Saturday, August 31, 2019

I Have a Dream Speech Essay

King’s speech not only changed history for the black community, but it also gave hope to blacks throughout the world. His speech was so successful because he was able to arouse his audience to their feet and get them to take action in society. The reason for the great impact of the speech, â€Å"I Have a Dream,† is due to the tense social mood of the time and that it reflects the conditions of the time, giving black activists a vision for the future. It struck directly into the hearts of blacks across America, and made whites ashamed of their actions and be willing to have a new start. In just 17 minutes, King influenced and informed the people about racial equality and fairness. Later, near the end of his speech, King continues to â€Å"preach† this point. For example, he stated, â€Å"†¦little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. King talks about the future and how one day, freedom will â€Å"ring† from all across the United States and how people of all races will be able to â€Å"join hands† and be â€Å"brothers and sisters. † He strongly desires a united world where racism will not exist. He says, â€Å"With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. † Overall, King int elligently used a well-planned structure to manipulate his audience into agreeing with him.

Love at first sight Essay

Adolf Hitler was a very famous person that was in the Holocaust. He was a very cruel person who thought that everyone who wasn’t a pure blooded German was lower than him and filthy. He put a lot of people through misery and pain. He didn’t even know if the people he was killing could be nice and pleasant. All he cared about was that they weren’t pure blooded Germans. Adolf Hitler was born on the 20th of April, 1889, in a town named Braunau an inn, Austria. He was baptised catholic and his dream was to become a priest and to peruse art school. He came from a divorced family, his father died in 1903. Hitler’s mother died when he was 18 years old, 1907. Hitler’s grandfather is believed to be Jewish and while in Vienna he had two close Jewish fiends. Hitler also served in World War 1. When Hitler was a child he was brutally abused by his father and lost 3 of his siblings when he was a young boy, 2 from diphtheria and one during child birth. This must have been very traumatic and hard for a young boy to grasp. His mother and father were divorced and his father has 2 marriages after his mother. Hitler had only been 14 when his father died of pleural haemorrhage. He soon after his father’s death left school due to him suffering from lung infections. Hitler had a hard and traumatic childhood and when he turned 18 his mother died from terminal breast cancer while being treated by a Jewish doctor. It is believed that Hitler’s grandfather was Jewish and after his mothers death he became certain for what he wanted to become and moved to Vienna to become an artist, after years before being rejected. Hitler met two Jewish men and became close friends with them. This is why many of Hitler’s generation and the generations there after don’t understand why he turned against the Jewish, could it be psychological issues within his mind and thoughts after having such a rough childhood? What could have been the main reason for Hitler to turn against Jews in particular? â€Å"Hitler began growing hatred for, not the Jewish in particular but rather against the cruel world that he lived in†. There are many that believe this statement is not true because they believe Hitler grew angry after his mother’s death, because it was a Jewish doctor, Dr. Edward Bloch who put her with excruciatingly painful as well as expensive treatments and surgery, and yet she still died. As well as his â€Å"hidden shame† for his grandfather being Jewish. Others believe that he was angry at his father for the abuse, pain and suffering he put him trough and wanted to get back at the world in his own twisted way. What could have been the reason for someone to act so mentally ill, that they’d want to exterminate an entire race? I believe that Hitler was not only physically unfit but mentally too that he may have lost his mind. There are theories that Hitler turned against the Jewish population because it’s believed they killed Jesus Christ and he was a Christian. When Hitler was 18 he moved to Vienna to peruse his passion for becoming an artist, he lived a very poor life living off of hid fathers small inheritance and an orphan’s pension. He became penniless and soon was homeless; he slept in a different place every night. It is during this time that people believe he became prejudiced about Jewish people, developing his knack for politics, and forming his debating skills. Adolf Hitler, two of his closest friends at this time were Jewish. He also admired Jewish art dealers and Jewish operatic performers and producers. However, Vienna was a centre of anti-Semitism, and the portrayal of Jews as scapegoats (the people who bear the blame) with stereotyped attributes (something that someone said that was not true about them but people believed) fascinated Hitler. What could mentally have been wrong with Hitler’s mind that he’d turn so violently against his own family and friends? In May of 1913 Hitler left Vienna and went to Munich, which is the capital of Bavaria, to avoid military services. In January the police came to him with a notice from the Austrian government. It threatened a year in prison and a fine if he was found guilty of leaving his native land with the intent of avoiding conscription (enrolling for the military). Hitler was arrested right then and taken to the Austrian Consulate. When he reported to Salzburg for duty, he was found â€Å"unfit†¦ too weak†¦ and unable to bear arms. Hitler served in World War I. He was enlisted in the Bavarian army. After less than two months of training Hitler’s regiment saw its first combat near Ypres, against the British and Belgians. Hitler almost died that day and many others. He was awarded two Iron Crosses for bravery. In October of 1916 he was wounded by an enemy shell and moved to a Berlin area hospital. After recovering, and serving four years in the service, he was temporarily blinded by a mustard gas attack in Belgium in October 1918. Communist revolts shook Germany while Hitler was recovering. Some Jews were leaders of these revolutions and this was part of Hitler’s hatred for Jewish people. Could Hitler’s recovery stage have been the time that he started to plot plans to exterminate the Jews, it may be possible that when he was injured and had to recover that he may have become mentally ill. It is also possible that he blames the Jews for becoming injured in the first place and this may have been the last straw for him. It is impossible to know what was running through Hitler’s mind but its more then certain that for one human to hate and despise a race so much to want to demolish them is not human nature, it is not normal for a human to have any thoughts, plots or motivation towards exterminating one person let alone almost a billion people. There are many theories that Hitler was an ill man and wanted more then to exterminate a race but exterminate a nation for his own personal gain, even though this is possible to know there are still theories and accusations and this makes knowing the truth difficult. Hitler’s dictatorship began in 1933, when he joined and created the Nazi party. His leadership, many believe, made him more power hungry then ever, and made him more mentally ill then before. Hitler died in 1945, after committing suicide. There are theories that he couldn’t handle his life anymore and wanted an easy way out, others believe it was his childhood that made him mentally ill and traumatised, and others think it was the guilt of killing millions of people for no reason. What could drive a human to taking their own life? Now you see that Hitler’s life was very sad, like many others at that time. The way he was treated when he was young, his family life, might have affected the way he turned out to be an adult. Which is why many believe he was a strong and ruthless dictator due to his childhood, but this is still not a good enough reason, in my eyes, for someone to commit mass murder and attempt exterminating a race. Hitler was humanly unstable and was not fit to dictate or run a country which led to his genocide of the Jews and suicide. Bibliography www. google. com =to find out the following websites and information. www. historypics. com = was used to find childhood pictures of Hitler and adult pictures. www. historyresearch. co. za = this was used to find information about Hitler’s childhood and life experiences. www. wikipedia. com = Also used to find out more information about his childhood and to see if the information found on the other websites was similar. www. brainyquotes. co. za = Used to find a quote to support the theories and feelings about Hitler. www. ispsuk. org = was used to find out how people can be mentally ill and where it could have began. www. webmd. com = Also used to find out about mentally illness and what it means to become mentally ill.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Extended Trial Balance Essay

The extended trial balance works in very much the same way as the trial balance except that there are a few adjustments to make after which you can then separate out the entries that belong to the balance sheet and which belong to the income statement. The extended trial balance is used for making adjustments to the accounts at the end of an accounting period. The reason for this is because of the matching principle of accounting, where revenues are matched with expenses in the accounting period in which they were incurred; adjusting entries need to be made. These adjusting entries account for such things as expenses that have been incurred but not yet paid, revenues that have been earned but not yet recorded, and depreciation on equipment. Using the extended trial balance also ensures that the full double entry method is used correctly to each adjustment without having the wait for the adjustments to be written into the ledger Example of extended The picture shows that company have made a profit of $3,500 and also the document is ready for the end of the accounting period. However, if the columns above did not equal, the company would have to look to see what error has been made. In the picture you can see extended trial balance with the adjustments and extended figures made and the totals of the columns show to agree. If you are an accountant and you will be using this extended trial balance, you will be able to calculate whether the company has made profit or a loss. From this picture, you can also see that the accountant set up extended trial balance and added the adjustments which included salaries expenses, accounts receivable and revenue. When the adjustments were made the total for each pair of columns (debit and credit) should equal each other which have shown to be true in the table.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Comair's information systems and information technology Essay

Comair's information systems and information technology - Essay Example In this section I will present a brief overview of the Comair. This company is a regional airline carrier based in the US. This is very well reputable Air Line Company that consists of nearly 7000 airline professionals who, collectively, manage and operate more than 1100 daily flights carrying 30000 passengers. Throughout its history, Comair has been an award winning leader in the regional carrier industry (Case Study). Conair is running the AirCrews operations and scheduling throughout a legacy system. This system is just about 2 decades old. There are lots of predicaments linked with this system on the subject of management of the on the whole organizational operations. Comair has an expected implementation of the new SABRE software package in the end of the 2005, but currently Comair was still using the SBS legacy system, now divided into two modules so that pilot schedule changes and flight attendant schedule changes each have monthly limit of 32,000. Comair is also monitoring the volume of transactions more carefully (Case Study).. The main problem is regarding the handling of this system. This system is developed in FORTRAN in 1950s. As a result the basic working of this system is console based. There are also problems regarding the better user interface and working facilities of this system. Next main problem that has emerged is SBS legacy system capacity of the transaction handling. This system is developed to handle pilot schedule changes and flight attendant schedule changes to a monthly limit of 32,000. The business of the Comair is emerging day by day. The need and capacity of the transaction handling of the Comair requires more effective a big capacity system of the handling of future enlargements. This system was fully crashed on 25th due to overall processing of the changes. This problem happened due to the 32,768 changes in a month. This problem has really affected the organizational overall profit and lot of flights has canceled (Case

