Rupert Brooke Essays - In Flanders Fields, , Term Papers

Rupert Brooke Rupert Brooke was one of the early poets in the war. He felt privileged like many to fight for their country. He died of illness in 1915 before having seen any action. He wrote in a romantic style of optimists towards war. He is remembered as a "war poet" who inspired patriotism in the early months of the Great War. He was good at poetry but had not seen the fear of the war. He would have been shocked to see what became of the war. His view towards war would have changed if he had. The Soldier If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field That is forever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of England's breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blest by the suns of home. And think, this heart, all evil shed away, A pulse in the eternal mind, no less Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given; He sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; And laughter learnt of friends: and gentleness, In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. He was proud that he was part of history of helping England, the country that had given him life and joy. He hadn't and was never going to see the dreadfulness of the war. Mc Crae wrote about Flanders Fields in 1915. It is the most famous poem. Mc Crae didn't see the worst of the war. In one year 60 000 English men were going to die in one day. This was written after the first major battle in Belgium. His poems show a change of attitude, unlike the Soldier Flanders Fields talks about guns. It uses poignant irony (emotional power) to explain how he is feeling. It is a bittersweet poem. It does not contempate death in a future sense like The Soldier but talks about the past. It is sad but still jingoistic Through the sense of tragedy there is something brighter. The value is that war is tragic, but not pointless like Owen points out. It is only pointless if we do not carry out what the soldiers began. . There is a value, that death is tragic. He justifies the wretched sacrifice by explaining that is it is necessary to carry on and win the war, or the sacrifice will be in vain. The symbols he uses are poppies and crosses, which are still seen today in Flanders Fields. At the time when he was writing this poem, the fields were not so beautiful. The once flat terrain had become the land of shells and bodies. Torrential rains turned Flanders into a swamp. This became a death whole for tried soldiers. Hundreds of men drowned in mud blood and slime. (Shermer.D (1973) p 190) In Flanders Fields In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row That mark out place: in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scares heard amid the guns below. We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunsets glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders Fields. Take up our quarrels with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders Fields. It reminds us that the soldiers had feelings. It is ambiguous and patriotic. He is talking to the next soldiers that will take his place and fight for his country. His images have become part of the collective memory of war. Each image accurately triggers off its expected emotional response. The red flowers, of traditional pastoral elegy and the crosses, which suggest the idea of Calvary and sacrifice. The skies from the trenches- the birds sing, in the midst of the horror and terrors, of man's greatest folly. "The conception of soldiers as lovers; and the antithesis drawn between beds and graves. The poem sails across the imagination laden with literary associations ransacked from the riches of the past." It is tragic but not pointless like Owen, he justifies the sacrifice. (Fussell.P (1997) p1) Mc Crae is talking to people on a personal level. They are beginning to ask questions about perusing the morals of war. He is saying that we

