12 Angry Men Prejudice Essay Essay

What is Justice? Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics; rationality, law, religion or fairness, as well as taking into account the inborn rights of all human beings and citizens, the right of all people and individuals to equal protection before the law of their civil rights, without discrimination. Justice is one of the great concerns of humankind. It is something for which people over centuries have been willing to struggle and even die. Examples of Justice are novels 12 Angry Men and The Green Mile. 2 Angry Men is a novel written by Reginald Rose in 1955. The story takes place in 1957 in the jury-room of a New York Court of Law. It is about a young delinquent who is on trial for the murder of his aggressive farther. Eleven jurors are directed by the judge to gather on a hot afternoon to declare if there is any reasonable doubt as to why the boy is not guilty. One, even though far from convinced of the boy’s innocence, feels that some of the evidence against him is ambiguous. By the end of the day that juror has reversed opinions of all eleven jurors. Prejudice: There are many significant views and values that Reginald Rose demonstrates in 12 Angry Men the most important one being that prejudice constantly affects the truth and peoples judgement. As the jurors argue between themselves as to whether a young boy is guilty of stabbing his father it is shown that â€Å"It’s very hard to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this. † This is most evident in the way juror #3 and juror #10 come to their decision that the young man is guilty as they bring in there prejudice against young people and people from the slums to make their judgement without considering the facts of the case. Rose uses juror #8 who can see the whole trial because he is calm, reasonable and brings no prejudice as a prime example of what a juror is supposed to be like. Juror #10 is the character who brings in the most prejudice to the jury room as he has formed his decision from the moment he saw the young boy and sees no reason for him to waste any time debating on whether the defendant is guilty. His prejudice comes from the fact he used to live in the â€Å"slums† and consider people like the defendant to be trash. This is established when he states â€Å"you can’t believe a word they say†¦they act different†¦ they don’t need any big excuse to kill someone. † Juror #10 never really considers the facts of the case only using them as a pretext to vote guilty and to leave early. When he found it too difficult to change people’s opinions he simply gave up and voted not guilty. â€Å"I couldn’t care less†. This shows just how little he cared for the defendant’s life and the jury system unlike juror #3 who deeply cared about the jury system and the case.

