Corellis Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres Essay examples -- Corellis M

Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres Carlo was fighting for Italy, while Mandras was in the Greek army. Both of the characters experienced a lot during the war. Nevertheless everything Mandras and Carlo fought on opposite sides. What does it say about the novels moral scheme, that the sufferings of ordinary people on both sides are recounted in detail? Consider these two characters but also other â€Å"moral† issues raised in the novel so far. Mandras and Carlo fought on opposite sides. Their experiences and feelings through out the war are recounted to the readers in a lot of details. And even though they were â€Å"enemies†, their stories are very similar, as if the author is talking about the same man. This style of narration tells us something about the moral scheme of the novel. De Bernieres is trying to show the readers that there is no difference between human beings. That they all share similar feelings and have similar ideas about life. However similarity between people is not the only â€Å"moral† issue that is being raised, the author also raises the question about religion, education, sufferings and of course of love. In this essay I will primarily discuss the similarities between people, concentrating mostly on the two main characters: Carlo and Mandras. And then I will talk about the other â€Å"moral† issues raised in the novel so far. Carlo was fighting for Italy, while Mandras was in the Greek army. Both of the characters experienced a lot during the war. Nevertheless everything that has happened to them is very similar. First of all, both of the characters had a completely wrong impression of what war is like. They both believed that it was something glorious, something worthwhile. Carlo wa... ...vive if a person doesn’t have a soul, however the souls of soldiers â€Å"diminished to a tiny point of grey light†. They no longer believed as they saw all the sufferings of the people, which in the end were useless. Instead of praying to God, they started praying to the people they loved, as they believed that unlike God their beloved ones wouldn’t forget them. â€Å"I had you instead of the Virgin, I even prayed to you.† (p.157). During the war, the soldiers completely lost their faith and hope. So as we can see the role of religion in people’s lives is also an important â€Å"moral† issue that is raised in the novel. All of these factors tell us that there are several different moral schemes in the novel. And the development of each issue depends on the situation that the person is in, and not on the person himself, as in the end all the humans are very similar.

