Leprosy in the Middle Ages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leprosy in the Middle Ages - Essay Example This essay focuses on the discussion of the Leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, that is an debilitating disease which has been prevalent for over 4,000 years, right from the ancient civilizations of China, India and Egypt. The researcher states that the earliest documented case of leprosy, supported by DNA evidence, is that of a man whose remains were discovered in a tomb next to the Old City of Jerusalem. The first recorded instance of leprosy is found in the Bible. It is probable that the disease spread to Europe from Egypt through Phoenician sailors in the 8th century. The word leprosy has its roots in the Greek lepra, meaning ‘a disease which makes the skin scaly'. The primary external symptom is pronounced skin lesions. It is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. If unchecked, this chronic bacterial infection can progressively attack the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes, causing permanent damage, deformation, blindness, loss of neural sensation, and local paralysis. Th e mode of transmission of the disease is still not certain. Poor living conditions, diet and genetic factors may predispose an individual to contact leprosy. Treatment for leprosy began with the introduction of dapsone in the 1930s and complete cures were made possible by multidrug therapy in the 1980s. It is acknowledged that leprosy was a familiar disease in medieval Europe, and probably reached its peak during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. In the Middle Ages, leprosy was a serious problem which elicited unique social and medical responses. ... In the Middle Ages, leprosy was a serious problem which elicited unique social and medical responses. Leprosy was a feared condition throughout the Middle Ages. This may be largely attributed to ignorance of its causes and medical implications, and the absence of any recognized treatment or cure. The Medieval diagnosis of leprosy, â€Å"was a prediction of disfigurement and death, and what is perhaps more terrifying, it separated a man from society because of the infection he carried outwardly and the moral corruption that lay within him† (Covey, 2001, 316). Biblical references supported this reaction to the disease. The numerous references to leprosy in the Bible largely give leprosy a connotation of being a disease of the unclean. This is evident in the passage from Leviticus 13: 44–46 which states, â€Å"Now whosoever shall be defiled with the leprosy, and is separated by the judgment of the priest, shall have his clothes hanging loose, his head bare, his mouth cove red with a cloth, and he shall cry out that he is defiled and unclean. All the time that he is infected and unclean, he shall dwell alone without the camp† (Covey, 2001, 316). In effect, the Bible condemned leprosy as a ‘defilement’ and sanctioned the banishment of lepers from society. The most common attitude toward leprosy was ostracism, rising from the fear that leprosy was a highly contagious disease. In the light of this fear of contacting leprosy through association with lepers, medieval laws enforced segregation of lepers in various manners in different places. The 1276 assizes of London restricted the freedom of movement of lepers by banning them from residing in the city. This was followed by

A Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A Letter - Essay Example Having a healthy economy implies that the government concentrate on social issues in a means of tackling unemployment. The youth and women population has the highest potential in the labor market but still lugged behind in matters employment. The investment in education indicates a change in perception and the labor market accommodation the new elements. This attributes to the highest levels of employment over the past seven years (Zumbrun, 2014). The fact that the levels of employment are on the rise, the government main concern is on cyclical unemployment. The trend has little to do with the government but the employers themselves. Many tend to maintain a given number of workers as a means of reducing expenditure and maximizing on revenue. It is evident on how each sector plays a role in ensuring the improved levels of employment. Creation of jobs bases on government policies including taxation and the commitment by both local and foreign investment to satisfy the labor

Bone Growth And Remodeling

Bone Growth And Remodeling Ossification and osteogenesis are two processes deemed necessary in bone. Bone growth, maintenance, repair and remodelling are a continuous process, even throughout early adulthood. Compact bone tissue provides support and protection in attempt to resists the stressors we place upon them. As we grow or encounter a traumatic experience our bones deteriorate allowing new bone tissue to be replaced (McGee-Lawrence, Westendorf, 2010). The metaphysis (mature bone region) is where the bone shaft and the distal or proximal ends of the bone join. A layer of hyaline cartilage is within each growing bone to allow the diaphysis (long bone) to grow in length (Walker, Lovejoy, Bedfford Yee, 2006). When the length of the bone has fulfilled its length, the cartilage is replaced by a bony epiphyseal (bony structure). With its thin layer the articular cartilage reducing resistance to absorb joints that have free movement. The repair of articular cartilage is minimal because it lacks irregular tissue, perichondrium (McGee-Lawrence, Westendorf, 2010). If the articular cartilage is not covering bone surface, the periosteum is put in replacement. The periosteum, acting as a tough sheath of dense irregular tissue is able to serve as an attachment point for ligaments and tendons. This gives them the ability to also assist in bone tissue nourishment and assist in fracture repair (Tortora, 2005). Bone Growth The extracellular matrix is where cells, collagen fibre and crystallised mineral salts are held. Crystallisation is where minerals combine to create the tissue hardness, the beginning of bone formation (McGee-Lawrence, Westendorf, 2010). Within the microscopic spaces of collagen fibres, an abundant amount of inorganic mineral salts such as calcium phosphate, magnesium hydroxide, fluoride and sulphate are deposited. An amalgamation of minerals allows crystallisation to occur within the framework formed by collagen fibres, initiated by osteoblasts. This is the process of calcification. A profuse amount of mineral crystals surround the collagen fibre creating the hardness and characteristics of bone. The hardness of a bone is dependent on the crystallisation formation whereas collagen fibres are responsible for the flexibility (Walker et al., 2006). Mesenchyme stem cells are the foundation of bone formation during embryonic development and have the capability of transformation into a range of cells: osteogenic, osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts cells. Osteogenic cells are located within the periosteum and within bone containing blood vessels. Their only role is to undergo cell division resulting in osteoblasts (McGee-Lawrence, Westendorf, 2010). Osteoblasts synthesize and secrete collagen fibres in combination with organic components to build extracellular matrix of bone tissue, also responsible for calcification (Tortora, 2005). Plasma proteins bring new bone formation via the synthesis of osteoid, a non-mineralised bone matrix. When osteoblasts trap themselves with an excess amount of extracellular matrix, they are then called osteocytes. Within the Osteoblasts, many receptors are found in bone marrow assisting in regulating osteoclastic bone remodelling. The amount of osteoclast formation is determined by the level of receptor activator of nuclear factor KB-ligand (RANKL). If there is a defect of RANKL, a patient may suffer Paget Disease. This is when bone abnormality can occur; both resorption and formation (Walker et al., 2006). Osteocytes, also known as mature bone because of their function are located in a hardened bone matrix (lacuna). They are the key cell in bone tissue, maintaining daily metabolism (exchange nutrients and waste in blood) and secrete protein such as sclerostin to reduce bone formation (McGee-Lawrence, Westendorf, 2010). They have the capability to communicate with each other to exchange nutrients from capillaries containing nutrient-rich fluids. Osteocytes also communicate with osteoblasts and osteoclasts, signalling both when and where to resorb and form new bone (McGee-Lawrence, Westendorf, 2010). Osteoclasts are the major resorptive white blood cells containing lysosomes or digestive vacuoles filled with hydrolytic enzymes. The release of enzymes digests protein and mineral components in the extracellular matrix of bone, as part of the maintenance, repair and growth of bone. This process is called resorption. Once completed, they revert to their parent cell or become inactive (Walker et al., 2006). Bone remodelling Bone remodelling is an ongoing procedure from new bones at with to healing period of fractures. The strength of a bone is determined by the stressors placed upon it whilst in the remodelling phase. The most common fractures paramedics face on road is:  · Compressed most common in old age, osteoporosis  · Spiral ragged break, mostly seen in sports injuries  · Depressed pressed inwards, skull fracture  · Greenstick Incomplete break, most common in children First action to take place in a fracture is formation of hematoma. Blood vessels are broken, resulting in a leakage from the torn ends (Walker et al., 2006). A blood clot around the site of the fracture usually within 6 to 8 hours following the injury is called hematoma. As clotting continues and fracture hematoma forms, blood flow to the site of injury becomes minimal, causing bone cells to die. Swelling and inflammation is the result of dead bone cells, producing additional cellular debris. This allows phagocytes and osteoclasts to eliminate damaged tissue. This process should take 2 to 3 weeks to conclude (Tortora, 2005). The help of new blood capillaries in the fracture helps growing connective tissue called procallus. Fibroblasts (producing collagen fibres) and osteogenic cells attack the procallus to assist in connecting ends of the broken bones. Osteogenic cells transform into chondroblasts where healthy bone cartilage are developing and become fibrocartilage. Within 3 weeks, signs of bone tissue repair begin to show. This action is successful when the procallus is transformed into a fibrocartilaginous. Whiles this is occurring, phagocytes continue to remove any debris surrounding the fracture (McCance, Heuther, Brashers Rote, 2010). Osteogenic cells are later converted into osteoblasts to produce spongy bone trabeculae, a microscopic tissue. Trabeculae join the living and dead portions of the bone. After 3-4 months, Fibrocartilage changes into bony callus, a spongy bone (McCance et al, 2010). The final phase of bone repair is remodelling. Osteoclasts gradually resorb original fragments of broken bones as compact bone replaces spongy bone. If all cells are working in a healthy patient, detection of fracture line under radiograph is unseen. As the stressor on the bone increases, signs of thickness may later show (McCance et al, 2010). Bone remodelling is a slow process of removing old tissue and producing new bone tissue. As we grow, bone tissue goes through maintenance, repair and development in order to cope with the stressors. The remodelling of bone tissue only occurs when a patient has gone through a traumatic injury; this is where the housekeeping phagocytes are active and inflammation to ensure bacteria do not enter blood vessels, causing further damage.

