Child Labour Essay

Children are the flowers of heaven. They are the most beautiful and purest creation of God. They are innocent both inwardly and outwardly. No doubt, they are the beauty of this world. Early in the morning when the children put on different kinds of clothes and begin to go to schools for the sake of knowledge, we feel a specific kind of joy through their innocence. Introduction But there are children, those who cannot go to schools due to financial problems, they only watch others go to schools and can merely wish to seek knowledge. It is due to many hindrances and difficulties; desperate conditions that they face in life. Having been forced to kill their aspirations, dreams and other wishes, they are pressed to earn a living for themselves and for their families forgotten the pleasures of their childhood. When a child in order to earn his livelihood, does any kind of job, this act of earning a livelihood is called as Child Labour. Not all work done by children should be classified as child labour that is to be targeted for elimination. Children’s participation in work that does not affect their health and personal development or interfere with their education is generally regarded as being something positive. Whether or not particular forms of â€Å"work† can be called â€Å"child labour† depends on the child’s age, the type and hours of work performed and the conditions under which it is performed, as set out in the ILO Conventions. But before we go ahead, we must be clear about definition of child in our mind. In this regard United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)’s definition is regarded as standard, which defines â€Å"child† as anyone below the age of 18, and â€Å"child Labour† as some type of work performed by children below age 18. But, it must also be noted that individual governments may define â€Å"child† according to different ages or other criteria. Child and childhood are also defined differently by different cultures. a child is not necessarily defined by a fixed age. Social scientists point out that child’s abilities and maturities vary so much that defining a child’s maturity by calendar age can be misleading. Definition Child Labour is the natural outcome of extenuating circumstances, which evolve when the compelling forces of abject poverty, sprouting population, and non-existent facilities of health, education and welfare, exploited the deprived and disadvantaged populace. The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines child Labour as: 1- When a child is working during early age 2- He overworks or gives over time to Labour 3- He works due to the psychologically, socially, and materialistic pressure 4- He becomes ready to Labour on a very low pay History The concept of child Labour got much attention during the 1990s when European countries announced a ban on the goods of the less-developed countries because of child Labour. The curse gained power in the industrial revolution at the end of nineteenth century. The Victorian era became notorious for employing young children in factories and mines and as chimney sweeps. Child labour played an important role in the Industrial Revolution from its outset, often brought about by economic hardship. The children of the poor were expected to help towards the family budget, often working long hours in dangerous jobs for low pay, earning 10-20% of an adult male’s wages. In England and Scotland in 1788, two-thirds of the workers in 143 water-powered cotton mills were described as children. In 19th-century Great Britain, one-third of poor families were without a breadwinner, as a result of death or abandonment, obliging many children to work from a young age. Not only in the west, but also in the East and Middle-East countries, this curse was rooted in societies, but not as intensely, as in the West. With the passage of time, with growing economic pressure, people had no choice but to make their children share their economic burden and help them financially. Statistics According to estimates by International Labour Organization (ILO), in their report of 2006, the number of working children aged 5-14 years was globally190 million. Country Child Labour Remarks Asia 122 Million Greatest in Number Sub-Saharan Africa 50 Million 26% of total Latin America 5 Million Least Rest 13 Million – The following statistics summarise the key findings from the third ILO Global Report on Child Labour Accelerating action against child labour which contains new global estimates on child labour. Children comprise of 60% of the world’s total. On average, one child in every seven can be classified as a child labourer. The incidence of child labour is highest in Africa where 41% of 5-14 years old children are known to labour, compared with 25% in Asia and 17% in Latin America and Caribbean. In 2008, there were approximately 215 million child labourers, aged 5-17, in the world. Among them, 115 million children were in hazardous work (a term which is often used as a payment, only food and a place to sleep. Children in informal sector work receive no payment if they are injured or become ill, and can seek no protection if they suffer violence or are maltreated by their employer. 10% of these children are working 60 hours a week. Classification UNICEF has classified child work into three broad categories: 1. Within the Family Children are engaged without pay in domestic household tasks, agricultural pastoral work, handicraft/cottage industries etc. 2. Within the Family but outside the Home Children do agricultural/pastoral work which consists of (seasonal/ full-time) migrant labour, local agricultural work, domestic service, construction work and informal occupation e.g. recycling of waste- employed by others and self-employed. 3. Outside the Family Children are employed by others in bonded work, apprenticeship, skilled  trades (Carpet, embroidery, and brass/copper work), industrial unskilled occupations/ mines, domestic work, commercial work in shops and restaurants, begging, prostitution and pornography. Its further classifications are: a. Migrant Child Labour Child migrate from the rural area to the urban or from smaller to larger towns cities either with their families or alone. They migrate either for better employment opportunities or to escape from bondage b. Bonded Child Labour Children are pledged by their parents/guardians to employers in lieu of debts or payment. The rates of interest on loans are so high that the amount to be repaid accumulates every year, making repayment almost impossible c. Urban Child Labour The phenomenon of urban child labour includes street children. These children belong to three broad categories: i. Children on the Street Working children who have families but spend most of their time in streets They earn for themselves and may or may not contribute to the family income. ii. Children off the Streets Working children who have left their families in villages or towns and have migrated to the city. They do not have a place to live and hence spend their nights at the railway platforms, bus stands etc. They live independently and usually spend all that they earn in the same day. iii. Abandoned/Orphaned Children Working children without families or whose families have abandoned them They spend their lives on the streets without any kind of support and are hence the most exploited and abused of the lot. d. Invisible Child Labour Children work in the unorganized or/and informal sector. They do not come under the purview of law. They constitute a substantial proportion of the child labour in the country. Most of them do not go to school and are involved in criminal activities. Causes There are a number of causes which are responsible for this curse; some of the major of these is discussed as below: Poverty International Labour Organization (ILO) suggests poverty is the greatest single cause behind child labour. There is also the high inflation rate to contend with. As of 2008, 17.2% of the total population lives below the poverty line, which is the lowest figure in the history of Pakistan. Poverty levels in Pakistan appear to necessitate that children work in order to allow families to reach their target take†home pay. Literacy and Educational Problems Majority of the population of the country is illiterate. It is pitiful that they themselves do not want to get educated. This may be due to any of these reasons: Quality education is expensive. To get their children educated, parents have to work more and harder to meet the expenses. This leads to disappointment among the parents and they either send them to â€Å"Madrassas† or send them to work. A student who has just passed his matriculation exams, and unfortunately was not able to secure good marks has very dull chances of making a profitable career in the future. Thus he joins some workshop and starts learning mechanics which enables him to earn a livelihood in the future. This may take long, but this always works. There also exists a phobia among teen agers that education is very tough, demanding and difficult. So, sometimes they do not go for education and always are in quest of alternatives. Irrelevant, non-effective and non- standardized, non-vocational education has made schools and education system just a burden to society. Illiterate parents do not realize the need for a proper physical, emotional and cognitive development of their child. As they are illiterate, they do not realize the importance of education for their child. Traditional Values In third-world countries, where child labour was common, as well as in contemporary child labour of modern world, certain cultural beliefs have rationalized child labour and thereby encouraged it. Some view that work is good for the character-building and skill development of children. In many cultures, particular where informal economy and small household businesses  thrive, the cultural tradition is that children follow in their parents’ footsteps; child labour then is a means to learn and practice that trade from a very early age. Similarly, in many cultures the education of girls is less valued or girls are simply not expected to need formal schooling, and these girls pushed into child labour such as providing domestic services. Ignorance of Parents This is one of the important social cases often visible in step-parents and foster-parents. The parents are simply ignorant of adverse consequences of child labour. They just put their children to work and become contented that the total income of the house is increased. And if at all, they know about the circumstances, they are unaware of their rights and are less likely to complain or revolt. Sometimes, even adverse circumstances are noticed. The parents just leave their children alone and ask them to earn their livelihood themselves. Sometimes parents sell their children in order to repay debts or secure a loan. Ineffective Enforcement and Violation of the Legal Provisions Pertaining to Child Labour Even when laws or codes of conduct exist, they are often violated. For example, extensive subcontracting can intentionally or unintentionally hide the use of child labor. There may be a number of reasons for violation e.g. The laws may be vague, inconsistent or confusing. The government has not that much capabilities and resources to implement the laws. There may be some iron hands who do not want to implement the laws because of their own benefits. Justifications of Employers Child labour plays an important role in mills and factories because child labour is cheap, easily available, easily accessible and better managed as they are not able to unite against the exploitations. In countries with largest number of child labourers; India and Pakistan, mill owners justify the involvement of children in industry as they have nimble fingers which enable them to give special attention to details. Some, sort of work, they argue, can’t be done by adults as flawlessly as done by children e.g. embroidery, football stitching, carpeting, delicate glassware etc. On the  side of the firms, the low cost of child labour gave manufacturers a significant advantage in the Western marketplace, where they undersell their competitors from countries prohibiting child labour, often by improbable amounts. Other Factors Child soldiers are forcibly enlisted into military services and operations. The international sex trade places great value on child prostitutes. Girls and to a lesser extent boys also, are kidnapped from their homes (or sold) to networks of child traffickers supplying overseas markets: poverty and sexual and racial discrimination also drive children into tourist sex trade. Other factors may include high rate of inflation, population explosion, unemployment, uneven distribution of wealth and resources, discrimination among the nation and against minority groups, poor infra-structure, outdated social customs and norms and plethora of other factors. Forms of Child labour During the year 2001 and 2002 the government of Pakistan carried out a series of consultation of tripartite partners and stakeholders (Labour Department, trade unions, employers and NGOs) in all the provinces. The objective was to identify the occupations and the categories of work, which may be considered as hazardous under the provisions of ILO Convention 182. As a result of these deliberations, a national consensus list of occupations and categories of work was identified, which is given below: Work inside underground mines over ground quarries, including blasting and assisting in blasting Work with power driven cutting machinery like saws, shears, and guillotines, ( Thrashers, fodder cutting machines, also marbles) Work with live electrical wires over 50V. All operation related to leather tanning process e.g. soaking, de-hairing, liming chrome tanning, de-liming, pickling de-fleshing, and ink application. Mixing or application of pesticides insecticide/fumigation. Sandblasting and other work involving exposure to free silica. Work with exposure to All toxic, explosive and carcinogenic chemicals e.g. ammonia, chlorine, sulphur dioxide, organic and inorganic acids, caustic soda, phosphorus, epoxy, resins, metal fumes of heavy metals like nickel, mercury chromium, lead, arsenic etc. Work with exposure to cement dust (cement industry and  construction industry) Work with exposure to coal dust Manufacture and sale of fireworks explosives Work at the sites where Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) are filled in cylinders. Work on glass and metal furnaces Football stitching and making of toys Work in the clothe printing, dyeing and finishing sections Work inside sewer pipelines, pits, storage tanks Stone crushing Lifting and carrying of heavy weight specially in transport industry ( 15kg and above) Work between 10 pm to 8 am ( Hotel Industry) Carpet waving Working 2m above the floor All scavenging including garbage and hospital waste Tobacco processing ( including Niswar) and Manufacturing Deep fishing ( commercial fishing/ sea food and fish processing Sheep casing and wool industry Ship breaking Surgical instrument manufacturing specially in vendors workshop Bangles glass, furnaces Beggary, prostitution and other criminal activities Laws and Reforms Before we talk about labour laws, let’s first have a look at the constitutional provisions pertaining to child labour. †¢ Article 3: The state shall ensure the elimination of all forms of exploitation and the gradual fulfillment of fundamental principle, from each according to his ability and to each according to his work. †¢ Article 11(3): No child below the age of 14 years shall be engaged in any factory or mine or any other hazardous employment. †¢ Article 25(A): The state shall provide free and Setting-up credit and savings schemes in an attempt to provide alternatives to bonded labour. Vocational education is also one of the major clauses compulsory to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as determined by law. †¢ Article 37(e): The state shall make provision for securing just and humane conditions of work, ensuring that women and  children are not employed in vacations unsuited to their age or sex, and for maternity benefits for women in employment. Following instruments of legislation deal exclusively with the subject of child labour. †¢ The Employment of Children Act 1991 †¢ The Employment of Children Rules 1995 Other than these two, there are other laws as well which deal with the employment of children and regulate the working conditions for employed child workers. Mines Act, 1923 The Children (Pledging of Labour) Act, 1933 The Factories Act, 1934 The Road Transport Workers Ordinance, 1961 Shops and Establishments Ordinance, 1969 The Bonded Labour System Abolition Act 1992. The Punjab Compulsory Education Act 1994 Merchant Shipping Ordinance, 2001 Efforts to Reduce Child Labour Save the Children Movement Save the children has also been working with some of the sporting goods manufacturers represented by the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and their international partner brands, represented by the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI). This joint effort is aimed at ensuring that children are not employed to stitch footballs. Save the Children has also worked on project with the British Secretary of State for International Development to phase out child labour in Sialkot. The  £750,000 donated by Britain will be spent on education and training, and also on SPARC SPARC has conducted research that goes into producing its publications, including three major books on child labour, juvenile justice and child rights. Its annual report The State of Pakistan’s Children and a large number of brochures, SPARC has conducted a number of research studies. SPARC has continued to ask successive governments to upgrade their laws to set a legal age limit for employment in Pakistan, although they have not been successful in doing so. Other NGOs Other NGOs that has worked on the issue of child labour in Pakistan includes organization such as UNICEF. UNICEF supported the NCCWD in drafting of the Child Protection Law and the Child Protection Policy and initiated the establishment of Child Protection Monitoring and Data Collecting System. Many other NGO such as ROZAN has work to protect the children. SPARC is also an NGO. Impacts on Society Some of the impacts of Child labour are as follows: Stunted growth of future generation Inability to contribute to and benefit from development Citizens with accumulated frustration Adult unemployment Depreciation in wages Rising poverty level and economic inequality Increased abuse rate of children Heightened crime rate Increased illiteracy Citizens with inferiority complex Malnourished and sick citizens Political instability Inter-generational phenomenon of child labour Increased constrictions in the development process Wasted human resources, talents and skills Suggestions to Eradicate Child Labour Possibly there can be no remedies for this problem. However short and long measures are possible. Rather child labour is banned in law but it is there as crime. However, it needs to draw the attention of concerns to the issue so that the root causes of issue may be explored and take a step forward with better strategy to cope with the issue systematically. The law-breakers must be punished accordingly. The parents of the children should be motivated for the purpose. The support mechanism should include schooling facilities, evolve marketing linkages of certain occupations and crafts by making communities the owner of their business preventing from external exploitation The children we employ in our homes will grow up and head  families of similarly low income. They will want their children to earn for them the same way they did for their parents. A steady family profession will be established, which will repeat and multiply in each generation. Until and unless we remove this economic incentive for having more children, poverty and population control will remain elusive. By refusing to employ a child in your home, you can help solve the problem As the provision of universal and compulsory education should be fixed upto matriculation at least, in the very start. This education should be completely free with free provision of books and uniform. The banks should advance loans for the affected families, as by micro credit banks, to start some cottage industry at their homes. Loans should be interest less and very small installments should be covered. All such cottage industries should work under the supervision of an expert. Also, facilitate and sensitize Government to take steps getting workers out of debt. For the purpose special funds might be allocated. Children used to labour can be best equipped with manual competence, by inducting them to technical and professional training. For them, special vocational institutes should be opened for best results, where education and technical knowledge shall go hand-in-hand. Small stipends shall virtually work wonders. Disabled children must receive priority attention due to their particular vulnerability to exploitation in the worst forms of child labour on the streets. Civil society and media’s engagement can change the attitude. It can raise awareness among people about child labour, population growth and its adverse effects on health and development, thus alleviating children’s vulnerability to get abused. Children should be guarded against hard work, in accordance with the children’s right and human rights. They should be provided opportunities to better their lot by giving them a chance to physically, intellectually, morally and socially to grow, develop and progress. Various international agencies are closely cooperating by providing monetary assistance besides material goods. All these materials and funds should be employed for their welfare, and, no one should be allowed to rob them of rightful privileges and facilities. In this respect, there is wide scope for N.G.O’s should come forward and chalk out practical planning for the alleviations of child labour. Summary The project is about a very controversial issue: Child Labour. The report  conveys that how the innocent creatures are bound to work for longer hours in very minute amount of income and gaining benefit of them. Child labor is a multi-dimensional issue. With no intentions of demystifying this complex, one would focus on the difference between child labor and child work, and possible consequences of deliberate or unaware exercise of the two terms interchangeably. Child labor reflects the violation of child rights leading to exploitation and deprivations of all kinds. Child work reflects social inequity and insecurity, dearth of social safety networks, magnitude of poverty, lacking of opportunities for health and education, and financial independence. The report also states the classifications, forms, reasons and impacts of child labour on society. It further talks about different laws and organization working for these laws. It also points out the ways to stop this curse. References en.wikipedia.org/wiki/child_labour www.ilo.org/global/topics/child-labour www.unicef.org/protection/files/child_labour.pdf www.ilo.org/ipec/facts www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/what_is_child_labor.html www.child-abuse.laws.com/child-labor www.childlabour.in www.childinfo.org/labour_education.html www.elct.org/about/overview.html www.tnchildlabour.tn.gov.in/causes.html www.childlabordata.com/the-effects.html Bibliography Child Labour & Educational Disadvantage a Review by Gordon Brown

