Post Modernism and Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Post Modernism and Globalization - Essay Example While others view globalization as leading to heterogeneity through heightened hybridization, other quarters view it as something that is leading more towards the production of diversity. Globalization according to many scholars, who believe in post modernism, has caused great ripples in the cultural political and economic situation and stability of the word and has led to new dispensations (Giddens, 1990).. In spite of the existence of several descriptions of the term globalization, believers of postmodernism have come to the point of stating that globalization is a historical break from the norm; one that has been characterized by the development of transnational capitalism, the production of post –Fordism configuration or the view that globalization is a new cultural view of what has previously been termed as capitalism.Implications of GlobalizationIt is beyond doubt that globalization has upon the world fallen with its effects beyond taking for granted. The phenomenon has been associated with several benefits and limitations. The benefits of globalization include the opening of markets, greater k[prosperity for societies, freer trade, greater respect for individuals and communities and the springing of a global culture that has greater respect for human rights based on western ideologies as noted by Lipietz (1996). Conversely, the alternative side of globalization has mainly included the weakening and possible abolition of cultural and national liberties by transnational organizations.

See attachments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

See attachments - Assignment Example Study 2 on the other hand measures the level of up to how long it will take for drivers to leave if the level of intrusion and status of intruder will have to be manipulated. Study 3 documents the specific responses of individuals who parked at a mall would react to intruders. It is therefore clear that the research question that these three studies addressed is relevant to finding the evidence of territorial defense and how it is viewed in the case of drivers leaving a public space and the intruding drivers. 2. Technically, the research question is the same for the three studies as far as the exact thought of what the researchers would want to find out is concerned. In great detail, the researchers wished to see the picture of the entire information linked to territorial mentality of individuals particularly when it comes to the concept of space. For this reason, being consistent to use drivers as the common subjects of the three studies, gives us the insight that the proponents wer e able to obtain a general thought of answering a one specific research question for the entire research investigation that was subdivided under three studies. The three studies were able to adhere to finding how human behavior through territorial mentality of individuals may be highly associated with the concept of space. 3. ... The good thing about two of the studies is the inclusion of observation and actual experiment. The other one includes actual interview, which is a significant component of a qualitative research. In other words, the general phenomenon of interest in all of the studies is the actual inclusion of diversified methodological approach in obtaining particular data that could help solve the research question. 4. There were more than one methodologies used in the research studies in order to obtain the relevant information associated with answering the actual research question. This is methodological triangulation, by which the researchers were consistent in using due to the fact that at the end of every study, it would ensure answering their relevant research question. In other words, by being able to set the study with a particular research question to answer, the methodological triangulation conspires to create a path that will lead to finding the answer which is of great concern of the r esearchers. This means that even if there could be varying methodological approaches used, the ultimate concern would be to create actual input that will lead to finding answers set for the research question at the end of the study or actual research investigation. 5. I believe the study could be a perfect example of a qualitative research due to subjective judgment that may be employed by the researchers. Although there was an actual experiment conducted, the said activity would still require subjective judgment as far as gathering and documenting of data and information are concerned. In addition, the actual interview is a form of qualitative approach because the actual response could not be translated

School Uniforms Essay Example for Free

School Uniforms Essay Uniforms in the School Environment: Can Clothing Really Effect Your Education? Going to public schools all my life, I heard the gossip of fashion and whose wearing what,pretty much everyday; at least in the four years of high school where it seemed that looks mattered the most. As people grow up, the way they present themselves becomes more and more important. Leaving a good mark in high school means a lot to some people, and some are ready to do whatever it takes to make that mark, whether it be putting someone down for their clothing or being an individual and not caring what others think of you or what your wearing. Having friends from middle school that branched out and went the alternative route; private schools, one of the first things that came back to me from them was how much easier it was to having a uniform to wear to school. Going to a school where uniforms are strictly enforced can help to create a better learning environment. Having uniforms would call for a lot less distraction in the classroom, there would be much more time for homework and there would not be as many problems concerning the wear of inappropriate clothing to take away from school time. A quote from the essay, The Achievement of Desire, by Richard Rodriguez fits particularly well in this essay. Get all the education you can, with an education you can do anything. This just doesnt seem like the main idea to many kids anymore and I think that uniforms would help to bring that thought back into a lot of our heads. I know that the idea of wearing a uniform repulses many people, but when broken down, school uniforms really do seem like the way to go. If it was a requirement to wear a uniform to school, there would be many more kids paying attention in classes. Looking around the classroom at what other kids are wearing is a great way to make time fly by. If everyone was wearing the same things, then the distraction of different clothing would be eliminated. Many people worry that uniforms would take away the opportunity for kids to be who they are or who they want to be, but I feel as though wearing uniforms would simply force