Sambia And Hutterite Societal Threats :: essays research papers

Threats are everywhere. Every community in the world faces some sort of threats from time to time. These threats can be large or small, can come from inside or outside of the colony, and can have devastating effects on the group as a whole or as individuals. Quite often, parallels can be drawn between societies that have nothing to everything in common. This is found when comparing two dramatically different groups in the Sambia and the Hutterites. When first comparing the Hutterites and Sambia, one notices the glaring differences. The Sambia are a tribe living in the jungles of New Guinea. The Hutterites are a group that lives communally on large farm areas. The Sambia live what looks to most an uncivilized and savage way of life. The Hutterites live in established communities with many modern conveniences. The Sambia is a black tribe, while Hutterites are white. After these obvious differences, it is hard to imagine that there would be anything in common between the two groups. Looking deeper into the groups, it is easy to find several instances where they have very similar societal threats. Both the Sambia and Hutterite groups face threats from inside their communities. These internal threats can be very minor to something that might tear the group apart. One example of an internal threat comes from the sex differences that exist in each group. Both the Sambia and Hutterites have specific male and female gender roles. The Sambia men are the warriors, leaders and hunters. The women cook, raise children and gather certain crops. In the Hutterite community, the men are farmers, both group and spiritual leaders, and top of the hierarchical ladder. The women have the household duties of cleaning, cooking, child rearing and clothes making. There is no deviation from these distinct gender roles. In both societies, women are seen as being beneath the men and having to follow the orders of men. In both of these groups, the women marry in from an outside group. The women come into the home of the husband, with all of his family and friends surrounding them. She does not know anyone there, and must start anew. This and the distinct gender roles lead to male and female subcultures. The Sambia women do not understand the men's rituals, make fun of them and do not share in the joy they receive from the process.

Welcome to South Africa

Welcome 2 ZA, welcome 2 massive poverty, obscene inequality & such horrible outbreaks of disease, murder, rape, malnutrition, suicide, HIV Aids, homelessness & scale breaking numbers of orphans. Welcome 2 the harsh reality of raging racism & the still glowing embers of slavery; the prison of poverty. Poverty defined is the deprivation of those things that determine the quality of life, including food, shelter, clothing & safe drinking water, but also intangibles such as the opportunity to learn & the respect of fellow citizens. Could you imagine living day in, day out, without any of these? Many people in ZA live without any of these things. Perhaps this is why they are only expected to live to 50. Every 10 seconds someone dies of some unquestionable reason that in our society we would find totally unacceptable. Racism is another factor which is adding 2 the instability of ZA. By its simplest definition racism is the belief that racial differences produce a clear superiority over a particular race, religion, colour, ethnic origin or group. Certain sections of society maybe denied rights or benefits, or get special treatment. Before 1994 in apartheid ZA people were classified according to the colour of their skin. The history of racism in ZA is appalling, for example in 1836 inadmissible human zoos were set up to parade the black people which they labelled ‘niggers and savages'. They were forced to do things with no clothes on and beaten to near death if they refused to do so. White skinned people thought they were of more value than a dark skinned person. They honestly believed that dark skinned peoples only use was to slave for them. When a problem occurred it was the black persons fault. Personally I feel that this frame of mind is arrogant and stupid, but also ironic. How can you call someone ‘coloured' when black, brown and white are all colours. The apartheid was a list of restricting rules imposed upon the blacks to segregate them from white people. When it was removed individuals who had previously supported apartheid publicly apologised, including F W de Klerk. He said â€Å"I apologise in my capacity as leader to the millions who suffered wrenching disruption of forced removals; who suffered the shame of being arrested for no reason; who over the decades suffered the indignities and humiliation of immense racial discrimination. As expected the years and years of anger at being constantly humiliated exploded and fears that the change of power in ZA would be violent were confirmed. It was here that the song ‘Beeko' was released by Peter Gabriel which repeated ‘when I try to sleep at night, I can only dream in red, the outside world is black and white with only one colour – dead'. All of this has supposedly passed and now according to the image the govt portrays the country is fine. I know from times out there that this wound has not completely healed. It still very much black and white in many situations. There are black schools, white schools, black shops, white shops, and black houses are of poor quality whereas white houses are of normal, even spectacular standards. I went into shanty towns where houses are made of iron, wood and rubbish. Sidney Smith said † It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little†. Taking out food to kids who are the same age as my cousins and younger, who are orphaned, starving and sometimes HIV positive, even dying, changes your view on the world. If they were born into our country they wouldn't have had these problems. We live in a society where people cannot see just how much they have, but also how much they take for granted. If Gov. like ours all over the developed country world gave a little money to ZA the poverty wheel would could end and the turmoil would be left behinf. Money CANNOT sort out everything. Perhaps if wealthy, stable and lawed coutries showed compassion to the younger generation of ZA who have not seen the horrors of their relatives past the world would change. This is the generation which will change Africa. KOFEEE ANNAN said â€Å"things get better when enough people decide they should. Things change when countries come together in a common purpose† The time to act is NOW. There are many things that could b done 2 correct the injustice. There are things even you and me can do. To quote HILLELL â€Å"If now is not the time to act, when will it b†

Essay On Cinema Entertains As Well As Educates The Masses Essay

Free essays on corruption wikipedia in hindi for students india-myanmar strategic will the anti -corruption movement bring change to india? as of this writing, wikipedia contains over 41 million articles in english and ranks as one of the. Students should not be permitted to use cell phones in school using cell phones tags: argumentative persuasive argument essays :: 5 sources cited, 1319. Free essays on argumentative essays on domestic violence for students browse topics sign in the same question still remains, though, for many what is. Observation essay graphic organizer or unusual dbq graphic creative create an illustration of targeted behavior have completed the main idea study guides. Though you won’t be limited to these topics for the contest, you’ll see that our how would you feel about a computer grading your essays?. Spanish dictator francisco franco lay dying, and premiered in madrid’s conde duque theatre, even boasts an empty swimming pool, a symbol of sensual pleasures lost or unfulfilled i’m the author of the essay above. James ramsay, an essay on the treatment and conversion of african slaves in the british sugar colonies london, 1784, p 173 an examination of the. Social context also influences the way something is viewed, my investigation found cheating to be more widespread and essay on my mom is my best friend. Just be certain you write argumentative essay ap english use what you’ve examine and you’ll write argumentative essay ap english find smooth. Can we write there isessaywriter writes both admission essays and school argumentative essay topics an essay about english as a global language how. The results of the sat cr + math and/or act the quality of the personal essay one academic teacher or guidance counselor letter of recommendation. Below given are some helpful tips on how to write a good abortion argumentative essay feel free to use this manual at your convenience. Looking for effective and simple topics for your argumentative essay? television, violence and censorship society has been bombarded with violence from.

Things Fall Apart Essays - African Writers Series, Free Essays

Things Fall Apart Essays - African Writers Series, Free Essays Things Fall Apart In the book Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe is trying to give an explanation of what it is like to live in an African society. The story is about a man named Okonkwo who is a member of the Ibo tribe. Achebe is telling the story of Okonkwo from his childhood till his death. Before I read this book I did not have a very good idea of how people lived in Africa, and the ideas of I did have about life in traditional African societies turned out to be untrue. Achebe did a very good job of illustrating a traditional African society, and by reading this book I now have a much better idea of what life is like in a non-western society. I think that this was Achebe's goal in writing this book, to educate people about some of the struggles people have and life in traditional African societies. The title Things Fall Apart is a good choice for a title of this book. The main character, Okonkwo, did not like the way his father lived. He thought that a man should be strong and do typical male tasks. But Okonkwo's father, Unoka, did not fit mold according to Okonkwo. Okonkwo was ashamed of his father, and told himself that he would make a better life for himself and his family. Okonkwo was able to do this, he became very successful in the Ibo tribe and had gained a very high standing in the tribe. It was his goal to become an elder in the tribe, and it looked like he was going to achieve that goal. Okonkwo was banished form the tribe for seven years for killing a boy, and was forced to live with his mother's tribe for the seven years. Okonkwo lost all of his titles and his standing in the Ibo tribe. After the seven years had passed, Okonkwo went back to the Ibo tribe and had to start his live over. Over the seven years that Okonkwo was away, the Ibo tribe changed a lot. Most of these changes were do to the missionaries which had come to Africa to try to convert people to Christianity. Okonkwo could not accept these changes, and in a rage of anger he killed a clansman. This was the worst crime a man could commit. After Okonkwo did this he realized that there was no hope for redeeming himself and no way that he could become an elder. So he hung himself because he could not live with the fact that he would never regain his standing in the tribe. He would have most likely been killed for committing this crime anyway. Basically Okonkwo's life fell apart on him, hence I feel that the title Things Fall Apart is very fitting for this book. I thought that Achebe did a good job at writing this book. After getting into the book I found it very easy to read and follow. It took a while to get use to the names of the people in the book, and the Ibo words and phrases. I thought that the purpose of this book was not directly stated, but it was implied. The purpose was to show people what it is like growing up in a traditional African Society, and Achebe did a good job a showing that. The book is chronologically organized, starting with Okonkwo as a child and ending with his death. I feel that the audience level for this book would be high school and above. I think that there are a lot of implied messages and ideas that mature readers will pick out easier than younger readers. I feel that the book is not biased, and I feel represents the African people as well as the white missionaries fairly. So overall I feel that the book was very well written and found it enjoyable to read. I found it ironic that both Okonkwo and his father, Unoka, ended up the same way. Both ended up being put in the evil forest after their death. Unoka ended up in the evil forest because he did from a strange disease, while Okonkwo ended up in the evil forest because he had killed a clansman. I found this ironic because it seemed the Okonkwo tried to everything different from his father. Okonkwo did not agree with the way Unoka lived, and he told himself that he was not going to live that way.

