Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Human Nature In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding And...

Looking back through the history of humankind, there is an eminent pattern of primitive and truculent behaviour. William Golding and Joseph Conrad recognised this basic nature of humanity and portrayed it in their novels, Lord of the Flies and Heart of Darkness. The environmental and circumstantial influence on one’s human nature is thought to have the greatest impact, as the isolation from civilisation manumits the evil inside. Human nature, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is â€Å"the general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioural traits of humankind, regarded as shared by all humans.† These novels exemplify the concept of this behaviour to show how the savage nature of a person is brought to light by the influence of†¦show more content†¦For the boys, the loss of clothing is seen as an adaptation to their environment, however, the placing of this transition at the beginning of the hunting, suggests the beginning of the savagery. Through this, we are reminded of humanity’s capacity for evil and how man-made moral systems are superficial. Piggy, is represented as the voice of reason, when he cleans his glasses it means that his line of logic and nature blur. His loss of sight, after having his glasses stolen represents the fall of reason. The change in Piggy’s attitude, due to the loss of sight, represents the shift of power from the reign of reason to the reign of savagery. It is the boys’ descent from civilisation into savagery that highlights that it is the eyes of civilization that keeps humanity’s darkness in check, but when we are surrounded by the silent whisper of the wilderness, we lose ourselves to the darkness. Joseph Conrad, in Heart of Darkness, explores the concept that all behaviour and choices and the need and desire of the individual lie at the very core of their human nature. Civilisation is a construct that is designed to serve as a means of control of this core. Marlow, whose thoughts and attitudes shape the readers perception of the story, has a revelationShow MoreRelatedComparing The Novel Lord Of The Flies And Heart Of Darkness2292 Words   |  10 PagesTopic: Comparing behavior of two main characters from two different books Introduction There are both similarities and differences between the protagonists of the Novels Lord of the Flies† (Golding) and â€Å"Heart of Darkness† (Conrad). In each case we have the supposedly civilized individual(s) degenerating into savagery. As well, other characters are involved and highly influenced by the protagonist(s). This report discusses these two books and what can be observed from comparing works of essentiallyRead MoreA Comparison of Lord of the Flies by William Golding to Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad1602 Words   |  7 PagesComparison of Lord of the Flies by William Golding to Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Works Cited Missing I compared the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding to Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The novelsRead MoreComparing The Novels Lord Of The Flies And Heart Of Darkness4107 Words   |  17 PagesThere are both similarities and differences between the protagonists of the Novels Lord of the Flies† (Golding) and â€Å"Heart of Darkness† (Conrad). In each case we have the supposedly civilized individual(s) degenerating into savagery. As well, other characters are involved and highly influenced by the protagonist(s). This report discusses these two books and what can be observed from comparing works of essentially different world perspectives – one was published in 1902 and the other in 1954Read MoreCritical Analysis Of Heart Of Darkness1107 Words   |  5 PagesSteven Serrano Ms.Leblanc AP Lit 2 25 September 2017   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Heart of Darkness Inner evil   Ã‚  Ã‚   Heart of Darkness, a novel written by Joseph Conrad, tells the story of a character named Marlow, who is recalling his journey to Africa down the Congo River to a group of seamen on a boat. Joseph Conrad’s characters are constructed around the ideas that were present in society when the novel was written. Kurtz and Marlow are created to be naive and to allow action to be the truest medium to characterizeRead MoreHuman Nature And The Desire For Superiority1565 Words   |  7 PagesHolly Donohoe Period B2 Human Nature and the Desire for Superiority It’s no doubt that superiority and power has played a huge role in the past present and will in the future. Throughout American Literature, it is a dominant trait in many protagonists and especially antagonists. The desirable trait has caused many conflicts and hardship and in turn, has led to the demise of a civilizations in the past. In the film Apocalypse Now, the novella the Heart of Darkness, and the poem The Hollow Men, itRead MoreModern English Literature3556 Words   |  15 Pagessocial injustice in Victorian society and exalted nature, beauty, and love. His style was noted for its charm, delicacy, and descriptive detail. * H.G. WELLS He wrote science fiction like the time machine. He also wrote social and political satires criticizing the middle class life of England. A good example is Tono-Bunhichaywhich attacks commercial advertsing. * JOSEPH CONRAD He wrote remarkable novels as the Nigger of the Narcissus and Lord Jim where he depicts characters beset by obsessions

Monday, December 23, 2019

Essay about Arthurian Features in That Hideous Strength

Arthurian Features in That Hideous Strength Tales change with every teller. Features may be added or subtracted, stories may be broken apart or combined. Often the story-teller will adapt the tale for his own purposes to emphasize some theme of his own. C. S. Lewis uses and modifies older sources in many ways in his novel That Hideous Strength, incorporating themes and portions of Arthurian literature to add color and emphasize the subjects of his plot. Lewis includes many direct references to older Arthurian literature in his novel. The leader of his group of heroes is the former philogist Ransom, at first known as Mr. Fisher-King, who has a wounded foot. The name and the wound are obvious reminders of†¦show more content†¦As Cecil Dimble searches for Merlin in the woods, he recalls the ancient houses whose mortar had been ritually mixed with babies blood (Lewis, p. 233), reminding readers about the early stories of Vortigerns vanishing tower and the druids plot to destroy the young Merlin by having his blood spread on the foundation. When Ransoms friendly bear, Mr. Bultitude, destroys the awful severed head through which the leaders of the N.I.C.E. (National Institute of Controlled Experiments) receive instructions from the evil eldils, or spirits, Lewis seems to be referring to Arthurs dream in Geoffreys Historia where a bear and a dragon fight together. There the bear is slain, but here he is victorious against the supe rnatural beast he fights against. Dreams have been important in much of Arthurian literature, from the Historia of Geoffrey of Monmouth to Waces Brut and the alliterative and stanzaic Morte Arthures. In those works, a vivid dream came to Arthur at some crucial point or points, whether on the way to Gaul, in his camp at Rome, or in England before his battle with Mordred. In That Hideous Strength, dreams appear not just at important moments, but regularly. Jane Studdock discovers herself to be a seer, able to dream of real events either happening or about to happen, and thus supplies important information to the Pendragon and his companions. Her dreams are more realistic and informative thanShow MoreRelatedEssay about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight1732 Words   |  7 PagesSir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem written during the medieval period about the Arthurian legend. Although the author is anonymous, it is apparent that the dialect of Sir Gawain points to an origin in provincial England, and it represents the cultural centers which remote from the royal court at London where Geoffrey Chaucer spent his life (Norton, 200). This poem is considered one of the best works of Middle English literature. One reason is that theRead MoreFigurative Language and the Canterbury Tales13472 Words   |  54 Pagesthe author, poet, or playwright creating a work. 5. anaphora: repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginnings of successive clauses. †¢ The Lord sits above the water floods. The Lord remains a King forever. The Lord shall give strength to his people. The lord shall give his people the blessings of peace. -Ps. 29 †¢ â€Å"Let us march to the realization of the American dream. Let us march on segregated housing. Let us march on segregated schools. Let us march on poverty. Let us march

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Animal Farm vs the Russian Revolution Free Essays