kids to show their individualism in ways outside of fashion and appearance. When looking at an Opinion Board on the internet I came across the idea that visually uniforms result in a more equal and adult treatment of students, eliminating any idea that one student is being favored over another. Visually, all students were equal. They appeared equal which resulted in more equal treatment from both peers and teachers alike. When a student looks presentable, they will not only be treated as a student, but as an equal, which I feel both students and teachers would benefit from. In the essay, The ? Banking Concept of Education,written by Paulo Freire, there were two types of education discussed. Bankingeducation and Problem-Posing education. Banking education was looked at with the idea that the teacher was the higher power and the student was simply an object where as in Problem-Posing education, the teacher and students both taught and learned the information together. Uniforms would help bring Problem-Posing teaching back into the classrooms of many schools. There would also be a large drop in the amount of teasing that goes on in school. When I asked my old roommate, Maureen Brillante, who attended Sacred Heart Academy about the benefits of going to a school with uniforms, one of the first things she said was that it prevents peoples feelings from being hurt since everyone is wearing the same thing. There is a lot less gossip about clothes and it is much harder to judge people when everyone looks the same. The atmosphere around the whole school just seems brighter that way, she said with a big smile on her face. Having gone to an elementary school that did not have uniforms, Maureen experienced both worlds and found uniforms made high school that much easier to get through. Decisions, Decisions. Should I go home and get my homework done or should I go to the mall and get those new shoes I saw online the other day? Uniforms would help to eliminate one of these decisions. If you had to wear a uniform to school, maybe you would not be in such a rush to go buy the latest clothing, after all, you really cant even wear it to school. This gives a student more time for homework and studying. A great deal of studying and focusing is needed to succeed in school, which Richard Rodriguez emphasizes greatly in his essay The Achievement of Desire. The boy needs to spend more and more time studying, each night enclosing himself in the silence permitted and required by intense concentration. Without this concentration Rodriguez speaks of, a students grades are bound to suffer. Another benefit of uniforms is that you will save money because you wont be buying half the amount of clothes that you normally would be if you did not need to wear a uniform. This idea didnt even cross my mind until my interview with Maureen. In the long run, you really start to save money. A few outfits for the weekends are all you really need, and unless the school changes uniforms while youre there, you can pretty much wear your same uniform for as long as you can fit into it. There is also a lot more time in the mornings to wake up and have a healthy breakfast because you dont have to worry about picking out an outfit to wear. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I can say that there were many occasions where I skipped breakfast simply because I was running late and picking out clothes seemed to be the bigger picture at that time. I know when I was in high school, some girls came to school late or didnt come at all because they couldnt find an outfit they wanted to wear. Ridiculous? I think so. What did the wearing of school uniforms accomplish? It directly interfered with gangs, gang colors, gang associations, gang affiliations that tended to have more control over the students than either teachers or parents . . . School uniforms did away with such extra curricular activities as thievery. It is not uncommon for the police to receive calls from irate parents regarding their childs loss of an expensive clothing article. School uniformity focuses the attention on where it belongs: academics. You can find the important point that uniforms create less of a boundary to cross when it comes to what kids wear to school on the Holden Police Department web page. There are fewer rules at a school with uniforms simply because the section labeled Dress Code is either nonexistent or simply a brief section on how to wear your uniform properly. Gangs are brought into schools by the gangs members wearing their colors or their logos on their clothing. This brings together two worlds that just should never meet. Although I dont hear much about it these days, uniforms would give kids fewer things to want to steal in high school. Whether it be in the locker room or in lost-and-found, kids would be more honest, because who really wants to steal someone elses uniform? There would also be less shoplifting because kids would have enough money to buy the few outfits they need to wear outside of school. Sex-exploitation is another issue that would be eliminated with uniforms. Girls would not be allowed to wear such skimpy outfits to school, distracting less people, and creating better reputations for everyone. Less time would be spent in the schools main office and more time would be put into being in the classroom. Kids would have fewer ways to get detentions or even expulsion because inappropriate clothing would no longer exist. Forcing kids to find other ways to show their individuality would compel kids to think more about whom they are and not so much about what they wear. Although it may look as if its the cool thing to wear all the latest styles and be up on fashion, does it really seem worth it to risk getting simply an ok education? Where are those priorities of school work and studying for a test when you are out shopping at the mall? In the end it really does make the most sense to simply suck up the idea of wearing the same thing as every other girl or boy at your school and leave with a better education, and a better sense of seeing people for what and who they really are; not what they are or arent wearing. Imagining the idea of a school that one does not have to worry about what kids will say about their outfits, about whether or not what they are wearing is appropriate for school grounds or getting to the mall after school to buy that new sweater they saw in the AF catalogue (which means blowing off that tutoring secession they had to help raise their math grade), seems so far from reality and all that I knew in high school, yet at the same time seems like the ideal way to spend those four important years of high school, those four years in which all of your hard work pays off and gets you accepted into the number one college of your choice. That sounds like the perfect four years of high school to me. School Uniforms Essay Example for Free School Uniforms Essay A group of small boys and