Breaking the Poverty Cycle

The poverty cycle is also termed as the behavior pattern of situations that cannot easily be altered and when referring to a given country it is called the â€Å"development trap† (Oster, Lake, & Gene, 1978) . This cycle is defined as the set of events or factors which once commenced, have no possibility of stopping unless there is intervention from external causing their subsequent generations to equally be impoverished. It is a phenomenon in which poor families end up being trapped in poverty for a period exceeding two and a half generations.The main cause for such families to be in this situation is the limitation to and lack of resources such as connections, financial capital, training and education. Under normal circumstances it is virtually impossible for any individual to break this cycle meaning that the poor people will for a long time remain poor. This is because many poverty cycles overlap and perpetuate other cycles causing any attempt to break this cycle to be unr ealistic. This situation is mostly found in shanty towns and inner city areas.Poverty refers to the state of material deprivation having either little or no goods, money and means of support. It is a condition in which an individual stays poor such that they experience deficiency their desired needs. Poverty is usually measured by the availability of infrastructure services, like sanitation and safe water. Poverty has been classified into two broad categories which are the situational poverty and generational poverty (Oster, Lake, & Gene, 1978). With this in mind this paper centers on what individuals are doing in order to break the cycle of poverty.This is with respect to the sociological imagination and the three major social theories of symbolic interaction, conflict and structural functionalism. In order to break the cycle of poverty, action needs to be put in place to deal with the root causes of poverty because the cycle of poverty is usually systemic in nature. This has been achieved via sociological imagination and social theories such as symbolic interaction, conflict together with structural functionalism as well.Sociological imagination entails a mind set which allows individuals to visualize the relationship that exists between events that occur in their personal lives and events within the society. Wright Mills adds to this definition by putting it as the means of breaking the poverty cycle through taking part in activities that are shaped by the situations that people find themselves in (Mills, 2000). Symbolic interactionism is one of the leading social psychological theories that focus on the ways through which meanings emerge from social interactions between places and individuals.Its prime concern has been to analyze the meanings of life events by way of intimate familiarity and close observational work. It equally gives strong emphasis on the role of symbols through language, gestures and signs as the core elements of these interactions (Reyn olds & Herman-Kinney, 2003). From the sociological perspective, the conflict theory involves perspectives that emphasize on political, social and material inequality of a given society. This Marxist-based social theory argues that groups and individuals of different social classes vary in amounts of non-material and material resources.The social conflict theory states that groups within a capitalist society interact destructively in such a way that there is little cooperation and no mutual benefit. According to Weber, the major class division is between those who do not and those who own the forces of production in the following classes, the propertied upper class, the property less white collar workers, the petty bourgeoisie and the manual working class (Agger, 1991). Structural functionalism is a theory which states that the function of a cultural trait, especially in an institution is the preservation and creation of social order.It addresses the social structure with respect to the function of the constituent elements such as the institutions, norms, customs and traditions. It also studies society as a structure with interrelated parts that work toward its proper functioning. In the society it is the positions that individuals occupy which are ranked, not the individuals (O'Neill, 1995). With respect to an Ontarion initiative to break the poverty cycle, studies on this initiative gave a head way to efforts that are being employed by people within the government, donor organizations, companies, individual families and communities to break the poverty cycle.According to the Ontario child support, education was used as the best way to break this cycle, through the enhancement of programs for at-risk kids in school. It offers support to more recreation programs for neighbor-hoods with high-needs. Further on education, this initiative provides support for parents in ensuring their children go to school particularly the low-income families (Ontario. ca, 2010). T he initiative also builds stronger communities because safety is considered one of the best ways to aid low-income families to enjoy better life.This has been done through investing in a fund which gives the local leaders funds for the establishment of community revitalization projects. It also avails summer jobs programs to give the children in priority neighbor-hoods valuable work experience. The initiative has also stabilized funding for the Provincial Rent Bank Program to aid persons facing possible eviction. The Ontario child support has also visualized a smarter government in such a way that they get the most for each dollar spent in support of low-income families.This is through a review of social assistance by increasing opportunity and removing barriers for people trying to move from social assistance into employment. In addition to this a Social Policy Institute focusing on evaluation and evidence-based social is being developed (Ontario. ca, 2010). Other efforts made by i ndividuals to break the poverty cycle includes self employment, where they get full benefits of the work they are doing in terms of reward which is mostly evident in the developing countries.People learn basic skills and end up being in a better position to support their families. Individuals have opened up to acquiring incomes that depend on the environment especially in Senegal and Dakar, where waste picker on the Mbeubeuss landfill site make a living by recycling materials. In Kampala, widows feed their families through urban gardening and rental income. Another initiative to break the poverty cycle is by The Sea to Sea partners who partake in self employment by teaching farmers new agriculture techniques (Dale, 2008).In an effort to break poverty cycles, policy-makers and companies ensure that the acquisition of assets such as land by poor communities is made easy through grants and other aids. Such assets are then developed to a level where they generate income and improve the lives of communities involved. Governments on the same note have resorted to promotion of equitable pay for all employees regardless of their social status through implementing policies. Other support agencies like the Sea to Sea works within communities and families to set up micro-credit loans to enable them acquire assets (Christian-Reformed-Church, 2010).Further efforts in breaking the poverty cycle include the cancellation or reduction of the national debt especially for the world's poorest countries so that the nations' economies of these countries experience some positive turn. Additionally, in a country like New York, according to an article by Frederique Krupa, a ten-year plan was started by the Koch Administration, intended to avail the New York City renovated apartment units because the city at the time was thriving and by so doing the city would be able to avoid the numerous lawsuits from powerful community groups.This is another way used to break the poverty cycle by cu rbing on oppression of the poor by the rich (Krupa, 1991). Social activists have also made an effort in breaking this cycle by focusing on anti-discrimination laws especially in the work place so as to increase the opportunities given to poor minorities and poverty elimination. It is common knowledge that over the years the poor have continued to work in the low paying but tiring jobs. There are minor means that have been employed by individual families such as cost sharing between husbands and wives in the sense that they both go out strive to earn income for the family.For wealthy individuals or any one who may have acquired capital, â€Å"provision of employment† by underpaying workers has enabled them break and stay away from poverty thus making more profits and continue to thrive on other people’s sweat. Some people strive to join politics so that they raise their status in society and earn more income by attaining high ranks within the government and society at l arge. If this cycle is left to persist, it may result to criminal activities like the selling of illegal drugs by the poor for survival. With these, there are numerous outcomes such as early death, addiction, breakup of families and shattered health.Other consequences include increase in slums within a country and stress causing very poor health levels. It is therefore important that everyone contributes to the breaking of the poverty cycle. References: Agger, B. (1991). A critical theory of public life: knowledge, discourse, and politics in an age of decline. New York: Routledge. Christian-Reformed-Church. (2010). What is the Cycle of Poverty? Retrieved March 6, 2010, from http://www. crcna. org/pages/sea_cycleofpoverty. cfm Dale, S. (2008, September). Breaking the Cycle of Urban Poverty. Retrieved March 6, 2010, from http://www. idrc. ca/en/ev-129440-201-1-DO_TOPIC.