string(37) " because the society is not perfect\." As people are burdened with their social and economic situations, they tend to think that the government has no interest in responding to their legitimate complaints. Sooner or later, the only way to rectify their complaints is to revolt. The allegory Animal Farm, by George Owell is a great example of the rebellion between the animals and humans. We will write a custom essay sample on Animal Farm vs the Russian Revolution or any similar topic only for you Order Now The events in Animal Farm symbolize the Russian Revolution of the1900s to 1950s. Although many people were involved in the Russian Revolution, there were five instrumental men including Joseph Stalin, who was illustrated as Napoleon in Animal Farm. The Russian Revolution was one of the most important revolutions; it was a revolution against economic oppression. The Russian Revolution was all began by the idea of the historian and revolutionary, Karl Marx. He was the most influential political philosopher of the 19th century (â€Å"The History Guide†, par. 1). Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto, it was published in 1848 (â€Å"The History Guide†, par. 6). His idea of communism explained that each individual person would work to endorse the country and not just for self gain. Marx was the one that inspired Russian radicals who opposed tsarist rule (Strickler 61). Through out his life, people did not acknowledge his social, economic and political ideas  until his death in 1884(â€Å"The History Guide†, par. 1). The Russian history started badly after the death of Czar Alexander III in 1894. Nicholas II was then became the new czar. He was not prepared to rule; he was afraid of what’s going to happen to him and Russia (Strickler 70). Nicholas II was not attentive in sharing his power, but people were calling this to occur when he came in throne. Furthermore, he was physically weak, senseless, and he was a horrendous judge of people (â€Å"Background of†, par 5). During his first ten years of Nicholas II’s ruling; peasants protested their poverty, factory workers struck against the brutal working conditions, and people demanded a better government (Strickler 70). At the same time, Russia was in a war with Japan, for control over Korea and Manchuria in northern China. In February 1904, the Japanese defeated the Russians. By the end of 1904 people realized without a doubt, they were going to lose the war. After the defeats by Japan, things changed. â€Å"People could no long tolerate their desperate living conditions† (Strickler 71). In January 1905,  thousands of Russians marched in St. Petersburg to deliver a petition. â€Å"They called for an eight-hour workday and for an increase in wages† (Strickler 71). As the broad crowd assembled, the government startled. They sent thousands of troops around the city. On Sunday, January 22, 1905, the troops and the protesters met; their meeting soon became destructive. As result, thousands of people died in what became known as â€Å"Bloody Sunday†. Strikes continued to take place; it was all over the country. Workers were on strikes, railways were paralyzed, and universities were taken down (Strickler 71). In response to the protests; Nicholas agreed and published the â€Å"October Manifesto†. It granted freedom of conscience, speech, association, and promise people would not be imprison without trial (â€Å"Tsar Nicholas II†, par. 16). Nicholas II and his government avoided a revolution by creating a Duma. Even though the revolution was avoided, but people still drive for radical changes (â€Å"Russo-Japanese†, par. 4). In 1914, World War I broke out in Europe. The Russians was unprepared; they were lacked of leadership, food supplies, and weapons (Strickler 77). As more and more Russians got killed, supports for the war vanished. Things were getting worse; transportation system was tied up and there was not enough food for the population. As result price went high up (Strickler 78). By March 15, 1917 Czar Nicholas II faced widespread oppositions, revolts, and lacking military supports (Strickler 79). Therefore, Nicholas II was abdicated. After Nicholas II abdicated, Russia was ruled by a temporary government led by Aleksandr Kerensky (Strickler 80). Unfortunately, he was overthrown on November 7, 1917 by a political group called Bolsheviks (Strickler 79). The leader of the Bolsheviks was Vladimir Lenin. He followed Marx’s ideas of communism. Lenin quickly solved the problems facing Russia. Within only a year, the new government ended the World War I. Lands were returned to peasants and workers had the power to run their factories (Strickler 80). Later, the Bolsheviks became known as the Reds. Their rivals were the Whites, a variety of groups by their opposition to the Bolsheviks (Strickler 80). France, United States, and Great Britain were afraid of the spread of communism, so they supported the Whites. To help overthrow the Bolsheviks, Japan and United States sent troops to invade Russia from the east. In spite of these foreign troops, the Reds won the war (Strickler, 81). In 1922, Russia and their neighbors formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Soviet Union (Strickler, 81). After Lenin’s death in 1924, there was a power struggle between Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky. Stalin wanted to continue establishing the power of the Communist Party through out the country for the next twenty years. On the other hand, Trotsky wanted to build weapons to resist the West because they were trying to destroy Communism (â€Å"The Death of Lenin†, par. ). In august 1917, Trotsky was the member of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik, which had Lenin as a quixotic leader. Trotsky became second in command after Lenin (â€Å"Trotsky†, par1). He was assigned People’s Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs in 1918(â€Å"Trotsky†, par2). Trotsky also managed the founding of the Red Army (â€Å"Trotsky†, par1). Unfortunately, after the death of Lenin, Joseph Stalin prevailed and Trotsky was exiled to Mexico (Trueman, par5-6). Under the power of Stalin, â€Å"Workers had little real power to control their workplaces. The government did not allow for civil rights† (Strickler 81). Stalin continued his ruling until his death in 1953 (Strickler 82). Through out the Russian revolutions, Marx’s idea influenced many revolutionists to use his ideas of communism to lead a revolution that changed the history of Russia. The idea of communism did not work because the society is not perfect. You read "Animal Farm vs the Russian Revolution" in category "Papers" Everybody has his or her own way of living; they are different individuals. Joseph Stalin was one of the important roles in the Russian Revolution after the death of Lenin in 1924 (Strickler 81). Stalin was the second leader of the Soviet Union (â€Å"Joseph Stalin†, par1). His real name was Joseph Vissarionovich Djugashvili. When he was young he was already interested in politics (Gibson, 15). From that moment, he was associated with the political underground in the Caucasus. He soon followed Vladimir Lenin. Stalin’s experience made him useful in the Bolshevik party (â€Å"Joseph Stalin†, par3). After Lenin’s death, Stalin had a great opportunity to take his claim to become the leader of Communist Party. Stalin’s effort to bend the country to his conviction caused gargantuan suffering. Six million people die during the famine in the 1920s and 1930s. Many also died from hard labor. He also executed everyone that opposed him (Strickler 82). The ruling body of the Communist Party; Zinoviev and Kamenev joined force with Stalin against Trotsky (Gibson 26). In 1926, Trotsky was expelled from the Politburo, the ruling body of the communist Party. With Trotsky gone, he no longer need of Kamenev and Zinoviev. In order to get rid of them, he allied himself with Bukharin, Rykov, and Tomsky (Gibson, 26). Little by little, all of his opponents were dead and Stalin had the power over Russia. By 1930s eight million political opponents were arrested and eight hundred was executed (Strickler 82). In total, Stalin was responsible for the death of forty million people within the borders of the Soviet Union (â€Å"Joseph Stalin†, par. 7). In 1928, Stalin launched the first Five Year Plan; it was created to manufacture the USSR in the shortest time and, in the process, to precipitate the collectivization of farms (Gibson, 28). The plan was put in action brutally; it was aimed to make USSR self-sufficient. Stalin’s first Five Year Plan was completed by 1933. His second five year Plan (1933-1938) continued and expanded the first (Gibson 36). Stalin’s third Five year Plan was interrupted by the World War II. It was known as the bloodiest war in human history. Great Britain, France, and the United States joined Stalin to fight against Germany, Italy, and Japan. Through out the war, forty million people died. Of these, half were Soviet citizens (Strickler 82). Following World War II, Stalin continued his ruthless control over the Soviet Union until his death on March 5, 1953(â€Å"Joseph Stalin†, par. 7). Although he was a heartless ruler, he did bring consequential economic progress to Russia during the 1920s and1930s. During those years, the Soviet Union was becoming a powerful, industrialize country. The education, health, and equality for women were much better (Strickler 82). Stalin did a lot to help Russia but murdered millions and millions in pursuit of his dictatorship. â€Å"To his calloused heart, a single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic† (Nosoro 10). The pig – Napoleon in Animal Farm is a reflection of Joseph Stalin. In the book, Owell described Napoleon as a tyrant. Napoleon enjoyed his luxury life with the other pigs by abusing the power that he’s given to hypnotize the animals; he made them do all the works. The animals worked relentlessly  on his windmill plan and they hardly get any food. While Napoleon stayed in his farm house and enjoying all the apples and milk alone (Owell 73, 85). Just like Napoleon, Stalin had all the power to himself and living in a blissful live while the peasants suffered. Many people endured the bad working conditions and famine during Stalin’s Five Year Plan (Gibson 53). Both Napoleon and Stalin got their way often. After Lenin’s death, Stalin successfully exiled Trotsky to Mexico and had the power of Russia in his hand. Similarly, Napoleon managed to get Snowball out of farm and he became the leader of Animal Farm (Orwell 68). Even after when Snowball was off the farm; Napoleon continued to blame on him when things on the farm went wrong. He blamed on Snowball when the wind knocked down the windmill that they built (Orwell 82). In Stalin’s situation, he evoked Trotsky as a threat after he murdered him (Gibson, 30). Although Napoleon and Stalin were clever, both were lousy speakers. Since Napoleon was not a good speaker, he used Squealer as his mouthpiece. Squealer is a good mouth pig. He knows how to twist and change things around and makes it sound good. â€Å"â€Å"I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labor upon himself. Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is pleasure! On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility†, said Squealer† (Orwell 69). The purpose of it was to make Napoleon look good. Indeed, like Napoleon, Stalin also has his own resource. His resource was the propagandas; it’s documentaries and films that made him look like a hero and a father to the country. Although Owell described Napoleon based on Stalin, but there are a few differences between them. Before Stalin becomes the dictator of Russia, he took many steps to get there. He allied with the Politburo (the ruling body Communist) to get rid of one and another (Gibson 23, 26). Unlike Napoleon; whose became the leader of the Animal Farm right after he ran Snowball off the farm. In the Russian Revolution History, Stalin exiled Trotsky and murdered him because he was afraid that he might come back and overthrown him (Gibson 23). It was never mentioned in the allegory that Stalin killed Snowball. Throughout the Russian Revolution and Animal Farm, both Napoleon and Stalin weren’t able to achieve the goal of communism or equality. George Orwell created Napoleon under Stalin’s image, despite that fact that everyone is not exactly the same. George Orwell wrote Animal Farm, simply to explain the connection between the live of the animals on the farm and the Russian Revolution. The allegory mainly target Joseph Stalin. Through out the Russian revolution, Stalin tried to make Russia a better country, but failed. He abolished the idea of communism and ruled his country as a tyrant. If Stalin didn’t kill Trotsky, Trotsky might’ve been the leader of Russia. With Trotsky’s warm heart and intelligent Russia would’ve been better. Stalin may look good on the outside, but he truly is hypocrite. Works Cited â€Å"Background of the Russian Revolution. † Saskschools. ca. World War One and the Destruction of the Old Order. 11 March 2011 Gibson, Micheal. Russia Under Stalin. England: Wayland, 1972 â€Å"Joseph Stalin. † Jewishvirtuallibrary. org. 11 March 2011 â€Å"Karl Marx and the Theory of Communism. † Saskschools. ca. World War One and the Destruction of the Old Order. 12 March 2011 Nosotro, Rit. â€Å"Brutal ruler of communist Russia. † Hyperhistory. net 9 October 2010. 12 March 2011 Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York: Penguin Group, 1946 â€Å"Russo-Japanese War and the Revolution of 1905. † Saskschools. ca. World War One and the Destruction of the Old Order. 12 March 2011 Strickler, James. Russia of the Tsars. California: Luccent Books, 1998 â€Å"The Death of Lenin and the Problem of a Replacement. † Saskschools. ca. World War One and the Destruction of the Old Order. 12 March 2011 Nguyen 8 ; http://www. saskschools. ca/curr_content/history20/unit1/sec6_11. html; â€Å"The History Guide: Karl Marx. † Historyguide. org 30 January 2008. 12 March 2011 â€Å"Trotsky. † Trotsky. net. 11 March 2011 Trueman, Chris. â€Å"Leon Trotsky. † Historylearningsite. co. uk. 12 March 2011 â€Å"Tsar Nicholas II: Biography. † Spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk. 11 March 2011 How to cite Animal Farm vs the Russian Revolution, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

