A CATHOLIC WOMAN IN THE AMERICAS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A CATHOLIC WOMAN IN THE AMERICAS - Essay Example econdly, the climate and available natural resources distinctly differ from those found in other parts of the country (‘New England,’ Wikipedia.org). In the 1700s, the New England population was served by merchants, artisans and shopkeepers. Shops bartered imported goods from Britain for crops and other local products like shingles and potash which were then transported to port towns like Boston, Salem, Newport and Providence from where they were exported by merchants to the West Indies on barter trade in exchange for sugar, molasses, gold coins and bills of exchange. Some merchants owned fishing vessels, which they used to transport catches of mackerel and cod to the West Indies and European countries. Other merchants owned saw-mills that used the huge, easily available timber wealth to provide cheap wood that was used to build houses and ships, the latter being sold to American and English merchants (‘Colonial America,’ Wikipedia.org). New England’s Black River Valley located in Rhode Island is credited with being the cradle of the Industrial Revolution in the U.S. on account of the famous Slater Mill, the first water-powered cotton spinning mill in the country that made cloth from cotton. The Slater Mill, set up in 1793, was primarily responsible for making New England a leader in textile production (‘Rhode Island,’ Wikipedia.org). The drawback in the New England economy during the 1700s was that agriculture cultivation was greatly hampered by the region’s rocky soil and unsuitable climate (‘New England,’ Wikipedia.org). As a result, the farmers were able to only grow potatoes and grass like red clover and timothy-grass, the two varieties of grass serving as fodder for cattle. Farming families tried their best to ease their problems by loaning livestock and exchanging surplus goods and labor with one another (‘Colonial America,’ Wikipedia.org). On the political scenario, New England in the 1700s is credited with spawning direct

Statistics and Computing Essay Example for Free

Statistics and Computing Essay 1.0Introduction This report will cover the distribution of final exam results for BSB123 and what factors influence the results. Factors that will be considered are the gender of the student, whether the student is studying a double or single degree, the results from the weekly quiz’s and the grade achieved on the mid semester report. The presence of outliers will be determined to help analyse the accuracy of the data. There are an infinite number of internal and external factors that contribute to the outcome of a single exam result. Beaty, Barling (1982) explains how factors such as stress and anxiety can contribute to low test results and they give several self help solutions of how to boost ones success. This report will focuses mainly on quantitative data that can be easily analysed and allows for clear observations to be given about the correlation each evaluated factor has on the final exam result. 2.0 Outliers The first step in analysing the data is determining if outliers exists within the data. The presence of outliers must be evaluated because their existence could distort the data and make it inaccurate. In order to determine if outliers exist the average and standard deviation must be calculated in order to calculate the Z score, which will show, wither or not outliers exist. In this instance to outliers where found present in the data set as all of the data fell within the +3,-3 range, the largest positive outlier was 2.46 and the largest negative outlier was -1.90. It is important to note the even if any outliers where found they would not necessarily make the analysis more accurate as (Baragona, Battaglia, Poli, 2011, p. 159-197) explain it all depends about the interpretation of the data. 3.0 Distribution of final exam results This section shows the varying levels of final exam results from students in BSB123. The figure below shows the different grades from the 705 students. They are represented using a bar chart. Figure 1.0 The distribution shown here is a simple measurement of how the exam results are distributed among the students. The data is an asymmetrical right skewed or positive distribution of 0.46. The greatest amounts of score are seen in the right tail above the mean with a much smaller amount of score being observed in the left tail. If an understanding of the data is to occur an elementary approach must be taken. If all of the 705 final exam scores are averaged we can see that the average score is 28.51 with is anything but impressive. The box plot below shows the Min, Q1,median, Q3 and the Max Figure 2.0 4.0Bivariate Analysis This section will discuss the possible factures that may have an effect on the student’s exam results. The following factors and there impacts will be analysed, they are the gender of the student, wither or not the student is in a double degree, there quiz results and there report grade. Let’s begin. 4.1Gender It can be seen from the data that there is at best a marginal difference in the way that gender affects the final exam results. The covariance between the too only varies from 0.16 to 0.11 the difference is less than one therefore it is seen as insignificant. Figure 3.0 The difference in the distribution seen here has no impact on the final exam results therefore the next factor will be analysis in on the next page. 4.2Double Degree The impact of whether or not the student is taking a double or single degree offers some helpful insight for the first time in this report this report about what if anything is influencing the student’s final exams. Figure 4.0 The graph above shows a noticeable difference in the exam outcomes between  the two groups. The students what where enrolled in a double degree scored somewhat higher than the students that where only undertaking one degree. This may be to the fact that they are more focused and probably not working full time or even part time. We will continue our analysis on the following pages by looking at academic factors within BSB123. 4.3Quiz Results Analysing the effect that the weekly quiz results have on the final exam results can help to understand if high quiz results mean high exam results. Figure 5.0 The data in the above scatter plot shows that there is a correlation between the quiz results and the exam results. R ² = 0.536, which indicates that about 54% of the variation in the average of the quiz is accounted for the linear relationship with the exam results. In other words, about 46% of the variation is not explained by the least-squares regression line. 4.4Report Results The last exam factor that will be addressed in the bivariate section is the impact of the results from the mid semester report on the exam results. Figure 6.0 The correlation between the report results and the final exam results in not over whelming storage. The trend line in the graph can be seen as slopping upward from left to right showing that. It can be seen that the majority of students that achieved well on the report also achieved well on the exam 5.0Trivariate analysis Trivariate analysis compares tree factors against each other in order to help better understand the exam out comes. 5.1 Degree vs. Exam Quiz Figure 7.0 Figure 7.0 states that students who are doing a double degree achieve higher marks compared to the students who are doing a single degree. On average it  can be seen that over all quiz results do not have a significant impact on the outcome of students final exam results, on the other it can be seen that double degree students outperform other students at an average of 4.61%. Correlation for single degree student are 0.514 which is 51% of the variation compared to correlation of double degree students are 0.578 which is 58% of the variation. Further information relating to this discussion can be found in the appendix labelled figure 2.0. 6.0 Conclusion After the brief analysis of the exam results it can be seen that some of the factors discussed do impact the exam results while others do not. The data set was seen as having a right skewed distribution with no outliers. Gender appeared to have no impact on the exam results. Students in a double degree average a score of 4.61% higher than other students. Quiz results showed a good indication of what a student’s exam results would be. The report results had almost no bearing on exam results. This report although brief has offered some insight into what factors impact final exam results for student’s studying BSB123. References Beaty, D. Barling, J.(1982) Positive exam results—Without stress Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au Baragona,R, Battaglia, F, and Poli, I. (2011). Evolutionary Statistical Procedures: Statistics and Computing, (pp 159-197). Retrieved from: http://link.springer.com .ezp01.library.qut.edu.au

Humorous Wedding Roast for Groom Who Plays Football and Likes to Drink :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Humorous Wedding Speech for a Groom Who Plays Football and Likes to Drink On behalf of the bridesmaids, I’d like to thank you, Victor, for those kind words. It was a pleasure keeping you company at the altar this morning and I’m always pleased to see more of the competition getting married off – especially with all these lovely bridesmaids around. When I started thinking about doing this speech, I found it curious that all the wedding speeches I've heard, without exception, blatantly and disgracefully set out to demolish the character of the groom. Well frankly, Victor’s worthy of better treatment that - and there’s no better way to point people in the right direction to view Victor’s worth than via his passions. And in recent weeks, Victor’s single passion has been to provide Robin the wedding she’s always dreamed of – and he’s spared no expense. I mean, just look at this venue. I can well understand why they decided this was the place to get married – packed full of history and romance. In fact, right in the corner of the room there’s an old underground escape passage that takes you right out of the building - its true! It’s the corner Robin was repeatedly glancing at during the ceremony. At school, I remember, Victor had two passions: music and soccer (football). He dreamed of playing the guitar like Jimi Hendrix and playing soccer like David Beckham. Unfortunately, he ended up playing the guitar like Beckham and playing soccer like Jimi Hendrix – a very stoned Jimmy Hendrix on crutches. Eventually, he did improve and it’s been a lasting passion ever since. He actually became quite a good player and when I joined his football club I was fortunate enough to play along side him at centre back, where he taught me everything I needed to know about how to avoid tackling, heading and scoring goals. But being new to the team I couldn’t understand why, after each game in the changing room showers, Victor always wore a Gimp mask. And as everyone here who went on his stag (bachelor’s party) will testify, that’s another passion that still lurks deep. After leaving school, Victor appeared to develop a passion for horticulture. To quote his mother, ‘Victor’s collection of moldy plates was very impressive, he had a regular penicillin factory under that bed of his.’ He also developed a passion for driving - especially driving fast cars. Humorous Wedding Roast for Groom Who Plays Football and Likes to Drink :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches Humorous Wedding Speech for a Groom Who Plays Football and Likes to Drink On behalf of the bridesmaids, I’d like to thank you, Victor, for those kind words. It was a pleasure keeping you company at the altar this morning and I’m always pleased to see more of the competition getting married off – especially with all these lovely bridesmaids around. When I started thinking about doing this speech, I found it curious that all the wedding speeches I've heard, without exception, blatantly and disgracefully set out to demolish the character of the groom. Well frankly, Victor’s worthy of better treatment that - and there’s no better way to point people in the right direction to view Victor’s worth than via his passions. And in recent weeks, Victor’s single passion has been to provide Robin the wedding she’s always dreamed of – and he’s spared no expense. I mean, just look at this venue. I can well understand why they decided this was the place to get married – packed full of history and romance. In fact, right in the corner of the room there’s an old underground escape passage that takes you right out of the building - its true! It’s the corner Robin was repeatedly glancing at during the ceremony. At school, I remember, Victor had two passions: music and soccer (football). He dreamed of playing the guitar like Jimi Hendrix and playing soccer like David Beckham. Unfortunately, he ended up playing the guitar like Beckham and playing soccer like Jimi Hendrix – a very stoned Jimmy Hendrix on crutches. Eventually, he did improve and it’s been a lasting passion ever since. He actually became quite a good player and when I joined his football club I was fortunate enough to play along side him at centre back, where he taught me everything I needed to know about how to avoid tackling, heading and scoring goals. But being new to the team I couldn’t understand why, after each game in the changing room showers, Victor always wore a Gimp mask. And as everyone here who went on his stag (bachelor’s party) will testify, that’s another passion that still lurks deep. After leaving school, Victor appeared to develop a passion for horticulture. To quote his mother, ‘Victor’s collection of moldy plates was very impressive, he had a regular penicillin factory under that bed of his.’ He also developed a passion for driving - especially driving fast cars.

