How groups can influence people Essay Example for Free

How groups can influence people Essay In this essay, I am going to describe how groups can influence people in a positive and in a negative ways. I will be using evidence drawn from Chapter 5 of the study text ‘’Starting with psychology’’ Spoors et al (2011). It is in a human nature to be a part of a social group. Belonging to a group, such as family, clubs, sport teams or group of friends, give us support, it make us feel good about ourselves, give us a sense of social identity. It brings meaning to our life, it make us feel like we belong. However, being a part of a group can also have a negative effect. Group pressure can cause us to behave in a way that we will not normally do. To support my argument I will use as an example evidence from Kondo’s story and as well Zimbardo and Asch experiments (Spoors et al 2011). In our lifetime, we belong to many different social groups. Our social identity is based on the group we belong to, we enhance the status of our group in order to increase our self-image. We divide the world into people like ‘us’, who belong to our group, called the in-group, and those one who are different ‘them’, the out-group (Spoors et al 2011). Two psychologists Henri Tajfel and John Turner developed that theory. The theory argues that there are three mental processes involved in evaluating others as ‘them’ and us’ the first one is a social categorisation. We categorize other people and ourselves in order to understand and identify them. The second process is a social identification. When we know which group we belong to, we start behaving by the norms of our group. The last process is social comparison. After we categorize ourselves with a group, we start to compare our group with other groups. To maintain our self-esteem we will compare our group favourably with other groups. An experiment carried out by Philip Zimbardo and his colleagues (1971) Spoors et al (2011) provides evidence how people behaviour can change w hen they become a part of a group. They choose randomly a group of male participants and divide them into ‘guards’ and ‘prisoners’ and then located them in a simulated prison. After six days, the experiment had to be stopped, as the ‘guards’ became brutal and abusive towards ‘prisoners’, and the ‘prisoners’ begun suffering from emotional disturbance. This experiment shows how the previous perceptions that the participants have of the role of a prison  guards and prisoners, that probably came from watching films and television programs, influenced them to behave in a negative way. Another example of how groups can influence our behaviour is experiment carried out by Solomon Asch (Spoors et al 2011). He asked fifty participants to look at the picture of a straight line, and then showed them another picture with a three more lines of different lengths. Then he asked the participants to identify out loud the line that is the same length as the original one . Surprisingly 75 per cent of the group give a wrong answer, which was a result of a group pressure. People have the need for conformity that is why they go along with the norms of the groups. They want to be accepted as an in-group person. Conforming to group norms is sending a message to the other members of the group that I am not a thread, I am same like you, and I am following our rules. Asche’s experiment showed that the need for conformity pressured participants to give a wrong answer to a question; they just simply followed the rest of the group. An example of how group can influence us on a positive way is Kondo’s story in Spoors et al (2011). Dorinne Kondo is a Japanese American, raised in the USA. She went to Japan to do an anthropological research. She stays there for 26 months, a few months she stays with a Japanese family to learn how proper Japanese women supposed to behave and present herself. At the same time, she was acting as a scientific observer. That is a method of research called participant-observation, where the researcher is both an observer and a participant (Spoors et al 2011). The first few months in Japan were very stressful for Knodo; she did not understand the etiquette and traditions that are part of their everyday life. Every time she made a mistake, people trait her like she was retarded or insane. They were confused, as she looked like a Japanese women but she did not act in a Japanese manner. During her visit in Japan, her guarantor introduced her to Mrs Sakamoto who invited her to stay with her family for summer. It was a great opportunity for Kondo to learn about the traditions. During her visit she was trying to conform to their way of life, she wanted to feel their acceptance, so she start learning about her Japanese roots and proper etiquette, she took a part in a tea ceremony class. At the end of her visit in Japan, she was pleased with herself and all she have learned during her visit. She did not struggle any more to fit in both cultures, the approval of Sakamoto’s family had a good influence on her, it makes her feel  like she belong to their world. Kondo’s story demonstrates that in our lifetime ‘’we have multiple social identities, which continue to evolve as we grow older or when we move into new situations’’ Spoors et al (2011). In those few examples, I was exploring how groups can influence people in a positive and negative ways. Positively, by providing us a sense of belonging to the social world and bringing meaning to our life, as shown on an example of Kondo’s story, and negatively by pressuring us to conform and act out of character, what confirm an Zimbardo’s and Asche’s experiments.