“He Is More Than A Hero” written by Sappho Essay

â€Å"He is a god in my eyes- the man who is allowed to sit beside you† â€Å"If I met you suddenly, I can’t speak- my tongue is broken† The following lines were taken from a poem written by Sappho entitled â€Å"He Is More Than A Hero.† For those who are not familiar with Sappho, she was a resident of a city names Lesbos. She lived from 630 B.C. – 570 B.C. In the city of Lesbos, Sappho was a highly respected poet/teacher by many but mainly the females. It is said that she was constantly surrounded by a circle of women who studied poetry with her. I am using this background information and the quotation from one of her many poems â€Å"He Is More Than A Hero† to support my theory that Sappho was a homosexual. Though the evidence is merely circumstantial, I feel that it is enough to convince one that she is a homosexual. The poem which I extracted my thesis statement is obviously being written to a woman, but it is cleverly masked by the title â€Å"He Is More Than A Hero† and a few other lines in the poem. In the beginning of the poem she is briefly describing someone’s male companion who is apparently a good lover possessing a few qualities that Sappho admires. â€Å"He who listens to the sweet murmur of your voice- the enticing laughter that makes my own heart beat fast.† Though the first few lines serve as a clever disguise, a cultured reader notices that the poem suddenly changes subjects, moving from a description of this man who is a god in Sappho’s eyes to a declaration of love for the female companion of this man-god. The 3-4th lines address an unknown you who is apparently the companion of this striking male. The you is also addressed in line 9 . The rest of the poem following that is a love ballad to this you who was first identified as being the companion of the man god. If one is not a skilled reader he/she may have missed the transition of the poem from one person to another. The first few lines serve as a disguise and a way for the author to express her jealousy of him being next to his female companion. She views him as  being a god because him being in the object of Sappho’s affection makes him that. This is based on the thought that if someone possesses something that you do not then they have a higher position of power than you. This thought accounts for her viewing him as being a God. There are also a few other pieces of evidence that suggest that the poet Sappho was a homosexual. She was a resident of an city known as â€Å"Lesbos†. The name of the city had a striking similarity to a word which is given to homosexual women of modern times â€Å"Lesbian†. It is also said that she was often surrounded by women who were her â€Å"students†. Though this evidence can be seen as being only circumstantial, I feel that the combination of her addressing a female in her poem â€Å"He Is More Than A Hero† as having certain homo-erotic effects on her such as making her feel as â€Å"a thin flame runs under my skin† and making her â€Å"drip with sweat† whenever she sees her is enough to label her as being the â€Å"Greatest Lesbian Poet of Rome†

