The Simpsons Essay Example for Free

The Simpsons Essay On one day Matt Groeing was sitting and sketching out side James L Brooks office he invented the Simpsons. They were first shown as 30-second bumpers in the Tracy Ullman show. Bumpers are shown before the adverts. They were very successful so Fox Network took a very huge risk to produce a half hour episode of the Simpsons. The Simpsons was not test marketed to a group of sample viewers because there wasnt enough time. The first episode shown on 17th December 1989 Called The Simpsons roasting on an open fire. The animated show is made up during a 6 to 10 month production time at first a script is made. Then the people who do the voices are recorded on to a tape. Then they make a storyboard with the use of the actors voices in Klasy-Csupo animation house where a group of artists are drawing, this can be up to 2,000 images. The script is then filmed on to a computer with the voices. Then its sent to South Korea where it is made into an animation. It comes back to he studio as a 25-minute clip, this is then cut down to 22 minutes and thats the show! The show is very popular as a result of its two main audiences. The main audience is Adults, they enjoy watching the satire bits this is when The Simpsons are making fun at anything thats in the news, and they also enjoy the clever scripting of the show, which include funny film references. The second audience is children they enjoy watching the violence of the show like Itchy and Scratchy. They enjoy watching it as a cartoon because they like the slapstick for instance when Homer falls down a cliff. However the Simpsons causes a bit of controversial debate as there a lot of people arguing that The Simpsons are not a good example as an ideal family. The nation needs to be closer to The Waltons than The Simpsons President Bush. There is so much arguing going about The Simpsons ignoring simple rules like wearing a seatbelt and drinking so people are thinking if it should get banned or not. The Simpsons are nothing like a normal family. A good example of a normal family in The Simpsons show is The Flanders. They are kind and say grace when eating their food, on the other hand The Simpsons just eat their food like dogs. Another example is Wilma Flintstone who is a normal housewife however Marge is quite different because instead taking care of three kids she has to take care of another Homer! Analysis and interpretation- representation and audience consumption The Simpsons is made up as a cartoon evidently the animation makes it very easy to add slapstick humour, this is when we laugh at things that are not really meant to laughed at, for example a real human being but we would if it was a cartoon. This is also called Rubber-band reality, where you can stretch the reality of a scene by using cartoons. Furthermore The Simpsons can also be called a situation comedy, this is when the comedy comes out of the situation, a good example is when Homer drives the family in to wild and the comedy comes from the situation, which is the forest. The normal situations in an episode are usually; the school and The Simpsons home. The Simpsons is funny in very different for example either the violence is funny or it could be the scripting. However the best ay for me is the slapstick humour and elastic band reality. A good example is when Homer fight Barts new dad and then things get a bit complicating. There are some very strange stereotypes in the Simpsons take Marge she is an extraordinary house wife she does the shopping and takes care of Maggie. Lisa is a clever girl whos a buff in school and gets A* all the time, shes quite close to Bart and her mum. Bart whos the typical underachiever boy is hopeless at school. He gets on well with Lisa sometimes, for example when Nelson is bullying Lisa Bart helps out her out. Homer is a drunk, fat, alcoholic potato couch. He is the main character in the Simpsons and has to be the funniest one, as a result of his childish behaviour. There are also a few extra stereotypes such as Apu the Indian shopkeeper and Chief Wigam the typical fat, lazy, doughnut eating American policeman. When you first look at the Simpsons they may seem like a dysfunctional family however you have to look very deep inside the family to realise that thy do love each other. Firstly Homer and Marges relationship, if you first look at the pair you see them arguing all the time. A good example is when Homer forgets there anniversary and they end up wanting a divorce. However in the end they always sort things out saying I love you. Homer and Bart are always arguing and trying to strangle each other at any time possible. Bart is being a bit disrespectful by calling his Homer There always falling out a good example is when Bart runs away from home and lives in a tree house. Nevertheless they do love each other. For example when Bart find out Homer is Santa Clause he says Homer I didnt know you loved us that much and they do find out a lot about each other when they are threaded to each. Marge and Lisas connection is very close as they are always together. Marge is always helping Lisa a good example is when she is addicted to the corrie hotline and she helps her from calling it. There relationship is very loving. Marge and Maggie are always together, Maggie loves her mum as much as she can and so does she. When she has to choose between the Flaunders or her mum she picks her mum. Marge also loves Bart very much she is always taking care of him. However they are sometimes arguing. The relationship between Homer and Lisa is not very strong Homer sometimes forgets that shes even there, like when he forgets to by here a Christmas present. Homer always forgets about Maggie and doesnt even know her full name. Bart and Lisa are always fighting with each other and doing jokes, therefore it doesnt look as if they like each other. However they do love each other as it is shown in some episodes, as I explained earlier. Bart and Maggie love each other as well. The Simpsons is always being compared to the Flaunders. This is because the comparison gives it a good effect, and it makes it more entertaining to see what Homer would do to give the same treatment as Ned would give to his family. A good example is when the Flaunders get a new caravan and Homer gets a second hand one and they end up stuck in the wild. I think that the main reason why the Simpsons have been going on all these thirteen years is because that it has two target audiences. People are coming home from and watching the Simpsons and saying that my lifes not that bad after all. This is called Philologically Human its when the Simpsons act and feel like humans and Matt Groeing put it a mental health service to the world. The Simpsons are good and bad role models they are bad because Homer hardly cares about his family and hes just a fat alcoholic potato couch. Bart is also bad because hes an underachiever and proud of it. However sometimes they are good role models like Lisa she an A student. They all are happy together as a family at the end of each episode and they always say, I love you. OVERALL the Simpsons love each other and thats what counts.