The Preservation Of Heritage Properties History Essay

The Preservation Of Heritage Properties History Essay The preservation of heritage properties is an important undertaking. It is so important that even the United Nations has set up a subsidiary responsible for this purpose called the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. This organization declares cultural sites from around the world as being protected in order to preserve global heritage. Similarly, Canada has organizations that are dedicated to the preserving national heritage. This function is important because this helps foster a strong sense of national identity. Another reason these sites are preserved are to encourage tourism. Canadian history is important to all Canadians and all the other nationalities that live in Canada. The stories that are told by these structures do not always depict Canada in a positive light, but that is not the point. They are important because they are the reason we are where we are and without them we would lose a critical element of our identity. Heritage sites need to ac tively be preserved so that they do not fall into disrepair, this means that funds need to be allocated towards this and the money for these programs come from Canadian tax dollars. As we all pay for the maintenance of these structures, we all has a financial vested interest in their maintenance in addition to our national pride. Organizations that have the specific purpose of maintaining heritage sites are needed because these sites need to be protected from incursion, in the same fashion that natural preserves need to be protected from human encroachment. As a citys population density increases so too does the threat that these heritage sites may be erased to cope with the expanding population. Exacerbating the issue of space is the fact that many of these structures are on prime real estate. This must cause conflicts with city developers who would much rather have buildings that foster economic growth built in the place of these culturally significant structures. Politics The political impetus that lead to the creation of Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada was initially given by Canadas first commissioner of national parks James Bernard Harkin. In addition to preventing corporations mining resources from national parks, it was his recommendation that lead to the creation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada in 1919. The organizations role was to advise the Canadian Minister of the Environment about sites that are of national interest. The current political landscape with respect to Canadian heritage is very diverse. The organizations that are responsible for preserving these heritage sites are differentiated on the level of government that they represent. The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC) is the federal organization that is responsible for promoting and showcasing Canadian heritage sites. Their mandate is very narrow, unlike other Canadian organizations (mainly provincial and municipal), the HSMBC is no t provided the power that would allow it to preserve the national sites in question. The HSMBC plays more of an advisory role in this respect; they take a more laissez fair approach to the problem. The HSMBC itself says that they are there to bring cultural sites to the attention of the Canadian public and to the provincial and municipal authorities that have the legal power to preserve these sites. The aforementioned body of the United Nations UNESCO, plays a similar role in Canada. There are sites in Canada that have been declared as belonging to a group of world heritage sites and while the United Nations has very limited powers pertaining to the preservation of these sites. At the municipal level there are public organizations like the city of Torontos Heritage Preservation Services whose mandate is to advise the city council on matters that are important to the citys historic cultural sites. On the provincial level there are organizations like the Ontario Heritage Foundation w hich is tasked with identifying, preserving and promoting sites of cultural importance in Ontario. The Ontario Heritage Act is the legal framework that empowers Heritage organizations in Ontario to preserve the sites that are deemed to be culturally and historically important. This Act gave the power to provincial and municipal governmental bodies the right to designate specific areas as being culturally integral to Canadas identity. The act limits the rights of the owners of the properties that are designated as heritage sites. They are only able to alter the site or demolish it with the appropriate permission from the local municipality. This is the highly controversial part of the Act. In a democracy where property rights are for the most part assured it is unconventional to prevent an individual from doing what they like to their own property within reason. The Act seems to mirror the notwithstanding clause in the Canadian constitution. This clause is used by the government to infringe upon the rights given to Canadian citizens by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms when doing so will serve the greatest good. Similarly, the Ontario Heritage Act inconveniences and limits the rights of the owners of historic structures so that they may be of the most benefit to all Canadian citizens. It is because of this that all Canadians have an interest in the preservation of these structures. The individuals against these policies are typically the individuals who own the properties that fall under the restrictive laws. One of the groups that have arisen to encourage the preservation of sites in Toronto is the Toronto Historical Association. They are composed entirely of volunteers and serve to educate the public about their efforts and to showcase the areas that are of interest. They also claim to provide mayoral candidates with a public forum which helps the organization lobby its case. The volunteer organization is only able to influence events because of its fundraising abilities; it provides workshops for its members that teach them how to perform this essential role. Workshops are also held to train members on how to organize their efforts and on how to communicate to their community to garner support. The organization also teaches its members to leverage their political position by writing letters, meeting with local politicians, resident groups and scheduling appearances before government committees. The Toronto Historical Association encourages their members to help mobilize the public by i nforming them