ACT Math Questions, and What to Do About It

How You'll Get Stuck in SAT/ACT Math Questions, and What to Do About It SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips So you’ve been staring at one math problem for what feels like forever, or maybe you’ve gone through your solve and none of the answer choices match what you found. Or maybe you just feel like somewhere along the way you made a huge mistake†¦. Well, never fear! Right now you might be stuck on a math problem, but we’ve all been there and there is always a way to recover. We’ll walk you through both how to recognize when you’re stuck (it’s not always obvious until too late) and what to do about it when it happens. Overall Test Structure The SAT math section and the ACT math section are designed and structured differently. Though many principles of how to solve a math problem (and how to get out of a math bind) will hold true for both tests, there are some unique pitfalls and benefits hidden in each test. So let’s look at a little background and structure for both the SAT and the ACT to give a better foundation for the kinds of ways you can get stuck on a math problem and how to get out of it. About the SAT Math Section The SAT math section requires that you put your mathematical knowledge to work in ways that may seem strange or unfamiliar to you. Most SAT math questions won't look like the kinds of questions you see on your math tests in school and this may be a challenge to deal with at first. But while the questions may be unusual, each and every math topic used on the test is one that you are likely familiar with and have studied for a number of years. If you’re not used to the structure of the SAT, there are two main ways you can find yourself trapped into the no-man’s-land of selecting wrong answers: by overestimating the difficulty of each question or by underestimating the difficulty of each question. (Yikes!) Some students get so turned around by the twisting and unusual presentation of the questions that they forget the fact that they will be familiar with most, if not every topic on the SAT math section. This kind of student tends to panic and either make wild guesses or leave many questions blank that she likely could have solved. Other students, however, go in the complete opposite direction and underestimate how tricky the questions on the SAT can be. Many questions (though not all) are set up in ways that will steer anyone who isn’t paying close attention off the right track. And all the answer choices on the multiple choice section are most often generated by common student errors, so it can be easy to fall for the many â€Å"bait† answer choices available. In the next section, we’ll show you how to tell when you’re falling into one of these traps and how to get out of it. About the ACT Math Section The ACT math section will occasionally give you a question that is set up in a strange or unfamiliar way, but for the most part, ACT math questions will be fairly â€Å"straightforward.† Do you know how to set up and solve for an average? Do you know what a rational number is? A significant portion of your ACT math questions will look just like the ones you've seen in school. Though many ACT math questions are far from easy, the presentation of the questions is not specifically designed to trick or trap you. ACT math questions are challenging mostly for two reasons: you will be on a much stricter time crunch than you would be on the SAT (see our article on the differences between ACT math and SAT math for more detail on this) and the topics in question may be more obscure to you. For instance, most students will be far less familiar with trigonometry or sequences than they are with single variable equations, but these are all topics that will be on the ACT. Because the ACT math section must be completed quickly, it's crucial that you realize when you’re going down the wrong mathematical path. So let’s take a look at how to spot it when it happens. Time is a precious resource on both tests, so it's important to change course quickly if something's going wrong. How to Tell When You’re Stuck (or Going Down the Wrong Path) Almost every math question on both the ACT and the SAT can be solved in 30 seconds or less. If you’re familiar with the material, you can absolutely solve almost every single math question with plenty of time to spare. In addition, each and every question on the test is designed in such a way that a student can solve it without a calculator. Though you should use a calculator on the test to boost your speed and accuracy, always keep in mind that you don’t technically need one. How does this knowledge help you? Well, if you find you’re going down the rabbit hole and need 30 steps to solve a problem, or if you start getting bizarre strings of decimals or weird root systems, then stop! If the problem is taking two or three minutes to solve or you think it would literally be impossible (or just really, really difficult) to solve without a calculator, then something went wrong and you should stop and go back to the beginning. Let’s look at a few examples of ACT and SAT problems and some common student errors to see this in action. Let’s say you got to this problem and were going so quickly through the test that you misread the word â€Å"area† and thought you were supposed to solve for the perimeter instead. This may seem like an obvious mistake right now, but never underestimate the effects of adrenaline and fatigue on your ability to think logically. It’s all too easy (and all too common) to make a mistake like this on the test and pay the price in lost time if you do. But if you read â€Å"area† as â€Å"perimeter,† then you would see that the â€Å"perimeter† of triangle DFH was 10, which would mean that each side was $10/3 = 3.33$. Hmm. This is already mighty suspicious. Remember- you should be able to solve any question without a calculator, so if you have decimal points, they will almost always be 0.5 or, more rarely, 0.25. To get a decimal of 0.33 is suspect. But if you kept going, you would find that each side of triangle DFH is made up of two sides of the smaller triangles. This would mean that the side of each smaller triangle was: $3.33/2 = 1.67$ Now a red alert should be sounding in your head! You’ve gotten two â€Å"weird† decimal values in a row and you still haven’t found your answer yet. It’s a good idea to pause and see if you’ve made a mistake somewhere before you waste time going any further. [Note: the way to actually solve the problem is to either find the area of each small triangle- $10/4 = 2.5$- and multiply by the total number of small triangles, or to set up a proportion of the area of DFH to AFK. Either way, your final answer will be E, 62.5] Now let’s take a look at another example, Last time, we said that perhaps you simply misread the problem. This time, maybe you thought you knew enough about the topic to solve the problem, but ended up stuck halfway through. For instance, let’s say you were familiar enough with quadratic equations to recognize that this was one, but didn’t know a whole lot else about them. Well it says that the value of $x$ is -3, so that must mean we replace $x$ with -3 and solve from there, right? $x^2 + mx + n = 0$ $-3^2 + 3m + n = 0$ $9 + 3m + n = 0$ Hmm. Well this doesn’t look promising. We could try to isolate $m$ to find it’s value, in which case we would say: $3m + n = -9$ $3m + -9 - n$ $m = -3 - {n/3}$ But we still don’t know the value of $n$, so that doesn’t help us much. We could try to factor it, but without knowing the value of $n$, we still can’t find $m$. We’re well and truly stuck. [Note: the way to solve the problem is by understanding how factoring quadratic equations works at its core. If -3 is the only value for $x$, then it must mean that our quadratic factors out to be a square. Our factors must therefore look like: (x + 3)(x + 3) for $x$ to equal -3 since $x + 3 = 0$ = $x = -3$. If we properly distribute $(x + 3)^2$, we will get $x^2 + 6x + 9 = 0$, which means the answer is C, $m = 6$.] Sometimes, you’ll be able to see pretty quickly (as with our first example) when you’re going wrong, and sometimes it will take a few steps before you hit a wall (as with our second example). But, as you get more practice solving SAT and ACT math questions, you’ll start to get instincts to feel when you’ve taken a left turn somewhere, and this is the point at which you must take a step back. But what do you do once you realize you’ve run into a problem? Let’s take a look. We can save this, not to worry. Well...probably. Pretty sure. (Gross) What to Do When You’re Stuck As you go through your test, answer your questions by following these steps: Step 1: Always Answer the Easiest Questions First As a general rule of thumb when taking the either the SAT or the ACT, always root out and answer the questions you can complete the fastest and with the most confidence. Remember- each and every question is worth one point, so it doesn’t matter if it was the easiest problem or the hardest. No one is judging how you complete your test, so don’t feel you have to ignore the simpler problems for the sake of the more difficult ones. Get your points where you can and keep moving forward. The ACT math section is arranged in ascending order of difficulty, so the earliest questions will also be the "easiest." The SAT is a little more complicated, since the math portion of the test is divided into three sections- two entirely multiple choice and one combination multiple choice and grid-in. SAT multiple choice questions are also arranged in order of ascending difficulty (so the early questions will also be "easiest"), but the difficulty level resets for the grid-in section. This means that the first question on the grid-in portion will be much easier than the last multiple choice question in that math section. Be especially careful in the combination multiple choice and grid-in SAT math section for this reason. If any question starts to give you trouble or seems to be taking a long time, mark it and come back to it only after you’ve completed all of your easy questions. Once you’ve identified these potential â€Å"problem questions,† approach them based on why they were problematic in the first place. Step 2: If You Can See Your Error, Redo the Problem Once you’ve identified that you’re going down the wrong track, stop working and read the question again. Did you try to find the wrong variable? For instance, did you solve for $a$ instead of $2a$, the perimeter instead of the area? Did you write down the wrong values for your givens? Or did you realize you simply don’t know enough about, for instance, functions to solve the problem? If you can spot your error and correct it in a few seconds, go ahead and start over and solve the problem again the right way. If you really think you can solve the problem this time, then it’s definitely worth your time to work through it again. If you can’t spot why or how you went wrong (just that you did), move on to the next step. Step 3: If You Can't See the Error, Find an Alternative Solving Method Sometimes you might know enough about the topic (or are just familiar enough with the test) to see that you don't know how to solve a particular problem in the traditional way. Now is a good time to turn to one of your alternate solving methods, namely plugging in answers or plugging in your own numbers. Let’s say that you went up against this question: Maybe you didn’t know where to begin, or maybe you attempted the problem and felt that you started getting trapped in the algebra. Well luckily, there is almost always another way to solve any ACT or SAT question! In this case, we have variables in both the problem and in the answer choices, which is a key feature for a PIN question. With that in mind, we can pick our own value for $x$ and find the answer choice that corresponds to this value. Let’s say that we said $x = 2$. (Why 2? Why not!) Now we find the value of our given function. ${x + 1}/{x^3 - x}$ ${2 + 1}/{2^3 - 2}$ $3/6$ $1/2$ Now we need to find which answer choice is equivalent to $1/2$, when we use the same value of $x$ ($x = 2$). Answer choice F gives us: $1/{x^2} - 1/{x^3}$ $1/4 - 1/8$ $1/8$ This does not match our found value of $1/2$, so we can eliminate answer choice F. Answer choice G gives us: $1/{x^3} - 1/x$ $1/8 - 1/2$ $-{3/8}$ This does not match our found value of $1/2$, so we can eliminate answer choice G. Answer choice H gives us: $1/{x^2 - 1}$ $1/{4 - 1}$ $1/3$ This does not match our found value of $1/2$, so we can eliminate answer choice H. Answer choice J gives us: $1/{x^2 - x}$ $1/{4 - 2}$ $1/2$ This does match our found answer of $1/2$, so we can keep answer J in the running. We should still test answer choice K, however, just to make sure we do not have any duplicate correct answers. Answer choice K gives us: $1/{x^3}$ $1/8$ This does not match our found answer of $1/2$. We can eliminate answer choice K. This leaves us with only one answer that matches what we found as our given when $x = 2$. This means that answer choice J (and only answer choice J) must be correct. Our final answer is J, $1/{x^2 - x}$ Step 4: If Your Alternate Solve Doesn't Work, Move On Sometimes taking a standardized test means learning to let go of a question. Your time is precious and limited, so if you can solve two questions in the time it takes you to solve one, it’s always best to solve the two. If you find yourself trapped on a question and can’t find any way to solve it, let it go (for now). If you’re taking the ACT, bubble in your best guess answer, but do so lightly enough that you can come back and change it later, time permitting. If you’re taking the SAT, simply skip the question for now (don’t bubble in a guess!) and come back later. If you have time after you’re done with the rest of your questions, come back to any that you had to skip or bubble a guess on. Sometimes all you need is fresh eyes, and then the method to solve the problem will become apparent. If you still can’t find the correct answer in any of the â€Å"traditional† ways, you can try to strategically eliminate answer choices until you’ve at least narrowed down your odds. For more information on how to do this, check out our guides for how to best guess on the SAT math section and how to best guess on the ACT math section. Otherwise, simply let it stay blank (if taking the SAT) or stick with your first guess answer (if taking the ACT). Learning to let go of a problem can be just as important as learning when to stick with a problem and try an alternate solving method. The more you practice, the better you'll get at balancing these techniques. The Take-Aways The more practice you have with taking standardized tests, the more skilled you’ll become at spotting your mistakes and heading them off at the pass. So don’t despair if it seems like an impossible task right now- you’ll get better at it. Be sure to practice on quality ACT and SAT study materials and stop if you feel any misgivings while solving any particular question. Remember- if it takes more than 30 seconds, or you think you would absolutely need a calculator, you’re probably on the wrong track. Take a breath, back up, and see where and how you can resolve the problem. And don’t be afraid to let a question go if you need to. One question won’t matter too much in the long run, but getting stuck for five minutes will absolutely take away time from other questions and have a detrimental impact on your final score. What’s Next? Worried about your math formulas? Learn which formulas you'll need to memorize for the ACT, which formulas you'll need to know for the SAT, and how to put your formulas to their greatest effect on both the ACT and the SAT. Running out of time on your math sections? Learn how to beat the clock on both the ACT and the SAT so you can reach your greatest potential in the time allowed. Trying not to procrastinate? Our guide will help you beat those procrastination urges and get you back on track. Want to get a perfect math score? Check out how to get a perfect 36 on the ACT math section or a perfect 800 on the SAT math section. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math strategy guide, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial: Disappointed with your ACT scores? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

