Criteria for Personal Philosophy

Personal conception of nursing Several nursing theories serve as basics of nursing as a practice to make it a success. Through these theories, there exists fundamental guidance and stipulated directions in structuring the profession coupled with research on nursing and education. Moreover, through these theories, one can easily put a clear cut between nursing and other professions (Dahnke Dreher, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Criteria for Personal Philosophy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Nursing theories also play various roles including defining independent functions of nursing and common terms to be used by nurses when communicating with other professionals in other health related fields (Cruz, n.d.). On the other hand, curricula that aid in nursing education cannot be designed if they are not based on nursing theories. In carrying out nursing research, new ideas and knowledge emerge through these theories. When nurses are carrying out a study on a particular field, nursing theories assist them to discover or identify knowledge gaps. In research, nursing theories also assist in offering approaches to identify questions of study, select viable methods of conducting the research, interpret findings correctly, and validate interventions to be initiated by the researcher (Cruz, n.d.). Metaparadigms of nursing stipulate that a â€Å"person† is the individual receiving the nursing care (Cruz, n.d.). As stipulated by the nursing ethics, clients should be handled with due care, respect, privacy, and the nurse should do anything within the reach of his/her profession to save lives. There are various attributes, characteristics, and actions that a nurse should hold (Catlin, 2012). He or she should uphold them when providing health care to the client and this aspect is what defines nursing. A client should seek medical care based on the degree of his or her wellness, as this elem ent defines health, whereas environment deals with the surrounding (Cruz, n.d). Environment can be either external or internal surrounding that has either direct or indirect effect on a person’s health. Philosophical discussions from â€Å"The Examined Life† Over 2000 year ago, Socrates uttered a phrase that formed the basics of the film The Examined Life. Socrates made it clear that â€Å"the unexamined life is not worth living for human beings† (Catlin, 2012, Para.8). Currently, it has been a common approach to adopt and focus on western philosophy. According to Critchley (2001), ethical thinking and critique in commerce hinge on some philosophers such as Bentham, Mill, Smith, Kant, Locke and Aristotle. Socrates held that the only fundamental aspect of a human life is an examined life. Unfortunately, according to him, this life has never been available to all human beings. For the sake of trying to bring philosophy back to sanity, the filmmaker of the Examined Life examined some famous philosophers in the public arena with the aim of relating philosophy to everyday living and scenes in the American lifestyle.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although Socrates declares to have treated women, slaves, and men at his town differently, he believed in the essentials of a strong democracy (Catlin, 2012). I believe that every nurse should cultivate and nurture humanity in whatever s/he does. According to Martha Nussbaum, a philosopher involved in the film, strong democracy should be reflective and deliberative. With reference to ensuring democracy, it would be unfair for nursing to be administered only to a certain group of people. Just like any other commercial practice, nursing has also its ethics that nurses should uphold when dealing with a client.  In the provision of healthcare, some factors may hinder efficiency. For instance, some client s, due to pressure from the surrounding environment, may not be in a position to seek health services. The surrounding environment could restrict them from seeking health care services. For instance, some religions do not believe in seeking professional medical attention, whereas others prohibit women from delivering in hospitals (Gaarder, Moller, 2007). These aspects underscore unfairness, and thus the nursing profession should be quite neutral and uphold professional code of conduct. One of the core functions of a nurse and any other health care provider is to try as much as possible and save lives. However, in upholding ethics, the continental philosophy stipulates a few caveats (Critchley, 2001).  Nursing should be one of the many professions that apply continental philosophy in upholding ethics when dealing with clients. Philosophers apply the continental philosophy as a way of self-description that distinguishes them from common approaches applied by other philosophers (Cri tchley, 2001). With this aspect in implementation and in conjunction with guidance from nursing theories, standards of the nursing profession will improve undoubtedly because nurses will adapt their own unique ways of dealing with issues related to a person’s health status. In trying to emerge the best, nurses will also perform their tasks without being biased. As long as a client is be with the service providers, s/he will be at a position to understand that the nurse can only work within his or her range of duties as stipulated by the profession. An exemplar of nursing practice I believe in providing standard services to humanity without discrimination. Being respectful to God as a supreme being, I try as much as possible to provide exemplary and satisfactory services to my clients/ patients. As part of exercising justice, it would be unethical not to provide health services to a patient simply because he or she lacks money.Advertising We will write a custom essay samp le on Criteria for Personal Philosophy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One time a patient walked into the hospital to seek medication. However, the client had no enough money to pay for the services. Just like any other person in business, this was a difficult decision to make as to whether to treat the client or ask him to meet his financial obligations first. However, I could not send him away since I have always believed that a patient’s health should receive the first priority. I attended him, and then retained some of his travel documents so that he could go and look for additional cash. After settling his bill, I gave back his documents. It is the duty of a nurse to prioritize the health of a patient. For instance, I overlooked the fact that the patient had no enough money and attended him, which means that with reference to the nursing profession, all nurses should work towards saving lives. This goal is achievable thro ugh providing the necessary care to restore a client’s health status.  Hospitals should also come up with flexible regulations in a bid to ensure that nurses offer efficient services. While operating under the guidelines stipulated by the profession, nurses also tend to work in observation of rules and regulations stipulated by the hospitals as institutions. Administrators within a health facility should implement favorable frameworks to all classes of people. For instance, rules regarding payment of bills should allow the retaining of collaterals until bills are settled fully. It would be unfair to deny healthcare to a patient who is in short of finances. Strict regulations and frameworks tend to compromise standards of health services offered by nurses, as they tend to adhere to strict rules laid down. My view/Conclusion In the dynamic contemporary world, there is a challenge ahead for nursing as a profession. For instance, the profession has to take a path resisted by mo st, as opposed to the smooth path with least resistance. One question that we need to answer is whether the profession is teaching the appropriate tools of philosophy and methodologies focusing on the real situations at hand. Moreover, the practice of nursing should also seek to establish compatibility with the changes taking place in the environment under which the practice is carried out (Klemke, et al., 1998). Currently, the practice of nursing is more of theory-based than being practical. Nurses tend to follow guidelines stipulated by their profession to handle different situations, as opposed to thinking critically and based on knowledge and skills come up with a solution to the problem at hand. However, nurses cannot be blamed for this practice as they follow the nursing frameworks. By following protocols and regulations, nurses justify that the â€Å"modality is used to address issues accepted by the nursing community as within the domain of nursing and phenomena of concern to professional nurses† (Frisch, 2001. p.2).Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although nursing practices are set up to help nurses to think in a holistic manner, some nurses do not achieve the intended goal. For instance, a nurse may have a personal bias towards a patient that s/he is aware that s/he can directly influence the administration of a health facility. This element is not justifiable and thus should not be accepted, as it does not support what one should do as a nurse. However, nurses should be in a position to adopt different techniques to handle the situation at hand, rather than following stipulated procedures that may be inappropriate to that particular issue. References Catlin, J. (2012). The Examined Life and the Task of Public Philosophy. Web. Critchley, S. (2001). Continental philosophy: A very short introduction. England, UK: Oxford University Press. Cruz, R. (n.d.). Fundamentals of Nursing Practice. Web. Dahnke, M., Dreher, H. M. (2011). Philosophy of science for nursing practice: Concepts and application. New York, NY: Springer. Frisch, N. (2001). Nursing as a Context for Alternative/Complementary Modalities. The  Online Journal of Issues in Nursing 6(2), 2 – 4. Gaarder, J., Moller, P. (2007). Sophie’s World: A novel about the history of  philosophy. New York, NY: Berkley Books. Klemke, E., Hollinger, R., Rudge, D., Kline, D. (Eds.). (1998). Introductory readings in the philosophy of science. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. This essay on Criteria for Personal Philosophy was written and submitted by user Parker Holder to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

