Positive Psychology and Depression

Positive Psychology in the Treatment of Major Depression Positive psychology is a strengths-oriented, positively focused approach to human behaviors and thoughts that is relatively recent to the overall field of psychology. Previous schools of thought had always focused on the abnormalities, weaknesses, and pathologies of people. Positive psychology is an exceptionally new branch of psychology and aims at making life more fulfilling, enjoyable, and happy instead of just tolerable; they wish to promote mental health and well-being instead of only treating disorders.This research paper will address the roles that hope, gratitude, forgiveness, resilience, optimism, and self-efficacy play in one’s life, and how these characteristics can be utilized in a way to maximize one’s positive affect. One of the most common mood disorders is depression. Depression comes in many forms and there are also different depressive disorders such as major depression, bipolar disorder, and dys thymic disorder. (NIMH, 2009) For the sake of this paper, major depression will be examined. Related article: Approaches to Promoting WellbeingSymptoms of a major depressive episode include feelings of sadness or unhappiness, irritability or frustration, loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities, reduced sex drive, insomnia or excessive sleeping, changes in appetite, agitation or restlessness, angry outbursts, slowed thinking or speaking, fatigue, tiredness, loss of energy, trouble thinking or concentrating, frequent thoughts of death or dying including suicide, crying spells for no apparent reason, and unexplained physical problems such as pain (Mayo Clinic, 2012).One does not have to have every one of these symptoms, they must have at least five symptoms, they must persist for at least two weeks, symptoms cannot be caused due to drug or alcohol consumption, are not caused by bereavement or last longer than two months, and they must cause a significant amount of impairment in the person’s everyday life functioning (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). Major depressive disorder has a lifetime prevalence rate of 11. 2 percent in young adults with 3. 3 percent of those cases deemed severe, and a twelve month prevalence rate of 6. percent in adults with 30. 4 percent of those cases diagnosed as severe. People ages eighteen to twenty-nine are seventy percent more likely to have experienced depression compared to those over the age of sixty, people between thirty to forty-four years old were 120 percent more likely, and forty-five to fifty-nine year olds were 100 percent more likely. Women are seventy percent more likely than their male counterparts to experience depression during their lifetime and whites are forty percent more likely than blacks to experience depression.Compared to 2 percent or less for most other disorders, major depression is quite common. (NIMH, 2009) Positive psychology interventions in cases of major depression focus on increasing positive emotions, positive experiences, subjective well-being, and beneficial engagements. This differs fro m traditional interventions by not focusing on the depressive, negative symptoms and instead trying to focus on the good aspects of one’s life. Positive psychologists do not ignore the fact that mental illnesses are abnormal and the fact that things do go wrong in peoples’ lives.Instead, they want to take a closer look at the good things that happen in peoples’ lives and what makes and keeps people content or happy. In one study, conducted by Seligman et al, positive psychotherapy exercises delivered through the internet were shown to relieve the symptoms of depression for a minimum of six months whereas traditional treatments lasted less than one week. In subjects suffering from severe depression, reduction in mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms was observed.It was also observed that subjects who had been suffering from major depressive disorder and underwent positive psychotherapy had a higher reduction in symptoms than those who underwent traditional treatme nts and those who underwent traditional treatments combined with medications. The hypothesis of this study stated that â€Å"depression can be treated effectively not only by reducing its negative symptoms, but also by directly and primarily building positive emotions, character strengths, and meaning. It is possible that directly building these positive resources may also buffer against their future reoccurrence. (Seligman et, al. , 2006) Logically, major depression would be well treated when using a positive psychology oriented approach. People who suffer from depression experience anhedonia – an inability to experience pleasure in activities which it is usually produced. They lack positive affect, show a lack of engagement in meaningful activities, lack of feeling of purpose, and lack of feeling of meaning. These people no longer find any interest in things such as sex, food, bonding with friends, favorite past times, and work. (Brynie, 2009) A study by Barnaby D.Dunn, pu blished in July of 2012 also found that people suffering from depression also do not experience anticipation or recognize positive emotions the way those unaffected do. (Dunn, 2012) The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines anticipation as â€Å"1: b. the act of looking forward; especially: pleasurable expectation. 2: a mental attitude that influences a later response. †(Merriam-Webster, 2012) From this, it is understood that people suffering from depression, and therefore anhedonia, not only miss out on the pleasure normally experienced during enjoyable activities, they also do not even look forward to any of these pleasurable activities.It is as if they do not see the possibility of an experience producing positive outcomes. Positive psychology, on the other hand, is primarily focused on creating and building-upon positive emotions, helping people find meaning in their everyday lives, and promoting an overall increase in mental health. Positive psychology has its roots in self -efficacy, optimism, and hope. Self-efficacy is the belief that you have the skills and self-control necessary to achieve the goals you set for yourself.This is a learned way of thinking, predicted by previous successes, observing others with high levels of self-efficacy, the ability to imagine oneself achieving a successful outcome, verbal persuasion by other strong and trustworthy individuals, and ability to control negative emotions. Optimism is a person’s tendency to look at a situation from the best possible point of view, or too expect the best possible outcome in any given situation (Merriam-Webster, 2012). Optimism can be predicted by a childhood environment which provided safety, coherence, secure attachments, and there is also a genetic component to optimism.Television, however, is one of the main culprits in promoting pessimism – the opposite of optimism. The final main building block of positive psychology is hope. Hope is the combination of the belief that one can reach his or her goals and has the ability to find alternate routes to these goals should they be presented with adversity. (Snyder, 2011) Key steps and aspects of combating major depression with positive psychology were outlined by Seligman, Rashid, and Parks in their 2006 article.Since depression is associated with a lack of positive realizations in one’s life, clients were asked to take steps to help them recognize their signature strengths, ways to utilize these signature strengths, good things that happen to them every day, things and people in their lives that they are thankful for, and also to forgive others and themselves for past transgressions. To help clients recognize their signature strengths as well as help them to see the way they view themselves, clients were instructed to write stories describing what they believe to be their character strengths.The client and therapist discuss how apathy and the absence of positive emotions do nothing but maintain t he cycle of depressive episodes. Next, clients were instructed to take the VIA-IS strengths finding questionnaire and then use those results in an assignment stating how they could best utilize their strengths to improve their everyday lives. Afterwards, clients were to recall past situations in which they have successfully used their identified strengths to their advantage. Pleasure, engagement, and meaning as pathways to happiness are discussed during the client’s session and their role in overcoming depression is outlined.All of these steps help lead to the realization of the client that they have strengths that are unique to themselves, they have control over situations that happen to them, and they are not helpless. (Seligman, 2006) The next set of steps focuses mainly on engagement. Clients were asked to keep Blessings Journals in which they recorded at least three good things which happened to them each day. They are also encouraged to write about three bad things that have happened to them and to go into depth about their emotions surrounding these events and how the events influenced their depression.The therapist will inform the client of the ways in which retaining negative feelings such as anger and bitterness can compound the effects of depression and prevent recovery. Clients were encouraged to talk about negative experiences and vent about these experiences rather than ruminate on them. Clients were then to write at least one forgiveness letter. They describe an incident with a wrong-doing, the emotions experienced along with the event, and they also promise to forgive to transgressor; even if it was himself or herself. Seligman et al, 2006) Forgiveness is a freeing from a negative attachment to the source that has transgressed against a person. There is less desire to avoid the person or seek revenge, and an increase in positive feelings or actions towards the individual. There is a realistic assessment of the harm done, an acknowledgeme nt of the perpetrator’s responsibility, a cancelation of debt between the victim and perpetrator, and then a self-removal from the category of victim.Forgiveness is important in a person’s life because it helps to break the cycle of violence when one person is harmed and seeks revenge and then the initial transgressor seeks revenge as well which initiates and maintains said cycle of violence. When a person displays a willingness to forgive others, it is not only beneficial to that person, but also to all of the people surrounding said incident. It produces positive feelings as well as an inclination to also be forgiving in future situations. This is a form of positive role modeling between peers. Snyder, 2011) Another important step is expressing gratitude. Clients are encouraged to express their gratitude to someone they never properly or fully thanked either in person, through a letter, or via telephone conversation. (Miller, 2008) One way gratitude is experienced is when another individual acts in a way that is costly to himself or herself, provides value to the recipient, and was done intentionally. Another way gratitude can be experienced is when someone survives a catastrophic event, a threat to his or her health, or a dangerous situation.Gratitude is a highly valued character trait in many cultures due to its beneficial nature and tendency to increase a person’s tendency to perform altruistic tasks. Those who are high in gratitude are generally less