CONTENT ON THE INTERNET FREE OR FETTERED Essay Example For Students

CONTENT ON THE INTERNET: FREE OR FETTERED? Essay Focus:This paper examines the nature of the problem caused by potentially offensive material on the Internet and summarizes current efforts to regulate content, along with reactions to those efforts. 1. Introduction: what is the problem?Earlier last year, anyone could have been forgiven for believing that the world had just discovered the Internet, and that it had, in the process, concluded that the Internet was awash with pornographic images, drugs information and general threats to the safety and good order of society. What was worse was that nobody appeared to be in charge of this new phenomenon: indeed, it was proudly proclaimed that no-one owns the Internet, except perhaps the millions of people throughout the world who contribute to it in various ways. This is seen in many quarters as its major benefit freely available information from numerous sources but it has also come rapidly to be regarded in some quarters as its most worrying feature. Everyone with access to the required technology is free to make material available via the Internet, and there appears to be no control over that material and so the cyberporn debate, amongst others, began on the WWW, in the media, an d in legislatures. As a result, suggestions have appeared which link the use of the Internet with the Oklahoma bombing, extremist political groups, the manufacture of ecstasy and other drugs, and with the ready availability of pornographic images and these are all problems which public libraries and schools are concerned about as they move towards providing access to the Internet. There were also fears that it was too easy to find this material inadvertently (as distinct from consciously searching it out): again it was felt that there was a threat to the innocent and the unwary, although an investigation, reported in the Guardian newspaper, estimated (Holderness, 1995) that the odds against finding a random pornographic image thus seem to be worse than 70,000:1. Given that a well-known British broadsheet newspaper recently listed the URL of a World Wide Web (WWW) site which included links to eight so-called top shelf magazines, inadvertent discovery can be regarded as a problem, although some commentators have denied this, saying that it requires effort to find these sites and to download images and so on. Inadvertent retrieval of offensive material is also less likely due to the increasing use of warnings placed at the start of WWW pages: my recent research suggests that the number of these warning signs appears to have grown considerably of 81 sites I investigated, 45% now have a warning notice which, amongst other things, requires users to be over the age of either 18 or 21. In some cases, users are required first to register by quoting a credit card number: this is not used to charge for access, simply to verify age, and a few sites have now begun to quote the Communications Decency Act as a reason for requiring proof of age. !Few if an y of the other sites actively prevent under-age users from accessing the pages, but at least there is no excuse for not knowing what the site contains. Of course, many would argue that such warnings will only serve to encourage access, especially by children and young people. It is not particularly difficult to find this material if one is consciously looking. The adult bulletin board systems advertise freely in many magazines, including some of the now well-established journals for the Internet, while telephone numbers of BBS and network addresses circulate freely in the newsgroups. On the WWW, the various search engines will retrieve Web pages with little difficulty, using keywords in sophisticated search strategies. Professor Harold Thimbleby suggested (Thimbleby 1995) at last years British Association meeting in Newcastle that 47% of the 11,000 most often repeated searches were pornographic, though it is very important to note that this does not indicate what proportion of the total number of searches this represents: unfortunately, Lycos will not release this information, so it is impossible to judge the relative extent of such searches (Whitney, 1996). Thus, enter the word sex on the Lycos search engine (which indexes over 130 million unique URLs, or Internet addresses) and you will told that there are 30,976 documents containing that term. However, of the first 50 URLs listed, 27 (54%) appeared not to contain pornographic images, but were instead either serious discussions of sexual matters, duplicate entries of one site, lists of newsgroups on the Internet, etc. Similarly, a search on drugs found 92% of the first 50 sites (17,504 were found) could not be considered as actively encouraging drug use, and of the first 50 documents listed under explosives, 60% stemmed from organizations with a legitimate interest in explosives such as professional institutions, etc. , although a number of the remaining sites were parts of The Terrorists Handbook, which does give recipes for bomb-making. The problem of accurately calculating the relative volume of potentially offensive material has confused the Internet since its growth first became noticeable. It is too easy to generate figures and then to use generalizations and apply them to the whole of the Internet to create the wrong impression, but it is often this false perception which generates so much concern in parents and legislators. This was a major criticism of the study by Marty Rimm last year which featured in Time Magazine , and was also used by US senators pushing through the Communications Decency Bill. Rimms study (Rimm, 1995) was interpreted by US Senators as proving that 83.5% of the Internet consisted of pornographic images, when in fact he only analyzed the adult sites and then extended his conclusion to the entire Internet. Examining only adult sites, it was hardly surprising that he could claim to have found a large percentage of such images. A more accurate figure has been calculated by Hoffman a!nd Novak , who point out that less than one-half of 1% (3% of 11%) of the messages on the Internet are associated with newsgroups that contain pornographic imagery. (Hoffman and Novak, 1995). The point appears to be that, while this material is available over the Internet, it is not there in the quantities which some people fear, though it is very difficult to change entrenched attitudes. A good friend who is a school librarian, told me recently that she is being given every encouragement to provide Internet access. Her first question was, But how do I stop the pupils finding all the pornography?. Once one page with the sought after material has been found, it is usually possible to link from that page to others on the same theme, just as one can follow citations in a journal article. Some WWW pages are simply that: links to other related pages, like bibliographies of their subject. The conclusion is that material which could give offense and which legislators in the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Germany and New Zealand (to name but some of the countries actively investigating Internet content) are concerned about is there, but not in the quantities which some branches of the popular media would have us think. Having said that, it does appear that a lot of use is made of these sites, especially those providing the alleged pornographic images, though last year. The Guardian also found that the pornographic newsgroups generated much less traffic than, say a group listing job opportunities (Holderness, 1995). In a recent analysis, I found a high of 58,198 accesses per day and a low of 198 for 12 randomly chosen sites: the average daily figure for these sites was 14,578 accesses. Again, this figure must be treated cautiously, as it may not, in every case, represent the number of individuals accessing the site, but rather the number of times text or an image was!downlo aded: some accesses may result in multiple downloads. Some sites claim accesses far in excess of this: one million plus in a few months has been seen. This high level of demand is also a contributory factor in the rapid turnover of sites, which close down or are closed down regularly. The most frequent reason for closure is sheer overload on the server involved, which causes problems for other users: 41% of sites closed down in the course of one investigation and the single most frequently cited reason (58% of cases) was system overload. Concern over legal action or breaches of acceptable use policy tend to be less frequently cited as reasons for closure. The JANET Acceptable use policy in the UK already prohibits the use of JANET for a range of materials, including the obscene, libel and copyright infringement (UKERNA, 1995). We might also note that such sites have a relatively short life-span: 87% had been closed down within 6 months of start-up and 43% lasted only 2 months or less. So far, we have considered Internet access to the material which has caused most reported concern to various groups, but if we are considering the question of free or fettered access to networked resources, we might also look at a wide range of material which could be subject to criticism on completely different grounds, if only because of the rapidly increasing demands being placed on Internet bandwidth. Given that the original purpose of the Internet was academic research, why should such recreational material as home pages for football clubs, popular music groups, television or a students interests and hobbies be allowed space on servers? Somewhere on the Internet, Im told, is a list of one young mans CD collection: is this a sensible use of the resources? In the United States at least, the continuation of such sites (as well those containing the potentially more offensive material) are justified under the First Amendment, and they are symptomatic of the change in the na!ture of t he Internet from academic research tool to multi-media information resource. I want simply to raise the question here because it is part of the wider question of Internet regulation some universities do not permit students to maintain their own home pages because it is an inappropriate use of school resources. A further step in this direction has been taken by one British university which logs the thirty most popular URLs each week. The resulting list is examined and access to any sites which contravene user regulations may be blocked. This includes those sites which it is felt constitute a waste of university computing resources, and deliberate or reckless overloading of access links or of switching equipment is prohibited under the UKERNA JANET Acceptable use policy. So, to summarize this first part, we can say that there is material available over the Internet which causes concern in some quarters, either because of its content or because it is seen as a less than appropriate use of computing resources. We can also note that some degree of regulation is already in effect, especially in the university sector, though increasingly service providers are taking note of the problem. CompuServe, a major Internet provider, announced that it was blocking access to some 200 newsgroups, following complaints from the German Government about obscene materials which were being accessed from Germany. CompuServe say that there is no way in which they can selectively prevent access by users in one country, so their action applies to all CompuServe users. In addition, the German Land of Baden-Wrttemburg is investigating Deutsche Telekom to see if it can be considered as assisting in the dissemination of the views of a US-based neo-Nazi (Schofield, 1996)!. Comparing the two plays Essay4. How can we control the Internet?With that in mind, let us turn to ways in which some form of control can be exercised over the material which is currently found on the Internet. 