America and the Cold War essays

America and the Cold War essays Americans have always wanted the "best" of things. Brand new cars, big houses, and flashy clothes have historically been an American way of life. Even in the face of extreme hardships, Americans being Americans, go to extreme measures to preserve their way of life. Of course, we Americans have our liberties, our freedom, and our democracy, but other Nations do as well, but our version of democracy has a certain allure to it. Rock and Roll, Hollywood, and muscle cars were not discovered by the French. That being said, with this "American" state of mind comes with a strong sense of paranoia that someone is going to take all these things away from you. In a post war America, paranoia was the new enemy. After suffering through the Great Depression, and winning the biggest war the world has ever seen, you would think we would have been caring free and relax. Not the case at all, Americans were first concerned about entering into another Depression with the return of millions of out of wor k soldiers. The economy boomed when our soldiers came back, and people had savings that they earned during the war and went shopping. So a quick summary of events in the United States, we enter a depression, come out of a depression and go to war, win the war, have the atomic bomb, and the economy is starting to boom. Life is good, but wait for a second, what about that communist? Thus begins a forty-five-year struggle of political ideals, Capitalism versus Communism, between two Nations, the United States versus the Soviet Union. This struggle is known as the Cold War. In 1945, the "Big Three" (Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin) met in the Yalta conference to discuss post war diplomacy and peace. One major issue between Roosevelt and Stalin was the state of Eastern Europe. To Stalin controlling Eastern Europe was important for Russia's national security. Roosevelt agreed that Poland and other Eastern European countries would fall under the Soviet "sphere...

Business Development Report Ikea pany †Free Samples

The IKEA pany was started in 1943 and started selling furniture in 1956. By 2007, the pany had already opened up different stores for its products in the various countries. The IKEA pany is based in Netherland and creates products regarding furniture and home appliances to make life at home better. Offering a full range of products with affordable prices and a better life for people is the vision of the pany. This is a pany that earns its money even before they spend it because of the make use of their resources and hence able to make future investments. IKEA offers quality products to people at fair prices, and they believe that, when people grow due to using the pany's products, the pany itself grows too. It has many locations globally that supply the furniture and home appliances to different parts of the world (Drzazga, 2014). The pany has also included the selling of houses and flats so as to reduce prices for the first time buyers. The IKEA products and furniture usually designed in Sweden but mostly manufactured in developed countries so as to cut costs whereby the final assembly is done by the consumers (Edvardsson & Enquist, 2011). Some of the IKEA petitors include; the Babyage that sells innovative products to make babies live richer and parents live easier. SHOP.CA sells online millions of goods across the world which include clothing, electronics, furniture, home appliances, jewelry, toys, video games, musical instruments and many other products. Move Loot is another petitor which is the easiest way to buy and sell online which include pick-up and delivery (Rask, 2014). The IKEA has different management styles which it applies in their operations such as autocracy style, democracy, laisse- fair, and lastly paternalistic management style. The world is changing globally because of the current technology, IKEA pany has been facing different challenges in the busy world because some markets, especially in USA stores, are located mainly in urban areas, and this has made the shopping to be difficult because people have busy schedules and the stores are not within their reach. Electronic shopping is an innovation that the pany is looking forward to developing even though they opted for Facebook and Twitter but it did not work, and hence they saw the opportunity to implement the e- shopping which is a digital marketing  (Drzazga, 2014). Electronic shopping is whereby people can buy and sell goods and services from a seller over the internet. People usually find the product or the service by searching in the website which displays its items online and then orders for delivery. Earlier this year, the IKEA pany was announced to launch an online shop for the customers in the Czech Republic whereby local consumers can be able to order the products online  (Hassan, Sistani, & Raju, 2014) The electronic shopping is important because it allows for peace of mind because there are secure payments that are done online. People can track their order and then select the necessary date for collection of their items. After the online shopping, the shoppers will have access to the online shopping experience. Also, online shopping leads to opening of many stores and outlets and pick up points for the online orders which are made accessible to customers at different destinations. This is a business model innovation that is used to describe the current business or future business model. This model contains questions that act as guidelines for the designing process of the business model  (Massa, 2013). The IKEA business model canvas is made up of harvesters, manufacturing firms, transport firms, delivery panies and the outfitting firms. Their aim is to design modular furniture, manufacture modular furniture, advertise and market and offer after sale services to its customers. They offer affordable and cheap home products to their clients; it's easy to assemble and transport the furniture and their experience to their clients on childcare on site, dining options and also the whole family experience. To their family, IKEA offers exclusive discounts, and for loyalty, the storage is in low costs assembling, and delivery is for free. The customer segments include the cost-conscious consumers, college students, and small businesses. The key resources are infrastructure regarding megastores, actual furniture, trucks, lifting equipment, tools and skilled personnel regarding labor. The channels for transportation are superstores, catalogs, family email subscriptions and IKEA stores website. The cost structure includes the raw material costs, manufacturing costs, advertising costs, labor costs and transportation costs. The revenue streams are the furniture sales, food sales at the restaurant, service fees through delivery and assemble and accessories sale through yarn, tools and towing equipment. The goal of the IKEA business model is to create value within the industry of home furnishing  (Euchner & Ganguly, 2014). In the past decade, people could not afford the best quality furniture because of their budget and the pany saw this need and created a variety of furniture with different sizes, culture and also prices. The pany usually focus on the customer by shortening the distance between the creation of the product and its selling point. And this often lowers the costs of the products. The pany does this by looking at the customers' needs, and this gives the information about the consumer and by doing this, they use this information to design the furniture that the client needs considering the space requirement. Different customers face different challenges regarding i e, and this makes the pany use low prices that the people can afford according to their i es. The pany looks at the tastes and preferences of the consumers so as to design the products that suit those prefer ences.   By doing this, better materials are used and useful techniques used. The model usually believes in the personal touch as pared to the name of the pany which was named after its founder, the village and the farm where he lived. The value of the enterprise is to have the customers assemble their furniture at home. The furniture is packaged in the way that is easier to transport with instructions on how to put them in place. The IKEA model requires time to time updates meaning that the furniture is changed from time to time. It takes the information that they receive from their customers, identifies any need arising and then makes changes to the design where necessary. mon sense and hard work is emphasized in this model and gives people a chance to change a house into a real home. Even though the resources of the people are limited, the IKEA business model continues to pay dividends to the people. The service by the name click and collect, many people have been able to select the items of interest online, pay through the credit cards and then have their orders shipped to their areas. The IKEA customers have demanded to make online buying, and the pany is happy because it has met peoples' desires. Online payments have been made even though in the first week after it was launched, people needed to pick their goods from the stores (Hassan, Sistani, & Raju, 2014). People are now able to get their orders delivered up to their door with an additional cost which depends on the cost of goods to be delivered and the IKEA branch bought from. The e-shopping has helped people to have access to a variety of items as the goods are arranged in such a way that the pany needs to see what people want to buy. The IKEAs catalog is necessary because it shapes consumers' behavior as people use it to see all the products and get any information or ideas from home and hence use it to make online orders (Euchner & Ganguly, 2014). People use the augmented reality application to place their furniture at home, see how it looks and how it fits the space available. In Swedish, IKEA will launch its electronic shopping business in Shanghai and start selling its products online by the end of August. All the furniture, home appliances, and accessories will be sold online except food and green plants. With this new shopping, people will be able to login to the IKEA website and then buy items through the portal, but both the online and offline products will have same prices and categories. By shopping online, the customers will be able to decide whether the goods will be delivered to their door or pick them from the stores. It also enables people to choose from a variety of products that are available  (UDDENFELDT, 2014). The prices of transport and pick up are all the same for the people who order from the shop regardless of the weight of the items. IKEA pany uses the electronic shopping so as to have a unique experience for its customers which is associated with the ability to feel and touch the products. The technological changes have contribute d to the launch of electronic shopping, and it has created a better everyday life for so many people. The aim of the pany is to build on their expansion story and expand their online presence so as to have a good relationship with their customers all over the world with a shopping experience. Due to this launch, IKEA has conducted services allowing for purchases to take place with set delivery dates that fit customers' needs and convenience whereby secure payments are made through the credit cards. The pany has also launched an e merce shopping in Saudi Arabia whereby customers just click purchase items, and they are delivered to their doorsteps. The e merce is currently being practiced in selected areas, but soon it will cover the whole region of Saudi Arabia. A marketing manager of Saudi Arabia says that it has been the fastest growing e merce market in the Middle East and North Africa. By 2018, the pany is planning to launch a modernized full-fledged e merce business because they see the ‘click and collect’ service as being temporary. IKEA has also launched a home delivery and online shopping in Australia where customers will be able to order online and then collect in store or receive a home delivery. For this reason, IKEA should encourage people to buy flat packed furniture online. Online shopping includes many services like picking and delivery and also assembling hence making shopping from home possible and convenient  (Hassan, Sistani, & Raju, 2014). Further, the management of the pany should market the e-shopping innovation at both global and domestic level to gain as many customers as possible. Also, the pany should establish petitive strategies to withstand the petitive pressure posed by petitors in the market; this will help the pany gain a petitive edge against its rivals. Lastly, the human resource management of IKEA should recruit only the qualified personnel who have the right skills of providing excellent online shopping services to the customers. Technology impacts significantly on the success and performance of a firm. Most panies have invested broadly in sophisticated technologies in the provision of services and products. Electronic shopping benefits both the customers and the panies using the technique. Doing electronic shopping is the best with the changing of the technology because it saves time as people just order for items they need and they are brought within their reach with prearranged delivery and assembly services. Therefore, panies should employ the right resources and invest heavily in online shopping for this will help them get petitive and position themselves firmly in the market. Aversa, P., Haefliger, S., Rossi, A., & Baden-Fuller, C. (2015). From business model to business modeling: Modularity and manipulation. In  Business models and modeling  (pp. 151-185).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Baier, D., Rese, A., & Schreiber, S. (2015). Analyzing Online Reviews to Measure Augmented   Ã‚   Reality Acceptance at the Point of Sale: The Case of IKEA. In  Successful Technological    Integration for petitive Advantage in Retail Settings  (pp. 168-189). IGI Global. De Marchi, V., Di Maria, E., & Ponte, S. (2013). The greening of global value chains: Insights from the furniture industry. petition & Change,  17(4), 299-31 Drzazga, M. (2014). New Media in Marketing munication in Multichannel Retailing.  Studia Ekonomiczne, (205), 23-33. Edvardsson, B., & Enquist, B. (2011). The service excellence and innovation model: lessons   from IKEA and other service frontiers.  Total Quality Management & Business   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Excellence,  22(5), 535-551.   Euchner, J., & Ganguly, A. (2014). Business model innovation in practice.  Research Technology Management,  57(6), 33-39. Gassmann, O., Frankenberger, K., & Csik, M. (2014). Revolutionizing the business model. In  Management of the fuzzy front end of innovation  (pp. 89-97). Springer International Publishing. Hassan, S. M., Sistani, A. J., & Raju, R. S. (2014). Top Online Shopping E panies and their Strength and Weakness (SWOT).  Research Journal of Recent Sciences. ISSN,  2277, 2502. Jonsson, A., & Foss, N. J. (2011). International expansion through flexible replication: Learning from the internationalization experience of IKEA.  Journal of International Business Studies,  42(9), 1079-1102. Massa, L., & Tucci, C. L. (2013). Business model innovation.  The Oxford Handbook of Innovation Management, 420-441. Oboyanskiy, A., & Shuvalova, M. (2017). A concept of applications in the electronic merce market.  Journal of Economics and Social Sciences, (9), 8. Rask, M. (2014). Internationalization through business model innovation: In search of relevant design dimensions and elements.  Journal of International Entrepreneurship,  12(2), 146- 161 Rese, A., Schreiber, S., & Baier, D. (2014). Technology acceptance modeling of augmented reality at the point of sale: Can surveys be replaced by an analysis of online   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   reviews?.  Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,  21(5), 869-876. UDDENFELDT, J. (2014). How furniture shopping could change through Omni-channel retailing and the use of technology-based innovations. Urgal, B., Quintà ¡s, M. A., & Arà ©valo-Tomà ©, R. (2013). Knowledge resources and innovation performance: the mediation of innovation capability moderated by management mitment.  Technology Analysis & Strategic Management,  25(5), 543-565.8.