girls all warring the same colored uniforms assembled in front of a catholic school is what I imagine when thinking about school uniforms. This is probably what most people imagine. They have been attached to students of European and private schools. Such pictures of students dressing in school uniforms have led to stereotyping and a negative attitude towards schools enforcing a uniform policy. Displayed as robots without the ability to express them selves in a society that says you must express yourself and be an individual at all cost. The problem is that the cost to express yourself and be an individual is high in some cases, in Detroit, a 15-year-old boy was killed for his $86 basketball shoes (Tweeters 1997). I believe that cost is to high, it would be better to be laughed at and teased about warring a nerdy uniform, than to be shot by some gang member that did not like the color of the pants Im warring. School uniforms have been the cause of many jokes and harassment to those who wore them. In the past, public schools considered uniforms old and out dated trends, though recently many public schools are starting to implement and enforce a uniform policy. The implementation of a school uniform policy is important if we are still striving to improve our students. The arguments against them are fading while the positive reasons are promoting school uniforms and gaining ground. Some of the possible benefits are safety, cost, uniformity and competition in academics instead of fashions. The main argument against them is the need for students to express their individual selves; this argument is losing ground compared to the benefits of the uniform policy. Today many public schools are mandating and enforcing school uniforms for their students. San Antonio School district requires all 60,000 of its students to wear uniforms; over 60% of Fort Worths elementary schools require their students to ware uniforms (Radcliffe 1999). In 1995, the Texas legislature gave public school districts the authority to require uniforms under Texas State Law 11. 162 of the Texas Education Code. (Appendix A). The law however is a voluntary law; schools are not required to have a uniform policy. A Dallas attorney Domingo Garcia has filed a proposed legislation that would make it mandatory to wear uniforms in Grades k-12 in Texas (Ramos 1997). The first fundamental issue that school board officials and law makers should look at before they make new policies and laws concerning school uniforms is, will these new laws and policies have a positive impact on students overall performance. This would not be limited to academic performances only but should also include other socially learned behavior that will enhance the students ability to conform to the social norms needed to be successful in todays society. People for uniforms say that the academic performance has been and will increase by having the students ware them (Caruso 1996). A lessened degree of attention and concern with fashion will enable a better condition for serious study, as well as lesson the cultural and economic challenges of students and parents. (Cohn 1996, Paliokos 1996) Nathan Minster, a seventh grader at Country Day of Arlington said, Uniforms provide a better educational atmosphere, and symbolize school spirit. If all students dress alike, their attention will not focus on Johnnys new Tommy Hilfiger outfit. (Teeters 1996). Any situation that does not promote the improvement of students in school should be looked at and studied to find ways to change the situation. There are no positive aspects to worrying about not having the money to buy the coolest and newest fashions. Would it not be better to strive and worry about who can get the best grade or do the best science project. Is the reduction of crime going to help improve our students? We must agree that there is no part of our students lives that can be improved by the atmosphere of crime. We need to ask the question, What ought to be? When it comes to school and crime. How to deal with crime is one of the ethical questions all school administrators and lawmakers must address and act on accordingly. The statistics say that schools having a school uniform policy have seen a decrease in crime. Long Beach Unified School District was the first large urban school district in the United States to require school uniforms. They have seen substantial decreases in crime in the past five years since they have required uniforms. One incredible reduction was that sex offenses have decreased 93%. (Appendix B). The cost of implementing a uniform policy must also be looked at closely. The fact that all students have different degrees of economic status requires us to address this matter. If a student cannot afford uniforms would they not be able to go to school. Would it be better to have them spend all their money on uniforms so they could go to school, but because of that they dont have the money to participate in after school sports or social events. Maybe they would spend the money on uniforms instead of nutritious food, which could affect their health. The current Texas law does provide ways of providing uniforms for students who cannot afford to buy them. (Appendix A). The Long Beach Unified School District has privately funded over $160,000 for assistance to disadvantaged students. By doing this they have not put any financial burden on the taxpayers. The cost can be high, as it has been for the San Antonio School district, which has spent about $500,000 to outfit 90% of their students (Radcliffe 1999). Unlike Long Beach School District, San Antonios uniform policy has cost the taxpayers a lot of money. They ought to look at ways of reducing the cost to taxpayers, possible private funding from companies that participate in philanthropic programs. What are the ethical concerns for schools considering school uniforms? The nation has implemented school uniforms in about 25 percent of the public elementary, middle, and junior high schools according to the (California School News March 31,1997). The general improvements of the students who attend schools that requiring them to ware uniforms has shown an improvement. I can conclude from the improvements that we ought to have 100 percent of public schools starting uniform policies. I dont believe that waiting for years of research and study on this issue will change the outcome. Students are moving through school fast and to wait for years to go by before making this a policy can only lesson the improvement chances of the students who are currently in school. The motivation of this issue is not to infringe on students rights or burden parents with extra cost, but to simply improve the students. Do students have rights as part of the American populous? If so, what are there rights? Do they even have the right to choose to go or not to go to school, or is this, the rights of the parents and society? Our society is now more than