4.1 Self-regulationThe most time-honored method is that of self-regulation: individuals or systems managers and administrators control what is made available from the systems under their control. It is they who have been responsible for most of the closures of sites which I mentioned earlier, primarily because of the load such sites place on the server, or because the material does not accord with an acceptable use policy. Many system administrators admit, however, that it is technically very difficult to control which sites their users access (as distinct from the material which users place online), though acceptable use policies are similarly relevant and there is some evidence of various monitoring procedures (which are made known to users) to ensure that use policies are adhered to. It would appear from a 1992 study, however, that obscene or harassing material is not the primary concern of systems administrators: the most frequently occurring incidents are virus infection and the printing o!f non-academic materials on university-owned printers (Stager, 1992). Complaints that, for example, the contents of BBS were obscene were mentioned by less than one third of the computer centre directors in this survey. There is also, as Stager has pointed out, a potential source of confusion in the minds of computer centre directors. More than two-thirds of those asked agreed that university-operated bulletin boards are subject to restrictions if their content is clearly libelous or obscene, but less than half agreed that they had a general understanding of what my campus community considers obscene. Again, we have the problem of defining our terms. I have already mentioned the growing use of warning signs as an example of self-regulation: they do not prohibit access, but no-one can be under any illusion about the content of such sites. Acceptable use policies on the part of organizations (such as universities and private sector companies) and of service providers must also count as self-regulation, and there are instances where these have been used to prohibit access to, and provision of, material judged to be offensive and/or illegal. The UKERNA guidelines are an example, since it as a result of these that many UK universities block access to the more controversial newsgroups, but many such institutions and providers have developed similar policies: many of these are available on the WWW. The British Computer Societys Schools Committee has produced guidelines to prevent computer misuse which recognize the existence of potentially offensive material and give advice on the development of a suitable policy (British Comput!er Soci ety Schools Committee). For many Internet and WWW users, self-regulation is the only way in which to control content, anything else being seen as an infringement of freedom of speech or civil liberty (especially in the United States). In the United Kingdom, this seems, for the moment, to be the route which will be taken by Government, which feels that a code of conduct is the best route forward, and presumably the Internet industry will now sit down to establish that code, preventing the storage and distribution of offensive material. 4.2. Parental/Teacher controlAs Internet access becomes a growing feature of schools and homes, parents worry about what their children are seeing and reading in class or in the privacy of their rooms, and teachers are concerned about the implications if, during one of their classes, a pupil stumbles across or goes looking for a pornographic image, a discussion on abortion rights, or where to buy marijuana. Many have argued that, rather than introduce sweeping legislation which will, it is claimed, be the end of the Internet, parents and teachers should take responsibility for their childrens actions. The analogy is often drawn with teaching our children to cross the road safely and to deal with traffic: we dont let them wander off on their own, but show them the dangers and how to avoid them. Gradually, as they learn and mature, they are allowed to do things on their own. Similarly, it is argued, parents should accompany their children on their first Internet surfing, pointing out the dangers in the process. To help parents and teachers in this, a number of software packages have been developed to shut out access to the more offensive material. Programs like NetNanny, CyberSitter, SurfWatch and Internet Filter block access to sites containing certain listed words: this stop list comes built-in to the software, but it can be added to by parents to suit specific requirements. In some cases, attempts to access prohibited sites are logged and can be inspected by parent or teacher, which could, if it was known, help to stop such attempts. There is even a version for business use: presumably it could also be used to prevent staff from wasting time surfing the Net!4.3 Government legislationHowever, anyone who has kept an eye on the scene over the last twelve months will be aware that the big (and now rather complicated) story in controlling the Internet is the passage of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) through the US Senate, initially accompanied by two other broadly similar bills, plus a fourth which is believed to take a slightly different line and could be more acceptable to the majority of Internet users. The amended CDA was passed by a single vote in a House/Senate conference committee and became effectively an amalgam of two bills passed by the House and the Senate respectively. The three most restrictive bills, which have come in for the most criticism, all seek to make it illegal to transmit indecent material and would make both online service providers and content providers liable. The fourth bill was thought to avoid such action and to empower parents and teachers to control Internet access. The CDA was passed at the beginning of February 1996, and signed into law on 8 February. It was immediately the subject of a law suit to the US Attorney General by the American Civil Liberties Union and 19 other complainants, who have succeeded in having some parts of the act declared unconstitutional: as a result, it is in abeyance at the time of writing. A similar suit has been filed by a coalition of industry and online organizations, including the American Library Association. The chief criticism directed at the act relates to its attempts to make service providers liable and to the fact that, at the last minute, the word indecent was substituted for the word obscene. The argument against this development is that the concept of indecent material is vague but more wide-ranging than obscene, and that it would include not only sexually explicit material but texts which are now regarded as classics of literature. The oft-quoted example is that this bill would prohibit the distribution of such classic works of fiction as Catcher in the Rye or Lady Chatterleys Lover , when most thought that this was a battle already won. The bill would also give the US Federal Communication Commission some authority to regulate online speech. It should be noted that opposition to the CDA is not limited to the online community and such organizations as Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, the American Civil Liberties Union, or the Center for Democracy and Technology. Newt Gingrich has already suggested that such efforts are unconstitutional and the US Justice Department has said that the legislation is unnecessary (it believes it has all the legislation they need to prosecute where necessary). Other opponents have said that such legislation will only result in the creation of an underground Internet, where the material objected to will still circulate freely and could still be accessed by those in the know. Not only would this legislation prohibit literary works, but also the serious discussions of many topics and problems to do with sexual matters. There would be a threat to AIDS information, mutually supportive discussions of abuse and many other online forums which, enthusiasts claim, can be very important to those affected. Its effect on discussions of abortion rights have already been challenged as a breach of the US constitution. This is currently the only impending legislation which seeks to control content on the Internet: many other countries are investigating the question, and the UK government, for example, would prefer to establish a code of conduct, as I indicated earlier. However, I think we can be sure that, if the USA passes this or similar legislation, many other countries will face considerable pressure to do likewise: the pressure is already there in the French efforts to introduce European legislation. 5. ConclusionThe question of a free or fettered Internet is not an easy one: so many variables come into play, and in many instances we can only have a personal reaction to the problem of offensive material on computer networks. The overwhelming majority of Internet users agree on the need to protect our young people from this material, but the way to do so, they argue, is to involve parents and teachers and to educate our children, just as we educate them about the dangers of road traffic. The problem, it is argued, is not as serious as some would have us think, and legislation is too big a hammer for this particular nut: it would destroy more than it would protect. The next few months are going to be both interesting and crucial to the future shape of the Internet. ReferencesBritish Computer Society Schools Committee (1995) Preventing the misuse of computers in schools, Swindon, British Computer Society. CCTA Ethics Collaborative Open Group (1995) Superhighways Ethics Project: ReportFederal Department of Communications and the Arts, Australia (1995). Consultation paper on the regulation of on-line information services, 7 July 1995. The Guardian (1996). Singapor to censor Internet. 6 March, 12. Hoffman, D. and Novak, T. (1995) A detailed analysis of the conceptual, logical, and methodological flaws in the article: marketing pornography on the information superhighwayHolderness, M. (1995) In search of a sea of sex, The Guardian, 2 August,19. (Also available through the Guardian Online Archives search facility) Information Highway Advisory Council (1995) Connection, community, content: the challenge of the information highway. Final report of the Information Highway Advisory Council, Ottawa, Industry Canada. Merel, P. (1995) Response to consultation paper on the regulation of on-line information services, Electronic Frontiers AustraliaRimm, M. (1995) Marketing pornography on the information superhighway: a survey of 917,410 images, description, short stories and animations downloaded 8.5 million times by consumers in over 2000 cities in forty countries, provinces and territoriesSansom, G. (1995) Illegal and offensive content on the information highway: a background paper. Ott awa, Industry Canada; Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications Sector. Schofield, J. (1996) This comment is free for now, The Guardian Online, 26 JanuaryStager, S.F. (1992) Computer Ethics violations: more questions than answers. EDUCOM Review , 27 (4), 1992,Thimbleby, H. (1995) Problems in the global villageUKERNA (1995) JANET acceptable use policy, London, UKERNA, Whitney, T. (1996) Personal communication, 18 January.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Summary of Medieval and Renaissance Criticism Essay Example For Students