American Son essays

American Son essays A Love between a mother and her child can be so strong that sometimes it is hard for one to express how they feel. A mother ¡Ã‚ ¯s love for her child is unconditional and so is the child ¡Ã‚ ¯s love for their mother. However, everybody expresses their love in different ways and sometimes the way one person expresses their love can hurt the other person ¡Ã‚ ¯s feeling even though it is not intentionally meant to hurt the person. Jonathan Kirsch from the Los Angeles Times writes about the American son,  ¡Ã‚ °At every moment, at every level, Tomas and Gabe and their mother injure one another in intimate ways, even when they try to rescue each other. ¡ This quote holds true for the mother and her son Tomas in the novel, The American Son by Brian Ascalon Roley. They both injure one another in intimate ways, even when they try to rescue each other. The novel takes place in the 1990 ¡Ã‚ ¯s California. A mother comes with her two sons Tomas and Gabe from Manila and works two j obs to provide for them. Tomas the older son associates himself with Mexicans gangsters and breed ¡Ã‚ ¯s expensive attack guard dogs to help support the family who was abandoned by his father long ago. Tomas is always causing trouble and worrying his mother. The younger son Gabe is the good son but as he grows older he strays in the same pattern as his older brother Tomas. Tomas the older son is the son who helps pay the mortgage by selling attack dogs to rich people and celebrities. He is the son who keeps his mother up late with worry and who causes her embarrassment by showing up at family parties with his muscles covered in gangster tattoos and his head shaved down to stubble and his eyes bloodshot from pot. He is half white, half Filipino but dresses like a Mexican gangster that his mother does not like. He is also the son who says that if any girlfriend criticized his mother or treated her wrong he would knock the bitch across the house (15). Tomas seems to do thi...

Nursing education System Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nursing education System - Assignment Example The theoretical part of nursing education introduces nurse students to the healthcare environment and what their duties and responsibilities as nurses. When it comes to practical training, the objective is to equip nurses with hands-on skills and experience that allow them to execute the required duties and responsibilities. In this respect, nursing is a critical component of the health system infrastructure. The bid to enhance healthcare system is subject to the influence of many different factors. Successful health systems capitalize on the availability of human resources, which in this case include all healthcare practitioners. This makes nurses a critical part of the success story therein. In enhancing health system infrastructure, one of the primary goals is to ensure that nurse-patient ratio remains favorable to the welfare of the general population. What this means is that nursing is just as important as any other healthcare aspect. The requirements of entry into nursing practice vary from one country to another. In the United States, nursing education and practice entry programs are divided into four levels, namely: hospital-based diploma, associate degree at hospital-based level or at community college level, bachelor’s degree, and master’s degree or higher (Shulman, 2009). The first three levels are mostly common as entry point requirements while the last one is relatively less common. States play a major role in regulating nursing in the United States. Every State has its own approaches and mechanisms of regulating nursing practices. Amid state-level regulation, the American Nurses Association plays a fundamental role in the healthcare setting. This association works with state governments in matters of funding, continued competence, and nursing education advancement (Hawkins, 2011). The primary goal of nursing regulation is to ensure that nurses are not only responsible and accountable, but

INSTRUMENT REVIEWED IN MMY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

INSTRUMENT REVIEWED IN MMY - Essay Example Similarly, studies done using Bern Sex Role inventory has showed a similar trend among the girls who participated in the study. Further, the results showed a comparative masculinity scores depending on the number of years the participants resided in United States. The participants will help evaluate how gender role identity affects an individual in terms of sense of belonging, devotion to one religion, and exposure to foreign cultural values on one’s life. The research will use BSRI rating scores. BSRI is acronym for Bem Sex Role Inventory that measures gender roles and masculinity-femininity. BSRI was developed and published in 1974 by Sandra Bem and have evolved to a phenomenal gender role identity tool (Beere, 2008). The tool evaluates how individual identify themselves psychologically. The efforts came from concerted effort to measure androgyny. Stereotypical feminine and masculine traits were found by conducting a survey among 100 Stanford undergraduates students on which characters were believed to be desirable for either of the sex. The test is made of 60 varied personality traits which those participating rate themselves on a 7 Likert scale. Traits that constitute part of the scale are evenly dispersed ranging from 20 feminine, 20 masculine and 20 filter traits that are more gender neutral (Bem, 2005). All individual personality traits in BSRI are optimistically valued personality aspects. Bem Sex Role inventory involves 60 set of questions on feminine and masculine traits. Normative data was obtained from the samples that were done in Stanford University between 1973 and 1978 (Beere, 2008). According to the author, the objective for the test was to assess psychological androgyny and provide empirical evidence to prove the benefits of a shared feminine and masculine personality compared to that of sex-typed classification. Participants are required to rate themselves on each of the 60 traits using

Principles of MicroEconomics Speech or Presentation

Principles of MicroEconomics - Speech or Presentation Example This will cause an increase in price of butter. Holding all other factors constant the demand of butter will reduce form Q0 to Q1.this can be seen well from the graph. a. True. Price elasticity of demand is the responsiveness or sensitivity of consumers to price changes. The demand curve shows the quantity of goods or services individuals are willing are will to buy at different prices. Price elasticity coefficient us given by: b. False. This because cross-price elasticity of demand is a ratio of the percentage change in the quantity demanded of some good X to a percentage change in the price of some other Y. This means that if the two goods are substitutes the cross elasticity will be positive and if the cross-price elasticity of demand is negative the good are complimentary. c. True. This is because in the short run everything is fixed, therefore constructors have limited time to increase construction of apartments. Even though construction firms can still increase production by increasing labor force and efficiency, but relative to the long run supply is still inelastic. In the long run construction firms have enough time to change quantities of their resources and for new firms can start constructing apartments. Therefore the longer the time the more likely will increase quantity of apartments supplied. Even-though the time may not be long enough to change their production techniques to meet the supply needs, they have longer responsive time to switch resources such as raw materials, location of construction and amount of

