Caesar and the Gladiators Essay Example

Caesar and the Gladiators Essay The excitement was palpable; the air was electrifying, everyone was eager to enter the enormous, stone structure for the spectacle. The flyers in the last weeks advertised wild beasts of every kind and hundreds of pairs. There were rumors of the number of pairs, as the gladiators had been ‘trained up..not in schools, but in houses of Roman knights and even Senate’s, skilled in the use of arms’ [ CITATION CSu06 l 1033 ]. Only the most celebrated gladiators would be in attendance. The people jostled for the best of the free seats, sponsored by Senators, looking for the people’s favor. What exciting times! The gladiatorial games, while many, only happened a couple of times a year. The bloody, grisly shows were gory spectacles that the general population of Rome would flock too. â€Å"Present-day disapproval of the horrors of the arena is completely understandable, but we should not forget that our judgment springs primarily from our norms and values,† [ CITATION Mei03 l 1033 ]. While we look back, we see unthinkable horrors to humans and animals alike, did some Romans have similar views as we do today? According to Cassius Dio, possibly, â€Å"But of the populace in general, many did not enter the Amphitheatre at all, and others departed after merely glancing inside, partly from shame at what was going on† [ CITATION Dio l 1033 ]. We will write a custom essay sample on Caesar and the Gladiators specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Caesar and the Gladiators specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Caesar and the Gladiators specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Roman people had many rituals the seem very primitive but were very important to them in their daily lives and the afterlife. They believed in rituals of condemnation, execution and sacrifice long before the gladiator games became a popular afternoon pass time. Death spectacles were a way to punish criminals, to dispose of captives and tributes or duties to relatives who passed away. They believed if blood was shed over their grave they would be able to pass easily over to the afterlife (munera). The wealthy would often purchase slaves to fight to the death as a sacrifice at their grave. Often th

Catcher In The Rye Essays - Literary Realism, The Catcher In The Rye

Catcher In The Rye Essays - Literary Realism, The Catcher In The Rye Catcher In The Rye The Catcher in The Rye Many people find that their dreams are unreachable. Holden Caulfield realizes this in J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye. As Holden tells his story, he recounts the events since leaving the Pencey School to his psychiatrist. At first, Holden sounds like a typical, misguided teenager, rebellious towards his parents, angry with his teachers, and flunking out of school. However, as his story progresses, it becomes clear that Holden is indeed motivated, just not academically. He has a purpose: to protect the young and innocent minds of young children from the horrors of adult society. He hopes to freeze the children in time, as wax figures are frozen in a museum. After interacting with Phoebe, his younger sister, Holden realizes that this goal is quite unachievable. Holden wants to be the Catcher in the Rye, then realizes it is an unreachable ideal. Holden begins his story misguided and without direction. After flunking out of the Pencey School, Holden decides to leave early. Before he leaves, though, he visits his teacher, Mr. Spencer. Mr. Spencer and Holden talk about his direction in life: Do you feel absolutely no concern for your future, boy? Oh, I feel some concern for my future, all right. Sure. Sure, I do. I thought about it for a minute. But not too much, I guess, (14). After leaving Pencey, he checks into a hotel where he invites a prostitute up to his room. He gets cold feet and decides not to have intercourse with her, though. Later, Holden decides to take his old girlfriend, Sally Hayes, to the theater. After taking her to the theater, Holden formulates a crazy plan which entails running away with Sally, getting married, and growing old together. Sally thinks that he is crazy, and she decides to go home. During his stay away from home, Holden drinks and smokes, showing even more misdirection. However, when Holden re turns home and talks to his sister, Phoebe, his direction becomes clear. Holden wants to be the Catcher in the Rye to protect children from the world in which he is forced to live. While talking with Phoebe, she asks Holden what he would like to be. He responds saying: Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobodys aroundnobody big, I meanexcept me. And Im standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliffI mean if theyre running and they dont look where theyre going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. Thats all Id do all day. Id just be the catcher in the rye and all. (173) Holden wants to protect the innocence of his sister and every other innocent child in the world. Before Holden meets Sally for their date, he stops in front of the Museum of Natural History and begins to reminisce. He thinks about the way he visited the museum when he was younger. He also tells that every time one visits the museum, he is changed in some way, but the figures in the exhibits always stay the same. He wants to be able to preserve some things in the glass: Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone, (122). Holden wants the innocence of children to be frozen behind that glass. When he visits Phoebes school to give her a note, Holden notices two instances of graffiti on the walls. He succeeds in rubbing one of them off cannot rub off the other. It depresses Holden to think that someday this kind of graffiti will spoil his sister Phoebe and all of her companions. Up to this p oint, keeping young children from his plight is Holdens sole motive. He soon realizes that this is impossible. Holden sees that becoming the Catcher in the Rye is an unattainable ideal. When he meets Phoebe during her lunch break at school, he has made up