PSAT Practice Testsâ€Updated for New 2015 PSAT

PSAT Practice Tests- Updated for New 2015 PSAT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you're looking for PSAT practice materials, you've come to the right place. This guide contains all free PSAT materials, which you can download- including 10 PSAT practice test PDFs. Unfortunately, since the PSAT's 2015 makeover, the College Board hasn't released a ton of practice tests. Luckily, though, you can still use old PSAT practice tests effectively to prepare. Before getting to the practice questions, we'll go over some of the changes made to thePSAT in 2015. If you care about your PSAT score, read carefully so you don't waste your time studying the wrong things! How Did the PSAT Change in 2015? Let's start by going over some of the main changes to the PSAT so you'll be able touse older PSAT practice tests with a critical eye. In 2015 the College Board changed the PSAT in an attempt to make it more relevant and useful to students. It's possible they were also trying to addresscriticisms of inequityand find a way to stay competitive with theincreasingly popular ACT. The content on both the PSAT and SATis meant to be evidence-based and grounded in real-world situations. Rather than testing obscure vocabulary and rarely used concepts, the PSAT now reflects the skills and abilities you'll need to succeed in both college and your career. Below, we'll take a closer look at the content and skills changes on each of the three PSAT sections: Reading Writing and Language Math If you're using old PSAT practice questions, it's important to be aware of these changes so that you can ultimately study the right material! PSAT Reading Changes Here is a brief overview of the major changes to the PSAT Reading section: The current PSAT does not have isolated Sentence Completion questions. Instead, it tests more commonly used vocabulary words within the context of passages. Reading passages often include charts, graphs, and/or pictures.You will be asked about the relationship between a passage and the data being represented. You are expected to practice evidence-based reading. You will have to find a specific line in a passage that demonstrates style, tone, point of view, theme, etc. You will also be asked to identify the one or two lines in a passage that helped you answer a previous question. The following official sample question shows how the PSAT will ask about your understanding of a relatively common vocabulary word in the context of a larger passage (passage not shown): PSAT Writing and Language Changes The PSAT Writing and Language section has changed in two key ways: The PSAT now asks youto edit the grammar of sentences within passages, rather than that of stand-alone sentences. Passages on PSAT Writing often includegraphs, pictures, and/or tables. Here's an example of a PSAT Writing questionthat deals with data (graph not shown): PSAT Math Changes Here are some of the main ways the PSAT Math section has changed: PSAT Math questions now relate far more to real-life situations in areas such as business, science, and the social sciences. Grid-in word problems have multiple parts. The Math section focuses far more on algebra and data analysis than it does on geometry. Here’s a sample PSAT Math question from the College Board: Now that you're aware of these major changes, you can adapt your approach as you prepare with practice materials from the last few years. Read on to see the PSAT practice tests,and learn how to use these tests to get a high PSAT score. Bonus: Aiming for a National Merit Scholarship? If you're not sure you can self-study your way to a qualifying PSAT score, you'll love our PSAT prep program, PrepScholar. We designed our program to learn your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics and customize your prep to be as effective as possible for you. When you start with PrepScholar, you’ll take a diagnostic that will determine your weaknesses in over forty PSAT skills. PrepScholar then creates a study program specifically customized for you. To improve each skill, you’ll take focused lessons dedicated to each skill, with over 20 practice questions per skill. This will train you for your specific area weaknesses, so your time is always spent most effectively to raise your score. We also force you to focus on understanding your mistakes and learning from them. If you make the same mistake over and over again, we'll call you out on it. There’s no other prep system out there that does it this way, which is why we get better score results than any other program on the market. Check it out today with a 5-day free trial: Official PSAT Practice Tests (2015-Present, Current Version) The College Board has released bothonline sample PSAT questionsandtwo PSAT practice tests with answer keys. You can download both tests as PDFs along with the scoring guides and answer explanations to use after you finish your practice testing: PSAT Practice Test 1 - Score Your Test- Answer Explanations PSAT Practice Test 2 - Score Your Test - Answer Explanations In addition, the College Board created an online prep program in partnership with Khan Academy. While this program is geared specifically toward the SAT, it can help you prepare for the PSAT, too, since the two tests are so similar. Although free practice materials for the current version of the PSAT arerather limited, you can still find a large number of practice test PDFs for the old version of the PSAT. Find the tests below, and then read on for some tips on how to make the most of both new and old practice tests. Official PSAT Practice Tests (Pre-2015, Old Version) We’ve compiled eight old official PSAT practice test PDFs for you to practice with. Download them here (note that the answer keys are included in the last few pages of each PDF): PSAT Practice Test PDF 1 PSAT Practice Test PDF 2 PSAT Practice Test PDF 3 PSAT Practice Test PDF 4 PSAT Practice Test PDF 5 PSAT Practice Test PDF 6 PSAT Practice Test PDF 7 PSAT Practice Test PDF 8 You can also find decent-quality PSAT questions from Peterson’s, which offers a half-length PSAT test if you create a free account with them. As you know, these older PSAT materials don't reflect the format or content of the current version of the PSAT. However, most still test the same fundamental skills and knowledge. So how can you use these old PSAT questions to get ready for the PSAT? How toUse PSAT Practice Tests Effectively: 3 Key Tips Regardless of whether you're using current or old PSAT practice tests, it's important you know how to use them effectively.Our three tips below can help youmake the most of PSAT practice tests in your prep. #1: Take the Test in a Realistic Environment Part of getting the most out of PSAT practice tests is making them feel like the real deal. On test day, you'll take the PSAT in a quiet classroom with other test takers; therefore, you'll want to find a similar environment to take your practice tests in, such as a library. If you try to take a practice test at a park or at the same time your family's watching TV, you'll likely find it difficult to focus, thereby lowering your score. This score will not be an accurate snapshot of your strengths since you didn't take the test in a realistic environment. Additionally, it's best to take each test in one sittinginstead of spread up over several days. This way, you'll not only get a realistic testing experience but can also get used to the length of the test bybuilding up your test-taking endurance. #2: Abide by Official Time Limits While it's important to take each PSAT practice test in one sitting, it's also important to take the test in accordance with official PSAT time limits.What do I mean by this? Basically, never give yourself more time on any section, as doing so can dramatically raise your score and give you an inflated sense of how you're actually scoring on the PSAT. To help you out, here are the time limits on each section of the PSAT, along with the approximate time you'll have per question: PSAT Section Total Time # of Questions Time per Question Reading 60 minutes 47 77 seconds Writing and Language 35 minutes 44 48 seconds Math No Calculator 25 minutes 17 88 seconds Math Calculator 45 minutes 31 87 seconds The Reading section offers the most time and also has the most questions. Meanwhile, despite the differences in total time and number of questions in the two Math sections, you'll still have around 87-88 seconds per math question (No Calculator and Calculator). The Writing and Language section has the second-highest number of questions (44) but gives you the least amount of time per question (48 seconds), so be sure to work fairly quickly here. Note that it'll be more difficult to replicate these time frames on old PSAT tests since the sections and questions are so different. (We'll talk more about how to use old tests in the following section.) #3: Review