Dress for success Essay

Is the way a person dresses important? It can be said: â€Å"yes†, it is. It is important not only for the impression he creates for the people around him, but also there is a more important factor- that the clothes a person wears makes them feel good. Whenever a person goes somewhere he is like a turtle, and his clothes are his shell, and when he goes somewhere he needs to be dressed well, and even if the occasion is not important, and he just goes for a walk with his dog, understanding that his â€Å"shell† looks nice, and perfectly suits him makes him feel more comfortable. So, a person who wears nice clothes is more successful and self-confident. Unfortunately, according to what we can see not all people in society are following this straight  forward principle. Most of them just don’t care about how they look, and then some of them might complain about being unsuccessful. Maybe this carelessness could be a reason for their failures. Some people may argue that clothes are not so important, and it depends on a person, and how smart he is, and that only hard work can influence success. However, it does matter, and it is very important to have a nice clothes! How people dress affects the way they feel about themselves and the situation in which they perform. Dating and style coach and the founder of the Fashion Experts Network, Sheila Dicks, wrote in one of her articles, â€Å"How dressing affects your attitude and confidence†, that we don’t have to spend enormous amounts of money on our clothes, but the way we combine clothes and then introduce ourselves in them, may show our self-confidence and assurance. Dressing for many people seems very insignificant, and they don’t believe that it can affect attitude. â€Å"How people dress is related in some way to how they feel†, says Sheila Dicks. It makes sense, when we feel good we dress well, but when we are not in the mood we can look very stupid. However when we put on nice things, which we really enjoy, this automatically triggers our mood to be good, so we have more energy for the day, and things seem better for us. In Sheila’s article there’s written that there are some aspects that can increase attitude: 1) if a person knows the occasion where he’s going to be; 2) if he knows the audience he’s going to interact with; 3) he knows his own style; 4) if he has an idea of how to combine colors. 1) Tailoring according to the event is important in order not to look stupid in front of other people. It can be just going shopping or going to a business lunch, but a person has to remember to dress according to the occasion. 2) The people who the individual is in contact with are considered to be an audience. Dress is an image of a person which he will be introduced in front of his friends, colleagues, enemies and so on. It also has to do with social situation; we don’t usually see a woman working in the supermarket and wearing a cocktail dress, because she has a suitable dress code which he must follow. 3) In everything we do we have our own personal style, which makes us distinguishable from each other. People express their style of clothes in clothes’ structure, material, shape, as well as accessories. Not all occasions suit a person’s personal style, but being  aware of it helps to accommodate clothes for particular occasion. There are people who look better in warm colors and others in cool colors. Each color has different description and can lead to different effect. (Self-Growth) The best compliment that somebody can make to another person is to say, â€Å"You look fantastic†. It means that the job that somebody did with his outfit is successful, and he succeed in impressing others. This compliment about the overall outfit, is even better than hearing about a specific part of the outfit, for example, the shoes, or a bag, or a coat†¦ This compliment means that the person’s attire was successfully combined, with his self- confidence making the person look fantastic. It’s especially important when making a first impression. Because when first meeting someone a good impression will be made. In a person’s life there’s a very important and significant step, which may influence their whole life, this step is to find a good job. It means that people should be  responsible about finding work because nobody wants to lose out on a chance, so a person has to be very concerned about it. It’s when first impressions are made as well. According to CNN’s reports about what employers demand from people who went to the job interview, we can see that how we dress says a lot about us, and it forms an employer’s opinion and decides our future in the company (CNN.com/living). A company may not have a particular dress code, but they would like to see people working in appropriate and suitable clothes; the employers want to see a person with clean. Also from this CNN survey we can see when an employer has to choose between two applicants, the one who was nicely dressed and feels very confident about himself, will get a job over the applicant who’s resume is just as good, but he is not well dressed well enough (CNN.com/living). Many people can argue with that and say that it is unfair, and an employer should not make decision based just on appearance, but unfortunately it’s true, and it’s really taking place. When this well- dressed person gets his dream- job, it doesn’t mean that he should stop trying to do his best while dressing every morning. Now he’s dressing not only to impress, but also to help himself to increase his productivity and self-confidence during this working period. For example he may have very a important business meeting, and he might be nervous about  it, but since he put on his chic and stylish suit, which seems like it was just made for his body structure; he is at least sure that the people he is going to meet with will like his look, and will be more friendly and more respectful. Then, when he finally meets them, and he sees their reaction toward him, it gives him more energy and more desire, and the aim is to impress them with his working skills as well. Basically, this example shows how a good suit can make signing a profitable business contract possible. Women like to impress not only business partners, but they’re also interested in impressing the men they meet socially. Being in a good physical shape and having a nice body is great; however it is even better if this body is covered with attractive clothing. There is very good book â€Å"How to Dress for Success† by Edit Head where she gives a lot of good advice and tips about how to dress for success in different areas and also with men. It makes no difference whether a woman is just interested in a man for a relationship or as whether she sees in him a potential husband. In both examples she should put effort into choosing what to wear. Head writes that women should have an idea where and how the date is going to be, so she can choose the perfect outfit. If they go to a restaurant, or to the cinema, or to the opera, or just for a walk in the park she has to have an idea to what kind of clothes she will feel most comfortable in, and whether it will suit the place. The man should also like her outfit, because if he doesn’t the whole mascarade was in vane (Chapter 2). Most men really don’t care whether a girl is clever or not, they will find that out later; firstly they fall in love with their eyes not with the girl’s intelligence. We can see that the way we dress is so important and it regulates our attitude. Wherever we go, we have to be dressed perfectly in order to feel more confident, and to make people more attracted to us. Knowing how to combine clothes effectively and how to buy the ones that suit us is a very useful skill and knowledge to have; if a person finds something very nice, but unfortunately it doesn’t suit him, it means he shouldn’t buy it. Looking good increases our productivity as well; when we feel comfortable about our appearance we perform better in the work place. People who surround us also feel it, and they are more attracted to the person, who have strong self-esteem, and in know what they want. At work  these people are more appreciated, and are more likely to get a good job, which leads to making good money, so basically dressing well helps us to make money. However, we don’t really see successful and rich people who dressing bad do we? Work list Dicks , Sheila. â€Å"How Dressing Affects Your Attitude and Confidence.† http://www.selfgrowth.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar 2014. Head, Edit. How to dress for success . New York: Random House, 1967. Web. Haefner, Rosemary . â€Å"how to dress for success at work.† CareerBuilder.com human resources vice president. (2008): n. page. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.

Hello Guys It’s Sports Day

I feel it a great pleasure to participate as Chief Guest in the 20th Annual-cum-Sports Day of Akal Academy Baru Sahib here today. Today’s world is very competitive. Mere education will not suffice. Education combined with good, moral character and knowledge with proficiency in sports and extra curricular activities is necessary. Education ignites the minds of youth and it should be knowledge-based and should kindle the thinking process in the youth. Educating more and more rural youth is essential. It should reach the unreached. Qualitative improvement in education suited to the changing scenario is warranted.Education is a continuous process and starts right from childhood and gradually makes one a leader. It is he teacher who nurtures good conduct and character amongst students. Real education moulds the youth into useful citizens of tomorrow. Inculcating discipline and moral values in the students are necessary. The onerous responsibility of shaping the youth rests with the teachers. The teachers should stand as role models for the students. The teachers are like Gurus and are next to God. The Gurukul form of education was prevalent in earlier days.There were lot of restrictions on students and strict discipline was maintained. The Gurus were above all in the society and they received great respect. Now the residential schools provide various avenues for learning. All subjects are taught and students are involved in various extra curricular activities also. Sports is recreation and the joy of participation, developing skills, regular practice and hard work that makes one to excel in sports. Taking to extra curricular activities is a must for students. It helps one to develop good physique, reduces stress and develops the quality of team spirit.Learning self-confidence, goal-setting and time management are the necessary for a sports person. Concentrate on sports. Rigorous practice and dedication will help you to win laurels to your institution, state a nd the nation. The physical education teachers and the educational institutions should take it as their bounden duty to identify talents from the students and put them to special coaching. Starting of exclusive sports schools as in US and UK should also be considered. I am sure that by starting sports schools, we can produce many talented sportspersons, who can compete at the global level and in Olympics.I am sure that the Kalgidhar Trust/Society would formulate plans to further improve sports in this complex. I congratulate all the students who have won prizes in various events. Sant Attar Singh Ji and Sant Teja Singh Ji were both extremely dedicated persons. Sant Attar Singh founded many educational institutions in rural areas in Punjab and also Akal College, Mastuana. He sent Sant Teja Singh to foreign countries for higher education and learning and after coming back he dedicated his life for imparting quality education to the needy. This institution was also started according to their wishes.My mother told me that Sant Ji used to perform Kirtan in a loud voice, which could be heard half a mile away as there were no loud-speakers in those days. He was invited to lay the foundation of the Hindu University, Banaras by Pandit Madan Mohan Malavia. This place is blessed by such great saints and that is why the Baru Sahib Academy, which was started in 1986 with just 5 students, now has strength of 23,000 students studying in its 22 CBSE affiliated Secondary schools. I congratulate the Akal Academies established by The Kalgidhar Trust for yeoman service to the society and to the spread of education.It is heartening to note that the Kalgidhar Trust and the Society are working with a mission to establish a permanent peace in the world through the synthesis of value-based scientific education and moral rejuvenation creating good global citizens. Guru Nanak Dev Ji was a great enlightener and a teacher. Guru Nanak’s concern with the right conduct of individuals and society and social responsibilities, is of universal significance. The educational institutions and the teachers are bestowed with the responsibility of producing students with good conduct and character.Service to poor is service to God. I am pleased to learn that The Kalgidhar Trust, a non-profit charitable organization has dedicated itself in the promotion of quality education and in creation of future citizens with good conduct and character and committed towards society. The services rendered by the Kalgidhar Trust/Society towards spiritual upliftment of the underprivileged and in primary health care in rural areas in North India and its dedication towards upliftment of the socio-economic status of rural poor is laudable.Health is the prime wealth for a nation and various welfare schemes are implemented by the Central and State Governments to take care of the health of the people. NGOs provide a helping hand in providing healthcare and in creation of awareness on health and hygiene. I congratulate the Kalgidhar Trust & Society for its dedicated efforts to improve basic healthcare through better immunization, child and maternal healthcare, establishing de-addiction centers and by taking out preventive and curative measures to control diseases and for working with a mission to provide healthcare to the underprivileged.The services rendered by the Trust to HIV and AIDS affected persons, through ‘One Stop Centers’ is laudable. A nation develops when there is explosion of knowledge and by development of education. As students, your contribution is vital. Aim high in life. Set your goals. Work hard to achieve them. This is what your parents, your teachers and the institution expect from you.I am pleased to learn that the Kalgidhar Trust and Society’s vision is to create high caliber students with all-round excellence, beyond academic dimensions and to provide more such students and to enable the underprivileged to attain this distinction . I convey my warm felicitations to Baba Iqbal Singh Ji, Dr. Khem Singh, who are experts in their own fields and to all the office-bearers and members of the Kalgidhar Trust and Society, the principal, teachers, staff and students on the 20th Annual-cum-Sports Day and wish The Kalgidhar Trust and Akal Academy all success in its endeavors. Jai Hind

