My ethnic identity Essay

Ethnicity is a way of defining, differentiating, and organizing around a shared awareness of the common ancestry of socially distinct groups of individuals, such as language, culture, religion, or nationality. It can shape community and identity, as well as can mobilize â€Å"like-minded† people into action for gaining social, political, and cultural interests. I am Mainland Indian. Since that is about a billion people, I have to add a lot more details. I would say that I am Western Indian. However, that is still not enough because it does not specify my personal identity. Ahmedabad is an important part of my identity because I was born in Ahmedabad. My parents and I can speak its local dialect. Simply put, my ethnicity is Western Indian and Gujarati. Also, I can speak English and Hindi and I am a Hindu. It is the first step that costs troublesome. As an Indian student first coming to New Jersey, USA for living my rest of the life, it was quite challenging to quickly adapt to my new life because of culture shock. To me, language barrier was a hard issue. As the language obstacle progressively became my hardship on a regular basis, I believed that in order to get over the language barrier, improving English while learning Spanish at high school should have been given top priority. After arriving in New Jersey, I lived at an apartment with my family, which was far from the downtown area. I did repeatedly miss my teachers, classmates, friends, and relatives in India. At that moment, the happiest time of day was to sit in front of my laptop, talking with my parents and friends through the Internet. Furthermore, the alien environment of New Jersey Institute of Technology campus was another major obstacle to me. As a freshman, I often got lost on campus, having difficulty finding the way to classrooms and accessing to a variety of facilities. Ethnicity is like a personal identity, referring to his or her own â€Å"sense of belonging to or identification with a group or tradition over time, based on commonalities with similar others. SANSKAR (Indian student association) did make me feel a strong sense of belonging by providing far more services to help all freshmen from India rapidly get used to the new life. I was so happy that I got to know many senior students who enjoyed sharing with me their experiences on how to overcome the setbacks they had ever encountered,  as well as on how to adjust to the new environment with the new students. From sharing their experiences, I learned how to well communicate with my peers and how to develop my interpersonal skills. I believed that these invaluable skills might help me greatly hinder dependence on my parents. My first month at NJIT went smoothly. With the help of those senior students, I gradually adapted to my new life by helping me improve English, overcome homesickness, and familiarize campus. Moreover, SANSKAR launched interesting activities in order to enrich each Indian student’s off-campus life. My friends and I did participate in some meaningful activities. Like SANSKAR, Jersey City Indian square (Little India) can be another home for me. I always spend my spare time going there with friends. As soon as I get there, I do have a strong sense of community. Although Jersey City Indian square is small, its physical landscape is perfectly in response to urban development and the growing success of the Indian community formation in New Jersey. These days, Jersey City Indian square, which is located at the center of many Indian social and cultural organizations, does perform a number of significant functions. Besides, the majority of Indian and foreign population in New Jersey enjoys going to Indian square to purchase some delicious food and some delicate souvenirs, gifts, accessories, or even handmade articles. In addition, Jersey City Indian square annually hosts the celebration of Indian festivals and also American festivals. I often go there for watching an Indian dance during the Indian New year, admiring lanterns and traditional Indian dances during the Mid-Autumn Festival, or getting green fortune cookies for St. Patrick’s Day. Since I am in a White-dominated society, as a member of minority group, I have to internalize the values of the dominant society. However, showing respect to life not only is a common ideology for everyone, but also is a rationale for minimizing and eradicating inequality, privilege, oppression, and marginalization.

Alex Ferguson – Autocratic Leadership Style

Leadership Styles: Autocratic Leadership Style This is the type of leadership exhibits by dictators. A leader exerts high levels of power over his or her followers. An autocratic leader gives his or her idea which the team must follow. He or she has no time for deliberations on others ideas before chosing one. In autocracy, time wasting in long deliberations is reduced but most followers will not like being treated as bench warmers without having anything to contribute. For leading unskilled workers who do not have any skill about a job, this leadership style is appropriate.Charismatic Leadership Style This is the type of leadership in which the leader lead through encouragement and enthusiasm. A charismatic leader builds power around himself or herself which draws followers around him or her. Charismatic leaders wield so much power about their team that team success always depends on them. They control too much influence on their team. Bureaucratic Leadership Style Bureaucratic lead ers are principled and lead by instructions. They write instructions and expect workers and followers to follow these.It is good for works requiring rules like using machineries but not good for management and skilled staff because it delimits their initiatives. Influential Leadership Style An influential leader delibrates with his team members and followers and use thir contributions to make decisions. Where he or she has a clear road map on the way he or she wants to go, an influential leader will still brain-storm with his or her team member and help the team to come out with his or her idea as collective team decision. He or she is a good moderator nd effective talker. He or she communicates with the team and highlights what needs to be done. He or she rely on his or her team support for performance of the task. He or she develops the team members by delegating tasks and allowing members to air their opinions. This type of leadership is appropriate for managing people with skill and education but not people who do not have ideas about the tasks. Laissez-Faire Leadership Style This is free style leadership style in which the leader gives adequate authority to the team members to decide on their own.Laissez-Faire is a French word meaning individualistic. A Laissez-Faire leader does not encourage team work, but allows the team members to work individually. It is good to manage skilled workers and where everybody knows his or her role, for example, a University Departmental staff, but it may put a leader out of control if care is not taken. Participatory Leadership Style This is a type of leadership in which the leader shows examples by participating with his or her team members and showing them what to do so that they can carry out the task on their own in future.It asumes that all team members except the leader do not know the task. It encourages teamwork and ensures that all team members are aware of the task ahead. It is a good way of fostering collaborati on. Most skilled workers will not fancy participatory leader because he or she shows thinks that he or she knows all. Service-Oriented Leadership Style It is a type of leadership style in which the leader moderates all team members to reach decision. He is at the back watching proceedings and only comes out with what the team has ageed.It is a form of democracy except that the leader does not influence decision making. The leader only supply the team members with enough information and background for them to deliberate. It is a good way of leadership where the leader does not have knowledge about the technicalities of what is being decided. For example as a chairman of a committee in which he or she does not have knowledge of how things work. It may expose a leader as a novice if he or she does not manage the situation well. Managerial Leadership StyleA managerial leader is only interested in making sure that the job is done. He or she is only concern about the welfare of his or her team in as much as they can do the job. His or her team is measured by its performance. A managerial leader sees all his or her team members as tools for job performance and dispensable. He may be influential or autocratic depending on situation. He is a result-oriented leader. He puts the structure in place for team members to work and satisfy their requirements as far as they are getting results.He does not want to understand why there may be failure and does not give room for second trial. Transactional Leadership Style This is the type of leadership in which rewards are measured by performance. This leadership style believes fingers are not equal and deals with individuals team members according to their performance. Good performances are rewarded while poor performances are punished. Transactional leadership does not consider his or her surbodinates as members of his or her team but as workers who must be managed to get works done. His or her tool is â€Å"carrot and caneâ₠¬ .If works is going on fine, he or she can use award to motivate good work or fines to punish bad work. Transformational Leadership Style A transformational leader is a delegator of tasks and inspires his or her team to share in his or her vision and the objectives. This is a true leader who motivates and care for his or her team. He or she wants to achieve results through his or her team and take time to understand the conditions of all the team members. He or she is visible by the team members and show more interest in the team than in the task ahead.He or she is a good communicator and naturally influence the team. The team members work not only to get paid but for the transformational leader to succeed. The transformational leader sees all his or her team members as potentials and lead by examples. He or she supervises the ideas of his or her team members. This style is good for managing big organisations and large groups like a state. The team members know what the transforma tional leader requires from them and are ready to work without him. There is no leadership style that canbot be used to manage people in order to meet goals.After finding his or her leadership style, a leader should realise that human beings are different from each other in the way they think, see. feel and reason. Leaders should therefore, understand that everybody will require different kind of leadership style to be managed for results. While some people will require transformational leadership style, others will require influential or managerial leadership styles. Leadership Styles of Selected Successful Team Managers Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in British football history – winning more than 30 trophies during his time in charge of the Reds.Yet despite more than two decades at the Manchester United's helm, he remains focused on increasing that tally, bringing yet more silverware to Old Trafford. The Reds boss enjoyed a playing career north of the Eng land border that saw him take in spells with Queens Park, St. Johnstone, Dunfermline, Glasgow Rangers Falkirk and Ayrshire United. But it is not for his playing of the game that Sir Alex was to become a success. Following a spell out of the game he moved into coaching, taking up the role of manager of East Stirlingshire, St Mirren then Aberdeen. It was his time at Pittodrie where he earned his reputation as a top coach.He broke the Glasgow dominance of Scottish football to lead Aberdeen to three Scottish titles, four Scottish cups, one League Cup and one Europeans Cup Winners' Cup. Following the sacking of Ron Atkinsons as manager of Manchester United, the Old Trafford hierachy moed quickly for his services. They got their man on 6 November 1986. Ferguson inherited a dispirited team of underachievers who had consitently, to their supporters failed to break Liverpool dominance to their supporters discontent. Ferguson motivates his team by listening to their needs and is ready to prov ide for them.He sees them as his sons and call everyone of his palyer â€Å"son†. He sees them as the greatest asset of his team and is reay to solve their personal problems as a manager. Ferguson does not allow inter team rivalry and has a good system of conflict resolution. All his team members, sees him as a father and not only as a tea manager. Sir Alex Ferguson is an Influential leader, approachable and humorous. In December 2009, he said the secret of his success is a scruffy old red Wakes wooly hat he nicked off Ryan Giggs (one of his team members) way back in Novemeber 1996 before playing against a team in Turkey.He creates atmosphere of friendliness in his camp and abhor segregation or the existence of unhealthy rivalry in his team. Ferguson said; â€Å"The only time Ryan has ever let himself down is letting me steal his Welsh bunnet. He is never going to get it back, because it is lucky for me. I have always worn it. I pinched it off him when we were in Turkey befo re a game against Ferneberche. At the time, I just thought it would look better on me than him†. He does not do sentimentality when it comes to naming his team. He believes whoever plays for the team is the best choice at the particular time.