Principle Of Wearing Gloves Nursing Essay

Principle Of Wearing Gloves Nursing Essay Gloves are mainly used for protection of hand from the contamination with organic matter and microorganisms and also wear to reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms to both patients and staff. However, a decision to wear gloves including its types should be based on an assessment of the risk associated with the care activity, specific nature of the task to be undertaken and the potential for contamination with microorganisms and hazardous chemicals. Perhaps, sterile gloves are used especially for the following practices . The rationale for wearing gloves will indicate the choice of glove required. . Major indication of wearing gloves are: The choice between sterile and non-sterile gloves is based on contact with susceptible sites or clinical devices. Sterile gloves have been recommended to be worn in the following circumstances some of the reason behind wearing gloves includes: During the procedure of Surgery. Surgical wound dressings Invasive procedures, for example lumbar puncture, for immune compromised patients. Procedures requiring an aseptic technique. Insertion of invasive devices, for example urinary catheters. Sterile pharmaceutical preparations. Warm saline or water Removing dressing and cleaning wound is the most painful wound care interventions. The application of cold cleaning solutions to wounds can be unpleasant and harmful to wound healing. Different techniques and solution are being used for dressing and irrigation in practice. The use of saline or water as cleansing solutions or leaving out the cleansing step resulted in similar infection and healing rates. However, the decision to use tap water to cleanse wounds should take into account the quality of water, nature of wounds and the patients general condition. Steps of wound Assessment Assessing wound via palpation mainly for Swelling Separation of edges Lightly palpate for localized area of tenderness or drainange May need to culture drainange if present Assess for pain. The initial wound assessment takes in the big picture location, shape, and size. Location Location of the wound can give clues to the cause. For example, a sacral wound may be the result of sitting long time in the same position specially the elderly patient or patients has a weakness musculoskeletal system applying pressure on sacrum. Used anatomic land marks and language while documenting location of wound. For example, right medial malleolus is preferred to right inner ankle. Trochanter is preferred to left hip. Body diagram is useful to document wound location Shape Shape of wound also can shed light on the cause of the wound. For example, a linear wound on the posterior mid thigh of patients who uses a wheel chair could be caused by pressure from the edge of the seat. A triangular sacral or coccygeal wound could be due to shearing and pressure forces caused by movement in bed. Tracing is useful to document size for irregular shape. Follow the facility policies and procedure for tracing. Always be sure to written consent and adhere to facilitys policies and procedures if wound is photographed. Use wound film with size markings included or place a ruler in the photograph for perspective. Size Measure the wound in 3 dimension length, width and depth. Measurement should be always in centimeters. To measure length place the measuring guide at greatest length (head to toe) likely to measure the width place measuring guide at greatest width (side to side) never the less to measure depth gently insert a cotton-tipped applicator into the deepest part of the wound. Place a mark on the applicator at the level of the skin (may be the clinicians thumb and index finger or an actual ink mark on the applicator) then hold the applicator against a centimeter measuring device to determine the depth of the wound. if possible measuring the wound by the same nurse for each subsequent assessment. While measuring the wound depth, moisten sterile, cotton tipped applicator with sodium chloride solution. (Dont use a dry one, which could injure newly formed granulation tissue.) Place the applicator tip in the deepest aspect of the  wound  and measure the distance to the skin level. If the depth is uneven, measure several areas; document the range and which part of the  wound  is the deepest. Types of tissue   identify the types of tissue for example viable tissue i.e. granulation, clean non-granulating, epithelial non viable (necrotic) may also visualize muscle tendon subcutaneous in the  wound  bed, estimate how much of each is present, such as 60% granulation, 20% slough, and 20% Escher. Document the percentages on a flow sheet to allow for assessment  of  wound  healing or deterioration. Wound integrity    If  your  patient has a full thickness  wound, assess for undermining, a hollow between the skin surface and the  wound  bed that occurs when necrosis destroys the underlying tissue. On the other hand, it is a passageway within and beyond the  wound  walls or base.   Examine the  wound  for the presence of supporting structures, such as tendons or bones. Note any orthopaedic hardware and be alert for foreign bodies, such as sutures and staples, all of which increase infection risk.  Wounds  with tunnelling or undermining are especially vulnerable for retained dressings. Lastly, assess for foreign bodies, such as a forgotten suture or lint. Exudate Follow  your  facilitys guidelines for defining None, light, moderate and high amounts. Describe the exudates types as serous, serosanguineous, sanguinous or purulent. Infection can affect the color, consistency, and amount of exudate as well as cause an odour. Examine wound edges Check for the characteristics like attached, unattached, fibrotic or scarred (closed) and rolled edges (epibole). In full-thickness  wounds, particularly when undermining (tissue destruction that occurs underneath intact skin around the perimeter of the wound) is present, the edges may curl under and delay healing. A white, shiny appearance at the  wound  edges may be the result of epidermal cells migrating across the  wound  to resurface it, which signals healing. Peri wound skin Assess the skin around the  wound  for color, moisture, intactness, in duration, edema, pain, and presence of a rash, tropic skin changes, and infection. For example, the color can be pink, red, blue, pale white, or gray; in darker skin, you may note deeper skin tones. Pink usually indicates healthy skin; red may indicate friction, pressure, or beginning infection; blue or pale white is often a sign of compromised circulation. The skin surrounding a  wound  may have too much moisture (maceration), which could increase the patients risk of fungal or yeast infection. Assess the peri wound skin for primary skin lesions. Documentation Documentation is a very crucial tool for nurses to evaluate provide proper nursing care plan, support mutual relation between the health professionals or colleague, it facilitate to meet and maintain professional and legal standards. Documentation of complete wound assessment includes pertinent history related to the wound. Depending on nature of wound assessments flow sheet can be used as alternative to reduce the documentation time . A wound assessment will be performed and result in documented evidence of a type of wound and a etiology of wounding Location of wound Dimensions of wound Clinical appearance of the wound Amount and type of exudate Presence of infection, pain, odor or foreign bodies State of surrounding skin and alterations in sensation Physiological implications of wounding to the individual Psychosocial implications of wounding to the individual and significant other.. Some of the examples of documentation are like Patients care plan Observation chart Wound assessment chart FBC and Daily drain chart GCS Chart Progress notes, etc. Risk and Complications Sometimes, a large amount of fluid may leak from around the drain site, making the gauze dressing completely wet. If this happens, use soap and water to clean the area. Pain may accompany drain removal and persist after removal. Impaired wound healing may be a complication if fluid accumulates beneath the skin. Infection and injury to adjacent tissues may also occur. Occlusion of the tubing by fibrin, clots, or other particles can reduce or obstruct drainage. Infection may develop at the tubing exit site. Other complications may include breakage of the drain, difficulty in removal, inadvertent removal, pain, puckering scar, and visceral perforation. The patient may develop allergic reaction. .