International Accounting Regulations Assignment

International Accounting Regulations - Assignment Example FRS 10 defines the classes of intangible assets that would be covered by the provisions. These intangible assets may include â€Å"licenses. Quotas, patents, copyrights etc and also other assets that are capable of being disposed of or settled separately without disposing of the entity.† (Neil D. Stein 1998)FRS 10 defines the classes of intangible assets that would be covered by the provisions. These intangible assets may include â€Å"licenses. Quotas, patents, copyrights etc and also other assets that are capable of being disposed of or settled separately without disposing of the entity.† (Neil D. Stein 1998)However, FRS 10 has left certain important issues in connection with the intangible assets vague that makes the provisions unserious about the objective it intends to accomplish.  Ã‚  Ã‚  FRS 10 has the following shortcomings which have made the treatment of goodwill and other intangible assets favorable to the firms:†¢ FRS 10 gives the firms the liberty to carry through the value of the goodwill or other intangible assets permanently at the purchased cost. This vitiates the chances of the true and fair valuation of the intangible assets as shown in the financial statements.†¢ Although there are provisions governing the impairment of the value of the intangible assets, the impairment process as detailed in the FRS 10 and FRS 11 are highly subjective and devoid of clarity. This allows the firms to postpone the impairment of the intangible assets as long as they want on the plea that the valuation and impairment procedure is costly and cumbersome.†¢ Moreover, the treatment of the negative value of the goodwill under FRS 10 does not follow normal accounting practices.†¢ The provisions of the Companies Act 1985 are not taken into account while allowing the goodwill to be carried for an indefinite period.

Social Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Social Media - Essay Example The costs of advertising through social media are quite less and the effects far reaching. This is the reason that it has become the most preferred source of marketing for the companies today. Today, the marketers have to devise new marketing strategies to fulfill the need of modern media. Earlier they used to spend millions in their marketing budget so as to make sure that their product is the one that is recognized. The strategies today focus more on being customer centric. The organizations today have to keep in mind the needs of customers and say goodbye to their â€Å"I† attitude. Nowadays there is an increased awareness of social media among the public and this is the major driving force behind the change of the focus of the companies which are using it now in mainstream. The cost effectiveness and satisfaction of the customer today is more important than just selling the product. The use of general advertisement in order to attract people towards a product has now becom e outdated as many new ways have been evolved. List and analyze methods of alternative dispute resolution and determine which would be most effective in resolving genuine disputes that arise with consumers who may make purchases from businesses that provide links via social media. The marketers today can benefit from the subliminal effect to employ innovative and ideas of advertisements with an element of fun in between radio programs or the programs most watched by the public. Facebook and other similar social sites have become quite popular among the general masses and hence their use as the new marketing medium. Such a strategy may be helpful in making a customer think about buying a product more rigorously. Even, the credibility of a product is enhanced if the products are being featured in between some famous shows. The knowledge of a product will also be increased through sending out promotional offers on people’s cell phones. In this way, a large population can be targ eted at limited cost. The product can also turn out to be a frontline commodity through advertisement campaigns on Facebook, Twitter or My Space. Presently, the QUALITY is not sufficient as it was in the previous years. BUZZ is the only thing that is of importance today and can bring the product to the frontline (O'Guinn, 2005). Examine the three (3) branches of government and discuss which can effectuate the most significant impact on regulating consumer transactions via social media outlets. Support your decision. If a product has to succeed in the market the most important thing to be kept in mind for the sale of product is the marketing channel. Marketing organization is an independent organization that works in collaboration to provide benefit to the producer which could not be gained by the producer if he is working alone. To target the market directly is a critical task for the producer to achieve; moreover it increases the price of the product. Therefore, there arises a need of market intermediaries which facilitate the reduction of cost of pulling the customers towards a product. The choice of marketing channel is affected by a number of factors such as pricing, advertising and distribution channel. Efficiency can be achieved through use of effective marketing channels. They enable the appearance of the products as â€Å"tailor made† for the consumers and the new product takes a customer oriented outlook. The strategy

W1 Asig Datawarehouse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

W1 Asig Datawarehouse - Essay Example ch, in one’s corporate setting where IT is deemed a crucial source of information and response to inquiries needed by other departments, especially by the marketing department, the apparently slow response could be attributed to the sources of information that needs to be tapped before it could be disseminated to end users. The model below clearly depicts the flow of information from operational systems to end users: From the conceptual framework, it could be deduced that the operational systems undergo a series of processes on the information or data upon solicitation: extraction, integration, cleansing, and transformation. This information is then stored in the organization’s data warehouse to serve varied needs and demands of the users. The cause of delays in soliciting data from the external environment could be diverse: from frequent changes in factors affecting the external environment to the need to update currently available information. As emphasized, â€Å"reports generated in high data volume environments normally take a long time to run. To speed up report generation, many systems use tools that employ a summarization technique to reduce the amount of records by aggregating records together with common characteristics. Problem with this technique includes inherent inflexibility and inability to cope with the constantly changing information needs of manufacturing† (MAIA Intelligence, 2009, p. 4). Overall, the information gathered by the IT department needs to be processed and transformed in the most accurate manner before being transformed and stored to the organization’s data warehouse. As such, the delay should be understandable given the volume of information from the external environment that needs to be summarized and integrated according to the users’ needs. Concurrently, experts in BI has asserted that â€Å"business leaders want to obtain real metrics and near-real-time, linked directly to the business processes, system data and insights

The Apology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The Apology - Essay Example 33. This paper evaluates Socrates’s reaction. An important philosophical issue raised here is whether the teachers can charge the students for their service of transferring knowledge to them?, because charging students for teaching them was one of the accusations made on Socrates. 34. Another philosophical issue is that if only the believers who consider their wisdom worth nothing are wise, then how do atheists compare with the believers who think that they are wise? Finally, if an individual is an expert in a field, can he be considered wise even if he has no expertise in other fields at all? According to Socrates, there is nothing wrong with a teacher taking money for passing knowledge onto the students. 34. Socrates has drawn upon the examples of numerous philosophers and educationalists like the Gorgias of Leontium who were paid teachers. 34. According to Socrates, atheists and believers who think that their wisdom is worthy belong to the same category of unwise people. 36. It is not about the presence or lack of belief in gods as gods are out of the equation. Socrates does not consider an individual who is expert in a specific field but not in others wise. 37. Socrates’s reaction seems to be based on a self concocted story. It seems like a joke that an oracle declared Socrates as the wisest person on Earth. Socrates might not have found them but we know many people who underestimate their knowledge even when they know much more than others do. Secondly, belief in Socrates’s story necessitates an assumption that Socrates was a know-it-all kind of person. Probably the poets had made the correct interpretations and explanations of their poetry but Socrates was too naà ¯ve to understand that depth and in turn, declared that the poets did not understand their own poetry. Although I do not quite believe in the story Socrates narrates in his defense, yet I support