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The Period of Middle Childhood Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Period of Middle Childhood - Assignment Example Middle childhood ages are thus shaped by their orientation and inclination to leadership in these organizations. Mediation has further been highlighted as a core source of leadership. This is due to the fact that it leads to critical thinking and the addition of new perspectives and the leading of these organizations to improve the leadership motive and the development of new mental processes which prepares the children for the transition into the into the next stage of development, adolescence. The level of leadership skills within these individuals as they transit to the next stage of development is the core determinant of how successful they go through this stage of management without necessarily losing their leadership traits (Karpov, 2009). However, children transition into this stage without the adequate leadership skills leads to a chaotic adolescence period. According to Vygotsky and neo Vygotskians, reading and learning is the root of gaining scientific knowledge. Scientific knowledge assists individuals cultivate better leadership skills and in the absence of learning, the capacity of people to venture into successful leadership is highly limited to their skills and abilities. These skills and abilities are mainly acquired during the learning process they undergo. In Vygotsky’s argument most children in industrialized countries, during their middle childhoods, undergo intensive learning to acquire the necessary skills required for these nations to attain overall success. During the middle childhood, there are a variety of issues that have been presented to pose a number of issues on the overall wellbeing of the individual. However, the most interesting aspect about middle childhood is the developmental process which individuals undergo during the learning process. The middle childhood revolves around school, since school is where these children can interact with their friends, as most of their friends are within the schools they learn. Arguably,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

The Determination of Food Policy in a Modern World Essay

The Determination of Food Policy in a Modern World - Essay Example Contrary to the main point of The Omnivore Dilemma, however, that part of the difficulty for humans is choosing their food is that we have too much choice, that we can eat anything we want. The problem, however, is that we do not actually have that great a degree of choice and that the factors that determine the crops we grow are in fact outside of our control. It is impossible to simply choose better, safer, healthier, and more environmentally friendly food because the food we grow is determined by the complex interaction of population, food-consumption style, and climate. In order to truly be the masters of our destiny in terms of food production, we must control the factors that determine what food we plant. Corn is in many ways a wonder food and in many ways a dangerous food. Corn can be produced in quantities that far exceed other plants (Pollan 2006, 36), and is incredibly versatile, functioning as everything from feedstock (65) to the sugars in sodas and candies (85). This mea ns that corn is the product of choice for most food production – in a single meal, nearly everything you eat can be a corn product in some way or another (111). This leads to problems, however. Firstly, heavy reliance on a single crop is incredibly dangerous from a food security perspective - an insect that develops the ability to eat it in high quantities and resisting pesticides, or a phage that targets the plant could lead to significant food shortages. Likewise, corn products are not always the most healthy – the high-fructose corn syrup that is in nearly every junk food on the planet is associated with heart disease and diabetes, two of the most serious killers in North America. So, realistically, there would be many benefits to breaking our addiction to corn (and other similarly homogenous cereal crops) and diversifying our planting to a wider variety of food products. But unfortunately, this is near to impossible because of the pressures that actually decide wha t kinds of food we plant. Forces other than free choice force the determination of what crops we plant. The first of these forces is population. Corn and other cereal crops’ incredibly high yields have led to a population explosion the like of which the human race has never seen before. And the fact is, this means that we now need these high yield crops in order to maintain the population and avoid even greater mass starvation than is already occurring. Population in many ways forces us to grow the crops we do. The second major force is lifestyle – a great deal of the crops we produce are used to feed livestock, which are incredibly inefficient uses of food resources from the human perspective – only about one-tenth of the energy used to feed the animal a human eats actually makes it to the human(68). So the widespread consumption of meat in our society is another major factor inducing the growth of corn. A final factor is climate – as climate changes rap idly it is important to grow crops that can endure a wide variety of conditions, and corn has shown that it is able to do this – it can be grown anywhere from Brazil to Canada, and can endure significant swings in temperature, rain and so on without failing, unlike many other crops.  

Monday, August 26, 2019

How has the recent economic crisis affected our sense of global Essay

How has the recent economic crisis affected our sense of global culture and metropolitan life - Essay Example Economic crisis has resulted due to a number of reasons. It is a result of improper policies implemented in the financial system which gives birth to numerous micro and macro economic problems. These reasons have varying severity and have affected the global economies of the world. The recent recession has webbed the entire global economies into its victimization and caused severe distress among both, developed and under-developed countries of the world. Recent economic crisis has paved way for inequality across many nations and has had a dampening impact upon their financial position. This crisis has led to other severe crises and it is matter of global concern. Recent economic crisis have not only affected economic variables but has affected peoples’ sense of global culture and metropolitan life in numerous ways. There have been significant alterations in the economic structure, relative prices and patterns of consumption which have bolstered adverse impacts upon the peoples’ incomes, living patterns and their jobs, globally. However, it is also evident from the crisis that where there have been adverse impacts upon many people, there have been some people who have capitalized and gained from this situation of adversity. However, this economic crisis has not affected each and every individual. Instead, it has impacted people who belong to the lower class. In many countries, this has uplifted social disparity and adversely affected groups of workers and may it be skilled or unskilled as there have been new entrants into the country through trade liberalization and other developments liked immigration of skilled personnel from third-world or developing countries. Furthermore, organized labor argues that this has not affected those groups or individuals who possess entrepreneurial ability along with educational and skilled background. Due to the economic crisis, the governments in many countries have cut back their expenditure towards the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

OSI Layer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

OSI Layer - Assignment Example However, other similar system programs are not included in the scope of OSI model; however they perceive an end user's typing into a Layer 1 demand (Holmes, 2011; RingofSaturn, 2011). In other words, the application layer works as an interface between users and network. Thus, it allows the users to access network operational services. In addition, this layer holds a multiplicity of required processes: (Microsoft, 2011)   5 PRESENTATION LAYER 6 The presentation layer offers a range of encoding and encryption processes that are applied to the data received from application layer. The purpose of these processes is to make sure that information received from the application layer of one system will be understandable to the application layer of another system. In addition, it works as a translator of the network since it translates the data to be accessible to the system’s application layer. ... In this scenario, the complexity and size of a network transport protocol completely depends upon the kind of service which is presented to it by the network layer. In addition, for a trustworthy network layer with virtual circuit potential, a negligible transport layer is necessary. On the other hand, if the network layer is untrustworthy and/or simply facilitates datagram transitions method, the transport protocol should encompass widespread error discovery and recovery methods.  Moreover, the transport layer is responsible for carrying out following tasks: 8 NETWORK LAYER 9 Network layer offers freedom from data transfer technology and routing concerns, masks peculiarities of data transport medium from higher layers and offers switching and routing processes to create, uphold, and end network layer links and transfer data among various users. In this scenario, the network layer is mainly responsible for controlling the processes of the subnet, and making a decision that which ph ysical path the data should be based upon, main concerns of service, and other aspects. In addition, network layer of OSI model carries out following tasks: (Fairhurst, 2001; Fairhurst, The Internetwork Protocol (IP), 2008; Microsoft, 2011) 9 DATA LINK LAYER 10 The data link layer is the place where logical data and information (for example network IP addresses) are actually interpreted into the electrical pulses that move over the physical layer. In addition, ATM, Frame Relay and DSL follow Data Link layer mechanisms. Additionally, the OSI model data link layer offers error-free communication of data frames from one node to another network node over the physical layer, permitting layers above it to suppose virtually error-free data and network

Saturday, August 24, 2019

SUCCESS OF DIFFERENT TRACEABILITY TOOLS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

SUCCESS OF DIFFERENT TRACEABILITY TOOLS - Essay Example The essential improvements necessitated because of the setup associated with traceability have got damaging consequences upon these types of components of the project. Not successful setup in the traceability idea can potentially end in final project disappointment (Turban, 2013). Traceability tools assumes a problem-solving oriented model that pinpoints of the challenge applicable within a particular creation connected with involvement of traceability matrices and is hugely vital in many software package engineering routines. It has additional functionalities including person-power rigorous, time-consuming, error-prone, and lacks software assistance. Those actions that need traceability info incorporate, nevertheless are not limited by, chance research, impression research, criticality examination, test out insurance policy coverage research, confirmation consent connected with software package devices. Facts Retrieval methods are shown to improve the automatic creation connected with traceability functions through minimizing some time that it may take to come up with the traceability mapping. The utilization associated with software goods in progressively fragile market sectors has necessitated the importance for necessity traceability in trying to forestall the uncomfortable side effects which may derive from disappointment. Undertaking a consistent history in the improvements executed during the progress cycle remains essential in providing details for development in the progress practice. Deficiency of sufficient details relating to software progress practice is a basic source of software project breakdowns. Need traceability offers software designers using the power to accumulate this kind of details. The guide book task in the traceability practice in trying to understand the needs offers a fundamental problem inside the utilization associated