and helping them find information about their family history and issues about land registration. Members also perform a number of volunteer services for the community, including but not limited to tours and heritage walks. The law was on side of the individuals who owned the heritage sites designated by the municipality or province. The law initially was not as severe towards these people as it is now. In its original form the law did not require a property owner to abide by the municipalitys or provinces wishes. The law only required the individual with the property rights to wait for six months and attend meetings with city representatives so that everyone could come to an amicable solution. The laws was created with the best of intentions as the government did not seek to snatch the rights away from these individuals so they only created a period within which the owners would be required to listen to reason. Instead of having its intended effect all the law did was to postpone the destruction or alteration of heritage sites. The proprietors would just have to wait out the 180 days and they would be free to legally do whatever they wanted with their property. On observing this the provincial governme nt of Ontario decided that they needed to give the law teeth. They made it so that the proprietor would not be allowed to do as they wished once the time had lapsed and that a settlement needed to be reached for the owner to make modifications to the protected building. It is difficult for these individuals because they are placed in a precarious position by the law and because of the unwanted attention such a position would bring. Intergovernmental Relations The federal government is responsible for the overall direction that the heritage organizations in Canada take. Heading the Canadian position on heritage sites is the Minister of Canadian Heritage. His job is to support Canadian media, arts, heritage and sport. These responsibilities are somewhat overlapped with the Minister of the Environment who is also responsible for the maintenance of heritage sites. They are the ones who are able to designate sites as being culturally or historically sensitive. Following this the government gives the power to the province in the form of acts that are designed to give the provinces the power they need to deal with these problems themselves. The provinces in turn give their municipalities powers not dissimilar from those at the federal level. At the municipal level the municipal government has bodies that are able to assign sites of interest as being heritage sites; they typically follow the direction set out by the ministers but are able to actu ally stop an individual from modifying or destroying a site of cultural heritage. Once this is done the provincial department is the one that has the ultimate say in the matter. When the proprietor of the property in question appeals the decision made by the municipal board they are appealing to the provincial board. When this committee makes their decision, it is ultimately this decision that is enforced. Federal policies set the stage for the provincial and municipal authorities to act. It would be foolish to think that the federal level of influence would end here, there is undoubtedly a significant amount of political pressure exerted from the ministers and their offices and this must make it to the top of the priority list on the provincial and municipal levels. While this may seem odd, it would be a very practical measure as losing some of the more important sites could become a source of national embarrassment. Both the Toronto and Ontario Heritage conservation bodies are des igned to make full use of the laws that are made available to them, the most notable of which is the Ontario Heritage Act. Case Analysis Toronto is a city that is known for its cosmopolitan nature and its deep rooted artistic culture. It is home to the Toronto Opera House, innumerable other vocal artist studios, painting galleries, dance studios and even a plethora of restaurants. The Heritage Preservation Services (HPS) are responsible for the preservation of buildings that are important to Torontonian and Canadian heritage. It is part of the citys planning division and is responsible for the preservation of over 8,000 different properties. This organization is even empowered by the Ontario Heritage Act enough that it is able to designate entire areas as being Heritage Conservation Districts. In an effort to be more amenable to the property owner affected by HPS decisions, Heritage Easement Agreements are made between property owners and the city. These contracts identify parts of a building that are to be retained undamaged regardless of the owners improvements or alterations to the property. In addition the laws th at designate that a certain building need be conserved do not affect the title of the property. The owners are free to sell the property according to their wishes regardless of the status of their building. The city does provide grants for the owners of these historic properties that can pay for up to half the upkeep of said property. In addition to this, the owners are also eligible for a for tax benefits that can provide up to 40% relief from municipal taxes. These funds are set up to mitigate the negative and authoritarian impact of having property that the Heritage Preservation Services is interested in. An example of a structure that is protected by Torontos Heritage Preservation Services is the MacLean House located on 7 Austin Terrace. This house is a ten part rental unit that has been designated as a heritage site by HPS. The owner o the site wanted to demolish the building and sent an application to do so to the city. Upon the advice of HPS the city council denied the acquiescing to the owners wishes. John Bayne Maclean  lived in this home until his death, he was responsible for founding Canadas MacLeans magazine and the Financial Post. City staff was employed to ensure that the house did not suffer from neglect after the rulings that ensured the structure stayed in good condition. The importance given to the house is mainly due to the people that were involved in the history of the building. The publishing company founded by John Bayne Maclean  was the largest of its kind, not only in Canada, but in the entire commonwealth. John M. Lyle was the architect of this building an d he was responsible for the building of notable structures, including the Royal Alexandra Theatre. In 1922 He won the Gold Medal of Honor from the Ontario Association of Architects on account of the design he made for the Thornton-Smith