Gloria Steinem - Feminist and Editor

Gloria Steinem - Feminist and Editor Born: March 25, 1934Occupation: Writer, feminist organizer, journalist, editor, lecturerKnown For: Founder of Ms. Magazine; bestselling author; spokesperson on women’s issues and feminist activism Gloria Steinem Biography Gloria Steinem was one of the most prominent activists of second-wave feminism. For several decades she has continued to write and speak about societal roles, politics, and issues affecting women. Background Steinem was born in 1934 in Toledo, Ohio. Her father’s work as an antique dealer took the family on many trips around the United States in a trailer. Her mother worked as a journalist and teacher before suffering from severe depression that led to a nervous breakdown. Steinem’s parents divorced during her childhood and she spent years struggling financially and caring for her mother. She moved to Washington D.C. to live with her older sister for her senior year of high school.    Gloria Steinem attended Smith College, studying government and political affairs. She then studied in India on a post-graduate fellowship. This experience broadened her horizons and helped to educate her about the suffering in the world and the high standard of living in the United States.Journalism and Activism Gloria Steinem began her journalism career in New York. At first she did not cover challenging stories as a â€Å"girl reporter† among mostly men. However, an early investigative reporting piece became one of her most famous when she went to work in a Playboy club for an expose. She wrote about the hard work, harsh conditions and unfair wages and treatment endured by women in those jobs. She found nothing glamorous about the Playboy Bunny life and said that all women were â€Å"bunnies† because they were placed in roles based on their sex in order to serve men. Her reflective essay â€Å"I Was a Playboy Bunny† appears in her book Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions. Gloria Steinem was an early contributing editor and political columnist for New York Magazine in the late 1960s. In 1972, she launched Ms. Its initial publication of 300,000 copies sold out rapidly nationwide. The magazine became the landmark publication of the feminist movement. Unlike other women’s magazines of the time, Ms. covered topics such as gender bias in language, sexual harassment, feminist protest of pornography, and political candidates’ stances on women’s issues. Ms. has been published by the Feminist Majority foundation since 2001, and Steinem now serves as a consulting editor.Political Issues Along with activists such as Bella Abzug and Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971. The NWPC is a multi-partisan organization dedicated to increasing the participation of women in politics and getting women elected. It supports women candidates with fundraising, training, education, and other grassroots activism. In Steinem’s famous â€Å"Address to the Women of America† at an early NWPC meeting, she spoke of feminism as a â€Å"revolution† that meant working toward a society in which people are not categorized by race and sex. She has often spoken about feminism as â€Å"humanism.† In addition to examining race and sex inequality, Steinem has long been committed to the Equal Rights Amendment, abortion rights, equal pay for women, and an end to domestic violence. She has advocated on behalf of children who were abused in day care centers and spoken out against the 1991 Gulf War and the Iraq war launched in 2003. Gloria Steinem has been active in political campaigns since that of Adlai Stevenson in 1952. In 2004, she joined thousands of other canvassers on bus trips to swing states such as Pennsylvania and her native Ohio. In 2008, she expressed her concern in a New York Times Op-Ed piece that Barack Obama’s race was seen to be a unifying factor while Hillary Clinton’s gender was seen as a divisive factor. Gloria Steinem co-founded the Women’s Action Alliance, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, and Choice USA, among other organizations. Recent Life and Work At the age of 66, Gloria Steinem married David Bale (father of actor Christian Bale). They lived together in both Los Angeles and New York until he passed away of brain lymphoma in December 2003. Some voices in the media commented on the longtime feminist’s marriage with disparaging remarks about whether in her 60s she had decided she needed a man after all. With her characteristic good humor, Steinem deflected the remarks and said she had always hoped women would choose to marry if and when it was the right choice for them. She also expressed surprise that people did not see how much marriage had changed since the 1960s in terms of rights allowed to women. Gloria Steinem is on the Board of Directors of the Women’s Media Center, and she is a frequent lecturer and spokeswoman on a variety of issues. Her bestselling books include Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem, Moving Beyond Words, and Marilyn: Norma Jean. In 2006, she published Doing Sixty and Seventy, which examines age stereotypes and the liberation of older women.

The Sensual Culture Reader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Sensual Culture Reader - Essay Example The rise of consumer capitalism initiated several great changes within Western societies. One such transformation was the shifted emphasis from production to distribution, as the distributor got a higher role than the manufacturer and the consumer, because the growing production requires adequate sales. Therefore, it has become necessary to spur consumption by products replacement, when the notion of obsolescence artificially shortens economic cycles in different markets. As a side effect, to the material concerns of people a new factor of mass concern had been added - the visual confirmation of the social status. Another development was the subordination of visual art to the capitalistic institutions. In part, this has been done through sacralization of the art and isolation it in museums, where works of art serve as modern icons, but lose their intersensoriality, which is an active connection between senses needed for the wholeness of experience (Howes 2005, pp.318-334). Such trend s influenced our senses as a cultural frame of our perception because we almost never perceive the world immediately but rather sense it stereotypically.

Cicadas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cicadas - Essay Example The female lay 4-5 mm long egg on the ventral thorax. Their life cycle takes 17 years in northern species and 13 years in southern species; the two types overlap in parts of the United States. In about six weeks the wingless, scaly larvae, or nymphs, burrow into the ground, where they remain for 13 or 17 years, feeding on juices, the xylem sap, sucked from roots of the flora present in that area encompassing grasses, forbs or trees. The nymphal development takes numerous years. The nymphs molt periodically as they grow; finally the full-grown nymphs emerge, climb a short distance reaches the tree trunks, herb stem and fences, anchors itself with the help of its tarsal claws to protect itself and molts or shed their last larval skin. The winged adults generally emerge together in large numbers, live for about one week. Its nymphal shell remains as proof indicating the transition in the life cycle of the cicadas. This is also a transition from its restricted life to free life where it has freedom to fly. Cicadas are known as strong fliers with a high visual alertness. Adults feed on xylem sap and have a life span of a few weeks. Different broods mature at regular intervals, so that at least one colony is conspicuous in some part of the United States each year, and even in a given locality a brood may appear every few years. Other North American cic