concerned with material goods, more spiritual, more satisfied with life, and more empathetic. (Snyder, 2011) Using the concept of primary prevention, psychologists can help their clients to prevent depressive symptoms from occurring in the first place, or lessen the severity of depressive symptoms during the next depressive episode.Some positive psychology interventions in Seligman, Rashid, and Parks’ 2006 study that dealt with primary prevention were being more physically active, socializing with more people or more often with people who were already friends, engaging in meaningful work such as volunteering and helping the less fortunate, bonding more with loved ones and forming deeper connections, lowering expectations of oneself and others, and making one’s own happiness a priority.In the same study, Seligman and his fellow researchers randomly assigned six hundred volunteers to one of six intervention activities online. Five of these activities were from a more positive psychology focused list of exercises, and one was a placebo. The placebo exercise required participants to write down their earliest memories every night for a week which had only temporary effects on that group. The volunteers assigned to groups 1, 2, and 4 showed pointedly lower depressive symptoms and much higher levels of happiness when compared to the lacebo and two other control-like groups. The volunteers in the successful group also had result which lasted at least six mont hs whereas the people in the other groups had either no results, or results that were only fleeting. (Seligman et al, 2006) Group 1 was required to take the VIA-IS strengths questionnaire and then considers ways in which they could utilize their results to help them in their everyday lives. Group 2 had to write down at least three good things that had happened to them that day and why they thought these things had happened to them.Group 4 had to conduct a gratitude visit, much like the one previously mentioned, in which they composed a letter of thanks to someone who had positively impacted their life in some way, shape, or form but they had never fully thanked and then read said letter either in person or over the phone. The two control-like groups’ assignments were to take a strengths test questionnaire alone, or to write an essay about themselves in a moment when they were at their best. Seligman et al, 2006) These last findings show that the positive psychology activities used in the Seligman et al study can also be used as a form of secondary prevention. Secondary prevention addresses a problem after it has already appeared; just as these online participants were already showing signs of extreme depression. After participating in the three blessings per day exercise their depression scores went down showing that this exercise not only could help prevent depressive episode as previously shown, it could also lessen a depressive episode that had already begun.As a spin-off from this study a website, www. reflectivehappiness. com was created. This was a social website community centered on positive psychology. New exercises and interventions were posted each month, a book club was formed, a newsletter was published and sent out, and a discussion board dedicated to positive psychology. During the first month of operations, it was found that fifty of the site’s subscribers who took pretests for the Center for Epidemiological Studies – Depre ssion Scale, scored in the range that would qualify as extremely depressed.After completing the exercise involving recording three blessings each day for two weeks, the average score for this group of people dropped from 33. 9, to 16. 9. This showed that ninety-four percent of these people were less depressed and fell from the extremely depressed range to the mildly to moderately depressed range. This website is no longer functioning the same way, it has moved to a mobile network which only works on iPhones and now runs under the URL www. happiness. com. Another important part of positive psychology and the ability of a person to remain positive, optimistic, and hopeful is resiliency.Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity and to successfully adapt to the demands of stressful situations (Tugade et al, 2004). People who are seen as resilient are more likely to be described as self-efficacious, confident, and determined and can also be expected to generate a more posit ive self-talk, boost their self-image, and promote self-agency (Mak et al, 2011). All of these characteristics are those of someone with a very positive outlook on life as well as a positive view of themselves.These people show a much lower susceptibility to mental disorders and behavioral problems such as depression, anxiety, violence, and substance abuse (Lillehoj et al, 2004). People who are more resilient also show more optimism and a higher level of hope when thinking about the future. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions suggests that â€Å"positive emotions expand what an individual feels like doing at any given time. †(Snyder, 2011) This is referred to by Fredrickson as a broadening of one’s thought-action repertoire.Emotions such as joy, interest, contentment, pride, and love all have the ability to expand you potential action options. Joy can create more creative, playful behaviors while interest creates the desire to explore, expand, and experie nce new things. One of the most important in positive psychology is pride. Pride creates the desire to share good news and envision oneself doing even bigger and better things. The opposite happens in any life threatening situation; your thought-action choices narrow to provide a smaller list of options to try to conduct a speedy, potentially life-saving choice. Frederickson, 2001) This research proves that when a person is feeling depressed and are lacking the positive emotions described above, they do not have an expanded thought-action repertoire and therefore do not see all of the possible paths to their goals which, in turn, leads to feelings of hopelessness and a lack of self-efficacy. Other health benefits of promoting positive emotions are increased laughter, decreased heart disease, increased longevity, positive emotional disclosure, and overall increased psychological health.Laughter has been proven to be a cyclical cause and effect of positive emotions which in turn impro ves immune system functioning, and help maintain a stable positive emotional state. Elderly people who had been hospitalized for an incident involving heart disease and kept up a positive attitude had a much lower readmission rate than those who displayed a negative outlook. Also, people who tend to be more positive throughout their lives, participate in emotional disclosure, and upholding an optimistic and hopeful outlook have a propensity to live longer than those who did not.Positive emotions and an expanded thought-action repertoire not only help people emotionally avoid depression, they also help people to be more physically active and thus further avoid depressive symptoms. The reasons why exercise helps to alleviate depressive symptoms is not completely understood, but it is believed to happen on a few different levels. First of all, exercise is thought to release beneficial neurotransmitters and endorphins which are essentially ‘feel good’ chemicals for your bra in and body. These chemicals are thought to activate the opioid receptors in the brain creating feelings of happiness and optimism.Another way exercise is thought to help create positive emotions in those who exercise is by lowering certain chemicals released by the immune system which can also prolong depressive feelings. Finally, exercise increases body temperature which is thought to have a calming effect on individuals. The more direct, less scientific ways that exercise can help people avoid depression are by acting as a distraction from everyday life and taking a person’s mind off of things, increasing social interactions and therefore increasing positive interactions, and improving physical appearance and thus increasing confidence. Mayo Clinic, 2011) A study also found that speed walking for thirty five minutes per day for five days each week, or sixty minutes per day three times each week had a significant effect on decreasing depression. (Harvard Medical School, 200 9) All in all, having a positive outlook on life can be beneficial to one’s life in countless ways. The study of positive psychology helps people to take steps towards developing better skills to take advantage of their ability to think positively, act positively, and avoid or decrease their depression.Through a few very simple steps, such as gratitude letters, blessings journal keeping, and skills and strengths assessments, one can increase their sense of self efficacy, increase resilience, increase their sense of hope, and by doing this decrease major depressive symptoms. Works Cited: American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed. , text rev. ). Washington, DC: Author. Anticipation. 2012. In Merriam-Webster. com. Retrieved November 26, 2012, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/anticipationBrynie, F. (2009). Depression and Anhedonia. Brain Sense. December 2009. Dunn, B. D. (2012). Helping Depressed Client s Reconnect to Positive Emotion Experience: Current Insights and Future Directions. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 19(4), 326-340. Frederickson, B. (2001). The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology: The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218-226. Harvard Medical School. (2009). Exercise and Depression. Retrieved from http://www. health. harvard. edu/newsweek/Exercise-and-Depression-report-excerpt. tm Lillehoj, C. , Trudeau, L. , Spoth, R. , & Wickrama, K. (2004). Internalizing, social competence, and substance initiation: influence of gender moderation and a preventive intervention. Substance Use & Misuse, 39(6), 963-991. Mak, W. S. , Ng, I. W. , & Wong, C. Y. (2011). Resilience: Enhancing well-being through the positive cognitive triad. Journal Of Counseling Psychology, 58(4), 610-617. doi:10. 1037/a0025195 Mayo Clinic staff. (2011, October 1). Depression and Anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms. Retrieved from http://www. mayo clinic. om/health/depression-and-exercise/MH00043 Mayo Clinic staff. (2012, February 12). Symptoms. Depression (major depression). Retrieved from http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/depression/DS00175/DSECTION=symptoms Miller, M. (2008, June 16). Positive Psychology Techniques for Depression. Retrieved from http://health. gather. com/viewArticle. action? articleId=281474977374787 National Institute of Mental Health. (2009). Major Depressive Order Among Adults. (DHHS Publication No. ADM 90-1679). Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office. Optimism. 2012.In Merriam-Webster. com. Retrieved November 26, 2012, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/optimism Seligman, M. , Rashid, T. , Parks, A. (2006). Positive Psychotherapy. American Psychologist. November 2006, 774 – 788. Snyder, C. (2011). Positive psychology : the scientific and practical explorations of human strengths. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE. Tugade, M. Frederickson, B. Barrett, L. (2004). Psychologi cal Resilience and Positive Emotional Granularity: Examining the Benefits of Positive Emotions on Coping and Health. Coping & Health. 1161 – 1190.