Friday, August 23, 2019

Modern French History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Modern French History - Essay Example This political development, particularly the French Revolution, is related to the European authoritarianism in the sense that it influenced significantly the trajectory of this political thought. It was recognized as a new approach – a transformative social upheaval – crucial in influencing the development of future European regimes with its successes. The French Revolution has led to a strategic shift in the political landscape in Europe, particularly in the growth of authoritarian governments. The democratic ideology of the revolution were power is being given back to the people became popular. Even when the revolution and the ensuing governments turned antidemocratic, the French became enamored with the government and supported it with a strong sense of nationalism (Hampson and Crocker, 167). Under Napoleon Bonaparte, the empire became popular and France’s neighbors became wary not just about the French expansionist ambitions but also about the developments in the country. Interstate conflicts such as the Crimean War flared in Europe. In addition, however, there was a widespread fear that the revolution would be replicated in each of the European countries. As a result European governments started cooperating and enforcing policies such as White Terror aimed at preventing the spread of democratization and nationalism. Many of European governments became more authoritarian, rejecting demands for constitutions, electoral and social democracy and national self-determination (Hampson and Crocker, 167). With the French Revolution, the concept of a new type of revolution has been brought forward. Here, there was the ideology for struggle but without establishing democratic governments afterwards. The principle underpinning this development is how power vacuum is created during revolutions, and authoritarianism became critical in the maintenance of the balance of power. This can be demonstrated in the case of the Russian experience. Lenin and M arx heavily used the French revolution as a model for their vision for Russia. Lenin embraced the French conception of revolutionary democracy, which Marx’s theory of revolution has also recognized (Clarke and Foweraker, 770). Based on their doctrines, Bolshevism emerged. Its Jacobin type of revolution became successful in toppling the Russian monarchy and the state descended into extreme authoritarian regime under Joseph Stalin. The French Revolution is also linked to the revolutions in many states in Europe such as Germany, Poland, Italy and Austria in the year 1848. Also known as the Spring of Nations, it was considered a Europe-wide revolt, event extending as far as Latin America. While the upheaval was eventually crushed, it has brought about changes such as the limitation to Denmark previously absolute monarchy and how serfdom was abolished. The legacy of the French Revolution, with its democratic ideology and imperialist practice, rested on the manner and degree by whi ch countries in Europe reacted in their respective circumstances. An important dimension to the French Revolution is how preceding scholars and nationalists recognized the necessities of terror and the mix of violent and murderous personalities who led it. According to Shlamentokh, there emerged a benevolent attitude towards the participants to the revolution in contemporary Europe or immediately after uprising. For example, there was the manner by which the terrorist Collot

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Motivation letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Motivation letter - Assignment Example objectives are to, first become a first mate, and then in time, work hard to secure a promotion that will see me achieve my dream of becoming a captain. I believe that I possess determination and focus, which will ensure that I gain experience with the ambition of not achieving the highest rank in motor yachting, but also contributing towards the industry positively by ensuring that I ensure my crew members are safe and have confident in me. Despite personal endeavors in achieving my dream job of becoming a captain, I am also determined to uphold the moral ethics that defines a motor yacht crew given the extra care required in sailing passengers from one port to another. Pursuing motor yachting profession is not satisfying by its own, but through the integration of various aspects such as taking responsibility, conforming to the code of ethics, respect for others and giving other options to correct my unintentional wrong doings, which will help me build my career from a moral, emotional, and professionalism perspective. Motor yachting has substantial challenges that are associated with the conditions in which the sea vessels work. Remarkably, being at the middle of an ocean with no place to pull over in emergency cases is one of the psychological challenges that may face every motor yacht crew among many others including natural and experience challenges. However, there is no single profession that comes without risks; hence, I am determined not to be defined my fears and challenges, but what I can do to ensure that the challenges are part of everything a human being pursues. In reference to the saying the saying, â€Å"experience is the best teacher†, I am always ready to experience new things irrespective of whether they are challenges, obstacles or even hardships, which ensures that I thrive through my career successfully and learning from my past experience. It is my wish to spend my time in large water bodies aided by professional yachting crews

The Warrior Maiden Essay Example for Free

The Warrior Maiden Essay The Oneida tribe is a Native American people that belong to the Iroquois Confederacy, which settled originally in upstate New York. The name that the people give themselves is derived from Onayotekaono, meaning the People of the Upright Stone. The story of the Warrior Maiden is not necessarily specific to the Oneida tribe, but it is actually a rather common legend among the Native American peoples. However, the story is to be found in different versions that are, for their most part, dissimilar and adapted to the particular tradition of each tribe. The Southern tribes, such as the Hopi people who are based in Mexico, have an almost entirely different version of the Warrior Maiden story. The Oneida version of this legend offers a memorable and very beautiful example of a true heroine: the young maiden, named Aliquipiso saves the Oneidas from their rival tribe, the Mingos, through unsurpassed courage and self-sacrifice. The legend has a great significance for the history and the culture of the Iroquois and of the Oneida people especially. Thus, first of all, the story gives an example of a perfect heroine of the people, a maiden that was respected not only by those that knew her and saw her brave heart and her pure spirit, but also by all the following generations that remembered her name. Aliquipiso literally saves her people from dying of hunger, during a war with their most dangerous enemies, the Mingos. The legend is set evidently to a time before the arrival of the white colonizers. As the story has it, after a devastating invasion, the Oneida people found refuge from their enemies in the depths of the forests, in caves and desolate mountains where they were indeed protected but where they could die of hunger because of the lack of provisions. The only option for the tribe seemed to be either to perish in their hiding places by starving or to go out and get killed by their invaders. During the council, the young maiden named Aliquipiso came forward and told them that she herself is willing to sacrifice her life i n order to lure the Mingos up to where the Oneida people were hiding, and thus get them all killed and deliver her people. The warrior maiden acts according to her plan, and, in order to enhance her credibility in the eyes of the enemies, she even takes the fire torture that the latter submit her too, pretending to surrender in the end because of the unbearable pain. Her valor and her willingness to be  sacrificed for the safety of her people are so great that she lets herself be killed in the attack along with the enemy tribe, as it was inevitable. Thus, the warrior maiden stands out as an example of wisdom, courage, purity (as the fact that she was a maiden indicates), moral integrity and self-sacrifice in the name of her people. The young woman fits therefore a pattern common to most of the Native American legends: she represents strength combined with purity, as the title that is given to her also indicates. She is a maiden, therefore she is morally and spiritually intact, but at the same time, her modesty is combined with the absolute strength given by her limitless courage. These two essential qualities obviously hint at the heroic ideal according to the Oneida culture and tradition. Also, the warrior maiden is a model for her people and she represents national pride. Besides the notion of heroic ideal, the legend of the Warrior Maiden contains a very significant allusion to the very foundations of the Oneida culture. Thus, the very name of the tribe is derived, as already indicated, from the phrase People of the Upright Stone. The plot of the story becomes thus very symbolic: the enemies are destroyed with the help of the maiden that lures them to the secret and inaccessible hidings of the Oneidas, by crushing them with giant rocks fell from the mountain top. This particular means of destruction can be interpreted as a hint to the title that the tribe gives itself: the phrase upright stone has multiple interpretations, ranging from the idea of uprightness, justice and correctness, to that of unbeatable and crushing strength given by the moral force and purity of the members of the tribe: We are hiding on top of a high, sheer cliff. Above us, the mountain is covered with boulders and heavy sharp rocks. You warriors wait and watch here. I will go t o the Mingos and lead them to the spot at the foot of the cliff where they all can be crushed and destroyed.(Erdoes and Ortiz, 253)A third and even more significant connection between the legend of the Warrior Maiden and the traditional culture of the tribe is the fact that the Iroquois societies were, for their most part, matriarchies. Thus, for example, the council of the tribe was chosen by the clan mothers or matriarchs, the female leaders of the people. Moreover, the gendered division of the labors and attributions of each tribe member also hint at the strong tradition of the Oneida that gave a favored  place to women in society: Iroquois societies were strongly matrilineal: women controlled agricultural lands, the election of leaders and, to some extent, warfare [†¦] The gender-based division of labor made women responsible for agricultural work and housekeeping, while men hunted, fished, and traded, although there were also women traders. Government and warfare [†¦] were also male activities although the clan mothers heavily influenced decision-making. It is essential to note therefore that in the Iroquois society women had very important roles: besides the fact that they were wives, mothers and housekeepers they also controlled agricultural work, and to some extent, warfare. Women thus played an active part in society, as influential leaders. In this context, the legend is easier to interpret: the Oneida, as a people that honors women will be expected to give them a special place in their mythology. Thus, the warrior maiden takes here the place of a true leader of the people and a commander that orders the attack on the Mingos and thus, in a way, she plays the part of a man also: The Mingos crowded together in a dense mass with the girl in the center. Then Aliquipiso uttered a piercing cry: Oneidas! The enemies are here! Destroy them!(Erdoes and Ortiz, 253) The warrior maiden becomes a symbol of the brave women, as the story tells us: The Great Mystery changed Aliquipisos hair into woodbine, which the Oneidas call running hairs and which is a good medicine. From her body sprang honeysuckle, which to this day is known among her people as the blood of brave women.'(Erdoes and Ortiz, 253) The warrior maiden hair and body transform into woodbine and honeysuc kle respectively, both of which are considered to be medicinal plants that have a great healing power. As it is widely known, for most of the Native American cultures, the plants play a very important role in medicine but also in various types of religious rituals and invocations of the spirits. Moreover, the metamorphosis of the maiden into these plants is in concordance with the strong agricultural tradition of the Iroquois. The transformation of the maiden into these two plants also signals the status that the warrior maiden has inside the Oneida culture: she is much more than a heroine; she is a mythological figure, symbolizing the purity and the strength of the female. The maiden is also, like most of the legendary heroes, an embodiment of the divinity, the Great Spirit in this case, which speaks and acts through her as the members of the clan acknowledge: The  Great Spirit has blessed you, Aliquipiso, with courage and wisdom, he said. We, your people, will always remember you.(Erdoes and Ortiz, 253) The legendary figure of the maiden is thus a symbol, something for the future generations to remember with honor and to set as an example: The story of the girls courage and self-sacrifice was told and retold wherever Oneidas sat around their campfires, and will be handed down from grandparent to grandchild as long as there are Oneidas on this earth.(Erdoes and Ortiz, 253) She is at once the pure maiden, the matron, the chosen heroine inspired by the Great Spirit, and a courageous warrior. The fact that it is a woman who saves the whole people from perishing in the hands of the enemy tribe is very significant. Although women were not associated with physical strength or with skills on the battlefield, they are praised and honored for their spiritual qualities and their purity. This combination between purity and strength demonstrates that one of the most important characteristics of the Oneida culture is the belief that physical or mere heroic strength is not the greatest virtue. Perfection comes thus from the spirit or wisdom, paired with honor and courage and the devotion to noble causes. Thus, the warrior maiden is a symbol for many different virtues that put together form the perfect heroine. The legend itself tells very significant things about the Native Indian cultures in general and the Oneida culture in particular. The story offers at once hints to the heroic ideal of the Iroquois, to the cult of the female gender specific to some Native American peoples and to the metaphoric significance of the tribes name. The most important conclusion to be derived from the analysis of the story is therefore the fact that there is a tight connection between the legend and the values and ideals specific to the Oneidas. Other versions of the Warrior Maiden legend, such as the variant told by the Hopi tribe, also render the image of feminine modesty combined with spiritual strength. In the Hopi tradition, the maiden actually fights against the enemies of her people, because she is left alone at home with her mother, who at the time of the attack was just combing her hair. Once more, this feminine detail emphasizes the delicacy of the maiden, as well as her hidden strength. Thus, although the details of the plot differ, the main contention of both the Oneida and the Hopi versions of the legend is that strength can come from the spirit,  as well as from the body. The legend thus demonstrates the importance of the female cult for the Native Americans, to the extent that these people have created a mythology to explain female braveness. Works Cited: Erdoes, Richard and Alfonso Ortiz. American Indian Myths and Legends. New York: Pantheon Fairy Tales and Folklore Library, 1984. Oneida Culture. Indian Country Wisconsin. http://www.mpm.edu/wirp/ICW-57.htmlOneida Culture and Language. http://www.native-languages.org/oneida.htm