Same-sex marriage research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Same-sex marriage research - Essay Example Recent census data reveal that the number of committed same-sex couples in the United States continues to rise, as does the number of same-sex couples raising children. Legal recognition of these relationships is vital to protecting the emotional and economic well-being of these families. Furthermore, legal recognition must be on an equal plane with heterosexual marriage-'separate but equal' is never equal." (Gomes, 15) In the article, Gomes also suggests why the issue of same-sex marriage is so controversial and the various arguments held by the advocates as well as critics of same-sex marriage. Therefore, Gomes's article has made a central contribution to the understanding of the various issues concerning same-sex marriage. According to the article by Gomes, there are several reasons why the advocates of same-sex marriage believe that it should be made legal. The advocates of same-sex marriage argue that the individuals have the prime right to enjoy their freedom and any attack against the practice should be treated as an assault against their personal liberty. According to the article, "The failure to recognize same-sex marriage and to allow adoption by non-biological life partners results in a harmful lack of legal protections for children of gay parents.

Analyse the human resource issue relevant to an organization intending Essay

Analyse the human resource issue relevant to an organization intending to expand into the global market - Essay Example The intention of this study is analysis of human resource management (HRM) processes in Australia and the United Kingdom that has been carried out in the point of view of political, economic, legal, and socio-cultural systems and the evolving business situations. The organization of the sections has assisted in emphasizing the impact of fundamental aspects on HRM practices and policies in each nation, and the context-focused character of HRM. For instance, the economy considerably affects HRM in both nations, but its effect differs. For example, in Australia the recessionary situations of the earlier years are weakening employment traditions and encouraging reforms in the system. The United Kingdom has seen an explosion in foreign direct investment. By using UK’s Organon Laboratories Ltd. as a multinational company planning to expand to Australia, each section reveals several HRM challenges in Australia, as well as in the parent country, the United Kingdom. Taking into account the infancy phase of human resource management in several Asia-Pacific nations, such as Australia, and the assumption that HRM in a cross-cultural and cross-national perspective could be best examined by exploring the effect of dimensions of natural culture this paper tries to analyze the effect of the major national aspects on international HRM by using the planned expansion of UK’s Organon Laboraties Ltd. to Australia. ... The main offices of Organon are located in Oss, southern Netherlands, and it has 55 subordinate units across the globe, with two in the United Kingdom: (1) management, marketing, etc. in Cambridge, England, and (2) processing, research and development in Motherwell, Scotland (Tayeb 2005, 210). Organon hires 10,000 people all over the world. It was founded in 1948 and its primary goods are human prescription medication and its market is prescription pharmacies. It is one of the major providers of oral contraceptives and infertility drugs (Tayeb 2005, 210). Astra Zeneca and GlaxoSmithKline are its main competitors. Organon’s mission statement is provided by Akzo Nobel. Nevertheless, being the main actor in the pharmaceutical unit, the company aspires to sustain its independence. Hence mention of Akzo Nobel are silenced, for instance the manner personnel answer callers is ‘Organon Laboratories’ (Tayeb 2005, 211). In other branches their image is more strongly identif ied with Akzo. Each of the two sub-divisions in the UK has a human resource (HR) manager. However, there is only one Managing Director in the UK. The employee guidelines of Scotland are slightly controlled by the main office. The HR manager has acquired the practices and guidelines which have progressed since 1948 (BioPortfolio 2011). Employees have been permitted to develop work hours, payment rules and employment agreements that would meet the needs of the firm in the UK. There has been a productive relationship with the directors who have been major guardians of company guidelines in the UK, such as Cambridge’s Managing Director and Motherwell’s Process Director and Research Director (Tayeb 2005). They were somewhat like-minded with regard to employment issues, the parent

Shakespeares personal life and the writings of Hamlet Research Paper

Shakespeares personal life and the writings of Hamlet - Research Paper Example The rest of this essay is an exercise toward this end. First of all, in order to understand the connection between the personal and the professional, it is important to locate the exact time period in which the play was written. Given that Shakespeare lived during the late sixteenth century and early seventeenth century, there are no authoritative accounts of when the play was written. So one can only arrive at a tentative date; and scholarly consensus designates the period between 1599 and 1602. (Fedderson, 2000, p.145) By this time, Shakespeare was already an established playwright and his works had acquired him critical appreciation as well as popular recognition. He was in his late thirties by this time and been married to Anne Hathaway for close to twenty years. Hence, it is fair to say that Shakespeare had seen enough of lifes challenges and travails to have gained insights into human relationships. (Ross, 1999, p.6) And the vividness with which the author puts forth emotions related to betrayal, treachery and grave indignation in the play is a reflection of his own maturity as a person. As Prof. Park Honanspents recent biography on the great artist reveals, â€Å"In addition to fresh information about the women in Shakespeares life, what has come to light is playwrights connections with more sinister matters and how his personal experiences of treachery were mirrored on stage. Using new computerised linguistic research, researchers claim that Shakespeares acquaintance with murder in his private life was not only reflected in the plots of his plays, but actually performed by Shakespeare on stage.† (The Birmingham Post, Oct, 1998, p.3) This is a relevant observation, for the central plot of Hamlet is one of revenge and murder. In it, Prince Hamlet contrives to kill his uncle Claudius, for his father was killed and the throne usurped by the latter. Shakespeare is no stranger

Politics of climate change science and its uses and abuses Essay

Politics of climate change science and its uses and abuses - Essay Example nd the challenges that he encountered during his research from Papal, fellow scientists and even had to be held under house rest for the rest of his life. He shows that the progress of scientific knowledge is determined by lack of political dictation. Politics cannot dictate what scientists research on, nor can their findings be ignored even if they threaten our beliefs or personal economic circumstance. On the other hand, Sarewitz supports that there is looming climate change crisis which he says is grounded on scientific rationality that lacks, moral base, experience and empathy. This is a rationality that relies on natural sciences and economics and excludes history, culture and politics. In his case, science and climate policy may not be adequate ways of combating climate change. Rather a change in the morality of the society and the need to care about science, rationality and truth, he argues are the key towards scientific rationalism. The film, an inconvenient truth, produced by Al Gore also identifies with the presence of a looming climate change and global warming. Gore discusses the scientific facts behind global warming showing how it affects the environment. He provides the effects that result from failure to respond to this crisis and points out an inconvenient truth of what all individual can do to conserve and protect the

Interior design and its impact on future Research Paper

Interior design and its impact on future - Research Paper Example Implementing sustainable designs to projects is a relatively new concept to designers who live all around the world. However it is necessary. Sustainable design is no longer becoming just an option according to Hill. In fact, it is becoming a â€Å"standard† in designing both the exterior and the interior of buildings. The goal of every interior designer and every architect should be creating awareness among the people within their community (and possibly outside their community as well) that there is a need to push for a greener environment, even if the spaces to be built and designed would be used for commercial purposes. Not only would there be incredible decreases in the depletion of natural resources and financial decreases in the purchase of construction materials, there would also be decreases in the need for man power, as a greener environment within a building would call for less energy to be used up (Hill). According to Tseng (332), the â€Å"green building† i s something that is not just environment-friendly, but is also essential for causing the least number of problems with regards to the surrounding buildings and all the human beings who live or who work in the same area. This way, the designers and architects of a building project are able to fulfil their responsibility in providing something beneficial for the general public. Thus, interior designers have begun to make use of the resources that they have. There is less buying and more of making do with what is available. In this section, I shall relay the kinds of solutions that both architects and interior designers have undertaken to create ‘green environments.’ Previous years showed that most businesses had the view that if they incorporate anything in their business that is for helping the environment, then it would not be good for business. Profits would be

Affordable Health Care Act without sovereignty to native Americans Essay

Affordable Health Care Act without sovereignty to native Americans - Essay Example But as the Act is remarked by experts to be rigid with concern to the citizens’ need, it is ought to face different consequences (ProCon.org, 2010). This paper reviews the difficulties faced by the act as well as the citizens of the U.S. with respect to the implementation of the act. Literature Review On October 29 2009, the Affordable Health Care Act was introduced in the United States House of Representatives. Through the implementation of this act, the government intended to serve the citizens of Native American nations with efficient healthcare services and that too in a minimum expense. But the implementation of health care act has provided for various contradictions to itself which has been stated by various authors (H. R. 3962, 2009). First (2005) states that inconsistency practices in US health care system are a result of insufficient consideration to the quality systems which also caused other disadvantages related to its sole purpose. One of the major reasons for the drawback is that the policies concerning healthcare system in US was tangled with issues faced in the early experiences. The practices in relation to health inconsistencies involve the social and the technical facts as significant aspects. It is very essential to identify the problems associated with the implementation of the Act by the authority responsible, so that the outcome delivers the sole purpose widely concerned on the health securities of the citizens without or with minimum social or economic consequences. So, the U.S. government’s effort should be on eliminating the drawbacks and it should also focus on improving the quality of care provided to the patients (First, 2005). Background of the Act It has been depicted in the article of Health Policy Brief (2011) that approximately 30 lawsuits have been filed by private citizens, law makers, organizations and the state governments challenging the features of the Affordable Care Act 2009 (Health Policy Brief, 2011). In the article, it has been mentioned that sec 1501 of the Affordable Care Act identifies the ‘individual responsibility requirement’, also known as Individual Mandate. By the year 2014, the provision specifies that US citizens and nationals need to maintain ‘minimum essential health insurance coverage’ or else are required to pay a penalty allotted. Coverage can be available through an employer or individuals or even through public programmes such as Medicaid and Medicare among others. This policy measure, as mentioned in the Act, can be of adverse affect as the penalty has been sanctioned. Citizens who are below the poverty line are forced to purchase the health care policy which might result into difficult prospective. Therefore, the healthcare act should not be entitled to penalise rather the act should be implemented with great care as it is a need rather than demand (Health Policy Brief, 2011). A dilemma has often aroused regarding Health Care Act. For instance the action of federal government to impose the Act was argued to be subjected to their limitations to participate in such social development issues. Danner (2011) opposes the provision mentioned in the Act, i.e. the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which states the Individual Mandate. The policy of Individual Mandate states that each and every American must buy the Health Insurance or else will be penalised. According to Danner (2011), this is overextending usage of government power. Providing the health care by violating the freedom of the citizen is of no good and is also unconstitutional (Danner, 2011). Complaints by the associated states The Attorney Generals