Indian Premier League Essay

Cricket is a very fast-paced, high-energy sport but it’s also big business. Professional teams that belong to the Indian Premier League pay each of their players, the estimated value that could range from INR 20 lakh (INR 2 million) to INR 2 crore (INR 20 million) per year depending on his experience and stature. For that amount of money, member teams expect a great deal and are constantly on the watch for ways of improving their performance. During a 59-game season, every nuance a coach can pick up about a weakness in an opponent’s offense or the shots of one of his own players will translate into more runs on the scoreboard, more wins, and ultimately more money for the team. Traditional cricket game statistics failed to capture all of the details associated with every play and was not easily related to videotapes of games. As a result, decisions about changes in tactics or how to take advantage of opponents’ weaknesses were based primarily on hunches and gut instincts. Coaches could not easily answer questions such as â€Å"Which types of plays are hurting us? † Now professional cricket coaches and managers are taking their cues from other businesses and learning how to make decisions based on hard data. The software available with the Indian Team was very generic and did not produce any analytical information. For the same reason, John Wright wanted to have quite a few reports to help him make decisions based on the statistical data. A company called Sports Mechanics has found a way to collect and organize fine-grained statistical data and relate the data to associated video clips. Sports Mechanics employs just 5 people to match up video of each play with statistical information about every ball bowled within the match. For example, who bowled it, who is the batsman, who is the non-striker, where did the ball pitch, what did the ball do, where was the ball hit, how many runs were scored off it, who fielded it, how did he field it, which end did he throw, what was the outcome of the ball, etc. Once the tagging is done, when the query is done according to the tag, then the relevant video plays. Queries can be done by multiple layers of filters by bowler, by batsman, by type of ball, etc. Each game is dissected and tagged, play by play, using hundreds of descriptive categories and these data are linked to high-resolution video. Coaches then use an index to locate the exact video clip in which they are interested and access the video at a protected Web site. Within seconds they are able to watch streaming video on the protected site or they can download it to laptops, iPods, play stations, etc. For example, if the Kolkata Knightriders have just lost to the Rajasthan Royals and gave up too many runs, Knightriders coach can use Sports Mechanics’ service to see video clips of every Rajasthan Royals’ batting performance in the game. He can also view every Kolkata Knightriders transitional situation for the entire season to see how that game compared with others. According to Kolkata Knightriders owner Shahrukh Khan, â€Å"the system allows us to look at every play, in every way, and tie it back to stats. So we can watch how we played every ball, track our success rate, and see how other teams are doing it. The service helps coaches analyze the strengths and weaknesses of individual players. For example, Sports Mechanics’ system has recorded every offensive step of the Kolkata Knightriders’ Shoaib Akhtar since he joined IPL. The system can show how successfully he is blowing in either home or away games, with the ability to break games and player performance into increasingly finer-grained categories. If a user clicks on any statistic, that person will find video clips from any of the games of any season of IPL that show Shoaib’s particular bowling move. Mr. S. Ramakrishnan, the Indian Cricket Team Analyst and the founder of Sports Mechanics has since 2003 helped over 5,000 cricketers and provided analysis and soft ware to ICC and 21 countries. About 7 teams in the IPL; all except Royal Challengers have already signed up for the Sports Mechanics’ service, and are using it to help them scout for promising national and international players. Although nothing will ever replace the need to scout players in person, the service has reduced IPL teams’ skyrocketing travel costs. Sources: Sports Mechanics; Base 1 USD = 50 INR as of 11, January, 2009 The challenges facing IPL teams show why information systems are so essential today. Like other businesses, professional cricket faces pressure from high costs, especially for team member salaries and travel to search for new talent. Teams are trying to increase revenue by improving employee performance, especially the performance of cricket team members. The chapter-opening diagram calls attention to important points raised by this case and this chapter. Management was unable to make good decisions about how to improve the performance of teams and of individual players because it lacked precise data about plays. It had to rely on â€Å"best guesses† based on videotapes of games. Management found a new information system to provide better information. The information system is based on a service provided by Sports Mechanics. Sports Mechanics’ staff members break down each game into a series of plays and then categorize each play by players, type of play, and the outcome. These data are tagged to the videos they describe to make the videos easy to search. IPL coaches and management can analyze the data to see which offensive and defensive moves are the most effective for each team player. Team members themselves can use laptops, play stations, iPods, etc to download the videos to help them prepare for games. This innovative solution makes it possible for basketball management to use objective statistical data about players, plays and outcomes to improve their decision making about what players should or shouldn’t do to most effectively counter their opponents.

