Dangers of Totalitarianism in Orwells 1984 Essay

1984 by George Orwell is an extremely negative outlook on a futuristic, seemingly utopian society. People inhabiting the land of Oceania are enslaved to the government, most without even realizing it. The Party uses its many members to enforce its methods of control on the population. While a bit extreme, Orwell was attempting to warn people about the dangers of totalitarianism. The story focuses largely on the tactics of the Party?s manipulation. The major aspects of the aforementioned control stratagem are the alterations of history as the wishes, the invention of Newspeak to eliminate any chance of rebellion, psychological and physical intimidation, and the use of technology to monitor citizens. The Party changes records of the†¦show more content†¦If there are no words, then there is no way to formulate the thought. The populace is scared into believing that any expression of defiance, even in their own homes, is illegal. Any violation or possible threat to the Party ?s power will result in re-education and then, usually, death by vaporization or gunshot to the head. Telescreens constantly monitoring the public keep them weak and afraid. The omnipresent posters reminding them that the supposed Big Brother is watching them at all times also keeps them rigid and on alert. Citizens become hyperaware of their facial expressions, and everything they say has to first be mentally checked for any possibility that the phrase could be taken in a different manner, an illegal one. The Party also keeps the population in a near-constant state of exhaustion, the result of working long, hard, and tedious jobs. People are too tired to bother rebelling or harboring rebellious thoughts and ideas. By keeping them feeble and powerless, the government can make sure they won?t rise up against the Party. The protagonist of the story, a thirty-nine-year-old man named Winston Smith, tries to rebel against these oppressions. He hates the Party, and the many ways it suppresses his individuality. He has a very fatalistic personality, so he believes he will be caught no matter what. This causes him to take unnecessary risks, such as buying a diary from Mr. Charrington?s antique shop, and writing ?DownShow MoreRelatedAnimal Farm And George Orwell By George Orwell1034 Words   |  5 Pageswriting the novel 1984, which similarly criticized totalitarianism by depicting an overwhelmingly melancholy dystopian society. 1984 achieved similar success and opened the public’s eyes to the dangers of the spread of despotic regimes throughout the world. By examining both Animal Farm and Orwell’s biography, further light is shed onto his belief in the dangers of totalitarian governments as depicted in 1984. Primarily, there were many influential factors and moments in George Orwell’s life that causedRead More1984 Dystopian Society Essay1164 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Party immortal. Winston presumably wanted to stand up for his beliefs, without facing any consequences for going against the Party. By writing 1984, Orwell warns people of the dangers that totalitarianism places on society. 1984 reflects its historical period by comparing Orwell’s dystopian society to Germany around the time of World War II. In 1984, society is divided into â€Å"classes,† with the most important at the top and the least important at the bottom. By describing the rankings of the classesRead MoreGovernment Surveillance And Totalitarianism In George Orwells 19841593 Words   |  7 PagesThe Correlation of Government Surveillance and Totalitarianism in 1984 During the production of 1984, author George Orwell never envisioned a tangible reality housing the society he constructed. He wrote the novel as a warning, a cautious exposà © showing those what could happen if society lost its sense of humanity; housed in a painfully relevant satire of totalitarian barbarism. In his novel 1984, George Orwell addresses the issue of government surveillance through his strategic use of point of viewRead MoreEssay on 1984: A Prophesy for the Future?1049 Words   |  5 PagesThe novel 1984 is a story about a future civilization that is ruled by a totalitarian government. When the book was published in 1949 the thoughts and ideas seemed to be a prophesy for the future. A totalitarian government is one of the strictest forms of government with the least amount of freedom for the people. A totalitarian government is a mix of the military, individual leadership and the national political party. Usually the leader is a person who has a kind of charisma that makes his authorityRead MoreInfluences on George Orwell: Who is Watching Whom?1204 Words   |  5 Pageswanted to show people the real dangers of a totalitarian government, and he wrote two political novels that warn people of those dangers. These novels are still respected today, as some believe the world is turning into the â€Å"Orwellian† society he created in his most famous book, 1984. Although George Orwell wanted to tell the truth, he lacked a father figure, lived during the Russian Revolution, and had strong political biases that also influenced the writing of 1984, which ultimately influencedRead MoreLiterary Context Of Dystopian Literature1746 Words   |  7 PagesZamyatinâ €™s We, published in 1920 or even Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, published in 1932. However, it is in George Orwell’s 1984 that a truly horrific dystopian world is portrayed. Full of torture, misery, fear and repression, Orwell manages to manipulate and distort the idea of utopia and instead creates a place in which humans have no control over their own lives. The part of 1984, which is so compelling and interesting, is the fact that the people are living in a dystopian world without even knowingRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s 1984 1045 Words   |  5 PagesAndrea Keefe Honors English 11, Period 3 VanCuran 3/27/2017 1984 Foreword The time period in which 1984 was set was in the year 1984. It was very different from what our â€Å"1984† was like. Even though this book was not based on actual historical events, it does compare to things that happen in our society today. George Orwell also known as Eric Blair was born in 1903 in Motihari, Bengal. Orwell died on January 21st, 1950 in London, UnitedRead MoreGeorge Orwells 19841168 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge Orwell author of 1984 recently made it on Amazon’s list of â€Å"100 books to read before you die† for his widely read novel with thought provoking subjects like: the dangers of totalitarianism, physical control, psychological manipulation, manipulation of information and history, and technology. Through the themes in 1984, George Orwell demonstrates that a dystopian society created by totalitarian rule can infiltrate the minds of its citizens through various mediums. The famous novel falls intoRead MoreTotalitarianism in Orwells Mind Essay1053 Words   |  5 Pagesof everything that author George Orwell hates in government. 1984, a book written by Orwell, depicts a society called Oceania, in which unwary citizens are obedient to the Party, a totalitarian regime. Totalitarianism is defined as a political system in which a centralized government does not tolerate any form of political dissent and seeks to control many, if not all, aspects of public and private life. Another one of George Orwell’s books, Animal Farm, is an allegory about the Soviet Union, andRead MoreThe Literary Impact Of George Orwell . George Orwell, Born1375 Words   |  6 Pagesthe most important science fiction writers of modern time (Elkins). George Orwell, due to his early life experiences, inspired millions to challenge and think independently about their government by writing two of the greatest novels of all times, 1984, and Animal Farm. George Orwell was born June 25, 1903 in Motihari, Bihar in India. This was at the time that India was part of the British Empire. His father was a British civil servant, who worked for the Opium Department. His mother was the

Analysis Of The Book Dumb Essay - 1325 Words

â€Å"I completely bullcrapped that essay† These were the words uttered so often before turning in assignments in Mrs.Batson’s eleventh grade English class. I wasn’t the only one who used this phrase before a paper was due, in fact my whole class admitted to â€Å"bullcrapping† for her essays. I remember sitting in the back of her beige classroom, that was painted with Macbeth quotes and classroom rules posters, thinking; â€Å"how did I get here?†. I had the same teacher as everyone else in my eleventh grade class, but I was in her second period class. Which meant I was in the â€Å"dumb† English class. Three years of advanced English, yet there I sat. In a regular English class, where if we were lucky we got to watch the movie of the classic book the AP class was reading. Though anger boiled inside me at the thought of being in the awful class, I knew the choice was not random. I had completely given up on writing. I procrastinated, halfway researched, and turned in papers late until I had, deservingly, earned my spot in regular English. It hadn’t always been this way, my first experience writing was filled with wonder. When I was younger, my favorite place was my grandmother’s backyard. I can still smell all the abundant aromas that hit you like a wall, walking out onto Nana’s back porch. There was a constant smell of fresh cut summer grass, mixed lightly with the faint smell of pine. In the fall the air raged war against itself. Sour green apples, fought the sweet smell of ripe pears.Show MoreRelatedStereotypes In Reality Television730 Words   |  3 Pagesmany cases to continue to have an audience, and because people continue to watch these shows, these stereotypes are not only in television but they disseminate into society, too. Reality television does not only stereotype one subject, either. This analysis will help prove that reality television stereotypes gender, self image, and race. Many people might not really think these stereotypes are shown too often, and have an effect on them, but believe it or not, they do. Although viewers think realityRead MoreCatcher in the Rye1445 Words   |  6 Pageschoose humour as the tone for his novel? How does humour contribute to the novel’s larger meaning and effect? Consider how the novel’s meaning would be different if Salinger did not use so much humour. Discuss the meaning or impact of the title of the book as a central, controlling theme in the novel. How does Holden’s wish to be â€Å"the catcher in the rye† help readers understand both his character and the nature of his deep troubles and concerns about life? Be sure to address the significance of Holden’sRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Pudge 1717 Words   |  7 Pagesshould not be exposed to the matter of this book. 5. Although this book contains inappropriate language and sexual content, I do not believe it should be banned. It teaches many valuable life lessons that should not be ignored just because of some language or content they would hear on the school playground or TV anyways. One lesson Looking For Alaska teaches teenagers is the importance of friendship. This was an unknown concept to Miles at the start of the book, but when he switched schools his lifeRead MoreEssay Psychology in Precious1030 Words   |  5 PagesPrecious, a movie based on the book Push written by Sapphire, is an interesting movie directed by Lee Daniels. Precious can be easily analyzed using basic motivation and emotion theories in psychology. The movie is about Claireece Precious Jones and how she becomes a strong, independent woman after breaking through her curse of physical and sexual abuse which she has endured since she was three months old. At the beginning, Precious is physically and verbally abused by her mother. In additionRead MorePoem Analysis Essay746 Words   |  3 PagesPoem Analysis: I Go Back to May 1973 The poem being analyzed is entitled, â€Å"I Go Back to May 1973† by Sharon Olds. In the beginning of the poem, the image of innocence is lost but as the reader goes deeper into the heart and core of the text, the tone rapidly spirals into violence as well as resentment. I’m assuming that the author of the poem, Sharon Olds, is the narrator of this literary text. Sharon starts by reflecting her life story. She tells the tale of the beginning of her parent’sRead MoreDumbcane Stem Extract as Rodenticide or Black Rats2976 Words   |  12 PagesDumb Cane (Dieffenbachia seguine) Stem Extract as a Rodenticide for Black Rats (Rattus rattus) PROPONENTS: Dolino, Alma Gubalane, Delsan Miquiabas, Cheryl Telen, Nikol IV- Einstein Mrs. Lalaine Biboso Research II Adviser ABSTRACT Black rats are pests and are dangerous to humans in several ways. These species are also famous for its role in spreading the dreaded bubonic plague that took billions of lives in the Middle Ages. To control them, chemical rodenticides are used but these chemicalsRead MoreComparison Of 1984 And Watership Down927 Words   |  4 PagesAt a glance, the two books I read over this summer, 1984 by George Orwell, and Watership Down by Richard Adams, are very different. After looking at similar themes and motifs, I found more similarities than I first thought I would. The authors present power dynamics and hierarchies in different ways, and they use that to show different points. There are more differences than similarities in these books, but the similarities may be surprising. How does Big Brother control everybody? They controlRead MoreA Deeper Analysis On The Aspect Of Race As Local Color1565 Words   |  7 PagesA Deeper Analysis on the Aspect of Race as Local Color: Jim Crow Laws Imagine you are a person of color in the early to mid 1900’s. You the mother of three young children. Despite your best intentions, your children are forced to grow up in poverty. When you direct them out of the house to go to school, they see the all the white boys and girls walking toward one school and all of the black boys and girls walking to another. Imagine being asked by your children why they don’t go to school with theRead MoreThe Prelude, By William Wordsworth1031 Words   |  5 Pagesbetween the sanguine radicalism of the revolutionary movement in France and the timidity, hesitancy, and slowness of liberal reform in England.† (http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/p/the-prelude/summary-and-analysis/book-11-france-concluded) There are a lot of political references within this book and Wordsworth really begins to show signs of a more politically concerned individual with his overall thinking. By Prelude 13, Wordsworth’s truths and the autobiograp hical nature of the piece are really shownRead MoreAnalysis Of Where The Sidewalk Ends A Poem Analysis1275 Words   |  6 PagesResearch Paper and Poem Analysis: Shel Silverstein â€Å"Where the Sidewalk Ends† A poem analysis Have you ever been scared to cross the street when you were a child? Have you ever sat and stared at the paint that is on the road and wondered if that is what is keeping you safe? Shel Silverstein’s poem, â€Å"Where the Sidewalk Ends† a three stanza poem, and is in the view of a child. It is very descriptive about what the child is seeing also. I believe that Silverstein was trying to get kids to understand

