Geography – Problem Solving: Flooding

Problem-solving: Flooding I think that the best solution from the Environment Agency is the Upstream Flood Storage. I think this would be the best option because it will stop the town from getting flooded but also, it would be better downstream. The water will be temporarily stored on fields upstream of the town, on farm land. There may be animals on the fields but they can easily be moved out of the way. This could also lead to new wildlife in the area, although also disrupt the wildlife already there. The flood storage reservoir upstream of the town can hold back floodwater's, and so reduce the maximum flood flow through the town.A flood storage reservoir remains effective so long as it does not become full of water. Although, if a larger flood occurs, the reservoir fills up and the extra water will flow over the top. One other point is that this will be costly, but could save many businesses and homes from being flooded. I think that the Floodplain Reinstatement (move the town off the flood plain so if the river floods, it won’t matter) is a bad idea because it would be extremely costly and very difficult to persuade the people living in the town to move away. It would be bad for the economy and people would also lose their jobs and businesses in the town.Although, by moving the town out the way of floods, this would mean that the town will no longer get flooded. By doing this, it will also disrupt the wildlife where the town could be moved. The Bypass channels (building an extra channel to take some of the flood water) also would not be such a good idea because they would just make the flood worse downstream. The water would move very quickly through the town, causing the channel to meet the river where the flood will be at the same time. As a result, this saves the town from being flooded but the flood downstream will be worse.Also, the channel may not have a lot of water in it all year round so could affect the wildlife in the area. The additional channel capacity (making the channel deeper and wider so it will hold more water) is a good idea as it could stop small floods from taking place. But, if there was to be a big flood then the water could rise over the top leading the town to flood. The secondary defenses (build flood walls to hold the extra water) could also work well for preventing the small floods, but not for a big flood. As a result, the water could still rise over the top of the walls.

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Nine

â€Å"Well, at least I didn't get taken over,† Bonnie said. â€Å"But I'm sick of this psychic stuff anyway; I'm tired of the whole thing. That was the last time, absolutely the last.† â€Å"All right,† said Elena, turning away from the mirror, â€Å"let's talk about something else. Did you find anything out today?† â€Å"I talked with Alaric, and he's having another get-together next week,† Bonnie replied. â€Å"He asked Caroline and Vickie and me if we wanted to be hypnotized to help us deal with what's been happening. But I'm sure he isn't the Other Power, Elena. He's too nice.† Elena nodded. She'd had second thoughts about her suspicions of Alaric herself. Not because he was nice, but because she had spent four days in his attic asleep. Would the Other Power really have let her stay there unharmed? Of course, Damon had said he'd influenced Alaric to forget that she was up there, but would the Other Power have succumbed to Damon's influence? Shouldn't it be far too strong? Unless its Powers had temporarily burned out, she thought suddenly. The way Stefan's were burning out now. Or unless it had only been pretending to be influenced. â€Å"Well, we won't cross him off the list just yet,† she said. â€Å"We've got to be careful. What about Mrs. Flowers? Did you find out anything about her?† â€Å"No luck,† said Meredith. â€Å"We went to the boardinghouse this morning, but she didn't answer the door. Stefan said he'd try to track her down in the afternoon.† â€Å"If somebody would only invite me in there, I could watch her, too,† Elena said. â€Å"I feel like I'm the only one not doing anything. I think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She paused a moment, considering, and then said, â€Å"I think I'll go by home-by Aunt Judith's, I mean. Maybe I'll find Robert hanging around in the bushes or something.† â€Å"We'll go with you,† Meredith said. â€Å"No, it's better for me to do it alone. Really, it is. I can be very inconspicuous these days.† â€Å"Then take your own advice and be careful. It's still snowing hard.† Elena nodded and dropped over the windowsill. As she approached her house, she saw that a car was just pulling out of the driveway. She melted into the shadows and watched. The headlights illuminated an eerie winter sight: the neighbors' black locust tree, like a bare-branched silhouette, with a white owl sitting in it. As the car roared past, Elena recognized it. Robert's blue Oldsmobile. Now, that was interesting. She had an urge to follow him, but a stronger urge to check the house, make sure everything was all right. She circled it stealthily, examining windows. The yellow chintz curtains at the kitchen window were looped back, revealing a bright section of kitchen inside. Aunt Judith was closing the dishwasher. Had Robert come to dinner? Elena wondered. The yellow chintz curtains at the kitchen window were looped back, revealing a bright section of kitchen inside. Aunt Judith was closing the dishwasher. Had Robert come to dinner? Elena wondered. Elena wished she could see more than just her aunt's profile in the flickering light of the TV. It gave her a strange feeling to look at this room, knowing that she could only look and not go in. How long had it been since she realized what a nice room it was? The old mahogany whatnot, crowded with china and glassware, the Tiffany lamp on the table next to Aunt Judith, the needlepoint pillows on the couch, all seemed precious to her now. Standing outside, feeling the feathery caress of the snow on the back of her neck, she wished she could go in just for a moment, just for a little while. Aunt Judith's head was tilting back, her eyes shutting. Elena leaned her forehead against the window, then slowly turned away. She climbed the quince tree outside her own bedroom, but to her disappointment the curtains were shut tight. The maple tree outside Margaret's room was fragile and harder to climb, but once she got up she had a good view; these curtains were wide open. Margaret was asleep with the bedcovers drawn up to her chin, her mouth open, her pale hair spread out like a fan on the pillow. Hello, baby, Elena thought and swallowed back tears. It was such a sweetly innocent scene: the nightlight, the little girl in bed, the stuffed animals on the shelves keeping watch over her. And here came a little white kitten padding through the open door to complete the picture, Elena thought. Snowball jumped onto Margaret's bed. The kitten yawned, showing a tiny pink tongue, and stretched, displaying miniature claws. Then it walked daintily over to stand on Margaret's chest. Something tingled at the roots of Elena's hair. She didn't know if it was some new hunter's sense or sheer intuition, but suddenly she was afraid. There was danger in that room. Margaret was in danger. The kitten was still standing there, tail swishing back and forth. And all at once Elena realized what it looked like. The dogs. It looked the way Chelsea had looked at Doug Carson before she lunged at him. Oh, God, the town had quarantined the dogs, but nobody had thought about the cats. Elena's mind was working at top speed, but it wasn't helping her. It was only flashing pictures of what a cat could do with curved claws and needle-sharp teeth. And Margaret just lay there breathing softly, oblivious to any danger. The fur on Snowball's back was rising, her tail swelling like a bottle brush. Her ears flattened and she opened her mouth in a silent hiss. Her eyes were fixed on Margaret's face just the way Chelsea's had been on Doug Carson's. Margaret's face just the way Chelsea's had been on Doug Carson's. But the snow, settling like a blanket around her, seemed to deaden the words into nothingness. A low, discordant wail was started in Snowball's throat as it flicked its eyes toward the window and then back to Margaret's face. â€Å"Margaret, wake up!† Elena shouted. Then, just as the kitten pulled back a curved paw, she threw herself at the window. She never knew, later, how she managed to hang on. There was no room to kneel on the sill, but her fingernails sank into the soft old wood of the casing, and the toe of one boot jammed into a foothold below. She banged against the window with her body weight, shouting. â€Å"Get away from her! Wake up, Margaret!† Margaret's eyes flew open and she sat up, throwing Snowball backward. The kitten's claws caught in the eyelet bedspread as it scrambled to right itself. Elena shouted again. â€Å"Margaret, get off the bed! Open the window, quick!† Margaret's four-year-old face was full of sleepy surprise, but no fear. She got up and stumbled toward the window while Elena gritted her teeth. â€Å"That's it. Good girl†¦ now say, ‘Come in.' Quick, say it!† â€Å"Come in,† Margaret said obediently, blinking and stepping back. The kitten sprang out as Elena fell in. She made a grab for it, but it was too fast. Once outside it glided across the maple branches with taunting ease and leaped down into the snow, disappearing. A small hand was tugging at Elena's sweater. â€Å"You came back!† Margaret said, hugging Elena's hips. â€Å"I missed you.† â€Å"Oh, Margaret, I missed you-† Elena began, and then froze. Aunt Judith's voice sounded from the top of the stairs. â€Å"Margaret, are you awake? What's going on in there?† Elena had only an instant to make her decision. â€Å"Don't tell her I'm here,† she whispered, dropping to her knees. â€Å"It's a secret; do you understand? Say you let the kitty out, but don't tell her I'm here.† There wasn't time for any more; Elena dived under the bed and prayed. From under the dust ruffle, she watched Aunt Judith's stocking feet come into the room. She pressed her face into the floorboards, not breathing. â€Å"Margaret! What are you doing up? Come on, let's get you back in bed,† Aunt Judith's voice said, and then the bed creaked with Margaret's weight and Elena heard the noises of Aunt Judith's fussing with the covers. â€Å"Your hands are freezing. What on earth is the window doing open?† â€Å"And now there's snow all over the floor. I can't believe this†¦ Don't you open it up again, do you hear me?† A little more bustling and the stocking feet went out again. The door shut. Elena squirmed out. â€Å"Good girl,† she whispered as Margaret sat up. â€Å"I'm proud of you. Now tomorrow you tell Aunt Judith that you have to give your kitty away. Tell her it scared you. I know you don't want to†-she put up a hand to stop the wail that was gathering on Margaret's lips-â€Å"but you have to. Because I'm telling you that kitty will hurt you if you keep it. You don't want to get hurt, do you?† â€Å"No,† said Margaret, her blue eyes filling. â€Å"But-â€Å" â€Å"And you don't want the kitty to hurt Aunt Judith, either, do you? You tell Aunt Judith you can't have a kitten or a puppy or even a bird until-well, for a while. Don't tell her that I said so; that's still our secret. Tell her you're scared because of what happened with the dogs at church.† It was better, Elena reasoned grimly, to give the little girl nightmares than to have a nightmare play out in this bedroom. Margaret's mouth drooped sadly. â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"I'm sorry, sweetie.† Elena sat down and hugged her. â€Å"But that's the way it has to be.† â€Å"You're cold,† Margaret said. Then she looked up into Elena's face. â€Å"Are you an angel?† â€Å"Uh†¦ not exactly.† Just the opposite, Elena thought ironically. â€Å"Aunt Judith said you went to be with Mommy and Daddy. Did you see them yet?† â€Å"I-it's sort of hard to explain, Margaret. I haven't seen them yet, no. And I'm not an angel, but I'm going to be like your guardian angel anyway, all right? I'll watch over you, even when you can't see me. Okay?† â€Å"Okay.† Margaret played with her fingers. â€Å"Does that mean you can't live here anymore?† Elena looked around the pink-and-white bedroom, at the stuffed animals on the shelves and the little writing desk and the rocking horse that had once been hers in the corner. â€Å"That's what it means,† she said softly. â€Å"When they said you went to be with Mommy and Daddy, I said I wanted to go, too.† Elena blinked hard. â€Å"Oh, baby. It's not time for you to go, so you can't. And Aunt Judith loves you very much, and she'd be lonely without you.† Margaret nodded, her eyelids drooping. But as Elena eased her down and pulled the bedspread over her, Margaret asked one more question. â€Å"But don't you love me?† Oh, stupid, stupid, Elena thought, forging through the banked snow to the other side of Maple Street. She'd missed her chance to ask Margaret whether Robert had been at dinner. It was too late now. Robert. Her eyes narrowed suddenly. At the church, Robert had been outside and then the dogs had gone mad. And tonight Margaret's kitten had gone feral-just a little while after Robert's car had pulled out of the driveway. Robert has a lot to answer for, she thought. But melancholy was pulling at her, tugging her thoughts away. Her mind kept returning to the bright house she'd just left, going over the things she'd never see again. All her clothes and knickknacks and jewelry-what would Aunt Judith do with them? I don't own anything anymore, she thought. I'm a pauper. Elena? With relief, Elena recognized the mental voice and the distinctive shadow at the end of the street. She hurried toward Stefan, who took his hands out of his jacket pockets and held hers to warm them. â€Å"Meredith told me where you'd gone.† â€Å"I went home,† Elena said. That was all she could say, but as she leaned against him for comfort, she knew that he understood. â€Å"Let's find someplace we can sit down,† he said, and stopped in frustration. All the places they used to go were either too dangerous or closed to Elena. The police still had Stefan's car. Eventually they just went to the high school where they could sit under the overhang of a roof and watch the snow sift down. Elena told him what had happened in Margaret's room. â€Å"I'm going to have Meredith and Bonnie spread it around town that cats can attack, too. People should know that. And I think somebody ought to be watching Robert,† she concluded. â€Å"We'll tail him,† Stefan said, and she couldn't help smiling. â€Å"It's funny how much more American you've gotten,† she said. â€Å"I hadn't thought about it in a long time, but when you first came you were a lot more foreign. Now nobody would know you hadn't lived here all your life.† â€Å"We adapt quickly. We have to,† Stefan said. â€Å"There are always new countries, new decades, new situations. You'll adapt, too.† â€Å"You'll learn, in time. If there is anything†¦ good†¦ about what we are, it's time. We have plenty of it, as much as we want. Forever.† † ‘Joyous companions forever.' Isn't that what Katherine said to you and Damon?† Elena murmured. She could feel Stefan's stiffening, his withdrawal. â€Å"She was talking about all three of us,† he said. â€Å"I wasn't.† â€Å"Oh, Stefan, please don't, not now. I wasn't even thinking about Damon, only about forever. It scares me. Everything about this scares me, and sometimes I think I just want to go to sleep and never wake up again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In the shelter of his arms she felt safer, and she found her new senses were just as amazing close up as they were at a distance. She could hear each separate pulse of Stefan's heart, and the rush of blood through his veins. And she could smell his own distinctive scent mingled with the scent of his jacket, and the snow, and the wool of his clothes. â€Å"Please trust me,† she whispered. â€Å"I know you're angry with Damon, but try to give him a chance. I think there's more to him than there seems to be. And I want his help in finding the Other Power, and that's all I want from him.† At that moment it was completely true. Elena wanted nothing to do with the hunter's life tonight; the darkness held no appeal for her. She wished she could be at home sitting in front of a fire. But it was sweet just to be held like this, even if she and Stefan had to sit in the snow to do it. Stefan's breath was warm as he kissed the back of her neck, and she sensed no further withdrawal in Stefan's body. No hunger, either, or at least not the kind she was used to sensing when they were close like this. Now that she was a hunter like he, the need was different, a need for togetherness rather than for sustenance. It didn't matter. They had lost something, but they had gained something, too. She understood Stefan in a way she never had before. And her understanding brought them closer, until their minds were touching, almost meshing with each other's. It wasn't the noisy chatter of mental voices; it was a deep and wordless communion. As if their spirits were united. â€Å"I love you,† Stefan said against her neck, and she held on tighter. She understood now why he'd been afraid to say it for so long. When the thought of tomorrow scared you sick, it was hard to make a commitment. Because you didn't want to drag someone else down with you. Particularly someone you loved. â€Å"I love you, too,† she made herself say and sat back, her peaceful mood broken. â€Å"And will you try to give Damon a chance, for my sake? Try to work with him?† â€Å"I'll work with him, but I won't trust him. I can't. I know him too well.† â€Å"I followed Mrs. Flowers today.† Stefan's lip quirked. â€Å"All afternoon and evening. And you know what she did?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Three loads of wash-in an ancient machine that looked like it was going to explode any minute. No clothes dryer, just a wringer. It's all down in the basement. Then she went outside and filled about two dozen bird feeders. Then back to the basement to wipe off jars of preserves. She spends most of her time down there. She talks to herself.† â€Å"Just like a dotty old lady,† said Elena. â€Å"All right; maybe Meredith's wrong and that's all she is.† She noticed his change of expression at Meredith's name and added, â€Å"What?† â€Å"Well, Meredith may have some explaining to do herself. I didn't ask her about it; I thought maybe it was better coming from you. But she went to talk to Alaric Saltzman after school today. And she didn't want anyone to know where she was going.† Disquiet uncoiled in Elena's middle. â€Å"So what?† â€Å"So she lied about it afterward-or at least she evaded the issue. I tried to probe her mind, but my Powers are just about burnt out. And she's strong-willed.† â€Å"And you had no right! Stefan, listen to me. Meredith would never do anything to hurt us or betray us. Whatever she's keeping from us-â€Å" â€Å"So you do admit that she's hiding something.† â€Å"Yes,† Elena said reluctantly. â€Å"But it's nothing that will hurt us, I'm sure. Meredith has been my friend since the first grade†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Without knowing it, Elena let the sentence slip away from her. She was thinking of another friend, one who'd been close to her since kindergarten. Caroline. Who last week had tried to destroy Stefan and humiliate Elena in front of the entire town. And what was it Caroline's diary had said about Meredith? Meredith doesn't do anything; she just watches. It's as if she can't act, she can only react to things. Besides, I've heard my parents talking about her family-no wonder she never mentions them. Elena's eyes left the snowy landscape to seek Stefan's waiting face. â€Å"It doesn't matter,† she said quietly. â€Å"I know Meredith, and I trust her. I'll trust her to the end.† â€Å"I hope she's worthy of it, Elena,† he said. â€Å"I really do.†