Seeds of the Peace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Seeds of the Peace - Essay Example He is of the opinion that if Palestine and Israel join hands then they can also become one of the dominant powers of the world. As both the sides have an efficient and effective workforce. All they need is the clear direction towards the achievement of common goals. Israeli people associated with Seeds of the peace are of the opinion that military action is not the way to bring peace in the region. They admitted the fact that Israeli army is not the representative of the thought and feelings of an ordinary Israeli person. After surfing through the videos related to the Seeds of the Peace project it can be inferred that the youth of Palestine consider themselves as a suppressed nation. Majority of the Palestinian participants have highlighted the fact that their families are at the mercy of Israeli Army. They can kill their loved ones at any time and at any place without having any reason. Therefore based on this observation it can be concluded that there is a great residue of hatred always in inside as they are born with it as well as grew up with it (Peretz iii). Palestinian participants seem too depressed with the situation prevailing in their areas. Most of the participants are of the opinion that after Yasir Arafat they did not find any leader who can project the problems of the region in front of the world in and efficient and effective manner. Palestinian also cleared their point of view regarding the suicide bombing. They suggested that although it is a reaction towards the action of what has been done by the Israeli army however they still do not support the killing of innocent. By analyzing the thoughts of Palestinian participants it can be inferred that the young generation of Palestine has realized the fact that Israel is also a reality. Therefore they can not deny the existence of such a big group prevailing in the region. Christians, Muslims and Jews can live together like they in any other part of the world. Seeds of

Social Networking Sites and its Effect on Friending Research Paper

Social Networking Sites and its Effect on Friending - Research Paper Example It is also a source of emotional support especially during the events of emotional trials. Friends are also the people needed in times of problems aside from parents and relatives. However, due to the evolution of social media in making friends, the definition of friends has changed and a different meaning had been acquired. Social network sites (SNSs) have many advantages to on line users. For job application or work related issues you can use Likedin.com. When people are looking for people with common interest certain social networks such as Myspace.com comes to mind. People who are looking for possible partner or wanted to start a relationship can log-in to Friendster.com. For college students for example, social sites such as Facebook.com are used to connect to peers or share school lessons and activities and can also be used to answer queries (Ellison et al., 1143). Social network sites (SNSs) provide an easier approach to different reasons, a cheaper version where a good intern et connection and a device or a gadget i.e. personal computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet or a notebook are needed. One can gain access to all of these sites wherever and in anytime of the day. A person can also log in on the different sites all at once and multi-task. It provides countless unimaginable opportunities to users such as finding long lost friends and childhood friends who had not been seen in years. Other scenarios are finding the right partner, finding a better job and so on. It makes the process of making friends easier and faster by sending a request and accepting it just by clicking the accept button. It is a no fuss activity and one can know more about the person connected with by visiting his page and reading its contents such as recent activities, likes, dislikes, pictures posted aside from personal information. It also provides a wider range of network consisting of different people with different degree of physical interaction in one’s day to day life. Facebook which is established in 2004 in Harvard University and made 200 users worldwide as of 2009 has provide a strong link with users’ high school friends that they left behind due to studying college in other places (Lewis J., West A. 1148). It also provided information on the up to date information of the makers and their friends’ lives. In every new technology discovered, there are always few drawbacks that arise and one of them is giving the word friends a different meaning and context. It also provides a new range or levels of friends when it comes to social network sites. One of the drawbacks of using these media is that they provide new sense to the word friendship with other people. They provide less interaction with them and a shallow definition of it. According to Allan (1989) as cited by Lewis & West (2009) in real life, there are different sorts of friends; those who are close and those are merely acquaintances. Always acquaintances are grater in number in your friends’ list than your close friends. These acquaintances are people one bump into everyday without having a conversation with each other, a classmate in one of your classes, a group mate in a project and anyone else where a person does not have a significant interaction and does not provide a sense of commitment and emotional support. Boyd (2006) as cited by Lewis & West (2009 1211), assessment of this relationship has no weight as well as what

Interpretative Reading in Thailand Essay Example for Free

Interpretative Reading in Thailand Essay Introduction Interpretative reading can be defined as the analysis of literary texts and subsequent enunciation of those texts. It is also sometimes called dramatic reading and relies on the reader’s voice to convey the emotion, drama and imagery of a narrative without actually acting it out. A good interpretative reader must possess a number of vocal skills such as the ability to control vocal tone, volume, pace and inflection to accurately communicate meaning and build drama. In addition to clear articulation and correct pronunciation, which are paramount to the audience’s understanding, the reader must have an in depth understanding of the text in order to produce a meaningful interpretation of it. In other words the narrator needs to be able to know the characters, imagine their backgrounds and feel their emotions to be believable. Good interpretive reading is a difficult skill even for native speakers to master and takes preparation and plenty of practice; however, for a student in the Thai education system faces a number of distinct disadvantages in becoming a proficient interpretative reader. To begin with the languages of Thai and English are very different. We have different stress patterns on words and there are sounds in English which don’t exist in Thai, both of which make clear pronunciation challenging for students and although many Thai schools now employ native speaking English teachers who are able to model correct pronunciation and natural rhythm, lots of Thai students lack confidence and have little opportunity to practice English outside of their classroom. In addition, English uses intonation to convey different meanings and emotions whereas Thai uses a fixed tone for each word so it is often hard for a Thai student to express emotions like sarcasm or disbelief through inflection even when they recognize the need to do so. Another barrier for many Thai students, aside from the enunciation, is actually understanding the text well enough to interpret it. This depends upon, not only the student’s knowledge of English language and ability to follow the plot but also on previous personal, educational and cultural experience that influence the way the narrative is interpreted. A student lacking exposure to western culture and a deeper understanding of the social norms, stereotypes and cultural issues surrounding a text might struggle with a credible portrayal of characters and personation. These factors coupled with a general lack of focus on key reading skills leave Thai students at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to dramatic reading abilities. So, how do we assess the state of Thai interpretive reading? Do we take into account the many disadvantages that Thai students face in learning to read expressively and if so what criteria is it fair to judge them on? After some research into the rubric schools overseas use to evaluate students’ interpretive reading skills we decided to base our assessment on the following criteria:- Pace. The speed at which a reader speaks, increasing speed creates drama and intensity. Pause. The lingering of the voice on, before or after a word for dramatic effect. Volume. Adds emphasis or fullness of tone. It can be used with other forms of emphasis to exaggerate emphasis. Melody. The wave-like change in voice pitch depends on the reader recognizing the relative importance of words in the text. Inflection. The bending of the voice from the main pitch up or down. Personation. The reader’s interpretation of the character. Pitch. The degree of highness or lowness to a tone adds more subtle emphasis. Confidence. How comfortable is the speaker with reading aloud the text. The readers pace, volume and use of pause are techniques that can be used to emphasize mood or add drama but in the case of a non native speaker an overly loud or quiet reading could be due to nervousness and a pause or change in pace could be due to not understanding a word or not knowing how to pronounce it. These things, in turn, can affect the other factors we will be evaluating. With this in mind we will be focusing on the deviations from normal patterns in each of these categories and trying to find any correlations. Conducting the research and investigation To better understand how well a Thai may use the techniques associated with interpretative reading we needed to hear some examples. We selected a number of Thai students to read a set part of a chapter from a book and recorded them to analyse their interpretative reading skills. The material chosen was chapter one from ‘The Monkey King’ a stage one young reader by Rosie Dickins. The chapter was broken into 5 separate parts for the students to read. The level one reader was chosen to accommodate all students and focus on their reading skills rather than their comprehension of the text. The students’ ages and levels of English ranged from, six to eighteen years old, and Beginner to Advanced. By having such a wide range of readers we will be able to see if there are any reoccurring problems across all levels and ages or if there are any surprising results. Before the students were recorded they were each given different parts of the chapter to familiarise themselves with what they were going to read. This is to again focus on their interpretation of the text and to let them question any pronunciation of any unfamiliar words. In addition to that when the text was handed to the students, it was explained to them that they have to read it as if they were telling a story to someone, and they do not want this person to fall asleep. Also, an example of interpretative reading of a text, other than their own, was then given to the students to make sure that they fully understood what they had to do. To do good interpretative reading, the text has to be fully understood, it is the key for good reading, so all the parts that they did not understand was read to them and explained again before they did the task. Some of the younger students did not really understand how to read the text like they were telling a story, so some parts of the text was read to them showing the change in voice pitch and intonation, as one would do for interpretive reading. They then caught on to what was needed. The most difficult part was that many of the younger ones were nervous and shy, which is normal for some children who have to read text which is not in their native language. They were mostly nervous because of being placed in front of a laptop computer, and about their pronunciation. It was made clear to them that pronunciation was not the point of the research and that it was not a big deal if they did make some mistakes, but that the most important thing was the way they interpret the text, and that it has to be understood. It was noticed that they did understand it since they all wrote some Thai notes on the text which seemed to be translations. Then, finally it was for them to forget their nerves and read the text. The students were then recorded reading their parts which were later analysed, considering the younger students reading level, they did quite well. Analysing the results Once we had the recordings of the brave students that took part in our research, the analysis could be carried out. We went through the recordings with a fine toothcomb, and complied the results into a chart. In this chart, as can be seen in fig. 1. 2, the students were rated on their performance. They were judged on numerous criteria which include melody, speed, volume, pauses, inflection, personation, pitch and confidence. These eight criteria were marked as poor, fair, good, very good or excellent. We took into account their age group and reading skill level when judging them. Once the chart was completed, the graphs were made to clearly show which of the students’ skills were strong and which skills were weak (fig. 2. 1 – 2. 8). On the whole they performed better than expected, although there were obvious inflections, changes of pitch in odd places that Thais often make mistakes with when interpretive reading. We had spoken about this before the experiment had even begun, so it was to be expected. The results of the experiment showed that most of the students had a very good grasp of the pace that the text should be read at (see fig. 2. 2). In addition, most of them read the text at a decent volume; and all of the students were audible (see fig. 2. 3). It was obvious which students have had a lot of practice reading because of their melody, and the way it flowed throughout their reading (see fig. 2. 1). These students are also the ones that were given good marks in inflection; pitch and confidence (see fig. 2. 5, 2. 7, and 2. 8). One of the areas in which most of the students did not do very well was the pauses, as it seemed as if they were in the wrong places and there did not seem to be enough of them (see fig. 2. 4). Finally, the worst area by far was the personation or interpretation of the characters in the story. Most of the students did not even change the pitch or melody of their voice when reading the direct speech and those that did change the pitch of their voice did not put on any kind of exciting voice (see fig. 2. 6). From the results, we have seen that generally the standard of interpretative reading is at a fair level, usually respective of the student’s level of English. However, there were certain issues and certain elements of their reading which are necessary to try and eliminate to help improve their interpretative reading. The highest level of reading was from a student who could be considered the student with the highest level of general English. This was mainly due to his immediate in-depth understanding of the text. He was able to employ pauses in appropriate places such as full stops, commas, but also using them for dramatic effect as in adjective lists or after adverbs. He also had a strong use of melody in how he read. The best skill he used which set his reading above the rest was his use of personation on the characters voices. Some other students were able to produce a similarly high standard of reading and once again these students can be identified as the ones with the best overall English language skills. Some of these good examples were from the M3 level. Despite them being at a high level of general English some of the elements they employed in their reading was something that could be said was found in all readings at this level but not as frequent. One of these is the students’ use of force on unstressed syllables. This was more common at the end of words which contained specific sounds. This was seen in words such as monKEY and heavenLY, adding extra force to the /i? / sound, and gardeNER, giving force to the /? /. There is also another issue that was common at the end of words. This was the dropping of sounds or in some case whole syllables. This was most evident in plural nouns and ed sounds at the end of verbs. For example, peachES, leavES, soldierS, pronounced as /? z/, /z/, and /s/ which were generally dropped from the words all together especially the /? z/ sound. Further to this the /? d/, /d/, and /t/ sounds in words such as, boastED, stormED, and snappED, were particularly a problem. As we looked down the levels of general English skills we saw problems more identified with that level rather than an overall picture of Thai speakers and these problems ultimately determined how well of a reader we believed them to be. One such problem was melody. English being a very musical language requires the reader to know the importance of stressed and unstressed words within the sentence. The result was mainly a flat sentence giving equal stress to prepositions and articles, to nouns and verbs. This disrupted the usual flow of the English language. The pause was another problem but was a more obvious one. There are certain positions within a reading where a pause must be used, such as full stops and commas and without these pauses the reading can sounds unnatural. This wasn’t throughout the text but only in some places is enough to give a breathless effect. The above mentioned issues were the most common throughout all the readers but there were some individual mistakes present as well. For example, the rising inflection or falling inflection mid-sentence, giving a different meaning to the sentence as a whole. We believe that vocabulary knowledge is of great importance in the way we set up the experiment. Although the material used for the reading is said to be a level one reader this does not mean that all the students are able to fully understand all the words in the text and their subsequent effect on the way the text should be read. From the six steps of analysis it is stated that a reader should be able to read the text line by line fully understanding the text, to understand the theme, and importantly take the text away and practice. With the limited time available with the students it was not possible to allow them to take the text home, study it, and perhaps translate the words to understand their meaning. Therefore, the students with the greatest range of vocabulary were the students with the better examples of interpretative reading. In regards to the common use of what we considered to be their wrongful employment of interpretative reading skills, we tried to identify a possible reason for each case. Firstly, the use of force at the end of words containing /i? / and /? / we believe to be a problem that is associated with the Thai language. Generally, these sounds at the end of words are stressed in the Thai language while unstressed in English, and so they are mixing up the two languages. In contrast to this is the students’ lack of plural and ed sounds at the end of words. Due to the fact that they are not pronounced at the end of words in the Thai language, the students’ would transfer this over to the English language and drop them from the English words. The students’ lack of melody could be also to do with being Thai language native speakers. The musical rhythm of the English language requires the use of melody by stressing words in certain ways within a sentence. The Thai language, however, does not have melody in a sentence as a whole and so the reading was flat as oppose to rising and falling, strong and weak. The lack of pauses in some instances has more to do with the individual reader and with practice could easily be eliminated. Conclusion In conclusion, Thai teachers need to provide more speaking time for the students so that they can learn the rhythm of the English language. This can be achieved by giving the students more access to a native speaker’s spoken word. Some suggestions for this would be to have the students do more role-play exercises in the classroom impersonating different characters from a book. Also trying to imitate character’s voices from a movie or from television programmes would be a great way to master their personation technique. A game could be made out of this where the students have to guess who another student is trying to imitate. Another way to help Thai students might be to get them to listen to other well known interpretive readers while they are reading along to the story themselves to get an understanding of how it is done well. Interpretive Reading for Thai Students By Drew Eaglesham Timothy Parker Sarah Pratley Victor Deville-Blumberg EN202 Interpretative Reading.

