Aggression and Social Learning Theory

Aggression, in its broadest sense, is behavior, or a disposition, that is forceful, hostile or attacking. It may occur either in retaliation or without provocation. In narrower definitions that are used in social sciences and behavioral sciences, aggression is an intention to cause harm or an act intended to increase relative social dominance. Predatory or defensive behavior between members of different species may not be considered aggression in the same sense. Aggression can take a variety of forms and can be physical or be communicated verbally or non-verbally.Aggression differs from what is commonly called assertiveness, although the terms are often used interchangeably among laypeople, e. g. an aggressive salesperson According to Kendra Cherry, In psychology, the term ‘aggression’ refers to a range of behaviors that can result in both physical and psychological harm to oneself, other or objects in the environment. The expression of aggression can occur in a number o f ways, including verbally, mentally and physically. (source: aboutpsychology. om) Two broad categories of aggression are commonly distinguished.One includes affective (emotional) and hostile or retaliatory aggression, and the other includes instrumental, goal-oriented or predatory aggression. [2] Data on violence from a range of disciplines lend some support to a distinction between affective and predatory aggression. [3] However, some researchers question the usefulness of a hostile vs instrumental distinction in humans, despite its ubiquity in research, because most real-life cases involve mixed motives and interacting causes. 4] A number of classifications and dimensions of aggression have been suggested.These depend on such things as whether the aggression is verbal or physical; whether or not it involves relational aggression such as covert bullying and social manipulation;[5] whether harm to others is intended or not; whether it is carried out actively or expressed passively; and whether the aggression is aimed directly or indirectly. Classification may also encompass aggression-related emotions (e. g. anger) and mental states (e. g. impulsivity, hostility). 6] Aggression may occur in response to non-social as well as social factors, and can have a close relationship with stress coping style. 7]Aggression may be displayed in order to intimidate. The operative definition of aggression may be affected by moral or political views. Examples are the axiomatic moral view called the non-aggression principle and the political rules governing the behavior of one country toward another. [8] Likewise in competitive sports, or in the workplace, some forms of aggression may be sanctioned and others not. [9] THEORIES OF AGGRESSION: Instinct Theory: Through evolution, humans have inherited a fighting instinct similar to that found in many species of animals.Leading Proponent: Konrad Lorenz (ethology) He says we have a biological need for aggression. It gets stronger a s time passes since the last aggressive act (like hunger increases hours after a meal). This causes our energy level (drive level) to increase. This energy must somehow be released (â€Å"catharsis†). Instinct Theory says that humans learn their own individual ways of expressing aggressive motivation. Nonhuman species behave in ways that are genetically programmed and characteristic of all members of the species.Fixed Action Pattern: complex behavior that is largely unlearned and found in all members of a species (or subgroup), and that is triggered by a very simple stimulus in the environment (â€Å"releaser†). Social Learning Theory: Human aggression is largely learned by watching other people behave aggressively, either in person or in films. It is also learned when we are rewarded for aggression. Leading Proponent: Albert Bandura Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis: Our motivation for aggression increases when our ongoing behavior is interrupted or we are prevented f rom reaching a goal.Negative Affect Theory: Proposed by Leonard Berkowitz, it states that negative feelings and experiences are the main cause of anger and angry aggression. Sources of anger include: pain, frustration, loud noise, foul odors, crowding, sadness, and depression. The likelihood that an angry person will act aggressively depends on his or her interpretation of the motives of the people involved. TYPES OF HUMAN AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR: PHYSICAL VIOLENCE- Physical aggression often involves acts of violence taken with the intention of causing harm to the recipient, including death, by using weapons or even someone's bare hands. VERBAL HOSTILITY- Verbal aggression includes behavior such as bullying, threats or yelling.The Mayo Clinic includes name-calling and insults under the category of domestic violence. Put-downs, intentional or perceived, can have profound detrimental effects on the recipients. * NON-VERBAL INTIMIDATION- Nonverbal intimidation often implies the threat of violence, at least in the perception of the person at the receiving end.Stalking often involves one or more forms of nonverbal intimidation, including following the victim, planting malicious software in a victim's computer, sending unwanted gifts and vandalism against the victim's property. * PASSIVE AGGRESSION- Passive aggression is often generated by resentment on the part of someone who is unable or unwilling to express this resentment directly. PURPOSE OF AGGRESSION: Aggression can also serve a number of different purposes: To express anger or hostility To assert dominance To intimidate or threaten To achieve a goal To express possessionA response to fear A reaction to pain To compete with others Researchers have suggested that individual who engage in affective aggression, defined as aggression that is unplanned and uncontrolled, tend to have lower IQs than people who display predatory aggression. Predatory aggression is defined as aggression that is controlled, planned and go al-oriented. AGGRESSION AND MEDIA: Scholars believe that behaviors like aggression may be partially learned by watching and imitating the behavior of others. Some scholars have concluded that media may have some small effects on aggression.There is also research questioning this view. For instance, a recent long-term outcome study of youth found no long-term relationship between playing violent video games and youth violence or bullying. One study suggested there is a smaller effect of violent video games on aggression than has been found with television violence on aggression. This effect is positively associated with type of game violence and negatively associated to time spent playing the games. The author concluded that insufficient evidence exists to link video game violence with aggression.

The experiences of family members who provide care for their relatives with Alzheimer’s disease

Taking care of an elderly relative can be quite challenging. When this relative is diagnosed with a terminal condition, with no known opportunity for recovery additional challenges are added. Alzheimer’s disease is a debilitating condition which paralyzes the patient’s ability to function normally and thus require personal care from either a nursing professional or an at-home care provider in the form of a family member.Since the survival rate with the disease could reach to as much as 15 to 20 years (Coen et al. , 1999), caring for an AD patient is a long-term commitment. The experiences encountered by these caregivers must be quite unique and would of course vary among families. It is useful therefore to discover some of the commonly challenges faced by caregivers in order to obtain a better understanding of the issue and to develop appropriate strategies to address the issues.2. 0 Literature Review Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia among ol der people (Coen, O’Boyle, Swanwick & Coakley, 1999).Dementia is a slow-onset neurodegenerative disorder marked by a severe decline of cognitive abilities (Ward, 2007) with obvious effects on daily life, mostly memory, which seriously affects a person's ability to carry out daily activities. AD begins slowly. It first involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. People with AD may have trouble remembering things that happened recently or names of people they know.According to Carradice, Beail & Shankland (2003) this disease is more common among those persons older than eighty years. Given that there is a noted increase in life expectancy where more and more persons are living longer it is quite understandable that the incidents of dementia are also increasing (Zarit & Edwards, 1996). The prognosis for elderly patients with AD is quite dismal. While there are treatment options available that may improve some of the behavioural and cognitive ill ef fectives of the disease.No treatment current exists that will halt the progression of the disease of lead to full recovery (Mittelman, 2002). In order to ensure that the condition is controlled as far as possible and that AD patients are well cared for long-term care options have to be sought. While there are countless long-term care institutions, many with qualified nursing and other medical personnel to cater to the needs of the AD patient, most AD patients are given this long-term care within the domestic situation, primarily by family members (Coen et al., 1999). Research indicates that family members are the ones who are more often than not responsible for providing care for their relatives with Alzheimer’s disease (Mittelman, 2002; Tettelman & Watts, 2004 and Caregiving & Alzheimer’s Disease, 2004). In fact health professions usually feel it best that the elderly continue living at home for as long as possible (Teeri, Leino-Kilpi & Valimaki, 2006), and the elderl y themselves also desire to be home (Aggarwal, 2003).Additionally researchers have often criticized institutions on the basis that often many elderly are registered in these institutions against their wishes and are also often unhappy in these non-private situations (Teeri et al. , 2006). However for those relatives who opt to provide care for AD patients there are considerable day to day strains and difficulties that they face. The financial burden is one of the most apparent. Grahm (2001) highlights that the costs of taking care of an elderly relative are very overwhelming, particularly one who has suffered a stroke or who has AD.Statistics suggest that the usual cost of taking care of an elderly relative ranges between $148 and $158 billion dollars (Caregiving & Alzheimer’s, 2004). Most research has, however, discovered that the greatest challenges for at home caregivers to elderly AD patients is not so much the financial burden, but the psychosocial and emotional difficul ties faced by these caregivers. Thus considerable attention has been paid not only to the dismal prognosis of those suffering from the disease but also those who have to provide at-home care for Alzheimer’s patients.Various researchers have attempted to isolate the various challenges faced by caregivers of AD patients. Grahm (2001) contends that the pressures faced by caregivers are of both an emotional and physical nature. Gwyther (as cited in Caregiving & Alzheimer’s Disease, 2004) mentions chronic stress and decrease health as one of the ill effects of caring for the elderly. Tettleman and Watts (2004) also allude to stress in additional to mental strain as issues of concern faced by these caregivers.Anxiety (Caregiving & Alzheimer’s Disease, 2004), fatigue and depression (Mittelman, 2002) and psychological distress (Carradice et al. , 2003) are other issues commonly noted in the literature. The preoccupation of researchers examining this disease is, therefor e, not only on the debilitating effects that it has on the patient but also the demands that are placed on caregivers who are required to take care of these patients. Evidently caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease at home is not without its challenges as significant strains are put on the caregivers.Each individual situation where a family member is responsible for taking care of a relative with Alzheimer’s disease comes with its own challenges and it is very difficult to generalize specifically about the experiences of these caregivers. This study will seek to identify and categorize some of the more common experiences shared by them. This research will be of considerable importance to medical practitioners who have to interact with patients and their families as well as to the individual family members/caregivers.The findings from this research will be useful to current caregivers in helping them realize that other persons face the same challenges as they do and therefore a network of caregivers facing similar problems could be formed where they formulate strategies to deal with problems together. Medical professional would also have this information and could share this with new caregivers that enter their offices in order to prepare them for the challenges ahead. 3. 0 Research design and justificationConsiderable research has been conducted on the problems associated with Alzheimer’s and challenges that have been associated with caring for a patient with Alzheimer’s disease. Previous research has highlighted the challenges faced by caregivers of ill relative but not much research has focused specifically on the condition of Alzheimer’s disease (Teeri et al. , 2006). Where research was specific to Alzheimer’s disease, the focus on caregivers was not specific to family members providing this kind of care, but generalized on the various categories of caregivers including compensated professionals (Ellor, 20 05; Teeri et al., 2006). Further, research has failed to classify the problems faced by these family caregivers and place them into meaningful categories (Mittelman, 2002; Caregiving & Alzheimer’s Disease, 2004). This will be a qualitative study explaining the common experiences of family members who are caring for elderly relatives at home. Where other researchers were not specific to Alzheimer’s disease this research will be exclusive to this category of caregivers. The experiences of a cross-section of such caregivers will be compared and analyzed for common themes.Unlike previous researchers this study will conduct a comprehensive categorization of the most common experiences based on the information garnered from the caregivers. The information gathering instrument will be primarily interviews. The use of interviews to gather information has long been lauded by researchers. Interviews may either be structured where the researcher directs the line of the conversati on with specific questions requiring direct responses. Unstructured interviews allow the researcher to approach the interviewee with a general objective and allowing the conversation to flow in whatever direction it will.Both of these interview tactics have their benefits. The first forces the respondent to focus specifically on the information that is required for the purposes of the research. The second type allows the research to gather a vast amount of information, even information that was unanticipated when the research was being prepared. For the purposes of this research the unstructured interview would be quite useful as the research does not wish to restrict the extent of the responses given by the interviewees.This research will therefore add to the wealth of knowledge about the nature of Alzheimer’s disease and the direct and indirect effects it has on patient and family. This research will also help to improve understanding of the role that caregivers fulfil and the challenges they face in dealing with ill and elderly relatives, specifically those who have Alzheimer’s disease. Respondents will not be restricted in the type of responses they produce thereby allowing the researcher to get a comprehensive and true picture of the real lived situation of caring for an AD patient.