Effect of Biological and Social Influences on Development

Effect of Biological and Social Influences on Development Gemma L Sobah Evaluate the contribution of biological and social influences to human psychological functioning Introduction: As humans, our psychological functioning is vital to our survival and succession. So what do we mean by psychological functioning? Psychological functioning is the way in which our minds work. It includes our thoughts, feelings and emotions. Human beings are thinkers and feelers. Our worlds evolve around, our thoughts, our feelings, and our hopes and dreams. How we view the world, and how we feel the world views us. We are driven by our emotions, our morals and our understanding of the people and world around us. Every experience in our life has the ability to impact our psychological functions. In this essay we will be looking at development and sex and gender. Charles Darwin was an evolutionary psychologist. He argued and believed that we have certain behaviours that have evolved and adapted because of how they benefit our survival and there for increased the chances of passing them on genetically. Darwin (1859) demonstrated the idea that genetics and evolution play an important part in influencing psychological functioning through natural selection. Evolutionary psychology claims that our brains (which includes the mind) evolved to be able to problem solve, which many of our hunter-gatherer ancestors encountered. A perspective known as the functionalism perspective was an idea that developed explanations for why people’s behaviour changed. It was believed that it was for an adaptive cause, and therefore has a ‘function’ to serve. Darwin argued that these changed came about because they proved to increase chances of survival and were therefore selectively chosen through evolution. So according to Darwin, we do certain things and act certain ways as we grow, not because we have had certain experiences in our life’s that have impacted us and shaped the way we see things, and have a direct effect on the way we act, but because genetically we have evolved and have certain traits and behaviours that will aid our survival. Therefore, those people displaying behaviours that will have a negative effect on their survival have no developed the necessary traits and skills through natural selection. Although this approach does give insight into how genetically we have been designed to act a certain way, and be certain people, the downfall to it is to the extent to which it can be applied. It does not explain how evolution has genetically changed us to act certain ways emotionally. It doesn’t goes as far to show how a woman who was born a man, can grow to live her life as both genders and it have no negative affect on her mental health. Furthermore it does not give insight as to how she became this way and not something else. But social influences could prove to have contributed to her current state of mind and mental health. From an early age we take in and absorb the things that happen around us, and studies have demonstrated how the social influences in our life at a young age, can affect our adult lives. In 1996, Schaffer, (as cited in Wood et al, pg. 9), explained that social influences, such as our peer or sibling relationships, are very influential in our development. He notes that they spend a lot of time in each other’s company, and in this time they will observe each other’s behaviour, and they will share many experiences, and it has been noted that their relationships are very emotionally based. These kinds of sibling relationships could have all sorts of influences on our development, both positive and negative. Siblings of a similar age may be more likely to have a friendship, because they will be increased in similar things from their age group, giving them more in common with each other. But this could also mean more chance of rivalry, for who has what toy and they may also fight for the attention of their parents. The positive side of this kind of relationship are that they could learn things from the other sibling, such as the meaning of sharing, they experience feelings that they may not if they only siblings much older. For example, two boy’s ages 7, and 9 both seek the attention of their parents, but their parents are too busy wondering where their older sister of 16 is. They can them empathise with one another and understand how each other are feelings. They can also be each other’s company when they want attention. And console one another when they are sad. This could bring out a caring side of them, allowing them to fill roles they would not fill if they only had older siblings or was an only child. In later life, as they develop further, they may then carry with them a caring nurturing side that they experiences as a child. The negative side of this kind of social influence are that there could potentially be a lot of rivalry between them. Which one gets the most parent-child attention, which gets the most/best toys? They could grow up feeling unfulfilled and needy. In 1986, Abramovitch, Corter, Pepler, and Stanthorpe, conducted an observational study on siblings which revealed to them, ‘that their interactions are diverse and multifaceted’. (Wood et al, pg. 9, 2007). As we can see from the example above, and as the observational study shown, there are many sides to a sibling relationship but they all have the potential to affect our future. Biologically there are many differences between a brother and sister, i.e. a girl and boy. The obvious one being our genitals, but as we go more in depth we will find that hormonally we are different, and our bodies have different strengths and weaknesses. But can the biological gender difference create cognitive and behavioural differences too? Money and Erhardt 1972 (as cited in Hollway et al, pg. 141, 2007,) conducted a study to try and answer this question. They conducted a study where they exposed girls to the drug progestin, to look at the masculinization of the girls after taking the drug , compared to girls who hadn’t taken the drug and girls with hyperplasia which affects the level of testosterone. They revealed that the girls with hyperplasia and the ones exposed to progestin, appeared to become more ‘tomboyish’ which means to play like a boy, prefer boys clothing, and that they played more energetically than the girls with no alteration to their hormone levels. So it appeared that the biological changes to the girls involved in the study, slightly altered their preference to ‘girlish’ or ‘boyish’ things. The girls seemed to become more masculine than the unaffected girls. Nevertheless it does pose the question as to the reliability of the results. In this day and age, it is not frowned upon as much for a girl to play with toys that were intended for a boy, and with the changes within the social world, less and less labels are being put on what is ‘for girls’ and ‘for boys.’ The reliability of the test also comes down to what the parents, who gave the report as to the changes in the girls, see as ‘boyish’ or ‘girlish’. It could have been less of a biological influence on the girls and more of a personal evaluation of boyish or girlish. Therefore, in conclusion, there are many perspectives within psychology that try and explain behaviours and their origins but not one has overall explanatory power over the rest, rather they depend on each other and all connect somehow. Only with some types of psychology which contradict each other (nature-nurture debate), connect with each other or expand on one another (biological and social psychologist), can we recognise and generate appropriate solutions when problems arise so we maintain a healthy mind and body. There are many different perspectives which go to show how complex human behaviour is. The evolutionary theory does don’t include the experiences we have as humans, but it concentrates more on being preordained in its methods and ability to provide evidence. The attachment theory concentrates too much on childhood and parental interaction. In doing so, it loses sight of the role biology and how our genetic makeup could account for certain behaviours. The biological perspective sees humans as a set of instruments and physical structures that are obviously important and significant (e.g. genes). Furthermore, it does not consider our conscious minds and how the overall influence of the social world on our behaviour. Our adult lives tend to be a mix of what we experiences and learn as a child, how our genetic makeup develops in us as we grow and how our conscious mind, interprets and understands the world we live in and forms its own reaction to it. We are not influences by just one thing, but many, continually and progressively. Word count: 1,455 References: Hollway, W., Cooper, T., Johnston, A., and Stevens, J. (2007) The Psychology of Sex and Gender in Cooper, T. and Roth, I. (2007) Challenging Psychological Issues, 2nd ed. Milton Keynes. The Open University Wood, D., Littleton, K. and Oates, J. (2007) Life span Development in Cooper, T. and Roth, I. (2007) Challenging Psychological Issues: Lifespan development, 2nd ed. Milton Keynes. The Open University

Development of Conceptual Framework in Accounting

Development of Conceptual Framework in Accounting Introduction In this essay we will assess the extent to which a conceptual framework can be developed in accounting, with examples of past and current attempts from standard setters. Accounting is a subject which is based on economic information about entities financial affairs. Accounting is defined as a process of identifying, measuring and communicating economic information according to US Generally Accepted Accounting Policies (GAAP). Accounting is not an exact science and therefore, consists of many subjective areas, namely in the valuation of assets, provision policies, recognition of revenue and costs etc. Some commentators are of the option that economic theory should form the basis of any conceptual framework within accounting. In recent times with the issues facing the financial markets, accounting framework has come under increased scrutiny, with both UK and International standard setters having to define the fundamental concepts of accounting, namely, accruals, going concern, prudence, consistency and materiality. The conceptual framework has now placed greater emphasis on ‘true and fair view’ within financial reporting standards. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) working closely with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FRSB) is developing a new conceptual framework which is based on qualitative characteristics as well as historical quantitative characteristics (Accruals, Prudence, and Consistency). The aim of the joint conceptual framework is to ensure that companies annual reports represent a true and fair view of the entities financial health, the new concepts being considered for inclusion within the framework are, Understandability, Rationality, Preciseness, Simp licity and Acceptability. In developing the conceptual framework the IASB and FRSB need to decide if it should be rules based or principles based. Conceptual Framework of Accounting The FASB (US Accounting Body) attempted to form a conceptual framework during the 70’s and during the late 80’s the International body (IASB) developed a summary revised conceptual framework for companies, specifically dealing with the preparation and presentation of financial statements. This was followed by the Statement of Principles for financial reporting in 1999. The ASB has embraced current value accounting, which is based on value to the business measurements like Replacement Cost, Economic Value and Net Realisable Value (NRV). In order to determine the extent to which a conceptual framework can truly be developed for accounting, we must first examine the definitions of a conceptual framework. The Accounting Standards Community defines it as â€Å"a consultative document, which is a set of broad, internally consistent fundamentals and definitions of key terms† (ASC, 1978) FASB defined the conceptual framework as part of the scope and implications of the conceptual framework project in 1976 as â€Å"a constitution a coherent system of interrelated objectives and fundament’s that results in consistent standard and prescribe the nature, function and limits of accounting standards†. The qualitative characteristics in the FASB’s conceptual framework above forms the fundamentals and enables financial statements to be objective and sets out the alternative accounting methods. The measurement at the operational level sets out the rules for determining the monetary amounts within financial statements, i.e. historical cost, present value, replacement costs etc. Therefore, we can conclude that the purpose of a conceptual framework is to provide standard setters with a consistent guideline of accounting principles which are consistent with each other. It will also offer guideline in applying accounting standards in the most appropriate form with treatment of transactions when the standard offers scope for judgement. Other purposes of conceptual framework are found in the ASB Statement of Principles for Financial Reporting (1991): Assist in development of future standards Assist in reduction of alternative treatments Assist in preparation of financial accounts and guidance on areas where no specific standards exist Assist auditors in forming opinion on adherence to standards (Thomas, A. (2005) pp.499) Issues Surrounding the Development of a Conceptual Framework of Accounting In recent times there has been much debate in the UK surrounding the development of a conceptual framework. The main issue in the development has been in terms of costs and whether it was beneficial and possible to develop a consistent set of fundamentals that would lead to improvements in the UK accounting standards. The other issue is in terms of whether standards will make companies accounts more consistent rather than comparable. The development of conceptual framework will presumably result in more standardisation of accounts. There are