Your Answers Once you finish taking a PSAT practice test, it's time to check your answers and score your test. But don't just look at your score and call it a day- take some time to go through all the mistakes you madeand figure out what your biggest weaknesses are. The best way toreview your mistakes is to record the types of questions you got wrong, as well as the specific mistakes you made, in a "mistakes" journal. For example, if you missed an algebra problem, you'd write "algebra" as the question type and the specific reason you think you got the question wrong, such as "forgot formula." Make sure to use your test's answer guide to help you figure outwhy you might've missed certain questions. After you've gone through your test, look at your mistakes journal to determine whether there are any patterns to your mistakes. For instance, do you typically struggle withevidence-based Reading questions? Math word problems? Writing questions dealing withfragments and run-on sentences? Once you know what your weaknesses are, you can then customize your PSAT prep to focus more on honing the skills that are most challenging for you. How to Make the Most Of Old PSAT Practice Tests Although many official PSAT tests are outdated, they're certainly notuseless. In fact, these old ones test many of the same reading comprehension, grammar, and math problem-solving skills you'll need for the current PSAT. To make the most of these older official practice tests, you just have to shift your focus toward the skills that are still relevant while ignoring questions that no longer matter. Here are our seven tips for doing this effectively: Focus on evidence-based Reading:The current PSAT is all about using evidence and context to find an answer.If a set of passage-based Reading questions asks you about tone, style, or argument, don’t just try to look for the right answer among the options you're given. Instead, find the specific line in the reading passage that provesyour answer is right. Ignore Sentence Completion questions:You'll no longer encounter these questions on the PSAT, so just skip them entirely. Shift gears with vocabulary: Practicedetermining meaning through context, and make sure you understand subtleties of connotation. Focus on structure and organization:The current PSAT tests your understanding of the structure and organization of whole passages rather than that of stand-alone sentences. Therefore, as you’re reading a passage, take notes on its organization and make sure you understand its main and supporting ideas. Pay attention to graphs, tables, and charts:Try to understand the data and information represented in graphs. If there's no accompanying passage, trywriting your own paragraph to describe the information. On the flip side, consider how the data presented in a passage could be represented visually. For practice, useproblems from your math/science classes, as well as data interpretation questionsfrom the ACT Science section. Choose your math problems: Focus onalgebra, data analysis, and word problems,and spend far less time on geometry. Since the current PSAT involves multi-step grid-in problems, be sure to write out all the steps you take to answer a question. Also, remember the age-old adage: show your work. Learn the grammar rules tested:Both the old and current PSAT testsimilar grammar rules. Be sure to learnthese, as you'll need to be able to recognize grammatical errors in context. How Else Can You Prepare for the PSAT? Since the PSAT is so similar to the SAT, materials for the SAT are good practice. The PSAT is also very similar to the ACT, so ACT prep can be helpfulas well. Another tip is to challenge yourself in your classes. Develop advanced reading and writing skills by reading a variety of genres and writing frequently. In your math and science classes, focus on data analysis and work on your ability to interpret or represent data in graphs, charts, tables, etc. All of this preparation will not only help you get a high PSAT score, but will also help youget ready for theSAT. Since both exams are meant to test and sharpen your real-world reasoning skills, this kind of preparation should behelpful forall kinds of problem-solving in your day-to-day life. What's Next? High scorers on the PSAT might qualify for National Merit.Learn what it takes to becomea National Merit SemifinalistandNational Merit Finalist, as well as how towin the scholarship. Are you wondering whether to take the PSAT before your junior year? Check out these guides to consider whether you should take the PSAT as a freshman or sophomore. Are you curious about how the PSAT compares with the SAT? Read this complete guide to the SAT and learn all about the test. Want to improve your SAT score by 160points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also feature thousands of practice questions, 10 official SAT practice tests, and personal feedback on your essays from an expert instructor. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Check Your Understanding Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Check Your Understanding - Assignment Example Destructive conduct in made by a person and endorsed by the community, members. Natural morality revolves around human evolution than what has been acquired from the environment. Moral behavior is outgrown from the animals. The human beings are social being and therefore they derive moral out of interactions and are passed to the next generation in life. Empathy is the nature of animals and human beings are not excluded. They walk together in groups and also hunt in groups out of these interaction they inherit morality. On the contrary transcendent morality is the morality that goes beyond the world and the visible things that can be seen. It goes beyond the physical world and tries to explain what bring people together in marriage sports and pledging their allegiance to the state. Moral judgment is the process in which character traits, belief systems motives and opinions are measured against the standard good. There are standard set that are used for judgment failure to meet these standards will lead to automatic disqualification. These standards are based on the individual’s knowledge, integration and experience. As moral judgment primarily focuses on discussion, aesthetic judgment focuses the beauty and ugliness which are part of life. Beauty and ugliness lack the standards of measurement but depends on how they are perceived by different people. Perception determines how an object is beautiful or ugly. The completeness and proportionality of a beautiful object is difficult to arrive at. Behavior can be considered in one context as beautiful while in a different context as ugly it depends on the perception and interpretation in the mind. Moral objectivists are those people that believe that reality is independent of consciousness. Human beings have direct contact with the reality though the sense of perception and

Composers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Composers - Research Paper Example Roeder (1994) notes that the works of Tchaikovsky reflects a unique style of music, being based on the combination of Russian culture and the Western music traditions (Roeder 1994, p.293). In terms of volume, the work of Tchaikovsky is also unique: the specific composer has written ‘seven symphonies and eleven operas’ (Kidder & Oppenheim 2008, p.3). The Piano Concerto I (Burt 2001, p.410), also a work of Tchaikovsky, will be analyzed below focusing on its elements but also on its contribution in the development of music. Alexander Litvinov has been one of Tchaikovsky’s students in Moscow (Poznansky 1999, p.62). Litvinov explains that Tchaikovsky used ‘to enter the class with his hand behind his back and to walk immediately towards the piano’ (Poznansky 1999, p.62). It is also noted that Tchaikovsky could play the piano even when holding a pencil, probably in order to be ready to keep notes or to correct pieces of music written by the students (Poznansky 1999, p.62). Litvinov makes clear that when teaching harmony Tchaikovsky used to emphasize on detail, being ‘irritated by the mistakes of students’ (Poznansky 1999, p.62). Gradually, it was revealed that it was his willingness for an exceptional result that led Tchaikovsky to show no tolerance to mistakes (Poznansky 1999, p.62). According to another student, meaning ‘the class in harmony held at the Moscow Conservatory’ (Poznansky 1999, p.62), Tchaikovsky tried always to help students as possible (Poznans ky 1999, p.63). At this point it should be noted that the emphasis on detail has been a characteristic of Tchaikovsky not only in regard to the other’s work but also in regard to his own pieces of music. The creation of Piano Concerto I took place in the period between November 1874 and February 1875 (Roeder 1994, p.293). The Concerto was initially written for Nikolay Rubinstein