Leaving Home

My brother, Ricky, sister, Amrit and I had only found out a week before, that we were just about to be whisked away to a foreign country we hadn't set in for seven years, and seven years before that. We would be staying there for a whole month, so as you can imagine, we were taken aback, yet somewhat sceptic, as we'd always heard our parents mentioning a trip to India for a few months, but never actually believed they would go to the bother of booking the tickets. After all, my mother had only taken my now 5-year-old sister to see her family there four years ago. My immediate concern was language. I can read and write my mother tongue, and understand what people are telling me, but wasn't very good at speaking back. I think this pleased my parents, they thought it would be good for us, as they knew we would have to start learning to talk in our mother tongue Punjabi. It wasn't really difficult to prepare for the trip, well not for me anyway. All I had to do was make sure I had a holiday form, homework and suitcase packed. However, my poor parents had to sort out the passports, visas, currency, jabs (ouch) and house security while we were away. I didn't really tell my friends until the last minute, as I was expecting a cancellation, change in plan or even told I'd been set up and it was all a joke. I was actually a little annoyed with my parents for not booking during school holidays, not because I'd miss school, only the workload I'd have to catch up on. But once they explained that they couldn't get a holiday the same time as us, I felt quite sorry for them. When I think back to it, I was actually disappointed that we were going to India, instead of Canada in the summer, which is where I was hoping go, which was no longer possible. India as I last remembered it, was freezing in the morning, and boiling in the afternoon (we went in December), pretty smelly, the people were scared to talk to me and my brother (my sister wasn't born then), and we didn't really want to say anything to them. The thing that disgusted me most about this country was definitely the latrines. I tried not to go to the toilet unless I had a full bladder and was desperate; it was also hard to get toilet paper over there. This time, we prepared ourselves with plenty of rolls before we left. I wasn't very impressed then, but it was also the reason we had gone in the first place, that we didn't feel like enjoying ourselves. It was pretty depressing, as my mother's brother had died in a tractor accident on Diwali, so my mother left England a few weeks before us to go to his funeral. I must admit that I was a little exited, as many of my relatives from Britain had gone a few weeks before us, so we would be meeting them there as well. The flight had been delayed three hours, so I didn't really have a positive attitude when we arrived at the airport. The one thing that thrilled me when we were boarding the plane was that the passengers went on the stairs instead of the corridor, like in the movies, so that we could actually see the plane as we were boarding it. I' m not scared of flying, but I did grow a little nervous as I approached the plane, the paintwork was hand done, the panels looked loose, and generally dirty. I didn't look like it would make it all the way to India. The airhostesses also looked scary. The were from Kyrgystan, the airline company we were travelling with, and spoke in Russian to each other and in a Russian accent to the passengers. I had to strain to understand them properly. They wore thick bright coloured make up, and were always smiling. This had the opposite effect on me than intended, they reminded me of clowns! Inside, the plane was pretty cramped, and during the take off, my ears hurt and I felt sick. Since we were stopping in Turkey for a break, and changing planes in Russia, I had to go through this six times before we even landed in India. On the plane journey, my family were relaxing, listening to music, and reading magazines, but I was working away, struggling to get my homework finished before we reached India, so I could feel free without the stress of having to catch up there. Although we would be so busy I wouldn't even have time. The whole journey lasted two days, the second plane was even worse. Russia is so cold, that there was ice forming inside the plane! It was brilliant when we actually landed in Delhi. The sun was out and the people at the airport were so welcoming. After we came out through customs, we were re-united with my sister's water gun, and mother's almond hair oil, which had been confiscated in Birmingham. I had to laugh. Then we came across a big problem. One of our suitcases was missing. It contained all of my Ricky's clothing. We could claim the contents on insurance, but had to take him shopping for new clothes as soon as possible. I was thirsty, and wanted a drink, but there was one thing that stood in my way, no rupees. While my parents sorted out the lost property forms, l sneaked over to one of the currency exchange bureaus and decided to test the Indian in the office. I got out one pound and put it on the desk. He said, â€Å"is that all? † grinning. I replied,† it's all I've got. † Then he said, â€Å"well only for you then! † I got my sixty-five rupees, and went straight to get a coffee. My mother and I went to the arrivals lounge, where we met my uncle. They were hugging each other, and they all started chatting in Punjabi. The poor man had been waiting for ages, as he hadn't known about the delay, so I went to get the rest of my family. I whispered to my mum â€Å"Mum, he looks nothing like you. † Then she told that he was her cousin, not her brother. We somehow managed to pack everything into the Sumo, which is like a type of jeep or taxi. I was squashed in the back, it was very uncomfortable, but I concentrated on everything around me. There were loads of children coming back from school in their mopeds. Apparently, the timing for our trip had been brilliant for the weather, but our cousins would be taking their exams at this time. In India, the children have to take an exam at the end of every school year; the result of this exam determines whether they will be allowed into the next class. If they fail, they will have to repeat the year. I felt a bit like an intruder when I heard this, because they would have vital work to do, and I would be expecting them to show me around or getting bored. We arrived at the village we would be staying at, Gureh in Ludhiana, Punjab for the next week at around about midnight. I was surprised; could say shocked at the state of the house. The standard was better than the housing in England. The layout is not quite the same, but there was a toilet, a decant shower area, separate bedrooms, and they even had a car. I met my aunt, and my cousin Manjit, who's eighteen years old. He seemed quite shy, and always walked with his head down. His sister who is my age was already gone to sleep. We dumped our bags in our room, and after about an hour, went to sleep. The next day, we got up late and relaxed the whole day. When I met Pardeep, I remembered her from seven years ago straight away. She was pretty cheeky, and sometimes a bit spoilt, but she showed me around the village. I felt ever so conscious of my clothes. I was wearing trousers and a top, but everybody else, in their salwar kameez (type of Indian suit) just smiled. For the next the day of two, we visited relatives from villages that lived near Ludhiana. My uncle drove us. I felt a bit rude, as I didn't remember many of them. One day that week, we took the car ourselves, and I was told I was going to go to Mussayala. This village I could not forget. Last time Ricky and I had great fun chasing after the chickens, feeding the cows the chapattis we refused to eat, running around with our uncles and aunts. They're actually our age, but it's one of the funny age differences that happen a lot in our family tree. At this village lived my great granddad, which gave me something to talk about at home. The only way I can think of to describe Mussayala is that it is one of those ancient forgotten old places in the middle of nowhere. The village had a single toilet, which was sometimes pretty embarrassing. As I thought about how many times we had watched the home video we made from last time, I grew more exited. But when we arrived, in the evening, my â€Å"cousins† acted as if they couldn't figure out who we were. Okay, so maybe my Punjabi wasn't great, but they were so shy. I hoped that this would not carry on. Because my parents had arranged to see an architect about the building on the plot of land for my grandmother. The only architects we knew of were in Chandigardh, the capital of Punjab. I didn't really have any expectations of the city at first, but was very impressed. We got there on the bus, which isn't the best way of travelling in India. We were out in the town, and got to travel in the rickshaws. The roads were a lot cleaner than those in the villages. It was practically like England. We went an actual fast food restaurant, but it didn't sell meat so we just ordered chips and pizza. I wasn't anticipating there would be so many young college students, who wore the same sort of trousers and top I did. I immediately regretted my decision to wear a traditional suit that day. This was the one time I would have felt comfortable in my normal English clothes, and I'd just wasted that chance. The architects had a proper office, and were very professional, not just some back room of a shop, and didn't take long to find. It wasn't a very long meeting, as my parents didn't have enough information about the plot to make a plan. The data had to be really detailed, such as which direction the sun rises. I didn't realise that little things like this affected the construction of a house. We wandered around the centre of the town for a while, and the things I saw made me sure I would have felt comfortable staying here for a few days. But the problem of having too many things to do and too little time to do it in always got in the way. The city is really quite modern and developed; in fact, the whole of the country has really progressed in the last seven years. The shantytowns still lie on the outskirts of the towns, but technology is more advanced and the nation has noticeably prospered. Some people in the farm villages were even walking around with mobile phones. I think that which area of India you see that affects the overall impression. If you compared somewhere like Mussayala to Gureh, you can really see the change. The original plan had been to spend one week in Punjab, two weeks in U. P. where my mums family lived, and go to somewhere like Goa or Bangalore for the remaining week, before heading back towards Delhi. Since we had spent so long in Punjab because of this plot business, this was no longer possible. My dad said that it was silly that we thought we could get everything done in only a month. I was delighted that my cousin Pardeep had holidays and could come to U. P. with us. We really couldn't afford to be lazy the day we were leaving, we got ready early that day, but were still delayed, as the Sumo we had hired had to go back and get a roof rack for all of our luggage. My mum gave the servants some money, and we left with everybody waving goodbye. I was very grateful for their hospitality. This trip took the whole day. Me, Pardeep, Ricky and Amrit sat at the back, parents in the middle and drivers at the front. I just read a magazine, my brother and sister played, and my cousin listened to the Walkman. We stopped off at a few of what would be the equivalent to cafes a few times, bought a supply of crisps and some drink, and went to the latrines while we had the chance. On the route to U. P. , we had to go through a beautiful rural state called Haryana. This is the sort of place where you meet village maids milking cows, there was green grass everywhere and the landscape was beautiful. I had never seen anywhere like it, not even in the Hindi films. On the map, the state was just a small chunk of land. As we came nearer to the heart of U. P. (my mum's family lived south of UP) we saw many women wearing cloths over their heads, there were many more Muslims living here. I also noticed that the signs were written in Hindi. It was annoying, because I couldn't understand what they said, and felt quite ignorant. In Punjab, the main language was Punjabi. Even when the people here spoke Punjabi, they did with a Hindi accent which was difficult to understand fully. I didn't realise that such a change could happen only across states. As it grew dark, we were just approaching the town nearest to my mum's village, Kashipur. We stopped here to buy some bottles of coke. It was here that I began to get exited, we were so near. Pardeep kept telling us how far we were. My mum had already warned me, that most of my cousins my age, would be at their boarding schools, but the younger ones would be here. I was a bit worried, but also enthusiastic. We were all half asleep when we arrived. As we approached the house, I saw a huge a mass of people waiting to welcome us. I never realised I had such a big family. We got out, and everyone was hugging everybody else. It felt good, even if you didn't know who was who. My mum began telling how I was related to everyone else which sometimes got a bit confusing. My older cousins were joking, telling me how they were planning to marry me off some overweight drunk from India. They were also joking about my brother, because he doesn't speak much Punjabi. â€Å"He wouldn't know if we were swearing at him though, would he? He'd just ignore it. † This made me laugh. During the next week, some of cousins came from boarding school for a bit, but there was only one day where everyone was there together, and that was on Ricky's birthday that was celebrated with a couple of party poppers. In the middle of the last week, me and my family, Pardeep, my mum's brother and his son, Jatinder, my mum's sister's daughter, Kuldeep, and my mum's late brother's daughter, Amandeep, who is a bit bratty went on a day trip to Nainital, a village on the foothills of the Himalayas. This is the place my parents visited when they first bought Ricky and me to India. My brother and I of course couldn't remember the place at all, and didn't understand why they were so keen to go back there again. But when we actually got there, we soon found out. We were all crammed into the back of a jeep, and arrived in two and a half hours. During which Jatinder, who was sitting opposite me, flicked nuts at me, tapped me continually and succeeded in annoying me, although he is a year older. Nainital was BRILLIANT. It reminded me of Nepal. The people looked Nepalese and spoke in a Nepalese accent. We even dressed in Nepalese costume and took photos. We went on a few rides, and rode on some horses up the mountains. The view on the ski lift was spectacular, and the scenery of the Himalayas was amazing. Me, Ricky, Jatinder and Pardeep went to on a paddleboat on a large lake for an hour or so. This was tiring, yet relaxing at the same time. It was shortly after this, that we left to go back to UP. I was disappointed when we returned to Delhi for our last night. I didn't miss England at all, not even the tele. There were tears as we left the village. I felt sick at the bottom of my stomach when we waved goodbye. I'd got a little gift for each of my cousins, and made my uncle promise he'd make sure they got them. † See you in four months† I said to him, as we dragged our entire luggage to the x-rays. I knew there wasn't much chance of my parents letting me come back in the summer