blacks in civil war

blacks in civil war Essay Slavery was abolished in this country over a hundred years ago but the consequences of this dark page in Americas history are felt even today. This site was created to address those consequences, the political, social and cultural life of todays and yesterdays African Americans. What affect did the Civil War have on African Americans in the United States? Were they, as some argued, better off before the Civil War, or do the advances that blacks have made since then proved that the Civil War was indeed the turning point in the lives and opportunities of African Americans? These questions and more will be addressed in the following pagesWhen slaves were purchased off the ships from Africa, they ended up on plantations. The size and location of landholdings depended on the crop and the owner who purchased the slave. Most plantations were of the smaller variety and it was rare for an owner to have more than 20 slaves. Most housed only a handful of slaves, but no matter what the numbers, plantation life was pretty much the same for most slaves. Slaves were usually divided into two groups, the gang crew (usually male and did the field work) and the task crew (usually female and worked in the big house). The workday began around sunrise and always ended before dark except at busy times such as harvest. Slaves were not worked after dark for a number of reasons. First, the owners feared that escape would be easier; second, working after dark was considered an unwarranted burden on the slave; lastly, they believed that it impeded efficiency by reducing the hours of sleep the slave received. This is not to say the slave owners were compassionate. They saw the slaves not as humans but a business investment and only wanted to protect that investment. Slaves were not required to work on Sunday, as it was denounced as irreligious and a flagrant violation of the slaves deserved day of rest. However, they worked every other day, rain or shine. A reasonable days work meant a dai ly chore that while not back-breaking required a brisk pace to finish. Although whites believed that slaves could neither do as much nor continue to work as long as whites, both crews worked anywhere from 12-14 hours a day, with an hour or so for lunch at midday.After a long day in the field or the masters house, slaves were allowed to return to their families, a family much different than those African Americans enjoy today. For the most part, marriages were arranged. To couples in arranged marriages, the idea of falling in love and having children was not even considered. Most slave owners agreed that ideally slave unions should be among the slaves on the same plantation and that marriage should be a way of breeding and promoting morality. The master would most often officiate at the wedding. They were then sent off to their quarters for a couple hours alone together. It was not unusual, and indeed expected, for slave women to have a child every year. Indeed it was not unheard of for slave women to have 25 children in the span of their lives, usually beginning to give birth at 12 or 13 years of age. These children rarely lived with their parents past the age of eight or nine. At this time they were either sold to another plantation or moved into the womens or mens quarters. Some states had laws forbidding taking children nine or under from their mothers, but this law was often ignored and rarely enforce d. All in all, the lack of recognized marriage ties and the constant separation of families through sale, made the slave family a temporary and fly-by-night affair, destined for broken hearts and the auction block. READ: My Life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin EssayScholars generally agree that although slaves were considered something less than human, they were valuable property and thus often lived better than free families. The average slave quarters housed 5.3 persons and consisted of dirt floors, boarded windows, and were usually made of logs. Adult males clothing consisted of four shirts, four pairs of pants, and one or two pairs of shoes. Adult women were issued four dresses per year, and headkerchiefs. Rarely, plantation owners also issued such items as petticoats, socks, underwear, jackets and overcoats. It is also believed that some slaves were allowed to earn a little money outside of the plantation and used this money to supply some of their clothing needs. In 1861 the Civil War began, and African Americans would never be the same again. At first, many whites did not want to arm blacks for fear the blacks would rise against them. As the war raged on and thousands of lives were lost, it became more and more obvious that allowing blacks to fight was the correct course of action. Once blacks were permitted to fight, they did so bravely and with honor. The black man went into the war with one determination, that once learning the use of arms, he would never be again made a slave. This idea created a drive to succeed where others failed, the desire to advance and procure their freedom was all the incentive needed. It is often said that these men were the bravest group ever to fight a war. They were never known to flee the scene of a battle, it was, rather, as much as the white officers could do to restrain them till the order to fire was given. In the end, the Civil War was worth it, for the Emancipation Proclamation was signed into law by A braham Lincoln in 1863 procuring the eventual release of millions of slaves. Blacks were finally free, but a new and difficult challenge awaited them. Family life and living conditions did not change much after the war. However, there were some differences: marriages were recognized and legal, and families could live without the fear of being separated by the sale of another family member. Most African Americans lived in small shacks that were provided for them by the plantation owner that they had a sharecropping agreement with. The shacks were one room houses that were in poor condition and non-insulated. Often, they only had three walls. Most of the families who lived in these shacks consisted of an average of four to five persons. There were also many couples who lived together and were not married. Families relied on their food, clothing, and health care from the plantation owner. Children of African American families were largely uneducated, as there were few schools for the c olored. Few opportunities existed for them to enrich or better their lives or conditions. WORKING CONDITIONSThe vast majority of African Americans in the South following the Civil War worked for the same plantation owners who they had previously called Master. They worked under a condition known as sharecropping. In January 1865, General William T. Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 15, setting aside the Sea Islands Off the Georgia coast and a portion of the South Carolina low-country rice fields for the exclusive settlement of freed people. Each family would receive forty acres of land and the loan of mules from the armythe origin, perhaps, of the famous forty acres and a mule idea that would soon capture the imagination of African Americans throughout the South (Faragher, 514). In this arrangement, the sharecropper would work a given section of plantation land. At the end of the harvest season, the owner would give the worker his share of the crop. Unfortunately for the African Americans, this ideal arrangement almost never worked out as it was designed due to manip ulation of the system by the owner. During the year, the owner provided the worker and his family with housing, as described earlier, food, clothing, and medical care. Then the owner would make the worker pay for these services using his part of the harvest. More often than not, the worker ended up with nothing. Also, there was no system of verification for the worker. When the owner presented the worker with his share of the harvest, the worker had to take the word of the owner that it was the actual share agreed upon.

Arena Simulation of STR Manufacturing Process Dissertation

Arena Simulation of STR Manufacturing Process - Dissertation Example The present research has identified that Thai Hua Rubber PCL is one of the largest rubber producer and exporter in Thailand. Most of the product is concerning a production of rubber, for example, RSS (Ribbed Smoked sheets), RSS Compound (Ribbed smoked sheets compounds), STR (Standard Thai rubber), Concentrated Latex, ADS (Air Dried Sheets). However, focus product in this research would be STR (Standard Thai rubber) for which we see a manifold increase in demand. The research is aimed to identify measure and analyze the main problems in oven and packaging zone of production flow. The solution of the problem and its further validation by using Arena Simulation is also within the scope of this project. In order to improve the production, data was collected from the company’s existing processes and management information systems. The area of focus was the company’s production and quality control processes. Initially, the company’s existing scenario was simulated by u sing Arena Simulation programming method. Then in-depth analysis was conducted to find out the main problem in the production line and a solution was devised based on lean manufacturing methods. Lean manufacturing is the customer focus approach to deliver or supply what customer demands in the desired form and free of defects and in time. It further aims to reduce all types of wastes encountered during production processes that may impede overall productivity and increase costs. Main tools of lean manufacturing include but are not limited to 5S, TPM, 6 Sigma, and Kaizen. The transformation from a non-lean setup to a lean manufacturing system is critical and requires a systematic approach for this transition to avoid any major breakdown.

DQ1 What types of subjects should be discussed with the employee prior Essay

DQ1 What types of subjects should be discussed with the employee prior to the assignment DQ2 What types of data is needed to start the process of gaining an accurate assessment of the training needs - Essay Example ssing fundamental things with the employees before assignments especially difficulties that persons may encounter in the new countries to prepare them. The firm should also discuss with the workers how they would like to be compensated during or after the assignment. Additionally, the firms should discuss with the workers how they would benefit from the international assignments. Some of the benefits may include acquiring the international experience to gain promotions (Reiche & Harzing, 2009). Timely needs analysis is necessary for the training process to become effective. It is equally fundamental to acknowledge that training needs constitute the companies’ expectation after the training. Before the needs assessment, the company needs to have certain data types. The data includes the current performances of individual workers and their expected performances after the training (Barbazette, 2005). The data should also include the current general performance of the organization and the expected general performances following the training. An organization also needs to have information about the resources required to fulfill the training objectives. Additionally, the organization requires the trainees’ occupational data such as their skill and knowledge before and after training (Spectrum,

Information Systems for JP Morgan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Information Systems for JP Morgan - Case Study Example Their experiences with outsourcing have been bitter and they are on the lookup for better strategies for managing their IT infrastructure. In addition to that, backsourcing did not do much good. It stirred dissatisfaction among employees and senior management. Information strategy for any organisation is purely based on their requirements to manage business and envelope operations into a system which would in turn effectively manage their resources and yield not only profits in the long run but satisfaction to its employees and customers. (Laudon, 2002) The detailed company analysis of the issues it is facing has been discussed vividly. The employees have been mismanaged and to a great extent their morale and satisfaction has eroded in the process of outsourcing and backsourcing. A close study of the information systems strategy has been made and various methods have been evaluated for the betterment of the firm. The success of the IT strategy would be among the employees or users of the system as they are the people who live with the technology for getting the job done. Finally, evaluation of the new proposed information systems strategy is done so that the degree of its effectiveness is measured for further implementation. The satisfaction level of its employees is the first priority. It had already battered lot of its wealth in outsourcing and suffered massive losses through backsourcing. Business decisions relating to forming a new IT strategy would evaluate thoroughly the probabilities of the proposed solution and its derivability which has been covered in detail in this report. Primary Analysis of the case JP Morgan Chase's decision to outsource did not help. There IS strategy for outsourcing was meant to address the following problems: 1. Economy: IBM stood as a specialist in the IT infrastructure services and trusting them to manage their business operations would mean a good business decision. 2. Service Quality: This was the primary and the most important reason for which JP Morgan Chase wanted their business operations to be taken care by the service provider company. It wanted to position itself better in various markets. The above factors accounted for a greater share of interest for which JP Morgan Chase wanted to go for outsourcing. But finally it did not work. It faced losses not only on the monetary front but also towards the human resources. The various problems faced by the firm can be summarized as follows: All the dangers of placing the information systems functions outside the organization were possible noted for the firm. 1. Loss of control: This was pretty much evident that some employees were transferred on IBM's payroll and were not satisfied. It

Leadership in Customer Service Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership in Customer Service - Article Example There are so many kinds and interpretations of a leader, but which one does it take to make a customer-service-driven business successful? Leadership needs to have a vision of what is wanted to achieve. Leaders possess not only this but are driven by passion—the strength and the energy to work against the odds to achieve the vision (Williams, 2005). Great leaders delegate and empower. Leaders do not just pin point on people and tell them what to do instead they create structure, allocate responsibility, help create systems, provide support and training and resources, and empower subordinates to make decisions thus making them feel significant in the business group. Through empowerment, a leader is set differently from an authoritarian. A leader does not dictate but respect employees and treats these people as customers as well. Great leaders sometimes have to take tough decisions but there's always respect for the subordinates (Williams, 2005). Workers are encouraged to: participate in the action plan; develop awareness of the goals; participate in the change plan; have reasonable expectations and attitude. Communication flow is always open to a leader and is never one way. Successful business leaders are always keeping their people informed thus key performance indicators are displayed; targets are set, accomplished and celebrated. Everyone is made to feel as part of a community to create a sense of unity (Williams, 2005). A leader motivates people to do what is important and leads an example. There's a famous story about a group of visitors to Disney who was walking in the Magic Kingdom when they saw a grey-haired man walk out of his way to pick up a piece of litter. One of the members of the group approached the man and asked, "How many custodians are there here?" The man replied, "45,000". The guest was surprised at so many.

How has President Barack Obama influenced separation of powers Research Proposal

How has President Barack Obama influenced separation of powers - Research Proposal Example From the past presidents’ experience, it is easy to predict how the administration of Barack Obama will influence the separation of powers theory, in addition to some unique circumstances of his presidency, the most important of which will be explored by this paper. Peter McNamara wrote that Woodrow Wilson believed the president must become a popular and national leader for the purpose of imposing order and system on the government’s policy agenda. (Galderisi, Herzberg and McNamara 1996, p. 194) The idea is that only the president could provide these qualities because the Congress is simply incapable of order and system. The problem is the president cannot deliver this when he is unpopular because the separation of power has made for a stalemate between the executive and the legislative branches. Barack Obama does not have this problem as he enjoy an unprecedented popularity among the American public. For instance, he has at least 70 percent approval rating in the recent Gallup poll just before his inauguration. (Ibanez 2009) The tide of positive public opinion behind a president can silence opposition from the Congress especially today when the media serves as a public forum wherein people has immediate access to information and could e xpress their sentiments and opinions. An aspect of Obama’s popularity comes from his ability to reach to people from all walks of life – he is easier to be seen as nonpartisan. The new president has a knack to mobilize public support as demonstrated by his meteoric rise from the unknown to having won the American presidency. Obama’s popularity is boosted by the fact that the Democrats – his party – has the majority in Congress. This means that he has the support of his party for his policies and he would encounter less resistance from opposition. A democrat in the White House and a Democrat Congress would mean less friction because both follow the same ideology. Presidents have long used

Faith, Reason, and Imaginationi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Faith, Reason, and Imaginationi - Essay Example Religious faith can be defined as an assent because of the authority of a revealing God. This definition turns faith into an intellectual act and it places the emphasis, at least implicitly, on what is believed, though, again implicitly, what is believed is considered to be not evident or immediately present-that is, to be beyond reasonable evidence. Hence the introduction of a motive for believing, God's authority, who would not deceive us in presenting something for our belief which was not true. Obviously, God's authority is preferred to reason's because we are dealing with religious faith, not scientific belief. Faith, thus, is faith hi God and in whatever God says must be believed. The ultimate reason for believing religiously is not evidence, but God. Proponents of this view of faith acknowledge that this assent of faith takes place in a certain penumbra because the content is not sufficiently supported by reason or other evidence worthy of trust. By the second definition, what is believed is beyond reason; hence the need to introduce the authority of God as the motive for belief; that is, as the only force capable of bending the will to believe. At all events, if things are evident, it is not faith. It is also argued that the assent of faith is given with certainty, not as opinion, but with the surety of true knowledge; and this even though rationally the evidence may not be there (the New Oxford American Dictionary 2001, p. 556). Another definition of faith is "a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence" (The New Oxford American Dictionary 556). There is need, therefore, of a specific act of the will to command the assent, since it is not necessitated by the reasonableness of the evidence. Still, as should be apparent, this understanding of faith emphasizes "belief that" over "belief in", and it is here, for instance, faith is somebody indicates the expectancy of a journey without definite end or destination; and it points to the human condition as one of travel. Faith can be defined as care about what really matters to us. If we are serious about what ultimately concerns us, doubt can never be excluded altogether, but must be faced with courage. That to which faith is an openness is never given wholly to the believer because it is infinite (in time or in essence), absolute, and therefore cannot be grasped by a subject who is finite in every way. This lack of fit between finite and infi nite is also the reason why doubt or unfaith is always a danger. Imagination Imagination is defined as "mental representation; a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses" (The New Oxford American Dictionary 2001, p. 779). The imagination has always formed part of the subject-matter of aesthetics, but its recent revival can be traced to recent advances in philosophy of language and philosophy of mind. The second definition states that imagination is 'ability to form images" (The New Oxford American Dictionary 2001, p. 779). It is natural to define imagination as that attitude taking fictional propositions as its contents (where a fictional proposition is one that is not true). For instance, the contents of imaginings are fictional propositions in the trivial sense that they are to be imagined, not in the ordinary sense that they are a species of falsehood. Since we cannot characterize the attitude of imagination nontrivially by its contents,

