Organization Design And Technology Of Sony Corporation Essay

Due to the fast-paced growth of Sony Corporation in the international market, it gave way for the misalignment of its market and internal expansion leading to the deterioration of its rate of technological development or the quality of its product lines, and the decline of the efficiency of its workforce as the number of responsibilities and tasks suddenly increased triggered by the market expansion of the said company. With the aid of ICT Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire and balance scorecard, Sony Corporation has been able to improve the quality of its product and workforce efficiency. By expanding the workforce of Sony, it can solve the deterioration of its rate of technological advancement and inefficiency on workforce on a long term basis. Between adding new position to the organization structure of Sony and hiring more workers to expand the workforce of the said company, adding new position to Sony Corporation is the one that fits to solve the above mentioned problems of Sony considering the cost of its implementation and effectiveness. Introduction With the growing competition in the international market, it is a must for Sony Corporation to secure competitive advantage in terms of internal stability and technological development. Most consumers nowadays provides more premium on the most advanced products in the market, and this is the primary reason why Sony Corporation allot significant amount of resources to research and development to maintain the pace of their technological development. Furthermore, Sony has designed its organization structure in such a way that it could easily respond to various new market challenges. But the forces of market competition and globalization blocks the technological advantages of Sony as well as destabilized the internal stability through attacking their organization design as various departments and key person of the said company shoulders broader responsibilities as the company continues to expand in the international market. Sony’s competitors, Panasonic, Toshiba, Apple, Microsoft, and Dell are just few of the many electronics companies also operating in the international market with fast-paced technological development (Isuppli. om 2006: 1). Due to this scenario, Sony’s products appears to be less technologically advanced compared to its competitors leading to a sudden down turn on their sales and profit internationally as their customers shift to their competitors (Eetimes. com 2008: 1). Furthermore, during the peak of Sony’s international operation, various departments and top level managers was bombarded with more tasks and responsibilities in order to support their market expansion which presently lead to the deterioration of their performances. Distribution of task and responsibilities is weak and most of the organization design of Sony is already obsolete considering the present condition of competition and globalization in the international market. In this regard, this paper aims to discuss how the forces of competition and globalization weaken the organization design and technological advantage of Sony as well as the potential alternatives that Sony must undertake in order to solve the said weaknesses. At the end of this paper, expect for a recommendation that would best solve the problems of Sony concerning its organization design and technology. Classification of Organization Structure Sony Corporation has been using divisional type of organizational design as illustrated by their organizational chart, see appendix (. During the early years of Sony’s operation in the market, the divisional type of organization design enables them to easily implement strategies and decisions to problems that need immediate solution. Since Sony was only on its development stage, they were able to fully utilize the optimal gains that can be derived from using divisional organization structure. The fast relay of information, decision making and implementation of strategies through the use of divisional organization design provided Sony with tremendous amount of gains in the international market as they start successfully penetrating their target market and out-performed their competitors in the market, making them one of the successful multinational companies around the globe (Goliath. ecnext. com 2007: 1). Furthermore, the divisional organization design enables Sony to specialize its â€Å"groups† since thereby improving the quality of their products in the market (Market Wire 2005: 1). Like for instance, the Sony Ericson Mobile Communications Group concentrate only to develop and produce mobile communication products in the market. The head of Ericson Mobile Communications Group is directly below the CEO of Sony, and so with their other groups (Sony. net 2008: 1). The direct relationship between the head of Sony’s groups and its CEO provides ease on decision making and distribution of information as well as strategies on brand development. But this organizational structure starts to provide instabilities to Sony Corporation as it continues to grow as electronics industry superpower in the international market. As the company grew in the international market, responsibilities of each head of various groups also increased up to the point wherein they start performing inefficiently as their time being spent on every vital aspect of their operation become lesser and lesser. In this regard, the present status of divisional organization design to Sony becomes ineffective and only provides instabilities as the executives of the company starts to perform inefficiently on their respective fields. But divisional organization design fits Sony than any other organization structure available in the business management realm. Since Sony have a diversity of products in the market, and each group specializes into the production of their own product lines, then, divisional structure already fits Sony. The only problem lies on the fact that every executive of Sony starts gaining more responsibilities in his/her assigned group. In other words, the international expansion of Sony in the recent years was not accompanied by expansion of internal responsibilities of various executives of the said company, thereby leading to a down turn on their overall performance. In order for Sony to restore the stability of its internal affairs, it does not have to change its organization design; rather, Sony management can make improvements on their divisional structure by adding new positions or by appointing executive assistants to key positions on various groups of the said company. This strategy will provide enough room for the key personnel of Sony to manage their responsibilities well and delegate those less priority tasks to their assistance or new positions in the group. In other words, this strategy will give way for the internal expansion of Sony while maintaining their original organization design that was already proven to be effective and fit to the business structure of Sony Corporation. Choosing organization structure other than divisional design would provide great risk since Sony operates on various groups with different product lines to produce into the market. Furthermore, each group has less influence on one another and almost operates independently from other group while their headquarters and CEO serves as the link between them. In this regard, it is vital for Sony Corporation to implement the said internal expansion of their groups in order for them to re-establish their competitive advantage in the international market in terms of internal stability and workforce efficiency especially during these times wherein the forces of tight market competition and globalization calls for the acquisition of more potential sources of competitive advantages to keep the pace of Sony’s growth internationally. Key Determinant and Influences on Organizational Structure One of the main strategies of Sony in expanding its share on the international market would be the diversification of its product line from electronics to B2B business solutions, which later on enables the company to tap various resources. Since each product line of Sony needs different production processes compared to others, Sony decided to use divisional organizational structure in order to easily manage the entire company without compromising the quality of their product lines. For instance, Sony Financial Holdings Group provides business solution services to the market and needs different operational processes compared to Sony Entertainment Business Group that provides television, digital cameras, and video cameras in the market. Each of these groups requires different set of operational style, set of skills and equipments, and set of strategies, thereby providing enough room to these groups to operate independently from one another would enhance their productivity and efficiency as they specialize into their production process. This is the main reason why Sony chose to use divisional organization design in order to provide enough room for each product line to be developed separately by workers specialized on producing it from other product line. In this regard, the strategy of Sony to diversify its product line gave way for the use of divisional organization structure. Furthermore, another factor that serves to be the key determinant of Sony Corporation’s organization structure would be its growth rate. Sony Corporation has roughly 4 percent sales growth rate internationally as of this month which is relatively higher compared to its rival companies like Panasonic with -2. 78 percent sales growth rate (Reuters. com 2008: 1). During the initial stage of Sony’s growth in the international market, as their product become more diverse leading to a fast-paced growth, Sony chose to use divisional organization structure to allow the company to cope up with the said growth rate since divisional organization structure provides enough room for Sony to further develop their diverse product line through specialization. At present, the root of organization stability of Sony roots on the fact that they were not able to accompanied their market growth and expansion with internal expansion causing for the divisional organization structure to work inefficiently. Once the internal growth rate of Sony already aligned itself to its market growth, then, that is the only time wherein Sony can fully utilize the potential gains of using divisional organization structure. In this regard, it is therefore vital for Sony to keep track its market growth and internal growth if whether these two still align each other since these affects the performance of their organization structure. The strategy and growth of Sony is interrelated to one another and this is the main reason why these two factors greatly affect its organization structure. The strategy of Sony to diversify its product line provided them with enough opportunity to increase their market share in the international market. The said product line expansion and increase of market share enable Sony to easily penetrate its target market and outperformed its competitors. Furthermore, as Sony continues to successfully penetrate its target market and outperformed its competitors, it starts to gain impressive growth in the market due to higher sales and profit. But the said market growth of Sony was not accompanied by internal expansion which presently leads to tremendous losses as key personnel of its groups starts performing inefficiently and ineffectiveness of their organization structure. Furthermore, as these key personnel of Sony perform inefficiently, the research and development of their products starts to drop, giving enough room for its competitors to step up in the electronics and business solutions industry and provide financial losses to the company (Forbes. com 2008: 1). Therefore, at this point in time, it is vital for Sony to address these instabilities on its workforce in order to restore their competitiveness in the international market with respect to their market strategies and technological advancement. Organizational Effectiveness One way in which Sony Corporation evaluates performance would be through the use of Information and Communications Technology Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire which aims to determine if whether their suppliers uphold the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct. Since suppliers have a direct impact on the overall performance of Sony in terms of product quality, along with other electronics companies around the globe such as HP, IBM, and Microsoft, Sony Corporation created the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct which encompasses the ICT Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire. Through the ICT Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire, Sony can monitor the product quality of their suppliers. By securing the performance of their suppliers, Sony Corporation has been able to maintain its integrity of producing high quality products in the market. There were cases wherein Sony Corporation was sued for releasing substandard products in the market. Like what happened recently when a couple sued Sony when the battery of a Sony laptop exploded causing injuries to the complainants. Due to this, Sony had to pull out all of the batteries that were being suspected as substandard and replaced with a new one in order to prevent having more accidents. In this regard, through the ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire, Sony Corporation can stop the above mentioned accident caused to substandard products that they release in the market which mostly came from their suppliers. Dell, the maker of the said substandard battery of Sony laptop, is now making collaboration with Sony in pulling out those substandard laptop batteries in the market. Another way by which Sony evaluates their performance is through the use of balance scorecard. Balance score card help every organization in the market to determine if whether their smaller scale operational activities are still aligned with their larger scale activities. As for the case of Sony Corporation, it uses balance scorecard in determining the alignment operational processes of its groups, e. g. Sony Ericson Mobile Communications, Game Business Group, Entertainment Business Group, and Sony Financial Holdings Group, to the vision and strategy of the entire organization. For instance, the balance scorecard is being used by Sony Corporation in determining if whether the processes used in producing Sony Ericsson in the market are still aligned with the Corporate Social Responsibility of the entire company. Through this, Sony Corporation can keep their various groups intact to the vision and strategies of their â€Å"parent† company – Sony Corporation. Just recently, Sony Ericsson phone was awarded as the most â€Å"Eco-Friendly† phone in the market and the said award is being attributed to the continues success of Sony Corporation to uphold its Corporate Social Responsibility on minimizing the wastes being emitted in producing the said product (Sayer 2008: 1). Considering the said success of Sony Ericsson phone in the market, there is a great possibility that it can earn positive balance scorecard by upholding the CSR of Sony Corporation, which can eventually serve as the basis for further development of Sony Ericsson phone in the market (Ericsson. co. jp 2005: 9). Therefore, balance scorecard provides enough room for Sony Corporation to determine the alignment of their product lines to their vision and strategy especially when it concerns the integrity of their brand name. At this point, the performance evaluation tools of Sony Corporation, ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire and Balance Scorecard, has been able to solve its problem regarding maintaining the quality of their products in the market by securing the compliance of their suppliers and aligning the production processes of their product lines into their Corporate Social Responsibilities. Therefore, ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire and Balance Scorecard fit to the vision and strategies of Sony Corporation based from their successful solution regarding the low quality level of Sony’s products in the market. This issue on quality level and on how the above identified evaluation tools of Sony Corporation solved it will be thoroughly discussed in the next part of the paper. Critical Analysis of Current Problems Actually, the main problem of Sony Corporation would be the misalignment of its market and internal expansion that eventually lead to various â€Å"branch-problems† like low performance rate from the workforce of the company as well as the deterioration of the quality level of their product lines in the market. The fast-paced growth of Sony in the past years, while leaving their internal condition to remain untouched, provided inefficiencies on the part of their workforce as the responsibility of one another can no longer be performed as efficient as before, and low product quality as the said inefficiencies on their workforce started to reflect on the quality level of their product lines. This is the main reason why Sony Corporation suffers from return on investment and profit on its operation as their customers shift to the side of their competitors since the latter already have relatively technologically advanced product lines in the market compared to Sony Corporation. In order to provide a long term solution to this problem of Sony Corporation, it is a must for the management of the said company to expand their workforce either by adding new positions to reinforce the key positions in the company or hire more workers to delegate the tasks optimally among their workforce. But at present, Sony Corporation is applying short term solutions to these problems through the use of evaluation tools as discussed on the previous part of this paper. First, the ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire provided solution on securing the quality of their supplier’s products which later on be used on the production process of Sony. With the ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire, Sony can monitor if whether the supplies of their suppliers are substandard or complies with the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct which sets up the standards for electronic products in the market (Greenwald 2005: 2). Sony Corporation can now minimize the incidence of product malfunction or substandard components of their product lines just like what happened to the batteries of Sony’s laptop that exploded due to overheating. ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire will improve the quality of Sony’s product line even up to a small degree since it only solves their problem on the side of their supplier and not the root of the problem which still lies on the internal stability of their workforce. With the rise of ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire and Electronic Industry Code of Conduct, cases of substandard electronic products in the market will be minimized leading for Sony to improve the quality level of its products (United Nations Environment Program 2005: 1). In this regard, through the use of ICT Supplier Self Assessment Questionnaire, Sony Corporation manages to improve the quality of their product lines even up to a small degree. On the other hand, the balance scorecard of Sony Corporation provides enough room for the said company to improve the quality of their workforce’s performance since the company can determine if whether a group or department already performs outside the boundaries of their vision and corporate strategies. There are times wherein the misalignment of Sony Corporation’s products to their vision and corporate strategies roots on the inefficient performance of workforce of a given department or group, and balance scorecard can determine if whether a given group of Sony Corporation performs inefficiently based from the evaluation of the products being produced by that given group. Through this, Sony Corporation can easily determine which group among its companies needs to undergo workforce expansion to solve the said inefficiency of their workers. In this regard, the balance scorecard provides two services to Sony Corporation, evaluation of their product’s performance in the market and its alignment to the vision and corporate strategies of the company, and on which group of the company needs workforce expansion in order to improve the quality of their product lines just like what happened to Sony Ericsson phone in the market (Esato. com 2007: 1). Solutions In order for Sony Corporation to have long term solution to their problem regarding the misalignment of their market and internal expansion as the consequence of their fast-paced growth, it is advisable for them to expand their workforce either by adding new positions into their organization structure to optimally delegate the tasks among the workers of the company; or, the management could hire more workers that will handle the additional responsibilities provided by the market expansion of the company. Furthermore, through adding new position to the organization structure to various business groups of Sony Corporation, e. g. executive assistants will give their key executives to delegate some of the less important tasks and responsibilities to their assistants so they can concentrate to more responsibilities. The divisional organization structure of Sony Corporation will still be used in the organization design of Sony under the said strategy considering that it is the only organization design that fits to the business nature of Sony Corporation as discussed on the previous part of this paper. On the other hand, with regards to hiring more workers that will be responsible on shouldering the additional tasks provided by the market expansion of Sony Corporation, this will provide Sony with enough room to improve the efficiency of their workforce as every person on their workforce can now perform their responsibilities to their optimal level since tasks are now well distributed on their workforce. At the end of the day, these strategies will improve the quality of Sony’s workforce and so with the quality of their products. The only problem with hiring of additional workers would be the fact that it is costly to hire more workers for the company considering that Sony is presently suffering from low profitability in the market compared to adding new position to the organization structure of Sony Corporation. Recommendation Both of the above mentioned strategies provides same improvement on lifting the efficiency of Sony Corporation’s workforce and boosting its product quality level, but in terms of costs on the part of the company, adding new positions to the organization structure of Sony is relatively cheaper than hiring more workers. In this regard, alongside with the performance evaluation tools of Sony Corporation, it is a must for their management to add new positions into the divisional organization structure of the company to provide long term solution on their low quality product in terms of technology and improving the efficiency of their workforce considering the extent of their market expansion in the global market. Conclusion With the misalignment of market and internal expansion of Sony Corporation due to its fast-paced growth in the international market, it provided various problems into the said company. Technological advancement of Sony’s products drops while the efficiency of its workforce decline due to the significant increase on tasks and responsibilities on the workplace caused by the fast-paced growth of Sony in the recent years. Through adding new positions on the organization structure of Sony, it can already improve the efficiency of its workforce and so with the rate of its product line’s technological advancement in the market.