holidays, even though I told them I was willing to go alone. Apparently, it was so hot, that I wouldn't be able to survive, and would get ill quickly. When Kuldeep asked me when I was coming back, I jokingly told her on her wedding day, though she is only seventeen, but I was surprised when she made keep it as a promise to her. I had picked up many skills throughout the holiday. These include: milking a cow, driving a tractor, making ghee, and insulting somebody in Punjabi, many of which are pretty useless to me in Britain, but it was the experience of learning theses things from my relatives that I treasure. When the plane landed in Britain, I don't think I've ever felt so down. I still want to turn around and go straight back. The weather suited my mood perfectly, it was pouring down. My friends at school and family said there were three things that had changed about me. My skin colour was darker, or as my friend Shona said, â€Å"glowing†. (This sounded much nicer. ) I had also lost a bit of weight, which I have unfortunately regained. I think the change that most people especially my relatives noticed was, that I spoke much nicer Punjabi, and my words flowed better. I think this is because, in England, I could get away with thinking in English, translating the words into the other language, and then letting them out. Whereas in India, you must think sharply and reply quickly, so I had to train my mind to think, as well as speak in Punjabi, which is why it has improved so much. Leaving Home It was the last time I saw my Mother. My grieving pain for my mothers love infinitely grew. She was god in my eyes but was I the god given daughter she had hoped for? Everyday I had run to her absorbing her warmth as I wrapped my long limbs around her waist. The waist that had carried me for nine months, but was I worth the wait? Mother's predictable great force would transfer into my weakened bones forcing me to collapse onto the striped wooden floor. I would land with a thud hoping that the chances of me receiving a hug the next day would increase. Maybe my accidental escape was for the best. Perhaps I was destined for this moment, this was fait in the palms of my hand, waiting for me to reach out and snatch the opportunity. Mother had snatched my rights to live as a normal human being away. It was forbidden for me to even talk to her. I needed permission. I told my self through every breath that everything would end up right, I was right. Rain, rain everywhere. Summer had died out, until next year. Autumn had approached me. My memory remained in the happy days but my solidified body moved on with life. My inner self, deep down, stands proud and fearless to this world creation signed to god. I always believed that if god brings you to it, he will bring you to it. I was eight. I was blessed with the perfect parents. Both their hearts were fulfilled with love and care. Every moment was heavenly. I lived in an averaged sized, 3-bedroom apartment in what was considered ‘normal. ‘ It was good enough for me. The oval shaped window revealed its outer secrets, the growing towers bordered with a beautiful skyline. Father was a man of great expectations. A man of many wise words. His broad shoulders would easily swing me from side to side like a wild hungry lion ripping and swinging his possession; his raw meat. In my case I was the loving prey for my Father, the predator, the bread winner of the family. I was his little princess. Mother was a lady, petite sized with a facial appearance carved from the clouds up above, the clouds in heaven. Mother was a woman who glowed with love for me. Her greatest asset was her silky, black locks that matched her thinly waxed eyebrows which also complimented her brown tan. One day, for the first time every Mother and Father were in their bedroom raving. It wasn't a common sign which usually are positive. I could hear smashing and slamming against the walls. My ears sensed danger. They were noises that I had never heard before. The sense of love that flowed like a river through the air had shattered into broken pieces like corrupted glass which were non-fixable. I could barely make out what was being said. My distraction towards the aromatic spices and herbs from the kitchen flew up my tempted nose. The cuisine had blended with my tears of sadness. I couldn't understand, everything used to be perfect, what could have happened? Before the argument I had thought of Mother's voice as a relaxing tone, music being played from a magical flute that only she could master. Then the tables had turned. My voice seemed as sweet as sugar compared to mothers. Hers was now flat and dull. The lifeless mono-tone wasn't Mother at all. It was as if a Hoover had vacuumed out the energy, the encouragement, the enthusiasm. I thought that the past argument was normal for all married couples until it became a trend. To see physical fighting would be less painful than my pain. It felt as if a needle had attempted to pierce its way through my heart but got stuck leaving never ending pain. The trend became daily. The light ore around both my parents, especially Mother, had faded into the dark shadows. As everyday passed the hatred between the two grew and grew. Mother's once soft, tanned skin mounted with make up for affect had altered to a yellow, pale colour. I preferred Mother without make up but it was far better then seeing Mother like this. She didn't even attempt to make her self look better. You could tell by the way that she lounged around the house that she was too lazy to even care. Mother would sit on the Indian decorated sofas which stood out. The black, long shiny hair had also moved on to knotted tangles. Personally I blame the bottles containing alcohol that Mother used to wash down accompanied with her finger-sized cigarettes. I would watch her drown her sorrows as the booze over took her mind flooding her inner self with this poison. Mother's behavior began to really show. As much as I detested my life I loved it. Half of my heart, the candy half, told me everything would be fine and to carry on loving Mother but the other half, the cold half, would send messages to my brain whispering in my ears for me to leave. To escape! Escape to where though? All the pressure from my parent's constant arguments was too much for me to handle. My sensitive brain was over powered. The repeated parrot phrase ‘leave home' would haunt me in my dreams. Everyday before bed time I would bend my legs, clasp my hands tightly together so pearls of sweat would form. I would pray to god with devotion asking for him to solve my problems. I wished to exit my world of stress and tension. I never gave up. I waited and waited and waited†¦ The day came unexpectedly. With care I would drift pass Mother's negative energy. Deep down my love grew towards Mother no matter what she was. Mother was soft and sweet like gum on the inside but her hardened shell took over on the outside. She was brainwashed. I was always alert of every sharp movement she made, every sligh glance she gave me in the corner of her beady camera eyes, every snarl she would utter under her rotten breath. I quickly limped across the carpet like a sneaky mouse to find my self in front of the powerful door. I called it the ‘deciding door' as it decided weather I should leave the house and never return. On the way I had passed the rose red, ribena stain from when I spilt my glass on the floor. Mother had rescued me from injury. The memories were so fresh in my mind. It was as if it were yesterday. As I opened the door, the invisible wind flew in and out of my ears sending shivers up and down my spine as if an elevator were traveling to different floors. I would stand there shivering, imagining myself in Mothers arms. The whole of my Indian coloured skin would cover in goose bumps, each individual one containing a hair all stood up equal sized looking like they were under commandment in an army. My first step onto the African rug could have been my last. I wished. My long legged limbs would co-operate together so I could travel to where I wished to travel. They were under my instructions. I reached the pavement on the sides of the roads. As the first car lead the rest my heat rotated at a ninety degree angle to the right. No cars in sight. As I reached mid point in the road an internal feeling of sickness approached me. I looked down to find no blood. My consciousness was fading vastly. As I tried to demand my legs to get up they laid there lifelessly. I blinked once, the blue sky. I blinked twice, half the sky. I blinked 3 times, nothing†¦ Leaving Home It was the last time I saw my Mother. My grieving pain for my mothers love infinitely grew. She was god in my eyes but was I the god given daughter she had hoped for? Everyday I had run to her absorbing her warmth as I wrapped my long limbs around her waist. The waist that had carried me for nine months, but was I worth the wait? Mother's predictable great force would transfer into my weakened bones forcing me to collapse onto the striped wooden floor. I would land with a thud hoping that the chances of me receiving a hug the next day would increase. Maybe my accidental escape was for the best. Perhaps I was destined for this moment, this was fait in the palms of my hand, waiting for me to reach out and snatch the opportunity. Mother had snatched my rights to live as a normal human being away. It was forbidden for me to even talk to her. I needed permission. I told my self through every breath that everything would end up right, I was right. Rain, rain everywhere. Summer had died out, until next year. Autumn had approached me. My memory remained in the happy days but my solidified body moved on with life. My inner self, deep down, stands proud and fearless to this world creation signed to god. I always believed that if god brings you to it, he will bring you to it. I was eight. I was blessed with the perfect parents. Both their hearts were fulfilled with love and care. Every moment was heavenly. I lived in an averaged sized, 3-bedroom apartment in what was considered ‘normal. ‘ It was good enough for me. The oval shaped window revealed its outer secrets, the growing towers bordered with a beautiful skyline. Father was a man of great expectations. A man of many wise words. His broad shoulders would easily swing me from side to side like a wild hungry lion ripping and swinging his possession; his raw meat. In my case I was the loving prey for my Father, the predator, the bread winner of the family. I was his little princess. Mother was a lady, petite sized with a facial appearance carved from the clouds up above, the clouds in heaven. Mother was a woman who glowed with love for me. Her greatest asset was her silky, black locks that matched her thinly waxed eyebrows which also complimented her brown tan. One day, for the first time every Mother and Father were in their bedroom raving. It wasn't a common sign which usually are positive. I could hear smashing and slamming against the walls. My ears sensed danger. They were noises that I had never heard before. The sense of love that flowed like a river through the air had shattered into broken pieces like corrupted glass which were non-fixable. I could barely make out what was being said. My distraction towards the aromatic spices and herbs from the kitchen flew up my tempted nose. The cuisine had blended with my tears of sadness. I couldn't understand, everything used to be perfect, what could have happened? Before the argument I had thought of Mother's voice as a relaxing tone, music being played from a magical flute that only she could master. Then the tables had turned. My voice seemed as sweet as sugar compared to mothers. Hers was now flat and dull. The lifeless mono-tone wasn't Mother at all. It was as if a Hoover had vacuumed out the energy, the encouragement, the enthusiasm. I thought that the past argument was normal for all married couples until it became a trend. To see physical fighting would be less painful than my pain. It felt as if a needle had attempted to pierce its way through my heart but got stuck leaving never ending pain. The trend became daily. The light ore around both my parents, especially Mother, had faded into the dark shadows. As everyday passed the hatred between the two grew and grew. Mother's once soft, tanned skin mounted with make up for affect had altered to a yellow, pale colour. I preferred Mother without make up but it was far better then seeing Mother like this. She didn't even attempt to make her self look better. You could tell by the way that she lounged around the house that she was too lazy to even care. Mother would sit on the Indian decorated sofas which stood out. The black, long shiny hair had also moved on to knotted tangles. Personally I blame the bottles containing alcohol that Mother used to wash down accompanied with her finger-sized cigarettes. I would watch her drown her sorrows as the booze over took her mind flooding her inner self with this poison. Mother's behavior began to really show. As much as I detested my life I loved it. Half of my heart, the candy half, told me everything would be fine and to carry on loving Mother but the other half, the cold half, would send messages to my brain whispering in my ears for me to leave. To escape! Escape to where though? All the pressure from my parent's constant arguments was too much for me to handle. My sensitive brain was over powered. The repeated parrot phrase ‘leave home' would haunt me in my dreams. Everyday before bed time I would bend my legs, clasp my hands tightly together so pearls of sweat would form. I would pray to god with devotion asking for him to solve my problems. I wished to exit my world of stress and tension. I never gave up. I waited and waited and waited†¦ The day came unexpectedly. With care I would drift pass Mother's negative energy. Deep down my love grew towards Mother no matter what she was. Mother was soft and sweet like gum on the inside but her hardened shell took over on the outside. She was brainwashed. I was always alert of every sharp movement she made, every sligh glance she gave me in the corner of her beady camera eyes, every snarl she would utter under her rotten breath. I quickly limped across the carpet like a sneaky mouse to find my self in front of the powerful door. I called it the ‘deciding door' as it decided weather I should leave the house and never return. On the way I had passed the rose red, ribena stain from when I spilt my glass on the floor. Mother had rescued me from injury. The memories were so fresh in my mind. It was as if it were yesterday. As I opened the door, the invisible wind flew in and out of my ears sending shivers up and down my spine as if an elevator were traveling to different floors. I would stand there shivering, imagining myself in Mothers arms. The whole of my Indian coloured skin would cover in goose bumps, each individual one containing a hair all stood up equal sized looking like they were under commandment in an army. My first step onto the African rug could have been my last. I wished. My long legged limbs would co-operate together so I could travel to where I wished to travel. They were under my instructions. I reached the pavement on the sides of the roads. As the first car lead the rest my heat rotated at a ninety degree angle to the right. No cars in sight. As I reached mid point in the road an internal feeling of sickness approached me. I looked down to find no blood. My consciousness was fading vastly. As I tried to demand my legs to get up they laid there lifelessly. I blinked once, the blue sky. I blinked twice, half the sky. I blinked 3 times, nothing†¦