The ways of improving Maintainability and Reliability of engines on Essay

The ways of improving Maintainability and Reliability of engines on Air bus A380 - Essay Example In this paper, maintenance of Airbus A380 engines is assessed from different perspectives. The paper analyzes general aircraft engine, major aircraft manufacturers, current technologies in aircraft engines and Rolls-Royce Trent 900 aircraft engine. In maintenance part, key issues are maintenance steering group (MSG-3) analysis, maintenance manual generation, heat and vibration analysis, and maintain monitoring build in equipments. The paper assesses Airbus A380 reliability through analysis of failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) and failure modes, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) of aircraft engine. The other are concerns fault tree analysis, functional hazard analysis (FHA) and Neo generation aircraft engine. The airbus is a huge plane to diagnose and identify faults manually; therefore, the concept of 3D computer aided simulation discussed in the paper. The paper concludes that reliability and maintainability of Airbus engines are essential for smooth operations of the aircraft and the industry. The A380-800 is subsonic with very long variety and very high capability civil transport airplane. It offers a number of payload capabilities varying from 400 travellers in a very comfortable multi-class arrangement, capable of 853 travellers in an all economy class arrangement. The aircraft designed in close alliance with main airlines, airworthiness authorities and airports. It is the most sophisticated, roomy and effective aircraft in service condition of a new standard in air voyage and environmental effectiveness. The A380 family begins with a baseline commuter aircraft, the A380-800. The A380-900 superior capacity version is developable if in need by the market. Maintenance and reliability of such a magnificent product is a challenge, but the Aircraft has maintained the maintenance procedures. Reliability, Maintainability, and Availability (RMA) are system

Description essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Description - Essay Example Sean Penn, Ali MacGraw, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Dick Van Dyke and Tony Hopkins have all had homes here. The reason for this is the area’s incredible views of both the mountains and the ocean. As we drove along, it was awe-inspiring and a little dizzying to look up at the multi-colored mountains on one side of the road and then deep down the jagged cliffs to the white sand and ultramarine blue of the ocean down below. The difference between the two sides of the road made us feel as if we were traveling in alternate worlds, which, in a way, we were. The solid mountains look very dry, full of scrub brush and rocks and small, stunted trees that are bent and shaped by the wind. Although the ends of the grasses sway in the breeze and the trees bend slightly, this side of the road looks unchangeable. Nothing moves without good cause. It is very obvious looking at this side of the road why fires are such a danger here. In contrast, the ocean breakers send up white spray into the blue sky, emph asizing the constant motion and change occurring along the coastline. People are everywhere enjoying the beach, some tanning, some surfing, some just playing at the water’s edge. In contrast with the mountains, it seems as if nothing down there could ever remain the same. The houses along this drive are incredible, too. They don’t seem to belong to the real world of real people living real lives. Instead, they are mansions and palaces belonging to characters out of a fairy tale. The gigantic structures seem less like a place someone would live than like monuments to an idea. Each one has its own unique architectural style and lies in various degrees of hidden behind the heavily landscaped areas of their yards and gates. It is difficult to impossible to stop long enough to get a really good glimpse of how each house has been modeled. Another thing people don’t

Business environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business environment - Assignment Example The purpose of these different types of organizations are: Non-profit Organization: Such organization operate to provide services to the community without working on making any profits. Their aim is to improve the community. Such organizations includes universities and charitable organizations. Governmental Organization: These organizations are owned by the government to provide benefit to the citizens in the country. Another purpose is to utilize the resources in the country for the benefit of the community. IKEA is a for-profit organization just like Tesco. IKEAs vision is to create a better everyday life for many people (IKEA, 2014). They do this by introducing a wide product range which includes all kinds of home and even office products at low affordable prices. The vision of Tesco is ‘to be the most highly valued business by: the customers we serve, the communities in which we operate, our loyal and committed colleagues and of course, our shareholders.’ (McKeown, n.d). Tesco does not specifically deal in one kind of product. Rather Tesco is more of a retail store. IKEA deals with one niche of the retail sector which is home furniture, appliances and accessories. Tesco aims to provide maximum value to its stakeholders which include customers, employees and stakeholders. This vision clearly shows Tesco as a for-profit organization. Even IKEA is a for-profit organization but it has cleverly worded its vision statement to show respect to its customer. This also shows that IKEA is highly customer centric. Organizations today have also begun to include their corporate social responsibility in their vision and mission statement. While the vision statement of IKEA is too broad, Tesco has accepted its corporate social responsibility by including the community in its vision statement. For the customers, IKEA has the objective of increasing their customer base and retaining its

Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF)

Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF) The objectives of this study were to determine the reliability and validity of a Malay-version questionnaire Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF) among respondents. METHODS Participant Target population for this study is primiparous mothers who gave birth to a single, healthy, term infant who were planning on breastfeeding were eligible to participate in this study. The study applied convenience sampling, in which researcher recruited volunteer primiparous mother who have delivered baby and hospitalized at postnatal ward, Hospital USM between one to three days. Mothers were excluded if they had a factor that could significantly interfere with breastfeeding, such as a mother whose illness, have maternity complication or infant admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the infant had a condition that prevented ingestion of breast milk via the breast such as cleft palate. Sample Size For the sample size, the study needed 38 of respondents to validate the questionnaire base on the internal consistency of the items from previous study. Cronbachs alpha will be used to measure reliability because it is the most common form of internal consistency reliability coefficient. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for internal consistency of the items from previous study was 0.89 (Wutke, Dennis, 2006). The sample size was determined by using Stats ToDo software. The questionnaire will be administered to primiparous mothers which breastfed their baby after delivered to one week postpartum. Sample size calculation where; Type I Error (ÃŽ ±) = 0.05 Cronbachs Alpha expected or required = 0.8 Power (1-ÃŽ ²) = 0.8 Testing Null Hypothesis against Ref Alpha of = 0.6 Number of items = 14 Delta (ÃŽ ´= (1-Ref Alpha) / (1 Alpha)) = 2 Sample size required = 38 Instrument Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale The confidence level will be measured by using the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale Short-Form (BSES-SF) which was adapted from a previous study (Dennis, 1999, 2003) with the permission from the author. The BSES-SF is used to assess breastfeeding confidence among mothers intending to breastfeed and has had extensive use and evaluation in a wide variety of settings and populations (Dai Dennis, 2003; Dennis, 1999; Dennis, 2002; Dennis, 2003; Dennis, Hodnett, Gallop, Chalmers, 2002). Breastfeeding confidence and self-efficacy have sometimes been used interchangeably in prior literature. For the purposes of this study, the term of â€Å"confidence† is preferred. It is a 14 item self-report instrument developed to measure a mother’s perceived ability to breastfeed her infant. All items are preceded by the phrase â€Å"I can always†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and use a five-point Likert scale for rating from 1 (â€Å"not at all confident†) to 5 (â€Å"always confident†). Items ratings will be summed to produce a total score from 14 to 70, with higher scores indicating higher confidence. The means score points will be used as the cut-off point between high and low scorers. This instrument is based on the breastfeeding self-efficacy theory, and was synthesized from a longer tool. It has been utilized in women as early as 36 weeks gestation and found to predict breastfeeding continuation up to three months postpartum. Dennis, (2003) who also were using the BSES-SF, found that BSES-SF was a good measurement tool for evaluating breastfeeding self-efficacy. The original BSES-SF (English version), the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for internal consistency of the items is 0.89 (Wutke Dennis, 2006). This questionnaire will take about six to ten minutes to fill up. Translation process The Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale Short-Form (BSES-SF) in English version will be translated into national language which is Malay language in order to help the respondent understand the questions. The translation was done by two people who are experts in both English and Malay language using back translation technique. The questionnaire was sent to linguistic department and two bilingual experts were invited in translation process. Back translation is the process of translating a document that has already been translated into a foreign language back to the original language. Thus, through the translation and back-translation process and expert review, minor alterations were made to the instrument to improve clarity and eliminate cultural bias and translation inaccuracies. Then, the content and face validity will be done. VALIDITY TEST Content validity Validityis theabilityof aninstrumenttomeasurewhatit is supposedtomeasure. This questionnaire has been validated by five experts from; obstetrics and gynecology specialist, midwifery, and health education, linguistics and statistician to determine the validity of the content. The experts were invited to review, evaluated and provide feedback on the content of each BSES-SF item. This is to comply with the recommendations Sekaran which is to ensure reliability, the question shall be given to the experts made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹the correction and evaluation called Expert Judgment Validity (Sekaran, 2005). Based on this evaluation, five modifications were made: (1) the item â€Å"I can always motivate myself to breastfeed successfully† was changed to â€Å"I can always motivate myself to do well at breastfeeding,† (2) the item â€Å"I can always breastfeed my baby without using formula as a supplement† was changed to â€Å"I can exclusively breastfed my baby without using formula as a supplement to at least 4 months,† (3) the item â€Å"I can always refrain from bottle feeding for the first 4 weeks† was changed to â€Å"I can refrain from exclusively bottle feeding for the first month,† (4) the item â€Å"I can always feed my baby with breast milk only† was changed to â€Å"I can always feed my baby with breast milk only for at least 4 months,† and (5) the item â€Å"I can always keep feeling that I really want to breastfeed my baby for at least 6 weeks† was changed to â€Å"I can always keep feeling that I really want to breastfeed my baby for at least one and a half months.