Long Days Journey into Night 1987 Essay Example For Students

Long Days Journey into Night 1987 Essay A â€Å"Long Day’s Journey Into Night† is a tale of a day spent in the life of the Tyrone family at their summer home. The play begins at 8:30 in the morning, just after breakfast when Tyrone, the father lights up a cigar. We quickly learn that Mary, the mother, has returned to the family two months ago after being in a sanatorium for a morphine addiction. Edmund, the younger son, has begun to cough and Mary speculates it being a summer cold. We learn as the play goes on that he has tuberculosis as was expected by Jaime, the older brother. We quickly find out that Mary is still addicted to morphine. The plot of the story is driven by arguments. Each family member is constantly getting on each other’s nerves and drugging up regrets of old. Everyone blames Tyrone for being so stingy, which caused Marys to go to a lesser physician, which may have led to her morphine addiction. Mary cannot even admit that she has a morphine addiction and keeps complaining about how good things use to be. Everyone keeps attacking the boys for not being more successful. The drinking and arguing keeps getting worse all the way to the end. Analyzing the play reveals certain cinematic devices implemented to affect the viewers response along with necessary non linguistic aspects exclusive to film format. The use of multiple cameras and switching angles can completely change the is the play is seen. Sound effects too can be added into a film production to bring a more dynamic aesthetic to the unseen parts of the production. Also a director can change the costuming if they please to take a more modern route or to stay with the time period. Devices used in the play were mainly the elements that made all of O’Neill’s directing from the script come to life. While reading the script the directing was distracting and made me wish the whole thing was written to be a novella instead. However when watching the play made small explanations like â€Å"Mary: Turns smiling to them, in a merry tone that is a bit forced,† feel so much smoother. This is because we neednt consider them while watching as we must when reading. This play made use of multiple camera angles which I found found to be very engaging, evoking the viewers emotions with slow zooming and camera angle switches. Were a viewer to go to the theater and see it performed live these things would not be so easy. This became most useful and apparent in the final scene during Mary’s monologue when the expressions of Edmund and Tyrone (and a passed out Jamie) were important for the viewer to see. This production did not make use of sound effects other than footsteps and offstage laughter. It is more worth noting the complete absence of sounds effects. There is piano in the room which Mary sits at more than once but never plays. A sound of Mary stirring in her room is barely even heard but is made known to the audience by the men constantly looking in the direction of her door. This is similar to the script where we we have so much stage direction and still very little sound effects. For the audience this adds to the saddened and depressive nature of this play and puts more focus onto the nuances of the characters and content of the dialogue. Along with how sound effects (or lack there of) influence the viewer’s response costume design plays an important role. One could say the lack of creative costuming is boring but in reality the clothing reflects the inward nature of the characters. .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396 , .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396 .postImageUrl , .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396 , .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396:hover , .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396:visited , .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396:active { border:0!important; } .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396:active , .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396 .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u019515360dbe0a71099113c9dad0e396:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Moscow On The Hudson EssayEach of the men are wearing 1940s time period outfits and Mary is wearing a dress that seems a bit more old fashioned. As the play progresses the characters become more and more disheveled until finally it looks as though that all have just left some party. Mary’s hair is down and messy and her blouse is crudely buttoned. The men too look similarly unkempt. This is especially interesting since as we near the end of the play the characters have become increasingly intoxicated (or drugged) and open with their speech. Not holding back with what they are feeling inside towards one another. This only amplifies the audience’s response to the arguments and emotional outbursts and it is definitely easier to see in the play than in the script. The entire set is one big living room that does not change for the entire play. This is where camera angles come in handy once more. When an audience is looking at the big picture the entire show it can be difficult to focus on the intended place on stage where the action is. With cameras the viewer has no choice but to see what they were supposed to see the entire time. This made the set feel larger because the camera is moving thus giving the viewer a different background with every step an actor takes. Referring back to the scene where Tyrone and Edmund continually make gestures towards Mary’s door, they are effective for directing the audience’s attention towards their underlying worry. In the script O’Neill does this however it is seamless in the production whereas in the script the italicized direction from O’Neill interrupts the reading. The actors move naturally with the directing attributing to their gesture’s natural appearance. Supporting the gesturing is the effective blocking. It is well done in this production as well which only adds to its natural feeling. At appropriate moments of frustration arms are thrown into the air and pacing around the room ensues. Mary is a prime character to show the use of gestures. On several occasions she strokes and pokes at the piano which only indicates her longing for the past that is too far gone. The way O’Neill wrote this play makes reading it a bit strange. With all of the in script directions and details it can be a bit cumbersome for the reader. The 1987 production makes this all a bit easier.