Building. Thornton went on to become the president of the Art Gallery of Ontario. MacLean and Lyle were two of Toronto societys key figures. Their efforts have helped to make indelible marks on Toronto culture and even Canada itself. The building itself was constructed in 1910 making the building over a hundred years old. The notice declaring 7 Austin Terrace a heritage site came on January 27th last year. The notice informed the landlord that if they objected to the buildings designation as a heritage site that they should appeal this within thirty days of the notice. Despite having rejected the owners application for demolition, neither the city council nor the Heritage Preservation Services have the absolute right to deny all landlords the right to demolish heritage sites. They have to comply with applications depending on the owners proposal for the structure that will replace the building to be demolished and have to be in line with city bylaws. In the case of the MacLean house the application was to build a smaller housing unit and this was rejected by the city council as it was not in keeping with the neighborhood. This was in addition to the status given to the site by the HPS. Recommendations While the Toronto procedure for maintaining its cultural integrity is well thought out, there are still problems with this system. The first problem that comes to mind is the authoritarian nature of the current system. Under the current management, the owner is told that the building is a heritage site and has thirty days to appeal this label. Following that the owner has to file for permission by the city council to make modifications to this property. Instead of telling the owner what the situation is through a letter the government should have to send a representative to meet with the individual and discuss the issue with them. Following this if an agreement cannot be reached then more authoritarian measures should be taken. The point of this change would be to place the onus of change solely on the shoulders of the city. The owner is a single individual and should not be expected to carry the burden of having to appeal to the city to change the designation of the property that wa s legally bought. The owner should be able to meet with a city representative and explain to them that they want to appeal the citys classification of the property and the representative should be the one who has the responsibility to file the appeal. This would ensure that the proprietor wouldnt have the additional expense of requiring a lawyer to draft a letter or the inconvenience of having to waste time pushing the paperwork through the system. The city has provisions by which they are able to give certain monetary allowances to the owners of the homes that are inconvenienced by the city. In the interests of evenhandedness the city council should readily make this financial relief available for those that are inconvenienced by the city instead of having them apply for it. The province did well to retain the final authority on the matter as this prevents individual interests from competing on a level playing field with the interests of the nation as a whole. While it is true that the maintenance of an individuals rights are critically important for the functioning of any democratic nation, it is also true that there are times (not often) when these rights need to be set aside for the greater good. an example of this would be in the building of a bridge, if there are owners of the houses that are in the way of such a construction then they are compensated but for all practical purposes forcefully evicted from their homes so that society can benefit from the construction of the bridge. It is the same concept when it comes to heritage and cultural identity. When the presence of a building or even district serves a cultural and historic purpose, it would be ill advised to squander this based on the whims of the individual who owns the property. Any municipality would benefit from adopting many of the policies set in place by the Toronto municipality as they try to balance the individuals rights alongside those of the nation. While the nation should ultimately preserve its physical history, it should not trample the rights of its citizens in the process. The few alterations that should be made to these rules are to placate the injured party, which in this case always happens to be the individual who owns the property whose rights are being narrowed. If the municipality wishes for a structure to be maintained against the wishes of its rightful owner, the city should have to bear a significant portion of the costs associated with the upkeep of the property it has set its eyes on. The money that is required for this should come from donations and tax dollars as is the current arrangement made by the city of Toronto. History is important because it brings us all together and this is a cornerstone of nationhood that should be pro tected by every country and culture. http://www.toronto.ca/heritage-preservation/index.htm http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/clmhc-hsmbc/ressources-resources/protection.aspx http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/ http://www.nationalpost.com/Fight+stop+Hearn+demolition/3978609/story.html http://www.toronto.ca/involved/statutorynotices/archive2010/jan/hl_012710.htm is to preserve structures and monuments that are important to the history of the Canadian nation, these monuments would otherwise be neglected, or even worse, they would be destroyed to make way for housing or other building projects.

Financial and Non-Financial Motivation: An Overview