Strategy for Expansion in Mexico Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategy for Expansion in Mexico - Essay Example It is evident from the study that in the analysis of the macro environment of Mexico, various factors which have been considered are the political, economic, social, and technological conditions present in the country. The overall analysis of the factors has been carried out to understand the feasibility of the expansion of the University in a different country and to critically analyze the favorable factors and the associated difficulties with the expansion plan. Mexico has a federal republic government, and the first republic was established in the year 1824. The overall administration of the country is divided under various subdivisions consisting of 31 states and a federal district. The prominent political parties in action are the Institutional Revolutionary party and the National action Party. Other than these two parties there are various small parties which operate in the country. The judiciary of the country is also divided into federal and the state court systems. Various e ducational reforms have also occurred in the country and the most significant of them is the educational reform in the state of Aguascalientes. The new system of education was introduced in the year 1920. Under the new system, the public education system in the country involved a massive change. More decentralization of education system was effected in the state. The role and the supervision of the school inspectors also involved a radical change. The number of days of the classes in the school was increased considerably and the government made an effort to improve the educational system in the country. The educational reform brought by the political party introduced English language and computers in the schools of Mexico for the very first time. The government of the country was determined to increase the quality of education in the country and this appeared to be a significant step. In order to raise the level of education, special training of the teachers was also conducted. Such reforms had a dramatic improvement in the education sector of the country as the number of school completion reflected an increase in rate (Cordoba, n. d) Economic factors: The economy of the country has been affected in the period of recession, however in the recent years; the country has experienced impressive growth in its economy. The low cost of labor in Mexico has been significant enough to gain such profit in the country. The countries link up with the NAFTA agreement has been also crucial in its economic success. Based on the overall economy of the country, Mexico has been positioned as a country with middle level of income. The average growth of the country also has satisfactory figures. The quick rate of recovery of the United States also helped the country to revive the economic condition after the recession period was over. In matters of trade, the United States has been the country in which Mexico exports and imports the maximum and the dependence over the US trade is quite notable. Mexico has a free market economy with the domination of various private sectors in the market (Klepak, 2008). However the income distribution in the country is largely unequal. The service sector and the industrial sectors of the country are the