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Invitations Refusal Strategies In American And Vietnamese

Invitations Refusal Strategies In American And Vietnamese Human communication is a combination of cooperation and understanding. Success in communication depends greatly on the ability to recognize speakers communicative intentions and pragmatic meaning of their utterances. Actually, those who may be regarded as fluent in a second language owing to their phonetic, syntactic and semantic knowledge of that language may still be unable to produce language that is socially and culturally appropriate. As a result, Larina (2008) shows that numerous problems in communication occur because people do not only speak different languages but use them in different ways according to specific social and linguistic norms, values, and social-cultural convention. Many people devalue the importance of invitations refusal strategies because normally, it is a person right to say something he/she doesnt like or doesnt want to. However, it is not as simple as it is thought to be since misbehavior in this domain can result in the interlocutors feeling of being shocked, angry, or even seriously insulted. It is because every body, as a human being, expects the appreciation and respect from others. America and Vietnam are two countries with different culture so their social and linguistic norms are different as well. This paper is an attempt to provide a cross-culture comparison of ways American and Vietnamese deal with a tactful-required kind of speech act: refusing an invitation. In this paper, the similarities and differences in refusal strategies between American native speakers and Vietnamese native speakers will be discussed under three circumstances: when the invitee is at a lower status; when the invitee is at an equal status; and when the inv itee is at a higher status. To make my topic more practical, I also suggest some implications in language teaching. I hope that this paper will be a contribution to the study of cross-cultural pragmatic understanding and effective communication. Speech acts In the 1950s and 60s two philosophers of language, John Austin and John Searle, developed speech act theory from their observation that language is used to do things other than just refer to the truth or falseness of particular statements. Austins book How to Do Things with Words (1962) is the next to a series of lectures he gave at Harvard University on this topic. John Searle, a student of Austin, further developed Austins work in his book Speech Acts, which was published in 1969. Austins and Searles work appeared at a time when logical positivism was the prevailing view in the philosophy of language. They launched a strong and influential attack on this work. The logical positive view of language argued that a sentence is always used to describe some fact, or state of affairs and, unless it could be tested for truth or falsity, is basically meaningless. Austin and Searle observed that there are many sentences that cannot meet such truth conditions but that are, nevertheless, valid sentences and do things that go beyond their literal meaning. Searle and Austin argued that in the same way that we perform physical acts, such as having a meal or closing a door, we can also perform acts by using language. We can use language, for example, to give orders, to make requests, to give warnings, or to give advice. They called these speech acts. Thus people do things with words in much the same way as they perform physical actions. Paltridge (2000) provided us the definition of Speech Act: A Speech Act is an utterance that serves a function in communication. Some examples are an apology, greeting, request, complaint, invitation, compliment or refusal. A speech act might contain just one word such as No to perform a refusal or several words or sentences such as: Im sorry, I cant, I have a prior engagement. It is important to mention that speech acts include real-life interactions and require not only knowledge of the language but also appropriate use of that language within a given culture. Socio-cultural variables like authority, social distance, and situational setting influence the appropriateness and effectiveness of politeness strategies used to realize directive speech acts such as requests (p. 15). Refusal as a speech act According to Al-Eryani (2007), a refusal is a respond negatively to an offer, request, invitation, etc. Refusals, as all the other speech acts, occur in all languages. However, not all languages/ cultures refuse in the same way nor do they feel comfortable refusing the same invitation or suggestion. Moreover, how one says no may be more important in many societies than the answer itself. Therefore, sending and receiving a message of no is a task that needs special skills. The interlocutor must know when to use the appropriate form and its function. The speech act and its social elements depend on each group and their cultural-linguistic values. Refusals are considered to be a face-threatening act among the speech acts. Face means the public self-image of a person. It refers to that emotional and social sense of self that everyone has and expects everyone else to recognize. Refusals threaten the inviters face because they contradict hisher expectations and restrict the inviters freedom to act according to hisher will. On the other hand, refusals may threaten the addressees public image to maintain approval from others. Because a failure to refuse appropriately can risk the interpersonal relations of the speakers, refusals usually include various strategies to avoid offending ones interlocutors. However, it requires a high level of pragmatic competence and the choice of these strategies may vary across languages and cultures. For example, in refusing invitations, offers and suggestions, gratitude was regularly expressed by American English speakers, but rarely by Egyptian Arabic speakers (Nelson, Al-batal, and Echols, 1996). When Mandarin Chinese speakers wanted to refuse requests, they expressed positive opinion (e.g., I would like toà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.) much less frequently than American English since Chinese informants were concerned that if they ever expressed positive opinions, they would be forced to comply (Liao and Bressnahan, 1996). Politeness Politeness can be at once be understood as a social phenomenon, a means to achieve good interpersonal relationships, and a norm imposed by social conventions. So it is phenomenal, instrumental and normative by nature. According to Brown and Levinson (as cited in Politeness, 1997), politeness strategies are developed in order to save the hearers face. Face refers to the respect that an individual has for him or herself, and maintaining that self-esteem in public or in private situations. Usually you try to avoid embarrassing the other person, or making them feel uncomfortable. Face Threatening Acts (FTAs) are acts that infringe on the hearers need to maintain his/her self esteem, and be respected. Politeness strategies are developed for the main purpose of dealing with these FTAs. What would you do if you saw a cup of pens on your teachers desk, and you wanted to use one, would you say, Ooh, I want to use one of those! say, So, is it O.K. if I use one of those pens? say, Im sorry to bother you but, I just wanted to ask you if I could use one of those pens? Indirectly say, Hmm, I sure could use a blue pen right now. There are four types of politeness strategies, described by Brown and Levinson (as cited in Politeness, 1997), that sum up human politeness behavior: Bald On Record, Negative Politeness, Positive Politeness, and Off-Record-indirect strategy. If you answered A, you used what is called the Bald On-Record strategy which provides no effort to minimize threats to your teachers face. If you answered B, you used the Positive Politeness strategy. In this situation you recognize that your teacher has a desire to be respected. It also confirms that the relationship is friendly and expresses group reciprocity. If you answered C, you used the Negative Politeness strategy which similar to Positive Politeness in that you recognize that they want to be respected. However, you also assume that you are in some way imposing on them. Some other examples would be to say, I dont want to bother you but or I was wondering if If you answered D, you used Off-Record indirect strategies. The main purpose is to take some of the pressure off of you. You are trying not to directly impose by asking for a pen. Instead you would rather it be offered to you once the teacher realizes you need one, and you are looking to find one. In many ways, politeness is universal. It is resorted to by speakers of different languages as a means to an end and it is recognized as a norm in all societies. Despite its universality, the actual manifestations of politeness, the ways to realize politeness and the standards of judgment differ in different cultures. On her thesis, Nguyen, T. L (2010) points out some aspects we should consider in order to achieve the goal of politeness as following: The social background of the communicator. Generally, the more educated a man is, the more he tends to show his politeness to other people. The more he knows about the suitable ways to show politeness, the better he uses them to be polite to others. Besides, the personality of the communicator is also very important here. Good-tempered person prefers to use face-saving act while bad-tempered person prefers face-threatening act when they come across the face-losing condition. The communicative circumstances. Communication is a very complicated process. In formal occasions, people tend to use formal expressions to show politeness, esp. between the new acquaintances. While in informal states, people tend to be casual to show intimacy even if it is in the very moment they meet. And that doesnt mean impoliteness. Look at the following example: Ex 1: A man came into a bar and said to the waiter: Hi! Buddy! Gimme some whisky, would ya? Although theyve never met before, the man used very casual phrases to enclose their relationship. This is a usual way to show friendliness to strangers in similar entertaining places. The social distance. The social distance between speaker and hearer is one of the factors that determine politeness behaviors. The notion of social distance refers to the consideration of the roles people are taking in relation to one another in a particular situation as well as how well they know each other, which means the degree of intimacy between interlocutors. However, there are still some exceptions. For example, people often use family names to call their close friends, and when these people speak to each other, they will use direct offer or request. But sometimes they use very formal expressions in their speech. Look at the following example. Ex 2: Husband to his wife: Would you be so kind as to hand the bread over to me? Surely we know that the wife has just quarreled with the husband and the husband is trying to amuse her in a certain way. The cultural differences. Different culture causes different views of values, which affects the criteria of politeness and leads to differences in various aspects. +Ways to greet each others and farewells. + Ways to address terms. + Ways to praise others. + Ways to express thanksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Directness and indirectness Directness and indirectness are basic form of expression, which are universal in all languages and culture. Directness is a style of communication in which speaker want to get the straight forward to the points. The speech interprets exactly and literally what the speaker said. The power of directness is the hearer does not have to look for what the speaker might have mean by uttering such and such sentence. Everything in their interaction is expressed explicitly. Misunderstanding hardly occurs. Indirectness is any communicative behavior, verbal or nonverbal that conveys something more than or different from what it literally means. In order to protect privacy, to minimize the imposition on the hearer and to avoid the risk of losing face, there is a preference for indirectness on the part of the speaker to smooth the conversational interaction. For example when conveying the pragmatic meaning I want you to do it, the English make special effort to diminish and soften their imposition and show their respect for other peoples privacy. An illustration of this is when someone says can you pass the salt? Here, they are not asking about your ability to pass the salt the literal meaning of the sentence but requesting you to pass the salt. This is very common in service encounters where can is often used to refer to something other than ability or permission. There are many socio-cultural factors affecting the directness or indirectness of utterances. Nguyen (1998) (as cited in Nguyen, T. M. P, p.13) proposes 12 factors that, in his view, may affect the choice of directness and indirectness in communication: 1. Age: the old tend to be more indirect than the young. 