The Death of Ivan Ilych

The short story, â€Å"The Death of Ivan Ilych†, written by Leo Tolstoy, is about the reactions of a man and his friends to his suffering and death. Everyone who knows Ivan including Ivan himself has led a life of total disconcern for the feelings and sufferings of others. They all lead shallow lives not daring to probe into the feelings deep down inside for fear of stepping outside the lines of propriety. That is the biggest rule that people of that society follow. Do not say or show what you are thinking. Ivan Ilych’s attitude toward life is the same all the way up to his death. He was as the author put it, â€Å"†¦a capable, good-natured, and social man, though strict in the fulfillment of what he considered his duty: and he considered his duty to be what was so considered by those in authority. † (p. 1088) That quote states that Ivan was solely concerned with his duties and his advancement in position by following the orders of his authorities. Ivan was son of a successful man who held many positions in many departments. That man, Ilya Epimovich Golovin, had three sons. The oldest followed his father’s example and was a success. The youngest son was a total failure. He had blown many opportunities and was the shame of the family. Ivan the middle son was the better of the two. Ivan was a mix of his two brothers. He had the hard-working spirit of the older brother but also appreciates the value of a good time like the younger brother. Ivan’s career grew steadily. In a short time, he eventually obtained the position of examining magistrate. Ivan did very well in this position. He excelled in the separation of the personal duties in his life and the official duties to which he was totally dedicated. This taste of power which came with his new position was very appealing to Ivan. The idea that writing a few words or giving a simple command sent people into motion made Ivan very happy. Upon moving to a new town to take up the position of examining magistrate, Ivan met his future wife, Praskovya Fedorovna Mikhel. Ivan saw her as a â€Å"†¦well connected, and was a sweet, pretty, and thoroughly correct young woman. † The view that she was so within the lines of propriety was the most attractive feature which this young woman possessed in Ivan’s view. At first the marriage which Ivan thought couldn’t hurt his pleasure-seeking life didn’t, then according to Ivan she began to disturb the pleasure and propriety of his life. This ordeal only worsened when his wife became pregnant. She became unbearable to him, overly jealous and coarse, becoming an obstacle to his pursuit of happiness and properness. When the child was born, Ivan realized that a life totally separate his family life would be necessary to fulfill the goals he set for himself. He also came to the realization that to keep his marriage in order that he was going to have to adopt the same attitude to his family that he has to his official duties. Ivan developed an attitude towards his family of complete indifference as stated in the story, â€Å"He only required of it those conveniences—dinner at home, housewife, and bed—which it could give him. † (p. 1092) More children arrived and his wife’s attitude only worsened. After three years and becoming a highly looked upon official he received a promotion to the position of Assistant Public Prosecutor. This new promotion made Ivan like his job even more. Meanwhile, more children were born which made Ivan’s life even more difficult. After getting another promotion and moving to another province, the marriage was getting increasingly difficult. To try and overcome this Ivan decided to spend some time in the country with his wife. This move turns out to be a very bad one. Ivan falls into deep depression and decides that some drastic measures are needed. He returns from the country heading towards St. Petersburg with the objective of obtaining a salary of 5,000 rubles a year. Things worked out very much in his favor. He got a promotion two steps above his former position. After obtaining this position, he returned to the country and his marriage life improved immensely. Ivan then proceeded to the province to which they were moving to attempt to locate a house. He found one which suited his tastes perfectly. Ivan turned his attention towards furnishing his house. He searched for all the things which give his house an air of aristocracy and yet not too snobbish. While showing an upholsterer how he wanted the drapes hung, Ivan fell and nearly caught himself but unfortunately managed to hit himself in the side and give himself a large bruise. This is when the health problems begin. The illness began slowly but the pain steadily increased. Ivan visited many doctors, but none of them could give him a solid diagnosis. The pain caused many problems in his life, most of all it interfered with how he did his job. People began to look down upon him. No one really felt sympathy for Ivan. The people whom he called his friends treated him the same as he treated them in his life, with total indifference. Even Ivan’s own wife treated his illness as a burden and a trouble. He begins to realize how everyone is treating him. All that he wants is pity and there is no one there to give him it besides his servant Gerasim. Ivan shows spots of beginning to realize how he treated life. He treated life with the utmost propriety and tried his very best not to let his emotions get in the way of how he acted and performed his duty. This shows when Ivan says, â€Å"What if my whole life has really been wrong? †(p. 1117) Ivan says this while looking at Gerasim peacefully sleeping at his side, the only one who shows the slightest bit of pity and sorrow for him. Ivan’s wife is falsely concerned in his condition merely because that is the thing for her to be in this situation. She does not really care if he makes it; she is only worried about the inconvenience his suffering is putting her through and the financial bind his death puts her in. Ivan realizes all these things and cannot even bear to speak with her. He thinks to himself, â€Å"Yes, I am making them wretched†¦They are sorry, but it will be better for them when I die. † (p. 1119) All of these things lead up to the conclusion in Ivan’s mind that he is sorry for them. He is trying to act so as not to hurt them. In the final scene someone besides his servant, Gerasim, begins to show pity for him, it is his son. Ivan sees the sorrow and pity in his eyes and apologizes to him for causing this grief. With this story, Leo Tolstoy shows that a man can change. That even if it must be through pain and suffering that everyone is capable of redemption. If a man such as Ivan Ilych who never cared for anyone more than necessary can be redeemed and see the fault in his ways then anyone can. The most selfish man can be changed if people show him pity and feel for him, as he should feel for others. It stirred something inside Ivan when people went out of their way to attempt to comfort him. It made him realize his faults and want to change.

