Definition and Examples of Epigrams in English

Definition and Examples of Epigrams in English An epigram is a concise, clever, and sometimes paradoxical statement or line of verse. Adjective: epigrammatic. Also called, simply, a saying. A person who composes or uses epigrams is an  epigrammatist. Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Oscar Wilde are all known for their highly epigrammatic writing styles.  Irish poet Jane Wilde (who wrote under the pen name Speranza) observed that epigram is always better than an argument in conversation. Examples and Observations The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.(Tacitus)There are no gains without pains.(Benjamin Franklin, The Way to Wealth)If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.(Benjamin Franklin)The Child is father of the Man.(William Wordsworth, My Heart Leaps Up)The only way to have a friend is to be one.(Ralph Waldo Emerson, On Friendship)A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.(Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance)In Wildness is the preservation of the world.(Henry David Thoreau, Walking)The old believe everything: the middle-aged suspect everything: the young know everything.(Oscar Wilde, Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young)All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. Thats his.(Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest)No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best fr iend.(Groucho Marx) The only ism Hollywood believes in is plagiarism.(Dorothy Parker)Great people talk about  ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about other peopleGreat people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about wine.(Fran Lebowitz)Asked for his  favorite epigram, Karl Marx responded, de omnibus disputandum, i.e., doubt everything.†(Dan Subotnik, Toxic Diversity. NYU Press, 2005)Audiences are always better pleased with a smart retort, some joke or epigram, than with any amount of reasoning.(Charlotte Perkins Gilman)What is an epigram? A dwarfish whole, its body brevity, and wit its soul.(Samuel Coleridge)The art of newspaper paragraphing is to stroke a platitude until it purrs like an epigram.(Don Marquis)A brilliant epigram is a solemn platitude gone to a masquerade ball.(Lionel Strachey)Three things must epigrams, like bees, have all:A sting and honey and a body small.(Latin verse, quoted by J. Symonds, Studies of the Gr eek Poets, 1877) Renaissance Epigrams: Gall, Vinegar, Salt, and Honey In the Renaissance, George Puttenham remarked that the epigram is a short and sweete form in which every mery conceited man might without any long studie or tedious ambage, make his friend sport, and anger his foe, and give a prettie nip, or shew a sharpe conceit [i.e., idea] in few verses (The Art of English Poesy, 1589). Epigrams of both praise and blame were a popular Renaissance genre, notably in the poetry of Ben Jonson. The critic J.C. Scaliger in his Poetics (1560) divided epigrams into four kinds: gall, vinegar, salt, and honey (that is, an epigram could be bitterly angry, sour, salacious, or sweet).(David Mikics, A New Handbook of Literary Terms. Yale University Press, 2007) Types of Epigrams The Epigram is expressed in various ways: A. In the Epigrammatic style. It now refers to a style marked by point and brevity. It does not necessarily involve contrast.B. Emphatic assertion. What I have written, I have written.C. Indirect or concealed statement. A kind of mingling of literal and figurative.D. PunningE. Paradox (T. Hunt, Principles of Written Discourse, 1884) The Lighter Side of Epigrams Jeremy Usborne: Oh come on, mate. How am I going to see Nancy again if you dont give me a pass? She clearly hates me. Mark Corrigan: Well, maybe you should take that as a sign. Jeremy Usborne: Im not giving up that easily. Faint heart never won fair maid. Mark Corrigan: Right. The epigram that starts the stalkers manifesto.(Robert Webb and David Mitchell in Gym. Peep Show, 2007) Pronunciation: EP-i-gram EtymologyFrom the Greek,  epigramma,  inscription

The Experts Guide to the AP European History Exam

The Expert's Guide to the AP European History Exam SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The AP European History course and exam cover the history of Europe from 1450 to the present. That means you'll be asked about everything from the Renaissance to the European Union - it's a lot!Not to mention,the exam was just revised in 2016, making everything a bit more complicated. If you need guidance for the AP exam, read on. In this article, I’ll give an overview of the exam, go in-depth on each of its sections, go over how the exam is scored, offer some preparation tips, and finally explain some key things to keep in mind on test day! AP European History Exam Format and Overview The AP Euro Exam for 2017 will be heldon Friday, May 12. The testis three hours and 15minutes long. It has two sections, each of which is further split into a part A and a part B. It is important to note that within each section, you will not be forced or signaledto move on from part A to part B at any point in time. You will need to manage the time within each section yourself, although you will be periodically informed of how much time is remaining. Here’s an overview chart of each part of the exam: Section and Part Question Type Number of Questions Time % of Score 1A Multiple Choice 55 55 recommended (105 total for section 1) 40% 1B Short Answer 4 50 recommended (105 total for section 1) 20% 2A Document-Based Question (DBQ) 1 55 recommended (90 total for section 2 including 15-minute reading period) 25% 2B Long Essay 1 (choose 1 of 2) 35 recommended (90 total for section 2 including 15-minute reading period) 15% As you can see, Section I consists of a 55-question multiple choice section, worth 40% of your exam grade, and a 4-question short answer section, worth 20% of your exam sky. Part I, in total, is 105 minutes, with a recommended 55 minutes on multiple choice and 50 minutes on the short answer. Section II, the essay section, consists of the document-based question, for which you have to synthesize historical documents into a coherent analysis of a historical moment, and the â€Å"long essay,† for which you will have to choose between two questions and then write an essay analyzing a historical moment with no outside sources at your disposal. The DBQ is worth 25% of your grade, and the long essay is worth 15%. You will receive 90 minutes for Section II, including a 15-minute reading period. The College Board recommends spending 55 minutes on the DBQ (including the reading period) and 35 minutes on the second essay. Section I is worth 60% of your exam score, and Section II is worth 40%. In terms of what individual parts are worth the most, the multiple choice section and the DBQ are the subsections worth the most on the exam, at 40% and 25%, respectively. It’s worth noting that the exam was revised for2016. Past administrations of the exam included more multiple-choice questions, no short answer, and had three essay questions instead of two.The recent revision means that there are not very many up-to-date practice resources available through the College Board for this exam, since old released exams have slightly different formats. That doesn’t mean you can’t use them, but you will need to be aware of the differences (see the section on practice resources below). In the next sections of this guide, I’ll break down each of the exam sections further. This is the old-old form of the exam. Section 1: Multiple Choice and Short Answer In this section, I’ll go over what you can expect to see on section 1 of the AP Euro exam. All question examples come from the