Scholarship Program At Basic Successes And Challenges Education Essay

I. Introduction1.1 Socio economic in Cambodia after 1979The civil war has jeopardized the societal and economic development of Cambodia. Most of the societal constructions and rural substructures were wholly destroyed during Khmer Rouge, particularly educational sector, which is the most of import for developing the state ( Duggan, 1996, p.363 ) . Furthermore, Socio-economic environment for most of families after Khmer Rouge was frequently really hard for directing kids to school ( Ayres, 2000, p. 156 ) . In 1994, the state had about 5.2 million people below age 15 or about 47 per centum of the entire population. The size had been little down to around 5.1 million in 2004 and its portion of the entire population had fallen to 38 per centum. These alterations in the population construction have foremost affected the demand for primary and secondary schools. Some 3.7 million – 55 per centum, of the population aged 5-24 old ages were enrolled in the formal school system in 2004 – increased from 46 per centum in 1999. Adult literacy rate, population aged 15 and over, is 60 per centum for adult females and 80 per centum for work forces. The same survey stated that 43 per centum of adult females aged 25 and over have none or merely some instruction ( non completed foremost grade ) ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nis.gov.kh/cambodia socio-economic study 2004 ) . Since 1980 there was a 15-year period with high birthrate and strong population addition. After 1995 there has been a rapid diminution in birthrate and mortality. Harmonizing to the population projection the Kampuchean population was predicted to be 15 million in 2010 ( National Institute of Statistics of Ministry of Planning, 2009, pp. 5 ) . â€Å" Educational disbursals per pupil for one school twelvemonth include school fees, tuition, text editions, other school supplies, gifts to instructors, and part to edifice financess. Households estimate educational disbursals to below 50,000 riels ( US $ 10 ) for pre-school and primary school pupils, for upper secondary to 393,000 riels ( merely below US $ 100 ) , for technical/vocational 1.1 million riels ( merely above US $ 250 ) , and for university 2.1 million riels ( merely above US $ 500 ) † ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nis.gov.kh/cambodia socio-economic study 2004 )1.2 History of Kampuchean Education after 1979Following adviser from UNICEF to supervising Cambodia instruction in 1980 identified there were chief three dimensions including crisis of qualify – deficit of qualified instructors and functionaries, crisis of orientation – a critical struggle and contradiction between the ends and construction of the system of bing educational system, and crisis of clocking – under proficient supported by Vietnamese advisers to make many things in really short period ( Ayres, 2000, p.132 ) . Another survey by CONCERN in 1991 found some challenges of instruction in that clip including unequal preparation and wage for instructors and educational functionaries, no chief text books and other stuffs to back up instruction, non adequate school edifices for pupils, and high dropout rate. Other chief job related to instruction for cardinal degree at that clip was hapless educational quality and irrelevant course of study. Other survey at provincial degree by Redd Barna besides found that low rate of attending, low accomplishment of pupils, challenges of integrate into schools for those whose are former refugees ( Ayres, 2000, pp. 156-157 ) . Even after general election in 1993 under supported by UN, quality of instruction service provided for basic instruction degrees is still in a serious status caused by the deficiency of resources, inappropriate-trained instructors, hapless managed system, about no instruction and acquisition stuffs and irresponsibleness ( World Bank, 2008, p.11 ) . Even, there have been considerable alterations late, educational system will non make an international instruction EFA ends by 2015, because the figure of â€Å" dropout and repeat † in primary school degree is still high. The â€Å" repeat rates † in primary dropped from 26.3 per centum to 10.2 per centum between 1998 and 2005. In add-on, drop-out rates in primary school is less than in secondary school ( MoEYS, 2008, p.8 ) . Recently, Cambodia has expanded national budget from 0.9 per centum in 1997 to 1.5 per centum in 2006 ( MoEYS & A ; World Bank, June 2008, p. 59 ) . Besides, the authorities has promised to increase wage for all instructors from 15 per centum to 20 per centum every twelvemonth but the exact sum is still really low in comparing to rising prices late and day-to-day disbursal ( MoEYS & A ; World Bank, June 2008, pp. 59-62 ) . Educational system in Cambodia consists of simple school ( grade 1-6 ) , junior high school ( grade 7-9 ) , senior high school ( grade 10-12 ) and university and other establishments of higher instruction. Compulsory instruction is until grade 9 ( The Council for the Development of Cambodia, 2011, p. I-2 ) . This research will concentrate on the undermentioned inquiries: Why does MoESY necessitate scholarship plan at basic instruction? What are the chief successes and challenges of execution scholarship plan at basic instruction degree? How does MoEYS implement scholarship plan at basic instruction more efficaciously?II. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AT BASIC EDUCATION IN CAMBODIA2.1 Overview of scholarship planKAPE: It was the first scholarship officially lunched in Cambodia since 200 and it covered 15 secondary schools in Kampong Cham state merely but it was for lone misss. The chief ground of initial this plan because merely one of five misss can intake into lower secondary schools in Kampong Cham state and as consequence in over 3,000 vulnerable misss and male childs in schools presents ( KAPE, 2008, p. 4 ) . However, misss other states were similar or more serious than state of affairs in Cambodia, it would be better if the undertaking expands to other schools and state to let other misss to acquire benefit from it and increase figure of misss to hold wide cognition and can dispute with work forces in society both public and private sectors. PAP12: Scholarships and Incentives for Equitable Access. A major constituent of this programme was a scholarship strategy for lower secondary pupils, targeted peculiarly at misss in hapless countries. The plan stared in 2003-04 ( BETT, 2004, p. 1 ) and covered to 30 scholarships each school of 215 lower secondary schools in 16 states ( Mar Bray & A ; Seng Bunly, 2005, p. 24 & A ; 72 ) . If we have a expression of entire figure of each school, which covered by this plan, it was really little in term of instruction in Cambodia right now because there about 19.5 per centum of urban people in 2009 ( Asian Development Bank ( ADB ) , Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2010 ) . The coverage schools and states, and entire Numberss of scholarships each school were far off from sum of pupils in each secondary primary school even in rural and distant countries. The pupils are out of mark states were suffered from exclusion and even some schools in Phnom Penh would be covered. JFPR in concurrence with ADB: Stared in 2003-04 ( BETT, 2004, p. 1 ) and targeted 93 lower secondary schools in 21 states and provided 75 scholarships for each mark school ( Mar Bray & A ; Seng Bunly, 2005, p. 72 ) . If we have a looks sum of states were likely really wide but in term of entire targeted schools were really little coverage, therefore, it would be better if the plan could cover the schools that non covered by PAP12 to let another hapless and poorest kids to hold an chance to acquire scholarship. BETT: stared in 2003-04 ( BETT, 2004, p. 1 ) Funded by BTC and targeted 80 lower secondary schools in merely three states and provided 30 scholarships each school. It was excessively little for both coverage states or schools and even figure of scholarship for each school, therefore, it would be non most affect for overall basic instruction in Cambodia late. CESSP: This was a formal plan after integrated of chief scholarship plans for lower secondary schools in Cambodia to avoid any overlap schools or even receivers but it still covered merely 100 lower secondary schools ( including newly-established schools ) in 21 states ( BETT, 2005, about the undertaking ) . Although MoEYS found the good manner to implement scholarship plan ore effectual but it was still non good plenty because coverage schools and states still limited. In order to cognize that scholarship would be more effectual to better instruction in Cambodia, particularly at basic instruction degree, the plan should be covered all lower secondary schools at countrywide or to all hapless and the poorest kids.2.2 Successs2.2.1 School registrationCSP had a critical consequence on school registration and attending. Recipients increased 16 per centum points of registration in school, 17 per centum points increased of go toing on the twenty-four hours of the unheralded visit ; pass mo re clip in school. Based on the study stated that one out of every five receivers would non hold been in school in the absence of the plan, with on-time class patterned advance, hence, it would anticipate that every 5th receiver would hold completed one more twelvemonth of schooling than comparable non-recipients ( Deon Filmer & A ; Norbert Schady, 2009, pp. 12-17 )2.2.2 Target doneesThe plan was right emphasized household poorness and gender precedence to do certain equity of entree to basic instruction and gender instability in registration. The scholarship besides provided residence hall to research the new ways to promote pupils at high-risk to go on their survey at lower secondary school – a instance in Rattanakiri state. Furthermore, the plan achieved highly decreased drop-out rates of pupils every bit much as 60 % than general 7th class rated in comparing to non-recipients schools. However, entire sum that support by undertaking late was non plenty for each receiver ye t that some of receivers still dropped out even in period of implementing period ( William Collins, 2007, pp. 47-48 ) .2.2.3 Impact on workThe survey stated the receivers were approximately 10 per centum improbable to work for wage and the survey besides mentioned that about 37 per centum of misss and about 31 per centum of male childs who did non scholarship receivers work for wage in seven yearss before the survey was conducted. Furthermore, many scholarship receivers stayed in school longer than non-recipients ( Deon Filmer & A ; Norbert Schady, 2009, p.2 ) .2.2.4 Conditional Cash Transfers ( CCTs )The CCTs plan impacts on a assortment of results including school registration. However, positive impacts may mention to amount of hard currency transportation and this manner is set abouting by many developing states in the universe. It would besides cut down poorness or support hapless household. The same survey stated that kids who received larger transportations did better than tho se who received smaller transportations in other dimensions – even the survey found that all receivers were brought into school as a consequence of plans ( Deon Filmer & A ; Norbert Schady, 2009, pp. 12-13 )2.2.5 Impact on other kidsThere were major two groups who could hold been straight affected including siblings of scholarship receivers, and kids who did non have scholarships because their dropout mark placed them above the cut-off for eligibility. The siblings of scholarship receivers could hold benefited from the plan since each family could utilize the same benefit for other kids or other purpose. Non-recipients who were enrolled in the same schools as receivers may alter some disadvantages attitude in order to hold an chance to acquire scholarship for following academic old ages. However, the consequences suggest no such consequence: the school engagement of non-recipients is unaffected by the comparative size of the incoming cohort of scholarship pupils ( Deon Filmer & A ; Norbert Schady, 2009, p.2 )2.2.6 Monitoring and preparationIn scholarship plan of BETT was hired full clip staff improbable JFPR or CESSP, who their staff members were parttime basic. Besides, BETT coverage was smaller than either the JFPR or CESSP that allowed staff members have clip to carry on visits to many mark schools and that allowed BETT to cognize more elaborate about issues happened within receivers. Due to budget, transit and clip restraints, the undertaking truly need external aid to back up monitoring such as proficient functionaries from MoEYS, PoE and DoE but it was encountered that the relevant functionaries were improbable had full experience or skillful about that affair yet ( William Collins, 2007, pp. 53-54 ) . BETT attack of a dedicated full-time squad, with NGOs developing background, willing to utilize external NGOs aid in the preparation exercising, achieves higher quality consequences of the execution. Orientation to rear about the plan was besides benefited and positive impacted every bit good as enhance answerability of school functionaries and guarantee right policy pattern. Besides, improved communicating between parents and schools functionaries would reenforce community support for local schools ( William Collins, 2007, pp. 54 ) .2.3. Challenges2.3.1 The mathematics and vocabulary abilityThe survey was focused on the two chief parts including numeral and capacity of understanding plants through MoEYS course of study and text edition. The mark kids were both receivers and non-recipients, the consequences stated that both receivers and non-recipients are the same if those pupils entree the school regular and no absence. However, the survey besides covered to out-school kids and the determination stated that kids who had completed more schooling hold higher trial tonss – in both mathematics and vocabulary, and kids who dropped out of school before finishing 7th class may hold lower ability than those who stayed in school beyond than that class ( Deon Filmer & A ; Norbert Schady, 2009, pp. 8-10 ) .2.3.2 Coverage countriesThe overall scholarship plans implementing in Cambodia were non for countrywide yet even PAP12 – manage and implement by MoEYS, merely covered 215 lower secondary schools within 16 states merely and provided merely 30 scholarships for each mark school. Second, JFPR in concurrence with the ADB covered 93 lower secondary schools in 19 states and could merely cover 75 scholarships for each school. Third, BETT Project supported by BTC covered in 69 lower secondary schools in three states and covered merely 30 scholarships to each school ( Mar Bray & A ; Seng Bunly, 2005, pp. 71-72 and BETT, 2004 & A ; 2005, p. 2 ) . Another one by KAP E, local NGO, merely covered 21 lower secondary schools in Kampong Cham state merely ( KAPE, 2008, p. 4 )2.3.3 Target doneesThe four scholarship plans as brief description in portion of Coverage Areas ( 2.3.2 ) stated that the plan started coverage pupils at lower secondary schools in selected states and countries within Cambodia ( KAPE, 2008, p. 4 ) . Following indexs 2006-07 of MoEYS stated that net registration ratio about 92.1 per centum at primary but it was merely 33.7 per centum at secondary ( MoEYS, 2006-07, indexs 2006-07 ) , therefore, about 58.4 per centum was dropped out at that academic twelvemonth and most of drop-out would be kids from hapless and poorest families and some. BETT scholarship plan purposes at increasing passage for hapless and vulnerable kids from primary to take down secondary and advancing patterned advance through lower secondary instruction in the three targeted states. But the same study stated that the plan excluded certain classs of appliers, for illustration, kids of authorities households, who excluded by the JFPR design and initial BETT design but non excluded in the CESSP design. In the 3rd twelvemonth of BETT execution, the exclusion was dropped. The exclusion would hold two negative impacts because governmental households were non all hapless even instructors every bit many as local hapless appliers or it would be hazard to go politicized and used as an extra manner to honor authorities and party functionary at the local degree ( William Collins, 2007, p. 12 & A ; 48 ) .III. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSIONBy and large, the scholarship plans were implemented by MoEYS and other spouses were really good for pupils at lower secondary schools across Cambodia and the plan would assist to make EFA and basic instruction policies by 2015 following the committedness of authorities and MoEYS every bit good as planetary mark. It besides allowed hapless and the poorest kids have an chance to go on their survey without give more load to their household and parents every bit good as cut down authorities load, excessively. Although execution period was normally short clip and even policies implementing of each establishment was improbable the same but the receivers could acquire profit from the plans chiefly increase registration, addition engagements, stayed longer period in schools than earlier or non-recipients. Even receivers were non better in term of mathematics and vocabulary in comparing to non-recipients, who non absence, at least the plans could maintain low-ability pupils in schools and made alter some non-recipients to take into history of acquisition and take parting in schools. The scholarship plans probably started and ended the same period and some of them were overlap mark schools and states but they had ain difference policies for execution, therefore, it was negative affect to receivers and donees every bit good as negative affect to whole plans. Furthermore, school managers, DoE, PoE, who on a regular basis involved with the plan would non be clear at all that was perchance to detain some activities, excessively or pass a tonss but got really small. In order to implement the plan more effectual, all relevant stakeholders would incorporate and portion responsible each other first and happen the common ways or seek to follow policies to be similar or the same first to guarantee receivers and relevant stakeholders would be clear and full apprehension. Besides, it would be great if all implementing establishments can split states or mark schools of coverage. The last, but non at least, all hapless and the poorest or the most of them would be covered and back up it would be better and it likely find the right ways of improve instruction in Cambodia, particularly at basic instruction degree. Statement Name: Cham Soeun Date: March 18, 2011 I prepared the undermentioned assignment by myself and merely with the aid of the literature mentioned in the mentions. I did non utilize other literature to compose my assignment. I know that plagiarism is a serious offense and I am wholly cognizant of the negative effects. Signature: Cham Soeun

