Saturday, August 31, 2019

Absurdity of a “Sivilized” Society-an Analysis of Huckleberry Finn Essay

The Absurdity of a â€Å"Sivilized† Society Authors often express their views on any given subject through their works, and Mark Twain is no exception. One may read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and believe it is simply a novel about a young boys childhood; however, a deeper analysis of the text reveals many of Mark Twain’s expressions about important moral and social issues. Perhaps one of the most prominent being the frailty of human justice and the hypocrisy we as a people foster in our societies. Throughout the novel, Huck meets people who appear to be good, civilized people, but always end up having a hypocritical fault about them. Though not every instance is a grave matter, Twain’s writing shows that societies in Huck’s world are based upon corrupted laws and principles that defy basic logic. Twain’s writing leaves the reader with an understanding that cowardice, illogical choices, and selfish as well as hypocritical people mark these societies. Twain begins weaving hypocrisies and cants early into the story; one of the most appalling being the issue of Huck’s custody. This flawed system of thought is first shown when the new judge in St. Petersburg rules that Pap has rightful custody of Huck. Although this would be bad for Huck if his father became his legal guardian, the judge asserts Pap’s rights to Huck as his biological son, despite the fact that this is placing Huck’s welfare below the so-called rights of his father. Ironically, this system would put Huck under his dad’s custody, leaving him worse off, whereas Jim is separated from his family despite being a far better father and person. However, the welfare of the individual isn’t highly valued in society, and thus they are placed in uncomfortable, often dangerous situations. The judge tries to put Huck back in contact with his horrid father and therefore abuse, but Jim, a loving parent, never receives help to be with his children and help rescue them from slavery and separation. This decision defies all logic one would find in a normal society, and yet this kind of thinking was commonplace. The values and welfare of a black person were nowhere near as important as those of a white man, and even though Jim is a grown man with the most in tune moral compass of any character in the book, Huck still has power over him simply because he is white. By comparing the situation of Pap and Huck with slaves and their masters, Twain hints that it is impossible for a society to be civilized so long as it practices slavery. Though not quite as harmful, another example of a hypocritical character can be found in the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. In an attempt to â€Å"sivilize† Huckleberry, Miss Watson reprimands him for smoking a cigarette and yet she snuffs tobacco. â€Å"Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the widow to let me. But she wouldn’t. She said it was a mean practice and wasn’t clean, and I must try to not do it any more†¦ And she took snuff, too; of course that was all right, because she done it herself† (Twain 2). She prevents Huck from doing what she believes is uncivilized and detrimental to his health, yet doesn’t think twice about proceeding to do something very similar simply because she herself enjoys it. This example of hypocrisy is not particularly malicious, but yet another example of how all the characters Huck is involved with has some form of a hypocritical flaw. Furthermore, Miss Watson is quite religious and, in efforts to teach Huck, tells him that all he must do is pray for something and he will have it. However, when Huck needs fishhooks and asks her to help pray for them, she calls him a fool. â€Å"Then Miss Watson she took me in the closet and prayed, but nothing come of it. She told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it. But it warn’t so. I tried it. Once I got a fish- line, but no hooks. It warn’t any good to me without hooks. I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldn’t make it make it work. By-and-by, one day, I asked Miss Watson to try for me, but she said I was a fool. † (Twain 8). Miss Watson tells Huck that if he does something, he can expect a certain result but when things don’t work, he asks for her help and she chides him for it! The widow Douglas and Miss Watson are religious, educated, and yet, they are slave owners. They educate Huck, and teach him religion but find it perfectly acceptable to do things contrary to their teachings, such as snuff and practice slavery. The latter, being a more insidious humbug of St. Petersburg, is shown over and over again throughout Huck’s journey. As Huck begins to stray from his backwards, insincere town, he reaches different places with different people, all different in their own way and yet, very similar to those in St. Petersburg. The Duke and Dauphin are two despicable con men who join Huck and Jim as they continue to drift on the river. The Duke and Dauphin cause trouble for Huck and Jim, as well as the towns they visit. The fault here is that, the Duke and Dauphin are able to scam entire communities by lying, pretending to be someone they’re not, and cheating their guests. Though they spend most of the novel doing awful things or planning awful things, they both are hardly punished. After the first showing of The Royal Nonesuch, the first group of attendees realizes they have been cheated. However, instead of chastising the Duke and Dauphin, the audience that night chooses to lie about the performance in order to cheat a second group of attendees. Hold on! Just a word, gentlemen. † They stopped to listen. â€Å"We are sold—mighty badly sold. But we don’t want to be the laughing stock of this whole town, I reckon, and never hear the last of this thing as long as we live. NO. What we want is to go out of here quiet, and talk this show up, and sell the REST of the town! Then we’ll al l be in the same boat. Ain’t that sensible? † (â€Å"You bet it is! —the jedge is right! † everybody sings out. ) â€Å"All right, then—not a word about any sell. Go along home, and advise everybody to come and see the tragedy. † (Twain 114). Most hypocritical, however, is the fact that the Judge of the town conceived this plan. He who stands as a pillar of justice and truth in the town decides to cheat the others in order to save face. By the third night, everyone in town has seen the play and the Duke and Dauphin make a large profit from their misconduct. Immoral acts committed by the Duke and Dauphin never yielded punishments, but brazen, drunk insults led to execution. Boggs, described as the â€Å"most easy going old fool in Arkansas†, began shouting insults and anathemas at Sherburn, the man who had cheated him. He [Sherburn] was standing perfectly still in the street, and had a pistol raised in his right hand—not aiming it, but holding it out with the barrel tilted up towards the sky†¦ Boggs throws up both of his hands and says, â€Å"O Lord, don’t shoot! † Bang! goes the first shot, and he staggers back, clawing at the air—bang! goes the second one, and he tumbles backwards on to the ground, heavy and solid, with his arms spread out. † (Twain 108). The Duke and Dauphin cheat entire communities and remain unpunished by their terrible acts; however, peccadilloes like shouting drunken insults result in execution. Twain’s writing exposes the issue of faulty justice and duplicitous nature of men. Furthermore, Sherburn’s speech to the angry mob around his house in relation to a lack of logic and cowardice capitulates Twain’s societal views. Twain’s use of hypocrisy helps express his views on societal issues. Though not every instance is harmful, such as Miss Watson’s snuff usage, other notable examples such as the execution of Boggs and the custody of Huck highlight his belief that cowardice, lack of logic, and selfishness are at the core of society, not the communal welfare that it should be. The repeated instances of insecure, logic defying justice are the root of the problem, as thoughtless crimes are punished severely whereas serious crimes go scot-free. Throughout the novel, Huck meets characters that appear good, yet Twain makes a conscious effort to prove they are prejudiced slave owners. The illogical choices and hypocritical people presented throughout the novel show the hypocrisy and ludicrousness of the â€Å"sivilized† society.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Case Study Sickle Cell Disease

1. Sickle cell disease is a group of disorders that affects hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells throughout the body. People with this disorder have atypical hemoglobin molecules called hemoglobin S, which can distort red blood cells into a sickle, or crescent, shape. SCD affects millions of people worldwide, particularly those with African, Spanish, Mediterranean, and Indian ancestry.Some 120,000 infants are born with SCD every year worldwide. In the United States, approximately 1 in 500 African-Americans and 1 in 1,200 Hispanic Americans are born with SCD. Some 2 million Americans including about 10 percent of the African-American population carry one gene for SCD, the â€Å"sickle cell trait.† 2. People without a spleen or those who have a spleen that is nonfunctioning are at an increased risk for developing infections, these infections can be fatal if not treated immediately.3. Anemia resulting from a failure in blood cellAnemia associa ted with an excessive destruction of red cells4. SCD can be very painful and to help control the pain the physican would need to know how much pain the client is in and if he is in pain did he want something to help control the pain.5. Yes V.M. is be adequately oxygenated.6. V.M. low Hgb could be causing the S.O.B. usually shortness of breath with anemia is caused upon exertion so I think there are some other underlying conditions causing his SOB.7. Increased pulse, crackles in the lungs, increased B/P, increased respirations/respiration pattern.8. I would expect the MD to do a chest xray, place client on strict I&O, give him lasix, admit for observation, order teds, place on low sodium diet.9. Normal NA 137 K 4.9 WBC 4.3 Platelets 208High Bun 27Creatinine 2.7- problem with the kidneys or kidney function Phospate 4.7- controlled by kidneys, evidence of a kidney problem Cl 110- can be caused by certain kidney diseaseLowCO2 16 Changes in your CO2 level may suggest that you are losing or retaining fluid, which causes an imbalance in your body's electrolytes.CO2 levels in the blood are influenced by kidney and lung function. The kidneys are mainly responsible for maintaining the normal bicarbonate levels. Ca 8.2- kidney decease can cause a decrease in CaHBG 7.8 can be caused by Kidney problems, SCA, bleeding etc Hct 20.9 can be cause by anemia, destruction of red blood cells and over hydration10. Furosemide – Furosemide is a loop diuretic (water pill) that prevents your body from absorbing too much salt, allowing the salt to instead be passed in your urine. Furosemide treats fluid retention (edema) in people with congestive heart failure, liver disease, or a kidney disorder such as nephrotic syndrome. This medication is also used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Methylprednisolone – is used to treat conditions such as arthritis, blood disorders, severe allergic reactions, certain cancers, eye conditions, skin/kidney/intestinal/lung diseas es, and immune system disorders. It decreases your immune system's response to various diseases to reduce symptoms such as swelling, pain, and allergic-type reactions. This medication is a corticosteroid hormone.Ceftriaxone is an antibiotic used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections. This  medication is known as a cephalosporin antibiotic. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria. 11. Sickle Cell Disease clients often receive blood transfusions on an ongoing basis, making it more important for the them to receive the best match for their bodies. When they receive blood that is not the best match, their bodies may begin to slowly reject the blood.If they cannot receive blood safely, they may die. It is important that the labs knows it is a sickle cell patient, follow all facility protocols ( monitoring Bp, temp, pulse, as recommended), monitor the patient closely for signs and symptoms of rejection. 12. Often SCD patients are looked at as drug seekers and are not provi ded with the pain relief that they need. It’s important to remember not to stereotype patients and believe what they tell you their pain level is.13. Have him follow up with a cardiologist about his heart murmur, incourge hime to work on his B/P control with diet and exercises. Education on what can trigger Sickle cell crisis temp, smoking etc. Encourage a low sodium diet, weigh daily if more than a 2 lbs gain in a day notify his physician, Teach causes of fluid volume excess and/or excess intake to patient or caregiver. Provide information as needed regarding the individual's medical diagnosis (e.g., congestive heart failure [CHF], renal failure). Explain or reinforce rationale and intended effect of treatment program. Identify signs and symptoms of fluid volume excess. Explain importance of maintaining proper nutrition and hydration, and diet modifications. Identify symptoms to be reported.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Montessori method of education Essay