The Role of the Economy in Presidential Elections

There are many factors that can influence a presidential election in the United States. One of the most important factors is the economy. It is always one of the top debate topics which candidates must pay close attention to. What makes it such an important issue is that it does not matter what state the economy is. Whether it is in good shape or bad shape, it is still going to play a major role. However, if the economy is suffering than is going to be an even bigger talking point.When the economy is not doing well, voters become more concerned about it, which means that the candidates need to have a good plan on how to fix it. Otherwise, they will lose a lot of support. People are always concerned with money, which is why the state of the economy always plays a role in presidential elections. Although, how big of a role it plays does vary. Even though it does vary, it is always going to be an important issue in presidential elections. Money and our economy are things that voters are always going to be concerned with.That is why in this paper I am going to discuss the role of the economy in presidential elections by comparing and contrasting its role in the 2008, 2004, and 2000 elections. In doing so I will show that the economy plays a major role in presidential elections, but that that role does vary depending on the state of the economy. The 2008 United States presidential election was a very exciting and ground breaking one. There were many issues that played an important role in this election, but one of the biggest was the economy. It played the biggest role in this election compared to the 2004 and 2000 presidential elections.It was considered one of the central issues of the election. The reason why it was such a big issue is the fact that the economy is in the worst shape it has been in since the Great Depression. This caused it to be a central issue which meant that each candidate was going to have to make sure that they had a solid economic plan. Bot h of their plans needed to appeal to the voters. Each candidates plan on how to help out the economy was one of the first things that people would look at. The United States has the biggest deficit that it has ever had. This played into what plan each candidate came up with.It caused the candidates to change their stance on some issues. For example, Obama has plans to create a national healthcare system for those who cannot afford it (Skarda 2008 1). However, due to the fact that the deficit is so great, this plan would call for increased spending which would only add to the deficit. He then said that he would wait for the market to begin to stabilize before he would implement his plan. During a time of economic crisis like this, it is important for candidates to not have any plans to raise taxes. This would result in making them unpopular.It is something that they need to pay close attention to. Many people become unsure in times of such economic crisis and are going to look to the candidate who they believe has the best plan and seem the most confident in carrying out that plan. The candidates needed to make this a top priority because the country is in tough times economically it becomes a major issue. Under these circumstances, people continue to grow unsure of the economy and their own future. They do not know whether or not they are going to lose their job, be able to pay their bills, or even support their family.So when it comes to deciding which candidate to vote for, they are going to look at what each candidate’s plan to fix the economy is. They are going to want to vote for the candidate who seems most concerned about fixing the economy. As a result of all this, the economy played a very big role in the 2008 presidential election as it was one of the top, if not the top issue in the election. Also it played a much bigger role when compared to the 2004 and 2000 elections. Like during the 2008 presidential election, the economy also played a ma jor role in the 2004 election.Although it was not as major as in the 2008 election, it was still very important and not too far behind. And it played a bigger role in this election, than it did in the 2000 election. It was not as big of an issue due to the fact that the economy was not in as bad of shape as it was in 2008. However, it was still a central issue in the election. Also, it was over shadowed by the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. After the terrorist attacks, people became very concerned with issues of national security, so that became a big issue in the 2004 election.But like always, voters were still very interested in the candidates’ plans to help the economy. The Republicans believed that the improving economy would help President Bush win reelection, while the Democrats believed that there was no economic recovery due to the number of jobs that were lost. Also they argued that President Bush was leaving a growing national debt for future generation s because of his tax cuts. The Bush administration argued back claiming that the tax cuts have spurred the economy and will help boost the government’s income (O’Sullivan 2004 1).As a result, the candidates’ plans for the economy became an important issue. In addition, the candidates needed to have a good plan for how to handle the economy when the â€Å"baby boomers† reach retirement age (O’Sullivan 2). That was an important issue to many voters and each candidate needed to be aware of that and have a good plan. But the biggest economic issue was the loss of jobs in recent years. But in the end, economic issues along with all the other issues were trumped by national security issues. Voters were concerned with the war and the protection against future terrorist attacks first and foremost.As a result, the role of the economy was downsized and was not able to have as big of an impact. So despite not being the main issue of the 2004 election, it was still a major issue, but was not able to play as big of a role due to the war. During the 2000 presidential election the economy played the smallest role when compared to the 2004 and 2008 elections. The reason for this is that during this time the economy was booming and there was low unemployment. Due to the fact that there were few economic problems, issues on the economy were on the back of people’s minds.Also, there was not much either party had to do with economic issues. The Democrats were just able to point out how good of shape they got the economy in. Since the economy was doing so well, the Republicans could not attack it or come up with any plans to improve it that voters would really care about. Although the economy was in good shape, it still could have been used as a major tool in getting elected for the Democrats. Al Gore did not utilize the good economy in gaining support to its full potential (Cain 2001 2). Had he done this, perhaps it would have helped him gain enough votes to win.While at the same time, this allowed George W. Bush to have one less issue to worry about since people really were no concerned with it. He was able to focus on other issues and promote his ideas on those issues more than he would have been able to if the economy had played a bigger role. Unlike the other elections, Bush had a better chance of winning election by not talking about the economy. This is opposite of the 2008 election were one of the first issues that voters wanted to know the candidates’ plans for was the economy.And had they not talked about the economy as one of the top issues, they would have had no chance of winning election. The 2004 election is similar to the 2008 election in this aspect. This is one of the few elections where the economy was not one of the top issues at the forefront of the election. While compared to the 2008 and 2004 elections, the economy during the 2000 election had the least important role. In summation, the economy played the biggest role in the 2008 presidential election. It played the second biggest role in the 2004 election and the smallest in the 2000 election.Even though it played a different sized role in each of these elections, it was a major issue when compared to other issues. The economy always plays a major role in presidential elections. But as I have just shown, it plays a much bigger role when the economy is suffering compared to when it is doing well. By comparing the different roles the economy has played in recent elections, it becomes clear that the economy has played a major role in presidential elections and will continue to in future elections.

African American English Essay

When it comes to arguing whether African-American English/Ebonics, enriches or contaminates Standard English, most of the negative tone that African-American English gets comes from an educational stand point. One argument teachers, who do not believe in using Ebonics, use is that there is no place for Ebonics in the class room. Stacey Thomas, in her article â€Å"Ebonics and the African-American Student: Why Ebonics Has a Place in the Classroom† writes that teachers can use Ebonics as a way to facilitate the learning of Standard English to African American students. In order to use Ebonics as a vehicle to teaching Standard English, teachers must be bilingual; meaning they most know both Ebonics and Standard English. Thomas states, â€Å"†¦once students see and comprehend the differences between Standard English and Ebonics in terms of structure and syntax, they display a great[er] understanding in Standard English, and as a result, decrease their use of Ebonics† Ebonics and the African-American Student (6). In other words, by working on activities where students have to compare both Ebonics and Standard English, students’ knowledge of Standard English is increasing and their use of Ebonics is decreasing. Another arguments teachers use against Ebonics is that it obstructs the academic potential of African-Americans. Thomas goes further on by stating the Oakland school board Ebonics issue. In 1996, the Oakland, California school board started using Ebonics as a way to teach to African American students whose grades were lower than other ethnicities. As a result of using Ebonics as a vehicle to teaching, Thomas states, â€Å"the Oakland School District’s use of Ebonics in the classroom, [and] the students’ performance in reading and wring has improved†¦ the students have tested above district averages there was a in reading and writing skills† Ebonics and the African-American Student (6). So not only is the teaching of Ebonics facilitating school work for students, but it is also increasing their grades. Ebonics, a language that is stereotyped as ignorant and uneducated, is now becoming a great tool for educating students.

The Emergence of a Hookup Culture in Contemporary American Culture Essay

The Emergence of a Hookup Culture in Contemporary American Culture - Essay Example One of the factors that could have contributed to the growth of the women’s liberation movement is the loss of traditional gender roles in modern American society. While previously women were confined to their homes, they were now gaining recognition in their greater roles for the development of the society, and for the first time their functions were not limited to traditional homemaker and child-rearing roles. There were more women seen in public doing things that were expected to be done by men, such as getting a college degree, working in an office, or under public service. These women were able to achieve something, which also gave them the mindset that they can do anything that a man can do, aside from the traditional gender roles that were assigned to them. Having an advanced education opened up not just the avenues for other career opportunities, but this also changed how many women view relationships, including sex. This shift from being an at-home person to being see n in public did not only give additional career choices for women, but also additional freedom in relationships, whether sexual or romantic in nature. Starting from the 1960’s when the concept of dating was starting to lose its hold on college culture, the idea that having non-committal sex with others becomes a much more lucrative choice for most people, especially women since there is no hassle of having to choose between getting tied down to a relationship or having to bear children over expanding careers (Bogle 2007: 779). This way of thinking has made most women liberal in terms of their sexual freedom, and it is assumed that the engagement to such behaviors was not only rebellious in nature, but also helped in spreading the culture of casual sexual encounters since there were many people who were much more open-minded about it (Shukusky and Wade 2012: 495). Despite the fact that there has been an increase in the number of women engaging in casual sexual encounters, ther e has been an observed trend in the slow progress of moving from

How has Identification Technology evolved in society through Research Paper

How has Identification Technology evolved in society through Biometrics - Research Paper Example Biometrics has had great impacts on science today and a long history over time. It has been greatly embraced by different individuals ranging from company holders to the government. All this is done for security purposes. Banks for instance use biometrics in iris recognition for the security of different account holders (Leeuw 2007). They are able to tell through use of iris recognition how withdrawals were made from ATMs by different customers. Government can use biometrics by carrying out facial scan n different criminals. This will be identified due to the uniqueness that each individual posses. In understanding the history of biometrics different researches have been carried out all over the world. Biometrics dates back in different ages. This scientific analysis was first identified in China when different merchants applied this technology in distinguishing the differences in different children using fingerprints. It is through this practice that biometrics technology has been developed (Lockie 2006). Another evidence of biometrics dates back in the 1980s, when an anthropologist sought to differentiate traits in different criminals. He noticed that there are different traits that do not change regardless of environmental factors, there noting that use of biometrics is important in ensuring that convicts do not escape from jail. Among this unchanging characteristics are the finger prints, the retina and finally the skull. This view by anthropologist was adopted by different professionals all over the world these are the doctors and the police. The biometric study was faced with different challenges due to the fact that there was low technological advancement. Due to this, here instances of errors in the data collected, but today we experience an improvement in this study due to the high technological knowhow all over the world. This is to mean that the chances of