Proficiency In Learning Second LanguageE

Learning a novel language during any age remains an enormously rewarding experience in numerous ways. Whilst language learning is an inspiring experience for all individuals, children are the greatest beneficiaries of this magnificent adventure. Feasibly, starting early provides the broadest possible set of opportunities and gains.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Proficiency In Learning Second Language specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More How well individuals learn to speak a second language remains a product of a myriad of factors. Principal among these, and the aspect of age typically highlighted by psychologists and linguistics, is the age at which individuals initially start learning a second language, often referred to as ‘age of acquisition’ or ‘age at onset of second language learning (Grigorenko, 2012). Nevertheless, it has proven difficult to pinpoint the exact age at which individuals st art learning their second language. However, age at entry into new environments is considered a reliable proxy for age at the inception of the second language as it marks the age at which these people are immersed within an environment that is saturated with the second language. In this context, the relationship linking the age of initiation of the process of learning a second language and the extent of proficiency acquired has emerged a critical issue in current research. This interest owes to two chief reasons. To begin with, there is a prevalent desire for the new generations to attain a high level of proficiency in foreign languages. Moreover, a vast majority of the populace feels entitled to partake in this issue. However, regardless of the apparent heftiness of the general findings in the body of research, there is less consensus pertaining to what accounts for the correlation between age and the level of proficiency in learning second language. The chief query is whether ther e is an age-allied limitation on learning a second language. Since the era of Lenneberg’s books, which focused particularly on acquisition of grammar and phonology, numerous studies have examined this question. Ostensibly, these studies appear to contradict each other. While some demonstrate a child’s advantage, others demonstrate an adult advantage. Research objectives The major objective of the study was to find out whether there exists a relationship between age at which an individual starts learning a second language and the level of proficiency in learning the second language.Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The purpose of the study was to understand and determine the best stage recommended for learning second language. Research questions The study endeavored at answering the following questions: Which is the best stage that individuals should learn a second langu age? Should children be taught foreign language? If yes, which age is appropriate for learning foreign/second language? Is there an age-allied limitation on the learning of a second language? Hypothesis Ho– There is no significant relationship between age and the level of proficiency in learning second language H1– There is a significant relationship between age and the level of proficiency in learning second language Literature Review Many researchers establish that age is probably the chief factor influencing the relationship between first language oral proficiency and second language word reading skills (Grigorenko, 2012; Mayo Lecumberri, 2003; August Shanahan, 2008). In this context, it is apparent that second language learners possess diverse degrees of success at different age levels. In a study, Torras et al. (as cited in Mayo Lecumberri, 2003) portrayed that a group of parents of children aged between 2 and 6 years who commenced learning English in pre-scho ol firmly believed that these children were better learners as compared to adults. They alleged that the principal benefits would influence vocabulary acquisition and pronunciation and, despite the fact that positive results were inadequate during the early stage of acquisition, they lay down their hopes in the future where the benefits of the early onset would be more evident.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Proficiency In Learning Second Language specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The results of the study correspond with Singleton’s consensus view, which proposes that the sooner the exposure to the second language, the better the results remain in the long-term. Among the theoretical reasons to facilitate the process of learning a second language at a young age is the actuality that the capacity to segment and perceive sounds becomes progressively weakened as a function of age. According to renowned beli ef, young persons are better and faster second language learners as compared to adults. Children are born with the capability to learn any novel language within the globe. Hence, children seem to attain a second language without much effort and they usually acquire high levels of proficiency. However, the older these children get, the particular windows shut in terms of language acquisition, but as long as the children learn the language at a young age, predominantly before puberty, they should be in a position to speak fluently with a native accent. Therefore, it is recommendable that children start learning a second language as early as possible because as they grow, they become susceptible to losing this unique capability. Furthermore, there may be loss of neurological plasticity subsequent to a critical epoch that inhibits an adult’s capability to attain particular aspects of novel linguistics skills, such as grammar and phonology. Moreover, the older an individual is, th e less motivated they become to communicate with native speakers from another language as well as integrate into their community. Equally, the older a person is the more anxious and self-conscious they become when communicating using the second language. Besides, younger learners tend to receive superior language input as compared to what adults receive for the language learning processes. Not merely do young children attain a second language swiftly, but they as well learn to be capable of acquiring two languages simultaneously with no special difficulties. Conceivably, this is the most favorable state for any individual willing to speak two languages fluently during adulthood. Critical period effects in second language learning According to the critical period theory, there exists a certain window in which the skills of acquisition of second language are at their optimum. Lenneberg (1967) theorized that language could be acquired only within a critical period. Hence, language acqu isition through exposure is only attainable during the critical period, which is from early infancy to puberty, in order to develop fully.Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In most behavioral realms, competence is said to augment over development, whether in stages or gradually. Nonetheless, in some realms, it has been proposed that competence does not uniformly increase with development, but reaches a peak during the critical period, which may be rather early in life, and then dwindles when the period is over. The brain development is low below the age of two but develops faster during puberty and looses plasticity. If a critical path hypothesis exists for first language learning, it could possibly exist for acquisition of a second language. However, there are discrepancies as to how long the window is. Children in the critical period possess an almost universal success rate of attaining perfect accent and fluency in a second language, while adults remain less proficient. The extreme view poses the allegation whether subsequent to the critical period; individuals are not capable of acquiring a second language. Lenneberg’s theory concerned merel y first language acquisition, but left unanswered the question of whether the critical period did extend to second language acquisition that may occur after a first language is already in position. Lateralization and second language acquisition Easy acquisition of second language among children is highly allied to lateralization. Nonetheless, controversy exists as to when lateralization takes place. While some suppose that it occurs at puberty, others allege that it occurs at around five years. Length of residence and the level of proficiency in learning second language Demographers and sociologists have emphasized another aspect of the relationship between age and the level of proficiency in learning second language, and thus have employed a new set of rationales for the correlation between age and second language acquisition and proficiency. This research initiated with an emphasis on the length of residence as the principal predictor of second language proficiency. The rationale for the hypothesized justification rests on a simple exposure argument alleging that learning a language takes opportunities and time, and immigrants who have been in a given country for longer have more opportunities and time to learn the language. Recent sociological research has been controlled for the impact of age during migration, but has divided the length of residence into spans of time, measuring the participation in a sequence of life cycle stages within which the social contexts and opportunities to learn a novel language are certainly different. Sociologists normally presume that immigrants’ attainment of English as a second language follows the motivations and opportunities to be proficient in English, whilst most linguistics allege that second language acquisition is governed by maturational constraints, mostly biologically based, which are allied to the age at onset of second language learning. Among immigrants, proficiency in second language learning is typica lly determined by age at immigration. Hence, there appears to be a strong relationship between age at immigration and second language proficiency. For instance, immigrants entering the United States during childhood are more likely to enroll in American schools, which is a rigorous learning milieu dominated by English, as opposed to those entering the country at an older age. However, a broader evaluation of the studies portrays that the above-mentioned ideas and results are not conclusive, as revealed by the actuality that the hypothesis on the existence of a critical era during which second language acquisition is facilitated is still much at the core of the debate among researchers within the field. A principal reason for the non-resolution of the debate is the reality that it is quite hard to isolate the age factor from the various variables, such as emotional and sociological factors, which interrelate with it. Moreover, there exists no conclusive evidence for the critical peri od for second language acquisition, that is, a period lasting, for example, puberty within which learning must take place, and following which a second language cannot be learned completely or in the same manner. While Lannerberg assumed this critical period to be finished at around puberty, recent research casts doubts on this allegation. Thus, it has become uncertain when this period occurs. Conceivably, merely an optimal or sensitive period for the acquisition of giving second language skills, predominantly pronunciation, may be established. Besides, a difference between the rate of acquisition and the extent of proficiency acquired must be established. It appears that adults are faster second language learners as compared to children, particularly during the initial stages, but children tend to overtake them at a particular point, and attain higher degrees of proficiency. Similarly, older children, particularly aged between 9 and 12, are faster learners as opposed to younger chi ldren, between the age of 5 and 8. Furthermore, numerous factors mediate the impact of age on proficiency in attainment of a second language. Owing to diversities in cognitive development, learners from diverse age groups may employ different learning strategies that may have effects on their particular second language skills. Additionally, there could be differences in the association between the student and the target language community. The psychological and social distance between the student and the target community might be smaller for younger learners. Social factors are the diverse ways in which orators adjust themselves to fit the learning needs of the learners from diverse age groups. It is apparent that native speakers tend to adjust the level of intricacy within their speech more while interacting with younger children as compared to when interacting with adults, thus offering a language input that is more stimulating for the acquisition of a second language. There are n umerous notable advantages linked to starting a second language at an early age. To begin with, starting a second language at an early age contribute to higher test scores. Researchers have found that students who have learnt a second native language are inclined to performing better as compared to their monolingual colleagues on most standardized tests, such as the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test). Moreover, these children portray superior and more advanced reading skills. Bilingual children’s acquaintance with a second language endows them with a benefit in learning to read. They possess the ability to apply the skills and insights of a single language to the other, and as well, their broader expertise of language offers them an immense opportunity. Additionally, learning a second language at an early age gives children greater confidence because this is an inimitably gratifying experience at any age. Empirical research The empirical studies talked about within this section d id investigate the relationship between age and the level of proficiency in learning second language. Studies suggest that the younger a person starts learning a second language, the better the outcomes will be in the syntactic proficiency, reading skills, listening skills, accent, and the overall proficiency. Other studies propose that even adults may perform better as compared to children in listening skills, and late starters may perform as excellent as native speakers in accent. Much age-allied research has been carried out within the field of second language acquisition proficiency. However, the results vary and do not essentially agree. Hence, the aim of the current research report is to account whether the research carried out has found a significant correlation between age at which an individual commences learning a second language and the level of proficiency in learning second language. Research Design and Methodology According to Kerlinger (1973), research design refers t o the structure, plan, and strategy of investigation conceived to obtain answers to the research questions. The purpose of this research was to investigate whether there is a significant relationship between age at which an individual starts learning a second language and the level of proficiency in learning second language. This chapter on research methodology delineates the following aspects; target population, sample and sampling procedure, data collection procedures, research design, validity of the instruments, and data analysis techniques. Data were collected using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Sequential transformative and ethnographic designs were used in observing and interacting with the participants. Equally, these designs were vital in marking behavior and learning patterns as well as learning the level of influence on participant’s background, age, and environment with the ability to learn. Then, quantitative-to-quality approach, which applied qua litative theory, social science theory, and advocacy worldwide, was used. The quasi-experimental mixed technique that used a pre-test and post-test control group was used to compare both adult’s performance and children’s performance of the institution set up. Participants Participants for the study were chosen from different learning institutions. Participants were selected to represent the various ages of persons learning a second language within the country. They comprised of children and adults from similar social backgrounds. A majority of the participants came from middle class families. The sampling of this research was purposive to enable the researcher collect data from participants of varying age groups. Participants from schools were pulled from class rosters obtained from Literature and Composition courses. Participants were enrolled in three classes. However, the participants were not subdivided into smaller groups owing to the importance attached to natur al settings. Each group participated in the standard based classroom that focused on scaffolding for student comprehension. The results of the participants were then compared to the overall results of EOCT. The participants’ results were as well evaluated in terms of state requirements. This aided in understanding the effectiveness of formal testing as well as the impact of the testing of individuals. To enhance the confidentiality, participants were then accorded code names. They were as well required to sign consent forms to protect their rights for participating in the research. Similarly, the information acquired was stored in a computer database locked by a password. Since young children do not have an accurate self-assessment as compared to adults and older children, the parents of participants who were younger than twelve years were asked to rate their children’s second language proficiency level. Equally, parents were required to assist their children, who were younger than twelve years old, in answering the questionnaires. Instruments The instrument used to measure performance for language courses was the End of Course Tests (EOCT). This state assessment was administered to the participants towards the end of their junior high school. The tests were administered on-site, gathered by administrators, and presented to the state for scoring. EOCT is aligned with 11th grade literature and composition as well as American literature and composition. The official purpose of EOCT is to assess individual and group skills and knowledge in core areas of various subjects predominantly English and Language Arts. Application of these detailed research results proved critical in providing relevant information that was applied in identifying leaner’s potential areas within learning institutions. The survey proved an effectual instrument in this research study. The survey is appropriate in handling events or situations that have already taken place as well as variables with similar characteristics. Survey design aims at observing, explaining, and describing phenomena of interest without influencing the respondents or the variables. Journal of observations and interviews were applied in addressing participant’s attitude and participation. The journal contained a section of personal opinions collected through self-assessment. Self-assessment aided in differentiating assumptions, facts, and researcher’s personal opinions, thus averting any possible bias. The survey instrument was administered to the participants subsequent to review of the EOCT results. The survey aimed at measuring learner’s attitudes and participation within the language courses in different institutions. The instruments were pilot tested prior to the commencement of data collection. Based on this, it was determined that there was no requirement of translating questionnaires. To ensure that observations remained comprehensive and accurate, a research journal, in which all stages of the study were portrayed, was used. The research journal contained interview transcripts as well. Besides the interviews, individual and group meetings were used in the process and transcripts of the meetings incorporated into the research journal. The meetings helped in obtaining more insight into the participants’ fluency in a second language. Moreover, an observational journal was employed whereby participants’ profile and progress were recorded. Data collection procedure Before proceeding with data collection, permission was sought from the pertinent authorities both in the executive and school levels, and from parents and guardians. A request was submitted to the institution’s administration for the purpose of collecting data. Participants received advance notice, between one and four days, that they would be filling questionnaires as well as taking part in interviews. Otherwise, the comprehensive process of admin istering the questionnaires and interviews was adhered to as closely as possible. Learners were informed that their responses would not impinge on their course grades, and thus they were requested to answer honestly. A committee comprising of an administrator, advanced placement coordinator, and researcher was established. During the opening meeting, time lines and rules were set, upon which the entire research was undertaken for a period of 19 weeks. Two tutors were assigned the role of teaching children and adult language courses. The students involved in the study received both classroom instruction in English using the district curriculum, Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI), and interventions that included differentiated instruction and small group tutorials. During the initial phase of the research study, participants had their strengths and weaknesses in second language courses identified. The CCSSI provided differentiated instruction, a standard-based classroom, a nd detailed collaboration within the classroom. EOCT was deemed reliable because the test is aligned with the state’s curriculum. The data attained from this test was used as a pre-test in determining students’ academic competence in English courses. The participants’ growth was quantified through comparison of the students’ data from pre-test and post-test scores as well as the change in scores. Qualitative survey was used to measure individual’s attitudes and participation plus the knowledge of rudimentary English concepts. The survey proved an effectual way of engaging participants’ understanding of the pre-test and post-test performance results. Validity and reliability of research instruments Validity refers to the degree to which an instrument is capable of measuring what it ought to measure. It is the meaningfulness and accuracy of inferences that are based on research results. Validity is the extent to which results attained from the data analysis actually represent the phenomenon under study. If the data obtained is a true reflection of the variables under investigation, then inferences based on the data remain accurate and meaningful. In this context, the research instruments were rated on how effectively they sampled significant aspects of the purpose of study, and fulfilled the study objectives. In cases where the items in the survey instruments appeared ambiguous to the respondents, they were rectified accordingly. Since the threat of validity would have been posed by the researcher’s background and personal experiences, an external auditor was used for the purposes of validating results. Reliability refers to the ability of a test to consistently yield similar results when repeated measurements are undertaken in the same study under similar conditions. Reliability is concerned with consistency in the generation of results, and bases on the requirement that the same researcher or another researcher on another occasion is capable of replicating the original research and achieving comparable results. To curtail the threats to validity and reliability, there was a need to clarify researcher bias and participatory modes of research. Documenting the participants’ actions helped maintain the integrity of the study. Analysis As the initial step in analysis of the data obtained, the reliability of each instrument was determined. Once the questionnaires were administered, filled, and raw data collected, they were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Quantitative analyses involved the use of logistical regression strategies and retention. Qualitative design incorporated the use of a multiple baseline design that enabled comparison of pre-test and post-test results. Inferential and descriptive statistics were then employed in analyzing the data. To begin with, the means and standard deviations of the survey instruments were computed. Then, t-tests and variance tests were emp loyed in determining the significance of variation in mean. Results In a typical study, much importance lies in taking note of dependent and independent variables for conducting comprehensive statistical analysis. In this study, the independent variable is age while the dependent variable is second language proficiency. Moreover, testing the competencies and analyzing other cognitive factors influencing children and adult’s second language proficiency might be used as independent variables. Results portray significant differences in the higher versus lower second language proficiency. The large and negative coefficient for age at the onset of second language learning suggests that the older the respondents were at the time of starting learning a second language, the lower the likelihood that they reported a higher as opposed to a lower level of proficiency in a second language. The positive coefficient for age suggests that the younger the respondents were at the onset of sec ond language learning, the higher the level of proficiency in second language learning. Summary and discussion The principal query raised in this study concerns a significant issue in psychology and linguistics is age at the onset of second language learning tied to proficiency in second language learning? The results of this study demonstrate a lucid and strong impact of participants’ ages at the onset of second language learning. The results of this study portray that there is variability in the proficiency of second language based on the age at onset of second language. Differences in second language proficiency appeared between children and adults. Furthermore, the study revealed that numerous predictors are allied to early versus later acquisition of second language proficiency. Holding other factors constant, children who start learning second language at an early age portray excellence in second language as compared to their counterpart adults. Children proficiency in second language emerges and grows at a faster rate than in adults. Children who are proficient in second language at an early age start out at comparable levels as the adults but grow slightly faster in these skills over time. Children who do not portray proficiency in second language at an early age have substantially worse approaches to learning second language both initially and through fifth and eighth grade compared to their counterparts who portray proficiency in second language at an early age, substantially before puberty. Exposure to second language learning at the kindergarten is associated with a higher likelihood of second language proficiency. Learning second language is a challenge to most people in the global community. However, knowledge of a second language is important because it enhances communication and promotes international relations. It is easier to learn a second language at an early age than later in life considering the above research. Furthermore, individ uals who are not capable of learning second language early in life may not be able to learn second language later in life too. Therefore, early age is the learning foundation of most people in the global community. References August, D., Shanahan, T. (2008). Developing reading and writing in second language learners: Lessons from the national literacy panel on language-minority children and youth. New York: Taylor Francis. Grigorenko, E. L. (2012). U.S. immigration and education: cultural and policy issues across the lifespan. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Kerlinger, F. W. (1973). Foundations of behavioral research. New Delhi: Surfeet Publishers. Mayo, M., Lecumberri, M. L. (2003). Age and acquisition of English as a foreign language. New York: Multilingual Matters. Appendix Questionnaire on second language learning The aim of this questionnaire is to find out the relationship between age and the level of proficiency in learning the second language. Personal details Age Gender Nationality Educational qualifications Language qualifications Number of years learning English What is your native language? In which region were you born? Country: City: How long did you live there? Years: Months: What language is most important for the daily life within the country? If you shifted from your country, at what age did you leave your country? Years: Months: Do you attend/ have you attended second language classes? Yes No Where did you attend second language classes? Country: School/ institution How long have you attended second language classes? If you have taken second language course, what kind of course was it? Speaking Preparation for state examination Translation General proficiency All the above-mentioned How would you describe second language teaching within this country? What is the quality of the education of the country that influences how you learn a second language? How old were you when you started learning a s econd language? How much do you speak, or have spoken the second language? Describe how you think being young or old has influenced your attitude toward learning a second language? From this list of language learning items, record how you consider you learn them best Reading Grammar Listening Vocabulary Writing Speaking Please indicate the extent to which you agree with these statements: Ifind it very important to learn my second language Ifeel confident in my second language Ilike speaking in my native language How is your proficiency in your second language at the moment? This report on Proficiency In Learning Second Language was written and submitted by user Abby Hines to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Argon essays