Beginning of Catholicism and its Spread Around the World Essay

Beginning of Catholicism and its Spread Around the World - Essay Example The Birth of Christianity in Jerusalem The birth of Christianity was practically the beginning of Christ’s preaching in Jerusalem (â€Å"How the Catholic Church†). In Chapter 16 of the Gospel of Matthew, it is believed that Jesus established the Catholic Church when He asked the disciples, â€Å"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?† (Matthew 16:13, New American Standard Bible). Although the disciples have several answers, only Simon Peter’s sufficed when he said, â€Å"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God† (Mt. 16:16). Through this statement, one can see that Peter declared and affirmed Jesus Christ’s divinity. Jesus then formally established the Church by assigning Peter the equivalent role of Pope: â€Å"Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven†¦you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church† (Mt. 16:17-18). Jesus’ divine dec laration of Peter’s important role in the Christian Church happened in around 33 AD in Jerusalem (â€Å"How the Catholic Church†). It was actually Peter who eventually brought Christianity to Rome, where the religion became Roman Catholicism. The Emergence of Christianity in Rome Before Peter went to Rome to spread Christ’s church, he and the other disciples preached the gospel in Jerusalem first until around 45 AD (â€Å"How the Catholic Church†). Their accomplishments are all found in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, where Peter declared once more the authority that Jesus conferred upon Him before the latter’s death: â€Å"Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe† (Acts 15:7). This authority of Peter was important in the early beginnings of the Catholic Church when there were no established doctrines yet except the teachings of Ch rist. Through Peter’s authority and as stated in the Acts of the Apostles, the apostles preached in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Syria, Asia Minor, Europe and finally Rome (Darby). The joint efforts of Peter and the other disciples in spreading the gospel in the aforementioned places approximately lasted until the year 44 during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius, although some sources say it was during the time of the succeeding emperor, Nero (Robinson). The missionary activities of the 12 disciples of Jesus including Peter happened simultaneously with those of Paul, who arrived in Jerusalem in around 57 AD, and preached in Greece and Rome until his arrest and death sometime between 64 and 68 AD also during the time of Nero (â€Å"Paul’s Work†). The joint efforts of Peter, Paul and the other disciples of Christ in spreading the word of God in the Middle East, Europe and Rome may have caused their eventual deaths, but these efforts served as the seed from whi ch Roman Catholicism would be born. The Formal Beginnings of Roman Catholicism Between 100 AD and 200 AD, the need arose for the specifications of Catholic Christianity, especially on the subject of apostolic authority. There was a need to put into writing what it really meant to be a Christian and, thus, there was a need to organize the New Testament Scriptures, writings of the apostles, the Episcopal centers that the apostles established, in order to formulate a standard of Christian conduct (Guisepi). It was Irenaeus,

CEO Project---Pepsico Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

CEO Project---Pepsico - Research Paper Example Additionally, the implementation process must consider the structure of the company in order to curb the prevalence of conflicts in the company’s management. The company carries out extensive environmental conservation projects. Such are effective social responsive management techniques that position the company favorably in the market. Social responsive investment is a marketing strategy in which the company appreciates that it exists and is part of the society. This way, the company must institute changes that influence the preference of the society thus positioning its projects and products strategically in the market. The policies of the company portray an extensive culture as the company strives to develop the culture of ownership. Culture refers to the manner in which a company operates and meets its objectives. The policy asserts that the company strives to develop a culture of ownership. Ownership is an effective introductory strategy and an approach that the company uses successfully to implement its numerous conservation projects. The conservation of the environment is a responsibility of every individual who draws respective b enefits from the environment. By installing the culture of ownership, the company ensures both its stakeholders and members of the society appreciate its numerous conservation policies a feature that expedites the implementation process. The culture of ownership encourages responsive and interactions with the environment. The management and other employees of the company will begin maintaining dignified interaction with the environment as they strive to conserve the environment. This way, the society readily adopts the company’s environmental conservation initiatives thus expediting the roll out of the company’s projects. However, the development of a culture especially in such a large multinational corporation requires effective planning in order to

Career develpoment plan part (iii) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Career develpoment plan part (iii) - Essay Example Here are three basic questions to answer: This gives the current-state analysis of skills, capabilities, and knowledge which each individual employee holds at this point in time. They are then required to jot down the strengths and weaknesses, which they think they carry. Their self assessment is then passed on to functional managers for evaluation based on their observation about each individual. This is more like a starting point for the employee’s career, presence of which may un-block potential growth areas. Second question which needs attention is the future-state one seeks to reach, considering the career interest, knowledge, and skills which can be enhanced. It gives a proper direction for pursuing the career one wants to stick to after gaining much experience. Mostly, career counseling or proper mentoring by experts can help in figuring out the place one desires to reach. Lastly, figuring out the gaps between the current-state and the future-state provides structured Action Plan for achieving desired goals. Over here, it’s very critical to have realistic goals in mind, absence of which can make the efforts go invain. The action plan created acts like a detailed map, consisting of step-by-step measures required to progress. The career map formed by the assessment acts like the initial document for carrying out the Performance Appraisal procedure, along with the Job Description and Job Responsibilities’ documents provided to employees at the time of induction. At the time of appraisal, which is the basic step for evaluating the progress, appraisal forms (refer to Appendix A) are shared. The yearly, bi-yearly, or quarterly appraisals highlight the strengths, which have been utilized the most; and the areas of improvement of each employee separately. Feedbacks of the appraisals are shared with the employees individually by calling private meeting in a closed room, where concerns can be shared and disagreements can be catered to