ever concerned with our rights and feelings. Is a first graders mind able to use these rights for there best interest or is it up to the adult population? Parents are the ones who should teach and mentor the students in the spirit of the rights and how to use them for the good judgment and common sense. The Bible says, For I, too, was once a son, tenderly loved by my mother as an only child, and the companion of my father. He told me never to forget his words. If you follow them, he said, you will have a long and happy life. Learn to be wise, he said, and develop good judgment and common sense! I cannot overemphasize this point. (Proverbs 3: 3-5). Is it more important for us to make a place where the student can improve in the general sense compared to the First amendment claims that the students dont have the right of free expression? Any dress restriction that infringes on a students First Amendment right must be justified by a showing that the students attire materially disrupts school operation, infringes on the rights of others at the school, or otherwise interferes with any basic educational mission of he school (Grantham 1994). The legal aspect of requiring students to ware uniforms is a small matter if the majority of the parents back the policy. However, some will fight with every penny they have so that their kids will not have to ware the uniforms. The biggest legal issue is the First Amendments, right to free expression and the Fourteenth Amendment. They use this to say that the school has violated the students liberty to control his or her personal appearance ( Paliokos 1996). Stakeholders are involved in every part of this issue. Every person is a stakeholder. It will affect, children, adults, and elderly in one way or another, some more than others will. The children will be affected because they will have to ware the uniforms. Primary social stakeholders would be the students, parents, school employees and administrators, taxpayers, people opposed to and people for school uniforms. I dont have children but I am a stakeholder because if the uniform policy is voted on and passed the chances are my local school tax will increase to help pay for the new uniforms. Paying for the uniforms might not seem fair to someone in my position but if I look at the long term benefits of having our public schools improve the students I believe that the chances of a better society in my golden years is more likely to happen compared with the alternative of not improving the students. The improvement of students basic education holds very high stakes for all stakeholders. If a student receives a better education he/she will have a better chance and be better equipped to be part of our adult society in which they will have to abide by our standard. The responsibility of the schools and lawmakers is to improve students. They are also responsible to do this within a budget. This does mean there will be some compromises and restrictions to what and how they accomplish this task of improving the students. They must also stay within the legal aspects of our laws, which has been brought about by society from the past. If the laws are no longer valid they need to be changed for the current situations faced today by schools trying to improve students. Lets look at the stakeholders and what stakes they face. See stakeholder map Appendix C. Students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and the general society are the stakeholders we will look at although there are many more secondary stakeholders involved with this issue. What challenges, threats or opportunities do these stakeholders pose? What economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities do they have? We will start by looking at the students. The challenge they have has been a negative and stressful one, what to wear today? is a question that will no longer have to be asked each morning before school. The desire to have the coolest and newest fashions is no longer a challenge for the students who attend schools with uniform policies. The challenge to not be teased or laughed at is no longer there. Jacqueline Rios, a student at Glencrest Middle School said, The good thing about uniforms is that everybody wears the same color. And having uniforms is a lot better, because people cannot talk about and laugh at your clothes. (Teeter 1997). We do however have the threat that some of the opposing students will not comply which could cause discipline problems or even cause them to drop out of school. The opportunities for the students are all positive ones. Simply put they will have more opportunities to better themselves with academic issues because the priority of fashion standards is gone as Assistant Director of elementary school operations, Frankie Batts, said, Instead of worrying about their clothes or what everyone else is wearing, kids focus on math and reading, (Richardson 1995). Parents will also enjoy the decreasing challenge of keeping their kids in the newest fashions. The money issue will improve for them, Three outfits can run about $130, said Jan Underwood, owner of the U. T. W. Uniforms store in Fort Worth (Teeters 1997). Parents have had to struggle with deciding if what there kids are warring is proper. You might even ask, is it ethical to let my daughter go to school in an almost see-through and skintight outfit? The students being at a school with a uniform policy would now solve this problem. A possible threat from the parents would be from those who feel and believe that kids should be able to do and ware what they want and to force them to ware a uniform is a violation of their kids rights as well as the law. They do however seem to be the minority, most parents seem to support uniforms. The Longview Independent School district says they would support the decision for school uniforms if 75 to 80 percent of the parents were for it (Bell 2000). Teachers will have the challenge of enforcing the new uniform polices but it will be much easier then enforcing the current dress code. At most, schools the guidelines of a dress code can be subjective in determining if they meet the requirements. Lets say, if the school dress policy said that girls must ware skirts that go down to there knees and a student is seen warring one that does meet that requirement but it is see-through and she is not wearing underpants. This could cause a problem because the requirement is subjective. If the uniform policy was in effect this would not be because the see-through skirt would either be part of the uniform and accepted or not, it would now be an objective decision for the teacher to make, either it is a violation or not. One of the great opportunities that it would give the teachers is by having all the students dress alike they would be able to identify students who belong to the school and trespassers who dont. This is a great safety issue in todays times where it is important to regulate