† The modified instrument was presented to the experts a final time and after several discussions, all items were considered relevant to Malay speaking mothers. Face validity Finally, the translated BSES-SF was administered to five respondents which are primiparous mothers who have breastfeed their baby and hospitalized at postnatal ward during the first to three days postpartum. This recruitment as a part of this study to identify the problems in the translated questionnaire. This method requires researchers to ask participants to rephrase the items using their own words immediately after answering the items. Respondent’s suggestions for the improvement of the questions were noted and were being analyzed and discussed with the experts. This allows the researchers to assess whether respondents understand the items totally as well as to evaluate the comprehension and readability of the Malay BSES-SF version. PILOT TEST AND RELIABILITY TEST Results from content and face validity actually improve the items in the questionnaire to be applied in this study. After making improvements, the questionnaire was done a pilot study on 30 respondents at postnatal ward, Hospital USM to test the reliability of the questionnaire. RESULT Internal Consistency Reliability of instrument refers to the extent to which an instruments score is consistent or stable (Ananda, 2007). Reliability is obtained when the same result each time the test is made. Thus, the reliability of the instrument can be defined as a standard of measurement that is free from error in which they give consistent answers. According to Sekaran (2005), the closer to 1.0 Coefficient of reliability, the reliability is higher. Generally, reliability of less than 0.60 can be defined reliability is low, in the range of 0.70 if it is acceptable, while above 0.80 indicates higher reliability. Therefore, the questionnaire in this study can be categorized as good and reliable for use in this study. The IBM SPSS Statistics Version 21 was used for statistical analysis. Results of a pilot study of 30 respondents are as follows: The internal consistency of the translated BSES-SF was evaluated by considering the following: (1) item summary statistics; (2) inter- item correlations; (3) corrected item-total correlations; (4) Cronbach’s alpha coefficient; and (5) the alpha estimate when an item was deleted (Strickland,1996). Poorly functioning items were defined as (1) items that when deleted increased the alpha coefficient by more than 0.10 or (2) items that had a corrected item-total correlation less than 0.30. Cronbach’s alpha for the translated BSES-SF was 0.87; there was no increase of more than 0.10 in Cronbach’s alpha with removal of any item. The Cronbach’s alpha estimated when an item was dropped from the scale ranged from .86 to .87. All corrected item-total correlations were positive ,the lowest item-total correlation was 0.37 and the highest was 0.73, with 92.8 %, falling within the recommended range of 0.30–0.70. The mean BSES-SF score was 56.74 (SD _7. 01). The ov er all item mean was 4.05, ranging from 3.74 to 4.39. The item variance mean was 0.65, ranging from 0.35 to 0.96. Table 1: Reliability Statistics Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale Short-Form (BSES-SF) Cronbachs Alpha N of Items .877 14 Table 2: Item Corrected Item-Total Correlation Cronbachs Alpha if Item Deleted Saya sentiasa dapat memastikan bayi saya mendapat susu yang mencukupi .376 .876 Saya sentiasa dapat mengatasi masalah penyusuan sepertimana tugasan mencabar yang lain .586 .867 Saya sentiasa dapat memberikan susu ibu kepada bayi saya tanpa menggunakan susu formula sebagai makanan tambahan .500 .871 Saya sentiasa boleh memastikan mulut bayi saya sentiasa melekap dengan betul bagi keseluruhan tempoh penyusuan .543 .868 Saya sentiasa dapat menguruskan situasi penyusuan dengan rasa puas hati .595 .866 Saya sentiasa mampu menyusu bayi walaupun bayi saya sedang menangis .729 .859 Saya sentiasa mempunyai keinginan untuk menyusukan bayi .446 .873 Saya sentiasa dapat menyusu bayi dengan selesa walaupun dengan kehadiran ahli keluarga yang lain .472 .872 Saya sentiasa berpuas hati dengan pengalaman penyusuan saya .565 .868 Saya sentiasa dapat menerima hakikat bahawa penyusuan anak memang mengambil masa yang lama .453 .873 Saya sentiasa dapat menghabiskan penyusuan bayi dengan satu payu dara sebelum beralih kepada payudara yang satu lagi .531 .869 Saya sentiasa dapat menyusukan bayi setiap kali waktu penyusuan .605 .865 Saya sentiasa memenuhi keinginan bayi saya apabila dia ingin menyusu .586 .866 Saya sentiasa tahu apabila bayi saya sudah habis menyusu .640 .864 Table 3: Mean Minimum Maximum Range Maximum / Minimum Variance Item Means 4.053 3.737 4.395 .658 1.176 .030 Item Variances .652 .353 .956 .602 2.704 .027 Inter-Item Correlations .340 -.018 .683 .701 -38.161 .020 Table 4: Statistics for Scale N Mean Variance SD 14 56.74 49.064 7.005 Procedures After university and hospital ethics was obtained, eligible mothers were recruited in hospital from the postnatal ward by a researcher. Potential participants were identified by the researcher at 1 to 3 days postpartum from the registry book in the postnatal ward. The eligible participants who are willing to participate in this study has been approached, they will be given further explanation clearly to understand the aims of the study. Once the participant expressed an interest and willingness to participate, they will be provided with inform consent, which is must be documented and signed. After that, finalize translated BSES-SF Malay questionnaire was administered to the participants as soon as possible after respondent agreed and volunteer to answer the questions. The respondents were given self-administered questionnaires and the researcher will be waiting until respondents completed answer the questions and the completed answer questionnaire were collected back at the same time after the respondent has finished answering all the questions. Limitation of the study It is a pilot study, so the small number of samples is the most limitation of the study. DISCUSSION Psychometrics properties The results from this methodological study are consistent with the original study (Dennis Faux, 1999) and provide evidence that the translated BSES is a reliable measure of BSE among a representative sample of Malay women in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The Cronbach’s a was .88, exceeding the recommended a for established instruments (Nunnally Bernstein, 1994). CONCLUSION The BSES-SF Malay version is reliable and valid for assessing mothers’ breastfeeding confidence. 1