Child Independence And Thinking Skills

Child Independence And Thinking Skills Critical independent thinking skills are very important for your children. These important skills can enhance self-esteem and promote an ability to meet any challenging situation with ease and optimism. However, as parents we can hinder our childrens ability to develop independence thinking skills by helping or doing more than they actually need. Sometimes, we may even never realize that we are actually doing all the work for them. In life, parents just love their children and they want to take care of their children in every possible way. However, parents may also forget that going all the way to help their children may actually hinder their childrens ability to develop independence thinking skills. One of the primary goals of parents is to help children develop the intense desire and ability to think on their own without others help. Independent thinking is the desire or wish of a person to convince him or her that the information and detail being presented is true, worthy or reasonable. Why attitude of independence is important for your children? A child who develops independence skills will always feel more confident about themselves and their ability to solve intricate life problems especially when you are not there. You children will feel on top of the world when they work on their own and without your help. They will also show a heightened enthusiasm to work more to achieve minor goals and objectives. Just think how your children will be excited when they learn to wear their socks or zip up the jacket for the first time without any help from you! Just by doing these simple things, they feel so proud of their ability to do things on their own. Developing independence skills will provide a number of benefits to your children such as: A steep rise in confidence level and self-esteem An ability to solve problems those occur in daily life Developing compassion and love for others An ability to help others when they are in problems Better self-image and enthusiasm When children feel that they can do things on their own, they will also naturally want to learn and master new skills or solve intricate problems. For example, a child who has repeatedly worked on buttoning her blouse and who finally does it without her parents help will naturally demand to try wear that blouse all by herself without help from anyone. Alternatively, a boy who has repeatedly tried to tie his shoelace and who finally does it without his parents help will start trying to slip the shoes himself. You feel normally excited and thrilled, if your children are learning all things with their own initiative. This is what most parents expect from their children too. Obviously, parents also want their children learn new things, skills and abilities on their way to adulthood. However, these events may happen only when parents provide their children an opportunity to try to do things on their own. In nutshell, you may need to encourage independence in your children by watching patiently when your small children try to button their shirts on their own even if they take many minutes. If you lose your patience at this critical juncture, you will probably hindering or preventing your children from learning important independence skills. If you observe that your children are failing in their act of learning new skills, you may need to encourage them to try again instead of helping your children with your own efforts. Independence skills are practical life skills. These skills can easily assist your children develop confidence, feel less scared or nervous and eventually face any situations that are likely to be encountered at school and public places. Regardless of what children, may demand or they feel need, parents may need to try to train them in acquiring critical independence skills and responsibilities. Mind you, it is a lifelong commitment that might be difficult to achieve and satisfy. Not all children may succeed in learning these skills. There could be many reasons for this perceived failure. Development milestones are not the same among all children. Some of them may show keenness to learn independence thinking skills while others may take some more time to learn them. Whatever the case, parents will need to give enough opportunities for their children to learn these skills at an early age. Cleaning up rooms, tables, helping parents finish house chore and getting ready for the school are some of the most important skills that your children can learn. Today, families around the world are busier than ever. Parents also feel bad about not giving enough time for their children. When parents use the available time by working with their children, they can easily teach very important lessons about independence and responsibility. Teaching Your Children Independence Skills How Parents can be Proactive in Training their children Tying shoelaces, buttoning the shirt, cleaning the study table, doing laundry and doing homework on own without parents help these are some of the most common yet important responsibilities for a child. These simple activities may look and feel very simple to many of us. However, they can pose a big challenge for most of the children who are under the age of 10 years. To an adult, these simple jobs may look monotonous and regular. However, these perceived simple tasks may look humungous to most children. There are many skills and techniques that your children mist learn and master before they leave home for their higher studies. Acquiring independence thinking skills at an early age will help your children build confidence and self-esteem. Young children and toddlers often like to do very meaningful and understandable adult-type tasks. Many times, they are too enthusiastic about doing things on their own. What they lack are the techniques or methods to perform these tasks. To help your children succeed in learning independence skills, you may need to set up a congenial physical environment to assist them become more independent. To set up an atmosphere for doing work on own, you may wish to provide: Easy climb and sit chairs; your children should be able to get in and out of the chair independently, Easily climbable stools near sinks and wash places so that children can easily wash their hands before and after eating, An easily reachable waste tub where children can deposit refuse and wastage after snack and dinner time, Cleaning towels and sponges that can help children clean up What you can do to help your children become independent: Providing ample opportunities: Provide plenty of opportunities for your children to learn independent thinking skills. Your children should understand that learning independence skills will help them become efficient and enabled in their classroom and out of it. As a parent, you may wish to cajole your children to do work on their own and without your help. When your children understand that doing small tasks with their own initiatives is good for them, they will try to work on small tasks that are simple and straightforward. Encourage independence: As far as possible, give limited choices for your children. When your children have limited choices in front of them, they will try to achieve excellence in the tasks they want to perform. Ensure that you respect your childrens preferences. Example: Let us say that you are giving drinking chocolate to your children. You may now give just two options for them. Ask this simple question Do you need that orange cup or the blue cup? Alternatively, your children want to dress up for their piano class. You may ask your children this simple question The red dress is that side drawer and the grey one is in the cupboard. Pick the one that you like. Here, your children will try to assess the merit of your question and decide on their answers after thinking over it for some time. Show flexibility towards your children: Becoming independent takes lot of time. Respect your childs natural limitations. Never ever, pressurize your children beyond certain limits. Make sure that you integrate the training within the ambit of your work. Use the available opportunities to teach your children independence thinking skills. Involve your children in making plans: You can ask your children to suggest you ideas to help make the learning program a success. Children can give wonderful ideas. Use their abilities to help them succeed in learning independence thinking skills. Explain what independence is: You may wish to explain the benefits and advantages of mastering independence thinking skills. Tell them how learning such skills will help in classroom and in other places. Let children try to do work on own: Some children will try to do small tasks on own. For example, children love to button their shirts or tie shoelaces. Most children fail in their first few attempts because it is natural; children may not develop the necessary muscle-eye-bone coordination when they are young. Let them try to do their tasks. If they fail, you can help them but with solutions to the problems. Tell them how they can button up their shirts and demonstrate the act by standing in front of them. Be affirmative and reinforce positive assertions: Always, reinforce positive reinforcement and avoid negative ones. Be positive with your children and help your children become positive as well. If they do any task with success, compliment them with your heart. There are a number of independent thinking skills that your children must learn and master to become successful in life. Here are some of them: Note: The most important skill that your children must learn is to realize that mastering independent thinking skills will help them achieve critical goals. 1. Encourage your children to ask questions and find answers with their own efforts 2. Make sure that the questions should always have a why and what happens if component attached to them. 3. Your children should find their own solutions or answers to their problems. Buttoning a shirt is one classic example. Most children often fail in their first attempt. However, they will master the task with continuous repetitions. 2. Teach your children experimentation. Your children should be able to experiment on simple challenges and tasks till they find a valid solution. Please remember that learning independent thinking skills relates very closely with performing most common daily tasks. Children who develop critical independent thinking skills can be very successful in their life.

