Affect of Culture and Religion on Curriculum Essay

It has been observed that the teenage period of a child has been given the most important position in the life of a human being. During this age, children go across various notions of life, and concepts and ideas are matured up by them, which is used and implement by them during their lives. Therefore, growth period of a child has to be provided with good quality and matured curriculum according to his/her age. In this regard, schools play an important and crucial role in the provision of a platform that can allow, as well as, encourage the intellectual, physical, as well as, spiritual growth of the children. In formal schooling, a set of courses, as well as, its related content has been referred as a curriculum, which is provided and utilized during the study at almost every school, college, and university around the world. Curriculum consists of a number of experiences, stories, and accounts of deeds that can guide the students to understand the basic and important phases of their lives. In this respect, designing of the curriculum should be given due importance, as they can nurture and cherish human lives, as well as, deteriorate the thinking power and understanding of the humans. (Taylor, 1999, p. 171). In this regard, a number of researches have been carried out by the professionals and experts that have put light on the importance of the curriculum. Different experts have described curriculum in diverse perceptions. Some have deemed it as a social engineering arena, whereas, unintentional and undirected experiences for the cultivation of a successful adult society are some of the definitions of the curriculum. (Philip, 1993, pp. 10-12) Different and various bodies have been formed for the determination of the curriculum in different countries around the world. An external or an authoritative body can perform the role of partial, as well as, entire determination of a curriculum. For instance, the National Curriculum for England has been established in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the curriculum that is provided to the students is established by school districts individually according to the regulations of their states and requirements of their students. However, the United States Department of Education plays an important parental role for the provision of guidelines that are important and necessary for the designing of curriculum. (Allport, 1979, pp. 23-29) As earlier mentioned in the paper, curriculum plays an important role in the nurturing of a human life. Thus, the designing of the curriculum to be taught at schools, colleges, and universities cannot be ignored at all. In this regard, a number of factors are responsible for the formulation of the school curriculum. In this paper, we will try to identify, define, and evaluate some of the cultural, as well as, religious factors that influence the designing of the curricula at various schools around the world. As all cultures are quite different from one another, different and diverse understanding is provided by every culture in different perceptions. A person’s culture is rooted in quite a lot of things as mentioned earlier; language, history, geography, religion, and race. The abovementioned things play a different part in cultures, and affect reasoning in a variety of ways and areas. Religion influences nearly everything in our daily lives: from the architecture of buildings, the food we eat, and the books we read, to the rituals of marriage and death, and the customs of courtroom and government. It has been observed that for thousands of years, religion has shaped the beliefs, moral codes, national identities of millions of people, and now it should help define other cultures in the classrooms. Every thing in life has been affected as greatly by other cultures, because of the environment and culture, which developed dwellings with three-dimensional right angles. Although there are many interpretations of what defines a religion, the Oxford Dictionary describes it as the trust in and devotion of a Herculean controlling power, especially a personal God or gods, or a particular system of faith and worship, and a pursuit or interest followed with devotion. All religions, no matter who believes in them or where they originated, are convinced that they are the primary source of all correct thought and righteous action. It is widely known that, no matter who is preaching to you, they are telling you that what they believe is the truth. The fact is that all religions began as word of mouth or a generalized belief. These have been put into writing, rewritten, translated, outdated and rewritten once again. It is not likely that everything in such scriptures should be taken as the absolute truth, with no room for compromise or alternative (Taylor, 1999, p. 184). Different countries have been established on different and diverse concepts and ideologies. For instance, Christianity can be the religion of a country in the American continent, whereas, another country would have been established on the bases of Islamic thoughts and teachings. Thus, a student in the United States would have been taught by a curriculum that has been formulated on the teachings of Bible, whereas, another student in an Islamic country would be provided with a curriculum based on the teachings of Quran. However, it has been observed and noted by almost every study and researcher that every religion has given the same teachings on this earth, but only the perceptions have been different due to the different modes of revelations of the sacred teachings. In this regard, different students around the world acquire the same knowledge and concepts, but in a number of variety of perceptions. In this regard, different people may act or react in different ways, which has been due to the diverse awareness by various curricula globally. In this aspect, a field of curriculum studies has been formed for the identification, as well as, evaluation of different issues and factors that are interrelated with each other, and that play a crucial and important role in influencing the components of the curriculum. It has been observed that educational programs are influenced by cultural factors also, and different and diverse influences have been observed in different countries, as every country has its different culture, norms and values, etc. A culture of a person can be known even in minutes of first sight of a person. For instance, a person with a different culture can be known by the clothing, jewelry, body language, as well as, hairstyle. Secondly, speech and unfamiliar beliefs can provide a deep understanding of the culture that is portrayed by every human being in different parts of the world. All these distinctiveness are denotative of culture – exemplar of behavior and thinking that people living in social groups learn, create, and share. A people’s culture subsume of their beliefs, values, norms, language, style of dress, ways of cooking food, religion, jewelry, that are passed from one generation to the another. In this regard, it can be observed that curriculum is influenced greatly by the involvement of different people from different cultures around the world. (Smart, 1995, pp. 19-23) Each country has its own culture. For example, the popular culture in China has a big difference from the United States. The United States is a country full of immigrants. New York City is the capital of the world. No matter where we go, we can see people in all kinds of skin color. People came to this land to find their new life, establish families here, generation by generation. Unlike old days in China, when we saw a foreigner walk on the street, everybody will look at him. Because they are travelers, and we do not see them that often, better take a good look at them before they are gone. In the U. S, it is different; People never get excited when they see another person from different society, because we are so into a large global society. China and United States of America shares a number of cultural differences between each other, such as food, climate, religion, population, school and greeting. It has been believed by a number of people that food is very important to their culture when immigration is performed from one country to another. It has been an observation that people always try to keep their customs, norms and values in their lives. (Zhang, 2007, pp. 55-60) For instance, if an Asian person is immigrated to an American country, he/she may try to incorporate his/her practices, concepts, and habits in the American environment, which may sometimes be incompetent and not acceptable in the society. (Allport, 1979, pp. 51-55) In another example, if an educator emigrates from an Australian country to an Asian country, he may try to integrate Australian practices in the Asian curricula, which may not be appreciated or encouraged. Food is an important part of daily life for Chinese people. Chinese, not only enjoy eating, but also believe eating good food can bring harmony and closeness to the family and relationships. Chinese used to have their dinner together with all the family members, sitting around a table. China’s regional differences create problems for a definition of Chinese food. The westerner always thinks of rice. But a third of china’s people are living in north and west are tend to eat wheat and maize, and Sweet Corn in Middle, Northern, Western China. There are so many traditional and special Chinese foods, according to the folk culture, district, religion, and festival. For example, Chinese New Year, most Chinese families will eat dumplings and rice cake at midnight to cerebrate a new year. Thus, the abovementioned factors play an important role in the designing of curricula of a particular country. For instance, nodding in the vertical direction represents an affirmation in a symbolic manner. On the other hand, disapproval is represented by the nodding in the vertical direction in another country. Thus, it may sometime create confusion in people from different countries. Therefore, a curriculum should be based on the universal beliefs and a universal culture should be considered during the designing of curriculum in different parts of the world. It has been observed that a person from an Asian country would present the teachings according to his beliefs, culture, and language. On the other hand, the same teaching and lesson would be represented in other form and different perception would be represented by a person from Australian continent. Thus, different curricula are affected and influenced by a number of significant factors that are dominant in their lives. (Carrette, 1999, pp. 82-83) As earlier mentioned in the paper, different cultures, norms and values have been observed in different parts of the world. In some countries, it is a common habit that believes is advertised in virtually everything. Cars are decorated with bumper stickers, clothes with quotes, and houses with lawn decoration, etc. These habits influence the curriculum also. In some curricula, it has been observed that the abovementioned habits are portrayed through pictures and interactive activities, in order to present a realistic view of the environment of that particular country. (McGrath, 1999, pp. 77-79) For instance, curriculum of the United States may portray high scrapers and busy streets in their books. On the other hand, an African country may sketch deserts and jungles in their curriculum books, in order to present a realistic picture of the environment that their children experience in their daily lives. In this regard, the physical features of a place influence the culture and ways of living of the people, which can be seen in the curricula of that particular place easily. The abovementioned are some of the ways that religion affects the curriculum, as well as, our lives. Many people’s daily routines change because of what they believe. For example, a person goes to church every Sunday, and make sure that nothing is scheduled over top of that. (Carrette, 1999, pp. 101-103) This is one way, a curriculum can teach a child to go to the Church every Sunday. On the other hand, curriculum of an Islamic country may teach the students to pray five times a day, which is quite different from the already mentioned curriculum. However, both the curricula have provided the religious teaching to pray to God. In this way, religion do influences the style of the curriculum. However, it would be wrong to say that these factors influence the basic meaning and principles of the society. (John B. , 1940, pp. 43-45) In Buddhism, the only way that a person is guaranteed to get to Nirvana, is by giving up their lives in the name of Buddha, or for their religion. Christians change their lives to please their Creator. In the Bible, it states that ‘in everything you do, do it as unto the Lord’. This affects someone from driving a car, doing chores. With all of the trouble in our world today, it is disconcerting to know that religion is a contributing factor, and thus, these concepts affect the designing of the curriculum in almost every part of the world. In addition, one can say that culture is more significant than its distinct seeable characteristics. In this regard, if one extends this to the inner self of an individual person, such as to member within a certain society, further to the all community, possibly he or she can be able to find some answers by determining how he or she is affected by culture. In fact, thorough out the human history, culture represents a whole community. However, in order to evaluate how culture changes one’s inner values and beliefs, he or she has to define some common beliefs, just like clothing that has some features that help distinguish its cultural background. People having the same cultural background, in general, are likely to behave in a similar way, because their education and religion background have also cultural elements. In this way, the culture, as well as, the religion of a place influences the formulation of basic elements that have to be included in the curricula of the schools around the world. In some countries, a person may not be allowed to dress unethically or very casually, especially the girls in eastern countries. On the other hand, western countries may not have any problem in casual dressing by the girls. Thus, you may not find a curriculum made by an eastern authoritative body with girls wearing casual dressing, and not covering their body in strict manner. However, the curricula of the English or American schools may have pictures of girls in jeans or t-shirts, which may not be accepted in the eastern world. Thus, this has shown that the culture of a country plays a very important and crucial role in the development of set of courses to be taught at formal schools. (Ernile, 1995, pp. 20-22) Needs of an individual should be met, and good teaching can be provided to the students by a set of courses, which can then be preferred as a well-designed curriculum. Instructions that are given in the curriculum are implemented and taught by an implementer, that is, a teacher. In this regard, the set of courses that are formulated by the curriculum designers should be included with a teaching guide that may instruct and teach the teachers according to their cultural norms and values, as well as, religious principles. (Mader, 1993, pp. 65-66) It has been observed that success of a student is greatly influenced by the cultural background, as well as, socioeconomic status of a child. Thus, process of curriculum designing is affected significantly by the cultural characteristics of a place. However, American schools have the largest number of cultural variations in their classes due to masses of immigrated people in the United States. Thus, it has become very difficult for the American curriculum designers to incorporate the characteristics of different cultures into one curriculum. One of the reasons of this difficulty is that sometimes, cultures diversify each other, and that results in the opposition with each other. In the last decades, cultural and ethnically diversification has been observed in the United States, and cultural diversity has become one of the most important factors to be integrated in their curricula. (Mader, 1993, pp. 60-61) In the result, continuity and diversity is the outcome of the cultural factor that has influenced the planning of the curriculum in a significant manner. In particular, curriculum of every country has been influenced by a number of cultural and diversity factors, such as, language, religion, socioeconomic status, race, physical characteristics, etc. In addition, social values, issues, and norms are some other factors that also influence the designing and planning of the curriculum to be taught at different schools around the world. As earlier mentioned in the paper, social issues and values are different and varied in different parts of the world. In the result, diversity in different parts of a group of people can be accommodated by this variation in the students. For instance, a country may have some specific goals regarding the education, which may be different from the United States. (Ernile, 1995, pp. 33-34) Thus, beliefs and freedoms that are provided to the human lives in different parts of the world play an important role in the designing of the curriculum, which has already been discussed in the paper. For instance, sex, drug education and related programs and seminars are incorporated in the curricula of American schools. However, this kind of programs and teachings are not encouraged in the eastern schools at all, and deemed as unethical for the students. Thus, the curricula of the American schools may be planned with quite free hand and freedom, and on the other hand, the eastern curricula may be designed with more short hand and less freedom in this aspect. Thus, a number of factors influence the designing and planning of the curricula to be taught at schools in different parts of the world. These factors may be cultural, social, economical, psychological, and even spiritual in their nature. In this paper, we have tried to define, evaluate, and discuss religious and cultural factors that influence the designing and planning of the school curricula around the world. It is hoped that this paper will help the professionals, educators, and students in understanding the role of abovementioned factors in the planning of the curriculum that is one of the basic pillars of the human society. References Allport, G. (1979) The Nature of Prejudice. Massachusetts: Adison Wesley Carrette, J. (1999) Religion and Culture. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Durkheim, Ernile. (1995) The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. New York: Free Press. Hefner, Philip. (1993) The Human Factor, Evolution, Culture, and Religion. Minneapolis: Fortress. Holt, John. B. (1940) Holiness Religion: Cultural Shock and Social Organizations. American Sociological Review Vol. 5, no 3. Mader, T. E. (1993) Understanding One Another. Madison, Wisconsin: Brown & Benchmark Publishers. McGrath A. E. (1999). Science & Religion: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Smart, N. (1995) Worldviews: Cross-cultural Explorations of Human Beliefs. London: Prentice-Hall Taylor, S. (1999). Sociology Issues and Debates. London: Macmillan Press Ltd. Zhang, N. (2007). The Basic Features of Contemporary Chinese Culture. Cover feature: china today. World Literature Today.