Bilateral or unilateral contracts Essay

The Law of Contract can be defined as an agreement containing a promise or promises which can be enforceable by law. Sir John William Salmond a legal scholar defined a contract as â€Å"an agreement creating and defining the obligations between two or more parties†. A contract may be in any two kinds either bilateral or unilateral depending on the whether both or one party makes a promise or promises. Where both parties to the contract make a promise or promises, then the contract is referred to as a bilateral contract. Bilateral is the most common kind of contract in business. Both parties are bound together at an exact time, this is also referred to as mutuality of understanding. The bilateral one is quite normal compared to unilateral and creates a mutual contraction obligation from the start. (Buckley 1996, 10). Bilateral contract can be explained in the case of Thornton v. Shoe Lane Parking. Francis Thornton a professional musician had a one day job at Farringdon Hall in Central London. He was to entertain in the BBC with his trumpet. The plaintiff had chosen to leave his car just close to where he was performing in a newly opened multy-storey car park in Shoe Lane near Fleet Street. He drove up, switched the button and got a ticket. When the barrier opened, he parked his car inside the car park. His appointment lasted for three hours after which he returned. An accident occurred as the defendant was loading some goods in his car. The plaintiff later sued Lane Parking Ltd for damages on his car and for the injuries he sustained. Mr. Thornton was compensated $3,637 for the injuries sustained but non for the car. It was found that he had 50% contributory negligence (Buckley, 2005, 7). The major issue in this case was if any attempts were made by the defendant to exclude liability both to the plaintiff and his car. Altogether the defendant had made some attempts; the ticket processed from the machine, the sign displayed outside the park and a notice inside the park excluded liability to the car. The rule provided that the terms that can be brought to the parties in the contract are those that occurred at the exact time or before the formation of the contract (Collins, 1999, 23). A contract is said to be unilateral when the promise is only from one party. The other party does not make any promise but only does the act in order to achieve the other parties promise. An example of such a case is where Peter promises to pay Tony $70’000 if Tony finds his cat. Tony is not under any obligation to find the cat but Peter is obliged to pay Tony incase Tony finds the cat. An offer of a unilateral contract can be made ‘to the world’ in form of advertisement. In such situations acceptance will be deemed to have occurred on the fulfillment of the condition. An example of a unilateral contract is the insurance contracts. Unilateral contract can be explained in Carlil v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co. Ltd, the defendant through an advertisement made a promise to pay $100 to any user of Carbolic Smoke who during a usage period of two weeks contracts influenza. Mrs. Louise Carlil was infected after using the defendant’s product. She sued Carbolic Smoke Ball for $100 as promised (Cheesman, 2003, 34). Works Cited Buckley Francis. Just Exchange: a Theory of Contracts. London: Routledge, 2005, pp7 Buckley J. Peter. Firms, Organizations and Contracts: A Reader in Industrial Organization. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996, pp10 Cheesman Henry. Contemporary Business and E-commerce Law: Custom Edition for Collins Hugh. Regulating Contracts. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999, pp. 23 Students in Arts. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing; 2003, 4th Edition, pp. 34

