The Catcher In The Rye Essays (718 words) - Fiction, Literature

The Catcher In The Rye The Catcher in the Rye In J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, the first person narration is critical in helping the reader to know and understand the main character, Holden Caulfield. Holden, in his narration, relates a flashback of a significant period of his life, three days and nights on his own in New York City. Through his narration, Holden discloses to the reader his innermost thoughts and feelings. He thus provides the reader not only with information of what occurred, but also how he felt about what happened. Holden's thoughts and ideas reveal many of his character traits. One late Saturday night, four days before the beginning of school vacation, Holden is alone, bored and restless, wondering what to do. He decides to leave Pencey, his school, at once and travels to New York by train. He decides that, once in New York, he will stay in a cheap motel until Wednesday, when he is to return home. His plan shows the reader how very impetuous he is and how he acts on a whim. He is unrealistic, thinking that he has a foolproof plan, even though the extent of his plans are to take a room in a hotel.., and just take it easy till Wednesday. Holden's excessive thoughts on death are not typical of most adolescents. His near obsession with death might come from having experienced two deaths in his early life. He constantly dwells on Allie, his brother's, death. From Holden's thoughts, it is obvious that he loves and misses Allie. In order to hold on to his brother and to minimize the pain of his loss, Holden brings Allie's baseball mitt along with him where ever he goes. The mitt has additional meaning and significance for Holden because Allie had written poetry, which Holden reads, on the baseball mitt. Holden's preoccupation with death can be seen in his contemplation of a dead classmate, James Castle. It tells the reader something about Holden that he lends his turtleneck sweater to this classmate, with whom he is not at all close. Holden's feelings about people reveal more of his positive traits. He constantly calls people phonies, even his brother, D.B., who has sold out to Hollywood. Although insulting, his seemingly negative feelings show that Holden is a thinking and analyzing, outspoken individual who values honesty and sincerity. He is unimpressed with people who try to look good in other's eyes. Therefore, since it is obvious that Holden is bright, the reason for his flunking out of school would seem to be from a lack of interest. Holden has strong feelings of love towards children as evidenced through his caring for Phoebe, his little sister. He is protective of her, erasing bad words from the walls in her school and in a museum, in order that she not learn from the graffiti. His fondness for children can be inferred when he tells her that, at some time in the future, he wants to be the only grown-up with all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. He'll stand on the edge of a cliff and catch anybody who starts to fall off the edge of the cliff. He got this image from his misinterpretation of a line from the Robert Burns poem, if a body catch a body comin' through the rye. When situations are described, in person or in a book, they are influenced by the one who describes them, and by his or her perceptions and experiences. Through Holden's expressions of his thoughts and feelings, the reader sees a youth, sensitive to his surroundings, who chooses to deal with life in unique ways. Holden is candid, spontaneous, analytical, thoughtful, and sensitive, as evidenced by his narration. Like most adolescents, feelings about people and relationships are often on his mind. Unfortunately, in Holden's case, he seems to expect the worst, believing that the result of getting close to people is pain. Pain when others reject you or pain when they leave you, such as when a friend walks off or a beloved brother dies. It would not have been possible to feel Holden's feelings or understand his thoughts nearly

The US Penal System essays

The US Penal System essays Prison inmates, are some of the most "maladjusted" people in society. Most of the inmates have had too little discipline or too much, come from broken homes, and have no self-esteem. They are very insecure and are at war with themselves as well as with society. Most inmates did not learn moral values or learn to follow everyday norms. Also, when most lawbreakers are labeled criminals they enter the phase of secondary deviance. They will admit they are criminals or believe it when they enter the phase of secondary deviance. Next, some believe that if we want to rehabilitate criminals, we must do more than just send them to prison. For instance, we could give them a chance to acquire job skills; which will improve the chances that inmates will become productive citizens upon release. The programs must aim to change those who want to change. Those who are taught to produce useful goods and to be productive are likely to develop the self-esteem essential to a normal, integrated personality. This kind of program would provide skills and habits and replace the sense of hopelessness that many inmates have. Moreover, another technique used to rehabilitate criminals is counseling. There is two types of counseling in general, individual and group counseling. Individual counseling is much more costly than group counseling. The aim of group counseling is to develop positive peer pressure that will influence its members. One idea in many sociology text is that group problem-solving has definite advantages over individual problem-solving. The idea is that a wider variety of solutions can be derived by drawing from the experience of several people with different backgrounds. Also one individuals problem might have already been solved by another group member and can be suggested. Often if a peer proposes a solution it carries more weight than if the counselor were to suggest it. ...