The History Of United States Essay Example for Free

The History Of United States Essay The differences between the federalists led by Alexander Hamilton and republicans under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson shaped the political and economic direction of America in their day. This paper asserts that these differences were determined by individual perceptions that gave birth to these ideological differences. When faced with the responsibility of leading the country, Jefferson embraced some of Hamilton’s ideas. Alexander Hamilton the federalist was born in the West Indies on 11th of January 1757. His party the Federalist Party was formed in 1792 and lasted all the way up to 1816. This was the first party to be formed in America On the other hand we have Thomas Jefferson who was the third president to rule United States of America and was born in 1743 in Virginia. He was very influential in laying the foundation for Republicanism. Unfortunately, the two leaders had very little in common. Jefferson’s Democratic Republican party was formed in 1792 with a motive of opposing Hamilton’s economic and monetary views but the party split in 1820s because of the party differences. He died on 4th July, 1826. Their philosophies on social, political, and economy were very different. For example they disagreed on the system of government, constitution and the funding of the federal government. The main focus of this paper will be to compare the similarities and differences between the social, economic and political philosophies of Alexander Hamilton and Federalism on one hand and Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic Republicans on the other. The paper will also try to look at why these political functions emerged, how the leaders viewed each other and from what segments of society they drew support from. Hamilton was a very strong advocate of a stable and strong centralized government and worked hard to convince the congress to enact laws that would facilitate its formation. He was basically talking about how this government could be financed, how a national bank would be created and where taxes will be obtained from for example, from imports and on whiskey. He was strongly inspired by British’s trade and its financial base. On the other hand Thomas Jefferson formed his Democratic-Republican Party which later came to be regarded as Republican Party to oppose the federalists view on economic and foreign policies such as the formation of a central government. They opposed Hamilton for proposing the extension of trade and other friendly business with foreign countries such as Britain. About the constitution, Hamilton wanted the constitution to be loosely interpreted while Thomas Jefferson and his party believed on strong and strict constitutional formation that would limit the judicial interpretations. They were opposed to the issue of forming a national government which they dismissed as unconstitutional. They also differed in the type of government they wanted for example Hamilton wanted a balanced economy with industries, agriculture and trade while Jefferson believed that the country could only be supported by the work of the common man. Hamilton since 1795 advocated for the promotion of trade to other parts. He also wanted international cooperation with Britain to be supported. Additionally, Hamilton wanted U. S to embrace a policy of tax collection and a national bank to cater for national debts while on the other hand the democratic Republican Party was against this although after the war in 1812, this party split after they were defeated, many young leaders who were against Hamilton’s idea of nationalism supported it and started advocating for strong military defense which they had in the past opposed. (Albert W. F. , 1984). Although Hamilton and Jefferson differed in many things, later Jefferson welcomed Hamilton policies. For example, after the former won the presidential elections of 1800. His strong opponents like Gallatin and Madison started adopting some of Hamilton’s policies like the formation of a national bank. They also started forming strong military base something that came into their mind soon after they lost in the war of 1812. They also embraced Hamilton’s policy of being flexible in interpreting the constitution. This is what is referred to as loose interpretation or using basket clause. Also the tariff policy so as be able to finance the federal government was adopted. Another thing borrowed from Hamilton was the issue of forming a strong standing army as well as the country’s economy that would be supported by the federal government. These both factions had different origins. The Democratic Republican Party originated from Philadelphia among the congressmen. In the beginning it was called the Republican Party but later, it was widely marketed in New York by Thomas Jefferson who included the states and other leaders from different localities. His party strongly advocated for liberty for all. On the other hand the Federalist Party was created by Hamilton alone and become its leader it relied on for urbanites it was the first to be formed in USA. Some saw it as people’s party while others criticized that it had a very weak connection with the masses. The Federalist Party started after Hamilton was appointed to the office by George Washington who was the then president. By this time he was a retired staff member. Hamilton wanted a federal government with a strong financial base. He went ahead and proposed his own economic program. He wanted the central government to cancel the debts that the sates occurred during the Revolutionary war of America and there by replacing it with a national debt. That is a debt that would be paid by the central government itself. He believed this would have only been possible if there was formed a national bank. His closest friend Madison left him and went to cater for his people in Virginia thus dropping the idea of nationalism. He later joined Jefferson in opposing Hamilton’s ideas. In 1790 Hamilton relentlessly started looking for followers countrywide. He believed that if he mobilized likeminded people and use his treasury networks to bring together all those people in the government like bankers and merchants, then he could make it. He began his politics in urban areas and as time went by, the party assumed a national identity and eventually became the Federalist Party. On the other hand, the Democratic Republican party was founded by two people that is, Jefferson and James Madison sometimes back in 1792. The party was formed with a motive of opposing Hamilton’s views on the economy and foreign policies. The foreign policies were of prime concern to the republicans. Hamilton wanted U. S to start having friendly relations with Britain and his party strongly condemned the French revolution. Jefferson’s party put ahead of all other things the freedom of Yeoman farmers and rights as opposed to federalism. He differed in Hamilton’s ideas on monetary things, national bank, creation and high spending in the military. In1790s the federalist and republicans traded abuse through newspapers. Hamilton was seen as a monarchist who never valued the American culture. He was accused of favouring the rich so that they could support his politics. Later they turned to using humors against each other. They opposed the treaty of 1784, Jay’s treaty that advocated for having relations with Britain and criticized the French revolution. They termed Britain and France as their archenemies. Jefferson and his supporters claimed federalism favored aristocracy instead of the ordinary people. However, after1812 Jefferson’s party split into two because of party differences. The young leaders in his party favored nationalism and creation of a strong army that would provide security to the Americans but Thomas Jefferson and his clues refused this. These younger leaders were Clay, Adams and Calhoun while the old party was headed by Randolph, Crawford and Nathaniel Macon. Both sides differed in beliefs which made them to support different factions. The later backed Andrew Jackson. After elections were held these factions became separate parties. The one for Jackson became the modern Democratic Party. The federalism party that was formed by Hamilton drew its support from all over but mainly from urbanites that would support his policies. Hamilton’s party had a lot of job opportunities thus it was able to attract many people while did not have many job opportunities. Jefferson drew his party support from the rurals whom he believed were the backbone of his party. . Alexander Hamilton firmly advocated for the government intervention and support in trade. He never advocated for free trade like it was the case in Britain for he believed this led to misuse of funds by channeling them to colonial powers. He believed that if his policies were implemented, then the economy would grow into stable heights. Hamilton was an orthodox although not a very strong believer. He did not believe that Christianity and democracy could go hand in hand. Hamilton misused religion to meet his political objectives especially during the revolution in France. To conclude, it can be said that Jefferson and Hamilton differed in many ways than they had in common. In the past they disagreed almost in everything but later Jefferson and the Democratic- Republicans changed their minds and embraced some his policies especially after they lost in war of 1812. His political party split because young leaders in his party like Clay and Adams supported the idea of nationalism and the creation of a strong army which the other faction in the party opposed. Finally after elections were held the two factions became parties. Jefferson’s party which was under Jackson became the Democratic Party while that for the youngsters faded after the civil war. After this, democrats welcomed some of Hamilton’s ideas such as having a strong central government as well as strong military base and an economy that would be controlled by the federal government. Jefferson believed in strict interpretation of the constitution that would limit the judiciary misinterpretation and Hamilton’s idea of creating a bank that would handle all financial cases of the central or federal government. This idea was also rejected by the representatives of the southern colonies whose economy did not favor the creation of a national bank. In short we can say that even in areas that they came to think alike, it was after they lost the war of 1812. The party became divided and the two parties went on their own. Reference: Albert W. F. , 1984. The Authority of Publius: A reading of the Federalist Papers. Ithaca, New York: Cornel University Press.