two schools of thoughts on development of conceptual framework and its underlying theme. Normative Vs. Deductive Theories Normative theories are concern with technical processes which aim to measure ‘true income’ as influenced by Hicks (1946). Normative theories would produce a set of consistent rules that would form the basis of the conceptual framework. Accounting is also viewed as a technical process via deductive theory, but supports a user needs approach in identifying the objectives of financial statements. This is the view taken in all current projects trying to deliver a comprehensive and definitive conceptual framework of accounting. Lastly, positive views accounting and in particular the process of setting standards as a political process, which can lead to exploitation of class interests. This results in standard setting being viewed as quasi-legislation as company law is set by the parliament; therefore, it’s a political process. Standard setting process need to be one of consensus and not dictatorial assertion based on a conceptual framework, which is itself is the product of a particular set of class interest namely, shareholders interest. Environmental Issues and Accounting Framework An Example of an area which requires guideline from published conceptual framework is environmental and social reporting issues. Currently there is no legal or accounting standards in operation and no legal requirement for companies to carry out such accounting. But, many large companies carry out environmental and social accounting and reporting, as it’s a part of their core business values. The body Shop, Traidcraft and others now see environmental reporting as increasingly significant issues in business and regard it as important to gather and present information about their activities in these areas. In the past traditional accounting framework has neglected such environmental matters as it was not capable of being measured objectively. Environmental accounting has proven to be technically easier than social accounting, as social accounting is seen as more political and forms part of a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting (CSR). Due to the varying nat ure of environmental and social accounting within individual companies, any conceptual framework would find it difficult to promote consistency and comparability of accounting policies. The above example highlights of how accounting is changing in the area of social and environmental accounting. This change has resulted in extension to both UK GAAP and US GAAP. This has come about as a result of the growing concern over the impact of organisations on society Conclusion Financial reporting has come under scrutiny post Asian crisis in the global markets and the fairness of accounting standards has been questioned. The global financial crisis has illustrated that under the forces of financial globalisation it is vital for standard setters to increase the regulation and transparency of financial reporting, in order to achieve global market efficiencies. It is without doubt very important to have a flexible conceptual framework of accounting in order to tackle the diverse and complex markets in which companies operate today. The FASB, IASC and ASB have all published conceptual frameworks of accounting. The conceptual framework must ensure the development of relevant accounting standards which the users can understand. However, in developing conceptual framework the standard setters need to be mindful of the fact that organisational practices and market conditions will evolve, and the standards need to evolve in order to remain relevant. The framework needs to be one that is compliant with Corporate Governance rules and regulations. Rule based standards are easier to police than principles based standards, which can lead to inconsistencies within accounts of companies within the same industry, therefore, not promoting comparability and reliability. Conceptual framework development has adopted the principle based approach in allowing companies to be flexible in order to deal with new challenges of the global market place. Rule based method had come under intense criticism post Enron failure. Supporters of a pragmatic deductive theory of accounting seem to have been triumphant in the conceptual framework debate within the UK. What is still unclear is whether the monetary costs of developing a conceptual framework by the ASB can be supported in terms of the potential benefits it will deliver in financial reporting through improvements in ASBs standard setting process. The development of a conceptual framework is regarded as unbeneficial by those who believe that the framework may lead standards which will promote more consistency between financial accounts of entities but it will not achieve greater comparability. This is due to the fact that standards set in accordance with the new conceptual framework will push organisations to use similar accounting treatments, when those may not necessarily be the most appropriate for the individual company and this will result in misleading comparisons. Therefore, oppositions to the development of a conceptual framework in accounting argue that it will lead to misleading standardisation due to lack of flexibility being offered within accounting standards, hence, more rigidity and less innovation. However, the need for a conceptual framework of accounting is recognised and being addressed around the world, with the USA, the UK and IASB all taking the same principle based approach in its development and commencing with a consideration of the objectives of financial reporting, qualitative characteristics and description of elements and when these are to be recognised in the financial statements. However, concurrence on measurement has yet to be achieved. Word Count: 1,608 References Bibliography Glautier, M.W.E; Underdown, B.; Accounting Theory and Practice 5th Edition (1994) Pitman Publishing Hendriksen, E.S.; Accounting Theory 4th Edition (1982) Richard D. Irwin Atrill, P; Harvey, D; Mclaney, E; Accounting for business 2nd Edition (1994), Butterworth Heinemann Thomas, A. (2005), Introduction to Financial Accounting – 5th Edition, McGraw-Hill Accounting Standard Community, (1978) Setting accounting Standards: A consultative document, ICAEW. Financial Accounting Standards board (1976), Scope and Implications of the Conceptual Framework Project, FASB Perks, R. (2008), Financial Accounting – Understanding and Practice – Second Edition, McGraw-Hill Britton, A., Waterston, C. (2006), Financial Accounting – Fourth Edition, Prentice Hall Elliott, B.; Elliott, J. (2008), Financial Accounting and Reporting – 12th Edition, FT Prentice Hall

Melindas Improvement :: essays research papers