Baz Lurhmann describes ‘Moulin Rouge’ as ‘audience participation cinema’. Analyse the techniques he uses to remind ‘us we are watching a movie’

Baz Lurhmann describes ‘Moulin Rouge' as ‘audience participation cinema'. With close reference to the opening of the film analyse the techniques he uses to remind ‘us we are watching a movie' From the opening of the film, we can see that Baz Lurhmann uses several techniques such as music, camera angles, set design, costume and lighting, to help create the feeling that we are ‘watching a movie'. He creates this feeling from the idea of making everything unrealistic and stylised, it shows that it could not possibly be real life, therefore reminds ‘us we are watching a movie'. Baz has a wild imagination which is captured in Moulin Rouge; he shows this through techniques such as characterisation, editing, and colour. Even from the very beginning, with the conductor, we can see that the film is unreal. The conductor has theatrical movements which are totally over the top; this does show and remind us that ‘we are watching a movie'. Also the setting of having the large, heavy, red curtain and gold plated frame still gives the ideas of being fantasy and unreal. You can read also Audience Adaptation Paper When we are introduced to Christian, Baz Lurhmann uses several camera techniques to create the stylised effect. He does this when Christian is writing the story; he has a dolly following the text that has been written. It cuts to his face crying and then cuts back to the typewriter. This is emotional; it shows how he is reacting to telling the story of him being in love. The audience are already struck by this and feel as though they already know the character. This helps the film to be â€Å"audience participation cinema†. Whilst Christian is still telling us the beginning of the story and typing, there are cuts of inside Moulin Rouge; this is effective because it simply reminds us that we are watching a movie. Inside the Moulin Rouge, there are bright colours (saturated colour) and vibrant movements but all this is shown through slow motion editing. Outside the Moulin Rouge there is desaturated colour. To end this section of the film, the camera zooms into the words that the character is typing, like a fade or dissolve. When Christian is typing about one year ago, when he first came to Paris, the camera zooms out, rapidly over Paris from his room, and then zooms in to the train station where he is standing. This keeps the audience reminded that the ‘we are watching a movie' because it zooms so rapidly that it's unreal and almost like a dream. There is also a part where is he walking up the to the hillside town of Montmarte the ‘village of sin'. As he walks up there the scenery that he is ‘walking through' is changing. This is obviously unreal and therefore has the same effect of â€Å"watching a movie†. When we first meet the Bohemians' we see different techniques being used. We see Baz Lurhmann using costumes, colour, set design and camera angles in this section. The Bohemians all have different costumes; all their costumes are made of several layers of clothes, with any colour and material. This gives them an idea of them being below people such as Zidler who wears suits. There is an unreal design about them; this reminds us we are â€Å"watching a movie† There is a mid shot, in which we can see all the characters involved with the scene including the unconscious argentine. When they are deciding the lyrics to the song, the camera cuts to all the characters, creates the idea of confusion and hysteria – so many people talking at the same time. We see a close up of Christians face when he bursts into song about the hills being alive with the sound of music. This is very illusory and still reminds us that we are watching a movie. When we first see the Moulin rouge, we see vibrant colours, saturated colours; these stand out well and help illuminate the idea of Moulin Rouge being a theatre – loud, over the top, energetic and alive. The lights and colours are vivid, glitzy and jazzy. Again it has the unreal idea attached to it. Baz Lurhmann didn't want anything to be normal; he wanted wild, lively movements and shots. This again seems unreal and therefore has the stylised approach. Inside the Moulin Rouge it's lively and upbeat, contrast to outside which is dull and boring. Inside there's fast dancing and lots of actions and over the top dance moves. All the characters in Moulin Rouge all have individual identities – dancers, courtesans. They all have their own stage personality and their own costume. This is overwhelming because all the women are over dressed, and area all playing to what the men want. The idea of having all individual costumes to fit the ‘stage' character is effective. We also see characters, inside the night club, of boxers, mermaids, and an even woman with a snake, this is all very unreal and shows that it is too unreal and therefore the audience must be â€Å"watching a movie†. There is a special effect on one section where Zidler does the flips all the way through entrance of the Moulin Rouge to the actual stage area. This is very unreal we can see being super imposed onto the screen but yet it strikes the audience and reminds them about the movie. When Satine retreats from the ceiling, the club turns black. This is to create tension of when she does arrive. Also for lighting the bits of shiny silver sparkle. Satine had an original costume compared to the other girls in the club. Satine wore a diamond outfit – tailed jacket with fishnet tights and a bowler hat. Her lipstick was bright red and it was very feminine. I think that Baz Lurhmann was trying to get across that she was as famous as Marilyn Monroe because she wore that ‘look' too (bus stop look). The swing which she sat on even had diamonds, shows that she better off than the other Moulin Rouge dancers. All the dancers were known as ‘diamond dogs' whereas she was known as ‘the sparkling diamond'. The audience feels they have to watch her because partly of what she is wearing but also because the camera does. And the camera follows her around because she is the centre of attention. Harold Zidler was another colourful character; he wore a bright red jacket, with big boots and white shirts etc. almost like Father Christmas. He had jolly, fluffy hair in forms of a beard and moustache too. The moustache was curled up at the ends; this gave his character more livelihood about him. He looked as though he was the ring master of the circus, in some ways he was. All the costumes were over the top and they all have the unreal attitude with them. This is because they were all original and exaggerated, therefore unreal and stylised. This will remind the audience that what they are watching could not be real life hence it is a movie. The elephant is the centre of the courtyard just outside MR. it's where Satine lives- exclusive and powerful. Its interior is all to do with India – ideas generate for spectacular spectacular. The colours inside the elephant are blues, yellows and reds. Music in the Moulin Rouge was very important. There was always music in the background or the characters were singing a song. Throughout the film music was used in different ways, it created different atmospheres. When Christian first came to Paris and he was talking about never being in love, the music created a comedy effect. Also inside the Moulin Rouge, the music was very upbeat, the can can, it had to be to go with the costumes and dancing, and was a contrast to the music anywhere else in the film. Baz Lurhmann also used different contexts of music, some songs were modern and some were fairly old. The lyrics and songs tell the story of the Moulin Rouge. This is effective because it's different. People don't go around telling stories of their life in song, so this to the audience would remind them that they â€Å"were watching a movie†. Throughout the film there were different genres of music being used. There was hip hop when the dancers all sang Lady Marmalade, rock when Zidler sang the Show must go on, and even pop such as Your Song and Material Girl. All the songs used in the film kept the audience involved and they felt as though they could sing along, which is the audience participating – â€Å"audience participation cinema†. All the techniques that Baz Lurhmann used created the unreal atmosphere that he wanted to create to remind the audience that they were â€Å"watching a movie†. All the elements in each technique was exactly what Baz Lurhmann wanted, when put together all the elements and techniques created an emotional, contrasting film which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Central Teachings Essay Example for Free (#2)