A Difficult Child

Despite their parents’ great efforts, these children are difficult to deal with and to bring up. During the years, people’s opinion about children who face challenges in controlling their feelings and behavior has shifted from one point of view to another. On the one hand, the blame was placed on parents – somehow it was their fault that their children misbehave. If parents were more understanding, patient and caring, then their children would be good. This view didn’t make any sense to many parents and even put them to a cul-de-sac, because their parenting worked for one of their children, but not for other. On the other hand, the experts came to believe that difficult children are like this because of their innate makeup, they are simply born with certain traits, and it is not their fault. Irritability, indifference, fussiness or aggressiveness in children is seen as part of their nature, and parents have no choice but to learn to live with such traits in their child. Similar essay: Having Children While Young It goes without saying that, dealing with difficult children isn’t an easy task and changes to positive side require a long time. In fact, the older they grow, the more rebellious they are likely to become, that’s why it’s very important to discern the difficulties in the upbringing of the child at his early age. Moreover, parents relate to their children can make a huge difference in how youngsters feel about themselves and respond to their environment. Therefore, parents should become child’s support and encouragement. Children learn by example, they absorb all the information like sponges and the best way to promote good habits and behavior is by practicing parents by themselves. One more vital point for parents is to be more involved in child’s life, it means that family members should always keep a healthy relationship with the kid and create a comfort level that will enable him find relatives helpful and reassuring. The last, but not less significant aspect is making child responsible for his decisions and choices, there should always be a consequence of every action, good or bad. This will make him responsible for everything he does and will require a good amount of thinking before any action is taken. I’d like to conclude by saying that â€Å"a difficult child† is not an illness or medical diagnosis, difficult children are normal, they can become positive, enthusiastic, perhaps even especially creative individuals if they are well managed when young, as well as treated with most care and love, from parents, family members, relatives, teachers or any other people around them. A Difficult Child Despite their parents’ great efforts, these children are difficult to deal with and to bring up. During the years, people’s opinion about children who face challenges in controlling their feelings and behavior has shifted from one point of view to another. On the one hand, the blame was placed on parents – somehow it was their fault that their children misbehave. If parents were more understanding, patient and caring, then their children would be good. This view didn’t make any sense to many parents and even put them to a cul-de-sac, because their parenting worked for one of their children, but not for other. On the other hand, the experts came to believe that difficult children are like this because of their innate makeup, they are simply born with certain traits, and it is not their fault. Irritability, indifference, fussiness or aggressiveness in children is seen as part of their nature, and parents have no choice but to learn to live with such traits in their child. Similar essay: Having Children While Young It goes without saying that, dealing with difficult children isn’t an easy task and changes to positive side require a long time. In fact, the older they grow, the more rebellious they are likely to become, that’s why it’s very important to discern the difficulties in the upbringing of the child at his early age. Moreover, parents relate to their children can make a huge difference in how youngsters feel about themselves and respond to their environment. Therefore, parents should become child’s support and encouragement. Children learn by example, they absorb all the information like sponges and the best way to promote good habits and behavior is by practicing parents by themselves. One more vital point for parents is to be more involved in child’s life, it means that family members should always keep a healthy relationship with the kid and create a comfort level that will enable him find relatives helpful and reassuring. The last, but not less significant aspect is making child responsible for his decisions and choices, there should always be a consequence of every action, good or bad. This will make him responsible for everything he does and will require a good amount of thinking before any action is taken. I’d like to conclude by saying that â€Å"a difficult child† is not an illness or medical diagnosis, difficult children are normal, they can become positive, enthusiastic, perhaps even especially creative individuals if they are well managed when young, as well as treated with most care and love, from parents, family members, relatives, teachers or any other people around them.