Braveheart Movie Report

Braveheart is a film directed by Mel Gibson which loosely portrays the life of William Wallace, a national hero in Scotland. In real life, Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight who led the resistance against the English occupation of Scotland during significant periods of the Wars of Scottish Independence.While there are no accurate historical records that exist concerning the birth date and place of birth of Sir William Wallace, there are accounts of his exploits, one of the most memorable of these accounts is the mark of the beginning of this resistance movement for the independence of Scotland which was his killing of the son of the English governor of Dundee.The heroism of Sir William Wallace was such that it was the inspiration of historical novel The Acts and Deeds of Sir William Wallace, Knight of Elderslie written by the 15th century minstrel Blind Harry which was also attributed as the cause for the legend which surrounds Sir William Wallace. The onscreen portrayal of Si r William Wallace by Mel Gibson in the film Braveheart, according to critics, â€Å"has been somehow stretched to the limits that the silver screen can provide.† (Roger Ebert 1995) The famous cry for â€Å"freedom† in the movie is not as historically accurate as it is portrayed because the concept of personal freedom wasn’t widely celebrated during the era of Sir William Wallace. Another inconsistency of the movie with regard to the portrayal of Sir William Wallace lies in the battlefield strategy employed; there are no historical accounts of the 14th century Scotsmen burning the battlefield.Most of the characters in the movie, Sir William Wallace included, have been â€Å"glorified† to be able to properly manipulate the sentiment of onscreen audiences. Much of the portrayals tend to show only the glorious and benevolent sides and don’t reflect an accurate recount of the historical truths concerning the charact

Restoration and Recovery Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Restoration and Recovery Plan - Essay Example In this paper an attempt is made to understand the Restoration and recovery plan employed by an organization in case of any of an attack or failure of its Information System and also to investigate how the organization manages the scenarios that involve alteration, deletion or destruction of data. The organization chosen for the study of the subject is a Ceramic manufacturing company with roughly 1300 employees. Information System: The organization has deployed an in-house web based ERP system that's essentially serves to integrate its Accounts, HR, Payroll, Inventory & Stores, Commercial Department, Sales, and Fixed Asset wings. The ERP application is deployed on Oracle Application Server with Apache web server. The company has twenty nodal offices spread across the city , all nodal offices are connected in a ring topology through fiber as well as through ISDN lines in order to maintain a 24x7 availability . The nature of work is essentially online transactional processing but owing to the integration of Inventory, it also has data warehousing application. All the twenty sites are centrally managed. A centralized Oracle 10g database hosts the data .The database is ported on two IBM p-series 570 H servers . . The operating system is IBM's AIX -5 L versions 5.3. The storage used is IBM's Fast T-700 storage. High Availability Set-up : The two IBM AIX servers are clustered through IBM's High Availability Cluster Multi Processing (HACMP) version 5.3 . The cluster is operating in cascade mode. In case one node fails due to failure or any kind of attack than the other node detects such a collapse and takes over the entire work load and consequently within four minutes, the business operations are restored. HACMP has emerged as one of the most successful high availability software that provides data protection in case of server failover through multi-connects between the servers to a shared storage through clustering software ("The Benefits", n.d.) Data Protection : The data is stored in IBM's Fast T 700 storage . Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) 1+0 is implemented to optimize the storage for fault tolerance. It provides disk mirroring that duplicates the data between the two disks. So that if one disk gets corrupt or develops any fault than the lost data can be retrieved through its mirrored copy. Such a mirrored configuration also optimizes the performance through striping the data across the mirrored disks. ("RAID 10 overview", n.d.). Data Backups : The data backups constitute the most important part of the IT policy of a company. The data-backups ensure recovery of essential data whenever there is any kind of data loss by way of any file corruption, data stealing or manual transactional error. There are many options available to back-up and recover the data .Almost all the companies employ two procedures to backup the data , hot backup and cold backup .Both these techniques come in handy to retrieve the data whenever the

Residential Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Residential Law - Case Study Example The Council had instructed its employee, Sam, to carry out this work. (Although not specifically mentioned in the judgment, it was assumed that Hazel Khan was expected to pay for this report in the charges made to him by the Southwark Council.) The report to be prepared by Sam should diligently disclose the presence of any settlement cracks between the flat and later extension, which might reduce the value of the flat. Any devaluation in price of flat can be claimed by Hazel Khan. Sam has to declare the current solvability status of the Southwark Council. The Council's professional indemnity insurance has to be valid at all times for any future insurance claim. The Mortgage report to be supplied to Hazel Khan must be in a form which should include all references to Southwalk Council, although Hazel knew that the report had been prepared by a hired and independent valuer. Hazel Khan has the option to rely on this report or may arrange for another independent survey of the property if he chooses to do so. Hazel Khan has the right to criticize any breached a duty of care which the Council owed him in his personal capacity. Sam should accept that Hazel would place reliance upon his report. In order to hold Hazel personally liable in anyway, Hazel had to show that he had assumed responsibility towards the report in his personal capacity. Sam has to bear allegiance that his duty was not to Hazel, but to the Council which employed him and it was on the Council alone that Hazel had relied. It was the Council that had assumed responsibility to Hazel, not he. The report should be cited similar with the case of Yianni v. Edwin Evans & Sons [1982] QB 438, where a firm of valuers and surveyors, engaged by a building society to value a property for mortgage purposes, had been held liable to the purchasers in negligence, despite the purchasers ignoring a recommendation in the mortgage application form that they arrange an independent survey. Another case to cite is in the combined cases of Smith v. Bush and Harris v. Wyre Forest District Council [1990] 1 AC 831. The only real distinction between the present case [Harris] and the case of Yianni is that the valuation was carried out by an in-house valuer. This valuer is discharging the duties of a professional man whether he is employed by the mortgagee or acting on his own account or is employed by a firm of independent surveyors. The essence of the case against him is that he as a professional man realised that the purchaser was relying on him to exercise proper skill and judgment in his profe ssion and that it was reasonable and fair that the purchaser should do so. Sam has to owe a consistent duty of care and Hazel to rely on professional valuer just as in Yianni and Harris where the plaintiffs never even saw the valuation report. But they are to be taken to have relied on the professional skill and care of the individual person who carried it out. It is made clear that a professionally qualified person giving advice may owe a duty of care to an effective recipient of that advice in addition to the duty owed to their employers. This has to be confined strictly to those who may be termed professionally qualified people as in the case of Sam and Hazel, because it would depend on the full circumstances in which advice was given, rather than to any label appropriate to the adviser. In any

Freud and religion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Freud and religion - Research Paper Example in a religious pursuit and even for persons who are, the failure to find happiness leads to a number of methods whereby people seek to at least circumvent pain. Sooner or later, if at all, Freud believes people discover that love is the answer to their quest for happiness. When this fails, as it unfortunately does for too many, people try to control their social lives through a assortment of means and then ultimately come to recognize that unhappiness and guilt are pervasive and they again look for the answers they did not find in religion. This cycle of futile searches for happiness is addressed throughout Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontent. Freud proposes that the very underpinnings of civilization and systematic factions such as religions are found within the multifaceted development of a person. In his effort to clarify the ‘oceanic’ sensation of limitless bond felt with all of humanity illustrated by a friend of Freud’s, which possibly supplies the foundation of religious affiliation, he investigates the development of the ego as it transforms from the baby to the adult. According to Freud, the infantile ego makes understands little difference between what is external to the infant and what is external to it. By continually adjusting to its knowledge of what is internal as it starts to differentiate those characteristics of itself that are internal as opposed to those characteristics that are external entities, the person begins to reduce their field, developing a sense of what they are by defining what they are not. However, they may also maintain some feature of that greater association felt as an infant, thus explaining, plausibly, this ‘oceanic’ feeling of limitlessness and a connection with the universe (Freud, 1930: 19-22). While Freud cannot completely appreciate this sensation himself, he suggests that it is the infant’s want for security that leads them to identify this common feeling of the concept that an all-knowing and

Oscilloscope Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Oscilloscope - Essay Example Therefore, these explanations were added. The detailed users’ feedbacks are not required, nevertheless, the key aspects of improving the guide are as follows: 1. The detailed explanations of the basic experiments will help to maximize the educational aspect of the document. Therefore, it should be stated that the actual importance of the feedbacks is explained by the necessity of adding self-descriptiveness for the guide. 2. The guide needs to pay more attention to safety. Since it is not a household device, and it may be used for measuring and analysing high voltage currents, the safety of a user is a cornerstone of the effective research. 3. The guide should be offered in hard- and soft-copies, and an extended remote assistance should be provided. It will help to gather feedbacks, and improve the device itself, as well as the guide. The results of the research involve the proper analysis of the functions and options offered by the oscilloscope, however, the experiments held are of the educational nature mainly.