For the past few weeks, we have been reading the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. The book is about a girl named Melinda Sordino, who for the most part refused to speak or interact with others after being raped at a end-of-the-summer party before the start of her freshman year in highschool. Ever since she was raped, she completely changed. However, I think she shows signs of improvement during the second half of the year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ever since the party, Melinda rarely talked to anybody, including her parents. Nevertheless, I noticed that during the second semester of the year she talked considerably more. â€Å"All right, but you said we had to put emotion into our art. I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel.†(p122). This quote is from the third marking period when Melinda was talking to her art teacher Mr.Freeman. I believe that she wouldn’t have said anything had it been earlier in the year. â€Å"Stinks. It was a mistake to sign up for art. I just couldn’t see myself taking wood shop.†(p.146). This quote is another example of Melinda talking, this time to Ivy in the mall. I think these quotes prove that Melinda starts talking more as the year progresses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of the year, I noticed that Melinda wasn’t very active or social. For the most part, she avoided most social activities. She seemed to prefer to be alone inside her closet. But during the second semester, I noticed that this started to change. â€Å"I start on the leaves suffocating the bushes†(p.166). This quote describes Melinda going outside and doing yard work on her own without being asked to, which I don’t think she would have done before. Another example is when she asked her dad to bring her some flower seeds(p.168). There quotes prove that Melinda definitely becomes more active during the second half on the year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the year started, Melinda did poorly in school. She often used stolen late passes and rarely did homework. By the end of the year this was much different. In the third marking period, Melinda says how she showed up to class every day throughout the semester, did some homework, and didn’t cheat on any tests. I see this as a vast improvement. Melindas Improvement :: essays research papers For the past few weeks, we have been reading the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. The book is about a girl named Melinda Sordino, who for the most part refused to speak or interact with others after being raped at a end-of-the-summer party before the start of her freshman year in highschool. Ever since she was raped, she completely changed. However, I think she shows signs of improvement during the second half of the year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ever since the party, Melinda rarely talked to anybody, including her parents. Nevertheless, I noticed that during the second semester of the year she talked considerably more. â€Å"All right, but you said we had to put emotion into our art. I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel.†(p122). This quote is from the third marking period when Melinda was talking to her art teacher Mr.Freeman. I believe that she wouldn’t have said anything had it been earlier in the year. â€Å"Stinks. It was a mistake to sign up for art. I just couldn’t see myself taking wood shop.†(p.146). This quote is another example of Melinda talking, this time to Ivy in the mall. I think these quotes prove that Melinda starts talking more as the year progresses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of the year, I noticed that Melinda wasn’t very active or social. For the most part, she avoided most social activities. She seemed to prefer to be alone inside her closet. But during the second semester, I noticed that this started to change. â€Å"I start on the leaves suffocating the bushes†(p.166). This quote describes Melinda going outside and doing yard work on her own without being asked to, which I don’t think she would have done before. Another example is when she asked her dad to bring her some flower seeds(p.168). There quotes prove that Melinda definitely becomes more active during the second half on the year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the year started, Melinda did poorly in school. She often used stolen late passes and rarely did homework. By the end of the year this was much different. In the third marking period, Melinda says how she showed up to class every day throughout the semester, did some homework, and didn’t cheat on any tests. I see this as a vast improvement.

The Fall of the House of Usher Essay -- Literary Analysis, Edgar Allen

In the story â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† by Edgar Allen Poe, the character Roderick Usher is the last male member of the Usher family. The Usher family has a nearly impeccable direct line of descent as stated in paragraph 3 of the story. Roderick has only one living relative, his sister Madeline. This means that the Usher family is in jeopardy of disappearing because neither Roderick nor his sister has any children. Therefore there is a possibility of incest between Roderick and Madeline. However this could result in many difficulties and problems for the potential children and possibly on the consciences of Roderick and Madeline. In the story Roderick sings a poem entitled â€Å"The Haunted Palace† to the narrator of the story. Since Roderick Usher is having doubts about the security of his family line he uses the poem as a way of expressing these emotions without stating them explicitly. The organization of the stanzas in â€Å"The Haunted Palace† shows a lot about the poem’s overall meaning. The poem is literally about a palace in a beautiful valley. The palace is inhabited by spirits and a ruler of the valley. The valley is a happy place until it is attacked by evil spirits and their ruler dies. The attack of the spirits leaves the palace a dark and gloomy place. But this literal translation of the poem does not show its metaphorical meaning. A metaphor of the poem can be found through the organization of the poem as a whole. Stanza I describes the setting of the poem: â€Å"In the greenest of our valleys† (1.1). It also mentions the palace which is in the valley. Stanza II describes the palace in more detail, labelling it as a beautiful place. Stanza III gives information on the tenants of the palace; spirits live inside with â€Å"the ru... ...oderick refers to the spirits as good and says that they sing about: â€Å"The wit and wisdom of their king.† (4.8). â€Å"The ruler of the realm† (3.8) whom the spirits are singing about could represent the house of Usher, but not the literal house of Usher, instead they are singing about the Usher family. It is known that this is a name often given to both the house and the family: â€Å"†¦the ‘House of Usher’ – an appellation which seemed to include, in the minds of the peasantry who used it, both the family and the family mansion.† (Poe par.3) Therefore Roderick could be saying all of this because he is proud of his family and believes that he is letting down the â€Å"House of Usher† by not continuing the direct line of descent that his family has continued for so many years. Thus when the king dies in the poem (5.3-4), Roderick could think that his family line has already died.

