Odyssey and Troy Essay Example for Free

Odyssey and Troy EssayOdyssey, Troy, Hercilles, Itacha, Zeus, Thesues, Alexsander. If I should guess, some these names are not totally eerie to you. Tales of war and death, tales that make the heart beat and thrills the soul. Tales of love and of determination for glory. All these are some of the things that characterize epic literary productions. As a field of study, lit makes us see the world better. It is a way of seeing through words and expressions. Epic literaure is a narrative and dramatic form of literaure that talks some conquests and the heriotic acts of certain people in ancient times. Although there are many literary works that fall under epic literature, one can not just but mention the works of Homer, Virgil and Dante. Not only this this people writer to entertain, we can feel the life of passion in their works. Generally, epic literature are written in the form of poetry which are in a metoric style. Also, they have some perculiar themes themes like quest for g lory and heroism, quest for causation and authority, fate and destiny, the activities of the gods in human life and endeavours.People change, languages evolve, cultures change due to several factors. All these has a lot of effect on literature in general. Literature today still contains the same elements and it still talks about what is happening in the soicety. However, there are some difference in their themes. For instance, in the case of epic literature, particularly in ancient greek mythology, there is the exagerated belief in the gods and their presence in the determination of the eventual occurences, whether success or woe, of the people.However, in recent times, literature has become more factual and less religious. Apart from these, the themes/ what they talk abut has changed. Most epic literatures portray war and violence, bring in the elemnets of devotion and courage into it as a way of celebrating herotic acts of these fierce warlords. On the other hand, literature tod ay dicusses themes like societal coexistence and other themes that has to do with living in peace with one another.

Enhlish Critical Lens Essay Example for Free

Enhlish Critical Lens EssayAccording to Patrick Ness, Its not how you fall, its how you get screening up again. In other words, life is full of obstacles and hardships. But what is most important is to persevere, and I defiantly agree with this statement. Two literary whole kit that support this statement are Mother to discussion by Langston Hughes, and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.In the song Mother to Son, the speaker admits that her life has been operose, alone despite the hardships, she does not give up. She uses an extended metaphor to describe to her word of honor, how even though her life has been hard, she still moves on. The metaphor describes her difficult life to be a dilapidated staircase. The times are metaphorically described as the splinters, boards torn up, no carpet, bare. Despite these problems the mother encourages her son to keep on climbing, as she has done her entire life.In the novel, The House on Mango Street, Esperanza grows up in a poor neighborhood but refuses to be limited by her surroundings. She uses literary elements to describe how horrible her place of living is and how she overcomes the will to give up. The setting in witch she is surrounded by is described as being poor, segregated, unwelcoming and just plain beaten down. For example when Esperanza says in the literary work, The House on Mango Street is small and florid with tight steps in front and the windows so small youd think they were holding their breath just describes a little bit how forged she thinks of her home. But even though she hates her surroundings she is faced with a conflict. Esperanza, versus nature. She hates her setting, but yet still wants to persevere.In both the novel, The House on Mango Street, and the poem Mother to Son, the narrators are faced with struggle and hardship. A mother trying to block out the negativity in her sons head, to allow him to persevere, and a recent adult trying to understand that even though time s can be rough, she can still move on, and still survive.

Desire to be disabled: Body Integrity Identity Disorder

Desire to be disabled proboscis Integrity Identity upsetBody Integrity Identity Dis holy pronounce (BIID) is a rargon phenomenon in which individuals propensity to father disabled by the amputation of fully functioning limbs. BIID is happen upond as the disparity between the individuals perception of their consistency and the actual form of their physical organic structure (Bayne Levy, 2005). Other psychological disorders and classifications establish been linked to BIID, including sex Identity Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and Hypochondriasis. The neurological origins of BIID be un cognise at this time, and treatment of this condition through electoral amputation is highly controversial. As a clinical audiologist, it is important to recognize symptoms of BIID in forbearings, as headspring as being aw be of the possible treatment of BIID through vestibular interrogatory. Arguments for and against elective amputation will likewise be discussed, as well as diff erential diagnoses of BIID.Audiology and BIIDAs a clinical audiologist, coming into contact with a patient who has Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) is rare. However, the accident does exist and it is important to understand the characteristics if integrity should encounter a BIID patient. The awareness of BIID in the audiology field can come into play concerning treatment of BIID, with one possible option incorporating aspects of vestibular testing.Body Integrity Identity DisorderJohn first took leftover prescription painkillers and numbed his left foot in field glass water to reduce impending pain. He then buried his foot in dry ice for six hours to induce austere frostbite and thrust surgeons to operate (Adams, 2007).The previous insert from William Lee Adams article, Amputee Wannabes, describes a 33-year-old mans wish for amputation of his foot. There was nothing physically or medically wrong with this limb John unless stated that he did not feel comfortable with hi s feature body and felt as though his foot was not a part of him. afterwards causing severe frostbite to spread throughout his foot, Johns leg was amputated above the knee. Post-surgery, he went on to describe that the operation resolved his anxiety and allowed him to be at ease in his own body (Adams, 2007).What causes someone to desire amputation of a healthy limb? This desire was