Central Teachings Essay The central teachings of Islam are oneness of God and of humanity; prophethood and the compass of Islam; human relationship to the divine; belief in the unseen life; and belief in the Last Judgment (Fisher, 2005). Oneness of God and of humanity Islam teaches that there is only one God. This is why the first words spoken to a Muslim infant are the words of the Shahadah – â€Å"la ilaha ill-Allah Muhammad-un Rasulu-llah† (â€Å"There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God†). According to Muslims, God may be called by many names, but all the attributes assigned to those different names only make up the totality of the One God who created the universe. They contend that there must be absolute unity among all men of all races because they were all created by only one God and should therefore be brothers under the same God. Stretching this argument further, Islam maintains that no one race should be considered the chosen race, nor be considered superior than other races. Islam teaches that the individual should be one with God, therefore his or her thoughts and deeds should always be inspired by God. This oneness of God and of humanity was very emphatically expressed by Abu Hashim Madami, an Indian Sufi sage, when he said that â€Å"There is only one thing to be gained in life, and that is to remember God with each breath; and there is only one loss in life, and that is the breath drawn without the remembrance of God† (Fisher. 2005). Prophethood and the compass of Islam All the prophets from Abraham to Jesus Christ are honored, but they maintain that Muhammad was the last prophet sent by God with the final message. This means, therefore, that the Qur’an sums up all the messages from God so Islam should include all religions, including Christianity and Judaism which also trace their roots to Abraham (Fisher, 2005). Muslims believe that although God sent many messengers namely: â€Å"Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad,† the message He revealed to Muhammad was the final message intended for all of mankind (Robinson, 2007). Human relationship to the divine They believe that God created the universe for a specific purpose or purposes. To achieve His purpose/s, He set down particular laws to govern the actions of everybody. For this reason, Islam maintains that man could live in peace and prosperity only if he recognizes the laws which were set by God and faithfully abide by them. The set of laws of Islam is called the Sharia Law which has been derived from the Qur’an and the Sunna, which has been considered as the Islamic â€Å"custom or practice; particularly that associated with the exemplary life of the Prophet Muhammad, comprising his deeds and utterances as recorded in the hadith† (Robinson, 2007). Belief in the unseen life They accept the existence of the unseen life such as angels. Specifically, they believe in Gabriel, whom they have credited with bringing down the messages of God to humanity. Muhammad, for one, related that the revelations were sometimes brought to him by an angel in human form who would recite the Qur’anic passages to him. They likewise believe that Satan exists just as they believe that there are saints. Belief in the Last Judgment For them, the Last Judgment means that dead Muslims are allowed some rest before being raised from the grave for the final reckoning, after which the sinners and the unbelievers are sent to hell (Fisher. 2005). Those who lived their lives on earth believing in Allah and his prophets and messengers would enter paradise while â€Å"Agnostics, Atheists, Polytheists, and followers of non-Abrahamic religions† would be rejected. Entry into Paradise, according to Muslims, would likewise be denied to all those whose lives were dominated by â€Å"evil deeds† (Robinson, 2007). Central Teachings. (2017, May 29).

The motion of the Earth around the Sun and the effect of this in Essay

The motion of the Earth around the Sun and the effect of this in respect of temporal orientation - Essay Example The motion of the Earth around the Sun and the effect of this in respect of temporal orientation In the 18th and 19th century scientists discovered the Sun to be only one star among from an infinitesimal number of stars and in the 20th century it revealed that Milky Way is only one galaxy among the myriads of similar galaxies. Nowadays Einstein’s theory of relativity is universally accepted. Relying on the equivalence principle, it has become unnecessary to determine the centre of the Cosmos. In other words, one can elect either the Sun or the Earth to be the centre (or reference point) of the solar system. All we know, everything is in motion in the Universe. The Earth is spinning around its axis and moves on an orbit around the Sun. These motions cause the alternation of days and nights and that of seasons. Observing from the Earth it appears as if the Sun were moving in the sky, following a regular path on the celestial heaven. We call Ecliptic the apparent way the Sun makes in a year in the sky. More precisely, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane. The ecliptic plane contains the Earth’s mean orbital plane in the solar system. Except for two, most planets in the solar system are moving almost on the same plane, therefore these planets appear from the Earth always close to the Ecliptic. The two exceptions are Mercury and Pluto whose orbital planes deviate from the ecliptic plane by 7Â ° and 17Â °, resp.

Memorandum of Law Paper - Should men get paternity leave from work Essay

Memorandum of Law Paper - Should men get paternity leave from work - Essay Example Nonetheless, the giving men paternity leave should be considered necessary and healthy for the growth of the child at his or her earlier stages of growth as well as for the wife. Different nations often have different laws and regulations managing the paternity leave. Most countries offer paid parental leave that is immensely considered maternity leave. However, this kind of leave is only for employees who have worked in their current job or with their current employers for a certain period of time that is either specified by different labour laws or different company policies and regulations. The national laws usually vary significantly depending on the politics governing each jurisdiction. Before analysing the benefits of paternity leave either to the mother or the father, it is vital to analyse the existing child care policies (Einarsdo?ttir 85). Constitutionally, there are three vital child care policies that include the parental leave policies, child care policies, and early chi ldhood policies. The parental leave policies often assist the employed parents prior to giving birth. These policies require that the parents remain home for a period that they are able to take good care for the child once he or she is born. The main advantage of these policies is that they allow parents (who in most cases, is the mother) to prepare psychologically and materially for the coming of the child. Otherwise, they may be caught unaware, and such may lead to complications in many different ways. The child care policies targets at assisting parents in the non parental child care (Valdimarsdo?ttir 55). These policies are vital in subsidizing any type of care the parent may be will to select or rather public parenting programs. However, it should be noted that the child care programs serve the working and the non working parents. Finally, there are the early childhood benefits (English 23). These are new policies that have been initiated to support parents in all their day to day child care. In the United States, the government offers the early childhood benefits in the form of cash grants that aim at covering the costs for caring for infants and or toddlers. The United States among other countries including Liberia, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea are the only states in the entire globe that do not have national laws mandating paid time off for the parents expecting or having new born. However, in the United States, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) provides up to twelve weeks of potentially unpaid but job protected leave. This kind of leave also engulfs the parental leave, and it is usually provided to all American workers (Einarsdo?ttir 57). Therefore, provided that the provides unpaid leaves, men should be allowed parental leave to help in early childhood caring since the employer is not bound to any liability of time wastage or paying an employee for the time he never worked. It should be noted that the state of California never mandat es paid family leaves including parental leave for the same sex partners. Except of the above tensioned countries, many countries often offer more than ten paid weeks of maternity leave. Nearly 163 countries constitutionally give women paid maternity leave and the same leave should be given to men. It is necessary to note that parental leave is essential for both parents

