Resilience Is An Aspect Of Health - 1799 Words

Resilience in People Approaching the End of Their Lives Introduction Resilience reflects the ability of someone to maintain a stable equilibrium(1), that is to retain a sense of identity or self(2), when dealing with adversity or misfortune. Highly resilient individuals are capable of coping with unexpected challenges, and may have a number of mechanisms or strategies to help them do so. Resilience is an aspect of health that is becoming increasingly recognised in medicine(3), as having resilience enables self-care and self-healing, which is beneficial in multiple ways. By being actively involved in his or her own wellbeing, a patient is likely to have better outcomes(3). In addition, healthcare resources are conserved, allowing them to be used to help a patient with less resilience. Although the importance of resilience in carers of the ill cannot be understated, in this essay I will primarily focus on resilience in patients approaching end of life, as there is a great deal for them to go through, all the way from diagnosis to death. The concept of r esilience itself is something we are all familiar with in one way or another. I experienced seeing resilience being tested firsthand from watching my parents deal with my father’s cancer diagnosis, treatment and eventual passing all in the span of just over a year. On one of my GP home visits I was quite affected by talking to Mr A, an elderly man with COPD who was living with his wife, who had dementia. I will look at theShow MoreRelatedPromoting Resilience in Nursing1487 Words   |  6 PagesPromoting Resilience Resilience is defined as a person’s ability to weather adversity and come out of it with a stronger ability to deal with the next challenge (Mosby’s Medical Dictionary, n.d.). 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Cultural and community factors can include ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status and sexual identity (Hays, 1996) as well as national and geographical identities. Newman and Newman (2015) describe collectivist cultures as those that nurture interdependence, value success in the group, expects adherence to group andRead MoreThe Importance Of Resilience For Healthcare Consumers And Health Professionals1473 Words   |  6 PagesDiscuss the concept of resilience, including factors that contribute to resilience for healthcare consumers and health professionals The concept of resilience can be defined in numerous ways within the healthcare sector. This makes it challenging to identify precisely however the one thing that can be agreed on is that it is characterised by the ability to adapt and spring back from adversity. 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It began with the development studies focused on children that performed well despite the adverse family circumstances (Werner Smith, 1992).Subsequently plethora of literature was generated in the health domain, focusing on the effects of resilience for muddling through the harrowing situations. It was professor Fred Luthans who introduced the concept of individual resilience in the domain of positive psychology via the coreRead MoreThe Importance Of Mental Health Education1201 Words   |  5 Pagesmental health education for young adults in Ireland. Accurate measurement of young people’s mental health and functioning is a critically important factor to inform policy development and provisions (Houghton, Keane, Murphy, Houghton, Dunne, 2011). 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Harmonizing Research, Practice Free Essays

string(128) " Louie Suthers of Australia notes that in her varied country one can see differences in starting ages of pre-primary education\." Harmonizing Research, Practice, and Policy in Early Childhood Music: A Chorus of International Voices (Part 2) Lori A. Custodero Lily Chen-Hafteck a b a b Music and Music Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University Music Department, Kean University, New Jersey Version of record first published: 07 Aug 2010. To cite this article: Lori A. We will write a custom essay sample on Harmonizing Research, Practice or any similar topic only for you Order Now Custodero Lily Chen-Hafteck (2008): Harmonizing Research, Practice, and Policy in Early Childhood Music: A Chorus of International Voices (Part 2), Arts Education Policy Review, 109:3, 3-8 To link to this article: http://dx. doi. org/10. 3200/AEPR. 109. 3. 3-8 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www. tandfonline. com/page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Copyright  © 2008 Heldref Publications Harmonizing Research, Practice, and Policy in Early Childhood Music: A Chorus of International Voices (Part 2) LORI A. CUSTODERO and LILY CHEN-HAFTECK Editor’s note. Lori A. Custodero and Lily Chen-Hafteck served as guest editors for both Part 1 and Part 2 of the special issue International Policies on Early Childhood Music Education: Local and Global Issues Revealed. n the November/December 2007 issue of Arts Education Policy Review, readers were introduced to early childhood music policies in Brazil, England, Kenya, Puerto Rico, South Africa, and the United States. In this collection, a second ensemble of experts from Australia, China, Denmark, Korea, Israel, and Taiwan joins them. Like the previous issue, these authors presented papers or workshops at an International Society for Music Education, Early Childhood Music Education Seminar in Taipei in 2006 and wrote new articles for inclusion here. They responded to the same charge as the previous authors to answer the following questions: †¢ What policies currently exist in your country for early childhood music education? †¢ To what extent do these policies meet the needs of children in your country? †¢ How are teachers prepared to teach early childhood music in your country? †¢ In what ways do local and global cultures figure into the policies and practices of early childhood music in your country? Additionally, we offered the following questions, to be addressed at the author’s discretion: †¢ Do different musical cultures require different instructional approaches? And, conversely, are certain music instructional approaches culture specific? How