Nakheel and the launch of blue communites Essay

Nakheel and the launch of blue communites - Essay Example 3; Dubai). There is a need for research, development, and positive transformation of these locations with a long-term aim for Blue Communities to provide leadership in the development of sustainable coastal communities. Nakheel is still a young company, formed in 2001, but bin Salayem notes that the company is already a leader in the region, as well as internationally, and offers its pioneering approach as applied to Blue Communities (Dubai par. 7). Dubai's Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) has made developers responsible for any structural damage to a property and defective installations for 10 years after project completion. The aims of the new law are to "monitor real-estate and development brokers, prevent fraudulent activities and increase investment" (Special Report par. 4). A Nakheel spokesman noted that the new policy is similar to already existing legislation in the UAE Civil Code. Nakheel's projects include The Palms, The World, and the forthcoming Waterfront, which when completed will add 1000 km of waterfront to Dubai. According to the spokesman for Nakheel, "We already guarantee the structural integrity of our properties for 10 years in our standard contracts, so this is not new to us" (Special Report par. 8). Nakheel has more than 1800 employees. It currently has US$60 billion worth of major projects spread across more than 2 billion square feet. The company is committed to ensuring leadership for Dubai in all areas of life with special focus on sustained development and environment (Zakaria). The idea behind Blue Communities, according to Abdul Rahman Kalantar, the company's managing director for design and development, is to "launch new thinking and working methods, given that the initiative itself is not confined to one company or one country, [but] it's rather available for all parties concerned with coastal communities" (Zakaria par. 4). When Dubai's building projects created land where none had existed before, a whole series of environmental concerns were raised. Nakheel met the challenge by initiating a global charter to define the best practice on how coastlines can be developed around the world. It's called Blue Communities and over the next three years is a call to action to the world (Think Blue). Almost half the world's coast is presently threatened by development related activities. At present, Dubai is building its coastline in harmony with nature. But, as more and more projects compete, how long can this be the case In North and Central America nearly a third of the coastline faces moderate to high threats from building for houses and industry. About half of South America's towns, resorts, and leisure communities are mushrooming, turning natural habitats into steel and concrete. It is noted that "an estimated 80 per cent of all life on earth is found in the sea" (Think Blue par. 2). The future of the planet depends on looking ahead and meeting challenges to sustain a natural environment. Issues that must be addressed on a worldwide basis, not just in Dubai and its environs, but throughout the globe, are part of Nakheel's Blue Communities initiatives, as follows (Lamb): Climate

The Definition of Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Definition of Art - Essay Example Art in the Middle Ages can be seen to be dominated by themes of Christianity as the Paganism of the shattered Roman Empire gave way to the Christian belief structures of the new emperors and rulers. From roughly the 500s to the 1500s, art was dominated by a rigid interpretation offered by religious leaders rather than through any of the science or knowledge that had been gained in earlier centuries. Like the Renaissane itself, the Middle Ages can often be broken down into three distinct periods: the early middle ages, the central middle ages and the late middle ages. â€Å"During the early Middle Ages, most paintings were found in the form of illustrated manuscripts. This remained the chief form of painting for years† (Rymer, 2004). A chief reason for this was due to the fact that much of the art produced during this period was produced in the only place where individuals had the leisure and materials with which to produce it and where the wealth consented to support it. Manus cripts were important in preserving the knowledge of the church before the printing press was invented and the illustration of these manuscripts was encouraged by those individuals with the power and strength to encourage it but without the knowledge to read it. â€Å"During the time of Charlemagne, a large emphasis was placed on learning. Though Charlemagne could not read, he supported the development of illustrated texts† (Rymer, 2004). Color usage was relatively muted in the earliest examples of illustrated manuscripts.

Life in the U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Life in the U.S - Essay Example Despite the current law enforcement strategies and awareness programs, the issue has turned to be a serious behavioral problem among adolescents. As per the findings of Holm et al (27), 80% of all smokers in the United States begin smoking even before the age of 18. With increased threat to health and personal integrity, the prohibition of teenage smoking has become the most essential legal concern. In the United States, there is no unified regulation on this issue and the minimum age restriction varies from state to state. Although ‘18’ is generally accepted as the minimum age, the decision is subjected to the discretion of states. According to the statistics of National Cancer Institute, tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. The illness includes cancers of the throat, mouth, nasal cavity, stomach, kidney etc. The study also says that â€Å"smokers are six times more likely to suffer heart attack than non-smokers† and ‘in 2009 around 20.6 percent of U.S. adults were cigarette smokers’ (National Cancer Institute). Works Cited Holm, Nancy. Holm, Jeffrey et al. â€Å"Youth Tobacco Use Prevention Programs†. Adolescent Smoking and Health Research (Ed. Lapointe, Martin). US: Nova Publishers, 2008. Print. â€Å"Smoking†.

Photographs of the Lillis. Basic Elements of Photography and Essay

Photographs of the Lillis. Basic Elements of Photography and Representation versus Reality - Essay Example Even the elevators, which often, in school buildings, are run down, this was not the case in this building. The elevator, too, looked modern – it was chrome, and like the rest of the building, was clean. That was probably the word that I would most use to describe this experience and the space - it was clean and uncluttered. I also liked the open-air feeling of the atrium, and the large windows gave the degree of natural light that was very relaxing for this experience. I can see why this would be a popular place for students, because the entire space gives an air of some place where people can relax, socialize and study. And this was the theme that was presented in this building – it is obvious that the architects of this space had a relaxing and clean aesthetic in mind. There was nothing about this building that was industrial or garish or harsh. The walls were not painted in bright or dark colors, and there was very little wood that was exposed, either. No real indus trial look, like exposed pipes or something like that. From the tiled floors to the large meeting rooms, to the large atrium meeting hall, that was the aesthetic that was felt in this space. This was what so appealing about this space. As for what was unappealing about the space, I felt that perhaps the hallways, which were captured as part of these photographic sequences, seemed a little claustrophobic. They could have been widened a little to give even more of an impression of detail and relaxation. My photographing of this space was both intuitive and rational. That is, I gravitated towards certain parts of the building, just naturally – this was something that I used to determine which photographs to take, which was the places where I felt most comfortable and relaxed. That said, there also was a rational approach to the picture taking. The rational approach was that I knew that I had to diversify in taking the pictures – I couldn’t just take shots of the be auty of the building, without also taking shots of the mundane. Therefore, I felt the need to make sure that things like the chrome elevators were featured in this spread, as well as other things such as metal boxes and drinking fountains and other things that are important to a building, but may not be the main draw. I felt, consciously, that I needed to completely represent the building, as opposed to highlighting the high points. I did feel that the digital camera would give me a slightly different result than a traditional camera. That is because I would be able to see, in real time, how the photographs looked, and this is what I based my portfolio on. The real time photographs. I was able to note that I was hitting the points that I wanted to hit. If I was taking pictures with a traditional camera, this would not be available as much. I chose two photographs. The one photograph that I chose was the one of the students in their tables, with the open air windows in the background . The other photograph that I chose was the photograph of the metal boxes that were lined against one wall. The reason why I chose these two photographs, in particular, was that these represented opposite ends of the spectrum, in terms of aesthetics. I felt that, by choosing these two photographs, I represented the building the best. In other words, the building was not just about the beauty, but also about the mundane things that makes a building what it is. I felt that this was the best use of my photographer’

Health Information Exchange - Answer both questions Essay

Health Information Exchange - Answer both questions - Essay Example involved, who is leading the initiative, whether it is a consolidated of federal model, whether personal health records play a role, and a description of how records are transferred between providers. NY State "Has made adoption of HIT and HIE a top priority through the Healthcare Efficiency and Affordable Law for New Yorkers (HEAL NY) Capital Grant Program" (Kern and Kaushul, 2007, p.S18). This program is mandated to implore funding to finance implementation of EHRs, electronic prescribing, and formulation and execution of pervasive clinical data exchanges within NY State (Kern and Kaushul, 2007). In facilitating implementation of HIE, Kern and Kaushul (2007) asserts that it is a prerequisite for the initiative to engage all stakeholders in the healthcare sector. In this regard, other parties involved other than the NY State government and grantees include hospitals, physicians, and payers (Kern and Kaushul, 2007). As further outlined by Kern and Kaushul, (2007), there are also efforts to ensure that grantees contribute funds equivalent to the funds donated by the State government to support HIE, and other efforts require subsequent evaluations of the initiative in an effort to assess the impact of the initiative on the quality, cost, and safety of health care. Assessing the impact of HIE on quality, cost, and safety of care validates the fact that personal health records play a fundamental role in the initiative. In essence, health records serves as a source of evaluation data. In facilitating the implementation of HIE, HITEC (Health Information Technology Evaluation Collaborative) was also established as an effort to bring together researchers and experts in all science related fields (Kern and Kaushul, 2007). Implementation of the HIE in NY State is a consolidated effort as it involves the NY State government, grantees and stakeholders. When a patient presents himself to a physician in need of a specialized care or assessment, the physician is obligated to