Essay --

Based on research, Gen Y seek more workplace flexibility, better balance between their workplace and personal life, to give themselves a higher job satisfaction.To accommodate to this need, HR in companies can adapt with a a flexible work hour. This includes shifting their work hours to accommodate their own schedules and are interested in working outside the office where they can stay connected by way of technology. Gen Y believe that the 40 hours per week target can be achieved in a more smarter way, where they could also give an effective productivity. Generation Y occupants are not convinced that such early career sacrifices are worth the potential rewards. A balance between their personal and work lives is more important to them. While the elder generations are confined in a strict 8am-5pm schedule, flexible work hour which emphasises only on a few hours of core hours in work should be introduced. For example, this core hours are the compulsory hours in which employee should be in office. During this time, engagement sessions, discussions and meeting shall be done in order to continue the job efficiently.Besides, HR should also introduce flexibility in timeframe where employee could arrange their workshedule where they work 4 days per week for 10 hours each day, followed by 3 days on leave. This enables them to increase productivity and at the same time provide contribution with the same time constraints. Due to the high priority given to family needs before work, HR can adapt and come up with unique family packages in which they could have a nursery for babies in workplace. This enables working mothers to take care and have an eye on their child while in work. This lifestyle promotes the healthy culture of that organization... ... the jobs we they after. Generation Y commit to the ideal of working smarter, not harder. For the independent Generation Y worker, the 9-5 workday hosts many pockets of wasted time; one being the daily commute. This is what the Generation Y worker thinks about, and why they value an open-minded employer. When applicable, offing your employees a telecommuting option can save time, money and the environment. Do you absolutely need them in the office? Then don’t give telecommuting a second thought, but do extend wellness benefits by offering reimbursements for gym memberships or by replacing swivel chairs with posture-pleasing exercise balls. Also, making conscious steps to keep the company green wherever feasibly possible (i.e. recycling bins, proper disposal of printer cartridges, energy efficient equipment) will help satisfy the socially conscious Generation Y.