Shaping Identity Essay -- essays research papers

Shaping Identity Identity. What is identity? One will say that it is the distinct personality of an individual. Others will say that identity is the behavior of a person in response to their surrounding environment. At certain points of time, some people search for their identity in order to understand their existence in life. In regards, identity is shaped into an individual through the social trials of life that involve family and peers, the religious beliefs by the practice of certain faiths, and cultural awareness through family history and traditions. These are what shape the identity of an individual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In today's world, society creates an impact on human life. More of an impact can be seen among family and peers. They can be found at home, work, and school. At home with family, identity can be created on the difference of having one parent, divorced or separated parents, no parents, abusive parents, or even negligent parents. For example, children who grow up without a father or mother figure tend to become more independent at an early stage. Another example is where certain experiences within the family such as constantly witnessing parents argue can cause one's identity to be confined and distant. But, some people shape their identity similar to their parents. Such as a son became a soldier in the army because his father was in the army. Siblings, if any, are also an influence on the social identity of a person. They either become your friend, mentor, or you...

A Study of Development and Analysis of Plasma and Lcd Tv Industry

(1) Title of the Research Work: â€Å"A STUDY OF DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS OF PLASMA AND LCD TV INDUSTRY AND IT’S IMPACT ON GENERAL CTV MARKET:- WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO MUMBAI REGION† (2) Introduction: History and development of audiovisual medium: Perception is the frame of mind of a customer about a particular product or service which customer would like to avail. It is the way a customer look at anything. In short it is the process of perceiving about anything. Customer perception about any product or service is an important parameter in the whole marketing scenario and global economy as well. It contributes to the social, cultural, environmental, political and economic growth of the nation. Post-war mass communication and media studies have had two periods of radical change, the late 1960s-early 1970s and the1980s, of which the former was characterized by the rise of Marxism and the latter by its decline. These transformations did not take place simultaneously in all countries, but as a generalization this seems to hold true. For instance, Frands Mortensen (1994) recalls the year 1977 as the turning point when critical vocabulary in his work began, for the time being at least, to fade out. Mortensen’s fate was shared by many of the turn-of-the-seventies generation throughout Europe, the soixante-huitards or ’68ers’ as the French call them. As a result, some avoided radical thought altogether, denouncing their Marxist past; others changed to postmodernism, while a few still adhered to the Marxist project by trying to reshape it. However, they all had to keep abreast of the new 1980s generation– a generation more in tune with economies of deregulation, individualist policies and cultural anti-modernism. The 20th century has witnessed at least three periods during which the nature and status of moving images have been at the centre of more or less comprehensive cultural-theoretical concerns: one in the 1920s with the stabilization of the feature film and film art; one in the 1950s and 1960s with the emergence of full-blown television; and one from the 1980s to the present with the transformation of television, combined with the introduction of video and computer- based media. One of the underlying assumptions during this 70-year-debate boils down to the idea that if there is one thing that characterizes 20th-century culture, at least its latter half, then it is audiovisuality. It is this view that unites 1920s avant-gardists and cineaste-critics (e. g. Balazs 1982), 1950s and 1960s filmologists in France and Italy (e. g. Cohen-Seat 1961)who receded but were, unfortunately, overshadowed by Marshall McLuhan, and the 1980s postmodernists (e. . Kroker &Cook 1986). In the following discussion, I will, on the basis of this continuing debate, assume the centrality of image and sound media to our century. One of the key issues in audiovisual media theory, then, is concerned with accounting for this centrality of moving images in contemporary life. It is here, I argue, that the Frankfurt School may still prove helpful. In what sense is the 20th century the â€Å"age of the image† (Gance 1927) as well as that of the society of spectacle, entertainment and interaction? Or, how are the increasing audiovisual and aesthetic components of 20th century civilization interconnected? To answer these questions, media theory has to account for four major empirical phenomena and historical periods (for another synoptically view of the audiovisual 20th century, cf. Zielinski 1989): the birth and beginnings of film (The Age of Early Cinema, 1895-1915), the heyday of the standard feature film (The Age of the Classical Hollywood Film, 1920-1960), the replacement of cinema films by television as the major audiovisual medium (The Age of Paleo-television, 1960-1980) and the transformation of television in the new audiovisual landscape of, inter alia, video and multimedia (The Age of Neo-television, 1980-; the terms ‘paleo-’ and ‘neo-television’,coming from Umberto Eco, seem to have established themselves [cf. e. g. Casetti & Odin 1990]). Because these are understandably highly complex and still insufficiently explored issues, let me just give a cursory idea of the explanatory potential of Critical media theory: I will elaborate on the argument that each change of period –from the early cinema to the Hollywood film, from the Hollywood film to paleo-television and from paleo- to neo-television –involves expansion and intensification of some aspects of the general aesthetisisation of the everyday world To simplify matters for this essay, I shall attribute one single explanatory aspect to each change. First, what distinguishes the classical film of the Hollywood type from early cinema is the standardization of three major attributes: the length, type and screening time of the film. As a result, going to the movies means going to see a fiction film at a scheduled time. What this amounts to is to make film-viewing akin to attending more traditional spectacles such as theare, opera or ballet. In other words, it intensifies the spectacularity of films, for from now on moving images are to be received with more sustained concentration. The symbol for this new relation is perhaps first of all the film star, who functions as the imagined object of identifications and projections inherent in one’s relation to the spectacle of films. Second, of the many differences between the cinema film and broadcast television, two are relevant in this context: moving images are privatized as they enter the home and their viewing becomes a daily pursuit. It is in this way that television, like the periodic press and broadcast radio before it, begins to bind the home incessantly to the outside world, which means a tremendous expansion of the interactive potential of moving images. What is new in these image-relations is perhaps captured best by the recurring, wave-like nature of such television programmes as news, fiction series or sport events; it is their ability a community or an audience out of them that crystallises their interactiveness. Third, the change from paleo- to neo-television mainly implies Americanisation, i. e. , commercialization in a multi-channel context, and seems to concern predominantly the development of European television. The struggle for maximising audiences forces channels to find ways both to attract viewers and to allure them to stay tuned. In this process, entertainment – fiction more probably than fact, exciting fact more probably than non-exciting – is likely to gain the upperhand. An application of Horkheimer and Adorno’s culture-industry theory to the Audiovisual 20th Century: the periods, the determinants of the changes of period and the corresponding paradigms crystallising the changes. 