Argon essays Isotope Protons Neutrons Electrons Ar-36 36 4 36 Ar-37 37 3 37 Ar-38 38 2 38 Ar-39 39 1 39 Boiling Point: -185.7 C, 87.3 K, -302.3 F Melting Point: -189.5 C, 83.85 K, -308.74 F Physical And Chemical Properties: color less, odor less, crystal structure: cubic, has about the same solubility as oxygen, heat of vaporization: 6.447kJ/mol How You Get Argon: Argon is isolated by removing nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water form the air. Where Argon is Found: Argon makes up 1% of the air. Origin of the Name and Symbol: Argon comes form the Latin word argon and so does the symbol. Uses: Argon is used for lighting. Mainly in neon lights. It provides an inert atmosphere. Also it is used in Geiger counters. ...

Definition and Examples of Standard British English

Definition and Examples of Standard British English The term Standard British English customarily refers to a variety of the English language thats generally used in professional communication  in Britain (or, more narrowly defined, in England or in southeast England) and taught in British schools. Also known as  standard English English or  British Standard English (BrSE). Although no formal body has ever regulated the use of English in Britain, a fairly rigid model of Standard British English has been taught in British schools since the 18th century. Standard British English is sometimes used as a synonym for Received Pronunciation (RP). John Algeo notes, however, that despite numerous differences in pronunciation, American English resembles present standard British English more closely than it does any other British type of speech (The Origins and Development of the English Language, 2014). Examples and Observations [D]uring the 18th and 19th centuries publishers and educationalists defined a set of grammatical and lexical features which they regarded as correct, and the variety characterized by these features later came to be known as Standard English. Since English had, by the 19th century, two centres, Standard English came to exist in two varieties: British and US. These were widely different in pronunciation, very close in grammar, and characterized by small but noticeable differences in spelling and vocabulary. There were thus two more or less equally valid varieties of Standard English- British Standard and US Standard. . . . [T]here is no such thing (at present) as a Standard English which is not British or American or Australian, etc. There is no International Standard (yet), in the sense that publishers cannot currently aim at a standard which is not locally bound. (Gunnel Melchers and Philip Shaw, World Englishes: An Introduction. Arnold, 2003) The Perceived Prestige of British English [D]uring most of the 20th century Europeans preferred British English, and European instruction in English as a foreign language followed the norms of British English in pronunciation (specifically RP), lexical choice, and spelling. This was a result of proximity, the effective methods of language teaching developed by British institutions such as the British Council, and the perceived prestige of the British variety. As American English grew more influential in the world, it became an option alongside British English in mainland Europe and elsewhere. For a while, especially during the second half of the 20th century, a prominent attitude was that either variety was acceptable for a learner of English as long as each variety was kept distinct. The idea was that one could speak British English or American English but not a random mix of the two.(Albert C. Baugh and Thomas Cable, A History of the English Language, 5th ed. Prentice Hall, 2002)The prestige of  British English is  oft en assessed . . . in terms of its purity (a baseless notion) or its elegance and style (highly subjective but nonetheless powerful concepts). Even those Americans who are put off by posh accents may be impressed by them and hence likely to suppose that standard British English is somehow better English than their own variety. From a purely linguistic point of view, this is nonsense, but it is a safe bet that it will survive any past or future loss of British influence in world affairs.(John Algeo and Carmen A. Butcher,  The Origins and Development of the English Language, 7th ed. Wadsworth,  2014)   Irregular Verbs The researchers [using a new online tool developed by Google with the help of scientists at Harvard University] were also able to trace how words had changed in English, for example a trend that started in the US towards more regular forms of verbs from irregular forms like burnt, smelt and spilt. The [irregular] forms still cling to life in British English. But the -t irregulars may be doomed in England too: each year, a population the size of Cambridge adopts burned in lieu of burnt, they wrote. America is the worlds leading exporter of both regular and irregular verbs.(Alok Jha, Google Creates a Tool to Probe Genome of English Words for Cultural Trends. The Guardian, December  16, 2010)

Assignment 1 Small Business Opportunities Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

1 Small Business Opportunities - Assignment Example Lending fund to small businesses and to the consumers at low rates is more profitable since more businesses will borrow thus providing fund to more small business (David, 2007). Lending of fund will expand the small business and the consumers and other retailers will benefit thus generating income and the economy becoming healthy. The federal government can use tax toolkit to consider my business and other type of businesses to boost the businesses in the market. Lower tax cut can be a powerful boost of the small business as an encouragement to ensure its continuity in the market. Another booster of small businesses is to give direct contract to them which will make it easier for the businesses not to compete with other large companies in the area (John, 2013). The federal government should advocate for direct contracts to small business so that they can encourage it and boost it. Historical underutilized business zone (HUB Zone) increases the chances of landing a government contract (Michael, 2004). The program encourages small businesses which are designated in high unemployment, where low income earners are granted contracts by the federal government. One of the criteria that I need to meet for my small business to be under Underutilized Business Zone is that the business must be owned and controlled by 51% of United States citizens. Again the business must have an office in HUB Zone and the employees of the small business must be living in the HUB Zone. The federal government has set a side $2,500 to $100,000 to small businesses. Since the business is in United States, I have the opportunity to get the contract from the federal government thus boosting the business. Since I have qualified to submit the relevant document for my business to become a HUB Zone company, then the federal government can offer HUB Zone contracts. The use of Smart Pay program manages a set of master contracts through