Dr. Maria Montessori is the founder of the Montessori method of education. She started her first classroom â€Å"Casa dei Bambini† or Children’s House in 1907. Montessori method of education stresses the importance of respecting children – â€Å"Help me to help myself†. Montessori education celebrates its 100th year in 2007. The goals of a Montessori education were to develop sensory training, language acquisition, arithmetic, physical education, practical life skills and abstract thought through the teaching of the whole child and the integration of the family into the early education system. Montessori began her educational experiences by working with special needs children. At the time of Montessori, special needs children were thought of as a â€Å"lost cause†. They could not learn how to become members of society because intelligence was fixed. She strongly opposed to the perceptions on cognitive abilities of these children at the time, and believed that they could learn how to become members of society through special teaching techniques that utilized sensory education and hands-on experience. Her aim was to teach children academics through practical life experiences and to â€Å"†¦to develop the whole personality of the child through motor, sensory, and intellectual activity† (Hainstock, 1997, 35). Montessori – The Montessori classroom is a meticulously prepared environment designed specifically to meet the needs of the child both physically and emotionally. One aspect of the prepared environment includes the Practical Life activities. Many Practical Life activities are tasks the child sees routinely performed in the home. They each serve a meaningful purpose as the child masters each piece of work such as tying shoes, pouring water, sweeping, or sewing and cooking. Through Practical Life activities, a child will also develop and refine social skills. These skills developed through Practical Life build self-esteem, determination and independence. The student learns to take care of him and the surrounding environment. Maria Montessori explains in, The Discovery of the Child, â€Å"Through practical life exercises of this sort the children develop a true  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœsocial feeling,’ for they are working in the environment of the community in which they live† (5, pg. 97). Additionally, fine motor skills are improved through use of the Practical Life materials. Through repeated tasks which enable a child to refine concentration, coordination, independence, and order, a child’s sense of self-worth grows. The Practical Life skills are an essential component in the Montessori classroom. Not only do they provide a link between home and school for the new Montessori student, but they provide a foundation for life-long love of While appearing quite simple and repetitive, Practical Life activities are highly purposeful. A child engaged in such activities demonstrates high levels of concentration, sense of order, and refinement of fine motor skills. Also, they show a sense of independence through caring for oneself and the environment. Furthermore, they show respect for classmates and teachers and develop a sense of pride. Not only are these skills and qualities necessary to progress in the Montessori classroom, but they are also needed as an individual develops into adulthood. Practical Life activities can be divided into six main categories. First, are Preliminary Exercises which assist in creating routine and order in the environment and are prerequisites for other activities. How to a roll a mat, carry a chair, or how to open and close a door are examples of Preliminary Exercises. Practical life exercises also include Fundamental Skills such as pouring, spooning, or tonging. As with all lessons in the Montessori classroom, these activities follow a sequential order and ideally, each lesson builds upon the last. Another category is Care of Self. Activities such as washing hands, buttoning, or tying shoelaces assist the child to become physically independent. Care of Environment is another category involving activities such as sweeping, watering, cleaning, etc. Control of Movement is an area of Practical Life which encompasses lessons such as walking the Line and the Silence Game. Additionally, social Grace and Courtesy lessons are introduced to the child. These may include lessons on how to say please and thank you, interrupting someone, or introducing friends and acquaintances. Montessori stressed the relationship of these exercises to the general happiness and well being of the child. â€Å"A child who becomes a master of his acts through long and repeated exercises [of  practical life], and who has been encouraged by the pleasant and interesting activities in which he has been engaged, is a child filled with health and joy and remarkable for his calmness and discipline† (The Discovery the Child, 5, pg. 93). Varying types of presentations can be used by the teacher to introduce Practical Life activities. First is a collective introduction given the children at once. This could include proper table manners, how to interrupt someone, how to speak with an inside voice, or how to turn the page of a book. Another method is a group presentation given to a small gathering of children. The last method of introduction is Individual, given only to one child at a time. Montessori believed the prepared environment is directly correlated to the child’s development. The classroom is a specifically designed area arranged solely for the children. There should be a variety of movement and activity and all work operates together through the disciplines. Montessori also believed in the importance of aesthetically pleasing classrooms. Children respond well to beauty, order, and quality in their environment. Through the Practical Life activities in the Montessori classroom, a child not only learns concentration, coordination, independence and order, but also how to interact with others and gain an understanding and appreciation of the environment. The child begins to build himself from within while learning to treat him and others with respect and dignity. These understandings ultimately prepare the child for entry into society and a lifetime of self-respect and self-worthiness. Practical Life activities in the Montessori classroom ultimately provide the foundation for success in all areas of life. Movement – Montessori said- â€Å"one of the greatest mistakes of our day is to think of movement by itself, as something apart from the higher functions†(The absorbent mind, pg 151) – it is not equally clear as to how scientists and teachers have failed to note the supreme importance of activity in the  building up of the man to man be! It was during the time of Dr Maria Montessori who felt it was time to emphasize more on â€Å"movement† in educational theory – Mental development must be connected with movement. Like man’s nervous system is divided into three parts- Brain Sense organs- collect impression and pass them to the brain Muscles – the nerves transmits nervous energy to the muscles and this energy controls the movements of the muscles. Movement is the final result to which the working of all these delicate mechanisms leads up and it is because of movement that personality can express itself(The absorbent mind, pg 148)! The great philosophers must use speech or writing to convey his ideas and this involves muscular movement. What would be the value of his thoughts if he gave them no expression? This he can only do by making use of his muscles. Psychologists regard the muscles as a part of the central nervous system (works as a whole to put man in relation with his surroundings) and this whole apparatus of Brain ,Senses and Muscles is called – the system of relationship- it puts man in touch with his world (living or non living and with other people) and without its help a man could have no contact with his surroundings or his fellows. The vegetative systems only help their owner to grow and exist. It is the system of relationship which puts him into contact with the world! There is nothing in the world which plays no part in the universal economy, and if we are endowed with spiritual riches, with aesthetic feelings and a refined conscience, it is not for ourselves, but so that these gifts shall be used for the benefit of all, and take their place in the universal economy of spiritual life. Nature has given us many abilities and these must be developed and used. We know that for the enjoyment of good health, heart, lungs and stomache must all work together. We must apply the same rule to the system of relationship, the central nervous system†¦..if we have a brain, sense organs and muscles, all these must cooperate. The system must exert itself in all its parts, none of them being neglected for example we want to excel in brain power but to succeed in this we must include the other sides too. To perfect any giv en activity â€Å"movement† will be needed as the last stage of the cycle. In other words a higher spirituality can be reached only through action and this is the point  of view from which movement has to be judged. one of the greatest mistakes of our day is to think of movement by itself, as something apart from the higher functions, we think of our muscles as organs to be used only for health purposes. We â€Å"take exercise† or do â€Å"gymnastics† to keep ourselves fit, to make us breathe or to eat or sleep better. It is an error which has been taken over by the schools .It is just as though a great prince were being made the servant of the shepherd. The prince – the muscular system –is only being used to help the vegetative life. Such assumptions will lead to enquiry†¦there comes about a separation between the life of movement and the life of thought. Since the child has a body and mind both, games must be included in the curriculum so as to avoid neglecting any part of nature’s provision. To keep thinking abou t the mind on one hand and the body on other hand is to break the continuity that should reign between them. This keeps action away from thought. The true purpose of movement is to serve the ends of existence – that is the development of the mind(The absorbent mind, pg 151). All movement has most intricate and delicate machinery, but in man none of it is established at birth. It has to be formed and perfected by the child’s activity in the world. Movement and activity are natural functions of childhood and learning comes through them .Activity becomes increasingly important to development. It is the movement that starts the intellect working†¦ Till now all educators have thought of movement and the muscular system as aids to respiration, or to circulation, or as a means of building up physical strengthen our new conception the view is taken that movement has great importance in mental development itself, provided that the action which occurs is connected with the mental activity going on. Both mental and spiritual growth are fostered by this, without which neither maximum progress nor maximum health (speaking of the mind) can exist. A child is a discoverer. He is an amorphous splendid being in search of his own form. For example in the development of speech, we see a growing power of understanding go side by side with an extended use of those muscles by which he forms sounds and words. Observations made on children – the world overconfirms that the child uses his movements to extend his understanding. Movement helps in development of mind and this finds renewed expression in further movement and activity(The absorbent mind, pg 154). The child gains experience through exercises and movement. He coordinates his own movement  and records the emotions he experiences in coming into contact with the external world. The importance of physical activity or movement in a psychic development should be emphasized. The child has an internal power to bring about cordinations, which he creates himself, and once these have begun to exist he goes on perfecting them by practice. He himself is clearly one of the principal creative factors in thei r production. The movements the child acquires are not chosen haphazardly but are fixed. In the sense that each proceeds out of a particular period of development. When the child begins to move, his mind being able to absorb, has already taken in his surroundings. He Is directed by a mysterious power, great and wonderful that he incarnates little by little. In this way, he becomes a man. He does it with his hands, by experience, first in play then through work. The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence. He constructs his mind step by step till it becomes possessed of memory, the power to understand and the ability to think. â€Å"The child’s mind can acquire culture at a much earlier age than is generally supposed, but his way of taking in knowledge is by certain kinds of activity which involves movement†¦.†(Montessori notes) It is very interesting to study the mechanical development of movement, not only because of its intricacy but because each of the phases it passes through is clearly visible. Man’s foot can be studied from three points of view: the psysiological, the biological and the anatomical and all of them are most interesting. The hand is in direct connection with the man’s soul, but also with different ways of life that men have adopted on the earth in different places and at different times. The skills of man’s hand are bound up with the development of his mind, and in the light of history we see it connected with the development of civilization. The hands of man express his thought and from the time of his first appearance upon the earth traces of his handiwork also appear in the records of history. Hence, the development of manual skill keeps pace with mental development. We are told that St. Francis of Assisi – perhaps the simplest and purest of human souls used to say – â€Å"Look at these great hills! They are the walls of our temple and the aspiration of our hearts!†(The absorbent mind, pg 163) The truth is that when a free spirit exists, it has to materialize itself in some form of work and for this hands are needed. (The absorbent mind, pg 163) The hand are connected with mental life, allows the mind to reveal itself and enables the  whole being to enter into special relationship with its environment. His hands under the guidance of his intellect transform this environment and thus enable him to fulfill his mission in the world. The education of the movements is very complex, as it must correspond to all coordinated movements which the child has to establish in his physiological organism. The child if left without guidance is disorderly in his movements and these disorderly movements are the special characteristics of the little child. The child is seeking the exercises in these movements which will organize and coordinate the movements that are useful to a man. The child follows direction/instructions and if his movements are made a little definite then the child grows quiet and contended and becomes an active worker, a being calm and full of joy. This education of movements is one of the principal factors in producing t hat outward appearance of â€Å"discipline† to be found in the â€Å"children’s house†.(Montessori notes) Importance of movement:- Movement leads to: Muscle development, both fine and gross – need freedom for movement to take place Stimulates the mind Stimulates the senses Develops concentration Develops independence Develops confidence (through agility/balance and co-ordination) Develops discipline and will Develops language Leads to normalization Results in a healthy body and mind Emotional and intellectual development through movement:- Emotions are the affecting mental stages, organized by external ideas of situations and always act while accompanied by bodily and mental excitement. However, when we talk about emotional development in children, we find that children show a wide range of emotional reactions. Sometimes they are excited and exuberant and at other times they are depressed and sullen and some other time they are just angry, throwing tantrums. We find various shades of emotions in them even at an early age. The word emotion originates  from the Latin word â€Å" Emovere† which means to be excited. So, an emotion implies that state of mind which excites a person when man is influenced by emotion he gets excited and his natural state of equilibrium is lost. Pattern of emotional development – if we have to understand the emotions of a child of school age, it is essential to take into consideration his emotional development during the early years. Sometimes, newly born infants behave as though they are violently aroused. If such vigorous behavior means the intensity of his feelings, then we must conclude that emotional experiences can be as intense during this early period as at any later stage of growth. Again we see that a new born child is relatively unresponsive to many stimuli which are likely to arouse him in later stages. Children are capable of rich and varied emotional experiences in the course of their development till they are adults. Children from birth to 2 years go through a variety of emotions and goes through many emotional experiences that may influence his attitude towards life. Studies show that at birth there are general excitements mostly concerning his hunger and comforts, after 2-3 months the child shows definite signs of distress along with delight. By 6 months with his exposure of different kinds of stimuli the child starts showing other shades of emotions like distress or discomforts develops into fear, disgust and anger. With the satisfaction of his needs he feels delighted and by the time child completes one year this delight differentiates itself from affection. the child recognizes emotions in others and responds to it clearly. But his emotions are not so strong as regard to joy and happiness when he turns one as they are at the age of 2.Therefore we conclude that by the end of 2nd year the child has already developed various emotions and feelings. Factors affecting emotional development – There are many factors that affect the emotional development among children, the major ones are – Fatigue – tired and exhausted child Ill health Order of birth Intelligence Environment Parental attitudes The child’s emotions are still pure of contrasts. He loves because he takes in, because nature orders him to do so. And what he takes and absorbs to make it a part of his own life, so as to create his own being(The secret of childhood, pg 80). The child follows the grownups and the words of a grownup are supernatural stimuli. The child is enchanted and fascinated by his actions and words. What the grown up tells him remains engraved in his mind like words incised by a chisel on a stone. The adult should count and measure all his words before the child, for the child is hungry to take from him, he is an accumulator of love. The developing child not only acquires the faculties of man: strength, intelligence, language, but at the same time, he adapts the being he is constructing to the conditions of the world about him. The child has a different relation to his environment from ours. The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul. He incarnates in himself all in the world about him that his eyes see and his ears hear. In us the same things produce no change but a child is transformed by them. This vital kind of memory which absorbs is called â€Å" Mneme†. In this process of absorption, learning,acquiring,adapting the child is constructing not only physically but emotionally or psychic as well. The moment the child understands his environment he learns to work and adapt to it and then further wants to master in it which leads to modifications accordingly. In this complete process the following emotions are built; Self esteem Confidence Feeling of capability Sense of achievement Thus, children enjoy process not purpose! The distinct difference between man and animal – Montessori tends to adopt a different standpoint from many modern psychologists. Most of the psychologists place great emphasis upon the â€Å"inherited tendencies to behavior† which man has in common with animals. They maintain that everything we do is based on the instinctive urges of human act.Thus; the love of knowledge is but the sublimated instinct of curiosity. For Montessori, she believes that man differs from animal creation not only in degree but also in kind. She states that the most significant thing about  the child development is not instinctive tendencies that are in common with animals, but the capacity to reason which distinguishes us from them. Here, she is not trying to deny or belittle the significances of their findings, but she is saying that these elementary psychic forces are only a part of the question and a lesser part, her conviction is – â€Å"Animals have merely to awaken their instincts towards their specified behavior and their psychic life is limited to this. But in man there is other fact –the creation of human intelligence (Montessori, notes). Unlike man, one can predict the behavior of animals, whereas for man, what he will do in the future, no one can tell. â€Å"For man there is no limit†(Montessori notes). Man is a rational animal to be most â€Å"like to God† whose image we are made. Man alone possesses â€Å"that capable and god-like reason which enables us to do what no animals has ever achieved –i.e. to rise to a consciousness of our being i.e. self consciousness, to the knowledge that â€Å"I am I†. It is with this gift of reason or intellect as foundation that we are able to build our individual characters. How soon does a child begin to reason? According to Montessori, it begins as early as a baby where the child starts from nothing. Its reason revolves round his internal working like a little bud, developing and assuming concrete form from the images it absorbs from the environment. According to Montessori at her lecture in 1944, it was stated that the first year of a child’s life is the period where greatest psychic activity can develop by the human being. This is evident because we know that the brain is one thing that is active during the first y ear. That the reason why the head of a one year old has doubled in size since its born. At the third year, its brain is already half that of the adult- at four years eight –tenths of its ultimate size. Montessori further elaborated that it is during the first period that the human being grows principally in intelligence: the rest of its growth during this period, being subordinate to this developing psychic life. The three characteristics we can observe about a child during this period are – The child creates his own mind –Since intelligence is what distinguishes man from all other animals, the first characteristic is the creation of intelligence. As said before he first constructs himself by absorbing everything from the environment by his unconscious mind. With these multitudinous impressions, the child continues  to build his conscious intelligence. Montessori said ; to build up this conscious intelligence, the work of the hand plays an important and essential pa rt. The intelligence builds its own instrument –Second fact is while constructing his own intelligence he also begins to construct his own bodily instruments of expression. The child’s power of movement will develop in subordination to this superior aim i.e. of psychic development. Its activity will not be confined within the narrow limits of instinctive behavior, but will function as an instrument of a free moral agent. His eternal destiny is placed within his own hands. Marvelous adaptive powers of the child –The third characteristic of this period, are the marvelous adaptive power possessed by the child. Montessori illustrated this point by comparing man to animals. Example – if a cat is born in France, England or India, it would meow just the same way wherever it grows up. However for a child he will speak French in France, English in England and Hindi or any other dialect in India. This is because of its â€Å"inner construction†. Movement and mental assimilation leads to integration of personality – The child constructs himself through movement .The value of movement goes deeper that just helping in acquisition of knowledge. It involves the development of child’s personality -in 1st year baby establishes his physical his physical development through movement. He learns to use his limbs and whole body to carry out movements such as crawling, standing and walking and sometimes running. In the next few years he refines his gross motor skills through movement. He continues to develop his fine motor skills through activities that involve movements. As the child interacts with his environment, he absorbs the environment into his psychic life. Through repeated use of materials in the environment he learns to compare, discriminate, differentiate and judge the qualities of the materials. As the child gains experience through exercises and movements, he co-ordinates his own movement and records the emotions he experienced in coming into contact with the external world. He learns self help skills, taking and sharing. This is the social and emotional development of the child. It is also not sufficient to allow children to learn without giving him the opportunity to work or explore with the materials. When children work with the materials, it involves creative movement. When teaching children, it is not sufficient for them to hear the things which we wish him to learn. â€Å"We must give no more to eye & ear than we give to the hand†(Montessori notes) For example, in teaching children ,the idea of dimension, it is no good to show them a diagram of objects of various sizes, instead we need to provide children with concrete materials such as the knobbed cylinder, pink tower, brown stairs, long rods and knobbles cylinders. They must be given the opportunity to explore and experiment with the materials. This is so with all Montessori materials whether it is the four operations in arithmetic, parts of speech or learning of lands and water. It always involves movement. The child as an individual presents two aspects –the center and the periphery. The center is seen as the innermost citadel of the personality from which action proceeds .At this center the child increases his mental powers by seeking out sensation and movement which takes place at the second part of his personality i.e at the periphery. The periphery is that part of the child’s personality which comes in contact with the external world .It involves the senses, movements and the outward manifestations of his choice. Through continuous interaction of the center and the periphery, the mind of the child develops and expands. The directress should be concerned with the periphery as it is that part of the child that is accessible to her. The other methods of teaching aims at getting to the center directly. The teacher’s business is to feed the periphery. The teacher prepares the environment that meets the child’s inner needs and in his exploration of the materials, he abstracts ideas from them. As both center and periphery interacts, the child builds his mind. The objects in the environment cannot be chosen at random. Each material possesses an idea or concept to be realized, not to be announced by the teacher. At the child explore with the materials, this concept/idea become presented. In practice, we often find that even if the directress has prepared the  environment and presented the materials to the children, there do not seem to be a click of the center and the periphery. The child does not seem to be interested and his act seems to be in a disorderly manner. According to Montessori, the answer to this missing link is the â€Å"Point of Contact†. To explain this, Montessori used the example of teaching the appreciation of music. If the teacher tries to play music morning till night and children are allowed to move about to move about anyhow and anywhere in a disorderly manner, there is a lack of contact. To resolve this problem, the muscles, which move, should move in response to the musical rhythm thus establishing a psychic bridge between the soul of the child and the external reality of music. The moment the child understands that there exists the connection (i.e between the music and his movement), then the point of contact is established. So if the music changes its rhythm, then the child becomes aware of it and changes his movement accordingly, and he is on the road to perfect himself. This reality may be either material or spiritual; but movement must always accompany the child at any rate. Let’s look at an example to understand how the point of contact helps development. In their presenting of the sensorial materials, children were given new sounds, new shapes etc.The main purpose of it is not just bring new sounds, new shapes but to bring order into this new impression. The difficulty or the error that the child is to discover and understand must be isolated in a single piece of material. For example the long rods will present to the child only a variation in length and not in colour and design. Such isolation will help child focus on the problem more readily. It is through this method, that it leads the child to be interested in dimension, and develop him to observe them in the world around. Montessori calls her material â€Å"keys to the Universe† –it is important to constantly remember that it is through this point of contact limited and exactly but real work, helps the child to summon the mind to wonder at large in fantasy to something real which opens up a new pathway. With younger children, however, it was observed that the exercises in practical life will play an important part, but always the point of contact will be established through movement. An example was to get up from a chair and carry it from one place to another without any sound. The children would  be presented this concept of self perfection and would seek to do the same as it corresponds to his soul. Again, we see the truth of Montessori’s maxim that â€Å"education begins through movement†.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Greek Mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Greek Mythology - Essay Example Not long after Agamemnon arrives, he is killed along with the captured Trojan princess named Cassandra, by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. Subsequently, there begins an effort to avenge the death of the king, Agamemnon, as the Chorus hope for Agamemnon’s son, Oretes, to get back from his exile. Two conflicting ideas of revenge and justice are visible from the stories; Aegisthus and Clytemnestra avenge the death of their siblings and daughter respectively while the Chorus along with Oretes scheme to bring down the order established by Aegisthus and Clytemnestra thereby avenging the death of Agamemnon. Therefore, to conclude who is the real tyrant or victim is a hard judgment in the trilogy as the history of revengeful actions reveal how the feuds originated generations ago and still persist. Agamemnon had just returned from a victorious capture of Troy in the decades-long Trojan War. Earlier he had sacrificed his and Clytemnestra’s daughter, Iphigenia, as a token to ask the goddess, Artemis to bring good winds for the Greeks. This sacrifice saddened Clytemnestra who plotted to kill Agamemnon with Aegisthus who also wanted revenge from Agamemnon. However, on the war end, Troy had been successfully captured and the news was brought home and Agamemnon returned to Argos with Cassandra, daughter of Prius, as a war prisoner. Clytemnestra asks Agamemnon to enter the palace walking over a purple fabric however the King was apprehensive of angering the Gods by this act of extravagance. However, Agamemnon is finally made to walk over the purple fabric as it leads into the palace. Cassandra however refuses to enter the palace while stays quiet and unresponsive of Clytemnestra. Agamemnon has thus entered the palace while Cassandra remains outside with the Chorus. Cassandra, who has prophetic powers of seeing into the past and future, prophesizes that she will be killed if she enters inside the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Effective Supervision Can Minimize Staff Turnover from Burn-Out in Thesis