Effective Global Leadership Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Effective Global Leadership - Coursework Example They acknowledge that being bold is the primary element for steering the organization upwards. In addition, autocratic managers have all the attention directed to them. Like Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic, autocratic managers are great visionaries and appreciate that boldness is critical to establish and maintain a global profile. Autocratic managers are technocrats. They understand their leadership style as part of their personality. In addition, they acknowledge that leadership stems from adhering to their natural strengths. Therefore, autocratic managers are strengths-savvy. Contrary to being strengths savvy and bold, autocratic managers stick to their leadership style. They believe that adopting other leadership styles would be contradictory. It would be against their natural strengths to stretch autocratic leadership to accommodate other leadership styles such as the Laissez-faire and democratic leadership. Similar to being bold, autocratic managers are visionaries. They set the direction in a compelling manner. Autocratic managers are known to be trustworthy, and employees rely on the objectives set for effective business performance. Therefore, autocratic managers possess the basic needs of followers; that is, be â€Å"going somewhere.† Autocratic managers are not conscious of human and social contribution. In addition, they limit the ability of employees to be innovative, rather focus on their opinion towards securing a resilient future for the organization. Like all managers, autocratic managers are balanced in terms of sustainable thought and action. They appreciate the consequences of their leadership style and strive to focus on the long-term objective of global recognition. All managers adopting a specific or multiple leadership styles should strive for empowerment. It is rather hypothetical to strive for global recognition while suppressing the need for employee empowerment. Employees need to grow within

Strategic Quality And Systems Management Essay Example for Free

Strategic Quality And Systems Management Essay This unit provides the learner with an understanding of the importance of effective quality and systems management to enable achievement of organisational objectives. It also provides the learner with the skills to be able to implement a strategic quality change in an organisation. Scenario You have been hired as an outside consultant to devise, implement and manage a new operational framework for student attendance monitoring and engagement in EThames Graduate school. You are required to look at the existing quality management within the organisation particularly focusing on punctuality of students within the attendance policy. You need to implement a strategic quality change, ensuring the necessary monitoring evaluation systems are in place and evaluating the outcomes of the change to improve punctuality of students at EThames Graduate school. You will need to particularly focus on improvement of punctuality of  students, as there has been concerns raised by study representatives of all intakes during the student council meeting that there are tiny number of students who seems to be coming into the class fifteen minutes late into the lesson and this has created disruption for students who are in class on time. Nonetheless, EThames Graduate School recognises the relationship between good attendance, punctuality and student success. This Policy also recognises the requirements of the Home Office for Tier 4 students. Persistent lateness and lack of attendance is disruptive to the teaching and learning activities of all college students. Aims The aims of this policy are: To enable all absences to be fairly and consistently dealt with across the College. To monitor and improve the attendance of all students. In interpreting the policy and associated procedures, the decision of the College is final. The College may amend this policy at any time or depart from it depending on the circumstances of the case. Attendance requirements As part of the terms and conditions of enrolment at the College, students agreed to comply with the EThames Code of Conduct, which specifies that students are expected to attend all lectures, seminars and tutorials. Where attendance is unsatisfactory students will be subject to the Student Disciplinary Procedure, and registration on the programme may be cancelled, and if applicable Tier 4 sponsorship may be withdrawn. Students are expected to arrive punctually and attend all classes, compulsory activities, tutorials and review sessions. Please follow the reference below for more information: EThames Graduate School (2014) EThames General Documentation: Attendance Policy. Last accessed on 16th May, 2015 at 18.00: http://livecampus.estudents.org.uk/course/view.php?id=71 Focused on the scenario above provide your answer in a form of a written report. Task 1 Make a case to the principle for change Here you will need to: Create the plan for strategic quality change of the student attendance monitoring and engagement framework particularly on punctuality with the aim of enhancing existing quality. Plan a strategic quality change to improve organisational performance. (AC:3.1) Define resources, tools and systems to support business processes in a strategic quality change. (AC:3.2) Design systems to monitor the implementation of a strategic quality change in EThames. (AC:3.4) Write a report justifying your plan that Explains of the importance of effective operations management in achieving organisational objectives. (AC:1.1) Explains of the importance of effective quality management in achieving organisational objectives. (AC:2.1) Evaluate the success of existing operations management processes in meeting an organisation’s overall strategic management objectives. (AC: 1.2) Evaluates the success of existing quality management processes in meeting an organisation’s overall strategic management objectives. (AC:2.2) Evaluates the wider implications of planned strategic quality change in the organisation. (AC:3.3) Present a summary of your proposal along with your report and plan to key stakeholders in the College. Task 2 Implementation From your class, one framework will be chosen. You will then group together as a team with clear divisions and responsibilities and tasked with implementing the change in association with Student Services and the Attendance Team. Make sure that you Implement a strategic quality change. (AC: 4.1) Embed a quality culture in the organisation and ensure that the team continuously monitors and develops the plan. (AC: 4.2) Individually monitor and review the implementation regularly (AC: 4.3) Note: You are responsible for ensuring that each part of the plan is implemented, embedded and monitored. You can delegate tasks to other members of your team, but you cannot delegate responsibility for oversight. And you are also responsible for evidencing your oversight. The evidence we require of your engagement with oversight Minutes of every meeting you attend with clear indication that you have participated Your preparation notes for every meeting Detailed proposals for implementation or development that you have submitted at every meeting A record of all action you have taken, signed by a witness from within EThames Monitoring reports that you have completed on a daily basis reviewing the effectiveness of the implementation and the effectiveness of the plan Task 3 Evaluate the success of the implementation Write a report that evaluate the outcomes of a strategic quality change in an organisation and recommend areas for improvement to a strategic quality change that align with organisational objectives. (AC: 5.1 5.2) Submission Guidelines Your submission should be in a report format. 3500- 4000 words Excellent Formatting: Preferred writing styles Arial, Verdana, and Times New Roman Line spacing 1.5, Font Size 12 Consistency in Heading Scheme, bullets and numbering Consistency in top, bottom and left, right margins Alphabetical Harvard referencing and bibliography *For Late Submission policy, please refer to your student course handbook available on Live Campus. Plagiarism Rules and Regulations No plagiarism is accepted in assignments and students are advised to do the referencing correctly according to the Harvard Referencing System. Students are advised to submit assignments with a plagiarism percentage below 15%. Any student submitting an assignment with a percentage of more than 15% will have their work reviewed by the appropriate Exam Board. Reduce your plagiarism by not sharing assignments and doing in text citations of sources used, using the Harvard referencing method What is Turnitin? Turnitin is the software that EThames uses to calculate the similarity of your assignment to any other document submitted in the same system all over the world. What happens when you submit an assignment on Turnitin? You submit your assignment on Turnitin by submitting it on Livecampus on the assignment submission link. Your assignment is then compared with all of the assignments for all the different units submitted on Livecampus as well as assignments submitted by other students in other colleges and books and documents all over the world. The report generated is not the final report. The final report will only be generated after the final deadline which would mean that once the submission link closes and once every student submitted assignments at EThames for the specific unit, only then the final report will be generated. This means that if you have shared your assignment with anybody and they have submitted part of it or the full assignment the initial report your friend got would’ve indicated the similarity, but your report would’ve remained unchanged. This is because the report is refreshed every time that you upload your assignment and then finally after the deadline. After the deadline their plagiarism will be high as well as your own. What can you do to avoid getting a high Turnitin score? Do not copy pieces of work from any book or website. It needs to be rewritten in your own words and proper in text citation should be done according to  the Harvard referencing method Do not share your assignment with any friend, not even to assist them Plagiarism Plagiarism is passing off the work of others as your own. This constitutes academic theft and is a serious matter which is penalised in assignment marking. Plagiarism is the submission of an item of assessment containing elements of work produced by another person(s) in such a way that it could be assumed to be the student’s own work. Examples of plagiarism are: The verbatim copying of another person’s work without acknowledgement The close paraphrasing of another person’s work by simply changing a few words or altering the order of presentation without acknowledgement The unacknowledged quotation of phrases from another person’s work and/or the presentation of another person’s idea(s) as one’s own. Copying or close paraphrasing with occasional acknowledgement of the source may also be deemed to be plagiarism if the absence of quotation marks implies that the phraseology is the student’s own. Plagiarised work may belong to another student or be from a published source such as a book, report, journal or material available on the internet.