Early Childhood Website Critique Essay

Earlychildhood. com is a website that provides an ample amount of information on providing the proper care and educating young kids at a low cost. This site offers teachers, caregivers and parents ideas and concepts related to child development. Moreover, the early development stages are the most crucial time for children because this is the point when they get a chance to explore the things that surround them. More so, the guardians of these children must be responsible and knowledgeable enough to gear them towards the right direction. There is a comprehensive collection of date incorporated in this website which is comprised of tips on where to buy discounted school supplies, sources for childcare, forum about enhancing the learning environment and many others. Overall, this site is like a one-stop shop for those who want to know everything about child development from learning materials to scholarly resources to the opinions or words of wisdom from fellow teachers, caregivers and parents. Among all the sections featured in the site, the Discount School Supply was the one that caught my attention. It contains a list of equipment and materials needed in educating children. Additionally, it is a 500 pages online catalogue of â€Å"arts and crafts materials for early learners with a single focus which is to offer the highest quality products at the lowest possible cost supported by an extraordinary level of service. † Also, another aspect of this section that suggests high-quality products and services is the inclusion of â€Å"e-commerce websites, a news magazine and thousands of arts and crafts materials, school supplies, educational toys and instructional materials† wherein most of these were designed for earlychildhood. com (Earlychildhood. com, 2008). I believe that this part of the website can really help in giving teachers, caregivers and parents awareness on the variety of learning products out in the market. More so, it provides free delivery to all the products that will be ordered making it an inexpensive and yet practical way of acquiring resources which are usually expensively priced, to enhance the development and progress of children. Meanwhile, in terms of strengths and weaknesses of the site, there are features that have advanced the objective of website and there were also missing elements that would have made the look of the site more professional and more interesting. For the strengths, the site had tackled the different aspects needed to properly and successfully teach adults about the significance child development for the welfare of the children. Also, the websites or the sections embedded within Earlychildhood. com were well-structured and the contents were highly-informative and very helpful to the readers. Meanwhile, for the weakness of the site, the layout of the main page was not systematically arranged and some vital information was excluded such as the background information about the site and the people behind it. In addition, it should have a site map in order for the readers or viewers to easily navigate the entire website. If these things are addressed by the website coordinator or designer, Earlychildhood. com can provide a trouble-free access to all those who want to see and obtain helpful information about proper childcare. Furthermore, this website can serve as a reliable source for a research that involves childcare and child development. It has all the necessary facts and information including current news, teaching modules, learning materials, scholarly articles and recommendations from professional or people working within the field. Through all of these, collection and dissemination of information will be uncomplicated which is very beneficial when doing research. References Earlychildhood. com. (2008). Discount School Supply. Retrieved October 3, 2008, from http://www. discountschoolsupply. com/Help/HelpFAQTopic. aspx? help_faq_id=25

Assessment of the Role of Jimmy Corrigan As Depicted By Chris Ware in the Smartest Kid on Earth