Summary of Medieval and Renaissance Criticism Essay W. H Atkins published in 1952. One major development in this age is the adoption of Christianity as the religion of the Mediterranean region. Roman Catholicism prevailed in Western Europe. Classical elements were absorbed in the Medieval Age, sometimes modified and later became a part of it. Many pagan literature were incorporated into the medieval ethos(character). The critical terms in vogue during the Classical Age were popular with the writers of the age and they even followed the prescriptions on the art of composition as laid down by the rhetoricians of the previous age. We will write a custom essay on Summary of Medieval and Renaissance Criticism specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Medieval Criticism systematically classified literature under grammar, rhetoric and poetry. The Medieval Age developed a systematic poetic grammar. The term grammar meant the science of correct speaking and reading curriculum for poets which was for the formation of the basis of literary creation and development eloquent speech. This grammar curriculum provided for the humbugging influence in the Middle Ages. Another form of criticism was prosody; the study of versification and scansion. Prosody was meant to provide basic training for prospective poets in the basic poetic forms. Horace had a clear influence on the Middle Ages. There was always a debate as to which logic or grammar should gain precedence over the other. Poetry was considered a prophecy or revelation and was equal to philosophy in the Old World. A considerable amount of medieval criticism dealt with biblical criticism and mysticism and allegorical reading of works. The poets were theologians and their poetry was the overflow of moments of inspiration. Poetry existed with and in grammar, rhetoric, logic and philosophy. Medieval criticism may be divided into five broad periods:- 1 . Late Classical (1st century BC to 7th century AD). 2. Carolingian (8th century to 10th century). . Scholastic (13th century to 14th century). 5. Humanist (14th century to 16th century). Medieval theory was based on a divine plan in which the function of literature was supposed to help and individual to become a better Christian. Though the Middle Ages were a dark period, there are some works which tell us that these were the ones that prepared the ground for Renais sance thought, and later, a continuous critical tradition. There was an educational system following the Roman model which encouraged cultivation of poetry. A critical climate developed slowly. There were a few works of notable significance. In the 7th century, Bed and Alicia expounded grammar, logic and Biblical and Christian poetry. In the 12th century, John Salisbury and a few classical theorists infused life into literary studies. In the 13th century Geoffrey of Finials and Josh Garland taught techniques in poetic composition using manuals, theorizing at its infancy. Roger Bacon and Richard of Bury kindled enthusiasm for poetry and literature. The Owl and the Nightingale(circa 1210) written by and unknown poem, a debate poem is the earliest surviving English lyrics of medieval period expressing a native and pure English sensibility. The strength of the poem lies in its use of the vernacular. The employment of colloquial language as spoken by the common people, and the proverbs used in the dialogue carry the age-old wisdom of the English nation. This can be seen as a forerunner of the movement towards the use of the vernacular in English poetry. Dante Aligner (1256-1321) too defended the use of the native or vernacular medium rather than the courtly Latin for literary composition. He set an example in composing Divine Comedic in Italian, thus establishing spoken dialect for use in serious epic poetry. According to him, secular poetry also had hierarchy of four levels of meanings corresponding to the four levels f scriptural exegesis the literal, the allegorical, moral and spiritual. He maintained that it was essential for a practicing critic to analyses and understand the literal sense first before he moved on to more appealing and edifying senses of higher levels of symbolic or esoteric meaning. The term Renaissance is of Italian origin meaning rebirth or reawakening. .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162 , .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162 .postImageUrl , .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162 , .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162:hover , .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162:visited , .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162:active { border:0!important; } .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162:active , .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162 .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub5e1f7c9810aa2bb1cdcc8448c0d2162:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Italian vs. Northern Renaissance ArtIt stands for the historical rebirth of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. The movement initially started in Italy and later spread to France, Germany, England and other European countries. There are two views regarding the Renaissance movement One view is that the Europeans believed they have discovered the greatness and superiority of the ancient Greek and Roman culture after the dark Middle Age. The other view is that the Renaissance was not an abrupt movement, but had its roots established even during the medieval times and the movement was one of gradual progression. There was a revival in the study of arts and literature, sparked by an interest in Greek and Roman literature of the Classical Age. The classics were reinterpreted by Italian men of letters. The widening of the horizon of knowledge was accelerated by ringing technology. The focus of interest in study shifted from abstract notions such dignity associated with him became the subject of study,. Literary criticism during Renaissance was tasked with Justifying imaginative literature. The basic belief was that literature was the by- product of theology or philosophy. Literature was not evaluated through criteria. The yard stick for Judging poetry was neither literary nor critical. During the Renaissance, a large body of literature of the past was recovered and the real task was to establish Justifiable considerations by which these works could be Justly estimated. One other task was to seek a Just and proper answer to Plats refutation and objections raised in his dialogues and the Republic. Many Renaissance scholars successfully answered these charges by blaming the artist and not the art. Those who abuse art and betray the sacred office of art should be banished from all commonwealth. Renaissance criticism took upon itself the prime duty of uniting and reconciling the best elements in Aristotle and Horace and establishing literary criticism as an independent field of study. Prominent Renaissance critics are Patriarch, Scalier, Minotaur, Biochip and the Italian Roberto and Castellated. The greatest and most important work of this age is Kidneys Apologia for Poetry. Elizabethan criticism exhibits two traits. First, there is in existence a complete body of critical works of the Renaissance and secondly, it shares several characteristics with the works of other European countries associated with the Renaissance. English Renaissance is not an isolated phenomenon. It exhibits a clear line of progression falling into the following demarcations. There are mostly rhetorical studies of literature in the first stage of evolution. Thomas Willows Art of Rhetoric (1553) is probably the first work of criticism in English language. Roger Chasms Schoolmaster(1 568) and Richard Towels Towels Miscellany(1 559) are two other important works. The English came to learn that form and style were important considerations in literary appreciation. It was during this period that English poetry was Italianized too great extent. The second phase was a period when attention was paid to the metrics and metrical patterns in poetical composition. Art of English Poesies(1 589) by Richard Pathname and Discourse of English Poetry(1 586) by Mary Webb are the earliest works on classification of meter, and the introduction of classical meters into the English language. The third stage is the stage of philosophical criticism. Among the most prominent works of apologetic criticism of this period are Sir Phillip Kidneys Apologia for Poetry(1 583). Thomas Champions Art of English Poesy(1602) and Samuel Daniels Defended of Rhyme(1605). The fourth stage belonged to the first half of the 17th century. Ben Johnson was the important fugue during this period. He was a classicist. If Sidney taught poetry, then Johnson taught it. There is an unmistakable influence of Italian criticism here. This stage opens up a new dimension in English literary criticism when the French came on the scene. .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b , .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b .postImageUrl , .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b , .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b:hover , .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b:visited , .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b:active { border:0!important; } .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b:active , .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue5f323833208604606617efcd92c1d8b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: World History Renaissance Ch. 11A patriotic spirit inspired this period. Some of its characteristic features were a devotion to the national cause, commitment to classicism in a pure form and the faith that art should imitate nature. John Dryden, the poet laureate was With its emphasis on humanism based on the idea that people are rational beings and its faith in the dignity and worth of the individual, the Renaissance was a period of intellectual ferment that prepared the ground for later thinkers who arrived on the literary scene during the period of Enlightenment.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Free First Grade Mathematics Worksheets

Free First Grade Mathematics Worksheets When it comes to teaching first-grade students the common core standards of mathematics, theres no better way to practice than with worksheets geared toward repeatedly applying the same basic concepts such as counting, adding and subtracting without carrying, word problems, telling time, and calculating currency. As young mathematicians progress through their early education, they will be expected to demonstrate comprehension of these basic skills, so its important for teachers to be able to gauge their students aptitudes in the subject by administering quizzes, working one on one with each student, and by sending them home with worksheets like the ones below to practice on their own or with their parent. However, in some cases, students may require additional attention or explanation beyond what worksheets alone can offer- for this reason, teachers should also prepare demonstrations in class to help guide students through the coursework. When working with first-grade students, its important to start from where they understand and work your way up, ensuring that each students  masters each concept individually before moving on to the next topic. Click on the links in the rest of the article to discover worksheets for each of the topics addressed. Worksheets for Counting, Time, and Currency One of the first things first graders have to master is the concept of counting to 20, which will help them quickly count beyond those basic numbers and begin to understand the 100s and 1000s by the time they reach the second grade. Assigning worksheets like Order the Numbers to 50 will help teachers assess whether or not a student fully grasps the number line. Additionally, students will be expected to recognize number patterns and should practice their skills in  counting by 2s,  counting by 5s, and  counting  by 10s  and identifying whether a number is  greater than or less than to 20, and be able to parse out  mathematical equations from  word problems  like  these, which may include  ordinal numbers up to 10 In terms of practical math skills, the first grade is also an important time to ensure students understand how to  tell time  on a clock face and how to  count  U.S. coins up to 50 cents. These skills will be essential as students begin to apply two-digit addition and subtraction in the second grade. Addition and Subtraction for First Graders First-grade math students will be introduced to basic addition and subtraction, oftentimes in the form of word problems, over the course of the year, meaning they will be expected to add up to 20 and subtract numbers below fifteen, both of which wont require the students to re-group or carry the one. These concepts are easiest understood through tactile demonstration such as number blocks or tiles or through illustration or example such as showing the class a pile of 15 bananas and taking away four of them, then asking the students to calculate then count the remaining bananas. This simple display of  subtraction  will help guide students through the process of early arithmetic, which can be additionally aided by these subtraction facts to 10. Students will also be expected to demonstrate a comprehension of addition, through completing word problems that feature  addition sentences up to 10, and worksheets like Adding to 10, Adding to 15, and Adding to 20 will help teachers gauge students comprehension of the basics of simple addition. Other Worksheets and Concepts First-grade teachers may also introduce their students to a base-level knowledge of fractions, geometric shapes, and mathematical patterns, though none of them are required course material until the second and third grades. Check out Understanding 1/2, this Shape Book, and these additional  10 Geometry worksheets for late Kindergarten and Grade 1. When working with  first-grade  students, its important to start from where they are. It is also important to focus on thinking concepts. For instance, think about this word problem:  A man has 10 balloons and the wind blew 4 away. How many are left? Heres another way to ask the question:  A man was holding some balloons and the wind blew 4 away. He only has 6 balloons left, how many did he start with? Too often we ask questions where the unknown is at the end of the question, but the unknown can also be put at the beginning of the question. Explore more concepts in these extra worksheets: How Many More to 10Fill in the Missing Numbers - to 10How many less - to 10Subtraction Facts to 10 Beginning Fractions: Concept of 1/2.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Compensation policies and practices in any Saudi Company Essay