Financial and Non-Financial Motivation: An Overview In modern society, business markets are getting more competitive. As a consequence, firms in the markets try to use more effective ways to achieve their goals, which include earning more profit and expanding market share. Motivation, which is a way that encourages employees to make an effort to work, is a feasible method to help firms to reach their targets. According to Tutor2U (n. d. a), if workers are motivated well, the business will get better productivity as well as improved product quality, and earn good reputation. Hence, a business ought to spend considerable time in thinking the best way to motivate employees, and there are a significant number of different opinions about it, including financial motivation and non-financial motivation. These two methods of motivation focus on different kinds of employees and satisfy different needs of workers. In addition, both of the two measures have their advantages as well as disadvantages. Therefore, the business should use these two m ethods together to encourage employees to work harder or worse, and make productivity good or bad. Different people have different needs to work, so according to specific conditions, a business should use different methods to motivate its workers. Hall et al. (2008) state that Maslow concluded a theory that there are five levels of human needs which employees need to have fulfilled at work, and they are physical, safety, social, esteem and self actualization. An employee would be motivated by the higher need, only once a lower level of need has been fully satisfied (Tutor2U, n. d. b). For example, a person, who has no money and is dying of hunger and thirst, may think about basic wage at first instead of job security and respect from others. A business ought to offer different sets of incentives from worker to worker, because workers are not all motivated in the same way. According to Hall et al. (2008), McGregor also suggested two theories to explain why people have the will to work. Theory X assumes some workers are motivated by money, while theory Y assumes other workers are mo tivated by many other factors. For instance, due to the little amount of wage, lower paid workers, who include blue collar workers, tend to be willing to work overtime to earn higher pay. However, as for the better paid employees, including white collar workers, salary is not the only important factor for them. They may pay more attention to other aspects of work, such as colleagues, recognition and promotion. Consequently, a business should take different measures aiming at different kinds of employees in order to meet all of their needs and make profits. Financial motivation, which is related to a fair days pay for a fair days work, has both its strengths and weaknesses. Money is necessary for everybody, especially for the poor who have a strong desire to earn more money so as to make a living. Hence, the specific approach that motivates employees using money could be a good way to improve performance of workers as well as productivity. On the other hand, financial motivation may also cause some problems too, such as quality and operating problems. Hall et al. (2008) list some possible methods of financial motivation, including piece rates, fringe benefits, performance related pay and profit sharing. Each method has different benefits and drawbacks to motivate workers. An example is piece-rate pay, which is recommended by Taylor, it is the wage that is paid to workers by the number of products they make in a certain period of time (Hoddersamplepages, n. d.). Workers would work harder to earn more, because the ones who produce more co uld get higher pay. It might be good for increasing the speed of work therefore productivity. Nevertheless, piece rates tend to make employees rush work, so lead to some quality problems, and further influence the reputation of the business. Another measure is fringe benefit, and it is the extra money that employees receive in addition to their normal wage or salary, such as a company car, free use of a house as well as private health insurance (Tutor2U, n. d. c). It can help satisfy the social needs of employees and make them loyal to the firm. At Google for example, it provides free meals for employees to motivate them to be more loyal and make profits for the company (Hall et al., 2008). However, Tutor2U (n. d. c) also points out that fringe benefits could be difficult for the firm to operate because of increasing costs that are used by individuals. Therefore, there are some obvious advantages and disadvantages of financial motivated methods. Owing to the problems of financial incentives, firms should also use non-financial incentives to encourage workers. The similar to financial motivation, non-financial motivation has not only many significant benefits but also some drawbacks too. According to Tutor2U (n. d., b), Mayo reported that the human relations approach is the process for retaining and developing people in organizations but not using ways that involve money. A case in point is Tejas Securities Group. The Chairmans Cup is a silver chalice, which is awarded by the firm each month. It is the award to the workers who contribute to the success of the whole firm, so it inspires employees to work harder toward achievement (Searchwarp, n. d.). Non-financial incentives include job enrichment, empowerment and team working (Hall et al., 2008). Job enrichment means giving workers new sets of interesting and challenging tasks, which is supported by Herzberg (Hr-scorecard-metrics, 2010). It provides employees more chances to develop their capabilities and make them gain a strong sense of achievement. On the other hand, Tutor2U (n. d. d) reports that job enrichment might make some expensive mistakes if the work is too complex for workers or they do not possess the correct skill level. As for empowerment, it gives official authority to workers to make decisions and control their own activities (Hall et al., 2008). For example, employees can arrange how to use their time and how to achieve the tasks by themselves. The advantages of empowerment are significant, one of which is making employees feel free to make the most suitable choices for themselves. The disadvantages are obvious as well. Hall et al. (2008) point out employees might be given more work with the same pay, so they may be not willing to do it. Furthermore, empowerment may increase the costs that relate to the business, such as the costs of changing the workplace and training the workers (Hall, et al., 2008). If the employees make wrong decisi ons, it tends to have bad effects on the whole business. As a result, both the strengths and weaknesses of non-financial incentives exist. To sum up, according to Maslows hierarchy of needs as well as McGregors theory X and theory Y, different workers may have different needs to be met through motivation. On the one hand, either financial motivation or non-financial motivation is useful to encourage employees. On the other hand, both of the methods have their drawbacks as well. As far as I am concerned, these two methods are both beneficial for a business to motivate its employees, improve productivity, then earn more profits and achieve the business objectives. Thus, a business ought to combine these two methods, and use them together reasonably. The business should also take advantage of both financial as well as non-financial motivation, and try to avoid some unnecessary problems depending on specific needs of employees and real conditions of work.