New Years Resolutions in August (Has the heat gotten to Brenda)

New Years Resolutions in August (Has the heat gotten to Brenda) August might be a strange time to talk about New Year’s Resolutions, but I got to thinking†¦Ã‚   let’s get real: We’re three quarters through the year, there’s a fall chill in the air, and if we don’t buckle down now on those January promises, the year will be over before we know it. That’s why I took a look at my list for 2012 with the idea that I will hold myself accountable for anything on the list that has not been done. Here’s what I promised for 2012 and the current status of the task (as you read this list, I invite you to think about the standing of your own resolutions, if you’re brave enough to check the list): 2012 New Year’s Ressaylutions 1. Create a new template for my website that brings me more into the technology of 2012. It seems the work of designing a website is never done. Despite having completed this task, I’m still tweaking, and tweaking some more. Stay tuned for a new home page that will make my services easier to find. I have an idea in my head about what that will look like and will probably hire a designer to make it a reality. 2. Create new e-lists for past clients, and survey past clients. Thanks to Jeanne, my awesome Virtual Assistant (she is a real person, not a computer, don’t worry), I have been able to complete all these projects! Most exciting is that I have now invited all my clients from 2012 onto my various e-lists. And new clients will be automatically invited to join. I’m so happy that I will be reliably keeping in touch with the people I have worked with! I feel so much more relaxed now that regular correspondence is guaranteed and not a random occurrence like it was a year ago. Ahhhh†¦. My current project is a survey that has gone out to clients to identify my Unique Selling Proposition. This project has several phases and I’m partway through the first one now. You may have received that survey already! 3. Revise autoresponders from 2011. Also thanks to Jeanne, all my autoresponders have been converted from summaries of my articles (with links to the full article) into emails that include the complete article. I trust this format is more user-friendly and makes my messages more fun to read. 4. Publish my e-book on Kindle Wow did that one happen! As you all know, How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile (now in its 3rd edition) is trending as #1 in the Business Writing Category on Amazon. Next project is to publish a Spanish-language version of the book. An initial translation is complete and I will be working on finalizing it and converting it to Kindle format in the next few months! I will also continue to revise the e-book as changes are made in LinkedIn, and as I learn more about the site’s functionality. I am committed to staying on top of the latest developments as I educate people about How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile. 5. Report on and count success stories in 2012. See 212 Success Stories for 2012. It has been more challenging than I expected to keep track of my clients’ news†¦Ã‚   but with my new client lists I think that will change! There are 56 successes on the list so far, and more coming soon. 6. Continue to write and share about writing issues, job search issues, and sometimes life issues that strike my fancy each week and that my readers care about.   I’ve been doing this regularly- and I hope you continue to enjoy and get value from what I write. If you have requested topics, please let me know. How DID she do it? As I look at the list above, what strikes me most is how much I have relied on other people to make my resolutions a reality. It took my Virtual Assistant Jeanne, my web designers Ivan and Meher, my publisher Brian, my clients who created and reported on their successes, and other authors and educators who sparked ideas and insights to share with all of you. The other thing I notice is that some of the tasks on my list seemed HUGE when I started them; but by taking them one step at a time, they miraculously got completed. Are there items on your resolutions list that you would be sure to complete if only you enrolled the right support? Are there items you’ve given up on because they are too overwhelming? What if you asked for help? If an appointment with a friend or a personal trainer is the only thing that will get you to the gym, there’s no shame in that! If you need a resume writer to make sure you start your job hunt, hire one! I have a great resume writer to recommend. What if you took the first small step in a larger project? Organizing one drawer is a great step if you aim to organize your house. Signing up for a LinkedIn account is the first step to having a KILLER profile. (You know where to go if you want The Essay Expert’s input in the process.) For my part, I promise to keep on plugging. It looks like I’m right on track to fulfill on my 2012 â€Å"Ressaylutions.† How about you? I wonder what we will all be up to in 2013? Category:Life and LeadershipBy Brenda BernsteinAugust 20, 2012

The Role of a Writing Coach

The Role of a Writing Coach The Role of a Writing Coach The Role of a Writing Coach By Mark Nichol Do you have a desire to write, but perhaps you find yourself frustrated by an inability to develop or organize your writing, or perhaps you’re getting bogged down in the process? Maybe a writing coach can help you. This post discusses what a writing coach can do for you. What is a writing coach? He or she does not necessarily edit your work, though the writing coach may also be an editor (and/or a writer) by trade. He or she is not a ghostwriter. A writing coach is a guide, and in most other endeavors, the best point in a journey to hire a guide is at or near the beginning, although you’re likely to benefit from a writing coach’s assistance starting at any stage of the writing process. The relationship between a writing coach and a writer generally begins with a face-to-face or phone interview in which the writing coach asks the writer about the project, what the writer hopes to accomplish with it, and what’s holding the writer back. A writing coach then helps the writer organize his or her project, determine a schedule, and select a completion date as a goal. The writing coach discusses the stages of a writing project, including an initial outline, preliminary research, a revised outline, more extensive research (and, if necessary, interviews), another revised outline, and various drafts, followed by the editorial process (developmental or substantive editing, copyediting, and proofreading). A writing coach helps the writer develop a clear and compelling premise or plot, determine a tone, style, and voice based on the intended audience, and produce a coherent, captivating narrative, whether fiction or nonfiction. A writing coach can help a professional share expertise, a business owner sell a product, an academic report on research, or a student complete an application or course essay. He or she will benefit poets, short story writers, and novelists, as well as authors of nonfiction works, including articles, reports, and book manuscripts. A writing coach helps elicit the writer’s experience and expertise, guides the writer to develop a creative, productive spatial and temporal environment, and trains the writer to craft effective prose. He or she helps the writer find the heart of the content, what works and what needs work, how to carry out research and conduct interviews, and how to frame and organize the material (and what to include and what to leave out). A writing coach helps the writer focus, provides an objective perspective, and guides and encourages. A writing coach is like a personal trainer for a writer. A writing coach is a mentor. Writing coaches are likely to charge writers more per hour for their services, but their role is ultimately less costly than that of a developmental editor or copy editor, or even a proofreader. A writer may consult with a writing coach for only a few hours in all, but even if this stage in the writing process takes longer, it is probably well worth the expense you’re virtually guaranteed to benefit from the relationship, and to get that much closer to completion of the project and eventual publication. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Synonyms for â€Å"Angry†A While vs AwhilePersonification vs. Anthropomorphism

Writing Secondary Essays

Writing Secondary Essays Secondary essays are personal statements required of medical students by admissions directors to fill in the blanks. Having already written primary statements on such topics as education and/or personal goals, many students use the secondary statement as a way to beef up their application overall. For more information regarding secondary statements, I encourage you to read on. Like personal statements, secondary essays are not simple to compose. Many students, as a matter of fact, find secondary papers more difficult to write due to the fact that they require a more personal approach. Questions such as Where do you hope to be in ten years and What effect would you like your career goals to have on the medical community are commonly used in secondary statement guidelines. Before writing your secondary essay, it is important to take some time in order to properly evaluate the question asked. If, for instance, the application requires you to answer a question regarding your educational selection, do some research on the school itself. Think less about what you believe the review board wants to hear and more about how you honesty feel so that when you begin to write your answer, it will come straight from the heart. Secondary essays might just be some of the most difficult compositions to write. That been said, dont get frustrated if you find the overall process arduous and/or emotionally taxing. In the meanwhile, if you would like more information regarding med school secondaries and/or med school application essays, please access the link provided.

Jose Parla and His Works Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Jose Parla and His Works - Essay Example Parla began experimenting as early as 1983 when he used canvas in order to translate his wall paintings and personal memories into a permanent mode. At this time, Parla used to illustrate the derelict landscape of urban settings, hence he wanted to transfer this into a medium that was more permanent than the walls that he used. This formed the basis of his contemporary paintings that he describes himself as being ‘’contemporary palimpsests’’ implying that his artistic works are a form of memory documents or segmented realities. Parla has a noteworthy collection of artwork that is presently displayed in various art locations around America and Europe. Parla’s collection has been driven by history and his own inspiration. Parla apart from doing his paintings collects works by other people who are part of his life history or contemporaries and friends whose artworks are in tandem with his art. Parla is dedicated to ensuring that his artworks go an extra level in proficiency and appeal to many. Parla has continued to read art history and he constantly visits various art galleries so that he improves on his artwork. Paintings by Parla characterize how cities of the world function as palimpsests. Parla creates visual tales of his experiences in various cities that he has visited. In these paintings, he illustrates urban landscapes of these cities. His works are calligraphic, multilayered and psycho-geographical, and he has incorporates these concepts into his paintings thereby enabling the viewer to find out about his perspective of the environment.