Spain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Spain - Essay Example Spains cultural melting pot became much richer during the Middle Ages in part because of the large and influential Jewish population there. After the defeat of the Muslims and Jews during the Christian Re-conquest period in the four hundred years following 1000, Spain became more intolerant and very Catholic, although it still rewarded exploration and sought to extend its power through overseas colonies. It is important to remember that the person who discovered the new world was Christopher Columbus, a Spaniard being funded by the King and Queen of Spain. Spain’s history in the 20th century was somewhat unhappy. There was a terrible civil war in the 1930s and for more than 30 years afterwards, the fascist dictator Franco ruled, oppressing people and refusing to permit the economy to grow in the way that it could have. But by the end of the 20th century, Spain was free again and once again a cultural world leader. It is now a member of the EU and NATO and is a strong democracy. The thing that stands out most about Spain over the last five hundred years are probably its artists. Perhaps more than any other country, Spanish artists had redefined the way we think about painting; but it can also be said they inspired and ushered in modernism. Artists like Velasquez, Goya, and Picasso were all far ahead of their time and all had untraditional views of the world they depicted in their work. They inspired thousands of other artists and taught the world to see through a very particular lens. They lived through tumultuous historical times and made sure to show the world these times without pulling any punches. That’s why they represent Spain’s greatest

Labor Relations and Their Effects in an Organization Research Paper

Labor Relations and Their Effects in an Organization - Research Paper Example Labor relations also termed as labor management define business that takes place between the labor unions and employers. There is usually a liaison between the management and the labor union. Large organizations go to the extent of employing a relation specialist to link up the labor union and management. Smaller organizations will have a human resource manager to link up the two. He can then present the interest of the labor unions to the management of the organization at hand. Labor relation activities include negotiation of contracts, employee grievances and complain arbitration, mediation and other business matters. The labor relations ensure that the interests of employees are well presented before the management. Labor union and labor relations impact significantly on an organization. The impact that this labor union and relations have on an organization depend on the relationship that exists between the management in the organization and the union representatives. In an organization that has skilled workers and trades people, there are excellent relations as they readily accept the union. These mean that they have been conditioned to expect these unions. It is, however, not always the case in all organizations as there are those that do not want to make concessions. Concessions apply during contract negotiations. If unions and management are ready to work together, then labor unions will have a great impact on organizations. There are negative and positive effects that accrue from the labor relations and unions that are brought about in the organization. Benefits that accrue to employees are many. Unions have seen wages for employees increased. The high wages also go to the underperforming employees attracting the wrong pool of workers in the organization.

Tourism Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tourism Industry - Essay Example Tourism offers avenues and resources for the authorities to politically socialize local residents and foreign tourists through a process of "branding" (Morgan et al. 2004). Such exercises reify particular identities for locals to imagine themselves and their identities (Ooi et al. 2004). Tourism becomes a vehicle for destinations to selectively market their crafts, their own philosophies, and their cultural identities. Routing and zoning provides a framework for reorganizing space. Tourism transforms the cultural and historical life of communities. State authorities may package and redefine customs and cultures, and reframe relationships between cultural groups in society through tourism (Wood 1984). The relationships between state and civil society are always open and responsive. Tourist consumption of local politics is often implicit, rather than explicit. Tourists, despite their relatively short trips, are subjected to many of the same conditions as local inhabitants. Countries perceived as unstable and unsafe do not receive many tourists. Their governments are often portrayed as being out of control, corrupt, or incompetent. When countries draw tourists, it implies that the tourists trust the host environment and system enough to come. Thus, tourists indirectly give a vote of confidence to the political regimes in the places they choose to visit. Howie (2003) points out there is rarely a single owner or manager of a destination, hence, there is less chance of a coherent set of goals and objectives. Poon (1993) states that today's tourists are more experienced travellers and therefore demanding, more informed of his or her rights and less passive in the quest of things to do than the tourist of a previous generation. Tourism success requires the cooperation of various agencies. Public authorities, local government, land control authorities, cultural management agencies, civil groups, and others have to cooperate to develop the industry. How the various agencies and political institutions within a country organize themselves to promote, plan, and develop itself as a tourist destination affects the speed, scope, and effectiveness in realizing its tourism development plan (Pearce 1997). Each agency has its own interests and agendas. Official tourism promotion authorities must take on a leadership role in the industry, and harness cooperation amongst various agencies through coercion and persuasion (Ooi 2004) Leiper (1990) noted that a 'system' can be defined as a set of elements or parts that are connected to each other by at least one distinguishing principle. In this case, tourism is the distinguishing principle which connects the different components in the system around a common theme. Main body How historical perspective in UK change from 1969-2002. The Development of the British Tourism Act of 1969Manufacturing was still Britain's main source of income when the 1969 Tourism Act was created. The development of tourism act was the first statutory legislation in the country specifically concerned with tourism. The primary reason for the introduction of the act

An analysis of entrepreneurial theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

An analysis of entrepreneurial theory - Essay Example Many new entrepreneurial firms fail as a result of entrepreneurs not fully understanding problems associated with their business models. It is rather commonplace for entrepreneurs to jump blindly into a new business model without properly planning that includes construction of a concise and well-developed business plan. A successful entrepreneurial venture must be considerate of the entire value chain, including marketing, human resources, technology, logistics and production in order to have a viable business model that can productively support the desired vision. Failure of the entrepreneurial venture occurs regularly as entrepreneurial leaders do not effectively measure the business’ holistic capabilities and capacities needed to service a market which leads to a lack of competitiveness in the firm’s competitive market. In order to properly service the external market effectively and profitably, it is critical to understand what constitutes the dynamic of the post-re cession markets and then attempt new strategies to align the entrepreneurial enterprise with these conditions and dynamics. As one example, the post-recession consumer is now more concerned about the ethical values and behaviours of the organisation. A study conducted by Oh and Yoon, utilizing a sample of 343 different consumers, identified that when an organization illustrates that it maintains altruistic values and activities, consumers maintain a more positive perception of this business over that of businesses without a promoted ethical stance.