Color Theraphy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Color Theraphy - Essay Example The employment of primary, warm, or cool colors in color therapy has been a fundamental practice in the treatment of certain disorders (Ashby 92). Notably, the use of color in variant settings influences personal perceptions and responses to an environment. This proves that color is actually an influential factor in a person’s take on things. On the same note, individual differences relative to color are evident and have to be accounted for as far as color therapy is concerned. Color has significant influence on emotions, feelings, thoughts, and behavior (Birren 150). This is because color plays an active role in stimulating the brain. Although this stimulation is oriented towards one way or another depending on one’s personality, the common denominator is that each and every individual has his/her color preferences. Subsequently, these preferences inform the manner in which color therapy would work or fail to work for one individual or the other. As a result, approaches to color therapy vary subject to the stimulation attained by any given

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) Essay Example for Free

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) Essay The United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are both effective ways to report financially account for one’s business assets but they have several differences. in this paper I will attempt to outline a few of the more significant differences and allow you to make up your mind as to which of these two systems is the better one. The first difference that is widely accepted between the two methods is that U. S. GAAP is rules based and IFRS is principle based. This means that IFRS allows more for adaption of the circumstances and allows for professional judgment while U.S. GAAP is more stringent and less forgiving. The argument back and forth is that the rules for U.S. GAPP are too large and broad stroked which doesn’t allow for different odd situations, while it is argued that the IFRS is too biased which can allow for too much manipulation. A primary difference between the U.S. GAAP and the IFRS is the way the business financial statements report the value of the company’s property and holdings. The U.S. GAAP method utilizes the Historic Cost Principle (HCP) while the IFRS uses the Fair Market Value (FMV). Under the HCP the asset owned by the company if forever recorded at the price for which it was initially purchased while the FMV approach allows for a periodic re-assessment of the current value of the asset. This has both positive and negative effects based on the economy and the housing market. Over time you would expect that the value of property to rise, for example if a company had bought my parents 2 bedroom home for the listed price of $19,500 in 1980 knowing that the same house is now appraised at $105,000 then it would be beneficial to re appraise the house under the FMV as the asset is worth a lot more than the original $19,500. The down side for using the FMV would have been in 2009 when the housing market collapsed. At that point the house was appraised at $87,000. If the year prior the company recorded its asset at $105,000 then it would have taken a loss when the house was reappraised. So you can see that utilizing the FMV in this case is a gamble based on the fluctuation of the outside market and also raises the question of how often should the re-appraisals be done to be the most advantageous to the company. The next difference I want to highlight is the Last In, First Out (LIFO) method. This is a method commonly used in the United States under the U.S GAAP primarily because it helps with tax purposes. Utilizing LIFO the company applies the latest cost of providing the goods to the entire supply inventory regardless of what the company paid for the good already in stock. This shows a decrease in the gross profit margin therefore lowering the taxes at the end of the year. For example if a company manufactures 1,000 tubes of toothpaste a month at $1 a tube and sells them for $2 each then they would make a profit of $1,000 a month or $12,000 a year. If the price of manufacturing the toothpaste went up to $1.50, 6 months into the year then using the LIFO method the company would record that there profit is only .50 a tube or $6,000 a year and would only pay taxes on that $6,000 vice the $12,000 even though they made the full dollar profit on the toothpaste for the first 6 months. This is a p ractice that is used primarily in the U.S. because of our tax laws and not endorsed by other countries or under the IFRS. Another difference between the two programs falls under the category of Liabilities. A liability as defined in the text is â€Å"An economic obligation (a debt) payable to an individual or organization outside of the business†. This difference between the two programs is slight and goes back to my first paragraph dealing with rules versus principle based assessments. Both IFRS and U.S. GAPP accept the that the future event will probably take place but the IFRS defines the word probable as anything greater than 50% while the U.S. GAAP with its more stringent rules defines probable as 75-80%. This means that more liabilities would be recognized with IFRS then U.S. GAAP. The last difference that I will go over is that of brand names and patents. Under the stringent rules of U.S. GAAP, the only time a company can account for the capitalization or equity of a patent or brand is if the company purchased the patent from an outside source. If it was thought up or created by the company internally the company would have to record the expenses of the development on the income statement. Under IFRS the company would be allowed to count the potential equity based on the probable future benefits. Most of the world has already adopted the IFRS and the Financial Accounting Standards Board is working on a world wide solution in bridging the gap between these two programs. In closing the U.S. GAAP program is more stringent while the IFRS allows for more flexibility. Although this flexibility associated with the IFRS program seems like it would be more beneficial to more companies, the argument would still be is flexibility better or just a lack of integrity. References: Harrison, Horngren, Thomas 9th Edition St Joseph’s University (http://www.sju.edu/int/academics/hsb/accounting/IFRS.html) Bass, Solomon Dowell (http://www.bsd-cpa.com/index.php/comparing-and-contrasting-international-financial-reporting-standards-ifrs-and-generally-accepted-accounting-principles-gaap)

Dramatisation Of Macbeth - Explain And Evaluate Essay Example for Free

Dramatisation Of Macbeth Explain And Evaluate Essay Introduction Macbeth is a very dramatic play because it goes through many stages and throughout these stages there are mixed feelings between characters and these are portrayed as very dramatic. Macbeth as a play involves many themes as he changes from good to evil, love, temptation, ambition, equivocation, and corruption. These themes have to be portrayed in a way, which gives maximum effect and understanding of the characters dramatisation. There are two main ways in which Macbeth can be dramatised. Through the language and through physical methods. A physical method is a term I like to use to explain anything which is done physically and portrays the idea that needs to be carried across. E.g. clothes, lighting Portrayal Through Language There are many ways in which Macbeth can be dramatised through language. Throughout my research on Macbeth I found many. Shakespeare tends to use many techniques in order to portray his message through language, and in fact he uses language more than any other method. Soliloquies. A soliloquy is a monologue spoken by a particular character that is alone on stage or assumes that he or she is alone. It reveals their inner thoughts and will. So that you as a viewer will be able to know the truth when he as a character doesnt know that you do, this dramatises the issue that he talks about and puts depth in to it, making it more interesting. Shakespeare uses this method in many occasions. One main occasion in which he used a soliloquy is when Macbeth was near the great wall and he is choosing weather to kill or not to kill because he knows that if he does there will be consequences, he says this to himself But in these cases, We still have judgement here that we but teach Bloody instructions. Shakespeare dramatises the situation using this technique. Another technique that Shakespeare uses is called Prose. He usually does this on characters that are low status but he never feared to break that rule. There are only five prose sequences within the whole play. 1. Macbeths letter to his wife 2. The Porter 3. Macbeths conversation with the assassins 4. Part of lady Mac duffs conversation with her son 5. Lady Macbeths sleepwalking A prose is a word to explain someone explaining the subject she/he is talking about. Usually Shakespeare tends to use a verse before a prose. A verse is an important technique used by Shakespeare as well. Probably the most common technique used in Macbeth is his famous blank verse (unrhyming lines with a five beat rhythm: iambic pentameter). In a blank verse each line has five iambs (feet), each with a stressed (/) and unstressed (X) syllable: X / X / X / X / X / So fair / and foul / a day / I have / not seen Shakespeare uses blank verse very flexibly, making the rhythm of the characters speech very appropriate to the meaning, the mood, and the speakers meaning and mood, this is how Shakespeare dramatises using this technique. Shakespeare could not do this without creating new words to match the blank verse H. An average person would have a vocabulary of 6,000 words. An estimate of Shakespeares vocabulary would be around 30,000 words. He created new words in such a simple and understandable way. He does this by the use of Hyphen. Macbeth is full of Hyphenated words, many are so familiar that we do not recognise them as Shakespeares. These words help to dramatise Macbeth in the way that it adds more detail to anything Shakespeare was trying to explain about the situation or the character. Examples of some of his new words: * New-born * Firm-set * New-hatched * Live-long * Bare-faced * Earth-bound * Lily-livered * Cut-throat This shows that Shakespeare likes to dramatise and create meaning atmosphere with some significance within his plays. Especially Macbeth is a great example of his efforts to portray his dramatisation and significant meaning effect on the viewer making the viewer understand more than he usually should. Shakespeare is never afraid to repeat himself or regularly use a word. The following words were used the most; you will find them used very regularly: * Blood (e.g. Scene Act 1 Scene IIII, when Macbeth says It will have blood; they say, blood will have blood: Stones have been known to move and trees to speak; Augurs and understood relations have, by maggot-pies and choughs and rooks brought forth The secret man of blood. What is the night) * Fear (e.g. Scene Act 1 Scene IIII, when Macbeth says When mine is blanched with fear.) * Sleep (e.g. Scene Act 1 Scene III, when the 1st witch says I myself have all the other, and the very ports they blow, all the quarters that they know Ith shipmans card. I will drain him dry as hay: Sleep shall neither night or day) * Night (e.g. Scene Act 1 Scene III, same as Sleep) * Done (e.g. Scene Act 1 Scene III, when Ross says Ill see it done) * Man (e.g. Scene Act IV Scene III, when Malcolm says Dispute it like a man) * Time (e.g. Scene Act 1 Scene III, when Banquo says If you can look through the seeds of time) My final evaluation on the dramatisation of Macbeth using language is that Shakespeare is a great master of English because of his different ideas to portray many things. This is a good thing because it adds more effect to the play and dramatises it causing more interest and depth to it in the way that every idea has a particular significance within the play. Portrayal Through Physical Methods In Macbeth one of the most significant things that Shakespeare uses is Imagery. Macbeth is rich in imagery. Imagery conveys ideas with such emotion and drama and that it is one of the special things about Macbeth. There are many ways in which Macbeth was dramatised through imagery these are some of them: * Portrayal Through Darkness and Light It was used because its a simple to do method, which dramatises the play. The main ways it was used was to define good from evil. For example, in a Macbeth play that we watched we saw that when king Duncan was shown the lights were so bright that you could tell that it was the way it is to represent extreme good even holiness. When the witches showed up on the scene the stage would turn very dark that the only thing that you could see was their wicked eyes representing the extreme no good, the evil. The contrast between the witches and King Duncan shows that light and darkness imagery can be very dramatic. One interesting way of using light imagery was to gradually decrease the amount of light given to Macbeth himself. This is because as we know Macbeths character starts to fade away and so does the light just to remind us of this and make it more dramatic and effective. You can understand through light and darkness if something bad is going to happen or something good. If the stage turn all dark and nothing happens you know something is going to happen. If the stage turns all bright with light you know that something good is going to happen. This idea of having different contrast of light before each scene can tell you weather this scene contains the theme of good or evil is actually a very good idea because its like a prophecy about to be fulfilled and this creates a very dramatic effect. Also the words of light and darkness are used in Macbeth, dark night strangles the travelling lamp or even more dramatic is Come, thick night. * Portrayal Through Clothes Shakespeare had many ideas to do with dramatising using clothes. One of his most famous one is his reference to the throne of Scotland dresses him in borrowed robes. Basically illustrating the theme of deception in a silent but dramatic way. Shakespeare also likes to mix different subjects or irrelevant subjects in to the matter using imagery. * Acting and Theatre, (a poor player) * Eyes, (the eye of childhood) * Hunting and Sport, (bear-like I must fight the curse) * Hands, (with these hands neer be clean) This kind of imagery again adds more depth to the play making it more interesting and more dramatic by making the viewer think about what is Shakespeare trying to represent with his language and thoughts. Speaking of thoughts, Shakespeare liked to involve community in Macbeth. * Portrayal Through Feasting And Hospitality He involved the image of community in Macbeth using Hospitality and Feasting. Eating together is a sign of friendship and community. Macbeths disrupted banquet represents his moral illusion in to evil and darkness, which took him away to another level, just like how the banquet changed from a friendly level to an embarrassment. * Portrayal Through Animals Throughout Macbeth there are many references to animals. Especially when Shakespeare trys to explain something that is mystical and fearful. This creates the perfect atmosphere for the evil characters to act in to create a dramatic experience for the viewer just like the cauldron scene. Also Shakespeare likes to use birds like robins to represent happiness because of their singing. The owl is used also to create the idea of darkness, the owl only comes out in the dark and so does Macbeth. * Portrayal Through Babies And Children Throughout Macbeth there are many references to vulnerability and innocence. This way was very successfully done through babies and children. This is because children cannot take actions and cannot prevent them either this makes them innocent. The most dramatic example in Macbeth of this dramatisation technique was when Macduffs family were killed. His son was so young and innocent that Shakespeare showed us this by his lack of knowledge, the poor boy didnt even know what a traitor was. * SON: (was my father a traitor, mother?) * LADY MACDUFF: (Ay, that he was) * SON: (What is a traitor?) * LADY MACDUFF: (Why, one that swears and lies.) * SON: (And be all traitors, that do so?) * LADY MACDUFF: (Every one.) * SON: (Who must hang them?) * LADY MACDUFF: (Why, honest men.) We can see from the extract conversation between the mother and child that Shakespeare intends to break peoples hearts and make them give sympathy toward this poor boy, who doesnt even know what a traitor is. * Other Portrayals Shakespeare tended to use a lot of violence in his stories; violence of course refers to blood. He tended to use blood because it is so significant in the way that it is precious and there is lots of it. Blood can also be represented as a word to explain something with heart to it because it is so important to you and you are mentioning it. Sleep is a common technique used in Macbeth in order to dramatise the fact that Macbeth himself cannot get sleep anymore because of his filthy deeds, and Lady Macbeth sleepwalks while pretending to wash and scrub her hand as if she is washing her deeds away, but still she rubs as if its not going away, the blood stains. This kind of technique really does dramatise it in way that again causes interest towards the audience. Conclusion To conclude I think I will say that Shakespeare is a great writer who was very creative and significant in the way that he uses different techniques to dramatise anything. When I say dramatise I mean that he made something more exaggerated in the way that you understand it more and it appeals to you more. Macbeth is very rich in dramatisation because thats what makes a good story, if its full of ideas which appeal more by having more depth in to it than usual, then you get more people watching your play because its more than the usual. People will always want something more. And thats what Shakespeare gave them and he did it well.