The Outsiders Literature Response

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton original copyright 1967 The protagonists in the book are the Greasers and the antagonists are the Socs. The main characters are Darry, Soda, Dally, Bob, Ponyboy, and Johnny. Darry is tall, muscular, smart and very strict towards Ponyboy. Darry yells at Ponyboy and always seems to expect better from Ponyboy. For example, Darry yells at Ponyboy on page 49, â€Å"Where the heck have you been? Do you know what time it is? He was madder than I had seen him in along time. I shook my head wordlessly. † Soda is always optimistic and lighthearted. One of the only things that bring Soda down is the fact that he is a school dropout who works at a gas station. Soda tries to support Pony when Darry is mad at him but tries not to take sides. Soda explains how he doesn’t like when Darry and Pony fight when he says, â€Å"It’s just†¦I can’t stand to hear y’all fight. Sometimes I have to get out or†¦it’s like I’m the middleman in a tug o’ war and I’m being split in half (page 175). † Dally’s actions, like robbing a store, makes him seem like he is mean and tough but actually he is a very caring person on the inside. An example is when Dally enters the burning church to save Pony and says, â€Å"For Pete’s sake, get outa there! That roof is going to cave in any minute. † Bob is rich and undisciplined by his parents who make him feel like he has the power to do anything he pleases. Bob is intimidating to the Greasers like Johnny and Pony because he has the ability to do almost anything he wants. An example of Bob picking on Pony and Johnny is when he orders a Soc to give Ponyboy a bath in the park fountain by drowning him as a sort of cruel joke (page 55). Ponyboy is more emotional than all of the Greasers and takes feelings in to deeper consideration. Pony is not as violent as other Greasers and is very friendly. An example is when Pony went to the drive-in movie; he easily became friends with the popular Soc cheerleader, Cherry. This shows a lot about his personality because most Socs wouldn’t even want to talk to a Greaser. Johnny is shy, defenseless, and small for his age. He is harshly bullied by the Socs and by his parents. For instance on page 33, Pony describes how Johnny was mugged by the Socs, â€Å"They caught him and one of them had a lot of rings on his hand—that’s why they had cut Johnny up so adly. It wasn’t just that they had beaten him half to death—he could take that. They had scared him. † The setting takes place in a rough town somewhere in the U. S. around the 1960’s. The town is infested with crimes and delinquents. It’s socially divided into two parts, the east where the low-class Greasers live, and the west where the rich Socs live. The Greasers and the Socs are strong rivals who always take the opportunity to fight each other. Therefore, it makes walking down the street a dangerous task with the possibility of being mugged. An example of the environment of this town is in the scene where Ponyboy is mugged by the Socs while he was walking himself home from the movie theater. It’s dangerous for people like Pony to even walk on the city streets without risking being cut up by a Soc. The story starts out with Pony being jumped by the Socs until Pony’s gang rescues him. The next night Pony, Dally, and Johnny go to a drive-in movie and meet two girl Socs, Cherry and Marcia. By the end of the night Pony and Cherry become good friends. Before returning home Pony and Johnny go to a vacant lot to talk. They both fell asleep in the lot and woke up around 2 A. M. Pony goes back home only to find Darry as mad as ever. Darry lectures Pony about his curfew and ends up hitting him. Ponyboy becomes overwhelmed and decides to run away with Johnny. Pony and Johnny walk to the park until they notice the Socs approaching them. Bob is mad that the Cherry and Marcia were interacting with the Greasers; so he decides to mug both Johnny and Pony. The Socs begin to drown Ponyboy in the fountain until Johnny stabs Bob. The Socs then began to flee. Ponyboy and Johnny need help from Dally to run away while avoiding being arrested for murder. Dally tells them how to escape to Windrixville and survive behind an old church. Dally checks up on them in a week and tells Johnny that Cherry had testified that the murder had just been an act of self-defense. Johnny decides to turn himself in; so Dally drives them back until they notice that the church was on fire. Pony and Johnny run inside and rescue the kids that are trapped. Pony barely escapes, but Johnny was more severely hurt and ends up dying in the hospital. Dally becomes depressed because of all the misfortunes so, he commits an armed robbery at a grocery store. The police chase Dally to a lot where they kill him for armed robbery. Pony becomes traumatized because of all of the drastic events and deaths of his close friends. The main conflict in the story is when both Pony and Johnny are jumped at the park by the Socs. The Socs start to drown Pony in the fountain until Johnny stabs Bob. The Socs immediately fled to their cars and drove away. This conflict type person vs. person, in this case it would be the Socs (particularly Bob) vs. Johnny and Ponyboy. This conflict was external because it was made up actions. A minor conflict would be when Ponyboy is in great sorrow because of Johnny’s recent death. Pony can’t get over the fact that one of his closest friends, who actually deeply cared about him, died just overnight. This conflict type is a person vs. self; this is internal because it involves Pony’s feelings. An example of a person vs. nature conflict is when the church burns down. Johnny and Pony frantically enter the burning church to save the children form the fire. This is a person vs. nature conflict because the fire, which is part of nature, burns down the church which affects Ponyboy, Johnny, and the children who are trapped inside. The story is told for Ponyboy Curtis’s point of view. The author may have chosen this point of view because it would be easier to understand the story through a fourteen year old boy’s perspective and it may also make the book more appealing to teenagers. This point of view is critical to the story because it’s from the perspective of an outsider who thinks life isn’t fair to them. This story would have been altered if it were from the point of view of a Soc because the Socs feel as if they can do what ever they want and get what ever they want. If that had happened then the story would have been talking about how bad the Greasers were and how fabulous the Socs were. The mood in this story is bitter and unruly, especially for the Greasers because of their low status in life. The atmosphere is violent because of gang fights and various crimes. The story’s mood and atmosphere change when Pony and Johnny go to the country. The mood changes from harsh to quiet and relaxed because of the smaller population in the country. Here is an example of a mood and atmosphere change in the country (pg 63), â€Å"We lay in the tall weeds and damp grass, breathing heavily. The dawn was coming. It was lightening the sky in the east and a ray of gold touched the hills. The clouds were pink and meadow larks were singing. † The underlying message and theme of the story is the line, â€Å"Stay gold. † Stay gold means that you should remain young and wondrous because nothing stays gold forever. Johnny’s letter to Ponyboy explains that you are gold when you are a kid. Johnny says that the way Pony like sunsets is gold and to remain gold forever.