who comes on campuses. How about on a school field trip would it not be easier to identify your students in a crowd if you did not have to remember what everyone was warring. Say they were kidnapped would it not be easier to describe them to the police. School administrators have all the issues to deal with. They are the ones who are challenged to improve the students. They have the challenge to implement school policies like uniforms in an effort to improve students. Their decisions go from the smallest detail, what colors, what style, what material, all or which can have either positive or negative effects on other stakeholders. They must accomplish this and be able to stay within the legal, economic and ethical parameters that currently guide their decisions. What a privilege they have with this opportunity to improve students who will in turn improve society and possibly the entire world. Though this is a great opportunity, it is also a great responsibility to have. General society has a stake that is both short term and long term. On the short term, they will have to support the decisions of the uniform policies that are imposed upon the students and parents. Some of the long-term stakes would be requiring paying for some of the uniforms for students who cannot afford them. For the few who oppose the uniforms they will not have to compromise their beliefs so that their kids can get an education. The Texas 1995 law allows some exceptions to the rules with a written request that states a bona fide religious or philosophical objection to the requirement. (Appendix A) Some recommendations that should be looked at by schools before starting a uniform policy could help reduce the problems that occur from putting new policies into effect. They need to be able to justify the actions by demonstrating the link between a kind of dress and disruptive behavior or between a dress and improvements of the students. They should consult with the schools legal advisors to possible legal problems. Determine ways of enforcing the policy as well as what punishment would occur. Finding out what the parents and students think and involving them before the final starting date. They might try to find out what the students favorite color or type of material they want to use. They might even look at having some variety maybe two different colors. This way the students will feel included in the decisions and might not fight the policy, making the discipline problem smaller because they would be less likely to rebel. A financial study should be conducted prior to the policy to determine how much burden is going to be imposed on the school itself, how many students would require financial assistance with the cost of the uniforms. By keeping the primary stakeholders involved with the decisions prior to making the policy, schools have a better chance of success from the uniform policy. Appendix A Sec. 11. 162. School Uniforms. a) The board of trustees of an independent school district may adopt rules that require students at a school in the district to wear school uniforms if the board determines that the requirement would improve the learning environment at the school. (b) The rules the board of trustees adopts must designate a source of funding that shall be used in providing uniforms for students at the school who are educationally disadvantaged. (c) A parent or guardian of a student assigned to attend a school at which students are required to wear school uniforms may choose for the student to be exempted from the requirement or to transfer to a school at which students are not required to wear uniforms and at which space is available if the parent or guardian provides a written statement that, as determined by the board of trustees, states a bona fide religious or philosophical objection to the requirement. (d) Students at a school at which uniforms are required shall wear the uniforms beginning on the 90th day after the date on which the board of trustees adopts the rules that require the uniforms. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg. , ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 1995. Appendix B GRADES K-8 SCHOOL CRIME REPORT SUMMARY Since the inception of required school uniforms in all Long Beach Unified School District elementary and middle schools, in September 1994, school crime here has dropped 86% percent. SCHOOL CRIME REDUCED 1993-94 Before Uniforms 1994-95 Uniforms Required 1995-96 2nd Year with Uniforms 1996-97 3rd Year with Uniforms 1997-98 4th Year with Uniforms 1998-99 5th Year With Uniforms Change K-8 Enrollment 57,497 58,376 59,822 62,039 63,602 65,451 +14% Assault/Battery* 319 214 53 47 46 82 Assault w/Deadly Weapon* 6 3 16 11 8 24 Sex Offenses 57 15 5 4 2 4 -93% Robbery/Extortion 34 12 13 5 3 5 -85%. Chemical Substances 71 29 24 20 27 37 -48% Weapons or Look A like 145 78 28 24 12 36 -75% Vandalism** 1,409 1,155 127 93 98 106 Dangerous Devices 46 23 1 2 0 2 -96% TOTAL 2087 1529 267 206 196 296 -86% *The statewide category of assault has been revised because of different interpretations of what constitutes assault. Verbal threats without physical contact were sometimes reported as assaults. There is also a new, expanded definition of assault with a deadly weapon. Reported now is any item that is actually used in an effort to inflict any bodily harm, i. e. a foot, a fist, a pencil or a comb. **Under the new California Safe Schools Assessment School Crime Report, only vandalism over $100 is included. Some prior years incidents were under $100, so the actual reduction is less than this. Appendix C Bibliography Resources Bell, Becky. LISD group focuses on school uniforms Longview News Journal 22 March 2000; Local California Leads nation in Public School Uniform Use. California School News 31 March 1997: 4 Caruso, Peter. Individuality vs. Conformity: The Issue Behind School Uniforms. NASSP Bulletin 8,581 September 1996: 83-88. Chon, Carl A. Mandatory School Uniforms. The School Administrator 53, 2 February 1996: 22-25 Grantham, Kimberly. Restricting Student Dress in Public Schools. School Law Bulletin 25, Winter 1994: 1-10 Long Beach Crime Report Summary. http://www. lbusd. k12. ca. us/ Paliokas, Kathleen L. Trying Uniforms On for Size. The American School Board Journal 183, 5 May 1996: 32-35 Proverbs. The Bible. The Living Bible. 3; 3-5 Radcliffe, Jennifer. Irving joins movement supporting required attire. Star Telegram 25 March 1999 http://netarrant. net/news/doc/1047/1:NEA/1:NEA032599. html Ramos, Cindy. Capitol moves San Antonio Express-News 1 April 1997 Metro- Education Express: 4B Richardson, Ginger. Student uniforms in vogue at schools in Fort Worth Officials report success of voluntary clothing programs. Fort Worth Star Telegram, 16 August 1995; Metro Teeters, Amy. Growing up in uniform style. Fort Worth Star-Telegram 18 February 1997: Class Acts: 9 Texas State Law 11. 162 of the Texas Education Code. http://www. tea. state. tx. us.