Effective Supervision Can Minimize Staff Turnover from Burn-Out in Direct Care Staff in Adolescent Residential Settings - Thesis Example Contemporary studies are now offering new insights regarding turnover problem with regards to direct care workers. Most of the studies which can be found can give data taken from interviews with employees and employers, in a study that I have found, the author looked at the problem from a bigger perspective. In the study conducted by Brannon (2002), he examined factors that looked at health facilities with very high and very low direct care worker turnover rates from a middle referent group. From there, he explored the possibility that high turnover and low turnover are distinct occurrences having different originators. The findings in the study suggest that researchers must avoid using a linear function of a single set of predictor model when looking at facility turnover. The study revealed that a relationship between supervisory staff and the home health aide is a significant contributor to worker satisfaction and turnover. In another study which focused on direct care worker-supervisory relationships in the context of hierarchy, it was found out that supervisory staff often blame the cause of recruitment and retention problems to the worker’s personal problems, dysfunctional family structure, and lack of respect for the job (Bowers 2003). It is rarely recognized by supervisors that organizational structure, or mistreatment or poor management by higher employees as a reason for turnover. Most of these top level staff often complain about the long hours of work they spend on paperwork which according to them causes less communication and contact with residents and direct care workers (Bowers 2003). Another study conducted by the California Association of Homes and Services for the Adolescents found unswerving complaints from direct care staff that they feel that they themselves and the work that they do are not given due importance. Using in-depth interviews, it was known that many of the reasons previously