My Functionality as a Leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

My Functionality as a Leader - Essay Example It also involves me working and moving back and forth between aspects of transactional leadership and transformational leadership. Specifically, I work with the finances at a veterinarian hospital, so most of the time I rely on the use of transactional leadership. As a leader in my workplace, the context and conflict caused by diversity is a constant occurrence. Diversity can be defined in my workplace not only by race, but also by occupation, age, upbringing, etc. In order to be an effective leader, I had to learn how to integrate all of these different aspects into one cohesive unit to achieve our collective goals. Sometimes this was difficult and other times it was hard. Differences in occupation are one of the hardest ones to address because of the conflicting nature of each occupation. Some work under me with finance and we have to cooperate with nurses, physician assistants, doctors, maintenance work, etc. Under the terms of the prime minister, he calls for corporate responsibi lity of health care as well as measuring progress and outcome. In my particular area of administration this is what I focus on because it is necessary as a leader to take responsibility for ones actions as well as being aware of the progress being made by not only my department, but also by the university (Department of Health and Social Security, 1972). Because each group focuses on a different aspect of the work we do at the veterinarian university, sometimes when we are forced to work together on a multidisciplinary problem, each person focuses on solving it from his/her perspective rather than trying to find a unified solution. Also, other problems with diversity range from the decreasing of females in the workforce and the increase in males. This sexual inequality sometimes creates tension not only among individual apartments, but also among our workplace as a whole. As a leader, I have to be able to deal with these problems in diversity quickly and efficiently while using soun d judgment and making sure that we stay functional. The first important component in the scheme of diversity is understanding the protocol and policies in which the nature of my work focuses on. The healthcare world is constantly updating and changing. As a leader, it is my responsibility to be adaptable and get these changes out to my subordinates so they are completely informed when they are dealing with their work. This also includes being aware of policies that are not only made by national standards, but also by our work center. By being proactively involved in the creation of better and more incorporating policies, differences in diversity as well as making work more efficient and effective can result (Hughes, 2005). In addition to being adaptable, the nature of my work requires me to be proactive in change. This occurs by me using my political and social influences and knowledge in order to shape policy (Thomas et al., 2004). This requires me to have knowledge of how to know what policies I want to effect as well as the tactics to go about doing it as well as who it will effect (Antrobus et al., 2009). This requires knowing what my vision of my department is and trying to influence it in such a way that I will see the desired changes. While diversity can promote development within the workplace, sometimes it can hinder it was well. In particular, my role as a manager at a clinical hospital often relies on the interaction with not only my staff, but that of others as well. For example, once I had a problem dealing with the payment of insurance for a patient’s pet that was checked in for surgery. This required communication and understanding not only within the hospital as far as clinical staff, but also with the

Database Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Database Security - Research Paper Example The DBMSs provide an interface that that enables users to interact with the database itself, other applications for capturing and analyzing data (Oppel, 2004). Database security is concerned with aspects aimed at protecting the contents of the database, users and owners. The protection ranges from system protection against software and hardware malfunction to intentional and unauthorized use of the database and unintentional access by entities not authorized. Databases may be exposed to threats in the form of loss of integrity, confidentiality, authenticity and availability. Most large databases face security challenges related to survivability, intellectual property rights and data quality. According to a report by the American firm Verizon, databases are at the core of any organization as they store confidential data and customer records, yet they are the most breached business assets (Kroenke & Auer, 2007). Data must be available at every necessary time, and it must only be available to appropriately authorized users (Elmasri & Navathe, 2010). It is also of critical importance to track users who access data and the data they access. Data authenticity ensures that data is edited by authorized sources and confirms that users accessing it are actually who they claim to be. Authenticity also verifies that outbound data is being delivered to the expected recipient. Through data integrity, external data is verified as having the correct format and the necessary metadata. Data integrity is also concerned with the accuracy and verifiability of input data as well as ensuring that data follows the correct rules of workflow for the organization (Kroenke & Auer, 2007). All changes to data and their authors must be reported as a compliance requirement for data integrity. Through data confidentiality, it is ensured that only correctly authorized users have access to confidential data. This ensures t hat the entire database is

Loss Aversion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Loss Aversion - Essay Example In this particular source, the author discusses the issue of cost aversion from a phenomenal perspective. This is because the writer treats the topical issue of finance and cost aversion from a rational perspective where he makes use of radical human experiences to understand the basic principles of finance rather than using complex financial terminologies. Due to this reason, the writer introduces a theme, which is refers to as mental accounting. By mental accounting, each member of the wider population is assumed to be a financial expert because in one way or the other, the person uses his or her mental faculties to undertake and comprehend basic marketing and financial principles. The focus of the work of the writer can therefore be said to be looking at marketing and finance from a behavioral approach rather than a technical approach. From a personal analytical view, it would be said that the content of the writer’s work may concern some justifiable points but not much work was done by the writer to prove the authentication of the facts presented. For instance there was not the use of any financial models. The source would however be strongly criticized on the lack of empirical financial models being used in the data collection process. Though a finance and marketing paper, the writes are seen as writing from a more behavioral perspective. This dismisses the use of any well defined quantitative arguments that could offer a generalized persuasion of the arguments put forth. Camerer, Colin. Three Cheers--Psychological, Theoretical, Empirical--For Loss Aversion. Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 42, No. 2 (May, 2005), pp. 129-133. Available at http://www.jstor.org/stable/30164010 Camerer (2005) is credited as a multi-disciplinary scholar whose research cuts across several fields and acreas of study. His major area however happens to be in finance. The source put forth by Camerer (2005) is

Assignment (fleet replacement) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

(fleet replacement) - Assignment Example try of the values and corresponding correct calculations, the template will automatically analyze and calculate the net present values of each fleet as well as the cost per available seat mile (CASM) of each fleet. From the analysis, it is clear that the purchase price of MD-80 is estimated at $4,000,000 while its sales price after 16 years is estimated to be $100,000. This is different from the purchase price of A-320 which is estimated to be $60,000,000 while its sales price after 16 years is $25,000,000. Alone, from these figures, it can be seen that MD-80 is cheaper than A-320. The discount factors for both fleets is assumed to remain equal at 20% per annum. This is one of the major assumptions taken into consideration while carrying out the analysis. The other assumption will be that the two fleets will be purchasing fuel at the same prices yearly, this is important to enable us compare their cost of fuel usage. Since economic factors must also apply, it is assumed that the fuel costs per gallon will also be increasing each year due to factors such as inflation. This is the reason why the forecasted fuel amounts are increasing per gallon every year. As it will be difficult to estimate mai ntenance costs per year, it is also assumed in the analysis that it will remain constant every year from the first year in each case. The total annual operating costs per fleet is expected to increase every year since the fuel costs are also increasing per year. From a general criterion, it is expected that the aircraft with the lowest net present CASM should be the most efficient in using its finances. This will imply that, from the analysis, the aircraft that will be of best financial choice must be one with the lowest net present CASM. As can be seen evidently from the analysis on the Excel template, MD-80 has a net present value of $56,752,036 while A-320 has $113,457,899. Looking at the Net Present CASM, MD-80 has 0.03116 while A-320 has 0.04471. From these results, it