does this impact policy and practice of early childhood music in your country? †¢ What are the potential risks and rewards of mandating multicultural musical experiences for young children? Finally, we asked authors to address any issues specific to their regions and to make concrete suggestions regarding policy for their countries. Salient themes emerged addressing what was taught and who was responsible for that content. In many ways these two conditions are inseparable, interrelated through the social nature of musical experiences. In these accounts, we also see ways in which content and delivery shape reception and how that process, in turn, defines and is defined by culture. Examining these geographical contexts raises questions about atti- I tudes, practices, and policies concerning early childhood music education that have significance for many of us. We chose three threads of inquiry from the many that weave these single texts into a textual fugue: (a) ensions between child and adult culture; (b) competing influences by global, regional, and local agencies on standards and curricula; and (c) expectations for teacher knowledge and preparation. Competing Cultures: Child and Adult The existence of a musical culture in early childhood, which is distinctly different from the adult culture, is based on studies showing similarities of vocal contours used in communication between infants and mothers ac ross cultures (Papousek 1996), as well as research regarding the differences between music made by children and adults (e. . , Bjorkvold 1992; Campbell 2007; Littleton 1998; Marsh 1995; Moorhead and Pond 1941). Sven-Erik Holgersen’s article on early childhood music in Scandinavia describes practices in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway that are sensitive to the child’s culture. The cultural clash in those regional systems exists between programs that favor an elemental or natural approach to education for the young based on the free play aesthetic and those that see music Vol. 109, No. 3, January/February 2008 3 as a mode of artistic expression requiring learned skills. Lily Chen-Hafteck and Zhoyua Xu and, separately, Jennifer Chau-Ying Leu found preschools in Chinesespeaking countries to have a strong sense of adult culture. Most parents and teachers believe school should stress academic learning rather than play, so that children can achieve high scores on tests and examinations. Chinese culture also stresses study and hard work as important for academic success. In Korea, Nam-Hee Lim and Shunah Chung found that adults believe young children need close supervision and guidance from teachers and parents in their development. Therefore, children’s natural tendency to be playful and creative is not recognized as a core value in school; potential for future success drives decisions. These cultural differences are interactive with and reflective of current conditions and regional history. In China, for example, books were printed with movable type as early as the eighth century, whereas in Europe copies were still drawn by hand until the 1400s. Such a long history of text accessibility elevated reading and writing to a valued skill that was recognizable and sought (Smith 1991). Societal values may offer another lens to interpret early academic emphasis, such as those espoused by Confucius, for whom morality and caring for others, especially family, were primary. In terms of contemporary conditions, Louie Suthers of Australia notes that in her varied country one can see differences in starting ages of pre-primary education. You read "Harmonizing Research, Practice" in category "Papers" In Denmark, the children start at three years of age and continue for four years. In China, pre-primary education starts at four years of age and continues for three years, although care is available in each country mentioned from birth. Also of note, the average student teacher ratio in China is 28:1, differing from Hong Kong’s average ratio of 16:1. The older starting age in China may perpetuate (or reflect interest in) the schooling culture. Leu’s discussion of the importance of family context is relevant to this point, inasmuch as it may provide the space for child culture 4 Arts Education Policy Review to flourish while adult culture is operating at school. Claudia Gluschankof writes about the purposeful creation of materials for the child culture with the development of the New Hebrew Culture in the Israeli territories during the early 1900s. Preschools were created based on the Froebel playcentered model and provide an unusual case in the concentrated production of children’s music in a language that had no such repertoire prior to the kindergartens establishment. The conscious choice to provide young children with cultural tools for understanding at the earliest stages of a community is reminiscent of Sheila Woodward’s discussion concerning the importance of children in nation building in South Africa, featured in the previous issue of this journal. In her conclusion, Gluschankof raises important questions concerning this created canon of songs and the lack of repertoire for Arab-speaking children. Using the idea of child culture as a lens for viewing cultural and educational policies provides a useful way to understand differences and similarities in political systems that define the worlds in which we teach, research, and cohabitate. Such understanding may lead to more focused and meaningful questions that may reveal inequities or alternative directions in music education worthy of exploration. Considerations of these policies regarding conceptions of adulthood and childhood lead directly to curricular influences that we view from a related dialectic: the local and global. Local and Global Influences: Child and World In the first part of this symposium, we focused on the tension between small and large scaled views of what should be taught, each serving a different societal need. In the second part, we speak more specifically to the notion of a national curriculum because it is mentioned in each of the articles collected here. We are interested in questions dealing with how these personal and collective influences affect children’s music education: â€Å"Does governmentmandated standardized curriculum limit possibilities or insure access of quality to all children? † and â€Å"What is the exemplar to which music education should be standardized? † The first question is meant to generate critical thinking regarding what and how policymakers might send messages about music education in the early years; the second is meant to question assumptions we might have surrounding best practice and the cultural nuances that shape it. Suthers, discussing Australia’s situation, is mindful that there is no national music curriculum for pre-primary school and points to a recent reform movement in music education that excluded early childhood experiences. She notes that this leaves teachers feeling isolated and that their work is undervalued. Alternatively, Gluschankoff discusses the children’s music written in Hebrew as somewhat ideological and makes suggestions for addressing the inclusion of additional materials to meet the needs of a multicultural society. One of the ways in which the national curriculum may become nationalistic is in the mandates or recommendations around singing repertoire. The role played by singing in socialization is significant and has been used for centuries to transmit cultural values, to teach language, and to establish qualities of rhythmic energy that typify a way of being; Dissanayake (2000) makes the case for mutuality and belonging as ways the arts are meaningful to us. Inasmuch as collective singing creates a sense of belonging, we have a responsibility to monitor the ways in which we look at the child and the world (see Leu’s article describing ecological systems and Lim and Chung on the supportive role of adults). Chen-Hafteck and Xu also write about the importance of family singing and the differing role of school music. When local knowledge is replaced by chauvinism, music can be decontextualized. Because musicality is deeply rooted in shared experience, (Trevarthen 1999) we need to guard the personal and not expose children’s vulnerability to politicization. Our concern regarding global trends also involves the perception that globalization means movement toward Downloaded by [Macquarie University] at 14:58 28 March 2013 Western ideals. Attention to the local, once again, is necessary to adequately implement any change. In China, for example, although the new educational policies follow the global trends rhetorically, espousing learning through play and stressing personal expression and creativity, its usefulness is severely hampered by conflicting views in the local tradition regarding a deep belief in academic success as the consummate benchmark. Holgerson considers a similar dissonance between local needs and governmental responsibility to all children through the philosophical lens of Bildung, a generative model that keeps the questions about such disconnections at the forefront of practice. Downloaded by [Macquarie University] at 14:58 28 March 2013 Teacher Knowledge: Child and Music Practice policies are perhaps best viewed vis-a-vis teacher preparation— what do we value as knowledge? For most of us, early childhood musical practice involves understanding as much as we can about children while keeping the cultural context in mind. This might include individual experiences that contribute to their uniqueness and developmental trends that might give indications about what to expect in terms of maturation. What knowledge do we need of music? In this issue, the authors discuss the importance of a diverse and culturally responsive repertoire, singing range, quality of recordings, appropriate use of instruments, and sound sensitivity. In this collection of articles, the authors suggest that these two knowledge areas are rarely considered together and that they exist in bifurcation, at least conceptually. Across the globe, there are those who are considered to have knowledge of the child in context (families or generalist teachers) and those who have knowledge of the child in music (specialists). Holgersen describes this dichotomy in practical terms—music activities and music teaching. The goals of using music are indeed varied and the complexity of music leads to multiple possibilities worthy of exploration. Among the authors there is a consensus concerning the need for collaboration between the two areas of expertise with several concrete recommendations. Reasons for this common phenomenon center on the systems in place for teacher preparation and the institutional divisions of disciplines; authors advocate for more carefully structured professional development to help bridge the disciplinary divide. Knowing the body of work of these authors, we are familiar with their efforts to form partnerships with local child care specialists and have been involved with such partnerships at our universities. Child and Adult It is noteworthy that many of the responses are about memories of musical adults who were influential in their music education. Graham Welch (pers. comm. ) offers: I was educated in a Church of England Primary school in London . . . where we sang, often with the local Vicar leading on the piano. I can remember his enthusiasm, quick tempo and intensity of keyboard playing. F or most of us, early childhood musical practice involves understanding as much as we can about children while keeping the cultural context in mind. We believe them to be some of the most meaningful opportunities for our own teacher knowledge. Policy and Personal Voice In addition to the authors featured here, to inform our sense of the historical significance of current situations regarding early childhood music and the breadth to which our profession defines policy, we asked our colleagues involved in international musical education about their memories of early childhood music education and their relationship to policy with the following questions: 1. Reflecting on your childhood before age eight, what were the influences of policy on your music education? . How does this compare with today’s situation for young children? Responses were varied and provided insight through a self-reflective lens. We looked at the seven responses regarding their relatedness to our three topics and to how policy can reach us