What is origin of christianity Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What is origin of christianity - Case Study Example In order to do that, it is important to know what Christianity is. And in order to discover the essence of Christianity, one must first understand its history. This study hopes to discover the origins of Christianity. Its higher goal is to show Christians today what they have in common. Through a review of the history of Christianity, people from various religious denominations to discover the legacy of Christ and understand that this image of Christ is the representation of what we are striving for as species. This study will look at published articles and books detailing the history of Christianity – from its founding to its breakup roughly 500 years ago. It looks at the reformation and the rise of Protestantism in order to appreciate the characteristics of the new Catholic Church and the Anglican. Some materials which will be used for this study includes books and peer-reviewed articles that answers the questions above. Biblical quotes will also be used and compared with historical events so as to provide context and to answer the abovementioned

Monday, August 26, 2019

Other topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Other topic - Essay Example Since earlier films were often limited by finances, actions and time, their production sometimes do not show the whole story. For instance, Stephen King’s â€Å"Christine† has several differences in the novel and the film. Changes in the story may either make it better or worse and in the case of King’s novel, perhaps due to time constraints, some omissions weakened the story. In the following paragraphs, changes in the movie such as the setting, Arnie’s physical description, the omissions of the characters of Sandy Galton, Buddy Repperton’s friend and Jimmy Sykes, Darnell’s character and the fight between a man and Arnie based from the novel will be discussed in relation to how they affected or not the story’s effectiveness. In the novel, the story is set in Pennsylvania while in the movie, it is in California. The difference in the setting does not make a strong effect on the story because the scenes were set in order to resemble at most the ones described in the story. Moreover, there are perhaps not many cultural or scenic differences between the two places that would have altered the story. In addition, King tells in his novel that Arnie is wears glasses and has pimples. As his friend Dennis describes him, â€Å"Arnie was pimple city† (3). In the movie, although the aforementioned character wears glasses, his face is pimple-free. However, the difference does not make any Arnie a better-looking character in the movie. He is, as depicted in the novel, still a teenager who is the picture of an easy target of the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

National security of independent States (Ukraine and Lithuania) in the Essay

National security of independent States (Ukraine and Lithuania) in the post soviet space - Essay Example The group discussions we had as a group yielded the topic our present discussion, â€Å"National security of independent States (Ukraine and Lithuania) in the post-Soviet space,† which was agreed upon unanimously through a group vote. The group arrived at the topic after thorough deliberations of its significance and centrality in any attempt to understand the state of the independent states (Ukraine and Lithuania) in the post-Soviet space, especially given the ever-shifting and complex nature of the security environment in the post-Soviet space. Governments are charged with the responsibility of promoting and maintaining national security, which entails the protection of a state by using all the resources at their disposal including economic, political, as well as diplomatic power; in practice, national security in many states is determined by the combination of conditions influencing their security environment and dynamics. This paper will employ the constructivism theory to explore the national security of the independent states (Ukraine and Lithuania) in the post-Soviet space, while paying particular attention to the key themes in the region’s security environment, and highlight a probable approach for addressing these problems. Independent states in the Post-Soviet apace, often collectively referred to as the post-Soviet states or the former Soviet Union, or the former Soviet Republics, refers to a group of 15 states that emerged out of the dissolution of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in the year 1991 (Akiner, 1998 p.1089). The USSR dissolved both because of, and against a backdrop of a serious stagnation in the region’s economy, as well as recession; most of the independent states that emerged out of the dissolution embarked on the transition towards a market economy in the wake of the 1990’s, rebuilding and restructuring their economic systems. The independent post-Soviet states fall into five major groupings or

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Financial Performance for SAC 2010 & 2011 Assignment