The Song at the Scaffold by Gertrude von Le Fort Essay

The Song at the Scaffold by Gertrude von Le Fort - Essay Example She has a most uncharacteristic nature which is totally unsuited to her social standing, being fearfully timid and frail. She chooses Carmel of Compiegne as her saviour from the fears and terrors of life. At the sanctuary the character of Sister Marie of the Incarnation is introduced as one which embodies confidence yet humility and faith in the church, but feels that Blanche is unsuited to the rigorous lifestyle of the Carmel. The unfolding events of the French Revolution, bring a drastic change in Blanche’s circumstances from glory and comfort to distress, taking away the one sanctuary she trusted most; the Carmel at Compiegne. The author presents her uniqueness to us as she willingly steps out and joins the sisters who are being led to the guillotine, showing a superb transformation from fear and horror to unimaginable courage. This transformation is the epitome of her faith and belief in God bringing her to a point where the darkness of her fears Surname2 is encompassed an d destroyed by the one and only ultimate source of light ; her love of God. Sister Marie who has a strong, wilful and quite an eloquent personality, has all the makings of a heroine, manages to flee from the executioners for greater service to the Lord and mankind. She realizes that bravery and piety do not necessary come from great acts of heroism. Weak and insignificant beings are chosen by God to become vessels of the working of the Divine. Surname3 The novella has a very interesting character in the form of Blanche de La Force. She was the daughter of Marquis de La Force. Her birth in the nobility did not in any manner reflect in her demeanour. She had a frail disposition and lived in a constant state of fear, which according to her father, was the result of the circumstances at the time of her birth. She would surely have been beautiful considering the lineage she belonged to, had not fear overcome all other senses. She always wore a pinched expression on her face, reflecting i nner turmoil. The other interesting character of the story was that of Sister Marie of the Incarnation. She was the opposite of Blanche in appearance. She was stout and strong. Her demeanour reflected her state of confidence and strong belief in God. She showed a stoutness which bordered on overconfidence. Blanche and Sister Marie had the love of God as the most marked similarity in their personalities. Apart from that, Blanche had a timid and nervous personality. She showed signs of an extreme insecurity complex from a very early age, when she would reconfirm from her nanny that the stairs would not slip from under her feet, or when she would tremble at the sight of a new servant as if she had seen a ghost. As she grew up and sensed the ridicule aimed at her from all quarters, these insecurities only added to her agonizing fear of all things known as well as unknown. Such a disposition had a profound effect on the girl’s personality putting her apart from others of her age g roup. The reason might have been the demise of her mother at childbirth, who might have in other circumstances soothed and calmed her by giving her a confidence which the Jacobean father could not and did not. Sister Marie ,on the other hand showed a self-assurance which seemed to stem from her strong Surname4 faith. She had absolute belief in her own

What Is So-Called Asian Business Model How Well Does The Indian Essay

What Is So-Called Asian Business Model How Well Does The Indian Business System Fit That Model - Essay Example The business model of Asia is also quite dissimilar from other western nations. The Asian business model has progressed through several periods of transformations. Several aspects such as globalization, improvement in information and communication technology, and deregulation along with evolving competition have influenced the business model of Asia (Crown, â€Å"Challenges in Asia†). Thesis Statement The discussion is based on analyzing the different aspects of the Asian business model. The objective of the discussion is to observe how the Indian business system or organizations fit in the Asian business model and to describe one other Asian system which fits the Asian business model either better or worse than India’s business system. What Is So-Called Asian Business Model? Asian business paradigm has developed through three major phases of improvement. In the first phase, i.e. during 1970s to 1980s, Asia used to pursue the features of ‘Japanese Model’ of business. According to that model, organizations tended to follow quality products and operational superiority in business. The Japanese model focused more on business growth rather than earning profit. Lifetime employment was a vital part for that Asian business model. At that period of time, the central elements of this Asian business model were huge investment, large savings and financial growth. These elements were described as success-deriving factors for organizations by the professionals. However, in the third phase, i.e. from 1990s to present day, professionals have highlighted certain systematic deficiencies of the Asian business model, which had resulted in Asian financial crisis in the year 1997. The Asian business model had also resulted in the collapse of several Asian organizations (Delios and Singh 1-20). At this point of time, it is vital to outline the major differences between the Asian business model and the US business model. During the period of 1950s to early 1990s, the Asia business model was associated with the so-called ‘crony capitalism’. Crony capitalism is usually related with strong government participation in business. Thus, it can be observed that close association existed between the government and the organizations in this kind of business model. Such close association was directed through discussion board which was used to organize investment plans. Government assistance to organizations was related with strict performance standards about exports and technical values. In Asian business model, the relationship between business and financial system comprised long-term association between organizations and banks. This aspect had empowered Asian organizations to consider long-run vision in the investment decisions. Thus, organizations were not constrained by the threat of aggressive take-overs. Asian organizations pursued internal business practices which were different from those of Western organizations. For instan ce, Asia business model is related with maintaining loyal association between management and employees. Conducting business in this model is based on interpersonal relationships

High skilled or educated workers may face more difficulties in getting Essay

High skilled or educated workers may face more difficulties in getting employed compared to low skilled or educated workers - Essay Example On the other hand, there is a need to scrutinise the new role of low-skilled workers in the current job and industry requirements. In order to get a succinct understanding of the market competitiveness for skilled workers as compared to their low-skilled counterparts, this paper begins by looking at the theoretical perspective of the issue. This is then followed by a critical analysis of the many factors that influence market competitiveness for both skilled and low-skilled workers. Lastly, these factors are analyzed by using the case study of the labour market in the United States where skilled workers are becoming obsolescent to the advantage of the low-skilled and low-educated workers. One of the theory that explain the circumstance of the labour market where less skilled worker get hired than the skilled work force is the invisible hand theory. Adam Smith coined the term invisible hand denoting that the market should be free of interference from the government (Holcombe, 1999). However, the theory of invisible hand explains that market ought to be guided by the forces of demand and supply. Through this scarce resources are bound to be shared efficiently. This is also the circumstance in the labour sector. The forces of demand and supply supersede the skills more so where the market does not need specialised services (Holcombe, 1999). Therefore, the invisible hand theory explains the competiveness of non-skill workforce to that of skilled labourer (Holcombe, 1999). The high investment in higher education and skills necessary for a particular type of job is no longer fool proof of a better job. This is because the current market for skills is largely driven by laws of supply and demand. For many years, there has been a contemporary belief that high-skilled workers are often granted high priority in the job market. However, low-skilled workers