Compare and contrast Karl Marx's and Max Weber's ideas about Essay

Compare and contrast Karl Marx's and Max Weber's ideas about capitalism. Which points does Weber against to Marx - Essay Example Class divisions persevere as a vital structural characteristic of modern human culture, influencing an individual’s life chances. The study of capitalism by both Marx and Weber related directly to its affect on society. Their works have been viewed by many as the basis by which the structure of society within a capitalist system is best comprehended and have become the subject of much sociological debate. Marxism theorizes that as capitalism persists, it exacerbates the misery level for working class individuals. The level of working class misery is termed only in relation to the distance between them and the capitalist classes and not meant to imply all persons of labour are necessarily unhappy. â€Å"†¦ although the enjoyments of the worker have risen, the social satisfaction that they give has fallen in comparison with the increased enjoyments of the capitalist. Our desires and pleasures spring from society; we measure them, therefore, by society and not by the objects which serve for their satisfaction† (Marx & Engels, 1968). The central concepts of Marxist economics include the theory of labour value, the disposition of production and the inevitable conflicts between the classes. Conflicts will always persist because the upper class can never totally control the lower classes. Lesser concepts include the idea of increased misery, the obsession with possessions and the consequences of economic alienation. Marx’s theories of labour value combined with his concepts of capitalism endeavour to clarify how the revenue system operates to the benefit of the upper classes and the detriment of the lower classes. Marx defines wealth as something produced by labour from resources originating in the natural world. In terms of capitalism, wealth becomes a vast accrual of possessions. Commodities are articles of wealth created solely as a means to exchange other objects so as to enhance wealth. The instruments of production such as factories,

Sports Psychology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sports Psychology - Research Paper Example ychology to these basics will dramatically improve the three key ingredients to a successful athletic program : fun, participation and development .† (Sports Psychology Basics PP2) He calls sports psychology â€Å"the glue that holds the three ingredients (mentioned above) together.† The first step in the psychological preparation for a sports person is to decide his commitment to the particular category of sports. Some people will engage in sports just for fun. Hence beyond the fun element the degree of commitment has to be decided first. One’s own skill in that particular sport or in the position in which one wants to play in a team is to be assessed next. Only after doing these can one set a goal to achieve. This goal is to be set up in the general backdrop of the goal of one’s life thus to prioritize the goals. Though goal setting is the most important first step many sports persons are found to be lousy in their attitudes towards goal setting. Mark Anderson in his book â€Å"Doing Sport Psychology† brings out this attitude thus: â€Å"I anticipate getting virtually all players to complete this first stage of goal setting quickly and efficiently. But players offer various explanations for not completing the goal sheets. The poor response rate is frustrating†¦..I view non compliance as a form of resistance.† (PP 94) The goal should be set in a measurable manner with dates, times and amounts all fixed precisely. Only a measurement of the achievement can give psychological satisfaction. The performance should be the criteria of the measurement and not the outcome of the performance, that’s winning or failing, which could be due to lots of external factors like bad judgment or bad weather conditions. One must be able to ignore all the rewards and fame that would come along with winning and concentrate on one’s performance and its measurements. For this one has to set specific goals and not unrealistically high or conveniently low ones. Correct goal

Post-modern Performing Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Post-modern Performing Art - Essay Example One feature of recognizing dance as a performing art is recognizing its evanescence. Once we accept the transience of dance in this sense, we must still acknowledge its permanence: that the very same dance can be re-performed at some later date. But that fact itself must be explained. And if we want to understand the performing arts a little better here, it is first necessary to say something about the arts more generally. The critic writes an interpretation of a work of art—a poem, a painting or a dance. These interpretations are centrally, often exclusively, verbal in character, even when they are interpretations of dance or music. We call these ‘critic’s interpretations’. Second, there is the interpretation of the performer in a performing art. The performer is irrelevant to what the work of art (in a performing art) means, although my earlier remarks may have tended in that direction. It is not as though something that could be interpreted by the critic is instead interpreted by the performer. Rather, whenever the critic confronts the work of art itself (rather than the score, say) he necessarily confronts something already interpreted by some performer, if this is a work in a performing art. Works in the performing arts come, as we have seen, with a label reading ‘And now perform it’. The content of such a label is always relevant to the meaning of such-and-such a work of art. For only in performance is a token of that type-work available for criticism. The performer’s interpretation does not really.... But that fact itself must be explained. And if we want to understand the performing arts a little better here, it is first necessary to say something about the arts more generally. The critic writes an interpretation of a work of art-a poem, a painting or a dance. These interpretations are centrally, often exclusively, verbal in character, even when they are interpretations of dance or music. We call these 'critic's interpretations'. Second, there is the interpretation of the performer in a performing art. The performer is irrelevant to what the work of art (in a performing art) means, although my earlier remarks may have tended in that direction. It is not as though something that could be interpreted by the critic is instead interpreted by the performer. Rather, whenever the critic confronts the work of art itself (rather than the score, say) he necessarily confronts something already interpreted by some performer, if this is a work in a performing art. Works in the performing arts come, as we have seen, with a label reading 'And now perform it'. The content of such a label is always relevant to the meaning of such-and-such a work of art. For only in performance is a token of that type-work available for criticism. This means that the performer's interpretation does not really constitute a level of interpretation at all. For one cannot confront the work of art except in this 'interpreted' form. So speaking of the dance/language analogy, and of the linguistic character of our understanding, emphasizes that the place at which the meanings of dances are most readily located is in discussions of those dances, that is to say, in the linguistic element which is

My English skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My English skills - Essay Example In these lessons and portfolios, I was taught on how to effectively present my ideas and communicate messages in a clear manner. It had been a difficult task for me as I was an international student. It was not my joy to watch my colleagues advancing their education by being facilitated by their ability to communicate effectively in English. I put all necessary efforts by practicing what we were taught in class and making narrative notes. The verbal cues of communication and English learning were always at my reach. We gave a response of about 2 million minutes assignments. This was aimed at increasing our capacity to respond to emerging issues in English. I was a good team player in all assignments that required group participation. My enthusiasm and determination fueled my capability to soar to great heights of communicating in English. I periodically consulted our teachers to seal my loopholes that emanate in every new tactic taught in English. It was not a short journey as I had to overcome many challenges in shaping our capabilities of communicating in English (Onyx, 2010). Some professors, who are fully cognizant of the onus ahead of us, have not been considering that English is not our first language. They have been talking too fast and using deep vocabularies that serve to scare us instead of increasing our morale in leaning the new language. The assistant teacher has been helping us to understand the difficult situation that we face in learning English language (Onyx, 2010).

Critical report to chief executive officer Essay

Critical report to chief executive officer - Essay Example source management, in the simplest sense can be defined as â€Å"getting things done through people.† This function of management has been in place throughout the history of mankind yet it is irrefutable that this function has evolved to incorporate significant developments. With these revolutions the focus shifted from how â€Å"get things done through people† to â€Å"getting people do things† for the company’s utmost benefit. This signals an alteration of the management perception of the human resource. Nowadays, there is a global recognition of the crucial role played by employees in attaining the goals of an organization as well as responsibility of management to harness the full potential of its workforce. This suggests the increasing role of the human resource department of becoming more involved and participating in the strategy making of the firm. The importance of human resource can never be overstated. John Purcell further highlighted the importance of employees in his research which emphasized the huge role played by the company’s workforce as â€Å"strategic partners.† This research strongly supports the highly economist viewpoint of Grant (2002: 219) of â€Å"aligning employees with organizational goals.† Schuler and Jackson (1987) gave a more precise description on how management should â€Å"align† their workforce to support the company crafted strategy. Their conclusion was: If management chooses a competitive strategy of differentiation through product innovation, this would call for high levels of creative, risk-orientated and cooperative behaviour. The company’s HR practices would therefore need to emphasise †¦ â€Å"selecting highly skilled individuals, giving employees more discretion, using minimal controls, making greater investment in human resources, providing more resources for experimentation, allowing and even rewarding failure and appraising performance for its long run implications† – on the other hand if management wants to