Assessment of the Role of Jimmy Corrigan As Depicted By Chris Ware in the Smartest Kid on Earth Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid On Earth, by Chris Ware, is about a meek and lonely man in his mid-thirties who meets his father for the first time in a Michigan town over Thanksgiving weekend. Jimmy is an awkward and cheerless character with an overbearing mother and a very limited social life. Jimmy attempts to escape his unhappiness via an active imagination that sometimes gets him into awkward situations. The book deals with loneliness, familial dysfunction, inadequacy, bullying, generational conflict, masculinity, sexual frustration, social embarrassment and depression. Ware wrote and illustrated the book. He is best known for a series of comics called the Acme Novelty Library, and incidentally, this graphic novel.First and foremost, Jimmy Corrigan has a very unique style. The first thing you notice is the thick line weight, the very geometric design of the illustrations, and the thick, opaque colors used. The illustrations do not contain any fine detail. What Ware uses is subtle shifts in line weight. What Ware also does well is capturing the different shapes of the figures as they walk, talk, move their head, turn around, etc. This, along with adding slight blocks of color for shadows, really gives the illustrations depth and distance when there seemingly couldnt be. People, objects, buildings, the sky, the weather, etc. are all drawn in a very minimalist nature. Everything is given the simplest shape possible yet you know exactly what you are looking at, just by where certain lines bend and curve. The colors used for illustrations are relatively drab. Every color is a sort of soft, pastel like color, which gives the illustrations a very unobtrusive feel. This color palette fits the story nicely considering the story is rather drab and depressing. The colors do a good job of setting the mood and bringing you into Jimmy Corrigans life as well as mind state. With that said, what I foun d rather interesting was how Ware used the color red. Unlike the other colors, red was bright and strong, and at times really jumped off the page. For the most part it was used for sound effects, which although sounds like a relatively simple idea, I thought was a really good representation of them. Red was also used for narration as well, such as words. They were used almost as a guide at times, to really keep the story going,Another technical aspect of the work is the integration of various kinds of text. You have your typical cartoon for the dialogue and thoughts of the characters. You also have your typical sound-effects text as well. There are a few unique uses of text: one is use of cursive lettering in parts of the story. These scenes arent really Jimmys daydreams nor are they his full fledge dreams. They are much more like whimsical, fantasy like thoughts. They are also used at times as narration as well as representing Jimmys thoughts. Another unique use of text is his use of early-20th century lettering. Ware applies this to the poster/flyer like images entitled à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Jimmy Corrigan, Smartest Kid on Earth, which are sprinkled throughout the book. Another instance of this is when he is talking about the past, more specifically Jimmys grandfathers childhood. The text is both technically and beautifully done. Although they are necessary to the style and the story, it is interesting to note that Ware is an ardent ragtime enthusiast who publishes a journal on ragtime music, collects ragtime paraphernalia, and has even designed album art and posters for ragtime performers (jackhanley.com). This is all pretty apparent and really comes out in Jimmy Corrigan.Several images reoccur throughout the book and tie together the plotlines: superheroes, birds, broken limbs, guns, peaches, redheads, the Fair, and Jimmy Corrigan. The images bind the story together and reiterate the similarities between the Jimmies of each generation (findarticles.com). For example, the Chicago Worlds Fair of 1 893 represents the imaginary world that the Corrigans inhabit. A world thrown together, that looked great for the two weeks of the fair and then collapsed into sudden ruin. Each character has a very brief childhood where everything looks fine until the harsh reality crashes through the illusion, ending childhood (i-reports.info). None of the Corrigans seem able to break the bonds of their past. Jimmy tries to make a connection to his father, but cannot seem to make any human connection.The superhero image is the one reoccurring image that really stands out throughout the book. Jimmy himself wears a Superman shirt. Jimmy imagines himself a bird flying outside of the clinic like Superman, and when a bird crashes into the window, we are back with Jimmy in the clinic, back to reality. In Jimmy Corrigan, superheroes are not invincible. A superhero jumps from the rooftop across from Jimmys office building and dies. A toy Superman that a child plays with at a diner dives to the floor. Jimmys dad picks it up to give back to the child, commenting how we would not want Superman to get hurt (findarticles.com). And in the first couple pages of the book you have a young Jimmy meeting a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“superhero at a comic book convention. The superhero then goes home with Jimmy and his mom and subsequently sleeps with his mom, and then sneaks out in the morning. Not exactly something Superman would do, maybe Batman, but not Superman.Ware does a great job of connecting the past with the present. One example is how the book spans the time from Jimmys great-grandfather in 1863 to the present; the different time changes are illustrated through a particular visual sequence of a bird gathering nest materials by various hospitals (findarticles.com). This bird is seen first collecting a flowered twig around a war-zone tent-hospital, then by a hospital building in the 1890s, next at Lincoln Hospital in the 1930s, then at St. Marys in the 1950s, and finally placing the twig in a nest on the windowsill of a present-day doc-in-a-box where Jimmy wa its with a bloody nose (findarticles.com). You have a sense that it is the same bird reflecting on times gone by, as well as different birds from different times.Ware uses a variety of narrative techniques. These techniques vary from panel to panel. Ware uses one of the more basic panel-to-panel transitions called simply Å“moment to moment; the same subject is displayed in adjacent instants, like a movie running jerkily on a slow computer (McCloud chapt. 3). This is basically used to animate the story and give it some fluidity. Ware also uses transitions very similar to moment to moment, one being action to action, in which the focus remains on a single subject, but this time, two separate, consecutive actions are displayed (for example, the first panel might contain a car speeding along, the 2nd the car smashing into a tree, or in this case Jimmy) (McCloud chapt. 3). The other transition Ware uses similar to this is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“subject to subject, in which both panels are within the same scene or idea, but each portrays a different subject (McCloud chapt. 3). The three of these techniques are the basis for how the story is told. Another interesting narrative feature of the story is when he uses the transition called à ¢ â‚ ¬Ã…“aspect to aspect, which is when the author Bypasses time for the most part and sets a wandering eye on different aspects of a place, mood, or idea (McCloud chapt. 3). Ware does this periodically throughout the book to set the mood, describe a setting, show what a character is thinking, etc. He will have a number of consecutive panels that will show simple objects, or even small details of simple objects, along with the regular narrative features of the story. The bulk of the story obviously deals with the modern-day Jimmy. This part of the story starts off the book and continues in a relative linear fashion, flowing in and out of dreams and thoughts. We join Jimmy at work and soon follow him through a series of panels which show his simple, boring, and depressing life. What is then introduced is a rather odd dream sequence in which Jimmy imagines himself as a robot. Similar dream sequences happen throughout the course of the story, including one where a giant superhero h and picks up Jimmys house and then proceeds to drop it.Another narrative feature that happens quite frequently throughout Jimmy Corrigan is when Jimmy has his daydreams. These serve as a window into Jimmys psyche and often reveal tiny details about his persona. Some of them show Jimmy imagining himself with different women, including his co-worker Peggy, the nurse at the doctors office his father brings him to, and the girl his father adopted Amy. The daydreams do not all contain the same themes though. The one involving Peggy has Jimmy imagining her as an almost mother-like character. This is probably due to the fact that Peggy is a very domineering woman, much like Jimmys mother. The next one comes during Jimmys visit to the doctors office with his father. This daydream is purely sexual. Jimmy takes the nurses niceness and seemingly flirtatious actions and runs with it, setting off a series of images depicting the nurse coming on to Jimmy, them running away together and then ultimately getting married. This is all rather humorous and really does accurately portray what goes through a manà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mind when he meets an attractive woman. This similar chain of events happens when Jimmy has a daydream about Amy. Only this time a bomb or meteor demolishes everything and Jimmy and Amy are the only ones left. Yet unlike the previous two this daydream has Jimmy taking charge and taking care of someone else. It shows him chopping wood, being a real man. The daydreams are quick and to the point. The majority of the time they end rather abruptly with someone or something snapping him out of it.Although the main plot of Jimmys life and his attempt at reconnecti ng with his father is told in a relative linear fashion, it is the inclusion of flashbacks from Jimmys life, his fathers life, and his grandfathers life, that really elevates the plotline and reveals more about who the Corrigans are. They really show why these three men are who they are. Whats interesting is how Ware treats these flashbacks. There is never any notice of them. They flow in and out of the story, revealing more and more each time. Ware breaks up the flashbacks, being careful not to show too much too soon. What makes these flashback even more confusing is that it is often tough to figure out wh Ware is talking about, a prime example being that Jimmys grandfather is also named Jimmy. Ware makes no attempt at depicting any of these three men differently in the flashbacks either. Young Jimmy looks the same as modern day Jimmy and Grandfather Jimmy. The only clues are of course the backgrounds and settings. There is a reoccurring theme with the Corrigans. The interconnected stories reveal a long genealogical line of abandonment and disappointment, regret and paralyzing isolation (cnn.com).Although Jimmy Corrigan contains images, symbols, and characters pertaining to superheroes, it is easy to say that the book is not exactly of the superhero genre. Upon further research it was interesting to find out that parts of the book are indeed autobiographical. The main example being when Jimmy and his newly met Dad sit on the couch in awkward silence, with nothing to say and so much unsaid. Jimmys dad, feebly trying to make up for a lifetime of missed breakfasts, fries some bacon in a skillet, then arranges the bacon strips on Jimmys plate so they spell HI (cnn.com). The entire breakfast sequence is vividly evoked, down to the tsss, tlink, tink that Ware uses to convey the sound of a metal fork turning frying bacon in a skillet. Ware drew from his own life experience for the scene.Like Jimmy, I never knew my father. Over the years, I tried to envision him, to imagine him. Id seen photographs of him, but they were years old, I had no idea what he looked like. And then he called me up one day (cnn.com).Ware was 29 years old, and more than halfway through the writing of the book, when he first met his own father. Their meeting, too, was tentative and awkward, and tinged with anger. His father died a short time later. Many of the other scenes in the book are from Wares memory as much as his imagination. The book contains several accounts of schoolyard cruelty that will be painfully familiar to anyone who, as a child, was the butthead or the dork, the shortest or the skinniest, the last picked for kickball or the first target in dodge ball (cnn.com).This is the category where Jimmy falls into, the dork, the weirdo, the quiet guy the lovable loser. He is not your typical à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“leading man. He is no hero, he is not talented, and he really does not bring anything to the table. Yet vast amounts of people are drawn to characters and stories like this, both in the literary world, and the film and music world as well. What is it that draws people towards characters like this? What makes people interested in seeing or hearing a lonely, depressed person go through his/her lonely, depressed life? It would seem that in one way or another everyone has been there before, maybe not for long, but they have been there. Everyone has felt lonely or depressed at some point in their life, so for the most part people can relate. They know what it is like to not feel loved. Because of this, people tend to root for these types of people when they appear in book, or in movies.There have been numerous movies that contain this everyman, this lonely, somewhat depressed person who is just lacking in life. Some examples are American Splendor (the bio pic of graphic novelist Harvey Pekar), Sideways (Paul Giamattis character Miles), Taxi Driver, Welcome to the Dollhouse, and oddly en ough most movies about serial killers including Psycho, Henry and American Psycho. Of course these happen to be towards the extreme end of the spectrum. These characters, like Jimmy Corrigan, are almost always, needless to say, ugly and unkempt. They always have some sort of social issues, whether it is shyness, a speech impediment, or just all in all awkward. The characters are almost always single and have a limited amount of friends, if any at all. They are simple and plain, and basically lead ordinary, drab lives. Yet through all of this these characters find something to strive for, to keep them going, if only for a short time. Like any human being they want something more out of life, to break the cycle of loneliness and despair. For Jimmy it is trying to reconnect with his father, for Miles in Sideways it is trying find love after his painful divorce, for Dawn in Welcome to the Dollhouse it is simply trying to fit in, for Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver it is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ well à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ who knows. The truth is, we root for these characters. We want them to achieve their goals or at the very least get some closure. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they dont. Jimmy Corrigan is a story of loneliness and abandonment and the struggle to break this cycle and not repeat it. Although Jimmys life is boring and depressing, and seemingly one dimensional, the way in which Chris Ware presents is not. Ware is not content with simply telling a story of a lonesome man. He delves into the depths of why people can be like this and how they try and deal with these feelings and emotions. In the words of Harvey Pekar, O rdinary life is pretty complex stuff.

Old Testament book of Esther Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Old Testament book of Esther - Research Paper Example It would be rather logic to claim that the book was intended for Hebrews since Esther herself was Hebrew. All the same, the intended recipients of the book may well have been much broader. This makes the author of the book be assumed Hebrew as well, since Esther was Hebrew, and the text was originally written in Hebrew. The Old Testament book of Esther is about the life history of Esther, her encounters with religious leaders amongst other interactions. The book of Esther The book of Esther is in the outline of a brief tale, making it resemble the outline of the book of Ruth. Esther has been set up in the palace of Shushan, on one of the three centers of the Persian Empire. The narrative offers us a stunning image of the Jews in exile, of the unfriendliness of their Non-Jews in Persia (Tull, 2003, p. 19). The book also looks into the means by which Esther turned out to be the Queen of Ahasuerus (Xerxes), after putting her life on the line, for the sake of her people, the Jews. God pr ovides fortunate care for her people in a magnified manner all the way through the book, even though the word â€Å"God† is not present in this book. ... Esther 2:19-23 Mordecai revealed a scheme to murder the king and cautioned Esther about, the plot, who later on informed the King about it. Nevertheless, Esther gave Mordecai all the recognition for the information. Esther 3:1-15 Haman was lifted in the command chain and positioned on top of the majority of the most loyal men. Mordecai rejected going down on his knees before Haman and started a quarrel between Haman and the Jews of the land. A rule was established to murder all Jews on the date of March 7. Esther 4:1-6 Mordecai and the Jews surrounding Susa started to grieve and fast. Esther 4:7-17 Mordecai about the passing of the rules and advised her to put her life on life for the sake of her people. If she does not risk her life, another individual will, making her disprove her faith towards God. Esther 5:1-8 Esther depicts patience and some feasts prior to requesting the King to spare the lives of Jews. Esther 5:9-14 Haman and his spouse started to the scheme against Mordecai. Esther 6:1-14 King Xerxes reminiscences on Mordecai’s service and loyalty to the King and chose recompense him. Haman was deeply embarrassed the moment Mordecai was being rewarded. Esther 7:1-10 Haman is gradually held responsible for the tried genocide of Jews, and the King has him killed in a manner that Haman attempted killing Mordecai before. Esther 8:1-17 Mordecai was rewarded by the King and released under a regulation that Jews could protect their lives before the King. Following the passing of the decree, King Xerxes once again rewarded Mordecai by offering him Haman’s previous post, and every Jew renowned throughout the Kingdom. Esther 8:15-10:4 Right through all chapters of the book of Esther, the Jews are seen emerging and conquering all their enemies all the way