2. Sex: females prefer indirect expression. 3. Residence: the rural population tends to use more indirectness than the urban. 4. Mood: while angry, people tend to use more indirectness. 5. Occupation: those who study social sciences tend to use more indirectness than those who study natural sciences. 6. Personality: the extroverted tend to use more directness than the introverted. 7. Topic: while referring to a sensitive topic, a taboo, people usually opt for indirectness. 8. Place: when at home, people tend to use more directness than when they are elsewhere. 9. Communication environment/setting: when in an informal climate, people tend to express themselves in a direct way. 10. Social distance: those who have closer relations tend to talk in a more direct way. 11. Time pressure: when in a hurry, people are likely to use direct expressions. 12. Position: when in a superior position, people tend to use more directness to their inferiors. These factors help to determine the strategies as well as the number of semantic formulae used when speakers perform the act of refusing. Comparison of refusal strategies in America and Vietnamese Basing on the data collected from Nguyen, T. L (2010), I will focus on three situations in which American and Vietnamese refuse the invitations from inviters who have higher, equal and lower status than theirs respectively. (1), (2), (3), (4) means position of the utterance is presented. When the invitee is at a lower status. The components which are typically found in Americans way of refusals when the invitee is at a lower status are (1) Gratitude/appreciation + (2) Excuse/reasons/explanation + (3) Positive opinion. For example, when a student declines a professors invitation of having lunch with his/her family, he/she might answer as following: Thank you. I have already eaten. Its so nice of you to ask. [(1) Gratitude + (2) Reason + (3) Positive opinion] 2. Thank you but I just had lunch. [(1) Gratitude + (2) Reason] 3. I just ate at the Indian restaurant down the street and I got a little indigestion, thank you though. [(1) Reason + (2) Gratitude] Vietnamese native speakers tend to use the formula: (1) Thank you + (2) Addressing term + (3) Offer for alternatives or a promise for future acceptance. For example: Cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £m Æ ¡n già ¡o sÆ °, Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™ khi khà ¡c em sà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ½ dà ¹ng bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯a cà ¹ng gia Ä‘Ã ¬nh thà ¡Ã‚ ºy à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡. (Thank you, professor. I will join with your family next time.) [(1) Gratitude + (2) Addressing term + (3) Promise for future acceptance] 2. Cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £m Æ ¡n già ¡o sÆ °, mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i thà ¡Ã‚ ºy và   gia Ä‘Ã ¬nh cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ © dà ¹ng bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯a tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ± nhià ªn à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡. (Thank you, professor. Be yourself with you family.) [(1) Gratitude + (2) Addressing term + (3) Alternaitves] 3. Em cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £m Æ ¡n thà ¡Ã‚ ºy, thà ¡Ã‚ ºy dà ¹ng bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯a tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ± nhià ªn, em ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"i uà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœng nÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºc trà   Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £i thà ¡Ã‚ ºy cÃ…Â ©ng Ä‘Æ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £c à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡. (Thank you, professor. Be yourself. I will drink some tea to wait for you.) [(1) Gratitude + (2) Addressing term + (3) Alternatives] According to the results above, both American and Vietnamese use expression of gratitude/appreciation in their refusals; However, gratitude maybe in different orders (either at the beginning or at the end of the utterance). One noticeable difference occurs in this component of refusal is that Vietnamese prefer offering a promise in the future to maintain the relationship between the professor and the student. Vietnamese speakers are somehow less likely to give a straightforward respond to decline the professors invitation. In contrast, Americans often say directly the reason why they cannot accept the invitation by saying I have eaten or I just had lunch. Besides, Americans only use their popular addressing term you and I while Vietnamese tend to use many addressing terms such as Professor or Mr. in the conversation between the professor and the students. When the invitee is at an equal status. The second case involves the speaker refusing an inviter who has equal position with him/her. When refusing a classmates invitation, American normally use this formula: (1) Regret/excuse + (2) Offer of alternatives or a promise for the future acceptance. For instance: Im really sorry. I have another commitment. I am generally available. Can we set it up for another time? [(1) Regret + (2) Reason + (3) Offer an alternative] 2. What a pity. I already have plans. Please let me know the next time you go and I would love to come along. [(1) Regret + (2) Reason + (3) Promise for future acceptance] Meanwhile Vietnamese semantic formula is (1) A promise for the future acceptance/ an offer of alternative + (2) reasons as following: Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™ là ¡Ã‚ ºn sau nhà ©, là ¡Ã‚ ºn nà  y mà ¬nh bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ­n mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t rà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"i. Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"ng à ½ chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ©? (Perhaps next time, Im busy now. All right?) [(1) Promise for the future acceptance + (2) Reason] 2. Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™ bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯a khà ¡c Ä‘Æ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £c khà ´ng? Hà ´m nay mà ¬nh mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯c hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ c rà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"i. (Can we set it up for another time? I have to study today.) [(1) An offer of alternative + (2) Reason] These examples show that both Americans and Vietnamese rarely say no directly to their friends even though they are in equal status. Mostly, Americans use regret like Im sorry/what a pity to start their refusal. This style is culturally and socially important and appropriate in America. In contrast, Vietnamese may feel that it is less necessary to express their regret due to the familiarity and close social distance. It reflects traditional thinking of Vietnamese that in close relationship, people should be open, friendly and informal with each other. Although both two groups tend to use the excuse and reason to soften their refusal, there is slightly different in the order between Americans and Vietnamese. Whereas Vietnamese people offer alternatives or promise for the future acceptance before giving their excuse as a way to reduce threatening face of inviter, Americans use excuse first and follow other alternatives in the future. When the invitee is at an upper status. In the last situation, the speaker, who is at a high social status, declines an invitation to go to the spa with the staff. American speakers refuse this kind of invitation by saying patterns like (1) regret + (2) reason/excuse/explanation. For example: Sorry, Ive made plans. [(1) Regret + (2) Reason (subjective reason)] 2. That sounds lovely. But I have far too much to work right now. Thank for inviting me. [(1) Positive opinion + (2) Reason (subjective reason) + (3) Gratitude] Vietnameses responses are more complicated and detailed. The usual formula is (1) Gratitude + (2) Reason Cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £m Æ ¡n cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ­u nhÆ °ng mà ¬nh khà ´ng Ä‘i Ä‘Æ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £c. Mà ¬nh khà ´ng muà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn cà ¡c nhà ¢n vià ªn khà ¡c hià ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™u nhà ¡Ã‚ ºm. Thà ´ng cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £m cho mà ¬nh nhà ©. (Thanks, but I cant go with you. Im afraid to be misunderstood by other staffs. Sympathize with me!) [(1) Gratitude + (2) Reason (objective reason) + (3) Sympathy) 2. Cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £m Æ ¡n cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ­u rà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t nhià ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ u nhÆ °ng cuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi tuà ¡Ã‚ ºn nà  y mà ¬nh phà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £i tham dà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ± Ä‘Ã ¡m cÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºi cà ¡Ã‚ »a Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ©a bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡n mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t rà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"i. (Thank you so much but Im going to attend one of my friends wedding at the weekend.) [(1) Gratitude + (2) Reason (objective reason)] Once again, regrets are favored by Americans when refusing an invitation. Vietnamese, however, produce many thanks as gratitude first and state reasons later. In this case, although Vietnamese bosses are at higher status than invitees, most of them say thank you to their staff in order to appreciate their staffs good will. There is a striking difference between American and Vietnamese speakers when giving reasons for their refusals. Americans often give their subjective reasons like Im so busy, Ive made my plan to inform the inviter that they cant go. Because one of American culture values is to respect individual freedom. Therefore, if the invitees give their own personal reasons, the inviter will accept their refusals and are not curious about real reasons anymore. Meanwhile, Vietnamese tend to use objective reasons to soften the face threatening act of the refusals. Conclusion America and Vietnam are two countries with different linguistic and cultural features. However, in cross-culture linguistic, beside the differences due to socio-norm dissimilarities these two countries still have something in common. When taking strategies in refusing an invitation into consideration, we can find out main similarities and differences as following: Similarities: When refusing an invitation, American and Vietnamese speakers usually use indirect strategy with most communicating partners. Both of them avoid saying no directly to their interlocutors whether they are at high, low or equal status. The common tendency is that Americans and Vietnamese give a variety of reason to avoid losing their inviters faces. Differences: Americans produce much more expression of regrets and reasons to refuse invitations. Typically, regrets often follow reasons in an utterance of refusals. Americans tend to give their subjective reasons in most cases. Vietnamese counterparts are fond of offering alternatives or a promise for acceptance in the future to make the inviter feel released. They also try to give the interlocutors the objective reasons to soften the face threatening act. Teaching implications The results of this thesis demonstrate that refusing in general and refusing an invitation to be specific is a complex task because it requires the high level of communicative competence. In order to avoid pragmatic failure, speakers need to understand fully both socio-cultural strategies used by most native speakers and the rules for their appropriate implementation. Therefore, I have some following teaching recommendations for L2 teachers: Prepare authentic materials for learners because learning a second language also means learning a second culture. Students should have a chance to get familiar with materials that are closely related to the daily activities of the country of the language they are learning. Teach language forms and functions parallel and contextually in both formal and informal situations in order to develop the learners sociolinguistic ability in an L2. Encourage students to perform different speech acts in an L2 in different situations of social status, social distance, and with reference to the gender relation between the speakers and interlocutors. Organize activities that students can have chances to communicate with both native and non-native speakers of English.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Examining Qualitative and Quantitative studies with CASP