Forcasting Stratigy for Power Tool Industry Essay

Forcasting Stratigy for Power Tool Industry - Essay Example The strategies of the company to drive themselves in to future success are; Innovation, Structural Cost Improvements, Cash Generation and Stewardship of Capital. The 'Innovation to end-users' was the critical strategy for this company. The company's 'new-product machine' was the innovative solution of the company which enabled them to achieve extremely loyal end-users as well as benefited their distribution partners to serve a broad range of channels. The company's product vitality index remains above 35 percent. While reducing costs of manufacturing and selling and general administration costs filled the cost improvement and cash generation strategies, the acquiring of Vector products Inc manufacturing consumer power portable products and the buyback of the shares represented their strategy of stewardship of capital. (Black & Decker 2006 Annual Report) This company places its strength on the industry leadership in battery and charger technology with its LXT Lithium-Ion battery and charger system. The first cordless drill was introduced by the company nearly 30 years ago. Manufacturing innovative cordless tools with designs to allow the users all the convenience cordless offers without sacrificing the power or efficiency of a corded tool is the key strategy for this company. The advancement achieved in motor technology is also another key strength. (Makita web site) 2.3 Bosch: With over 1000 different products this company offers a broad product range catering to the building trade, industry and do-it-yourselfers. Wide product range is the key strength of this company. The company has also made its presence felt in the cordless power tools with its products like cordless screw drivers, piercing saws and hammer drills. The long-term strategy of Bosch is to generate approximately half of their sales in the Americas and Asia and the other half in the European market. Diversification is the central theme of the strategic objective of Bosch to make the company less vulnerable to fluctuations in individual industries. (Bosch Home Page) 2.4 Porter Cable The key strength of Porter cable is their range of products which meets different range of customers. They manufacture tools for every customer; new home construction to building maintenance and from farms to major wood-working. Similarly they supply to all classes of customers from professionals to casual weekenders. Power, agility, responsiveness and perfect performance is at the root of the porter cable's product strength. With a view to take the strategic advantage of marketing, Pentair Inc the owner of Porter Cable tools had agreed to sell all its tools brands to Black & Decker. (Porter Cable Home page) 3.0 Developing a Strategic Forecasting for Able Corporation: There can be no strategic planning without forecasting. The ultimate objective of strategic planning is to determine what the company should be in the future; what markets to compete in, with what products, to be successful and grow. To answer these

Westmount Retirement Residence Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Westmount Retirement Residence Case - Essay Example The new costing system is based on the three suite options and on the three levels of medical needs of the residents. The costs of supportive services have been allocated based on the level of medical needs of the residents. Half the costs of facilities have been allocated based on square feet area of the three different suite options. The pricing recommendations, based on the new costing system have been made to Helen Rosewell in the final section of the main report. The recommended pricing is based on the new costing system. It is also recommended that spouses living in one bedroom should be charged twice the monthly rates. The biggest limitation of the current costing model at Westmount is that it does not give a clear picture of how much each of the services that are being offered at Westmount cost. The pricing system charges the same price per month from the residents irrespective of the services used by them. This pricing is only based on the type of residence being used by the residents. The costing model does not reflect the level of medical care and service required by the individual clients. The price differentiation is based solely on the size of the accommodations. The model is also is based on the implicit assumption that a resident having a 25% larger accommodation is also using 25% more services of Westmount. The costing system does not show any difference between patients requiring different levels of medical needs. There are usually three categories of residents at Westmount: those requiring no medical need, those requiring medium medical need and those requiring high medical needs. The biggest drawback of this costing system is that it is treating all the costs as fixed or period costs. The costing system is unable to differentiate between fixed costs and variable costs. All the costs are treated as periodic costs and they are charged to the expected number of residents.

Madness in the Tales of Poe and Hawthorne Essay Example for Free

Madness in the Tales of Poe and Hawthorne Essay With madness and confusion dominating short stories such as some of the tales written by Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, the psychological states of their main characters are of the utmost importance. The meanings of the stories depend on whether the characters are truly insane, suffering from a physical ailment or merely intensely angry and hungry for revenge. Poe’s tales â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† both explore themes of madness and premature burials. However, while Roderick Usher seems to be suffering not only from a physical illness but also from insanity which may have stem from a â€Å"history of mental disorder† (Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher), Montresor seems to have been under the grip of intense hatred that have been caused by his victim’s previous insult on his person. It may be argued that Montresor is demented like Usher, but his well-planned crime contradicts the supposition of an unhinged mind. Meanwhile, the psychological troubles of Hawthorne’s characters in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† are apparently milder, but not subtler. People may regard Goodman Brown as a recluse and a snob and Minister Hooper as someone mourning over his or other people’s sins. Hawthorne explores isolation in both stories, highlighting the possible self-destruction that may result from intensely reclusive lives. Though the stories may vary and the level of mental disorder may differ, both Poe and Hawthorne present people with emotions that are overly sensitive and with mental faculties that are more distraught than most. Poe is fascinated by madness. His stories are sometimes even narrated by persons whose mental and emotional facilities are questionable. This results to a more interesting reading of each of the stories. The reader is left to wonder if he or she is able to extract the accurate account of the story or a deranged version of it. In â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† the narrator observes what goes on in his host, Roderick’s house. He â€Å"rejects evidence of the supernatural†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ He is predisposed to regard Roderick as mad and therefore to reject any explanation Roderick suggests† (Bailey 446). The narrator of the story depends on the accounts of his host, Roderick but he does not trust his friend’s sanity. This creates a tension that is experienced by both the narrator and the reader; this tension is the uncertainty of what is unfolding because it is through the guidance of such an unreliable source like an apparently mad Roderick. Montresor of â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† may not have the gaunt and unhealthy look of Roderick Usher but what he has done to his enemy, Fortunato, is exceedingly cruel. The deed may have seemed perfectly planned and efficient but someone who can avenge an insult received by murder must be somehow unhinged. The criminal’s mind is exaggerated as is evident in his narration: â€Å"THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge† (Poe, The Cask of Amontillado). My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so. I hastened to make an end of my labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat. (Poe, The Cask of Amontillado) Though Montresor displays some strong emotion over what he has done to Fortunato, he continues with the crime methodically. Moreover, this contradiction, along with uttering â€Å"Rest in Peace† to his victim seems to suggest that Montresor is indeed insane. In the two short stories, Poe illustrates insanity that has been passed through generations and then insanity that has been triggered simply by an insult. Nathaniel Hawthorne shows some concern about the fate of souls in his two stories â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†. While Poe illustrates madness that has resulted from being either inherently insane or predisposed to mental illness, Hawthorne explores zealous religiosity that can result to madness. Minister Hooper’s strong sense of religiousness has driven him to an extreme means of discerning the pious from the hypocrite. â€Å"Why do you tremble at me alone? Tremble also at each other! Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil? † (Hawthorne, The Ministers Black Veil) The man has decided to put a black veil on his face. Not even his fiancee has been able to persuade him to take off the veil which in turn has given him a continuously mourning persona. Though he is mentally capable to continue his duties as minister, he does them with a somber aura which the veil produces for him. The insistence on constantly wearing the black veil displays obsessive behavior related to his faith despite the fact that he has not actually stated what his real reason for wearing the veil is. In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, Hawthorne again tackles the effects of the perception of sin. Here, the main character is oppressed by what he thinks is the real knowledge of other people’s sins. What he is not aware of is that the Devil, which he has consorted with in the woods, has made him believe that every single person in his community is involved in atrocious deeds. â€Å"†¦elders of the church have whispered wanton words to the young maids of their households; how many a woman, eager for widows weeds, has given her husband a drink at bedtime and let him sleep his last sleep in her bosom; how beardless youths have made haste to inherit their fathers wealth; and how fair damsels†¦ have dug little graves in the garden, and bidden me, the sole guest to an infants funeral† (Hawthorne). Having believed the Devil’s lies, Goodman Brown is continually suspicious of his neighbors’ intentions. He even believes their good deeds to be merely pretentious displays of piety. Because of this behavior, Goodman Brown isolates himself from the rest of the community and dies a lonely death. Hawthorne explores the themes of isolation and zealous religiousness in his two short stories, expressing the dangers of the two themes. Both Poe and Hawthorne have effectively expressed the psychological terrain that their main characters are in. Through using a narrator that is either the character with the questionable mental state or one that distrusts that character, the stories become more mysterious and subject to individual interpretation while the intensity of emotions coming from the main characters are able to shine through. The two authors explore mental instability in different forms; Poe’s stories are about inherent, maybe even genetic tendencies to lose one’s mind while Hawthorne’s two tales are about isolation that has resulted from obsessive spirituality.