as individuals in a long-lasting way. Alda Oliveira (pers. comm. ) from Brazil also reflected on a teacher: The first time I went to school I was seven years old. At this age I choose to take piano lessons with a private piano teacher. She was a marvelous teacher since her method included not only playing by reading and singing the notes, but also playing by ear and some popular songs. Family members had a strong musical presence in June Boyce Tillman’s (pers. comm. ) childhood in England: â€Å"My music was regularly singing with and listening to the playing of my paternal grandfather who was the village dance band pianist. † Margre van Gestel (pers. comm. ) of The Netherlands also wrote of related experiences: I had the privilege to be surrounded by a musical family. We had a piano in our home and I spent lots of time behind the piano in my grandmother’s house. My uncles and aunts could play the piano and as a child I enjoyed listening to them. One of my aunts was the ballet teacher in the village and from the age of four I was in her dancing classes. It was normal in my family to sing and play. My father had a good voice and was a soloist in the church choir when he was young; he played the clarinet and was a folkdance Vol. 109, No. 3, January/February 2008 5 teacher during scouting activities. I guess my days were filled with (live) music, not in courses but just all day long. Van Gestel shared a record of family influence: In my baby dairy, when I was 8 months old, my mother wrote: â€Å"Today she clapped her hands. She probably learned that from her grandmother! When you sing Clap your hands she reacts immediately. † One year old: â€Å"When we sing Oh my daddy (a popular song in the sixties) she sings along, ‘daddy, daddy. ’† In South Africa, apartheid led to decisions about schooling for Caroline Van Niekerk (pers. omm. ) that indirectly influenced her musical education by removing her from the direct influences of the national educational system of that time. She also spoke of a contemporary situation in which fighting governmental policies was necessary and of the strength we have to overcome questionable decisions: I had a desperate call just yesterday from someone with a story of how their education faculty, in training teachers for the F oundation Phase, wants to remove music as an optional area of specialization for students. We are now all doing everything in our power to protest such a prospect loudly. But I have also seen what I regard as a promising development, and similar to the situation I witnessed in California when we lived there, more than twenty years ago—as parents of young children realize that the formal education system is not necessarily going to provide their children with what they believe is important, and especially as regards the arts, including music, they start to take responsibility for those things themselves. ntil I was about [age] five) could not get my lessons paid for. Had the place still be in that county I would have been entitled to a bursary to pay for lessons and I would have been able to learn a second instrument. But without that my parents could only afford piano lessons. I am still sad about this, which was simply a matter of geography and the local control of resources. Child and Music The same issues featured authors raised are apparent in the additional pro fessionals’ responses: the lack of resources and teachers. Gary McPherson (pers. comm. links personal memories with policies, of which he sees little change, from his Australian childhood: I have a vague memory of singing in a school choir that was [led] by a general classroom teacher when I was about six or seven, but the group was nothing special so it had no impact on my subsequent musical development. . . . I went back some years ago and had a look at the way music was described in the school curriculum (particularly primary school curriculum). There were all sorts of aids and resources for general primary teachers to use but music wasn’t typically taught well in schools. To be honest, I’m not sure the status of music in the curriculum is any different. Downloaded by [Macquarie University] at 14:58 28 March 2013 These testimonies to strong and positive adult influence suggest that family education is important, as Leu and others advocate in this symposium, with the caveat that the experiences described are with adults perceived as musicians. This suggests we need to exercise caution in defining people in terms of limited musicality and that music education of our children means their children will be better educated. It is interesting that teachers were remembered for the affective qualities they conveyed and through a curricular stance that was relevant to the child. Child and World The relationships among local, state, and global influences are also reflected in these personal accounts. Many of these music professionals took private music lessons and considered their experiences to be nonpolicy driven. Oliveira (pers. comm. ) mentioned the involvement of musicians in music education policy—specifically, the Canto Orfeonico policy under the leadership of composer Villa-Lobos. She recalls that this policy influenced her school education, which included â€Å"group singing and elementary level music theory. † As already discussed, group singing is a common vehicle for politicization. Like Gluschonkof’s report of Israeli songs contributing to nation-building, Boyce Tillman (pers. comm. ) noted that: At [age] seven I went to a school where we had massed singing in the Hall when we sang British folksongs, many of which I still know by heart. We had a book called the New National Song book, which was a deliberate attempt after the war to restore a sense of nationhood. This was used throughout my school career. 