Does An Individual Enjoy Freedom Of Occupational Choice

Does An Individual Enjoy Freedom Of Occupational Choice Why do working- class individuals continue to enter working- class, gender stereotyped jobs? Why do working- class boys look for heavy manual work (Willis 1977), in trades such as plumbing, electrical engineering and forestry? Why do working- class girls still swarm towards traditional female occupations, such as nursing and rarely for example, seek training as electricians, joiners, technicians and computer operators? We might expect that new production patterns, and new systems of education and training, coupled with the promise of lifting barriers to opportunity, might have dislocated the processes of class and gender reproduction of careers- but little has happened to counteract the influence of class race and gender on career choice. (Wilson 2010: 51) In view of the above statement, critically evaluate the contention that the individuals enjoy the freedom of occupational choice. Occupational choice is without doubt one of the most important decisions an individual makes in their lifetime. Sofer (1973) reiterates this by stating that; It is often critical in determiningincome; standard of living; health; self- esteem; social relationships; the quality of ones life; and the environment one can provide for ones family, including the chances of ones children to enter particular occupations. (Williams 1974:15) The above statement reflects how it is often perceived that if a person is satisfied within their working environment, then other aspects of their lives will follow on from this. Work plays a huge role in our life and we contribute a large majority of our time and effort to ensuring that we have chosen the right career, beginning from very early childhood when we embark into the education system, right through to when we leave school and decide where to go next. The past twenty years have seen rapid advances in the theories of occupational choice, but to date there has been little agreement as to exactly how and why we preside in a certain occupation over another. More traditional theories sided with the belief that we either happen upon a certain role, or that it is down to the development of the individual thanks to a rational process of decision making. These concepts have recently been challenged by theorists who believe that alongside the developmental and chance aspects of occupational choice, there are structural factors which make a massive impact. The objective of this essay is to determine the extent to which an individual enjoys freedom of occupational choice. This will be addressed by firstly defining occupational choice, then exploring how the theory has developed, critically evaluating the contrasting opinions and providing necessary academic literature where needed. The essay will logically move through these theories in refer ence to the objective provided and then arrive at a conclusion, reviewing all of the above. According to Watson (2003), occupational choice is an individualised process through which the self concept grows as abilities, aptitudes and interests develop (Watson 2003: 183). This definition has developed over many years after numerous studies have been conducted into occupational choice and its determinants. Preliminary theorists deemed it to generally rely on chance events whether they are planned or unplanned, that would eventually influence an individual to make certain decisions (Bright et al 2004: no page). This was referred to as the happenstance theory of occupational choice, which is now seen as highly inaccurate since it did not consider the individual and their personality alongside occurring events during their lifetime (Bright et al 2004: no page). Back in 1951, Ginzberg et al carried out a major study into occupational choice which has become known as one of the originating theories on the topic. Ginzbergs research focus was on the individual, and how by making decisions through defined life stages, the self concept is adapted. They deemed the process to be largely irreversible which has formed the basis of the argument for many critics (Slocum 1959:183). Super (1957) is probably the most notable critic of Ginzberg et als theory. He argues that elements such as values and previous research had been ignored (Slocum 1959:184) and he also believed that an individual is matched to an occupational role not only because of their character and merit, but also by the opportunities which are available at the time (Williams 1974:31). Super had recognised the more vocational aspect of occupational choice that a child is subjected to whilst growing up, such as work experience and changing job roles. Supers work contained situational exper iences that highlight more structural factors such as the socio- economic status of the childs parents (Watson,T :2008:230) and the current availabilities within the labour market. Although Supers work delved into the subject much deeper than the proceeding research by Ginzberg, it has limitations due to the way that it only highlighted the potential influence of parents and peers on a child- nor does he examine how this impact can be either positive or negative. The weaknesses of the two studies mentioned so far include that both were carried out on white middle class American males, and therefore cannot be considered to be a true reflection of developmental occupational choice. More valuable research would include information on both sexes, and also recognise the impact of different social class status in the United Kingdom. Musgrave (1967), Mead (1934) and Miller and Form (1951) reinforce the latter point that the main drawbacks of Supers studies was that he failed to fully recognise the significance of parental and peer influence on a child (Slocum 1959: 142-3). Musgrave (1967) took the work of Ginzberg and Super and applied a more sociological stance to give recognition to the way in which we as individuals learn, watch and observe even before entering the labour market, which helps to shape our perception of society (Watson 2003:183). He formulated four stages through which an individual passes; pre-work socialisation, entry to the labour force, socialisation into the labour force and lastly, job changes (Williams 1974:101). The pre work stage focuses on how children imitate adults by games such as doctors and nurses where they take on an imaginary job, and act out how they perceive the role to be. This role playing or role-taking as Miller and Form (1951) refer to it then develops in the second and third stages which cover the individuals entry into a working environment and the career path they eventually decide on, whilst the fourth stage considers any changes that may happen occupationally (Slocum 1959:142). Role- playing shows the influence adults, and more specifically our parents can have on our career choice. A more recent study into the importance of parental roles has been carried out by Dryler (1998). Although on a Swedish cohort, she confirmed that parents in a specific industry will encourage their child to follow in their footsteps. In addition to this, she discovered that the parent of the same sex as the child is more influential if they are in a particular line of work (Dryler 1998:394). There are similarities between the work of Dryler (1998) and Greico (1987). Greico recognised that some individuals are not merely influenced by their parents, but physically supported toward a certain job by being sponsored or recommended (Watson 2003:185). The work of Dryler (1998) and Greico (1987) mirrored earlier observations by Bandura (1977) and Kohlberg (1966) that focussed on social learning and cognitive development, theories that both acknowledge how children emulate their parents, specifically those of the same sex to themselves (Dryler 1998: 377). Interestingly, Dryler also denoted t hat if the parent and child are of different sex, then the opposite is true (Dryler 1998:394). Whipp (1980) and Ram (1994) carried out research which is consistent with the findings of Dryler and Grieco, agreeing that a child can literally be pushed into a job of their parents choosing, which differs greatly from Ginzbergs original theory that individuals have freedom of occupational choice. This also demonstrates how children are not necessarily exposed to all the career opportunities available, and that their parents can be a driving factor in limiting this. These findings also support the theories of Marshall, Swift and Roberts (1975) that ability is nurtured which Hollingshead (1949) suggested can relate to where our parents are situated in the class structure as to how a child portrays a particular job role, which will be looked at in more detail in the next section of this paper (Abercrombie and Warde 2003:141, Slocum 1959:147). However, it must be recognised that childhood observation of our parents may have totally the opposite impact, and a job role may be chosen simp ly to be different. The research discussed so far has mainly focussed on the individual and our behavioural maturation alongside values and beliefs, and how these achieved roles affect our occupational choice. Whilst the work into the developmental aspects of occupational choice is invaluable, it does not help to fully explain the issues mentioned by Wilson (2010) and Willis (1977) in the question. Therefore it is necessary to look at how the theory has developed, and widened to incorporate structural factors which are outside of the individuals control- also known as ascribed roles. Three advocates in the structural related factors field of theory are Roberts (1968), Kiel et al (1966) and Miller and Form (Furlong 1996: 561- 65, Williams 1974: 78 97). They understand that whilst psychology plays a huge part in our occupational choices, we are often faced with issues including, the current economy, gender, ethnicity and class which will be now be analysed in more detail. Traditionalists such as Kuh and Wadsworth (1991) believe that as individuals, we are born into one class- and it is very hard to migrate into other classes (Kuh and Wadsworth 1991: 537-555). In contradiction to this is the notion of social mobility, which is the ability of an individual to move from one class to another (Goodhart 2003). The Government is working hard to increase social mobility, and has appointed Alan Milburn to assist them further with their plans to eradicate the so called barriers to opportunity that Wilson (2010) refers to (Stratton 2010 and Wilson 2010). Hutton (2010) believes that the working class are simply not presented with as many opportunities as those in the classes above them, and Sennett and Cobbs (1972) went as far as to say that being working class creates psychological barriers acknowledging how it may not only be economic difficulties that affect an individual (Reay et al 2001:855-74). Goldthorpe (2003) counteracts this, stating how the class syst em is in decline in Britain, whilst Goodhart (2009) observes that there is no viable way of measuring who belongs in what class therefore statistics on class mobility are often complex and flawed (Goldthorpe 2003:239, Goodhart 2009). In his own studies, Goldthorpe (2003) draws heavily from the previous work of Ginzberg and Super with relation to the self concept development theory, but is distinguishable by the way in which parental class is addressed in more depth and he also incorporates modern empirical evidence to support his work (Goldthorpe 2003: 234). Although he deems class as important, he makes clear that this is only in the entry and lower levels of the labour market (Goldthorpe 2003:238). This is supported by Layder et al (1991), Giddens (1984) and Blau et al (1956), who agree that an individual is affected by different factors at different times in their life, particularly when they enter the institution system and the job market (Watson 2003:184, Williams 1974: 31). Goldthorpe (2003) refers to the rich as risk averse, highlighted by the recent stock market collapse where high paid city bankers still received huge bonuses and pay packets after losing millions of the nations money in risky transaction s. This translates the way in which the working class have to rely on education more heavily as they do not have as much to fall back on as their higher class peers (Goldthorpe 2003: 235). Pakulski and Waters (1996) disagree, stating that parents class makes no difference to their childs eventual occupational choice (Abercrombie and Warde 2003:130). In stark contrast to the earlier research, Garner (2008) states that social class is the single most influential factor in educational attainment, suggesting that our parents class is directly related to the grades we will eventually achieve, and also for what institution we gain them from (Garner 2008). Savage and Egerton (1997) and Westergaard (1995) agree with Garner (2008), claiming that children can do well in education purely because of the distribution of wealth (Abercrombie and Warde 2003:130-1). The Government seems to sit on the fence with regards to the impact of parental class on occupational choice; Nick Clegg and Harriett Harman are both of the opinion that whilst parents play a crucial role, ultimately class inequalities still remain (Stratton 2010, EHRC 2010)- explaining why the Government is taking such a stance on social mobility. The above discussion on social class shows how the stereotypical roles referred to by Willis (1977) may be undertaken by working class in dividuals purely due to the opportunities that are available to them and the class status inherited from their parents. Although Wilson (2010) suggests that this is still the case, the research mentioned has proved that this debate is not easily settled since there are strong arguments from either side by numerous theorists and influential figures. Another structural factor which may affect an individuals choice of occupation is that of gender. In todays modern society, the hypothesis is that gender inequalities have been eradicated, but the National Equality Panel found recently that men are still paid up to twenty one percent more per hour than women who have the same job role and qualifications (EHRC 2010). This report has been devastatingly critiqued by numerous academics, including Saunders (2010) and Caldwell (2010) who both believe that the EHRC have confused the meaning of inequality with that of prejudice and discrimination (Caldwell 2010:7 and Saunders 2010:14). This demonstrates how, like class, gender is a hard topic to define and quantify, therefore its affects on occupational choice are very difficult to measure. In 1984, Martin and Roberts looked at the relationship between gender and career choice, and found that a womans decision making process is related to the assumption that she will become a mother and therefore be more dedicated toward child rearing and domesticated duties (Watson 2003:192). This study suffers due to the fact that it is over fifteen years old and therefore cannot be considered as accurate in the present time. However, more recent work has been carried out by Riddell, Gaskell and Banks (1992), who discovered women are more likely to be pulled towards domestic subjects in early schooling (Abercrombie and Warde 2003:472), which illustrates how gender is already affecting occupational choice at a very young age by implying stereotypical roles to each sex . Although Riddell et als research is newer than Martin and Roberts it still has limitations because times have changed so much in the past ten years or so and it does not properly consider the aspirations of males compar ed to those of females. In 2000, Hakim demonstrated that preferences had changed dramatically, women were being offered more opportunities, and businesses had adapted to become more flexible towards them. She identified three work life preference groups; home centred, work centred and adaptive, claiming that most women in America and the United Kingdom could be placed into the adaptive group- therefore achieving a balance between their work and home lives (Watson 2003: 194). More recent studies have also found there to be a more wide range of job opportunities available to both sexes, with the armed forces being an example of how gender atypical roles have deteriorated. The Royal Air Force now offers over ninety percent of its roles to women, whilst the Navy and the Army have approximately three quarters of their roles available to both sexes (MOD, no date). This does however insinuate that not all opportunities are entirely equal- although progress has been made over the last century as attitudes have chan ged and women are looking for self fulfilment from their occupations (Watson 2003:194). Formal institutions have often been blamed for the different educational development of boys and girls. Timperley and Gregory (1971) found that there were approximately four times as many females wanting to continue on in education after school, whereas males were more likely to go straight into the labour market (Wilson 1974:193). Timperley and Gregorys paper would have been far more persuasive if it had been carried out in the last ten years and also if it had covered a nationwide cohort rather than just one particular area. Since this study, research has also begun to cover individual attitudes toward occupational roles, it cannot be said that women nowadays subscribe to the assumption that they will have children- many women are in fact the total opposite and careers are becoming first priority. Harper and Haq (2001), support this by stating that British women who delay motherhood, are likely to be more ambitious in terms of their educational and occupational achievements (Harper and Haq 2001:713). This can also be related to the way in which gender roles have in some cases switched altogether, with some men choosing to stay at home with the children whilst the woman of the household is the main breadwinner. However, this is hard to measure since studies cannot clarify individual aspirations and boys may not apply themselves as much as girls if they believe that the occupation they want to go into does not need high grades, particularly if they are looking at trades or the armed forces. Although class and gender are two of the most prominently researched structural factors that may impact on an individuals occupational choice, Wilson (2010) also mentions the issue of race. The afore mentioned EHRC report found that white working class boys and black Caribbean boys historically have bad attainment grades (EHRC 2010), whilst Haw (1998) concluded from her study that some staff were confused with regards to the treatment of Muslim pupils (Abercrombie and Warde 2003:474-5). Blackwell (2003), looked at the impact of ethnicity in greater detail, and implied that occupational choices in different ethnic groups can largely be related to historical and political reasons. She also noted that ethnic segregation in occupational roles is less than gender segregation, highlighting how differentials can be created by the individual, rather than by the market (Blackwell 2003:726-7). Most studies in racial impact on occupational choice have been slanted towards the opportunities avai lable in the market, but it would be more useful if the authors had considered individualistic factors that relate to culture and political views. Taking into account the studies mentioned; it would seem that ethnicity is not a deciding factor of an individuals occupational choice- and further studies could focus on whether this is true. Returning to the question posed at the beginning of this paper, it is now possible to state that whilst an individual does have freedom of occupational choice to some extent, there are, as Wilson (2010) states, many factors which also have an impact. The findings of this essay suggest that when the individual proceeds through the development of self concept, they can be influenced by parents, peers, class, formal institutions, the current economy, gender and their ethnicity. Further work needs to be done to establish whether individuals in the present times are still impacted by the socio-cultural factors mentioned by Willis (1977), and also to attain whether aspirations are affected by opportunity availability. It is now more acceptable to see women in roles such as plumbing and engineering, but the impact of gender and class is still being argued. Structural factors are very much related to the individual in the sense that certain job roles have historically been filled by certain class origins or by a particular gender- and it has proven difficult to change peoples perceptions of certain careers. New government policies are attempting to eradicate inequalities, although it will be difficult to change individual attitudes and values towards certain jobs- especially in the tough economic climate that is being experienced due to the recession. Overall, it could be said that if an individual is given a fair and varied exposure to all job roles available, then it will be down to their own choice, but in reality this will be very hard to achieve because what may be a good job for one person, may not be perceived as that to another. Word Count: 3260 words (Excluding bibliography) References Abercrombie, N. and Warde, A. (2000) Contemporary British Society. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Polity Press Blackwell, L. (2003) Gender and Ethnicity at Work: Occupational Seggregation and Disadvantage in the 1991 British Census British Journal of Sociology, Vol 37, pp. 713-31 [online] Available at: [Accessed 16/11/2010] Bright, J.E.H. et al. (2005) The Role of Chance Events in Career Decision Making Journal of Vocational Behaviour, Vol 66, Part: 3: pp. 561-576 [online] Available at: [Accessed 19/11/2010] Caldwell, C. (2010) Inequality in a Meritocracy Financial Times, 30th January, p. 7 [online] Available at: [Accessed 20/10/2010] Carol, A, Parry S. (1968) The Economic Rationale of Occupational Choice. Industrial and Labor Relations Review. 1968. pp183-196 [online] Available from Business Source Premier [Accessed 20/10/2010] Chang, T.F.H. (2003) A Social Pyshcological Model of Womens Gender-typed Occupational Mobility Career Development International, Vol 8, Part: 1: pp. 27-39 [online] Available at: [Accessed 15/11/2010] Dryler, H. (1998) Parental Role Models. Gender and Educational Choice The British Journal of Sociology, Vol 49, Part: 3: pp. 375-398 [online] Available at: [Accessed 20/10/2010] EQUALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE (2010) How Fair is Britain? Executive Summary The First Triennial Review. EHRC [online] Available at [20/10/2010] Furlong, A. et al. (1996) Neigbourhoods, Opportunity Structures and Occupational Aspirations British Journal of Sociology, Vol 30, Part: 3: pp. 551-565 Garner, R. (2008) Social Class Determines Childs Success The Independent, 18/09/2008, [online] Available at: [Accessed 19/10/2010] Goldthorpe, J. (2003) The Myth of Education Based Meritocracy- Why the Theory Isnt Working New Economy, pp. 234-239 [online] Available at: [Accessed 20/10/2010] Goodhart, D. (2009) Oh Do Keep Up: Social Mobility Is Far From Dead Sunday Times, 26/07/2009 Harper, B. Haq, M. (2001) Ambition, Discrimination, and Occupational Attainment: a Study of a British Cohort Oxford Economic Papers, Vol 53, Part: 4: pp. 695-720 [online] Available at: [Accessed 15/11/2010] Hutton, W. (2010) Extract: Them and Us: Politics, Greed and Inequality- Why We Need a Fair Society The Guardian, 26/09/2010, [online] Available at: [Accessed 19/10/2010] Kuh, D. Wadsworth, M. (1991) Childhood Influences on Adult Male Earnings in a Longitudinal Study British Journal of Sociology, Vol 42, Part: 4: pp. 537-555 [online] Available at: [Accessed 16/11/2010] Ministry of Defence (MOD) (no date) Equality and Diversity in the Armed Forces [online] Available at http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/Personnel/EqualityAndDiversity/. Accessed 15/11/2010 Reay, D. et al. (2001) Choices of Degree Or Degrees of Choice? Class, Race and the Higher Education Choice Process British Journal of Sociology, Vol 35, Part: 4: p. 855-874 Saunders, P. (1997) Social Mobility in Britain: an Empirical Evaluation of Two Competing Explanations British Journal of Sociology, Vol 31, Part: 2: pp. 261-288 Saunders, P. (2010) Difference, inequality and unfairness: the fallacies, errors and confusions in the Equality and Human Rights Commission report- How Fair is Britain Civitas Online Report, October [online] [Accessed 20/10/2010] Slocum, W.L. (1959) Some Sociological Aspects of Occupational Choice American Journal of Economics and Sociology. January 1959. pp 183-196 [online] Available from Business Source Premier [Accessed 19/10/2010] Stratton, A. (2010) Nick Clegg Outlines Plans For More Social Mobility The Guardian, 18/08/2010, [online] Available at: [Accessed 19/10/2010] Watson, T.J. (2003) Sociology, Work and Industry. 4th ed. London: Routledge Williams, W.M. (1974) Occupational Choice. London: George Allen and Unwin LTD Willis, P.E. (1977) Learning to Labour: How Working Class Kids Get Working Class Jobs. Farnborough: Saxon House Wilson, F.M. (2010) Organisational Behaviour and Work. a Critical Introduction. 3rd ed. Abingdon: Routledge