AP Course and Exam Description. Part A: Multiple Choice On the multiple choice question, you’ll be presented with primary and secondary historical sources and then asked to answer two-five questions relevant to each source. In that sense, the 55 questions are almost divided up into a series of little mini-quizzes.The presentation of sources in the text ties into the revised exam’s focus on historical evidence and the actual work that historians do in evaluating and analyzing that evidence. There are two kinds of questions on the multiple-choice section of the exam: source analysis questions, and outside knowledge questions. Source Analysis Most of the questions in the multiple-choice section (probably about â…”) are source analysis questions. These are questions that ask you to analyze the source presented in some way. You may be asked to link the events described in the source to a broader historical movement, contrast the source with other sources, determine if the source supports or contradicts a particular historical trend, and so in. In general, you will need to have some degree of outside historical knowledge to complete these questions, but they are at their core questions about what the source says or means, often within the broader historical moment. Example: Outside Knowledge These are questions that have little, if anything, to do with the source itself, and instead ask you a historical question based on your own knowledge. It will most likely be about events connected to or immediately following the time period described in the source, but the source is not the focus of the question, and it will not provide much help in answering the question. Example: What could this mean? Part B: Short Answer The short-answer section is four questions long, with a recommended 50 minute response time (as part of Section I’s 105 minutes). This leaves about 12 minutes per question.On every short answer question, you will be asked to provide a total of three pieces of information. You might be asked to provide two pieces of information in favor of a historical thesis and one piece of information against, for example. For most of the short answer questions, you will be presented with a primary or secondary source and asked to answer a multi-part question analyzing the source and/or describing historical events relevant to the source. There is generally an element of choice to these questions- i.e., you will need to name one reason of many that something happened or two consequences of a particular event, but you will not be required to name particular events. Example: There are also short-answer questions without a source, for which you may be asked to analyze or examine a statement about history. Again, you will generally be asked to provide three total pieces of historical evidence, but you will have flexibility as to what events you could appropriately name to answer the question. Example: Keep your answers short like this guy. Section 2: Free-Response Section In this section, I’ll review what you’ll be asked to do on section 2 of the AP Euro exam. Part A: Document-Based Question On the DBQ, you’ll be given six-sevensources, made up of primary and secondary sources, and asked to write an essay analyzing a historical issue. This is meant to put you in the role of historian, interpreting historical material and then relaying your interpretation in an essay. You’ll need to combine material from the sources with your own outside knowledge. You’ll have 15minutes to plan the essay, and then 40 minutes to write it. The 15-minute planning period is specifically designated and timed at the beginning of section II, and you will be prompted to begin your essays at the close. However, no one will prompt you to move on from the DBQ to the long essay- you’ll need to manage that time yourself. Below see an example DBQ. Associated documents can be found in the Course and Exam Description. Example: Part B: Long Essay The Long Essay will ask you a broad thematic question about a period or periods in history. You will need to create an analytical essay with a thesis that you can defend with specific historical evidence that you learned in class. You’ll be given a choice between two questions for this essay. It’s recommended that you spend 35 minutes on this question, but again, you won’t be prompted to move from one essay to another so you’ll need to manage the time yourself. Example: A main theme of Europe: cheese. How the AP European History Exam Is Scored The multiple-choice section of the exam is worth 40% of your score, short answer is worth 20%, the DBQ is worth 25%, and the long essay is worth 15%. As on other AP exams, your raw score will be converted to a scaled score from 1-5. Last year, about 10% of all test-takers received a 5, and about 17% received a 4. The test is difficult, but it’s definitely possible to do well if you prepare.So how is your raw score obtained? I’ll go over how points are awarded on each part of each section. Multiple Choice Well, as on other AP exams, on the multiple choice section, you receive a point for each question you answer correctly. This means you could receive a total of 55 points on the multiple-choice section, weighted as 40% of your total score. Short Answer Every short-answer question will ask you to provide three pieces of information. You will receive one point for every correct, relevant piece of information you provide as directed by the question. For example, if a question asks for one cause of a particular conflict, one result of a particular conflict, and one similar situation in a different country, and you provided one cause and one result, you would receive two out of three points. As there are four short answer questions, you can get up to twelve points on the short answer section, weighted at 20% of your total exam score. The Document-Based Question The DBQ is worth 25% of your total score, and it is scored on a seven-point rubric. I’ll give a quick rubric breakdown here. Rubric Breakdown: Skill Name What The Rubric Says What It Means Thesis and Argument Development 1 point: Presents a thesis that makes a historically defensible claim and responds to all parts of the question. The thesis must consist of one or more sentences located in one place, either the introduction or the conclusion. Scoring note: Neither the introduction nor the conclusion is necessarily limited to a single paragraph. This point is for having a thesis that can be reasonably supported bythe documents and other historical facts. Your thesis must be located in your introduction or conclusion. Thesis and Argument Development 1 point: Develops and supports a cohesive argument that recognizes and accounts for historical complexity by explicitly illustrating relationships among historical evidence such as contradiction, corroboration, and/or qualification. You can get an additional point for having a super thesis. A super thesis is one that accounts for the complex relationships in history. Document Analysis 1 point: Utilizes the content of at least six of the documents to support the stated thesis or a relevant argument. One point is for making use of 6-7 of the documents in your argument. Document Analysis 1 point: Explains the significance of the author’s point of view, author’s purpose, historical context, and/or audience for at least four documents. One point is for going more â€Å"in-depth† on at least four of the documents by analyzing the author’s point of view or purpose, the historical context, or the audience of the document. Using Evidence Beyond the Documents Contextualization - 1 point: Situates the argument by explaining the broader historical events, developments, or processes immediately relevant to the