Significance Of The Representation Of The City English Literature Essay

Significance Of The Representation Of The City English Literature Essay In this essay I will be discussing three very diverse texts which will allow me to bring into light a various number of views and interpretations of the city. I will be focusing on D. H. Lawrences Women in Love, T. S Eliots The Waste Land, and finally Virginnia Woolfs Mrs Dalloway. All texts will help me come across the different insights, views and personal feelings towards the city the authors felt. Many of these authors develop their ideas and emphasise on the affects of the city through their characterization, this essay will further help me develop the representation of the city and look into it in more detail. I will focus on a number of areas such as characters, settings, thoughts and views in the texts in order to gain an answer as to what the significance of the representation of the city may in fact be in connection to its authors. As we read on through the poem, Eliot continues to present the Waste Land as a very complex poem; it tackles and confronts a variety of contradictory ideas and understandings. The intended meaning of the poem may come across as something different to both critics and readers; it can in effect be seen as a text that can have a variety of meanings and can be interpreted by anyone in their own ways. The text can be seen as being interpreted through the person and society, or can also be interpreted on a personal note where Eliot may seek to reveal his own feelings and intentions as to why he wrote the poem. The main theme of the poem can be distinguished through the way in which Eliot portrays modern life as a Waste Land. He supports this theme by showing what was wrong with society in the early twentieth century. He demonstrates the lack of faith in the poem through a number of ways; he puts into words the weakness of society by presenting a certain lack of faith, lack of communication , and corruption of life, alcohol and sex. At one point he shows one of the characters saying I can connect nothing with nothing.  [4]  This indicates the character having no faith or confidence in them self; there seems to be no connections and no meanings to her life, it seems to come across as though her life is just a waste. In the text Eliot speaks about the crowdedness of the city many of times. The Unreal city, Under the brown fog of a winter dawn, A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many, I had not thought death had undone so manyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The fast paced text conveys allusions which create a sense of crowding in the city. London is depicted as a very busy city, a place where something is always happening; it is illustrated as being different in contrast to what you would experience in the countryside. The Waste Land creates an unattractive image of London, we feel appalled by the amount of industrialization taking place as the surroundings are described as being encircled by the brown fog. The depiction of the industrialized city can become so shocking and brutal that it can in some ways be seen as a character. Furthermore The Waste Land conveys several distinct images that help to present a deeper meaning to the text. As we read through the poem, we come across the lines Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song.  [5]  This sentence conveys a feeling of sadness and obscurity. This frame of mind is related to the lines that follow which talk about death and sorrow, the mood of the text comes across as very dark and threatening. One of the main points seems to come into light through the portrayal of the River Thames. This river can be seen as symbolising death, it is like a bridge which the dead spirits need to cross over in order to face death. By saying that this person wants the river to run softly before the song ends indicates that this character is near death, and after his story has been said, he will be ready to accept it. Death in itself is a very dark topic in relation to the title of the poem; this passage can be seen as linking the time and the place together before death . The place is shown not to exist in the living world or the dead; it is conveyed as being something which is in between. This area can be seen in many ways as a Waste Land just as the poems title suggests. The Waste Land can be linked to many things in this poem, in this case it can be where the river Thames lays, a place where the living and the dead do not inhabit. The imagery bought across in these lines is very effective in relation to the mood and themes they set in the poem. They give the mood of sadness and mourning which gives deeper meaning to the rest of the text. All the way through the preceding lines after the Sweet Thames, there is a sad mood which flows in the course of the text. As the readers read on in The Waste Land, they get a feeling which indicates that even if they were to read something happy and cheerful in the poem it would still have a dark effect. The imagery of death, sorrow, sadness and gloom is very effective in this case as it allows the poem to set a feeling for the rest of the text. In the Waste Land à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the images and symbols fall broadly into two categories-firstly, images drawn from myth and religion, and secondly, images taken from the common aspects of urban life.  [6]   The modern city in contemporary literature is shown to be very complex in the 20th century. Within literature there are a number of writers who move towards the physical reality of the modern urban life and surroundings; Virginnia Woolf in many ways is a good example of this. In her novel Mrs. Dalloway, we are presented with the citys obscure feelings that link the perception of the two main protagonists together. The characters Woolf looks at are the the centre of life itself  [7]  . On the contrary, D.H. Lawrence has been the most provocative of modernist authors  [8]  , he shows his own understanding of the city as a place of desolation and division. His text Women in Love illustrates London as a corrupted city which is populated by outward characters who can only find their pleasure and happiness in sex, drinking and taking part in criminal activities. Both of these modernistic texts allow us as the readers to identify the different representations of urban life in a chan ging city; we are presented with images of the actual London and the illusory London. Both of these texts can in many ways portray similar themes, feelings and ideas towards the city which The Waste Land has previously been seen to do in this essay. In addition Mrs Dalloway and Septimus are characters in Woolfs novel who capture the passing moments of their lives in a city. Both of these characters are shown to be walking through the city and feeling the liveliness of London. Their responses to the same city symbols vary from one another. Septimus Smith says everything had come to a standstill  [9]  whereas Mrs Dalloway shows us she is amused by the noise and high energy of the city life. The opposing reflections both of these characters present show how their everyday city-occurrences result in a contradictory presentation of the city life; it offers an accurate sense of reality within this way of life. We can see this being present in the novel as Woolf uses free indirect speech. Her form of expression is a good linguistic technique in the novel; it acts as a verbal counterpart to the mental moments of uncertainty within the reality of urban life. In this sense, the contrasting reflections on the same incidents and Woolfs new form of expression result in an overlapping of the characters consciousnesses which at the same time link to images presented in the novel. In D.H Lawrences work on the other hand, traditional language is not enough to show his understanding and feelings towards modernity. The city is illustrated as a complex, and socially diverse place, the new forms of expression are essential in order to work in opposition to the growing sense of isolation. Lawrence is shown to be using repetition in his work in order to bring across the crowdedness and light-headedness of the atmosphere in the city. Birkin says I always feel so doomed when the train is running into London. I feel such despair, so hopeless, as if it were the end of the world.  [10]  The diction Lawrence chooses to use is very interesting to look at, he uses hopeless in different contexts and repeats himself in order to bring across Birkins emotions towards the city. We can say that the actual meaning of the diction he dec ides to use may in fact change and be a connection to the modern city and environment where it bears a resemblance to the new time of order and effectiveness. The characters in Women in Love are shown to undergo different experiences and feelings in relation to the modern city, for example they are shown to feel misery and corruption in the text. Lawrence brings across the unattractiveness of the urban and industrial city and establishes the citys mentality into the minds of the miners. As a result, he creates a perfect, inhuman system of machines, where the miners begin to deny their humanity in feeling satisfied to belong to the great and wonderful machine, even whilst it destroyed them  [11]  . There is a lot of depiction of the state of mind in Women in Love; Woolf also brings across this mental absorption of the citys characteristics through the characters she presents in Mrs Dalloway. Doing everything on time and being exact is something which is part of most modern minded people, this is symbolised by the way in which time is shown on Big Ben in the novel. Virginia Woolf presents the city as a physical place presenting the menta l state of mind of the characters. For Mrs Dalloway à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦silence falls on London; and falls on the mind  [12]  , this in many ways indicates a deep connection between the inner thoughts and emotions and the outer world. Septimus consciousness reflects the understandings of the outer world. He did not want to die. Life was good.  [13]   There are many ways in which we can see that the link between the city and the mental life is illustrated through the character of Peter Walsh. On one hand Peter suffers from the loneliness in London as he feels a strangeness of standing alone, alive, unknown, at half-past eleven in Trafalgar Square.  [14]  However he also uses this feeling to keep track of the young woman before she is lost in the city crowd. Peter chasing the young woman may in fact symbolize the change of social behaviour and interactions between the two sexes within the restrictions of the city. In Women in Love a new directness regarding sexuality is presented as a consequence of the changing cultural environment in the city. Alcohol and sexual excitement are presented as the main occupations of the Pussum and the other residents of the flat. Although Gudrun regards London as a foul town, it is within the urban city where her new understanding of art is recognized. In the flat, a weird number of modernist wo rks of art and influences are shown to symbolise the directness to non-traditional art. Within this environment of the modern city, we are presented with the Brangwen sisters as having much better chances to live their eminent individual personalities than within the well-known closeness of urban Beldover. Although Birkin and Gudrun detest the masses, Mrs Dalloway looks at the small crowdà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦gathered at the gates of Buckingham Palace  [15]  from the distance it becomes striking and beautiful. It is the sense of an endless society and quality which attracts Woolf, Lawrence nonetheless is shocked by the crowds single mindedness. It is interesting to note that the characteristics of the crowd are not obvious for all citizens of the city. In conclusion we are able to identify the significance of the representation of the city in all three works by Lawrence, Eliot and Woolf. There are many different modernist representations of the city which come across in all three texts. What T.S. Eliot pictures as an isolated, distressed area, is in fact for Virginia Woolf a symbolic landscape of life and vibrancy, and for D.H. Lawrence an urban area of despair. All three diverse understandings and ideas of the city are reflected in the characters presented in the texts by the modernist authors. For this reason we are shown how Mrs Dalloways consciousness presents an optimistic image of the city, which is contrasted by both Birkin and Gudruns negativity. On the other hand, we do not only get the general approach of the presentation and its significance, the authors are shown to be expressing their personal and individual understandings and views of the city. The citys attitude of precision is symbolised within Geralds modernization of the coalmines which introduce the perfect inhuman machines to Beldover. Exactness can also be found in the strikes of Big Ben in Mrs Dalloway. Furthermore, in Mrs Dalloway the cities characteristics are mirroring the state of mind of the characters and give therefore another perspective of the urban landscape. In addition, Lawrences and Woolfs new modernist techniques of expression have the ability to cope with the progressively altering conditions of modernity within the city life. Woolfs free indirect speech gives a full meaning and insight into the awareness of the characters, therefore giving them a much better and accurate understanding of their own individual views of the city. Lawrence uses repetition in his language in order to improve his conventional understanding of particular terms and provides the city with new characteristics. As a result, the individual and subjective experiences of the authors offer a complex and deeper picture of the reality and unreality of a w eak city. WORD COUNT: 2732

The Ultimate Pet: A Pet Rock Essay -- essays research papers

The Ultimate Pet: A Pet Rock A pet rock can be as comforting to me as any canine or feline. Some would believe that a man's best friend is a dog. However, living in a confined two bedroom apartment, I do not have the luxury or permission for a forty pound dog to be plopping around. This is why I have found comfort in my pet rock. A pet rock can replace many of the duties, such as a companionship, I can get from a pet dog or cat. When I go shopping for a pet, I look for the appropriate size and color to meet my needs. Some people like big animals, some small. Some animals come in black, brown, white, yellow; yet some are spotted. The same goes for my rock. When I went "shopping" for my rock, I didn't want o...