Free Essays on E.A. Poe’s Insights On Insanity And The Workings Of The Human Psyche

There is one thread that all would agree binds many of Poe’s works together . . . Murder and the insanity associated with it. Where the workings of the human mind are concerned, Poe puts to paper what many cannot even imagine. This is especially evident in his short stories such as â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Black Cat† in which the common themes are murder, insanity, and darkness. We all wonder what goes on in the mind of a person driven so far over the brink of human sanity that they would actually murder another person. We wonder what could drive one human being to want to kill another. In pondering the issues above, we often set ourselves aside in thinking that only the obviously and criminally insane are capable of doing such a deed and no seemingly normal person would ever commit such a heinous act, especially not anyone near and dear to us, but what if it were to happen? What if someone close to us were to wish us harm and become aggravated enough to carry out that wish? In forcing us to ask these questions, Poe also focuses on the workings of the human psyche and more specifically on the ability of a seemingly normal person on the brink of sanity to commit insane acts of morbid brutality. Furthermore, what if the person committing the crime were you? Would you readily recognize your insanity or try to place the blame on the victim and try to convince others that you were justified in taking the life of another human being? It is this very line of thinking that Poe forces one to analyze in his short stories filled with murder, insanity, and darkness. A common theme in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Black Cat† is the narrator being a seemingly normal and perfectly sane person to all others when in actuality the case was anything but. From the onset of â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† the narrator attempts to convince the readers that he is sane, â€Å"TRUE!- nervous- very, very dreadfully nervous I had b... Free Essays on E.A. Poe’s Insights On Insanity And The Workings Of The Human Psyche Free Essays on E.A. Poe’s Insights On Insanity And The Workings Of The Human Psyche There is one thread that all would agree binds many of Poe’s works together . . . Murder and the insanity associated with it. Where the workings of the human mind are concerned, Poe puts to paper what many cannot even imagine. This is especially evident in his short stories such as â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Black Cat† in which the common themes are murder, insanity, and darkness. We all wonder what goes on in the mind of a person driven so far over the brink of human sanity that they would actually murder another person. We wonder what could drive one human being to want to kill another. In pondering the issues above, we often set ourselves aside in thinking that only the obviously and criminally insane are capable of doing such a deed and no seemingly normal person would ever commit such a heinous act, especially not anyone near and dear to us, but what if it were to happen? What if someone close to us were to wish us harm and become aggravated enough to carry out that wish? In forcing us to ask these questions, Poe also focuses on the workings of the human psyche and more specifically on the ability of a seemingly normal person on the brink of sanity to commit insane acts of morbid brutality. Furthermore, what if the person committing the crime were you? Would you readily recognize your insanity or try to place the blame on the victim and try to convince others that you were justified in taking the life of another human being? It is this very line of thinking that Poe forces one to analyze in his short stories filled with murder, insanity, and darkness. A common theme in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Black Cat† is the narrator being a seemingly normal and perfectly sane person to all others when in actuality the case was anything but. From the onset of â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† the narrator attempts to convince the readers that he is sane, â€Å"TRUE!- nervous- very, very dreadfully nervous I had b...