6 Arts Education Policy Review Welch wrote of intersecting influences of church and state: I discovered later that the London County Council was very supportive of music in schools generally, although my local experiences as a child were as much to do with the link to the Church and the established ethos of including singing as a natural part of the school day. Ana Lucia Frega (pers. comm. ) describes a similar situation in her native Argentina. Early childhood music courses were not always taught by a specialist . . . his means that some problems arose: some of the K-general teachers [choose materials that] do not really fit the [appropriate] children range of voices, and which tend to create vocal difficulties. He notes the longevity of such a workable match: â€Å"On returning to the school many years later for my first teaching post, I discovered that the school’s policy toward music had continued, with the same range of events a nd activities in place. † In the previous issue, Young discussed the unprecedented commitment England has made to the arts—specifically music, a commitment Welch reiterates. Boyce Tillman recalls a time when the resources from the national government were in local hands, resulting in inequitable opportunity: At [age] seven I started piano lessons but because the place we lived in was then in Southampton and not in the County of Hampshire (to which we are very close and in which we had been Although our policymaking systems move slowly, and are not always moving in the direction we would like, there is hope in the growing numbers of people who care about music education. Oliviera writes: â€Å"at least we can feel the difference between my generation and today’s generation. Perhaps our aim is to prepare children who grow up to be like von Gestel, with the same rich resources at hand for creating meaningful experiences: Music (and especially making and teaching music) was and is a part of my everyday life, and really I can’t imagine a life without singing together and making music. It makes my life worth living. References Bjorkvold, J. R. 1 992. The muse within: Creativity and communication, song and play from childhood through maturity. Trans. W. H. Halverson, New York: HarperCollins. Campbell, P. S. 2007. Musical meaning in children’s cultures. In International handbook of research in arts education, ed. L. Bresler, 881–94. Dorderecht, The Netherlands: Springer. Dissanayake, E. 2000. Art and intimacy. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Littleton, D. 1998. Music learning and child’s play. General Music Today 12 (1): 8–15. Marsh, K. 1995. Children’s singing games: Composition in the playground? Research Studies in Music Education 4:2–11. Moorhead, G. E. , and D. Pond. 1941. Music of young children. 1 Chant. Santa Barbara, CA: Pillsbury Foundation for the Advancement of Music Education. Papousek, H. 1996. Musicality in infancy research: Biological and cultural origins of early musicality. In Musical beginnings: Origins and development of musical competence, ed. I. Deliege and J. Sloboda, 37–55. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. Smith, D. C. 1991. Foundations of modern Chinese education. In The Confucian continuum, ed. D. C. Smith, 1–64. New York: Praeger. Trevarthen, C. 1999. Musicality and the intrinsic motive pulse: Evidence from psychobiology and human communication. Musicae Scientiae (Special Issue: Rhythm, Musical Narrative, and Origins of Human Communication), 155–211. Lori A. Custodero is an associate professor and program coordinator of the Music Downloaded by [Macquarie University] at 14:58 28 March 2013 and Music Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she has established an early childhood music concentration that integrates pedagogy and research through both theory and practice. She served on the International Society for Music Education’s Commission for Early Childhood for six years and is involved in research and teaching projects in a variety of countries. Lily Chen-Hafteck is an associate professor of music education and assistant chair of the Music Department at Kean University, New Jersey. Originally from Hong Kong, she has held teaching and research positions at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, the University of Surrey Roehampton in England, and Hong Kong Baptist University. She serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Music Education, Asia-Pacific Journal for Arts Education and Music Education Research International. She is the chair of the International Society for Music Education Young Professionals Focus Group. Vol. 109, No. 3, January/February 2008 7 Downloaded by [Macquarie University] at 14:58 28 March 2013 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? How to cite Harmonizing Research, Practice, Papers

The Effects Of Television Violence On Children Children And Televison

The Effects of Television Violence on Children Children and Televison Violence What has the world come to these days? It often seems like everywhere one looks, violence rears its ugly head. We see it in the streets, back alleys, school, and even at home. The last of these is a major source of violence. In many peoples? living rooms there sits an outlet for violence that often goes unnoticed. It is the television, and the children who view it are often pulled into its realistic world of violence scenes with sometimes devastating results. Much research has gone into showing why children are so mesmerized by this big glowing box and the action that takes place within it. Research shows that it is definitely a major source of violent behavior in children. The research proves time and time again that aggression and television viewing do go hand in hand. The truth about television violence and children has been shown. Some are trying to fight this problem. Others are ignoring it and hoping it will go away. Still others don?t even seem to care. However, the facts are undeniable. The studies have been carried out and all the results point to one conclusion: Television violence causes children to be violent and the effects can be life-long. The information can?t be ignored. Violent television viewing does affect children. The effects have been seen in a number of cases. In New York, a 16-year-old boy broke into a cellar. When the police caught him and asked him why he was wearing gloves he replied that he had learned to do so to not leave fingerprints and that he discovered this on television. In Alabama, a nine-year-old boy received a bad report card from his teacher. He suggested sending the teacher poisoned candy as revenge as he had seen on television the night before. In California, a seven-year-old boy