question. Scoring Note: Contextualization requires using knowledge not found in the documents to situate the argument within broader historical events, developments, or processes immediately relevant to the question. The contextualization point is not awarded for merely a phrase or reference, but instead requires an explanation, typically consisting of multiple sentences or a full paragraph. One point is for locating the issue within its broader historical context. So be sure to mention any â€Å"big-picture† movements happening that are shaping the events you are writing about in the DBQ! Using Evidence Beyond the Documents Evidence beyond the documents - 1 point: Provides an example or additional piece of specific evidence beyond those found in the documents to support or qualify the argument. Scoring Note 1: This example must be different from the evidence used to earn other points on this rubric. Scoring Note 2: This point is not awarded for merely a phrase or reference. Responses need to reference an additional piece of specific evidence and explain how that evidence supports or qualifies the argument. One point is awarded for using a specific historical example not found in the documents as evidence for your argument. Synthesis 1 point: Extends the argument by explaining the connections between the argument and ONE of the following: A development in a different historical period, situation, era, or geographical area. A course theme and/or approach to history that is not the focus of the essay (such as political, economic, social, cultural, or intellectual history). A different discipline or field of inquiry (such as economics, government and politics, art history, or anthropology) Scoring Note: The synthesis point requires an explanation of the connections to different historical period, situation, era, or geographical area, and is not awarded for merely a phrase or reference. For this final point, you need to connect your argument about the specific issue presented in the DBQ to another geographical area or historical development or movement. In previous years, the DBQ was out of 9 points, instead of this year’s 7. Last year, the average score was 3.98 - just shy of 4. Most students, then, got under half credit on the DBQ. She diligently studies for the DBQ. Long Essay The long essay is worth the least of all of the exam components at only 15% of your total score. It’s scored out of a 6-point rubric. I’ll go over how you can get those six points here. This rubric is a little whacky because 2 of the points for â€Å"Argument Development† are completely different depending on what the â€Å"Targeted Historical Skill† is. So pay attention to which points are for which skills! Rubric Breakdown: Skill Name What The Rubric Says What It Means Thesis 1 point: Presents a thesis that makes a historically defensible claim and responds to all parts of the question. The thesis must consist of one or more sentences located in one place, either in the introduction or the conclusion. Your thesis makes a reasonable claim and responds to the entire question. It is located in the introduction or the conclusion. Argument Development: Targeted Historical Thinking Skill 1 point: Comparison: Describes similarities AND differences among historical individuals, developments, or processes. OR Causation: Describes causes AND/OR effects of a historical event, development, or process. OR Continuity and Change Over Time: Describes historical continuity AND change over time. OR Periodization: Describes the ways in which the historical development specified in the prompt was different from and similar to developments that preceded AND/OR followed. Essentially, this point is for comprehensively addressing the historical skill referenced in the prompt. If you are supposed to compare, you compare. If you are supposed to describe causes and/or effects, you do. Note that you will lose points if the question specifically asks about causes AND effects (for causation) or events before AND after a given historical development (for periodization) and you only address one. Argument Development: Targeted Historical Thinking Skill 1 point: Comparison: Explains the reasons for similarities AND differences among historical individuals, events, developments, or processes. OR Causation: Explains the reasons for the causes AND/OR effects of a historical event, development, or process. OR Continuity and Change Over Time: Explains the reasons for historical continuity AND change over time. OR Periodization: Explains the extent to which the historical development specified in the prompt was different from and similar to developments that preceded AND/OR followed. You don’t just mention events connected to the historical skill (comparison, causation, continuity/change over time, or periodization)- you explain and elaborate on the reasons for those events taking place. Argument Development: Using Evidence 1 point: Addresses the topic of the question with specific examples of relevant evidence. Your historical evidence involves specific examples that are relevant to the specific topic at hand. Argument Development: Using Evidence 1 point: Utilizes specific examples of evidence to fully and effectively substantiate the stated thesis or relevant argument. Scoring note: To fully and effectively substantiate the stated thesis or relevant argument, responses must include a broad range of evidence that, through analysis and explanation, justifies the stated thesis or relevant argument. Your examples are deployed to in a way that effectively supports your thesis; you tie your historical evidence back to your argument. Synthesis 1 point: Extends the argument by explaining the connections between the argument and ONE of the following: A development in a different historical period, situation, era, or geographical area A course theme and/or approach the history that is not the focus of the essay (such as political, economic, social, cultural, or intellectual history). A different discipline or field of inquiry (such as economics, government and politics, art history, or anthropology). Scoring note: The synthesis point requires an explanation of the connections to the different historical period, situation, era, or geographical area, and is not awarded merely for a phrase or reference. You make a connection to another historical period or discipline. You need to explain this connection in your paper, not just mention it offhand or in one quick sentence. As you can see, this rubric is really concerned with choosing appropriate, specific evidence to support your argument and adequately explaining those examples. To succeed, you’ll need to have a pretty strong knowledge base in specific historical content, more so than on any other section of the exam. You will have some element of choice in which of the two questions to select. That covers it for what’s on the exam. Next, we’ll address how you should prepare. You can't tell by looking, but this kitten is an AP Euro expert. How to Prepare for the AP Euro Exam There are five key ways to prepare: Start Reviewing Content Early One major thing you can do to help yourself on this exam is to start reviewing content early in the year. As soon as you know enough to start reviewing, you should be periodically looking back at old material to refresh your knowledge. If you make sure your knowledge is constantly renewed, you’ll have less work to do as you get closer to exam day because you’ll maintain a fairly high level of familiarity with an entire year’s worth of historical material. That means you’ll be able to focus primarily on building skills for the exam. Fill In Gaps As soon as you realize you don’t know or understand very much about a