Impact of SOPA and PIPA Bills Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Impact of SOPA and PIPA Bills - Research Paper Example The government, particularly from the computer software publishing and entertainment industries for years to invent and implement an effective mechanism for stopping the online piracy that allows the internet users to have copies of their products free of charge. Though, it seems certainly logical for the reason that no one wants to see something for which they have spent a lot of time and effort on to create be disrespected by people having access to it free of charge and without permission (Newman; Jamal). This paper will discuss the initiatives of the government trying to regulate the internet with SOPA and PIPA bills and how it would affect the internet service providers and the internet users.    An Overview of SOPA and PIPA These days, we can see the Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the top headlines. In fact, the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act are getting a great deal more negative response from different organizations. In additio n, some of the major web-based businesses, for instance, Wikipedia have responded against these laws by protesting the bills with blackouts. Additionally, Google Corporation has also joined the movement, by placing a link on its homepage illustrating the reason why the organization opposes the legislation. Both the bills SOPA (presented in the U.S. House of Representatives) and PIPA (presented in the U.S. Senate) are intended for overseas websites that break copyrighted stuff. In addition, both the bills are generally linked with media piracy however can also be applied to counterfeit medication and consumer goods (Newman; Magid). In the beginning, both the SOPA and PIPA bills included two important ways to fight exclusive rights violation on overseas websites. In this scenario the first way allows the U.S. Department of Justice to ask for court orders and instructions forcing ISPs to shut down the domain names of the suspected websites. For instance, Comcast can stop its customers from accessing the contents of www.thepiratebay.org, even though the given IP address can be accessed and works properly. In this scenario, this ISP blocking terms was one of the key concerns among Internet security experts, at the same time as both PIPA and SOPA have ignored it. On the other hand, the other way allows rights owners to ask for court orders and instructions to force the advertisers, payment providers and search engines to stop carrying out business activities in cooperation with the suspected websites. In this scenario, rights owners would be allowed to demand that funds be charged from the suspected website and that investigate links to that site be detached. However, the suspected site would be given five days to appeal any action taken (Newman; Magid). In simple words, the basic purpose behind the implementation of these bills is to stop from connected to any sites that are dedicated to the  theft  of U.S. property. In addition, these bills would also stop the business organizations and individuals from putting on the sites and shut down payment processing companies such as MasterCard, Visa and PayPal from sending money to the site.

Research paper on Workplace diversity Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paper on Workplace diversity - Research Proposal Example On the other hand it can become a constraint or limitation if a firm disregards the existence of workplace diversity. This essay analyzes the topic of workplace diversity by discussing the author’s personal experiences and by analyzing concepts and theories on the topic. In the United States of America there are laws that protect employees from being discriminated against based on race, sexual orientation, religion preference, or ethnic background. The most important law that prohibits discrimination in the workplace is the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A lot of discrimination cases occur due to stereotypes. A stereotype is an assumption made about a person based on group categorizing. In a recent judicial proceedings judge Miller ruled that an employer can’t discriminate based on sex stereotypes, but it can rely on dress code that enacts stereotypes (Weiss). Resistance to change is one of reasons that it is sometimes difficult for organizations to properly manage workplace diversity. I’ve personally seen how workplace diversity can help companies get the most out of its human resource. A few years ago I worked in a medium size company whose corporate culture took advantage of workplace diversity. There were a few hundred employees in the company which included more than 50 international employees. The human resource department recruited through the internet professionals from all over the world. The company offered very good relocation incentive packages and paid these foreign employees 10-25% more than what the industry paid employees of similar educational and work experiences. One of the reasons the company hired so many international workers was for the insight these people could provide which in turn was utilize to determine the best locations for corporate expansion. The company utilized multiple communication factors in their dealings with international employees. The interpersonal relationships among the entire staff were a motivating factor

Examine the distinguishing features of HRM In A Developing country( Assignment - 1

Examine the distinguishing features of HRM In A Developing country( Australia) - Assignment Example According to (Technology Evaluation,2011)â€Å"The knowledge base on human resources management systems affords clients the opportunity to rapidly determine their criteria for management and employee personnel tasks. Its extensive criteria include benefits and payroll management, employee self service, data warehousing, and health and safety requirements†. Human resource management has various features and functions, which helps it to achieve its specific strategies and goals. Today the business world has vast numbers of large and International business organizations where human resource plays a vital role in its daily operation and systematic running. As per, Armstron(2002,pg.15) â€Å"Human resource strategy has two key elements: there must be strategic objective and there must be a plan of action which is to be met as a goal of the organization. The features and function of Human resource management is wide and varied, as it handles the whole issue related to In many developing countries the Human resource management is fully or partially established to aid the smooth functioning of big and international organizations .With the increasing influence of globalization, the demands of human resource management is heightening at great level , also is the need for improving the effectiveness of its staff. Tessema(2006.pg86-105)states that ,â€Å"As performance is a multi-faceted and complicated concept, HRM outcomes were used as mediating factors between HR practices and employee performance†. Human resource mainly deals with the functions of the employees in an organization and without this department the activities of a business fail. Human resource strategies are heart and soul to a developing nation as it helps in the upgrading of the economical status of the country. The human resources management department is the division which handles all the core activities related to the employees and their welfare. In the past decades , the globalization have

Through Deaf Eyes Essay Example for Free

Through Deaf Eyes Essay While watching Through Deaf Eyes, there were a lot of things that I didn’t think about before. For example, when they started talking about how even in deaf schools, African Americans were segregated from the rest of the white people I was a little thrown off by this. When talking about this in history classes, I never thought about segregating people twice?! The deaf community was already misunderstood and had to have their own schools and now the black deaf community had to be pushed out even farther? This concept started a whole new world for me. In my life, I really have never been exposed to sign language before. I think I have only met one real deaf person and he was about three and had a cochlear implant. So, the deaf community has never popped into my mind when it came to things like this. I think that another big part of the movie, for me, was when the students from Gallaudet University protested against their new president because she wasn’t deaf. Again, this is not something that I had never thought about before. It was big when Obama first became president that was a big turning point for America and also very moving. I know it was more important to the African American community because of their history and how crazy that was for them! Now, I know I can’t relate to the deaf community but I do understand that as an all-deaf university there should be an all-deaf staff, including the president. For those students to fight that hard and win just goes to show how dedicated they are in preserving their community and not afraid to fight for what they believe in and what is right. I really like how proud and powerful the deaf community is when it comes to standing up for themselves and others. The last thing that I really liked which was really the first thing, was the man in the very beginning of the film. I thought that it was a very powerful way to start. We often don’t think about what we say before we say it and a comment like, â€Å"Are you deaf?!† isn’t always going to turn out well for you in the end. That’s just like that, â€Å"That’s gay† comments that some people make. I don’t like that word and I try not to repeat it. I have an uncle who is gay and when I hear those kinds of comments I will most likely say something about it. I know that if I ever made that mistake about the deaf comment and a deaf person then asked me, â€Å"Are you hearing?!† I would feel pretty embarrassed and ashamed. I do admit that I have said that in the past, not ever thinking about it ever hurting someone. I can say now, that I will not say that because it is just like calling something/someone gay when you don’t mean it. After watching this movie and especially now that I am taking this class and learning so much about the deaf culture, I know that I will learn so much more and be able to think with another angle.