Compensation policies and practices in any Saudi Company - Essay Example The policy also holds that every employee should receive an employment contract specifying their levels of salary. This policy states that every employee of the company should receive a competitive salary and this is aims to ensure that the company is able to maintain a highly competitive workforce with high level of skills and expertise. Through this policy, it is able is able to establish a practice through which the appropriate salary is determined for all employees are therefore able to work competitively for the company. The second policy is the policy on range of salaries and on the method of payment. The range will be dependent on the level of qualification and the work experience that the employee has. The method of payment is monthly and will be dependent on the terms provided on the employment contract (PMU, 2013). Another policy that the company observes is the benefits policy which ensures that various benefits are offered to the employees. The benefits maintained in the benefits policy include an annual vacation for the employees, holidays for the employees provided by the company, offering insurance, savings and retirement plans for its employees, offering shipment for personal effects of the employees and assisting employees when undertaking their education. Another compensation policy that Saudi Aramco observes with regard to compensation of its employees is employee’s promotional policy which gives the well performing employees to higher levels in the company and this will entail a an increase in the amount of salary that the employee receives. The basis for promotion of the employees may also be upon the application for promotion by an employee. It may also be based on review of the academic records of the specific employee. Another compensation policy that south Aramco applies on its employees is overtime work policy. This policy ensures that the employees are compensated for the extra

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Importance of ERP systems for its success in the business environment Dissertation

Importance of ERP systems for its success in the business environment through solutions - Dissertation Example The constant support and guidance helped in gaining multiple perspectives and understanding over the research topic. The researcher would also like to thank his professors for offering profound insights on the research topic along with helping in forming deeper understanding over the research topic. The researcher feels proud of his University on offering all the possible help and support by allowing access to the library and electronic sources. This helped in exploring the research area in a systematic manner. The help and support of family and friends often act as a support system and the researcher would like to thank his family members for being there and supporting him during the research process. Their constant motivation and guidance helped in being positive and enthusiastic while conducting the research. The researcher feels happy to state the significance of friends in terms of offering critical views and opinions along with helping in thinking differently through logical di scussions. The support and cooperation of friends helped in gaining multiple insights over the research topic along with being critical in assessing personal understanding of the research topic. Overall, the researcher would like to thank everyone who has been a constant support and medium of motivation in the research process. ... The introduction chapter introduces the research topic along with stating the aim, objectives and research questions. The chapter also explains the scope of the research topic along with highlighting its rationale. The literature review helped in investigating the elements of the ERP along with exploring its benefits and risks in the competitive business environment. The literature review also helped in investigating issues and reasons resulting in the success and failure of the ERP systems. In order to explore more, a robust research methodology has been designed using positivism research philosophy and deductive research approach to analyse secondary data and information. The findings and analysis revealed that ERP Systems succeed mainly because of the organisational culture and support, cooperation and acceptance offered by internal stakeholders. The case studies of Dell and Fox Meyer revealed that Dell succeeded in its ERP implementation mainly because of effective and judicious planning while Fox Meyer failed because there was no planning and human resources were not trained or skilled enough to handle the challenges and complexities of ERP systems. Overall, it was concluded that in order to derive benefits from ERP systems, it is important to understand the use and purpose of ERP along with assessing the organisational culture and stakeholders’ acceptance for the ERP Systems. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1.Introduction 5 1.1introduction 5 1.2 Research Aim 6 1.3 Research Objectives 6 1.4 Research Questions 6 1.5 Research Topic within the Current Academic Literature 7 1.6 Relevance of the Research Topic 9 1.7: Contemporary Nature of the Study 10 1.8 Summary 10 Chapter 2.0 Literature Review 11 2.1 Introduction 11 2.2 Elements and Modules of ERP 11 2.3

Monday, November 18, 2019

Designing a Diversity Workshop for University Faculty Incorporating Research Paper

Designing a Diversity Workshop for University Faculty Incorporating Multicultural and International Objectives - Research Paper Example Diversity, in years gone by, was not embraced. In fact, it was often shunned to the point where the country saw many colleges and universities rise to the level one race, one religion, and one culture. To continue with this practice would not only be an injustice to students around the world who have come to cherish our individual freedoms and liberties, but it would service to deny faculty and the student body alike the privilege of learning in a multi-cultural environment. Understanding and accepting people of other cultures and beliefs do not have to be a daunting task. It simply requires compassion and a desire learn from and embrace others. Our university might be small in number, but we have the capacity to develop a cultural awareness that rivals institutions much larger than our own. Our own faculty is diverse, yet we have failed to tap into this reality. We should be making use of our broad range of professional and military experience in order to better understand the diver sity existent around us and to use the knowledge to impact our student body as well. This training program has been developed with our faculty in mind. It will focus on the instructional methodologies inherent in multicultural education, and it will create a sense of global awareness amongst us all that we must be conversant with the latest educational issues, diversity, and multicultural theory. It is in so doing that we will truly become a global institution who can make a positive impact in the field of education, while embracing multicultural diversity and becoming more accepting of each student and staff member who passes through our illustrious halls. Purpose There is no mistaking that the world is becoming increasingly diverse, yet this same diversity has not been reflected in the field of higher education. According to Hill, et. al (2011), only 10% of earned Doctorates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are represented by minority groups (p. 2 0). This not only leaves a great gap in these critical fields, but it indicates a troubling trend. If universities cannot embrace multicultural education, then society will be losing out on valuable learning opportunities moving forward. This purpose of this training workshop is to reverse this trend by providing faculty members with the tools necessary to incorporate multicultural education into the classroom, thereby encouraging diversity and an exchanging of scholarly and academic ideas across cultures. Embracing the diversity amongst us, a further purpose of this workshop will be to share various pedagogical techniques with one another that will serve to enhance our own multicultural understanding. Our students are increasingly coming from a diverse background and we must work together with all students to foster an atmosphere of understanding and respect. This begins with the faculty, each of who has valuable experience to draw from in the field of diversity education. Embracin g all people does require, to some extent, a shift in our way of thinking and the methods that we employ in our disciplines. It has been noted by some faculty members at other institutions that, â€Å"Fundamental and sustainable change is possible, given the right combination of vision, compromise, and commitment† (Grogan & Vaz, 2003, p. 35). It is this primary need for change that forms the basis for this

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Impact Of Virtual Reality On The Society Media Essay