particular historical period or movement- maybe after doing less than awesome on a test, paper, or project- you should work to shore up that knowledge with extra studying and review. Consult with your teacher on what you are missing if you can. This will help keep you from serious weakness on the exam if the DBQ (or, heaven forbid, both the long essays) ends up being about an area you don’t really know anything about. Seek Breadth and Depth in Knowledge As you review historical content, you’ll want to balance acquiring breadth and depth. You definitely need to understand the major historical movements and moments of European History. But you should also know some specific facts and events about each era to maximize your chances of success on the short-answer and free-response sections. Of course, you aren’t going to be able to memorize every single date and person’s name ever mentioned in class for the purposes of the AP exam, but you should try to make sure you have at least a few facts that you could use as specific evidence in an essay about any of the major historical happenings covered in the course. Understand Historical Evidence One of the most important skills you can build for the AP Euro exam is understanding historical evidence. When you confront primary and secondary sources on the AP exam, you’ll need to think about who is writing, why they are writing, their audience, and the historical (or current) context they are writing in. What is the source evidence of? Is it relating facts, opinions, or interpretations? For more guidance on working with primary and secondary sources, see this online lesson from a college history professor. Practice the DBQ Because the DBQ somewhat unusual compared to the typical AP essay, you’ll need to make sure you understand how to plan and write one. You’ll need to really work not just on your skills understanding historical evidence, but also your ability to synthesize different pieces of historical evidence into a coherent interpretation or argument about a historical topic. On top of that, you’ll need to make a connection to another time period, movement, or discipline! Use the rubric as a guide to improving your DBQ skills, and check out my guide to writing a great DBQ essay. Filling in some very important gaps. Tips for Test Day Of course, all of the typical preparation tips apply: get a good night’s sleep, eat a good breakfast, manage your time closely, answer every question, and so on and so forth. But here are two specific AP Euro test tips to help you make the most of your exam time. Focus On the Multiple-Choice and DBQ Sections There are four components to the test, but they aren’t all equally important. The multiple-choice section is worth 40%, the DBQ is worth 25%, the short-answer is worth 20%, and the long essay is worth 15%. This means that the multiple-choice and DBQ sections together form up the majority of your score, so make sure you pay them adequate attention in time and effort. Obviously, you should do your best on every part of the test, and your score for the other two sections does matter. But if you find yourself pressed for time on either section 1 or 2, the multiple-choice and the DBQ are worth more than the other pieces of their respective sections. Mine Sources for Contextual Information The redesigned AP European History test has a renewed focus on primary and secondary sources. While most questions do still require some outside knowledge to answer, you can use the primary and secondary sources to orient yourself in history and pick up contextual details that will help you answer questions even if you are initially a little lost as to the particulars of the historical moment being described. Here’s an example multiple-choice question with a source: What can we figure out from this source? Well, we know that this is a song by French market women from the 18th century from the caption. But what is the source itself telling us? In the first line we see the word â€Å"Versailles.† If you know that’s where French royalty lived, you’ll start to think: does this source have something to do with royalty? (If you don’t know that Versailles is where French royalty used to live, you aren’t out of luck- the second stanza offers this information implicitly).Then we see in the second line that â€Å"We brought with us all our guns.† This implies that something violent occurred at Versailles. So, something violent at the place where royalty lives. The second stanza switches into present tense. So that means whatever happened at Versailles with the guns already took place. In the present, they say â€Å"we won’t have to go so far...to see our King...since he’s come to live in our Capital.† The King, then, lives in Paris now- so the ladies don’t have to go to Versailles to see him. If they went to show the king their guns at Versailles in the first stanza, and in the second stanza he’s been removed to Paris, this implies that the king was forcibly removed to Paris. In this light, the line â€Å"We love him with a love without equal† is ironic: they love him now that they have defeated him. The only one of the answers that is possibly compatible with the idea of defeating a king is choice (B), creating a republican government in France.So by using sources, you can navigate many questions even if you are initially at a total loss in terms of historical contextual information. France: beautiful architecture and bloody revolution. Key Takeaways The AP European History exam is three hours and 15 minutes long and consists of two sections.The first section has two parts, a 55-minute, 55-question multiple choice exam, and a 4-question, 50-minute short answer section. The second section also has two parts: a 55-minute document-based question, and a 35-minute long essay. Note that you will not be prompted to move from part A to part B on either section, but must manage the time yourself. The multiple-choice section is worth 40% of your exam score, and you receive one point for every correct answer. You can expect to see questions that ask you to analyze historical sources and evidence, and questions that force you to rely completely on your own knowledge of historical events. The short-answer question is worth 20% of your exam score. On each of the four questions you will be asked to provide three pieces of information about a historical movement or period, and you’ll get one point for each correct piece of information you provide. The DBQ is worth 25% of your grade. You’ll be given six-seven sources and need to write an essay synthesizing your interpretation of a historical movement or period using the sources. You’ll then receive a grade out of 7 points. Finally, the long essay is worth 15% of your grade. On the long essay, you’ll have a choice between two questions. Then, you’ll need to write an original essay supported with specific historical evidence. To prepare for the exam, here are my best tips: Start reviewing content early in the year, and keep it up throughout! As soon as you realize there’s an era or movement you aren’t fully comfortable with, fill in those gaps in your knowledge! Seek both breadth and some depth in your knowledge of the content. Learn to understand and analyze historical evidence and primary and secondary sources. Build exam-specific skills, particularly for the DBQ. Here’s my advice to make the most of test day: Focus most of your energy on the multiple-choice and DBQ sections, especially if you start to run out of time. Use sources to orient yourself in history when you need to! With all this knowledge at your fingertips, you’ll crush the AP European History exam like the Hapsburgs crushed in the 30 Years’ War! Too soon? What's Next? Need more AP test-taking tips? Or help finding AP practice tests? Looking for more of our expert guides? We have complete AP exam guides for AP Human Geography, AP Language and Composition, AP Literature and Composition, AP World History, AP US History, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, and AP Psychology. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Video response paper (writer's choice) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Video response paper (writer's choice) - Essay Example It also forms part of the growing films on border-crossing as much as the Mexican migration became a dominant cinematic theme for both the US and Mexico. (Maciel and Garcia-Acevedo, p. 148) To say this, however, is tantamount to merely scratching the surface. The Syrian Bride is more than its obvious storyline. It is peppered with important themes and social issues that permeate in Israel today as well as its relations with its neighboring Arab countries. Plot The film depicted the story of Mona (Clara Khoury), a Druze woman living in Golan Heights, who in an arranged marriage, must travel to meet his groom, Tallel (Derar Sliman), in Syria. Everything was pretty straightforward, starting from the wedding festivities unto the wedding itself, which would take place at the border. Mona had to bid her family farewell and cross the border. It is at this point, however, wherein the story took an interesting turn. Israel and Syria do not maintain any diplomatic relations. In addition, both countries are claiming Golan Heights. Ebert (2006), in his review, expressed the dilemma in word best as he stated that Mona’s problem â€Å"is that Syria considers her to be already in Syria, and Israel considers her to be in Israel† and â€Å"how can she cross from a place one side says does not exist to a place the other side says does not exist?† The bureaucratic tangle was further complicated by the fact that Syria does not recognize Israeli passport, effectively barring Mona from entering the country. The entire caper was already comedic as the protagonist and the Salman family untangle their way to their destination. Symbolism Writing for the New York Times, Stephen Holden (2005) remarked that The Syrian Bride and its depiction of the impenetrable border symbolized all that’s wrong in the Middle East. This wrongness in bordered the ridiculous as complex norms and procedures applied at either side of the border defy logic, understanding and implemen tation. As has been shown by the film, everything was in fact insane. There are vague and conflicting security and political considerations resulting in a solid deadlock to which an Israeli border patrol officer could merely shrug in sympathy and perhaps in his own confusion as well. The entire caper disputed the opening claim of sadness for the whole film, making the film, in itself, hilarious with ridiculousness of Mona’s situation. The politics and the bureaucracy involved in the border defy reason and can actually victimize even the most fundamental and innocent needs and desires of people affected. In most respects, this situation is the same with the way relations between Israel and its neighboring countries are conducted – enforcing ridiculous legal norms and violating human rights in the process, just so security and political considerations could be satisfied. Apolitical More than anything, the film does not have a political agenda. It did not talk about which side of the fence – Israel or Syria – is correct, much less attack policymaking that would pit the two countries or their positions on several issues against each other. There was no suggestion of peace and/or some outright diplomatic resolution to the strained bi-partisan relationship or something to this effect. If there was some politics involved, it was, in the words of Ebert, just nibbling around the edges, â€Å"

Conflict, Decision Making, and Organizational Design Research Paper - 2

Conflict, Decision Making, and Organizational Design - Research Paper Example 432). The real problem was that GM had developed too many levels of management. The number of corporate stuff was huge. So the decision making was slow and cumbersome, and, therefore, change was difficult. So the major challenge the new management faced was to eliminate the hierarchical levels and reduce the total number of managers. The top management expected that such a move will reduce operating cost, improve communication, and encourage innovation. Some analysts estimated a termination of 20,000 managers. The task was enormous (Jones & Mathew, 2007, p. 432). The board was of the belief that the shareholders’ interest can be served only by taking tough organizational design decisions. In 1993, GM announced its intention to cut 50,000 hourly and 24,000 salaried jobs and to close or consolidate 21 parts and assembly plants by 1995 to save money. The revolt by the board was an important mile stone in GM’s history. From that point on, GM’s performance improved every year (Jones & Mathew, 2007, p. 432). Conflict is not all about war, violence, and loss of life. By definition, a conflict is simply a disagreement among people on an issue. Conflicts can be small, as among two persons, or they can be large and complex, as among two or more countries. Conflict is a natural and normal part of human life and interaction. When communication to settle a conflict is constructive, the conflict is beneficial. Constructive approach stimulates new understandings and more socially just solution with stronger relationship. In case of a communication breakdown, conflict can lead to separation and hostility (Sughru, 2009, pp.7-8). While analyzing conflicts, it is better to break down the issue into five variables (Sughru, 2009, p. 10). First and foremost we need a complete picture of the actors and understand their direct or indirect role. In other cases, an actor may not be

Case study on observations of a child

Case study on observations of a child For confidentiality reason, I will refer to the child as A. Child A is a male, from a working class family, mixed heritage background: mum is Indian and dad is English. He is three years and two months old, a middle child with an older brother aged four and a nine months old sister. Parents are married and they all live together. The Tavistock Model of observation was used, as it helps social work student to reflect upon situations before intervening. A naturalistic observation was carried out in a co-educational private nursery; with a class size of 20 children ages between 3-4, and 3 teachers. To respect the rights of the carers and child As parent, consent was acquired. A target child observation was conducted for one hour a week over a six weeks period. To ensure the ecological validity and reduce demand characteristics an undisclosed non-participant observation was carried out. Observations provide a means of objective measurement of a wide range of behaviours as they occur in the natural environment. The use of direct observation allows for the description and evaluation of specific behaviours. Observational data have greater external or ecological validity. Behavioural observation can provide information about the purpose or cause of a given behaviour by evaluating its origin and consequent events that maintain the target behaviours. Structured Observation The most important skill needed for structured observation is an understanding of developmental theories and the effect environmental factors have on development. All aspects of observed behaviour according to Sheppard (2006) as citied in (Adams, Dominelli, Payne, 2009, p. 211), must be rigorously explained, analysed and contextualised. A structure observation has been defined as a