Capital Budgeing Case Study Essay Example for Free

Capital Budgeing Case Study Essay There are at least six capital budgeting tools a firm can use in analyzing a capital expenditure. They are: net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), profitability index (PI), payback period (PB), discounted payback period (DRP), and modified internal rate of return (MIRR). This case study will focus mainly on NPV and IRR, in addition to the remaining four capital budgeting tools. Net Present Value (NPV) The NPV of an investment proposal for a project is the same as the† present value of its annual free cash flows less the investment’s initial outlay† (Keown, Martin Petty, p. 310, 2014). Before calculating the NPV you must first forecast the projected revenue for the life of the project to obtain the net cash flow figures. This involves accountants and analysts crunching numbers based on many factors such as the economy, supply and demand, competition, and how the company plans on carrying out the project (University of Phoenix, 2013). NPV looks at the present value of the benefits minus the present value of the costs. You also need a discount rate; it is normally the cost of capital. The cost of capital is used because a firm wants the project to at a minimum make more than what capital is now costing the firm to run its business. The rule for NPV is if the value is greater than or equal to zero the project is accepted (Keown, Martin Petty, p. 310, 2014). After completing a five year projected income statement and a five year projected cash flow from the capital budgeting case study for corporation A and B, this information was used to calculate the NPV for each corporation. Corporation A’s NPV= $2,025 and B’s is NPV= $3,293. Both NPV’s are equal or greater than zero so both projects are a go, but corporation B has a greater NPV, making it a better choice if based on NPV alone (University of Phoenix, 2013). Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