Examining Qualitative and Quantitative studies with CASP Critical Appraisal Skills Programme/CASP (Public Health Resource Unit, 2007) a reader should equip with in order to make sense of scientific research. The CASP is to help a reader develops critical skills so as to be sensitive of scientific research and, therefore, to think reasonably about any research encountered (Public Health Resource Unit, 2007). Both quantitative and qualitative researches can be appraised by using the CASP. Each of the CASP guidelines has ten questions in which validity, relevance and results of appraised research have been covered. This assignment has been divided into two parts. The first part quantitative paper written by Ho et al, (2006) will be appraised. The second part qualitative paper written by Liu and Liehr (2009) will then be appraised. All findings will be summarized finally. 1. Did the study ask a clearly focused question? PICOT is used for answering the question 1 and it is a framework that healthcare professionals can use to formulate effective clinical questions in a step-by-step manner (Melnyk Fineout-Overholt, 2010). The population of the study was all the subjects should have one tattoo at least. 120 Chinese subjects with 144 tattoos were recruited for the study. The intervention of the study was half of the subjects were applied Contractubex gel while others were applied nothing. The purpose to do so was to check the efficacy of the gel. The comparison of the study was study and control groups are used for comparison as a result of finding out the efficacy of Contractubex gel. The outcome of the study was the gel should be effective in preventing scarring after the subjects receiving laser removal of tattoos. The research has shown that the number of subjects in Contractubex group with scarring were significantly lower than in control group. The time of the study was the treated areas were asse ssed 3 months after the last treatments. In short, the research has asked a clearly focused question- Use of onion extract, heparin, allantoin gel in prevention of scarring in Chinese patients having laser removal of tattoos: a prospective randomized controlled trial. So the answer is Yes. 2. Was this a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and was it appropriately so? A type of scientific experiment most commonly used in validating the effectiveness of health issue, say, pharmaceuticals (e.g. gel), can be regarded as RCT (Gallin Ognibene, 2007). It involves the random allocation of different interventions to the subjects. Furthermore, as long as the numbers of subjects are adequate, randomization is an effective method to produce a random and unpredictable sequence of allocations. Regarding to the Ho et al (2006) research, they must adopt RCT. Two evidences can be shown to support my stance. First, it was testing the efficacy of Contractubex gel intervention (health issue) provided by doctors to subjects with tattoo. Second, the 120 subjects were randomly assigned to either Contractubex or Control group at equal probabilities. In suitability, it was the right research approach for the researched question because it was going to compare result after receiving Contractubex gel with a control group. In short, RCT is the appropriate method and correc t approach to conduct this research, as there were two groups that were allocated randomly, the study group received intervention and the control group did not receive intervention and the answer is Yes. 3. Were participants appropriately allocated to intervention and control groups? The answer is Yes. Answer of question 2 has mentioned that the 120 subjects were allocated into the two groups randomly. In research term, complete randomization has been adopted. Complete randomization means each tattooed subject was randomly assigned to either of the groups. It is simple and optimal in the sense of validity to prevent accidental bias (Gallin Ognibene, 2007). In randomization procedure, the researchers adopted fifty-fifty basis allocation (60 subjects in Contractubex group and 60 subjects in Control group). In this research stratification can be observed. Stratification means developing strata for sampling (Gallin Ognibene, 2007). 60 subjects in control group and 60 subjects in study group is a typical example of stratification. The purpose to do so is that since most statistical tests, say, the paired students t test are most reliable when the groups being compared have equal subjects (Gallin Ognibene, 2007), it is desirable for the randomization procedure to ge nerate similarly-sized groups. In short, as all participants were assigned to Contractubex and Control groups appropriately. 4. Were participants, staff and study personnel blind to participants study group? The above parties understood the details of the research. Ho et al (2006) paper mentioned that informed consent was obtained from all subjects. Informed consent is a process of communication between a subject and doctor that results in the subjects authorization or agreement to undergo a specific medical intervention (Berg et al, 2001). On the one hand, blinded research can avoid bias. However, it is impossible for some treatments. For example, treatments where active participation of the subjects are necessary (e.g. regularly receiving laser therapy with the application of the gel). In research personnel, certainly they understood the details of the research, for instance, employing Q-switched laser systems as well as its spot size and repeat rate and pulse duration. They were unable to perform the research successfully otherwise. Nonetheless, whether the control group received placebo gel and the assessor of the scars knew the research details or not did not mention. In brief, open trial (the above parties understood the details of the treatment) instead of blind trial was employed and the answer seems No. 5. Were all of the participants who entered the trial accounted for at its conclusion? Originally, there were 60 subjects in the control group and 60 subjects in the study group. However, there were 8 out of 60 subjects in the study group quitted the research. 5 out of 8 simply defaulted follow-up and 3 out of 8 stopped using the gel due to adverse effect. In the control group, there were 5 out of 60 subjects quitted the research. 4 out of 8 simply did not follow-up and 1 out of 8 stopped using the gel due to have a baby. Although, there were a few subjects quitting from the research due to personal affairs, the groups size still remained similar (52 in Contractubex and 55 in Control groups) and the researchers have already reported such discrepancy. In other words, intention to treat was used as it is a strategy for the analysis of RCT that compares subjects in the groups to which they were originally randomly assigned (Gallin Ognibene, 2007) and the answer is Yes. 6. Were the participants in all groups followed up and data collected in the same way? In the former, the subjects were followed up from 13 to 20 months with a mean of 15.5 + 2.6 months. The importance of the follow up was to review the probability of scar formation after applying the gel. Likely, the research personnel followed up the subjects after the last laser treatment. However, the same amount of attention to the subjects from the research personnel becomes questionable because the researchers did not describe how to review the subjects. More elaborately, how much time the researchers spend on each subject for review? In addition, performance bias may occur. For instance, if research personnel know which group subjects are in, they may treat subjects differently (Gallin Ognibene, 2007). In this aspect, cant tell seems appropriate. In the latter, Yes in terms of data collection in the same way, the researchers should collect the data during clinical observation. Clinical observation is the research personnel directly observe any changes during the study period a nd then record the changes. Data analysis can be done by using statistical software (e.g. SAS). In short, the answers were Yes in the way of data collection only. The amount of attention to the subjects needs the research personnel further clarification otherwise performance bias may be suspected. 7. Did the study have enough participants to minimize the play of chance? The meaning of the play of chance can be explained by the following example, taking a comparison of the Contractubex group with the control group in which 4 subjects scar formation with the Contractubex group and 6 subjects scar formation with the control group. It would be incorrect to conclude that the Contractubex group was better than the Control group. It is because if the comparison was repeated, the numbers of subjects who formed scar might be same (5 against 5). However, 7 subjects scar formation with the gel and 16 subjects without the gel, chance becomes a less likely explanation for the difference. In Ho et al (2006) study, numbers of subjects were enough to lessen the play of chance. Sample size can be determined by a formula by inputting population size and confidence level as well as margin of error and response distribution. On the one hand, significant difference between the two groups was observed. Power calculation can facilitate the research personnel determines ho w large of a sample the research personnel needs to make precise statistical conclusions (Gallin Ognibene, 2007). Therefore, statistical significance was the robust evidence to prove the play of chance impossible. 8. How are the results presented and what is the main result and 9. How precise are these results? Comparison of the intervention and control groups using the p-value has been presented. The main finding was that the application of the gel was useful to prevent scar formation after laser removal of tattoos. In accuracy of the results, p-value 10. Were all important outcomes considered so the results can be applied? The research proved that the gel was effective, safe, and easy to apply in the prevention of scarring in Chinese subjects having laser removal of tattoos. Nonetheless, 100% scar removal is not guaranteed after using the gel. The results revealed that there were a few subjects who still have scarring. In addition, permanent hypopigmentation and transient hyperpigmentation can be noted. On the other hand, you may argue that the results may be affected by a political factor, that is a pressure from the pharmaceutical company, Ho et al (2006) have indicated that no significant interest with commercial supporters at the beginning of the research. In short, the research provides a reliable reference to healthcare professionals that the gel is recommended to be used in dark skin patients receiving laser treatments of tattoos. Ten questions have been answered to help me make sense of quantitative research. Also, ten questions are used to help me make sense of qualitative research. Qualitative research is a generic term for investigative methodologies described as ethnographic, naturalistic, field, or participant observer research. It underscores the importance of looking at variables in the natural setting in which they are found (Sliverman, 2004). 1. Was there a clear statement of the aims of the research? Qualitative PICOT is a framework that healthcare professionals can use to formulate effective clinical questions in a step-by-step manner (Melnyk Fineout-Overholt, 2010).The population of the study was the six nurses who had experiences in taking care of SARS patients. The issue of the study was identifying instructive messages to guide nursing practice in future epidemics by in-depth interview of the six Chinese nurses who cared for SARS patients. The context of the study was where the study takes place. The research mainly takes place in Beijing. The outcome of the study was the research gave specific direction to enhance potential for a well-prepared nursing workforce in future epidemics. The time of the study was the SARS outbreaks between 11/2002-5/2004 and data were collected in 2003 within the three months following the nurses quarantine necessitated by caring for SARS patients.. In brief, the answer is Yes. 2. Is a qualitative methodology appropriate? Qualitative research is to study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. It is intended to penetrate to the deeper significance that the subject of the research ascribes to the topic being researched (Denzin, 2005). Interviews, observations and case studies are commonly used for data collection and then analyse the data. Samples are usually small and are often selected purposively. Qualitative research uses detailed descriptions from the participants as ways of examining specific issues under study. The research method employed by the researchers was appropriate because the following criteria were matched- detailed description instead of statistical software were used and number of participants was quite small- only six. In addition, the researchers adopted phenomenology. The phenomenological approach is to describe accurately a persons lived experience in relation to what is being studie d (i.e. the six Chinese nurses caring for SARS patients) (Denzin Lincoln, 2005). In short, the answer is Yes. 3. Was the research design appropriate to address the aims of the research? Appropriate method (i.e. in-depth interview) for conducting the research was used. In-depth interview is a kind of qualitative research technique that involves conducting intensive individual interviews (i.e. the six nurses) with a small number of respondents to explore their views on a particular idea (i.e. sharing in caring SARS patients). In the study, the researchers asked participants about their experiences and insights regarding to the caring for SARS patients, the thoughts they have concerning nursing care, challenge, and outcomes as well as about any changes the participants perceive in themselves as a result of their involvement in the study (Denzin Lincoln, 2005). In addition, rich contextual information can be obtained and the research personnel can ask the six nurses to elaborate their sharing in details through the in-depth interview. So the answer is Yes 4. Was the recruitment strategy appropriate to the aims of the research? Six nurses were invited to share their experiences in caring for SARS patients. The six nurses were no objections and voluntary to share their encounter after enquired by research personnel. In other words, a reader should not suspect their willingness of participation. The recruitment strategy was appropriate, because if reward-based (e.g. bonus to interviewees) and compulsory-based recruitment were offered to potential interviewees, the accuracy and reliability of data should be suspected. To achieve the aims of the research, nurses were voluntary to share their stories and they provided detailed descriptions with little prompting were important to the aims of the research. In other words, it starts with a purpose in mind and the sample is selected to include interested party (i.e. nurses with experience in caring of SARS patients) and exclude those who do not suit the purpose and purposive sampling was used (Denzin Lincoln, 2005). So the answer is Yes. 5. Were the data collected in a way that addressed the research issue? To collect data, a storypath approach was used. Research personnel recorded what the six nurses presented by a tape recorder. Seven inquiry phases were associated with storypath approach, including gathering the story, reconstructing the story, connecting it to the literature, naming the complicating challenge, describing the story plot, identifying movement toward resolving, and gathering additional stories (Denzin Lincoln, 2005). In application, specific questions were asked by the research personnel, for instance, challenge the nurses were facing during caring for SARS victims, how the experience influence your hopes and dreams in the coming future. The data collection methods must observe the ethical principles of research. In short, the answer is Yes. 6. Has the relationship between researcher and participants been adequately considered? This research paper mentioned that the stories of the six nurses were collected by two Chinese investigators, It was hard to say that any potential bias and influence occurred because the research personnel simply mentioned that they were responsible for gathering the stories from the participants and supporting activities, say, properly use of tape recording. Apparently, the relationship between the research personnel and participants were nothing, but participants may be influenced by the research team or in professional term- reflexivity. Reflexivity requires an awareness of the researchers contribution to the construction of meanings throughout the research process, and an acknowledgment of the impossibility of remaining outside of the six nurses while conducting research. In short, the answer of this question is Yes. 7. Have ethical issues been taken into consideration? Oral consent is a kind of ethical issue. Kozier et al, 2004 define the consent is an essential part of the research process, and as such entails more than obtaining a signature on a form (Kozier et al, 2004). Research personnel must educate potential subjects to ensure that they can reach a real informed choice about whether or not to participate in the research. Consent must be given freely and with no coercion as well as based on a clear understanding of what participation involves. On the one hand, the above study has been approved by the Universitys ethics committee. The committee is responsible for reviewing, on request, ethical or moral questions that may come up during the study. In brief, the answer is Yes. 8. Was the data analysis sufficiently rigorous? In-depth description of the analysis process was shown in Liu Liehr (2009) paper. The authors described every phase elaborately and in step-by-step pattern. There were total 5 phases of the content analysis for the nurses caring for SARS patients. The content shared by the six nurses was similar because of geographical reason and the consistent format of the interview. Such arrangement provided convincing analysis to a reader. In fact, thematic analysis was employed by the researchers. It means focuses on identifiable themes (i.e. sharing of nursing care of SARS patients) and data is analysed by theme. This type of analysis is highly inductive, that is, the themes emerge from the data and are not imposed upon it by the research personnel (Denzin Lincoln, 2005). In short, the answer is Yes. 9. Is there a clear statement of findings? It is crystal clear that there were three core qualities (personal challenge, essence of care and self-growth) the researchers found. Each quality was described in-details with concrete example of the original words from the six nurses. In addition, instructive messages for guidance during future epidemics were also provided. The findings were highly related to the research question. In brief, a clear statement of the findings was clear and evidences were provided to support each quality the answer is Yes. 10. How valuable is the research? The researchers discovered three core qualities and instructive messages regarding to SARS patients caring. Such discovery greatly increases preparedness by attending the messages including structured support, disease/protection-related information systems and the power of military spirit. Maybe the above components can be further researched so as to obtain greater improvements. In addition to enhance preparedness and identify new areas where researches are necessary, the findings are universal applicable. Healthcare frontline staff may face the problems when caring for SARS patients, say, lack of resources. Clinical leader may find the importance of structured support and collaborative spirit to relieve the staff pressure. In short, the value of this research is valuable. Conclusion To sum up, the CASP guidelines can appraise both quantitative and qualitative researches. The guidelines include ten questions in which provide comprehensive evaluation of the above studies. The guidelines are particular useful in appraising health and social researches. Furthermore, the CASP guidelines aim to enable readers to develop the skills to find out and make sense of research evidence, helping them to put knowledge into practice. (Word count: 3212)