Summary analyses respons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary analyses respons - Essay Example The legacy has been privatized and the idea of public good has been forgotten. The Olympic legacy requires both the public and private sector’s participation to sustain. This will support those who do not pay their way, loss of a permanent athletics track, and making the folk who produce the sports clothing not the biggest winners in the Olympic Games. The audience includes the organizers of Olympic Games as well as the universities having the regeneration gurus. The fundamental purpose of the article was to convey that the Olympic Games take a lot of public money and benefit only the private sector, thus causing little improvement in the socioeconomic conditions of the boroughs. The article is a criticism of the Olympic Games’ effectiveness in addressing their intended purposes. I personally agree to the author of the article because the flow of money in the Olympic Games has historically been from the public towards the private sector, while the noble objectives have been largely

Coursework on HgbA1C control diabetes Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

On HgbA1C control diabetes - Coursework Example The infrequent laboratory blood glucose may be the most common use of these tools If the value of HbA1c is adequate, clinicians rely on the therapy without much questioning. The most authentic assays of HbA1c are those performed in a high quality clinical laboratory, one standardized to the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP) The intake of food which contains a relatively high level of glucose results into increase glucose concentration in the blood. The level of HbA1c increases. In this way, the chances of catching diabetes increases. Diabetic patients get enveloped in major diseases which include heart attack, blockage in vein, and many other micro-vascular diseases. A person without diabetes will have a haemoglobin A1c test of around 5%. The A1c level should be less than 7% in a health human. Level above 8% is dangerous and needs to be medicated. The HbA1c has some targets which need to be met in order to decide whether the person has a high or low level of glucose concentration in the blood. The targets as are follow; People are recommended to measure their glucose level constantly. This test involves a small volume of blood and can be performed at home or in a doctor’s office. The sample of blood tested is taken to lab which is later presented to the doctor. Home testing is also done easily though a few professionals consider it less accurate. However, home testing is inexpensive so is widely common. (Gilles,

Inter-Recial Prejudice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Inter-Recial Prejudice - Essay Example Important aspects of this definition are the words ‘damage/ injury’, ‘judgment/ action’ and ‘disregard’. Both damage and disregard may be considered as a result of the judgment passed by the person practicing prejudice upon the person who is at the receiving end. Research in prejudice (Baron and Bryne, 208-209) shows that such judgments are passed on the basis of stereotypes held and on the basis of the discrimination resulting from the stereotypes. Stereotypes are cognitive shortcuts that people use in order to categorize individuals on the basis of a few characteristics; without paying attention to any other characteristics that may distinguish the particular individual from the group. The stereotypes in themselves are not negative; but may be associated with other negative thoughts about the categories, which are then applied to the particular individual without even ascertaining if the individual deserves to be categorized in this manner. Mo ghaddam (in Schneider, Gruman and Coutts, 345) defines prejudice as ‘an attitude based solely on group membership’. This definition underlines the fact that an individual’s membership to a particular group is an important aspect of the way people view them; and could bias the attitudes of others if they hold stereotypes about the said group. Most types of group memberships are invisible to the outsider – for example, training, education, occupation, and religion. Unless the individual divulges these facts, others are unable to classify him / her on the basis of these affiliations that the individual has. But membership to groups like gender and race are not invisible; and come across as part of the individual’s physical characteristics. Thus, it becomes easy for others to classify an individual on the basis of these factors. When people from different racial background interact, often the first information they share with each other before they even initiate contact is the information supplied by their physical appearance. If an individual holds a negative stereotype against a particular race; he / she is likely to feel prejudiced against individuals from that racial background. This prejudice would be experienced even before there is any communication; and it is likely that due to the pre-existing prejudice, this individual short-changes the other simply due to their racial background (Sears, Peplau, Freedman and Taylor, 417). Baron and Bryne (207) describe another important aspect of why people experience prejudice – social categorization. They describe how people tend to categorize others on the basis of the extent to which they feel similar to those individuals. Persons who are perceived as similar become part of the ‘in-group’, and those who seem different become part of the out group. People also typically feel more favorable towards members of an in-group then towards members of an out-group. This is because people like to feel good about themselves and their group memberships; and thus tend to highlight not just the positive aspects of their individual selves, but those of others they feel similar to. For the same reason, they play down the negative aspects of their own and similar others’ behaviors. On the other hand, people tend to exaggerate the weaknesses of dissimilar others, and play down the positive aspects of their behavior. This leads to the Fundamental attribution error – a fallacy where people attribute positive causes to personal behavior (and as a consequence the behavior of similar others) and negative causes to behaviors of dissimilar others. Although the reason why humans prefer to categorize people into in-groups and out-groups is not properly understood; it is a tendency that is found in all people

Al-Nusrah Front Terrorist Group Profile Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Al-Nusrah Front Terrorist Group Profile - Thesis Example The paper will also analyze the American policies on homeland security, and relate the aspects of the policies to the design and structure of the Al-Nusrah Front. Terrorism is a serious global issue that is attracting great financial, political, war, economic, religious and social strategies. Usually, the groups characterize with competent military structures and strategies that enable them to fight military of sovereign states. Currently, largest terrorist groups have concentrated within the Middle East and Arabic speaking countries. The nature and organization of the groups has led to labeling of some as Islamic-oriented. In fact, the greatest terrorist groups such as the Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusrah, ISIL and the Hamas have Islamism at the core of their ideologies. Most of the terrorist groups have been targeting Western countries, America in particular, and the allies. A case in point was the 9/11 event that made terror threat on Western countries a reality. It is for the escalation of terrorist activities targeted at America that the US government strengthened policies on Homeland security. The Al-Nusrah Front otherwise called Jabhat al-Nusra is among the renowned global terrorist groups after enlistment by Australia, United States, United Nations, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Russia. Analysis of the Al-Nusrah alongside US security policies is important in determining the efficiencies of the homeland security programs in tackling any threats from the group. The Al-Nusrah Front or Jabhat al-Nusra is a terrorist group based in Syria with extended operations to Lebanon. The group started forming late in 2011 and formalized its existence on January 23, 2012 through publication. The group pays allegiance to the Al-Qaeda of Iraq that saw its formation under the leadership of Abu M. al-Julani, who was an operative of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The purpose for the creation of the group was to

Inter-Recial Prejudice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Inter-Recial Prejudice - Essay Example Important aspects of this definition are the words ‘damage/ injury’, ‘judgment/ action’ and ‘disregard’. Both damage and disregard may be considered as a result of the judgment passed by the person practicing prejudice upon the person who is at the receiving end. Research in prejudice (Baron and Bryne, 208-209) shows that such judgments are passed on the basis of stereotypes held and on the basis of the discrimination resulting from the stereotypes. Stereotypes are cognitive shortcuts that people use in order to categorize individuals on the basis of a few characteristics; without paying attention to any other characteristics that may distinguish the particular individual from the group. The stereotypes in themselves are not negative; but may be associated with other negative thoughts about the categories, which are then applied to the particular individual without even ascertaining if the individual deserves to be categorized in this manner. Mo ghaddam (in Schneider, Gruman and Coutts, 345) defines prejudice as ‘an attitude based solely on group membership’. This definition underlines the fact that an individual’s membership to a particular group is an important aspect of the way people view them; and could bias the attitudes of others if they hold stereotypes about the said group. Most types of group memberships are invisible to the outsider – for example, training, education, occupation, and religion. Unless the individual divulges these facts, others are unable to classify him / her on the basis of these affiliations that the individual has. But membership to groups like gender and race are not invisible; and come across as part of the individual’s physical characteristics. Thus, it becomes easy for others to classify an individual on the basis of these factors. When people from different racial background interact, often the first information they share with each other before they even initiate contact is the information supplied by their physical appearance. If an individual holds a negative stereotype against a particular race; he / she is likely to feel prejudiced against individuals from that racial background. This prejudice would be experienced even before there is any communication; and it is likely that due to the pre-existing prejudice, this individual short-changes the other simply due to their racial background (Sears, Peplau, Freedman and Taylor, 417). Baron and Bryne (207) describe another important aspect of why people experience prejudice – social categorization. They describe how people tend to categorize others on the basis of the extent to which they feel similar to those individuals. Persons who are perceived as similar become part of the ‘in-group’, and those who seem different become part of the out group. People also typically feel more favorable towards members of an in-group then towards members of an out-group. This is because people like to feel good about themselves and their group memberships; and thus tend to highlight not just the positive aspects of their individual selves, but those of others they feel similar to. For the same reason, they play down the negative aspects of their own and similar others’ behaviors. On the other hand, people tend to exaggerate the weaknesses of dissimilar others, and play down the positive aspects of their behavior. This leads to the Fundamental attribution error – a fallacy where people attribute positive causes to personal behavior (and as a consequence the behavior of similar others) and negative causes to behaviors of dissimilar others. Although the reason why humans prefer to categorize people into in-groups and out-groups is not properly understood; it is a tendency that is found in all people

Personal statements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal statements - Essay Example I have advanced proficiency levels in the use of basic computer programs which can assist in business applications like writing business correspondences and computing through spreadsheets. I am genuinely interested in pursuing higher education in business to harness my professional skills and keep me abreast on contemporary applications of management of global organizations. By applying in this institution’s business program, I am optimistic to gain a more comprehensive approach in managing business organizations through the development of leadership, entrepreneurial, interpersonal, negotiation, conflict-resolution, information technology, electronic business applications and research skills and abilities that are needed in business organizations in the future. As more organizations become global enterprises, I would like to improve my skills in becoming part of a global organization that could give me opportunities to experience other cultures and contribute to its growth and advancement.