sprinkled ground-up glass into the the lamb stew the family was to eat for dinner. When asked why he did it he replied that he wanted to see if th e results would be the same in real life as they were on television (Howe 72). These are certainly startling examples of how television can affect the child. It must be pointed out that all of these situations were directly caused by children watching violent television. Not only does television violence affect the child?s youth, but it can also affect his or her adulthood. Some psychologists and psychiatrists feel that continued exposure to such violence might unnaturally speed up the impact of the adult world on the child. This can force the child into a kind of premature maturity. As the child matures into an adult, he can become bewildered, have a greater distrust towards others, a superficial approach to adult problems, and even an unwillingness to become an adult (Carter 14). Television violence can destroy a young child?s mind. The effects of this violence can be long-lasting, if not never-ending. For some, television at its worst, is an assault on a c hild?s mind, an insidious influence tat upsets moral balance and makes a child prone to aggressive behavior as it warps his or her perception of the real world. Other see television as an unhealthy intrusion into a child?s learning process, substituting easy pictures for the discipline of reading and concentrating and transforming the young viewer into a hypnotized nonthinker (Langone 48). As you can see, television violence can disrupt a child?s learning and thinking ability which will cause life long problems. If a child cannot do well in school, his or her whole future is at stake. Why do children like the violence that they see on television? ?Since media violence is much more vicious than that which children normally experience, real-life aggression appears bland by comparison? (Dorr 127). The violence on television is able to be more exciting and enthralling than the violence that is normally viewed on the streets. Instead of just seeing a police officer handing a ticket to a speeding violator, he can beat the offender bloody on television. However, children don?t always realize this is not the way thing are handled in real life. They come to expect it, and when

The Early Moral development of Huck Magnanimous Huck

The Early Moral development of Huck Magnanimous Huck Free Online Research Papers The Early Moral development of Huck Magnanimous Huck The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn can be read as the story of Huck’s moral development. The essay traces this development by focusing on the following† the influence of Huck’s early education in Hannibal, Missouri; the teachings and behavior of his birth father, Pap; and Lessons he learns through his relationship with Jim. Huck grew up as an outcast with his abusive father pap. He distrusts the morality of the society because it could not protect him from his abused childhood and also treats him like an outcast. Huck chooses to â€Å"go to hell† rather than follow society’s rules and â€Å"go to heaven†. He has been treated as an outcast for so long that he develops the concept of coming to a decision through intense introspection. Huck bases his decisions on his past experience and his conscience; he is untainted by the influences of society. In the novel, Mark Twain depicts a hypocritical society; the people in the novel go to church, and preach for salvation; however, they do not see the cruelty of Society. Aunt Sally provides the perfect example for such hypocrisy; she is generous character in the novel yet she also own slaves. Huck lives outside the hypocrisy and he is able to see the wrongs of slavery and society. Pap is very racist and he always tells Huck about how unworthy African American slaves are. Under these influences, Huck also sees the slaves as inferior beings. Though through his journey, Huck develops an intimate relationship with Jim. Even though Huck still could not completely throw off society’s influence on him, he makes the decision of helping Jim at the risk of going to hell. Huck is torn between the outcast world and the civilized world. Adapted by the Widow Douglas, Huck learns that stealing is wrong. However, Pap always tells Huck that stealing is just borrowing. Entangled in this dilemma, Huck decides stealing certain thing is all right but there are certain things that he could not steal. This situation also tells the readers about the society. Society always loathes parents who abuse their children and devoted Christians make their life’s purpose to help people; however, Society also see it fit to abuse slaves and treat them like property. Huck’s father, Pap, is a strong initial influence to Huck; even after he left Huck, his actions still affects Huck’s decisions and values. â€Å"If I never learnt nothing else out of pap, I learnt that the best way to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their own way.† (Pg. 137) Huck was abused by pap when he was a child. These experiences left a scare that will never disappear in Huck’s heart, he learns from pap to fear authorities or adults. Like an abused child, Huck always blames himself and sees himself unworthy. Later in the story, Huck entangles himself in a situation where he has to go against the authorities and help Jim, the runaway slave, escape. Huck is able to overcome his fear of authorities, and his sense of shame to help Jim because he lacks guidance of a â€Å"proper family†, though ironically, he knows better than the adults around him. The King and the Duke are con artists that cause Huck many troubles. However, Huck still wants to warn them when he found out that the town’s people is going to tar them. Huck forgives people easily because he believes that he is wicked himself. Jim is also a great influence to Huck as they traveled down the Missouri River. In the beginning, Huck saw Jim merely as something that keeps him busy. However, through the fog adventure and the Sheperdsons feud. Huck learns that Jim truly cared about him and develops a sense of respect for Jim. From the time Huck meets Jim on Jackson’s island until the end of the novel, Jim acts as a fatherly figure to Huck. He protects