Transformational Leadership, Policy, and Change Essay Example for Free

Transformational Leadership, Policy, and Change Essay Abstract This paper will focus on how effective Leadership can influence policy and change in the United States healthcare system. The implementation of new policy, program, and institutional change is often meant to improve the quality of the nations ever-changing healthcare system. Several journal articles and texts have been selected particularly with a focus on leadership strategies to improve the quality of healthcare, and leadership’s ability to influence implemented changes to the system. The question proposed is; does leadership encourage and influence both public and private initiatives that measure health outcomes, and organize systems to improve health services when new policies, programs, and institutional changes occur? The issues summarized in this paper are supported by scholarly journals and texts that offer several perspectives, including real life examples that will illustrate my argument that effective leadership can impact changes within the healthcare system. Our great nation has had a significant history of leadership both transactional and transformational throughout its existence. I venture to say that leadership is not just about performing a job: It’s about making a difference. When considering changes to healthcare, whether it is institutional, program, or policy, the importance and ability for leadership to put systems in place that strategically fulfill the goals and measures identified are extremely important. For example, with the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the future of healthcare has become more defined as noted by Baldwin; The Circle Way: A Leader in Every Chair (2011), â€Å"To serve as effective leaders, we must understand the context for our leadership roles–namely, the changing health care system and particularly, the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that President Obama signed into law on March of 2010. The Affordable Care Act resulted from months of intense Congressional action and serves as a reminder that  fundamental legislative changes do not happen overnight. Congressional tinkering over the 75 years since President Roosevelt attempted to enact national health insurance has yielded little by way of major change in health care programs, except for the addition of Medicare and Medicaid by President Johnson and the addition of Medicare coverage for prescription medications by President George W. Bushâ€Å". The new health care reform law is more than just a big change. It promises to be transformative as suggested by Baldwin, â€Å"that the old framework is disappearing because we don’t really know what the new normal will look like, and that uncertainty creates angst among consumers and health care providers in all fields, clearly leadership will play an important role in defining the path more clearly. Examples of the types of leadership needed are transformational and transactional leadership.† The success of health care reform will also depend on collaboration among regulators, insurers, and providers. Success hinges on an approach to regulation that is flexible enough, particularly on antitrust issues, to ensure that these groups can cooperate to pursue the goal of providing access to high quality health care at a cost the public can accept. As noted by Linsky, Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Though the Dangers of Leading (2012), â€Å"Transformational leaders are driven by a moral or ethical imperative. They forsake a transactional leadership style in pursuit of something that must be done in and of its own right. For the transformational leader, the pain of leadership is exceeded only by the pain of lost potential. Transactional leadership, on the other hand, reflects the political exchange of resources, and is dominated by the coalition that possesses the most resources as measured in the current paradigm. There is a huge price to be paid by the transformational leader. It takes immense courage to challenge the vested interests of the dominant coalition that is threatened by ideas that shift the paradigm. It is also painful to be rejected by those whom you would seek to leadâ€Å". Changing market demands in health care mean we need new models for delivering services in a more agile, responsive and effective w ay. I believe that leaders have the ability to translate personal talent, skills, and qualities into action that can influence change. Leaders take a stand for what they believe in and work to convince others to think and act differently as new policies, program change, and health care systems are implemented. Given the implementation of new program and policy changes leaders are driven to find better ways of doing things, and take paths that others fear to tread. Leaders empower people by providing new pathways to success, implementing new procedures, and guidance that enable others to move forward with a clear vision building strong relationships and inspiring trust and confidence in the process. As a healthcare professional, I realize that each of us has a responsibility to help other health care professionals understand organizational goals, new program policies, and the many contributions we can make to the health and well-being of our citizens and the nation. As mentioned by Hertsgaard, Healthcare; Living Through the Next Fifty Years (2011); â€Å"The effectiveness of new program implementation, or policy change can be undervalued by many health care professions that view health care decision making as only being made by a handful of individuals that may not particularly benefit the whole. If value is to be added, all affected by new program, or policy change should understand the benefits of inclusion of all healthcare disciplines as partners willing to assume leadership positions. If those affected choose to abdicate leadership roles, they give others power over our future as health care professionals†. An example used to illustrate my argument that the ability of leadership to impact, new procedures, policies, can be noted in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, as noted by Heifetz; Leadership Without Easy Answers (2012), â€Å"While the Affordable Care Act offers the potential to positively impact health care, we have a lot of work to do as regulations are implemented at the national and state levels. Implementation of health care reform may offer yet another test of our political system as Democrats and Republicans play out their very different health care visions. The federal health care reform law does not create a new system but does fill gaps in our existing system. It is a product of both a fragmented political process, which compels compromise, and our fragmented health care system, which limits reformers’ options to move away  from the status quo. Strong leadership will be required to realize the potential and promise for health care reformâ€Å". I do believe that because of transformational and transactional leadership the passage of the Affordable Care Act was possible. Below illustrates several fundamental institutional, program, and policies changes leadership will have to strategically implement with the passage of the transformational Affordable Care Act as noted by Zimmerman, Leadership in an Evolving Health Care System (2012); â€Å"It provides for: * Significant innovation with a focus on improved patient outcomes achieved through integrated care systems; * Fundamental payment reform, including capitation and bundled payments; * Expansion of pay-for-performance, where payment will be linked to outcomes in outpatient care; * Refocusing the system on wellness and prevention; and  * Levels of transparency and accountability never before demanded of our health care system or its providers† Furthermore, Zimmerman argues that for fundamental changes to occur; implementation of new policy and program change should be carried out by all individual as the system thrives on continuous innovation–just like strong leaders doâ€Å". Despite the limitations of our current delivery system, I do believe that leaders in the private sector health care see opportunities for innovation and change as our health care system evolves. Fixing our broken health care system will require courageous and innovative leadership on all fronts. There will continue to be strong reasonable voices all along the political spectrum that disagree about what changes are necessary, how to fix what’s broken and how to pay for the fixes. As Heifetz suggests in Leadership on the line (2012), â€Å"the fact is that organizations dont just change because of new systems, processes or new organization structures. They change because the people within the organization adapt and change too. Only when the people within it have made their own personal transitions can an organization truly reap the benefits of change, and good leadership recognizes and attempt to improve on those ideas†. As I reflect on the state of today’s health care leadership, I find that those individuals who have had the greatest impact are the ones who have let go of the consequences of that leadership. That is, rather than play it safe by reacting to consensus opinion; they have chosen to passionately lead to a  transcendent vision. In essence they have rejected the politics of transactional leadership, and taken a position in service of what to them is a moral or ethical imperative. In his book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell identifies three types of leaders who have disproportionate impact on influencing their peers. â€Å"These are people who are either well-connected, serve as mavens, or act as salesmen. * The first are individuals who act as communication nodes for the spreading of information. * Mavens are knowledgeable individuals who delight in sharing that knowledge with others without seeking personal gain. * Salesmen are in many ways the most important. These people have the capacity to emotionally influence their constituents. They have presence or charisma, and easily influence others through their capacity to express and elicit common emotions.† In conclusion, it is the job of leaders to create that environments in which letting go of the consequences of leading to a transcendent vision can inspire their followers and allow them to reconnect to the meaning and purpose in their work. In a world of exponential change, where leaders must serve in the capacity of change agent, transformational leadership is paramount. It is a position of great risk, requiring courage and can only be successful when driven by the passion of a transcendent vision. It is imperative to find joy in the doing, to make the journey and destination the same. References 1. Baldwin, C. and Linnea, A. The Circle Way: A Leader in Every Chair. San Francisco: Berritt- Koehler Publishers, 2010. 2. Gladwell M. The Tipping Point. How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference. Boston, Little Brown and Company, 2000. 3. Heifetz, R.A Leadership Without Easy Answers. Cambridge, Ma: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2012. 4. Heifetz, R.A and Linsky, A. Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Though the Dangers of Leading. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2012. 5. Hertsgaard, M. Healthcare: Living Through the Next Fifty Years. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2011. 6. Zimmerman, C. Leadership in an Evolving Health Care System. New York: Free Press, 2011

Texting and Driving: More Dangerous Than People Think

Texting and Driving: More Dangerous Than People Think Most people do not consider that texting and driving is in fact more dangerous than drunk driving. The research has proven that texting and driving is very dangerous and there have been studies that have also shown this point. Texting and driving is more threatening than drinking and driving because when people are texting and driving their mind is not on the road and neither are their eyes, but when drunk, the person is still some what aware of their surroundings. When someone texts and drives they are not only putting their life at risk but also everyone elses life who is also on the road. If a person is texting and driving their whole attention is on their phone, they can not concentrate on what is around them. Unlike drunk drivers, who might be aware of their impairment and act accordingly, texting drivers are oblivious to the risk they are taking (Moore). When someone takes the risk of texting and driving they have no idea of what is going on around them while they are driving. Their focus is on their cell phone rather than watching the road. When drinking and driving a persons reaction time is slowed down, but when texting and driving the person does not notice anything that is happening around them; therefore, they have no time to react. If someone is distracted while driving they have a chance of injuring or, even worse, killing someone else. The sender could also be injured or killed.ÂÂ   If they do happen to make it out alive, th ey will have to deal with the consequences and regret that follows. Based on studies done it has been proven that texting and driving is actually more risky than drinking and driving. This study showed, The impaired driver was able to stop his vehicle within four feet of where he stopped while sober. This proves that even though he was legally drunk he still had some control of his vehicle. The second driver tried braking while reading a text. His vehicle stopped 36 feet beyond where he stopped when not distracted. This shows that while texting and driving a driver has little to no control of the vehicle. Next he tried stopping while sending a text and this time he went an extra 319 feet (Vaughan). When someone is on the road and is distracted their mind is elsewhere and they can not be aware of what is happening around them. This study gives people insight on how dangerous texting and driving truly is. People assume that drinking and driving is worse because everyone discusses how dangerous it is. In reality, a driver still has some reaction time wh ile driving drunk, when texting they do not. Texting and driving is hard to stop because people are so to being on their phones all the time that when they get in the car it is hard to stop. David Strayer, who studies cellphones and driving at the University of Utah stated, We may have gotten ourselves into an addiction that we might not be able to get out of' (Hanes). Cellphones have become such a huge part of peoples lives that when they get into a vehicle, they can not seem to put it down. On the road there are way more people who are texting and driving rather than people who drive drunk. It is an everyday thing for a person to text and drive, but it is not as common for a person to be driving drunk all the time. Cellphones have caused people to create habits such as texting and driving which are almost impossible to break. Texting and driving causes tragedies, kills, and ruins peoples lives. Nobody thinks about what could happen if someone texts and drives. When a person gets into a car there is already risks on the roadÂÂ   of being hurt or killed. If you add a text or a phone call, the risks increase, and that means they could be that much closer to ending their life or someone elses. There are so many stories about people who have had a loved one end up dead due to a person who was sending a text. The text can wait, a life is more important than telling someone what you are doing. If someone has to tell someone else something important they can easily pull over somewhere and call. One tragedy that is in the article, Texting and Driving is More Risky than Driving Under the Influence, was an accident involving The sender and her four fellow New York high school cheerleaders slamming head-on into a truck, killing them all (Fumento). The person who decided to send the text was not thinking about what could happen and who she could hurt. The text was not worth her nor her friends lives, now their families have lost the ones they love and the teenagers lives were cut short; all because of a text, that could have waited. Texting and driving should be taken as serious as drinking and driving but it is not. There are serious consequences for drinking and driving but very little laws apply when someone texts and drives. When someone drinks and drives they face getting their license revoked, a huge fine, and even possible jail time. If someone were to text and drive there are really no consequences at all. There are not many states that even have laws regarding texting and driving. When caught texting and driving it was stated that A first offense is merely a $20 fine in California, and $50 for subsequent violations (Fumento). Although, if someone was caught drinking and driving their consequences would be ten times worse. They have a chance to face a couple years of jail time and to pay a huge fine that could be up to a couple $1,000. If laws were put in place for texting and driving it still wouldnt stop. In order to cut down texting and driving police officers would have to enforce the laws. There wou ld also have to be consequences for breaking the law, the same consequences that are given to drunk drivers. If texting and driving were to be cut down so many lives would be saved, and a life saved is one less heartbreak and one less loss. It is hard to face the facts and realize that texting and driving does put peoples lives in danger. Everyone texts and drives but nobody has to face any consequences for it. When somebody texts and drives they put others lives and their own life at risk. It is time to put the phone down, make a change, and stop texting and driving. References Fumento, Michael. Texting and Driving Is More Risky than Driving Under the Influence. Cell Phones and Driving, edited by Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010743227/OVIC?u=special_ovrcxid=2cbe766b. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017. Originally published as Texters, Youd Be Better off Driving Drunk, Los Angeles Times, June 2009. Hanes, Stephanie. Texting While Driving Is as Dangerous as Drunk Driving. Distracted Driving, edited by Stefan Kiesbye, Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010795205/OVIC?u=special_ovrcxid=1b191266. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017. Originally published as Texting While Driving: The New Drunk Driving, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Nov. 2009. Moore, Charles. Texting While Driving Is More Dangerous than Driving Under the Influence. Cell Phones and Driving, edited by Stefan Kiesbye, Greenhaven Press, 2011. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010743213/OVIC?u=special_ovrcxid=6194cfb5. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017. Originally published as Texting Kills: Cell Phone Use Impairs Drivers More than Alcohol, LowEndMac.com, 27 July 2009. Texting as dangerous as drinking and driving. Globe Mail [Toronto, Canada], 17 Aug. 2012, p. D8. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A299921824/OVIC?u=special_ovrcxid=4648dacd. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017.