Financial Performance for SAC 2010 & 2011 - Assignment Example At the end, recommendations are presented for Sparklin Automotive Company on the basis of performance evaluation presented in the report. Ratio analysis refers to the financial analysis tool through which financial analysts carry out the analysis of a company’s financial performance by conducting a quantitative analysis. For the purpose of determining different ratios for the company, its financial statements are considered, which include comparative information, i.e. information pertaining to more than one financial year (Albrecht, Stice, & Stice, 2008; Eugene F. Brigham, 2012; Needles & Powers, 2010). Current ratio is a measure of liquidity position of a company, which determines the amount of liquid assets possessed by a company in comparison with the amounts owed by it in short run. The ratio is determined by dividing current assets with current liabilities of the company (Needles & Powers, 2010). The debt to equity ratio for a company shows that how far a company’s finance is obtained through borrowing with reference to the total equity of the company. This ratio, as the name suggests, is determined by dividing the total debt of the company with total equity (Needles & Powers, 2010). The inventory turnover ratio shows the frequency with which a company’s inventory is sold over a period of time. The ratio is determined by dividing the total sales revenue with the average inventory level or ending inventory, as the case may be (Needles & Powers, 2010). This ratio signifies the efficiency of a company with respect to the collection of its amounts owed to debtors. When accounts receivable turnover is high, it is considered favorable because the company is able to maintain a lower level of receivables with respect to total revenues earned on credit. The ratio is determined by dividing the total revenues earned with accounts receivables (Needles & Powers, 2010). The gross margin percentage is a ratio which shows gross margin as a

Friday, August 23, 2019

Play Critque Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Play Critque - Essay Example Clearly, the hero naturally has a lot less individuality away from his intrusiveness. Additionally, he is ably disposed to place himself in the wrong place, and lament the aftermath. Initially, what makes The Haunting of Hill House a bright as well as clever story, is that it ingeniously manages to lay out a fence in the reader. For example Eleanor Vance, the youthful woman around whom the creepy events of this great novel cluster together, is no mean feat. In any case, Eleanor Vance is lulled into the thrilling escapades by the house. Partly, Eleanor comes out as an authentic character, rather than an apparatus of the narrator. She is, on the same length, she carries herself with a certain air of peculiarity. She is an outstanding person, complicated even, while she is capable of attracting the reader’s sympathy. Eleanor consciously adeptly, even viscerally manages to bring to us the experience of the novel through her undertakings. In part, Eleanor’s horrors, escapes and experiences also become partly ours. Her pain, her happiness throughout the book ably manages to evoke the reader’s sympathy. Additionally, the category of this psychological ghost story still is somehow tinier. The horror effect of The Haunting Hill House concentrates on the suspension of limitations, between the living and the dead. Also, the suspension of boundaries in this story turns on things that are outside the body, and those that ought to remain inside. Given, it also worth to not that the in psychological ghost story, the dispensation of certain boundaries tend to bend toward the mind and the exterior world, which clearly are two distinct things. For instance, as Eleanor’s resistance begins to crumple, she comes to herself and starts to ask her questions. In other words, when one trudges through the whole book, he or she gets a general idea that Eleanor might be the one haunted, or simply the one haunting. The events

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Management Study Guide Essay Example for Free