895-1915: The Age of Early Cinema : Spectacle: Film star : 1915-1960: The Age of the Classical Hollywood Film : Interaction: News, fiction series, sports event : 1960-1980: The Age of Paleo-television : Entertainment:TV commercial : 1980- : The Age of Neo-television Considering the commercial as the prototype of this trend, but it is such basic virtues of television commercials as non-seriousness (‘nothing really matters that much’) which in the Age of Neo-television tend to become universalised. Granting the centrality of audiovisual media in the 20th century and the heuristic contribution reading Dialectic of Enlightenment may make to our understanding of it, what other reasons could be offered after the adverse 1980s conditions in defence of the re-actualisation of the Frankfurt School in media and mass communication studies? To conclude, let me pursue two further arguments. First, dissatisfaction with French theorizing has for some time now made room for alternative strains of critical thought; this dissolution of the structuralist and post-structuralist dynasty (cf. Steinman1988 on its repercussions on US film and television studies) has benefitted, among others, American pragmatism (Rorty), Soviet semiotics (Bakhtin) and the Frankfurt School (Adorno). As a matter of fact, it has been argued (Hohendahl 1992) that since the 1980s Adorno has become more popular as a research subject than he ever was at the peak of the student movement. Second,if one is to believe the opinion of the majority to be gathered from a recent survey of the field (Levy & Gurevitch 1993), the mass communication research community, especially its US quarters, have been seized by a sense of disorientation. The name of the malaise is marginalisation: media scholars feel as if they are out of touch with more established disciplines (what is more, this feeling is supported by prevailing citation patterns of the field; cf. So 1988). There is no panacea for the situation because the discipline is filled with contradictory pressures, but one could argue, like Graham Murdock (1991), that mass communication research should regain its contact with the general project of the human sciences, which is the historical study of modernity. It is especially here that the tradition of the Frankfurt School, as the ases of Jurgen Habermas and others exhibit, has not reached the end of its journey yet. It is in this sense that the intimate relationship between audiovisuality and what has been termed the â€Å"Short Twentieth Century† (Hobsbawm 1994) turns into one of the key avenues by which media studies can approach and contribute to the study of modernity and its contemporary vicissitudes. (3) In dian television industry The Indian Television industry is going through turbulent transformation. Companies are relooking at their strategies and are desperate for growth. The entrenched position of the Indian market leaders in CTVs’ like Videocon, BPL and Onida has been challenged by the MNCs such as LG, AIWA, Akai, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Philips and Sharp; some in a perceptible way and others threatening to do so. The changing environment demands fresh thinking to gain the cutting edge advantage. This study attempts to look at the various customer perception oriented factors operating in the PLASMA and LCD television industry irrespective of the brand of the television Indian or Imported. (4) New developments in CTV industry: An introduction of PLASMA and LCD television in the TV market: Technology may have blurred the differences, but television viewing is more than just about watching moving images. Once you’ve made the right choice, the picture is clearer. Choosing a television set can be quite a daunting task especially if the customer is looking for an LCD or plasma. Choices abound and there are some myths about the technologies, too. Unlike what many believe, there are major differences between the two types and you can’t substitute one type for the other merely on their looks. To be honest, there isn’t much of a hood to look under. But inside the sleek and thin exterior, plasma TVs employ a matrix of tiny plasma gas cells that are charged by precise electrical voltage to create a picture. In the case of LCD panels, liquid crystal display make up the screen. Imagine liquid crystal pressed between two glass plates to which varying electrical charge is applied to create an image. That’s an LCD television. Despite the advances made in LCD and plasma technology, however, there are experts and gamers (they really do use TVs a lot) maintain that CRT (cathode ray tube or our regular TV) still offers the best quality. Depending on customer’s budget and his requirements (maybe in that order of preference), the choice of an LCD or plasma TV will vary. One line of thinking insists that for basic home theatre requirements, plasma screens are slightly better since they can render black better than LCD TVs. This means that the contrast and, therefore , the level of detail on a plasma TV would be better. The reason LCDs cannot achieve as true a black as plasma TVs can has to do with the liquid that is backlit and does leak a little. Improvements are happening all the time and in due course, this should be rectified, but by then, plasma may have become the predominant choice. In addition to the above, one of the major factors in favour of plasma TVs is their better viewing angle. This allows viewers to sit at acute angles and still get a clear picture. But it’s not all bad for LCD TVs. One of the biggest advantages they have over plasma TVs is the price . But even technically, there are some advantages that an LCD TV offers. For instance, LCD TVs have higher native resolutions than plasma TVs of the same size. What this means is there are more pixels on the screen and if you are one of those who like to see every minute detail, an LCD may offer more. Of course, this also depends on the source and an ordinary cable TV connection won’t let you notice the difference. The one myth about LCD TVs that doesn’t hold true for new generation models is the ‘blur’ that was noted in fast scenes or when watching sports (more noticeable when watching a car race as opposed to cricket or snooker! ). This has improved significantly and the difference between a plasma and LCD in this regard is almost negligible. The running cost of a TV is something that many don’t consider. With increasing screen sizes, the power consumption will also increase and in this regard, LCD TVs outscore plasma TVs once again. LCD TVs are said to consume up to 30% less power than plasma TVs. An another downside that plasma TVs suffer from is the screen burn-in. For whatever reason (and we cannot really think of a reason good enough), you leave your TV on with a still image (say you paused a movie), there is a chance that the ghost of this image may get burned in permanently on the screen. Which means that even if you turn it off, a faded image of this will be visible. While newer generation Plasma TVs suffer less from this ailment, it hasn’t been entirely eradicated. And if you are wondering about TV channel logos, they are translucent and don’t leave the same sort of ghost behind! When you are looking at plasma or LCD TVs, you may come across a piece of information that says â€Å"60,000 hours† or some such number. This is the time for which your plasma TV will have optimum brightness after which it will start to fade off. In case of plasma TVs, the accepted duration ranges between 30,000 and 60,000 hours while in case of LCD TVs, it is virtually guaranteed for 60,000 hours. If you actually convert this to days, it works out to about 2,500 days or about six years of continuous viewing. * LCD TVs offer more pixels and so you can see more minute details * LCD TVs are said to consume up to 30% less power than plasmas * Plasma screens render black better than LCD TVs. The contrast and level of detail are therefore better * Plasmas offer better viewing angles. It allows you to get a clear picture even from acute angles. Hence after having the preliminary information we get convinced that, it is the customer’s perception which finally takes decision about the type of TV to be purchased. (LCD OR PLASMA TV) 5) Exact nature of the study: As because the differentiation from the customer’s point of view, is no more existed as far as the PLASMA AND LCD television field is concerned, the researcher is interested to find out the perception oriented competent parameters(dominant areas) which are driving the PLASMA AND LCD television market in Mumbai regio n. In doing so, the researcher will be surveying the customer, user and dealers (retailer) in Mumbai market to analyse the PLASMA and LCD television market. (6) Objectives of the study: a)To identify and analyse various factors influencing the purchase of TV set by the customer. )To