first reported by French surgeon Jean-Joseph Sue in 1785 (Lawrence, 2006). However, this delusion only began to receive public attention in the early 2000s collectable to the increase in documented cases. Soon thereafter, a psychiatric condition titled Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), previously known as Amputee Identity Disorder (AID), became the more favorable diagnosing for these individuals. Currently, it is estimated that only a few thousand people worldwide are afflicted with BIID (Henig, 2005). BIID is described as a disparity between the individuals perception of their body and the act ual form of their physical body (Bayne Levy, 2005). A common complaint of these individuals is that the limb is alien and feels as though it is not part of them. Remarkably, those with BIID are a lot free of psychological issues, outside of their desire for amputation. Many are of normal intelligence, have families, and hold jobs such as lawyers, professors, and doctors (Henig, 2005). So what triggers these seemingly normal individuals to desire amputation?The neurological origins of this disorder are unknown, yet those with BIID share similar backgrounds. Most are exposed to an amputee at a young age, usually before they are 4 years old, and the fascination stems from this encounter. They begin to experience discomfort with their own bodies, and the delusion is full-blown by the time they reach puberty. As the leading BIID tec at Columbia University, Michael First reckons that these individuals encounter an amputee while they are still in the developmental stage in which normal individuals come to accept the humans of their own arms and legs. He believes the sight of an amputee prevents such acceptance (Adams, 2007).Although the neurological cause of BIID is unidentified, legion(predicate) associations have been made between BIID and other psychoses in order to narrow down the diagnosis. Whether this disorder occurs because of a single experience during childhood, or stems from a combination of other psychological conditions, it is important to discuss other nigh related diagnoses of BIID.Differential Diagnoses of BIIDSome professionals, such as Michael First, have suggested that BIID whitethorn involve a similar psychological desire as is seen in Gender Identity Disorder (GID), better known as transsexualism (Lawrence, 2006). GID is a condition in which wrong embodiment is the main concern. More commonly, a male patient feels as though they are a female trapped in a males body. In both BIID and GID, dissatiscircumstanceion with ones own body occurs bec ause their body part in question disagrees with their perceived sense of self (Mller, 2009). This displeasure, as well as the desire for amputation, is the commonality of BIID and GID.Similarities also exist between BIID and a condition known as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). The desired outcome of those with BDD is also amputation, but these individuals mistakenly believe that a part of their body is disease-ridden or remarkably ugly. BDD ties in closely to anorexia nervosa, being that they are both delusions based on misguided perceptions of ones own body (Bayne Levy, 2005). On the contrary, the only grounds for amputation for those with BIID revolved around the fact that the body part felt foreign, despite the individuals fellowship that the limb was perfectly healthy.Desiring a DisabilityIndividuals who are suffering with BIID have also been associated with individuals who desire to become disabled, or truly believe they are disabled or sick when they are not. One such disord er is known as Hypochondriasis, with the term psychoneurotic being used more often for these individuals. Hypochondriasis is a psychiatric disorder where an individual constantly fears that they have or, at some point, will have a serious disease, even when there is no medical proof or diagnosis (Hypochondriasis, 2002). These individuals misinterpret their physical feelings as symptoms of a serious disease, too to those with BIID who misinterpret their healthy body part as not being part of them. Symptoms that hypochondriacs face are also similar to those with BIID, including severe anxiety and depression. Hypochondriacs are not fabricating their symptoms, and become extremely concerned with minor problems such as excessive sweating, dizziness, and occasional tinnitus (Hypochondriasis, 2002). Hypochondriasis can also be as socially debilitating as BIID, in that it also causes individuals to not function at work or in their daily lives.Another phenomenon associated with the desire to be disabled is known as non-organic hearing loss (NOHL). NOHL is described as responses to a hearing test indicating a deficit greater than can be explained by organic pathology (Austen Lynch, 2004). Some motives for NOHL behavior implicate monetary and personal gain, such as being involved in a car accident and fabricating a hearing loss as a conjunctive injury. However, not all individuals who are labeled as NOHL are malingering some truly believe they have a hearing loss, or do not respond to the audiological testing even though their hearing sensitivity is normal. There are also those known as deaf wannabes, who, much like amputee wannabes, desire to belong to a community that is based on the disability or disorder. Deaf wannabes whitethorn have grown up in the deaf community, and although they have normal hearing sensitivity, wish to be deaf themselves.Overall, these conditions listed above may or may not be exclusive. An individual may not suffer from desired amputation based solely on the condition of BIID, BDD, or GID alone. Rather, they may suffer from a variety of combinations of these disorders, including Hypochondriasis and NOHL. With NOHL as a possible association, audiologists may be included in the group of professionals who interact and help with the treatment of these patients. That being said, the associations of these disorders and the knowledge that they are closely linked may lead to the best possible diagnosis of individuals who suffer from a desired disability.Arguments in Favor of Healthy leg AmputationMany individuals who suffer with BIID believe that amputation is the only option. Upon learning of BIID, most people would consider it a psychotic disorder that by no means should be solved through elective amputation. However, the argument for permission of amputation by surgeons has been strongly considered. Individuals with BIID often feel desperate, and if this frustration continues it may lead to dangerous behaviors. These beh aviors may include self-inflicted wounds, causing infection of these