Laundry detergent Essay Example for Free

Laundry detergent Essay A ballad A ballad is a rhyming narrative poem written in a form that can be sung to music. Ballads most often use the rhyme scheme abcb. This means that in a group of four lines, the second line rhymes with the fourth one. The first and third line do not rhyme. Heres part of a ballad by William Blake (1757-1827). I have written the letters a, b, and c to mark the end rhymes. The Maiden caught me in the Wild,(a) Where I was dancing merrily;(b) She put me into her Cabinet,(c) And Lockd me up with a golden key. (b) Poem types write a ballad! Topic ideas: A time you fell in love at first sight or thought you did. A car accident. A time you received bad news. Dont tell the reader how you felt about the news. Instead, show the details of the place and situation where you heard the news, doing this in a way that expresses your feelings. Think of how, in movies, the camera zooms in on objects to create a mood. See if you can do the same thing in the poem. A Definition Of Poetry What is poetry? The question What is poetry used to be easier to answer. If it rhymed and had a regular meter (a type of rhythm), it probably was a poem. As they say, If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck. † These days, not all poems rhyme or fit into standard forms. And if you look for a response to the question, What is poetry? youll find lots of musings about how extremely important and meaningful poetry is, how its the true essence of our world, the oxygen that keeps us alive, etc. Some of this is interesting, but most of it isnt very helpful if what youre looking for is an actual explanation. One reason why its so hard to get a straight answer on the subject is that people disagree about what should and shouldnt be considered poetry. Here are some general differences between poetry and prose (prose is writing thats not poetry), that you can use as a practical definition of poetry. Definition of poetry line structure: The easiest way to recognize poetry is that it usually looks like poetry (remember what they say about ducks). While prose is organized with sentences and paragraphs, poetry is normally organized into lines. Heres part of a poem by Robert Herrick (1591–1674). See how it looks like poetry? Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying: And this same flower that smiles to-day To-morrow will be dying. The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, The higher he s a-getting, The sooner will his race be run, And nearer he s to setting. Now heres the same part of the poem, organized in a paragraph as if it were prose. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying: and this same flower that smiles to-day to-morrow will be dying. The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, the higher he s a-getting, the sooner will his race be run, and nearer he s to setting. If you print a page in prose, the ends of the lines depend on where the margin is. With a bigger font size or a bigger margin, the lines are shorter. But in poetry, the poet decides where the lines end. This choice is an essential part of how we hear and see a poem. It affects how fast or slowly we read, and where we pause when were reading. It causes certain words to stand out more or less. It affects the way the poem looks to us on the page; for example, is there a lot of white space, giving us a feeling of lightness and air, or are the words packed solidly together? Definition of poetry importance of physical aspects of language: Poetry, more than prose, communicates through the way the words sound and way the poem looks on the page. Think of how music can make us feel things angry, irritable, peaceful, sad, triumphant. Poems work in the same way, but instead of sound and rhythm created by instruments, they use the sound and rhythm of words. In songs with good lyrics, the melody combines with the words to create an intense feeling. Similarly, in poetry, thesound of the words works together with their meaning for more emotional impact. The look of the poem on the page adds still another dimension. Some poems have smooth shapes, some have delicate shapes, some have heavy, dense shapes. The breaks in the lines lead our eyes to certain areas. There are even poems with shapes that intentionally imitate what the poem is about, for example, a poem about a waterfall could have lines that trickle down the page. Definition of Poetry concentrated language: The words in poems are doing several jobs at the same time. They do one thing with their meaning, and another thing with their sound. Even their meaning may be working on more than one level. An important characteristic of poetry is compression, or concentrated language. I dont mean concentrated in the sense of paying close attention. I mean it in the sense of concentrated laundry detergent, or concentrated orange juice. A half-cup of concentrated laundry detergent does the same work as a cup of regular detergent; a poem typically gets across as much meaning as a larger amount of prose. Concentrated orange juice has the water taken out; a good poem has similarly been intensified by removing the non-essential words. This is one reason why poems are often short. Definition of poetry emotional or irrational connection: Prose normally talks to the logical part of the readers mind. It explains and describes things; it makes sense. Poetry does all this too, but it also tends to work at an emotional or irrational level at the same time. Often, some part of a poem seems to speak directly to the readers emotions. It gives readers a peaceful feeling or an eerie feeling, goosebumps, or it makes them want to cry, even though they may not be sure why they are reacting this way. One way that poems do this is through the use of sound. Poems also tend to suggest things beyond what they actually say; often what causes the strongest emotions is not what the poem describes, but what it make the reader imagine. Some parts of poems come like dreams from deep places in the mind that even the poet may not understand, and they touch something similarly deep in the reader. A few quotes on the definition of poetry Percy Bysshe Shelley: Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar. Here, Shelley points out an important aspect of poetry, which is to find fresh ways of looking at things we think we know well. Sir Philip Sidney: Poetry is a speaking picture This idea emphasizes the physical aspect of a poem, that its a piece of artwork made out of words. Adrienne Rich: Poetry is above all a concentration of the power of language, which is the power of our ultimate relationship to everything in the universe. She means concentrated in the sense of concentrated laundry detergent. Language, she says, is our way of relating to the universe. So by strengthening language, poetry strengthens our relationship with the universe. Jean Cocteau: Poetry is indispensible if I only knew what for.

A safe Choice-but her only choice Essay Example for Free

A safe Choice-but her only choice Essay James Joyces short story Eveline sets the stage for a time between adolescence and maturity. Written in 1914, which was four years short of the womens suffrage in Ireland, the storys protagonist, Eveline, is largely influenced by the feminist issues. Since she has little control over her life, Eveline has grown accustomed to a routine life. She is paralyzed from the thought of leaping into a new path. Eveline faces two extremes: a miserable home life or a dramatic escape to an uncertain future. Both extremes she deals with involve a man controlling her life. Living in the early 1900s women did not have the opportunity to be independent. No matter which path she chooses, she would still answer to a man. She lives in a male-dominated world in which she is stripped of choice and emotion. She is helpless against the way her life is heading. Considering this, one cannot blame her for choosing to stay home because it was not much of a choice, and she has never made an independent choice of her own. If she left with Frank, her lover, then there could be the possibility of danger. â€Å"She felt him seize her hand† (Joyce 7). Joyce’s choice of diction â€Å"seize† tells the audience that Eveline’s guard is up because she knows how a man can be abusive. She saw this with her mother and father and wants to have a life different from her mother but cannot. Furthermore, psychologically, Eveline cannot move towards Frank because she was exposed to a life of domestic violence, which her mother and older brothers endured. She knows how violent a man who at times can be even kind, funny, and sweet. â€Å"She remembered her father putting on her mother’s bonnet to make the children laugh† (Joyce 6). That same man turns into an aggressive, ruthless man who selfishly makes his daughter feel guilty about herself. On the other hand, she has known him her entire life. Her older brothers used to take the beating and now that they are not there â€Å"†¦he had begun to threaten her and say what he would do to her for only her dead mother’s sake† (Joyce 4-5). If she has gone 19 years without a beating, then there would be a good chance of his threats as just talk. Since he says, he will not hit her for â€Å"her dead mother’s sake,† then one would think he would honor his word for the respect of his deceased wife. All of Eveline’s life has revolved around her family. She runs her household domestically and works for a living in which all her earnings wind up with her father. In addition, she manages to care for her two younger siblings seeing them to school and preparing dinner. Since the death of her mother, she took over domestically and maternally with no choice. Her mother, on her deathbed, made Eveline â€Å"promise to keep the home together as long as she could† (Joyce 6). By doing so her mother has caused another obstacle Eveline must face in order to leave, that is the guilt of a broken promise. As any good daughter would, she stays to fulfill her vow. This vow gives Eveline another excuse to stay home and carry out her routine life. In addition, Eveline knows the difficulties of her life but she still prefers it. Joyce explains Eveline’s view of her life â€Å"†¦a hard life but now that she was about to leave it she didn’t find it a wholly undesirable life† (5). Any modern day daughter with those responsibilities would find that a very undesirable life, but Eveline changing her mind about leaving shows the reader how she cannot bear to abandon her family and this life, which has been the only thing, she has known her whole life. Because compared to an unknown destiny, Eveline would much rather stay home and be miserable because she would expect this. Being a woman with little say in her everyday life, the present opportunity is new to her, and she cannot make a major decision on her own because she has never had to. Eveline has been given an opportunity to flee home in hopes of happiness, but she could not risk a life of uncertainty. Frank, a sailor, offers a chance of happiness to her and â€Å"†¦she had begun to like him† (Joyce 6). Eveline says that she â€Å"like(s)† him; not loves. Can their â€Å"like† for one another be enough to survive in the New World? Joyce says that Eveline â€Å"begun† meaning she barely knew if she was interested in him not if she was ready for a lifetime commitment. Eveline’s upbringing influences her adult decisions because she has never known anything but Ireland. The fear of leaving home is essentially, why she doubts Frank. A future with him is not set in stone; thus, it cannot be. As one might foreshadow, â€Å"she chooses the hell she knows rather than the possible hell of the unknown† (Rogers 172). Hell here symbolizes the men and she would much rather be with the familiar than the unfamiliar. She likes to play it safe because if Frank turns out to be the worst, then where will she go since going back home is not an option. As they are ready to begin this epic adventure in her life, Eveline believes that â€Å"†¦he would drown her. She gripped with both hands at the iron railing† (Joyce 7). The first part â€Å"he would drown her† meaning he would not save her from this wretched life. This is a change of setting from the window seal to the sea. The window was sturdy, whereas, the sea is constantly moving. She is unable to adjust to this new path because she believes Frank cannot guarantee a life better than her home. â€Å"She gripped with both hands at the iron railing† symbolizes her paralysis. The iron railing signifies the home ground and she grips on the rail for dear life. Her actions tell the reader how fearful she is to leave her homeland. Eveline does not want to depart the only thing she has known. Eveline’s life is routine from the footsteps in front of her house to turning her wages to her father every week. â€Å"But Eveline†¦ perceives any and every change as a loss†¦ she knows this with her head, her heart rejects it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rogers 171- 172). Eveline cannot seem to grasp the changes around her as a positive because deep inside her she knows where she must be, at home. Meeting Frank was a change to her and instead of embracing it; she ultimately fears it. Even, if staying home will most likely lead to a miserable life one like her mother’s, she would because she cannot accept change. Today, most young women have not had to endure a â€Å"life of commonplace sacrifices† (Joyce 6). Sadly, Eveline has no choice but to stick to the familiar and steer away from any fickle opportunities. If Joyce set the setting during a modern era, then Eveline would be more aware of the opportunities there are now. Furthermore, the world today has come along way and is not as male-dominated as before.