Thinking Blues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thinking Blues - Essay Example This ‘first encounter’ as he calls it and the many that followed brought on the realization that there was a palpable tension between the author and other nighttime pedestrians especially women just because he was black. He became ‘thoroughly familiar’ with ‘the language of fear’ within a year of his coming to Chicago. He learned to expect car-drivers stopped at traffic lights to hurriedly lock their car doors as he crossed in front of their cars on dark, lonely intersections. He learned to deal with pedestrians preferring to cross to other side of the street rather than have to pass him. He suffered ‘unpleasantries’ with people like policemen, bouncers etc whose job it is to keep troublemakers at bay. To keep his peace of mind the author has learned to control his anger at being mistaken for a criminal every now and then. In actual fact he makes it a point to make elaborate gestures of being peaceful and on the right side of the law likening his various ways of assuring his ‘victims’ to the cowbell worn by hikers in bear country. Through his essay the writer brings forth very clearly the dilemma and dangers that are faced in public spaces in urban America by black men who do not conform to the stereotype of being themselves dangerous or outside the law. Black Men and Public Space, by Brent Staples is an essay that illustrates the above thesis very poignantly. His hurt more than indignation at being perceived as dangerous simply because he was big, burly and black is palpable through out the essay. The essay begins with the words, â€Å"My first victim was a woman- white†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . (Staples, para1) In actual fact, it is the author himself who was victimized. Soon after he arrived in Chicago as a young graduate who by his own admission was timid, a ‘softy’, a ‘good boy’ and one who ‘doubted the virtues of intimidation’ got wrongly suspected of being a mugger

Christians Should Not Take Part In Sport Or Shopping Essay Example for Free

Christians Should Not Take Part In Sport Or Shopping Essay The important thing about this statement is that it can be argued two ways. Many people would see sport or shopping as a chore therefore related to work. Others would argue that it is a leisure activity and it is not work. With this in mind the church instated a law saying that all Catholics must attend mass on a Sunday. The Catholic Church itself has no laws or restrictions about shopping or playing sport on a Sunday. By tradition Sunday was the holy day separated and set aside by the fact the mass going was essential to the days activities. In The Old testament there is a saying in the book of Ecclesiastes saying there is a set and provide time for everything which basically means people should balance out there time between things. In todays society were everything is on the move and rushed priorities should be examined and people should use the gift of time wisely. God himself as many believed set down the day of worship. Sunday has three main important events, which coincide with this day. One: Jesus rose from the dead on this day.  Two: Sunday was the first Day of the week and the first day of creation.  Three: Jesus sent down the Holy Spirit On The Pentecost.  Sunday is also a day of celebration when Catholics come together to give praise to God and to thank God for what he has given all of them.  Sport nowadays has become big business for all involved. Among all the big names in sport no one objects to playing on Sundays because of all of the money involved. This is just a small list of all the sports that are being played on Sundays Although sport is played on money for reasons other the money many include because of TV rights and because of sponsors. Christians should not take part on sport on Sunday because sport is seen as work in the churchs eyes. Many values are expressed in sport such as sportsmanship, fairplay etc.  Shopping is the second of the changing faces of Sunday is becoming the most popular one. Many family lifestyles revolve around the parents work and therefore many parents only get to see their children at the weekends. The weekend is often regarded as the days to get the shopping done and many rely on Sunday heavily. Since seven day shopping was legalised in 1977, many have taken advantage over the law. Teresa Murray head of the N. Ireland Region Of Shopping Centres said Sunday Shopping has become like a leisure pursuit for families and has become an important trading day for people in business. Business provides a service and depending on the demand it either succeeds or fails and on Sunday nowadays shopping has become a demand so in order to make money business open for the maximum hours allowed which is six. Many working families dont have much time to spend so end up using Sunday to spend time with there children or getting tings that they could get during the week such as grocery shopping. All the added time spend on Sundays has increased the employment needed for Sundays. Bob Gourley head of N. Ireland Shop Workers Union said they had been opposed to the Sunday trading laws and had in fact boycotted them for many years but however hard they try Sunday trading has become a reality. Our workers only work on Sunday where it is done by agreement

Practice of Therapy Essay -- Counseling

Practice of Therapy The actual practicing of therapy is a scary step for beginning therapists, although the education has been received and after practicum there will some experience in practicing with clients, doing therapy on your own seems intimidating. However, I am sure like most other experiences in life, the more you do something, the better you get at it and the more comfortable you feel in knowing what you are doing as well as doing it the proper way. With therapy, an individual can learn all about theories, models and assessments but the rapport and confidence from clients can only come after practicing therapy. Protocol For Initial Telephone Contact I will begin by introducing myself and then explaining my qualifications, I want the client to feel at ease in knowing I am not only capable but educated and trained specifically in marriage and family therapy. The next step would be asking the client to specify the issue that has caused the couple or family to seek therapy and then to determine all family members as well as any other individuals or public agencies that are connected to the couple or family. Next would be determining if the situation is a crisis situation and then deciding if I am able to help with the family or couple’s issues. Then I would talk about fees, payments and ensure the family has adequate transportation to attend sessions. After that, I would set up an appointment date and time, preferably within the next 24 hours. Who Comes To First Meeting? If the clients are a couple, I would prefer both individuals attend the first interview, although I realize this will not always be agreeable. In a family interview I would also prefer all members of the family present, this way each member can expre... ...ions. It has often been said there is no substitute for experience and it appears to me that practicing therapy is one of those situations. Works Cited Grewal, Daisy. (2012). In Atheists We Distrust. Scientific American. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=in-atheists-we-distrust Hayslip, Bert., and Schneider, Lawrence. (1985). Effects of Counselor-Client Age Similarity and Presenting Problem Intimacy on Client Satisfaction. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED259254.pdf Locke, H.J., and Wallace, K.M. (1959). Short-term marital adjustments and prediction tests; Their reliability and validity. Journal of Marriage and Family Living. Nichols. (2010). Family Therapy; Concepts and Methods. Patterson, J., Williams, l., Edwards, T. M., Chamow, L., & Grauf- Grounds, C. (2009). Family Therapy; Concepts and Methods.

American City Life and Rural Life Essay

Was life in an American city better or worse than life on the farm for the average American? † Substantiate your answer with facts/examples. (Ch. 18) Does it really make a difference where you live? Is there any change in people’s lives if they live in the city or the country? With no pun intended, this is a chicken and egg question – do urban and rural residents choose where they want to live based on their lifestyle preferences or do lifestyles change because of the environment? The word Rural† is defined by population density which means how many people are there in a given square mile. Urban areas are defined by the â€Å"census blocks† that have a population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile. The life in a city and on a farm has its own pros and cons. Even though my life is in the city (suburban) area, I prefer to live life on a farm. There are different aesthetic experiences between city and farm life. Even the prepositions show the difference-The farmer lives â€Å"ON† a farm and the urban friend lives â€Å"IN† a city. The cities attracted people from the countryside looking for higher wages and cultural enlightenment (Brinkley p496). In addition, life in an American City was visualized as an escape for many citizens, an escape from what they considered â€Å"The Boredom of Rural Life† (p. 502). Also, the city was preferred because people can experience the new forms of entertainment, amenities and cultural experiences unavailable in rural areas. People moved to cities because new forms of transportation made it easier for them to get there. (pg 503) but this also was a cause for increased crowding in the cities. The unemployment rate is also much higher than in the city. Some differences between city and farm life: First of all, countryside is not polluted,so you can breath there fresh air. Besides, the road traffic is much lesser compared to cities, thus you can enjoy silence in the country. You can also relax and go for a nice walk in the forest or in the meadows. What is more important, is that the country people can grow their own fruit and vegetables which are healthier than those you can buy in the greengrocer’s in the city. Another advantage of country life is it is safer than life in a metropolis. In small towns or villages, crime rate is usually very low and people need to be afraid of having their house broken into or of being attacked and robbed in the street. In addition, it seems that in the country the relationship between people are more genuine as people are more friendly and open there. On the other hand, divorce rates in rural areas are generally lower, in part because couples don’t move around as much. While incomes tend to be lower in rural counties, the cost of living is also proportionally lower. As they become older, people are tired with the hectic and stressful city life and often decide to move outside the city. All things considering, it is obvious that both country and city life have their advantages and disadvantages. Some people find city life more exciting and appealing than small towns but others prefer beauty and tranquility of the countryside, but a lot of people prefer city life because it is much easier. The choice whether to live in a city or country side depends on every person’s character and preferences.

Compare the use of motivation theories at Center Parcs Essay

I will be researching different job types in Center Parks so I can see the different management styles of each sector and I shall be looking at the motivational factors within the organisation. Three different job roles at Center Parcs and what theorist is involved. The first job I will be looking at is a Water sports Instructor, they’re looking for somebody who can windsurf, use a dinghy, a powerboat, a kayak and is confident in abseiling, rock climbing and playing football. You will be asked to instruct people in all of the above, first-aid is a must as you will be working with activities which could all pose a significant risk to health including activities including deep, cold water. They also expect that you maintain a professional attitude at all times, despite the customers getting on your nerves. Staff will be given free day passes to the park, I think this is typical of Mayo as people like to feel like the part of the team, this also meets their social needs at work. If they’re working in a team then you have a good chance to get your ideas across to other team members for them to take action on your ideas, suggestions and opinions. The second job I will be looking at is a food and beverage assistant, they require that you maintain a professional attitude at all times, they state that your duties are table services, preparing the restaurant to a set standard, taking orders, bar duties and you must serve drinks from the bar, serving meals, cleaning and tidying up at the end of your shift. You will be handling a lot of cash through your shifts, they expect you to be honest about it and full training will be given to work with cash in hand. You must ensure that all the guests are happy with their stay and their meals. The theorist behind this would in fact be Taylor, this is driven by money as you’re handling quite a lot of money. As with this you’re typically paid by every table you clean, take orders from and hours behind the bar (as one of my friends mention, she got paid by every table she cleaned and took orders from). Taylor also comes into play as you get a bonus at the end of the month and a t ypical bonus at the end of the year (around Christmas time) and  this makes employees strive to do as much as they can as it is a performance related bonus. The last job I will be looking at is a Lifeguard, they’re looking for somebody to assist in the â€Å"smooth running of the subtropical swimming paradise† by guarding the inside and outside of the pool areas, the lifeguard must maintain a high standard of hygiene in order to offer the best services to holiday guests. They also request that you maintain a professional and a reliable attitude at all times and to put the safety of their swimmers first. The motivational theory behind this job would be Herzberg as being a lifeguard can bring some sense of achievement, this proves that you are qualified to take care of people, watch them and possibly save their lives when the time comes. A high hygiene standard is required for this and this can be an achievement in itself as if you get through this shows you have nearly impeccable hygiene. Conclusion I think Center Parcs has chosen different rewards, for example different bonuses and different objectives to obtain these bonuses and different material bonuses such as free day passes and unlimited use of services and stations around the park, because it scales with the difficulty of the job. For example, anybody can be a beverage assistant but it takes a lot of qualifications and knowhow to become a life guard and since lifeguards are scarce and they’re offering really competitive pay and bonuses to compete with other companies that want life guards. It’s the same with Water sports instructors as they have to be highly skilled in all forms of water sports, it takes a lot of time to get that much knowledge of water sports so it’s a difficult job to do as you need to remember everything. I agree that this is one of the best policies to have as the bonuses and rewards scale with the harder jobs. The harder the job, the better the rewards.