Monday, August 19, 2019

The 3 Branches of the American Government Essay -- History Politics Go

The 3 Branches of the American Government The constitution was established by men who had experienced the dictatorships of Europe and had escaped from its grasp. They sought to establish a form of government that would never allow a dictatorship or tyrant ruler to hold power over the people like in the places they had fled. With their creation of the foundation of what our government is today they created a system where 3 branches were all of equal power and each could be overruled by another which prevented any branch becoming superior of another. The separation of powers provides a system of shared power called Checks and Balances.(2) The three branches are legislative, judicial and executive and they each have specific powers to balance those of the other branches. The Legislative branch is made up of the House and Senate. The Executive branch is made of the President, Vice-President, and the Departments. The Judicial branch is made of the Federal courts and the Supreme Court. Each of these branches has certain powers, an d each of these powers is limited, or checked, by the other two branches. By forcing the three branches to be monitored by the others, no one branch can gain enough power to become superior over the others. The American Governments system of being divided into 3 branches that can restrain one another is the most efficient way to govern the U.S. in a fair manner and without any branch becoming more powerful than another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Legislative Branch, also known as the Congress, is made up of two houses and their main job is to make the laws of the nation.(1) They are also responsible for checking the actions of the other two branches that make up the Federal government. The two houses that make up the legislative branch are, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Some of the main powers of this branch consist of: the passing of all federal laws; establishment of all lower federal courts; can override a Presidential veto; and can impeach the President. (1) The lower house is the House of Representatives which is made up of members called Representatives. To qualify for becoming a House member a person must be 25 years old or older, must have been a U.S. citizen for seven years, and must live in the district he or she plans to represents. (1) Each state has a number of Representatives depending on the population of that state ... ...was with the hopes of a government of democracy where the will of the people was the main power behind the government. With only two branches there would be a constant battle for power and the merging of any of the three current branches with one another would cause a very negative effect on the balance of power . This system of separating power between three branches has provided a balanced way for the government to carry out the needs of maintaining a successful nation and has proven to be successful in the prevention of tyrannical or dictatorial type leadership taking place. With each branch having a certain area of responsibility and the ability to be monitored and restrained by the other branches our government has managed to uphold the ideals of the original framers of our nation. Their quest for a nation with a strong central government that is for the people and that ensures that the freedoms of the American people are never lost has been achieved and the original idea of three branches has proven to be the perfect balance. BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www.usconstitution.net http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_govt.html http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_sepp.html

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Bram Stoker report Essay -- Essays Papers