wounds, and burning a limb to injure it beyond repair in order to provoke amputation. Furthermore, these individuals may go as furthermost as carrying out amputation on their own if a surgeon will not do it. Between 1997 and 1999, elective amputations were allowed in the United Kingdom in order to avoid these hazardous behaviors of individuals with BIID. However, such operations were quickly banned after they caught the attention of the public (Sorene et al., 2006). In order to minimize the harm that these individuals may inflict on themselves, amputation of healthy limbs by competent surgeons may be a viable option.Another argument for the amputation of healthy limbs would be that an individual has the set to alter ones body in the pursuit of acceptance and happiness (Jotkowitz Zivotofsky, 2009). Similar to those who undergo cosmetic surgery, as well as those who have had surgery due to Gender Identity Disorder , individuals with BIID are unsatisfied with their physical appearance and desire a change. Although both cosmetic surgery and GID surgery also encounter many arguments against altering ones appearance or gender, they are nationally recognized as an accepted medical practice. If these types of surgery are allowed to improve ones body image, then elective amputations may not be far-removed from these common practices.A final argument for the amputation of healthy limbs is the possible therapeutic effects that may occur post-surgery. Bayne and Levy (2005) describe this argument in four stages (1) the individual suffers because of their condition (2) amputation is expected to provide relief from this suffering (3) less-serious approaches and treatments will not bring slightly this relief and (4) the rigour of amputation is minimal compared to finding relief of this disorder. Some individuals who are afflicted with BIID have stated that their condition has interfered with their social lives (Bayne Levy, 2005), including their jobs and leisure activities. These individuals do have valid emotions and are truly suffering from an internal crisis, so regardless of the diagnosis of BIID, psychological intervention is necessary. Also, seeing as some BIID individuals go to extreme measures in order to reach liberation from their unwanted limbs, the therapeutic effects may be reason enough to allow healthy limb amputations.Arguments against Healthy Limb AmputationWithout question, the security deposit of healthy limb amputations by surgeons would inevitably be met by resistant forces. Society is likely to lead these arguments with feelings of repugnance and disgust. In the case of individuals who have mazed limbs from accidents or disease, the thought of amputating a fully functioning limb is appalling. Paddy Rossbach, the president of Amputation Coalition of America, stated that Its very difficult for people who have been through what they consider to be a devastatin g life experience to understand why anybody would want to mutilate himself in this way, (Henig, 2005). Others who suffered unwanted amputation often say that the universe of discourse of BIID diminishes what they have been going through emotionally. Desired amputation will meet public disdain, and those who have experienced unwanted amputation will undoubtedly be at the forefront.An spare argument against healthy limb amputations is the life-threatening consequences of such operations. According to Mller (2009), the principle of nonmaleficence states that physicians should not perform amputations without medical necessity. Such amputations often have severe consequences besides causing the individual to be disabled, including infection, phantom pains, thrombosis, paralysis, and necrosis (Mller, 2009). Furthermore, such operations may not be successful at bringing about the desired relief. In some cases, desire for a new amputation of a previously accepted limb may follow the first operation (Hilti Brugger, 2010). Amputation causes irreversible damage that may not heal properly, and if the operation is not justified based on life-saving measures, permission of such operations may never be accepted.Possible Treatment Vestibular Caloric Testing?A final argument against healthy limb amputations is the possibility of vestibular caloric foreplay as a treatment option for BIID. Although the neurological cause of BIID is unknown, one speculation is the involvement of the right parietal lobe. Evidence of somatoparaphrenia, or the belief that part of ones own body is not their own, has been documented in cases of right parietal lobe stroke patients (Mller, 2009). Neuroscientists Vilayanur Ramachandran and Paul McGeoch suggested that the right parietal lobe may also be involved in BIID patients, with supportive evidence that most who desire amputation show a left-side preference, as well as an emotional rejection of their unwanted limb (Mller, 2009). The speculation that vestibular caloric input (specifically left-ear cold water irrigation) may be a treatment option for BIID is based on its known temporary treatment of somatoparaphrenia. Benefits of caloric stimulation over amputation include less-expensive treatment, lack of side effects, and immediate results showing if the treatment is working or not (Ryan, 2009). Overall, a trial of vestibular caloric stimulation should be the first step in treatment of BIID, and a clinical audiologist would perform this type of testing. For this reason, knowledge of BIID and the expertise to deal with these types of patients is important for audiologists to understand. Although caloric testing has not been proven to relieve BIID patients of their suffering, and the effects on bodily awareness may disappear as soon as the caloric stimulation has stopped, it is a less drastic approach that has been speculated to be successful.In ConclusionThe limited knowledge of BIID as a valid psychological condition, as well as causes and treatments, is a barrier to finding some sort of relief for these individuals. Whether or not elective amputation is the solution for patients with BIID, the drastic decision to remove ones limb evermore should not be made until more is known regarding BIID. Regardless of the background and probable causes of this disorder, individuals are still suffering daily from the notion that a body part is not their own. Intervention is necessary for BIID patients, whether it be vestibular testing by an audiologist, or other therapeutic remedies. Physicians should perform a thorough symptomatic evaluation when encountering a patient with BIID. Prior to causing irreversible damage to that individuals body, other treatment options and therapy should be researched.