Behaviorist Lesson Plan

Behaviorist Lesson Plan Anticipatory Set (focus) the teacher will put the short story the tortoise and the hare up on the overhead for all the children to read (most children will already know this story), the teacher will then ask the students to describe what they feel the moral of the story is. Students will be required to tell the teacher what their idea of the moral of the story is. Once students have expressed their ideas, the teacher will go on to explain what the moral of the story is meant to be. This will involve the methods of demonstration and discussion. Purpose (objective) The purpose of the lesson is that the teacher will show children how to make their own points about articles and pictures etc they will be able to teach children how to find the deeper meaning of things instead of focusing solely on the obvious. Another purpose of the lesson for teachers is that they will be able to see whether children understand the concept of morals. Students will show learning by being able to create their own stories that contain morals. Also students will show learning by being able to take what the teacher has shown them and use those concepts in order to demonstrate what things to look for in finding the moral of a piece of work. Students will be using the methods of demonstration by demonstrating what they have learnt. Input The vocabulary, skills, and concepts the teacher will impart to the students the stuff the kids need to know in order to be successful. It will be up to the teacher to make sure students understand the concept of morals and what to look for in order to find the moral or theme of the story. Students will also need to know adjectives in order to understand how to look for details in the piece of work they are analyzing, by understanding the use of adjectives students will be able to pick out distinct characteristics of the characters presented in the story and specific details about them therefore making it easier to understand how to determine what the theme of the story could be about. Modeling (show) The teacher shows in graphic form or demonstrates what the finished product looks like. The teacher will present a short story on the projection screen, and then will ask the students to read and analyze the story. When the students have read the story the teacher will ask the students what they feel the moral of the story was and once that is complete the teacher will take the students responses and put them up on the board. After the students have given their input the teacher will write down what the they feel the lesson of the story was and show the students some ways that the teacher came to that conclusion, by using certain words from the story etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the teacher will use the method of demonstration in this way. Guided Practice (follow me) The teacher leads the students through the steps necessary to perform the skill using the trimodal/learning styles approach hear/see/do. The teacher will go through what is obviously present in the story (for example: the characters, setting, what is happening in the story etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) once the teacher has gone over the obvious parts, they will then go into the morals and concepts of the story. Students will be required to take their pieces of literature, break them down into what is obvious and then go into the more in depth points of the story ( based on what the teacher has shown them) this will involve the methods of demonstration, drill and practice and tutorial. Checking For Understanding (CFU) The teacher can then use other familiar stories that the students already understand the main concepts of. At this point the students will be able to determine the main concepts and ultimately the moral of the story. The teacher will go around and ask whether the students understand what concepts are being presented in the story and if they do then the teacher can move on with the lesson and have students begin writing their own stories that contain some of the concepts they have learnt. The students will be held accountable for asking any questions they may have had during this time. Independent Practice The teacher releases students to practice on their own based on #3-#6. Once the teacher is sure that the students have understood how to determine the moral of a story and what exactly the story means to them personally the teacher can then have the students go to the lab in groups and therefore find their own pieces of media that they can analyze together. Students will be discussing the piece of media they choose and detailing what exactly that piece of media means to them personally. This will use the methods of drill and practice and discussion. Closure A review or wrap-up of the lesson Tell me/show me what you have learned today. At the end of the lesson the teacher will give a short homework assignment to the students to demonstrate what they have learned. The students will be required to go on specific websites that the teacher has provided for them and analyze different forms of literature, such as stories, articles or even photographs. Students will then have to analyze the literature and decide how they feel about that piece of literature specifically, they can present these ideas in a short 7-10 sentence explanation that they will be required to bring to the next class. This will allow students to demonstrate what they have learned and present it in a explanatory piece of writing to the teacher. THEORY INTO PRACTICE: PLEASE NOTE: This section requires you to use the Comparative Organizers found on the CD that came with your Newby textbook. Open the CD and Go to: Chapter Info and Activities, then Chapter 2.:Theory into Application, then Learning Theory Comparative Organizers, and use the applicable Comparative Organizer for the following section. Which Learning Theory predominates your Lesson: The behaviorist learning theory predominates my lesson. Identify the key factors influencing learning in your lesson. Where are these used in your lesson? Adapting existing behavior- this is used at the beginning of the lesson by seeing if children who are already familiar with the story of the tortoise and the hare can pin point what the moral of the story may be. Teaching new behavior- shaping- this would occur during the lesson, when students have successfully found a moral in the piece of writing they are given then they will be awarded with a sticker or other prize of their choice. Chaining- once children are able to understand the moral of the tortoise and the hare, they will be required to take their knowledge of finding deeper meanings and apply it to other pieces of literature. Maintaining existing behavior- variable ratio schedules- this will occur near the end of the lesson. Once students have demonstrated an understanding of how to determine a deeper meaning in a piece of literature they will be required to go to the computer lab in groups and find their own piece of work that they choose to analyze. Based on when each student has understood the concepts they will then get to choose groups and go to the computer lab. What is/are the teacher role[s] in your lesson. Explain the performance objectives clearly to learners. Provide cues to the learners to assist in the correct response of the learner. Provide reinforcement (positive or negative) Create practice situations in which cues are paired with a target stimulus in order to elicit a desired response. Provide an atmosphere where students can modify responses to stimuli. Provide relevant and specific sequences of activities or learning events to achieve objectives. Establish reinforcers to help impact learning and performance. How is/are this/these role[s] accomplished. [in other words Where is this demonstrated in your lesson? Be specific.] At the beginning of the lesson the teacher will have to; explain the performance objectives, provide cues to the learners, and provide relevant and specific sequences of activities or learning events to achieve objectives. During the lesson the teacher will need to make sure they; provide reinforcement (positive or negative), create practice situations in which cues are paired with a target stimulus in order to elicit a desired response, provide and atmosphere where students can modify responses to stimuli and establish reinforcers to help impact learning and performance. What type[s] of learning is/are best explained in your lesson: Based on my lesson students will have to be able to recall previous information for example knowing how adjectives are used and what they are. The students are going to be required to have a response to specific pieces of literature or sources of media that are provided for them. They will also be required to practice responses to literature. State the teaching method[s] used in your lesson, and, for each, briefly explain how this/these method[s] relate to your lesson plan. [in other words, how is that method demonstrated in your lesson]: Directed instruction- focuses on teaching sequences of skills, students will start by analyzing a story shown to them with help from the teacher, then they will be required to analyze different pieces of literature on their own and then eventually with a group. By the end of the lesson the students will have to analyze different pieces of literature for homework which they will bring in the next day. Drill and practice- throughout the lesson students will continually be required to analyze different pieces of literature and test their understanding. This will be done until it is clear that the student fully understands the point of the lesson and what is required of them. Personalized system of instruction- each student will need to demonstrate their understanding of the subject individually before they are able to work with a group and after when they do their individual homework assignments. State all the teaching strategies used in your lesson, and, for each strategy, explain how these strategies relate to your lesson plan. [in other words, how are the strategies demonstrated in your lesson]: Reinforce incremental behaviors leading towards a goal behavior- the teacher will be reinforcing the main concepts of the lesson until students are able to complete the task on their own. Establish complex behaviors by using simple behaviors already known by the subject- the students already understand that stories are all relevant to the individual, the goal is to allow students to take what they already know and apply it in a way that is beneficial to them individually. Also students have already used adjectives, and in this way they will be required to use what they already know determine what the moral of the story is. Progressive style of instruction- students will be required to begin by doing simple tasks with the assistance of others and then will have to be able to analyze a story all on their own or in some cases write their own story which contains a moral. Allow students opportunity to practice and repeat so that they become second nature- students will be required to keep practicing the concepts they learn in the lesson through their group work and homework that they are assigned. LEARNING STYLES: Identify the types of learners (multiple intelligences) you are addressing in your lesson. You MUST refer to Gardners work [see Lab 5]. Minimum of 3 identified and explained. Verbal linguistic- students are going to be required to do some reading and writing based on their own ideas. Naturalistic- students will have to use concepts from their own personal lives and put those ideas into their responses to the text. Interpersonal- involves being around people and talking to others. Students will need to be able to work in groups with other students and be able to share their ideas and get their point across in a group setting. STUDENT EVALUATION: The purpose of evaluation is to determine if your students met the lesson objectives. Describe how you will evaluate the class. Once the lesson is completed students will be evaluated by having to apply what they learnt to their homework assignment. They will be given a list of resources from which they choose one that they feel would best relate to themselves and that they feel they will be able to analyze on their own. Students will then be required to write down their analysis of the work they choose and bring it to class with them the next day to be handed in for marks that will be used toward their overall English mark. The teacher also has a picture included as one of the resources that the students are allowed to analyze, if they choose to do so then the students will be required to write a story about that picture and how it could relate to them individually, their story will be handed in and graded as well and will be graded on the same basis as those who did the analysis. STUDENT DETERMINED CONTENT: Failure to complete the following for each [e.g., file, website, document, computer application, Web 2.0 program, etc.] technology used in support of your lesson will result in maximum  ½ marks awarded for Student Determined Content. Content: Hot potatoes- pop quiz on adjectives and themes of works! This quiz will be used at the end of the lesson, students will be in the computer lab and they will be working in groups. Once they have completed that part of the lesson they can do this quiz for extra practice (it will not be for marks). The result expected through the use of this website is that students will be able to understand the lesson better, and practice what they have learnt. Awesome highlighter program- the tortoise and the hare story. This will be used in my lesson plan once the students have determined what the moral of the story is, or once the teacher has discussed it with them. Once they have figured out the theme of the story, the teacher will open this document and the parts that are highlighted will be used to explain how to find the theme of the story, what the kids should be looking for. The result of this is that the students will know how to determine how to find the theme of stories by looking at specific sentences or words used in the passage. Students can also use this program if they choose when they are going over their own passages for homework. Stixy Board program- this website will be used at the end of the lesson. It contains all of the information that students will need to do their homework based on the lesson they have learnt. The purpose of this program is that it will allow the teacher to post the homework assignment online for students to do, and students will have easy access to all of their homework assignments. Also it contains all the documents that the students will need to complete their homework assignment.

traglear King Lear Essays: Elements of Tragedy in King Lear :: King Lear essays

Elements of Tragedy in King Lear One Work Cited King Lear meets all the requirements of a tragedy as defined by Andrew Cecil Bradley. Bradley states that a Shakespearean tragedy has to be the story of the hero who endures exceptional suffering and calamity. The story must also contrast the current dilemma to happier times. The play also depicts the troubled parts in the hero's life and eventually he dies instantaneously because of the suffering and calamity. There is the feeling of fear in the play as well, that makes men see how blind they are not knowing when fortune or something else would be on them. The hero must be of a high status on the chain and the hero must also possess a tragic flaw that initiates the tragedy. The fall of the hero is not felt by him alone but creates a chain reaction that affects everything below him. There must also be the element of chance or accident that influences some point in the play. King Lear meets all of these requirements, which have been laid out by Bradley. The main character of the play would be King Lear who in terms of Bradley would be the hero and hold the highest position is the social chain. Lear, out of pride and anger, has banished Cordelia and split the kingdom in half between the two older sisters, Goneril and Regan. This is Lear's tragic flaw that prevents him from seeing the true faces of people because his pride and anger overrides his judgement. As we see in the first act, Lear does not listen to Kent's plea to see closer to the true faces of his daughters. Kent has hurt Lear's pride by disobeying his order to stay out of his and Cordelia's way when Lear has already warned him, "the bow is bent and drawn, make from the shaft" (I.i.152). Kent still disobeys Lear and is banished. Because of this flaw, Lear has initiated the tragedy by disturbing the order in the chain of being by dividing the kingdom, banishing his best servant and daughter, and giving up his thrown. Due to this flaw, Lear has given way to the two older daughters to conspire against him. Lear is finally thrown out of his daughters' homes and left with a fool, a servant and a beggar.