The Vietnam Counter-Culture Essay -- youth counter-culture of the 70’s

For some it was all about knowledge and enlightenment. For others it was the drive to show that they were not puppets under the marionette master. But for the masses, it was just what the other kids were doing. Yet, when it really all came down to it, regardless of what they were representing, the youth counter-culture of the 1970’s was quite powerful. Who would have thought that the youth who in all previous wars had heeded their parents call now rejected and abandoned their ideals and almost formed their own sect in the political spectrum? In order to give a just analysis, to give an examination of the Vietnam Counter-Culture, one would have to look to the preliminary causes, the debates and diplomacy of the youth themselves, and the reflection where this has influenced today’s youth. Due to the volatile conditions of the Vietnam War, the protestors believed that they should not be involved in a war that they cared so little about. Public opinion heavily swayed during the war as only one senator dissented from the overwhelming opinion to fight the war (Amter 45). However, as President Johnson escalated the war and the Draft increased by 25% in 1968, those youths being conscripted were infuriated (Dougan 118). Not only this, the North Vietnamese began a ruthless offensive on American soldiers by merciless attacking our bases. This resulted in US victories, but also US casualties (Dougan 116). Also, the marines stationed at the bases began to use offensive attacks to deter Viet Cong assault against the wishes of General Taylor (Karnov 443). With these new less defensive strategy, Nixon announced plans to start operations in Cambodia, and to increase the bombings overall in Southeast Asia (Dougan 180). Some missions even began t... ... also foreign policy. We are now less violent towards other cultures and governments that simply just don’t make sense. The Counterculture may not have directly caused any diplomacy, but this belief has been implemented in basically all that America does anymore, like with the UN, relief efforts, and increased welfare for our own people. In order to give a just analysis, to give an examination of the Vietnam Counter-Culture, one would have to look to the preliminary causes, the debates and diplomacy of the youth themselves, and the reflection where this has influenced today’s youth. I am proud to say that as an American I am proud of the simple origins of the peace and love philosophy. Coupled with the causes of freedom, comes a cause for peace and love. Simply put, why can’t we be friends? Why can’t we love our neighbors in the world? Why not peace and love?