Embracing Ict In Nigerian Secondary Schools Education Essay

Embracing Ict In Nigerian Secondary Schools Education Essay Aim: The aim of this literature review is to describe the current state of ICT development in Nigerian Secondary Schools, discuss the problems of ICT development in Nigerian Secondary Schools, suggest possible solutions and highlight the importance of embracing ICT in education in Nigerian Secondary Schools. Introduction: The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country located in the western part of the African Continent with an approximate land mass of 923,768.00 sq kilometres, lying between Latitude 40 140 North of the Equator, Longitude 30 and 140 East of the Greenwich meridian bordered on the west with the Republic of Benin, on the north with the Republic of Niger and on the east with the Federal Republic of Cameroun. The topic of ICT integration into the Nigerian economy is very crucial however , for the purpose of this literature review the importance of integrating ICT into Nigerias Secondary School Environment will be discussed. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) involves the use of all forms of Computer, Communications, Software ,Network and Mobile Technologies to process, maintain and mediate information. Communication Technologies include all media such as; Cable,Satellite, Fibre Optics, Wireless (radio, Infrared,Bluetooth,wi-fi) employed in transmitting audio,video,data or multimedia. Network Technologies include Personal Area Networks (PAN), Campus Area Networks (CAN), Intranets, Extranets, Local Area Networks (LAN),Wide Area Networks(WAN),Metropolitan Area Networks(MAN) and the Internet. Computer Technologies include all removable media such as optical disks, disks, flash memories, video books, multi-media projectors, interactive electronic boards, and continuously emerging state-of-the art PCs. Mobile Technologies comprise Mobile Phones, PDAs, Palmtops etc.(Illoanusi,O.N., Osuagwu,C.C. 2005).ICTs have become part of our very existence as a matter of fact, it affects all of human activities . Over the years, ICTs have created significant impact on the way we live. Significant improvements and developments have occurred in various fields as a result of ICT integration to those fields. The field of education is not excluded as ICTs have undoubtedly affected learning, teaching and research methods.(Yusuf 2005) cited by (Adomi, A.E., Kpangban,E. 2010).The impact of ICT on education has improved educational standards in developed economies, however this impact is still to be felt in developing economies such as Nigeria. Current Situation of ICT development in Nigerian Secondary Schools ICT in education involves embracing major components of ICT to enhance teaching and learning methodologies in institutions of learning.Presently,the integration of ICT in Nigerian Secondary Schools is minimal.In 1988,in an attempt to keep pace with development in computer education ,Nigeria enacted a policy on computer education. According to Okebukola(1997) the plan was to implement this innovation first to some selected federal government colleges and thereafter spread this innovation to other secondary schools and later to primary schools, unfortunately this project was never successful as intended because beyond the distribution and installation of computers in federal government colleges this project never took off ground.(Aduwa-Ogiegbaen, S.E. , Iyamu,E.O.S. 2005). The Federal Republic of Nigeria has no specific policy on ICT in education.The Ministry of Education created its ICT department in February 2007 more so, several government agencies and other stakeholders in the private sectors have initiated ICT-driven projects and programmes to impact all levels of the educational sectors.(Agyeman,O.T. 2007).At School level,the use of ICT aided instructional materials is minimal or rather not encouraging.This could be attributed to the fact that majority of Nigerian Secondary School teachers do not see the importance of improving their professional practice using ICT and are consequentially, less eager to adopt the use ICT in their teaching practice. If however the secondary teachers in Nigeria perceive the importance of integrating ICT in teaching methods they are more likely to embrace the use of ICT in their professional practice. A study which investigated teachers self efficacy in implementing computer education in Nigerian Secondary Schools found that most teachers in Federal Government Colleges in Nigeria lack experience in the use of computers for educational or industrial purposes ,most teachers in Federal Government Colleges cannot use common computer software because they lack knowledge of basic computer operations.(Yusuf 2005) cited by Ololube,N.P (2006).Students on the other hand are embracing ICT however not in the right manner .Nigerian Secondary School Students are yet to maximise the benefits of the internet in research and learning. This is evident in the use of Internet by these students who stay long hours on the internet chatting on social networking sites such as facebook and yahoo messenger. Problems of ICT development in Nigerian Secondary Schools Various factors are responsible for the problems of ICT development in Nigerian Secondary Schools. Nevertheless, the most significant amongst these factors are; Lack of adequate ICT infrastructure, Low percentage of teachers with ICT skills, Absence of National policy on ICT in education ,Low access to the Internet and Cost of acquiring ICT facilities where available. Lack of adequate ICT infrastructure in Nigeria seems a major issue. Though the International Telecommunication Union(ITU) has rated Nigerias Telecommunication Sector as the fastest growing in Africa, majority of Nigerians still have inadequate access to the Internet.(Aduwa-Ogiegbaen,S.E Iyamu,E.O.S 2005).Information,data,audio,video and multimedia are meant to be transmitted on reliable networks supported by adequate ICT Infrastructures unfortunately, these infrastructures are lacking in most Nigerian Secondary Schools. Inadequate funding and lack of technology budget exacerbate the problems of ICT infrastructures (Illoanusi,O.N Osuagwu,C.C 2005).Moreover ICT equipments were made to function with other infrastructures such as electricity (Aduwa-Ogiegbaen,S.E Iyamu,E.O.S 2005) the irregular and unstable supply of electricity in Nigeria poses a major difficulty in the proper functioning of ICT equipments even when they are acquired .There are recorded cases of electrical home appliance s damaged due to lack electrical power supply over period of months. The absence of electric power grids in most parts of the country even where adequate telecommunication facilities are available contribute to the irregular power supply.(Agyeman, O.T 2007). The percentage of Nigerian Secondary School Teachers with basic computer skills is low compared to their counterparts in developed economies.Nigerian Secondary School teachers attach little importance to IT literacy .Consequently,the use of ICT aids in teaching is minimal.Additionally there is widespread ignorance and misconception about ICTs among Nigerians (Ighoroye and Ajayi. n.d) cited by (Adomi,E.E., Kpangban,E. 2010).Secondary School teachers in Nigeria need to be trained on educational technologies and the importance of integrating computers into classroom teaching.(Aduwa-Ogiegbaen,S.E., Iyamu,E.O.S. 2005). Presently,there is no existing National Policy on ICT in education. Although the Nigerian Federal Government policy in 1988 introduced computer education in high schools(Okebukola 1997) cited by (Adomi,E.E, Kpangban,E. 2010).This policy was not successful as the only implementation was distributing computers to Federal Government High Schools which were never used for computer education of the students (Adomi,E.E, Kpangban,E. 2010).The Nigerian Federal Government have on several occasions revealed plans to integrate ICTs into school systems and provide infrastructure to schools,yet actions are still to be taken on these plans. In 2001,Nigeria started implementing its ICT policy which led to the establishment of the National Information and Technology Development Agency(NITDA) the purpose of establishing NITDA was to help Nigeria become an ICT capable country in Africa and a major player in the information society by 2005.This vision is yet to be fulfilled even few years after the set time for achieving this vision.(Agyeman,O.T.,2007) Major development of ICT in education depends largely on access to the adequate ICT infrastructures especially the internet.Access to computer equipment,internet and other accessories in most Nigerian Secondary Schools is low.(Agyeman,O.T. 2007).Underfunding and inadequate financial capacities lead to this problem. Irregular electricity supply exacerbates this problem. The availability of computers in few Nigerian Secondary Schools located in urban areas is in the ratio of 5 computers to 1 student on the contrary,the case in rural areas is absolutely not encouraging. Some rural areas still face total absence of power supply. Secondary Schools in Nigeria are not adequately funded to provide furniture, requisite books,laboratories and adequate classrooms let alone being given adequate funds for computers and internet connectivity.(Aduwa-Ogiegbaen,S.E, Iyamu E.O.S. 2005). The High cost of acquiring ICT facilities even when they are available cannot be overlooked. The cost of purchasing computers in Nigeria is high not so many can afford it. Moreover, monthly internet rates are exorbitant and the charges are unaffordable for most people in Nigeria consequently,it is difficult for secondary schools to acquire and install ICT facilities for the use of teachers and students (Adomi,E.E., Kpangban,E. 2001).Additionally,the high cost of computers still make most secondary schools unable to acquire these facilities. Suggested Solutions to ICT development problems in Nigerian Secondary Schools The integration of ICT in education in Nigerian Secondary Schools will produce sustainable development in the secondary school system..However,if the effort to integrate ICT into Nigerian Secondary Schools will be successful then it is pertinent that the Nigerian Government ensure ICT policy statements in education are translated into reality. Furthermore, the Federal Ministry of Power and Mines should work towards stabilising electricity power supply in Nigeria(Adomi, E.E., Kpangban,E., 2010).Additionally, stakeholders in Nigerian ICT industry must help spread the knowledge and usage of ICT amongst Nigerian Secondary School Teachers and students in the best way possible. The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology most importantly must ensure the NigComSat-1R which is meant to be a replacement of the failed NigComSat1 and the SAT3 submarine cable is delivered as scheduled in the fourth quarter of 2011 as this will immensely reduce telecommunication and internet connection rates. Adequate funding and budgets for ICT integration in secondary schools should also be made possible by the Federal Ministry of Education. The Importance of Embracing ICT in Education in Nigerian Secondary Schools ICT integration in Nigerian Secondary Schools system will gradually transform the quality of the Nigerian Secondary Educational System (Osuagwu,C.C., Illoanusi,O.N., 2009).The successful integration of ICT in Nigerian Secondary Schools will enhance teaching, learning and research methods moreover, significant development in Nigerias secondary educational system will occur. There is no doubt that teachers and students in secondary schools in Nigeria will have incredible resources at their disposal with reliable access to the internet.(Aduwa-Ogiegbaen,S.E., Iyamu,E.O.S., 2005). Conclusion There is no doubt what significant improvement successful ICT integration will bring in the Nigerian Secondary Educational System however the Nigerian Government must make adequate efforts to implement National policies on ICT in education, stabilizing electrical power supply,and provide adequate funding to secondary schools for the acquisition of ICT facilities if this goal of Integrating ICT in Nigerian Secondary Education System will become a reality.