Management Study Guide Essay Commanding Heights: Episode 3 (Chapters 11-14); available at online at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/lo/story/index.html With communism discredited, more and more nations harness their fortunes to the global free-market. China, Southeast Asia, India, Eastern Europe and Latin America all compete to attract the developed worlds investment capital, and tariff barriers fall. In the United States Republican and Democratic administrations both embrace unfettered globalization over the objections of organized labor. But as new technology and ideas drive profound economic change, unforeseen events unfold. A Mexican economic meltdown sends the Clinton administration scrambling. Internet-linked financial markets, unrestricted capital flows, and floating currencies drive levels of speculative investment that dwarf trade in actual goods and services. Fueled by electronic capital and a global workforce ready to adapt, entrepreneurs create multinational corporations with valuations greater than entire national economies. When huge pension funds go hunting higher returns in emerging markets, enterprise flourishes where poverty once ruled, but risk grows, too. In Thailand the huge reservoir of available capital proves first a blessing, then a curse. Soon all Asia is engulfed in an economic crisis, and financial contagion spreads throughout the world, until Wall Street itself is threatened. A single global market is now the central economic reality. As the force of its effects is felt, popular unease grows. Is the system just too complex to be controlled, or is it an insiders game played at outsiders expense? New centers of opposition to globalization form and the debate turns violent over who will rewrite the rules. Yet prosperity continues to spread with the expansion of trade, even as the gulf widens further between rich and poor. Imbalances too dangerous for the system to ignore now drive its stakeholders to devise new means to include the dispossessed lest, once again, terrorism and war destroy the stability of a deeply interconnected world. The Bush Bailout Plan (Rounds 1 and 2) Round 1: Allow the Treasury to borrow up to $700 billion to buy mortgage-related assets from US financial institutions over the next 2 years. –May stabilize the capital markets ( could protect investment and retirement funds) – MAY stabilize housing prices. Consequences of doing nothing: -Small businesses will fail. -Companies may not be able to make payroll -People, even those with good credit records, may not be able to get credit for mortgages, car loans, student loans, or credit cards. -People will lose jobs. Round 2: Same deal: with same possible benefits. House version of the bill: $350 billion upfront; $350 billion later unless congress holds it back. -NO new golden parachutes if the institution sells more than $300 million in assets -Must try to â€Å"claw back† past bonuses if based on misleading financial statements -No golden parachutes when the treasury has ownership stake in the firm (.ie., it is failing). Defined Contribution Retirement Plans – A defined contribution plan provides an individual account for each participant. The benefits are based on the amount contributed into the plan and are also affected by income, expenses, gains and loses. There are no promises of a set monthly benefit at retirement. Some examples of defined contribution plans include 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, employee stock ownership plans and profit sharing plans. Contagion The tendency to spread, as of a doctrine, influence, or emotional state. When one nations economy is negatively affected because of changes in the asset PRICES of another country’s financial market Foreign Direct Investment – Is when a firm invests resources in facilities to produce and/or market a product in a foreign country. Horizontal FDI versus Vertical FDI Horizontal FDI: investment in the same industry in which a firm operates at home. Vertical FDI: investment in an industry that provides inputs for a firm’s domestic operations or that sells the outputs of the firm’s domestic operations. Backward Vertical FDI versus Forward Vertical FDI- Backward vertical FDI: an investment in an industry abroad that provides inputs for a firm’s domestic production processes. Forward Vertical FDI: an investment in an industry abroad that sells the outputs of a firm’s domestic production processes. BACKWARD vertical means that there are more places to help build the product. Stock versus Flow of FDI – Stock flow is the total accumulated value. Flow of FDI is the value over time. Gross Fixed Capital Formation GFCF is a flow value. It is usually defined as the total value of additions to fixed assets by resident producer enterprises, less disposals of fixed assets during the quarter or year, plus additions to the value of non-produced assets (such as discoveries of mineral deposits, or land improvements). Greenfield Investment – Establishing a new operation Acquisition – When one firm buys an interest in another firm Merger – When two firms agree to integrate their operations on a relatively co-equal basis. Exporting – The sale of products produced in one country to residents of another country Licensing – when one firm (the licensor) grants the right to produce its product, use its production processes, or use its brand name or trademark to another firm (the licensee) Tacit versus Codified Knowledge – Tacit knowledge: information that is intuitive and difficult to articulate or codify in writing. (Can be gained through personal experience or interaction. Shared knowledge might be dispersed throughout the company.) Theoretical Explanations for FDI: Transportation Costs, Market Imperfections, Strategic Behavior, Product Life Cycle, and Location-Specific Advantages Impediments to the Sale of Know-How Impediments to the sale of know-how explain why firms prefer horizontal FDI to licensing. These impediments arise when: (a) a firm has valuable know-how that cannot be adequately protected by a licensing contract, (b) a firm needs tight control over a foreign entity to maximize its market share and earnings in that country, and (c) a firms skills and know-how are not amenable to licensing. Multi-Point Competition Arises when two or more enterprises encounter each other in different regional markets, national markets, or industries. The Radical, Free Market and Pragmatic Nationalism Views of FDI Benefits and Costs of FDI for a Host Country – Resource transfer effects, employment effects, balance of payments effects, effect on competition and economic growth. Host country benefits from initial capital inflow when MNC establishes businessFINANCIAL CREDIT Host country benefits if FDI substitutes for imports of goods and servicesCURRENT ACCOUN TCREDIT Host country benefits when MNC uses its foreign subsidiary to export to other countriesCredit on CURRENT ACCOUNT Resource-Transfer Effects: Capital, Technology and Management Employment Effects: Direct, Indirect, Substitution, and Acquisition Restructuring – -Mergers and acquisitions are quicker to execute. -Foreign firms have valuable strategic assets that would be risky and time consuming to develop. -Acquiring firm believes it can use its core competencies to increase the efficiency of the acquired firm. Balance-of-Payments Effects of FDI for the Home and Host Countries – Home country – The balance of payments account is improved by the inward flow of repatriated earnings. The balance of payments account is improved if the foreign subsidiary needs home country equipment, component parts, etc. National Sovereignty Sovereignty is the exclusive right to control a government, a country, a people, or oneself. A sovereign is the supreme lawmaking authority. Benefits and Costs of FDI for a Home Country – Balance of payments effects, employment effects. Home Country Policies to Encourage and Restrict Outward FDI – Restrict: Limits on capital outflows, tax incentives to invest at home, Nation-specific prohibitions Encourage: Foreign Risk Insurance, Capital Assista nce, Tax Incentives to Invest Abroad, Political Pressure. Host Country Policies to Encourage and Restrict Inward FDI – Restrict: Ownership Restraints Encourage: To gain from the resource-transfer and employment effects of FDI, to capture FDI away from other potential host locations. Performance Requirements – An expectation placed on a foreign direct thingy requiring them to do certain things like having some local employees. Basically, this puts restrictions on them like local production requirements. Regional Economic Integration –refers to agreements among countries in a geographic region to reduce and ultimately remove, tariff and non-tariff barriers to the free flow of goods, services, and factors of production between each other. Levels of Economic Integration: Free Trade Area: Remove internal Barriers Customs Union: Common External Barriers Common Market: Free Movement of Factors Economic Union: Common Economic Policy Political Union: Political Integration The Case for and the Case against Regional Integration â €“ For: Increases world production, stimulates growth, regional economic integration can provide additional gains from free trade beyond the international agreements such as GATT and TWO. Against: a regional trade agreement is beneficial only if it creates more trade than it diverts. Impediments to Regional Integration – Nation as a whole may benefit but certain groups within countries may be hurt. Concerns about loss of national sovereignty and control over the nation’s sovereignty and control over the nations monetary, fiscal and trade policies. Trade Creation versus Trade Diversion – When an inefficient non member nation replaces an efficient member nation (NAFTA). Like Mexico replacing China in the textile business. Creation: occurs when free trade leads to the substitution of inefficient domestic production for efficient production in another member country. Diversion: Occurs when efficient non-member production is replaced by inefficient production by a member nation as a result of high trade barriers for non-members. The European Union (EU) – is composed of 27 member countries, covers an area of 4 million square kilometers and has approximately 460 million inhabitants. The EU’s member states combined represent the world’s largest economy by GDP, the seventh largest territory in the world by area and the third largest by population. Political Structure of the European Union: European Commission, Council of the European Union, European Parliament and Court of Justice Optimal Currency Area In economics, an optimum currency area (OCA), also known as an optimal currency region (OCR), is a geographical region in which it would maximize economic efficiency to have the entire region share a single currency. It describes the optimal characteristics for the merger of currencies or the creation of a new currency. Copenhagen Criteria – are the rules that define whether a nation is eligible to join the European Union. The criteria require that a nation have the institutions to preserve democratic governance and human rights, a functioning market economy, and that the nation accept the obligations and intent of the EU. The Lisbon Treaty The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU) with amendments to the Treaty on European Union (TEU, Maastricht) and the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEC, Rome), the latter being renamed Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) in the process. The stated aim of the treaty is to complete the process started by the Treaty of Amsterdam and by the Treaty of Nice with a view to enhancing the efficiency and democratic legitimacy of the Union and to improving the coherence of its action. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): Pros and Cons of NAFTA – Pros: Labor intensive industries move to Mexico, resulting in better resource allocation, Mexico gets investment and employment, increased Mexican income to buy US/Canadian goods, demand for goods increases jobs, consumers get lower prices. Cons: Loss of jobs to Mexico for people who don’t have other employment options, Mexican firms have to compete against efficient US/Canadian firms, environmental degradation, loss of national sovereignty. The Andean Community The Andean Community is mainly a trade block formerly called the Andean Group (Grupo Andino, in Spanish) which saw light after the Andean Pact (Pacto Andino) or more formally the Cartagena Agreement (Acuerdo de Cartagena) was signed in 1969, in Cartagena (Colombia). Mercado Comà ºn del Sur (MERCOSUR) Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuala. Was originally envisioned as a common market but has yet to reach that goal. Critics contend the agreement results in more trade diversion than trade creation as a result of the high external tariffs. Free Trade Area of the Americas –was a proposal to expand NAFTA to include all countries in the Western Hemisphere, except Cuba. This region has 850 million people and a $13.5 trillion economy. Talks are stalled and stronger support would be needed by the USA and Brazil for this agreement to become a reality. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) / ASEAN Free Trade Area – Indonesia, Malaysia , Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. Total population of 500 million, GDP of US $740 billion, and a total trade of US $720 billion A free trade area among some of the nations exists, but several nations are refusing to lower all tariffs. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) – Founded in 1990 to promote open trade and economic cooperation. Currently has 21 members including the United States, Japan and China. Members account for 57% of the world’s GNP and 46% of global trade. Despite little progress, it could potentially become the world’s largest free trade area. Fiscal versus Monetary Policy Market economies have regular fluctuations in the level of economic activity which we call the business cycle. It is convenient to think of the business cycle as having three phases. The first phase is expansion when the economy is growing along its long term trends in employment, output, and income. But at some point the economy will overheat, and suffer rising prices and interest rates, until it reaches a turning point a peak and turn downward into a recession (the second phase). Recessions are usually brief (six to nine months) and are marked by falling employment, output, income, prices, and interest rates. Most significantly, recessions are marked by rising unemployment. The economy will hit a bottom point a trough and rebound into a strong recovery (the third phase). The recovery will enjoy rising employment, output, and income while unemployment will fall. The recovery will gradually slow down as the economy once again assumes its long term growth trends, and the recovery will transform into an expansion. Foreign Exchange Market –a market for converting the currency of one country into the currency of another. Exchange Rate – the rate at which one currency is converted into another. Foreign Exchange Risk – the risk of an investment’s value changing due to changes in the currency exchange rates. Arbitrage – the purchase of a product in one market for immediate resale in a second market in order to profit from a price d iscrepancy. Currency Speculation – short-term movement of funds from one currency to another in hopes of profiting from shifts in exchange rates. Spot Exchanges –the exchange rate at which a foreign exchange dealer would convert one currency to into another currency on that day. Forward Exchanges – the exchange rate at which a foreign exchange dealer will agree to convert one currency into another currency on a specific date in the future. Hedging: Forward Contracts versus Options Selling on a Discount versus Selling at a Premium Currency Swaps A currency swap (or cross currency swap) is a foreign exchange agreement between two parties to exchange a given amount of one currency for another and, after a specified period of time, to give back the original amounts swapped. Economic Theories of Exchange Rate Determination – Law of One Price The law of one price is an economic law stated as: In an efficient market all identical goods must have only one price. The intuition for this law is that all sellers will flock to the highest prevailing price, and all buyers to the lowest current market price. In an efficient market the convergence on one price is instant. Purchasing Power Parity The purchasing power parity (PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their purchasing power. Developed by Gustav Cassel in 1920, it is based on the law of one price: the theory states that, in an ideally efficient market, identical goods should have only one price. Big Mac Index The Big Mac Index is an informal way of measuring the purchasing power parity (PPP) between two currencies and provides a test of the extent to which market exchange rates result in goods costing the same in different countries. As stated in The Economist, it seeks to make exchange-rate theory a bit more digestible In 120 nations the big mac is the same. How Increasing the Money Supply Impacts Exchange Rates Price Discrimination Price discrimination or yield management occurs when a firm charges a different price to different groups of consumers for an identical good or service, for reasons not associated with costs. Fisher Effect / International Fischer Effect Real versus Nominal Interest Rates 8% interest + 2%inflation = 10% nominal interest. $100 on $1000 loan. Investor Psychology and Bandwagon Effects The Efficient Market School versus the Inefficient Market School – Efficient: Those who believe the foreign exchange market actually predicts things accurately. Fundamental versus Technical Analysis Currency Convertibility: Freely, Externally, and Nonconvertible Currencies Capital Flight Capital flight, in economics, occurs when assets and/or money rapidly flow out of a country, due to an economic event that disturbs investors and causes them to lower their valuation of the assets in that country, or otherwise to lose confi dence in its economic strength. This leads to a disappearance of wealth and is usually accompanied by a sharp drop in the exchange rate of the affected country (depreciation in a variable exchange rate regime, or a forced devaluation in a fixed exchange rate regime). Transaction versus Translation versus Economic Exposure – Economic exposure: the extent to which a firm’s future international earning power is affected by changes in exchange rates. Lead versus Lag Strategies – Lead: an attempt to collect foreign currency receivables when a foreign currency is expected to depreciate. Lag: An attempt to delay the collection of foreign currency receivables if that currency is expected to appreciate. Delay paying foreign currency payables if the foreign currency is expected to depreciate. International Monetary System – are institutional arrangements countries adopt to govern exchange rates. Exchange Rate Regimes: Formal Dollarization, Fixed, Currency Boards, Pegged, Dirty/Managed Floats and Independently Floating – The Gold Standard – Pegging currencies to gold and guaranteeing convertibility is known as the gold standard. Gold Par Value – The amount of a currency in an ounce, one ounce of gold was referred to as the gold par value. The Bretton Woods Exchange Rate System Created a fixed exchange rate system where the countries agreed to peg their currencies to the US dollar which was convertible to gold at $35 an ounce. Countries agreed to defend the value of their currencies to within 1% of par value. Currency, Banking and Foreign Debt Crises – Currency speculators believed that the devaluation of the dollar was inevitable. President Nixon dropped the gold standard conversion and the dollar was devalued. Following a second round of speculative attacks, the US dollar was allowed to float against other world currencies. Concerns about the IMF’s Policy Prescriptions – The system of adjustable parities allowed for the devaluation of a country’s currency by more than 10 percent if the IMF agreed that a country’s balance of payments was in â€Å"fundamental disequilibrium.† Moral Hazard – arises when people behave recklessly because they know they will be saved if th ings go wrong. Capital Market The capital market is the market for securities, where companies and governments can raise longterm funds. The capital market includes the stock market and the bond market. Financial regulators, such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, oversee the capital markets in their designated countries to ensure that investors are protected against fraud. The capital markets consist of the primary market, where new issues are distributed to investors, and the secondary market, where existing securities are traded. Cost of Capital The cost of capital is an expected return that the provider of capital plans to earn on their investment. Initial Public Offering Initial public offering (IPO), also referred to simply as a public offering, is when a company issues common stock or shares to the public for the first time. They are often issued by smaller, younger companies seeking capital to expand, but can also be done by large privately-owned companies looking to become publicly traded. Commercial Banks versus Investment Banks Equity Loan: An equity loan is a mortgage placed on real estate i n exchange for cash to the borrower. For example, if a person owns a home worth $100,000, but does not currently have a lien on it, they may take an equity loan at 80% loan to value (LTV) or $80,000 in cash in exchange for a lien on title placed by the lender of the equity loan. Debt Loans: A loan is a type of debt. This article focuses exclusively on monetary loans, although, in practice, any material object might be lent. Like all debt instruments, a loan entails the redistribution of financial assets over time, between the lender and the borrower. Corporate Bonds A Corporate Bond is a bond issued by a corporation. The term is usually applied to longer-term debt instruments, generally with a maturity date falling at least a year after their issue date. Systematic Risk In finance, Systemic Risk is that risk which is common to an entire market and not to any individual entity or component thereof. It can be defined as financial system instability, potentially catastrophic, caused or exacerbated by idiosyncratic events or conditions in financial intermediaries[1]. It refers to the movements of the whole economy and has wide ranging effects. It is also sometimes erroneously referred to as systematic risk. Portfolio Diversification – By using the global capital market, investors have a much wider range of investment opportunities than in a purely domestic capital market. The most significant consequence of this choice is that investors can diversify their portfolios internationally, thereby reducing their risk to below what could be achieved in a purely domestic capital market. Drivers of the Global Capital Market: Information Technology: Financial services is an information-intensive industry. It draws on large volumes of information about markets, risks, exchange rates, interest rates, creditworthiness, and so on. It uses this information to make decisions about what to invest where, how much to change borrowers, how much interest to pay to depositors, and the value and riskiness of a range of financial assets including corporate bonds, stocks, government securities, and currencies. Deregulation: Many restrictions have been crumbling in the US since the early 80s. In this part, this has been a response to the development of the Eurocurrency market, which from the beginning was outside of national control. Hot Money: In economics, hot money refers to funds which flow into a country to take advantage of a favorable interest rate, and therefore obtain higher returns. They influence the balance of payments and strengthen the exchange rate of the recipient country while weakening the currency of the country losing the money. These funds are held in currency markets by speculators as opposed to national banks or domestic investors. As such, they are highly volatile in Mexico and East Asian financial crisis. Patient Money: Selling land in large blocks under frontier conditions is to sell at a time before it begins yielding much if any rent. It is bid in by those few who have large discretionary funds of patient money. Eurocurrency Eurocurrency is the term used to describe deposits residing in banks that are located outside the borders of the country that issues the currency the deposit is denominated in. For example a deposit denominated in US dollars residing in a Japanese bank is a Eurocurrency deposit, or more specifically a Eurodollar deposit. Attractions and Drawbacks of the Eurocurrency Market Attractions: Lack of government regulation. Drawbacks: When depositors use a regulated banking system they know that the probability of a bank failure that would cause them to lose their deposits is very low. Secondly, borrowing funds internationally can expose a company to foreign exchange risk. Reserve Requirements The reserve requirement (or required reserve ratio) is a bank regulation that sets the minimum reserves each bank must hold to customer deposits and notes. These reserves are designed to satisfy withdrawal demands, and would normally be in the form of fiat currency stored in a bank vault (vault cash), or with a central bank. Foreign Bonds vs. Eurobonds: A Eurobond is an international bond that is denominated in a currency not native to the country where it is issued. It can be categorised according to the currency in which it is issued. London is one of the centers of the Eurobond market, but Eurobonds may be traded throughout the world for example in Singapore or Tokyo. Attractions of the Eurobond Market – Absence of regulatory interference. Less stringent disclosure requirements than in most domestic bond markets. A favorable tax status. The Impact of Exchange Rate Risk on the Cost of Capital Benefits and Costs of Financial Globalization Inter-Temporal Trade – Consumption smoothing usually between advanced economies and developing economies. Developing economies need money NOW. Capital Mobility The ability of money to cross national borders. The free flow of money in and out of a country. Impossible Trinity The Impossible Trinity (also known as the Inconsistent Trinity, Triangle of Impossibility or Unholy Trinity) is the hypothesis in international economics that it is impossible to have all three of the following at the same time: Exchange Rate Stability, Independent Monetary Policy, and Capital Mobility. You can only have 2 of these 3 things at the same time ever. The Exchange Rate is simply the relative price of currencies. For example: It tells you how many Euros you can get for a dollar. A government has to main monetary policies it can use: The Fiscal Policy, or the Monetary Policy The Fiscal Policy concerns government expenditures and tax collection The Monetary Policy concerns the interest rate in the economy. The interest rates are established to help stabilize the economy.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Last Judgment Essay Example for Free