Late Development And The Challenges Facing Late Developers Economics Essay

Late Development And The Challenges Facing Late Developers Economics Essay On the world stage, the list of the wealthiest countries has been dominated by European nations for the past six hundred years. Mid-last century a shift occurred that has seen the emergence of Asian countries growing at rapid rates. The surge was led by Japan and was quickly followed by those now known as the Asian Tigers. What problems did these countries overcome to grow so quickly while at the same time so many other nations are trapped in the quagmire of poverty and debt? Additionally, what challenges do the countries attempting development later than others face if they wish to emulate the Asian Tigers? This essay will briefly explain the problem of late development before outlining the challenges faced by late developers. Broadly speaking development implies wish to shift from an undesired state to a more desirable state; in this case a movement away from the situation of inequality and poverty to that of more equality and less poverty. Inequality in terms of social, cultural, economic and political needs is widespread in the world, not just between nations but within populations of nations. Such inequality leads to the poverty experienced by the populations of the undeveloped and developing nations of the word, causing millions of needless deaths every year around the world. Before any explanation or hypothesis regarding development of nations can be carried out, the term poverty requires discussion. An orthodox view of poverty is not having sufficient money to buy food and other basic material needs  [1]  . An alternate view of poverty is where people are not able to meet their own material and non-material needs through their own effort. The subtle difference between the two definitions will be expanded later in this essay. Additional to discussing poverty, the term development needs discussion. To determine the status of a nation as developed, developing or underdeveloped requires the use of a metric, criterion or standard of some kind. Which form of measure is hotly debated and is a very contentious issue. Different measures that can be used are national gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, level of economic industrialization or the Human Development Index (HDI) to name a few and the selection of which one determines the rankings of nations. During the Cold War, the terms First, Second and Third World were used to describe the USA, Soviet and non-aligned blocks of countries. The term Third World became synonymous with underdeveloped and developing countries and to this day is misused to describe these countries. THE PROBLEMS OF LATE DEVELOPMENT The same problems face developing countries, regardless of the metric used to measure a nations development ranking. The prime problem facing developing nation is their late start compared to the more advanced industrialised countries that are generally accepted as being developed. Late development precludes nations from using the first mover advantages of economies of scale, positive network effects and the ease of sourcing investment funds  [2]  . Nations that get a head start in an industry have the ability to compete evenly against other nations starting at the same time in that industry. As capacity builds, the high costs of initial production, research and development, and low levels of output alter because of innovation and improvement leading to more effective and cheaper production methods, enhanced products, and higher levels of output. All these factors enable the distribution of fixed costs, such as production and transport costs, across the greater output, thus lowering the final cost of an item. These economies of scale enable the first mover to produce a product at a lower cost than a late developer, which in turn, allows the first mover to either undercut late starters or make more profit when selling at the same price  [3]  . Late developers hence need to find ways around the economies of scale factor such as using cheaper local labour for production, leveraging off any local raw materials or new areas to in novate. A good example of the economies of scale at work is the early motor vehicle industry. The Ford Motor Company is generally credited with the first use of a production line type manufacturing method in the automotive industry that enabled Ford to mass produce cars at prices much cheaper than the completion. Follower companies adopted the same technology, but not after Ford had gained a significant market share in North America and enabled the company to create a world-wide manufacturing base that was not seriously challenged for over half a century  [4]  . Starting an industry or sector of technology first attracts people and firms into the area where that technology is found, thus creating a centre of excellence in terms of equipment and personnel. The network effect  [5]   of a centre of excellence also adds to the economics of scale effects, as raw material supplies are only shipped into one area and conversely distribution centres can also be centralised. Additionally, distributed manufacturing within such a network is sped up and costs reduced due to close proximity, thus reducing costs and time effects. Late starters wishing to build their own competing centres of excellence face the obstacle of attracting expertise away from established areas. The inability to match wage rates and favourable conditions of established centres of excellence need to be countered at the new location, often by government subsidies, low tax rates and favourable trade conditions. Well known examples of successful secondary centres of excellence are the Japanese automotive industry following America and the New Zealand and Australian movie production centres following in the footsteps of Hollywood and Bollywood. The effects of globalisation and easy flow of information and technology are continuing to reduce the need to physically concentrate people and industry; hence the network effects are being reduced for the first mover. Sourcing investment funds for any new industry is a challenge, yet sourcing funds to compete against a developed nations established industry is even more difficult. The first mover nations have the advantage of having the first opportunity to attract investment capital, whether internal to the nation or externally via foreign investment. Regardless of the source of investment funds, late developers seeking funding must compete against established industries with proven return rates and known levels of risk, therefore pay higher interest rates. These higher interest rates further erode the profit margin of the late developer and make their products less attractive on price and company success rates lower. THE CHALLENGES FACING LATE DEVELOPERS In light of the problems face by late developers, why is striving for development so important? United Nations former Secretary General Kofi Annan described a developed country as one that allows all its citizens to enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment implying that developing and undeveloped countries citizens do not enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment. The orthodox, or liberalist, view of development describes its purpose as the requirement to move from a subsistence economy to an industrialised and modern economy  [6]  . Compare such a view with the alternate or more socialist view, where the purpose of development is to create human well-being through sustainable societies in social, cultural, economic and political means. These two viewpoints differ significantly but suffer from overlapping sets of challenges that need addressing to successfully develop a nation. The orthodox view of development identifies a strong trend between development and industrialisation. This view sees industrialisation as a better path for growth of a nation than agriculture or resource extraction as there is a greater potential for capital accumulation. This growth is due to the higher productivity achieved with successful industrialisation, which in turn leads to better wage growth, better skill and expertise growth, and the unlimited potential of the free-market. Such an approach generally requires a top-down governmental control process, using external capital investment to attract technology and stimulate private sector growth. Using industrialisation as the pathway to growth and development has the disadvantages of exposing a nation to both the good and bad aspects of globalisation. Fast and freer information flows, financial deregulation, access to technology and exposure to the global villages cultural influence can have positive and negative effects on both markets and populations. The effects of global financial institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and open finance markets can lead to a nations own monetary policy having little control on capital availability and exchange rate control; a critical factor in ensuring a stable economy  [7]  . Ostensibly, small and vulnerable nations can be either manipulated easily or must flow global trends with few ability to cause self-determination in the globalised finance market. The alternate view of development takes a different approach to development. In this view the final target of development is not necessarily parity with developed nations using convention metrics, such as GDP per capita, but a more holistic vision of a journey towards self-sufficiency, self-reliance and unity rather than outright fiscal wealth. In this respect, development is more a process rather than a target. The fundamental difference to the orthodox view is that the alternate view is a bottom up process and involves the respect of nature and culture, political inclusion of marginalised groups and local control of resources and investments. Comparing the two very different approaches identifies that there are challenges to both, including some common challenges. The orthodox view has the advantage of potentially providing greater growth rates and hence reducing inequality between nations, but often at the cost of higher internal inequality as the gap between the richest and poorest within a nation widens. This effect is sometimes called the unavoidable consequence of economic growth  [8]  . Opponents to the orthodox view also content that sustained development is only viable through further growth within a global free-market, which benefits the suppliers of the initial capital more than the nation seeking development  [9]  . Conversely, the alternate view of development suffers the potential problem of creating slower growth rates than embracing outright industrialism and its side effects. This approach also requires assistance from external to the country, but more often in the form of education and material re sources, rather than direct capital injection. The Chipko movement in India and the rubber tapper movement in the Amazon are examples of successful grass roots versions of the alternate development methods  [10]  . Both are relatively small scale and limited to regions and ethnicities rather than whole nations. Both approaches suffer from the challenges of overcoming education, literacy, environmental and health issues which all slow rates of growth. Additionally, corruption is seen as a huge obstacle to developing nations, specifically in autocratic and flawed democracies. Later in the development cycle nations that grow strongly need to be able to keep their exchange rate competitive by neutralize the tendency of the exchange rate to head toward overvaluation  [11]  . This problem is related to the Dutch disease  [12]  , the policy of growth with foreign savings, and to exchange rate populism. CONCLUSION In summary, it can be seen that development of countries is import to reduce the gap between the most advanced nations in the world and the least. Development leads to a reduction in suffering by people who cannot meet their own needs through their own means, while at the same time enabling societies to become sustainable in economic, political and cultural terms. The process of development is slow and the challenges are many. Overcoming the problems of being a late developer is complex and difficult, but demonstrably possible as the Asian Tiger nations and other Newly Industrialised Countries have proven. Striving to industrialise by increasing exports has been a successful development strategy for the Asian Tiger countries, but not all nations have been successful using this technique. Local political, geographical and geological environments can both help and hinder development, as can the effects of globalisation by open both market and financial flows. While the history of development success shows that the crux of change is primarily national and local, such change now takes place in an increasingly globalised world of ever tighter political, economic, and cultural ties. The problems faced by developing nations are many and no universal answer or solution exists. Each nation that wishes to develop needs to create a development plan unique to their nation, based on their specific politics, cultures, resources, skills and geography. Only then can real and sustains development occur. Word Count = 2050