differentiate the factors between PLASMA TV and LCD TV. c) To study the impact of new developments (PLASMA TV and LCD TV) on traditional CTV market in Mumbai region. d)To study the current scenario of various companies manufacturing and marketing PLASMA and LCD TV and normal CTV in India. e)To understand the customers’ preferences about the various parameters of PLASMA over LCD TV. IMPORTANCE AND NEED OF THE STUDY: A) Now a days the PLASMA and LCD TV manufacturing and marketing Companies are relooking for the best strategies and are desperate for growth. B) This study will provide the preference of the customer in the changing marketing environment. C) This study will provide the complete knowledge about the factors influencing customers’ preference to the CTV market. D) It will make the supplier alert about his own strengths and weaknesses and ultimately will give an insight to enhance his sales in the market. Also the supplier will be aware about favourable and unfavourable factors of the customer which influence on the profitability of the industry. E) It will be witnessing a new scenario with a new market profile. F) To the layman, however, it’s not the technology and how it works that matters but it’s the quality of the TV that he is worried about. Both LCD and PLASMA TVs offer excellent picture quality. But obviously both have their pros and cons. With this study the producer will get an opportunity to understand the same. Significance of CUSTOMER PERCEPTION in TV MEDIUM: 1)To offer better quality of service to the customer after knowing the perception about the product. 2) It would be more convenient to design better Marketing strategy. 3) Provide fast response to the customer (7) Research Methodology Research Design Research Methodology includes the type of primary and secondary research used for this project i. e. the way in which the data are collected for the research project. The methodology will also include the plan for sampling, the relevant field work and the analysis tools to be sued to interpret the data so collected. Methodology refers to more than a simple set of methods; rather it refers to the rationale and the philosophical assumptions that underlie a particular study. This is why scholarly literature often includes a section on the methodology of the researchers. A Research Design provides the framework to be sued as a guide in collecting and analyzing data. Research can be Exploratory, Descriptive or of Casual type. Amongst this Descriptive Research Design has been chosen to carry out this project. Descriptive Research is carried out with definite objective(s) and hence it results in definite conclusion. This research tries to describe the opinion of the respondents on the selected topic of the project. Hypothesis: 1) Customer prefer LCD TV over PLASMA TV. 2) There is a significant impact of PLASMA and LCD TV on the sales of general CTV. Universe of the Study: The universe of the study is all customer, user, dealers(retailers) in the Mumbai region only. Sampling Plan : About 100 customers(mix of perspective customers and users) and around 50 retailers will be selected as a representative sample from all over Mumbai. As the study is limited to Mumbai city, all the samples will be randomly selected from Mumbai city only. Census is the process of obtaining response from / about each of the member of the population which is not always possible due to the various constraints to the researcher like time, cost etc. In such situations the alternate method of data collection is sampling. Sampling is the process of selecting a subset of randomized number of constituents of the population of the study and collecting data about their characteristics, facts and opinions. Sampling takes lesser time to collect data at lesser cost and also as the data is less its accuracy often increases as compared to huge data. Sampling methods can be classified into probability and non-probability sampling. In probability sampling each unit in the population has a probability of being selected as the unit of the sample which varies as per method of probability sampling is chosen. In non-probability sampling there may be instances that certain units of population will have zero probability of selection because the interviewer considered his / her own judgment, convenience and bias for the selection of the sample units of such sampling. Though the probability sampling gives better accuracy in terms of confidence level of the inferences of the study, there are many practical difficulties in fully executing it6. Further, the sample can also be stratified based on the various governing variables. Appropriate questionnaires will be structured and circulated amongst the sampling units. Sampling Tools The Primary Research shall be focused on Survey, Expert Consultations and Qualitative Research which will include in depth interviews, The specific tools will include. †¢ Questionnaire †¢ Personal Discussions / Interviews schedules. Data collection Data is the basic input to any decision making process in a research study; processing which gives the statistics of importance of the study which can be categorized in to primary and secondary data. A) Primary data: Primary data may be collected from customer, user, dealers (retailers) through schedules and questionnaires. B) Secondary data: Secondary data can be traced from office record, journals, annual reports and other office documents. Analysis & Interpretation of Data: Statistics is the art and science of collecting, analyzing, presenting, and interpreting data7. The reason for analyzing data is to understand the variation and its causes in the phenomenon. Since variation is present in all the phenomena, knowledge of it leads to better decisions about a phenomenon that produces the data. It is from this perspective that the learning of statistics enables the decision maker to understand how to draw conclusions about the large population based upon information obtained from the sample. For the purpose of this research: the thought process that focuses on ways to discover, manage, and decrease the variation present in all phenomenon is statistical thinking; data is the collection of observations of variables of interest while the population is the collection of all elements of interest. This research study is focused on statistical theory in formulating and solving problems. Descriptive as well as inferential statistics methods will be used in the research; descriptive statistics will include graphic and numeric method both. Limitations of the study: a)The geographical location of the study is limited to Mumbai city only. b) Only the impact of PLASMA and LCD TV on general CTV market will be studied under the proposed research. c) Brand differentiation of all available TV sets in the market will not be considered. d) Technological aspects will not be covered in the study. e) The study is limited to the customers in the age group of 25 to 35yrs. 8) Plan of Work |SR. No. |Particulars of proposed research work |Duration (Months) | | | | | |1. |Collection of Primary Data. |4 | |2 |Collection of Secondary Data. |4 | |3 |Typing the Manuscript. |2 | |4 |Proof Reading. |2 | |5 |Development of Analysis Plan. |4 | |6 |Data Interpretation. 1 | |7 |Drawing Conclusion. |2 | |8 |Drawing Suggestions. |1 | |9 |Miscellaneous work. |4 | | | | | | |Total |24 | (9) Chapter Scheme Chapter 1: Introduction: History and development of audiovisual medium: This chapter deals with the historical development in the audiovisual medium and evolution in the field of TV industry. Chapter 2: Indian television industry This chapter covers the actual progress in the modern age in the field of television in India. Chapter 3: New developments in CTV industry: An introduction of PLASMA and LCD television in the TV market: In this chapter, specifically the advancements in TV industry in terms of PLASMA and LCD television and their pros and cons will be explain in detailed. Chapter 4: Exact nature of the study: Here, the emphasis will be given on the latest developments in the field of TV Industry (including PLASMA and LCD TV. Chapter 5: Objectives of the study: This chapter covers the basic objectives behind conducting the study. Chapter 6: Analysis and interpretation of Data: This chapter deals with analysis of data using suitable statistical tools and the presentation of the same. Chapter 7: Conclusion and recommendations: In this chapter the conclusion will be drawn on the basis of data analysis and the recommendations shall be presented. Bibliography: Appropriat e bibliography will be given at the end of the report for all secondary data in the theses.