Importance of following orders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Importance of following orders - Essay Example A combat becomes ineffective whenever a soldier fails to follow the orders given to him/her. Whenever a single unit’s soldier is not combat effective, he will end up slowing down the combat’s winning formula by forcing the commanders to focus on a single soldier who is not offering anything to the workload that is facing the unit. By executing the orders in time and in the manner that is acceptable, one greatly helps in the unit even if he doesn’t know the reason why as everyone is important in making the mission at hand a success. Un-questionably following orders is how the military regard discipline. One is expected to know what they have to do at the same time follow commands and directions enthusiastically and promptly. For one to follow orders effectively, it is very important for one to be disciplined as you it enables you to react in a manner that is fast enough whenever your service is called upon. This will really help in raising a soldiers awareness level as a soldier should be alert at all times. Following orders enables an individual to becoming a good soldier. A good soldier is one who takes an order and carries it out the way it has been given no matter how bad or hard it is to follow that particular order. There are many reasons as to why it is important to follow orders and all of them are important, but in this essay I have only looked at the main ones. Whenever a soldier does not follow the authoritative directions given by his senior, it does not hurt him/her alone as an individual, but the whole combat team and the mission’s goals. Whenever the objectives of a mission get hurt by failing to follow orders as expected, everything that is important in completing the mission becomes weak. This also affects the moral of the entire unit as the leadership will be at a constant worry about the loyalty of the solder who does not follow their orders. They are never relaxed as they wonder if he/she is going to do

Loss Aversion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Loss Aversion - Essay Example In this particular source, the author discusses the issue of cost aversion from a phenomenal perspective. This is because the writer treats the topical issue of finance and cost aversion from a rational perspective where he makes use of radical human experiences to understand the basic principles of finance rather than using complex financial terminologies. Due to this reason, the writer introduces a theme, which is refers to as mental accounting. By mental accounting, each member of the wider population is assumed to be a financial expert because in one way or the other, the person uses his or her mental faculties to undertake and comprehend basic marketing and financial principles. The focus of the work of the writer can therefore be said to be looking at marketing and finance from a behavioral approach rather than a technical approach. From a personal analytical view, it would be said that the content of the writer’s work may concern some justifiable points but not much work was done by the writer to prove the authentication of the facts presented. For instance there was not the use of any financial models. The source would however be strongly criticized on the lack of empirical financial models being used in the data collection process. Though a finance and marketing paper, the writes are seen as writing from a more behavioral perspective. This dismisses the use of any well defined quantitative arguments that could offer a generalized persuasion of the arguments put forth. Camerer, Colin. Three Cheers--Psychological, Theoretical, Empirical--For Loss Aversion. Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 42, No. 2 (May, 2005), pp. 129-133. Available at http://www.jstor.org/stable/30164010 Camerer (2005) is credited as a multi-disciplinary scholar whose research cuts across several fields and acreas of study. His major area however happens to be in finance. The source put forth by Camerer (2005) is

Importance of following orders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Importance of following orders - Essay Example A combat becomes ineffective whenever a soldier fails to follow the orders given to him/her. Whenever a single unit’s soldier is not combat effective, he will end up slowing down the combat’s winning formula by forcing the commanders to focus on a single soldier who is not offering anything to the workload that is facing the unit. By executing the orders in time and in the manner that is acceptable, one greatly helps in the unit even if he doesn’t know the reason why as everyone is important in making the mission at hand a success. Un-questionably following orders is how the military regard discipline. One is expected to know what they have to do at the same time follow commands and directions enthusiastically and promptly. For one to follow orders effectively, it is very important for one to be disciplined as you it enables you to react in a manner that is fast enough whenever your service is called upon. This will really help in raising a soldiers awareness level as a soldier should be alert at all times. Following orders enables an individual to becoming a good soldier. A good soldier is one who takes an order and carries it out the way it has been given no matter how bad or hard it is to follow that particular order. There are many reasons as to why it is important to follow orders and all of them are important, but in this essay I have only looked at the main ones. Whenever a soldier does not follow the authoritative directions given by his senior, it does not hurt him/her alone as an individual, but the whole combat team and the mission’s goals. Whenever the objectives of a mission get hurt by failing to follow orders as expected, everything that is important in completing the mission becomes weak. This also affects the moral of the entire unit as the leadership will be at a constant worry about the loyalty of the solder who does not follow their orders. They are never relaxed as they wonder if he/she is going to do

Hebrew Wisdom Essay Example for Free

Hebrew Wisdom Essay The book of Proverbs can be very useful to its readers when in need of wisdom or helpful insight. Everyday people are forced to make life choices—good or bad. The book of Proverbs covers various issues and topics that can be found useful when making any decision. Whether it is an issue of marriage, sexuality, wealth, poverty, guarding the tongue, dealing with emotions, or many more, Proverbs paints a vivid picture of what both the right path and the wrong path have in store. The book of Proverbs â€Å"presents a vivid contrast between the life of wisdom and the life of folly† (Hindson and Yates 263). Proverbs is God’s manual to His people on how to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Throughout the book of Proverbs, readers will see the words diligence and laziness multiple times. These words correspond with the contrast between wisdom and folly because diligence is the result of wisdom and laziness is the result of folly. Towards the beginning of the book of Proverbs one verse in particular tells its readers clearly where the root of gaining wisdom and diligence is at: â€Å"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline† (New International Version, Prov. 1.7). All wisdom comes from fearing the Lord. This type of fear is not a fear of terror but rather a fear of awe and reverence. By having a respect for God, His children should want to please Him, which would result in considering the outcome in every decision being made. When people make wise choices it results in diligence, peace of mind, wealth (literally or spiritually), and gaining more knowledge. In contrast, foolish decisions bring about destruction, fear, laziness, and much more. Throughout Proverbs readers will repeatedly see warnings against laziness and rewards for diligence: â€Å"Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor† (Prov. 12.24). There is a theme throughout Proverbs repeatedly stating the benefits of diligence and the consequences of laziness. These  principles tie into wisdom and folly because when being wise, people will be wise with their time and are on the path to be continually growing in themselves and in the Lord. The reward in being diligent is an overflow of blessings â€Å"The blessings of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it† (Prov. 10.22). When being foolish people do not recognize the preciousness of time. In being selfish, they do not understand that their lack of action affects others†¦or they do not seem to care. When not walking with God and depending on our own abilities and understanding, people will miss out on the rewards of diligence. â€Å"He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe† (Prov. 28.26). When reading the book of Proverbs, readers will find the book to be overflowing with wise instructions on how to live a life that glorifies God. Big or small, Proverbs offers many wise words and teachings for every situation people walk through in life. Whatever circumstance someone is going through the book of Proverbs gives helpful insight on how to wisely navigate life. Throughout the book of Proverbs readers will see a pattern of the rewards that diligence reaps and the natural consequences one must face when being lazy. This compares to the contrast between wisdom and folly in that when being wise in all one does, there will be a multitude of blessings and rewards. â€Å"†¦Get wisdom, discipline and understanding† (Prov. 23.23b). Just like when being lazy, when one is foolish there will be some unpleasant consequences in hopes that a lesson will be learned the next time around. â€Å"A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless† (Prov. 14.16). Works Cited Hindson, Ed, and Gary, Yates. The Essence of the Old Testament: A Survey. Nashville: BH Publishing Group, n.d. Print. New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d. Print.