Wicked Environmental Problems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wicked Environmental Problems - Research Paper Example This mixture of water, sand, and chemicals will hold the fractures open and let the gas trapped inside seep back through the drilled holes to the surface. This process has the problem of the quantity of water and chemicals used. The process has its benefits in the clean fuel and economic growth. This paper will explain the negative impacts of the process and why the negative impacts are difficult to manage. Negative Environmental Impact Drilling in Allegany county of Marcellus Shale seems like a brilliant idea and an excellent opportunity that many people seek to explore. There are many flaws, however, associated with this renowned energy source. This paper only discusses the proven and documented problems. First, the focus is on the many gallons of water that will be utilized in the process. In the drilling process, to retrieve the gas, approximately four million gallons of water are required (Campbell and Laherrere 79). This water is harnessed form the nearby rivers and streams and is used until the whole process is completed. Some may say that this volume of water is insignificant compared to the average water from the municipal council that is used on a daily basis (Campbell and Laherrere 83). The water from the municipal council is used in homes and institutions, whereas the water used in the drilling process is said to be a consumptive water loss; this water does not return to the water cycle, and most of it remains deep in the ground for many years. Regulation measures should be provided to ensure that the demand for water is not as high as to debilitate the local waterways (Olsthoorn and Anna 23). Water is just one of the many ingredients of the drilling process. The second alarming concern lies in the many chemicals that are used for the effective retrieval of the gas and to hold open the cracks in the earth. These chemicals include benzene, kerosene, hydraulic acid neurotoxins, and many other dangerous chemicals (Harvey 90). For each drilling process, more than 15,000 gallons of these harmful chemicals are used. The chemicals are transported via large trucks to the drilling site where they are mixed with water. The procedure of mixing the two is risky – if a spill occurs even in small scale, the great concentration of the chemicals will have many devastating effects on human health and the environment. Small scale spills are a common occurrence and collectively these small spills have a large cumulative impact (Harvey 96). Handling and treatment of the waste water that is generated is the other problem that is associated with the drilling process. The current municipal water treatment facilities are not equipped to handle the chemicals (Marion 44). Proper treatment of the waste water is an expensive process, and, in most cases, the water is left to sit in man-made ponds, which pose significant threat to the human population in the area due to potential leaks and the wild animals that may wander into the exposed chemical p onds. Such infractions have been witnessed in the drilling processes in Pennsylvania (Marion 28). Environmentalists have claimed that the process of hydro-fracking is an extremely detrimental to the water supply and natural habitat. The process has become controversial and has received a lot of debate in the recent years (Cunningham and Mary 34). A significant amount of forestland loss and surface damage should be available for an area to undergo the process of hydro-fracking. The effect is elevated when there are multiple drill sits and an increased number of access roads. The environmentalists have argued that the process causes earthquakes and many explosions above the ground and is responsible for draining stream water, which is a precious resource in many places (Cunningham and

Mobile Computing Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Mobile Computing Technologies - Essay Example The capability of FHSS to resist any interference from false RF signals is supposed to be quite a number of times better than the capability of DSSS. The implementation of FSSS system is easier. A lower power density is used by DSSS. This makes the detection of DSSS harder. Another reason why DSSS is not preferred is that in order to ensure reception it sends redundant copies of encoded data. One of the implications that may be associated in this case is that the assignment would have to be within the standards set by ITU. The maximum limit of allocation cannot exceed 300GHz in accordance with the set limits as shown in Figure 2: (Roke Manor Research, n.d.) 2. The receiver system to be used is based on the Superheterodyne design. Briefly explain the principle of operation of the Superheterodyne and discuss any potential issues which may be of concern with this type of receiver design and receiver systems in general. The way Superhetrodyne receives is that it uses frequency mixing and converts its received signal into a fixed Intermediate Frequency. An If or an Intermediate Frequency is much conveniently processed than the conventional radio carrier frequency. One concern with Superhetrodyne is that along with the wanted signal it also generates an unwanted signal which is referred to as image frequency. This is a problem because it is a false response. The only way this response can be prevented by incorporating a filter that would restrict the image frequency from reaching the mixer. It has been decided that the cost of implementing a bespoke communication link is too expensive and the existing cellular infrastructure will be used. The GSM mobile unit 1.5km away is receiving a signal from the Vodafone base station transmitter on top of the Owen Building (postcode S1 1WB). When signals collided with road traffic they can cause diffraction, absorption and multipath fading. When signals collide with a material it can lose its strength and its path can be reflected and refracted thus causing a delay in receiving the signal which results in Multipath fading.     

Obligation Definition Essay Example for Free

Obligation Definition Essay The question presented in this discussion is definitely one that has no easy answer. I will start by saying, a obligation is defined by what a person is bound to from either tradition or law. If I took a relative approach I would say that morals and ethical obligation are subjective. I personally believe that to a extent humans do have a obligation to animals. To go out of your way to depict cruelty to any creature illustrates a flaw in your own character. However, humans dont have to have a diet that includes meat but most do. Even in these cases the way that the livestock is going to be treated does not have to be treated cruelly, or put in discomfort. I remember watching a show in which the farmer said, that his cows tasted so good because they lived a happy life. In many ways he treated the cows akin to a pet, by feeding them properly, making sure their living quarters are clean, and showing them affection. His belief was that by doing this his cows meat was more tender, then if he hadnt done these practices. Do I believe this maybe, maybe not. However, this does illustrate that the livestock that we consume does not have to be treated in a cruel manner. Yet, in theory in our society animals do not perform any function but companionship and food, which means humans really dont have a obligation to them. However, I feel it is boorish to depict cruelty to any creature or anyone.

Social Pedagogy in Child Development

Social Pedagogy in Child Development The education success of both children and young people cannot be comprehended, not in education terms, but must also align with social and economic circumstances that afflict them. Community education can be perceived as grounded in three key pillars, namely: the nature of man; the prevailing social conditions and social challenges; and, pedagogy. The idea of social pedagogy avails a fascinating collection of paradigms in facilitating education for sociality. The social education plus the social group manifests some overlapping concerns as pedagogue has tended to strip away its democratic and communal significance minimizing it to pedagogy for case management. Until the end of the last century, in UK, the local and national policy remained grounded in concise boundaries between the disciplines of education, social care, and childcare. The distinct divisions were evident at diverse levels whether conceptual, organizational, professional, and in relation to training and education. Nevertheless, the UK has witnessed significant changes in administrative reorganization of the responsibility for childrens services and a change in the manner in which individuals envision provision for both children and young people. Social pedagogy delineates education in the expansive sense of the word or a perspective entailing social action that aims at facilitating human welfare via child-rearing and education practices; to safeguard or ease social problems by availing individuals with the means to manage their own lives, and effect changes within their circumstances. The fundamental notion of social pedagogy centres on facilitating social functioning, inclusion, involvement, social identity and competence as fully functional members of the society. Social pedagogy in practice incorporates an all encompassing and personal approach to child care in all its facets that connects education and care, and support for families. In addition, social pedagogy avails a prospective approach to training at diverse levels that integrates education, psychology, and philosophy with the spheres of child care, family support, and the advancement of childrens rights. Social pedagogy can be viewed as an activity and a collection of ideas that, while mirroring the broader concerns for the welfare of children, is organic and adjustable to the attributes of the society, and mirrors humanistic values grounded in a representation of children as active agents in society. As such, social pedagogy operates in the here and now and employs the moment as a launch pad for pedagogical practice. Social pedagogues have been implemented across Europe in a broad range of service such as early years, schools, residential care, youth work and family support, disability services, and in some instances support for the senior citizens. Public policy within England has started to acknowledge that social, pedagogic training is a significant way to enhance practice within social care. This stems from the realization that this bears the potential to underpin a more collaborative approach, and aid to establish a shared language for working with children that could be adopted by diverse professionals operating within their own practice contexts. Social pedagogy bears a critical focus on constructing relationships via practical engagement with children, the youth, and families. It avails the basis for training entities working with children and young people and presents a certain expertise in working with groups and utilizing the group as a support. Social pedagogy can be employed as a foundation for workforce reform within UK since it can avail a strong basis for an approach to children, young people, and families that exemplify ideals of active citizenship, rights, and participation. The positive aspects that can be derived from social, pedagogic practice entail: it avails a holistic view to engaging children and youth by exploring on the whole child/young person and availing support to their overall development. Social pedagogy underlines relationship building with children and young people, especially in the development of practical skills to assist in the relationship building. Similarly, social pedagogy highlights child ren and young peoples development, especially on their emotional wellbeing. Social pedagogy demonstrates the significance of reflection, and the capability to herald both theoretical understanding and self knowledge to the process of working with young people, besides it facilitates childrens rights, participation, and empowerment. Effectiveness of social pedagogy in working with children, young people, and families Drawing from several case studies on successful approaches to enhancing the wellbeing of looked after children within other countries such as Denmark, Germany, and France, British stakeholders working within childcare settings and with young people can draw immense and promising lessons from social, pedagogic models with the primary social, pedagogic objective being fostering healthy cognitive, and social development within everyday settings. Bringing social pedagogy to England is likely to better childrens services and herald greater coherence with several services becoming largely social pedagogic provisions. The holistic notion of social pedagogy combines two dimensions: the social (caring) and the pedagogic (cognitive). This prompts some elementary alterations in the way in which the government should engage children and young people. The adoption of social pedagogy will aid to deliver a stronger workforce manifesting better communication professionals engaged with both children and young people, thus highlighting elevated focus on every aspect of the childs life. According to the UNICEF report (2007), UK ranks low in terms of child wellbeing assessment in which factors such as health and safety, material wellbeing, childrens relationships, education wellbeing, young peoples behaviours and risks. Thus, is essential that action undertaken by UK at the national level matches its European counterparts. The incorporation of social pedagogy in the work of children and young people will work towards elevating UK standards, and enhancing childrens and young peoples overall wellbeing. The adoption of social pedagogy can avail a number of benefits to social policy. As an overarching concept, social pedagogy could bring enhanced coherence to childrens and young peoples services as demonstrated by the adoption of Childrens Plan. In addition, pedagogy could also avail a platform for discussing aspirations of children and young people within the society. Social pedagogy also manifests the capability to establish the family support network and reinforce childrens overall development. Social pedagogy can serve several aspects of government policy towards both children and young people. Pedagogy manifests the possibility for an inclusive approach. The normalizing approach inherent in social pedagogy aligns with governments aims for children with exceptional needs. Pedagogic approaches are mainly child-focused, instead of procedure-focused. Although attention to procedures is a significant part of work, it should not necessary shape it basis. Overall the adoption of social pedagogy will deliver immense support to reinforcing professionalism of the worker and enhancing the transparency of practice, which avail best guarantee to child safety. Social pedagogy plays a role in working with young people via the provision of personal advisor services. Fundamental to the concept of social pedagogy is the pursuit to enhance current welfare practice by facilitating creativity. Creativity depicts an active process whereby the social pedagogue works with the individual employing their service in the manner in which they maximize their potential, their capability t arrive at decisions and enhance their life chances. The inventive and all-encompassing approach to social pedagogy can deliver beneficial effects with regard to enhancing self belief and self confidence of individuals within a range of varying situations. A critical feature of social pedagogy is the recreation of relationships depicted by an attempt to enhance social assimilation and a commitment to guaranteeing that the people pedagogues work with, connect and/or re-engage with the communities in which they reside. According to Eischesteller and Rapey (2007), social pedagogy could play a critical function in reclaiming the nucleus values of the youth work within the UK. The adoption of social pedagogy can empower the participants and reinforce their self esteem, their acting, skill and individual development of productive new life. As such, young people will be able to turn a problem into something that they can be able to work with as mirrored by the close and compassionate character of the social pedagogues rapport with the young people. The social pedagogues can aid young people to exercise significant steps with regard to developing essential life skills. Social pedagogy is likely to benefit children and young people within the UK, as is avails support and direction to young people who might feel dislodged and cut off from the society by aiding them to gain support and direction. Social pedagogy highlights excellence in youth work and social work practice and facilitates children and young people to be proficient fully functional members of the society. Social pedagogy is beneficial in constructing positive informal relationships that enable professionals to view individuals in a holistic way. Problems and/or Barriers to the adoption of Social Pedagogy It is apparent that the implementation of social pedagogy is reliant on its social context; therefore, the implementation of social pedagogy within the UK will differ from that of the European counterparts and must be assembled in dialogue with professionals, building on the present practice, motivating them with diverse ideas, and underlying their practice with pedagogic thinking, concepts, and theories. There may be barriers to introducing the term social pedagogy to the children, and youth workforce n England owing to deficiency in familiarity with the language of social pedagogy, diverse interpretations on the connotation of social, pedagogic policy, and absence of a tradition of social pedagogy policy, training, theory, and practice. One of the outstanding problems that manifests in the adoption of social pedagogy is the perceived competition with social work, plus other professions. The greatest divergence social work and social pedagogy centres on the degree to which social pedagogues remained trained for work within group settings, in which they share the daily lives and activities of both children and young people. This is less factual for social work within UK since in the rest Europe, social work and social pedagogy do not appear to be in competition as they manifest diverse complementary facets of work. Another barrier to the introduction of social pedagogy into the UK entail the possibility that it will be perceived as being too idealistic; not adequately appropriate; not adequately well understood or valuable within a UK context; not essentially appropriate for all professionals working with young people or children; and, a discrepancy in its education and training. There may also be concerns centring on the challenges of funding and the potential dilution of individual specialisms, and the possibility of resistance of the workforce in the event that appropriate account was not considered of the cultural variations between the UK and the European countries. Another barrier stems from the observation that devoid of publicly funded training opportunities that match the duration and depth of those found in the rest of Europe a profession comparative to that of the pedagogue cannot be effectively established. Youth work within UK stands to be re-energized by the incorporation of social pedagogy framework within the activities of youth workers. The adopted perspective should move beyond an individual focus to one that employs an approach that appreciates structural perspectives. Nevertheless, in adopting a social pedagogy for work with children, young people, and families, it is critical to consider the difficulties of integrating social pedagogy into a diverse cultural, political, and social context. The practice and cultural shift apparent in the adoption of social pedagogy may not be always welcome. For instance, social pedagogy perceives risk taking as an educational goal that conflicts with the considerable priority awarded to health and safety within childrens homes. Whereas the values and the general approach of social pedagogy appeals to practitioners, there remain embedded difficulties within the organization of services for children within residential care when it comes to initiating social pedagogy. This implies a need to respond to social pedagogy not only as a training issue, but also a sector development issue. Conclusion UK should integrate social pedagogy for work with children, young people, and families in a constructive and beneficial way. The adoption of social pedagogy in the work with children and young people is likely to create an environment that cultivates relationships between young people and staff, and fashions a sense of positivity and wellbeing. The social, pedagogic model should be grounded in nurturing relationships, creativity, and individuality. Social pedagogy spotlights positive youth development that highlights young peoples assets rather than their deficits. This perspective can be broadened by identifying young people as agents of change. Social pedagogy would promote the children and young peoples workforce as it: persuade professionals not to compartmentalize certain facets of children or young peoples lives; delivers more person driven approach; persuade professionals to highlight the views of the children or young people; and, persuade professionals to consider all facets of a childs life.