Bargaining power of supplier Essay Example for Free

Bargaining power of supplier Essay Bargaining power of supplier is also known as the amount of control your suppliers have over the price of goods you purchase dictates whether this area is an opportunity or threat. This is driven by the number of suppliers of each essential input; uniqueness of their product or service; relative size and strength of the supplier, and cost of switching from one supplier to another. In this case, Minbaochong Sdn Bhd is the supplier of Eight Eleven, the largest chain of twenty-four hour grocery stores in Malaysia. MinBao brand is one of the most popular brands of bread in Malaysia which supposed to give Minbaochong Sdn Bhd a strong bargaining power. However the tremendous mistake made by Kelvin Tan, the sales manager of Minbaochong Sdn Bhd, closed a deal with Eight Eleven by offering them a price concession and allowing them to offer a 400 gram loaf of MinBao bread for RM3.00 instead of its recommended retail price of RM3.20. This strategy causes sales of MinBao bread in supermarkets and other outlets declined significantly and resulted Eight Eleven is now accounted for one-third of Minbaochong’s sales. Further, the company already burdened by debt acquired in its recent spin off was on the edge of bankruptcy lower the bargaining power of Minbaochong Sdn Bhd. The bargaining power is now with Eight Eleven as Eight Eleven controlling one-third of Minbaochong’s sales and even Minbaochong Sdn Bhd terminate the contract and stop supplying bread to Eight Eleven, it does not affect muc h to Eight Eleven because they have its own house brand or there is greater presence of substitute inputs for Eight Eleven means the extent to which it is possible to switch to another supplier for an input or a close substitute, thus it results the bargaining power of suppliers, Minbaochong Sdn Bhd become lower. Competitive rivalry The intensity of rivalry among competitors in an industry refers to the extent to which firms within an industry put pressure on one another and limit each other’s profit potential. Competitive rivalry affects the competitive environment and influences the ability of existing firms to achieve profitability. High intensity of rivalry means competitors are aggressively targeting each other’s markets and aggressively pricing products. This represents potential costs to all competitors within the  industry. High intensity of competitive rivalry can make an industry more competitive and decrease profit potential for the existing firms. On the other hand, low intensity of competitive rivalry makes an industry less competitive and increases profit potential for the existing firms. In this case, the competitive rivalry is low because competitors have unequal size. Eight Eleven was the largest chain of twenty-four hour grocery stores scattered all over Malaysia. By having nume rous branches of grocery store leads to the great advantages against other competitors. Besides that, Eight eleven had a strong strategy that preventing them to receive any threats from rival. â€Å"Every Day Low Price† Although the product selling by Eight Eleven is lack of differentiation and Eight Eleven have high fixed cost due to numerous branches in Malaysia, but Eight Eleven is well known among the market and able to offer a lower price compare to other grocery stores due to large number of stocks held by Eight Eleven. This will eventually enhance the brand loyalty of Eight Eleven’s customer as customer switching costs are high. Hence the competitive rivalry is low due to Eight Eleven is the main driver of the grocery stores and had established a strong market base in Malaysia.