Apostles of Disunion essays

Apostles of Disunion essays In Apostles of Disunion, Charles Dew attempted to explain what caused the South to secede and start a civil war. One topic he focused on and believed was a major reason the South seceded was the pro slavery attitude the South held. Dew believed that if slavery did not exist then the civil war would have never occurred. Through his writings he showed the pro slavery attitude Southerners held and he used several examples to support this idea. Two of the best examples he used were actions that pro slavery Southerners took before the civil war started and speeches made by pro slavery southerners in attempt to gain an allegiance against the North. One example that Dew provided that showed actions Southerners took that demonstrated there pro slavery attitudes was the use of scare tactics by these Southerners. In an effort to build an alliance through the South, Southern leaders would use emotion to gain support of the common people. They would give examples of what would happen to them and there families if blacks would be free. These examples would explain how the lives of Southerners would be ruined and that the country would come to an end if slaves were freed. On page 22, Dew gave portions of a speech, by Governor John J. Petus of Mississippi that was given to the state legislature. In this speech he said, Secession was the only way to avoid the blight of Black Republicans politics and free Negro morals, he continued to say that if slaves were freed, Mississippi would become a cess pool of vice, crime and infamy. Petus was attempting to rationalize that the state would become a haven of criminals if slaves were free d. He was really concerned about losing the revenue from slavery, but he used scare tactics to get approval for secession. Another action that showed that pro slavery attitude Southerners held was the commissions that they held. These commissions were firs ...

Definition of Portmanteau Words in English

Definition of Portmanteau Words in English A portmanteau word is a word formed by merging the sounds and meanings of two or more other words. More formally known as a blend. The term portmanteau word  was coined by English writer Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871). Later, in the preface to his nonsense poem  The Hunting of the Snark (1876), Carroll offered this explanation of Humpty-Dumptys theory of two meanings packed into one word like a portmanteau: [T]ake the two words fuming and furious. Make up your mind that you will say both words, but leave it unsettled which you will say first. Now open your mouth and speak. If your thoughts incline ever so little towards fuming, you will say fuming-furious; if they turn, by even a hairs breadth, towards furious, you will say furious-fuming; but if you have the rarest of gifts, a perfectly balanced mind, you will say frumious. Examples and Observations: Brangelina (Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie)bromance (brother romance)Cronutâ„ ¢ (croissant doughnut)dramedy (drama comedy)Frankenfood (Frankenstein food)infomercial (information commercial)motel (motor hotel)netiquette (net etiquette)Oxbridge (Oxford Cambridge)pixel (pic element)quasar (quasi-stellar star)sexpert (sex expert)sexting (sex texting)smog (smoke fog)splatter (splash spatter)statusphere (status atmosphere)Tanzania (Tanganyika Zanzibar)telethon (television marathon)Viagravation (Viagra aggravation)A word formed by fusing elements of two other words, such as Lewis Carrolls slithy from slimy and lithe. He called such forms portmanteau words, because they were like a two-part portmanteau bag. Blending is related to abbreviation, derivation, and compounding, but distinct from them all.(Tom McArthur, Blend. The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, 1992) The Sound Bites of Modern English [D]ancercise, simulcast, Frappuccino  -   they wear their meanings on their shortened sleeves. Portmanteau words are the sound bites of modern English, calculated to catch on the first time people hear them.(Geoffrey Nunberg, The Way We Talk Now. Houghton Mifflin, 2001)Smirting happens when two people, smoking outside, fall to flirting, and discover that they have more in common than simply nicotine. In Ireland, where the term originated after the ban in 2004, there is even evidence of non-smokers joining the smoky throng outside because the atmosphere there is more flirtatious.Smirting is a portmanteau word, formed by packing parts of two words together to create another, combining the sense of each.(Ben Macintyre, Ben Macintyre Celebrates the Portmanteau. The Times, May 2, 2008) Portmanteau Survivors:Dumbfound, Flabbergasted, Gerrymander Portmanteau words are frequently more whimsical than useful and dont survive, but many exist. ...  Dumbfound, from dumb and confound, was put together in the 17th century. Flabbergasted, one of the more contrived, is apparently an 18th-century blend of flabby and aghast. Gerrymander combines the name of Governor Elbridge Gerry and salamander, referring to the shape of a redistricted Massachusetts county. Anecdotage, adding the implication of dotage to anecdote, and Clifton Fadimans hullabalunacy from hullabaloo and lunacy, are clever enough to deserve survival.(Robert Gorrell, Watch Your Language!: Mother Tongue and Her Wayward Children. University of Nevada Press, 1994) Portmanteau Games Two games can be played with portmanteau words. In the first game, one player thinks of a portmanteau word and asks the next player to say which words are blended to create it. In the second game, players try to make up new, humorous portmanteau words and give their definitions. Thus you might blend the words hen and endurance to make hendurance, meaning the patience of a hen trying to hatch out an egg. Or you could blend the name of the dog Rin-tin-tin (who starred in films) and the word tintinnabulation to get Rin-tin-tintinnabulation: a very loud ringing of bells.(Tony Augarde, The Oxford A to Z of Word Games. Oxford University Press,1994) The Lighter Side of Portmanteau Words So a blog is a web log? Is there an apostrophe, or do you guys not even have the strength for that? You’re just going to jam two words together?(Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, Feb. 2006)In her first tweet, [Sarah] Palin didnt write speak out; she used another term  -   refudiate. A few minutes later, the Tweet was rewritten with refudiate  -   which is not actually a word -   removed,  replaced by refute. ...The word caught someones attention, because a few hours later Palin refused to refute refudiate, she tweeted that shes just following in Shakespeares footsteps.Refudiate, misunderestimate, wee-weed up. English is a living language. Shakespeare liked to coin new words too. Got to celebrate it!(Carolyn Kellogg, Wherefore Art Thou, Refudiate? Sarah Palin as Shakespeare. Los Angeles Times, July 19, 2010) Pronunciation: port-MAN-tow Also Known As: blend

Poverty ( Global Issue) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Poverty ( Global Issue) - Research Paper Example Now how does it affect the world in large? It creates a chaos, in the form of increased number of immigrants (legal and illegal both) in developed countries, increases crime rate, hinders globalization process due to instable situation of the underdeveloped country, produces inflation which reduces buying power and consequently encourages corruption, becomes an active cause of decline in literacy rate due to the need of every individual to earn living, increases disease due to inadequate health care facilities and above of all increases the death rate, which is a communal aspect of concern for all the nations to ponder over and work towards its elimination. Poverty means people living their life in very low conditions lacking basic necessities and services for quality life; for example: proper housing, clothing, food, water, education and health care facilities. Poverty is inevitable to any country, but third world countries or under developed countries like Congo, Liberia, Uganda, Z imbabwe, Malawi, Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Mali are extreme poverty stricken, where people lack basic needs like food, water, shelter and struggle throughout their life to make the ends meet ("20 Poorest Countries In The World"). However, developed countries like UK, Canada and Australia have also faced poverty to some extent after the global economic recession. Even the wealthiest country has areas where people live low standard of life, but they are secluded; like ghetto areas. Where, they are seen as nomadic homeless, deprived suburbs, street children, jobless people or as aboriginals. Thus, it’s a relatively mild type of poverty, where they receive aid for their basic necessities from the government or from social services at some point. People suffer from poverty either due to unfortunate incidents like loss of financial means, un-payable debts and due to incurable diseases or due to their pre-existed environment of paucity of basic needs (Lu?sted, p.12). Hence, every hu man requires four basic requirements like food, hygienic water, shelter and health care facility as his basic right to life, which if lack then he/ she is bound to be struck with poverty. Facts on Poverty: Approximately 3 billion people around the globe live on $2.50 per day and almost 1.3 billion spend their life in intense poverty and live on $1.25 per day. Due to the abovementioned ratio of earning and consumption of poverty stricken people, 1 billion children live in poverty and around 22,000 die every day due to it (Shah). Among other causes, scarcity of food, sanitation and clean water is a major cause for increased death rate among children around the world. Lack of drinking water and food shortage has been described as a major cause for increased death rate in the world by World Food Programme, which has increased death rate among children more than malaria, HIV, and tuberculoses. About 870 million people do not receive sufficient food and around 165 million children growth is affected due to continual malnutrition. Due to unhygienic condition of water diarrhea and pneumonia prevail especially; among young children, taking the lives of 2 million children each year, who also lack basic services to health care facility due to poverty (Shah). Outcomes or consequences of Poverty: Poverty causes drastic consequences in any society. Hence, these can comprise of hunger, prevalence of diseases, increase in population, overcrowding and undernourishment.