The good shepherd

The good shepherd Our lesson this morning from Johns gospel concerns this idea of integrity. The butcher in our story probably turned many different shades of red when the lady asked him for both of the chickens since he had only one. He wasnt being too honest with her, he wasnt being too nice, and now he was caught in his lack of honesty. Jesus is not talking about butchers this morning, but he is telling the people a parable about a good shepherd, a shepherd who was honest, caring, compassionate, and will to die to take care of his sheep. Jesus is telling us something about himself, as he is the good shepherd for our lives. He is telling us through this parable three things about himself as the good shepherd. Jesus uses this parable about shepherds because the people in his day knew the kind of life that a shepherd lived; it was a difficult life, a hard life. A shepherd felt he had a calling from a young age to tend sheep, so he spent his whole young life learning how to care for the sheep, then the rest of his adult life tending the sheep, fighting off the animals who would eat the sheep, and sometimes fighting off robbers who would steal the sheep. It was a lonely life, a difficult life, but if a shepherd did his job well everyone would know that he was a good shepherd. Jesus uses what the people would understand, a parable about shepherds to tell us something about himself, that he is the good shepherd of our lives. But before we see what is good about the good shepherd, we need to look at this word good In the Greek language, which was the language the New Testament was written. There are two words that can be translated into our English word good, the first agathose which implies a moral and efficient quality about a person. A person is good because they can perform their signed task well. But there is another word that also means good and. it is kalos, it not only means what the other did, but it adds the quality of loveliness, or attractiveness to it. It is the kind of goodness that makes us feel wanted and secure. Jesus as the good shepherd or as one translation puts it the model shepherd brings to the job the strength and courage of an earthly shepherd, but also the qualities of beauty and kindness which helps us to call him friend. Now that we have laid the foundation for Jesus being the Good shepherd of our lives, the model shepherd, we can see what is so good about him why he is the model shepherd. First Jesus says that the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A shepherd in Jesus day if he truly did his job with all of his being, and not just for the money would be willing and able to lay down his life for the sheep he was protecting. Jesus is telling us, he was willing to lay down his life for us, his sheep. He wasnt in it for the money or the glory, but Jesus would not flee when trouble came, he was willing to lay down his life, to sacrifice his life for us so that we night gain favour with the Father in heaven. There was a pastor who once visited a sheep ranch and saw a very strange lamb. It looked as though it had 2 heads and 8 feet. He asked the rancher about it. The rancher explained that one of their sheep had a baby but the mother died. They tried to give the orphan sheep to another mother-sheep but when she smelled it, she rejected it. Then they skinned the dead sheep and put the skin on the live lamb. Now the mother-sheep accepted the lamb as her own and cared for it, In a like manner, Jesus as the good shepherd died for us as the Lamb of God, and God accepts us because we are clothed with the Lambs robe of righteousness. Jesus was willing to lay down his life for us, so that we might have life, life with the Father and life for eternity. The good shepherd, who Jesus is, is willing to die for the sheep, so that the sheep can live. Jesus died for us freely so that we might life. Notice Jesus says that he laid down his life freely, no one takes his life, but he was willing to give his life for us. Jesus loves us enough, cares about us enough to die for us. He could have used his power to get out of dying for us, but he chose to struggle, to die, so that we might live. This is a powerful statement of the love, the mercy, the compassion, and the caring that Jesus our saviour has for each of us.Next Jesus says that the good shepherd knows his sheep. Knows his sheep by name. A young lady came to her pastors office trouble about this statement, How does Jesus know and is interest, in her personally. She asked, How can I believe that God is interested in what happens to me? The pastor replied, Look at your fingers. There are billions of finger tips in the world, but no others are like yours. Even your finger tips have had special attention from God. Yes, we are special; God does care for each of us. This morning when you come to the table to eat and to drink, you are receiving a special invitation from God to partake in this meal, in a personal and individual way we come in physical contact with Jesus through his body and blood. God knows that we need this special time, this physical relationship with him to reassure us, to convince us, that he does love us, that he does care for us, and that he is interested in us as individual people. We are collectively Gods children, we collectively are the sheep of Jesus fold, hut individually we are also Gods children, and individually the sheep of Jesus fold. And as individuals, he is concerned about us, he cares about us, he reaches his hand of grace individually into each of our lives. Each of us, all of us are unique people, who are special to God. We are special not because we are good, or righteous, or have somehow pleased God, but because God loves us as we are or in some ways in spite of what we are God still loves us. He showed us that by the sacrifice he had his son make on the cross for us. God is concerned about us from the hairs on our heads to the blisters on our toes. God through his good shepherd, Jesus Christ, loves us, cares about us, and wants his gracious will of love to be done in each of our lives. Finally as the good shepherd, Jesus tells us he gathers together his sheep into a fold. Jesus is telling us through his spirit he gathers us who belong to him. It is the work of the spirit to gather us together as the members of the body of Christ. It is the work of the spirit, to gather the body once a week to worship and praise God. Jesus knows this time we spend together once a week is very important for our spiritual lives. It is during this time that we hear again the promises that God has made for us, it is here that we relive the life that Jesus lived on this earth. It is here that we encounter again and again the great love that God has for us. It is important that we come here often to be refreshed, to be renewed, to hear again about our God and the great love he has for us. As the good shepherd, Jesus says that it is important for him to gather the sheep together into a fold, but notice he doesnt stop with just the sheep that are immediately at hand, no he says that other sheep must be brought into this fold. The fold of sheep, the church, is always changing, growing, adding and loosing members. The fold is not a constant place, but it is an alive place, a place where things happen, where changes are made, where people grow in faith, where people meet new people of faith, who help us to understand Gods love. The fold, or the church, is an ever changing, alive, growing place. It is the place where Jesus, through his spirit is alive. It is the place where we can encounter God through his spirit because he promises to be here with us as we gather in his name. God is here with us this morning, his spirit is here leading us in our worship of him. And as we leave to go back out to world Gods spirit will go with us, helping us with life, giving us direction giving us courage, giving us his peace to cope with all the brokenness of life. Yes, the good shepherd gathers his sheep together in a fold, in the church, ch, because here, we are cared for, here te are feed, here we can learn from each other about faith, here we can help one another as we face all the difficulties-of life. Being in the fold, the church is important for the members. NOTICE ONE OTHER THING Jesus says about being in the fold. He says that as he calls sheep to the fold they will heed his voice. They will listen to him. When we come to the fold, we come to listen to the voice of Jesus. We come to hear him, we come to encounter him. And notice Jesus says those of the fold will heed his voice. They will listen to him. Jesus is saying something here about responsibility, about our job as members of the fold, as members of the church. We are to listen to him. To obey what he says. Yes, Jesus is the good shepherd of our lives. He laid down his live freely for us, he knows each of us personally because we are important to him, and he gathers us together in his fold, the church, so that we might listen to him. Yes, Jesus is the good shepherd, the one who leads us down the pathway of life. He is our guide, he is our companion, he is the one who will take care of us. Jesus is our good shepherd; he is the one who loves us.