Service Learning And Integration Within Community Education Essay

The impression â€Å" community † is interpreted as the extent at which pupil instructors would travel in lending their services to the community. Service acquisition is an integrating of academic survey with community. It means pupils can use what they have learned during service larning to their academic life. Group Endeavours in Service Learning ( GESL ) was made compulsory to all freshers in an attempt to advance service larning in National Institute of Education ( NIE ) . Student instructors are indiscriminately grouped together to organize a squad and are led by an assigned coach. They so meet up on a regular basis to be after an event for a non-profit organisation of their pick. Point to observe that Service learning/GESL defers from community service. Community service involves voluntary work for the community. GESL on the other manus, is a mandatory group attempt to supply service through acquisition, reflecting and learning the community. Therefore, GESL can be reall y good for pupil instructors as they are able to lend back to the community. Unfortunately, I find that clip is a factor when be aftering an event. It farther adds on to the work load a pupil instructor already has. Therefore, does making a good cause seems like a load to student instructors now? If NIE makes GESL non-compulsory, would student instructors still take up this service larning on their ain or as a group? Student instructors have to take a stance for themselves as to whether GESL is good or merely a waste of clip. As supported by ( Butin, 2005 ) , a pupil can non stay impersonal when prosecuting in service acquisition as that would place oneself in a immune individuality. In this state of affairs, we tend to oppugn the effectivity of service acquisition in impacting a pupil ‘s academic life. Since GESL completion is necessarily required within a twelvemonth, a pupil instructors ‘ part may look nonvoluntary. Furthermore, GESL has no recognition unit awarded after its completion. In this paper, I sought to find whether the chief aim of service acquisition is lost through the procedure. In add-on, I will besides happen out factors that hinder a pupil ‘s engagement in GESL. Hence, if there is no accent on GESL, would student instructors volunteer for service larning throughout their academic life in NIE? This inquiry will be examined farther in this paper.Methods and MethodologyA questionnaire was designed to happen out the impact of service acquisition ( GESL ) on first twelvemonth undergraduates at National Institute of Education ( NIE ) . The mark sample comprises 10 Bachelor of Humanistic disciplines pupils majoring in different academic topics. GESL was introduced to all freshers in NIE and hence first twelvemonth pupils were chosen for this study. The study was conducted through a face-to-face meet up session and participants were required to finish a questionnaire signifier on the topographic point. Students were surveyed on their willingness, unde rstanding and outlook of GESL. Five inquiries were included in the questionnaire. The first inquiry asked pupils whether they knew the difference between service acquisition and community service. A â€Å" yes † and â€Å" no † options were given to them. The responses from this inquiry will reflect pupils ‘ apprehension of these two services. A misunderstanding could be a conducive factor to GESL being involuntarily completed. In the 2nd inquiry, pupils were required to take one out of four options given. The inquiry asked them on what they expect to derive from GESL. The four options were â€Å" Experience/Satisfaction † , â€Å" Academic Credits † , â€Å" Certificate † and â€Å" Good repute ( Example, for sketch ) † . Additionally, a 5th open-ended option was made available for them to stipulate any relevant reply. This inquiry was intended to happen out the intent or benefit that a pupil expects from GESL. Collated consequences for this inquiry were compared with the chief aim of service larning to reflect a consistence throughout the procedure. The 3rd inquiry asked pupils whether they would desire GESL to be made non-compulsory. A â€Å" yes † and â€Å" no † options were given to them. This inquiry was chosen to back up the forth inquiry that asked pupil instructors on how long they are willing to perpetrate to GESL. The forth inquiry had four options and they were â€Å" one twenty-four hours † , â€Å" one hebdomad † , â€Å" one month † and â€Å" one twelvemonth † . Students ‘ acuteness in lending their services will be determined by both inquiry three and four. Last, the fifth and the 6th inquiry were open-ended inquiries. Student instructors were asked â€Å" what they enjoyed most about GESL † and â€Å" what they enjoyed least about GESL † in inquiry 5 and 6 severally. Both inquiries aimed at happening out what pupil instructors gained from GESL and what are the possible factors that hinders them during the procedure.Findingss and DiscussionThe per centum of pupils ‘ responses to oppugn 1 is shown in Table 1. It can be seen that 70 % answered â€Å" yes † and 30 % answered â€Å" no † to this inquiry. The high per centum of â€Å" yes † is perchance due to the changeless briefings and negotiations on GESL by NIE, which has enabled pupils to better understand the differences between these two services. However, the little per centum of 30 % indicates that there are pupils who still misinterpreted service larning to be similar to community service. Even though there are a high per centum of pupils who knew the differences, so to what widen do they cognize about GESL? The fact that GESL has to be completed within a twelvemonth, pupils might desire to merely acquire it over and done with. This is supported by ( Clark & A ; Young, 2005 ) who states that service larning without deep reliable battle would merely be a normal field trip for pupils. ( Clark & A ; Young, 2005 ) besides highlighted the limited position or apprehension of service acquisition: â€Å" When viewed as merely assisting those â€Å" less fortunate, † pupils may neglect to see the function that their ain privilege dramas in the kineticss of power † ( p. 72 ) The manner pupils view service-learning will as such determine what they do with it and how they do it. Students with equal cognition on service acquisition would be able to hold a deeper apprehension and grasp for GESL as compared to pupils with minimum position