On the Film Zero Dark Thirty and Torture Essay

Zero Dark Thirty is a 2013 film directed by award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow, and is a narration about the multiple time-skips of how Maya (Jessica Chastain), a new CIA recruit, beat the odds which led to Osama Bin Laden’s ultimate death. â€Å"Our plane’s been hijacked. I hope I can be able to see your face again, baby. I love you! Goodbye!† were lines from the actual 9/11 audio footage at the beginning of the film and from that, I thought that Zero Dark Thirty would be an emotionally-touching action-packed movie. Because of an exciting plot, I expected it to be a thrilling film but it turned out to be despicably monotonous. Set in the bustling streets and the danger-prone areas of the Middle East, the set design became largely influential to the film, and it added to the viewer’s experience. However, if I hadn’t known that the movie was directed by Academy-Award winner, Kathryn Bigelow, I would have thought that this was directed by an unkno wn director. The chapter-by-chapter time skip actually took the plot away from the movie — it became choppy and incomprehensible. One moment we see Ammar (Reda Kateb) being tortured, and then in the next screen, it’s suddenly two years later. The only commendable action scene in the movie being Osama Bin Laden’s ambush, the plot seemed to drag as we see more conversations and less action than what we expected to see. The movie poster also said that the writer, Mark Boal, is an Academy award-winning screenwriter but it puzzles me how he actually got the information about the happenings when CIA operations are supposed to be undisclosed. Why would the scriptwriter just name-drop sites that were supposedly top-secret, like the existence of Area 51? Thus, the credibility of the events and places seem questionable. Moreover, the flood of names of terrorists in conversations was actually confusing and the discussions about situations in ISI were unnecessary. I wanted to see scenes related to finding Abu Ahmed and ultimately, Bin Laden. I wanted action, not conversations. Though the pacing was unbelievab ly slow, the cinematography during the bombing in the restaurant Maya and Jennifer were eating at was brilliant. The transition was truly surprising — one moment Jennifer was talking to someone over the phone, and then the next, the restaurant was already in pieces and people were dying. Maya’s expression of pure shock and terror was perfectly captured the camera. The editing of the movie headed by William Goldenberg was realistic, and the bombings were so unpredictable, I was surprised and scared out of my seat. Mostly, the ambush operation in the last 30 minutes of the film was so professionally shot it could pass up as an actual footage. It’s the little moments that make this film alive. After the phone call from Maya’s supervisor, stating that tonight will be the ambush, we witness the bonds of the â€Å"canaries† – the way they goofed around and gambled, yet still looked out for each other. Viewers always have the impression that soldiers are brute men who would sacrifice anything and anyone for their purpose, but this scene actually gives the impr ession that they’re men too who treasure the bonds they have. The only comical relief during the movie was provided by Dan’s sarcasm and personality. Ironically, this attitude always comes up during the supposedly-heartbreaking torture scenes which made it particularly hard for me to sympathize with Ammar (Reda Kateb). Another highlight of his role was when Dan fed the monkeys in a CIA site. I remembered the previous scene when Ammar said that Dan was an animal, and as the monkeys stole the ice cream from Dan, I saw how it was similar to their situation. Dan takes and takes from Ammar, but eventually, Ammar gets the best of him when he doesn’t provide information. As I contemplated about the film after watching it, I think the reason why it seemed so bland and dry is because it lacked the action that viewers are used to see in fictional CIA films. The super cool CIA combat and the shooting scenes where the CIA agent never gets shot weren’t present in the movie. Instead, the movie consisted of CIA operatives who commit mistakes and ultimately get killed, like Jennifer (Jennifer Ehle); we meet heartless CIA agents like Dan (Jason Clarke) who would torture a man endlessly to get the information he needs. We see unsexy Maya, an ordinary-looking woman who wears identical suits every day, who got carried away by emotions after Jennifer’s death and during her confrontation with Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler), and who was almost killed once in an attempt at her life. The film was made up of one-dimensional characters who got frustrated when they can’t do anything. I wanted to know the characters more but there was zero character development. There weren’t even any scenes about Maya’s past, like why and how was she recruited out of high school? Did she ever get in touch with Jennifer’s family after her death? This lack of character personality development and the blankness of her facial expressions in most of her screen time made me wonder why Jessica Chastain is praised for her role in Zero Dark Thirty. I’ve recently watched Les Miserables and if Jessica Chastain were to be nominated in the same category as Anne Hathaway for an Oscar, then Chastain could just say that she dreamed a dream of winning an Oscar. I won’t say that she did not deserve her Golden Globe award, but I never thought she’d be nominated for it either. Her portrayal as the angry young Bin Laden-obsessed CIA agent was so stereotyp ical — she started as the nervous, awkward new CIA operative and then ultimately became the â€Å"motherfucker,† as she puts it, who found Bin Laden’s location. Maya always had this expressionless face, as if trying very hard to capture a CIA agent’s demeanor. In fact, I only began to sympathize with Maya upon the death of Jennifer. Her endless pursuit of Bin Laden became more personal from this point, proving that nothing motivates like revenge. I think that the scene where Maya shook her head and then cried actually concludes the plot well because it showed her human side and the drive that has been pushing her all along. She quotes in one scene that her friends got killed because of the hunt and she believes that she has been spared for a reason. This gives justice to her emotions in the end, where she finally breaks down as the realization that she has reached her goal after almost a decade — yet the friends she had made along the way were already gone. She is no longer the new, awkward CIA recruit, rather, Maya has become the CIA operative who resorted to all means possible to take down Osama Bin Laden. With the methods th at the movie’s characters practiced, there has been much speculation whether the film is pro-torture or not. The director and the writer of the film presented these â€Å"enhanced interrogation techniques† as a part of the pursuit. So for me, it’s not a pro-torture movie but at the same time, it’s not anti-torture either. If Zero Dark Thirty were pro-torture, then the viewers should have seen how Ammar gave information after being tortured, but he did not. Instead we see that the key piece to the puzzle for finding Bin Laden was actually served to Dan and Maya over lunch, not during torture time. And if the movie were anti-torture, then there shouldn’t have been any torture scenes in the movie — leaving Reda Kateb, who played Ammar, with zero talent fee. The film showed that Maya was convinced that the location of Bin Laden’s courier, Abu Ahmed, is crucial to the pursuit not because there was information revealed during the torture sessions, rather, it’s the detainees’ refusal to give up any information about the courier that connects the dots for Maya. Therefore, the film depicts numerous, albeit controversial, practices used in America’s pursuit for Osama Bin Laden. It shows that torturing Jihad-driven detainees or buying a man a Lamborghini as bribery weren’t the ultimate keys for solving the puzzle that led to Bin Laden. No single method can perfectly encapsulate the sum of the efforts of the people behind the manhunt for Bin Laden. The totality of their hard work and passion was what the filmmakers strived to partake, so for me, the movie isn’t raising any notions on being pro or against these methods. Zero Dark Thirty relays the fact that we tread different paths in life with a great number of sacrifices along the way. Though this movie doesn’t live up to its tagline â€Å"The Greatest Manhunt in History,† is still a perfect example of humanity’s journey towards his goals. Americans would continue to preserve their seat of power, while the Muslims would continue to do anything to reach Jihad. I wanted to be awed by this film and I wanted to feel the characters’ emotions, but the film gave me neither. The lack of emotion in Zero Dark Thirty makes me think that the budget for this should have been allocated to a film with a different perspective, like a documentary, and not as a film with actors and actresses playing roles they fail to give color to.