Sense and Sensibility Essay -- essays research papers

Title   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I have not wanted syllables where actions have spoken so plainly.† (Austen 68) As Elinor declares in Jane Austin’s novel Sense and Sensibility, it is true; actions do speak louder than words. What someone does means a lot more than what someone says. Someone can tell you that they love you, but if they never show you than how will you know if they truly mean it. Love is meant for people like Elinor and Edward who showed each other their love and respected social conventions. However, people like Marianne and Willoughby are not very deserving, due to their lust-based relationship and choices to ignore the common rules of society. Love is achieved through obstacles and not pure lust, and is only meant for people who truly deserve each other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Passionate, romantic Marianne and Willoughby, after an intense attraction that causes them to ignore the barriers between them, suffer and end up bitterly regretting their behavior.† (MP) Marianne and Willoughby put all of their trust into only each other and no one else, leaving them alone with no friends once their attraction disbanded. After the breakup, Marianne makes sure that the entire town knows that she is depressed and lonely without her love Willoughby. As you see her â€Å"alternately singing and crying; her voice often totally suspended by her tears,† (Austen 72) she is unable to cope with the fact that she is no longer apart of Willoughby’s life. â€Å"Meanwhile, the reasonable Elinor as been equally unlucky in love, though she bears her disappointment quite differently.† (CSLF) While Marianne is sobbing and weeping, putting her life on hold, Elinor tries to mitigate Marianne’s inimical attitude towards everyo ne. Elinor is continuing with her life, as the memories of Edward are evanescent. Elinor’s â€Å"feelings are not often shared,† (Austen 76) her business is her business and not the whole towns. Elinor does not feel that she must let everyone know her business, she only wants people to see her good side, not her gloomy side. She always puts her best foot forth to make herself look good in front of other people, which shows that she cares about the fact that other people may look down upon someone who is emotionally unstable, like her younger sister Marianne, and view that as a major weakness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Edward Ferrars comes from a... ...nne suffered more emotionally due to her over trusting personality and her naà ¯ve nature. Happiness always wins out, however true love is only won by long hard struggles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If two people are meant to be together, then love will eventually find a way through all of the obstacles, but if two people do not deserve each other’s love then they will be broken apart. Ignoring people and common rules of society will get you nowhere except lonely and unhappy. The ignorant naà ¯ve people like Marianne and Willoughby are the ones, who end p suffering, ignorance is a lonely way to go through life. Greed and jealousy of ones family is a difficult obstacle to overcome, however with that obstacle accomplished, it only proves a more pure true love, and shows a great deal of loyalty and strength in the two people who were able to win the battle. Obstacles to a marriage are what prove the love between two people, and without these obstacles two people can never know how strong their love is for one another. In order to know how much someone means to somebody else, their love must be tested by enduring painful obstacles, otherwise how do you kn ow if you can trust your love?

Summary of Educating Rita :: essays research papers

Main characters are Frank who is a university lecturer and Rita who is a hair dresser. Rita wants to be educated she decides to take an Open University course. The main theme of the play is to be educated. At the start of the scene we hear a conversation between Frank and someone else on the other end of the phone. We hear him arguing if he will go to the pub or not. â€Å"What do u mean I determined to go to the pub? I don’t need determination to go to the pub†. This shows his sarcasm. Showing that he doesn’t care this shows us that he doesn’t care about his partner and he’s a caring person. Frank also doesn’t want to teach at Open University he only does it for the money. He thinks there is no point in teaching Open University because all his students will be stupid. ‘Some silly woman’s attempt to get into the mind of Henry James’ this shows he is prejudice before he starts teaching. He thinks she is going to be stupid because she didn’t get enough education. He is only doing this for the money. He doesn’t care about the job, all wants is the money to go to the pub. Then we see Rita enter the room. She barges through the room because it’s jammed. She doesn’t use the correct grammar. ‘I’m comin in aren’t I’. She speaks in colloquial English, this makes us think that she doesn’t have a good education and shows that she is working class. She speaks in a scouse accent, she swears a lot showing that she doesn’t care about offending anyone, and she is loud and enthusiastic about learning. She wants to learn because she wants a change. When Rita tries to get into the room she can’t because the handle is jammed .she manages to open it and barge in. â€Å"it’s the stupid bleeding handle†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦you wanna get that fixed†. She doesn’t wait around to fix the problems she gets them done. She isn’t lazy she wants to move things along like in life. Rita doesn’t like her life so instead of waiting around she decides to change it and get educated. She is trying to get better in life but she has to struggle to get something in life you have to work hard. Whereas frank is ignoring his problems and is drinking instead of trying to fix his problems.