Truth of Mining Toxins :: essays research papers

The Truth of the Mining Toxins In this novel Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver is based on two sisters figuring out where they belong in life. They grow up in a small Native Latino American city named Grace, Arizona. In this small town there is a river that runs through the town. Codi, the older sister, is a teacher at the local school. She decided to take her students to the river to look at the water under a microscope and discovered that the water is contaminated. She ended up discussing this problem with a small group called the Stich Bitch Club. This group is only women and they discuss things about the town and many problems that occur in their everyday life. While the men of the town couldn’t get involved, the women solved things from the environment to help the town by being powerful feminists.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After Cody was brought into the group she known she would have to tell this information to the woman about the Black Mountain mining. The mining has been running sulfuric acid in the water through the town of Grace that is causing trees to die, including microscopic animals in the river. This sulfuric acid can also be used to kill rats and pond algae and many other small things in the river, but not the fish.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mining toxins are something that is released into the environment by the businesses throughout the United States. In my research I discovered that the mining industry toxins that were most released was in the year 1998. Some things were, â€Å"metal mining:3.5 billion pounds, Gold mining:1.23 billion pounds, Air: 2 million pounds, coal mining: 13.3 million pounds.† (Drillbits, 1) For example, â€Å"Toxin gas released from a Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal that killed 2,500 people in India, in 1984.† (Drillbits, 1) All these different toxins are causing damage in the water, but most of all it is killing innocent people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book it shows that Codi did discuss this problem with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and they also discovered the sulfuric acid in the river. According to the Stich and Bitch Club they know they had to stop the company from building a dam and polluting the river. A certain woman from the Stich and Bitch Club suggested that, â€Å"My husband used to be a crane operator when the mine was running; he would know how to fix up the bulldozers from hell to breakfast.

Intelligence Process: Dissemination :: essays research papers

INTELLIGENCE PROCESS: DISSEMINATION One of the most important steps in the intelligence cycle is deciding who or whom will receive the analyst’s work. This process is called dissemination. Once completed, the intelligence product has to be able to be passed on to those personnel that meet the requirements of dissemination; Right to know, Need to know, Authority to release.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first requirement of the right to know determines what individuals should have the information to make intelligence decisions. Access to the final products is mainly focus towards law enforcement agencies, both federal and state. These agencies are, however, not the exclusive heir to information. In some cases the Department of Family Services may need to have information on civilians in order to locate offenders or deal with juvenile delinquents. The right to know may also be extended to licensing groups, in order to stifle organized crime. Some examples of non-authorized industries are banks, credit bureaus, and employment agencies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The need to know is the second requirement of the dissemination process. Whether part of the law enforcement agency or working outside of the agency, before intelligence information is disclosed, there must be a need to know based on the case that law official may be working on. This requirement keeps just anyone from casually browsing through all the classified information that may not pertain to what they have the right to know. The information-seeking agency will need to have proof of needing to know the information, found generally by the case number. Another form of need to know is observed when a background investigation is being conducted on an individual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once the first two requirements have been satisfied and the right to know and need to know has been established, it is now necessary to determine whether the right to release information to the agency is possible. Many times the information or intelligence may not be possible to release, due to the originating agencies need to have the information keep a secret from the everyone, for example, an undercover agents identity was disclosed. Historically, information is classified at a higher level than necessary, so personnel in this type of circumstance are not compromised. If this is the case, than a date should be disclosed as to when this information may be declassified or downgraded to the consumers level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are two general methods of dissemination. The first type is a distribution list.

A Book report on The Cuckoo?s Egg by Cliff Stoll - A Cuckoo?s Fledgling :: essays research papers

A Book report on â€Å"The Cuckoo’s Egg† by Cliff Stoll A Cuckoo’s Fledgling Although the 1980s are not generally thought of as a decade of innocence, there were, however, a few pockets of juvenile utopia. One such example was the rapidly expanding â€Å"online† community, with its assortment of up-and-coming networks that were, to many technically inclined users, a virtual â€Å"McDonald’s Play Place† with slides, ball pits and winding tubes to explore, all rapped in a security blanket of innocence. Not until a bully invaded, did another bastion of delayed-maturity, Cliff Stoll, find that â€Å"Big Bother† was not eager, or perhaps unable, to repel the invader on his behalf. This led Cliff to take responsibility and stand up to his assailant, causing a transformation throughout many facets of his life. The Cuckoo’s Egg is the story of Cliff Stoll’s maturation into an adult, mirrored by the loss of innocence and youthful-trusting-openness taking place in the network community at the time, catalyzed by a hacker halfway around the world, and necessitated by a nonchalant attitude among the governmental agencies supposed to be responsible for computer security. A question all parents, and some elder siblings, ask at some point is, â€Å"when should I let Jr. stand on his own?† and while it was only a case of bureaucracy not being equipped to quickly respond to a situation, this lack of response forced a man out of his comfort zone, gave him something to care about, and eventually made for an interesting book. It could even be hypothesized that Cliff’s decision to marry was aided by the paradigm shift he experienced during the course of his hacker chase (Stoll 356). The delay of intervention on the part of the government agencies forced Cliff Stoll to leave the sidelines of his life, take responsibility, and become "pro-active–almost rabid–about computer security† (370). At the beginning of his story, Cliff portrays himself as an academic dreamer (1), literally a start gazer; he seams to be fumbling though life without a cause to get behind, and for that matter not really looking for one. Then when he starts chasing a hacker, thinking that he, â€Å"†¦might learn about phone traces and networks† (35), he struck a blow to a â€Å"tar-baby† that would not let him go back to his life of indifference. The entanglement in pursuit of the hacker was elongated, significantly, by the fact that the government did not have contingencies in place to respond to computer crime, coupled with the simple fact that without a quantitative dollar value they did not take losses seriously.