Does Indian Stand In Terms Of Global Integration Economics Essay

Does Indian Stand In Terms Of Global Integration Economics Essay The worldwide movement towards economic, financial, trade and communications integration. Globalization  implies the opening of local and nationalistic  perspectives  to a broader outlook of an interconnected and interdependent world with  free  transfer  of capital, goods, and  services  across national frontiers. However, it does not include unhindered movement of  labor  and, as suggested by some  economists, may hurt smaller or fragile  economies  if applied indiscriminately. Name for the process of increasing the connectivity and interdependence of the  worlds  markets  and  businesses. This process has speeded up dramatically in the last two decades as technological  advances  make it easier for  people  to travel, communicate, and do  business internationally. Two  major  recent driving forces are advances in telecommunications  infrastructure  and the  rise  of the internet. In general, as  economies  become more connected to other economies, they have increased opportunity but also increased  competition. Thus, as globalization becomes a more and more common feature of  world  economics, powerful pro-globalization and anti-globalization  lobbies  have arisen. The pro-globalization  lobby  argues that globalization  brings  about much increased opportunities for almost everyone, and increased competition is a good thing since it makes  agents  of production more  efficient. The two most prominent pro-globalization  organizations  are the  World Trade Organization  and the World  Economic  Forum. The World  Trade  Organization  is a pan-governmental  entity  (which currently has 144 members) that was  set up  to formulate a set of rules to govern  global  trade  and  capital flows  through the process of member consensus, and to supervise their member countries to  ensure  that the rules are being followed. The World Economic Forum, a  private  foundation, does not have decision-making  power  but enjoys a great  deal  of importance since it has been effective as a powerful  networking  forum for many of the worlds business,  government  and not-profit  leaders. The anti-globalization group argues that certain groups of people who are deprived in  terms  of  resources  are not currently capable of functioning within the increased  competitive  pressure that will be brought about by allowing their economies to be more connected to the rest of the world. Important anti-globalization organizations include environmental groups like Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace;  international  aid organizations like Oxfam;  third world  government  organizations like the G-77; business organizations and trade  unions  whose  competitiveness  is threatened by globalization like the U.S. textiles and  European  farm lobby, as well as the Australian and U.S. trade  union  movements. Impact of Globalization on Developing Countries and India Globalization is the new buzzword that has come to dominate the world since the nineties of the last century with the end of the cold war and the break-up of the former Soviet Union and the global trend towards the rolling ball. The frontiers of the state with increased reliance on the market economy and renewed faith in the private capital and resources, a process of structural adjustment spurred by the studies and influences of the World Bank and other International organizations have started in many of the developing countries. Also Globalization has brought in new opportunities to developing countries. Greater access to developed country markets and technology transfer hold out promise improved productivity and higher living standard. But globalization has also thrown up new challenges like growing inequality across and within nations, volatility in financial market and environmental deteriorations. Another negative aspect of globalization is that a great majority of developing c ountries remain removed from the process. Till the nineties the process of globalization of the Indian economy was constrained by the barriers to trade and investment liberalization of trade, investment and financial flows initiated in the nineties has progressively lowered the barriers to competition and hastened the pace of globalization. Impact on India: India opened up the economy in the early nineties following a major crisis that led by a foreign exchange crunch that dragged the economy close to defaulting on loans. The response was a slew of Domestic and external sector policy measures partly prompted by the immediate needs and partly by the demand of the multilateral organisations. The new policy regime radically pushed forward in favour of amore open and market oriented economy. Major measures initiated as a part of the liberalisation and globalisation strategy in the early nineties included scrapping of the industrial licensing regime, reduction in the number of areas reserved for the public sector, amendment of the monopolies and the restrictive trade practices act, start of the privatisation programme, reduction in tariff rates and change over to market determined exchange rates. Over the years there has been a steady liberalisation of the current account transactions, more and more sectors opened up for foreign direct investments and portfolio investments facilitating entry of foreign investors in telecom, roads, ports, airports, insurance and other major sectors. The Indian tariff rates reduced sharply over the decade from a weighted average of 72.5% in 1991-92 to 24.6 in 1996-97.Though tariff rates went up slowly in the late nineties it touched 35.1% in 2001-02. India is committed to reduced tariff rates. Peak tariff rates are to be reduced to be reduced to the minimum with a peak rate of 20%, in another 2 years most non-tariff barriers have been dismantled by March 2002, including almost all quantitative restrictions. India is Global: The liberalisation of the domestic economy and the increasing integration of India with the global economy have helped step up GDP growth rates, which picked up from 5.6% in 1990-91 to a peak level of 77.8% in 1996-97. Growth rates have slowed down since the country has still bee able to achieve 5-6% growth rate in three of the last six years. Though growth rates has slumped to the lowest level 4.3% in 2002-03 mainly because of the worst droughts in two decades the growth rates are expected to go up close to 70% in 2003-04. A Global comparison shows that India is now the fastest growing just after China. This is major improvement given that India is growth rate in the 1970s was very low at 3% and GDP growth in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Korea, and Mexico was more than twice that of India. Though Indias average annual growth rate almost doubled in the eighties to 5.9% it was still lower than the growth rate in China, Korea and Indonesia. The pick up in GDP growth has helped improve Indias global position. Consequently Indias position in the global economy has improved from the 8th  position in 1991 to 4th  place in 2001. When GDP is calculated on purchasing power parity basis. Globalisation and Poverty: Globalisation in the form of increased integration though trade and investment is an important reason why much progress has been made in reducing  poverty  and global inequality over recent decades. But it is not the only reason for this often unrecognised progress, good national polices, sound institutions and domestic political stability also matter. Despite this progress, poverty remains one of the most serious international challenges we face up to 1.2 billion of the developing world 4.8 billion people still live in extreme poverty. But the proportion of the world population living in poverty has been steadily declining and since 1980 the absolute number of poor people has stopped rising and appears to have fallen in recent years despite strong population growth in poor countries. If the proportion living in poverty had not fallen since 1987 alone a further 215million people would be living in extreme poverty today. India has to concentrate on five important areas or things to follow to achieve this goal. The areas like technological entrepreneurship, new business openings for small and medium enterprises, importance of quality management, new prospects in rural areas and privatisation of financial institutions. The manufacturing of technology and management of technology are two different significant areas in the country. There will be new prospects in rural India. The growth of Indian economy very much depends upon rural participation in the global race. After implementing the new economic policy the role of villages got its own significance because of its unique outlook and branding methods. For example food processing and packaging are the one of the area where new entrepreneurs can enter into a big way. It may be organised in a collective way with the help of co-operatives to meet the global demand. Understanding the current status of globalisation is necessary for setting course for future. For all nations to reap the full benefits of globalisation it is essential to create a level playing field. President Bushs recent proposal to eliminate all tariffs on all manufactured goods by 2015 will do it. In fact it may exacerbate the prevalent inequalities. According to this proposal, tariffs of 5% or less on all manufactured goods will be eliminated by 2005 and higher than 5% will be lowered to 8%. Starting 2010 the 8% tariffs will be lowered each year until they are eliminated by 2015. GDP Growth rate: The Indian economy is passing through a difficult phase caused by several unfavourable domestic and external developments; Domestic output and Demand conditions were adversely affected by poor performance in agriculture in the past two years. The global economy experienced an overall deceleration and recorded an output growth of 2.4% during the past year growth in real GDP in 2001-02 was 5.4% as per the Economic Survey in 2000-01. The performance in the first quarter of the financial year is5.8% and second quarter is 6.1%. Export and Import: Indias Export and Import in the year 2001-02 was to the extent of 32,572 and 38,362 million respectively. Many Indian companies have started becoming respectable players in the International scene. Agriculture exports account for about 13 to 18% of total annual of annual export of the country. In 2000-01 Agricultural products valued at more than US $ 6million were exported from the country 23% of which was contributed by the marine products alone. Marine products in recent years have emerged as the single largest contributor to the total agricultural export from the country accounting for over one fifth of the total agricultural exports. Cereals (mostly basmati rice and non-basmati rice), oil seeds, tea and coffee are the other prominent products each of which accounts fro nearly 5 to 10% of the countries total agricultural exports. Where does Indian stand in terms of Global Integration? India clearly lags in globalisation. Number of countries has a clear lead among them China, large part of east and far east Asia and Eastern Europe. Lets look at a few indicators how much we lag. Over the past decade FDI flows into India have averaged around 0.5% of GDP against 5% for China 5.5% for Brazil. Whereas FDI inflows into China now exceeds US $ 50 billion annually. It is only US $ 4billion in the case of India Consider global trade Indias share of world merchandise exports increased from .05% to .07% over the pat 20 years. Over the same period Chinas share has tripled to almost 4%. Indias share of global trade is similar to that of the Philippines an economy 6 times smaller according to IMF estimates. India under trades by 70-80% given its size, proximity to markets and labour cost advantages. It is interesting to note the remark made last year by Mr. Bimal Jalan, Governor of RBI. Despite all the talk, we are now where ever close being globalised in terms of any commonly used indicator of globalisation. In fact we are one of the least globalised among the major countries however we look at it. As Amartya Sen and many other have pointed out that India, as a geographical, politico-cultural entity has been interacting with the outside world throughout history and still continues to do so. It has to adapt, assimilate and contribute. This goes without saying even as we move into what is called a globalised world which is distinguished from previous eras from by faster travel and communication, greater trade linkages, denting of political and economic sovereignty and greater acceptance of democracy as a way of life. Consequences: The implications of globalisation for a national economy are many. Globalisation has intensified interdependence and competition between economies in the world market. This is reflected in Interdependence in regard to trading in goods and services and in movement of capital. As a result domestic economic developments are not determined entirely by domestic policies and market conditions. Rather, they are influenced by both domestic and international policies and economic conditions. It is thus clear that a globalising economy, while formulating and evaluating its domestic policy cannot afford to ignore the possible actions and reactions of policies and developments in the rest of the world. This constrained the policy option available to the government which implies loss of policy autonomy to some extent, in decision-making at the national level. Advantages of Globalization It is the advantages of Globalization which act to bring about economic welfare on international levels, thereby benefiting the worldwide population. Mentioned below, are the advantages of Globalization which facilitate the development of world economies immensely: Free movement of capitals offers access to the foreign investments to many countries like the United States of America. The worldwide commercial market becomes so flexible due to the advent of Globalization, that transactions of the international companies are not restricted to geographical borders of the countries. Globalization enhances the flow of capital, permitting the investors to invest on the untapped resources of the developing countries. Globalization of the mass media has reduced the global space substantially, keeping the people informed about all latest international happenings through different television channels. Improvement in global communication networks leads to easy flow of important information not only to individuals but at company levels as well. The democratic thoughts are rapidly spread among countries across the world, owing to Globalization. Globalization stresses on increasing mutual dependence among all the nation-states across the world. Globalization lessens the possibilities of warfare among developed countries to considerable extents. The developed countries display a tendency for working towards protecting their surrounding environments to large extents. Globalization enhances free international trades among countries across the world. The total output levels of a country increase when productions become competition-oriented. This means that to compete with the existing world market, the products must be of best qualities and they also improve the lifestyle of the overall population. Cheap imports and extensive competition on international level keep a check on the prices leading to lower inflation rates, which occasionally interrupt the economic growth and development of a nation. Economic Globalization ushers in the concept of Open Economy, where there is an extensive promotion of technological growth and inventions. This requires new topics and concepts to be imported from abroad. Employments in the export-oriented industries generally pay its employees approximately 15% more than the import-oriented jobs in a country. One of the positive effects of Globalization is the smooth and speedy transportation of people and commodities to different corners of the world. Globalization reduces cultural blockages and differences among nations, by encouraging fellow-feeling and mutual compassion. Disadvantages of Globalization The following general factors may be considered as drawbacks of Globalization: There is significant increase in the flow of skilled and unskilled employment opportunities simultaneously from developed and developing countries across the world. This is due to the fact that the global companies are in search of cheap labors to extract maximum benefit at minimum expenses. The popular reactions of Globalization may be violent in the sense that people are more interested in maintaining the traditions and customs associated with world culture. In such a situation the control of a handful of companies over the global media may restrict expression of culture. A main drawback of Globalization is that it enhances possibilities of unintentional transportation of diseases between countries. Globalization gives birth to money-oriented lifestyles and selfish attitudes, which consider consumption to be a mean to attain overall economic affluence. Globalization increases the possibility of civil war between the developed nations and opens battle between the developing nations for getting hold of the available resources. Globalization tends to reduce environmental honesty, because the corrupt companies make use of the weak authoritarian rules of the developing nations. Escalation in the possibility of economic disturbances in one particular country, affects the economic balance of other nations as well. The commercial power of nation-states increases far more than ordinary individuals and the civil society institutions. With the rapid spread of Globalization, there are chances for international organizations like World Trade Organization (WTO) to violate both national and international sovereignty. Globalization intensifies commercial competition among developed and developing nations in an attempt to improve their respective economic conditions. The existing gap between the rich and poor nations is widened more, with the advent of Globalization. Globalization has made the small commercial sectors to struggle hard for existence and establish their trades. Globalization has increased exploitation of the working class or the labor class of the society. The revenue generated in the host nations is hardly spend in that particular country for uplifting the economic conditions of its population; rather this revenue is spend in other countries across the globe. This weakens national unity and independence, permitting the developed countries to dispatch domestic jobs abroad, in search of cheap labor.   Conclusion: In conclusion, globalization has brought a lot of advantages and disadvantages to us. We know there is nothing perfect in this world; things just have limited strong features and weak features. But the most important point is that people all over the world should try to balance the advantages and the disadvantages of globalization because we are the ones who stay here to make the world a better place. Viper the Anti-plagiarism Report