Helen Of Troy Analysis

Helen Of Troy Analysis In this essay, we analyze and compare the icon of beauty, Helen of Troy in one historical source as well as one contemporary source. More specifically, we refer to William Butler Yeats poem, No second Troy and Wolfgang Petersens movie Troy. We compare the symbol of Helen in these two sources in terms of intertextuality, polyphony and ideology. In the following part of the essay, we first give a brief background of the ancient myth of Helen; then we compare the poem No Second Troy and the film Troy in three aspects; finally, we give a conclusion of our analysis and comparison. Background Helen, also known as Helen of Troy and Helen of Sparta, is a mythological figure in ancient Greece. Her myth finds its origin in the Mycenaean age and the name Helen was first shown in Homers poem. According to most prehistoric myths (e.g., Iliad and Odyssey), She was born in Sparta and was the daughter of Leda, queen of Sparta, and Zeus. Ovids Heroides indicates that Helen spent her youth in Sparta and had the classical physical education, such as practicing arms and hunting. When Helen came to her marry age, a number of kings and princes all over the world were enchanted by her beauty and sent in precious gifts to court her. In order to select an ideal husband for Helen without offending other suitors, Odysseus suggested to let all the suitors swear not to retaliate the chose one. In the end, Menelaus became Helens husband. After several years of their marriage, the young Trojan prince, Paris, came to Sparta for diplomatic reasons. Previously, Zeus asked Paris to claim the most bea utiful goodness and Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman. Paris then chose Helen of Sparta. Some historical sources state that Helen was abducted by Paris to Troy, while others claim that she was willing to follow Paris and to leave Menelaus. The abduction of Helen became the direct cause of the war between the Trojan and the Greek. The English dramatist Christopher Marlowe depicted Helen as having a face that launched a thousand ships. In Iliad, Helen actually regretted to run away and gradually discovered that her lover Paris was not as brave and capable as his brother Hector at all. The descriptions of Helen in the Trojan War were ambiguous and usually conflict each other. After the fall of Troy, Helen returned to Sparta and was back to live with Menelaus, as stated in Odyssey. Yet in the play Orestes, Helen left the mortal world and was taken to Olympus. William Butler Yeats (1865 C 1939) was an Irish poet, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923. Yeats met Maud Gonne, an Irish nationalist in 1889 and ever since then, she became a major subject in Yeats poems. No Second Troy was approximately written around 1908 and it indeed refers to Maud Gonne. Troy, the epic war film directed by Wolfgang Petersen in 2004, was adapted from Homers great poem The Iliad. The film basically follows the story line in Iliad and re-presents the grand scenes in the Trojan War. It mainly features the characters of Achilles, Hector, Paris, Agamemnon, Menelaus and Helen. Analysis and Comparison Intertextuality Intertextuality refers to the relationship of one text to other similar texts, which shows the interaction among different sources. Both the film Troy and the poem No Second Troy are mainly based on the description of the Trojan War in ancient Greek myths and Homers Iliad, yet they all make adaptations to express different emotions. Yeats used the story of Helen as a background of his poem. The content of the poem is consistent to the mythology history in terms of its literal description that beauty causes a crucial war (Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways, With beauty like a tightened bow). However, in the original story, Helen was involved in the Trojan War and she regretted her decision when seeing so much death and sadness caused by the war. Since Yeats intended to compare the symbol Helen to Maud Gonne, Helens character in his poem was changed to fit in with Maud Gonnes personality. In Yeats poem, Helen takes initiative in the war and uses her beauty to her advantage ( Was there another Troy for her to burn?). The readers can clearly feel her determination and perseverance (Being high and solitary and most stern). Troys plot also has several obvious deviations from the book. Firstly, the Gods are not introduced into the film. While in Homers writing, the Gods actually played a key role in the Trojan War. For example, Poseidon supported the Greeks and Aphrodite was on the Trojan side to protect Paris. The omission of Gods makes the characters look more realistic thus become closer to our life and easier to understand; but on the other hand it cannot present a clear origin and history of each character. Secondly, in Iliad, later Helen discovered Paris cowardice when he dared not to fight to death with Menelaus and disgusted his behavior; while in Troy, the love between Helen and Paris was pure and sweet all the time. Indeed, Helen was even glad that Paris gave up fighting to save his life. Such adaptation is common in the context of intertextuality. These texts are built upon each other but they each serve different purpose and convey complex feelings. In our case, Yeats changed Helens character to show his sorrow caused by Maud Gonnes rejection and nationalism; Wolfgang changed Helens feeling for Paris to makes his character as well as their love more pleasant to the audience. Polyphony In music, polyphony refers to music consisting of different independent melodic voices. Borrowing this concept to literature, we define a text as polyphony if it organizes diverse points of view and voices. In No Second Troy, Yeats expressed both praise and criticism for Maud Gonne in the name of Helen. Before the poem was written, he had proposed to Maud for four times in total, starting from 1891, then 1899, 1900, and finally in 1901. Unfortunately, she refused to marry Yeats repeatedly. While Yeats was in deep sorrow because of his unfruitful love, he understood such behavior was rooted in Mauds nationalism and feminism (Why should I blame her that she filled my days / With misery, or that she would of late). Maud Gonne was a famous female revolutionist in Ireland. She wanted to resist British colonization and liberate Ireland; in order to achieve this goal, Maud took active part in campaigning for nationalism in Ireland. Maud is an unusual woman who does not want to enjoy in a pe aceful life with husband and children; she devoted herself to revolutionary activities in Ireland. It is her beauty as well as her determined character that attracted Yeats (That is not natural in an age like this, / Being high and solitary and most stern?), but her ardency in revolution also resulted in their lasting turbulent relationship, the source of Yeats sorrow. In the film Troy, the Trojan people, especially Priam and his royal families had mixed feelings for Helen as well. When Helen was first brought to the palace, Priam looked very kind and welcomed her warmly. Nevertheless, when later he was alone with Hector, he blamed him for allowing Paris to take her home. We can see that on one hand, as a father, he was glad to have such a gorgeous daughter-in-law; on the other hand, as the king of Troy, he did not want to see his country involved into a war. When they got married, the Trojan people gathered around to have a look at their beautiful princess; but later when the war b egan, Helen was blamed for all the subsequent death and sufferings. In reality, people usually do not have a pure and definite feeling for a person or some things, thus in literature, some works do not maintain a single voice and express opinions in several different angles. Helen is undoubtedly an icon of beauty, yet at the same time there are sins underlying such beauty; people also remember the tragedies induced by her. Ideology Ideology is one of the most important concepts in cultural studies. It represents a system of beliefs, and influence the way people think. Ideology forms the political and social relation in a society. The two sources in this essay show different ideologies in two distinct periods and places in human history. To understand Maud Gonne/Helens character in No Second Troy, first we need to review the dominant ideology in Irish society, which is based on conservative, capitalistic Christianity. Therefore, womens traditional role is defined as mothers and wives. They play a minor role in political and social activities, such as social reforming and the Irish revolution. Under this circumstances, Maud was an unusual women in her time (That is not natural in an age like this) and always bore a mind of resurrection; she was not controlled by the tradition in her society, but persisted in fighting for the freedom of Ireland and tried to stimulate high spirits among Irishmen. She cofounded the nationalist organization, Daughters of Erin and after turning down Yeats proposal several times, she married a fellow activist, Maj. John MacBride. In the movie Troy, the story of Helen happens in ancient Greek and Sparta. Its social ideology is indeed similar to that of Mauds society in terms of womens role. In the gender-stratified society at that time, women were usually powerless and can only subordinate to men. Helen, as an especially beautiful woman, was put in an even more disadvantageous situation, since her beauty was used by men and became her burden. Being a possession of men, she had no control over herself. In the movie, we can see that Helens destiny is much bound with the man she was with. In Sparta, Agamemnons rule resulted in a loose alliance since Achilles held a different ideology which is conflict to the dominant one and he always wanted to fight for his own. Under this fragile regime, Helen had a weak character and lacked conviction, thus she was easily persuade d by Paris to run away her husband and country. In Troy, Priams rule represents a good dominant ideology. People live in a harmonious society. During the war, Prince Hector encouraged his people to focus on the future of Troy instead of personal interests. In Priams family, Helen felt warmth, saw sacrifice and gradually she learnt to care for others. In history, womens personality is often defined by the political affairs at that time. In No Second Troy, Helen initiated the war and had clear aims; in Troy, Helen was involved in the war and failed to prevent the tragedy. Conclusion The two sources No Second Troy and Troy are both based on Iliad and other Greek myths about the Trojan War. The major story line is the same in both materials, with subtle changes tailoring to the audience and purpose of the material. The two works also show a mixed feeling for the character Helen. People admire and love her beauty but also regard her as the source a trouble in the terrible war. In addition, the figure Helen in Yeats poem and the film represents two opposite characters. In No Second Troy, Helen / Maud Gonne has a strong personality. She is open-minded, resistant, and unwilling to obey the tradition. In Troy, Helen is described as a subordinate to the men loved her. She is weak, following the flow and cannot take responsibilities. The two disparate personalities are mainly formed by the social and political status at that time. Although in both No Second Troy and Troy, women play a minor role in forming the trend of the society, Helen in Troy did not realize the right s of women and was totally helpless among mens politics and wars, while Helen in No Second Troy is not content to follow mens order and act as a good lady. Instead, she took her steps and fight for freedom for her people and country.