Importance of Teaching Listening Skills

Importance of Teaching Listening Skills Listening comprehension is an important language skill to develop. Language learners want to understand target language (L2) speakers and they want to be able to access the rich variety of aural and visual L2 texts available via network-based multimedia. Furthermore, listening comprehension is at the heart of L2 learning and the development of L2 listening skills has demonstrated a beneficial impact on the development of other skills (e.g. Dunkel 1991; Rost 2002). Therefore, it is important to develop L2 listening competence; yet, in spite of its importance, L2 learners are rarely taught how to listen effectively (e.g. Mendelsohn 2001, 2006; Berne 2004; LeLoup Pontiero 2007). In addition, listening is an essential skill which develops faster than speaking and often affects the development of reading and writing abilities in learning a new language (Scarcella and Oxford, 1992; Oxford, 1993). According to them, the main reason is that one receives input through listening to instructions or explanations prior to responding orally or in writing. Listening is not an easy skill to acquire because it requires listeners to make meaning from the oral input by drawing upon their background knowledge of the world and of the second language (Byrnes, 1984; Nagle Sanders, 1986; Young, 1997) and produce information in their long term memory and make their own interpretations of the spoken passages (Murphy, 1985; Mendelsohn, 1994; Young, 1997). In other words, listeners need to be active processors of information (Young, 1997). Meanwhile, Vandergrift (1996, 1997, and 2003) asserts that listening is a complex, active process of interpretation in which listeners try to su it what they hear with their prior knowledge. According to Richards (1983), this process is more complex for second language learners who have limited memory capacity of the target language. Therefore, it is necessary for them to utilize various listening strategies. As most English teachers Iran believe, although we have learned a lot about the nature of listening and the role of listening in communication, L2 listening has been considered to be the least researched of all four language skills. This may be due to its implicit nature, the ephemeral nature of the acoustic input and the difficulty in accessing the processes. In order to teach L2 listening more effectively, teachers need a richer understanding of the listening process. Research into L2 listening is important because a better understanding of the process will inform pedagogy. According to Vandergrift (2007), students who learn to control their listening processes can enhance their comprehension; This, in turn, affects the development of other skills and overall success in L2 learning. 1.2. Statement of Problem Listening comprehension may seem relatively straightforward to native language (L1) speakers but it is often a source of frustration for second and foreign language (L2) learners (e.g., Graham, 2006). Further, little attention has been focused on systematic practice in L2 listening (see DeKeyser, 2007) i.e.; on the integrated instruction of a sequential repertoire of strategies to help L2 learners develop comprehension skills for real-life listening (Berne, 2004; Mendelsohn, 1994; Vandergrift, 2004). A review on recent research on second or foreign listening instruction suggested a need for an analysis of the effectiveness of metacognitive instruction for developing L2 listening comprehension. Current approaches for effective L2 listening are toward real-life authentic ample-input listening with more of top-down approaches and process instruction. Most of the studies, support real-life listening with authentic materials (Buck, 2002; Goh, 2008; Richards, 2005; Vandergrift, 2007; Veenman et a1., 2006). Top-down approaches have drawn more recent favors than bottom-up approaches (Goh, 2008; Rost, 2002; Vandergrift, 2004). Process listening was favored to product listening (Vandergrift, 2004; Field, 2003; Buck, 1995; Krashen, 2008). Interest was also indicated in raising student awareness of the listening process (Vandergrift, 1999; Mendelsohn, as cited in Vandergrift, 2004). Among the approaches to L2 listening, metacognitive instruction for L2 listening was noted to be a most recent trend (Annevirta et al., 2007; Beasley et al., 2008; Chen, 2007; Derwing, 2008; Field, 2008; Goh, 2008; Graham et al., 2008; Lee Oxford, 2008; Vandergrift, 2007; Veenman et al., 2006; Zohar Peled, 2008). In general, comprehension historically has received only minimal treatment in the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL), but it is, in fact, one of the most important skills a second language (L2) learner must master to succeed in academic studies (Jung, 2003, Thompson Rubin, 1996). For learners to become proficient in listening comprehension, they must receive comprehensible input (Vandergrift, 1997, p. 495) as well as have ample opportunity to practice using, or producing, the language. In second language acquisition, listening comprehension used to be considered a passive activity; thus, it did not merit researchers attention (Jung, 2003; Thompson Rubin, 1996; Vandergrift, 2004). It had been assumed that a learners ability to comprehend spoken language would develop entirely on its own in an inductive way through repetition and imitation. As recently as the 1970s there were no textbooks devoted to teaching the skill of listening in a second language. It was assumed that the ability to comprehend spoken language would automatically improve because learners with exposure to the oral discourse would learn through practice. Listening texts are a relatively recent addition to the ESL or ESL curricula; the focus of earlier second or foreign language learning texts which included a focus on listening comprehension was primarily on testing students ability to listen to oral discourse and then answer comprehension questions based upon the information (Carrier, 2003; Field, 1998). Today, however, a growing body of research indicates that the focus has shifted to actively and intentionally teaching strategies for learning how to process, comprehend, and respond to spoken language with greater facility, competence, and confidence (Rost, 2007). Despite, recognizing the importance of listening strategies for the development of foreign language proficiency, very limited studies have been performed in Iran concerning the strategies employed by Iranian EFL learners in relation to listening proficiency levels. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine how strategies training may benefit L2 learners in their development of listening comprehension. 1.3. Significance of the Study The current study addresses the need for further research in the area of systematic teaching of listening strategies. Accoding to Carrier (2003), for L2 learners, the ability to use strategies effectively in their academic listening is crucial (Carrier, 2003). He believed that learners need to be able to actively and selectively choose the strategies most applicable for a given listening situation and evaluate strategy effectiveness in their everyday learning tasks. As Carrier (ibid) indicated in her study, students can benefit from instruction in strategies for academic listening in a variety of settings and incorporating many types of media. This study adds to the growing body of research of how adult EFL students pursuing academic study may benefit from explicit, systematic teaching of listening strategies. Doing this research contributes a method to introduce and model L2 listening strategies. Results of the study provide insight into participants self-perceptions of their use of listening strategies both before and after systematic classroom instruction. 1.4. Research Questions The following research questions formed the basis of the study: 1. Does explicit listening comprehension strategy training based on CALLA instructional model increase Iranian EFL learners listening comprehension 2. What metacognitive listening strategies, based on Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ), do Iranian EFL learners report before and after metacognitive training program? 1.5. Research Hypotheses Based on the above questions, the following hypotheses will be estimated: 1. Explicit listening comprehension strategy training based on CALLA instructional model cannot play any role in increasing Iranian EFL learners listening comprehension. 2. There is no significant difference in using metacognitive listening strategies, based on Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ) by Iranian EFL learners before and after metacognitive training program. 1.6. Limitations of the Study One limitation of this study relates to the selection of participants. It was anticipated that the body of participants was likely to be of predominantly one language and cultural background. While this could provide insights into the strategy use of that particular language group, it might preclude broader multicultural generalizations of the study. In addition, it was impossible to randomize the selection of participants because of the structure of the research. The study needed to be conducted as a component of regularly scheduled EFL coursework. Limited randomization was provided in the anonymity of participant responses on the research instrument questionnaires as well as with proficiency leveling. Participants prior exposure to listening strategies instruction or to the manner in which such instruction may have taken place is another area that was impossible to determine. Indeed, students may consciously or unconsciously use strategies transferred from their learning and listening experiences in their first language. In addition, instructors may offer strategies instruction without intentionally planning to do so. If students have friends who are native speakers of English, spend much time watching American movies or listening to news broadcasts, or in other ways have a lot of exposure to English outside of class time, they may have adopted a variety of listening strategies that their classmates who do not engage in such activities have not. 1.7. Definition of Key Terms The following terms are used throughout this study and are defined as related to use in this research. Listening: an active process in which listeners select and interpret information that comes from auditory and visual clues in order to define what is going on and what the speakers are trying to express (Thompson Rubin, 1996, p. 331). For this study, the focus is on listening for academic purposes. That might include listening during academic lectures, seminars, group work, or any other aural discourse that is likely to occur in an academic classroom setting. Metacognition: Metacognition refers to the learners knowledge of whatever strategies s/he might use for specific tasks and under what conditions those strategies will be most effective (Pintrich, 2002). Strategy training: teaching explicitly how, when, and why to apply language learning and language use strategies to enhance students efforts to reach language program goals (Carrell, 1996; Cohen, 1998; Ellis Sinclair, 1989, as cited in Chen, 2005, p. 5). CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 2.1. Overview This chapter presents a brief historical timeline of the teaching of listening comprehension in EFL and ESL context. Of note is that listening research and teaching has a relatively short history as compared to that of reading, writing, grammar, and speaking. Certainly, the process of learning how to listen in a second language shares features with learning to listen in ones mother tongue; however, some features are different. The literature provides insight into these similarities and differences. Within this section, top-down and bottom-up processing as they function in the L2 listening process are explained, as is the interaction between the two processes. Finally, learning strategies, in particular, those used in the L2 listening process are presented. In most of the research accomplished to date, strategies have been classified in a descriptive manner. Researchers agree to the dearth of studies showing what types of intervention-or instruction-of listening strategies will help L 2 students to improve their listening comprehension. It is to this end that the current study was undertaken. 2.2. History of Teaching Listening Comprehension Though one of the most important but also most difficult skills a second language (L2) learner must master to succeed in academic studies, L2 listening comprehension has not received the research attention it deserves (Jung, 2003, Thompson Rubin, 1996). Though the focus in teaching today is on presenting listening as an active receptive skill which needs special attention in language study (Morley, 2001, p. 72.), listening was traditionally considered to be a passive skill, unlike speaking or grammar (Vandergrift, 2004). Even as recently as the 1970s there were no textbooks devoted to teaching the skill of listening in a second language. One hundred and fifty years ago, it was thought that speaking and writing in a second language were productive, or active skills, while listening and reading were receptive, and thus passive. In some of the earliest recorded language classes, listening was not taught at all. In one of the earliest of the language teaching approaches, Grammar Translation (Felder Enriquez, 1995; Flowerdew, Miller, 2005), teaching was conducted in the learners native tongue, and only the grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary of the foreign language, generally Greek or Latin, were taught so that learners could translate texts. The first of the language teaching methods that touched upon the importance of listening comprehension is known as the Direct Approach (Felder Enriquez, 1995), in which learners were immersed in the target language, with the L2 being the language of instruction (Flowerdew Miller, 2005). Taught inductively, learners mastered the grammar by creating rules based on their ever-growing experience with the language. Correctness in all aspects of the language was emphasized. In the Direct Approach, by necessity, listening comprehension played a major role. However, the development of listening comprehension was not actively taught; it was assumed that learners would pick up this skill in an inductive way, through repetition and use. Certainly, with its focus on inductive learning, no listening strategies were actively taught in the Direct Approach. Although listening comprehension was a component of the Grammar Approach also, students were constantly tested on their listening ability only as it related to their ability to simultaneously read and listen to a recorded piece of discourse and make sense of the grammatical and lexical rules of the language. One major drawback of this method was that the classroom activities did not relate in any meaningful way to everyday listening activities outside of the classroom (Flowerdew Miller, 2005). Students using this method were called upon to fill in missing words, a task they could easily perform without having any idea of the actual meaning of the discourse. The Audiolingual Approach (Larsen-Freeman, 2000), which became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, required the listener to recognize and practice utterances and then create similar utterances patterned after the ones they had heard in a dialogue. It was during this time and with this approach to teaching languages that the audio-cassette language labs became widely used (Ross, 2003). The language lab focus was based on drill and practice, requiring much repetition and error correction with the goal of instilling in students correct patterns of discourse. Developing listening comprehension strategies, again, was not the focus of this approach; rather listening skill was taught only as it pertained to the manipulation of newly learned grammatical and lexical structures. An unfortunate result was that in their learning process, students interacted much more with machines than with other humans. Then focus shifted toward student interaction in authentic language situations so that students could have exposure to comprehensible input as well as practice using the target language in real life situations. While cassette language laboratories are still in use today, many of these have been replaced or supplemented with computer laboratories and digital language laboratories. Emphasis on authentic tasks and projects, particularly those using the Internet, has become highly regarded (Ross, 2004). In the 1980s and 1990s, the Communicative Approach (Oxford et al., 1989)-one in which error was tolerated, provided the learners intended message could be conveyed and understoodbecame popular. The Communicative Approach, in which the focus is on use of authentic language, places the learner in a real exchange of meaning; the learner must process input and produce output such that each participant can understand the other. Once again, we see that listening strategies are assumed but not actively taught. Within this method, two schools developedthose who embrace the Cognitive Approach (Ellis, 1999) and those who embrace the Sociocognitive Approach (Warschauer Meskill, 2000). Another approach which came into existance was Cognitive Approach, the first of the two schools, which focuses on the view that all language learning is a unique psycholinguistic process (Warschauer Meskill, 2000, p. 3). Learners are said to have a built-in cognitive ability to interact with and communicate in language that is both meaningful and comprehensible to them and construct their own meaning. Making errors is seen as a positive learning process through which learners construct the rules of the target language based upon input/output. Technologies that support this learning theory/style include text-reconstruction software, concordancing software, telecommunications, and multimedia simulation software (p. 4). Teachers can easily manipulate authentic text to create meaningful exercises (cloze-type), and students can use all sorts of software and Internet access to discover computer microworlds that, at their best, simulate an immersion or a linguistic bath environment (p. 5). They can experience the target language by conducting searches, interacting with and manipulating their findings. In many cases, students need not actually interact with other humans at all. The other school within the Communicative Approach embraces Sociocognitive Approaches. This school of thought contends that learners benefit greatly from interaction with people. Students need to interact with other humans in authentic language situations so that they can have comprehensible input as well as exposure and practice in the types of speech acts in real life outside the classroom. Authentic tasks and projects, particularly those utilizing the Internet, are highly regarded in this approach. Teaching methods that exploit computer-assisted discussion have become accepted. We see synchronous and asynchronous chat becoming a major component of language learning. While this medium is seen as somewhat artificial, it is still said to give students authentic practice in extended discourse and to provide an extra layer of language practice for students, one that is democratic. Students who are hesitant to use oral language in the classroom have greater opportunity to use language w ithout fear of making mistakes and thus losing face. The result can be class discussions that are both highly democratic and collaborative. Next in the progression of accepted language teaching approaches is one known as the Task-Based Approach (Brown, 1987; Bruton, 2005). This approach requires the learner to listen and, based on the input, complete some sort of task, perhaps note-taking or filling in a chart or form. The tasks tend to be oriented to real-world needs of the learner but are frequently based upon discourse (lectures or passages) that is at least partially contrived. While not exactly authentic, these types of activities provide practice in completing the types of tasks students might be called upon to use in real life, such as noting information or completing forms. In current language learning approaches, we have the Learner-Strategy Approach (Floweredew Miller, 2005; Mendelsohn, 1994). This approach accounts for learners needs to initiate and recognize their own listening strategies what works for each individual learner. The Learner-Strategy approach examines listening comprehension from the perspective of individual learners and their independent learning with activities created to help learners discover what particular strategy works for them, including foci on schema activation, authentic tasks, presentation of many types of activities in many different contexts, and total interaction with the task. It is in this approach that metacognitive realization plays a significant role. Metacognition refers to the learners knowledge of whatever strategies s/he might use for specific tasks and under what conditions those strategies will be most effective (Pintrich, 2002). Pintrich pointed out that metacognition refers to knowledge of strategies; h aving the knowledge doesnt necessarily mean that the learner actually uses the strategies. It is important, however, for learners to identify which of their own listening strategies produce success, and it is helpful for them to share their strategies. Not only does the sharing help them to activate schemata and to recognize how the strategy works for them, their sharing may also serve to activate other learners schemata and be instructive for fellow learners. Both learner and fellow students become more autonomous and develop more control over their own learning, the goal of this particular approach. The more aware learners are of the learning process, more specifically, their own learning process, the greater the chance they can influence conscious learning (Nakatani, 2005, p. 77) and enhance their own strategic competence. According to Osada (2002), with the development of research, new theories, and development of second language curriculum, researchers interest in listening comprehension has grown. The 1990s showed a far greater interest in this skill than had previously been realized. Today, it is a widely accepted belief (Flowerdew Miller, 2005; Jung, 2003; Savignon, 2001; Wilson, 2003) that all skills, certainly including listening comprehension, require active negotiation with the language. Savignon (2001) likened the collaborative process involved in oral/aural communication to the game of football. The different strategies players use and the different moves they make as they avoid, block, or tackle the opposing teams players are similar to the strategies language learners use to negotiate meaning with their interlocutors in the new language. Not only do learners need to know the sound system, grammar, and syntax of the new language, but they also need to understand the pragmatic, or discourse meanings of the language. A final learning approach that is worth mentioning here is the Integrated Approach (Flowerdew Miller, 2005). Teachers of today recognize readily the need to actively teach strategies for developing accuracy in listening comprehension. The goal is to make students able to listen for and identify main ideas as well as details, to develop their critical listening and thinking skills, and to enable them to manipulate the language and show that they comprehend and can use what they have heard. An expected outcome is for students to be able to use heard information and present it in an intelligent and intelligible way. In the Integrated Approach, we see complementary strategies at play as students use aspects of the various approaches to language teaching and learning to comprehend, manipulate, and produce language in authentic, meaningful language tasks. 2.3. Different perspectives toward listening 2.3.1. Listening as Negotiation of Meaning That most peoples daily experiences are often not linked to reading and writing- but to situations where the spoken word is the dominant medium has already been noted in the context of first language (LI) listening (see, for example, Bohlken, 1999; Frest, 1999; Furnis, 2004). In academic contexts, for example, research on LI listening has shown that listening comprises more than 50% of college students total average communication day followed by reading (17%), speaking (16%) and writing (11%) (Emanuel et al, 2008). With the significant role that listening plays in our lives, therefore, it would be worthwhile to examine what facilitates and/or hinders listening. Changes in listening behavior have been associated with different factors including purpose for listening (Wolvin Coakley, 1996), types of interaction possible or required in a listening situation (Rost, 1990; 2002), personal dispositions (Sargent, Fitch-Hauser, Weaver, 1997), gender (Sargent Weaver, 2003), and cultural context (Keiwitz, Weaver, Brosius, Weiman, 1997). Imhof (2004) posits that, while listening, individuals tend to adjust swiftly to perceived characteristics of the [listening] situation (p. 43) such as the status they hold as compared to their speaking partner. In a study of listeners and speakers with English as a first language (ELI), Harms (1961) found that listeners comprehension was highest when listeners held the same status as the speakers. These findings accord with the results of the Varonis and Gass (1985) study on EL1-ESL and ESL-ESL interlocutor dyads, which demonstrated that meaning negotiations occurred less frequently between EL1-ESL interlocutors t han ESL-ESL. Varonis and Gass (1985) concluded that ESL speakers recognize the inequality of the conversation situation (p. 85) and thus are reluctant to attempt any further negotiation of meaning. In a critique of the cognitively-oriented L2 listening studies that have ignored the social context in which conversation occurs, Carrier (1999) argued that unequal status between ELI and ESL interlocutors hinders negotiations of meanings and thus has an adverse effect on comprehension. Carrier also suggested that status unequals may perceive their relationship as sharing no common base socially, occupationally, and economically (p. 74). In the context of L2 classroom settings, Pica (1992) reported that social relationships between teachers and students give them unequal status as interlocutors, which can hinder L2 comprehension, production and ultimately acquisition (p. 4). In an interesting case study of an intermediate level learners progress in listening comprehension during and after a pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes course, Lynch (1997) reported the discrepancies between performance within the sheltered setting of the language classroom and success in real interaction in the (non-sheltered) academic world. The study, which included evidence from performance (entry and exit listening tests), process (negotiation of meaning in the classroom) and perceptions (of listening difficulties after the course), pointed to the ways in which the listeners fears about being labeled as an ESL student hindered his negotiations of meaning in the classroom and ultimately his performance. When asked to make a conscious effort in applying meaning negotiation strategies (which he had learned in the sheltered language course) in his academic courses, the ESL listener replied, But I am the only foreign student and so I cannot interrupt very much (Lynch, 1997, 394). These results are in line with other work on first language listening, which demonstrate that inter-individ ual differences affect patterns of communication between listeners and speakers (Beatty, Marschal, Rudd, 2001; Imhof, 2004). 2.3.2 Listening as Comprehension Listening has been demonstrated to be one of the essentials of language learning (Rost 2002; Tafaghodtari Vandergrift, 2008; Vandergrift, 2007). Yet, with the diffusion of new technologies, which have particularly changed the ways in which university students spend their time (Emanuel et al., 2008), listening has become one of the most challenging aspects of L2 development for adult learners (e.g. Hasan 2000; Graham, 2003; Kim, 2002; Vandergrift, 2007). In a review of the recent developments in L2 listening research, Vandergrift (2007) rightly points to the significance that listening has in todays reality of L2 learners lives: Language learners want to understand target language (L2) and they want to be able to access the rich variety of aural and visual L2 texts available today via network-based multimedia, such as online audio and video, YouTube, podcasts and blogs (p. 191). Given its central role in the new media age, listening has remained surprisingly underresearched in the field of L2 education, and those studies which seem to address this neglected aspect of language development have been generally concerned with listening as an end-point, rather than an active process of meaning making. Many, for example, reduce listening to finding the right answer to a set of comprehension questions at the end of a passage. This focus, which reflects the nature of commercial and high-stakes tests, ignores the processes involved in any meaning making situation, listening being no exception. This trend has also fallen short of providing a framework for adequately taking account of the variables which affect listening ability (Tafaghodtari Vandergrift, 2008). 2.3.3 L2 Listening: A Cognitive Perspective Drawing on a wide range of disciplines (e.g., cognitive psychology, LI speech education, language pathology and artificial intelligence), current L2 listening theorists recognize that L2 listening draws on multiple sources of information such as linguistic, contextual, and schematic knowledge (e.g., Buck, 2001; Lynch, 1994; Vandergrift, 2006). A consequence of such recognition has been a focus on different textual, cognitive and affective variables such as memory, discourse markers, prior knowledge and anxiety which are believed to affect performance in L2 listening. Based on earlier work by Buck (2001), at least three types of variables are posited to be critical to L2 listening success: linguistic, strategic and learner variables. Linguistic variables entail knowledge of the sound system (phonological), grammar (syntactic), vocabulary (semantic) and contextual influences on interpretation (pragmatic) of the L2 (Flowerdew Miller, 2005). Listeners use L2 phonological knowledge to se gment the stream of sound into meaningful sound units. This includes knowledge about phonemes, stress, intonation, assimilation and elision. Grammatical or syntactic L2 knowledge helps listeners to process or parse the sound stream for meaningful units of language and contributes to comprehension by assigning semantic roles to words (Rost, 2002). L2 semantic knowledge helps listeners assign meaning to word-level units as well as the relationship between those words at the discourse level. L2 pragmatic knowledge helps the listener to infer the speakers intention, particularly if there is any ambiguity in the literal meaning of the utterance. This is closely related to sociolinguistic knowledge (e.g., formal/informal registers, idioms and slang) which listeners use to further interpret the utterance (Buck, 2001). These five elements of linguistic knowledge involved in speech perception are an essential part of any model of listening. Yet, research has shown that listening comprehension is more than speech perception (e.g., Rost, 2004; Schmidt-Rinehart, 1994). Comprehension includes matching what is heard with what is known. According to Rost (2004), the central component in the comprehension process is the activation of schemata in the listeners memory structures to anticipate and monitor,