Education in the Philippines Essay

During the period of colonization by the United States, Education in the Philippines changed radically, modeled on the system of Education in the United States of the time. After theSecond World War, changes in the US system were no longer automatically reflected in the Philippines, which has since moved in various directions of its own. Filipino children may enter public school at about age four, starting from Nursery up to Kindergarten. At about seven years of age, children enter elementary school (6 to 7 years). This may be followed by secondary school (4 years). Students may then sit for College Entrance Examinations (CEE), after which they may enter tertiary institutions (3 to 5 years). Other types of schools do exist, such as Private schools, Preparatory schools, International schools, Laboratory High Schools and Science High Schools. Several ethnic groups, includingChinese, British, Americans, and Japanese operate their own schools. Elementary schooling is compulsory, but 24% of Filipinos of the relevant age group do not attend, usually due to absence of any school in their area, education being offered in foreign languages only, or financial distress. In July 2009 DepEd acted to overcome the foreign language problem by ordering all elementary schools to move towards mother-tongue based learning initially. The order allows two alternative three-year bridging plans. Depending on the bridging plan adopted, the Filipino and English languages are to be phased in as the language of instruction for other subjects beginning in the third and fourth grades Secondary schooling is of four years duration only. Although secondary schooling is compulsory, some Philippine news media have reported that since the 2000s, many Filipino students who began studying at private high schools, are forced to transfer to public high schools because of increasing cost of living and private school fees and financial distress. Many public elementary/high schools in the country are already overcrowded. The school year in the Philippines starts in June of one year and ends in March of the next, with a two-month summer break for April and May, one week of semestral break (the last week of October), and a week or two of Christmas break. History and development Earlier times Further information: Ancient Philippine scripts In pre-Spanish times, education was informal unstructured in some areas. Children were provided more vocational training and less academics (3 Rs) by their parents and in the houses of tribal tutors. When the Spanish arrived in Manila, though, they were surprised to find a population with a literacy rate using a system of writing known as baybayin which was higher than the literacy rate of Madrid. Spanish period Main article: Philippines education during Spanish rule Under the Spanish, education indigenous population was initially left to religious orders, with primary education being overseen by parish friars who generally tolerated the teaching of only religious topics. The friars, recognizing the value of a literate indigenous population, built printing presses to product material in Bambayin. The friars, generally poorly educated themselves, were especially hostile to local population, termed indios learning to speak and read Spanish, which would have made available access to the same body of knowledge the friars had. Secular education was completely neglected; with only one public primary school operating in Manila as late as 1830. A 1714 royal decree creating secular universities was never implemented. A 1702 decree creating seminaries for natives was implemented only in 1772. Access to education by the Filipinos was later liberalized through the enactment of the Educational Decree of 1863 which provided for the establishment of at least one primary school for boys and girls in each town under the responsibility of the municipal government; and the establishment of a normal school for male teachers under the supervision of the Jesuits. Primary instruction was secularized and free and the teaching of Spanish was compulsory. In 1866, the total population of the Philippines was only 4,411,261. The total public schools was 841 for boys and 833 for girls and the total number of children attending these schools was 135,098 for boys and 95,260 for girls. In 1892, the number of schools had increased to 2,137, 1,087 of which were for boys and 1,050 for girls. By 1898, enrollment in schools at all levels exceeded 200,000 students. First Republic. The defeat of Spain by American forces paved the way for Aguinaldo’s Republic under a Revolutionary Government. The schools maintained by Spain for more than three centuries were closed for the time being but were reopened on August 29, 1898 by the Secretary of Interior. The Burgos Institute in Malolos, the Military Academy of Malolos, and the Literary University of the Philippines were established. A system of free and compulsory elementary education was established by the Malolos Constitution. American period Main article: Philippines education during American rule. Further information: Thomasites An adequate secularized and free public school system was established during the first decade of American rule upon the recommendation of the Schurman Commission. Free primary instruction that trained the people for the duties of citizenship and avocation was enforced by the Taft Commission per instructions of President William McKinley. Chaplains and non-commissioned officers were assigned to teach using English as the medium of instruction. A highly centralized public school system was installed in 1901 by the Philippine Commission by virtue of Act No. 74. The implementation of this Act created a heavy shortage of teachers so the Philippine Commission authorized the Secretary of Public Instruction to bring to the Philippines more than 1,000 teachers from the United States called the Thomasites between 1901 to 1902. These teachers were scattered throughout the islands to establish barangay schools. [7]The same law established the Philippine Normal School (now the Philippine Normal University) to train Filipino teachers for the public schools. The high school system supported by provincial governments, special educational institutions, school of arts and trades, an agricultural school, and commerce and marine institutes were established in 1902 by the Philippine Commission. In 1908, the Philippine Legislature approved Act No. 1870 which created theUniversity of the Philippines. The Reorganization Act of 1916 provided the Filipinization of all department secretaries except the Secretary of Public Instruction. Two decades later, enrollment in elementary schools was about 1 million from a total of 150,000 students in 1901. [7] After World War II In 1947, by virtue of Executive Order No. 94, the Department of Instruction was changed to â€Å"Department of Education. † During this period, the regulation and supervision of public and private schools belonged to the Bureau of Public and Private Schools. Marcos era In 1972, the Department of Education became the Department of Education and Culture by Proclamation 1081. Following a referendum of all barangays in the Philippines from 10–15 January 1973, on 17 January 1973 President Marcos ratified the 1973 Constitution by Proclamation 1102. The 1973 Constitution set out the three fundamental aims of education in the Philippines, to: ? foster love of country; ?teach the duties of citizenship; and ?develop moral character, self discipline, and scientific, technological and vocational efficiency. On 24 September 1972, by PD No 1, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports was decentralized with decision-making shared among thirteen regional offices. In 1978, by PD No 1397, the Department of Education and Culture became the Ministry of Education and Culture. The Education Act of 1982 provided for an integrated system of education covering both formal and nonformal education at all levels. Section 29 of the Act sought to upgrade education institutions’ standards to achieve quality education, through voluntary accreditation for schools, colleges, and universities. Sections 16 & 17 upgraded the obligations and qualifications required for teachers and administrators. Section 41 provided for government financial assistance to private schools. The Act also created the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. Fifth Republic On 2 February 1987, a new Constitution for the Philippines was ratified. Section 3, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution contains the ten fundamental aims of education in the Philippines. In 1987 by virtue of Executive Order No. 117, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, became the Department of Education, Culture and Sports . The structure of DECS as embodied in EO No. 117 remained practically unchanged until 1994. On 26 May 1988 Congress enacted Republic Act 6655, the Free Public Secondary Education Act of 1988, which manndated free public secondary education commencing in the school year 1988-1989. On 26 May 1988 Congress enacted RA 6655 which made free public secondary education to become a reality. On 3 February 1992, Congress enacted Republic Act 7323, which provided that students aged 15 to 25 may be employed during summer or Christmas vacation with a salary not lower than the minimum wage. 60% of the wage is to be paid by the employer and 40% by the government. On 3 February 1992, Congress enacted RA 7323 which provided that students aged 15 to 25 may be employed during summer or Christmas vacation with a salary not lower than the minimum wage. 60% of the wage is to be paid by the employer and 40% by the government. The Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) report of 1991 recommended the division of DECS into three parts. On 18 May 1994, Congress passed Republic Act 7722, the Higher Education Act of 1994, creating the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), which assumed the functions of the Bureau of Higher Education, and supervises tertiary degree programs. On 25 August 1994, Congress passed Republic Act 7796, the Technical Education and Skills Development Act of 1994, creating the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), which absorbed the Bureau of Technical-Vocational Education plus the National Manpower and Youth Council, and supervises non-degree technical-vocational programs. [17] DECS retained responsibility for all elementary and secondary education. This threefold division became known as the trifocal system of education in the Philippines. The trifocal education system of the Philippines. In August 2001, Republic Act 9155, otherwise called the Governance of Basic Education Act, was passed transforming the name of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) to the Department of Education (DepEd) and redefining the role of field offices (regional offices, division offices, district offices and schools). RA 9155 provides the overall framework for (i) school head empowerment by strengthening their leadership roles and (ii) school-based management within the context of transparency and local accountability. The goal of basic education is to provide the school age population and young adults with skills, knowledge, and values to become caring, self-reliant, productive and patriotic citizens. [8] In January 2009, DepEd signed a memorandum of agreement with the United States Agency for International Development to seal $86 million assistance to Philippine education, particularly the access to quality education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and the Western and Central Mindanao regions.

Mallory Landy Essay

During the 19th century some Americans had a dream that they felt was delivered from God. They dreamed of their homeland stretching from coast to coast, Atlantic to the Pacific. The goal wasn’t that far away, they were long on their way to reaching it. Morally, these Americans believed that it was their own responsibility to grow the nation. This was soon to be known as the Manifest Destiny. John O’Sullivan was the first to use this term. He first used this term in an article called â€Å"Annexation†, which appeared in the July-August edition of the Democratic Review. It didn’t receive a lot of attention then. He used the term for the second time in an article for the New York Morning News in December 1845. This time it created a buzz and Democrats embraced the term. The United States had a dispute with Great Britain over the Oregon Boundary because of the progression of the Manifest Destiny. The Convention of 1818 provided a proposal to Britain for joint occupation of the Oregon country. During the 1840’s, thousands of Americans migrated to this territory on the brutal Oregon Trail. British government rejected the idea to divide the region along the 49th parallel. With a counter offer, the boundary line would be moved farther south along the Colombian river. Democrats suggested annexing Oregon with the election in 1844. However, the dispute was resolved by the Treaty of Oregon in 1846. Oregon was now a part of the United States. The expansion of Texas was a crucial part of the Manifest Destiny. Americans settlers were living in Texas and built plantations and farms. Settlers, led by Stephen F. Austin, asked to be granted independence from the Mexican nation. Once Mexico refused, war broke out and this led to Santa Anna’s famous attack on the Alamo. After losing many men, Texas declared its own independence once. They elected Sam Houston as its first president. In 1845, the United States annexed Texas as the 28th state to join the nation. Difficult tensions were rising between America and Mexico. President Polk had decided to send U.S troops across the Rio Grande River. When Mexico unexpectedly attacked the U.S troops, Congress declared war. As a result, the American troops easily demolished the weak Mexican army. The treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ended the war, and the U.S. gained the Mexican session. This was a huge accomplishment for the nation, this large piece of land was finally apart of the United States. With expanding westward, came many problems. The main issue would be the extension of slavery into the newly added territories. It was North vs. South, along with various other controversies. The Democrats loved Manifest Destiny and the Whigs didn’t like it. The Missouri Compromise pleased both sides of the nation temporarily. In conclusion, the United States successfully expanded the nation from sea to shining sea. In simplest terms, manifest destiny was the doctrine or a strong belief that the expansion of the U.S was their responsibility to civilize the beautiful land God had blessed them with. The Manifest Destiny still has an effect on American politics today.