Impact Of Virtual Reality On The Society Media Essay Despite the disagreement Virtual Reality has awakened the world in enormous ways and the society should not stay dubious of the tremendous potentials it has to bring in an optimistic way a large technological development. The word virtual shares its root with virtue, a word whose original meaning denoted strength. More recently, virtual has come to describe something that possesses essence and effect without possessing form, something not quite physical, but with a measurable impact on the real. Thats certainly true of virtual worlds. Virtual reality is turning out to be the topic with many opposing viewpoints. It has become the focal point of discussion among the general public for several reasons. Conceivably, this is mostly because of all the potentials which virtual reality develops (Hoffman, 2004). However, despite the disagreement this new technology has awakened, society should not stay dubious. Virtual reality if used in an optimistic way can bring a large technological development. Military and space technology, the entertainment industry, and the physical sciences contributed to the drive to make advanced computers user friendly. Initially, complex simulators presented low-definition displays through binocular headsets. Addition of position sensors introduced motion parallax, with depth cues that created the illusion of being within a three-dimensional graphical display. The invention of a `DataGlove, whose movements could be sensed by the computer and then reconstructed in the display, enabled the observer and computer to interact with instructions given by the observer via simple hand movements such as pointing. The overall effect was that the observer experienced a computer-generated artificial or virtual reality (VR), whose credibility depended largely on the agreement between the simulated imagery and the familiar sensible world (Zimmer, 2004). Societal Impacts of VR Virtual reality applications are finding their way into the mainstream of society. Initially, the use of VR (virtual reality) was seen as valuable only to scientists and engineers whose highly specialized needs more than overcame the poor quality of the computer generated 3D images. For example, scientists can engage in molecular research by moving within molecules to examine their structures. Doctors and other medical personnel can practice elaborate or dangerous procedures before attempting them on human subjects. With special imaging software, the experience can take place on a virtual done of the patient awaiting surgery in the next room. Doctors can control a microscopic, mechanical, seeing-eye arm, through the body which can lead to better diagnoses even on patients thousands of miles away (Zimmer, 2004). Immersive virtual reality pain distraction was originated and developed by Hoffman Patterson at the Univ. of Washington Seattle and Harborview Burn Center. Source: (Hoffman H. ) Formerly, virtual reality was known as nothing but a diminutive stride ahead of video games. However, it is now understandable that this technology can be used for more realistic purposes. These purposes embrace national defense, medicinal and surgical measures and a variety of other functions. Society has not completely recognized the benefits of virtual reality as of yet because it is still under progress. The basis for virtual reality enduring in its growth for so long is mostly due to its intricacy (Riva, Mantovani, Capideville, 2007). Oddly, even though much has been printed about the possible societal impact of other rising technologies, such as genetic production and cyborgization, comparatively very less has been penned down about the impact of VR on the society (Calvert, 2002). In my point of view this may be because people may believe they already have witnessed VR, through portrayal of VR on television and cinema; the worlds of genetic production and cyborgization are less common, and yet seem proficient to transform the very concept of  ¿Ã‚ ½humans ¿Ã‚ ½ (Lang, 1996). If this is why researchers have given reduced attention to VR, this position has resulted from erroneous philosophy (Zimmer, 2004). Virtual reality has the prospective to intensely modify human society, not by destabilizing our corporeal corpse (as genetic production or cyborgization may), but by changing our insight and relations. Other medical breakthroughs have occurred when humans use specially designed hardware in virtual worlds. Two of the hardware pieces specifically are a data glove and a body suit. The data glove fits the hand and has tiny sensors that record and transmit data about even the smallest movements of the fingers, hand, and wrist (Riva, 2005). Doctors have been able to use this information to identify and evaluate neuromuscular diseases of the hands. The data suit collects information about the human torso or even the entire body. With it, scientists can help individuals who have experienced leg traumas to learn to walk again. One researcher has even noted that disabled kids may someday engage in virtual rugby (Anderson Bushman, 2001). The menu of VR-experiences from which a patient might choose is limited by the capacity of the computer to generate accurate representations, by the skill of the designer, and by the preferences of the supervising clinician. Although the patient may choose from within that menu, choice is necessarily more constrained than in daily life. Restriction of choice in this way carries considerable potential for abuse. At one level VR becomes a terrifying instrument of torture, at another a powerful means of education (Wiederhold Wiederhold, 2005). Fundamentally, the experiences generated are limited to those that man can design; the meanings a patient might attribute to them need not agree with those presumed by the VR designer. It would be irresponsible to introduce patients to a world that contains no more significance or deeper meaning than that which man can construct. For patients seeking to understand, as many do, the purpose of their suffering, VR is as unlikely as hallucinogenic dr ug use to provide access to a deeper reality in their search for meaning (Anderson Bushman, 2001). Another early application of VR was in training people for hazardous real-life occupations. Firefighters, for example, can practice fighting fires and searching for trapped victims. Even more cutting edge is wearing a body suit that controls the movements of a robotic firefighter who can travel into severe heat and see through dense smoke to rescue an unconscious person. Exploring volcanoes is a third example of how virtual reality is changing our world. For obvious reasons, it is not safe to send trained volcanic experts into live volcanoes. However, it is possible to send a virtually controlled robot into the danger to send back digital images for further study (Wiederhold Wiederhold, 2005). In a virtual world, lifelike avatars can study and perhaps interact with the holographic display of a humanoid robot More recently, VR has worked its way even beyond these initial applications into the workplace, school, and home. Commercial applications include product design that is more efficient, requires less travel time, and less money to develop. Entire buildings can be created and displayed for preconstruction walk-through. On a larger scale, the University of Washington has even created a virtual Seattle. Developers can examine and evaluate fuel flows in a rocket booster tank during a simulated launch (Zimmer, 2004). The aircraft industry can create new models and virtually experience instrumentation layout, seating arrangements, and emergency pathways. Now advertising agencies have developed virtual tours and objects to promote their products. Tourist attractions can share parts of their offerings from clear snorkeling waters to high-speed roller coasters to help entice travelers at home or in a travel agency. Auto manufacturers can put the prospective buyer in their automobiles on the World Wide Web while the customer is still at home (Hoffman, 2004). Virtual 3-D factories facilitate experimentation with manufacturing processes and can expedite the training of workers Government entities which previously might have used virtual reality only to simulate military maneuvers now might promote national treasures. Tank and submarine commanders benefit particularly from VR because the head mounted displays are very similar to looking through a periscope. Recently, the Smithsonian Institutions Museum of Natural History created a virtual museum tour on the Internet with the help of a team of educators at Mississippi State University. Schools have benefited from virtual reality field trips and experiments (Riva, Mantovani, Capideville, 2007). Whether the students are learning in public, private, or home school environments, they can engage in learning as never before. They can feel the effects of gravity as they walk on the moon, explore deep sea caverns, get face to face with beasts on a safari, or even touch the delicate rain forests creatures and vegetation. Students can also travel through virtual time. They can sit in on the signing of the Declaration of Independence, march through Atlanta with Dr. Martin Luther King, or trade flaming arrows with King Arthur (Cassidy Rimbeaux, 1994). Entertainment is drastically changing with virtual reality. Video games are more sophisticated and true to life from competing in the giant slalom at the Olympic Games with Tommy Moe or Picabo Street to driving in the Indianapolis 500 with the Unser family to competing for Top Gun with Tom Cruise (Gross Levenson, 1995). Several years ago, Juggling for the Complete Klutz; was published. It helped some people, but not everyone who wanted to be a clown. The missing element, now available with VR, was to slow down the action by reducing the effects of gravity. Later as the user becomes proficient, the gravity levels can be increased until they are back to Earth levels. My personal favorite though is Dreamality Technologies Inc.s Dream Glider (Gross Levenson, 1995). Ive always wanted to hang glide, but my wife has refused to allow me to do so because of the perceived dangers. Now, just by shelling out a few bucks and strapping on a harness, I can enter a simulator and glide anywhere within a virtual environment. Each interactive ride is different because the skill of the rider determines the course and length of the flight (Zimmer, 2004). Almost as fascinating as the applications of VR, is the psychology of life in a virtual world. The behavior of humans will be quite interesting to monitor as they begin to experience a phenomena known as reality confusion. Parents will have concerns about their children at school and at home participating in digital experiences. As with most new technologies that people and the press do not understand, the prospective evils are highlighted in discussions. However, concerns like isolationism and pornography, while valid, will eventually give way to the overwhelming benefits of virtual reality to our society. Therefore the way a few of us live now might be the way a larger population will live, decades hence (Hoffman, 2004). A common question is How close is virtual reality to true reality? It is true that there is a lot more that needs to be improved and developed. To truly bring a user to a point where one is unable to distinguish between reality and virtual reality, the hardware and software must encompass more of the senses. More powerful hardware will lead to better response times for the entire experience (Lang, 1996). Visually, resolutions must be high enough to match the capabilities of the human eye. Three-dimensional sound must replace stereo sound. The sense of touch must encounter force. Perhaps taste and smell will eventually work their way into virtual environments. In reality, the applications of virtual reality will stem from human needs, not out of technological capabilities (Lang, 1996). There is a huge amount of attention being given to the psychology of those who make use of the Internet, and to the Internet ¿Ã‚ ½s superior communal insinuation. Surely, VR and its possible societal and psychosomatic penalties ought to have this type of concentration, and much more. What will VR do to humanity, and to individual psychological understanding? Answers will be given to these conjectural questions in connection to communal domains. Although the social order knows a lot about VR there is still so much that it does not contemplate. Perhaps in future, new technology will come out and public will find out more about this virtual world (Zimmer, 2004). However, until that time, the questions will stay many and doubtful however the potential is limitless. People also argue about the probable societal effects of having most individual connections happen online, in the virtual or cyber world. Supporters of VR and online world say that prospect VR and technology could modify the stature of communication, thus drawing people more close to each other (Cassidy Rimbeaux, 1994). Noted by Lang (1996):  ¿Ã‚ ½The developers of the virtual worlds have limitless opportunities to shape the scale and appearance of the world, the capabilities of its avatars, the methods of communication, and even the laws of physics (e.g., space exploration over galactic distances). It is possible to explore new experiences that are not possible in any other medium ¿Ã‚ ½ (Lang, 1996). In 1999, Burger King conducted a focus group to tour a new store concepta 3,300-square-foot 50s-style diner. What made it unusual was that the group never left their seats, and the store didnt exist. The technology that made it possible-3-D computer-assisted design (CAD) brings a new dimension to standard CAD applications, which designers have used for more than a decade to sketch store plans electronically. 3-D takes that process a step further by offering a new perspective, thus making it easier to picture shelf sets and giving clients more input at an earlier stage in the design process (Zimmer, 2004). 3-D helps designers communicate better with store owners. Frequently, building owners arent comfortable with reading 2-D construction documents and may not fully understand the design. This causes costly changes late in the design or construction process. Using 3-D also helps identify errors, such as interferences between ductwork and the buildings structure, early in the design process, which eliminates costly change orders in construction and speeds the time to successful project completion (Zimmer, 2004). Electronic renderings force designers to be more objective and think about perspective. Additionally, mistakes are a matter of a mouse click. Once youve done a hand rendering, theres nothing you can do to change it. Its not a particularly responsive tool in terms of speed and revision. If somebody can see how something is going to work, they may choose a design theyd otherwise avoid. The same is true for materials. Conclusion The technology is turning out to be so complicated that public will no longer be able to differentiate whether they are in virtual or actual reality. Technology most certainly has the capability to go haywire. It is likely that VR will turn out to be a technological advancement which humans will be unable to control and will take over all of humanity. If this were the case, culture and the populace within it would turn out to be unsure if they were in virtual or actual reality. If society is clever enough to create such a technology it should be clever enough to decide and manage its penalties (Zimmer, 2004). Often times in the history, society in its entirety has been subject to decisions made by those of the inventors of new expertise. Without the direction and authority of society upon VR it could go to squander, or even turn out to be society ¿Ã‚ ½s enemy of sorts. However, in case of medical field exercises, Medical paternalism might lead to premature and ill-judged clinical applications of VR. Without professional self-regulation, abuse by experimentalists and inept therapists seems only too likely. A VR machine may be developed, for clinically justifiable purposes, to treat phobias or help establish adaptive coping behaviors in response to stress. No matter how much humanity is responsive of virtual reality, the individual mind still has instincts that cannot be forbidden. That is one of the disadvantages of VR. That no one is convinced what to anticipate. Just as the case may be with any other ability, the only way to find out the results of VR is to test the limits to which it can go. Knowing the virtual reality has the capability to influence so many people in such a big number of ways, there is a substantial need to have some kind of restraints (Gross Levenson, 1995). This brings up one more input argument as to who should be in charge of restraining this virtual world. If the government is in power it could possibly be ill-treated and mishandled. However, if society entirely is left to consider its uses, the affects could be also good or bad.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Logic and Moral Dilemmas Essay -- Logical Philosophy Philosophical Pap