The bystander effect

The bystander effect And of Clay We Are Created, written by Isabel Allende, explores what social psychologists refer to as the bystander effect. In the story, Azucena is a little girl who is trapped in the mud, and needs help if she is to survive. While the girl suffers and was filmed by countless reporters, no one actually comes to save her. The reporters are more concerned with filming the girl than with saving her life. The bystander effect is a psychological phenomenon where persons are less likely to lend assistance in an emergency situation when other humans are present than when they are alone (Myers, 463). Throughout the story, Allende uses voyeurism as a critical dramatic device as she connects Eva Luna to Rolf and Azucena. Through the interactions between the characters, Allende is able to investigate how voyeurism can lead to social apathy and act as a desensitizer in a crisis. Allendes And of Clay We Are Created describes how a host of reporters and cameramen become desensitized and apathetic towards Azucena as she is dying a preventable death. The situation clearly characterizes the bystander effect. Studies by John Darley, a social psychologist at Princeton University, Allan I. Teger, and Lawrence D. Lewis, his colleagues, demonstrated this psychological phenomenon in the laboratory. The most common explanation of this phenomenon is that, the more people present, the more likely the individual observer will pass off the responsibility to help the victim, unfortunately believing that there is bound to be someone who is helping already or is going to help soon (Darley, Lewis, and Teger 395). As more reporters arrive on the scene, each individual reporter feels less obliged to actually, help the girl. Although in the story Allende does mention, Soldiers and volunteers had arrived to rescue the living, the reader is made aware that much of the rescue effort is ineffective and cumbersome (47). In this way, Allende poignantly criticizes the government for not responding appropriately, when she points out geologists had set up their seismographs weeks before and knew that the mountain had awakened again (47). She goes on to say that the geologists had predicted that the heat of the eruption could detach the eternal ice from the slopes of the volcano, but no one heeded their warnings (Allende 47). The immediate thought that strikes the reader is that this completely ghastly episode could have been thwarted entirely if only the villagers had been either directly forewarned or even forced to relocate by the authorities. Interestingly, Allende seems to point out that the villagers themselves did not heed the warnings of the geologists, perhaps to mitigate any blame on the government and the media. Adding to the frustration and ignorance, the leaders of the government and military are unable and/or unwilling to help secure a pump that could have drained the mud water, which could have effectively saved the little girls life. Although it is granted that Azucena is not the only person in dire need of rescuing, the fact that she became the symbol of the tragedy (47) while never receiving help is truly heartbreaking. Instead, the entire world must watch the girl die a slow, agonizing death in front of the cameras. What makes the situation so horrifying is that this event closely parallels an actual incident that occurred in Columbia in 1985 (Picture power). A volcano had erupted (as in the story), and vomited debris and catalyzed mudslides that engulfed the towns near the mountain. A photojournalist who proceeded to take her photograph, which made headlines throughout the world, found a 13-year-old girl. Many who saw the photographs were appalled how technology had been able to cap ture her image for all time and transmit it around the globe, but was unable to save her life (Picture power). In fact, Allende seems to explicitly question the integrity and value of human technology as she describes how more television and movie teams arrived with spools of cable, tapes, film, videos, precision lenses, recorders, sounds consoles, lights, reflecting screens, auxiliary motors, cartons of supplies, electricians, sound technicians, and cameramen, yet how they were not able to secure one life-saving pump (50). It is almost unbelievable how so much advanced technology and machines are brought to film the disaster as opposed to the amount of materials and supplies that are needed to help save the victims of the calamity. Allende is almost begging someone to help the girl as Rolf keeps pleading for a pump (50). Allende also masterfully foreshadows that the attempt to save Azucenas life will inevitably fail as she tells how anyone attempting to reach her was in danger of sinking [themselves] (48). When a rope is thrown to the girl, she tries to grab the rope, but ends up sinking deeper into the mud (Allende, 48). At this point, the reader must also ask whether Azucena actually wants to be saved. She must have been in the mud for some time now, and the pain and shock would have been eating away at her will to survive. In fact, when the rope is thrown at her, she makes no effort to catch the rope (Allende, 48). Has Allende doomed Azucena to death already? For a while, the reader is given little rays of hope that the girl will eventually be rescued and that there will be a happy ending, but in all honesty, most of the signs point toward certain death for the girl. Another attempt to rescue her by tying a rope beneath her arms is also thwarted when the girl cries out in pain from them pulling on the rope (Allende, 48). She is stuck in the mud and is only kept from being totally consumed by the mud when she is given a tire as a life buoy (Allende, 48). Allende skillfully blends fact and fiction, by creating her own stories from events that have transpired in the real world. She creates characters that tell a gripping story, and become very believable. In the story, Rolf is a reporter who finds Azucena, the girl trapped in the mud and debris. Samuel Amago, a literary critic writing in the Latin American Literary Review, asserts that [Rolf] tries to give [Azucena] the inspiration to live while the impersonal television cameras look on without helping (54). He has become battle-tested through his work as Allende explains: For years, he had been a familiar figure in newscasts, reporting live at the scene of battles and catastrophes with awesome tenacity. Nothing could stop himit seemed as if nothing could shake his fortitude or deter his curiosity. Fear seemed never to touch him, although he was not a courageous man, far from it. (47) Through Azucenas struggle, he ends up undergoing a personal transformation by abandoning his aloof stance as a reporter that had served him so well in previous episodes, and by passionately embracing the girls fate personally. This is where voyeurism comes into play. This is not the kind of voyeurism confined only to the sexual fetish of receiving gratification from observing a sexual occurrence or object, but as Elizabeth Gough, a literary critic writing in the Journal of Modern Literature, states that it also includes any kind of intense, hidden or distant gazing (93). Eva Luna is not physically present with Rolf and Azucena, but she is able to see everything that is occurring through the news. She is in a way, spying on the two people. The intensity of her gazing is noticeable as the reader finds that Eva is emotionally, connected as she witnesses the events on television. The first aspect of voyeurism we find is the camera in the story. Rolf is a reporter and sees everything through a lens. Allende describes how the lens of the camera had a strange effect on him; it was as if it transported him to a different time from which he could watch events without actually participating in them (47-48). The mechanical tailoring of the cameras rolling as a human life is slowly failing portrays the media as impersonal, cold, and heartless. To Rolf, the camera lens acted like a desensitizer and promoted a sense of separation between Rolf and his surroundings so that while he was physically at the scene, his mind was in another safe, secure place. Eva Luna realizes that for Rolf, the fictive distance [between the lens and the real world] seemed to protect him from his own emotions (321). Rolf had erected a psychological self-defense mechanism in response to his traumatic experiences as a young child. His trauma mostly stems from his guilt for not protecting his sis ter, Katharina, from their abusive father. Allende suggests that Rolf could not forgive himself for not saving his sister, but through his efforts to save Azucena- and through his subsequent emotional revelations- he could finally weep for her death and for the guilt of having abandoned her (328). Through this act of acceptance, Rolf finally realizes that all his life he had been taking refuge behind a lens to test whether reality was more tolerable from that perspective (Allende 328). Allende suggests that Rolfs voyeuristic approach to life had led to shallow success as a reporter, and weakened his ability to trust his own emotions as well as other humans. Why else did it take him so long to accept that Azucena was going to die? It was because he was too afraid to feel the pain of loss again, just like when he lost his sister. One of the most memorable turning points in the story occurs when Azucena helps Rolf break down his emotional barriers and to come to terms with own past. Azucena accomplishes this not by saying much, but by listening to Rolfs stories until he could not hold back the unyielding floodgates that had contained Rolf Carles past (Allende, 327). In a classic reversal of roles, Azucena takes on the nurturing role of the adult during Rolfs weak and vulnerable moments. Allende portrays Rolfs mother as an uncaring, frigid woman who would not give him emotional support or even to dry his tears (329). Azucena is the one who tells Rolf not to cry, something a traditional mother figure would have done (Allende 329). Voyeurism is also evident when Eva Luna, Rolfs lover, watches all that occurs in the news on television. The physical distance between Eva and Rolf is palpable, as Allende explains through Eva: Many miles away, I watched Rolf Carle and the girl on a television screen (324). Nonetheless, through the story we are made aware that Eva and Rolf are intangibly bound together. The reader is left in the similar plight of Eva; we see natural disasters and tragedy through the eyes of the media. Therefore, in a sense, the media helps desensitize humans to real tragedies that occur by providing a fictive, safe distance for its viewers. This is precisely the reason why actually experiencing something can leave a truly lasting impression whereas seeing something on television can seem obscure and impartial. However, in the story, this fictive distance actually fuels the reality of what is happening at the disaster scene to Eva. For Eva, it is as if she is physically present at the disaster with Rolf and Azucena. The images on the television help her visualize what Rolf is seeing and even thinking at each precise moment, hour by hour (Allende 326). It is indeed surprising and remarkable how Allende portrays the attachment of Eva to Rolf even though Eva is limited to the impersonal medium of television to keep in touch with her lover. Allende explains that Eva was near [Rolfs] world and [she] could at least get a feeling of what he lived through (324). She further clarifies that while [t]he screen reduced the disaster to a single plane and accentuated the tremendous distance that separated [Eva] from Rolf Carle; nonetheless, [she] was there with him (324). Eva and Rolf were connected in mind as well, as Eva was able to overhear the verbal exchanges between Rolf and Azucena to the point wh ere she was present with them (Allende 326). Although it can be argued that Eva is much more personally connected and involved than the general reader is to the situation at the site of the catastrophe, the reader is drawn into the conflict and struggle by the personal narrative of Eva. The reader is told the story through Evas perspective, and thus we are left with an impression that is comparable to the storyteller. The voyeurism goes many ways. Compounding this idea of long-distance interconnectedness is how Allende ties Eva to Azucena, in addition to Rolf. Through Rolfs interplay with Azucena, Eva is hurt by the girls every suffering, and feels Rolfs frustration and impotence (Allende 324). The three are enjoined together in a peculiar love triangle. Rolf tells Azucena that he loves her more than he loved his mother, more than his sister, more than all the women who had slept in his arms, more than he loved [Eva], his life companion (Allende 330). Of course, he does not mean Eros love, the kind between adult men and women, but a more intrinsically human one of neighborly love and goodwill. Eva, in her turn, expresses her love for Rolf and Azucena when she admits that she would have given anything to be trapped in that well in her place, [and] would have exchanged her life for Azucenas (Allende 330). We are then forced to analyze whether the voyeuristic qualities of the media affects the different types of l ove shown in the story. For the most part, the media helps Eva to express stronger love for Rolf and to become connected to Azucena, whom she had never met. Without the media, Eva would never have known what had happened at the disaster as well as the identity of the little girl who had tremendously affected Rolf. For Rolf, his initial voyeurism through the lens of the camera had acted as a desensitizer and emotional barricade, and when faced with the crisis, his love for Azucena is bolstered as he comes to realize he must let go of his past and obligingly accept the situation. However, Rolfs love for Eva seems to have taken a hit after he returns from his ordeal (Allende 331). A bitter question one is forced to ask is what or who exactly Allende is blaming in her story, or if she is even blaming someone or something in particular for Azucenas death. While it is clear that Rolf definitely undergoes a psychological metamorphosis, we cannot logically assume that this change is for the better. The end of the story suggests that Rolf will never be the same man again, but that he will eventually heal (Allende 331). Eva hopes that one day when Rolf return[s] from [his] nightmares, they shall be the happy couple they used to be (Allende 331). However, the ending suggests that for Rolf, the incident was as traumatic as his initial trauma as a child. Rolf is not free from his past, as Eva would like him to be. In fact, although he is freed from his childhood trauma, he is still haunted by his failure to save Azucena. Perhaps Allende is suggesting that emotional healing can only occur when the victim is ready to be healed. Then is Allende blaming the media for Azucenas death? Alternatively, is she pointing out the gross inability of the government to intervene swiftly and to protect its citizens? Probably, a bit of both. The media is clearly depicted in a heartless, cold manner. Why did anyone not helped? Nevertheless, if any one thing is to be blamed, it should be the society where this incident occurred. Allende seems to be challenging the ineptitude and unpreparedness of the government and its leaders for not mustering the resources and courage to save the girl. The villagers are also criticized as unheeding fools who only brought the calamity upon themselves by not listening to the geologists. This makes it hard to blame anyone at all. Perhaps Allende is suggesting that it is unnecessary to blame anyone, but rather to calmly accept what happened, just as Azucena does in the end. One thing is though: that Allende does not approve of the social apathy that permeates throughout the story, and claims t hat it was the unwillingness to help that ultimately kills Azucena. This makes us wonder, just how dangerous it can be to remain a bystander, instead of actively assisting those who need our help. Reference: Amago, Samuel. Isabel Allende and the postmodern literary tradition: A reconsideration of Cuentos de Eva Luna. Latin American Literary Review 28.56 (Jul-Dec 2000): 43-61. Darley, John M., Allan I. Teger, and Lawrence D. Lewis. Do Groups Always Inhibit Individuals Responses To Potential Emergencies? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 26.3 (1973): 395-399. Gough, Elizabeth (2004). Vision and Division: Voyeurism in the Works of Isabel Allende.Journal of Modern Literature,27(4),93-120. Retrieved May 2, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID:801683111). Myers, David G. (2010). Social Psychology (10th Ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Picture power: Tragedy of Omayra Sanchez. BBC News 30 Sept. 2005. Retrieved April 17, 2010 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4231020.stm. Rubenstein, R. Larson, C. (2002). Worlds of fiction (2nd Ed.). Isabel Allende, And of Clay Are We Created, 46-52. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall

How to Become a Bow Hunter Essay -- learn bow hunting hunter

Bow hunting can be a fun and exiting sport to do. But first you must learn how to do so. There several steps involved becoming a successful bow-hunter. You must have proper equipment, good hunting habitat, and skill with a little technique. Have a nice bow with comfortable poundage that you can draw back easily fully dressed. Too much poundage will surely give you away. A compound bow or a recurve bow will both work well. Compound bows are more expensive and are require frequent tuning. Recurve bows are simple and quite. The choice is up to you. Bow hunting is relatively not a cheap sport to do. You must first purchase a tree stand with a ladder or some type of portable ground blind. Set your tree stand in an area you are familiar with. This will help in many ways. If you do happen to shoot a deer you will know the area to better your chances to track it after the fatal shot. Know where the deer are coming from. Knowing which way the deer are coming from will not startle you and cause you to move unexpectedly. Knowing where the deer are coming from will allow you to set your stand downwind so the deer cannot smell you. This ultimately will better your chances. Both your tree stand and ladder should be light. You will have to carry both of these items to your hunting spot. Setting you ladder and carrying your tree stand up the tree will be less strenuous with lighter equipment. Next have the right clothing on. Purchase something that is warm. Bow hunti...

Essay --

Cauvery River Dispute - The Cauvery river dispute is one of the longest river dispute today. The dispute began in 1974 when the 50 year old agreement between the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Collapsed. The Cauvery basin covers majorly 3 states and 1 UT – i.e. it originates Talacauvery in Coorg in Mysore state and then flows to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. But the Use and development of Cauvery Waters were regulated by agreements of 1892 and 1924, which were solely between the Mysore and Tamil Nadu. According to the Karnataka government the 1924 agreements states the discontinuation of the water supply to Tamil Nadu after 50 year. In 1990, SC directs centre to constitute Cauvery Water dispute tribunal (CWDT). The tribunal heard both the parties and reached a conclusion that Karnataka should release 205TMC of water to Tamil Nadu, every month. Karnataka denied the ruling and argued that it is impossible to implement the decision as in failed monsoons many areas of Karnataka are left without water. In that case they have to transfer water at the cost of their own people. In August 1998 the Centre constituted the Cauvery River Authority to ensure the implementation of the CWDT. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) announced its final verdict on 5 February 2007, after 16 years. The Tribunal made the two agreements of 1892 and 1924 functional. According to the verdict, Tamil Nadu was supposed to get 419 billion ft ³ of Cauvery water while Karnataka was supposed to get 270 billion ft ³. But the Karnataka still didn’t release the water as per the tribunal ruling. On 19 September 2012, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and also the Chairman of the Cauvery River Authority, ordered Karnataka government to release around 9,000 cus... ...sing rapidly.† Karnataka depends heavily on Cauvery to fulfil its drinking needs where as Tamil Nadu depends on Cauvery for irrigation. Wide scale Rice cultivation in Tamil Nadu is one of the reasons that Cauvery needs so much water. The question is why the food security of Tamil Nadu depends heavily on rice, as TN doesn’t have the resources to grow rice in such quantities. According to R K Sivanappan, former head of the Water Technology Centre of the Coimbatore Agricultural University, â€Å"Tamil Nadu could meet all its municipal water requirements by reducing the area under paddy cultivation by just 2 per cent from the present level of 2.7 million ha†. Bothe states should start looking for other methods to solve their water woes or should try to get into a mutual understanding, instead of politicising the issue. Nishant Sharma Radio Stream Essay -- Cauvery River Dispute - The Cauvery river dispute is one of the longest river dispute today. The dispute began in 1974 when the 50 year old agreement between the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Collapsed. The Cauvery basin covers majorly 3 states and 1 UT – i.e. it originates Talacauvery in Coorg in Mysore state and then flows to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. But the Use and development of Cauvery Waters were regulated by agreements of 1892 and 1924, which were solely between the Mysore and Tamil Nadu. According to the Karnataka government the 1924 agreements states the discontinuation of the water supply to Tamil Nadu after 50 year. In 1990, SC directs centre to constitute Cauvery Water dispute tribunal (CWDT). The tribunal heard both the parties and reached a conclusion that Karnataka should release 205TMC of water to Tamil Nadu, every month. Karnataka denied the ruling and argued that it is impossible to implement the decision as in failed monsoons many areas of Karnataka are left without water. In that case they have to transfer water at the cost of their own people. In August 1998 the Centre constituted the Cauvery River Authority to ensure the implementation of the CWDT. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) announced its final verdict on 5 February 2007, after 16 years. The Tribunal made the two agreements of 1892 and 1924 functional. According to the verdict, Tamil Nadu was supposed to get 419 billion ft ³ of Cauvery water while Karnataka was supposed to get 270 billion ft ³. But the Karnataka still didn’t release the water as per the tribunal ruling. On 19 September 2012, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and also the Chairman of the Cauvery River Authority, ordered Karnataka government to release around 9,000 cus... ...sing rapidly.† Karnataka depends heavily on Cauvery to fulfil its drinking needs where as Tamil Nadu depends on Cauvery for irrigation. Wide scale Rice cultivation in Tamil Nadu is one of the reasons that Cauvery needs so much water. The question is why the food security of Tamil Nadu depends heavily on rice, as TN doesn’t have the resources to grow rice in such quantities. According to R K Sivanappan, former head of the Water Technology Centre of the Coimbatore Agricultural University, â€Å"Tamil Nadu could meet all its municipal water requirements by reducing the area under paddy cultivation by just 2 per cent from the present level of 2.7 million ha†. Bothe states should start looking for other methods to solve their water woes or should try to get into a mutual understanding, instead of politicising the issue. Nishant Sharma Radio Stream