Cigarette taxes comments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cigarette taxes comments - Essay Example He is assessed, for example, 10 cents as tax for each box. Since he purchased ten boxes, he is supposed to pay a dollar for taxes. Now since he does not want to pay that much tax, he falsifies the receipts, erase the 0 to make it appear that he only bought 1 box, instead of 10. Then he only pays 10 cents. This is tax evasion. And it is illegal. Tax avoidance on the other hand is when a person chooses legal means to pay less tax. For example, New York City charges 10 cents per box of cigarettes. However, in Austin, Texas, for example, the cigarette tax is only 1 cent per box. A person avoiding tax would rather buy cigarettes in Austin than in New York City. This is legal. He does not falsify anything. He does not under-declare amounts. Now it is understandable that people avoids tax. People want to save money. They would look for places where they can buy things less expensively. That is but natural. And they could not be faulted for that. They cannot be blamed if they look for places who charges lower taxes and buy their cigarettes there. And they cannot be blamed if they choose methods to limit the taxes they pay as long as they do it legally. Now, with the problem of the city losing revenue, I think it can be addressed by formulating better regulatory policies. They could promote effective prevention of smuggling of cigarettes, limit mail-order purchases. They could also be stricter in enforcing licenses and they could punish unlicensed vendors and those that violate the law. With respect to those who avoid tax by buying from out-of-state retailers, I don’t think they can do anything about that. It would be too costly to put check points on state boundaries. If the cigarette is bought in another state within the US, it would be difficult to prevent it from entering another US state. This is also the same or people who buys cigarettes in duty free shops. In sum, although I agree that

Short essay question Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Short question - Essay Example The underworld is believed to be the dwelling place of the earth-goddess. It is this earthly goddess that will add feministic principles and instincts to this masculine ego of the mythical hero. The hero is equally portrayed has having redemptive powers. These are the powers that he or she receives from the gods. The hero has the power to uplift the entire human race from the dismal conditions that it lives in. this is clearly a potential that can only be performed by the gods. Mortal women equally play a role in the hero myths. The heroes are often considered to be an isolated case due to their uniqueness. This isolation makes the hero to develop a close relationship with mortal women. The purpose of this relationship is to offer the hero support in domestic contentment. The myths argue that if the hero were to undertake domestic contentment, then he would be greatly swayed from his purposeful tasks. The civilization of the ancient Greek has been considered as the most brilliant in the history of the world. Most of the credit has been given to the Greece mythical heroes. The heroes often travelled afar and set up cities in the places that they went to. It is for example indicated that the western civilization was as a result of the spread of the Greek culture by the heroes. It is the divine power that the Greek heroes had that made them to easily spread the Greek culture as well as be a caviling force without resistance from people. Adrienne Mayor states that stories about the bones of the heroes were often told in many ancient cultures like China, Greece and India. He underscores that these stories were often said so as to accounts for animal fossils that the people had never seen while in their life state (Mayor, 2004). He equally indicates that the ancient Greeks believed that the bones of the heroes are the remains of giants and monsters that had been destroyed by the gods and buried deeply in the ground. The bones of the heroes had a lot of

2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

2 - Essay Example This discussion explains how they American Patriots won the Revolutionary War. American colonies won the Revolutionary War through the use of various strategies that disadvantaged its enemies. It is necessary to explain that a good war is fought by an army that is located near its home. America fought a war that took place on its major colonies and thus it was very easy for military orders, troops and supplies to reach their destination without delay. On the other hand, the British colonized a very expansive region and this means that there were challenges in transporting troops and other military supplies to soldiers. The distance covered by British troops was longer and cumbersome compared to the one covered by American troops. Therefore, geographical barriers became a huge hindrance to the British Empire and this put their troops at a disadvantage (Zinn 55). On the other hand, it was very easy for American troops to be organized and get military supplies and new recruits within a short time. Secondly, Americans had clear objectives that motivated its troops to fight and ensure they were achieved. In addition, Americans supported their troops to help them have adequate supplies that would enable them to fight without being in a disadvantaged position. It is necessary to explain that Americans believed that no country had a right to invade its territory and command its citizens. Therefore, they fought to reject violation of their rights and ensure they were allowed to do what they wanted without restrictions. In addition, America had been colonized by the British for a long time and it was time to become self-governed. One of their main objectives of waging war with Britain was to eliminate the British rule and become independent. It was not easy to become independent without engaging in bloodshed. On the other hand, the British had no

The Effects of Temp & PH on Enzymes Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Effects of Temp & PH on Enzymes - Lab Report Example The activity of enzymes is highly affected by changes in pH and temperature and as such each enzyme works best at a given pH and temperature (Jencks, 1987). Changes in pH alter the state of ionization of charged amino acids that may play a crucial role in substrate binding and/or the catalytic action itself. Similarly, hydrogen bonds are easily disrupted by increasing temperature which disrupts the shape of the enzyme such that its affinity for its substrate diminishes (Groves, 1997). In this experiment, each group of four students was provided with a tube of concentrated -amylase that was labeled A, B or C. The tube with enzyme was kept on ice. Each group performed part 1 and 2 of the experiment. First, -amylase preparation C was recorded and then one test tube was labeled "blank" and five others as 40C, 230C, 370C, 650C and 1000C. 1ml of 1% starch solution at pH 7 was added to each test tube, whereby the starch was the substrate for the reaction. Each tube was placed in a water bath that was set as one of the indicated temperatures. The blank and the 230C were placed at room temperatures while the 40C on ice. All the tubes were allowed to equilibrate to the desired temperatures for ten minutes. A fresh dilution of the unknown -amylase was made by mixing 100l of the concentrated enzyme stock with 9.9 of dH20 shaking to mix. The stock and the diluted solutions were kept on ice. All the tubes were retrieved after 10 minutes of pre- incubation step. 1ml of dH20 was added to the blank tube only. To the other five tubes, a timer

Chicano Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chicano - Essay Example These people belonged to the poorest families in rural areas of Mexico, and did not had any identity in the society, used the term Chicano during the Civil rights Movement in order to amalgamate themselves so that they can be recognized by the world. Chicano descendents reflected distinctive culture of Mexican Americans (Arturo, pp. 197-208). The natives speaking slang language with different pronunciations mocked these people, which was an insult for them. The basis of Chicano was contradictory, as the pronunciation and spelling of Spanish language revolutionized causing discrepancy in differentiating between Chicano and Mexicano, but it was apparent that the word Chicano did not have any effect from this language change. The dual identity of Chicanos entails that these people have neither U.S. origin nor they reflect the Mexican society. This combination of customs of both the nations makes them strive for their acceptance into the American society while retaining their Mexican tra ditions and practices (Arturo, pp. 41-55). A culture reflects the traditions, beliefs, practices, customs, and lifestyles of any society or race. Likewise, Chicano also pertain a diversified culture (Isabel, pp. 63-67). The aspects of Chicano culture are mainly literature, arts, and music. ... 47-61). The people of Chicano possess a very simple yet a colorful lifestyle. The life of Chicanos does not characterize by technology; therefore, they depend upon natural resources to acquire information. These people have poor housing and do not have the access to health facilities. Because of the cultural restrictions, Chicanos have to marry a person of opposite sex within the same race (Isabel, pp. 23-38). They have a strong family relationship, where members are interdependent, and elders are open to suggestions from youngster. Chicano cuisine is famous for its dishes that are very delicious due to inclusion of variety of chilies in it. The basic sources of food such as beans, corn, and peppers are present in huge quantities in their food. The people consume simple, healthy, balanced, and short meals on specific times during the day. Life, death, family bonding, and religious practices are of prime importance to them. They are strong followers of Catholics and those who do not a bide by the obligations, have to face strict consequences. They believe that their religion gives them power to survive through the crises they come across, in their lives (Isabel, pp. 47-61). The idea of death for Chicanos is unlike the concept of death for any other faith as they have a pleasing relation with the dead. Spanish and Catholic have an immense influence on the concept of death for Chicanos. The traditions and practices include a wide variety of celebrations, amongst which the most significant event celebrated by the people of Chicanos is the ‘Day of the Dead’ (Johnston & Winter, pp. 10-14). It resembles the festival of Halloween, celebrated by Americans but the difference

Nursing Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nursing Assignment - Essay Example (Delaune 2006, p. 4). Female nurses, on the other hand, dominate the nursing profession. Females are also the gender being first thought by the public when nursing profession is being talked about. Both of these gender reported inequalities in different health care settings in terms of strength, knowledge and skills, as well as salary issues. But of all gender-related equality issues, the effect of Florence Nightingale to the image of nursing profession affects the male population more. Men have fared in a profession traditionally dominated by women and most of the male population suffered from gender inequality. Most of the nursing care during eleventh to thirteenth centuries was rendered by men. It was not until late nineteenth century that females dominated the nursing profession. Florence Nightingale created a big impact in excluding men from the field of nursing. Nightingale’s work had proved that nursing is a profession fit for the female discipline. Florence Nightingale left behind the contributions of men in nursing and view men’s role as physical support aid or a patient’s assistant. The Industrial Revolution also plays a role in the exit of men from nursing. During this time, science-related profession such as medicine shall be taken by the male population and nursing to the female population (Chitty 2005, p. 71). In late 1800, Mills Nursing School for Men in New York and McLean Asylum Training School in Massachusetts were the first two nursing schools established for men. The only field being considered for them is psychiatric nursing because this requires strength and stamina. In 1901 and 1908, the US Congress established the Army Nurse Corpse and Navy Nurse Corpse. However, this was restricted to women so men find it difficult to enter the military nursing. In addition, during 1941, only 68 out of 1,303 schools accepted men as nursing student (Chitty 2005, p. 71). After World War II, the efforts of men to join the field of nurs ing were recognized. GI Bill helped to increase the number of male students by providing funds for education and training. Men entering nursing schools increase after the World War II. Men have truly suffered from gender inequality It is evident from nursing leaders influence, public perception, school discrimination, and military restrictions. In the contemporary age, there are also cases of gender inequality throughout the world but there are no restrictions for male nurses in whatever field in nursing they would like to take. Men can choose from several nursing schools today without fear of being rejected. The public also views both men and women as part of the nursing profession with men, being equally caring, competitive, and compassionate as women. Gender inequality issues still occur in some areas but with the influence of contemporary era, cases reported were minimal. Nursing profession of today does not look into gender differences but to the knowledge, skills, and motivati on related to nursing care. Nursing Image: Professional Nurses Dress Code The professional nurses’ dress code reflects the nursing image. During the early times, one can easily distinguish a person belonging to the nurse profession. But now, the public found it difficult to know who exactly are the registered nurses. The New York Training School for Nurses at Bellevue Hospital was the first school to adopt a standard uniform for student nurses. In