Comparison of The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay -- The Lam

When do we change? When do we change from being the innocent children God sent into the world, to the corrupted ones that leave the earth? William Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience examine these different states. Blake wanted to show the two contrary states in the human mind. The Lamb and the Tyger are just vehicles for Blake to express what he feels happens to people as they grow, develop and eventually become perverted by the world around them. Blake’s background and occupation greatly influenced the style and content of his poems. He lived during the 18th Century when the church was beginning to lose its grip on British society; science was rising up against the church. Blake was part of a group known as the Romantics. He began to challenge the church believing that an individual could discover God without going to church. His poems ‘The Lamb’ and ‘The Tyger’ reflect this, as he is telling how God created these two animals and on another level how he created humanity. ‘We are called by his name’ (The Lamb) The message that Blake is trying to convey in this line is that it is God who calls us to discover him. He is saying that no one else has the power to tell you what to believe not even the church. God and the individual are the only ones privy to this ultimate power! His role as an engraver and artist is reflected in the details he gives about the two animals. In The Tyger he describes it as, ‘burning bright.’ He is describing it from a painter’s perspective in the way he is talking of the tiger’s colouring. At the time Blake was writing The Lamb the French Revolution was taking place. Blake was very supportive of the revolution, as he was deeply concerned about the poor social, economic and political ... ...is and see them as normal. It is then that people change from being the untainted children God sent to earth to the corrupted adults that leave it. Works Cited Blake, William. â€Å"The Tyger.† The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch and et al. 2nd ed, Volume 2A. New York: Longman, 2003. Blake, William. "The Lamb." The Harbrace Anthology of Poetry. 3rd ed. Ed. Jon C. Stott, Raymond E. Jones, and Rick Bowers. Toronto: Nelson, 2002. 97 Internet Sources Consulted Blake, William. The Tyger. Songs of Innocence and of Experience. DjVu Editions E-Books, 2001. Web 7 may 2015. Blake, William. The Lamb. Songs of Innocence and of Experience. DjVu Editions E-Books, 2001. Web 7 may 2015. Comparison of The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay -- The Lam When do we change? When do we change from being the innocent children God sent into the world, to the corrupted ones that leave the earth? William Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience examine these different states. Blake wanted to show the two contrary states in the human mind. The Lamb and the Tyger are just vehicles for Blake to express what he feels happens to people as they grow, develop and eventually become perverted by the world around them. Blake’s background and occupation greatly influenced the style and content of his poems. He lived during the 18th Century when the church was beginning to lose its grip on British society; science was rising up against the church. Blake was part of a group known as the Romantics. He began to challenge the church believing that an individual could discover God without going to church. His poems ‘The Lamb’ and ‘The Tyger’ reflect this, as he is telling how God created these two animals and on another level how he created humanity. ‘We are called by his name’ (The Lamb) The message that Blake is trying to convey in this line is that it is God who calls us to discover him. He is saying that no one else has the power to tell you what to believe not even the church. God and the individual are the only ones privy to this ultimate power! His role as an engraver and artist is reflected in the details he gives about the two animals. In The Tyger he describes it as, ‘burning bright.’ He is describing it from a painter’s perspective in the way he is talking of the tiger’s colouring. At the time Blake was writing The Lamb the French Revolution was taking place. Blake was very supportive of the revolution, as he was deeply concerned about the poor social, economic and political ... ...is and see them as normal. It is then that people change from being the untainted children God sent to earth to the corrupted adults that leave it. Works Cited Blake, William. â€Å"The Tyger.† The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch and et al. 2nd ed, Volume 2A. New York: Longman, 2003. Blake, William. "The Lamb." The Harbrace Anthology of Poetry. 3rd ed. Ed. Jon C. Stott, Raymond E. Jones, and Rick Bowers. Toronto: Nelson, 2002. 97 Internet Sources Consulted Blake, William. The Tyger. Songs of Innocence and of Experience. DjVu Editions E-Books, 2001. Web 7 may 2015. Blake, William. The Lamb. Songs of Innocence and of Experience. DjVu Editions E-Books, 2001. Web 7 may 2015.

Functionalism in Education

? Having attended public schools throughout my childhood and adolescence, I never was familiar with the term functionalism and its many elements. After observing and analyzing my field placement classroom I have come to understand the concept of functionalism to some extent. In general, functionalists â€Å"see schools as serving to socialize students to adapt to the economic, political, and social institutions of that society† (Feinberg, p. 6, 2004). They also theorize that in order for societies to survive, they must carry out vital functions such as, attaining fundamental knowledge and acquiring essential skills and proficiency, acknowledging certain norms and values within their community, and recognizing authority figures. It is also believed that social solidarity and role differentiation are the primary aspirations for a society and is achieved by means of the educational system. I can recall instances from my schooling experience, where functionalist aspects were taught and are presently being utilized in the classroom I observed. Some of the various features of functionalism that I identified within the classroom are hidden curriculum, role differentiation and specificity, which I will be addressing, more in depth throughout this paper. The classroom I analyzed from Smith Junior High consists of six special education students between the ages of 13 to 17. A majority of the students are racially diverse and come from a low income household. These students are classified as moderately mentally disabled and each have an IEP, which include their present level of academic achievement and functional performance. The setting of the classroom is comprised of a structured yet uncomplicated curriculum, where their teacher Angi Root, incorporates practical and efficient learning strategies. The entire curriculum is based upon the concept of functioning in every day situations so I was able to identify numerous functional activities. My first observation of the class was on January, 29th at 12pm in the afternoon. The students were just arriving back in the room from lunch and were quite boisterous because I was in the room. As soon as their teacher, Mrs. Root asked them to settle down, they instantly became silent. This is an example of an unspoken expectation of the teacher and is one of many hidden curriculums that I witnessed in the classroom. Another instance was during instruction; Mrs. Root had asked a question pertaining to shapes and who ever knew the answer, demonstrated this particular hidden curriculum by raising their hand. The functionalist concept, hidden curriculum, is best defined as â€Å"organizational features and routines of school life that provide the structure needed to develop the psychological dispositions appropriate for work and citizenship in industrial society† (Feinberg, p. 1, 2004). It is intended to assist in achieving norms, learning one’s position in society, and how to think of oneself. Hidden curriculum has also been explained as making the transition from family to the real world less difficult. This concept applies to the examples I gave because when the teacher asked the students to settle down, they instantly knew that they needed to follow directions. The idea that teachers are authority figures and deserve to be respected is instilled in children at a very young age and is expected to be upheld. As for students raising their hands when wanting to speak or answer a question, this has also been implanted in children’s minds and is a norm in today’s society. I conducted my second observation the following week on Monday, February 2nd, in the morning at 9am. The students had just barely arrived to school and it was the first day back after the weekend. Mrs. Root began the day by allowing the kids to choose their designated job o the week. The six jobs the students can select from are line leader, door holder, paper passer, sharpening pencils, turning the lights on/off, and errand runner. The kids get so excited about choosing their job or â€Å"role† for the week. This motivates them and makes them want to become more efficient and responsible. Functionalists dispute over the fact that all members within a society are compelled to perform different tasks. The concept of role differentiation is found in almost all communities and guarantees that even the most unpleasant jobs are completed. The process of selecting and fulfilling a classroom responsibility helps student’s form a personal identity of themselves. Role differentiation facilitates individuals to gain a sense of belonging in their society and helps build their character. It also assists them in learning responsibility which they can apply to every day life. My final observation took place on Tuesday, February 3rd, at 2:30pm. I was able to observe the teacher, Mrs. Root, enact the norm of specificity. One of the students, a girl named Shelby, is required to wear leg braces because she has a difficult time walking. When walking to Adapted P. E, we had to travel up stairs, which proved to challenging for Shelby. So she wouldn’t trip and fall, Mrs. Root helped Shelby maneuver up the steps until she was safely at he top. Another student named Marcus asked why we didn’t help him up the steps. Mrs. Root answered, saying that Shelby has a harder time getting up the stairs then he does. While Marcus can easily run up and down the steps twenty times, Shelby can barely make it up once with assistance. Specificity â€Å"refers to the treatment of a person in terms of some standardized basis of comparison† (Feinberg, p. 19, 2004). Universalism, which is equal treatment of individuals, is quite the opposite of the term specificity, permitting exceptions to be made for special circumstances. In lieu of the observations I made, Mrs. Root used her judgment on how to handle the situation of fairness. Instead of requiring the same treatment for all her students, certain exceptions are made for individuals with specific needs and disabilities. Overall, I was surprised to discover exactly how many differential functionalist aspects were actually utilized in the classroom I observed. Analyzing the roles and behaviors of the students and teacher, I now feel I have a greater grasp on the functionalist concepts. As for my view on functionalism, I am a bit concerned with the increasing diversity of school populations and the effect this is having on teaching functionalism in schools. At Smith Junior High, where I conducted my observations, â€Å"curriculum mapping†, which is quite the opposite of functionalist ideals, was being used by most of the teachers. There are many challenges that must be dealt with, in regards to this, because of the â€Å"No Child Left Behind Act†. I am not in opposition to the cohesion of different ethnic groups but am worried about the direction public schools are taking. I sense that the main functionalist approaches taught in public schools may become phased out, which in turn, will be extremely detrimental for the society as a whole.