detached rigorous approach adopted by researchers in a naturalistic controlled observation. This approach according to, produces an ecologically viable and reliable data free from a demand characteristics due to its scientific nature. Given the complexity of a scientific observation, and the constraints of time, only scientific aspect of behaviour is observed. Objective- that is free from personal feelings or thoughts for example my previous experiences, attitude and values. In conducting the observation, I strive to avoid jumping into conclusion; making generalisation; expressing personal opinions; and labelling. Listening skills- both verbal and non-verbal communication. Direct observation of non-verbal behaviour adds information about emotional states. Social workers need to be attentive to non-verbal cues e.g. tone of voice and link behaviour with emotions that might have caused it. Retaining the role of the observer- this was done by avoiding initiating or responding to the children. Avoid premature interpretation, without seeking to understand the context in which behaviour occurred. Accurate recording in a factual and chronological manner. This was especially helpful when relating observed behaviours to psychological theories. Recording as soon as possible as this affects how much I was able recall and the language used to code behaviour and experiences was also important for understanding my material. From a social work perspective, in order to gain useful information and reliable interpretation, a reflective approach has been used. Allows control of extraneous variables. Reliability of results can be tested by repeating the study. Provides a safe environment to study contentious concepts such as infant attachment. The implementation of controls may have an effect on behaviour. Lack of ecological validity. Observer effect. Observer bias. Key psychology theories Developmental psychology is concerned with understanding the interaction between individuals and their environment, and the impact this has on their long-term development. Crawford and Walker (2003, p18) as citied in (Ingleby 2010, 74), highlighted the impact biological and sociological perspective has on child development. Social workers work in a complex society dealing with individuals, family and communities. For social workers to be effective practitioner, the ability of relating theories to practice must not be underestimated. In the child development, the nature vs. nurture debate is vital, if the extent to which environmental and/or heredity factors that affects child development is to be established. Nature looks at the impact of heredity factors whiles nurture concentrates on the environmental factors on the development of a child. Psychodynamic theory focuses on the nature side of the debate. Nature influences the societal norms especially in the classification of milestone development. This is evidence in the classification used by psychologist such as Freud in his classification of psychosocial stages of development. According to Gesell, through maturation, the sequence of later development is determined. He used this term to describe, Genetically programed sequential patterns of change (H Bee and D Boyd, 2010, p. 5). The psychodynamic theory is based on the assumption that development is in stages and maturation is based on the inner conflicts and environmental demands. According to Freud, the language and thought development can be accounted for by the egocentric nature of a child. He divided his theory into psychosexual stages; the libido was seen as the most sensitive part at that stage. The observed child was fascinated about his toilet habit: this stage of development according to Freud was referred to as the anal stage as the libidinal energy is focused there. The observed displayed the anal stage with little or no signs of the previous stage, which according to Freud is known the oral stage. For Freud, a stage cannot be completed if the childs need were not sufficiently met. Erikson like Freud is a psychoanalyst; he believes that development is through stages and that the successful interaction between the child and the environment accounts for the development. He unlike Freud believes the environmental demands accounts for more in comparison to maturation. The observed child display a secure relationship toward his mother based on trust. This according to Freud can be accounted for by the effective bonding with his mother during the critical period. Erickson stages of development Ego Development Outcome: Autonomy vs. Shame Basic Strengths: Self-control, Courage, and Will During this stage children learn to master skills for themselves. They have the opportunity to build self-esteem and autonomy as they gain more control over their bodies and acquire new skills, learning right from wrong. It is also during this stage, however, that they can be vulnerable. If they are shamed in the process of learning important skills, they may feel great shame and doubt of their capabilities and suffer low self-esteem as a result. The relationship between the child and carer is critical for emotional well-being. By responded in a loving way, the carer helps to build As self-esteem. He felt secure and ready to explore more through play and interacted well with both peers and carers. Erickson Expanded on Freuds theories, he believed that development is life-long. He emphasized that at each stage, the child acquires attitudes and skills resulting from the successful negotiation of the psychological conflict. Basic trust vs. mistrust (birth 1 year) Autonomy vs. shame and doubt (ages 1-3) Initiative vs. guilt (ages 3-6) For secure attachment to be formed, according to Freud, the childs gratifications should have been sufficiently satisfied (Gross, 2010, p. 495). Whilst carrying out this observation, child A was involved in solitary play. I noticed that A was very imaginative in his play and engaged in private speech, as he used pieces of Lego to make a train track. According to Piagets Stages of Cognitive Development, A should be in the pre-occupational where symbolism is used. By about 2 years of age a child can let one object stands for (or symbolise) something else. During play, A would get upset if the Lego were not held in place. A did not act out his frustration as appropriate attention and recognition was given by the carer. A responded happily, smiled and said thank you. Child A was dropped off at nursery at 8.00 by his mother along with his older brother. He was very happy on arrival; he knew were to hang his coat and bag. His mum praised him and gave him a hug. A has therefore been conditioned by his mum as he associate getting a kiss and hug from mum, with hanging his coat and bag. BEHAVIOURISM-This behaviour can be linked to the work of Skinner known as OPERANT CONDITIONING, this refers to the link that exist between positively affirming behaviour that reinforces a particular stimulus Ingleby (2009). He showed his mother and brother his friends and identified then by name. However there was a change in behaviour when he entered his class, he was very quiet asked his mother to stay. However, when his mother explained that she had to leave he started crying. His mother assured him and with a hug and a kiss said goodbye. His carer was then able to comfort him. After about 5 minutes he was settled and assisted himself to breakfast. According to Bowlby and Ainsworth on attachment theory child A would be described as been securely attached. He exhibited distress when mother dropped him off, but because he has formed an attachment to the carer as well, she was able to comfort him. He felt secure and able to depend on the carer this is because A knows that