Bram Stoker report Bram Stoker was born in Dublin, Ireland on November 8th, 1847. His father was a civil servant in Dublin Castle, and his mother, Charlotte, was a women’s lib advocate. They had seven children in nine years; the third of which was Bram. The first seven years of his life he was bedridden with an undiagnosed disease which may have been anything from rheumatic fever, asthma or a form of nonparalytic polio. During these first years of his life as he laid in his bed he listened to stories his mother told him of the cholera epidemic of 1832; people buried alive, and entire families dying in a matter of days. At the age of 12 Bram left his home to attend school at Dublin’s Rutland Square under Reverend William Wood. During these years he made up for his childhood sickness by becoming involved in athletics and became an endurance walker. Following his older brothers lead in 1863, at the age of 17, he entered Trinity College in Dublin. Only ten years after he took his first steps he was now six foot two and 175 pounds. He joined several clubs and groups; he became president of the Philosophical Society, auditor of the Historical Society, he played soccer, was unbeatable in his walking marathons, and after two years he became the athletics champion of Trinity. In 1866 Bram took a one year leave of absence from Trinity to work as a clerk in the Registrar of Petty Sessions at Dublin Castle. Later in the year he saw the play The Rivals playing the lead, Captain Absolute, was the British actor Henry Irving, a person who would play a major role in Bram’s life. He was so impressed by Irving’s performance he wrote: â€Å"What I saw, to my amazement and delight , was a patrician figure as real as the person of one’s dreams, and endowed with the same poetic grace. A young soldier, handsome, distinguished, self-dependent; compact of grace and slumberous energy. A man of quality who stood out from his surroundings on the stage as a being of another social world. A figure full of dash and fine irony, and whose ridicule seemed to bite; buoyant with the joy of life; self-conscious; an offensive egoist envy in his love-making; of supreme and unsurpassable insolence, veiled and shrouded in his fine quality of manner.† He returned to Trinity after his absence and graduated in 1871 with a degree in science, he then stayed on... ...ns. In the last year of his life Stoker suffered from a number of illnesses from: Bright’s Disease (a painful kidney disease), gout, syphilis, and exhaustion. On April 15th, 1912 Florence Stoker rushed to her husbands bedroom to tell him that the luxury liner Titanic had sunk the night before. Five days later April 20th, the day the investigation into the Titanic disaster began, Bram Stoker died at the age of 64. His death certificate listed three causes of death: Locomotor Ataxy (tertiary syphilis), Granular Contracted Kidney (Bright’s Disease), and exhaustion. The story of Dracula has been played out many times over in Hollywood with the most famous being; Nosferatu (1928), Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi, Count Dracula (1971) starring Christopher Lee, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) starring Gary Oldman. It was first a Broadway stage play in the late 1920’s. It’s leading actor, Bela Lugosi, would go on to play the original Dracula and play the part in over 80 other horror movies. Dracula still remains the one work Bram Stoker is remembered for and today, over 100 years after it was published, it remains one of the most popular books of all time.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Personal Framework Essay

In spite of the variety of approaches and therapeutic paradigms, available to professional psychologists and counselors, they often tend to prioritize one or two frameworks as â€Å"personal† ones. The present paper discusses the case of 67-year-old widow, suffering from grief and struggling with the challenges of solitude. For instance, if the professional, responsible for administering and planning therapies relies mainly on psychodynamic psychotherapy, is likely to focus on the woman’s unconscious motivations and attitudes. The recently widowed woman will attend sessions once or twice a week in case she is relatively stable emotionally and discuss her dreams, spontaneous thoughts and cognitions. Given that psychodynamic approach is based heavily upon Freudian personality structure, the specialist is more likely to focus on the woman’s relationship with her husband so that she can resolve the inner conflict and eliminate her survivor’s guilt (Boylan, Mally & Reilly, 2001, p. 68). Psychodynamic therapist will also discuss the woman’s early years in order to find out the actual destructive patterns in her attitudes and behavior and gradually remove them by explaining and elucidating the causes of her current state. If the woman suffers from acute and pervasive emotional states, the follower of schema therapy will search for the negative maladaptive pattern, which creates obstructions to accepting the loss of the spouse (Young, Klosko & Weishaar, 2003, p. 11). Schemas are â€Å"comprised of memories, emotions, cognitions, and bodily sensations regarding oneself and one’s relationships with others and are developed during childhood or adolescence† (Young, Klosko & Weishaar, 2003, p. 7). After learning the patient’s history, the therapist is likely to find a pattern of strong fear of loneliness or a similar destructive schema. Taking into consideration the woman’s temperament, the specialist will restructure this fear by teaching self-sufficiency and focusing her attention on the positive psychoemotional and sensational patterns, associated with the content with life (e. . pleasure of breathing fresh air, eating, playing with grandchildren and so forth). The follower of solution-focused perspective is likely to begin with the so-called miracle question in order to determine the aspects of life (emotions, experiences) the woman lacks (Boylan, Mally & Reilly, 2001, p. 34). The woman will need to imagine her spouse h as returned and define the first signs of the miracle, her actions, intents and feelings. Furthermore, the counselor asks questions to identify the patient’s strengths, skills, talents and abilities and begins to encourage her by phrases like â€Å"I understand your hardships, but I am really amazed by the fact that you are act as an assertive person and manage to put all your decisions to practice†. Session by session, the specialist gradually orients the patient to using her strongest points and abilities like critical thinking, determination or proficiency in certain activities and areas. Cognitive behavioral therapist is likely to employ the ABC model of psychological change and establish the relationship between the activating event (the loss of the husband), wrongful and faulty beliefs and consequences (Boylan, Mally & Reilly, 2001, p. 38). For instance, the woman might believe she is helpless without her husband or that nobody needs her any longer as she has lost her spouse. Further, the therapist is likely to challenge her wrongful beliefs for the purpose of cognitive restructuring, so the patient will soon conclude that her life continues and act more constructively. This treatment approach implies a number of assignments including behavior change plans, emotions and cognition diaries, so the patient will also develop greater self-awareness and much better understand her thoughts, expectations, beliefs and intents. As one can conclude, although different treatment perspectives imply dissimilar methods of influence, they actually pursue similar goals, which necessarily include normalization of the person’s physical and spiritual well-being as well as social functioning.

Relationship Between Men and Women in the Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Diego Ampuero Gac English 102 M, W, & F Dr. Williams March 17, 2010 The relationship between men and women in ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ In this research paper, I am going to analyze the relationship between men and women in the short story ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ by James Thurber. In this essay I am going to discuss how he shows the conflicts between the man that want to be adventurous, perverted, and that lives in several fantasies, but behind that man there is a woman that holds him back.Many source materials analyze and describe Thurber’s unique humoristic personality and explain how it might affect his work of literature throughout his many short stories. Thurber’s humoristic and satiric style of literature that he uses about the relationship between men and women in ‘The secret Life of Walter Mitty’ attracts the reader’s attention because of that spark of knowledge he gives to his humoristic and intell ectual literature. In Thurber’s book, ‘The Thurber Carnival’, he uses many of his short stories including ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ in order to focus on the relationship between men and women.The conflicts that Thurber writes about typically start out small but then with the time it expands into major conflicts which leads us readers into finding the main problem of the story, in which in this case is about a man that wants to be adventurous and the women who holds him back. In fact, in many of Thurber’s short stories the male characters are shown to be dependent of a strong woman, in which she is the dominant head of the relationship.In the relationships that Thurber’s men are in, they are constant lead into frustrated experiences with their wives, in which they have been bullied by wives who consider that they know everything. This is exactly what happens in the short story ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ with W alter being treated by his wife more like a mentally retarded child than a husband. This is shown throughout the first paragraphs of the story in which the couple is driving around running errands, but not together as a couple, instead, Walter has to stop in front of the hair salon where his wife is having her hair done, and e is told to â€Å"remember to get those overshoes while I’m having my hair done†, and in which Walter replies â€Å"I don’t need overshoes† but the wife replies back saying â€Å"you’re not a young man any longer† (47). These last quotes show how strong and harsh her character is and how dominant she can be in their relationship. These quotes also foreshadow the coming events of Walter’s several daydreaming throughout the story and in which they end up being the main conflict between the relationship between men (Mitty) and woman (wife).The wife in ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ is the perfect mod el for Thurber’s unique style of literature. In the book ‘The Art of James Thurber’, Richard Tobias states â€Å"The comedy exists in the tension created by the wife's world view. The wife is the threat against Mitty's free and desirable heroism†(85)†¦ â€Å"Then with a smile on his lips, he faces the firing squad, erect motionless, and proud. Walter Mitty the Undefeated, inscrutable to the last†(51). This precise analyzing quotes by Tobias, reflects how Thurber used Mrs.Mitty as the leader of his humoristic and ironic literature to show her superiority above Walter, in which in Thurber’s time, the head of the family was predestined to be the man and not the woman. Tobias also points out the ending of the story with Walter dreaming once again acting like a little kid dreaming about being a hero. Tobias probably points it out because the ending shows how Walter revealed his secrets of being the head of something, the â€Å"hero of the wa r† throughout his paranoiac daydreaming. Several sources have focused on the topic about the relationship between Walter’s prominent daydreams and his marital situation.One of those sources that analyzes this topic is â€Å"Coitus Interruptis: Sexual Symbolism in ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’†, a book in which a few criticizers analyze Walter’s fantasies and their effect on the relationship. One of the many criticizers, Ann Mann, argues that for a permanent daydreamer like Walter Mitty, his wife has to be the â€Å"ideal wife† for she has to go through all of his daydreaming fantasies and childlike personality, in which it brings the conclusion that she pretty much plays the role of a scapegoat in the relationship.Keeping the eyes on the importance of a women in a relationship as Ann Mann stated, in another aspect, Thomas Fensch appears with his book ‘Conversations with James Thurber’ in which Fensch has plenty of conve rsations with Thurber’s comedian self about different kind of topics that eventually ends up in a topic that shows Thurber’s point of view of the American Women. The man itself has a style of expressing his thoughts with humor and irony but the beauty of it is that at the same time the reader can interpret his sayings as serious thoughts that are in fact very true and intellectual.This magnificent style helps the typical American reader to understand his advice towards American Women by stating that â€Å"Too much attention is given to attracting the males and making other women envious†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , reflecting that Thurber’s point of view of women is that they should go ahead and live life to the fullest and while they can â€Å"†¦woman should be a real helpmate to her husband†(84).As I come to the end of this analysis about the great author James Thurber and the topic about the relationship between men and women in ‘The Secret Life of Walte r Mitty’, I can conclude that Thurber is one of the great American humorist ever of this century and that his genuine literature really helps the reader to understand the relationship between Walter and Mrs.Mitty, and in which they also reflect Thurber’s real life situations between men and women throughout his life. At last, I can affirm that many of his works are so similar to the present day relationship between men and women that it reflects why his literature works are continuing to be popular in today’s world.