Free Essays on Gangs In The US

Violence is a part of life out here. In our ‘hood you see violence all the time, and that’s what time it is. Either you stay ready or it’s gonna get you... To me, selling dope is the best thing a young girl can do in trying to make it in the streets. Call us a gang or whatever you want. What we is, is getting paid. – Dewana, 20, member of drug gang (Taylor:1993, 32) Violence is a reality for the youth of America, gang violence being one of the fastest growing forms. While overall crime rates have decreased, it is becoming more common for the youth to the perpetrators. Our youth are increasingly the perpetrators and victims of some of society’s most violent crimes. Until recently, the rate of youth violence has climed drastically, between 1984 and 1993, the rate of homicides commited by juveniles increased 169%. (Walker:1993, 506) Gangs have become violent street families for many of our youth. Less than twenty years ago fewer than half of US cities reported gang activity, now 95% of the largest cities and 88% of smaller cities suffer gang-related crime. With the ever increasing population, according to demographic experts there will be a doubling of juvenile arrests for violent crimes by the year 2010. (US Department of Justice) Luckily with action these numbers can be changed. The facts of recent studies provide proof for an alternative outcome: o Over the past five years, violence- and especially murder- commited by young people has declined. o While the juvenile violent crime arrest rate increased 62% between 1987 and 1993, it decresed 2.9% in 1995, the first decline in seven years. o The juvenile murder arrest declined 15.2% in 1995- the largest one year decrease in more than ten years. o Since 1993, the juvenile murder arrest rate has dropped 22.8% (US Department of Justice) It has only been until recent years that the study of youth crimes has gained momentum, so far we know that: - Only a small fractio... Free Essays on Gangs In The US Free Essays on Gangs In The US Violence is a part of life out here. In our ‘hood you see violence all the time, and that’s what time it is. Either you stay ready or it’s gonna get you... To me, selling dope is the best thing a young girl can do in trying to make it in the streets. Call us a gang or whatever you want. What we is, is getting paid. – Dewana, 20, member of drug gang (Taylor:1993, 32) Violence is a reality for the youth of America, gang violence being one of the fastest growing forms. While overall crime rates have decreased, it is becoming more common for the youth to the perpetrators. Our youth are increasingly the perpetrators and victims of some of society’s most violent crimes. Until recently, the rate of youth violence has climed drastically, between 1984 and 1993, the rate of homicides commited by juveniles increased 169%. (Walker:1993, 506) Gangs have become violent street families for many of our youth. Less than twenty years ago fewer than half of US cities reported gang activity, now 95% of the largest cities and 88% of smaller cities suffer gang-related crime. With the ever increasing population, according to demographic experts there will be a doubling of juvenile arrests for violent crimes by the year 2010. (US Department of Justice) Luckily with action these numbers can be changed. The facts of recent studies provide proof for an alternative outcome: o Over the past five years, violence- and especially murder- commited by young people has declined. o While the juvenile violent crime arrest rate increased 62% between 1987 and 1993, it decresed 2.9% in 1995, the first decline in seven years. o The juvenile murder arrest declined 15.2% in 1995- the largest one year decrease in more than ten years. o Since 1993, the juvenile murder arrest rate has dropped 22.8% (US Department of Justice) It has only been until recent years that the study of youth crimes has gained momentum, so far we know that: - Only a small fractio...

Free Essays on Terrorism & America

Terrorism & America Terrorism wasn’t something that Americans thought much of up until the 1990’s. Prior to the 90’s, Americans felt secure against any major political violence at home. Since then, we have been introduced to growing ways of our vulnerability. With 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombings in 1995 killing 169 has raised the possibility of a sustained campaign of violence on U.S. soil. There hasn’t been a war on U.S. soil since the Civil War. The problem with terrorism now is that we don’t know what to expect. The hostility built up mostly in the Middle East has yet to seriously backfire on us. We have to understand what terrorism is and how to deal with it in order to take part in counter terrorism. Terrorist’s actions aren’t considered acts of war. Rather, proof that they can beat us and get away at it. Webster’s Third International Dictionary defines terrorism as  ¹the systematic use of terror as a means of coercion.  ²An atmosphere of threat or violence. What Americans really think of when something like 9/11 or the Oklahoma City bombings happen is, why? Definition What terrorism really is as far as the U.S. government sees it is, â€Å"premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence and audience.† This definition has four main elements. The first, premeditation, means there must be an intent and prior decision to commit the act that would qualify as terrorism. It isn’t a matter of accident. The second element, political motivation, is what all terrorists have in common and separates them from other violent criminals, it is the claim to be serving some greater good. The noncombatant target element explains itself. Terrorists attack people who cannot defend themselves with violence in return. The final part of terrorism deals with sub national groups. This would be a... Free Essays on Terrorism & America Free Essays on Terrorism & America Terrorism & America Terrorism wasn’t something that Americans thought much of up until the 1990’s. Prior to the 90’s, Americans felt secure against any major political violence at home. Since then, we have been introduced to growing ways of our vulnerability. With 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombings in 1995 killing 169 has raised the possibility of a sustained campaign of violence on U.S. soil. There hasn’t been a war on U.S. soil since the Civil War. The problem with terrorism now is that we don’t know what to expect. The hostility built up mostly in the Middle East has yet to seriously backfire on us. We have to understand what terrorism is and how to deal with it in order to take part in counter terrorism. Terrorist’s actions aren’t considered acts of war. Rather, proof that they can beat us and get away at it. Webster’s Third International Dictionary defines terrorism as  ¹the systematic use of terror as a means of coercion.  ²An atmosphere of threat or violence. What Americans really think of when something like 9/11 or the Oklahoma City bombings happen is, why? Definition What terrorism really is as far as the U.S. government sees it is, â€Å"premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence and audience.† This definition has four main elements. The first, premeditation, means there must be an intent and prior decision to commit the act that would qualify as terrorism. It isn’t a matter of accident. The second element, political motivation, is what all terrorists have in common and separates them from other violent criminals, it is the claim to be serving some greater good. The noncombatant target element explains itself. Terrorists attack people who cannot defend themselves with violence in return. The final part of terrorism deals with sub national groups. This would be a...