Huck from pap’s corpse, he worries about Huck during the misty scene, and he is the first person that taught Huck a valuable value. He taught Huck that every man is equal and love can be inter- racial. Jim truly cared about Huck and did everything in his power to make Huck happy and comfortable. He also worries about Huck whenever Huck is not around. Jim is the true father figure for Huck. Through their trip, Huck develops an intimate relationship with Jim. This relationship with a runaway slave causes Huck’s conscience to battle with the rule of society. Even though Huck knows that society loathes runaway slaves, his conscience tells him that it is right to help Jim. Huck learns from Ms. Watson that such an act is ignominious and he will go to hell for it. Yet, he still helps Jim because he thinks that he is wicked himself and probably deserves to go to hell. Even though this decision is made under the wrong circumstance, it is the morally right decision. In the novel, Mark Twain depicts a society of hypocrisy. Huck is more righteous than any adult in the novel. He learns to read the world around him, to distinguish good, bad, right, and wrong using his own set of logic. It is because that Huck lived as an outcast that he is able to develop an unbiased personality. The apprehension of society and his relationship with Jim lead Huck to question many teachings of society. Huck chooses to go to hell rather than follow the society rules in which he finds false. Mark Twain successfully developed the character Huck, allowing the reader to travel with Huck and observe his moral development. 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How to Block a Play and Give Stage Directions

How to Block a Play and Give Stage Directions Blocking is the theater term for the actors’ movements on the stage during the performance of the play or the musical. Every move that an actor makes (walking across the stage, climbing stairs, sitting in a chair, falling to the floor, getting down on bended knee) falls under the larger term â€Å"blocking.† Who Blocks? Typically, the play’s director determines the actors’ movements and positions on stage. Some directors â€Å"pre-block† scenes- map out the actors’ movements outside of rehearsal and then give the actors their blocking. Some directors work with the actors during rehearsal and make blocking decisions by having the actors perform the movements. These directors try a variety of movements and stage positions to see what works, make adjustments, and then set the blocking. Other directors, especially when they work with experienced actors during rehearsals, ask the actors to follow their instincts about when to move and the blocking becomes a collaborative work. Playwrights May Provide Blocking In some plays, the playwright provides blocking notes in the text of the script. American playwright Eugene O’Neill wrote detailed stage directions that include not only movements but notes on the characters’ attitudes and emotions as well. An example from Act I Scene 1 of Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Edmund’s dialogue is accompanied by stage directions in italics: EDMUNDWith sudden nervous exasperation.O for God’s sake, Papa. If you’re starting that stuff again, I’ll beat it.He jumps up.I left my book upstairs anyway.He goes to the front parlor saying disgustedly,God, Papa, I think you’d get sick of hearing yourself.He disappears. Tyrone looks after him angrily. Some directors remain true to the stage directions provided by the playwright in the script, but directors and actors are not bound to follow those directions in the way that they are bound to use the playwright’s dialogue strictly as written. The words the actors speak must be delivered precisely as they appear in the script. Only with the playwright’s specific permission may lines of dialogue be changed or omitted. It is not imperative, however, to adhere to the playwright’s blocking ideas. Actors and directors are free to make their own movement choices.​ Some directors appreciate scripts with detailed stage directions. Other directors prefer scripts with little to no blocking ideas within the text. Basic Functions of Blocking Ideally, blocking should enhance the story on the stage by: Reflecting the authentic behavior of the characters- a character’s movements can reveal just as much and sometimes more than his or her words do.Reflecting the relationships between and among characters.Giving the focus to certain characters at appropriate moments (helping the audience know where to look.)Allowing the audience to see what they are supposed to see and not what is meant to be hidden- either as part of the play or an accidental peek backstage.Creating effective stage pictures- strong, pleasing, horrific- that convey the meanings and moods of the play.Making effective use of the set. Blocking Notation Once a scene has been blocked, the actors must execute the same movements during rehearsals and performances. Thus, actors must memorize their blocking as well as their lines. During blocking rehearsals, most actors use a pencil to note blocking in their scripts- so if the blocking changes, the pencil marks can be erased and the new blocking noted. Actors and directors use a â€Å"shorthand† for blocking notation. Rather than write out â€Å"Walk downstage right and stand behind (or upstage) the sofa,† however, an actor would make notes using abbreviations. Any stage movement from one area of the stage to another is called a â€Å"cross,† and a quick way to indicate cross is to use an â€Å"X.† So, an actor’s blocking note the above blocking could look like this: â€Å"XDR to US of sofa.†

Cultural Tensions in 1950s Hollywood Film Essay