Limitations of the study Essay

The study focuses on the lives of the African American Slaves that are symbolized by the slaves in the 1987 literary masterpiece Beloved by African American author Toni Morrison. In terms of qualitative research, the first scope and delimitation is the use of secondary materials for the qualitative essay. The Second scope is the use of survey questions on persons who have read the Beloved novel. There were twenty persons interviewed for the quantitative part of this research. In terms of quantitative research, this study covered the effect of Motherhood on the Feminism in Beloved. The two data, Motherhood and Feminism, will be treated using the Compare and Contrast qualitative research method. Overview of research Statement of the Problem: This study is aimed to determine the effect of Slavery on Motherhood and Feminism in the Beloved novel. Specifically this study seeks to answer the following problems: Qualitative Research: 1. Compare Motherhood and Feminism in Beloved. 2. Contrast Motherhood and Feminism in Beloved. Quantitative Research 1. What is the profile of the respondents as to: 1. 1 Age; 1. 2 Gender; 1. 3 Highest Educational Attainment 2. Is there a significant difference between the respondents’ determination if the Beloved novel is real or fiction when grouped according to: 2. 1 Age; 2. 2 Gender; 2. 3 Highest Educational Attainment. 3. Is there a significant difference between the respondents’ determination if slave life is harsh in the Beloved novel when grouped according to; 3. 1 Age, 3. 2 Gender 3. 3 Highest Educational Attainment. 4. Is there a significant difference between the respondents’ determination on how Sethe felt about her motherly suffering in the Beloved novel when grouped According to: 4. 1 Age; 4. 2 Gender 4. 3 Highest Educational Attainment. 5. In there a significant difference between the respondents’ determination on the reality of Mother Baby Snugg’s Freedom when grouped according to: 5. 1 Age, 5. 2 Gender 5. 3 Highest Educational Attainment. 6. In there a significant difference between the respondents’ determination on the reality of the right of women slaves to love when grouped according to: 6. 1 Age; 6. 2 Gender; 6. 3 Highest Educational Attainment. 7. Is there a significant difference between the respondents in terms of the right of slave mothers to own their children when grouped according to: 7. 1 Age; 7. 2 Gender 7. 3 Highest Educational Attainment. Hypothesis: 1. There is no significant difference between the respondents’ determination if the Beloved novel is real or fiction when grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. 2. There is no significant difference between the respondents’ determination if slave life is harsh in the Beloved novel when grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. 3. There is no significant difference between the respondents’ determination on how Sethe felt about her motherly suffering in the Beloved novel when grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. 4. There is no significant difference between the respondents’ determination on the reality of Mother Baby Snugg’s Freedom when grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. 5. There is no significant difference between the respondents’ determination on the reality of the right of women slaves to love when grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. 6. There is no significant difference between the respondents in terms of the right of slave mothers to own their children when grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. FINDINGS and CONCLUSIONS The present inquiry revealed the following 1. There is no significant difference between the respondents’ determination if the Beloved novel is real or fiction when grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. Hypothesis is accepted. 2. There is no significant difference between the respondents’ determination if slave life is harsh in the Beloved novel when grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. Hypothesis is accepted. 3. There is no significant difference between the respondents’ determination on how Sethe felt about her motherly suffering in the Beloved novel when grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. Hypothesis is accepted. 4. There is no significant difference between the respondents’ determination on the reality of Mother Baby Snugg’s Freedom when grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. Hypothesis is accepted. 5. There is a significant difference between the respondents’ determination on the reality of the right of women slaves to love when grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. Hypothesis is rejected. 6. There is no significant difference between the respondents in terms of the right of slave mothers right to own children when grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. Hypothesis is accepted. 7. There are more respondents belonging to the 15- 25 age level. 8. There are more respondents belonging to the Female Gender. 9. There are more respondents belonging to the High School Highest Educational Attainment level. RECOMMENDATIONS: The researcher recommends that further research be done on the following areas: 1. Effect of Beloved’s literary overtures to the lives of current African Americans. 2. Effect of Morrison’s literary works on current African American lives.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 23