English in Pakistan

English in Pakistan THE AUDIENCE OF THE ANALYSIS The audience of this analysis is all primary school as the writing will focus on the existing teaching techniques at this level and will concentrate on the anomalies in this methodology. The revised 2006 English Teaching curriculum is completely based on the ongoing teaching technique. The revised curriculum 2006 for the first time introduced English at the level of grade 1 which used to be introduced to students at 6 grade before 2006. This is a milestone in the history of Pakistan that students of government run schools could start learning English from the very first year of school. The government new education policy unveiled on 12 March 2009 with a hope to reduce the illiteracy to a great level. The policy will be implemented at the expiry of National Education Policy 2008-2010 next year. But revised English curriculum and the new national policy does not draw attention to the mammoth problem of obsolete teaching techniques especially English curriculum at all levels. To overcom e these issues we will deeply look into the Communicative Language Teaching techniques which will resolve the long standing issues of the country and put the teaching techniques on the right track. POLICY ANALYSIS TIME AND PROCESS SPENT ON THE POLICY DEVELOPMENT It is arduous to forecast the exact time the Ministry of Education (MoE) undertook the task of coming up with a revised curriculum for English in 2006. As the national education policy 1998-2010 introduced in 1998 was heavily criticised for being inadequate to cater the needs of the country in twenty first century and very soon MoE realised the gravity of the mistakes when the new education policy was heading towards complete collapse. To save its face the MoE came up with a new idea to revise some of the most defective policies. INTENDED AUDIENCE The analysis is going to focus on the problems of teachers, students and the curriculum. The analysis is restricted to the primary system of education in the biggest province of Punjab. FUNCTION AND PURPOSE OF THE ANALSYIS The main function and purpose of the policy analysis is to focus on the drawbacks in the teaching methodology and the proposed curriculum introduced at the primary level. How these problems are adversely affecting the people involved with education sector, especially the students who are at the receiving end. TYPE OF KNOWLEDGE The analysis is both non-interpretative and interpretative. NATURE OF POLICY The analysis is non-perspective as it will have a wide approach towards the existing policy. â€Å"A non-perspective policy text†¦ is construed so that the reader is allowed a great deal of latitude as to how they interpret its message(s)† (Scott, 2000, pp 18). Scott adds â€Å"if the text is non-perspective, the reader is not asked to behave or think in a certain way but is offered a number of possibilities which they can then choose from† (ibid, pp 18-19). The writing will be based on the views, analysis and research of different educationists, analysts and opinion. It will focus on both the traditionalist approach and CLT approach and how it works out for a country like Pakistan. The topic is wide focus on the English teaching techniques at primary level in Pakistan and how this is effecting the students in term of their progress. The CLT will be dealt with in depth to address the issue the English teaching as a second/foreign language. While talking about the new approach we will keep our focus on Pakistan’s primary level language teaching techniques. One figure is used but graphics and statistics have not been employed as the topic under discussion is of generic nature and involves opinion and research of different researchers and educationists. PAKISTAN AND ENGLISH Worldwide the significance of English as a language of communication cannot be overlooked. As communication is the most fundamental aspect of human life (Thompson 2003:1) and a language works as a key mean of communication for humans (Clark et. al. 1994:1). The communication process starts first at communal level but this circle widens up when people from different communities and societies interacts with one another. As the world has become a global village the English rightly fulfils the need for a common lingua franca to bridge the widening gap between world communities. Nowadays English is widely considered as a global language and according to Brutt-Griffler (mentioned in Mackay 2002:12) due to its some of the most appealing features it holds this position. The popularity of English these days could be judged from the fact more than 85 percent international organisations worldwide employ English as the main language, for instance in Asia and the Pacific ninety percent of the org anisations officially use English (MacKay 2002:17). The national language of Pakistan is Urdu but English has been the official language for communication over the last six decade since its independence. The Kachru’s concentric model describes Pakistan’ position in a very well manner as it falls in the outer-circle of the model. This circle includes the earlier period of the extension of English in non-native countries where it has become a part of a countrys chief institutions, and plays an important second language role in a multilingual setting and includes 50 other territories. Fig. 1 The University Grants Commission of Pakistan (1982) in a â€Å"Report on the Teaching of Language† deemed the English as the language of knowledge, technology, and international communication, as an important second language’. Furthermore the report adds regarding the future of English in Pakistan that it would be employed in the near future as the language of technology and for international communication and soon English is going to hold the position of global lingua franca and ignoring language would be detrimental for any country especially for a country like Pakistan which is already having advantages in the form of past knowledge of English (UGC 1982:14). This statement reveals the significance of English for a third world state like Pakistan and recently the government decided to introduce English at all Government Schools from the year one (MoE 2007) and shun the existing policy of teaching English at grade 6 (i.e. sixth year of schooling). EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE COUNTRY First of all it is vital to comprehend the structure of education system in Pakistan in order to focus in better manner on the topic under discussion. For a long time English has been an integral component of the syllabus. The education in Pakistan can be dissected into five main levels but we will discuss only two main categories at school level: Primary Level: The primary level comprises of 1-5 grades and students of age 3-11. At this level the medium of instructions at government schools is Urdu while schools under provincial governments use local/regional languages as the medium. As mentioned above now the government is planning to introduce English at this level both at federal and provincial schools. Secondary Level: This level can be further segmented into two main stages: Middle school, which includes pupil of grade 6-8, and Higher school consisting of grade 9-10 students. The age group for this level varies between 11-18 years and is of great significance because at this stage of education the syllabus commences towards specialisation in a specific field or disciple and decides towards the future of a student. For instance at this stage a student decides whether he intends to pursue science subjects or arts subjects, the two most common choices available for students at higher school (9-10 grades). Ironically, the medium of instructions at this stage depends on the kind of institution, for example, in private schools the ‘O Levels’ system or ‘Senior Cambridge’ system of education are in vogue and therefore English is the primary source of instruction. While in government schools, also called the ‘Urdu Medium Schools’, the local curriculum of English is taught as the name suggests the medium of instruction is in Urdu. ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING Since independence of Pakistan in 1947 all successive governments have been aiming at introducing new and robust education policy to ameliorate the obsolete education system left by the British Empire. But most of these efforts have gone down the drain due to insincere, apathetic and sloppy policies of the government and one can judge the failure of these policies from the fact that in the last 62 years Pakistan introduced 11 education policies (1947, 1951, 1959, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1992, 1998, 2010) without any beneficial outcome. As educational analysts rightly infer that the number of education policies does not mean we are over-concerned about poor education standard or under-performance of these policies but it means precisely the opposite. For instance in 1998 the education policy 1998-2010 was introduced but within a couple of years of its launch it led to the complete collapse of the education system and to shroud this downfall the Ministry of Education rushed to in troduce a new revised curriculum in 2006 (MoE 2007 available at http://www.moe.gov.pk/). This reveals the pathetic situation of crumbling educational system of the country. Now the government has announced initial National Education Policy 2009 which will be enforced from 2010. We will focus on the obsolete English teaching methodology in practice and unfortunately like in the past the Ministry of Education’s revised curriculum for ‘English Language 2006’ totally avoids this issue (ibid). Curriculum planning can be seen as the systematic attempt by educationalists and teachers to specify and study planned intervention into the educational enterprise (Nunan 1988: 1). But in Pakistan the government has never thought on this line and the existing situation has gone from bad to worse where English language teaching is considered as being dissatisfactory, non-conducive and counter-productive for learning the language in Pakistan (Warsi 2004). The educationists summari se the English language teaching techniques in vogue at different levels of education in the following context: Teaching methodology is scant of deep approaches to learning or in other words lack of connection to personal, experience of the learner, conceptualisation and integration. For language learning it has the implication of memorizing facts about language and lack of contextualized, authentic use of the target language with a focus on meaning. Curriculum based teaching and learning. An emphasis on rote memorisation. More focus and emphasis on transfer and assessment of factual knowledge rather than assessment of critical thinking and analytical skills (Rehmani 2003:3) The above features indicate the traditional approach to teaching of English language. Nunan further elaborates the main elements of this traditionalist approach: Area Model View of learning Transmission of knowledge Power relation Emphasis on teacher’s authority Teacher’s role Providing frontal instruction Learner’s role Passive / individual work View of knowledge Presented as ‘certain’ View of curriculum Static; predefined content and product Learning experience Knowledge of facts, concepts skills; focus on content and product Control of process Teacher structured learning Motivation Extrinsic Evaluation Product oriented: achievement testing; criterion referencing (Nunan 1999:7) Nunan correctly draws the traditional methodology in English teaching in the country where the traditionalists view and focus on the language as a structured system of grammatical patterns, with a higher focus of such techniques on formal and bookish language. Such approach aims to have pupils producing formally correct sentences and in terms of skills, an emphasis on reading and writing (Nunan 1988:26-27). Globally there has been a greater tendency towards research and development in the field of language teaching techniques and approaches but haplessly Pakistan education system is oblivious of such developments in the world. Warsi laments â€Å"the obsolete [grammar] translation method is still being adopted by most language programmes† (Warsi 2004) and the facets of language teaching programmes are irrelevant to the most fundamental requirements of students (ibid). Since 1960s, there is an ambition to formulate language teaching more responsive to the needs of the student a nd this has been a consistent feature of both writing and practical experimentation in language teaching (Tudor 1996:66). Tudor further advocates such approach and opines that it permits students to ‘play a fuller, more active and participatory role in their language study’ (ibid). And it develops language teaching more effective as the teaching process is highly helpful to the needs, characteristics and expectations of learners. Tudor insists that immense need for different kind of language skills within a swiftly evolving social and economic context made it indispensable for â€Å"a language teaching profession to develop appropriate tools for identifying learner’s communicative needs and for translating them into coherent course structures† (Tudor 1996:8). Tudor’s argument truly reflects the need of development skills in the education sector of Pakistan to foster the needs of a strong and well-educated society and a robust education system for th e present and the future. COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING (CLT) Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) emerged in 60s as an approach towards the teaching of language which lay emphasis on interaction as a source of learning a foreign language. The approach in CLT is totally different from the traditionalist approach as it is a wider approach which is based on a list of common principles and characteristics. As CLT can be well defined by Nunan’s five points: An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language. The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation. The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language but also on the Learning Management process. An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning. An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activities outside the classroom. (Nunan 1991, 279) The main aim of CLT is to make a student capable of achieving communicative competence in the foreign language so that he can utilize the language for doing the similar tasks which it undertakes in day to day life. In other words its application should be reflective of the circumstances or events surrounding and should not be based on imaginative or unrealistic ideas. Until 1970s teaching and learning system was deemed as system of rules and the learners were assumed to internalize such rules (Nunan 1999:9). The approach was contradictory to CLT because it focus on set rules of teaching and a set path which could never be breached or in other words simply the teaching of fundamental like grammar of a language while there is no emphasis on its application and usage in the language. As Richard contends that language ability cannot be restricted to just grammar and it involves more than merely memorizing grammar and the grammar and other features of a language should be applied properly and purposefully for different communicative purpose and therefore the focus of learning and teaching need to be directed towards the use of language and not just the knowledge of language (Richards 2007:9). ENGLISH CURRICULUM AND TEACHING TECHNIQUES IN PAKISTAN In third world countries like Pakistan, the teaching curriculum, especially English curriculum, has been the centre of criticism over the last couple of decades. The English curriculum is obsolete and outdated which has been in practice since colonial rule over the sub-continent. Before 2006 to the worse of students at government owned schools important subject like English was introduced at the secondary level or 6th grade and at this stage the students started learning the ABC of English. The revised 2006 English curriculum for the first time introduced English at 1st grade. The new revised English curriculum only focuses on outlining the policy but does not focus on the problems at the heart of the system. The organisation of the curriculum framework reveals that students of primary level have been divided into two categories of I-II and III-V with the aim to develop a solid base for the tender age students in order to develop them