Analysis Of Engineering Students Problems In Speaking English Language Essay

Analysis Of Engineering Students Problems In Speaking position Language EssayThe objective of the study was to investigate the English language problems in terms of public speak and composing skills of engineering students at a skilful university in Malaysia based on the perceptions of students and English language lecturers. The study was conducted within the poser of needs analysis as part of the larger curriculum review exercise in the effort to redesign English language courses that meet the needs of the stakeholders. A 15-item questionnaire was formulated and distributed to 612 engineering students and 36 English language lecturers of the technical university. The findings of the survey indicated that at that place is a difference between students and lecturers perceptions of students problems in speaking and authorship. ground on the findings of the study relevant recommendations were made to assist in the decision make process of the curriculum review exercise.KEYW ORDSLanguage problems, Speaking, Writing, Curriculum review, English for particularized Purposes, Needs analysisINTRODUCTIONOne of the recommendations mentioned consistently in look for projects commissioned by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education is the need for a across-the-board review of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programmes of Malaysian universities (Morshidi et al., 2008 Isarji et al., 2008). The recommendation is in direct response to the nations concern for the declining standard of English among Malaysian university students and graduates and the need to meet the expectations of the stakeholders. The research project report that based on scores in the English Proficiency Test (EPT) and perceptions of business leaders, government officials and academic staff, Malaysian university students, in general, were considered special users of English in the productive skills namely, writing and speaking (Isarji et al., 2008).The literature on ESP, college graduates , and employability reveals a list of problems faced by university students in terms of writing and speaking such as writing reports, memos, proposals, formal letters, instructions, manuals, summaries, technical jargons, and utilize grammatically correct sentences, participating in discussions, communicating with people, telephone conversations, everyday conversation, oral presentation, and negotiations (Horowitz, 1986 Basturkmen and Al-Huneidi, 1996 Ferris and Tagg, 1996 Hyland, 1997 Sullivan and Girginer, 2002 Abdul Aziz, 2004 Siti Hanim and Ismie Roha, 2005 Isarji et al., 2008) and stableman et al., 2008).This study was conducted within the framework of needs assessment as part of the larger curriculum review exercise in the effort to redesign English language courses, especially in terms of speaking and writing skills of engineering students that meet the needs of the stakeholders. The research questions were as follows1. What are the problems of engineering students in writin g and speaking?2. What are the problems of engineering students in writing and speaking from the lecturers point of view?3. Is there a difference between the perceptions of students and lecturers?METHODOLOGYThis study utilized a survey based on a four-point Likert scale. The items in the survey were developed based on sub-skills in the productive skills. Six items were included in the survey in aim to capture the perceptions of students writing sub-skills while ten items were to capture the perceptions of students speaking sub-skills. The survey was distributed to engineering students and English language lecturers of a technical university in Malaysia. A total of 612 students and 36 English language lecturers responded to the survey. Responses to the survey were subjected to descriptive analysis using the SPSS software version 12. In the analysis, the responses based on Agree and Strongly Agree categories were combined in order to capture the agreement to each statement.FINDINGST he findings are presented based on the three research questions. A summary of the findings based on students and lecturers performance are reported separately for both skills (speaking and writing skills). The summary of results is based on percentages of responses according to agreement to the statements in the questionnaires.The first research question is as followsRQ1 What are the problems of engineering students in writing and speaking?According to prefigure 1, on the average, more than than half of the students reported that they had difficulties in writing. The most problematic writing sub-skill was writing grammatically correct sentences (71%), followed by choosing suitable speech communication (66%), as well as developing and organizing their writing (56.5%). The writing sub-skill with the least problem as reported by the students was linking sentences in a paragraph (46.8%), followed by spelling correctly (47.7%), and combining paragraphs in an try out (47.7%).Figure 1 Engineering students perceptions of their problems in writingFigure 2 Engineering students perceptions of their problems in speakingIn terms of engineering students perceptions of their problems in speaking, the selective information tabulated in Figure 2 shows that they had problems using grammatically correct language (73.3%), speaking fluently (72%), using varied expression and expressions (67.8%) as well as speaking confidently in English (60.5%). The students, on the other hand, perceived to have fewer problems with participating in discussion (44.3%). communicating with people (44.6%), making suggestions and supporting their views (49.5), and speaking clearly and loudly (49.8%).The second research question asked,RQ2 What are the problems of engineering students in writing and speaking from the lecturers point of view?Figure 3 Lecturers perceptions of engineering students problems in writingFigure 4 Lecturers perceptions of engineering students problems in speakingThe lecturer s reported that the students had problems with all the sub-skills of speaking (Figure 3). The biggest problem was choosing suitable words (94.5%), followed by writing grammatically correct sentences (94.4%), and combining paragraphs in an essay (80.6%).As far as speaking is concerned, the lecturers reported that the students had problems with all speaking sub-skills (Figure 4). The pass three problems reported were using grammatically correct language (94.4%), using varied vocabulary and expressions (91.6%) and speaking fluently (86.1%).The third research question is as followsRQ3 Is there a difference between the perceptions of students and lecturers?The independent sample t-test conducted indicates that there is a significant difference (p0.05) between the perceptions of students and lecturers of students problems in writing and speaking in all the items (see Appendix 1). This shows that overall, the way the students perceive their problems in writing and speaking differ from the way their English language lecturers perceive the students problems. The results also show that the represent of the lecturers ratings on all the items were consistently higher than of the students ratings of their own speaking and writing problems. In a separate analysis, on the average, 56.2% of the students perceived writing as a problem as compared to the views of the lecturers on the same issue, which is 82.4%. Similarly, 58% of the students perceived speaking as a problem in contrast to the views of the lecturers, which is 80.2%.DISCUSSIONSThis study is a broken component of a larger curriculum review exercise. The findings of the study, in general, suggest that both students and English language lecturers were in agreement that the students hadproblems in writing and speakingspecific writing problems in choosing suitable words and writing grammatically correct sentences andspecific speaking problems in using grammatically correct language, using varied vocabulary and expre ssions, and speaking fluently.Not only that both lecturers and students concurred that students had problems in writing and speaking, there is a significant difference between how students and lecturers perceived students problems. The lecturers tended to be more critical of the students problems in writing and speaking than the students themselves. One may not be far fetch to conjecture that the reason for the perceptions to be importantly different perhaps is due to the tenacity of most English language lecturers to accentuate the importance of attaining a minimum threshold level in order to succeed in an English medium university in contrast to the lackadaisical attitude of many Malaysian students towards English. The findings of this study are consistent with the literature on the perceptions Malaysian university lecturers and students of students attitudes towards English in general (Isarji et al., 2008).The findings of the study also provide realistic recommendations pertainin g to curriculum review exercise. Firstly, in addition to the teaching of listening, speaking, reading and writing, there is a need to include grammar as an important core competence of language learning. The grammar component, however, needs to be taught in context instead of in isolation not only to ensure that language learning activities relate to the real world but also to enhance students motivation. It needs to be emphasized however, for English language teaching and learning to solely focus on grammar is to ignore the importance of communicative competence as the ultimate goal. Secondly, students need to be provided with more opportunities to be involved in activities that promote rich vocabulary acquisition. Finally, in a curriculum review exercise, it is imperative to include the opinions of the stakeholders particularly the students and teaching staff. The concomitant that both students and lecturers acknowledged the same language problems, even though there is a signifi cant difference between their perceptions make it less demanding for the programme provider to design a language programme that meets the needs of the stakeholders including the students and university.CONCLUSIONEven though Malaysian university students have the benefit of at least 11 old age of exposure to English language learning as a subject in a school setting, the findings of the study indicate that both students and lecturers perceived grammar and vocabulary to be problematic to students. On this account, 3 hours of exposure to English a week for 14 weeks, which is a normal duration of an English course in a university will not produce a miracle. Notwithstanding, with a proper needs analysis, the programme provider will be able to formulate assume learning outcomes, adapt, adopt or develop relevant materials and design suitable learning activities to ensure university students are better prepared not only to attempt rigorous credit bearing faculty courses in English but als o to enter the employment world.