Women on Death Row :: Capital Punishment Essays

Women on Death Row The eighth amendment protects Americans from the infliction of cruel and unusual punishment. Many death penalty opponents use this as the backbone to their argument against capital punishment. Other than being cruel, I do not think that the death penalty can be used judiciously in the United States or any other part of the world. Personally, I do not think that human beings are perfect and as such they cannot set up a perfect justice system. In any justice system that is flawed and allows bias in certain cases, the death penalty should not be used as a means of punishment because of its irrevocable nature. When I came across Sarah Hawkins’ article regarding the case of Karla Faye Tucker, I was surprised to see the manifestation of my fears of the biases involved in the use of the death penalty in the case of this woman. Hawkins described how the representations of Tucker as a white, heterosexual Christian woman worked in her favor in the criminal justice system, and how media representations perpetuated the argument for her release from death row. Hawkins made very valid and convincing arguments that representations of â€Å"womanhood† that are expected in American culture can make a large difference in how we perceive criminals, and in certain cases these representations can be a matter of life or death. Of course, we all know from common sense that women are far less likely to be sentenced to death row than men. This should tip us off to the differences that the judicial system discriminates even in matters as important as murder or other capital offences. But within the subgroup of women prisoners there can be a distinction made between the representations of women more likely to be sentenced to death row, or in this case shown compassion while on death row. Hawkins describes this compassion as â€Å"typically extended only to female inmates who fit a certain predetermined societal profile of women†. This definition of â€Å"women† or â€Å"womanhood† is very interesting and deserves to be explored. In my past, I have a conception of women as being sweet and frail; basically incapable of doing wrong because they are too nice or too weak to do so. Women who are too intelligent or too strong are cast off as being masculine or lesbians. When female basketball pl ayers are seen on television, they are perceived as trying to be masculine.

Use of Images and Imagery in Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Use of Imagery in Macbeth  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As defined in the Webster's Students Dictionary, imagery is a figurative term which reveals description by applying the five senses. William Shakespeare's usage of the imagery of animals, the imagery of blood, the imageries of clothing and weather, are frequently shown throughout the play. Through examples of imageries of animals, Shakespeare uses literary elements such as symbolism. Before Suncan's assassination, animals, such as the owl and the falcon, emerged from the night and acted unnatural, "even like the deeds that's done." "It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman, which gives the stern'st good-night." In Act 2, scene 2, Lady Macbeth waits anxiously for Macbeth to return from killing Duncan, the King of Scotland. The step that Macbeth is leaping over goes against the rules of nature, and when thsi happens, animals and weather erupt. The owl is a bellman because, according to superstition, the hoot of the owl portends death. He is fatal, perhaps because he death and horror. thus, when the owls screamed and the crickets cried, it symbolized evil and ominous doings. In Act 2, scene 4, Ross and an old man exchange accounts of the disturbed night and the recent unnatural happenings. Hours seemed dreadful and things strange. The heavens and animals are troubled by man's presence on earth's stage, where he performs his bloody acts. The night has been unruly, houses and chimneys were being destroyed by fierceful winds, and everything was filled with "dire combustion." The indistinguishable bird of darkness, the owl, clamored the night. "A falcon, tow'ring in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl, whose normal prey is a mouse. The night has become more powerful than the day or else the day is hiding its face in shame. Also, Macbeth's horses, the choicest examples of their breed, turned feral, as they broke their stalls, and were said to have eaten each other. Horses do not each other. Bizarre events occured the night Duncan was murdered by Macbeth. These dreadful events took place at night, a symbolic reference to the evil doings of men. There is a sense of fear, wonderment, amazement, and mystery. An atmosphere of death is symbolized by the behavior of the animals of the night. "The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements." In Act I, scene 5, Lady Macbeth has already planned the assassination.

Aging in Matthew Arnolds Growning Old and Robert Brownings Rabbi Ben Ezra :: Matthew Arnold Growning Old Essays

Aging in Matthew Arnold's Growning Old and Robert Browning's Rabbi Ben Ezra  Ã‚   Contemporaries of the Victorian Age, Matthew Arnold and Robert Browning wrote the poems, "Growning Old" and "Rabbi Ben Ezra," respectively, to express their views on aging. Arnold suffers tremendously, for he lives in melancholy solitude with his deteriorating body, helpless in his moral and physical pain. Browning, a happier man, finds much joy in his age and comfort in the moral and spiritual strength which God gives him. In effect, while Arnold pessimistically dwells on the physical pain accompanying the aging process and the inevitability of a cruel death, Browning devoutly expresses his optimistic outlook of old age and death as God's consummate end to the labors of life. Arnold's pessimism regarding aging leaves no room for optimism. The reader encounters this negativity right away, for in the first stanza Arnold ascertains, in answer to his question "What is it to grow old?", that aging involves "[losing] the glory of the form." The words "lose the glory" implicate a tragic and perhaps humiliating experience. Furthermore, Arnold describes the loss of "the glory of the form" as a time when "beauty [forgoes] her wreath," a phrase which presents the reader with the image of a queen abandoning her crown, as her time of glory ends forever. Arnold gives the reader another foreboding image of aging in line twenty-four, when he describes himself as being incarcerated by his age with the image of the "hot prison of the present, month to month with weary pain." The words "hot", "weary", "prison", and "pain" effectively portray Arnold's suffering and discomfort to the reader, simultaneously lending to his overall pessimistic standpoint. In addition, Arnold exp eriences an absense of feeling in accordance with his age. In the fourth stanza he declares that old age dies not imply gazing down on the world with "rapt prophetic eyes" and a "heart profoundly stirred/ to weep and feel the fullness of the past." Furthermore, he writes, "Deep in our hidden heart/ Festers the dull remembrance of a change/ But no emotion--none." One critic concurs, stating that Arnold's age induces an "emotional frigidity" (Madden 115). Another critic describes Arnold as having an "incapacity for feeling" (Bush 50). As to the "dull remembrance of a change" Madden adds, "There was always the memory of that 'different world' [which Arnold] had once known..." (115). Most probably, the "different world" of which Madden speaks is Arnold's youth, of which the poet only has a "dull remembrance" left, suggesting that Arnold finds no fulfillment or feeling in the memories of his youth.

Indian Dances Essay

India shows a variety of dances which can be seen in various parts of the country. These dances are performed differently and are an important aspect in Indian dance because they bring the past in the present by telling us about ancient Indian history. Besides entertainment these dances are knowledgble. The Indian dance are divided in two types Indian classical dance and Indian folk dance. The Indian classical dance comprises of : Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Mohini attam, Manipuri and kathakali. The Indian folk dance contains Bhangra and special dance observed in regional festives. Besides giving us knowledge and entertaintment, these forms of dances shows unity in the diversity among people. Bharat Natyam was originated in a script called the Natya Shastra. This manuscript was written by Sage Bharata around 4000 B. C. This dance is first used to show energy and emotions and is one of the oldest form of dance among classical Indian dance. In this form of classical Indian dance called Bharata Natyam, performers can convey beliefs, legends, and ideas through movements, gestures, and expressions put to song. Bharat Natyam is the alternative way of storytelling, which has similar ideas to that which student read in today’s literature. It tells about the ancient literature of India. The Kathak dance derives its name from the community of Kathaks who are custodians of the art. The words Kathak and Kathakali are derived from katha meaning storytelling and kali meaning play. The Kathak means storytelling and Kathakali, story play. Kathak dancing performed by a dancer who stands and moves and lasya (the aspect) in which the dancer kneels or remains immobile the whole time except for the (gat) a descriptive passage, performed in a gentle rhythm and tells stories with his expressive powers only, with his face and hands. For kathakali special massage is given to the feet. The Kathakali technique of using the face expression is a pure marvel of accomplishment. Some ancient masters of this dance have such control of their facial muscles that they can laugh with one side and cry with the other. It is therefore understood that Indian dancing is not just physical movements of hands and legs; it is a form of physical art with body and mind for both men and women alike as well as a form of worship to the Almighty Divine Gods. Kuchipudi, a form of Indian classical dance, is the dance drama evolved into solo. In this the movement pattern are flowly and rounded. The performance usually begins with some stage rites, after then character comes on to the stage and introduces him/herself with a daru (a small composition of both song and dance) to introduce the identity, set the mood, of the character in the drama. The drama then begins. The dance is accompanied by song and the singer is accompanied by instument. Ornaments worn by the artists are made of a light weight wood. Manipuri dance is one of the major Indian classical dance forms. It originates from Manipur, a state in North-East India. The traditional Manipuri dance consists of lyrical and graceful movements. Tbe aim is to make rounded movements and avoid any jerks, sharp edges or straight lines. This gives soft appearance to Manipuri dance. Of course, behind this soft impressioon lies a tough body control. In this dance, the dancer’s feet should never strike the ground hard enough to interfere with the delicate flow of movemets. Every time the dancer puts down his or her feet, even during vigorous steps, it is the front part of the feet which touch the ground first. The ankle and knee joints are used as shock absorbers. Manipuri dancers do not wera ankle bells, whose purpose in other Indian dances are notice the beats tapped out by the feet.. Like the movemets of the body and feet, the facial expression in Manipuri should be subtle. The main point of the dance style are devotion and grace. Once in India I went to a show to watch Bharat Natyam with my parents and relatives.. The dance was going pretty good, but due to my ignorance about dance, I couldn’t figure what they mean by their movements. In India, the Indian classical dance is fading away with the arrival of Western Indian dance. The classical dance can’t compete with the fast music and body movents in Western Indian dance. Unlike western dance the Indian classical dance take about 12 years of learning which can’t be spent in today’s fast moving and modern generation. The present generation have a task to make these dances easy to learn for the future generation. Indian folk and tribal dances are simple dances, and are performed to express joy in every possible occasion, to celebrate the arrival of seasons, birth of a child, a wedding and festivals. Like Bhangra these dances have minimum of steps or movement. Men and women perform some dances exclusively, while in some perfomances men and women dance together. On most occasions, the dancers sing themselves, while being accompanied by artists on the instruments. Each form of dance has a specific costume. Bhangra is a fusion of music, singing and the beat of the dhol drum. Bhangra has always been popular amongst Punjabi people all over the world. Its traditional sound is often been together with musical styles. The dancers wear different colors of clothes and daces among themselves. In present, bhangra has been fused with disce, techno, house, rap, ragga, and now jungle. These new styles have been so successful that modern bhangra is now being re-exported bace to India. Altogether these forms of dances relate to harvest celebration, love, patriotism or current social issues. Many people do a lot of practice to master in these styles of dances. These dances are popular in India and most parts of the world and people are proud to perfom them. To make the past intact, these dances play a vital role in India. Many schools teach these dances in school to keep these dances through future. These dances bring unity among the people of India and tie them together to form a string of beads connected as people to have a country rich in dance called India.