into autonomous learners and to develop skills an d understanding to build a foundation for later studies. This policy guideline for the English curriculum also sets different benchmark for different groups of students. For instance the benchmark summarised in table 2.3 at page 11 for grade III-V reveals that the planner of the policy has concentrated more on the grammar. The government while introducing such syllabus overlooks the capabilities of the government schools to enforce such policy. One can understand the level of competency the curriculum plans to achieve for the students for instance one of the competency objective for grade one student is to learn how a student will hold a book, open a book and turn pages of a book correctly (Revised Curriculum, section 3, page 22). The other competency objective for the same group is tantamount to spoon feeding where a student is supposed to tell what comes before and after an alphabet (ibid, page 25). Furthermore on the page 26 of the curriculum the grade-I students are supposed to learn the poem by heart which will help them in developing reading and thinking skills (ibid, page 26). The big question mark is how a student is supposed to memorise something which is new for him without knowing or understanding the meaning and what is the main purpose of that exercise which a grade-I student is going to adopt and does it help towards the aim of developing a student reading and thinking sills. The writing skills of the curricul um (page 27) focuses on how a student will hold a pencil correctly, draw different lines, draw within the lines, trace and copy small and capital letters, write number from 1 to 10, write date, name, phone number etc. The ‘formal and lexical aspect of language’ again diverts the student from English towards local languages which defocus them from their main objective (page 33). These are some of the aspects of the revised English curriculum which reflects the insincerity and lack of dedication to introduce new English teaching techniques and a fresh syllabus based on modern knowledge. The curriculum is seen by most of the critics as a repetitive and ineffective guideline for the teachers and students which will hardly benefit any of the two. The teaching guideline is more inclined towards the traditionalist approach and there is no room for any reform towards adaptation of new techniques being practiced worldwide for teaching English. The curriculum does not work to ame nd the existing practice of teaching where the students are the biggest losers. The curriculum restricts to develop and promote the internal abilities of the student by binding them to follow, adopt and think within limited parameters without any concession to go out of those limits and this in turn leads to lost of confidence and self-learning capabilities. I put the question regarding the new English curriculum to a former senior Professor of English, Mr. Safdar Rana, (at Islamabad Model College for Boys, F-8/4, Islamabad, Pakistan) who is associated with teaching profession for over 30 years, he ridiculed the syllabus and said: â€Å"the syllabus is the same obsolete which I started teaching at primary level in 1967, it is 100 percent the same. The same syllabus includes topic like write the story of ‘greedy dog’, ‘union is strength’, ‘write a letter to father thanking him for buying a pen’, essay of ‘Journey by Bus’ etc is going on and Ministry of education is happy that they are promoting education and in their mind this system is the best in the third world. But actually the current English teaching techniques and the curriculum are not student-friendly and their learning process has stopped as they do not use their abilities and skills but heavily dependent on rote memorisation.† To another question regarding the improvement in English teaching standard, expressing his sorrow, he replied: â€Å"how one can expect improvement in education when not a single government tried to change the system, the teachers are under-educated and ill-equipped to teach the students because they are adopting the old techniques of teaching and an obsolete syllabus left by British before independence; these techniques and syllabus has been rejected by the rest of the world as counter-productive and inefficient but still this is in practice over here. Second how a teacher can teach a crowded class of 80 students, you cannot introduce new system in such circumstances. The government is heedless to the student-teacher problems and this sector has been completely ignored by all political and military government came to power.† To a question that teacher are against new techniques like CLT, he opined: â€Å"as far as I am concerned I will welcome any such change. But the government has never introduced any such scheme or system in the past and it will be wrong to say that teachers are against any such techniques. But it is an upheaval task as it needs long term massive investment in term of finance and human resources and serious and consistent efforts are needed on the part of current and any future governments to train, monitor and supervise up to half million teachers where 70 percent of government schools are located in rural and far flung areas of the country.† As Hindal furthers the argument that the techniques of teaching and learning are fully relied upon the well-organised and effective memorisation of information and procedures, which is part of the text books or lecture notes, and its later recollection in exams (2007). This pattern of teaching and learning techniques is common at all levels of education (Hindal 2007). In this setup the student and teachers are very rarely rewarded for their comprehension and the rewards in exams are completely based on retention and memory (ibid). The main trend in such system is that how much a student is capable of memorising and recalling and the learning or success is not based on learning, understanding or using its capabilities. It is a common concept that those teachers in Pakistan have been successful in a system which rewards accurate recall because comprehension is not valued highly for learners at all level. Reid in 1979 gave this idea that for a change of an approach, new information needs to interact with the long-term existing memory. Reid contends that there is no possibility of change in attitude if there is failure to establish mental relationship. Reid identifies specific kind of circumstances where there is higher probability of interaction and this will include learning situations which are active or in other words the student should be involved with the new material, feelings or experiences. This theory rightly suggests that the English text books and curriculum in Pakistan have failed to develop positive attitudes among learners and teachers towards English language. In third world countries like Pakistan the teacher is deemed as the ‘fount of knowledge’ and not as a facilitator (Liu1998:5). Liu emphasise the needs and significance of a proper teaching methodology in accordance with the cultures of these countries instead of completely depending on the western researchers and approaches for their need as some western techniques are not going to work out for a poor country (Liu1998:4). CONCLUSION The education standard at primary level cannot be improved without complete overhaul and innovation of the existing teaching techniques and curriculum which merely promotes the traditionalist approach sans any hope of development. The traditionalist approach to teaching could be replaced with Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) which is the best alternative to the existing system of education, especially for teaching English as a second language. The introduction of new curriculum is not up to the standard to assist the pupils to engage their natural abilities and skills but it discourage them to be innovative, constructive and confident. The successful student in such system is that who blindly adopts and follows the current education system. The Ministry of Education (MoE) has been following a vicious circle of education policies and strategies for a very long time with this hope that this path will lead to success but by end of day the MoE comes to the same point from where they started in 1947.