Relationships Between Parents and Children in Poetry Essay

Many poets use poetry to express their feelings on their relationships with their parents or children. ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ by Alice Walker is about a girl who has grown into an adult and is thinking back to when she was younger. In the poem she talks about how much she misses her father because he has passed away. ‘Piano’ by D.H. Lawrence is about a man that is reminded of his mother who always played the piano for him because of a woman that he hears singing. ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ by Chinua Achebe is about a woman that is in a refugee camp with her young child who is so sick that he is sure to die soon. ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ presents childhood as a lonely, emotional experience. The woman in this poem has many fond memories of her father but she also has a lot of regret. She misses him very much and she is sad because she wishes she could have spent more time with him when she was a young girl. In the poem she says, â€Å"How I miss my father. I wish he had not been so tired when I was born.† She wishes that her father wasn’t too exhausted to spend time with her when she was a young girl. The reader probably feels sorry for the little girl and some people may feel like they can relate to the girl when it comes to spending time with parents. This also relates to ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ because the man in this poem also misses his father except he isn’t dead yet. He doesn’t want him to die. ‘Piano’ presents childhood as safe, secure and serene. As like in ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ the man has fo nd memories of time spent with his mother who he misses so much that it brings him to tears to think back to his childhood. The poem says, â€Å"Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past†. As he remembers his childhood, he begins to cry because he misses the times with his mother. It is unusual for a man to cry and he was embarrassed because men did not cry in the early 1900’s. This makes the reader think back to childhood memories that they miss and they can relate to the poem just like readers can relate to ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ because they both stress realistic topics that apply to many people. ‘Half Past Two’ is also similar to ‘Piano’ because it talks about missing childhood and it presents childhood as a carefree time. ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ presents childhood as a time of pain and suffering. The boy in this poem does not have fond memories of childhood because of his difficult lifestyle and he is  very ill. The poem says, â€Å"Now she did it like putting flowers on a tiny grave†. The boy’s mother is being delicate and combing her son’s hair as if she was putting flowers on a tiny grave because he is dying. This makes the reader very sympathetic towards the mother because she loves her son with all her heart but yet she has to watch him die which is very hard for her. ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ can relate to ‘My Parents Kept me from Children who were Rough’ because the parents in these poems are trying to do the best for their son. In ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’, Alice Walker uses imagery to portray herself as a woman who has inherited qualities and characteristics that her father possessed. This is shown when she uses the simile â€Å"He cooked like a person dancing in a yoga meditation† which suggests that her father is trance-like when he cooks and this shows that although he was often very strict with her, her father had a calm, laid back side. She has grown up to be like him and she believes that her father would be proud to see the woman that she has grown up to be. The metaphor â€Å"seasoning one of my life the same way twice† shows that Alice Walker is spontaneous and her life has no routine and this may be something that she has inherited from her father. ‘Piano’ uses a nostalgic image to emphasize how much D.H. Lawrence misses his childhood. The poem refers to â€Å"old Sunday evenings at home† and â€Å"hymns in the cosy parlour†. This creates a warm, homely image leading the reader to think that the boy comes from a loving home. ‘Piano’ also uses the simile â€Å"I weep like a child for the past† to emphasize how much the poet misses his childhood. He is crying openly because he wants to be a child again. The metaphor â€Å"a flood of remembrance† describes his memories rushing back all at once and this creates an overwhelming feeling for him. When ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ says, â€Å"The air was heavy with odors of diarrhea, of unwashed children with washed-out ribs and dried up bottoms waddling in labored steps† it appeals to the sense of the reader and it gives them an unpleasant image. This gives the reader the idea that the conditions are absolutely terrible and may even make some people sick to the stomach. It gives them a picture of the poverty and illness that is presents in war torn countries around the world. In ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ I found it interesting when Alice Walker said, â€Å"He taught me how† because this is saying that her father was a role model for her and she learned a lot from him. This makes the reader think that the father set a good example for her. ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ also uses a euphemism for death when it says, â€Å"Though many truths must have grieved him before the end†. She doesn’t actually want to say that he died because it probably makes her sad. In ‘Piano’ I find it interesting when D.H. Lawrence said, â€Å"In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song†. He is trying to fight against the memory of his childhood because it makes him sad. â€Å"Insidious mastery of song† is a powerful tool which is saying that the mastery of the song that he is hearing betrays him back to his childhood. ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ makes good use of ellipsis. It says, â€Å"Her tenderness for a song she would soon have to forget†¦.† This foreshadows the child’s death. This makes the reader feel sorry for the mother and it also makes them sad. The poem also uses interesting vocabulary when it says, â€Å"Before his breakfast and school; now she did it.† The word ‘now’ stresses the mother and her son’s previous normal existence. This probably makes the reader have a lot of sympathy for the mother and feel sorry for her because she is losing her child. This also gives the reader an idea of the life that the mother provided for her son and how the war has completely changed their lives. Alice Walker writes ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ in first person. The poem is conveyed as very sad because she misses her father and the main feeling conveyed in this poem is love. The poem opens by saying, â€Å"How I miss my father†. Later in the poem she repeats the phrase â€Å"How I miss my father† to emphasize how much she misses him. At first the mood is regretful but as the poem goes on the mood changed and she thinks that her father would admire the woman she has become. D.H. Lawrence also writes ‘Piano’ in first person and also third person to reminisce and describe himself as a child listening to his mother playing piano. An example of first person in this poem is, â€Å"Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see† and an example of third person in this poem is, â€Å"A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings.† In this quote he refers to himself as â€Å"a child† because he is trying to distance himself from his childhood. This poem is conveyed  as depressing because it can cause readers to reminisce about their childhood and make them realize how much they actually miss it. The person speaking in ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ is the author, Chinua Achebe, and the poem is written in third person. An example of third person in this poem is, â€Å"She held a ghost-smile between her teeth†. Although she was not happy, she put on a fake smile. The main feelings conveyed in this poem are sadness and love. The attitude towards the mother is admiration and how she is taking care of her son is touching. ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine† does not use any rhyming. It is also a free verse poem. This compliments her nature and it allows her to use the poem as an outpouring of feelings about her father. She uses the poem to express how she feels about her father and how she wishes he was around to see how she has grown up. ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ is also a free verse poem. It does not have a rhyme scheme. It makes it seem like the mother’s life is hectic and not very organized because of how much she has to deal with everyday trying to take care of her dying son. Her life is filled with agony and suffering. However ‘Piano’ isn’t written in free verse. Each stanza has the same amount of lines and the poem uses rhyming couplets. The structure of the poem represents the security of D.H. Lawrence’s childhood and how safe he felt when he was sitting under the piano listening to his mother. In my opinion, these poems all discuss the same main topics which are love and sadness. I think that these poems will help many readers to think back to childhood memories that they are fond of and open up readers’ eyes to make them realize how much they actually miss being a child. My favorite poem is ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ because I know a woman that is a close family friend who had to watch her young son slowly die from a deadly disease and that helps me to understand how hard it must have been for the mother in this poem to see her son die.