Developing Nature in Architecture

Developing Nature in Architecture Nature is not what it used to be. Or at least that is what we may think, when we look at the way humans and their technologies have treated nature. When we speak of nature, however, we are essentially talking about our relationship with nature, never nature itself. What we refer to as nature or natural has always been as much about what we see, as it is about what we think is out there. And trying to bring nature into view is equally ambivalent. Images of nature cannot be taken at face value either. It is not the straightforward case of what we see, is what we get. What is at stake are our cultural perceptions of nature. In viewing nature we can only talk about what we call nature.(Michiel Schwarz,2005) To the extreme, to differentiate what is nature and what is not is always a matter of contention. Of course, nature will always be something that can be looked at, literally. The relationship between nature and culture can catch the attention of human in which the opinions and requirement of human towards nature are being changed and distorted. Thinking of arbitrary designing method is available in architecture; people actually play a passive role in their own space. Firstly, we must refuse the arbitrary imparting of uprooted greenery in design, then regain and give back the original characteristics to nature by creating a pathway in between inside (architectural) and outside (environmental) for humans to play an initiative role in approaching nature. Nowadays, people are more likely to stay in the architectural interior space than in the nature. Because of that, architects and designers just simply apply the greenery into the space and create so-called green architecture. But that is actually a kind of artificial design, and it will mislead the human to the perceptions of nature. Nature doesnt have a design problem. People do. Instead of using nature as a Mere tool for human purposes; we can strive to become tools of nature that serve its agenda too. What would it mean to become, once again, native to this place, the Earth the home of all our relations? (William McDonough and Michael Braungart, Cradle-to-Cradle) Its a challenge for designer to design a habitat for people and create a rich communication with surrounding natural sources within the living space. People will have to evaluate what nature actually is, in order to have a common view on that, it tends to give a justice to space instead of adopting the ideas of arbitrary design by imparting uprooted greenery into interior space. If not, nature will just become an object as part of human design in this age of genetic engineering, artificial beaches, virtual environment or uprooted greenery for decoration purposes. Regrettably, people will soon forget about the spirit and the value of the real nature and occupied by all the fake surface of nature. Body Sometimes, people will loose the idea of the original and change according to human perception. It may be hard to draw a line between these two boundaries. It is interesting to combine these two things together and have a discussion over it. Natures open-ended completion by architecture and the landscapes fundamental openness to architectural rewriting indicates unfolding of nature into culture through landscape, architecture and technology is the move from first to second nature. It may be seen as unfair to the human and nature itself when everyone imparts the artificial greenery in the space and that is so called sustainable green design. (Fig.1,2) Those small countries with limited space like Japan, architects try to maximize the interior living space and creating interior garden within the house. People tend to stay in the space and seldom approach to the outside world. An alternative approach is to differentiate between natural and artificial processes. Some processes can take place as a result of human action; but not others. For example, water flowing is a natural process; bathing is an artificial one. In this view, cultural processes are the clear result of purposeful human action; invention and control of the human will result in the culture. Some question may be pop out: Will there be any needs for functional buildings or spaces that aimed to be success as a decorative nature objects? The feeling of the users will be influenced by the concern for the nature and artificial green object directly. But, does such an aesthetic response show us the responsibility of the designers or do justice to either beauty or design? A beautiful world is what a human being pursues in their mind. So, it did urge us to design for the dwellings and tools are seemed as old as humanity. The problem is that the real aesthetics of nature are being forgotten by human being and only stay inside the spaces and play with the uprooted greenery. This becomes a requirement of people instead of the original meaning of the nature and the interaction between human and environment itself. The deeper side of beauty is the knowledge of living truth as an ongoing process of creation that is hard to understand. This is the beauty of inner purpose that emerges to our amazement because we try to discover those new things. The perception of an old nature is just getting more and more basically nurtures. Another question for this: Whether opposite equal to possible or impossible? The optimistic thinkers will probably believe that the control over the nature will continue until we get used with that and cannot waive it off. On the contrary, we can have our own dominant nature and the way people imparting nature in the spaces is an illusion. Nature will keep on changing with the footstep of human governs nature. The boundaries between nature and culture will never change. Thanks again to the science and technology, which blurred the line between nature and culture and abandon the real nature and separate them with the human being. The natural setting in our world make the space become compelling, it is because that it provides such a rich source of these properties, and the site specific architectural design takes advantage from each of the part. Interior materials, colors, patterns, textures, and artwork will draw the qualities and features of the architecture and landscape inside enhancing a seamless interior/exterior sensory experience. But, it is not telling us to use the same materials, but rather materials that consist of the qualities and features most derived from the architecture and the landscape. By integrating the natural elements of the site into the form of the architecture itself, human being will have the chance of experiencing the unique relationships between inside and outside from multiple perspectives as we move from space to space within the space. Furthermore, the boundaries of indoor rooms and outdoor spaces among visual and physical can be dissolving into a mosaic of inside-outside spaces. By using the walls and wings of the space to define outdoor rooms, the experience of living is extended into a sheltered natural environment. For this, both distant views and views of nearby nature are essential. Distant views link us with the nature of the site, while nearby nature links us to the confusion and immediate sensory pleasures of the design instead of move the nature into the space to approach the human being. We have no longer an outside and an inside as two separate things. Now the outside may come inside and the inside may and does go outside. They are of each other. Form and function thus become one in design and execution if the nature of material and method and purpose are all in unison. (Wright 1954 p.50) By the way, world and nature can be seeing as in the same level; there is no still form. Every form in becoming alive should move Man. Nature is the only source for architecture to keep on moving. Living architecture is used to enhance the spirit of human being and change the architecture into a living being. There are many ways of imparting nature to architecture, it is necessary to differentiate between two approaches: one which uses nature as a composing element and one favors leaving nature as much as possible untouched or as element of worship. This first result in ignorance and bring down the characteristics of nature; the second approach will influence directly to the separation among the built and unbuilt environment, or to stimulate human feeling and thinking by the organic architecture. When we discuss about imparting greenery into space and design, we will link to Biophilic design, which coined in 1984 by a Harvard biologist, Edward O. Wilson, to elaborate what he thought the inherent human attraction to nature: Incorporates real or simulated natural elements in an effort to promote well being. It is a quirky, lesser-known cousin of green design, and is concerned more with speaking to our emotions, our ancient genetic predilections, probably fundamental, for interaction with a natural world. Unlike green design, it is more focus on energy and protects natural resources, but not focuses on sustainable building practices. In another hand, Biophilic design is more concerned with appearances and natures relaxing effect. (Edward O. Wilson, 1984) Biophilic architecture is a part of a new concept in architecture, that work intensively with human health, ecology and sustainability precepts, such as integral part of architectural formation which must be in optimal proportion with other buildings material. However, the interpretation and final implementation of Biophilic design must have a regional dimension with regard to environment and culture. In accurate, there are twelve attributes identified, including color, water, air, sunlight, plants, animals, natural materials, views and vistas, faà §ade greening, landscape, habitats and fire. Human design has made nature more natural than natural: it is now becoming kind of hypernatural. Actually, this will never exist. It has surpassed the real thing; hypernatural nature is always just a little bit prettier, slicker and safer compared to the old kind. Lets be honest: its actually culture. The more we learn to control trees, animals, atoms and the climate, the more they lose their natural character and enter into the realms of culture. So, next nature will be start from cultural products that is complex and we can only integrate them with man-nature relationship. (Stephen R. Kellert) The basic dimension of Biophilic design is a place-based or vernacular dimension; it can be described as buildings and landscapes that connect to the culture and ecology of a locality or geographic area. Sense, spirit of place, underscoring how buildings and landscapes of meaning to people are the dimensions that become integral to their individual and collective identities, metaphorically transforming inanimate matter into something that feels lifelike and often sustains life. People want to experience the sensory, emotional, and spiritual satisfactions that can be obtained only from an intimate interplay, indeed from identification with the places in which they live. This interplay and identification generate the spirit of the place. The environment acquires the attributes of a place through the fusion of the natural and human order. (Rene Dubos, 1980,110) Human always connects theirs sensory such as physical, visual, material between interiors and nature. Compared to nature, most of the built environments support somewhat shallow and limited experiences, while Biophilic design can fulfill all of the senses fullyfor example like walking along the beach, camping in the forest, or watching sunrise. It is an active experience that awakens us every moment that we are living and going on with our daily life. Distinction between sustainable design (or green design) and Biophilic design can be considered as a challenge for the designers as it indicates how they can address the method to incorporate into our spaces. There are two primary reasons for Biophilic design in architecture; first, the clear ideas of benefits link with human performance, emotional well being, learning, stress reduction and healing. Secondly, from the environment viewpoint, it is an effort to eliminate pollution and greater protection to support clean environment. Frankly, health and healing are the clear ideas of benefits that are given by the Biophilic design. In advance, contacting with nature involves exposure to natural light or sunlight, yet another pain-reduction mechanism may come into play. When these advantages are known and agreed by the human, they will just have to try to impart greenery in the design as much as possible. From an environmental viewpoint, to inspire interest and appreciate nature, to incorporate Biophilic design features and elements in spaces are essential. This appreciation can be explained as a motivation for people to care for the environment and at the same time to protect it. Coming to the resolution of conflicts and achieving balance of Biophilic design link the connection with nature has been found to enhance healing and recovery from illness. Likewise, it also reduces health problems as well as social problems. Even the presence of limited amounts of vegetation such as grass and trees has been regarded as an adaptive behavior. The missing link in current sustainable design is a basic that will narrow down the focus on avoiding harmful environmental impacts. Low environmental impact design fails to address the critical needs equally of diminishing human separation from nature, enhancing positive connection with environmental processes and this important objective of Biophilic design. Human being may neglect some of the part in terms of modern architecture and construction, a condition the eminent architectural historian Vincent Scully described in this way: The relationship of manmade structures to the natural world, has been neglected by architecture. There are many reasons for this. Foremost among them, is the blindness of the contemporary urban world to everything that is not itself, to nature most of all. Lacking of experience is the main cause for this blindness; it indicates and reveals the illogical and self-defeating results of designing in oppositional relation to the natural environment. (Vincent Scully, 1991:11) So, by creating the element for example likes windows, doors, voids, and opening, those elements can support the space and connect it to the outside environment. Windows are very important for the interior spaces; they ensure access to views, daylight, sunlight, fresh air, outdoor spaces and activities, seasons, natures sounds, smells, and life. Windows help to connect building occupants with a richness that may be critical to the individual and at the same time, they also offer those outside building with a level of transparency, oversight, and contact with lifes activities that is critical to community. While a direct connection from the indoors to the natural diversity of outdoor places may be critical for human health and inspiration, the direct connection from outdoors to inside is equally critical. Windows reveal the spirit of place, as an important element for the spaces window act as a mirror of nature. The view of the nature outside or even the reflection of the environment being created by human is in a way non-arbitrarily defined as in between inside and outside. It incorporates a threshold whereby a strong dialogue between the inside and outside occurs with a unique in-between experience as the result. In human relationship with nature, we can also gain invaluable models from non-arbitrary architecture for current design education by showing an architecture that derives from and speaks to human beings existence in the world. By using this method, it shows a great planning and developing for the content of site, many opportunities can be get and created for human to view and approach the outside nature. Instead of applying greenery in the interior space as design tool, the in between transition space of inside and outside enhance the relationship of architectural spaces and environmental nature surrounds. By the way, the natural symbols can help us to think about how our buildings might be made more thoughtful instead of telling us on how to build.   