English in Pakistan

face in PakistanTHE AUDIENCE OF THE ANALYSISThe audience of this analysis is each(prenominal) primary school as the writing ordain focus on the existing inform techniques at this aim and go forth concentrate on the anomalies in this methodology. The revise 2006 slope Teaching curriculum is completely base on the on dismission indoctrinateing technique. The revised curriculum 2006 for the first time introduced English at the level of grade 1 which consumptiond to be introduced to savants at 6 grade before 2006. This is a milestone in the history of Pakistan that scholars of presidential term unravel schools could start learnedness English from the very first year of school. The g everywherenment new program line policy unveiled on 12 March 2009 with a hope to reduce the illiteracy to a great level. The policy will be implemented at the expiry of National Education Policy 2008-2010 future(a) year. But revised English curriculum and the new national policy does non dr aw attention to the mammoth problem of noncurrent teaching techniques particularly English curriculum at all levels. To overcome these issues we will deeply look into the Communicative wording Teaching techniques which will resolve the long standing(a) issues of the country and put the teaching techniques on the right track.POLICY ANALYSISTIME AND PROCESS SPENT ON THE POLICY DEVELOPMENTIt is arduous to gauge the exact time the Ministry of Education (MoE) undertook the task of coming up with a revised curriculum for English in 2006. As the national procreation policy 1998-2010 introduced in 1998 was heavily criticised for macrocosm inadequate to cater the needfully of the country in twenty first century and very soon MoE realised the gravitation of the mistakes when the new education policy was heading towards complete collapse. To save its face the MoE came up with a new idea to revise some of the about incorrect policies.INTENDED AUDIENCEThe analysis is going to focus on t he problems of teachers, students and the curriculum. The analysis is restricted to the primary ashes of education in the biggest province of Punjab.FUNCTION AND blueprint OF THE ANALSYISThe of import(prenominal) function and get of the policy analysis is to focus on the drawbacks in the teaching methodology and the proposed curriculum introduced at the primary level. How these problems are adversely affecting the people involved with education sector, especially the students who are at the receiving end.TYPE OF KNOWLEDGEThe analysis is two non-interpretative and interpretative.NATURE OF POLICYThe analysis is non-perspective as it will have a wide approach towards the existing policy. A non-perspective policy text is construed so that the reader is allowed a great deal of analogue as to how they interpret its message(s) (Scott, 2000, pp 18). Scott adds if the text is non-perspective, the reader is not asked to behave or think in a certain way plainly is offered a upshot of possibilities which they crumb then choose from (ibid, pp 18-19).The writing will be based on the sentiments, analysis and research of contrary educationists, analysts and opinion. It will focus on both the traditionalist approach and CLT approach and how it works out for a country like Pakistan. The topic is wide focus on the English teaching techniques at primary level in Pakistan and how this is effecting the students in term of their progress. The CLT will be dealt with in depth to address the issue the English teaching as a entropy/foreign talking to. While talking about the new approach we will keep our focus on Pakistans primary level lyric poem teaching techniques. One figure is used but graphics and statistics have not been employed as the topic under discussion is of generic nature and involves opinion and research of different researchers and educationists.PAKISTAN AND ENGLISHWorldwide the significance of English as a lecture of communication cannot be overlooked . As communication is the most fundamental aspect of human life (Thompson 20031) and a verbiage works as a key mean of communication for humans (Clark et. al. 19941). The communication act starts first at communal level but this circle widens up when people from different communities and societies interacts with one an new(prenominal). As the innovation has become a global village the English rightly fulfils the need for a rough-cut lingua franca to bridge the widening gap between world communities. Nowadays English is wide considered as a global language and according to Brutt-Griffler (mentioned in Mackay 200212) due to its some of the most appealing features it holds this position. The popularity of English these days could be judged from the fact more(prenominal) than 85 portion extraneous(a) organisations worldwide employ English as the main language, for instance in Asia and the Pacific ninety percent of the organisations officially use English (MacKay 200217).The nat ional language of Pakistan is Urdu but English has been the official language for communication over the shoemakers last six decade since its independence. The Kachrus concentric imitate describes Pakistan position in a very well manner as it falls in the outer-circle of the model. This circle includes the earlier period of the extension of English in non-native countries where it has become a part of a countrys chief institutions, and plays an important second language role in a multilingual setting and includes 50 other territories.Fig. 1The University Grants Commission of Pakistan (1982) in a Report on the Teaching of wrangle deemed the English as the language of knowledge, technology, and international communication, as an important second language. Furthermore the report adds regarding the future of English in Pakistan that it would be employed in the near future as the language of technology and for international communication and soon English is going to hold the position o f global lingua franca and ignoring language would be detrimental for any country especially for a country like Pakistan which is already having advantages in the form of past knowledge of English (UGC 198214). This put forwardment reveals the significance of English for a third world state like Pakistan and recently the government decided to introduce English at all Government Schools from the year one (MoE 2007) and shun the existing policy of teaching English at grade 6 (i.e. sixth year of schooling).EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE COUNTRYFirst of all it is vital to comprehend the structure of education ashes in Pakistan in order to focus in better manner on the topic under discussion. For a long time English has been an integral component of the platform. The education in Pakistan can be dissected into five main levels but we will discuss only two main categories at school levelPrimary Level The primary level comprises of 1-5 grades and students of age 3-11. At this level the me dium of instructions at government schools is Urdu era schools under provincial governments use local/regional languages as the medium. As mentioned above now the government is planning to introduce English at this level both at federal and provincial schools.Secondary Level This level can be further segmented into two main introducesMiddle school, which includes disciple of grade 6-8, andHigher school consisting of grade 9-10 students.The age group for this level varies between 11-18 years and is of great significance because at this stage of education the syllabus commences towards specialisation in a specific field or disciple and decides towards the future of a student. For instance at this stage a student decides whether he intends to pursue science subjects or arts subjects, the two most common choices available for students at higher school (9-10 grades). Ironically, the medium of instructions at this stage depends on the grade of institution, for example, in private scho ols the O Levels system or Senior Cambridge system of education are in vogue and therefore English is the primary source of instruction. While in government schools, also called the Urdu Medium Schools, the local curriculum of English is taught as the name suggests the medium of instruction is in Urdu.ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHINGSince independence of Pakistan in 1947 all triumphive governments have been aiming at introducing new and robust education policy to ameliorate the obsolete education system left by the British Empire. But most of these efforts have gone down the drain due to insincere, apathetic and sloppy policies of the government and one can judge the failure of these policies from the fact that in the last 62 years Pakistan introduced 11 education policies (1947, 1951, 1959, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1992, 1998, 2010) without any beneficial outcome. As educational analysts rightly infer that the number of education policies does not mean we are over-concerned about po or education standard or under-performance of these policies but it means just the opposite. For instance in 1998 the education policy 1998-2010 was introduced but within a couple of years of its launch it led to the complete collapse of the education system and to shroud this downfall the Ministry of Education rushed to introduce a new revised curriculum in 2006 (MoE 2007 available at http//www.moe.gov.pk/). This reveals the pathetic situation of crumbling educational system of the country. Now the government has announced initial National Education Policy 2009 which will be enforced from 2010. We will focus on the obsolete English teaching methodology in practice and unfortunately like in the past the Ministry of Educations revised curriculum for English voice communication 2006 totally avoids this issue (ibid). syllabus planning can be seen as the systematic attempt by educationalists and teachers to specify and determine planned intervention into the educational enterprise (N unan 1988 1). But in Pakistan the government has never thought on this line and the existing situation has gone from bad to worse where English language teaching is considered as being dissatisfactory, non-conducive and counter-productive for culture the language in Pakistan (Warsi 2004). The educationists summarise the English language teaching techniques in vogue at different levels of education in the following contextTeaching methodology is scant of deep approaches to learning or in other words lack of connection to personal, friendship of the apprentice, conceptualisation and integration. For language learning it has the implication of memorizing facts about language and lack of contextualized, authentic use of the target language with a focus on meaning.Curriculum based teaching and learning.An emphasis on rote memorisation.More focus and emphasis on transfer and opinion of factual knowledge rather than assessment of critical sentiment and analytical skills (Rehmani 20033 )The above features indicate the traditional approach to teaching of English language.Nunan further elaborates the main elements of this traditionalist approachArea instanceView of learningTransmission of knowledgePower relationEmphasis on teachers authorityTeachers roleProviding anterior instructionLearners rolePassive / individual workView of knowledgePresented as certainView of curriculumStatic predefined cloy and productLearning experienceKnowledge of facts, concepts skills focus on content and productControl of processTeacher structured learningMotivation inessentialEvaluationProduct oriented achievement testing criterion referencing(Nunan 19997)Nunan correctly draws the traditional methodology in English teaching in the country where the traditionalists view and focus on the language as a structured system of grammatical patterns, with a higher focus of such(prenominal) techniques on formal and bookish language. Such approach aims to have pupils producing formally correct sentences and in terms of skills, an emphasis on reading and writing (Nunan 198826-27). Globally there has been a greater tendency towards research and articulatement in the field of language teaching techniques and approaches but haplessly Pakistan education system is oblivious of such developments in the world. Warsi laments the obsolete grammar deracination method is still being adopted by most language programmes (Warsi 2004) and the facets of language teaching programmes are irrelevant to the most fundamental requirements of students (ibid). Since 1960s, there is an dreaming to formulate language teaching more responsive to the needs of the student and this has been a consistent feature of both writing and practical experimentation in language teaching (Tudor 199666). Tudor further advocates such approach and opines that it permits students to play a fuller, more active and participatory role in their language study (ibid). And it develops language teaching more effective as the teaching process is highly helpful to the needs, characteristics and expectations of learners. Tudor insists that immense need for different kind of language skills within a swiftly evolving social and economic context made it indispensable for a language teaching profession to develop appropriate tools for identifying learners communicative needs and for translating them into coherent course structures (Tudor 19968). Tudors argument truly reflects the need of development skills in the education sector of Pakistan to value the needs of a strong and well-educated society and a robust education system for the present and the future.COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING (CLT)Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) emerged in 60s as an approach towards the teaching of language which lay emphasis on interaction as a source of learning a foreign language. The approach in CLT is totally different from the traditionalist approach as it is a wider approach which is based on a list of common pr inciples and characteristics. As CLT can be well defined by Nunans five pointsAn emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language.The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation.The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language but also on the Learning Management process.An enhancement of the learners own personal experiences as important contributing elements to pathroom learning.An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activities outside the classroom.