Anchoring-Annual Day Essay

These virtual characters then do things that people in the real world do, such as having sex. Depending on your preferences, you can have sex with someone who is older or younger than you – perhaps much older or younger. In fact, if your virtual character is an adult, you can have sex with a virtual character who is a child. If you did that in the real world, most of us would agree that you did something seriously wrong. But is it seriously wrong to have virtual sex with a virtual child? Some Second Life players say that it is, and have vowed to expose those who do it. Meanwhile, the manufacturers, Linden Labs, have said they will modify the game to prevent virtual children from having sex. German prosecutors have also become involved, although their concern appears to be the use of the game to spread child pornography, rather than whether people have virtual sex with virtual children. Laws against child pornography in other countries may also have the effect of prohibiting games that permit virtual sex with virtual children. In Australia, Connor O’Brien, chair of the criminal law section of the Law Institute of Victoria, recently told the Melbourne newspaper The Age that he thought the manufacturer of Second Life could be prosecuted for publishing images of children in a sexual context. The law is on solid ground when it protects children from being exploited for sexual purposes. It becomes much more dubious when it interferes with sexual acts between consenting adults. What adults choose to do in the bedroom, many thoughtful people believe, is their own business, and the state ought not to pry into it. If you get aroused by having your adult partner dress up as a schoolchild before you have sex, and he or she is happy to enter into that fantasy, your behavior may be abhorrent to most people, but as long as it is done in private, few would think that it makes you a criminal. Nor should it make any difference if you invite a few adult friends over, and in the privacy of your own home they all choose to take part in a larger-scale sexual fantasy of the same kind. Are computers linked via the Internet – again, assuming that only consenting adults are involved – so different from a group fantasy of this kind? When someone proposes making something a criminal offense, we should always ask: who is harmed? If it can be shown that the opportunity to act out a fantasy by having virtual sex with a virtual child makes people more likely to engage in real pedophilia, then real children will be harmed, and the case for prohibiting virtual pedophilia becomes stronger. But looking at the question in this way raises another, and perhaps more significant, issue about virtual activities: video game violence. Those who play violent video games are often at an impressionable age. Doom, a popular violent videogame, was a favorite of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the teenage Columbine High School murderers. In a chilling videotape they made before the massacre, Harris says â€Å"It’s going to be like fucking Doom†¦. That fucking shotgun [he kisses his gun] is straight out of Doom! There are other cases in which aficionados of violent videogames have become killers, but they do not prove cause and effect. More weight, however, should be given to the growing number of scientific studies, both in the laboratory and in the field, of the effect of such games. In Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adults, Craig Anderson, Douglas Gentile, and Katherine Buckley, of the Department of Psychology at Iowa State University, draw these studies tog ether to argue that violent video games increase aggressive behavior. If criminal prosecution is too blunt an instrument to use against violent video games, there is a case for awarding damages to the victims, or families of the victims, of violent crimes committed by people who play violent video games. To date, such lawsuits have been dismissed, at least in part on the grounds that the manufacturers could not foresee that their products would cause people to commit crimes. But the evidence that Anderson, Gentile, and Buckley provide has weakened that defense. Andre Peschke, editor-in-chief of Krawall. e , one of Germany’s leading online computer and video game magazines, informs me that in ten years in the video game industry, he has never seen any serious debate within the industry on the ethics of producing violent games. The manufacturers fall back on the simplistic assertion that there is no scientific proof that violent video games lead to violent acts. But sometimes we cannot wait for proof. This seems to be one of those cases: the risks are great, and outweigh whatever benefits violent video games may have. The evidence may not be conclusive, but it is too strong to be ignored any longer. The burst of publicity about virtual pedophilia in Second Life may have focused on the wrong target. Video games are properly subject to legal controls, not when they enable people to do things that, if real, would be crimes, but when there is evidence on the basis of which we can reasonably conclude that they are likely to increase serious crime in the real world. At present, the evidence for that is stronger for games involving violence than it is for virtual realities that permit pedophilia.

Racism state troopers incident of the NJ turnpike essays

Racism state troopers incident of the NJ turnpike essays The first story takes place in Los-Angeles where Jim Losey is a Police officer who struggles with his own existence as a low-paid worker. He has his own concept of fighting the crime and he is a person who is a bit powerful, hiding behind a badge that hide a real prejudiced person. We believe facts and hate affected his life along the years. At first he was a great cop but now he is racist. He thinks troubles and crimes come from black people. We also believe he is not the only one. Fewer articles show us the sad truth. In this case, an article from the New-York Times illustrates perfectly a resemblance. In April last year, an incident took place in New Jersey. Two state troopers were indicted on attempted murder after a routine traffic stop. Three of four unarmed black people have been shot for no real apparent reason. We can easily find few similarities with both cases. Jim believes black people should be punished his way and not just put in jail. He even admits he has hurt someone before without being caught. He calls that tricks. He probably thinks his badge can protect him, allow him to do certain things or make it easier for him to do those things. He also believes it is right but it is not really right for the majority of us. We can imagine the reason why those state troopers have shot these poor people and used a ridiculous excuse. They probably thought they would get along with that just because they are cops. Jim also dreams about a life style he does not have and has to blame somebody for it. He directed his anger on colored people and doing that he generalized it the wrong way. He is doing his job with a passion and does not agree with politics. This article shows how much Jim believes the press reviled law enforcers and tries to stop him in his quest. Two state troopers are sent to jail. We can tell Jim thoughts about it his friends are sent to jail for...