of it. Therefore a pupil ‘s intent and aim were non wholly lost during the procedure but it was non even established at the start. In Table 2, it shows the responses from pupils on what they expect to derive from GESL. A high per centum chose â€Å" experience/satisfaction † , followed by â€Å" academic credits † and â€Å" good repute † . Indeed experience and satisfactions are one of the expected results of GESL. This is supported by ( Group Endeavours in Service Learning, 2005 ) which quotation mark: â€Å" GESL is an experiential acquisition experience for trainees to get and develop accomplishments in undertaking direction, self- and team-development, and community service. † Table 2 besides shows that 30 % of pupil expects to derive academic credits from GESL. Unfortunately, GESL is mandatory and has no recognition units awarded after its completion which make pupils experience burdened. With mention to inquiry 6, the same 30 % of pupils who expect to derive academic credits from GESL provinces that what they enjoyed least about GESL is it being very clip devouring. Hence, we can see that this 30 % wants their clip to be rewarded alternatively of interchanging it for valuable experiences. Surprisingly, the same 30 % of pupils ‘ responses to oppugn 5 was non consistent with inquiry 2. They expected to derive academic credits but alternatively what they enjoyed most about GESL was the â€Å" ability to run into new friends † and â€Å" meaningful experiences † . Therefore, this shows that to appreciate service larning better, one has to travel through the fuss of planning and forming foremost. They would so be able to harvest the priceless wagess from this undertaking. Ultimately, the pupils did interchange their clip with meaningful experiences. Next, the pupils were asked on whether they want GESL to be made non-compulsory. As seen in table 3, 60 % of the pupil answered â€Å" yes † and staying 40 % answered â€Å" no † . The difference between the per centums is instead little, which mean there are pupils who still want GESL to be made compulsory. Why do pupils desire GESL to be made compulsory? The ground could perchance be them seeking to avoid the incommodiousness of registering for GESL on their ain. They do non mind assisting out but it is non something they are passionate about. This is supported by ( Jones, Gilbride-Brown, & A ; Gasiorski, 2005 ) : â€Å" Like volunteering for a specific organisation when ( pupils in his leading and service bookmans plan ) in general merely like assisting out and volunteering, non because they want to endeavor to rectify a societal job, merely because they like assisting out. † ( p. 15 ) However, the high per centum showed that GESL should be non-compulsory, but would student instructors still contribute their service to the community? GESL has a undertaking life of one academic twelvemonth. With mention to postpone 4, merely 20 % are willing to perpetrate to serve larning for one twelvemonth. A figure of 20 % is exceptionally low. On the contrary, 40 % of the pupils are more willing to make service larning for one twenty-four hours, which defeats the intent of GESL. Furthermore, the aims of GESL can non be accomplished in one twenty-four hours or one hebdomad. Due to the deficiency of pupils ‘ engagement for the past few old ages, NIE had to do GESL compulsory for all freshers. As for the twelvemonth 2011, doing GESL compulsory will merely ensue in nonvoluntary part but higher engagement rate compared to old old ages. Therefore, doing GESL non-compulsory will merely take to similar tendency that happened in the yesteryear ; lower engagement rate. Students would instead prioritise on their academic faculty alternatively of GESL.DecisionTo reason, I looked into possible factors that are impeding pupil instructors during GESL and how this minimizes the impact of service larning on them. Through the study consequences, I was assured that clip was decidedly the chief factor refering pupils. From experience, it was hard to hold on a common timeslot for a meeting as everyone had different academic timetables. Hence, alternatively of sing GESL as a good undertaking, pupils find GESL to be really clip consuming. A pupil who engage in GESL with a mentality that planning and organizing is merely a waste of clip ; GESL will so be that manner. Therefore, it is of import to re-iterate the importance of holding a constructive position of GESL before being involved. Another lending factor was the rejection pupils received from the non-profit organisations themselves. What is surprising here is that pupils want to supply their services but these organisations were non acute in accepting their proposals due to certain restraints. On a whole, with all these factors impeding them, would pupils still volunteer for service larning throughout their academic life? From my position, they will take part in service acquisition, provided NIE do alterations to GESL so that pupils view it more positively. As suggested by ( Clark & A ; Young, 2005 ) : â€Å" Devoid of any brooding activities that require pupils to link their experiences in service sites to their schoolroom work, service-learning becomes, at best, volunteerism and at worst, simply the logging of hours toward a community service graduation requirement. † ( pg. 72 ) Normally, after the completion of GESL, pupils had to finish a simple self-reflection signifier. NIE should supply a deeper reflective activity whereby pupils can use their experiences to their academic work. This is supported by ( Torres, n.d ) that province, â€Å" Without contemplation, pupils merely describe on experiences alternatively of analyzing what they do impact themselves and those they serve. † ( p. 3 ) In this manner, GESL will non be perceived as merely a waste of clip but a undertaking that is relevant and impactful to their academic life. GESL could so be promoted as a instruction method that bonds both theoretical cognition and educational experiences together. Since some factors are inevitable, it is still of import to guarantee that pupil instructors ‘ service larning journey is a smooth and meaningful 1. As future instructors, it would be much easier for them to promote their pupils to follow suit when they themselves understood and experienced how informative service acquisition can be. Furthermore, service acquisition can be promoted as a pedagogical tool when they venture out to learn in the hereafter.