(Nunan 1991, 279)The main aim of CLT is to make a student capable of achieving communicative competence in the foreign language so that he can habituate the language for doing the similar tasks which it undertakes in day to day life. In other words its application should be reflective of the circumstances or events surrounding and should not be based on imaginative or unrealistic ideas. Until 1970s teaching and learning system was deemed as system of rules and the learners were assumed to intragroupize such rules (Nunan 19999). The approach was contradictory to CLT because it focus on set rules of teaching and a set path which could never be breached or in other words simply the teaching of fundamental like grammar of a language while there is no emphasis on its application and usage in the language. As Richard contends that language ability cannot be restricted to just grammar and it involves more than merely memorizing grammar and the grammar and other features of a language should be applied veraciously and purposefully for different communicative purpose and therefore the focus of learning and teaching need to be directed towards the use of language and not just the knowledge of language (Richards 20079).ENGLISH CURRICULUM AND TEACHING TECHNIQUES IN PAKISTANIn third world countries like Pakistan, the teaching curriculum, especially English curriculum, has been the centre of criticism over the last couple of decad es. The English curriculum is obsolete and outdated which has been in practice since colonial rule over the sub-continent. Before 2006 to the worse of students at government owned schools important subject like English was introduced at the secondary level or 6th grade and at this stage the students started learning the ABC of English. The revised 2006 English curriculum for the first time introduced English at 1st grade. The new revised English curriculum only focuses on outlining the policy but does not focus on the problems at the heart of the system. The organisation of the curriculum framework reveals that students of primary level have been divided into two categories of I-II and III-V with the aim to develop a solid base for the tender age students in order to develop them into autonomous learners and to develop skills and understanding to build a foundation for after studies. This policy guideline for the English curriculum also sets different benchmark for different groups of students. For instance the benchmark summarised in table 2.3 at page 11 for grade III-V reveals that the planner of the policy has concentrated more on the grammar. The government while introducing such syllabus overlooks the capabilities of the government schools to enforce such policy.One can understand the level of competency the curriculum plans to achieve for the students for instance one of the competency neutral for grade one student is to learn how a student will hold a book, open a book and turn pages of a book correctly (Revised Curriculum, section 3, page 22). The other competency objective for the same group is tantamount to spoon feeding where a student is supposed to tell what comes before and after an alphabet (ibid, page 25). Furthermore on the page 26 of the curriculum the grade-I students are supposed to learn the poem by heart which will help them in developing reading and thinking skills (ibid, page 26). The big question mark is how a student is supposed to memorise something which is new for him without knowing or understanding the meaning and what is the main purpose of that exercise which a grade-I student is going to adopt and does it help towards the aim of developing a student reading and thinking sills. The writing skills of the curriculum (page 27) focuses on how a student will hold a pencil correctly, draw different lines, draw within the lines, trace and copy small and capital letters, create verbally number from 1 to 10, write date, name, phone number etc. The formal and lexical aspect of language again diverts the student from English towards local languages which defocus them from their main objective (page 33). These are some of the aspects of the revised English curriculum which reflects the insincerity and lack of dedication to introduce new English teaching techniques and a merry syllabus based on modern knowledge. The curriculum is seen by most of the critics as a repetitive and ineffective guideline for the teacher s and students which will hardly bring in any of the two. The teaching guideline is more inclined towards the traditionalist approach and there is no room for any reform towards adaptation of new techniques being practiced worldwide for teaching English. The curriculum does not work to amend the existing practice of teaching where the students are the biggest losers. The curriculum restricts to develop and promote the internal abilities of the student by binding them to follow, adopt and think within limited parameters without any concession to go out of those limits and this in turn leads to lost of authorisation and self-learning capabilities.I put the question regarding the new English curriculum to a former senior Professor of English, Mr. Safdar Rana, (at Islamabad Model College for Boys, F-8/4, Islamabad, Pakistan) who is associated with teaching profession for over 30 years, he ridiculed the syllabus and saidthe syllabus is the same obsolete which I started teaching at prim ary level in 1967, it is 100 percent the same. The same syllabus includes topic like write the story of greedy dog, union is strength, write a letter to father thanking him for acquire a pen, essay of Journey by Bus etc is going on and Ministry of education is happy that they are promoting education and in their mind this system is the best in the third world. But actually the current English teaching techniques and the curriculum are not student-friendly and their learning process has stopped as they do not use their abilities and skills but heavily dependent on rote memorisation.To another question regarding the improvement in English teaching standard, expressing his sorrow, he repliedhow one can expect improvement in education when not a single government tried to change the system, the teachers are under-educated and ill-equipped to teach the students because they are adopting the old techniques of teaching and an obsolete syllabus left by British before independence these tec hniques and syllabus has been rejected by the rest of the world as counter-productive and inefficient but still this is in practice over here. Second how a teacher can teach a crowded class of 80 students, you cannot introduce new system in such circumstances. The government is heedless to the student-teacher problems and this sector has been completely ignored by all political and host government came to power.To a question that teacher are against new techniques like CLT, he opined as far as I am concerned I will welcome any such change. But the government has never introduced any such scheme or system in the past and it will be wrong to say that teachers are against any such techniques. But it is an upheaval task as it needs long term massive enthronization in term of finance and human resources and serious and consistent efforts are needed on the part of current and any future governments to train, monitor and pull off up to half million teachers where 70 percent of governmen t schools are located in rural and far flung areas of the country.As Hindal furthers the argument that the techniques of teaching and learning are fully relied upon the well-organised and effective memorisation of information and procedures, which is part of the text books or lecture notes, and its later recollection in exams (2007). This pattern of teaching and learning techniques is common at all levels of education (Hindal 2007). In this setup the student and teachers are very rarely rewarded for their comprehension and the rewards in exams are completely based on retention and memory (ibid). The main trend in such system is that how much a student is capable of memorising and recalling and the learning or success is not based on learning, understanding or using its