The US intervention in Korean War Essay Example for Free

The US intervention in Korean War Essay The US intervention in the Korean war was caused entirely by the aggressive behaviour of N. Korea. How far do you agree with this judgement? The true reason as to why the US intervened in the Korean war has created a lot of conflicting answers from many historians. The aggression behaviour of North Korea inherently contributed into US intervention. Historians believed that this was another event in a civil war that had been raging since Korea had been divided. Kim Il Sung was seen by Stalin as someone who is capable to destroy left wing factions in the north and his ability to unite the people under a communist leadership. On 25th of June 1950 North Korean invaded the south in a clear act of invasion which quickly brought the attention to the US. It is arguable that the Americans, keen on human rights and democracy, provided military assistance to Syngman Rhee in the south in order to stop further expansion of communism. One of the reasons why the Americans urged to stop the spread of communism is due to the pressures from home. The red-scare started by McCarthy threatened Trumans popularity as the peoples president. He was accused of supporting communism and employing closet communists under his administration. The fact that North Korea invaded the south provided the perfect opportunity for Truman to take action and convince the public that he was no more communist than they were. He assisted South Korea in a war against the ideology of communism. Whether or not Truman fought the war out of priniciple is arguable, however it is more likely that he used democracy and the human rights as a way to protect his presidency by gaining faith from the public again. The fight against communism had domino effect to the other SEA countries as well. If the whole of Korea were under the rule of communism, consequently other SEA nations would fall in Soviet sphere of influence. The security of Japan was particularly important to the US because she wanted a strong area of influence in the Pacific. IT was essential for Japan to maintain as a regional democratic power in South East Asia so that it would provide a bulwark to the spread of communism in SEA and inform the USA on checks on Soviet influence. Korea is only 160 km from Japan, if the whole of Korea fell into the hands of communism, Japan would be the first country affected which would create a domino effect towards the other SEA countries. If all the region of Asia is under the influence of Soviet, America would lose her superpower stature and diminished all ties and faith from other nations such as Western Europe.

Thoreau and Transcendentalism Essay Example for Free

Thoreau and Transcendentalism Essay Henry David Thoreau’s Walden is an anthem to transcendentalism. Among the transcendentalists core beliefs was the inherent goodness of both people and nature. Transcendentalists believed that society and its institutions—particularly religion and politics—corrupted the purity of the individual. They believed that people were at their best when they were self-reliant. The central recurring theme that emerges in transcendentalism is a return to nature. Thoreau sets out for Walden Pond to observe, learn, and explore, indicative of his transcendentalist beliefs. In Walden, Thoreau explains his convictions of transcendentalism through his imagery of nature and appreciation of Nature’s sounds, especially in the climactic seventeenth chapter, â€Å"Spring†. Thoreau discovers that one nice thing about living in the woods â€Å"was that [he] should have the leisure and opportunity to see the spring come in (1138). He studies the ice melting and listens for birds, and by mid-March, he has heard a bluebird, song-sparrow, and red-wing. With the days passing, he also notes the depth of the ice on the pond. The ice is still a foot thick when he hears these birds. Living in a climate of four completely different seasons, and being away from the constant din of civilization (except for the railroad and church bells), makes this process of observing the introduction of Spring unique for Thoreau. Little delights Thoreau more than watching rivulets of sand and clay â€Å"burst† and â€Å"overflow† through the snow in banks, such as those on the bank by the railroad. Seeing â€Å"the various shades of the sand†, â€Å"singularly rich and agreeable (1139), makes him feel as though he stood in the laboratory of the Artist who made the world and me (1139). Thoreau sees these little streams replicated in tree leaves, blood vessels, and ice crystals. In this way, the hillside illustrated the principle of all the operations of Nature (1141). In this same section of â€Å"Spring†, Thoreau makes a significant connection between the transcendentalists and their religious beliefs. Thoreau refers to God as the Artist who made the world and me (1140), a transcendentalist understanding of the divine. He compares man to a mass of thawing clay (1140) with fingers and toes leaves and the ear as lichen, echoing the image of God as a potter in Jeremiah. According to Thoreau, the earth is not a fossil, but rather ongoing artistry. He perceives that the earth is a living creature and â€Å"nothing inorganic† exists (1141), a tribute to the fact that it is always in process. One can see God face-to-face by studying Nature. Thoreau uses beautiful language to create the image of Nature being pregnant. He explains the life-like forms that can be seen everywhere in Nature with the sentence: â€Å"No wonder that the earth expresses itself outwardly in leaves, it so labors with the idea inwardly† (1140, emphasis added); Nature is pregnant with an abstract and metaphysical idea that is coming out in the form of a leaf. As Nature gives birth, her bowels are exposed, presenting her as the â€Å"mother of humanity† (1141). Bowels are obviously something internal, something one would not necessarily see, and the fact that Nature is exposing herself is note-worthy for Thoreau. When the snow has somewhat melted, Thoreau takes notice of the â€Å"withered vegetation which had withstood the winter† (1142). The red squirrels move under Thoreaus house and chirp continually, even when he stomps on the floor. He is thrilled to see the first sparrow of the season and to hear the birds songs again. Walden Pond continues melting, opening up canals on all sides. A large piece of ice has broken off the â€Å"main body† (1143) and a song-sparrow sings to assist its further breaking. A â€Å"ribbon of water† glitters in the sun. The pond is â€Å"full of glee and youth† (1143). In all of this, Thoreau sees the contrast between winter and spring (1143) and notes that Walden was dead and is alive again (1143). The change from Winter to Spring seems instantaneous, filling Thoreaus house with light, and he hears a robin sing as if he has not heard one for a thousand years. The use of imagery and sounds in this section of â€Å"Spring† exhibit Thoreau’s excitement about the changing of seasons and the end of a long, cold, â€Å"dead† Winter. Later in the chapter, Thoreau goes fishing. He hears a strange â€Å"rattling† sound and looks up to see a hawk soaring overhead, â€Å"with proud reliance in the fields of air† (1145). It looked as if it had never set foot on land and had its nest in the clouds. Thoreau catches sliver, gold, and coppery fish, which look like jewels when all strung together. His morning fishing venture is proof enough of immortality for Thoreau, as evidenced when he proclaims that â€Å"there needs no stronger proof of immortality. All things must live in such a light† (1146). He also â€Å"love[s] to see that Nature is so rife with life that myriads can be afforded to be sacrificed and suffered to prey on one another† (1146), and watching a vulture devour carrion or seeing a dead horse on the side of the road reminds him of humanity’s health and strength. His ability to confront death of living things shows his acceptance of deaths inevitability and lifes continuity. In Walden, Henry David Thoreau defines his own personal understanding of transcendentalism. For him, the divine is most sublimely expressed in nature. The overriding theme of Thoreau’s â€Å"Spring† is rebirth, a Christian conception that Thoreau applies to nature. With the surfacing of spring, he is reborn along with his surroundings, and his euphoria in describing nature reveals his positive and passionate perspective. Transcendentalism is the term through which Thoreau can explain coming to an understanding of the divine and mans place in nature at Walden Pond. For him, the role of God as an â€Å"artist† (1140) is inspiring. After living in the woods next to Walden Pond for two years, Henry David Thoreau developed his own ideas of transcendentalism, an important spiritual union between nature and oneself.