The Concept of Bartering as Adapted by the Film In Time

The Concept of Bartering as Adapted by the Film In Time, and Its Implications. HAS 2013 Prices, Values, and Money Contents 1 Introduction of the characteristics of the genres thriller, action, and drama, making it fairly complex and capable of providing several different perspectives as well as various points of analysis, from the general plot to the greater cultural backgrounds. The film centers on the concept of time being utilized as the primary currency in a modernized world which is set a century ahead of the present.Due to intentional genetic engineering money is no longer available in the material form used in today's society, but has been replaced by time, which can be exchanged for other goods or forms of labor. The actual value of this new type of currency is undeniably not purely symbolic as is the case with today's form of money, but it is innately linked to the length of one's own lifetime. Precisely this linkage is what relates this financial concept to that of barterin g, and the adaptation of which will be the main topic – alongside with its societal implications – of this paper.Generally speaking the aim of this paper is to study a different conceptualization of exchange – regardless of its unrealistic possibility of enforceability – through an analysis of the concept of time being used as a substitute for money as presented in the film In Time, comparing it with the Aristotelian concept of bartering in an attempt to categorize and define the principles of this alternative form of exchange and its effect on the economy.Following this topic the paper will draw on Aristotle concept of liberality, which is also of importance within the film, inflation as such, and a short analysis of the social class system created by a fictional society run by time. These points should provide further understanding of today's system of exchange, hills enforcing a more creative and practical approach, ultimately highlighting negative and positive aspects of the current system. Time as Currency The film's concept of time runs as follows: from the age of 25 years onwards every individual is granted a lifetime of one further year, which begins to count down on their 25th birthday. From then on, the amount of time one has left to live depends on the acquisition of further time, or the expenditure which will inevitably thus ensue in Odder to purchase food and other necessary goods, such as clothes, housing, and electricity; time has become the universal currency.When a person's clock reaches O, that person dies immediately. The presence of sickness or other natural causes of death are not elaborated on within In Time. The currency of time as used in the film demands an exchange of a certain amount of time for other goods – and can even be exchanged for time itself at the bank in the form of a loan.Labor and services are paved for with time, and the wages allocated to different types of labor may be relationally c omparable to those used in today's society with regard to low-wage Jobs which require little to no education and gig-wage Jobs which usually require at least some sort of education and/or a certain degree of power, such as the Jobs of managers, professors, pilots, and doctors. Daily life and routines seem very much similar to today's system, with the exception of a higher death rate, however, even casinos and banks are shown in the film and seemingly fulfill the same function they do today.One's time status – which is comparable to the bank balance of today – is constantly on display in the individual scenes, making it easy for by-passers to inform themselves of one another's wealth, lest he or she should wear long sleeves or another type of clothing capable of hiding the numbers from view. For example, in the scene in which Will Salsa and Sylvia Weiss swim in the dark the watch presents the only source of light along with the lighting from the mansion, which in itself shares an innate connection with time through its immense worth (see figure 1).The only three obvious differences between the way time is used and the way money is used today lies in the following: firstly, the country has been manually divided into ‘time zones', the crossing of which itself costs time – travel today only raises costs in question of transportation. Secondly, the fact that time is constantly being spent by an individual – somewhat unintentionally – Just by being alive, whereas money on the other hand retains its value and can only be spent intentionally, and thirdly, that there seems to be no form of taxation or even individual fortune tracking.The government is, however, keen on surveillance, which becomes evident through the large amount of cameras which are situated seemingly everywhere, and through monitors which convey the proportional distribution of time – therefore wealth – throughout the United States; the main purpo se of this is to ensure that wealth continues to follow the geographical pattern which was dictated by the government, so that the very wealthy time zones continue to harbor the largest proportion of the country's wealth, while the poorer areas share very little wealth between them.The film focuses on two specific time zones: the very wealthy New Greenwich – home of the Weiss family, and the poorer Dayton – home of the Salsa family, which illustrates the extreme social discrepancies achieved through differences in wealth. Bartering The concept of bartering is constantly being revised and today means a form of exchange where a good or certain form of labor is exchanged for another good or certain form of labor, whereby both of the goods or the labor in question are separable from their possessors and carry palpable value – usually in terms of their use and quality – as in, for example, the exchange of berries for milk and vice versa; both of these goods ar e subject to intrinsic value, the primary one being the function of satiating and sustaining a human being.According to Aristotle, however, the concept of bartering carries a slightly different meaning. Firstly, Aristotle differentiates between types of property according to how hose are acquired, for example through hunting, or agricultural processes.These acquisitions demand time, which may be reduced by level of skill, therefore it is only logical that individuals should first and foremost pursue tasks for which they possess the required skills, basic required goods, or geographical advantages – for example a hunter living near a forest with a large quantity of game, or a wheat farmer with a sufficient amount of land available to him – and then exchange the in – excess acquired – good for a good which is more difficult or more important for the man in question to obtain.The value of each good is measured individually by each of the partners or group of individuals with the same interest partaking in the exchange, Shoes may be exchanged for a house, cattle for horses, eggs for wood, harvest labor for bread, and so on and so forth. Essentially the value of each good is constantly being revised, there is no one form of currency, money in today's form does not exist, a central market is not existent, and the government – should there be some sort of government present – has no impact on bartering as such. 4 Time as Currency in Association with BarteringAs mentioned above, the currency of time within the film In Time carries an intrinsic value – that of being capable of influencing the length of one's life. Money in the material form used today does not have as acute an influence on the length of one's life apart from its use in acquiring medicine or food from another human being, however, time too must pay for these goods nit the film. Following the traditional concept of bartering, man-made products or labor are exchanged for other man-made products or labor, however, time, as such, can be classed as neither f the two.Time is universally granted and – although man cannot alter time itself, he can – in this specific setting – gain more of it, or lose some or all of it, thereby ‘bartering' with his own life. At this point it may also be relevant to acknowledge the circumstance of time being an infinite concept in terms of gaining, and yet, it is certainly possible to be deprived of any time at all – by society, by oneself, or by the greater powers of the universe, leading to immediate death.The fact that time is, however, the only globally accepted currency – currency eyeing a theoretic opposition to the concept of bartering, is somewhat of a negation of the possibility of seeing this system as a form of bartering. In bartering the changeability of a good or of labor is subject to the interest another has in it, and whether or not the individual †“ or group of individuals – is capable of exchanging this for a good or for labor of their own which is of interest to the partner of exchange.In a typical bartering society there would be no primary or main good available for transfer, and certainly none by which value could be measured in any form, as time r the dollar can. Goods would be dependent on the separate circumstances of each individual, and their values would be subject to constant revisal. Currency as such is defined as being a system of money in general use in a particular country (Oxford English Dictionary, 2013).Aristotle intense occupation with the concept of slavery amongst men can, however, not be analyzed via the film, as slavery in its original form does not play a role, because modern human rights forbid inequality among mankind. The population of Dayton is indeed, to a certain extent, enslaved to the government, as he government regulates inflation and thereby death rates, and due to governmental â⠂¬Ëœtime keepers' – comparable to rope-men in contemporary societies – who are empowered to relieve individuals of time should they be accused of having acquired it without sufficient rights, or in case of other criminal allegations.Prisons are naturally impossible institutions in poorer societies run by time, as inmates would not be capable of earning enough time to keep themselves alive during their stay without further work, which instead leads them to inevitable death. Aristotle coins the term ‘liberality' in regard to money, describing a liberal man as one who is neither â€Å"acquisitive nor retentive of money, but is ready to part with it, and does not value it for himself, but only with a view to giving† (Aristotle. The Ethics of Aristotle. Trans. J. Thomson. England: Penguin Books, 1953. Print. ).In Time portrays protagonist Will Salsa as becoming somewhat of a liberal man. Toward the end of the film's development, he and Sylvia Weiss – dau ghter of one of the richest men in the world at the time – abide by the Robin Hood principle, which souses on the redistribution of wealth in order to reduce economic inequality. The most fascinating aspect here, is that the ‘wealth' in question is far more life-giving, than money in the standard form, which certainly buys food, however, the human being is capable of living for far longer without food than without ‘time' as portrayed in the film itself.Strictly speaking this means that an extreme form of liberality is achieved through the disregard Salsa and Weiss show in relation to the value of their own retention of time, and the selflessness they are capable of embodying, even at such high costs. The film's opening scene introduces Salsa as being confined state by – as is later revealed – the constant need to find more and more time in order to prolong his life, putting him in a metaphorical ongoing fight for life.The scene shows Salsa from a med ium close-up, standing behind a barred window and looking outside (see figure 2), before switching to a medium longest inside the room, which is almost completely dark save for the backlogging coming in through the window, again emphasizing the confinement Salsa must endure while wistfully looking out of the window in yearning for freedom (see figure 3). Freedom is, however, of course not available to Salsa. He is physically free to leave his apartment at any given time, but he will never be able to overcome the hold that the financial system has on him – at least not legally, but this he has yet to discover. Inflation The ability – and strongly pronounced desire – to acquire more and more time inevitably leads to higher life expectancies, and therefore also overpopulation. The government has come up with a solution to this problem: inflation. Through inflation individuals with little time on them are subject to a higher mortality risk, and this is owe the popul ation is regulated, so as to avoid an increase in societal problems, such as a heightened crime rate, lack of food, water, or medicine, sanitary issues, etc.The effects of inflation in poverty stricken areas are illustrated in one of the scenes at the very beginning, during which the mother of the protagonist dies on her way home because she does not have enough time available to her to pay for the inflated bus fares. It is, however, important to note that, although inflation takes place in the same way it does in today's society, the currency itself, I. E. Mime, is not affected by inflation as such: physically an hour of time remains the same amount of a person's lifetime, the only change in worth comes from the good being acquired by time, which then costs more.At the same time this circumstance underlines the lack of individualizing existent within the film, the effect of which is achieved by the apparent stereotypical disrespect which the lower classes are confronted with and de aths which occur on the streets of the poorer time zones, people being so used to seeing these corpses that they no longer pay heed to their presence and have mingle accepted the irrelevance of their lives in the social system.Inflation is not possible in standard bartering as conceptualized by Aristotle. A commodity's value is determined by its degree of desirability, and so in times of famine edible goods are naturally more highly valued than, for example, in times of good harvest. This point further distances the concept of time as currency from being a form of bartering as it is made clear that inflation of time prices is very much determined and arranged by the government as is perspective's needed, not as is natural. Influence on Social Class The lower classes tend to have little more than a few hours on their clocks, which means that affected individuals must move fast, are far more susceptible to crime due to the instinctive incessant need to survive, are prone to resorting to the vulgar sport of ‘fighting' each other for time in front of an audience, and are subject to more casualties than the higher classes with more time on them are.Social mobility is fairly limited, especially in the poorer time zones, as the search for more time plays an acute role in the search for a partner, however limited this time may be through he constant need to work more. Aristotle describes slaves as being strong enough to absolve the menial duties life presents mankind with, while the freemen are useless for physical labor, but useful for many other purposes of civic life.This can easily be related to the correlation between the upper and lower classes in the film, where the lower classes work in factories or on the streets doing manual labor and producing goods for the upper classes which they can hardly afford themselves, while the upper classes either busy themselves with tasks – if at all – which demand brain power of a stable financial Asia, all the while exploiting the lower classes. Sylvia view on the clock and time as the sole form of exchange available is as follows: â€Å"The clock does no one any good.The poor die and the rich don't really know how to live. We can live forever if we don't do anything stupid. Doesn't that scare you? † (In Time. Dir. Andrew Niccole. Twentieth Century Fox. 2012. Film. ) This describes two of the main issues with which society is presented: the fear and thus ensuing motivation of sudden death, as well as the lack of motivation one may encounter on owning a large amount of time, for there is then of course no longer a need to work ND yet these individuals have so much time that they no longer know how they may occupy themselves. Film Analysis In Time incorporates a combination of many different types of scenes, ranging from dark to light, hectic to slow, extreme close ups to extreme longest, all of which work together to help emphasize the extremity of using time as currency, as we ll as traumatizing and detailing its effects on society.As mentioned above, the clock displayed on the forearm of each and every individual within the movie is often used keeping the audience's perspective constant and attentive to the ‘bigger picture', which the film conveys, as is the case in the swimming scene with Salsa and Well, where the viewer is reminded not to lose himself in the comparatively rather banal romantics, but to stay alert and capable of interpretation on a larger level. The lack of individualism in this type of society is also illustrated.From the first scene onwards – in which Salsa is shown looking outside through the bars of a window – the clammy and fearful atmosphere driven by survival instinct alone without any visually explained causes is constantly reinforced, for example in the scene in which Will Salsa' mother dies in the middle of an empty road from no hysterical cause, or the moment in which the man who gives Salsa over a hundred years simply seems to fall off a bridge filmed from an extreme longest, making the viewer feel all the more helpless and emotionally affected. Conclusion Time is not merely a medium of exchange in the way money is, it is a good or service, which can be directly exchanged for other goods. Therefore, it is essentially distantly related to Aristotle concept of bartering, consequentially combining the traditional concept of exchange with the less modern and, in today's society, rarely enforced concept of bartering.However, one distinct difference lies in the fact that the society Aristotle focused on was to force individuals to be responsible for acquiring their goods individually, whereas in the modern society presented by the film organized work and an advanced market are the predominant themes in which individuals are far from producing their own goods directly. The use of time as the only legally recognized currency ultimately intertwines the length of one's life with the material quality of life itself – what can man physically acquire and how much of it?This adds the component of natural survival instinct to the motivation for finding and keeping work, and has the distinct effect of eliminating unemployment in cases of poverty. The effect this has on crime rates is most likely ambiguous, as the sanctions which a criminal would face are almost certainly life threatening, and yet, if one's life is in danger due to lack of time, he or she is far more likely to commit an illegal act in order to acquire more time than otherwise.These points make this financial system far more interesting on a societal level than anthropometry systems, as society's thinking is deeply affected by a more acute occupation with life itself and the inevitable death, the proximity of which is by far more dependent on one's way of life – how much time is spent working, where and as what, with whom one chooses to spend time, etc.Status seems to play a rather large role in t he upper classes, even more so than in today's society, as it seems that lack of status is greeted with disrespect, as is demonstrated by the waitress at the hotel in which Will Salsa has breakfast, by her comment on the speed at which he moves. Naturally, if one has a very large amount of time there is less of a need to move fast – quite on the contrary, moving slowly is somewhat of a prerequisite to avoid having too little to do with so much time.An analysis of this concept allows for the realization that the current financial concept of money can be comparatively seen as lacking in certain fields. Firstly, the to the fact that the motivation to work is not as high as it is in the film – sanctions would be needed in order to increase the motivation. Secondly, the film highlights the extreme differences in between different social classes, which promotes inequality where it should not – a reevaluation of proportional taxation a integrated living areas could pro vide possible improvements.Thirdly, liberality is naturally a more common phenomenon in the current society than in the film's society, as there is less at stake, and inflation is mainly influenced by governmental regulations and has far less to do with the availability of a good or service. Through the replacement of money with time a new form of financial system is introduced, which is loosely related to the concept of bartering.