Intolerance essays

To Kill a Mockingbird-Tolerance/Intolerance essays In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there was tolerance and intolerance from the people of Maycomb County towards different races. Harper Lee shows us the type of intolerance in the novel. She also shows us signs of hope in the plot and characterization. There were types of intolerance in the novel that were clearly stated. For an example, there was intolerance between the white and black people. The main quarrel that stands out in my mind is between Mr. Ewell and Tom Robinsons family. Mr. Ewell clearly did not like the black people. This is proven in what he did to Tom. He accused Tom of raping and beating his daughter, Mayella Ewell, when it was actually he. In addition, after they had the trial, Mr. Ewell killed Tom Robinson. He was also hateful towards Toms wife; threatening her that she had better not walk in front of his house or he would kill her. Another issue of intolerance was towards the Finch family. No one liked them or cared for them in the town because they supported black people. The only people that talked to them were their close neighbors. Many cases of intolerance can be proven in the novel. One is through the jury. They knew that Tom was innocent, and Atticus had proven it clear as day for the jury. Yet, they still convicted him just because he was a black man. Therefore, he sat in jail waiting for a higher court to announce his sentence. Next thing you know is someone flips out and kills him. In addition, Bob Ewell threatens time and time again that he will get Atticus Finch if it is the last thing he does. The reason for this confrontation is that Atticus was Toms lawyer. Bob was furious with Atticus for defending Tom and continuing to be of service to his family after he was murdered. In addition, another type of intolerance was towards the town drunk. People judged him that way because he always carried around a bottle in a paper s ...

North America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

North America - Essay Example However, reading through some of the material left behind by actual European explorers and settlers such as De Vaca, Morton and Anne Bradstreet reveals a very different picture of how the Indian and white races compared. In his narrative, De Vaca describes arriving at an abundant land, full of a wide variety of tall trees, which would provide the necessary lumber for construction, as well as fertile fields and a number of game animals. This land is sparsely populated, with a brief mention of scattered houses. However, this impression is a deception as he moves inland and southward. The land becomes largely populated and relatively barren, causing many, including the Spaniards, to go hungry for many days at a time. According to De Vaca, the Indians all along the initial portion of his journey harassed his party continuously, killing some of the men while others began to fall sick with some mysterious illness. He is careful to include the information that this harassment is brought about because the Governor refuses to return one of the tribe’s women. After a harrowing sea voyage of escape, the men are cast ashore again and this time make friends with the Indians, who show them how to survive o n prickly pear cactus and permit the men to winter with the tribe. Life with this tribe depicts the Indians as a compassionate yet practical race. During times of hunger, everyone goes hungry. The protection of the race begins when the woman discovers she is pregnant as husbands will not have sex with them until the child is two years old. It is continued in De Vaca’s account with the suggestion that children are permitted to suckle until age 12, also as a means of survival in a land that requires strong bodies and offers little sustenance. While men may come and go from a relationship with a woman without children, once children are born,

Thomas a Kempiions, The Imitation of Christ(Book2) Essay

Thomas a Kempiions, The Imitation of Christ(Book2) - Essay Example The book had been written at much more troubled time than our own and makes a soulful reading. Book 2 touches meditation, humility in life, the need of goodness and peace in man to live life on this earth, necessity of purity of mind and heard and unity of purpose etc. It mainly focuses on self of the reader and the resultant happiness by having a good conscience. It reminds the necessity of loving Jesus, friendship with Jesus, and not desiring to have a share in comfort. It teaches how to appreciate God's grace and his blessings. It preaches the need to love the cross as the symbol of sacrifice and suffering and choose the path on the 'Royal Road' of the Holy Cross. The main point of the book is "God is within you" and the necessity of despising external things. "He who follows me, walks not in darkness" The Treatise says that by devoting self and making the inner kingdom ready for Christ, an individual can invite God to himself2. The first chapter calls for the renouncement of all external worldly belongings to devote time and energy for the spiritual devotion and heavenly thoughts3. The second chapter is about its humility and its uses4 and how much God loves a humble individual. It says that the humble man keeps his conscience clear, suffers in silence, and finds the protection of the God5. The third chapter mainly talks about the goodness and peace in man. ... It says how important it is to be good even to bad people, because it is easy to be nice to the good and difficult to tolerate the bad. Unless one has inner peace, it is impossible to achieve peace for others. It needs great mental strength to treat both kinds of people with the same understanding7. The fourth chapter is about the purity of mind and unity of purpose and it brings forth the importance of simplicity and purity and the need to be free from ill-ordered affection. If the heart is pure any deed could be achieved and anything could be perceived with great clarity8. With pure heart, it is possible to achieve all the joy in the world. Fear of toil, welcoming external comfort, and growing lax will make the individual more sluggish. Instead, he should welcome suffering to attain inner light9. Chapter 5 is about self and the about the need to put our inner house in order, hold tongues about others10, and avoid relying too much on self. It is it is necessary to free self from all temporal cares and treat everything on equal footing11 and regard only God as the superlative of all. The sixth chapter is about the joy of a good conscience12, which is the glory of a good man. Sinners can never rejoice and there is no peace for the wicked and this shows how important it is to maintain a clear, non-reproaching conscience13. It is necessary for the man to think inwardly with good motives, without caring for praise or blame, to do good and think little about it14. The seventh chapter is mainly about loving the God, who is the ultimate true friend, and it is necessary to cling to him till the final breath because Jesus needs your pure heart15. All other outward appearances in which we trust will show one day that they are deceitful and untrustworthy. Chapter 8 once