Mozarts Effect On The Musical World Music Essay

Mozarts Effect On The Musical World Music Essay I pay no attention whatever to anybodys praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings. (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)(brainyquote.com). This is the very essence of Mozart as he composed to make music that he felt was right and in turn influenced the music world to come. Mozart brought new aspects to things in the music business such as different kinds of operas and the idea of being a free-lance musician, instead of working for the church or the government. This brought about the idea of musicians also being considered artists. Mozart made additions to the classical orchestra and helped to bring great popularity to the Italian and German operas. Even though Mozart has been accused of not actually composing all the pieces he has been credited for, though not proven up to this point, Mozart changed the way music is perceived because of Mozarts decisions that changed the rules of music and things such as The Mozart effect which has been argued by scientists to affect the human brain. Mozarts Life: Mozart has been considered that of a prodigal genius. . . . I must inform [you] that on 27 January, at 8 p.m., my dear wife was happily delivered of a boy; but the placenta had to be removed. She was therefore astonishingly weak. Now, however (God be praised) both child and mother are well. She sends her regards to you both. The boy is called Joannes Chrisostomos, Wolfgang, Gotlieb.(Mozart, L. http://www.mozartproject.org/biography/bi_56_60.html) He was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. Mozarts interest in music peaked at a very young age when his sister Nannerl said that the three year old Mozart often spent much time at the clavier, picking out thirds, which he was always striking, and his pleasure showed that it sounded good. (mozartproject.org). It took Mozart only about half an hour to learn and master his first musical composition which was charted in his sister, Nannerls journal by father Leopold, This piece was learnt by Wolfgangerl on 24 January 1761, 3 days bef ore his 5th birthday, between 9 and 9:30 in the evening. (mozartproject.org). Not after too long of his learning, the young Mozart composed his first composition which he put in Nannerls notebook. His composition only consisted of 6 measures in an andante in C Major. Though the young Mozart possessed great potential as a composer his father, Leopold, decided to direct his aims at his childrens growing progress as pianists. Leopold took his two children to perform on a tour of the courts of Europe. Their first trip did not last long as they travelled to the Munich court but shortly returned to Salzburg. Leopold then set out for a more dynamic tour and the first objective was Vienna. The success of his performance in Vienna caused mass excitement and the young Mozart was invited to perform in major courts of Europe. Leopold wrote. The nobles send us their invitations four, five, six to eight days in advance, in order not to miss us. (mozartproject.org). After all of these performances , the young Mozart was still not even at the age of seven. After returning from Vienna they spent some time back home in Salzburg but accepted an invitation to play in Versailles, France and left on June 9th. This trip would then last for over three years. On their trip to Paris they played many public and private events at the major cities they would pass through on their way to Versailles. Around Christmas Eve the family moved to Versailles for two weeks to experience the life of living in the most culturally influenced court of Europe. In the February following the meeting of the king and queen, Mozart struck with an illness but was active in four days and this month published his first compositions though they are thought to have been written by his father Leopold. There next destination was London as it proved to contain great business in the music market. Within days of arriving to England, Mozart was performing in front of the young king and queen. The king was so taken to Mo zart that he invited him back to play once again. Leopold became ill and this left Mozart with time to compose his own music in which he constructed his first symphony for all the instruments. They left London in of July 1765. In 1767 they headed back to Vienna and stayed there until 1768 when they then headed back to Salzburg. After a year back in Salzburg, Leopold and Mozart travelled to Italy. Wolfgang was put on display once again by his father where he was recognized for his maturing and rapid growth as a composer. He even was accepted to be a member of the Accademia Filarmonica, a distinguished music institute of the time. When in Milan, Wolfgang wrote one of his first operas, Mitridate, re di Ponto (1770), which had success. The next few visits were for the premieres of two more of his operatic pieces, Ascanio in Alba (1771) and Lucio Silla (1772). Even though his Italian travels didnt prove up to the expectations of his father he composed one of his more famous pieces, Exsul tate, jubilate. After returning to Salzburg in 1773, Wolfgang was appointed to be a court musician. During this time he explored many genres in which some of these pieces are still performed today. Mozart gained a liking for violin concertos and composed five and the last three are now seen as the base of the violin concerto itself. His piano concerto in E flat of 1776 was considered by his critics to be of breakthrough success, but Mozart found himself to be upset with his position in Salzburg and mainly wanted to compose operas, which were of rare occasions of the time. In august of 1777, Wolfgang quit his position in Salzburg and set out to travel along with his mother for work. This trip proved to be unsuccessful in Mozart finding what it was he was looking for and the worst of the trip was that of his mothers death on July 3rd, 1778. Mozart returned home on January 15, 1779 and took a new position that his father had rallied for him in which he was now the concertmaster, but Mo zart still found himself discontent in Salzburg. In the January of 1781 his opera Ideomeneo received some success and he travelled with the archbishop Colloredo when attending the celebrations of Joseph II to the throne. Mozart wanted to perform for the Emperor at Countess Thuns, but the archbishop prevented him which offended Mozart and once they returned from Vienna Mozart had attempted to resign but this request was refused. After a month he was allowed to resign, but was resigned in an insulting manner. This began Mozarts travel to Vienna where he decided to settle and be a freelance performer and composer. Once in Vienna, Mozarts career as a freelance musician began well as he managed to find multiple performances as a pianist and had won a competition in front of the Emperor and soon had established himself as the finest keyboard player in Vienna (magicmozart.com). He then in 1782 completed his first opera as a freelance composer which resulted in great success and was perform ed throughout Europe which greatly added to Mozarts reputation as a composer. Within the years of 1782 and 1783 Wolfgang became very interested with the compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel which then had a great influence on his own musical compositions which are seen in fugal passages in Die Zauberflà ¶te (The Magic Flute) and the finale of Symphony No. 41. I 1783 Mozart and his wife Constanze visited in Salzburg where Mozart created to be said one of his most liturgical pieces, the Mass in C minor, but were not even completed. Haydn and Mozart met in Vienna and became good friends. Mozart had composed six quartets that were to be dedicated to Haydn. After the pieces were performed Haydns response was I tell you before God, and as an honest man, your son is the greatest composer known to me by person and repute, he has taste and what is more the greatest skill in composition. (magicmozart.com).For the three years between 1782 and 1785, Mozart would hav e concerts in which he performed as the soloist. He would perform about three to four piano concertos for each season of the year. Spacing within the theaters was very limited so Mozart would book his performances at places such as a large room in an apartment building or the ballroom of a restaurant. These venues with their larger space helped to add to the popularity and success of his concertos which are still played today as prime examples of the piano concerto. It was written by one of Mozarts critics that he had created a harmonious connection between an eager composer-performer and a delighted audience, which was given the opportunity of witnessing the transformation and perfection of a major musical genre (magicmozart.com). With the money Mozart earned from his concerts and other performances he was able to move into an expensive apartment along with his wife and children. He spent his money on unnecessary items and was not able to save any money that would later help them i n Mozarts later years. Around the end of 1785, Mozart once again went back to composing operas along with the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte and in 1786 found a successful premiere of Mozarts The Marriage of Figaro in Vienna. Due to the success of this opera made Mozart once again collaborate with Lorenzo Da Ponte on Mozarts opera Don Giovanni which premiered in October 1787 in Prague and then found more success in 1788 in Vienna. These two operatic works are prime examples of Mozarts work and are still popular today, though the complexity of the work made it difficult for listeners and the performers of the time. By the end of 1787 Mozart had finally gained a part time position appointed by the Emperor Joseph II in which he was the Chamber Composer (magicmozart.com). This position only required him to compose dances for the annual balls. Mozart felt underappreciated and told his wife, Constanze that his pay was too much for what I do, too little for what I could do. (magicmozart.com) Even with Mozarts feelings he could not refuse the pay as it helped in Mozarts hard times later in life. The records of the court show that the reason Emperor Joseph II paid Mozart so much was to prevent him from leaving Vienna. In 1787 Ludwig van Beethoven, another great composer of the Classical era, visited Vienna for a couple of weeks in hopes of studying with Mozart. There is no direct accounts recorded that Beethoven and Mozart ever managed to meet or not, but the fact that Beethoven specifically wanted to study under Mozart shows how much of an influence he was on the music world at the time. In 1788, Mozart and his family moved to the suburbs of Alsegrund due to the collapse of the arts in Vienna. This was because there was a war in Austria and the arts had no support from the aristocrats at the time. It is suggested by Maynard Solomon that Mozart had been suffering from depression at the time since his income had decreased even more and he began borrowing money to pay his r ent and his output on compositions slowed as well. The major works he had managed to compose were his last three symphonies all written in 1788 and the last opera that he collaborated with Da Ponte, Cosà ¬ fan tutte which premiered in 1790. Due to Mozarts financial slump he began to make long travels to places such as Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin in 1789 and then set out once again to Frankfurt, Mannheim, and other cities within Germany during 1790. The problem was that the trips during these times only proved some success and didnt relieve the family of their financial stupor. In 1791, before Mozart became deathly ill, he had a great time of productivity in which some historians view that Mozart had renewed himself during this time. Mozart composed many pieces within his final year including his admired pieces such as his operatic movement of The Magic Flute, a distinguished clarinet concerto, his final piano concerto in B- flat, the final of his last series of string quartet, Ave verum corpus, and his unfinished Requiem. By 1791, Mozarts financial debt had begun to improve as wealthy patron from Hungary and Amsterdam paid him well for occasional pieces and his role as the Imperial chamber composer also added to his wealth. Some of his works also received great praise and success in the eyes of the public during this time including The Magic Flute and his Little Masonic Cantata. After Mozarts premiere of the opera La clemenza di Tito he began to fall ill and was then bedridden on November 20th due to swelling, pain, and vomiting. He was then taken care of by his wife Constanze and the family doctor, Thomas Franx Closset. It was said that even in his time of great illness he was still occupied to finish his Requiem. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart finally died at 1 a.m. on December 5th, 1791 at the young age of 35 years old. The cause of his death has not yet been able to be known for certain, but the one proposed diagnosis that is most widely supported is that of ac ute rheumatic fever. Even though Mozart was a great prodigy of his time and made great impacts on music, he was still buried in a common grave and was reported that no mourners were present. Though his funeral is not to reflect on that of his standing as a musician as many memorial services and concerts were attended in his honor. The Mozart effect: J.S. Jenkins, an MD FRCP, says that after being exposed to Mozarts music for 10 minutes that there has been an enhancement on spatial- temporal reasoning performance. This has only been reported by several researchers on this topic which rises a strong sense of controversy upon if the Mozart effect is truly a real effect on the human brain. The subjects that have been reported to the effects on their spatial- temporal reasoning have only seen lasting effects of up to 12 minutes. Then there is the limitation on the research itself due to the fact that many of the experiments were only tested with short excerpts of Mozarts piano sonata K448. Mozarts influences on the Classical era: In Mozarts instrumental music he always incorporated a sense of drama, which contrasted the moods that were set whether they are lively and playful or if they are solemn and tragic. He constructed his orchestration with notable writing of interweaving lines and imitative procedures, Along with the follow up of a development section containing moderately chromatic harmonies. Mozart wrote many pieces of chamber music including divertimentos and serenades that varied greatly. His most famous chamber work was his Eine Kleine Nachtmusik written in 1787. Mozart really favored string quartets as his last 10 quartets are some of the most renowned pieces of string quartets in the category. Mozarts Clarinet and strings quintet is one of the most popular still in todays audience. Mozart was one of the first composers to write for the clarinet which was one of the newer instruments of his time. The clarinet is one of the instruments classified as a color instrument along with instruments such as an oboe as it brings a new sense sound. He also incorporated the clarinet into many of his symphony pieces and created one of the first clarinets concertos. Mozart was one of the most accomplished piano players of his time and he wrote many pieces for his own instrument. His Fantasia in C minor and the Sonata in C minor are some of his most celebrated piano works. Mozart wrote twenty- seven concertos for piano and orchestra which the genre of piano music to one of the top genres of music in the Classical era. Mozarts symphonies and orchestras: Mozarts symphonies are characterized by his richness of orchestration along in part from his freedom of part writing in which he incorporates a large depth of emotion. The exact number of symphonies that Mozart had written is unsure. Four of the forty- one documented pieces are thought to have not been written by Mozart though. There are still newly discovered pieces and reworked compositions which put the number of symphonies by Mozart to over fifty. There are six pieces that Mozart has been dignified to the point of the works being considered masterpieces which were all composed in the last decade of his short thirty-five year life. The genre in which was most central to Mozarts musical art was the opera. Mozart wrote in three styles of the opera while alive: opera buffa, the Italian comic opera (The Marriage of Figaro and don Giovanni), opera seria, the Italian serious opera (idomeneo), and the light form of a German opera including The Magic Flute. Mozart excelled in creating character in his music along with his creativity in lyrics that carefully blended for the human voice. Mozart developed a quick and aggressive rhythmic theme that rises from low to high registers with great speed that became known as the rocket theme that was first present in his Eine kliene Nachtmusik. Mozart, along with Haydn helped to create a dynamic style of writing that included the participation of all instruments and allowed each timbre, The quality of sound that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another ( the enjoyment of Music A22), to be heard throughout the piece. The use of interchanging imitation of themes of the di fferent musical groups allowed for an effect of an exciting conversation between the respected musical groups. Mozart had his own take on the construction of the classical symphony, also referred to as the sonata- allegro form, in which he had two themes with as great of contrast as possible. Conclusion: Mozarts life was that of great excitement and even though was very short in years the things he had accomplished in his life were those greater than many will ever come close to touching in a full lifetime. His composing talents were that of what cannot be seen as less than extraordinary as he himself has over 40 symphonies and orchestras, along with operas, that are all published in his name. His positions reached as composers and orchestrators for royalty and at a very young age toured Europe playing for the most prestigious courts and kings and queens of the continent. Even due to his complexity of his pieces, he has made an impact that researchers have concluded as The Mozart effect. He also made contributions to the classical era such as demonstrating the importance of the modern piano and the creation of popularity for certain types of pieces such as the Opera Buffa and Opera Seria. He also managed to separate the job of being a composer or musician away from the church and the state. This freelance musicianship inspired many others after him such as the great musician also in his time, Ludwig van Beethoven. It is hard to find such another musician at his caliber where so many pieces, even after over 200 years, are still celebrated and well known throughout the world. His pieces are seen as the basis of technicality and precision in modern music. Personally, the contributions he has been able to add to the musical life has been able to effect, even unconsciously, by the most celebrated composers and orchestrators of our time. To conclude the evaluation of Mozarts Life and contributions to music, he has inspired many people, admirers, fans, and musicians alike to pursue such achievements that Mozart has accomplished and to be a freelance musician and be acknowledged on such a wide scale. Without the many contributions Mozart has made in all the composition documented and undocumented, the music world would not be valued at the same standard that they are n ow set at. Mozarts life itself was the change in music that helped bring it to a new age. Bibliography