Product life cycle Essay

Identify and assess the relevance of the ‘product life cycle’ to the notion of employee engagement. Employee engagement can be viewed through the four stages of the product life-cycle Step one is the introduction of the concept of employee engagement, its principles, strategy for enhancing engagement and involving employees, process of change to ensure engagement is fully embedded into the organisation. Step two is growth and growing the concept of engagement through a number of mechanisms: * Support from senior and line managers * Development of line managers in engaging staff * Clear communication and involvement strategy * Involving staff in organisational and job design * Encouraging self and career development planning * Identifying mechanisms for continuous staff feedback * Evaluating and adapting engagement strategies. Step three is reaching maturity and embedding and maintaining the above factors through continuous involvement, participation, communication, evaluation and action And finally, step 4 is the inevitable decline, even though there is a decline it is still important to retain key employees, and their skills and knowledge, and therefore to continuously involve them in managing the change and future strategy. The employee engagement life cycle is an important tool for HR professionals to use to assess how the engagement product fits with the business’s objectives and strategy. Evaluate the future for employee engagement in the UK and global economic context. Future action plans include: * Involving workers in identifying factors that will engage them further * Consideration of the demographic data and identification how to engage staff from all backgrounds at different levels * Further evaluation of the link between engagement practices and performance * Development of managers that can motivate and inspire staff Monster (2011) the online job advertising website conducted an international survey on employees’ views of their line managers and uncovered the following results: * Only 10% described their manager as ‘brilliant’ * 73% feels their manager does not invest in their self-development * 70% believe that they could do their manager’s job to a higher standard * 41% of UK workers felt their managers were totally incompetent Line managers are pivotal to enhancing engagement through empowering, motivating, inspiring, coaching and helping the employee develop themselves to enhance performance. Key areas where managers require further development include: * Responding to grievances and confronting issues * Empowering and involving workers on decisions that impact on them * Treating all team members equitably and with respect and providing constructive feedback * Recognising and appreciating efforts (particularly discretionary effort) * Being driven to deliver on commitments and promises made. Assess the future role of the HR professional and the HR function so far as the sustainable implementation of employee engagement practices is concerned. In order for HR to become more strategic, they need to ensure the HR strategies and the business strategies are aligned and both contribute to the overall business aim and objectives. If this is achieved then HR can be a driving force for creating an organisational strategy for competitive advantage. HR practitioners can determine organisation capability and engagement levels to flexibly adapt to changing environmental and customer needs through an evaluation of: the current resources in terms of skills, knowledge and behaviours; and organisation design and development. Once the HR practitioner is vertically integrated within the business, they will be able to take advantage of future opportunities by becoming a key player in the strategic decision making process through providing extensive knowledge in terms of organisational capability in taking the opportunity to grow into new markets, or determining future strategies and actions required.

Harry Potter and Brittish Culture Essay

Since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States) in 1997, the books have gained an immense popularity and commercial success worldwide. They have collectively sold more than 300 million copies and have been translated into more than 63 languages. Harry has succeeded to seduced children and teenagers as well as adults. In 2001, the first book has been adapted on screen, making a benefit of 976 million dollars. Joanne Rowling, who has become the richest writer in literary history, insisted that the entire cast must be British or Irish, to keep the cultural integrity of the novels. Apart commercial success, Harry has created a huge cultural movement. Harry Potter is studied at school and incites children to read. Fan websites, forums, books and ‘Harry Potter societies’ are everywhere. Harry has a huge impact on its readers, and it is not uncommon to find testimonies on the web relating how Harry Potter has changed one’s life. Harry potter is a seemingly ordinary English little boy. Orphan, he is raised by her aunt in an English suburb in Surrey. At the age of eleven he is told he is a wizard and that he has survived an attempted murder by the evil sorcerer Lord Voldermort. From this time, Harry is going To the Witchcraft and Wizardry School of Hogwarts, a medieval castle hidden from the non magical world, supposedly located in a mountainous and secluded region in Scotland. There, Harry and his friends will get through different adventures and will try to defeat Lord Voldemort. English author J. K. Rowling has set her story in Great Britain, and behind the very well written story of a little boy looking for his identity and fighting evil, it is a whole culture that is being dissected. The books, as well as the movies, are completely impregnated in British culture. Food, family, institutions, globalisation, politics, architecture, internationalism, English values, gender, clichà ©s, history and many other aspects are pictured and criticised. Analysing the different aspects of British culture in the books, only considering the text itself would be a mistake. In ‘Harry Potter and British Culture’ I consider ‘Harry Potter’ as a story with a rich literary background, as a schoolboy, as an English and worldwide phenomenon, as the friend of millions of people, as a commercial success, and an educational model. There is as much cultural aspects in the books and films than outside them. Studying the effect of Harry on people, either fans or religious detractors can teach us a lot about English culture and its disparities. My study will take into account Harry Potter’s British literary heritage: children literature, boarding school story, fantasy, mythology, fairy tale, Rowling’s work has a very rich literary background. I will as well provide an analysis of Rowling’s use of the books to picture and criticise British society. In addition to this, I will study the reception of the books in the Anglophone world. Bibliography: Primary texts: Rowling, Joanne K., Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (London: Bloomsbury, 1997) Rowling, Joanne K., Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (London: Bloomsbury, 1998) Rowling, Joanne K., Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (London: Bloomsbury, 1999) Rowling, Joanne K., Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (London: Bloomsbury, 2000) Rowling, Joanne K., Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (London: Bloomsbury, 2003) Rowling, Joanne K., Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (London: Bloomsbury, 2005) Rowling, Joanne K., Fantastic beasts and where to find them (London: Bloomsbury, 2001) Films: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone, dir. Chris Columbus (Warner Brothers, 2001) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, dir. Chris Columbus (Warner Brothers, 2002) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban, dir. Alfonso Cuaron (Warner Brothers, 2004) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, dir. Mike Newell (Warner Brother, 2005) Secondary Sources: Abanes, Richard, Harry Potter and the Bible: the menace beyond the magic (Camp Hill, Pa: Horizon Books, 2001) Analysis of the religious aspects in the books and of the controversy around them. Abrams, Philip, Work, urbanism and inequality: UK society today, ed. P Abrams (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1978) Study of modern British society: social classes and inequalities. Anatol, Giselle Liza (Ed), Reading Harry Potter: Critical Essays (Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2003) Gathering of critical essays about the Harry Potter books. Analysis of different literary and cultural aspects. Blake, Andrew, The Irresistible Rise of Harry Potter (London: Verso, 2002) Study of the Harry Potter phenomenon in Britain and the world, as well as cultural aspects within the book. Butts, Dennis, Stories and Society : Children’s Literature in its Social Context (Basingstoke : Macmillan, 1992) Study of the influence of the society on children’s literature. Gupta Suman, Re-reading Harry Potter (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.) Explanation of the Potter phenomenon. Text-based analysis of its social and political implications.