Character Analysis of Thomas Gradrind in the Hard Times Essay

Thomas Gradrind is the first character presented in the book Hard Times by Charles Dickens. He is one of the central figures through whom the author weaves a web of intricately connected characters and plotlines. The main central features of his character are his monotone attitude and appearance that is mechanized. Mr. Gradrind’s opening speech to a group of young students during the opening scene embodies his dryness and the hard fact that he impounds in his student’s heads.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gradrind is best described physically as an â€Å"obstinate carriage, square coat, square legs, square shoulders† by the narrator, which is suggestive of Gradrind’s unrelenting rigidity (Dickens, 2001, p.47). During the first few chapters, Gradrind expounds his philosophy of calculating his rational self interest. He believes that human nature can be governed by complete rational rules. He is also ready to weigh and measure any parcel of human nature and be able to tell what it comes to. He lives by a joyless, pure memorization approach to education and life.   In the novel, his dull approach regarding education is shown: Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the    principle on which I bring up these children.   Stick to Facts, sir!† (Dickens, 2001 p.47) By this philosophy, he was able to triumph financially and socially. Even his way of living as a hardware merchant is an implication of his fixation on hard material reality. He also became a member of the Parliament and this position allowed him to indulge his interest tabulating data about people from England. Though he is not a factory owner, he evinces the spirit of Industrial Revolution as he treats people like a machine that can be reduced to a number of principles of science.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although it seems that the narrator’s description of Gradrind seems depressing, the latter also undergoes significant change in the novel which later catches the narrator’s sympathy. This is when Louisa confessed to Gadrind that something really important is missing in her life and that she is unhappy about marrying Bounderby. This makes Gradrind realize that the education system that he has is not perfect. This is also proven when he learned that Tom, his son, robbed the bank of Bounderby. After Gradrind realizes his failures, he admits to himself that he is really sorry for relying too much on facts. The dilemmas of his children made him feel and learn love, compassion and sorrow. He later becomes a humble man and making his facts and figures in greater connection with the virtues of faith, hope and charity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the book, Thomas Gradrind was a man who clings to facts and statistical objects as the only truth. He believes that these are the important things that should be dealt with in order to achieve a healthy productive life. This makes him somewhat closed-minded since he solely sticks to his own vision of truth about life. He can be quoted as a perfectionist who strives to make his children perfect and raised them with perfection. Ironically, his children cannot absorb all that he was feeding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thomas Gradrind lives in a reality where he always depends on meanings and calculations. This trait of his was shown in his dialogues such as this: Herein lay the spring of the mechanical art and mystery of educating the reason without stooping to the cultivation of the sentiments and affections. Never wonder.   By means of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, settle everything somehow and never wonder† (Dickens, 2001 p.89) This implies that he has a scientific and mathematical approach to life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After being a prominent citizen of Coketown he later becomes one of the Parliament members. This gives him a chance to implement a one-sided practical philosophy on local schools. He is often viewed as rationalist, self-centered and cold. In raising and teaching children like Louisa, Tom, Jane, Adam, and Malthus, he sees to it that they are equally practical. They are also always forbidden to nurture emotions and fill their minds with imaginations. He also views love and forbearance as a means of regulating facts and figures. Not until Louisa runs to him in full distress of the impending misfortune when she marries Bounderby that he realizes the limitations of his philosophical notions about hard facts. Despite his stubbornness and fixation on logic, Gradrind is a great father to his children. He raised his kids well because he always wanted the best for them. He does things which he thinks will benefit their individuality. Thus, after hearing Louisa’s troubles, he makes it a point to change himself and support her in her agony. For his children, he learned to repent for his wrongdoing and became ready to change his ways that caused his children’s unhappiness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main conviction of Gradrind in the story is his utilitarian point of view regarding facts and figures. Being a man of facts and figures, utilitarianism is manifested in his view of every individual. Rather than see people as a unique person, he develops a general view of people, which focuses on their productivity and usefulness in the society as a whole. He feels that everything in life can be measured through universal calculation and tabulations. Everything can be computed, from interior designing to marriage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Further analysis of Gradrind’s character suggests that he also mirrors the way people think during the era of industrialization. Charles Dickens wanted to explain to his readers the ideals and disadvantages of industrialization. Thomas Gradrind is an embodiment of how an individual embraces the beliefs and practices of industrialization. The way factory owners think during the time of industrialization is shown in the character of Gradrind. They are only after the monetary gain rather than the individual worth of the workers.   Dickens created an enduring tale that reflects the issues of an era filled with historical transformation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The philosophy of utilitarianism and its connection to industrialization is given enough meaning through Thomas Gradrinds character. After practicing the fact philosophy, his daughter Louisa made him realize that something is more important than the lessons of facts and figures. Before the novel ends, she ends up confessing to her father that â€Å"there seems to be nothing here but languid and monotonous smoke† (Dickens, 2001, p.78). She complains how mechanized the way her father raised her that brought her such misery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is in the near end of the novel that Gradrind realizes and sees his errors. He feels sorry for the way his children suffered his ideological principle. For the first time he did not dwell on facts and figures and humbly felt sorry for what he did, Dickens used Gradrind to tell readers how to understand that there is more to life than facts and figures. He wanted to use Gradrind’s character to show that everyone can change even the industrialized society during that time. Thomas Gradrind can be viewed by readers as character of change. He changed his philosophical ideals in place of something more important—his family’s happiness. Each individual has his or her own set of principles. Although it is worth sharing with others, it should not be shared to the extent of imposing it to others to follow. It should also not be used to manipulate other people. Gradrind can be an eye opener for many people who live under the influence of abusive power and authority. Louisa’s case made a turning point on her father’s life and paved the way for a better life for his children. Work Cited Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. Norton Critical Edition 3rd Ed. 2001.