I Can Change the World One Tooth at a Time! :: Dentistry Admissions Essays

I Can Change the World One Tooth at a Time! Â   Ever since childhood I have enjoyed working with my hands. Whether as an eight year- old gluing together a model car or an adolescent assembling a bookshelf in woodworking class, I thrived on the challenges of precise and meticulous tasks. Throughout high school I have been intrigued by the sciences, but it was not until I read about late-breaking discoveries and research in the field of genetics that my interests in science intensified. When I entered the University of British Columbia (UBC), I naturally chose to specialize in Cell Biology and Genetics. Â   In my sophomore year at UBC, I first began to seriously consider dentistry as a career. At that time, I began to appreciate the important role that dentistry played in my life. Four years earlier, I began an orthodontic treatment program with Dr. Junni Wang to correct a severe crowding problem with my teeth. Both before and during the treatment, I was a most reluctant participant; not many teenagers look forward to braces filling their mouth during their last two years of high school, and I was no different. Â   However, at every monthly check-up for three-and-a-half years the office staff had nothing but kind words of encouragement and optimism. Now after the completion of the treatment I had reason to smile. Dr. Wang helped turn me from a shy adolescent who feared smiling into a confident, outgoing young man. His skills not only brought back my smile, but also my sense of confidence in all aspects of my life. Whereas once I feared drawing attention to myself and thus shied away from leadership posts and debates, now I am a completely different person. Hoping to feel as satisfied and gratified as Dr. Wang must have felt in improving not only my smile but my entire way of life, I look forward to improving the oral health of patients on a daily basis and participating in dentistry' s friendly, team-oriented work environment. Â   After this preliminary ' patient-doctor' exposure to dentistry, I substantially increased my involvement in the field to determine if dentistry really was for me. My participation with the UBC Pre-Dental Society allowed me to communicate with various professionals in the field. I also investigated opportunities to volunteer in the University Dental Clinic or participate in research work.

Twelve Years a Slave Essay -- Solomon B. Northup Autobiography Essays

Whites have long argued that slavery was good for slaves because it civilized them and that slaves were content to be held in bondage. But such is not the case, at least not according to those who were actually held in bondage. The accounts of slavery are greatly known by emancipated or run away slaves. One recorded account of slavery is by Solomon B. Northup’s autobiography, Twelve Years a Slave which was published in 1853. Solomon Northup was born a freeman in New York in 1808 (3). His father, who had been a slave until his owner death had granted him his freedom in his, wills (5). In 1829, Northup married Anne Hampton and worked as a laborer in Hartford (6). However, Solomon was captured after being tricked by slave traders to work for them while working in Washington in 1841 and sold as a slave into Louisiana (15). A slave was considered in law as property, or chattel (Lecture Notes, 9-12-03), and was deprived of most rights ordinarily held by free persons. Slavery typically occurs in societies whose economy is of a market type capable of producing surpluses. Slavery existed over two—hundred and forty years. Slaves were considered property rather than persons (AP, 96). They had few legal rights: in court, their testimony was inadmissible in cases involving whites (246, 247); they could make no contract nor own any property; even if attacked, they could not strike a white person (80); they could not be away from their owner's premises without permission; they could ...

Graduation Speech: Christ is Still the Only Way :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

For the last 18 years or so, we have been influenced and directed by parents, teachers, and other authority figures. We have been told when to get up, when to work, when to play, when to eat, sleep, come home, go out, etc., etc., etc. Now we are moving on. As we do, let me remind you of two principles we have been taught, the principle of freedom and the principle of success. As adults, a whole new world of personal freedom awaits us. Freedom is a wonderful gift. It is similar to a coin with two sides. Those of us with a driver's license understand these two concepts every time we get into a car. In your car, where you go, how fast you go, and what route you will take are all up to you. You are free to make those choices. However, this freedom also means that you must be responsible. Why does the law require that we have insurance? Because the moment you take control of the vehicle, you become accountable for every one of your actions until your vehicle reaches its destination. You have the freedom to go as fast as you want, but the law will discipline you if you go too fast. You have freedom to take any road you want, but not every road will take you to your desired destination. Life is very much like driving. You are free to choose any one of the many options before you both now and in the future, but not every option will take you where God would want you to go. Proverbs 16:9: The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. You can choose to live in the so-called "fast lane" without any sense of responsibility, but are you ready to pay the price? Proverbs 14:12: There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. In order to remain truly free you must learn to balance personal choices with biblical responsibility. Live your life to the fullest, mindful that we will all someday give an account to God for our actions. As you enjoy this tremendous gift called freedom, stay accountable to God because that's the only way to maximize your potential for success. This brings me to my second point. Most people don't really understand success, at least not as the Bible defines it.

Reflection In Diversity Essay

The focus of this assignment is to explore a time when I felt like the â€Å"other†: invisible, excluded, or too visible. I will describe how I felt and what I learned from my experience of exclusion in the workplace. I will then connect my discussion to at least three concepts, examples, and /or quotes from the course readings or lecture. I am currently employed by a Dialysis provider that has several contracts to provide Acute Hemo-dialysis treatments to patients in a hospital setting. I have a primary hospital location, but I also travel to other hospitals in the area. I enjoy this position for many reasons, one being that I have a lot of autonomy. Others and myself see working as an Acute Hemo-dialysis Nurse as a prestigious position. Although I work alongside other Registered Nurses, as a contractor, most colleagues consider me the â€Å"other† RN. My contract status excludes me from all unit and daily hospital activities. I have adapted to this independent work en vironment. On occasion, the hospital is short on staff and requests my assistance. However, I am obligated to ensure I abide by the law and work regulations for my position and status. In the performance of my daily duties, requests for services outside of my contract arise. I regularly encounter such requests in the medication room and nurses station. Many hospital staff RN’s get offended when I have to decline assisting them. According to our textbook on page 85, discrimination is negative behavior toward a person based on his or her group membership (Bell, 2012). Many of the nurses from my company complain that hospital nurses discriminate against us due to our status. I understand my contractor status concerning co-employment laws. I am content with the service I provide and the rules governing my position. I do not allow such negative  interactions or opinions to interfere with my job performance.