she will provide comfort and reassurance, in times of need. The observed child display a secure relationship toward his mother based on trust. This according to Freud can be accounted for by the effective bonding with his mother during the critical period. Secure Attachment-The carer was also seen as another attachment figure because of the behaviour, responsiveness and sensitivity of the carer. This was also demonstrated through play as the carer did not intrude but take the lead of the child and assisted when the appropriate. He independently buttered his bread and poured some milk. After breakfast, he informed his carer in a cheerful tone that he had finished his food. The carer replied saying good boy. He smiled and started putting away his cutleries and instructed a group of 3 boys and 2 girls to help tidy up. This observed behaviour has linked to: Lev Vygotskys Sociocultural Theory Childrens cognitive development is heavily influenced by social and cultural factors. Childrens thinking develops through dialogues with more capable people Zone of Proximal Development: child A needed guidance during play by the skilled carer who acted as a scaffolding: by providing temporary support. Adults help children learn how to think by scaffolding, or supporting, their attempts to solve a problem or to discover principles. Scaffolding must be responsive to a childs needs On the nurture side of the debate, is behavioural theories, child development is influenced by environmental factors and the unconscious they believe is of little importance. According to Watson 1913 as cited by (H Bee and D Boyd, 2010), nurture plays an important part through the manipulation of environmental factors. This was demonstrated in his research on Little Albert and the effect of classical conditioning. The focus of the behavioural approach is on how the environment influences overt behaviour. According to behaviourist, an individual is a clean slate and the environmental factors are the chalk and the individual holding the chalk: what is written on the slate is decided by the individual holding the chalk (Ingleby, 2010, p. 5). An individual identity is therefore shaped by the interaction between the individual and the environment; this is a theory that can be associated with psychologist such as Skinner, Watson and Pavlov. Nature and nurture interaction is complex and both cannot independently shape a childs development. Rultter A, as cited in that nature should be considered by examining the vulnerability and protective factors effects on child development. Stages of human development and there relevance to social work Developmental psychology is concerned with understanding the interaction between individuals and their environment, and the impact this has on their long-term development. Crawford and Walker (2003, p18) as citied in (Ingleby, 2010, p. 74), highlighted the impact biological and sociological perspective has on child development. It is difficult to determine specific times when developmental changes occur, as they differ from person to person. The importance of observing children It gives a true and accurate account of the stages of development It aids our understanding of child development It provides evidence on our knowledge of what influences may affect development A clear understanding of the value and theories of play Observation helps us to fill in the gap between theory and practice. Fawcett (1996) describes the purpose of a child observation as: to develop professional competence in work with children and familiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦observation should help you understand children and their range of behaviour better, to reassess your own preconceptions on the subject (Fawcett 1996, cited in The Frame work for Assessment of children in needà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) objective An increased sensitivity to children and a heightened awareness of the unique qualities of childhood A greater knowledge of how Child A thinks, feels, view the world, and how this compares to developmental norms A picture of child A, based on conditions that changes as new information added over time (Feeney, 2001, p.107-112 When interpreting the result of my observation, I was aware of my own assumptions about childrens behaviour based on my knowledge and experience (i.e. child development, socio-cultural influences, individual experience, etc.) The different perspectives that can contribute to a better understanding of the childs behaviour. I also learn to reflect on my feelings without distorting the observation. I also learn to recognise the childs position in his family and nursery, as well the wider social context and appreciate the diversity of these networks. REFLECTION At the start of the observation I felt anxious and concentrated on trying to relate psychological theories to observed behaviour. However, with time I became less anxious about the process and I was beginning to feel relax in my role as an observer. I felt happy at how responsive the carers were to the needs of the child especially during separation with parent and play. Following the death of Baby P, Laming (2009) recommended a full remodelling of social work training: good observation analytic skills; development of emotional resilience; reflection on and analysis of what is observed. Reflection according to Ruch (2000) supports insight into: how personal background affects learning and practice; the unavoidable impact of the emotional content of the interactions between social worker and client; the experiences of the client enables holistic approach to self and practice by integrating thinking and feeling On examining attachment I believe it is important to examine how emotionally expressive the culture in question is only then can we build a true picture of the attachment of the child based on an anti-discriminatory theory base. This experience has been invaluable as it contributes toward my personal development as it has enhanced my reflective and self-aware use of self which necessary for personal development and use of the professional self. As started by Mandell (2008 p. 244) Social workers bring to their profession not only their skills and knowledge but also their emotional history, values, commitment to social justice, biases, attitudes, anxieties, self-concept, protective instincts, cultural background and social identity During the observation and when relating observed behaviours to psychological theories I was petrified of mirroring my own early experiences and the influence this may have on my behaviour and responses to the observed behaviour. Closely observing a child over time has given me insight knowledge of theorising. I was able to integrate theory with practice and an understanding of the variety and range of factors that have an impact upon childrens development and performance. The understanding of self, self-awareness and been reflective in practice and learning and acknowledging how my personal background may affect my learning and practice; Understanding the unavoidable impact of the emotional content of the interactions between social worker and service users; for example during the observation I felt isolated, confused, happy, anxious and frustrated at times. This experience also helps me develop and understand the importance of maintaining professional boundaries for example maintaining the role of an observer; and integrity in initiating the contact between the nursery and the parent of the child observed by been honest about my intention and maintaining confidentiality. On the issue of seeking the consent of the child, I faced no dilemmas as the child was unable to give informed consent.