Math Curriculum Plan of Study

Math Curriculum Plan of Study High school math typically consists of three or four years of required credits along with additionally offered electives. In many states, the choice of courses is determined by whether the student is on a career or college preparatory path. Following is an overview of suggested required courses in a curriculum, for either a student going on a Career Preparatory Path or a College Preparatory Path along with electives one might find at a typical high school. Sample High School Career Preparatory Math Plan of Study Year One–Algebra 1 Major Topics: Real NumbersLinear EquationsSystems of EquationsExponentsPolynomials and FactoringQuadratic EquationsRadicals Year Two–Liberal Arts Math This course is intended to bridge the gap between Algebra 1 and Geometry by building on the students algebra skills to help them prepare for geometry.Major Topics: Exponents and RadicalsAlgebraic Expressions and PolynomialsLinear and Quadratic EquationsSystems of Linear Equations and InequalitiesCoordinate GeometryTwo-Dimensional FiguresProperties of congruent and similar trianglesRight TrianglesSurface Area and Volume Year Three–Geometry Major Topics: Length, Distance, and AnglesProofsParallel LinesPolygonsCongruencyArea Relationships and the Pythagorean TheoremCoordinate GeometrySurface Area and VolumeSimilarityIntroduction to Trigonometry and Circles Sample High School College Preparatory Math Plan of Study Year One–Algebra 1 OR Geometry Students who completed Algebra 1 in middle school will move directly into Geometry. Otherwise, they will complete Algebra 1 in ninth grade.Major Topics Included in Algebra 1: Real NumbersLinear EquationsSystems of EquationsExponentsPolynomials and FactoringQuadratic EquationsRadicals Major Topics Included in Geometry: Length, Distance, and AnglesProofsParallel LinesPolygonsCongruencyArea Relationships and the Pythagorean TheoremCoordinate GeometrySurface Area and VolumeSimilarityIntroduction to Trigonometry and Circles Year Two–Geometry or Algebra 2 Students who completed Algebra 1 in their ninth grade year will continue with Geometry. Otherwise, they will enroll in Algebra 2. Major Topics Included in Algebra 2: Families of FunctionsMatricesSystems of EquationsQuadraticsPolynomials and FactoringRational ExpressionsThe Composition of Functions and Inverse FunctionsProbability and Statistics Year Three–Algebra 2 or Precalculus Students who completed Algebra 2 in their tenth-grade year will continue with Precalculus which includes topics in Trigonometry. Otherwise, they will enroll in Algebra 2.Major Topics Included in Precalculus: Functions and Graphing FunctionsRational and Polynomial FunctionsExponential and Logarithmic FunctionsBasic TrigonometryAnalytic TrigonometryVectorsLimits Year Four–Precalculus or Calculus Students who completed Precalculus in their eleventh-grade year will continue with Calculus. Otherwise, they will enroll in Precalculus.Major Topics Included in Calculus: LimitsDifferentiationIntegrationLogarithmic, Exponential, and Other Transcendental FunctionsDifferential EquationsIntegration Techniques AP Calculus is the standard replacement for Calculus. This is the equivalent of a first-year college introductory calculus course. Math Electives Typically students take their math elective in their senior year. Following are a sampling of typical math electives offered in high schools. AP Statistics: this is the study of collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data.