Logic and Moral Dilemmas ABSTRACT: Logic is of great importance for the philosophy of education. In particular, logic provides a rational and critical approach in ethics, helping us understand the nature of moral dilemmas. Some suggest that all moral dilemmas result from some kind of inconsistency in the moral rules. Unsolvable moral situations simply reflect implicit inconsistencies in our existing moral code. If we are to remain moral as well as logical, then we must restore consistency to our code. This is accomplished by adding exception clauses to current principles, and giving priorities to some principles over others, or by some other device. I argue that we must accept moral dilemmas as an essential part of real-life reality on the grounds that some moral statements concern values. According to Moore's "axiological thesis," whether these statements are true depends on two factors: the set of alternatives from which we make an evaluation, and the scale of values with which we rate them. Also, it is po ssible that a given alternative is no better than another in some respect. Furthermore, there is no respect in which they are equally good or equally bad (the so-called "Condorcet's effect"). Thus, we must accept moral dilemmas as real rather than apparent. Among all the spheres of philosophy of education logic is of great importance. In particular it is logic that provides the rational and critical approach in ethics. So logic help us to understand the nature of moral dilemmas. It has been suggested that all moral dilemmas result from some kind of inconsistency in the moral rules. So our being faced with unsolvable moral situation merely reflected an implicit inconsistency in our existing moral code and that we forced... ...sibus perplexis// Th. Hobbes. A dialogue between a philosopher and a student for the common laws of England. Leibniz G.W. Specimen difficultatis in jure seu dissertatio de casibus perplexis. Doctrina conditiorum. De legum interpretatione/ Ed. by T.Ascarelli. Milano: Giuffre, 1960.P.267-302. 5. Lemmon E.J. Moral Dilemmas// Moral Dilemmas/ Ed. by Christopher W. Gowans. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987.P.101-114. 6. Lemmon E.J. Deontic Logic and the Logic of Imperatives// Logique et Analyse. 1965. Vol. VII. No.2. P.39-61. 7. Moore G.E. Principia Ethica. Cambridge: The Cambridge University Press, 1960. 8. Rescher N. Ethical Idealism: An Inquiry into the Nature and Function of Ideals. Berkeley,etc.:University of California Press, 1987. 9. Schlesinger G.N. The Sweep of Probability. Notre Dame & London: University of Notre Dame Press, 1991.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Analyse Ways Essay

The Shoe-Horn Sonata by John Misto has five main themes or concerns. They are; History and Memory, Power and Control, Heroism and Relationships and War and Atrocities. John Misto explores all these ideas while telling the story of Bridie and Shelia’s reunion fifty years after they last saw each other. The play is about the histories of the women and the nurses that were captive of the Japanese during World War Two; their individual histories and joint suffering. The stories of these women were never made official and there is no government recognition of their plight and few, if any, official records. These painful memories are not part of any ‘official’ history and this is made clear in the play. â€Å"The British didn’t want anyone to know about us. They’d have lost prestige if people found out how women of the Empire had lived in the war. So for the sake for King and Country, they burned out diaries. Every last one.† Shelia, Scene Thirteen. Misto makes it clear in the course of the play that the memories of the women are accurate. The oral stories from these fictional characters have juxtaposed over them the factual images to confirm and extrapolate the stories of the women. The visual images of the thin, starving people are very strong and clear to an audience, for example, Scene Seven opens with a photo of some women POW’s Ââ€" â€Å"emaciated, haggard and impoverished†. This is shown while Bridie explains how thin Sheila and herself got while at the Japanese camps, â€Å"The lightest I got was exactly five stone…† The visual images show exactly what the women are talking about and add to the sense of theatre around the play. They heighten the audience’s understanding of the enormity of the issue. There is use of background sounds throughout the play, for example in Scene Five when Bridie explains what happened on Radji Beach on Banka Island there is â€Å"sounds of machine gun fire and cries of women on the soundtrack†. The dues ex machine effect of these amplified sounds further highlights the theme of memories and history, linking both the action and the memories of the two women on stage. The Shoe-Horn Sonata explores power relationships at a number of levels. The most obvious power play on stage occurs between the interviewer and the women he is interviewing. This power play has an ambiguous moment in which the women are uncertain as whether Rick has overheard a ‘private’ conversation in Scene Ten. This is also explained in the stage directions: â€Å"Bridie and Shelia look up, startled. Then they both realise they are wearing small microphones. They both wonder whether every word has been overheard…† Rick also has the power to choose what questions to ask, and what to edit out of his documentary film. On another level we can see the role of power between the prison guards and prisoners. The guards abuse their power physically, sexually and emotionally and many seemed to enjoy the pain they inflicted. Lipstick Larry’s comment in Scene Eight, â€Å"Plenty of room in the graveyard for her…† is typical of the cruelty the guard’s exhibit. The prisoners had little choice but to cooperate and be humiliated and abused, this in turn had a large physiological effect on both women. This is shown when Shelia explains that she still has nightmares about Lipstick Larry in Scene Ten â€Å"[haunted] Every night when I fall asleep, Lipstick Larry’s waiting. He calls to me and I go to him Ââ€" and no one can change that. Not even you.† The Japanese dominated the women in every aspect; they even made them bow to the Japanese flag every morning. In Scene Nine, the two characters are reminded of this power by the presence of the Japanese flag that is being projected on the back screen. It doesn’t move and dominates the stage; a continuing reminder of how the women lived their lives in the camp and the power and control that continues to affect them. This emphasises to the audience just how horrible the camps really were for the women and how they continue to affect them today, fifty years on. Misto’s play revolves around the heroic deeds and relationships that are up held by the women during the war. The heroic deeds were acts of physical courage of the highest order. For Sheila, the supreme sacrifice of selling her body to the Japanese in order to obtain the necessary drugs for her friend’s survival is all the more poignant as we understand the cultural and social background that she had come from. Misto focuses on the ‘unsung’ hero’s of the war, for example the Australia nurse that washed the bed pans of the women on the way to Belalau. â€Å"It was the bravest act I have ever seen. She didn’t get a medal for it butÂ…all of us loved for of that…† (Sheila) The stories of the two women are expanding the conventional view of heroism to include acts of sacrifice beyond simple physical courage. The Shoe-Horn Sonata shows clearly that relationships are able to survive the toughest of times. The relationship of Bridie and Shelia survives not only the horror of the prisoner of war camps but also the pain of their reunion decades after the war. Misto uses a variety of theatrical techniques to convey this relationship to the audience and show that survival and growth are features of the relationship. Misto gives evidence of how tough times were in the camps with a combination of dialogue and screen images being used to illustrate what had happened to these people, for example, the slides of the women POW’s at the open of Scene Seven. These slides portray the starving bodies, rough conditions and brutality yet through all this the relationship gets stronger. The music played throughout the play symbolises the stage at which Bridie and Sheila’s relationship is. For example, Scene Ten closes with Anne Shelton’s â€Å"I’ll walk alone† displaying to the audience that at this point in the play Bridie and Sheila’s relationship is at its most fragile point because the truth about Sheila’s sacrifice has just been revealed. The play highlights the horrors of war particularly for women and civilians. The atrocious way in which human beings treat fellow human beings in a wartime situation is not restricted to the Japanese, but seen to be central to war itself. The atrocities are seen to have affected both women’s lives ever after. For example Bridie’s fear of the Japanese people in David Jones. What is particularly significant for these women is the requirement to ‘keep  smiling’ (Scene Nine) and to repress the memories. For these women the memories of the atrocities are tinged with guilt and shame. In some respects this amount to an even worse atrocity to plague the lives of these women after the war. The humour used by Misto in the play, derives not only from the way in which the women used the power of the human spirit to laugh at adversity, but also from the way in which the playwright has juxtaposed those moments of recounting of comic events with the horrors of the memories of the reality. The light and dark in this play allows us to be both horrified and entertained. As in any great tragedy, the comic allows not simply relief from the pain, but help us to question the reasons for the horror. John Misto believes that the women victims of this defeat of the British deserve to have their stories told and their sufferings recognised by a wide audience. Having talked to ‘real survivors’ he wrote the play in the hope that more people would be exposed to their suffering and above all to their courage. The dialogue, music, the sound effects and the projected images work together to shape the audiences response and to tell the powerful story of the women’s memories, raw vulnerability, strong relationships and heroism.