capabilities. It is a common concept that those teachers in Pakistan have been successful in a system which rewards accurate recall because comprehension is not valued highly for learners at all level.Reid in 1979 gav e this idea that for a change of an approach, new information needs to interact with the long-term existing memory. Reid contends that there is no possibility of change in attitude if there is failure to establish mental relationship. Reid identifies specific kind of circumstances where there is higher probability of interaction and this will include learning situations which are active or in other words the student should be involved with the new material, feelings or experiences. This theory rightly suggests that the English text books and curriculum in Pakistan have failed to develop positive attitudes among learners and teachers towards English language.In third world countries like Pakistan the teacher is deemed as the fount of knowledge and not as a facilitator (Liu19985). Liu emphasise the needs and significance of a proper teaching methodology in accordance with the cultures of these countries instead of completely depending on the western researchers and approaches for thei r need as some western techniques are not going to work out for a poor country (Liu19984).CONCLUSIONThe education standard at primary level cannot be improved without complete overhaul and innovation of the existing teaching techniques and curriculum which merely promotes the traditionalist approach sans any hope of development. The traditionalist approach to teaching could be replaced with Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) which is the best alternative to the existing system of education, especially for teaching English as a second language. The introduction of new curriculum is not up to the standard to assist the pupils to engage their natural abilities and skills but it discourage them to be innovative, constructive and confident. The successful student in such system is that who blindly adopts and follows the current education system. The Ministry of Education (MoE) has been following a vicious circle of education policies and strategies for a very long time with this hope that this path will lead to success but by end of day the MoE comes to the same point from where they started in 1947.

James H. Cones The Spirituals and the Blues Essay -- Book Report Con

James H. c mavin cells The Spirituals and the BluesThe book, The Spirituals and the Blues, by James H. C whizz, illustrates how the slave spirituals and the blue devils reflected the struggle for dreary survival under the harsh reality of sla real and segregation. The spirituals are historical songs which speak out about the rupture of black lives in a ghostly sense, telling us about people in a land of bondage, and what they did to stay united and somehow fight back. The blues are somewhat several(predicate) from in the spirituals in that they depict the secular aspect of black life during times of oppression and the capacity to survive. James H. Cones portrayal of how the spirituals and the blues aided blacks through times of hardship and adversity has very few flaws and informs the reader greatly about the importance of music in the lives of Afri shag-Americans. The author aims to some(prenominal) examine the spirituals and blues as cultural expressions of black people a nd to reflect on both the theological and sociological implications of these songs.James H. Cone was born on August 5, 1938 in Fordyce, Arkansas. He attended three small colleges, including a theological seminary, before receiving his Masters and Ph.D. from the prestigious Northwestern University. Cone is married and has two children. He has held membership to many prominent boards and organizations including the National Committee of Black church buildingman (member of board of directors), American Academy of Religion, Congress of African Peoples, and Black Methodists for Church Renewal. His career includes being a professor of religion and theology at Philander Smith College, Adrian College, and Union Theological Seminary, where he now teaches. James H. Cone is now an American clergyman and author. Cone achieved his greatest acclaim in 1969 with the ground-breaking book, Black Theology and Black Power. This book attracted a great deal of oversight due to its defense of th e black power movement from a Christian point of view. He has since written many theological works including Risks of Faith, where he provides resilient insights into American realities and the possibilities for American theology. Cone has been the Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminar in New York City since 1977.Cones The Spirituals and the Blues is split into two distinctive section... ...t and also talks about how blues could be classified as a secular spiritual. His points can still be easily understood by the reader, but I feel that he nontheless contradicts himself while making these statements.Overall, I thought the book was very enlightening when it came to the point of revealing the central theme and foundation of these two distinct but also similar types of songs. The spirituals were built on a unchangeable belief in God, while the blues ignored God and accepted the joys and sorrows of life. Although they were somewhat different, both partake of the same black experience in the get together States. The spirituals and the blues both aided blacks through times of severe hardship and suffering. It was interesting to me to find out how even through oppression, blacks who were considered believers and those who were considered non-believers remained faithful to the fact that one day, they would beat their oppressors and situation. I liked the book most when it came to the point of identifying that the spirituals and the blues are not songs of despair or defeated people, but represent one of the greatest triumphs of a peoples in the history of the world.

Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Testing in Schools Essay -- essays research

Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco TestingThe procedure of testing student for drugs, alcohol and tobacco before every school day should be wholeowed. The fact that the subject of drug testing has even been brought up is a sign that illegal substances have become troublesome in extravagantly school environments. Therefore, school officials should be allowed to use any means necessary to discourage the use of these illegal substances, even if it means that the school officials could become dangerously close to violating the students constitutional rights. A student under the influence of drugs or alcohol could endanger his or her fellow students or faculty and that student should not be allowed to attend that school. School officials must protect those who are at that school, so having a student whose actions are being controlled by illegal substances would not be the best way to protect the students and faculty. Students should be tested everyday for drugs, alcohol, and tobacco so that t he students are healthier, the students have better grades, and the students never start deportment things that could have a negative impact on their future.First, schools should be allowed to test students for illegal substances everyday so that the students are healthier. Drugs, alcohol and tobacco have all been proven to be very unhealthy to a person at any age, especially to a person in his or her teenage historic period when he or she is still growing. In...