Workplace Spirituality :: Religion, Work

Workplace spirituality is a sophisticated concept (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004). Generally speaking, it involves the sense of well-being, the feeling of the whole self involved in the work, the feeling of connection to others and something larger than oneself, and a sense of transcendence (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Ingersoll, 2010; Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004; Kinjerski, V. M., & Skrypnek, 2008; Rego & Pina e Cunha, 2008; Sheep, 2004). Individuals view their work as sacred (Ingersoll, 2010), while workplace spirituality is not necessary related to religion (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Krishnakumar & Neck, 2002; Milliman et al., 2003; Rego & Pina e Cunha, 2008). It can be regard to personal value or philosophy. This concept can be referred to self-actualization proposed by Maslow’s (1954) hierarchy of needs. Besides pursuing satisfaction of the basic levels in the hierarchy, individuals have desire to satisfy the higher level of need. Although earning money is the basic goal, individuals eager to find out the meaning in work, to make contribution to the society, to reach their full potential, to become connecting with colleagues, to work in an organization which they identify its goal and value (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004). Although a consistent definition in workplace spirituality has not been reached, mutuality in its definition delineated in literatures can be easily found. Sheep (2004) has been summed up into four themes. The first theme is self-workplace integration, that is the immersion of whole self into work. The second theme is meaning of work. People tend to find out meaning in their work. The meaning may be related to personal value, such as contributing to society and others, and go beyond monetary benefits. The third one is transcendence of self, connecting to something larger than self. This theme includes the connectedness to others, community, and the organization. The final theme is â€Å"personal growth and development of one’s inner life at work†. Organization can provide conditions for the growth and development of employees. Despite various perspectives about workplace spirituality, three dimensions were focused in the present study. The model proposed by Milliman et al. (2003) was adopted. In this model, workplace spirituality includes three levels, namely individual, community and organization. This model embraces two above mentioned theme such as meaning of work and transcendence of self. In the individual level of workplace spirituality, meaningfulness in work is involved in this level. People are motivated to actively search for and give meaning to their lives (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Frankl, 1992; Lips-Wiersma & Morris, 2009).

An Analysis of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

â€Å"Everyone suspects himself at least one of the cardinal virtues and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known. †-Nick Carraway. Nick is an impartial, honest, and loyal character. He gives readers a detailed, accurate account of the events pertaining to Gatsby’s life. Nick spends time with Gatsby and Tom even though they do not like each other. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the color gray is continually used to show Nick’s impartiality to the characters and conflicts. Throughout the whole book, there is tension between Tom and Gatsby since they both want Daisy to love them.Nick acts as a friend to both characters; he spends time with Tom going out on the town, and with Gatsby attending parties every weekend. â€Å"Gray cars, ash gray men,† is a phrase used on page 23 as a color reference to Nick’s neutrality between the two opposing characters. Nick comes off as a very honest character to readers and o ther characters in the book. On page 19 Daisy says to Nick, â€Å"You remind me of a-of a rose, an absolute rose. † The red color of the rose represents his passion and care for other people.He looks out for all of the other characters throughout the book even while he struggles with his own personal concerns and struggles. When Gatsby offers to let Nick join in his gambling, Nick refuses; he wants to make an honest living. Nick remains loyal to Gatsby after his death when all of his other friends do not. Out of all of the people that Gatsby knew, Nick was one of three that attended his funeral. Other people pretended to be Gatsby’s friend just to get to attend parties or take advantage of him, but Nick actually cared for Gatsby and remained loyal to him throughout the entire story.On page 188 the phrase â€Å"on the white steps,† represents peace. Nick valued peace and friendship which went along with his loyalty to Gatsby. Though Nick, like the other character s in the book, has some faults, he remains impartial, honest, and loyal. Nick’s demeanor allowed him to provide an honest, accurate account of the events of Gatsby’s life. He told us the story to the best of his ability and through that story we can learn more about Nick and ourselves.