Lincoln Electric

Should Lincoln Electric enter through an acquisition, a Greenfield site or some type of joint venture? Why? Lincoln should enter through a Greenfield site because an acquisition strategy would not meet Lincoln acquisition criteria’s and Lincoln would likely pay more than it has been used to pay in the past. There might also be issues with family control and competitors in a JV. Lincoln brand is valued in SE Asia and will help Lincoln establish a strong manufacturing base to penetrate the Indian market. However, to be successful with its Greenfield site, Lincoln must adapt its Incentive Plan to meet India’s labour market institutions.Lincoln has to be agile as an organisation to meet the demands of the foreign environment and adapt its corporate culture to the local market. investing in a major facility there? The decision to invest in a major facility in India must be taken with a risk/benefits review of the political and economic conditions, the nature of the market, a nd the competitive situation in India. The political condition is stable and the economy is booming so Lincoln is taking a calculated risk in investing there. Lincoln is financially sound at this time to undertake the planned Indian expansion.Lincoln should be able to finance the expansion given the strong Income Statements since 1994. The opportunities in India are tremendous in the metal fabrication sector. Lincoln can serves this growing market via exports from other locations but it quickly needs to add manufacturing capabilities in India to position itself advantageously. Manufacturing directly in India will enable lower costs, more competitive pricing of welding supplies and competitive advantage when Indian manufacturers start asking for more sophisticated welding technologies like automation and welding robots.Should Lincoln Electric enter through an acquisition, a Greenfield site or some type of joint venture? Why? Lincoln should enter through a Greenfield site because an a cquisition strategy would not meet Lincoln acquisition criteria’s and Lincoln would likely pay more than it has been used to pay in the past. There might also be issues with family control and competitors in a JV. Lincoln brand is valued in SE Asia and will help Lincoln establish a strong manufacturing base to penetrate the Indian market.However, to be successful with its Greenfield site, Lincoln must adapt its Incentive Plan to meet India’s labour market institutions. Lincoln has to be agile as an organisation to meet the demands of the foreign environment and adapt its corporate culture to the local market. Where to place Lincoln's production facilities abroad? In his Distance Still Matter paper, the Harvard teacher Pankaj Ghemavat uses the CAGE model to measure the cultural, administrative, geographic and economic distance between trading countries.Success or failure in foreign markets expansion is often linked to a misinterpretation of the distance framework by man agers. A good CAGE analysis is a must to develop international expansion strategies. Lincoln being an American corporation, it makes business sense to pursue geographical expansion in Commonwealth countries. These countries have a smaller CAGE trading distance with the USA than other countries with different heritage (i. e. Francophonie, Asia). Consequently, India with its British heritage is an excellent choice for Lincoln and market entry might be easier than it was in China.

Refer to Poem 327 “Before I got my eye put out” Essay

Dickinson is able to so effectively present the importance of sight because in 1864, she spent seven months in Boston undergoing eye treatment. In Poem 327, she appears to be reflecting on this experience, as well as exploring further possibilities, hence the use of the conditional tense. This is undoubtedly a poem of praise for vision, yet this is balanced by the solitary nature of the poem which creates a sense of pathos. Whilst traditionally women’s poetry was considered to be more polite, this is definitely not true of this poem, which uses raw, visceral imagery to emphasise the importance and power of sight. Dickinson establishes three distinctive parts to the narrative; before the narrator ‘got [her] eye put out’; after the event and the possibility of her regaining her sight in the future. Dickinson refers to the narrator’s loss of sight as her having her ‘eye put out’. The aloof expression with which she relates such a critical event immediately excites the reader’s attention. Pathos is created with the narrator mourning for her loss and reminiscing about times when she ‘liked†¦to see’. Furthermore, by capitalising ‘Eyes’, Dickinson emphasises the word and portrays the ideal quality that eyes now possess for the narrator. The reader is able to appreciate that the narrator has needed to find a way to cope without sight; she is no longer one of the ‘other Creatures, that have Eyes/ And know no other way-‘. Through blindness, the narrator has been forced to develop her imagination. The strength of her imagination is portrayed as something which is, perhaps, better than ‘finite eyes’ and it appears that the narrator has almost been enlightened since losing her sight. Dickinson conjures up intense, eidetic images of ‘Meadows†¦Mountains†¦Forests†¦Stars’. In the final stanza, Dickinson equates the mind’s eye with the imagination and ‘[her] soul’, implying that sight is affected by our thoughts and pre-conceptions. She also suggests that people need to look out through ‘the Window pane’ and perceive what is outside the limitations of their own body. This is possibly something the narrator is able to do now that her mind is no longer affected by her sight. Sight holds such great importance for the narrator that it is bound up with a wide range of emotions. When the narrator is first presented with the  possibility of regaining her sight, she declares ‘my Heart/ Would split, for size of me’. The forced cesura makes the reader pause, and the exclamatory quality of the syntax reflects the ‘split’ and its release of energy and bountiful emotions. The repetition of ‘mine’ suggests the narrator’s hunger for ownership of the images. If she owned them, she would be able to satisfy her need by looking at them whenever she desired. In the penultimate stanza, Dickinson uses dashes to isolate ‘to look at when I like’. This is the climax of the poem and the isolation of this phrase highlights the magnificent phenomenon of sight. The narrator expresses her resignation to a life without sight ‘So safer – guess†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. However the narrator does also seem to be aware of t he benefits of remaining blind because whilst sight is presented as being incredible, it is also presented as dangerous ‘Where other Creatures put their eyes- / Incautious – of the Sun’. The poem describes a very solitary experience, about the narrator in commune with some higher power. The narrator’s Romanticism is illuminated by her passion for and desire to hold on to the minutiae of the beauty of nature. This is evident from her description of ‘The Motions of the Dipping Birds’ and ‘The Morning’s Amber Road-‘. The use of capital letters highlights the significance these images hold for the narrator and the detailed descriptions demonstrate that her mind’s eye can contain finer details alongside the vastness of the large features of nature, such as ‘Meadows’ and ‘Mountains’. Dickinson uses hyperbolae ‘my Heart/ Would split’; ‘The News would strike me dead’ to portray the intensity of the narrator’s emotional experience. One of Dickinson’s contemporaries, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, employs a similar hyperbolic technique to demonstrate her passions ‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways’. This is not the only parallel which can be drawn between the two poets; both show a similar confidence in being able to discuss the soul through poetry. Browning says ‘My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight’, while for Dickinson, the issue of the soul appears not just in this poem, but is several others too, such as Poem 280 and Poem 309. The way in which Dickinson sets out the stanzas in this poem seems to reflect the narrator’s response to losing her sight, through the way it builds and  intensifies emotion. From something quite ordinary like ‘other Creatures’ in the first stanza, the emotional intensity rises in the second stanza, continues to do so in the third stanza and climaxes in the fourth, before falling in the fifth, in reflection of her resignation. The more frequent use of dashes as the poem progresses act to punctuate and emphasise what the narrator is saying and also indicate the build up of emotion. The isolation and repetition of ‘mine’ in the third and fourth stanzas illustrates the tension and selfish nature of the narrator. The poem climaxes in terms of intensity in the fourth stanza and Dickinson then brings the intensity down to safer levels, which is highlighted by her use of the word ‘safer’ in the first line of the final stanza. The repetition of ‘other Creatures’ provides balance to the poem. The symmetry is strengthened as a result of the similar emotional tones in the first and fifth stanzas. This could be reflective of the symmetry and balance of nature, of which Dickinson has shown herself to be exquisitely aware. Through her different poems, Dickinson has shown her remarkable ability to sympathise with the varied challenges that people experience in their lives. It is this ability that makes her poetry as a whole so vivid and emotional. Her skilful use of syntax, hyperbolae and imagery conveys the power and importance of sight Bibliography McNeil, Helen ed., Emily Dickinson: Everyman’s Poetry, Orion Publishing Group, 1997Merriman, C.D., Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) URL: http://www.online-literature.com [17 January 2007]