Thoreaus Elements of American Romanticism Essay -- essays research pap

Elements of American Romanticism Henry David Thoreau pens his book Walden during a revolutionary period of time known as American Romanticism. The literary movement of American Romanticism began roughly between the years of 1830 and 1860. It is believed to be a chapter of time in which those who had been dissatisfied by the Age of Reason were revolting through works of literature. All elements of Romanticism are in sharp, abrupt contrast to those types of ideas such as empirical observation and rationality. An online article describes American Romanticism in the following manner, â€Å"They celebrated imagination/intuition versus reason/calculation, spontaneity versus control, subjectivity and metaphysical musing versus objective fact, revolutionary energy versus tradition, individualism versus social conformity, democracy versus monarchy, and so on† (Strickland). In 1845 during that period of time, Thoreau decides to spend two years of his life in an experiment with Mother Nature in a cabin at Walden Pond. H e tells exquisite tales of life in natural surroundings in his book, Walden, through a most primitive organic style. Walden is a key work of American Romanticism because of its embedded ideas of solitude, individualism, pantheism and intuition. Romanticism seeks nature as a means for obtaining knowledge, and while Thoreau heavily spends his time in the woods and around the pond by himself, he inevitably feels a sense of solitude. Solitude is not necessarily loneliness or intentional isolation of oneself. It is merely an acknowledgment of the fact that he or she is alone. Thoreau has his own thoughts about solitude in which he writes: In the midst of a gentle rain while these thoughts prevailed, I was suddenly sensible of such sweet and beneficent society in Nature, in the very pattering of the drops, and in every sound and sight around my house, an infinite and unaccountable friendliness all at once like an atmosphere sustaining me, as made the fancied advantages of human neighborhood insignificant, and I have never thought of them since. Every little pine needle expanded and swelled with sympathy and befriended me. (88-89) He acknowledges his distance from humanity in the preceding passage, yet he does not feel lonely because Nature upholds him. Additionally, he clearly states that the living organisms around him are what he dwells upon for his emotional su... ...ing Henry David Thoreau into a prominent American Romantic writer. Such elements include his writings about life in Nature having great solitude; he became friends with the surrounding plants and animals. Secondly, he wrote about what was occurring day to day at Walden’s Pond which showed him as being individualistic. Moreover, there was the idea that God can only be found in nature, and pantheism was constant idea in his book. Finally, Thoreau wrote about intuition as a means of obtaining knowledge, and his use of senses as a tool for building intuition. These ideas time and time again show the various aspects of Thoreau being portrayed as an American Romantic which has lead to a great historical achievement as a writer that he well deserves. Works Cited Harrison, Paul. â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions about Pantheism.† (1996). 10 December 2004 . Pohle, Nancy C. and Selover, Ellen L. â€Å"Awareness & Intuition.† 10 December 2004 . Stata, Raymie. â€Å"What is Individualism.† (1992). 10 December 2004 . Strickland, Brad. â€Å"AMERICAN ROMANTICISM (1828-1865) OVERVIEW.† (1997). 10 December 2004 . Thoreau, Henry David. Walden and Civil Disobedience. New York: W. Norton & Company, Inc, 1966.