Personal Narrative †Singing Poorly :: Personal Narrative Writing

Personal Narrative – Singing Poorly It was a year like any other, or, at least I suppose it could have been, but, it wasn't. It was actually 1965. This particular year, the Beatles released Help! the movie; for the second time, Jack Nicklaus won the Masters golf title; on Palm Sunday, 51 reported tornadoes touched down in the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Iowa resulting in 256 deaths and over 1500 injured; and, a young boy in Smalltown, USA was turned away from his school choir. "Some people just aren't right for choir. Son, you couldn't hold a note with a bucket." And so began a life-long career in singing poorly. Singing poorly. It's an art. It takes feeling, passion. The chanteur/chanteuse in question must believe in herself, in the song, in the very message she is projecting. Not just anyone can do it. In fact, believe it or not, there are those who can even sing poorly, poorly. Now, there are many different angles from which I could attack this topic, but, I'm not sure I want to pick one just yet...so, bear with me. As well as there being different levels and "classes" among talented, quality singers, there are different levels and "classes" among talented, poor singers. Stay with me now. When I say poor singers, I mean they sing poorly, not sing without any money. Although, I suppose that there could be those out there who are poor enough singers, that they could actually be, poor poor singers. The first class of poor singers I would like to discuss is a little group I like to call the "Hello, my name is Britney Spears and these are my various other counterparts of the female and male persuasions† posse, or, simply "Biapse" for short. This group of artists is famed the world over. They own Top 40 radio and are infamous for paying as much as possible, for as little as possible (when it comes to their clothing, that is). They play "idol" for the young and the...not so young (both of which, disturb me equally) despite their obvious lack of singing talent, which they cleverly cover up by showing off their "range" using different techniques, like wailing, moaning, sighing, and combinations thereof. Despite their shortcomings, however, I must give credit where credit is due. These people are doing their jobs, and doing them well.

Buddhism: The 4 noble truths Essay -- Buddhist Buddha essays research

Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths Siddharta Gautama was twenty-nine years old when he abandoned his family to search for a means to bring to an end his and other’s suffering after studying meditation for many years. At age thirty-five, Siddharta Gautama sat down under the shade of a fig tree to meditate and he determined to meditate until he reached enlightenment. After seven weeks he received the Great Enlightenment which he referred to as the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path. Henceforth he became known as the Buddha. In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, Thich Nhat Hanh provides a citation from the Buddha, which gives insight into the cure of our distress. â€Å"I teach only suffering and the transformation of suffering† (Thich Nhat Hanh 3). When we recognize and acknowledge our own suffering, the Buddha, which is present in everyone, will look at it, discover what has brought it about, and prescribe a course of action that can transform it into peace, joy, and liberation. Suffering is the means the Buddha used to liberate himself, and it is also the means by which we can become free. The teachings of the Buddha revolve around this central tenant known as the "Four Noble Truths". The Four Noble Truths represent the basis of the Buddha's teaching and form the central foundation of Buddhism. Historically, Lord Buddha preached on these topics during his first public commentary following his enlightenment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The First Noble Truth states that "Life is Dukkha." Dukkha, in English â€Å"suffering", exists, even that this is the natural and universal state of beings. To live, one must suffer because it is an inevitable part of life, which one cannot avoid. All beings must endure physical suffering as well as enduring psychological suffering the form of many human emotions. Human beings are subject to impermanence and uncertainty which very often, causes us to associate with things that are unpleasant and disassociate with things that are pleasant. This may seem a bit cynical and may suggest to many individuals that Buddhism is a dismal, fatalistic religion yet it just implies we must accept the good with the bad. Buddha’s first noble truth is a statement that can obviously not be denied. In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, the author provides insight into the truth of suffering. â€Å"To succeed in the practice, we must stop trying to prove that everything i... ...aintain ourselves clearly on all planes of existence. 8. Right Concentration, samyak samahdi, by establishing and maintaining our focus of appearance, manifestation and being through appropriate concentration, usually named as meditation, dhyana, we are grounded in our unfolding actuality. This is the threshold of Nirvana, to develop the eye of wisdom. Anyone and everyone can achieve the highest goal in Buddhism. All one need to do is to make an honest effort to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. It is said that those who have reached enlightenment, like Buddha Shakyamuni and his disciples took much work to attain that state of mind; it was not accidental. The Buddha and his disciples were once ordinary people, afflicted by the impurities of the mind, desire, ill-will and ignorance. It was through contacting the Dharma and purifying their words, thoughts and deeds. These individuals developed their minds and acquired wisdom so they became exalted beings able to teach and help others to realize the truth. If one applies themselves to the teachings of the Buddha, attainment of the ultimate goal of Buddhism, the goal of liberation, the everlasting bliss of Nirvana can be achieved.

East of Eden Essay: Steinbeck vs. Christ :: East Eden Essays

East of Eden: Steinbeck vs. Christ In the novel, East of Eden, John Steinbeck proposes the idea that man has much more control over his own destiny than many chose to believe-a conclusion reached from Steinbeck's own interpretation of the story of Cain and Able wherein God neither instructs Cain to master the sin which is crouching at his door, nor predicts that Cain will master it, but rather gives Cain the ability to choose. Taking the text out of context, Steinbeck uses it to convey the message that a man's destiny is up to himself and that the ability to choose to do what is right and wrong is as much a curse as it is a blessing. Steinbeck's interpretation is incorrect. By taking the clause thou mayest out of its context, Steinbeck twists the truth of free will and uses it to convey his own message: that a man, through his own free will, can shape and define his destiny. By reading the text in context-both the story of Cain and Able and the story of Christ, which is the accepted Christian message of the Bible as a whole-the message that thou mayest conveys is quite different in both meaning and gravity. The very context of the phrase tells its immediate meaning: "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but [thou mayest] master it." In context, the phrase thou mayest is more than the blank check that Steinbeck makes it out to be; rather, it is a warning and an instruction. God gives Cain the warning that if he chooses not to do rightly, sin will conquer him; and at the same time, He offers hope and tells Cain he can and, in context, should choose to master that sin. The Biblical context of the story goes further, applying itself to life in general. As the whole of the Bible unfolds, the concept of free will is realized on a far greater magnitude than Steinbeck applies it. All humanity is subject to the harassment of a sinful nature and a fallen world. "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God." Therefore, instead of the uninfluenced freedom to choose his