STIGMA and prejudice can have a big impact on the lives of people Essay

STIGMA and prejudice can have a big impact on the lives of people dealing with mental illness - Essay Example In addition, the paper will allow an in-depth analysis of the ways treatment can be provided to schizophrenic people. Understanding the Peculiar Terms In literal terms, schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which an individual who breaks down his or her thought process depending upon the emotional experience. Schizophrenia is greatly characterized by a number of factors of which stigma is one with profound impact (Lucas & Phelan, 2012). Stigma is referred to as resistance by public and person’s own attitude towards schizophrenic situation. Also to note is the fact that critical attitude have created notions and prejudice in societies where it has become critical for the schizophrenic patients. Herein, prejudice means an act of decision-making without making any necessary investigation into the issue (Ries, Miller, & Fiellin, 2009). According to the article entitled, â€Å"STIGMA and prejudice can have a big impact on the lives of people dealing with mental illness†, peo ple with mental illness have delayed early treatments because they have been under severe stigmatic fears. The questions remain regarding the factors which have rather created the fear of stigma among mentally ill person to a high degree (Heath, 2013). As a matter of fact, the factors involved with stigma against schizophrenic people are no different from other mental sickness such as depression, anxiety, hypertension etc (Knifton & Quinn, 2013). Public Stigma There are a number of factors and issues which have made stigma and prejudice a critical barrier for people with mental illness in seeking early treatment. General public involved in stereotyping and prejudice making stigma as a critical hindrance point against people with mental illness, especially patients with schizophrenia, include employers, relatives, family, friends and service providers. Each set of these people have maintained different attitudes and behaviors against mentally ill person. It is one true fact that almo st every person in the world has one or more mental problems that they deal with each day. Some of them reach to a higher degree of mental state which is probably treatable when they are provided a normal daily routine with maintained social interactions with other members of the societies (Goffman, 2009). It has often been noted that employers deny opportunities to employees with mental illness. This takes away job and accommodation from a person. It will not be incorrect to state that such an attitude towards mentally ill person creates an air of stigma in the society. This clearly gives an idea that a person who might be aware of his or her symptoms indicating schizophrenia would not opt for treatment from a psychiatrist because of the fear of stigma (Osuji, 2012). Thus, it can be said that employers play a major role in creating stigma for people with mental illness. Stigma, often called as social distancing has been noted in different walks of life. Be it relatives who would no t like to associate with a schizophrenic person. In addition it is expected of inconsiderate relatives that they would make it more critical for the person with mental illne

Resolution of Business conflict Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Resolution of Business conflict - Research Paper Example They can be monetary as well as non-monetary in nature. When calculated, it takes into account financial losses, wastage of time and wasted resources. In this specific case with two major participants, the problem was that they were influential enough to create concerns and panic in the economy and could cause fluctuations in the financial stability of the industry. The costs of this specific conflict were that first of all, it fueled the mortgage concern more than it would actually have oscillated. The Insurance Company had to pay a huge price to investors who faced a rapid mortgage decline. Goldman had apparently inflated its losses more than their actual value, and demanded most of what AIG had been left with. Goldman had a major share in the rapidity of the problems created for AIG, which was already stuck in a complicated mesh of loss in the financial world as an insurance company that collapsed because of a decline in the mortgage market. That was the point where the government intervened in the resolution of the conflict. Both parties were adamant with their behavior and did not consider any compromises which could ruin or at least create confusions about their position in the industry. Goldman, along with pressing AIG for further payments pushed other institutions such as Societe Generale, a French bank to ask for payments from AIG as well. Even though AIG was practicing a somewhat more lenient policy towards Goldman, it appeared as if there was something awkward about Goldman Sachs strategies of compelling AIG’s scenario to worsen. After research, it was found that an unreported $2.9 Billion was undeservingly lying in Goldman’s reserves- undeclared and unreported. Gold man’s concern was that AIG should not be demanding payment back from them. If it was not enough in the first place, AIG should have objected before paying it. The issue between the giant companies was not