Reading Comprehension Essay

Introduction The principal(prenominal) accusive of this take in is to know the usual problems of pupils in larning lore specific solelyy the put 7 section A scholarly persons of San Roque home(a) extravagantly groom. interpreting learning is integrity of the problems faced by learners nowadays. Goodman defined tuition as a receptive psycholinguistic function wherein the actor implements strategies to create signifi screwce from text (Goodman, 1998). In a classroom setting, version is superstar of the effective ship g advanceal for learners to catch up with the littleon at ease. simply in some cases, students find difficulties in the interpret act upon and ca white plague them to escort a certain text. Anderson and Freebody (1981, 1983) verbalize that expression association of a certain case-by-case makes an key character to narration comprehension. Therefore, this is besides the fact that makes the students of San Roque national full(prenominal) drill ( localise 7) find difficulties in narration comprehension. pushcart (1946) stated that variant is an active subroutine in which reader shift between sources of education (what they know and what the text says).The intend of interpreting the text and responding to what they have read provide be the factior overly of the popular problems in tuition comprehension of San Roque theme elevated cultivate. The coginitive ability in interpretation comprehension contri just nowes to the factors which may serve the students to overtake the problem of drill comprehension of stray 7 students in San Roque national full(prenominal) School. Statement of the Problem Specifically it want to find answers to the sp ar- measure activity questions 1. What atomic number 18 the difficulties in reading comprehension of straddle 7 section A students of San Roque national gamey School check to the pursuance factorsa. sex activity b. advance c. Family Income 2. What be t he ca applys of reading comprehension difficulties of company 7 section A students of San Roque realmal ut some School according to the following factors a. Gender b. historic period c. Family Income 3. This assume allow for help the look intoers to determine the ship canal to kill the ways to ovcrcome the difficulties of reading comprehension of brand 7 section A students of San Roque internal High School according to the following factors a. Gender b. Age c. Family Income Basic Assumptions 1.This think over go out help the lookers to determine the difficulties in reading comprehension of layer 7 section A students of San Roque National High School according to sexual urge, get on and family income. 2. This ruminate will help the re expecters to determine causations of difficulties in reading comprehension of Grade 7 section Astudents of San Roque National High School according to gender, age and family income. 3. This lease will help the researches to determine the ways to keep down the difficulties in reading comprehension of Grade 7 section A students of San Roque National High School according to gender, age and family income.Significance of the Study The writers believe that the yield of this study will be of swell importance to the mortals involved in the celestial sphere of education such(prenominal) as The Students. This research will help the students be cognizant of their problems in reading and find solutions. The Teachers. This research will guide the teachers on how to help their students show their reading problems and provide them solutions. The early Researchers. This will serve as a source of data and reference on the related field of their studies. Scope and moulding of the Study.This study is have-to doe with on the common problems in reading comprehension of Grade 7 students in San Roque National High School, academic year 2013-2014. Grade 7 section A. Definition of Terms hard-foughty. The fibre or state of being difficult. exercise Comprehension. Understanding what is being read. Comprehension. The art of get winding. Family Income. The measuring rod of such gain received in a period of eon of a family. Economic Status. The condition of the person in relation to consumptions of goods and services. Receptive Psycholinguistic dish up. Process wherein the actor uses strategies to create meaning from text.Vocabulary. all the row utilise by or known to a particular person or group, or contained in a language as a whole. Interpreting. to plunge or explain the meaning or significance of something. Responding. to act or do something in reaction to something else. Cognitive ability. relating to the process of acquiring knowledge by the use of reasoning, intuition, or perception. ENDNOTES Chapter 2 REVIEW OF relate LITERATURE AND STUDIES Related Literature indicant comprehension is the capacity to identify and understand meanings communicated by the text.Once an unmarried understand the different letters that create oral communication, and they can use their knowledge to identify language and then comprehend a means that a compilation of dustup will make. baby buggy (1946) explained that reading is an active process in which readers shift between sources of information, riotous meaning and strategies, and check their exposition and use of the social context to focus their response. Wardhaugh (1974) seems to assort that reading is an active, productive, and cognitive activity. He also pointed that reading involves an active search for information and interaction with the text.Anderson (1981) and Freebody (1983) said that verbiage knowledge of a certain individual makes an all important(p) donation to reading comprehension. In connector with the judgement of Anderson (1981) and Freebody (1983), Hirsh and Nation (1992) and Laufer (1989) also stated that in order to gather great vocabulary knowledge, reacting with the use of L2 ( befriend language) sh ould be acquired, Villa (2002) suggested that the student essential be provided with basic skills in the use of the language as a shot for learning and for communicative competencies in business, light and technology.Related Studies Reviews of studies in the bailiwick of problems in reading comprehension revealed that researchers in this area concentrated on (a) the transparent look backward of reading, (b) strategy of using convertible test in reading accuracy, (c) causes of misfortunate reading comprehension. hoover and Goughs abbreviation (1990) centered on the simple review of reading. Reading comprehension comprises two sets of skills, those concerned with decoding linguistic comprehension are necessary and neither skill on its own is sufficient if successful reading comprehension is to follow.Nation and Snowlings study (1998) found that suffering comprehenders read nonwords as quickly as nurse children. This data- found finding is confirmed by observations that b rusque comprehenders perform at age-appropriate levels on regulate tests of nonword reading accuracy. Nation and colleagues have utilize the strategy of matching poor comprehenders to control children on nonword reading. Another study conducted by Perfetti (1985) found that poor comprehension is a consequence of inadequate process, lack of knowledge, or some combination of both processing and knowledge-based weaknesses.Synthesis-of-the-state of the Art The synthesis-of-the-state of the art h elderlys the differences and similarities of the previous and the present studies. The present and previous studies have differences in the area of provlems in reading comprehension that the researchers studied. The study of Perfetti (1985) centre on the causes of poor reading comprehension. The study of Nation and Snowling (1998) focuse on poor comprehenders on nonword reading. And Hoover and Goughs analysis (1990) focus on the reading skills.Almost all studies set the problems encountere d by the respondents, the most prevalent one was the problem in reading comprehension. Walker (1946), Wardhaugh (1974), Anderson (1981), Freebody (1983) and Villa (2002) studies focused much on the contribution of reading comprehension to the individuals. Walker (1946) explained that reading is an active process that was agreed by Wardhaugh (1974) and said that reading is an activity, specifically, productive and cognitive activity and that reading involves an active search for information and interaction with the text.Anderson (1981) and Freebody (1983) focused on the vocabulary knowledge that makes an important contribution to reading comprehension that was seconded by Hirsh and Nation 1992 and Laufer (1989) that in order to gather vocabulary knowledge, the use of L2 as a second language should be required. While Villa (2002) that students must be provided with basic skills in the use of language as a tool for learning and for common competencies in business, science and technolo gy.It may be observed that in the password of the studies stated above, in reading comprehension the thinking capabilities of students are a great factor in conducting the study. hypothetic Framework G identifies three important theories of reading comprehension. These theories are Based on the schema speculation, depending on how extensive their files become, their item of reading comprehension may vary. dodging is the organized knowledge that is already has approximately people, bums, things, and events. Each schema is filed in an individual compartment and stored there.In attempting to comprehend reading materials, students can relate this upstart information to the quick information they have compartmentalized in their geniuss, adding it to these files for future use. The mental modes can be thought of as a mind movie created in ones head, based on the reading context. This copy is reconstructed or updated to reflect the new circumstances as the situation changes, bu t the items important to the main character are kept in the foreground. The proposition theory involves the reader constructing a main idea or macrostructure as they process the text.These main ideas are organized in a hierarchical fashion with the most important things condition the highest priority to be memorized. conceptual Framework The conceptual framework is based on the systems approach, which shows the interplay of the four major elements such as the Input, Output and Feedback. Input is do up of the indite of the 30 students of Grade 7 in San Roque National High School who serve as the respondents of this study in terms of age, genders, family income and the common problems in reading comprehension of the respondents.Process is the dispersion and retrieval of survey questionnaire, analysis and interpretation of data. Output is the determining of the problems in reading comprehension of Grade 7 students in San Roque National High School. Feedback is the response and end of the research which determine the common problems in reading comprehension of Grade 7 students in San Roque National High School. FEEDBACK ENDNOTES Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY Research Design The researchers used the descriptive method in analyzing and show the common problems in reading comprehension.The causes of reading comprehension difficulties and the ways to overcome the difficulties in reading comprehension of Grade 7- flushed student in San Roque National High School S. Y. 2013-2014. The Subject The respondents of this study were the Grade 7-Ruby students of San Roque National High School. The Research Instruments The researchers used a questionnaire to determine and collect accurate information that identify the common problems in reading comprehension of Grade 7-Ruby students of San Roque National High School, and the possible ways to overcome the difficulty. data Gathering Procedure Survey questionnaire was given twice to the students for the dry run and finalization. The d atas and information from the survey questionnaire will be used in the thick of the study. Statistical Treatment of Data To facilitate the analysis, interpretation and the presentation of data, the appropriate statistical tools were chosen and applied. In this study, frequency, percentage dissemination and rank were used. Below is the formula used in computing the percentage. P(%) = f/n x cytosine Wherein P = unheard-of f = frequency n = ENDNOTES CHAPTER 4. crude PROBLEMS IN READING COMPREHENSION OF ground floor 7 SECTION RUBY STUDENTS IN SAN ROQUE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL This chapter dealt with the presentation, analysis and interpretation of data gathered through and through the use of a survey questionnaire. The discussion and analysis of data are focused on the common problems in Reading Comprehension according to Gender, Age and Family income, causes of the problem, the ways to overcome the problems and same with the profile of the respondents. The respondents of this study were the Grade 7 section Ruby students. The coverage of the study was extended to 35 respondents.I. Profile of the Respondents This part described the profile of the respondents in terms of Age, Gender and Family Income. circumvent 1. 1 Age of the Respondents Age absolute frequency voice % membership 12 17 49 1 13 16 46 2 14 1 2. 5 3 15 0 0 16 0 0 17 1 2. 5 3 contribute 35 blow% circuit card 1. 1 shows the age of the respondents and range from dozen to seventeen age old. It could be remark from the knock back that 17 out of 35 respondents or 49% perish to the age twelve, be first 16 or 46% start to age thirteen, bedded second1 or 5% belong to age fourteen and seventeen, ranked third.It is implied that most of the students belong to the age wall bracket of 12 years old. circuit board 1. 2 Gender of the Respondents Gender Frequency Percentage Rank Male 14 40% 2 Female 21 60% 1 tally 35 100% duck 1. 2 shows the gender of the respondents. It could be renowned from the table that 40% belong to male respondents and 60% belong to the female. It is implied that most of the students are females. Table 1. 3 periodic Family Income of the Respondents Monthly Income Frequency Percentage % Rank 500-5000 Php 12 34. 4 % 2 5000-15 000 Php 17 48. 6 % 1 15 000-25 000 Php 4 11. 4 % 3.25 000-30 000 Php 2 5. 7% 4 conglomeration 35 100 % Table 1. 3 shows the periodical family income of the respondents ranging from the offset amount of 500. 00 Php (Five Hundred Pesos) to 30 000. 00 Php (Thirty deoxyguanosine monophosphate Pesos). It could be noted from the table that 34. 3 % belong to the respondents whos familys income ranges from 5000-15 000 Php be to the 1st place 34. 3% belong to the respondents whos familys income ranges from 500-5000 Php ranking the second place, 11. 4 belong to the respondents whos familyss income ranges from 15 000-25 000 Php ranking the 3rd place and 5.7 belongs to the respondents familys income ranges from 25 000-30 000 ranking 4 th place. It is implied that majority of the respondents belong to 5000-15 000 Php monthly family income. II. embarrassingies in Reading Comprehension a. Age Table 1. 4 strongies Most effortful More troublesome Less unenviable Least Difficult f % f % f % f % Difficulties in pinch 2 5. 71% 16 45. 71% 16 45. 71% 1 2. 9% Difficulties in sympathy unfamiliar words 2 5. 71% 19 54. 29% 11 31. 4% 3 8. 6% Difficulties in finding reading materials 2 5. 71% 9 45. 71% 21 60% 3 8. 6% follow 5. 7% 41. 9% 45. 7% 6. 7% Table 1.4 shows the age of the respondents according to their difficulties in reading comprehension. It could be noted from the table that 5. 7% of the respondents say that arrest sentences is the most difficult 5. 7 % says that it is more(prenominal)(prenominal) difficult another 45. 71% of the respondents says that it is less difficult and 2. 9% says that it is least difficult. b. Gender Table 1. 5 Difficulties Most Difficult More Difficult Less Difficult Least Difficult f % f % f % f % Difficulties in understand 7 20% 4 11. 4% 21 60% 3 8. 6% Difficulties in understanding unfamiliar words 2 5. 71% 20 57. 1% 10 28. 6% 3 8.6% Difficulties in finding reading materials 3 8. 6% 7 20% 18 51. 4% 7 20% radical 11. 4% 29. 5% 46. 7% 12. 4% c. Family Income Table 1. 6 Difficulties Most Difficult More Difficult Less Difficult Least Difficult f % f % f % f % Difficulties in understanding 3 8. 6% 9 25. 7% 19 54. 3% 4 11. 4% Difficulties in understanding unfamiliar words 8 22. 9% 11 31. 4% 13 37. 1% 3 8. 6% Difficulties in finding reading materials 3 8. 6% 12 34. 3% 15 42. 9% 5 14. 3% Total 13. 4% 30. 5% 44. 8% 11. 4% III. Causes of Reading Comprehension Difficulties a. Age Table 1. 7 Causes 12 13 14 15 16 17 f % f % f % f % f % f % a.Lack of reading materials 4 23. 5% 6 37. 5% 1 100% 0 0 0 0 0 11. 4% b. Cannot spread out to pervert reading materials 9 52. 9% 11 68. 8% 0 0% 0 0 0 0 0 8. 6% c. No time for reading 9 52. 9% 3 18. 8% 0 0% 0 0 0 0 0 14. 3% d. no participation in reading 3 17. 6% 3 18. 8% 1 100% 0 0 0 0 0 e. Exposure to computers kinda than books 3 17. 6% 4 25% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 f. opthalmic impairment 1 11. 8% 4 25% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 g. slip by more time in reflection T. V. 14 82. 4% 13 81. 3% 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 25% Total 17 37% 16 39. 3% 1 28. 6 0 0 0 0 Table 1. 7 shows the age bracket of the respondents according to the causes of reading comprehension difficulties.It could be noted from the table that the respondents who are 12 years old says that outgo more time in observance telecasting is the number 1 cause of their reading comprehension difficulties with 82. 4 %. For the respondents age 13 with 81. 3% says that outgo more time watching television is the number 1 cause of their reading comprehension difficulties. 100% from their age of 17 stated that outlay more time in watching television is the cause of their reading comprehension difficulties. None of the respondents are aligned in the age 15-16 years old. b. Gender Tab le 1. 8 masculineCAUSES f % Rank a. Lack of reading materials 5 35. 7 3rd b. Cannot chip in to buy reading materials 7 50 second c. No time for reading 5 35. 7 3rd d. no interest in reading 5 35. 7 3rd e. Exposure to computers rather than books 3 21. 4 4th f. visual impairment 0 0 g. spend more time in watching T. V. 11 78. 6 1st Total 36 36. 7 FEMALE CAUSES f % Rank a. Lack of reading materials 6 28. 6 4th b. Cannot afford to buy reading materials 11 52. 4 2nd c. No time for reading 9 42. 9 3rd d. no interest in reading 3 14. 3 6th e. Exposure to computers rather than books 4 19. 0 5th f. visual impairment.6 28. 6 4th g. spend more time in watching T. V. 17 8. 0 1st Total 21 38. 1 Table 1. 8 shows the gender of the respondents according to the causes of reading comprehension difficulties. It could be noted from the table that 78. 6% of males says that spending more time is watching the females says that spending more time in watching television is the cause of their reading compr ehension difficulty. It is implied that females are more close to the intercommunicate on that cause in reading comprehension difficulty which is spending more time in watching television. c. Family Income Table 1. 9.