Distinctly Visual Essay

Distinctly Essay A distinctively visual text influences our view of the world, and object or a person by the composer presenting us with new ideas and emotions that let us see from another point of view. Henry Lawson is an Australian writer that has the ability to twist his readers into his stories so they understand the true feelings and emotions of the characters. He presents us with the idea the bush is a negative place to live. But all Australians have a connection with it.Distinctly visual texts affect how we see the world and our relationships with others. Henry Lawson acknowledges the hardships of Australian women whose bravery and perseverance is unfairly over looked. Lawson’s admiration of the wife is evident in the portrayal of a strong and independent female protagonist. While the characters traits of the hattered old dog â€Å"alligator† are amusingly represented, it remains the wife who really fascinates the reader. Her appearance and behaviour can be readi ly pictured and we easily identify with her hopes and fears.He then reflects the harshness with the characterisation of the â€Å"Gaunt sun brown woman† and her â€Å"four ragged, dried up looking children†, This shapes our understanding of the unique Australian traits of toughness and courage towards a hostile environment like the bush. We never learn her name and this anonymity increases the representative role she plays, making the reader more reflective and empathetic about what is revealed, especially when given access t o her thoughts and feelings. By visualising the bush woman’s surroundings the reader can connect with her frame of mind. One is left with an overwhelming sense of loneliness and hardship.Through the use of flashbacks Lawson presents us with the different situations the women has been confront with and the way she has had to overcome them while her husband has been away â€Å"she fought a bush fire.. She fought a flood.. She also fought a m ade bullock’ and now a snake. The vivid imagery of the environment creates the feeling of isolation and monotony that the drover’s wife experiences in her day to day life. Lawson positions us to accept his visual interpretation of life in the bush defined by continual hardship instead of focusing primarily on the contents of the bush, Lawson focuses on what is lacking.The Lost Thing is a humorous story about a boy who discovers a bizarre looking creature while out collecting bottle tops at a beach. Having guessed that it is lost, he tries to find out who owns it or where it belongs, but the problem is met with indifference by everyone else, who barely notice is presence. Each is unhelpful in their own way, strangers, friends, parents are all unwilling to entertain this uninvited interruption to their day to day life.In spite of his better judgement the boy feels sorry for this hapless creature, and attempts to find out where it belongs. The story soon develops into a f able about all sorts of social concerns, with a ambiguous ending. For a start ‘the lost pet’ is unlike anything we might normally expect. It is a huge tentacled monster, not quite animal or machine, with no particular function or origin. Whimsical, purposeless and estranged from everything around it, it is out of place in a much deeper sense that just being ‘lost’.The environment described by the illustrations also resists any simple reading. A treeless industrial metropolis full of excessive plumbing, mysterious and dehumanising architecture, green skies and cheerless citizens. Nobody pays attention to this ‘lost pet’ despite its disruptive presence, every citizen is too busy in their daily routine to notice. The text is written as a matter-of-fact anecdote, told by the boy and addressed to the reader, presented as a kind of â€Å"what I did over summer† story (hence the use of hand-written text on strips of note paper).Significantly, t he creature in question is never physically described, and there is very little said about the environment in which the story unfolds; this is where the illustrations take over. Read by itself the text would sound as though it is about a lost dog in a quite familiar suburb or city, but the pictures reveal a freakish tentacled animal in a surreal a treeless world of green skies, excessive plumbing, concrete and machinery Another short story written by Henry Lawson that displays this connection with the land is â€Å"the loaded dog†.It tells a story of three men that are working on a gold field and leave a explosive lying around. This explosive is then picked up by their dog, who chases them with it lit in its mouth. Unlike â€Å"the drovers wife† Lawson’s ability to balance the harshness of the wish with the larrikin characters. Allows him to make the story entertaining but also life threatening. The visual image of the men following each other being chases by th e dog with an explosive in its mouth is an example of this humour Lawson uses throughout the story to conceal the bush during the tory. Lawson uses the almost dried up creek as an example of the ruthlessness the bush has on it occupants. The men usually use the fish as their main source of food but because it has turned into a â€Å"chain of muddy waterholes.. six to seven feet deep† they are fearing they will starve. So they come up with a plan to catch the fish using an explosive. A dog is also present in â€Å"the loaded dog† but it does not have a protector role like the one in â€Å"the drovers wife† rather Lawson mainly convey â€Å"Tommy.. big, black†¦ retriever dog.. as their four legged mate† this mate ship is the only thing that is positive in the story, although Lawson uses him as the main cause of all the trouble and excitement. Henry Lawson short stories are both visual texts that have contributed to the Australian myth and have become a voice for the individuals of the 1890’s. His stories still have a meaning of heritage and belonging for today’s society. Shaun tans â€Å"the lost thing† provokes questions