The Last Judgment Essay The painting of â€Å"The Last Judgment† by Michelangelo was a fresco which was executed between 1537 and 1541 at the behest of Pope Julius II who commissioned Michelangelo to perform the task. This scene is based on the passage in the Bible on what would happen when Christ would come again. Both the living and the dead, who would be raised then, will be judged by Christ and their fates would be determined if they are going to heaven or hell. The artwork was done on freshly spread lime plaster that was still moist with water-based pigments. Michelangelo’s palette developed highly embellished monochromatic work and the symmetry of his figures made it appear broader and more threatening, if not intimidating to the uninitiated, intended to evoke a sense of awe to anyone who would view it. This large, solid and heavy wall painting can be viewed behind the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City and it took Michelangelo more than four years to complete this masterpiece which was a break from the usual sculptures he used to do where he had made outstanding works such as â€Å"David,† â€Å"Pieta† and â€Å"Moses† as he dabbled with the concept of mural painting which was probably the largest masterpiece he had ever done in his life as â€Å"The Last Judgment† formed part of the vast murals that adorn the walls of the chapel which is the Pope’s private chapel and at present, a place with significance as this is where Popes are chosen during conclaves and â€Å"The Last Judgment† is considered an appropriate artwork to adorn the altar of this historic chapel for such an occasion. The ideas and sense of appreciation from the painting itself depicts the individuality of every personality on the artwork. They each have varied deep explanations of every detail in the painting. Explanation is on the basis of their own experiences in relation to the painting and to themselves. Each dimension of this painting has its own perspective to present making it open to various interpretations. One’s eyes have to move from the center going up then look down after in analyzing overall the images then breaking it down to individual parts. The meticulous ones would be made to zoom in to see the every little detail, thinking whether it has connection or relevance with other images. The painting itself provides varied insights and explanations allowing for varied ways to comprehend the painting. For instance, the angels in the middle of the paintings are depicted blowing their trumpets to raise the dead, shown on the lower left-hand side of the painting, from their long deep slumber to prepare them for their appointment with God. Two of them, apparently the archangels Michael and Gabriel are seen holding the two books in which all has been written down about the individuals where Jesus will base his judgment. The smaller book contains the names of the ones to be saved while the larger one contains the names of the damned (Michelangelo; Ruehling). This is consistent to what is stated in the Gospel according to Matthew. A similar passage would be also stated in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 20:11-15): â€Å"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels in heaven, he will sit upon his royal throne, and all nations will be assembled before him. Then he will separate them into two groups, as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The sheep he will place on his right hand, the goats on his left (Matt. 25:31-33). † On the left panel, the chosen ones situated on the right side of Christ, those who had been judged worthy are escorted to heaven by the angels where they would live eternal bliss with the Almighty. The right panel, on the left of Christ shows the damned, the ones deemed unworthy and proven to now have repented their sins, are being led to hell where they would suffer eternal damnation (Michelangelo). Besides the Bible, Michelangelo got his inspiration for making his artwork from Dante Alighieri’s â€Å"Inferno† as it provided him with graphic detail or has enabled him to â€Å"flesh out† the scenes he would be depicting. In addition, he added personalities and characters from Greek and Roman mythology as part of his â€Å"fleshing out† of the scenes (Barnes 1). One would be able to recognize Charon (holding an oar), the ferryman of Hades of the Greek mythology as he and his minions are seen leading the damned to be judged before Minos found at the extreme lower right-hand corner with a snake wrapped around his body. Minos is another figure in Greek mythology where he was the king of Crete but in this case and using artistic license, Michelangelo depicts the Cretan king as the ruler of hell instead of using Hades or Satan. Jesus is situated in the middle, befitting his stature as the King of Kings with his mother Mary at His side. The two large figures flanking Christ are the disciples Saints John the Baptist on the left and Peter on the right, depicted with keys of heaven in his hand. The figure underneath and further right of Jesus is another disciple Saint Bartholomew, whose image is a self-portrait by Michelangelo himself. Also included are most of the saints who were martyred. They are seen in the painting holding the instruments of their martyrdom such as Saint Sebastian holding arrows used to kill him; Saint Blaise, holding iron combs used to torture him to death and Saint Bartholomew holding his skin, underscoring how he was flayed (skinned alive) to death by his tormentors (Michelangelo). Above the lunettes are symbols of the Passion of Christ which are the cross, the crown of thorns, the pillar where Jesus was bound and scourged, the spear that was used by Longinus to stab his side, and the sponge dipped in vinegar and hyssop used to sate Christ’s thirst while hanging on the cross. In terms of scale, technique and drama â€Å"The Last Judgment† is an absolute highlight of Renaissance painting as one can see the humanist approach taken by Michelangelo that showed a return to the classical style of Greco-Roman influence and a complete departure from the medieval style which was formless and lacking depth. Originally, most of the images were depicted in the nude but owing to the sanctity of the place, a certain degree of modesty and decency was exercised and it fell upon Michelangelo’s assistant, Daniele de Volterra to â€Å"edit† the painting by covering the private parts in such a way that it did not compromise the intention of his mentor to depict the well-proportioned bodies of his subjects (Barnes 88). Jesus Christ: Physically, Michelangelo depicted Christ with broad, powerful proportions, appearing in a radiant glow of divine light befitting His place as the Son of God and King of Kings. Michelangelo further accentuated this radiance by painting the figure in a section that is best illuminated by the chapels window for â€Å"special effect. † Christ is portrayed barely clothed and bare-legged instead of being majestic as one would expect in his Second Coming, wearing only a long strip of cloth across his loins in a manner in order to reveal the wounds of his crucifixion – the puncture wounds on his hands and feet where the nails were driven and the wound on his side where the spear was thrust. These not only emphasize his passion as well but also resonates images of his resurrection, proving once and for all that he had conquered death and has redeemed mankind from the wages of sin and thereby emphasizing his undisputed position as the ultimate judge of mankind (Ruehring). Despite the rather â€Å"modest† image of Christ, Michelangelo still managed to evoke a powerful image of Jesus as final judgment is being carried out without fear or reservation in order to justly and ultimately determine who deserves to be punished and committed to hell. Michelangelo depicted Christ in such a way to express the righteous anger of promptness and firmness in passing judgment towards the individual, further reminding one of the fate that awaits when that time really comes. The painting also depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary seated beside Christ. Mary is regarded by Catholics as a great intercessor for anyone seeking solace or succor in times of trouble. In this particular case, she appears to be downcast as her head appears to turn away as a sign of resignation which implies that she could no longer intercede for anyone at this point in time and can only be a spectator witnessing the judgment of mankind (Michelangelo; Ruehring). Minos: At the lower right-hand corner of The Last Judgment is Minos, whom Michelangelo depicts as the king of hell instead of Satan. It can be inferred here that Michelangelo employed artistic license in using a different character to be the ruler of hell and he drew his inspiration from Dante’s work â€Å"Inferno† where Minos is depicted as the king of hell (Alighieri 23,75). He is shown with a serpent wound tightly around him, symbolizing the circle of hell. Michelangelo’s physical depiction of Minos also served for him as a stinging caricature against his enemy Biagio da Cesena, then the Pope’s chamberlain, as a way of getting back at him for saying his painting was not worthy to adorn the walls of the Vatican despite the commission from the Pope. Michelangelo’s spite was very evident as he tried to depict Minos in the most hideous way possible complete with asss ears and a serpent striking his genitalia as a form of â€Å"revenge† against his nemesis whom he could not physically harm owing to his stature in the Vatican (Ruehring). Charon: Michelangelo borrowed another character from Dante’s work and Greek mythology in Charon, the boatman who ferries the souls of the dead across the River Styx leading to Hades though in this case, it is hell. Physically, Charon is depicted hideously with dark skin, thick dark hair, pointed ears, bulging and glowing eyes, giving him a devil-like appearance, short of depicting him as an actual demon. He is depicted herding the darkly gaunt and tortured souls as they spill upon the shores of hell. Michelangelo has truly captured Charon as an agent of hell in this painting and seamlessly combining classical (Greek) mythology with Christianity to come up with a very strong image (Barnes 108, 113). All in all, â€Å"The Last Judgment† can be truly be called a masterpiece by Michelangelo. He had done justice to the work and in a way, rendered great service to the Church by blending horrors and beauty; of condemnation and redemption, all these wonderfully captured in his painting. Works Cited Alighieri, Dante. Inferno. London: Smith, Elder and Company, 1865. Barnes, Bernadine. Michelangelos Last Judgment: The Renaissance Response. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1998. Michelangelo. The Last Judgment. Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. Ruehring, Lauren Mitchell. Michelangelos Last Judgment. 2010. How Stuff Works. 12 May 2010 http://entertainment. howstuffworks. com/arts/artwork/michelangelos-last-judgment6. htm. The New American Bible. Camden, New Jersey: Catholic Publishers, Inc. , 1970.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Analysis Of A Raisin In The Sun English Literature Essay