In the car, Matt sat by the sleeping Meredith with Saber crammed in at their feet, listening in shock and horror as they recounted Meredith's story. When they were done, he was able to speak about his own experiences. â€Å"I'm going to have nightmares al my life about Cole Reece,†he admitted. â€Å"And even though I slapped an amulet on him, and he cried, Dr. Alpert said he was Stillinfected. How can we fight something this far out of control?† Elena knew he was looking at her. She dug her nails into her palms. â€Å"It isn't that I haven't tried to use Wings of Purification over the town. I've tried so hard that I feel as if I'l burst. But it's no good. I can't control any Wings Powers at all! I think – after what I've learned about Meredith – that I may need training. But how do I get it? Where? From who?† There was a long silence in the car. At last Matt said, â€Å"We're al in the dark. Look at that courtroom! How can they have so many werewolves in one town?† â€Å"Wolves are sociable,†Stefan said quietly. â€Å"It looks as if there is a whole community of werewolves in Ridgemont. Seeded among the various Bear and Moose and Lions Clubs of course. For spying on the only creatures they're scared of: humans.† At the boardinghouse Stefan carried Meredith to the first-floor bedroom and Elena pul ed the covers over her. Then she went to the kitchen, where the conversation was continuing. â€Å"What about those werewolves'families? Their wives?†she demanded as she rubbed Matt's shoulders where she knew the muscles must hurt fiercely from being handcuffed behind his back. Her soft fingers soothed bruises, but her hands were strong, and she kept kneading and kneading until her own shoulder muscles began to swear at her†¦and beyond. Stefan stopped her. â€Å"Move over, love, I've got evil vampire magic. This is necessary medical treatment,†he added sternly to Matt. â€Å"So you have to take it no matter how much it hurts.†Elena could Stillfeel him, if faintly, through their connection and she saw how he anesthetized Matt's mind and then dug into the knotted shoulders as if he was kneading stiff dough, meanwhile reaching out with his Powers of healing. Mrs. Flowers came by just then with mugs of hot, sweet cinnamon tea. Matt drained his mug and his head fel back slightly. His eyes were shut, his lips parted. Elena felt a huge wave of pain and tension flood away from him. And then she hugged both of her boys and cried. â€Å"They picked me up on my own driveway,†Matt admitted as Elena sniffled. â€Å"And they did it by the book, but they wouldn't even look at the – the chaos al around them.† Mrs. Flowers approached again, looking serious. â€Å"Dear Matt, you've had a terrible day. What you need is a long rest.†She glanced at Stefan, as if to see how this would impact him, with so few blood donors. Stefan smiled reassuringly at her. Matt, Stillbeing kneaded pliant, had just nodded. After that his color started coming back and a little smile curved his lips. â€Å"There's m'main man,†he said, when Saber butted his way through traffic to pant directly in Matt's face. â€Å"Buddy, I love your dog breath,†he declared. â€Å"You saved me. Can he have a treat, Mrs. Flowers?†he asked, turning slightly unfocused blue eyes on her. â€Å"I know just what he'd like. I have half a roast left in the refrigerator that just needs to be heated a bit.†She punched buttons and in a short while, said, â€Å"Matt, would you like to do the honors? Remember to take the bone out – he might choke on it.† Matt took the large pot roast, which, heated, smel ed so good it made him aware that he was starving. He felt his morals col apse. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, do you think I could make a sandwich before I give it to him?† â€Å"Oh, you poor dear boy!†she cried. â€Å"And I never even thought – of course they wouldn't give you lunch or dinner.† Mrs. Flowers got bread and Matt was happy enough with that, bread and meat, the simplest sandwich imaginable – and so good it curled his toes. Elena wept just a little more. So easy to make two creatures happy with one simple thing. More than two – they were al happy to see Matt safe and to watch Saber get his proper reward. The enormous dog had fol owed every movement of that roast with his eyes, tail swishing back and forth on the floor. But when Matt, Stillchomping, offered him the large piece of meat that was left, Saber just cocked his head to one side, staring at it as if to say, â€Å"You have to be joking.† â€Å"Yes, it's for you. Go on and take it now,†Mrs. Flowers said firmly. Final y, Saber opened his enormous mouth to take hold of the end of the roast, tail twirling like a helicopter blade. His body language was so clear that Matt laughed out loud. â€Å"This once on the floor with us,†Mrs. Flowers added magnificently, spreading a large rug over the kitchen floorboards. Saber's joy was only surpassed by his good manners. He put the roast on the rug and then trotted up to each of the humans to push a wet nose into hand or waist or under a chin, and then he trotted back and attacked his prize. â€Å"I wonder if he misses Sage?†Elena murmured. â€Å"I miss Sage,†Matt said indistinctly. â€Å"We need al the magic help we can get.† Meanwhile Mrs. Flowers was hurrying around the kitchen making ham and cheese sandwiches and bagging them like school lunches. â€Å"Anybody who wakes up tonight hungry must have something to eat,†she said. â€Å"Ham and cheese, chicken salad, some nice crisp carrots, and a big hunk of apple pie.†Elena went to help her. She didn't know why, but she wanted to cry some more. Mrs. Flowers patted her. â€Å"We are al feeling – er, strung out, â€Å"she announced gravely. â€Å"Anyone who doesn't feel like going right to sleep is probably running on too much adrenaline. My sleeping aid wil help with that. And I think we can trust our animal friends and the wards on the roof to keep us safe tonight.† Matt was practical y asleep on his feet now. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers – someday I'l repay you†¦but for now, I can't keep my eyes open.† â€Å"In other words, bedtime, kiddies,†Stefan said. He closed Matt's fingers firmly around a packed lunch, then steered him toward the stairs. Elena gathered several more lunches, kissed Mrs. Flowers twice, and went up to Stefan's room. She had the attic bed straightened and was opening a plastic bag when Stefan came in from putting Matt to bed. â€Å"Is he okay?†she said anxiously. â€Å"I mean, wil he be okay tomorrow?† â€Å"He'l be okay in his body. I got most of the damage healed.† â€Å"And in his mind?† â€Å"It's a tough thing. He just ran smack into Real Life. Arrested, knowing they might lynch him, not knowing if anybody would be able to figure out what had happened to him. He thought that even if we tracked him it would come down to a fight, which would have been hard to win – with so few of us, and not much magic left.† â€Å"But Saber fixed 'em,†Elena said. She looked thoughtful y at the sandwiches she'd laid out on the bed. â€Å"Stefan, do you want chicken salad or ham?†she asked. There was a silence. But it was moments before Elena looked up at him in astonishment. â€Å"Oh, Stefan – I – I actual y forgot. I just – today has been so strange – I forgot – â€Å" â€Å"I'm flattered,†Stefan said. â€Å"And you're sleepy. Whatever Mrs. Flowers puts in her tea – â€Å" â€Å"I think the government would be interested in it,†Elena offered. â€Å"For spies and things. But for now†¦Ã¢â‚¬ She held her arms out, head bent back, neck exposed. â€Å"No, love. I remember this afternoon, if you don't. And I swore I was going to start hunting, and I am,†Stefan said firmly. â€Å"You're going to leave me?†Elena said, startled out of her warm satisfaction. They stared at each other. â€Å"Don't leave,†Elena said, combing her hair away from her neck. â€Å"I had it al planned out, how you'l drink, and how we'l sleep holding each other. Please don't leave, Stefan.† She knew how hard he found it to leave her. Even if she was grimy and worn out, even if she was wearing grungy jeans and had dirt under her fingernails. She was endlessly beautiful and endlessly powerful and mysterious to him. He longed for her. Elena could feel it through their bond, which was beginning to hum, beginning to warm up, beginning to draw him in close. â€Å"But, Elena,†he said. He was trying to be sensible! Didn't he know she didn't want sensible at this particular moment? â€Å"Right here.†Elena tapped the soft spot on her neck. Their bond was singing like an electric power line now. But Stefan was stubborn. â€Å"You need to eat, yourself. You have to keep your strength up.† Elena immediately picked up a chicken salad sandwich and bit into it. Mmm†¦yummy. Real y good. She would have to pick Mrs. Flowers a wildflower bouquet. They were al so well taken care of here. She had to think of more ways to help. Stefan was watching her eat. It made him hungry, but that was because he was used to being fed round the clock, and not used to exercise. Elena could hear everything through their connection and she heard him thinking that he was glad to see Elena renewing herself. That he had learned discipline now; that it wouldn't do him any harm to go to bed one night feeling hungry. He would hold his sleepy adorable Elena al night. No! Elena was horrified. Since he'd been imprisoned in the Dark Dimension, anything that hinted at Stefan going without fil ed her with appal ing terror. Suddenly she had trouble swal owing the bite she'd taken. â€Å"Right here, right here†¦please?†she begged him. She didn't want to have to seduce him into it, but she would if he forced her to. She would wash her hands into pristine cleanliness, and change into a long, clinging nightgown, and stroke his stubborn canines in between kisses, and touch them with her tongue tip gently, just at the base where they wouldn't cut her as they responded and grew. And by then he would be dizzy, he would be out of control, he would be hers completely. All right, All right! Stefan thought to her. Mercy! â€Å"I don't want to give you mercy. I don't want you to let me go,†she said, holding her arms out to him, and heard her own voice soft and tender and yearning. â€Å"I want you to hold me and keep me forever, and I want to hold you and keep you forever.† Stefan's face had changed. He looked at her with the look he'd worn in prison when she had come to visit him in an outfit – very unlike the grubby one she wore now – and he'd said, bewildered, â€Å"Al this†¦it's for me?† There had been razor wire between them then. Now there was nothing to separate them and Elena could see how much Stefan wanted to come to her. She reached a little farther and then Stefan came into the circle of her arms and held her tightly but with infinite care not to use enough strength to hurt her. When he relaxed and leaned his forehead against hers, Elena realized that she would never be tired or sad or frightened without being able to think of this feeling and that it would uphold her for the rest of her life. At last they sank down together on the sheets, comforting each other in equal measure; exchanging sweet, warm kisses. With each kiss, Elena felt the outside world and al its horrors drift farther and farther away. How could anything be wrong when she herself felt that heaven was near? Matt and Meredith, Damon and Bonnie would surely al be safe and happy too. Meanwhile, every kiss brought her closer to paradise, and she knew Stefan felt the same way. They were so happy together that Elena knew that soon the entire universe would echo with their own joy, which overflowed like pure light and transformed everything it touched. Bonnie woke and realized she had only been unconscious for a few minutes. She began to shiver, and once she started she couldn't seem to stop. She felt a wave of heat envelop her, and she knew that Damon was trying to warm her, but Stillthe trembling wouldn't go away. â€Å"What's wrong?†Damon asked, and his voice was different from usual. â€Å"I don't know,†Bonnie said. She didn't. â€Å"Maybe it's because they kept starting to throw me out the window. I wasn't going to scream about that,†she added hastily, in case he assumed she would. â€Å"But then when they talked about torturing me – â€Å" She felt a sort of spasm go through Damon. He was holding her too hard. â€Å"Torturing you! They threatened you with that?† â€Å"Yes, because, you know, Misao's star bal was gone. They knew that it had been poured out; I didn't tel them that. But I had to tel them that it was my fault that the last half got poured out, and then they got mad at me. Oh! Damon, you're hurting me!† â€Å"So it was your fault it got poured out, was it?† â€Å"Well, I figure it was. You couldn't have done it if I hadn't gotten drunk, and – wh-what's wrong, Damon? Are you mad too?†He real y was holding her so that she real y couldn't breathe. Slowly, she felt his arms loosen a little. â€Å"A word of advice, little redbird. When people are threatening to torture and kil you, it might be more – expedient – to tel them that it's someone else's fault. Especial y if that happens to be the truth.† â€Å"I know that!†Bonnie said indignantly. â€Å"But they were going to kil me anyway. If I'd told about you, they'd've hurt you, too.† Damon pul ed her roughly back now, so that she had to look him in the face. Bonnie could also feel the delicate touch of a telepathic mind probe. She didn't resist; she was too busy wondering why he had plum-colored shadows under his eyes. Then he shook her a little, and she stopped wondering. â€Å"Don't you understand even the basics of self-preservation?†he said, and she thought he looked angry again. He was certainly different from any other time that she'd seen him – except once, she thought, and that was when Elena had been â€Å"Disciplined†for saving Lady Ulma's life, back when Ulma had been a slave. He'd had the same expression then, so menacing that even Meredith had been frightened of him, and yet so fil ed with guilt that Bonnie had longed to comfort him. But there had to be some other reason, Bonnie's mind told her. Because you're not Elena, and he's never going to treat you the way he treats Elena. A vision of the brown room rose before her, and she felt certain that he would never have put Elena there. Elena wouldn't have let him, for one thing. â€Å"Do I have to go back?†she asked, realizing that she was being petty and sil y and that the brown room had seemed like a haven just a little while ago. â€Å"Go back?†Damon said, a little too quickly. She had the feeling that he'd seen the brown room too, now, through her eyes. â€Å"Why? The landlady gave me everything in the room. So I have your real clothes and a bunch of star bal s down there, in case you weren't through with one. But why would you think you might have to go back?† â€Å"Well, I know you were looking for a lady of quality, and I'm not one,†Bonnie said simply. â€Å"That was just so I could change back into a vampire,†Damon said. â€Å"And what do you think is holding you up in the air right now?†But this time Bonnie knew somehow that the sensations from the â€Å"Never Ever†star bal s were Stillin her mind and that Damon was seeing them too. He was a vampire again. And the contents of these star bal s were so abominable that Damon's stony exterior final y cracked. Bonnie could almost guess what he thought of them, and of her, left to shiver under her one blanket every night. And then, to her total astonishment, Damon, the ever-composed, brand-new vampire blurted, â€Å"I'm sorry. I didn't think about how that place would be for you. Is there anything that wil make you feel better?† Bonnie blinked. She wondered, seriously, if she were dreaming. Damon didn't apologize. Damon famously didn't apologize, or explain, or speak so nicely to people, unless he wanted something from them. But one thing seemed real. She didn't have to sleep in the brown room anymore. This was so exciting that she flushed a little, and dared say, â€Å"Could we go down to the ground? Slowly? Because the truth is that I'm just terrified of heights.† Damon blinked, but said, â€Å"Yes, I think I can manage that. Is there anything else you'd like?† â€Å"Well – there are a couple of girls who'd be donors – happily – if – well – if there's any money left – if you could save them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Damon said a little sharply, â€Å"Of course there's some money left. I even wrung your share back out of that hag of a landlady.† â€Å"Well, then, there's that secret that I told you, but I don't know if you remember.† â€Å"How soon do you think you'l feel well enough to start?†asked Damon.