Dialect and Venacular Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dialect and Venacular - Term Paper Example It cannot be denied that dialect influences phonological awareness. Divergent speakers end up bypassing certain phonemes. In a study conducted by Rebecca Treiman (2004) it was established that due to this bypass, divergent speakers were more likely to spell words wrong. The study tries to find the truth in the statement whereby some phonological experts opine that spelling and reading development is affected mostly by phonology. It is how people speak that they read and/or write. The result of Treiman’s study (2004), which involved African Americans, who spoke African American Vernacular English (AAVE) as well as SAE speakers, both as participants and experimenters, showed that AAVE speakers were more likely to spell words based on how they spoke them, whereas SAE speakers made spelling errors when the experimenter calling out the words to be spelled was an AAVE speaker. Treiman (2004) attributes this as one of the contributing factors to the lag seen in the literacy skills of African Americans. Interestingly enough, there is a positive influence of dialect on phonological awareness as well. People used to, or growing up with, vernacular differing from SAE are actually more phonologically aware than those who only use SAE. Those speaking dialects are often in minority and have to learn the â€Å"standard† way of speech as well, or at least be able to understand it orally. For this reason, divergent speakers often have fine-tuned phonological awareness, as they are much more conscious of the differences of phonetics between their own vernacular and the standard speech. This hypothesis was also put forward by Sligh and Conners’ 2003 study, in which they stated that it could be possible that divergent speakers developed â€Å"good phonological processing skills, due to their experience with two dialects in which there are phonological differences† (p. 222). There needs to be more research done with this regard, however. It is often take n to be a fact that vernacular and speech have a direct relationship with reading skills. Children who come from a background where Standard American English (or SAE, as Sligh and Conners term it in their 2003 study) is not used, instead being replaced by a dialect, are often expected to give low results with regard to their reading skills. It is thought that as their vernacular does not allow them to use SAE, they will not be able to learn to read it either. Perhaps this has got more to do with prejudice than reality. As Goodman and Buck opine (1997), often teachers confuse language difference with language deficiency, thus undermining the divergent speakers’ ability to learn to read normally, like those other than him, as well as hampering their self-confidence. There is a â€Å"linguistic discrimination† (Goodman & Buck, 1997, p. 455), which can be, and often is, the cause of low reading skills and reading impairment in divergent speakers. This attitude often is res ponsible for a vicious cycle in which the teacher, unintentionally, lowers the linguistic self-confidence of the divergent reader, causing him or her to be hesitant in learning, and because of this hesitancy the basic false assumption of the teacher seems to be validated in the teacher’s eyes, i.e. the divergent speaker has reading difficulties. Though vernacular does have an impact on reading skills (as well as writing

Family Conditions And Child Treatment Research Paper

Family Conditions And Child Treatment - Research Paper Example Other than parental monitoring, there are also several other aspects of family functioning that influence the behaviour and thinking of the child and they are family relation characteristics like beliefs, cohesion and organisational structure. Studies have shown that low emotional warmth, lack of proper organisational structure, low beliefs and low cohesion levels are associated with delinquent behaviour (Gorman-Smith, p.170). More often than not, juvenile delinquents are individuals who come from broken home background (Siegel, p.74). These children either reside in single-parent households or in any other household in which their biological parents are not there. Intact family may be defined as a nuclear family arrangement in which both biological parents reside in the household with their biological children (Kierkus & Baer, 2002; cited in Murray, p.88). Two-parent arrangement in which a step parent is present, single-parent arrangements, extended family member arrangements and fo ster family arrangements do not fall under intact family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Association between broken homes and juvenile delinquency was studied as early as 1932 by Shaw and McKay (cited in Murray, p.88). These researchers reviewed literature pertaining to type of homes and delinquents and compared delinquents from intact homes and disrupted homes. In their review they opined that most of the studies pertaining to these had several limitations and that several other factors other than intactness of homes influenced development of juvenile behaviour.... Intact family may be defined as a nuclear family arrangement in which both biological parents reside in the household with their biological children (Kierkus & Baer, 2002; cited in Murray, p.88). Two-parent arrangement in which a step parent is present, single-parent arrangements, extended family member arrangements and foster family arrangements do not fall under intact family. Association between broken homes and juvenile delinquency was studied as early as 1932 by Shaw and McKay (cited in Murray, p.88). These researchers reviewed literature pertaining to type of homes and delinquents and compared delinquents from intact homes and disrupted homes. In their review they opined that most of the studies pertaining to these had several limitations and that several other factors other than intactness of homes influenced development of juvenile behaviour. Research from that period has questioned the influence of family intactness on development of juvenile delinquency. According to a rece nt study by Demuth and Brown (2000, cited in Murray, p.88), though broken homes are strongly associated with juvenile delinquency, the family arrangement are not just the broken home issue. This is because; there is enough evidence to suggest that the risk of juvenile delinquency is higher among teenagers residing with single fathers when compared to those residing in a 2-parent household. This probably is because of the decreased parental involvement in the former case. The researchers opined that the main factors which contributed to delinquency were lack of supervision from parent's side and absence of close relationship between the adolescent and his or her parents. Geismar and Wood (1986;