Critical Analysis Of The Eagle By Lord Tennyson :: Poetry Analysis

Critical Analysis of "The Eagle" by Lord Tennyson The name of the poem I am writing about is called â€Å"The Eagle† by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It is in figurative language form. The poem is divided into 2 Stanza's with 3 lines each. And there are an average of 9 feet a line. The rhyme scheme is every last word in each stanza rhyme's. Some of the imagery is with sight and sound. For sight they are â€Å"Close to the sun†, â€Å"Azure world†, azure mean the blue color in a clear daytime sky. â€Å" Wrinkled sea beneath†, and â€Å"mountain walls†. The only one that was imagery of sight & sound was â€Å"like a thunderbolt he falls†. The figures of speech are â€Å"wrinkled sea†, which means the waves in the ocean. And one simile is â€Å"like a thunderbolt he falls†, it is saying how fast a eagle dives. The poems theme is how an eagle can fly so high and dive so fast.

I Am A Hunter Essay example -- Personal Narrative Writing

One cold and bleak December day, I set off into the woods with the sole intention of shooting a grouse for dinner. There would be no sport today; no explosive flushes, no finely crafted double barreled shotguns, no spectacular wing shots. They have their place but not today. A semester at college had made me hungry for fresh, clean, unprocessed meat. I would shoot the bird in the head, on the ground, with a .22 rifle. I was unashamedly out to kill. It was getting dark when I glanced up into the dark boughs of the spruce. I had searched every alder thicket, brush pile, and apple tree that I knew of and here, not one hundred yards from my back door, was the dark, unmistakable, silhouette of a grouse. I slowly raised my rifle, took careful aim, and slowly pulled the trigger. With the snap of the shot, it somersaulted to the ground. My heartbeat quickened as I rushed over to where the bird had fallen . . . Man is a predator and therefore by nature, a hunter. Do not doubt this. While we do not possess the speed of the cheetah, the rapier-like talons of the falcon, nor the strength of the bear, we do have the greatest weapon of all- our superior ability to think. It was the great equalizer that brought us the club, the spear, and the 30.06. For over ninety-nine percent of our history we have utilized weapons as hunter-gather societies (Caras 7), with males traditionally doing the bulk of the hunting. Certainly the remaining one percent is too short a time in our evolutionary history to lose complete touch with our instincts. True, today's "civilized," sedentary world has rid us of our original need to hunt but it has not completely rid us of the urge to hunt in all of us. There are still those of us, for what ever reason, maybe ... ...id. Walden and On the Duty of Civil Disobedience. Macmillan Publishing Co. New York. 1962. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. 1985 National Survey of Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife Associated Recreation. Washington, D.C. 1988. Works Referenced Casada, Jim (editor). Tales of Whitetails. South Carolina University Press. 1992. Chatwin, Bruce. The Songlines. Viking Penguin. 1987. Hemingway, Ernest. The Green Hills of Africa. Charles Scribner's Sons. New York. 1935. Johnson, Roger. Aggression- In Man and Animals. W.B. Company. Philadelphia. 1972. Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac. Oxford University Press. London. 1949. Marsh, Peter. Aggro- The Illusions of Violence. J.M. Dent. London. 1978. Robinson William and Eric G. Bolen. Wildlife Ecology and Management. Macmillan Publishing Co. New York. 1984.

Prestige Telephone Company Essay

1.Identify the costs that are relevant to the analysis to discontinue Prestige Data Services: Relevant costs in the analysis by Prestige Telephone Company decision to discontinue Prestige Data Services include: fixed costs which must be absorbed by the parent company (Prestige Telephone) upon shutdown; outstanding Prestige Data Services debts; costs of retraining retained employees; costs associated with outsourcing data services previously provided by Prestige Data Services; opportunity cost of using space rented to Prestige Data Services; marketing costs attributed to acquiring additional Prestige Data Services customers; costs of increasing promotional activities of Prestige Data Services. In addition, Prestige Telephone Company should consider the qualitative cost of reduced employee morale which may result upon shutdown of Prestige Data Services. Maintenance costs 2.Justify why each of the costs in item 1 is relevant: The costs listed above are all relevant because they each vary with the shutdown decision. ââ€"  Fixed costs which must be absorbed by the parent company (Prestige Telephone) upon shutdown: Payroll, billing, collections, and other corporate services were provided by Prestige Telephone in return for an amount from Data Services based on wages and salaries. These fixed costs allocated to Prestige Data Services must now be accounted for by the parent company. ââ€"  Costs of retraining employees: If employees are retained by Prestige Telephone, wages and salaries that were previously incurred by the Data Services line will hit Prestige Telephone’s budget. Also, new skills will be required of employees retained by the company as well as accompanying training expenses. ââ€"  Costs associated with outsourcing data services previously provided by Prestige Data Services: Prestige Telephone will still require the services Prestige Data Services supply and thus will need to outsource them. Since Prestige Telephone was using a price cap based on estimated data usage in 1999, they were effectively getting discounted data service rates from the subsidiary. If Data Services is shut down, the company might incur much higher service expenses. ââ€"  The maintenance cost is relevant because if Data Services is  shut down the company will no longer incur this costs, thus it needs to be considered as a cost the parent company can eliminate. ââ€"  Opportunity cost of using space rented to Prestige Data Services: If Prestige Telephone decides to shut down the Data Services Company, the parent company will lose the $8000 monthly rental fee paid by the current subsidiary. Additionally, Prestige Telephone must consider the opportunity cost of renting the space to another company or service that may provide them with more income. ââ€"  If Prestige Data Services is shut down, marketing costs attributed to acquiring additional Prestige Data Services customers and promotional activities will no longer be necessary. ââ€"  Termination of Prestige Data Services employees as a result of shut down may reduce the morale of any retained employees or employees of the parents company. Prestige might experience decreased productivity or increased turnover as a result. 3.Identify the costs that are NOT relevant to the analysis to discontinue Prestige Data Services: Costs not relevant to the decision are sunk costs such as the costs of training Prestige Data Service employees, investments in the IT infrastructure, and any owned Prestige Data Services Equipment. In addition, the fixed portion of the electricity costs is not relevant. Depreciation costs are also not relevant. The leases for computer equipment are non-cancelable and therefore may be considered sunk costs because Data Services is expected to cover the costs associated with the leases prior to being shutdown. However if Prestige Data Services is unable to pay off the leases, these costs will become relevant because the parent company, Prestige Telephone would be responsible for debts owed. 4.Justify why each of the costs in item 3 is NOT relevant Fixed cost: Costs of equipment and fixtures are incurred whether or not Prestige Data Service continues to operate. Even if the subsidiary company is shut down, these fixed costs must still be taken into consideration. Some costs, such as electricity, whether used or not, will be charged for a certain basic amount every month and therefore should not be considered relevant. Depreciation is not relevant because cost of equipment is a sunk cost. There is no significant salvage value for the equipment. 5.Identify the revenues that are relevant to the analysis to discontinue Prestige Data Services: Revenues relevant to the analysis to discontinue the operation are commercial sales revenue which includes computer use and other. 6.Justify why the revenues in item 5 are relevant: The revenues in item 5 differ across alternatives. In other words, these revenues are directly tied to Prestige Data Services. If the production capacity of Prestige Data Services decreases to zero, all the revenue resulting from these operations will also decrease to $0, which decreases the subsidiary’s contribution to its parent company. 7.Identify the revenues that are NOT relevant to the analysis to discontinue Prestige Data Services. The revenue of Prestige Telephone and the revenue from intercompany Sales are not relevant to the decision. 8.Justify why the revenues in item 7 are NOT relevant. As we explained in item 6, all revenues from Prestige Data Services will change depending on the decision. As the production capacity is varied, all the revenues will vary. These changes show the expected overall effect on net income. Revenue at Prestige Telephone will not vary based on the decision to shut down Prestige Data Services because Prestige Telephone’s revenue is not tied to the operations of the subsidiary. From the perspective of the Parent Company, Intercompany Sales are a revenue stream for the subsidiary, but an equal cost to the Parent, thus it doesn’t affect the balance sheet of the parent company. 9.Is Prestige Data Services really a problem to the parent company. Justify your answer. Prestige Data Service is not a problem to the parent company. This is primarily because: —Prestige Telephone will need to absorb Prestige Data’s relevant fixed costs. —Prestige Telephone will have to pay higher rates for services previously provided by Prestige Data Services. Regardless of possible sunk costs such as equipment leases ($95,000), Prestige Data Service positively contributes to the parent company. Additionally, if Prestige Data Services were to charge Prestige Telephone the same rates ($800 per service hour) it charges for commercial services, the company would not be operating  at a loss. If these commercial rates are considered competitive then the subsidiary is saving its parent money. Furthermore, there are several strategies that can be implemented to increase the business value of Prestige Data Services, such as reducing computer usage. 10.Prepare monthly income statements for January, February, and March which support your answer to item 9.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Essay