An Outline of Analytical Psychology Essay

Analytical Psychology is the school of depth psychology based on the discoveries and concepts of Carl Gustav Jung. Jung gave the broadest and most comprehensive view of the human psyche yet available. His writings include a fully-developed theory of the structure and dynamics of the psyche in both its conscious and unconscious aspects, a detailed theory of personality types and, most important, a full description of the universal, primordial images deriving from the deepest layers of the unconscious psyche. These primordial images are called archetypes of the collective unconscious. The latter discovery has enabled Jung to describe striking parallels between the unconscious images produced by individuals in dream and vision and the universal motifs found in the religions and mythologies of all ages. The concept of the collective unconscious gives analytical psychology an added dimension in comparison with other schools of psychotherapy. It takes the theory and practice of psychotherapy out of the exclusive realm of psychopathology and relates it to the whole history of the evolution of the human psyche in all its cultural manifestations. See more: outline format for essay The practice of analytical psychology thus becomes not only a therapy for neurosis but also a technique for psychological development applicable to normal and superior individuals. An abstract, theoretical presentation is alien to Jung who always strove to engage the response of the whole man, not just the intellect. This presentation should thus be recognized as no more than a two-dimensional sketch of a three-dimensional reality. Libido: The psychic energy that directs and motivates the personality is called libido. Interest, attention and drive are all expressions of libido. The libido invested in a given item is indicated by how highly it is valued. Libido can be transformed or displaced but not destroyed. If the libido attached to one object disappears, it reappears elsewhere. Libido is the dynamism of the life process manifested in the psychic sphere. The theory of libido is closely connected with the law of opposites. The processes of the psyche depend on a tension and interplay between opposite poles. If one side of a pair of opposites becomes excessively predominant in the personality, it is likely to turn into its contrary. This is called enantiodromia. A one-sided conscious attitude constellates its opposite in the unconscious. See Jung’s essay â€Å"On Psychic Energy† (1). Psychological Types: Analytical psychology distinguishes several psychological types. These refer to innate differences in temperament which cause individuals to perceive and react to life in different fashions. There are two attitude types, the extravert and the introvert. The extravert is characterized by an innate tendency for the libido to flow outwards, connecting the individual with the external world. The extravert naturally and spontaneously gives greatest interest and value to the object – people, things, external accomplishments, etc. He or she will be most comfortable and successful when functioning in the external world and human relationships, and will be restless and ill at ease when alone without diversion. Having little relation to the inner world of subjectivity, the extravert will shun it and tend to depreciate subjective concerns as morbid or selfish. The introvert is characterized by a tendency for the libido to flow inwards connecting him or her with the subjective, inner world of thought, fantasies and feelings. Greatest interest and value is given to the subject – the inner reactions and images. The introvert will function most satisfactorily when free from pressure to adapt to external circumstances. He or she prefers their own company and is reserved or uncomfortable in large groups. Both introvert and extravert have the defects of their strengths and each tends to undervalue the other. To the extravert, the introvert appears self-centered and withholding of himself. To the introvert, the extravert appears shallow, opportunistic and hypocritical. Every individual possesses both tendencies, but one is usually more developed than the other. As a pair of opposites they follow the law of opposites. Thus, an excessive, one-sided emphasis on one attitude is likely to lead to the emergence of its opposite. The opposite, however, because it is undeveloped and undifferentiated, will appear in a negative, crude and unadapted form. Thus the extreme extravert will become a victim of negative inferior introversion in the form of depressions. The extreme introvert is likely to have episodes of compulsive extraversion which are crude, ineffectual and unadapted to outer reality. In addition to attitude types, we also distinguish four function types. The four basic psychological functions are thinking, feeling, sensation and intuition. Thinking is the rational capacity to structure and synthesize discrete data by means of conceptual generalizations. Feeling is the function which determines value. It is the function that values and promotes human relationships. Sensation is that function which perceives and adapts to external reality via the senses. Intuition is defined as perception via the unconscious, that is, the perception of representations or conclusions whose origin is obscure. These four functions arrange themselves into two pairs of opposites: thinking – feeling and sensation – intuition. Although every individual has all four functions potentially at their disposal, in actuality one function is usually more fully developed than the others. This is called the superior function. The one least developed is the one that is most primitive and unconscious – the inferior function. Often a second function will have achieved considerable development which approaches that of the superior function. This is an auxiliary function. Since any one of the four functions may be superior, we have the possibility of four function types: the thinking type, feeling type, sensation type, and intuitive type. The thinking type is found more often in men than in women. The thinking type’s mental life is concerned largely with the creation of intellectual formulae and the fitting of all life experience into these forms. To the degree that the individual is identified with the thinking function and unconscious of the other functions, the thinking will tend to be autocratic and limit the full experience of life. Since feeling will be the inferior function, its values will suffer the most neglect. Human relationships will be quickly sacrificed if they interfere with the ruling formula. The feeling type is found more often in women than in men. The development and sustenance of personal relationships is the major aim. A sensitivity to human needs and a willingness to meet them is its outstanding characteristic. It finds its greatest satisfaction in rapport with others. In its extreme, this function type can be objectionable in its excessive emphasis on personal matters. Since thinking is the inferior function, its capacity for abstract, impersonal judgments will be neglected or denied. Thinking will be accepted only so long as it plays a subservient role to the interests of feeling values. The sensation type is characterized by the excellent adaptation to simple, matter-of-fact reality. He or she is content to relate to life on its most elementary terms without subtlety, reflection or imagination. The sensation type appears stable and earthy but may lack creative spark. Vision and imagination, which could mitigate this earthbound state, are products of intuition, which is the inferior function of this type. The sensation type, in fact, will often depreciate intuitive expressions as unrealistic fantasies and thus be deprived of badly needed leaven at times of mental heaviness. The intuitive type is motivated chiefly be a steady stream of new visions and possibilities, derived from active intuition. The new, the strange and the different are a constant lure. He or she often perceives obscure connections between things which seem separate and unrelated. The intuitive mind works in quick jumps, which is sometimes difficult for others to follow. When asked to proceed more slowly, he or she is apt to become impatient, perhaps considering listeners slow in making connections. This type’s weakness lies in its inferior sensation function. The relationship to reality may be poor. The hard work required to bring a possibility into actuality or to make an intuitive flash generally accepted seems too onerous. He or she may remain misunderstood with insights, which if they are to bear fruit, must be patiently developed by others. The function types are seldom as definite as would appear by these descriptions. Usually the development of an auxiliary function will soften and modify the sharp characteristics here described. In addition, we have a further complication. According to the attitude type, each of the function types may have either an introverted or an extraverted orientation. Ideally, all four functions should be available to the individual in order to have a complete response to life experience. It is one of the goals of Jungian psychotherapy to bring in to consciousness and to aid the development of the inferior undeveloped functions in order to approach psychic wholeness. Many conflicts in human relationships and disputes can be understood through the theory of psychological types. For instance, Jung has explained the difference between the psychological theories of Freud and Adler on this basis. Freud’s theory is concerned chiefly with the individual’s need for and love of the object. Thus it is an extraverted theory. Adler’s theory is based on the individual’s need to maintain his own self-esteem, prestige and power. Adler emphasizes the inner, subjective need; hence his is an introverted theory. Differences in type can underlie difficulties in interpersonal relationships. Marital conflicts are often related to differences in psychological type. Knowledge of one’s own type and of the fact that other equally valid types exist can often help to relativize one’s own personal reactions and can lead to more conscious and fruitful human relationships. (2) Structure of the Psyche: The psyche can be divided into conscious and unconscious aspects. The ego is the center of conscious and the starting point for all empirical psychology. It is the seat of individual identity, and all contents which are conscious, must be connected with it. The unconscious includes all psychic elements which are outside conscious awareness and therefore are not connected with the ego. Contents of the unconscious are first encountered as complexes. A complex is an emotionally charged unconscious psychic entity made up of a number of associated ideas and images clustered around a central core. On investigation, this core is found to be an archetypal image (see below). One recognizes that a complex has been struck by the emergence of an affect which upsets psychic balance and disturbs the customary function of the ego. The ego stands between the inner world and the outer world, and its task is to adapt to both. By its extraverted orientation, it relates itself to external reality. By introversion, it perceives and adapts to inner, subjective reality. The requirement for external adaptation leads to the construction of a psychic structure which mediates between the ego and the external world of society. This mediating structure is called the persona, the Latin word for the ancient actor’s mask. It is the partially calculated public face an individual assumes towards others. The persona is composed of various elements, some based on the individual’s personal propensities and others derived from the society’s expectations and the early training of parents and teachers. The persona is a mediating compromise between individuality and the expectations of others. It is the role one plays in society. It is also a protective covering that shields from public view what is personal, intimate and vulnerable. The characteristic symbol for the persona is the clothes we wear. Dreams involving missing or inappropriate clothes refer to a persona problem. Ideally a persona should be appropriate, well fitting and flexible. It is especially important that the individual realize that he is not identical with his persona. The persona sometimes lends one a prestige and authority belonging to the collective group which is not properly used for personal ends. To identify with the persona can cause inflation and alienation from reality. Other persona disorders include a lack of persona which leaves the individual sensitive and exposed to every social touch, and a too rigid, defensive persona which is a barrier to realistic adaptation. For further discussion of the persona, see (3). Just as the persona stands between the ego and the outer world, so another psychic entity stands between the ego and the inner world of unconscious. This entity is called the shadow. The shadow is a composite of personal characteristics and potentialities of which the individual is unaware. Usually the shadow, as indicated by the word, contains inferior characteristics and weaknesses which the ego’s self-esteem will not permit it to recognize. The shadow may be personified in dreams by such figures as criminals, drunkards and derelicts. Technically it must be of the same sex as the dreamer. As with all unconscious contents, the shadow is first experienced in projection. This means that an unconscious quality of one’s own is first recognized and reacted to when it is discovered in an outer object. So long as the shadow is projected, the individual can hate and condemn freely the weakness and evil seen in others while maintaining a sense of righteousness. Discovery of the shadow as a personal content may, if it is sudden, cause temporary confusion and depression. This will be most likely if the ego’s previous attitude has bee especially inflated. The shadow is the first layer of the unconscious to be encountered in psychological analysis. It is not always a negative content. In many cases unconscious positive potentialities of the personality reside in the shadow. In such cases we speak of a positive shadow. Furthermore, the evil and dangerous aspect of the shadow is often due more to its circumstances than to its essence. Just as animals which have become vicious by starvation and brutal treatment can be changed into loyal companions by loving care, so the shadow loses much of its negative aspect when given conscious acceptance and attention. The problem of the shadow and its projection applies to collective psychology as well. The persecution of the Jews by the Nazis is a terrifying example of the extent to which a collective shadow projection can go. The same psychological mechanism operates in discrimination against other minority groups. For more on the shadow, see (4). The first layer of the unconscious, the shadow, is also called by Jung the personal unconscious, as distinguished from the collective unconscious. The personal unconscious or shadow contains personal contents belonging to the individual himself which can and properly should be made conscious and integrated into the conscious personality and ego. The collective unconscious, on the other hand, is composed of transpersonal, universal contents which cannot be assimilated by the ego. Between these two layers of the unconscious, the personal and the collective, is another entity with, so to speak, one foot on each side. This is the anima in a man and the animus in a woman. The anima is an autonomous psychic content in the male personality which can be described as an inner woman. She is the psychic representation of the contrasexual elements in man and is depicted in symbolic imagery by figures of women ranging from harlot and seductress to divine wisdom and spiritual guide. She is the personification of the feminine principle in man, the principle of Eros, pertaining to love and relatedness. The projection of the anima is responsible for the phenomenon of a man’s â€Å"falling in love. † Too much identification of the ego with the anima causes the man to outwardly