort of behaviour. In fact, the narrator comes across as unfazed by all his father’s wrongdoings and does not seem affected in any way. This matter-of-fact tone is further highlighted by the narrator’s use of literary devices such as verbal irony. The use of verbal irony is evident throughout the extract. One of the first instances is in the 2nd paragraph in which the narrator describes the type of people who visit his house. He describes his Father’s clients as if they were guests or VIPs. â€Å"Entry was strictly by invitation† with â€Å"privileged few† being granted access; he states that only the â€Å"liars, cheats, traitors and skirt chasers† of â€Å"the highest order† are allowed in. These individuals have been seemingly elevated to a position of importance but by describing them in this way, the narrator has revealed them to be merely the scum of society. Another instance of verbal irony is in the line â€Å"Now I would give everything to be the son of a mere liar and cheat†. The irony is in the fact that the narrator views his father is so vile that he would rather be the son of someone who only cheats and lies. Also further irony can be found in the line â€Å"my crime-funded education to good use†. We find that he is now using his education, paid for by his father’s crimes, to uncover his father’s crimes. The use of verbal irony builds upon the narrator’s characterisation, as parts of his personality are slowly revealed to the reader. The narrator also uses an extremely convoluted and verbose way of narrating known as periphrasis. His manner of speaking is roundabout and elaborate. He uses ellipsis to interrupt his own narrative, â€Å"partly for convenience – the only people who came†¦ – partly because my father’s varied†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The narrator constantly interjects his own narrative with interruptions and unnecessary lines such as â€Å"gold, real solid gold†. The use of unnecessarily long paragraphs to say a simple thing also add on to his convoluted manner of narration. The second last paragraph could have been shortened by saying â€Å"I am now at peace and am not ashamed to reveal the story of my father’s life†. However, he instead says â€Å"there is another reason I now feel particularly well placed†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦I am at peace†. The use of periphrasis also heightens the melodramatic way the narrator leads the reader on. Phrases such as â€Å"that wasn’t all he was† and â€Å"†¦I have searched for this all my life. Now, at last, I know the truth and I am no longer angry. In fact, I am at peace† serve to heighten the tension within the paragraph. He describes his father’s past as â€Å"terrible† and the title he gives to his tale, â€Å"The true story of the infamous Chinaman called Johnny†, seems to elevate his father’s story to one legendary importance. The use of the phrase â€Å"true story† also lends a sense of credibility to his account. The revelation of the title to the reader is the climax of the tension that has been building in the last few paragraphs, albeit a somewhat anti-climatic one. This climax (or anti-climax) serves to leave the reader wanting more and leads the reader on to continue reading the rest of the story. The narrator’s self-deprecating and quirky way of narrating serves to endear the narrator to the reader. We also discover certain facts about his childhood through his narration. At no point in the extract does a narrator mention his mother. This may only be a conjecture, but the lack of a motherly figure in his life, a lack of love, may have contributed to his strange and unusual way of narrating and also his self-deprecating attitude. Also, we find that he may have endured physical abuse as a child from the line â€Å"I had become used to this kind of punishment† in response to his father twisting his ear. This makes the reader increasingly sympathetic to the narrator as the narrative progresses. Thus, when the narrator begins using melodrama to capture the attention of the reader and lead the reader on to the rest of the novel, the reader follows with little resistance. This characterisation and narration, coupled with the mysterious atmosphere created by the setting, creates a sort of tension which compels the reader to read on. It engages the reader and draws the reader into the world the author has created. As we have seen characterisation and setting both have a dual purpose. If this extract is the beginning of the novel, then the author has succeeded in drawing the reader into the novel. By using both characterisation and setting to bring out the theme and simultaneously create tension, the author has succeeded in creating a world with characters that engage readers and has successfully written an effective and exciting beginning to the novel.