Analysis Of A Raisin In The Sun English Literature Essay Creativity of Hansberry played a crucial role in the development of Negro drama since the Second World War. According to one of the researchers, the writer may be called the mother of the modern drama of black, no less than Eugene ONeill is the father of the national drama. In this sense, Raisin in the Sun is a drama for the same thing as Native Son by R. Wright for a black novel (a Huck Finn by Mark Twain for any American novel, which appeared after it). The driving spring of action is the desire to escape Younger family from the ghetto, which causes a fierce resistance to their future white neighbors. Events do not unfold in the South, the citadel of racism and to the north, with which tradition connects the idea of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹tolerance in racial issue. The play has attracted not only acute but also the deep character development. Of greatest interest are the image of Walter Lee, torn between traditional values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹of the black community the ideals of love, unity, human dignity and values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹of American society, obsessed with the idea of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹material success, as well as the image of his mother, embodying the best traits of African-American people. A Raisin in the Sun is a play on Broadway telling the story of an African-American tragedy. The play is about family of the Youngers. End of the 50s: The Younger family lives in the ghetto and is at a crossroads after his father died. Mother Lena Younger and her grown up children Walter Lee and Beneatha share a cramped apartment in a poor district of Chicago, in which she and Walter Lees wife Ruth and son Travis just fit together inside. Lenas husband, the familys father died and his life insurance brings the family $10,000. Everyone, especially the children, are waiting for the payment of life insurance in the amount. Now the question is whether the money should be invested in a medical school for the daughter, in a deal for the son or other dreams. There are conflicts especially between the siblings in which it is a matter of who has more right to his dreams, who deserves his dream sooner. Mama Lena is facing difficult decisions. Making the right decision is hard for mother Lena because she wants to make it right for everyone and no one wants to be hurt by a wrong decision. Incidentally, the play tells the story of a family which members diligently pursue work to which in a black-time enemy is neither fulfilling nor bring in a lot of money. As the story of the daughter of Lena, who is still looking after herself, and is, therefore, more volatile while the son of Walter Lee, who soon abandons himself because he wants more from his life because he wants to be respected because he wants to be the white man. Lenas son Walter Lee Jr. is working as a chauffeur, but wants more out of his life, although he has a respected profession. Walter believes wealth to be the answer to his feelings of desperation and hopelessness as a slum resident and employee in a dead-end job (Addell). His wife Ruth is working from day to night, until she breaks down because she is pregnant again. She thinks of abortion, which is banned in the 50s. Finally, there is Lenas daughter, Beneatha (desperately wants to be a doctor and her family is very far ahead. Younger than the family believes she would have made the exit from the ghetto, but it must start again from scratch. The story about the Youngers, you can basically understand only if one has lived at the time, but was told the plot very accessible, so that the audience got a feel for this time. The characters could not be more different, but what was very much frightening at first, because one noticed in the faith, was at this time you hold it together more. In principle, the Younger family was doing well, but on the other side as they moved away from each other, when it came to money, the life insurance of the deceased father. Lorraine Hansberrys play confronts crucial issues that have faced African Americans: the fragmentation of the family, the black males quest for manhood, and the problems of integration (Tackach). This play is totally family one. It tells about dreams and the way how people can struggle with difficult situations that occur on their way. Actually, even the name of the play can be referred to lines in Langston Hughs (well-known African-American writer) poems, where he makes parallels of a raisin in the sun and dying dreams. A Raisin in the Sun is a rife with conflicts: generational conflicts, gender conflicts, ideological conflicts, and perhaps most important, conflicts of dreams, which are at the center of the play (Washington). As I have said before, each family member has his or her own dream and throughout the play we can see how each member struggles to get this much desired aim. But the story, which shows how different family members are and how selfish their actions, end with a uniting dream. The dream of house is the dream that unites each member of the family. It is the most important dream. It is not for the good of a separate member, but for the good of unity. The family of Youngers faces social and economic troubles during the play but at the end they are united. The only character who believes in unity of family and its strength is mother Lena. She tries to show how important family is and which high and positive results can a family achieve functioning together and for the good of each member. When she said that the son has to be the head of the family after fathers death, Walter surprisingly asks: You trust me like that, Mama? (Hansberry 50). Unfortunately, the two children Walter and Beneatha will realize this only at the end of the play. Actually, this thought comes to them through rather sad circumstances. Only when the insurance money is stolen from Walter and when he is rejected as a brother by Beneatha, the two characters realize that they were wrong. Happiness comes to them only when they start working for the good of the family, for its uniting, when they turn their individual dreams into common. Home of the Youngers is the only dwelling place of the play and, actually, almost all the scenes take part there which symbolizes unity of the family. It seems that this apartment is a living creature too. Its lightning changes as mood of family members changes too. It is dark and small, as if symbolizing the family at that period. Actually, the house is a crucial place for each member of the family (this point of view is also supported by Mama). And the last scene when Lena happily leaves this dull place is also very symbolizing. This means that dark times for the family are over and it enters the new life, bright and happy one. Another important theme that is raised in the play is the theme of racial discrimination. Yet racial segregation is not the major theme of the play (Brantingham). Mr. Lindner, an outer character, makes this topic extremely bright and noticeable. This is clearly seen when the Youngers decided to move, but they could not because Mr. Lindner wanted a bribe from them. This desire was dictated only by the skin color of the family. But the family does not obey or respond this discrimination. They struggle it with dignity. Actually, the play shows that discrimination is a terrible thing that can ever happen in society. And with the help of African-American family fighting all the instances of discrimination with confidence and dignity, the plays shows how people should react o such cases. The story itself is very symbolic. There are a lot of things that are not very noticeable, but after considering them, they turn out to be of great importance. One of such things is Mamas plant. It is weak, but it fights for life. It represents her desire for a new house which will make life of the family better and unite all its members. Mama takes great care of her plant. In fact, the first thing she does after waking and getting up is taking care of her favorite plant. This appears to symbolizes the care which she treats her family and family lawn. Mama once says that this plant does not receive enough sunshine, but still it struggles for life. Suppose that this is a bright parallel to family of the Youngers, where each member cares only about themselves and the family, this fragile plant, does not receive enough sunshine or family love. At the end of the play, Mama takes this old plant from their old apartment to the new house. It symbolizes that this plant is a symbol, uniting the family, or a family itself. Her dream finally came true and plants dream will also come true. Hansberrys play is realistic in setting, characterization, and dialogue. In addition to confronting universal African American issues, it reflects the circumstances of African Americans in the 1950s, at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. The doors of opportunity, if not wide open, had at least been unlocked for black Americans (Tackach). Especially convincing A Raisin in the Sun but because ghettos and racism are still present today. This not only African Americans dream for a better life, but whoever feels bad and even those who lack nothing. Dreams should never abandon you, but the play clearly shows how difficult it is. The Story of Hansberry can in principle identify anyone some more, some less, but not only African Americans. For many, this play left a timeless message: Never give up your dreams. It is a beautiful play, because it establishes, the correct values, and those values that will hopefully never go out of fashion. The focus is not only the discrimination of blacks in the 50s and later decades, it is also about dreams, money and family ties.