Essay about C Session2

Essay about C Session2 Essay about C Session2 1 â€Å"C† PROGRAMMING TUTORIALS Session – 2 2 AGENDA RECAP OF SESSION-1 ALL *IF*S & *BUT*S NEVER ENDING *LOOPS* LET’S TALK *FUN*CTIONS Session – 2 RECAP OF SESSION-1 ïÆ' ¼ From coding to execution ïÆ' ¼ Tools ïÆ' ¼Program segments ïÆ' ¼ stack, heap, data, code ïÆ' ¼ Data Types ïÆ' ¼ unsigned/signed – long, short, char ïÆ' ¼ float, double – someone to teach usï Å' ïÆ' ¼ typecast ïÆ' ¼ Storage Classes ïÆ' ¼ auto, register, static, extern ïÆ' ¼ Keywords ïÆ' ¼ const, volatile ïÆ' ¼ Operator precedence ïÆ' ¼ NO SHORTCUTS, someone to demo their hard workï Å  Session – 2 3 RECAP OF SESSION-1 Example#1 unsigned long a =10; Unsigned long b = 0; b = a++ + ++a; printf("%d,%d,%d,%d",b,a++,a,++a); Example#2 unsigned long a = 20; const unsigned long b = 10; b = ++a – a; printf("%d,%d,%d,%d",b,a+1,a,a++); Session – 2 4 ALL*IF*S & *BUT*S ï  ± Simple example of IF-ELSE If (B is TRUE) { A = x; } else { A = y; } ï  ± It can get messy and nested quickly based on the number of conditions ï  ± Yes, we are talking about *nested* IF-ELSE If (B is 1) { A = x; } else if (B is 2) { A = y; } else if (B is 3) { A = z; } goes on †¦ ï  ± Beware, watch out carefully the condition statement for ï  ± == Vs = ï  ± && Vs & ï  ± || Vs | Session – 2 5 ALL*IF*S & *BUT*S Example# 1 unsigned long count = 10; Example# 2 long a = -12 if (count = 1) { printf (â€Å"[%d]†, ++count); } else if (count = 10) { printf (â€Å"[%d]†, count); } else { printf(â€Å"[%d]†, count); } if (a) { printf(â€Å"TRUE†); } else { printf(â€Å"FALSE†); } Example# 3 a = 5; b = 0; c = 0; if (a || (b=1) } else { printf(â€Å"[%d] [%d] [%d]†, a++, b++, c++); } Session – 2 6 ALL*IF*S & *BUT*S 7 ï  ± A friendly version of *nested* IF-ELSE ï  ± Not necessary that all nested IF-ELSE can be converted to SWITCH-CASE ï  ± Each case block shall have a BREK unless if desired to do so ï  ± In case of missing BREAK, execution simply continues with next case until it finds a BREAK or SWITCH block ends ï  ± Beware and watch out for missing breaks for CASE blocks ï  ± DEFAULT, if written, will be the case if none of the listed cases match ï  ± Simple example: Switch(B) { case 0: { A = y } break; case 1: { A = x } break; default: { A = 0 } break; } Session – 2 ALL*IF*S & *BUT*S Example# 1 unsigned long a = 9; unsigned long b = 11; Example# 2 unsigned long a = 11; unsigned long b = 9; switch(a) { case 9: { a++; b; } case 11: { a = a+b; a; }break; case 19: { a = b = 0; } default: { a = 9; b = 11; } } printf(â€Å"[%d] [%d]†, a, b); Session – 2 8 ALL*IF*S & *BUT*S 9 ï  ± Which is efficient - nested IF-ELSE or SWITCH-CASE? ï  ± Answer is not either way, it depends on compiler and also the CASE values grouping and range ï  ± Read for yourself at leisure ï  ±eventhelix.com/realtimemantra/Basics/CToAssemblyTransla tion3.htm ï  ±http://books.google.co.in/books? id=vdk4ZGRqMskC&pg=PA197&lpg=PA197&dq=ARM+assembly+for+sw itch+case&source=bl&ots=UJFgqJjZ8H&sig=T9VGU9ak6WnlqVoyOSv73d2_JQ&hl=en&ei=FleSSonIO8WIkQWJ6eC7Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result& ct=result&resnum=6#v=onepage&q=&f=false ï  ± Another way to represent a simple if (cond) { †¦ } else { †¦ } ï  ± if (B is TRUE) { A = x; } else { A = y; } ï  ± A = (B)? x:y; ï  ± Typically used in simple assignment statements with a decision and/or return a value based on simple decision Session – 2 NEVER ENDING *LOOPS* ï  ± 10 while loop ï  ± syntax: while (condition) { †¦ } ï  ±Execution enters the loop if condition is TRUE else loop terminates ï  ± do-while loop ï  ± syntax: do { †¦ } while(condition); ï  ± Execution always enters the loop and terminates loop at the end of loop block if condition is FALSE else loop continues ï  ± Difference between *while* loop and *do-while* loop ï  ± while ïÆ'   entry control loop ï  ± do-while ïÆ'   exit control loop ï  ± Example for do-while ï  ± do{ Read a line of file; } while (content of read has some special data, continue); ï  ± In the above example, if you don’t use do-while you may have to perform a extra read outside while and then kickoff the loop Session – 2 NEVER ENDING *LOOPS* ï  ± What is the output unsigned long i = 1;