The Depiction of Women in Indian Cinema

The Depiction of Women in Indian Cinema Introduction Indian Women have excelled in every field and have engraved their names in many parts of the universe, but there still seems to be a long route ahead before she attains equal status in the minds of Indian men. ‘Most agricultural civilizations downgraded the status and potential of women, at least according to modern Western standards and to the implicit standards of hunting-and-gathering societies. Agricultural civilizations were characteristically patriarchal; that is, they were run by men and based on the assumption that men directed political, economic, and cultural life. Furthermore, as agricultural civilizations developed over time and became more prosperous and more elaborately organized, the status of women deteriorated from its initial level. (http://history-world.org/Civilization,%20women_in_patriarchal_societies.htm) In a well-defined patriarchal society like India, even the cinematic world deems to project women as in factual life. This is a good thing as films have mass appeal and at least some if not all carry out a message to the public and try to create awareness. There is a myth that women are characterized in films to prop up the male role rather than characterize them as the one who keeps the narrative structure sinuous. Women are insinuated in films as bearing the burden of sexual objectification that male roles cannot. Hence, they become the bearer, and not the maker of meaning says Laura Mulvey (Mulvey 834). Most Indian women live a silent life with enormous amount of sacrifices and retain their frustration within themselves for the sake of societal pressure. Women in Indian cinema are born with certain assumptions ranging from cult movies to celluloid blockbusters like Sholay to more recent Fashion that employ themselves as in severe gender issues. They are portrayed either as damsels in distress or demented feminists or simple belly-shaking glam dolls whose sole ambition is to attract the attention of the male gender. In many Indian films it is a common trend to insert ‘item numbers which bear no rational connection to the film in anyways but with an assumption that the film is easily associated. As Bindu Nair(2009:53)says, ‘Sometimes the one song ends up making the film a hit, such as ‘Chamma Chamma from the film China gate. Occasionally, do we see a female being the protagonist of a film than merely being objects of sexual desire. In some cases there appears to be a clash between ‘modern feminism and ‘traditional values. Indian cinema often acts like an emotional register and is very resourceful while reading the characterization of ‘Women. I would like to line up the film Paroma and closely pay attention to the way in which a traditional Hindu wife is deprived of her freedom and is confined by the emotional bonding with the family. It appears to be impossible to gather together a woman character as anything beyond the two incarnates Madonna and Whore. Women in India were not expected to express their feelings or to develop their personalities rather get accustomed to their individual subjugation and succumb to the same. To use a women character in a film is to represent a traditional figure as a symbolic image but many a times it is a mere wishful desire. For the present discussion I have chosen the character Paroma as the centre subject, it being a film directed by a female auteur Aparna Sen. The central character in the film Paroma is a middle class Bengali housewife who is played by Raki Gulzar. This film makes a very strong statement about the perception women have on their own body juxtaposed with a mans perception about her. The word Paroma in the ancient Indo-Aryan language which is Sanskrit means ‘the supreme or ‘the very best. In Hindu religion it is used as a prefix to show admiration or reverence. In this film it takes a very long time to bring out her individuality almost to the second half of the film. The film embarks upon the title credits rolling over a Hindu Goddess Kali symbolizing the bestower of liberation. Goddess Kali is an image of the vengeful mother-goddess. Her name Paroma which roughly translates as ‘the ultimate woman in this film is subsumed by the many relational identities associated with her in the family. She is called by different names in the family such as bhabi (sister-in-law), kaki (aunt), mami (aunt), ma (mother) and bahu (daughter-in-law). This marks the beginning of her identity -the given name Paroma being hidden and lost in the different roles she plays within the family. Paromas mother-in-law, we can say the doyen of the family makes a mention to a group of women that she is alive only because her daughter-in-law (Paroma) takes very good care of her and this establishes the fact that Paroma is indeed of very great importance to the family. There is a point being made when the foreign -returned photographers assistant Sarah, tries to understand if Paroma has an identity of her own and this is made sense to her and explained by the patronizing males in the family. But Rahul Rai initiates her identity when he refuses to cast her as Bhabi or Kaki even though Paroma suggests he addresses her either as Bhabi or kaki as he wished indicating her parameters and hinting that she would be safe within these roles which act as barriers for a woman and prohibiting any trespassers within the boundaries of decorum. It is a custom in many Indian families where the female head has to serve hot food to their family and if this is not done they take up the blame for bei ng a terrible house-wife. A scene where Paromas children return from school screaming â€Å"Ma, ma have you not prepared cold coffee for us?† is quite interesting as one can see the duties of a mother in a close-knit Hindu family and yet her limitations are countless when it comes to doing her own things at leisure. For example, Paroma never finds the time to play the traditional instrument Sitar. Her education had an abrupt end and her interest in sitar and poetry fades out because of her responsibilities as a Hindu house-wife. No one in the family pays much attention to what a woman wants in life. Very rarely do we see members of the family obtain the permission or suggestion from Paroma on what is to be done. This is evident as Paromas husband asks his mother if she has any problem in Paroma modeling for their guest Rahul. As the head of the family Paromas mother-in-law agrees and internally suggests its the least they can do to entertain their valuable guest. The scene that preludes her children returning from school is an interesting one where Rahul tries to stare at Paroma taking miniscule bites into a chili in utmost curiosity as if it was a strange personal act where we as audience see a close up of it from the directors angle. The shot is as though Rahul looks at this act through his camera lens. And interesting thing to note is that this lunch scene has no background score weaved into it. The lunch scene starts with the cooing of the cuckoo birds and there is a dead silence which builds up the moment. Women tend to frame themselves and get a grip on what is generally the acceptable norm by the society and in this case a patriarchal one. The male gaze tends to specify the degree of importance a woman has in the society by means of provoking a female to take more interest in her own self. The camera angles as well as the camera movements used by the cinematographer takes the audience to a new world. When a female character takes up a central part of the screen the camera never prowls at a woman. But when she is performing an action the camera always has a tendency to creep around her body voyeuristically. This all adds up to turning a woman into a spectacle. For example, In Chandni bar directed by Madhur Bhandarkar whose fixation for every movie is ‘real has many scenes set up in a dance bar where women are scanned top to bottom by the men in the bar. The natural contours of the body are made distorted by unnatural ways of dressing to emphasize certain body proportions and for this very reason they are shot from a low angle or a high angle to reveal cleavage. The men in Indian cinema either projected as ‘romantic heroes or the ‘bad guy are indubitably majestic on screen space unlike our female characters that always tend to lead a surrendered life even on screen. As Vrinda Mathur (2009: 66) says, ‘The male characters of Indian cinema, i.e. the heroes(those knights in shining armour) and the villains (those over-energetic sharks) move around the space of the movie like players in a deadly choreographed game of chess with the women characters as sacrificial pawns. It is quite apparent from the beginning that Rahul the photographer has a particular interest in capturing beauty. One can stand by this point from the way he captures Goddess Kali on the day of the religious function which is the opening scene of the film. By this one can confirm that he has interest in aesthetically appealing subjects. Many of his subjects seem to be centered on female oriented issues. We can justify this fact by encompassing his interest to capture the â€Å"Indian house wife†. He proposes to pay peculiar attention to Paroma from the beginning stating that she is a very beautiful traditional Indian woman. As the film grips along, his fascination turns to personal from being a professional admirer of her beauty. In reciprocation to that we see Paroma indulging and getting a sense of sexual undercurrent and falling for the same. She tries to halt the modeling sessions but due to mere persistence from the family she does so to accommodate the guest in every po ssible way. As the modeling sessions go on she is made to realize her radiance and elegance by Rahuls gaze. Although she seems hesitant and apprehensive like for instance she covers her saree over her ankle in the first modeling session. But eventually she tends to react amicably to Rahuls desires. Rahul makes her realize her value and teaches her to see the world from a different perspective. This is symbolically shown when Rahul suggests to Paroma to see her own city from a high angle where one gets a birds eye view of the same. As Anshoo Sharma (2009: 111) rightly says: ‘It is very symbolic when he says -learn to live life dangerously, because it is only when one is ready to experiment and take chances that there is a possibility of gaining something valuable in the process. And in a womans case that ‘something is realization of oneself as a separate entity complete and whole and not a mere extension of the rib of Adam. The films that focus on women protagonists showcase their search for self through their bodies. This is quite outstanding in the film Chandni bar. Mumtaz character played by Tabu the protagonist is forcefully sent by her maternal uncle to be a show girl in a dance bar. Her major source of income was from performing in the dance bar. She would maximum need to groove her body to the music and there would be scores of men willing to shed their money on her for the very own reason voyeuristic desires. This womans body is given the penultimate magnitude in many of the films we see. And in these films the act tends to start with a rebellious nature and the instrument being their body. As Jasbir Jain (2009: 121) has observed, Rebel women are portrayed with ridicule and comedy. Rebelliousness need not always be conclusive or even approved within the narrative structure. At times it may be part of the discourse on modernity and perceived as a potential threat to patriarchy through the values of education/westernization/independence. In a scene from Mirch Masala (1985) the protagonist Smitha Patil directs the tax collector to drink water from the other side of the river. She says: (This side is where human drink and the other side is where the animals drink) This can be an indirect statement made to the tax collector referring him to being a ruthless animal. Although the other women tend to run away at the sight of them approaching Smitha Patil stands still reflecting her character instantly that nothing can demoralize her. Having said much about rebelliousness and insubordination, it sometimes plays the part of a discourse taken towards modernity in a sense that it threatens the patriarchal structure. This can be called to mark the beginning of a revolutionary period that breaks the stereotypical and conventional thoughts of a society. A female protagonist who is shown to be wronged in the society and due to this suffers a great deal in life. In other words, she is said to be victimized who endure the consequences. If one notices it is always the female who bears the brunt of all the misfortunes. Possibly owing this to their beauty and morality they are able to capture the hearts of the men. But this seems to be taken for granted by the men. Now, having discussed about how women are portrayed and the penalties they pay in return are a myriad when it comes to how men are showcased. Although to digress a little from the centre of discussion, it would be interesting to see how men would react if there was a reverse of these situations. But what really happens in this case is that the men do not like to be treated as anything below their dignity even if it was unintentional. As Anshoo Sharma (2009: 114) has rightly said, ‘They vent their anger, shun the women, and make them feel guilty. They are never shown to be in a compromising position -groveling or pleading with their women. From this we can conclude saying there are varying degrees of norms set for men and women in this patriarchal structure. This is otherwise called double standards of the male outlook being more evident. Paromas husband who is away on a business trip to Mumbai tends to sweet talk his secretary to fulfill his desires. What would be interesting to note at this point is that this particular scene goes unnoticed throughout the film. Other than his secretary no one knows the true story and no one would even come to know because the secretary is about to get married. In that case the secretary is not going to reveal this incident hoping to maintain her dignity and not ruin her chances of getting married. In the shot after the secretary leaves, he abuses her and slams the door. There is stark contrast in the way this matter is subdued as compared to what happens to Paroma eventually. One may argue that Paroma also had the freedom to keep up to her appointments with Rahul as her husband was away. Husbands do not necessarily offer the right kind of attention that is needed. Though this is an example of adulterated behavior by Paroma, her husband is not better in this stance. Much later Paroma is being ostracized by the family for the very reason that Rahul sends her a copy of the life magazine where her photograph is explicitly put up with his signature. This entirely shocks the family and creates a massive pandemonium. She is completely isolated from the family and her mother-in-law falls sick. Paromas husband unreasonably blames her for his mother falling ill and simultaneously tells her that he would teach the kids and that he does not want his kids to be taught by a whore. After Rahul has left to Greece her interest in house-hold work lacks interest. A woman, who is so devoted and energetic to the family needs once upon a time, completely does her share of chores listlessly. An observant husband asks her if she is keeping well, distressed reciprocates her absent-minded stupor. After the husband is aware of the photograph he condemns her and makes up his mind to shift to the guest room. In countering that Paroma confronts him and questions him if he has never committed mistakes in his life? And a point blank response No! says it all. One scene shows her husband frantically searching for a pair of cufflinks and scatters the draws and cupboards. Paroma who is silently watching gives a hand once her husband asks her maid to look for it. Paroma picks it up from the right draw and is diffident whether to hand it to him or leave it on the table. We see Paroma in her initial behavior as in early part of the film. Is this saying that she is attempting to get things back to normal? As Shoma A. Chatterji (2002: 76) aptly says, ‘The fact that she knows precisely where things around the house, is a pointer to the desperation a committed housewife like Paroma can be pushed to. It also proves her vulnerability. The irony is that the chores she did with such love and affection can be done with equal efficiency by Kamala, the maid, minus of course, the love and the affection Paroma put into them. Paroma is deemed to be portraying an equal status of a maid in this illustration. However it will be termed as an un-paid servant. Is this the kind of image that women would like to see on screen? Paroma being a strong character should be standing up for herself. Even though her routing was a little unusual to vast majority, this is Paromas point of view. The rupture created between Paroma and her extended family exposes the cruelty of patriarchal insistence and poses a threat to the male dominated society. The image of a mother she carries takes a toll when she puts her relationship before her motherhood. This does not necessarily mean she is insensitive to her childrens feelings. Every human requires a companion and in this case her determinants are surrounded by feelings of pleasure. As Shoma A. Chatterji (2002: 77) says, â€Å"Hinduism and the patriarchy it functions within, insists on placing the mother on a pedestal, which is natural and logical extension of the worship of the Mother Goddess to include the family unit. The pedestal is conveniently used by the patriarchal family to reduce the same mother to silence, absence and marginality, politically constructed to seemingly connote to the woman concerned.† As the narrative progresses, we embark upon something close to a peak. Paroma is disheartened with the way her attempt to reconcile things with family was treated unfavorably that she takes a drastic decision to end her life. She is admitted to a hospital and is diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage where the doctor says her hair needs to be shorn off for the purpose of an x-ray. On hearing this Paromas daughter sobs at her mothers hair being shaven off. One can notice a sense of hesitation from the members of the family as soon as they are informed that the surgery would do Paroma some good. Does this signify their hesitation to her as a person back into the family or just vacillation to the surgery? If it is evident that a surgery will save Paroma from more harm and why would anyone have double thoughts about this. It is clear that the family is in a dilemma to accept Paroma after such an incident and worried if the society would brand them as we know they would. To speak for majority of the families in India societal pressure plays a huge role in any decision the family makes. This is doubled up if the family has many girls in the family. If any decision that is taken has to reflect on the society then where is the question of living life to the fullest. One can understand if there is debate with regard to being responsible but not to the extent where the society rules ones life. This indicates a new beginning to Paroma or an end to all the discomfiture after all. As Mini Nanda (2009: 174) says, ‘Tonsuring of her hair seems to be a process of sloughing off her past, the pain and the humiliation as well as thrusting a widowhood on her. Paroma stays rigid that she will not speak any of her family members. She requests for a diary and a pen and begins to empty her feelings into the book. This self-defining act could also be looked at as a prolongation to the letters she used to write Rahul. She mentions the daily activities that happen in her nursing room. Paromas friend Sheila gets her a paper cutting of a write about Rahul, which Paroma chooses to let go standing near her window. This could be a mark made to erase the smallest trail of her past and to start a new beginning with vigor. Paroma has a conversation with her friend Sheila where she asks Sheila to get her a job as a sales assistant. When her family and the Doctor insist she goes through psychotherapy, she boldly says she has no guilt feeling inside her for her to go through any therapy. We see a fresh air of confidence swing past Paromas character. One can notice the diary writing to have started in the end of the film. Thereby stating the initiative Paroma has taken to express her feeling. Paroma for the first time voices her opinion to her family members about her ideas to work as a sales assistant. Even after each one trying hard to persuade Paroma to go through the therapy, so that her life could flow in the direction as before she stands up for her self. This act is again refreshing from the Paroma earlier on in the film and the rejuvenated Paroma. The climax has us all thinking metamorphic derivations. We see Paroma spill the beans to her shocked family about her new plans of taking up a job. And then her husbands reaction is worth noting at this point as it comes as a shocker to him. He is taken by surprise at Paromas decision and asks what people would think if his wife worked as a sales assistant for a very menial pay. In spite of all the pushing and probing from the family Paroma stands stable no matter what her family brands her as. She pans left to notice the plant sitting by the window sill and the name flashes across her mind ‘Woh Patte! Calendula kaise? Haan Euphobia contenopholia Krishnapallavi!? (Those leaves! Not Calendula! Yes, Euphobia contenopholia) There by telling us that she has definitely come out stronger than before by finding her inner-self and may be more. As Anshoo Sharma (2009: 117) says: ‘In conclusion one can say that like phoenix she rises from her ashes stronger, more capable. It is the rebirth of Durga , the Paroma who has realized her ‘Shakthi but in a new form, a different context. References: Bindoo Nair (2009) ‘The Female bodies and the Male Gaze: Laura Mulvey and Indian Cinema in Jasbir Jain and Sudha Rai (ed.) Films and Feminism, Jaipur, Rawat Publication. Vrinda Mathur (2009) ‘Women in Indian Cinema: Fictional Constructs, in Jasbir Jain and Sudha Rai (ed.) Films and Feminism, Jaipur, Rawat Publication. Anshoo Sharma (2009) ‘Crossing the Boundaries: Woman in search of Self, in Jasbir Jain and Sudha Rai (ed.) Films and Feminism, Jaipur, Rawat Publication. Shoma A. Chatterji (2002) The Cinema of Aparna Sen, Calcutta: Parumitha Publication. Mini Nanda (2009) ‘Symbolism and Space in Aparna Sens Paroma and Deepa Mehtas Fire, in Jasbir Jain and Sudha Rai (ed.) Films and Feminism, Jaipur, Rawat Publication. Mulvey L. (2975) ‘Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema, Screen, 16, 3, Autumn