Moreover, a deep understanding is more important when come to the question of creating a non-arbitrary architecture grounded in human being-in-the-world. The philosopher Karsten Harries writes that a key task of architecture is interpreting the world as a meaningful order in which the individual can find his place in the midst of nature and in the midst of a community. Harries argues that, too often, buildings dont respond to the needs of human dwelling because they are made arbitrarily instead of being let to arise out of the real-world requirements of particular people, places and landscapes. To give an annotation to human life, design both listen and incorporate nature and culture can be part of a non-arbitrary architecture. Harries claims that one need in creating a non-arbitrary architecture understands what he calls natural symbols: The underlying patterns of experience that mark the essential qualities of human nature and life, for example, qualities of direction, of weight, of materiality, of light and so forth. Natural symbols often express themselves in lived dialectics like up and down, vertical and horizontal, and center and boundary. (Harries 1993) Thus, architects and designers play an important role to explore the nature symbols in between the living spaces and environment, which will provide and enhance the dialogue between human and nature. The creation of an inside automatically shapes an outside, which then relates to inside into a dialectic relationship. Inside establishes physical security and safety from natures elements and societys demands and also facilitates a sense of identity for the person and group. In fact, eye catching interior spaces in the built environment often appear to have a connection with the outside environment. These areas indicate the changing of nature with culture. Furthermore, impressive design forms in the built environment that shows its quality in terms of porches, foyers, atriums, and interior gardens. So, the relationship within inside and outside bound of the areas is the criteria that we need to take into consideration. As a result, it makes the continuity linkage for it strongly. To show the familiarity and predictability, the connection to the geographic of an area must be secured. An example is the case study of Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright, which creates a powerful sense of insideness and is expressed in roughly; cladded stonewalls to melt the architecture space in the nature outside. In a contrasting way, the transparency of glass windows opens inside to outside and thereby connects the two spaces. In-betweeness involves a place neither inside nor out. It incorporates a threshold whereby a strong dialogue between the inside and outside occurs with a unique in-between experience as the result. (Fig.3) The fusion of interior and exterior-the cave and the clearing- so that the two melded and flowed together was Wrights great achievement, so of his contemporaries worked with the same way of opening the house to the outside world. In spite of his own rhetoric, Wright knew that an architecture that ignores the images of both cave and clearing is invalid, and he incorporated this knowledge into his finest work. The other example will be the famous house designed by Le Corbusier near Paris, Ville Savoy. The visible wall is at the other side of the interior courtyard. The ambiguity between the functional wall of glass and the visible wall is confusing and inharmonious. The developing technology of the twentieth century was regarded with a peculiar romantic fervor by architects. (Fig.4) By using nature as a component and mostly invisible, abstract one if a residential or urban complex is in the chaos of the citys built environment and borrowed nature if the building is embedded in unspoiled, open sites. The spirit of the nature will not appear itself automatically. Nature is an addition when it comes to unite the human and natural worlds and pay attention to revealing natures will as well as human souls embedded in nature. My goal has not been to communicate with nature as it is, but rather to try to change the meaning of nature through architecture by rendering nature abstract through architecture. All of my works are trying to create the confrontation between architecture and nature.'(Tadao Ando) On account of the boundary of spaces, people will also shows their strong feeling over it where they cherish the delineated spaces within the build environment, it helps to enhance the knowledge of clear and consistent boundaries and place demarcations. For that reason, how can the design itself create a pathway in between inside and outside so that the architectural space offers people to approach the outside nature instead of impart greenery arbitrarily? Architects should maintain a certain ambiguity and an unwillingness to entirely dissolve the boundary between culture and nature. It does so, not only through its visual identity, through a negotiation between emergence and disappearance, but more particularly through the contrast between the visual and the spatial realm, where one is simultaneously part of and distanced from the external environment. In advance, comfort can be gained through transitional spaces within and between built and natural environments by providing access from one area to another; hence, thresholds, portals, doors, bridges, and fenestration are the main factors of a built environment. Therefore, the transitional area in the space will be the boundaries among the interior space with the outside environment. Positively, people are showing their concern to the natural and built environments when variability has been united by integrated and patterned wholes. Moreover, people prefer in natural and built environments the feeling that breaks apart including an overall emergent property consisting of to the sun of the individual parts. The threshold not only separates and binds human beings; it also connects the private, intimate realm to an outside, public, workaday world. Interior space can be described as a magnet that can be found around us in any of the direction to which they can bring home with their gathered experience. The threshold that both disjoin and integrate an inside and outside sets in exercise a momentum of leave-taking and homecoming that sets the temporal rhythm of work and play, of an active and ruminative life. An interior space can be shown from that and it cannot exist apart from the path leading from its doorsteps to the doorsteps of another space and another realm. This pathway not only connects to interior spaces but also links a to a world that we know. (Fig.5) Human beings can interact with nature only if the urban geometry permits such interactions. In addition to visual line-of-sight, we pay attention to pedestrian access and the in between transition spaces. Having some uprooted plant life available is only first step: we need to make it accessible to pedestrians and design an environment in which such an interaction can be maintained and connected. Frequently, ornamental plants may be seen but not approached. We must create gardens that are physically hostile environment for the pedestrian. Pathways are exposed in the middle of this space, between the interior spaces and the forbidden green lawn. Private lawns are out-of-bounds, while any bushes and trees form a protective wall around a house, instead of belonging to the public land. We have to question this habit, breaking up outside environment into inside architectural spaces crisscrossed by paths. The other example that shows how transition spaces can define the space and function is The Museum of Modern Art in Ney York City. The Museum is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City designed by Yoshio Taniguchi. (Fig.6) In Taniguchis MoMA design, the primary elements that internalize external space are vast windows that bring aspects of the city into the building, creating a layered effect that loosens the intensity and simplicity inherent in the modernist elements, and also declares the act of viewing art to be part of a multifaceted urban lifestyle. Transition spaces as a connector in between every separated space. It is important to create a passage in between different defined function of space. These corridor or verandah design can be a breathing place for people before entering another space. People used to be the participant in the space when theres physical access to outside by the solid walls but everything changed after the glass being used and applied. Visually, the solid wall was replaced by glass. The consequent interaction between the interaction between the interior space and the outside world is the most striking change to be noted in the design of contemporary buildings. So, how to create a new design modular system to solve the problem of people being an observer in the space nowadays? The very traditional layout and volumes of the house is connected and less of opening. So by creating an internal corridor/ verandah in the space can bring in the natural lighting and good in air ventilation. The principle of separating the volumes applied by the rearranging of independent volumes. (Fig.7) This figure is a diagram that experimented based on an existing house and show how the concept of separating volumes can be created by add in the internal corridor. People can enjoy different spaces and lifestyle, but not fixing the dwelling space. The volumes have a free layout but are connected by linear corridor and verandah elements. The verandah itself becomes a transition area between volumes and rooms. It separated the volumes and creates a additional distance for people to transit. The points of transition, in the old time design or architecture, provided physical passage as well as visual access. Until recently, the windows and doors were always operable and were required for ventilation. System of mechanical air circulation made it possible to have visual access to the outside world without direct physical access, and visual access to the outside world without direct physical access, and people experience exterior/surrounding space in most apartment buildings, hotels, and office structures passively, as an observer, not a participant. For this environmental isolation we will unavoidable pay a price. How can an architect achieve the Biophilic design by taking into consideration the elements/ structures that are placed in between interior and exterior? For example the sheltered structure is designed to decrease the direct sun coming in the interior space by creating the sun break. The very first step towards passive Biophilic design is to reflect upon the energy distribution in the building form and volume. Distribution of the energy needs to correspond to the function and activity of those spaces. (Fig.8) The advantages of natural cooling for human comfort and long-term health should be compared to the impact of variable and constant cold air blown through diffusers. The quantity and quality of outdoor air that can be delivered through natural cooling should be compared to that delivered by a range of mechanical systems, over time. Conclusion A bioregional approach to sustainable habitat design considers local origin a fundamental to its architectural methodologies, played out especially in the types of construction materials used and the source of these materials. (Fig.9) Biophilic exposure as well as passive and active solar hear gain. So the iterative process in sustainable development become very important for a bioregional built environment. The design related strategies included outdoor comfort/ ventilation and solar access/ sky exposure. An important consideration is user and pedestrian comfort. Studies of transition spaces assist designers in minimizing negatives wind effect while maximizing beneficial ventilation conditions. Some of these typically wind effects and their counter strategy applied, are: tunnel effect, downdraft, redirection, tear of edges and acceleration. Real curtains are an important part of the design, to nuance the outdoor light or define indoor spaces. (Fig.10) This figure shows how the form and opening of the blocks can affect to the daily natural lighting and air ventilation within the space. The requirements for solar and light access and sky exposure can be met on several different levels-right of way width, dwelling orientation, building faà §ade reflectivity, heights and massing, distribution of function and glazing percentage. To create new modular principles for define the new balance between the arbitrary design and non-arbitrary design in sustainability context. By balancing the openness and refuge/ sheltered element in the living space with an increased ability to view out and feel connected to others in the environment could be the better solution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Due to the different situation and local context, just like Singapore that is lacking of natural elements and limited possibility of natural views, we should have certain methodologies and principles to guide and achieve the Biophilic Design. So there is many constraints and guideline for architects or designers to study and analyze before design. With well study of the site context and environment surrounded the building, can easily enjoy the benefit from the natural world. From the orientation of the buildings, form study and even every single opening can actually create a robust connection in between human, nature and space. So, there is no other way to approach nature world within architectural space only by applying the elements and attributes of Biophilic Design. Those artificial greenery and arbitrary way of imparting fake nature will only stop people to approach nature and forget about what is the real nature. Therefore, there is no artificial production and solution for people to approach nature within the architectural space but only a physical access/connector from inside to outside. And the transition pathway between inside and outside is the important role and the elements to encourage people approach the surrounding environment. Architects or designer should study the site condition and apply the attributes of Biophilic Design to enhance the living standard and create a robust connection between nature, people and space.