Capital Punishment :: essays research papers

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Capital Punishment -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Should Christians support the death penalty? The answer to that question is controversial. Many Christians feel that the Bible has spoken to the issue, but others believe that the New Testament ethic of love replaces the Old Testament law. Old Testament Examples Throughout the Old Testament we find many cases in which God commands the use of capital punishment. We see this first with the acts of God Himself. God was involved, either directly or indirectly, in the taking of life as a punishment for the nation of Israel or for those who threatened or harmed Israel. One example is the flood of Noah in Genesis 6-8. God destroyed all human and animal life except that which was on the ark. Another example is Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18-19), where God destroyed the two cities because of the heinous sin of the inhabitants. In the time of Moses, God took the lives of the Egyptians' first-born sons (Exod. 11) and destroyed the Egyptian army in the Red Sea (Exod. 14). There were also punishments such as the punishment at Kadesh-Barnea (Num. 13-14) or the rebellion of Korah (Num. 16) against the Jews wandering in the wilderness. The Old Testament is replete with references and examples of God taking life. In a sense, God used capital punishment to deal with Israel's sins and the sins of the nations surrounding Israel. The Old Testament also teaches that God instituted capital punishment in the Jewish law code. In fact, the principle of capital punishment even precedes the Old Testament law code. According to Genesis 9:6, capital punishment is based upon a belief in the sanctity of life. It says, "Whoever sheds man's blood by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God, He made man." The Mosaic Law set forth numerous offenses that were punishable by death. The first was murder. In Exodus 21, God commanded capital punishment for murderers. Premeditated murder (or what the Old Testament described as "lying in wait") was punishable by death. A second offense punishable by death was involvement in the occult (Exod. 22; Lev. 20; Deut 18-19). This included sorcery, divination, acting as a medium, and sacrificing to false gods. Third, capital punishment was to be used against perpetrators of sexual sins such as rape, incest, or homosexual practice. Within this Old Testament theocracy, capital punishment was extended beyond murder to cover various offenses.

A character from a book, movie, or television program Essay

â€Å"Then I shall die as one of them!† A line said by one of the most noble of characters in my favourite movies of all time. The Lord of the Rings is a story that is epically written by J.R.R Tolkien. It is a three part book that has been adapted into film with many characters that individually play important roles in the story. Aragorn son of Arathorn had caught my attention from his very first appearance in the trilogy. Aragorn son of Arathorn is the heir of Isildur. He is also known as Elessar by the people of Gondor. By the people around the Shire, he is known as Strider, the dark rider with no name. Aragorn always looks disheveled with his beard and lone ranger clothes. Despite that, he could woo any woman he passes by as he is very handsome and macho. Whenever he cleans himself up, you could see the kingly heir of Isildur that he is. As a child, Aragorn lost his father who was killed brutally by orcs. As a result, he grew up in Rivendell amongst the fair elves as his mother wanted him protected from his dangerous lineage. Many enemies wanted him dead for he was from a line of very powerful kings that had defeated the evil Sauron. Aragorn portrays many kingly characteristics in the movie. He has the characteristics of a very good leader, just as his ancestors did. Though compared to them, he is a better man and a wiser king. In battle, Aragorn plans excellent strategies. He led a war in The Return of the King and won it proudly. Also, Aragorn has nobility that is worth noting. In the name of his people and Frodo Baggins, he would fight till his death and protect them. Aragorn always fought side by side full of pride with his people in war. Aragorn son of Arathorn or more commonly known as Strider by Samwise Gamgee, one of his respected nine companions in the Fellowship of the Ring, is a very interesting character. From the very start of the movie, he stood out from all the other characters. As a result, he had caught so much of my attention that I would eagerly await all of his appearance in every scene of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.