Is Globalization the Main Culprit for the 2008 Global Financial Crisis

Is Globalization the Main Culprit for the 2008 Global Financial Crisis The global financial crisis that began in late 2007 but erupted in 2008 was considered one of the worst threats to the global economy. The global financial crisis was characterized by credit crunch and the collapse of stock markets.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Is Globalization the Main Culprit for the 2008 Global Financial Crisis? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The results of the crisis were massive since it led to the evaporation of investment decisions by firms, loss of jobs and loss of income. There was generally an economic recession in majority of the developed world and hence it slowed economy in the developing world. It is true that globalization is linked to the global financial crises. I agree that globalization is the main culprit of the financial crises; this is largely because the agents of globalization are largely associated with the emergence of global financial crises as will be explain ed below: Main Analysis Globalization can be defined as the intensification of trade and other economic activities between countries of the globe in terms goods, services and also investment. After the cold war, majority of the countries embraced the basic principles of globalization like free trade. The plain understanding of globalization is in the perspective of free trade, the function of foreign company and trade. Globalization as a phenomenon is often linked with financial de regulation and the neo liberal economic revolution; but the Asian financial crisis, the Enron scandal and the growing inequalities together with the financial crisis have lead to more concerns on the neo-liberal strategy. The negative effects of globalization on a national economy can be so disastrous according to the works of Joseph Stiglitz. There has been a lot of opposition to globalization since it is associated with the volatility of commodity prices and its impact on the distant economies. The ever spiraling increase in the global prices of food and fuel is considered a result of globalization. In the 2008, for example, the surge in the prices of fuel and food commodities which are the fundamental commodities in the global market negatively impacted on the world economy. The main reason why there was an increased volatility in the global market during the 2008 financial crisis as opposed to other crisis is due to the globalized economy (Turner and Khondkar 42).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Globalization has eroded the powers and the sovereignty of the state, the role of the state to regulate and to steer forward the economy has been largely ignored at the expense of the market, these are the problems and the vulnerabilities that often emerge as a result of the globalization of the world economy. Financial liberalization involves the elimination o f tariffs, and duties have resulted in an unrestricted cross border transaction. The 2008 economic crisis was largely associated to the collapse of the Lehman bothers, which was the largest American investment bank; this brought to fore the function and the capacity of state institutions and revived the debate that despite the growth of globalization forces, there should always an efficient state structure (Turner and Khondkar 58). The trend of globalization had been increasing after the end of the cold war when America was declared the world superpower following the collapse of the USSR. This trend of globalization had been characterized by the increasing levels of trade, intensified movement of people and the advancement of technology that has brought the people and the entire world into a closer economic, political and cultural unit. It is this increasing independence that led to the 2008 global financial crises due to the fact that the monumental accumulation of global debt in t he American financial institutions was unsound. The 2008 economic crisis had roots in the 1997 financial crisis in the Asian region; after the collapse of the Asian markets, people opted for the USA as a favorite investment destination. This led to the increase in the value of stock market and the rise in the price of housing. This movement of capital from one location to another like for example the Asian Region to the US was made possible by globalization and hence globalization is directly linked to the global financial crisis of 2008 (Bulliet et al 824). The institutionalization of global phenomenon like the financial globalization has contributed to the increase in the inequality gap between the developed and the developing countries; this is largely associated with international capital flows. Financial globalization was touted as the best mode of enhancing savings, relax the credit stress, and improve the income of the developing countries and to stimulate economic growth.Adv ertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Is Globalization the Main Culprit for the 2008 Global Financial Crisis? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This was never to be the case as financial globalization could not meet these expectations but instead it helped intensify economic instability. Trade liberalization together with its expected impact like prospect of economic growth, employment and income inequality came under close scrutiny. The emergence of financial globalization and wealth inequality has resulted in the unequal flows of capital and also uneven progress in the opening of capital accounts; unlike in Asia and Western countries, those of Africa and the Latin America have lagged behind in opening their capital accounts. The world has witnessed uneven financial globalization which is linked to the global financial crises (ILO report 39). Emmerich and the group in their book titled Globalization 2.0: roadmap to the future from leading minds have identified seven virtues of globalization and in these virtues, one has been linked to the global financial crisis, and this is the thrift; Emmerich, Ijioui and Ceyp related this virtue with 2008 global financial crisis and the increasing opulence in some parts of the world. They argued that in the western world, people had socialized themselves with the period of cheap money and hence they considered it primitive to save money leading to the decline in savings in Anglo-Saxon countries like the Britain, Canada and the US. These countries were paragon of economic and financial culture and hence they adopted the culture of non-saving. When the global recession hit, commercial banks had run out of savings, the population had little to spend and hence generally low liquidity level which resulted in the collapse of commercial banks (Emmerich, Ijioui and Ceyp 80). When the global financial crisis is analyzed in the context of globalization, then the ins tability that is created by the speculation about trade is worth mentioning.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The global financial crises did not only concern the financial markets but also the international institutions and its productive structure since globalization is controlled at the core and its effects will only be triggered at the center and will be felt across the globe as exemplified by the 2008 crisis that was triggered by the financial markets in the USA and was felt all over the globe. Due to the forces of globalization, financial crisis can be mad-made; the realization that the global world desperately needs oil and the fact the Washington consensus legalized trade liberalization makes the world vulnerable to the whims of cartels, especially if they have the knowledge and the ability to determine the timelines of the speculative course and the subsequent collapse of the speculation who can take advantage of speculative trade to push the prices of crude oil upwards (Chodussudovsky 1). Conclusion The occurrence of the global financial crisis in the year 2008 was considered glob alization at its death-bed; there was an imminent dissolution of the globalized world. This was further exacerbated by the fact that the global financial crisis was followed by the world economic crisis, which was a reflection of how the global chain reaction can be triggered and can interact to pull a destructive fashion. There have been some demands that the goals of globalization should be redefined that is; world leaders should consider other ways of cooperation and also they should create institutions that should be used in solving international disputes. With the current developments with regard to the three forms of globalization; global markets, infrastructural development and global corporations, then the future appear bleak since these forms of globalization are man-made and hence volatile and prone to suffering from the vagaries of nature. Globalization has led to simultaneous impoverishment of individuals from different nations largely due to the global market mechanism factor. The several global financial crises are not only due to the volatility of the financial markets but also due to the collapse of state institutions and the development of rapid profit ventures. Bulliet et al. The Earth and Its Peoples, Volume 2, 5th Ed. New York: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print. Chodussudovsky, Michel. Global financial meltdown. Global Research, 2011. Web. https://www.globalresearch.ca/global-financial-meltdown/10268 Emmerich, Heike., Ijioui, Raschid and Ceyp, Michael. Globalization 2.0: A Roadmap to the Future from Leading Minds. New York: Springer, 2009. Print. ILO report. world of work report; income inequalities in the age of globalization. ILO Report, 2008. Web. ilo.org/inst/langen/index.htm Turner, Bryan and Khondker Habibul. Globalization East and West. New York: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2009. Print.

Case Study in Human resources Management Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

In Human resources Management - Case Study Example He wants fast results in order to start a change management movement at Utilities Co. The downsizing plan includes two phases. Phase one gets rid of employees through voluntary redundancies. Phase two involves eliminates workers by targeted redundancies. The company is also in the middle of a labor negotiation for a new EBA. The old EBA is about to expire. The company has many problems that require immediate attention by the company. The firm faces an expiring EBA. The negotiations between the union and the company are not going well. It has gotten so bad that negotiations were suspended indefinitely. With an expired EBA friction between the union and management could escalade and lead to a strike. A strike is a very undesirable outcome because it can cause operational shutdown. .A second problem the company confronts is low employee morale. Employees that have low morale are less productive than motivated workers. â€Å"Low morale can be destructive in a business setting and can lead to dissatisfaction, poor productivity, absenteeism and even turnover† (Richards, 2013). A third problem Utilities Co. faces is an increase in mental illnesses among the staff including anxiety, sleeping disorders, and depression. Another health related problem present at the company is stress. These mental health problems are a serious affair that must be attended because these employees can become a risk factor for the company. The medical premium of the company can increase significantly due to higher usage of the employee medical plan. The company also has to protect itself against legal liability because the profile of undesirable employees has a very high frequency of older employees. A full implementation of the layoff plan could lead to a class action suit for age discrimination against the firm. A lawsuit can lead to monetary losses and it hurts the corporate image of the organization. Utilities Co. has to take some immediate action to change the organization to

Compare and Contrast the Classical, Human Relations, and Systems Essay

Compare and Contrast the Classical, Human Relations, and Systems Approaches to Organization and Management - Essay Example One of the most important and central part of the study of management and organization is based upon how the overall management thinking has evolved over the period of time. Managers therefore must be able to keep themselves updated with the changes in the way management thinking has evolved over the period of time. This allows managers to actually get an insight into how the management has actually changed while facing different issues and challenges. The more managers know about management and organizational methods and operations, better they will be at making critical and important decisions. This knowledge also allows managers to make effective decisions and contribute positively towards the overall development of the organization. It is therefore critical that the overall developments made in the field of management and organizational thinking should be traced. Over the period of time, four important approaches towards organization and management have evolved. These include classical, human relations, systems and contingency approaches towards management and organization. All these approaches evolved as a result of different changes taking place within the domain of organizational development. Issues like leadership, employee motivation, performance, compensation etc dominated the way these approaches gradually evolved and matured over the period of time. Based on these approaches a comprehensive framework evolved regarding theory about management. Classical approach towards management and organizations view purpose of the organization as an essential element to understand as to how organization work and what methods can actually be adapted in order to improve the efficiency and work. Identification of purpose of the organization was also based upon crystallizing the roles and responsibilities within the organization. Since classical approach viewed organization having formal structures therefore it was important that clear roles and responsibilities should be identified first. These roles and responsibilities however, based upon first identifying and refining the purpose of the organization. Scientific management and bureaucracy are the two sub-groups of the classical approach and both the sub-groups have their own merits and de-merits. One of the key arguments of the writers on classical approach was based upon the notion that improving the management will actually improve the performance and the organization. F.W. Taylor was one of the key writers during that era outlining different principles which governed the scientific management approach within classical school of management. He advocated the implementation of scientific methods for selection and hiring of the workers while at the same time also suggested same approach for training and development of workers also. (Crainer, 1998) Classical approach however, visualized organizations and management as entities which can control the behavior of their workers. One of the key criticisms of this approach was therefore based upon the notion that labor workers may react strongly against the management principles of control. The creation of multiple layers of management in order to oversee and supervise the work was considered as essential in order to generate more efficiency and make workers productive. In nutshell, it can be argued that the classical approach was largely based upon the use of scientific methods of management with focus on improving effic iency and productivity by using scientific methods. The Human Relations Approach The main emphasis of classical