Denmarks Coffee Industry :: essays research papers

Strengths •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Government control of coffee market has consumer confidence high •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Denmark has no restrictions on capital transfers. Denmark adheres to EU rules on the liberation of capital movements. Also Denmark has no foreign exchange restrictions. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Political violence is unknown in Denmark •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Corruption is generally unknown in Denmark. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After oil, coffee is the most traded and valued commodity in the world. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Scandinavian countries (Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden) consume between 8 and 11 kilos per capita, per annum. This is the highest level of coffee consumption in the world. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This expansion could strengthen a coffee shop’s global presence and also minimize risk. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Danish currency, the Danish Krone (DKK), is pegged to the Euro. Weaknesses •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Denmark citizens may not acquire a taste for an American coffee, which in turn could lead to diminishing returns. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are a very few coffee shops based in Denmark, so creating a pioneering image could backfire. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the coffee industry, beverage innovation is a determining factor of the Company’s success. The lack of beverage innovation could have a significant adverse affect on performance. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Denmark has yet to adopt the Euro, the common currency of the European Union, as its currency. Opportunities •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Volume of coffee sales increased in 2003 and showed strength in 2004. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hot drinks are subject to international influences. These influences are slowly changing drinking patterns in the hot drink market. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 2003 coffee consumption outside the home increased to 27% compared to its 2002 mark of 25%. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tea market was in a downward trend in volume sales in 2003. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Denmark hot drinks market is dominated by international players. Sara Lee Corp., Kraft Foods and Nestle all gained a dominant position in Denmark’s hot drink market by means of acquisition of already existing well known local companies. They utilized strong country loyalty by not changing the name but at the same time developing new flavors and brands. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Denmark has no restrictions on capital transfers. Denmark adheres to EU rules on the liberation of capital movements. Also Denmark has no foreign exchange restriction. •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vesterbro, Copenhagen’s former red light district, lends itself to trendy businesses such as coffee shops. Threats •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Existing competition includes the following: o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ricco’s Coffee Shop o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Art Cafà © Riga o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cafà © Zach o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bang & Jensen o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hackenbush o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cafà © Sonja o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Amokka Kaffehaus o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other cafà ©s   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bars   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Restaurants   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fusion Cafà ©s (cafà ©s with areas to shop, do laundry, or another activity) •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kaffeplantagen Coffee Bar & Flower Shop •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Barbarellah Bar, Clothing Store, & Interior Decoration •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Potential government crackdown on hemp marketplace in Christiana (square within Copenhagen) could harm other businesses such as coffee shops •Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Low population growth in Denmark leaves coffee consumption at its saturation point.

My Antonia Essay: Role of Women -- My Antonia Essays

Role of   Women in My Antonia   The role of the women in My Antonia as the showcased laborers and workers in the new community does not, certainly, alleviate the questions of patriarchal influence offered in the discussions of gender. Certainly, the fact that à ntonia is deprived of the education she longs for and yet cannot have, because it is she who is responsible for her family's success--"'School is all right for little boys. I help make this land one good farm'" (94)--cannot be seen as entirely good, if we agree that "the value of education is among the greatest of all human values" (Woolf 45); and in spite of her protests to the contrary, the bitter recognition of exclusion brings à ntonia to tears. However, recognizing the women's relationship to the development of national culture does suggest some alternative readings to the conclusions often reached, even as à ntonia's sacrifice of her own education does not exclude the contribution she makes to American culture, as we shall see.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recognition of nation-construction effects our reading of the play of gender in the text. One such instance is in the case of narrative authority, which has frequently been cited as Jim's patriarchal subsuming of à ntonia, as we have seen. While Jim appends the "my" to his transcription of à ntonia's history, however, it is worth reiterating that à ntonia is never, in fact, Jim's; rather, his possessive "My" reflects a failed attempt at possession, as his amorous advances were firmly rebuffed and as the adult à ntonia never seeks his assistance or support. At the same time, that the tale is proffered via an anonymous female narrator further undermines Jim's narrative authority, for his masculine presumption to speak for à ntonia undergoes... ...hts the unconstructedness of the American frontier and the central role of women in forging a community, and by extension in negotiating a fledgling national consciousness. Through the subversion of Jim Burden's narrative authority and a disrespect for gender delineations, Cather emphasizes the constructedness of patriarchal norms, highlighting their irrelevance to successful cultural consciousness. Finally, through à ntonia's final assumption of a nurturing role, she assumes not a passive feminine identification or a sudden retreat into traditional female roles. Rather, à ntonia becomes emblematic of the women who forged the frontier community in their own image, infusing it with their own ethnicities and resisting the hegemonizing impulse of the tangle of norms we now know as the American nation. Works Cited: Cather, Willa. My Antonia. Boston: Houghton, 1977.