Nans Goldin

Nans Goldin Nans Goldin Introduction If a still image can speak, it will tell you stories that will capture your imagination. It can describe how the photographer feels when taking the shot; it can also explain the emotions by the subjects to which the photograph has been taken, what the ambience of the location was and what the main feelings are during the poses. Even if the subject of the picture is not a living thing, that subject can be brought to life by the amazing shot captured by the master photographer. Composition and lighting have also contributed to the message the image wants us to understand. But then again still images cannot speak Which leaves us; the viewers create our own perception on what might the photo means. This has led to often wrong conclusions for those uninitiated by what the art offers. An image after being viewed can have different meanings, from different people some are quite far from the truth and others almost grasping it. The one, who really knows it and even feels the work, is the person at the back of the lens. One artist who really understands and definitely has passion for her work is Nancy Goldin, popularly known as Nan Goldin, she is an example of an artist who works at the most intimate level: her life is her work and her work, her life. It is nearly impossible to discuss Goldins photographs without referring to their subjects by name, as though the people pictured were ones own family and friends. It is this intimate and raw style for which Goldin has become internationally renowned. Her snapshot-esque images of her friends drag queens, drug addicts, lovers and family are intense, searing portraits that, together, make a document of Goldins life (Anon 2002). Biography Nan Goldin was born in Washington, D.C. on September 12, 1953. Soon she moved to Boston with her family. After her sisters suicide in 1965, Nan Goldin took up photography, in order to preserve her memories. Her camera turned into an eye that did not forget. Together with friends Goldin explored the aesthetics of fashion photography and got into contact with the Boston transvestite and cross-dresser scene. In the early 1970s Goldin strove for a documentary and objective depiction of the people, whom she admired for their special confidence. Later Goldin brought her pictures from this scene together in her book The Other Side. After studying at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Tufts University in Boston, she moved on to color photography. In 1974 she produced her first exhibition project Image Works at the university in Cambridge. In 1977 Goldin graduated and one year later she moved to New York. During the late 1970s and early 1980s Goldins main motifs for her photographs were her friends, whom she regarded as a substitute for her family and who were very important to her. The viewer penetrates deeply into the privacy of the depicted, due to the exact titles of the photographies including name, place and date. Goldins slide show entitled The ballad of sexual dependency reflects the wild everyday life of her friends. These shows, which are added to a soundtrack of music, are particularly impressive, because Goldin adds and rearranges the slides for every show to reflect changing moods, emotions, impressions and memories. From 1986 Nan Goldin also exhibited abroad. In 1988 she had to undergo withdrawal from drugs, during which she began with a series of self-protraits, which show an intensified affect control. The loss of several friends due to AIDS infections during the early 1990s made Goldin return to depicting other people. Following the invitation of the DAAD, Nan Goldin spent a year in Berlin and in 1995 her work was exhibited alongside that of other artists as part of the new Boston School at the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art. Only one year later the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York hosted a retrospective exhibition of the photographers works. Today Nan Goldin is one of the most famous contemporary photographers and her work can be seen in many collections. The artist continues work to her lifes own rhythm in New York. References Nan Goldin Nan Goldin is an example of an artist who works at the most intimate level: her life is her work and her work, her life. It is nearly impossible to discuss Goldins photographs without referring to their subjects by name, as though the people pictured were ones own family and friends. It is this intimate and raw style for which Goldin has become internationally renowned. Her snapshot-esque images of her friends drag queens, drug addicts, lovers and family are intense, searing portraits that, together, make a document of Goldins life. Goldin herself has commented on her photographic style and philosophy, saying, My work originally came from the snapshot aesthetic . . . Snapshots are taken out of love and to remember people, places, and shared times. Theyre about creating a history by recording a history. On September 12, 1953, Goldin was born in Washington, D.C. Shortly thereafter, she and her family moved to a suburb of Boston, where Goldin was to spend several primarily unhappy years before moving away from her family. In 1965, when Nan was 14 years old, her older sister, Barbara Holly Goldin, committed suicide. Deeply disturbed by this event, Goldin sought comfort in her friends: in them, she created an alternate family. Having decided that conventional family life and traditional schooling were not for her, Goldin moved in with a series of foster families, and soon enrolled in an alternative school called Satya Community School. It was at Satya, located in Lincoln, Massachusetts, that Goldin met two people who would be great friends and influences for many years to come: David Armstrong and Suzanne Fletcher. As the memory of her sister started to become hazy, Goldin began to take pictures to preserve the present, and thus her fading memories of the past. She photographed her frie nds so she would never lose the memory of them, as had happened with her sister. Her photographs were her way of documenting their lives, and, in turn, her own. It was at Satya that Goldins fascination with photography truly began to take shape. Goldin, along with her new friends Armstrong and Fletcher, used photography as a way of reinventing herself and those around her. Heavily influenced by fashion photography, Goldin and her companions would dress up for one another. Trying their hands at cross-dressing and drag were commonplace; this early experimentation would shape Goldins lifelong fascination with the blurry line separating the genders. Through Armstrong, Goldin was introduced to the drag subculture in Boston, and thus a nightclub called The Other Side. There, she photographed drag queen beauty contests during the early 1970s and became friends with many transvestites. Goldin sought to depict her subjects in a straightforward, non-judgmental way: she saw drag as a way to reinvent oneself, and reinforced this idea by taking photographs of her friends in full drag regalia, as well as in various stages of preparation. In photographs su ch as David at Grove Street, Boston, 1972, Ivy Wearing a Fall, Boston, 1972, and Kenny Putting on Make-up, Boston, 1973, Goldin depicts her companions in various stages of drag. In the first two, the subjects stare unflinchingly at the viewer, each proud of his transformation, yet still calling attention to the fine line between masculine and feminine. In the third, Kenny is shown absorbed in his own beauty, concentrating intently on creating an alternate version of himself in the mirror. Through these portraits, along with the many others taken of her classmates and friends, Goldin illustrates the confusion and recklessness of the time in which she was creating her art. It was during this period that Goldin began her course of study at the Boston School of Fine Arts. This transition marks a change in Goldins photographic style. Prior to college she had used only black and white film, shooting primarily from available light sources (with the exception of some of the photographs made at The Other Side, for which she used flash). She soon began experimenting with color, which would become an integral part of her photographic style. The introduction of flash into her work also greatly contributed to what is known today as the Goldin look. Rarely working from natural light, Goldin illuminates her subjects with careful use of flash that extenuates her vibrant colors. She achieves bright, deep hues by printing her 35 mm film with a photographic process called Cibachrome. While normal, c-type prints are made from printing from color negatives, Cibachrome prints are photographs printed from slides. This process allows the photographer to achieve optimum colo rs and contributes greatly to the sharp, bright quality of color in Goldins prints. Goldins 1978 move to the Bowery in New York City marked a major life change, both in her career and her personal life. Goldins photographs of this period reflect her hard-living lifestyle: excessive use of drugs and alcohol and abusive relationships were commonplace in Goldins circle of friends. Goldin wrote, I believe one should create from what one knows and speak about ones tribe . . .You can only speak with true understanding and empathy about what youve experienced. True to her credo, Goldin documented everything: drunken parties, relationships good and bad, evidence of beatings, all of which created an intense portrait of a close-knit group of friends. In the early 1980s, these photographs would be shown in the form of slides during Goldins now-infamous slide shows. A melange of photographs and music, these shows were originally held at punk rock clubs in New York City in order for Goldins friends (and photographic subjects) to see the photographs that she had taken of them. Tin Pan Alley was one of the most frequent spots for these events, a locale that conveniently provided a working place for such up-and-coming artists as Kiki Smith, Cookie Mueller and Barbara Ess. At the time, the show (later called The Ballad of Sexual Dependency), which was made up of color photographs lit with flash, ran approximately 45 minutes. As Goldin evolved as an artist, the show also changed, and more photographs were added and songs were changed. Despite changes to the content of the show, the basic atmosphere of intimacy remained, and Goldins visceral style communicated raw emotion. It was in 1986 that Goldin began to take her show on the road, traveling abroad to exhibit her work. Ballad saw screen time at both the Edinburgh and Berlin Film Festivals. By 1988, Goldins drug and alcohol abuse had begun to take a toll on her life and work, and she entered a detoxification clinic. Though she had previously experimented with self-portraiture, it was in this clinic that she created many images of herself. Photographs such as My Bedroom at the Lodge, Self-portrait in front of clinic, and Self-portrait with milagro reveal an introspective Goldin, somewhat humbled by her experiences at the hospital. In Self-portrait with milagro, the viewer sees Goldin in her room at the clinic, sitting up on her bed. She leans toward the camera, taking up most of the frame; the remaining portion of the frame is taken up by her institutional bed pillows and a small crucifix hanging on the wall. Goldins proximity to the camera has caused her face to be slightly blurred compared with her sharply defined hand, which is resting on the pillows. This slight blurring, combined with the cramped composition of the photograph, communicates Goldins feeling of being t rapped within the hospital. The colors in the photograph are neutral except for Goldins mouth: situated in the center of the photograph, it is covered in bright red lipstick. This flash of color in the institutional setting catches the eye, then leads it down the pyramid-like positioning of Goldins body to her ringed hand, tense on her pillow. Self-portrait with milagro is a fine example of the simple way in which Goldin uses seemingly haphazard composition to carefully build the feeling (in this case, her claustrophobia in the hospital) that she is trying to communicate. During this time, Goldin faced an additional personal struggle: many of her close friends were dying of AIDS, which was then a relatively new disease. Perhaps most important of these was Cookie Mueller, a friend since 1976, the year in which Goldin started photographing her. Goldins series, entitled The Cookie Portfolio, is comprised of 15 portraits of Cookie, ranging from those taken at the parties of their youth to those from Cookies funeral in 1989. During the next few years, Goldin continued to photograph her slowly dwindling circle of friends, many of whom were afflicted with AIDS. She showed these photographs in many group exhibitions across the country and around the world and spent a year in Berlin on a DAAD grant, sponsored by a German organization that brings artists to Berlin. In 1994, she and her longtime best friend David Armstrong collaborated on a book called A Double Life. Composed of photographs taken by both Goldin and Armstrong, the book displays their differing styles of photographing the same person. Also included are some of their portraits of one another. A 1995 show at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston grouped Goldin, Armstrong and fellow photographers and friends Philip-Lorca DiCorcia, Mark Morrisroe, Jack Pierson and several others, and dubbed them the Boston School. This name stuck, and the photographers have since been referred to by this title. The Whitney Museum of American Art held a retrospective of Goldins work in 1996; it was called Ill Be Your Mirror. Composed of photographs from every period of her career, the exhibit also boasted a showing of a version of The Ballad of Sexual Dependency. Goldin continues to photograph and recently had her first solo show in London, at the popular White Cube Gallery. Her work continues to evolve with her life. Of this she writes, My work changes as I change. I feel an artists work has to change, otherwise you become a replication of yourself. With Goldins close, immediate style and stunningly beautiful images, there is no threat of her becoming a replication. http://fototapeta.art.pl/2003/ngie.php Your approach towards photography is very personal. Is not it a kind of therapy? Yes, photography saved my life. Every time I go through something scary, traumatic, I survive by taking pictures. You also help other people to survive. Memory about them does not disappear, because they are on your pictures. Yes. It is about keeping a record of the lives I lost, so they cannot be completely obliterated from memory. My work is mostly about memory. It is very important to me that everybody that I have been close to in my life I make photographs of them. The people are gone, like Cookie, who is very important to me, but there is still a series of pictures showing how complex she was. Because these pictures are not about statistics, about showing people die, but it is all about individual lives. In the case of New York, most creative and freest souls in the city died. New York is not New York anymore. Ive lost it and I miss it. They were dying because of AIDS. You decided to leave the United States because of the effect the AIDS epidemic had on the community of New York gay artists and writers? I left America in 1991 to Europe. I went to Berlin partially because of that, and partially because one of my best friends, Alf Bold, was dying and I stayed with him and took care of him. He had nobody to take care of him. I mean, he had lots of famous friends, but he had nobody to take care of him on a daily basis. He was one of people who invented the Berlin film festival. This was also the time when my Paris photo dealer Gilles died of AIDS. He had the most radical gallery in the city. He did not tell anybody in Europe that he has AIDS, because the attitude here was so different than in the United States. There was no ACT UP in Paris, and in 1993 it looked very much like in the US in the 1950s. Now it has changed, but at that time people in Europe told me: Oh, we do not need ACT UP. We have very good hospitals. Your art is basically socially engaged It is very political. First, it is about gender politics. It is about what it is to be male, what it is to be female, what are gender roles Especially The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is very much about gender politics, before there was such a word, before they taught it at the university. A friend of mine said I was born with a feminist heart. I decided at the age of five that there was nothing my brothers can do and I cannot do. I grew up that way. It was not like an act of decision that I was going to make a piece about gender politics. I made this slideshow about my life, about my past life. Later, I realized how political it was. It is structured this way so it talks about different couples, happy couples. For me, the major meaning of the slideshow is how you can become sexually addicted to somebody and that has absolutely nothing in common with love. It is about violence, about being in a category of men and women. It is constructed so that you see all different roles of women, then of children, the way children are brought up, and these roles, and then men, then it shows a lot of violence. That kind of violence the men play with. It goes to clubs, bars, it goes to prostitution as one of the options for women prostitution or marriage. Then it goes back to the social scene, to married and re-married couples, couples having sex, it ends with twin graves. You were one of the few photographers who started to take color pictures. How did it happen? I accidentally used the roll of color film in my camera. I thought it is black and white, but it was color. Unlike Egglestone and the other photographers using color, your pictures were discovered quite late. Some people discovered my photography early. It was just very underground. It was very good what they taught us at the art school: that you have to suffer to be an artist; that you do not need material, financial success, but you have to be driven. A lot of great artists came out of my school from that period. Some of them are my friends like David Armstrong and Philip Lorca diCorcia. When I first started to take pictures of drag queens my influences were glamour magazines, fashion magazines. I like Horst, Cecil Beaton, and the early work of Newton, I like Guy Bourdin. I did not know about art photography. In 1974, I went to school and there was a teacher who showed me Larry Clark. It has entirely changed my work. I knew that there had been somebody else who had done their own life. You know his book Tulsa? I knew that were precedents for using ones private experiences as art. So you just switched from this glamour photography to this very personal approach? No, I did not just switch. It was a long process of learning about the history of photography. He introduced me to August Sander, Weegee, Diane Arbus. The drag queens hated the work of Arbus. It was not allowed in the house, because they hated the way she photographed drag queens. She tried to strip them of their identity. She did not respect the way they wanted to be. Arbus is a genius, but her work is about herself. Every picture is about herself. It is never respecting the way the other person is. It is almost a psychotic need to try to find another identity, so I think that Arbus tries on the skin of other people. I have written a lot about Arbus. Some critics find connections between you and Arbus. What do you think about such comparisons? The daughter of Arbus thinks that there is no connection at all. I think there is some connection, because both of us have an unusual degree of empathy, but it is manifested in a different way. She was a photographic genius and I am not a photographic genius. My genius, if I have any, is in the slideshows, in the narratives. It is not in making perfect images. It is in the groupings of work. It is in relationships I have with other people. Is it not connected with your fascination with literature? You mentioned FaulknerÉ Faulkner wrote about one tiny community and he wrote around 25 great novels and many short stories. They are always set in the place he loves. It has an invented name, but it is a real place. It is all based on what he knows. I always fought strongly against traditional documentary photography. It has changed, but in the 1970s it was always strong white men going to India, making exotic pictures of something they have no idea of. I always felt that I have right to photograph only my own tribe or people, when I travel, to whom I get close to and that I gave something to. I never took pictures with a long lens, it is always short and I have to get close to people I photograph. What is the relation between the diary you write and the pictures you take? Nothing. My diary is really boring. Have you not tried to put together both diaries, textual and visual, and do something like Peter Beard? No. I think these are two different thingsÉ Have you ever published parts of this diary? No, I would never do this. I am writing it for myself and nobody else. My wish is to burn it immediately after my deathÉ Some of your pictures are blurred. You did it on purpose? Actually, I take blurred pictures, because I take pictures no matter what the light is. If I want to take a picture, I do not care if there is light or no light. If I want to take a picture, I take it no matter what. Sometimes I use very low shutter speed and they come out blurred, but it was never an intention like David Armstrong started to do what we call, he and I, Fuzzy-wuzzy landscapes. He looked at the back of my pictures and studied them. He started to take pictures like them without people in them. They are just out of focus landscapes. He actually did it, intentionally threw the camera out of focus. I have never done it in my life. I take pictures like in here when there is no sun or light that I think all my pictures are going to be out of focus. Even Valerie and Bruno and whatever I take, because there is not enough light, and so I use a very low shutter speed. It used to be because I was drunk, but now I am not. The drugs influenced all my life. Both good and bad. I hear d about an artist in Poland, Witkacy, who wrote down on his paintings all the drugs he was on. Depending how many drugs he took, that is how much he charged for the portrait. I saw his portrait at the National Museum, a kind of German expressionism, and I loved it. I saw your pictures in the 50th anniversary issue of Aperture magazine. What shocked me most was the relation between them and the new Leica ad this one with your hands holding the M7, very artistic and black and white I never thought of your photography being as classic as Leica. I always use Leica. Previously it was M6, and recently I work with M7 camera. I received one as a salary for this particular ad. However, I immediately lost it while photographing the Valerie floating series. I was swimming with her holding my camera in one hand and taking pictures at the same time. It was really difficult. The camera got broken, but the photographs were really worth the price. How do you feel having these radical works being shown at the most prestigious museums? In Paris, for instance, I had a choice between the Centre Pompidou, where all the people go, and the most beautiful museum in Paris, Musee de la Ville de Paris. I liked the women who worked at the museum, but I also loved the man who was taking over the Pompidou. I am very loyal to anybody who has helped me, especially before I was famous. Some told me that I should choose this beautiful museum, but I chose the Pompidou, because I wanted people to see it. To the beautiful museum go only artists and elites. What are you going to do next? After the Devils Playground and the Matthew Marks show in New York? I do not know. I never know. I think it is going to be something different, because I have been through hard times. We will see how the market will react to this, but I do not care about the art market at all. My dealers are becoming greedier and greedier. They start talking to me in this strange way saying We will show this and this picture, because they are going to sell well. I am worried about that they no longer even pretend to have any ideals. At least my American dealers. Interview by Adam Mazur and Paulina Skirgajllo-Krajewska