Charles Dickens wrote this novel because he was keenly touched by the lot of poor children in the middle decades of the 19th century. This is the reason which motivated Dickens in doing this, before writing this novel. Before he decided to this he thought of publishing leaflets instead. On the other hand some critics have suggested that Scrooge’s redemption underscores what they see as the conservative individualistic and patriarchal of Dickens Carol Philosophy. Dickens own experiences influenced him a lot in why he wrote this novel and how he cares so much for the children, who were forced to hard labour in the workhouses from such young age as 12. Before the â€Å"New Poor Law† was introduced in 1834, a high percentage of young children were forced t work to make sure that them and their families did not die of starvation. There was a well known prison called the â€Å"The Marshelsea†, it became know in the 19th century around the world through the writing of the English novelist Charles Dickens. His father which was there in 1824 for a debt of ? 40 and 10 shillings however Dickens most traumatic experience was when he was forced to leave school at the young age of 12 to work in a factory instead. Dickens already had ideas of how to use these types of experiences in a novel. Some of the social conditions such as the new poor law have been shown in the â€Å"Christmas Carol† in this particular quote: â€Å"The Treadmill and the the poor law in full vigour then? † â€Å"Both very busy sir†` This quote proves to us that Dickens used his novel to express the social conditions through it. Dickens used Scrooge as the main character to show that wealthy people always have a responsibility to help those less fortunate. He clearly shows this view at the end of the novel where he gives a young boy money to buy a turkey for the Crachit family. The family isn’t the richest but has a really warm heart. Crachit tries showing Scrooge that life is not all about money and also that he should try to move on and forget about Bella. Scrooge had a really bad experience when Bella marries someone else because she told him that he cares about money more than her. Scrooge somehow had to overcome this tragic event in his life and since then he has not been able to celebrate a successful eve without thinking of her for even a moment. In much earlier in the novel 3 old men come up to Scrooge asking for money to donate to people for Christmas, however Scrooge is a cold hearted person so instead of donating a few shillings he says â€Å"Bah Humbug. † The main character of â€Å"A Christmas Carol† is Ebenezer Scrooge. He is an elderly man who lives in London, his sister died leaving a son whose name is Fred. In addition to this Ebenezer has no family. He is a very rich banker. Scrooges clerk Bob Crachit is a middle–aged man who has six children. Ebenezer is thin and has a slight hunchback, coal grey hair and a wrinkled old face, on which he has reddish eyes, a long pointed nose and thin blue lips as cold as ice. Like his employee Bob is very well dressed. Let’s take a look at Scrooge first, before he got visited by the spirits he was a very stingy person and only cared about his own interests. He couldn’t manage to share his money and was not sensitive to the suffering of others. Ebenezer was even harsh to his employee who never cheated, is reliable, hardworking and had to endure the bad behaviour on him. Bob is satisfied with not owning anything and having no money at all. Bob is satisfied with not owning anything and having no money at all, however the only things that matter for him and make him happy are the small but the most important things in life which is his family. After Scrooge got visited by the ghosts he changed positively and you could even say that was similar to Crachit. Just like he likes Christmas, is a good and open to others, joyous and happy. He even started to share money with the poor and expressed his feelings by helping others. In my opinion Scrooge turned into a better character and I admire his sudden transformation into a better human being. Bob Crachit’s characteristics are that he is poor, has a big family, young and takes care of his close ones, joyful and nice. The crachit family live in a small cosy home but they don’t have enough money to decorate it with luxuries because the most important thing for them is too have enough money for coal/fire so that they would be warm, however most importantly all they want to happen is for Tiny Tim to be a healthy again. The miraculous transformation that Scrooge has made makes us aware that good change is never too late. Also that money cannot buy happiness you just have to share it with other people to make something good of it.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Lee 1 Nadia Lee English 2 Mr. List 19 January 2013 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings By: Maya Angelou 1. Before I chose this poem, I was thinking about choosing a couple of other ones when I finally realized that this poem caught my eye the most. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings helped me realize the benefits and consequences from both sides in life. I found this poem in Google under the category that said â€Å"poems that talk about life†. If you read this poem and take it literally, than it will mean nothing, but if you take it to the next level by comparing it to life, than it will mean so much more. . The author of this poem is Maya Angelou who is a famous well known poet throughout the world. Angelou is an African American who went through so much pain during her youth years. Angelou was just a child when African Americans were being discriminated by whites. When she was eight years old, her mother’s boyfriend, Freeman, raped and sexually abused Angelou. She then told her brother who later took Freeman to court finding him guilty. After he was released from jail, one of Angelou’s uncles murdered Freeman later turning Angelou into a mute.Angelou stayed mute for five years, but within those years was when she developed a passion for books and literature. Throughout the years, Angelou has written many poems such as On the Pulse of Morning and Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Diiie. 3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was chosen as the title of this poem because it talks about how people in life struggle through so many things and that we must hold on to hope in order to keep moving on in life. Angelou put this as the title because it represents who she is and Lee 2 what she went through.She knows why the caged bird sings because she is the caged bird. The title tells us that this poem is going to talk about what Angelou felt and her experiences of her youth. The caged bird and Angelou have so many things in common. Both have b een restricted and need to be let free. This title does reflect the overall theme of this poem. It actually explains so much more of the theme rather than the poem itself. I don’t believe that this poem needs an alternative title. It tells the reader everything already. It already touched my heart and I believe that it’s the perfect title. . I would say that this poem would be a lyrical type of poem. This poem expresses a lot of feelings and emotions that allows the reader to understand what the poet felt. This poem expresses the feelings of being alone, locked up and wanting to be free. I believe that the speaker of this poem is someone who is like a bystander. This bystander is observing one bird that is caged and another that is free. The situation is that the caged bird is trying to be like the free bird by spreading out its wings, but can’t because of its oppressor making it impossible for him to fly. 5.This poem is written in free verse meaning that it con tains no definite meter or a pattern of the rhyme scheme. It is divided into six stanzas containing four to eight lines within each stanza. Each line does not contain a lot of words and the poet makes it short and simple. 6. â€Å"The free bird leaps / on the back of the wind / and floats downstream / till the current ends / and dips his wings / in the orange sun rays / and dares to claim the sky. † This is an example of imagery where Angelou allows us to imagine a bird flying in the sky. The poet did not include any sounds devices in this poem.This poem contains many personifications and metaphors such as â€Å"But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams† (metaphor). Angelou uses the caged bird and the free bird as an analogy that talks about her life. 7. This poem talks about two birds, one that is free and another that is locked up. Angelou talks about how the free bird is independent and does whatever it wants while the caged bird just Lee 3 hops around in his c age singing. She is comparing the lives of these two birds. The theme is about Angelou’s struggle to survive and how she grew up in a cruel world.The first stanza talks about how the free bird flies endlessly in the sky and floats down a stream relaxing. This stanza is telling us how there are people in this world who are not afraid of anything and can do whatever they please. To them, there is nothing that is troubling them and life is perfect. The second and third stanza then switches over to the caged bird and talks about how he does not have enough space to walk around. The only thing this bird can do is to sing about his rage. These stanzas tell us that there are those like Angelou who don’t possess what others have and uses the only thing they have.The only thing that they possess is hope and without hope there is nothing at all. The fourth stanza talk about how the free bird is provided with everything it needs. If you compare this to life than it tells us how t here are others who are spoiled and well cared for. The fifth stanza talks about how the caged bird only has his voice because everything he used to have are now gone. Even though some people don’t have what they need, they still make the best of what they have left. The last and final stanza repeats the third stanza. All we can do is to dream and wish for what we want while living life the best we can. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Lee 1 Nadia Lee English 2 Mr. List 19 January 2013 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings By: Maya Angelou 1. Before I chose this poem, I was thinking about choosing a couple of other ones when I finally realized that this poem caught my eye the most. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings helped me realize the benefits and consequences from both sides in life. I found this poem in Google under the category that said â€Å"poems that talk about life†. If you read this poem and take it literally, than it will mean nothing, but if you take it to the next level by comparing it to life, than it will mean so much more. . The author of this poem is Maya Angelou who is a famous well known poet throughout the world. Angelou is an African American who went through so much pain during her youth years. Angelou was just a child when African Americans were being discriminated by whites. When she was eight years old, her mother’s boyfriend, Freeman, raped and sexually abused Angelou. She then told her brother who later took Freeman to court finding him guilty. After he was released from jail, one of Angelou’s uncles murdered Freeman later turning Angelou into a mute.Angelou stayed mute for five years, but within those years was when she developed a passion for books and literature. Throughout the years, Angelou has written many poems such as On the Pulse of Morning and Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Diiie. 3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was chosen as the title of this poem because it talks about how people in life struggle through so many things and that we must hold on to hope in order to keep moving on in life. Angelou put this as the title because it represents who she is and Lee 2 what she went through.She knows why the caged bird sings because she is the caged bird. The title tells us that this poem is going to talk about what Angelou felt and her experiences of her youth. The caged bird and Angelou have so many things in common. Both have b een restricted and need to be let free. This title does reflect the overall theme of this poem. It actually explains so much more of the theme rather than the poem itself. I don’t believe that this poem needs an alternative title. It tells the reader everything already. It already touched my heart and I believe that it’s the perfect title. . I would say that this poem would be a lyrical type of poem. This poem expresses a lot of feelings and emotions that allows the reader to understand what the poet felt. This poem expresses the feelings of being alone, locked up and wanting to be free. I believe that the speaker of this poem is someone who is like a bystander. This bystander is observing one bird that is caged and another that is free. The situation is that the caged bird is trying to be like the free bird by spreading out its wings, but can’t because of its oppressor making it impossible for him to fly. 5.This poem is written in free verse meaning that it con tains no definite meter or a pattern of the rhyme scheme. It is divided into six stanzas containing four to eight lines within each stanza. Each line does not contain a lot of words and the poet makes it short and simple. 6. â€Å"The free bird leaps / on the back of the wind / and floats downstream / till the current ends / and dips his wings / in the orange sun rays / and dares to claim the sky. † This is an example of imagery where Angelou allows us to imagine a bird flying in the sky. The poet did not include any sounds devices in this poem.This poem contains many personifications and metaphors such as â€Å"But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams† (metaphor). Angelou uses the caged bird and the free bird as an analogy that talks about her life. 7. This poem talks about two birds, one that is free and another that is locked up. Angelou talks about how the free bird is independent and does whatever it wants while the caged bird just Lee 3 hops around in his c age singing. She is comparing the lives of these two birds. The theme is about Angelou’s struggle to survive and how she grew up in a cruel world.The first stanza talks about how the free bird flies endlessly in the sky and floats down a stream relaxing. This stanza is telling us how there are people in this world who are not afraid of anything and can do whatever they please. To them, there is nothing that is troubling them and life is perfect. The second and third stanza then switches over to the caged bird and talks about how he does not have enough space to walk around. The only thing this bird can do is to sing about his rage. These stanzas tell us that there are those like Angelou who don’t possess what others have and uses the only thing they have.The only thing that they possess is hope and without hope there is nothing at all. The fourth stanza talk about how the free bird is provided with everything it needs. If you compare this to life than it tells us how t here are others who are spoiled and well cared for. The fifth stanza talks about how the caged bird only has his voice because everything he used to have are now gone. Even though some people don’t have what they need, they still make the best of what they have left. The last and final stanza repeats the third stanza. All we can do is to dream and wish for what we want while living life the best we can.