The Official Language Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Official Language Movement - Research Paper Example Analyzing the history of the United States, one can find that multilingual communities have managed to survive side by side. In its initial stage, many of them have considered Official Language Movement as a way to block bilingual education programs. But through the declaration of Official Language Act in 2001, the Bilingual Education Act was replaced (Schaefer, 2006, p. 244). Immigrants from, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Ireland and many African nations have entered the United States and became a part of its social, political and constitutional practices. Bilingualism and multilingualism preserve the requirements of various immigrant communities. In the United States, bilingual or multilingual education is generally considered as a supporting program for children with limited English proficiency. Recent studies prove that 73 percentages of Hispanic population favor school districts offering various bilingual education programs compared to 53 percent of non Hispanic population. Hispanic groups in the United States explore their cultural interest through their support in bilingualism in mainstream education (Schaefer, 2006, p. 243). Experts have revealed different opinions about the effectiveness of bilingual or multilingual education. ... Hispanic groups raised a new Hispanic American Cultural interest through their active participation in bilingual education programs. They demand the prevention of high school dropouts and Hispanic paucity in colleges (Schaefer, 2006, p. 243). The web article entitled Bilingual Education: A Goal for All Children observes; â€Å"Bilingual education is a prerequisite for establishing a school environment that welcomes all students' cultures, sends a positive message to students, and sets the groundwork for a relationship of respect and equality between schools and all families and communities† (Bilingual Education: A Goal for All Children 2011). Immigrant community in the United States demands a type of education to meet the needs of their children to shape them for the competitive job markets. Through the implementation of No Children Left Behind Act (NCLB), new programs and researches took place in the field of bilingual education. Studies prove that more than 14 million childr en who come from households not use English as their first spoken language (.The Importance of Bilingual Education, 2007). I f we fail to give proper education, many will drop-out from schools and many will grow up illiterate. Here one can feel the relevance of bilingual programs in mainstream education. Lack of experienced teachers and well designed teaching strategies contribute practical obstacles in strengthening bilingual or multilingual program. Many political parties in U.S have acknowledged the growing influence of Hispanic groups in the election process during the last 30 years. At present Federal Law demands bilingual or multilingual ballots in voting (Schaefer, 2006, p. 244). As

Myth & Wrestling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Myth & Wrestling - Essay Example 4The belief that fighting as many views wrestling is a preserve for men because again many belief women to be soft and not able to tolerate the physical exchange involved. 1.12. Overweight wresting Traditionally, overweight was not believed to be a major cause for worry in many traditions. 5In fact many are the cultures that associate body mass with being a well to do person and therefore lack of it was interpreted to mean starvation or 'not doing so well'. The underlying belief was that in order to gain weight, one had to be eating well and conversely, eating well meant that one was having enough to spend on food. Such society was simple and technological advancement had not caught up with the people, having enough food to put on the table implied that one was meeting their basic needs and therefore were well to do. Therefore overweight was something, which the society treasured and valued, and therefore those overweight or with much weight were considered fit for wrestling and the other culturally viable tasks associated with it. Today, the myth about wrestling still remains albeit with some little new meanings to it. 6The connotation attached to wrestling is one in which wrestlers are viewed as tough, by being tough or purporting to be tough the society sees in a wrestler a champion, someone who is dependable, one who can protect some one who can sire an offspring, capable of defense, toughness as depicted is a virtue. Wrestling is the epitome of power, authority and control. The above are achieved through cohesion, use of force, blackmailing and manipulation. Toughness is to be adored, to be revered and at the same time to be countered with an equal measure of... The author of the essay "Myth & Wrestling" begins with that myth is the hidden set of rules and conventions through which meanings, which are in reality specific to certain groups are made to seem universal and given for a whole society. Myth can serve to precipitate fear, to uphold status quo, to guide and serve as a road map towards cultural believes and practices. Wrestling, applied to myth can take the three different meaning so that several cultural values are attached to it. These may include masculinity as many cultures attach or connect masculinity to protectionism, the way wrestling is contacted makes clear that the society is agreeing to by spectating acts depicted in wrestling, whether fictional or real , in a wresting game, value of the masculinity the ingenuity with which wrestlers ruthlessly handle each other is a clear sign that, in wrestling there are deeper meanings. Just to emphasize masculinity, contesters are usually heavy and well build. Culturally a man underweight would never pass for wrestling auditions. It is almost un-ethic to even think about wrestling if one does not confer to the se values and standards. Myths for a long time has determined and chatted the way forward for man, this is evident in the way different meanings as embedded to different actions, tries and objects. Myths play and will continue to play a very positive role in the society. Currently the mystery in myth especially in wresting provides a better and deeper meaning which is essential to understand cultural meanings.