There Is Something Disturbing About the World

Perhaps the most disturbing character of all Is the thirteen year old Bryony Tallish, a precocious girl with the habit of traumatizing and romanticizes events that occur in her own life, leading to disastrous consequences. Cecilia and the Tallish parents are also a cause for concern, the former due to her lack of direction and purpose and the latter because of their absence and failure to fulfill their roles as head of house. Finally, the house that the family reside in can be seen to reflect them and their faults.Overall, Mclean presents a family that has deep robbers, which gives rise to many concerns. With absent parents and a sister that does little other than aimlessly smoke cigarettes, Bryony Totals can be viewed as a by- product of the poisonous environment in which she has grown up in. As her mother battles with depression and her father is in a senior position at the war office, she has had to grow up largely on her own, which perhaps contributes to her tendency to dramatist and fantasies everything, as she needs to create her own worlds In order to escape from her truthful lonely reality.Perhaps what concerns us the most forever, is when she dramatists events that she sees, or in the case of the incident at the fountain, which she only sees part of. Also, she links events that happen in the adult world to experiences she has had or read about whilst growing up. Bryony dreams that the Incident will precede a ‘proposal of marriage, which she then relates to her childhood, stating that ‘She herself had written a tale in which a humble woodcutter saved a princess from drowning and ended by marrying her,' a story plausible only in a fairy tale.This Is In stark contrast with what she refers to as her entering an arena of adult emotion and dissembling from which her writing was bound to benefit,' highlighting that even in the strange events she has seen, she feels that she can still profit, which disturbs the reader as she has a sordid sense of w hat Is right and wrong, instead of showing concern for her sister she views herself as a form of gladiator as she has entered an arena, Implicit that she will be her sister's savior. Another disturbing characteristic of Bryony is her flawed idea of what is right and what is wrong, which could be due to her solitary upbringing.She feels that the OFF intrusion into his private life. Her inability to cope with events is perhaps showcased most oddly when Lola coerces her into giving her the part of Rubella and Bryony feels that ‘her only reasonable choice would be to run away, to live under hedges, eat berries and speak to no one, and be found by a bearded woodsman one winter's dawn, curled up at the base of a giant oak,' showing that she deals with what goes on in her life by making into a play and basing her actions on what heroines or people in fairy tales would have done.Overall, Briton's delusions of grandeur coupled with her incessant capability to transform any event in her own life into a work of fiction leads to one being disturbed because of her warped visions of what is real and what transcends reality. The crumbling family can perhaps be attributed to the lack of a strong patriarchal or matriarchal figure in the family. Emily Tallish battles with what she calls her ‘monster' and Jack Tallish holds a senior position in the war office, and thus this family has little unity, as Betty the maid takes the role of surrogate mother for the children, doing what Emily Tallish no longer feels that she can do.Her opening description as being ‘inert' alerts us to how useless she is in this house, and her life is described as ‘invalid nullity highlighting how little she does. However, one must appreciate the fact that she has depression, brought on from Britons birth, and thus she cannot solely be criticizes as being a lazy character, as it is not her fault, however, her lack of desire to change things is a disturbing problem, and she takes a great deal of time Just to find her ‘dark glasses. Emily movements are described as being ‘slow and ‘awkward. Overall, Mclean shows a mother utterly failing to fulfill both her role as career for her children and as leader of the house in Jack Italian's perpetual absence, owing to his busy Job, and he is even late for Loon's homecoming meal, leaving the women to run the show, a disturbing situation in the patriarchal early 20th century society. Despite her privileged background and the chances she has been given, Cecilia Tallish has failed to achieve much at all thus far in her life.She graduated from Gorton with ‘a third' showing that her opportunity for a good start has been squandered. Whilst Cecilia does attempt to do something, she often fails, as her start on a family tree was ‘half-hearted' and she even states that ‘nothing was holding her back from leaving the house, other than the thought of packing a suitcase' which ‘did not excit e her,' showing her reluctance to make any changes to her otherwise boring life.Perhaps her reading of Claries can be seen as an interpretation of her own life, as Richardson novel tells the story of a girl whose attempts at something (virtue in this case) are continually thwarted by her parents, and for Cecilia Tallish, her tempts at starting a relationship with Robbie are thwarted, first by Bryony Tallish naming and thus condemning him as the rapist of Lola Quince, and then due to World War II.However, Cecilia does also have some desire to be independent, shown through her smoking her own cigarettes, which contrasted with the early 20th century that women had to be offered and could not possibly ask or smoke their own, yet she does both of these. She also shows some desire to live independently, as she ‘had a little money in her account' and ‘offers to help her find a Job' yet she labels all f her options as ‘unpleasing. Mclean presents to the reader a flawed pai r of siblings, who have been left to cope, in essence, without parents, and whilst Bryony has the activity and direction her older sister lacks, it is utilized negatively. Overall, despite her chances that other would have craved for is disturbing. Means's setting for the novel reflects the Tallish family, serving only to reinforce and highlight their inherent flaws.From the outside, the house is described as being ‘ugly and condemned as ‘chartless to a fault' and as a tragedy of wasted chances' perhaps ere referencing Cecilia Italian's lack of motivation and direction in life, shown by her failures to achieve much since arriving home from university and this could perhaps also foreshadow the tempestuous and ill-fated love between Cecilia and Robbie.The temple is shown to be in disrepair, as the exposed laths ‘showed through like the ribs of a starving animal,' referencing how the family is falling apart and their flaws are easily visible, also shown through the bu ilding having a ‘mottled, diseased appearance. Cilia's lack of purpose is reflected in the temple which ‘had of course o religious purpose at all' and was meant to enhance the ‘pastoral ideal' meaning that it had an artificial premise, which relates to Cilia's whim of staying home through the feeling that ‘she was needed' even though she does little to look after Bryony and when she does there are selfish motives coursing through her actions, as seen when she strokes Bryony and gets comfort from it.Her other motive that she was required to help her mother is also shown to be false, as she does nothing to aid her other than putting flowers in Uncle Clime's vase, and even that is eventually broken. Means's tendency for his architecture to be flawed can be seen to display the family within the walls, a family in disrepair that is completely and utterly ‘a tragedy of wasted chances,' disturbing when considering all the opportunities the characters have been given which have been ruined by themselves or others.Overall, Mclean presents a disturbing set of characters, all in a toxic environment which serves only to exacerbate their already prominent flaws, leaving the reader disturbed as a collection of flawed individuals in an environment such as this will only lead to catastrophic consequences.

Nursing Care Plan and Specimens Essay

Quality is a broad term that encompasses various aspects of nursing care (Montolvo, 2007). The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators [NDNQI] is the only national nursing database that provides quarterly and annual reporting of structure, process, and outcome indicators to evaluate nursing care at the unit level (Montolvo, 2007). Nursing’s foundational principles and guidelines identify that as a profession, nursing has a responsibility to measure, evaluate, and improve practice (Montolvo, 2007). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the ‘mislabeled specimen’ indicator for an inpatient rehab unit and devise an action plan based on best practices to decrease the incidence of mislabeled specimens. Analysis of the data According to Dock, (2005) accurate specimen identification is a challenge in all hospitals and medical facilities. Ensuring that specimens are correctly identified at the point of collection is essential for accurate diagnostic information (Dock, 2005). A mislabeled specimen can lead to devastating consequences for a patient (Dock, 2005). Specimen misidentification can be serious, resulting in misdiagnosis and mistreatment (Dock, 2005). For the second quarter of FY09, the rehab unit met their target of zero mislabeled specimens. The third quarter yielded two actual mislabeled specimens with a variance of two. The fourth quarter actual was one with a variance of one. The first quarter FY10 showed an actual of one and variance of one. For the FY09 the rehab had a total of four mislabeled specimens. This indicator was chosen because of the magnitude of this medical error. Nurses, administrators and laboratory personnel must collaborate and create ways to decrease the mislabeling of spec imens. Nursing plan Nursing interventions to decrease the number of mislabeled specimens and improve actual indicator scores are: 1) Ensuring proper identification of patient 2) The use of electronic technology and 3) Bedside labeling. Each of these interventions will positively impact patient outcomes and reduce errors. According to The Joint Commission [TJC], proper patient identification is best practice for decreasing mislabeled specimens (The Joint Commission as cited by Sims, 2010). National Patient Safety Goal [NPSG], 01.01.01 states that healthcare providers should use at least two identifiers to identify patients. For example, the patient’s full name and date of birth is used to properly identify a patient (The Joint Commission, 2014). According to Kim et al., (2013), developing a standardized specimen handling system has the potential to reduce errors. Figure 1. Steps to properly identifying a patient for specimen collection. Figure 1. Essential specimen handling steps. Blue items are physician-specific responsibilities; pink items are nursing staff-specific responsibilities. Adapted from â€Å"Standardized Patient Identification and Specimen Labeling: A Retrospective Analysis on Improving Patient Safety,† by Kim JK; Dotson B; Thomas S; Nelson KC; Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2013 Jan; 68 (1): 53-6. The strongest intervention to reduce labeling errors is the addition of barcode technology (Brown, Smith & Sherfy, 2011). The use of automated patient identification and specimen collection techniques can be an additional safety net for routines that are vulnerable to error, especially when coupled with strong systems designs (Brown et al., 2011). Brown et al (2011), found that the clinical applications of electronic and information technology support can assist in the identification, control, and reduction of error rates throughout the process. According to the World Health Organization [WHO] healthcare providers should encourage the labeling containers used for blood and other specimens in the presence of the patient (World Health Organization, 2007). This would suggest labeling specimens at the patient’s bedside or before leaving the room. Nurses should never label specimens before collection as this could lead to serious errors. Summary In summary, NDNQI indicators serve as a schoolmaster that holds nursing accountable to practice. An analysis of ‘mislabeled specimens’, found that an inpatient unit had a total of four incidents for FY09. While this does not seem like a great deal of errors, any one error could have detrimental consequences. The plan of action based on best practices is to properly identify the patient, using electronic technology, and labeling specimens at the bedside. References Brown, J.E., Smith, N., Sherfy, B.R., (2011). Decreasing mislabeled laboratory specimens using barcode technology and bedside printers. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, (26)1, 13-21. Retrieved from http://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com/waldenu?genre=article&issn=10573631&title=Journal%20of%20Nursing%20Care%20Quality&volume=26&issue=1&date=201101 Dock, B. (2005). Improving the accuracy of specimen labeling. Clinical Laboratory Science, 18(4), 210-2. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204803914?accountid=14872 Kim J.K., Dotson B; Thomas S; Nelson KC; Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2013 Jan; 68 (1): 53-6. Retrieved from ent%20identification%20and%20specimen%20labeling%3A%20A%20retrospective%20analysis%20on%20improving%20patient%20safety.&spage=53&sid=EBSCO:rzh&pid= Montalvo, I. (2007). The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI). Online Journal Of Issues In Nursing, 12(3). Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=50&sid=909dc60d-9c0d-474c-a02e-2e8f9df097e1%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4104&bdata Sims, M. (2010). The Joint Commission clarifies key compliance issues. MLO: Medical Laboratory Observer, 42(4), 72. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=54&sid=909dc60d-9c0d-474c-a02e-2e8f9df097e1%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4104 The Joint Commission, (2014). National patient safety goals. Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/2014_HAP_NPSG_E.pdf World Health Organization. (2007). Patient safety solutions. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/patientsafety/solutions/patientsafety/PS-Solution2.pdf