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton â€Å"I wished I looked like Paul Newman. He looks tough and I don’t. The other thing-it’s a long walk home with no company†¦And nobody in our gang digs movies and books the way I do. So I lone it† (Hinton, 1967, p.6). From this passage, it is evident that the main character, Ponyboy Curtis, who is fourteen years of age, will be telling the story from the first person perspective. This is important to the story because he describes the events in a slangy, youthful voice that makes his narration easily believable. Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More I liked this passage because it shows that though Ponyboy belongs to a gang, he is not stereotypical as he loves being alone in pursuit of his own interests. On the other hand, this passage does not interest me in the sense that Ponyboy wishes to be another person, instead of focu sing on his own strengths. The fact that Ponyboy regards himself as â€Å"superior,† despite his young age, to other gang members amazes me. so I can still help Darry with the bills and stuffTuff enough. Wait till I get outI told you he dont mean half of what he says (Hinton, 1967, page 26). This phrase illustrates the method of communication between the gang members. Since they speak in street slang, this illustrates that the two rival groups of the greasers and the Socs share some things in common. This potential for agreement is important for the story since the reader can feel the aversion between the two teenage groups when they are engaging in a conversation. I like this method of communication because it is able to harmonize the division between the groups. However, I hate it because it is full of grammatical errors. Though the interpretation of this street slang may be difficult, it is an interesting youthful way of talking. â€Å"I could fall in love with Dallas Wi nston. I hope I never see him again, or I will† (Hinton, 1967, p.46). This quote is what Cheery told Ponyboy when they were having a conversation in chapter three. I like this conversation since it shows that Dallas Winston, the meanest person, could make a lady, like Cherry-a Soc girl with good habits, like him. This also amuses me as well. I hate the words Cheery uses in this instance because she seems not to be considering the personality of Dallas. She is simply speaking because she has been driven by emotions. Cherry’s attraction to Dallas is of essence in the story since it illustrates that the conflict between the two teenage groups is reconcilable. â€Å"I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. They might have killed you. And they had a blade†¦ they were gonna beat me up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hinton, 1967, p.57). These words were spoken by Johnny to Pony. I liked this phrase because it shows the sincerity in Johnny. Although he had killed Bob, he only did so to d efend himself, otherwise he could have been killed instead. Advertising Looking for research paper on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One thing I hate about this incidence is that instead of finding an easier way of solving the problem, Johnny, a greaser, opted to commit murder. It is sad that Bob, who played a critical role in defending the Socs, lost his life in such an unfortunate way. The death of Bob increased the rivalry between the two contending gangs. Ponyboy thinks, â€Å"That was the first time I realized the extent of Johnnys hero-worship for Dallas Winston† (Hinton, 1967, p.76). This is another phrase that captures my attention in the novel. After reading Gone with the Wind, the boys come to terms with what they are going through. I like this phrase because the book managed to open Ponyboy’s eyes such that he was able to seen the extent to which Dallas has been idolize d. On the other hand, I doesn’t like the notion that the boys were unable to realize their own sense of worth by having a high esteem of the concerning the ideas of Dallas. The tension between the two rival groups continued to increased after Ponyboy and Johnny came to that abrupt realization. And, Dallas even started to walk around with an gun so as to threaten his enemies. â€Å"Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs. Sometimes I think it’s the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs† (Hinton, 1967, p.117). These words were spoken by Randy. He was informing Ponyboy that he will cease to engage in fights in the rumble. I find these words interesting because they signify the futility of the conflicts between the two groups. Randy brings a good point by suggesting that the recurring Soc-greaser conflict will make them unable to rise above their social identities. This message is important in the story since it signifies the soci oeconomic differences that were the root cause of the bitter rivalry between the two gang groups. These disparities between the social classes were the source of the tension between the greasers and the Socs. Reference List Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. (1967). New York: Viking Press, Dell Publishing.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

Survival of the fittest Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Survival of the fittest - Coursework Example For example, negative behaviors like violence and murder are rare, though scarcely present in the society. On the other hand, social aberration of negative acts like murder and violence are mainstream values (Alvaro, 2010). In this context, the mainstream adoption of positive behavioral habits over negative habits is synonymous to survival of fittest and desirable genets in Darwin’s mechanism of natural selection. In the context of ethics, the mechanism of survival for the fittest can be used to comprehend survival strategies employed by individuals and groups in the society. Primarily, the survival for the fittest mechanism asserts that like all animals, human beings included, compete against each other for survival and prosperity. Therefore, human strategies for survival and prosperity are inherently selfish in nature (Phillips, 2002). Under the right circumstances, every individual is innately programmed to act in a manner likely to preserve him or herself. In modern societies, material wealth is a tangible measure of personal prosperity. Since individuals are highly likely to selfishly pursue activities that maximize their material wealth, then one can easily understand the origins of deeply rooted vices like corruption in public and private organization. Like other governments, United States struggled and still struggles with corruption in public institutions. Actually, politicians and any individual in a correct position can, and will probably siphon as much public wealth as possible, so long as their actions are either conducted in secret, or are within the legal boundaries (Pepin, 2013). Therefore, corruption and other unethical behaviors executed by individuals or groups are manifestation of selfish desired meant to preserve and enhance one’s survival in a competitive environment. However, survival for the fittest can be used to understand the popular aspect of

Budget Transmittal Letter FY 2013 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Budget Transmittal Letter FY 2013 - Assignment Example The financial constraints over the past five years have allowed us to be more disciplined while still exercising some level of prudence. This is so as we ensure that we do what we have agreed to get done in the interest of serving the community. The Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2013 which is hereby transmitted takes into consideration the fundamental needs and the priorities that will help to improve or maintain the quality of life of the people in the community. The strategies that have been employed in preparing the Fiscal Year 2013 Proposed Budget has taken the approach of reducing departmental expenditures, government reform and new sources of generating revenue to boost shortfall. Each department will receive an amount that is proportional to the expenses that are expected to be incurred. We continue our quest and commitment to sustainability and this has been demonstrated in the time that has been spent examining and assessing priorities relating to the costs and services th at can be reduced. A high level of fiscal discipline on the part of stakeholders is still encouraged as in previous years. The approach that was taken in preparing the Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2013 is as follows: i. ... After all the above were accomplished, had the task of recommending the reductions that would facilitate the balancing of the budget in order to ensure its consistency with the overall goals of the City Council. There are still challenges even though we are recovering from the recession. In the previous Fiscal Year we identified structural deficits relating to that period, the current period and Fiscal Year 2014. Structural deficits have now been identified for Fiscal Year 2013 to the tune of $16.4 million. Departments are still encouraged to review their operations to determine where possible any additional cost reductions that might be possible. In taking a strategic approach which we established starting with the Fiscal Year 2012, we have been looking at the solutions that may be possible for the next three to five years. The operating budget is expected to be around $700 million and from this over $20 million is expected to be cut in order for the district to remain fiscally stab le (Puente 2012). See Appendix 1 and 2 for some of the reductions that have been proposed. The increased cost of employee retirements continues to represent a major part of the deficit and uncertainties still abound in respect of the California Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). The investments are not likely to recover what was expected in the initial period and so pension reforms are likely to continue until a surplus is generated. The returns on pension investments are expected to be about 7.75% and will not be able to cover the costs of pensions fully. There are continuing efforts to get employees to contribute more to their pension costs. There are some groups that have decided to increase their contributions. These include employees in the police department