manifest feminine qualities. Anima moods or states of anima possession can be recognized by their characteristic features of resentment and emotional withdrawal. Such a condition renders a man psychically paralyzed and impotent. It is most likely to occur in relation to a woman with whom he is emotionally and sexually involved. With full psychological development, the anima leads the man to the full meaning of human relationship and provides him an entrance to the deeper layers of the psyche, the collective unconscious. The animus is the corresponding representative of the masculine contrasexual elements in the psychology of women. It can be expressed in symbolic imagery by a multitude of male figures from frightening, aggressive men threatening rape to divining bringers of light. It is the personification of the masculine principle in women, the principle of Logos, which is the capacity for rationality and consciousness. A woman’s â€Å"falling in love† is likewise due to the projection of the animus. Subjective identification of the ego with the animus causes the woman to lose contact with her feminine nature and to take on more masculine qualities. The animus-possessed woman is more interested in power than in relatedness. As with the man’s anima, the animus is most often activated in relation to an emotionally significant man, especially a man with whom she is sexually involved. Indeed, the anima and animus have a marked affinity for each other. The slightest evidence of one is likely to evoke the other in the partner. With maturity and maximum development, the animus can become a valuable psychic entity enabling the woman to function with objective rationality and, similarly to the anima in a man, opens to her the collective unconscious. Further discussion of anima and animus is in (5) and (6). The collective unconscious, more recently termed objective psyche, is the deepest layer of the unconscious which is ordinarily inaccessible to conscious awareness. Its nature is universal, suprapersonal and non-individual. Its manifestations are experienced as something alien to the ego, numinous or divine. The contents of the collective unconscious are called archetypes and their particular symbolic manifestations, archetypal images. The concept of the archetype has a close relation to the concept of instinct. An instinct is a pattern of behavior which is inborn and characteristic for a certain species. Instincts are discovered by observing the behavior patterns of individual organisms. The instincts are the unknown motivating dynamisms that determine an animal’s behavior on the biological level. An archetype is to the psyche what an instinct is to the body. The existence of archetypes is inferred by the same process as that by which we infer the existence of instincts. Just as instincts common to a species are postulated by observing the uniformities in biological behavior, so archetypes are inferred by observing the uniformities in psychic phenomena. Just as instincts are unknown motivating dynamisms of biological behavior, archetypes are unknown motivating dynamisms of the psyche. Archetypes are the psychic instincts of the human species. Although biological instincts and psychic archetypes have a very close connection, exactly what this connection is we do not know any more than we understand just how the mind and body are connected. Archetypes are perceived and experienced subjectively through certain universal, typical, recurring mythological motifs and images. These archetypal images, symbolically elaborated in various ways, are the basic contents of religions, mythologies, legends and fairy tales of all ages. Such images also emerge from the collective unconscious of individuals through dreams and visions in cases of deep psychological analysis, profound subjective experience or major mental disorder. The experience of encountering an archetypal image has a strong emotional impact which conveys a sense of divine or suprapersonal power transcending the individual ego. Such an experience often transforms the individual and radically alters their outlook on life. Archetypal images are so various and numerous that they defy comprehensive listing. For our purposes, we shall describe four broad categories of archetypal imagery. I. The Archetype of the Great Mother, the personification of the feminine principle, represents the fertile womb out of which all life comes and the darkness of the grave to which it returns. Its fundamental attributes are the capacity to nourish and to devour. It corresponds to mother nature in the primordial swamp – life being constantly spawned and constantly devoured. If the great mother nourishes us, she is good; if she threatens to devour us, she is bad. In psychological terms, the great mother corresponds to the unconscious which can nourish and support the ego or can swallow it up in psychosis or suicide. The positive, creative aspects of the great mother are represented by breast and womb. The negative, destructive aspects appear as the devouring mouth or the vagina dentata. In more abstract symbolism, anything hollow, concave or containing pertains to the great mother. Thus, bodies of water, the earth itself, caves, dwellings, vessels of all kinds are feminine. So also is the box, the coffin and the belly of the monster which swallows up its victims. See Neumann(7). II. The Archetype of the Spiritual Father. As the great mother pertains to nature, matter and earth, the great father archetype pertains to the ream of light and spirit. It is the personification of the masculine principle of consciousness symbolized by the upper solar region of heaven. From this region comes the wind, pneuma, nous, ruach, which has always been the symbol of spirit as opposed to matter. Sun and rain likewise represent the masculine principle as fertilizing forces which impregnate the receptive earth. Images of piercing and penetration such as phallus, knife, spear, arrow and ray all pertain to the spiritual father. Feathers, birds, airplanes and all that refers to flying or height are part of this complex of symbols which emphasizes the upper heavenly realms. In addition, all imagery involving light or illumination pertain to the masculine principle as opposed to the dark earthiness of the great mother. Illumination of the countenance, crowns, halos and dazzling brilliance of all kinds are aspects of masculine solar symbolism. The image of the wise old man as judge, priest, doctor or elder is a human personification of this same archetype. The positive aspect of the spiritual father principle conveys law, order, discipline, rationality, understanding and inspiration. Its negative aspect is that it may lead to alienation from concrete reality causing inflation, a state of spiritual hubris or presumption that generates grandiose thoughts of transcendence and results in the fate of Icarus or Phaeton. III. The Archetype of Transformation pertains to a psychic process of growth, change and transition. It can express itself in many different images with the same underlying core of meaning. Perilous journeys to unknown destinations, exploration of dark places, purposeful descent to the underworld or under the sea or into the belly of a monster to find a hidden treasure are expressions of this archetype. The theme of death and rebirth as well as the symbolism of initiation rites in all of their various forms; the crossing of rivers or waters or chasms and the climbing of mountains; the theme of redemption, salvation or recovery of what has been lost or degraded, wherever it appears in mythological or unconscious symbolism – all of these are expressions of the archetype of transformation. The theme of the birth of the hero or wonder-child also belongs to this archetype. This image expresses the emergence of a new, dynamic content in the personality presaging decisive change and enlargement of consciousness. (8) A rich and complex example of this archetype is provided by the symbolism of medieval alchemy. In alchemy, the psychic transformation process was projected into matter. The goal of the alchemists was to transmute base matter into gold or some other supremely valuable object. The imagery of alchemy derives from the collective unconscious and belongs properly to the psychological process of transformation. (9) IV. The Central Archetype, The Self, expresses psychic wholeness or totality. The Self is defined by Jung as both the center and circumference of the psyche. It incorporates within its paradoxical unity all the opposites embodied in the masculine and feminine archetypes. Since it is a borderline concept referring to an entity which transcends and encompasses the individual ego, we can only allude to it and not encompass it by a definition. As the central archetype is emerging, it often appears as a process of centering or as a process involving the union of opposites. Alchemical symbolism gives us numerous examples of the central archetype as a union of opposites. For example, the philosopher’s stone, one of the goals of the alchemical process, was depicted as resulting from the marriage of the red king and the white queen, or from the union of the sun and moon, or fire and water. The product of such a union is a paradoxical image often described as hermaphroditic. Other images which are used to express the union of opposites are the reconciliation of opposing partisan factions and  the reconciliation of good and evil, God and Satan. The emerging central archetype gives rise to images of the mandala. The term mandala is used to describe the representations of the Self, the archetype of totality. The typical mandala in its simplest form is a quadrated circle combining the elements of a circle with a center plus a square, a cross or some other expression of fourfoldness. Mandalas are found everywhere in all times and places. They seem to represent a basic unifying and integrating principle which lies at the very root of the psyche. Mandalas can be found in the cultural products of all races. A fully developed mandala usually emerges in an individual’s dreams only after a long process of psychological development. It is then experienced as a release from an otherwise irreconcilable conflict and may convey a numinous awareness of life as something ultimately harmonious and meaningful in spite of its apparent contradictions. (10,11) Psychological Development is the progressive emergence and differentiation of the ego or consciousness from the original state of unconsciousness. It is a process which, ideally, continues throughout the lifetime of the individual. In contradistinction to physical development, there is no time at which one can say that full psychic development has been achieved. Although we may distinguish various stages of development for descriptive purposes, actually one stage merges into another in a single fluid continuum. In the early phase, the ego has very little autonomy. It is largely in a state of identification with the objective psyche within and the external world without. It lives in the world of archetypes and makes no clear distinction between inner and outer objects. This primitive state of ego development is called, after L? vy-Bruhl, participation mystique, and is shared by both the primitive and the child. It is a state of magical participation and interpretation between the ego and its surroundings. What is ego and what is non-ego are not distinguished. Inner world and outer world are experienced as a single totality. This primitive state of participation mystique is also evident in the phenomena of mob psychology in  which individual consciousness and responsibility are temporarily eclipsed by identification with a collective dynamism. Jung made no effort to present a systematic theory of psychological development. However, some of his followers, especially Neumann(12), have attempted to fill in this gap. Following Neumann, the stages of psychological development can be described as follows. The first or original state is called the uroboric stage, derived from uroborus, the circular image of the tail-eating serpent. It refers to the original totality and self-containment which is prior to the birth of consciousness. The ego exists only as a latent potentiality in a state of primary identity with the Self or objective psyche. This state is presumed to pertain during the prenatal period and early infancy. The transition between this state and the second stage of development corresponds to the creation of the world for the individual psyche. Thus world creation myths refer to this first decisive event in psychic development – the birth of the ego out of the unconscious. The basic theme of all creation myths is separation. Out of undifferentiated wholeness one element is discriminated from another. It may be expressed as the creation of light – the separation of light from darkness, or as the separation of the world parents – the distinction between masculine and feminine, or the emergence of order out of chaos. In each case the meaning is the same, namely, the birth of consciousness, the capacity to discriminate between opposites. The second stage of psychological development is called the matriarchal phase. Although beginning consciousness has appeared, it is as yet only dim and fitful. The nascent ego is still largely passive and dependent on its uroboric matrix which now takes on the aspect of the great mother. Masculine and feminine elements are not yet clearly differentiated so that the great mother will still be undifferentiated as to sex. To this stage belongs the image of the phallic mother incorporating both masculine and feminine components. Here, the ruling psychic entity is the great mother. The predominant concern will be to seek her nourishment and support and to avoid her destructive, devouring aspect. The father archetype or masculine principle has not yet emerged into separate existence. Mother is still all. The ego has achieved only a precarious separation and is still dependent on the unconscious, which is personified as the great mother. The matriarchal phase is represented mythologically by the imagery of the ancient Near Eastern mother religions, for example, the Cybele-Attis myth. Attis, the son-lover of Cybele, was unfaithful to her. In a frenzy of regret, reflecting his dependent bondage, he was castrated and killed. The matriarchal phase corresponds to the Oedipal phase as described by Freud. However, analytical psychologists interpret incest symbolically rather than literally as was done by Freud. The matriarchal phase is the phase of original incest, symbolically speaking, prior to the emergence of the incest taboo. In the life of the individual, this phase corresponds roughly with the early years of childhood. The third stage is called the patriarchal phase. The transition is characterized by particular themes, images and actions. In an attempt to break free from the matriarchal phase, the feminine with all its attributes is rejected and depreciated. The theme of initiation rituals pertains to this period of transition. The father archetype or masculine principle emerges in full force and claims the allegiance of the individual. Tests, challenges, rules and discipline are set up in opposition to the sympathy and comfortable containment of the great mother. The incest taboo is erected prohibiting regression to the mother-bound state. Once the transition to the patriarchal stage has been accomplished, the archetype of the great father, the masculine spirit principle, determines the values and goals of life. Consciousness, individual responsibility, self-discipline and rationality will be the prevailing values. Everything pertaining to the feminine principle will be repressed, depreciated or subordinated to masculine ends. In childhood development, the patriarchal phase will be particularly evident in the years preceding puberty. The fourth phase is designated the integrative phase. The preceding patriarchal stage has left the individual one-sided and incomplete. The feminine principle, woman and therefore the anima and the unconscious have been repressed and neglected. Another change or transition is thus needed to redeem these neglected psychic eleme.