Impact of Pregnancy Cortisol Levels on High and Low Working Memory Capa

PROJECT DESCRIPTION Impact of Pregnancy Cortisol Levels on High and Low Working Memory Capacity The terms â€Å"baby brain† and â€Å"maternal amnesia† are informally used to describe the perceived memory loss and inattentiveness many women report suffering during pregnancy (Cuttler, Graf, Pawluski & Galea, 2010). Previous studies have suggested that this perceived memory loss may be associated with temporary exhaustion of working memory capacity (WMC) (Casey, 2000). In 1971, Marian Diamond and collegues did extensive research on pregnant and non-pregnant rats and demonstrated for the first time that pregnancy reshapes the brain (Diamond, Johnson & Ingham, 1971). Their findings suggest that pregnancy in rats increases dendritic spine density in areas of the brain that regulate learning and memory as well as areas involved in control of fear and anxiety. During stressful situations, adrenergic activation prompts secretion of epinephrine by the sympathetic nervous system (Elzinga & Roelofs, 2005). The hormone cortisol is made by the adrenal glands and is also essential in response to stressful situations. When adrenergic activity and cortisol levels are concordantly increased, working memory impairments proceed. Throughout the third trimester of pregnancy, cortisol reaches levels consistent with those seen in Cushing’s syndrome (Glynn, 2010). Cushing’s syndrome is defined by excess cortisol levels dispersed by the adrenal glands as a result of a tumor or medication (Margulies, Voto, Fescina, Lastra, Lapidus & Schwarez 1987). Individuals suffering from Cushing’s syndrome experience a wide range of symptoms, one of which is a decrease in working memory. Working memory (WM) is a theoretical structure referring to an ind... ...10). Literature associating endocrine exposures during gestation and changes in memory function, support that women with lower levels of cortisol display poorer verbal recall memory performance (Glynn, 2010). However, performance on working memory tasks did not differ between pregnant and non-pregnant participants. The contradictory evidence pertaining to the impact of cortisol on memory suggests that further study is needed to understand its effects. Working Memory Attentional Control Measures of performance on tests of WM suggest that WMC increases continually between early childhood and adolescence (West, 1996). Empirical studies have also supported that WM is among one of the cognitive functions most sensitive to decline in old age. West (1996) theorized that the declines in WM as we age is due largely to the deterioration of the pre-frontal cortex. Impact of Pregnancy Cortisol Levels on High and Low Working Memory Capa PROJECT DESCRIPTION Impact of Pregnancy Cortisol Levels on High and Low Working Memory Capacity The terms â€Å"baby brain† and â€Å"maternal amnesia† are informally used to describe the perceived memory loss and inattentiveness many women report suffering during pregnancy (Cuttler, Graf, Pawluski & Galea, 2010). Previous studies have suggested that this perceived memory loss may be associated with temporary exhaustion of working memory capacity (WMC) (Casey, 2000). In 1971, Marian Diamond and collegues did extensive research on pregnant and non-pregnant rats and demonstrated for the first time that pregnancy reshapes the brain (Diamond, Johnson & Ingham, 1971). Their findings suggest that pregnancy in rats increases dendritic spine density in areas of the brain that regulate learning and memory as well as areas involved in control of fear and anxiety. During stressful situations, adrenergic activation prompts secretion of epinephrine by the sympathetic nervous system (Elzinga & Roelofs, 2005). The hormone cortisol is made by the adrenal glands and is also essential in response to stressful situations. When adrenergic activity and cortisol levels are concordantly increased, working memory impairments proceed. Throughout the third trimester of pregnancy, cortisol reaches levels consistent with those seen in Cushing’s syndrome (Glynn, 2010). Cushing’s syndrome is defined by excess cortisol levels dispersed by the adrenal glands as a result of a tumor or medication (Margulies, Voto, Fescina, Lastra, Lapidus & Schwarez 1987). Individuals suffering from Cushing’s syndrome experience a wide range of symptoms, one of which is a decrease in working memory. Working memory (WM) is a theoretical structure referring to an ind... ...10). Literature associating endocrine exposures during gestation and changes in memory function, support that women with lower levels of cortisol display poorer verbal recall memory performance (Glynn, 2010). However, performance on working memory tasks did not differ between pregnant and non-pregnant participants. The contradictory evidence pertaining to the impact of cortisol on memory suggests that further study is needed to understand its effects. Working Memory Attentional Control Measures of performance on tests of WM suggest that WMC increases continually between early childhood and adolescence (West, 1996). Empirical studies have also supported that WM is among one of the cognitive functions most sensitive to decline in old age. West (1996) theorized that the declines in WM as we age is due largely to the deterioration of the pre-frontal cortex.