A Study or Research on Depression and Anxiety Essay

I. Introduction ‘’ Anna† had been suffering from depression and anxiety attack since adolescence. Her depression started when her parents broke up while her anxiety attacks started her mother started working in Cebu, leaving Anna her psychological problems, but when she was 17, Anna did the ultimate act giving in to her depression, she committed to suicide by hanging. This true story brings home the reality of the problems of depression and anxiety that could afflict individuals regardless of age, status, race, social standing or gender, and the intensity and severity of the pain they bring that could be lead to the ultimate act of suicide. Even the great Sir Winston Churchill suffered from depression in his lifestyle. Severe depression marked by prolonged and very deep sorrow and lowered self-esteem, and anxiety, a serious state of deep worry and panic, affect a large number of individuals today. Shimberg (1991) identifies depression as â€Å" the most common biological disorder seen in psychiatry today that nobody can escape because people are either directly affected by it or try to cope with a  family member who is affected with depression† Aside from the ever-present danger and risk of suicide, depression and anxiety rob affected persons with loss of happiness and well being that could lead to physical, psychological and well social ailments. Many are prevented from going to school from finding or maintaining lucrative jobs, and from enjoying social activities with family and friends. All of these negative effects and fatal impact on depression and anxiety make this study highly significant. This aims to show that depression and anxiety when left undetected o untreated would lead to suicide among teenagers and adults alike. The second part of this study will present the salient facts about depression, its types, causes, risk factors, effects and dangers from suicide, as well as therapy and preventive measures to stop afflicted individuals from committing self-destruction. The next part will present all the facts about anxiety, the different types or manifestations, cause, risk factors, effects, dangers of suicide and also therapy and preventive measures.  The least part will focus on suicide. -the types and methods, the statistics of suicide due to depression and anxiety and the preventive measures that must be done by those nearest to the afflicted people with suicidal tendencies. II. Depression A.Definition Depression can be defined and described in various ways. Kyes and Hofling (1980) define it as a pathologic state, brought on the feelings of loss and/ or guilt and characterized by sadness and lowering of self-esteem. ¹It may also be simply defined as a brain disorder that affects thoughts, moods, feelings, behavior and physical health. More specifically, depression is best defined in terms of its attributes, or the observable signs, symptoms and charges it brings to an afflicted person. These include: (1) a marked alteration in mood such as sadness, loneliness and apathy; (2) a negative self-concept associated with self-reproaches and self-blame; (3) Regressive and self-punitive wishes such as the desires to escape, hide, or die; (4) vegetative changes including anorexia, insomnia, loss of libido ; and (5) change in activity level including retardation or agitation. ³ B.Types of Depression Today, psychiatrists categorize depression into the different types based on their characteristics. The first type termed Major depressive episode is marked by symptoms that appear without any cause that can be pinpointed. It prevents the person from doing normal daily activities and may be isolated (occur once) or recurrent. The second type called Manic episode is marked by dominating abnormal euphoria (extreme happy agitated state) or irritability. The third is Mixed episode marked by alternating mood, between mania depression for at least one week. This episode also goes by the name manic depression or bipolar disorder. The fourth and last in this group of psychiatric categories is Dysthymic disorder marked by the affected individual can still perform normal activities.⠁ ´ The reaction states in the depression are also classified in terms of state or intensity of impairment and disturbance. Neurotic depressive reaction is identified as a state of depression of neurotic intensity wherein realty testing is largely unimpaired and physiologic disturbances are mild. On the other hand, Psychotic depressive reaction is that state depression of psychotic intensity in which realities testing severely impaired and physiologic disturbances (vegetative signs) are usually conspicuous. The third state called Reactive depression is a depressive state which the precipitating stress can be clearly discerned and seen to be of some magnitude. The fourth state called Unipolar depression is a condition characterized by recurrent episodes of depression, usually of psychotic intensity, without episodes of mania.⠁ µ Another type of depression is called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. This is a pattern of major depression related to seasonal changes which might be caused by decreased levels of sunlight and increased melatonin (mood-controlling hormone) in the brain.⠁ ¶ Unlike SAD which can be explained by a biochemical cause the cause of depression and its various types and states difficult to pinpoint. Scientists and experts believe that a combination of factors such as genetic vulnerability, environmental factors, stress, physical illness, or neurotransmitter imbalances in the brain could lead to depression. The known causes of depression are inherited vulnerability; environmental triggers; medications; illnesses; personality; alcohol; nicotine; and drug abuse; and diet.⠁ ¶ Inherited vulnerability as cause of depression means that having a family history of depression increases the risk of developing depression. A person who has a parent or relative with this condition is in danger of getting bogged down with depression. Researchers have isolated several genes involved in bipolar depression, although not all with this negative heredity trait develops the problem. It has been clarified that there are other factors that can lead t depression and one of these are environmental triggers such as stressful life events including loss or death of a loved one, divorce, break up of a relationship, loss of a job, financial worries, and sickness or loss of health or independence.⠁ · Although depression just like stress, is a part of life, when the depression starts to control a person’s life for over two weeks and leads to passive behavior prolonged sorrow, lack of appetites and a loss of the general zest for living, then he or she has shifted from simply being depressed to suffering from depression. This type of depression caused by a situation, specific event or life changing situation is called reactive or situational depression.⠁ ¸ In addition to inherited vulnerability, environmental triggers and stressful  events or situations, personality traits can also be cause of depression having low self-esteem, being too dependent, self critical, pessimistic and negative, and being easily overcome by stress can make a person prone to depression.⠁ ¹ Also, medications and illnesses, as well as habits such as drinking alcohol, smoking and drug abuse as well as poor dietary habits can also cause depression. Prolonged use of certain medications such as beta blocker propanolol or Inderal, some blood pressure medicines and drugs for treating arthritis and Parkinson’s disease may cause depression. Sometimes, steroid medications such as Prednisone and oral contraceptives, and anti-cancer medicines can also being on depression. Those chronically sick from heart disease are also greater risk for suffering from full blown depression. This connection between heart disease and hypothyroidism has been established by studies. ¹Ã¢  ° Studies also found that contrary to previous beliefs, people did not turn to alcohol, nicotine or drugs to get comfort from depression but it is these substances that make them prone to depression and anxiety disorders. Studies found that about 30% of depressives and 60% of bipolar depressives abuse alcohol and drugs. Moreover other bad habits such as not eating well and lack of foliate and Vitamin B-12 may also result in depressive symptoms. ¹Ã‚ ¹ With the various cause of depression cited above and one might ask what the risk factors are and who are at risk for depression. Shimberg (1991) point to stages in life that might trigger the problem including forced retirement; being left behind by children who get married or leave for school; becoming an adolescent. These life stages and occurrences individuals at the risk for depression. Childhood depression and post depression are forms of depression that often do not get recognized. ¹Ã‚ ² Moreover, according to Kyes (1980), some research had indicated that depression and bipolar disorders might earlier by experts. This indication is linked to increase in the adolescent suicide rate in recent years. ¹Ã‚ ³ Experts also warn that outside of those already mentioned as at risk for  depression because of the altered stage in life, families of those who are depressed at most at risk for depression. The reason for this is the destruction that depression cause on the depressed and all family members round them: damage to relationships, end to careers, lost dreams and chaos and torment for the family. So mothers of depressed children become depressed, and children of depressed parents also become more likely to get depressed. ¹Ã¢  ´ In terms of age, race, status, gender and other factors, experts point out that depression can affect all ages and all races, but typically the first episode occurs between the ages of 25 and 44. Although older people are no more at risk than other age groups, depression are higher among single individuals and those not in long-term relations- among divorced people and those who live alone. Women are more prone to major depression, dysthemia and seasonal affective disorder. It is said that one out of four women will experience some type of depression so women are at 25% higher risk, although both genders have about the same risk for bipolar depression.  ¹Ã¢  µ More important than knowing the risk factors causes of depression is knowledge of preventive measures and the signs and symptoms of depression so that its negative effects and serious impact can be avoided. When left untreated and undetected, depression can result only in the worst consequences of disability, dependency and even suicide. Statistics reveals that as high as 70 percent (70%) of people who committed suicide may have some form of depression. ¹Ã¢  ¶ D.Effects and Dangers of Suicide Indeed, the impact of depression is severe because it negatively affects all aspects of health and depresses thinking, moods, feelings and behavior, as well as weakens physical health. The depressed person loses interest in normal day to day activities and experience lack of pleasures in activities previously enjoyed. This loss of happiness is called anhedonia; it erases all the enjoyment previously experienced in life. Hence, the depressed person feels very sad, helpless and hopeless and suffers from crying spells.  These effects last for a long time.  ¹Ã¢  · In addition to the above major affects of depression, the afflicted individual also suffers from disturbed sleep; marked less or gain in weight; agitation or slowed body movements; fatigue; diminished self-esteem; persistent thoughts of death and suicide; impaired thinking or concentration and loss of libido or interest in sex. Depressed individuals either sleep too much or suffer from insomnia. They may wake up in the middle of the night or at dawn and not fall asleep again. They often become agitated, irritable and easily gets angered at little things. On the opposite extremes, they become robot like, moving slowly and speaking in a monotone. They feel fatigued and weary, filled with guilt and feelings of worthlessness. Because of these, they think of suicide and not death, unable to make the right decisions and forgetting things. They lose interest in sexual relations. It is when they become overwhelmed that depressed individuals commit suicide. ¹Ã¢  ¸ A study by Cassidy, Flamegon and Spellman (1957) found that 58% of depressed individuals were psychologically affected, often saying that they had nothing to look forward to, were afraid to be alone, could not remember anything, had black moods and blind rages, felt all mixed up, very unhappy or simply brooded around the house. Some (18%) felt that their head was heavy, pressured in the throat or had headaches. Some left a pain in the head like a balloon about to burst urinated frequently and had upset stomach. A few (11%) felt tired, exhausted or jumpy. They confessed to inability to do work, lack of strength and trembling like a leaf. A small number (2%) experience a mixture of medical and psychological problems such as getting scared and not being able to breath, suffering from stiff necks and loss of power, feeling a weakness in their arms. ¹Ã¢  ¹ In the major form of depression, depressed persons become so fatigued that they sleep throughout the day and night. They are unable to work or do simple chores due to exaggerated sadness and lack of lethargy that cannot overcome. Compounding their depressive feelings are those of worthlessness, excessive guilt and receiving thoughts of suicide affected by the lifetime  of these major depressive effects are 5-12 out of 100 men and 10-26 of women. The American Psychological association (APA, 1994) also point slowly increasing severity of the problem. Maj. Et al. (1992) state that about 75% of those who suffer from a depressive episode may suffer it again within five years . ²Ã¢  ° People who suffer from bipolar disorder or manic depression marked by alternating moods of depression and mania are affected differently. In this period of a manic episode, they become restless and feel energetic even with only three hours of sleep. They become very talkative, with racing thoughts and flighty ideas. They easily get distracted and increase their social work, school or sexual activities. They also become excessively involved in pleasurable activities that could lead to painful consequences such as uncontrollable buying sprees, sexual indiscretions or foolish business investments. All these can affect their work and social relationships. ²Ã‚ ¹ Less marked affects can be seen in the people with dysthemia or chronic low-level depression. While they may also suffer from disturbed sleep, energy and self-esteem, they are not debilitated; those who suffer from it often lack self-confidence or motivation and remain in abusive relationships. ²Ã‚ ² E.Therapy and Prevention Because depression especially major episodes can lead to suicide, treatment measures must be followed starting with techniques including giving of tranquilizing drugs for mania or antidepressant drugs for depressions, electroconvulsive therapy, milieu therapy, occupational and recreational therapies, and supportive psychotherapy. In addition to these, the most important treatment objective is to change whatever underlying personality problems are causing the depression through psychoanalysis or psychotherapy. ²Ã‚ ³ Three specific forms of psychotherapy that can effectively treat depression are cognitive therapy, behavior therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy.  These are combinations of one of the recommended such as tricyclics or selective serotonin reuptake inhabitations can effectively treat the condition. Other specified forms of treatment are electroconvulsive therapy and phototherapy for seasonal depression. ²Ã¢  ´ The type of treatment given to a depressed person depends on the physiological symptoms that can be observed including disturbance of sleep or loss of the desire to eat. In such cases, anti depressant medications that act to increase the amount of nor epinephrine, serotonin or both available in the synapses. These substances identified as neurotransmitters are found in decreased amounts in depression. Antidepressants that have been found effective are tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidate (MAO) inhibitions and selective serotonin reuptake inhabitations (SSRIS). The SSRIS are preferred because of fewer side effects and they are better tolerated for longer treatment. One example is Prozac. For those suffering from bipolar depression, lithium is usually given in all cases where these medications are used; care should be taken to prevent patients from using them in suicide attempts. ²Ã¢  µ The need to prevent depressed individuals from suicide attempts cannot be overemphasized. Statistics reveals that about 15% of the population experiences major depression and some point in life, putting them at risk for suicide. This danger increases due to the fact that depression is often not diagnosed, or when diagnosed, it is not treated adequately. Physicians need to always assess the risk of suicide by direct questioning because patients often fail to put their thoughts into words if they are not encouraged to do so. When such specific plans of suicide are discovered and if significant risk factors exist such as a past record of suicide attempts, deep hopelessness, accompanying medical illness, substance abuse, or social isolation and loneliness, the patient or depressed individual must be referred right away to a mental health specialist. The physicians should try to dig deeper with hope and empathy in dealing with the depressed patient, and become sensitive to hidden feelings denial a [atient who shows signs of anxiety, panic or agitation is at significantly increased risk of suicide. Almost 15% of patients with untreated depression will commit suicide but  majority of these will have asked for help within a month of their suicide. ²Ã¢  ¶ Because of the ever present danger and risk of suicide among depressive individuals, therapy and treatment should be implemented with clear steps for preventive measures. These include providing a safe environment to protect them from self-injury or suicide; providing a structured environment to encourage the patients to engage in daily and recreational activities ; to reactivate their interests away from personal concerns ; and to motivate them for the treatment and introduce psychotherapy and occupational therapy always, the doctors and caregivers should aim at building trust through one-to-one relationships, showing interest and giving positive support to help build the patients ego and self-esteem. They have to help provide adequate nutrition, sleep and exercise for the patients. ²Ã¢  · IV. Anxiety A. Definition Aside from and often occurring with depression are feelings of anxiety, best described as â€Å" an abnormal and overwhelming signs such as sweating, tension, and increased pulse ; by doubt concerning the reality of the threat ; and by self-doubt concerning one’s capacity to cope with it.  ²Ã¢  ¸ It must be pointed out that anxiety is a normal and useful feeling when it warns of possible danger, but uncontrollable anxiety becomes a disorder when the affected person becomes bombarded with intense, frequent and continuous false alarms. These false alarms may result in dysfunctional avoidance behavior such as refusal to leave the house for fear of a panic attack. Such anxiety disorders are reported as most frequently occurring type of mental disorders in the general population as reported by the American Psychological Association (1994). About 5% of the population suffers from acute or chronic anxiety, with women twice more likely to be affected. More than two percent (2%) of Americans for example have generalized anxiety disorder and are persistently axioms and disturbed. They become excessively and unrealistically worried about life circumstances. About a third of the populations also have at least one irrational or unreasonable fear or phobia. ²Ã¢  ¸ Such exaggerated worry often goes together with depression, which experts think is also caused by imbalance of neurotransmitters. As opposed to normal worry that encourages people to plan and prepare for the future, and to get financial security for the family and the future, anxiety disorders lead to feelings of apprehension, nervousness and nagging uneasiness that resemble a heart attack, accompanied by fast heartbeat, palpitations, seating and dizziness. People with anxiety disorders may also suffer from headaches, insomnia and relentless fatigue. ²Ã¢  ¹ B.Types of Anxiety Anxiety disorders are usually classified as generalized or free floating anxiety; phobic anxiety; or panic attacks. Free floating anxiety refers to morbid states of anxiety that are relatively persistent and generalized. On the other hand, phobic anxiety refers to directed of focused anxiety which is an unreasonable and unfounded fear of an object or situation that leads to avoidance situation. Such phobias are of three main categories. The first are phobias of specific objects or situations such as fear of thunder, spiders, etc. The second are social phobias connected to social situations such as speaking or eating in public; while the third is agoraphobia, anxiety of leaving ones home or familiar surroundings and being in crowded place. The last major category of anxiety disorders, panic attacks, refer t brief but very intense attacks of anxiety. ³Ã¢  ° Such panic attacks are or panic disorders are distinguished from real panic because the intense fear and feelings of doom or terror are not justified by the situation. These attacks are accompanied by shortness of breath, dizziness, heart palpitations, trembling, chest pains and even fear dying or going crazy. ³Ã‚ ¹ In the related disorder called agoraphobia mentioned earlier, the fear is connected to inability to escape such as from crowded grocery stores, elevators, a bridge, or a train, car or bus. The investigating factor is fear of having a panic attack in a public place; hence the afflicted person  avoids leaving home altogether. A similar anxiety disorder is obsessive- compulsive Disorder which is characterized by recurring obsessions and compulsions that lead to severe distress that interfere with life. Obsessions are persisting thoughts or ideas like the notion of a terrible accident about to happen to a loved one or that underwear is filled with germs compulsions and intentional behaviors or mental acts performed to act on an obsession, often as a magical technique to world off the obsessive threat, such as taking a bath over or washing the hands repeatedly. Those with OCD give in to irresistible acts that they perform repeatedly even if they know are irrational. ³Ã‚ ² One type anxiety disorder that has become common is Post- traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. This is marked by flashbacks and recurrent thoughts of a psychologically distressing experience outside the range of usual human experience such as seeing someone killed; being tortured; being raped; or losing one’s home in tsunami or natural disaster. The signs include nightmares, flashbacks, lessened responsiveness to the world, and psychological numbness. ³Ã‚ ³ C.Causes and Risk Factors of Anxiety Whether anxiety is generalized or free-floating, phobic, obsessive- compulsive or caused by traumatic stress or panic attack, it is often exaggerated worry that goes together with depression. Hence, like depression, it is also caused by an imbalance in neurotransmitters as experts believe. ³Ã¢  ´ Also, like depression, anxiety disorders can be traced to several root causes including genetic vulnerability, and environmental factors. Family studies have shown that genetic factors. Family studies have shown that genetic factors and heredity contribute to anxiety disorders such as panic, simple phobia and obsessive-compulsive. People suffering from anxiety disorders have family members with anxiety and mood disorders. This generic vulnerability is believed to be due to mechanisms involving the neurotransmitters epinephrine and norepinephrine. Obsessive- compulsive  syndromes, for example, have been found to be the result of imbalance among neurotransmitter systems. As for environment, growing eyes in a home with pathologically anxious parents or family members give a significant environmental risk for anxiety disorders. ³Ã¢  µ One group of anxiety disorders, the phobias, can be traced to traumatic or painful roots. Psychiatrists believe that they often result from one single incident that was very frightening, painful or traumatic enough to leave a scar in the unconscious mind, one famous example was Rita Hayworthis phobia for riding elevators. A famous actress, she was once trapped in a lift in a tall building in Madrid when all of sudden, it plunged 20 floors down before the emergency brakes worked. After this event, she developed a phobia for elevators and moved only ride escalators or go to the event of walking up to a destination. She confessed that even thinking above riding an elevator would make her feel cold; she had developed claustrophobia. ³Ã¢  ¶ However, experts also point out that phobias maybe caused by a series of disturbing experiences or situations. This series of unpleasant, frightening events can deeply ingrain the fear in a person’s subconscious mind. One example is the case of famous Mike Douglas who developed acrophobia or fear of flying. At the first, he saw gasoline pawing out of the gas tanks of a B-24 Liberator he had to ride on a assignment. Although the plane did not burn the sight of gasoline hitting the airplane’s wings terrified him. On another tour, the plane he rode on lost an engine and they had to crash-land. Douglas had to be carried from the wreckage and since these two experiences, he had developed from the wreckage and since these two experiences, he had developed acrophobia. ³Ã¢  · In addition to different types of phobias, teenagers can develop anxieties because of difficulties connected with their struggles with issues of freedom and separation from parents, and the need to establish their personal identity. Teenagers often experience fear, ambivalence, and confusion about assuming the role of adults, and these may result in deep emotional conflicts and anxieties. High degree of anxiety among teenagers may be indicated by their overly passive, compliant and conforming  behaviors. ³Ã¢  ¸ Oftentimes, anxiety is caused by exaggerated concerns with the possibility of being physically or emotionally hurt in the future. For example, a student suffering from anxiety would experience continual thoughts of failing in a coming test and everyone thinking that he is stupid. ³Ã¢  ¹ D.Effects of anxiety and Dangers of Suicide Like depression, anxiety has harmful effects on the affected individual. They might feel apprehensive and nervous, troubled by nagging and constant uneasiness about the future. Attacks of anxiety are similar to a heart attack accompanied by rapid heartbeat, palpitations, sweating and dizziness. Anxious people also from headaches, insomnia, and relentless fatigue. When left untreated, anxiety disorders increase the risk for hypertension and heart disease.⠁ ´Ã¢  ° In the case of phobias, the extreme fright results in physical changes including quickening of heartbeat and responses, dilation of the pupils, and pouring of large amounts of energy producing adrenalin.⠁ ´Ã‚ ¹ This response is called the Flight or Fight response and is commonly known to become harmful to health when prolonged. In the case of teenagers, those suffering from anxiety often become preoccupied with physical complaints and feelings. They experience disturbed interpersonal relationships and become plagued and bothered by unrealistic fears. Because they cannot express their fears and anxiety, they may act out their feelings through dysfunctional behaviors like aggression, juvenile or drugs, and truancy. But the worse impact of anxiety is suicide.⠁ ´Ã‚ ² Indeed, the danger of suicide due to anxiety cannot be ignored. A study conducted in Sweden involving 3000 patients suffering from anxiety disorders found that before they reached 70 years old, one third or about 1000 died because of suicide. Hence, anxiety disorders predisposed affected people to commit suicide. ⠁ ´Ã‚ ³ E.Therapy and Prevention To relieve suffering and prevent suicide, proper management of anxiety attacks, treatment techniques and preventive measures must be followed by the afflicted individual and those who care for them. Persons affected by anxiety can learn the techniques of muscle relaxation and biofeedback. They have to take prescribed anti-anxiety medications such as benzodiazepines, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitions (SSRIs) and buspirone (bulpar) to help relieve anxiety symptoms.⠁ ´Ã‚ ³ According to western (1996), benzodiazepines are useful for short-term treatment of anxiety symptoms. The earliest medicine of this type was valium but this has since been replaced by alprazolen or xanax which is more effective in treating panic symptoms. These medications increase the activity of GABA neurotransmitters that inhibits activation throughout the nervous system. Hence, anxiety is reduced by increasing inhibitory neurotransmitters. In the case of panic disorder, psychiatrists prescribe antidepressant medications for faster relief of anxiety.⠁ ´Ã¢  µ In addition to medications which can be habit forming, those suffering from phobias can turn to other techniques to combat phobias. Trudy weirs man, director of the Phobia Workshop in New York suggests an eight-step plan to fight phobias. The plan includes the following steps; â€Å"(1) accepting the phobia; (2) Realizing that phobia cannot kill; (3) Not running and focusing instead on the present situation; (4) Making a chart of feelings and thoughts during a phobic situation; (5) Relaxation using the tighten-relax method; (6) Keeping in touch with reality to divert attention such us opening mail; (7) Belief in one’s own ability to function with fear levels; (8) Seeking professional help when all else fails’’ ⠁ ´Ã¢  ¶ However, it must be pointed out that the anxious individuals need all the help they can get. Those who come in contact with the, especially parents,  teacher and guidance counselors must be careful and be very cautious with teenagers rather the ignore behavior that often signs of serious disturbance and anxiety. For example, a teenager was suspended from school because of tribal rebellion, truancy and drug use. In the absence of social support from school officials and friends, the teenager overdosed on a bottle of pills in an attempt to commit suicide. The treatment revealed problems of depression.⠁ ´Ã¢  · People who come in control with anxious or depressed individuals must be aware of suicidal wishes that are expressed. Such suicidal wishes are extreme expressions of the desire to escape the suffering they imagine in the future and the burdens they believe they are placing on their families. In order to lighten the burden of suffering, hopelessness and mistaken ideas of the facility of their lives, the guidance counselor, teacher or psychiatrist must help the anxious person to examine their reasoning and think about alternative solutions to their problem. They must be guide in correcting their mistaken ideas about things that make them feel hopeless burden that add to their family’s sufferings once they recognize that there is a hope or alternative way, they will be motivated and forget about suicidal thought.⠁ ´Ã¢  ¸ Indeed, the need to correctly assess those people who are in danger of committing suicide and to follow the strategies to prevent them from putting into action suicidal thoughts cannot be overemphasized. School Nurses especially need to be vigilant in diagnosing teenagers with suicidal tendencies. The signs and symptoms of emotionally disturbed teenagers include the following. Social isolation related to inability to engage in personal relationships; Potential for self-directed violence related to suicidal behavior; Anxiety related to situational or maturational crisis; IV. Suicide A.Methods and types of suicide Mass media have successfully raised the awareness of people about the various methods and types of suicide. Some intentionally cause their own death directly by using firearms, knives, or poison while others hang themselves. There are also those who commit suicide indirectly by continuous intake of harmful substances such as alcohol, drugs or tobacco, though most people are aware only of direct suicide. Other types of suicide that have become well-publicized are euthanasia (doctor assisted suicide) and teen age suicide. The issue of teenage suicide has raised to the forefront with the case of the teenager committing suicide in a Pampanga mall recently. B.Statistics of Suicide Gelman (1994) cited in Smith (1992) reported that in the United States of America alone, about 30,000 people die from suicide every. Belluck (1998) cited in Smith (1992) reported that suicide ranked as the 8th leading cause of death among young people in the 15-24 age range. Among adolescents, there has been a marked increase in suicide rate since 1950. ⠁ ´Ã¢  ¹ In addition, statistics reveal that for every successful suicide, there are 5-10 attempted suicides. Moreover, women are reported to make more suicide attempts than men, but four times as many men actually commit suicide. Suicide cases have been increasing in both the teenage and elderly age group.⠁ µÃ¢  ° Furthermore, out of the estimated 30,000 people who actually committed suicide in the United States, 10-50 percent or about half suffer from major depression. For depressed people, the most dangerous time for suicide is when they are already to come out and recover the depression. When they are severely depressed, they are weakened and emotionally paralyzed so that they could not act on the impulse to kill themselves.⠁ µÃ‚ ¹ Just like depression, the anxiety disorders also predispose people to suicide and place them at risk for untimely death. As stated earlier, a study conducted in Sweden found that of more than 3000 impatient who have been  diagnosed with anxiety disorders, about one third or 1000 deaths before age 70 were due to suicide. Aside from those suffering from depression and anxiety disorders, those suffering from schizophrenia and personality disorders also die from suicide. Suicide is the primary cause of death among schizophrenics who are often faced with alienation and homelessness. Those with personality disorders are also prone to suicide because of the chaos and social problems they encounter in life. C.Preventive Measures In order to prevent individuals afflicted with depression, anxiety and other disorders from committing suicide, careful assessment of their status has to he made. Those near to them must recognize the level to depression or anxiety and the potential for suicide. Also, the presence of suicide ideation or thoughts of suicide have to be determined. The behaviors of these afflicted individuals have to be observed closely to note any clues to possible suicide. Most of the time, the person concerned will talk about suicide plans. Hence, it is important that a anxious individuals from self-destructive acts. Care must be taken especially at times when the patients depression in lifting. Support and care must be established so that the afflicted persons will know that those around them are concerned about their welfare. At all times, the depressed and anxious must be encouraged to express their feelings and anger. Relevant questions must be asked such as: â€Å"Do you wish your well dead?†, etc. All concerned should recognize such continued desire to commit suicide. More importantly, those around afflicted individuals should help increase their self-esteem by focusing on their strengths and success a structured schedule and involvement in activities with others should be helpful, as well as a structured plan to use to cope with future suicidal thoughts. The client should be helped to plan for continued professional help to relieve depression and anxiety in order to fully prevent suicide. In the case of teenagers, those educators, social workers, psychiatrists and others near them should help prevent teenage suicide by taking note of the risk factors and signs of suicide. These signs include changes in their behavior, anger,  irritability, depression, sadness, withdrawal, changes in eating and sleeping habits, and preoccupation with death are the other signs of suicidal tendencies. Those young people who are contemplating suicide often report headaches, stomach aches and ailments and also talk about killing themselves. IV. Conclusion In the end, public health workers and care givers could not be less vigilant in assessing suicide risks and in implementing measures to prevent suicide among others people suffering from depression, anxiety disorders and others disorders and severe stress. This is especially there in hospitals and health agencies. For example, a patient who had undergone mastectomy became quiet and withdrawn after a mastectomy operation upon learning that confirmation of cure would take months, she refused to eat and eaten jumped out of a window. Those who are most prone to depression and anxiety leading to suicide are those with chronic or incurable disease with loss or severe damage to body parts, and those with other concerns in addition to illness such as death of loved one, loss of property, divorce, separation and other overwhelming problems. The severity of depression and anxiety will depend on the evens catastrophe, or critical incident that has occurred. Whatever the case, the caregivers must always be aware of the damage from suicide. In conclusion, those concerned with individuals who are likely to commit suicide have to be aware of points at which to repeat suicide assessments. These individuals at a time prior/ before sustained therapentic response; first 6 months after hospital discharge; in presence of a new, painful, or disabling medical condition; in the presence of anxiety, panic or substances abuse; at evidence of relapse or recurring symptoms; at times of major stresses, losses, threats or shame inducing events; with comorleid personality disorders; or coming out of acute risk factors. Suicide, as what statistics has shown in recent years, have been increasing at a fat rate and is becoming more common especially among the young; but, it could be prevented with prompt and appropriate intervention. Depression  and anxiety, the most common causes of suicide, when left unchecked and untreated could lead to suicide among teenagers and adults alike. Hence, it is important for all who come in contact with depressed and anxious individuals to encourage them to undergo therapy and treatment.