Books and the Internet Essay

The book industry has always been an integral part of society. However, recent surges in technology, especially the internet, have put this industry under pressure and have transformed it into a broader, more competitive entity. In the past, the book store was the only pace to buy and sell books but these buildings could be soon be obsolete with the introduction of online shopping for books and the more impressive and rapidly growing industry of e-books, as seen by the accompanying chart1. Figures from 2012 show that giant online bookstore Amazon, is now selling 1.4 e-books for every print book sold and this trend is showing no signs of slowing down2. These steps in technology give both readers and authors great opportunities. The introduction of online shopping and e-books have given consumers food for thought in regards to what way they go about buying a book. The somewhat â€Å"old-fashioned† way in some regards of visiting the nearby bookstore is nearly a thing of the past with the introduction of online shopping. The now giant online superstore Amazon.com was the first online bookstore back in 1994, created by Jeffrey Bezos3. It gave book readers the benefit of being able to buy books from home as well offering lower prices. Publishers don’t need to fill shelves with books, once a book is ordered it is produced and shipped to the customer4. The unneeded stock pile of books results in lower costs for the publisher and thus lower costs for the online buyer. These two options result in the customer buying a paper book. The third option differs from this and really brings technology to the fore. E-books are rapidly growing and are taking the book industry over by storm. E-books can be bought over the internet and downloaded to various devices (e-readers) such as Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad. They offer many advantages over paper books to readers5. Compared to some paper books which are big, heavy, cumbersome objects to be carrying around, hundreds of e-books can be stored on an e-reader. In terms of costs, e-books offer the cheaper option than paper books as no trees or ink have to be used in the sale of e-books. E-books also offer the benefit of privacy in regards to others knowing what book you are reading as well as offering certain tools such as a dictionary, built in lights, access to the internet etc. Special add-ons can also be included as part of an e-book such as additional pictures or content6. The introduction of e-books could possibly have a greater effect for authors than readers. Their introduction has expanded the book world, allowing the smaller authors to be seen as well as letting smaller business compete4. A similar technological progression in the music and movie industry resulted in some parts of the industry being destroyed as CDs replaced VCRs and cassettes, thus rendering the latter obsolete4. As previously mentioned, e-books require lower cost to be produced and do not require shelf space to be seen. This means that even small time authors can get their books produce without too much difficulty as publishing such e-books bears little costs to the publisher7. The lower cost also results in higher margins for the publisher as well as the author. On the other side of the coin, since e-books are downloaded digitally, once a customer buys one, they can easily send it onto another customer8. This piracy results in losses for both the publisher and author. The chart shows the increase in piracy and file-sharing since mid-2008 with the use of such file-sharing websites as Rapidshare. com, 4shared. com and Megaupload. net9. In conclusion, the progression of technology and the internet has changed the book industry drastically. Gone are the days where one had to make the journey to the bookshop in order to read the newly released classic. Online shopping has cut out that journey with the click of the button while e-books have cut out the physical book altogether. In my opinion, the future book industry will be taken over by e-books with paper books being left to be a thing of the past. References 1 Terra, Evo. (2012) ‘2008 – 2011 Book Sales Chart’, 2nd March 2012. Available at: https://plus. google.com/109993735355691141353/posts/fr3e3N171nr (Accessed 2nd December 2012) 2 BBC News (2012) ‘Amazon selling more Kindle eBooks than print books’, 6th August 2012. Available at: http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/technology-19148146 (Accessed 2nd December 2012) 3 Byers, A. (2007) ‘Jeff Bezos: The Founder of Amazon. com. ’. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. 4 Kagan, J. (2012) ‘How the E-Book Is Reinventing the Book Business, E-Commerce Times’, 2nd September. Available from: http://www. ecommercetimes. com/story/74383. html (Accessed 2nd December 2012) 5 Hess, S.(2012) ‘E-Books or Real Books: What Book Lovers Think – The benefits and drawbacks of e-books’, 31st January. Available at: http://www. webpronews. com/e-books-or-real-books-what-book-lovers-think-2012-01 (Accessed 2nd December 2012) 6 Willans, J. (2012) ‘The 5 most exciting ways tech has revolutionized the book industry’, 30th April. Available at: http://conversations. nokia. com/2012/04/30/the-5-most-exciting-ways-tech-has-revolutionized-the-book-industry/ (Accessed 2nd December 2012) 7 Bosman, J (2008) ‘Small Book Publishers Offered New Technology’ , 3rd September. Available at: http://www. nytimes. com/2008/09/04/books/04perseus. html? _r=0 (Accessed 2nd December 2012) 8 Messieh, N (2011) ‘Does e-book piracy really matter? ’ , 24th June. Available at: http://thenextweb. com/media/2011/06/24/does-e-book-piracy-really-matter/ (Accessed 2nd December 2012) 9 unknown (2010) ‘The Rise in eBook Piracy’, October. Available at: http://www. attributor. com/data/php/research/234-the-rise-in-ebook-piracy. php (Accessed 2nd December 2012)

Investigating How Genre and Narrative are Established in...

Investigating How Genre and Narrative are Established in Oceans Eleven and The Bone Collector In order to examine how genre and narrative is established in two crime films, we conducted a close textual analysis of Ocean’s Eleven and The Bone Collector to find out the main conventions. The main conventions of the crime genre are law enforcers, criminals and action sequence. There are also other signifers such as criminals and etc. You can find typical iconography in the crime genre; the most obvious one is a gun. Other iconography in the crime genre includes police uniform, badges, gadgets, money. There have been many notable crime films such as Seven (2000), Paycheck (2004) and The Godfather†¦show more content†¦Criminal behaviour has been so constant in movies that are the following genre of a greater understanding of crime in film: thriller, action, suspense, mystery, detective, prison, film noir and the most modern heist. The crime genre started with one main sub-genre, and that was the gangsta genre. The crime genre appeals to a mainstream and diverse audiences because of all the elements of the film. Firstly, the action elements of the films which include shoot-outs and car chases appeal to the mainstream audience. The action sequence are very important to the mainstream audience as they want to see the spectacle .Secondly, the A-list actors, who are attracted to the crime genre, make certain people go want the movie for the star. Thirdly, the crime genre appeals to the diverse audience are because there are other type of film if you don’t like action, there is often a more complex storyline. Arguably the biggest appeal for the crime genre is the diversity of film, there is a sub-genre for everyone, which creates appeal for mainstream and diverse audience. These crime films have resulted in some actors being typecast. This means that the actors are expected to play a certain role. For example, Morgan Freeman is typecast as a veteran detective such as in Seven and Along came a Spider. The films that I have examined are