Cultural Tensions in 1950s Hollywood Film - Essay Example As America emerged from the darkest days of the â€Å"Red Scare†, which saw the Hollywood film community intimidated by politicians, it was considered risky at best to undertake a thoughtful and soul-searching study of American political institutions and society. It is the thesis of this essay that Twelve Angry Men uses the instruments of American government and culture to effectively combat just these prejudices and bigotries. The film zeroes in on the New York of the 1950’s, the scene of a massive influx of Puerto Rican immigration in the years since the Second World War ended. There was considerable backlash by older immigrant stock both resentful and fearful of the newcomers. This tendency is frequently found today in soft areas of cultural intrusion and the perception of threat—whether real or imaginary—by the â€Å"invaders.† Such borderline xenophobia is of course not confined to America in that decade, but it seemed to present a crisis at th e local level at that time. It is into this setting that Twelve Angry Men is embedded. A Puerto Rican youth is accused of patricide in the stabbing death of his father, and it is his misfortune to come before a jury of largely apathetic or overtly racist men to hear the case. The film uses the sterilised laboratory of the American courtroom and jury deliberation room in the relentless search for objectivity and ultimate truth. Since this is a capital murder case, it is also a life or death decision for the defendant, the death penalty then being the punishment for the guilty. Whilst this would seem to demand the utmost care and commitment of the men on the panel, in fact the opposite happens. They range from the apathetic and even jovial to annoyance and boredom at the proceedings. Thus, there is also a subordinated theme of indifference to this highest of civic duties. Into this vacuum steps Davis, a man who seems to take his duties seriously. Disturbed at what he interpreted as a weak defence for the accused, he is the sole holdout as the poll goes around the room, voting â€Å"not guilty†. The other panelists have already determined the young man’s guilt, but Davis wants to â€Å"talk†; that is, he wants to open a dialogue box to try to find the truth. In this, he is after all only discharging his constitutional obligation to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. After this first polling, he gradually wins over one by one his fellow panelists, but it is not easy. Davis does not pretend to have all the answers, only probing questions to find the truth in the shadow of prejudice. In perhaps the most trenchant bit of dialogue in the script, Davis confronts the most blatantly bigoted member of the group after eyewitness testimony by a Puerto Rican woman throws some doubt on the deliberations. â€Å"She’s one of them, isn’t she?† he demands of the bigot. â€Å"You’re a pretty smart fella, aren’t you?à ¢â‚¬  the man replies, and then mutters to the others, â€Å"what’s he getting so smart about?† Possibly for the first time in his life, he has had his thought processes stimulated by a stranger. Soon, he changes his verdict as well. But Davis is far from arrogant in his search for objective truth. In another memorable scene in the water closet, another man confronts Davis and plants the seed of doubt in his mind. â€Å"How do you know the kid didn’t really knife his father?†

Corporate governance in the GCC Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Corporate governance in the GCC - Dissertation Example By doing this, it also provides the structure, through which the company objectives are set and the means of attaining those objectives and monitoring performance† (Baydoun, Ryan and Willett, n.d., p. 2). The practice of financial reporting and auditing standards are considered as an integral part of good governance. In the literature review, it has been argued that the managers need to think beyond the belief that mismanagement in the microeconomics policies lead to poor corporate governance, and then only they will succeed in designing a holistic and systematic corporate governance model. Many of the researchers have emphasized on the creation of situation specific corporate governance structure, which has created difficulties in finding one universal definition of corporate governance. Some other sets of researcher have emphasized on the relational aspect between the managers and the shareholders. Some researchers have revealed that corporate governance is different from man agement, where management only looks at successful running of the organization but corporate governance looks at conducting the operations of the organization in a proper and transparent manner. Different tools like controlling and accountability can be incorporated by the business leaders in the management, for monitoring the activities of the agent and motivating them, so that they can act in accordance with the expectations of the external and internal stakeholders. The organizations should accept certain set of corporate values otherwise, there might be some possibilities that the employees might act according to their own interest. Moreover, for creating an environment of knowledge sharing, the board members must create a knowledge sharing environment inside the organization in order to fill up the scope for implementing corporate governance. Various research scholars have stated various principles for corporate governance, which can be summarized as an obligation for the organ ization to maximize the value of the shareholders. The literature review has discussed about various theories proposed by the research scholars, like the inherent property right theory, stewardship theory, principal-agent model (finance model) and myopic market model etc that discussed about the major issues related to the shareholder-oriented corporate governance. The literature review has also evaluated the principles and enactment that are followed by different countries and have summarized them to indentify the major areas of Corporate Governance, such as board constitution, board remuneration, auditor’s remuneration and responsibilities, transparency in disclosures, stakeholder and shareholder information and influence of ownership structure. However, it has been emphasized that there is no such singular model of corporate governance that is followed by every country. Due to difference in time zone and orientation, there is difference in corporate governance policies of different countries. In this context, there are several issues related to the corporate governance structure that have been identified. Then empirical research studies related to corporate governance has been analyzed and found that in most of the countries benefits and