Dont Confuse Freedom with Individual Rights :: argumentative, persuasive essays

How many times have we heard people justifying their needs by saying something like, "This is a free country. I have the right to (anything goes here)". For words that people use quite frequently, they are often misused and misunderstood. From my point of view, it seems that most people use them as an alternative to explaining the real reasons why they want something. So let me tell you what I think the two words mean in practice. Freedom is taking responsibility for you own actions and your own life.   If for example someone says, "I am freeing you of the need to make decisions", they are in fact taking your freedom away. So, how many people act as if they are free? Not all that many. Those who constantly complain that the government should do something about this or that, or that they have had a lot of bad luck in life, are not free. These people have abdicated their freedom to outside factors. Acknowledge that you are in the best position to alter your own situation and accept the consequences of all of your actions and you will be truly free. And it will be obvious, from that point on, when someone tries to take your freedom away. What about personal rights. Do we have the right to free speech? What about a minimum standard of living? Or the right to bear arms and to vote? All of these rights seem to change in every culture in the world, so are there no ultimate rights. Well let me tell you. There are two ways to look at it. There are the rights that nature has given us. Which are the right to have what ever we are strong enough to take and the right to die without mercy. Does that seem a little harsh? Well that's nature for you, she's a mother. Now the other way to look at it, is that rights are what most of the people in any given region agree is fair treatment. So, under this system there are no universal rights, just opinion. Does that make rights useless? Far from it. By constantly testing our rights against the current opinion, we learn the unofficial rules of our society. Thus if you can convince enough people around you that you have the right to fly unaided, then you are free to do so.

Comparing Fog in James Dickey’s Fog Envelops the Animals the Novel Deliverance :: Compare Contrast Comparison

Comparing Fog in James Dickey’s "Fog Envelops the Animals" the Novel Deliverance Written before Deliverance, James Dickey’s "Fog Envelops the Animals" portrays a hunter in a thick cloud of fog. He is standing in the forest with only his arrows, a bow, and the instinct to kill or be killed. The weather conditions are poor for hunting, but it does not matter. The brave speaker walks into the forest where all you see are his teeth, and they disappear into the fog: "rows of candles go out" (25). The man is completely devoured by the fog and yet is determined to stay there and hunt. Fog plays a big role in Deliverance as well. Since Deliverance is a novel, unlike a poem, it gives us all the background and details that are essential to grasping the full meaning and idea of what is going on. Ed Gentry has just woken up in his tent, in the woods. He does not want to wake up his buddies so he walks outside and discovers the fog. The fog over the river is calling him to enter it and to prove himself to the woods as well as to his friends. So he goes into the tent, puts on a pair of long johns, and strings his bow. He proceeds to walk outside, behind the tent, and enter the forest. Ed says his "hands" are by his "sides [†¦]; I stood with the fog eating me alive" (94). The speaker of the poem says, "My hands burn away at my sides" (12). This could just be a coincidence, but the two characters to be standing in the same stance is highly unlikely. The theme of both poem and novel is that a man is trying to accomplish hunting for his pride and the respect of his friends. Ed proves he is hunting for pride and for the respect of his friends when he says, "I might as well make some show of doing what I said I had come for" and " All I had really wanted was to stay away a reasonable length of time, long enough for the others to wake and find me gone [†¦]. That would satisfy honor" (95). Ed is a city boy dissatisfied with work and love and to compensate he goes on this trip against his better judgment. The four suburbanites have no business being in the forest, the only one that has made a habit of hunting is Ed's friend Lewis.

Education Kills Creativity Essay

Abstract School kills creativity – Ken Robinson In his speech at the TED conference in February 2006, Sir Ken Robinson explains his idea that education is an important and essential part of everyone’s life for the progression and prosperity of a better life for the individual and a better world for humankind. The key to proper education, Robinson explains, is not only the regimented arithmetic, history, and arts; however, more importantly the need to allow for the creative process to rule one’s academic way of thinking. Robinson provides example, upon example of why creativity is not only important to an individual’s maturation and progression in life, but how that creativity ultimately benefits human civilization as a whole. Education Kills Creativity Sir Ken Robinson claims for a reformation of the current creativity retarding worldwide education system. His point of departure is that children are born with huge talents, wasted by the contemporary education system. While children are not afraid of being wrong, school and the ecological system eliminate this attitude. Robinson thinks that this, making mistakes, is the only way to develop new ideas, although getting on in life means not making mistakes. The education system has clearly hindered the development of creativity in today’s society by stunting children’s willingness to make and learn from their mistakes, progressively to a point at which time, as an adult, one is unwilling to make mistakes completely thwarting the creative process. Furthermore Sir Ken Robinson mentions an â€Å"academic inflation† around the world, since conditions for job entrance referring to one’s academic degree are raised(Robinson, 2006). Education, being developed in the 19th century, is a system focused on providing the requirements for a job in the industry and academic ability. Starting from the beginning children are educated to get out of the system with a degree. The education system is geared to push students into higher education levels even if they  don’t want to. This is then enforced and reinforced to a point where highly educated people are going to their professional jobs and coming home to play video games in excess. Robinson points out that the hierarchy of subjects around the world is the same: first comes mathematics and literacy, followed by science and humanities and concluded by dance and the arts. In Robinson’s opinion this is the right order of priorities for a scientific career, but not for people of the future which have to solve the world problems in a more creative way (Robinson, 2006). From birth, before education the main part of our lives, music is implemented. We start from the waist up only to move on to focus on our heads. In the days of our youth music is played and our hips start moving to the beat, the words to the song are irrelevant. Children have a way about them that in any situation they do no t shy away or fear making a mistake because their innocence takes over. A child’s willingness to make a mistake is not that they know what they are doing is necessary wrong, it is that they are doing without shame or fear that they are wrong. Robinson’s example of this was when his son was in a play about baby Jesus’ birth. The three kings’ men were children about the same age as his son, who was four years old at the time. The first king being out of order said to Joseph and Mary, â€Å"I bring you myrrh.† The second king states, â€Å"I bring you Gold.† Lastly the third king says â€Å"Frank sent this,† instead of frankincense (Robinson, 2006). This illustration paints a vivid point, that children have innocence about them that when they are told to do something they do it with no regard to whether it makes sense or not. Children are not frightened that they is a wrong answer. As the years pass and the education levels of learning are more intense, fear then sets into the minds of young adults and children. Whether the child will raise their hand and say the wrong answer, or a student dresses in a manner that is seen as indifferent from the rest. As a child, there is no objectiv e, there is no right and wrong. It is simple living and doing what they are told and putting their own creative spin on life with no intension of impressing anyone. Many students going through the education system show how much thwarting truly does exist. Talented people do not get the sense of achievement, because things they are good at are not valued at school; hence, their high creative potentials are wasted. The students are pressured into the idea or a sense of â€Å"this is how it is supposed to be† when they  graduate from high school levels (Robinson, 2013). They are then persuaded by parents and economy, that in order to be successful they must further their education. This then creates an idea that without education there will be no sense of accomplishment; whereas in the 1950’s a person with a master’s degree teaching education was seen as a rarity. Although education is pushed on students, there are certain students that are different from most. Students that would be qualified under certain standards as having a learning disability or considered as slow. An example from Ken Robinsons speech, is Gillian Lynne, she was a student in the education system and was told she was slower than the rest and th at she had issues with paying attention in class. Gillian’s mother took her to a specialist and expressed all the issues about her daughter as her Gillian sat listening. The doctor advised Gillian that he needed to disgust specifics with her mother outside the room. As he left, he turned the radio on and the two adults waited only a moment peeking in through the glass window pane of the door as Gillian arose to her feet dancing (Robinson, 2006). The specialist then boldly stated your daughter doesn’t have a learning disability she just wants to dance. This is a perfect illustration of how many parents are told one thing and then told another, and also students. Gillian had the most creativity running through her body and mind but without the proper place to be able to express her emotions and actions, she was looked at as different from all the rest of the students. This has become a pattern in children, specialist unlike the one Gillian went to are so quick to say a child has ADHD or Autism instead of finding a different way for that child to express and free the creative mind within them. The education system has hindered the creative mind in society today and in comparison unschooling or otherwise known as home schooling has allowed for great creativity among students. â€Å"There’s no fixed curriculum, course schedule or attempt to mimic traditional classrooms. Unless, of course, their children ask for tho se things† (Italie, 2011). When there is no structure a student can explore the education system on his or her own time with no pressure or the rights and wrongs. John Holt is said to be the founder of unschooling. He was a fifth grade teacher who died in 1985 leaving behind many books about the ideas of unschooling and one book in specific called, How Children Fail. â€Å"The book and others Holt later wrote propelled him into the spotlight as he argued  that mainstream schools stymie the learning process by fostering fear and forcing children to study things they have no interest in.† (Italie) Holt proved that the education system is pressure schools to fulfill high educational standards when students have no interest. Ken Robinson also expressed the same example. To reiterate, educated professional are going to work only to come home and play video games. The school system has a way of killing creativity, in contrast, unschooling allows for other forms of education. Carol Brown is a mother from Colorado, who has choosen to home school her three girls. She did not pressure her children to learn mathematics until they were ready and didn’t force them to read until they wanted too. The Brown household always had art supplies, materials such as books and films as a source of learning. The family would visit beaches, museums and for ests, not only allowing for enjoyable education but also allows for the family to bond (Italie, 2011). Most children are bored when they are in school and this makes for miserable learning conditions. The child either is very antsy or has no drive to learn more. However learning outside of a classroom creates an abundance of freedom and that is an essential to learning. There is no right or wrong to how a child should grow up. â€Å"The real role of leadership in education†¦is not, and should not be, ‘command and control’; the real role of leadership is ‘climate control.’† (Robinson, 2013). The stifling atmosphere of today’s classrooms are stopping our children from becoming the creative adults that the world so desperately needs in order to overcome the obstacles and challenges that humankind is yet to face. Robinson is calling upon the world to change the way we educate our young so that, we, as human civilization stand a chance at solving the problems of the world and advancing society by leaps and bounds. It is time to allow ouSirr children to use their creativity and for us adults to search our inner selves and find our innate creative nature so that we can be the men and women of tomorrow. Works Cited Italie, L. (2011, August 29). ‘Unschooling’ Gaining Popularity, Allows Children Alternative Learning Tools. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/29/unschooling-gaining-popul_n_940770.html Robinson, K. (2006). How schools kill creativity. Retrieved from

A Mystery Note

The first few notes of the alarm clock prised open Amber's eyes and she stumbled out of bed, standing on an up-ended plug as she did so. She didn't have time for the pain; she had a Spanish test first thing and with a bit of luck she'd be able to catch the early bus to school so she could fit in a bit of revision before class. The floorboards creaked under her feet as she got changed. Everything here seemed to creak, the place was a wreck and she couldn't wait 'till she was old enough and more importantly have enough money to move out but that was unlikely. Amber's life had fallen apart bit by bit since the day she was born. Apparently her mum was put into a permanent coma after a car crash on her way to the hospital. Amber supposedly was a twin but something happened to her sister and that's how she ended up here, in an orphanage that looked like it was going to fall apart the minute another no-hoper walked through it's doors. â€Å"Get up Chloe,† Amber said, Shaking her roommate vigorously in attempt to wake her up. â€Å"I'll get up, just five more minutes,† Chloe murmured sleepily but Amber had to leave in a minute and she knew Chloe would probably never get up so she grabbed the covers and chucked them to the other side of the room. Satisfied, she grabbed her bag and the watch she got two weeks ago from Chloe for her fifteenth birthday and set off for school. Amber managed to squeeze in a few minutes of revision before the test but It wasn't exactly easy getting folders out because the wind had picked up and by the time she'd got to the classroom her usually neat black hair looked like something from ‘Jeepers Creepers.' The test took the best part of two hours – too long, thought Amber. She was relieved when the bell finally run and she practically sprinted out before Seniorita Belanto remembered about the homework due today. â€Å"Amber!† She nearly had a heart attack when the powerful voice of her manly P.E. teacher, Mrs Stevenson came booming at her. â€Å"Yes, Mr†¦I mean, Mrs Stevenson?† Amber said cheekily, wondering why the sudden need for her P.E. teacher to come rushing after her like an overweight lion. â€Å"Some guy passed a note onto me to give to you,† She grunted. She threw the piece of paper but Amber missed it and she had to crawl about the floor dodging numerous people who thought walking backwards as fun as walking normally. â€Å"Gotcha!† Amber shouted a little too loudly as everyone in the corridor stared at her on her hands and knees. She opened the piece of paper and read: Thanks a bunch for your help. I owe you one, Jay Connors â€Å"What the†¦?† She said. She looked around for Mrs Stevenson but she'd already been absorbed by the crowd. There must've been a mistake, she hadn't helped someone, had she? After school she decided to walk home and on the way she asked a few people from school if they knew who Jay Connors was. â€Å"Who?† Most of them said, but she hit the bonus when she asked the new kid in her Maths class. â€Å"You didn't think to ask me first, did you?† He replied, grinning. Amber looked puzzlingly at him but then he explained. â€Å"I'm Matthew Connors, Jay's brother,† he grinned. Amber realised then that she'd been stupid; who better to ask than the only person in school with the same surname as the mysterious Jay? â€Å"If your looking for Jay he'll be indoors by now.† He pressed the traffic lights button and the green man showed a few seconds later. Amber stood were she had been for the past few minutes looking like an idiot. What now? Did he expect her to follow him? Matthew looked back, â€Å"Come on then, what you waiting for?† Apparently Jay had been in a car crash yesterday and his car was a total wreck so he couldn't go to his work today. Amber was amazed at how he managed to cram every tiny detail into a space of two minutes. By the time they got there Amber seemed to know everything about Jay. They rang the doorbell and Jay answered. â€Å"Hey Matt, Alex! Nice to see you again.† He said â€Å"Alex? I'm not†¦I'm Amber.† This conversation was getting to be one of the most confusing of her life. â€Å"What†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jay began but Matt butted in. â€Å"This is Amber, she's in my class.† Jay looked like someone had just put one of Einstein's maths problems in front of him. Just then someone was walking along the pavement and Jay and Matt both looked stunned. â€Å"Alex†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Amber turned around and couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was like she was looking in the mirror. It was her. Alex turned round and saw Amber, shock exploded on her face. Five minutes later Amber had forgot the shock because after a brief discussion with Alex, hope suddenly came into Amber sight. Was this her twin? Could this be possible? Could her mum be alive? She was, she had to be. â€Å"Alex, dinners out.† a figure emerged from a house but at the same time Amber heard a rumble and a huge shadow cast over her, all of the hope that had build up inside her was shattered as flight 755 rapidly lost altitude. In a split-second the world had turned black and she only caught one glimpse of her mother's face. That was the first and last time she ever saw it.