Prevalence of ESBL in Surgical Wound Infections and Burns

Prevalence of ESBL in Surgical Wound Infections and Burns PREVELANCE OF EXTENDED SPECTRUM BETA LACTAMASES PRODUCERS AMONG SURGICAL WOUND INFECTIONS AND BURNS PATIENTS AT DR. SHANKARRAO CHAVAN GOVERNMENT MEDICAL COLLEGE, NANDED. *Vivek M Gujar1, Sharmila S Raut2, Sanjaykumar R More3 1. Assistant Professor, Dept. of Microbiology, Dr. S.C. Government Medical College, Nanded. 2. Professor, Dept. of Microbiology, Dr. S.C. Government Medical College, Nanded. 3. Associate Professor, Dept. of Microbiology, Dr. S.C. Government Medical College, Nanded. ABSTRACT Purpose:- The purpose of this study was to know the prevalence of Extended Spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) among surgical wound infection and burn patients. Methods:- A total of 100 patients admitted to the surgical wards with post operative wound infections and burns from January 2014 to May 2014 were studied. A total of 137 isolates were obtained from these patients. Of these, 87 organisms (63.5% of the total isolates) were found to be Extended Spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) producers. The commonest were Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia . They were studied for ESBL production by screening test, CLSI disc diffusion method phenotypic confirmation by disc potentiation test. Result:- Out of 100 strains, 87 (63.5%) were confirmed as ESBL producers. Among the ESBL producer all the isolates were sensitive to Imipenem. Resistance against Ampicillin (10ug) is 100%, Gentamicin (10ug) is 80.46%, Ciprofloxacin (5ug) is 74.72%, Tetracycline(30ug) is 63.22% and Amikacin (30ug) is 16.1 0.% Conclusion:- Our study shows presence of ESBL producer among surgical wound infections and burn patients and their prevalence is 63.5%. The routine antimicrobial sensitivity test may fail to detect ESBL. Detection of ESBL production should be carried out as a routine in diagnostic laboratories by disc potentiation test as it is a simple and cost effective test. Antibiotics resistance is significantly more prevalent in ESBL positive isolates as compared to ESBL negative. Key words:- Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamases, ESBL, INTRODUCTION The beta lactam antibiotics are amongst the most widely prescribed antibiotics and are an important component of empirical therapy in intensive care unit and high risk ward.1,2,3 Resistance to beta lactam antibiotics is an increasing problem worldwide.4 Increase in the prevalence of penicillin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae, Methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus, Vancomycin resistance in Enterococci, Extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) production in Enteric Gram negative bacilli and Fluroquinolone resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoea are just a few examples of the rising problem of resistance documented by both national and international surveillance system in the past few years.5 The ESBL are plasmid mediated enzymes that hydrolyze the oxyimino beta lactam (3rd generation cephalosporine) and monobactam (aztreonam), but have no effect on cephamycins (cefoxitin and cefotatan). It is situated in periplasmic space.6 Although TEM type beta lactamases are most often found in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, they are also found in Enterobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Morganella morganii, Proteus mirabilis, Serratia marcescens, Pseudomanas aeruginosa, Shigella dysenteriae, Capnocytophaga ochracea and Citrobacter 7,8,9,10. However, the frequency of ESBL production in these organisms is low.11 Over 150 different ESBLs have been described as of today.12 ESBL pose a major problem for clinical therapeutic. It is necessary to identify the prevalence of these strain in hospitals and to characterise their epidemiology, control spread of these strains and to determine suitable preventive measures and treatment policies. MATERIALS AND METHODS A present study was conducted at Dr. Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College, Nanded between January 2014 – May 2014. A total number of 100 post operative wound infections and burns patients wound swabs were processed during the study. A total of 137 isolates were obtained from these patients. COLLECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF THE ISOLATES Using aseptic precautions, wound swabs were collected from the patients using sterile tipped swabs. The organism(s) isolated were identified based on colony morphology on blood agar, MacConkey agar and by standard biochemical tests.13,14 Strains:- Escherichia coli ATCC 25922( ESBL negative) and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 700603 (ESBL positive)were used as control organism throughout the study. Antimicrobial Susceptibility testing:- The antibiotic sensitivity test was performed by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion technique with commercial available discs (HiMedia, Mumbai, India) on Muller Hinton agar plates. The discs used were Ampicillin (10ug), Amikacin (30ug), Gentamicin (10ug), Ciprofloxacin (5ug), Imipenem (10ug) and Tetracycline (30ug). The diameter of the zone of inhibition of each antibiotic was measured and interpreted as sensitive, intermediate sensitive or resistance according to CLSI criteria.15 Detection of ESBL15:- In the present study 137 isolates were tested for ESBL production by the following methods- SCREENING TESTS15:- CLSI disc diffusion method PHENOTYPIC CONFIRMATION TEST15:- Disc potentiation test CLSI ESBL Screening test:- 15 According to NCCLS 2002 for screening test to be positive or to consider an organism as probable ESBL producer the zone diameter should be- Antibiotic Zone diameter In mm or less Ceftazidime(30ug) 22 Cefotaxime (30ug) 27 Ceftriaxone (30ug) 25 Cefpodoxime(10ug) 17 Aztreonam (30ug) 27 The use of more than one antimicrobial agent suggested for screening will improve the sensitivity of ESBL detection15. Ideally the most sensitive ESBL screening agent is Cefpodoxime for Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.9 In the present study, ceftazidime (30ug), cefotaxime (30ug), ceftriaxone(30ug), cefpodoxime (10ug) and aztreonam (30ug) were used. These were stored in refrigerator. Before use they were taken out of refrigerator and brought to room temperature. Then they were applied on Muller Hinton agar for Antibiotic sensitivity testing. DISC POTENTIATION METHOD 15 As per CLSI guidelines disc potentiation method was used as phenotypic confirmatory test. For confirmation of ESBL production ceftazidime (30ug), ceftazidime + clavulanic acid combination disc (30/10ug) manufactured by HiMedia and cefotaxime (30ug) + cefotaxime clavulanic acid (30/10ug) prepared in laboratory were used. PREPARATION OF CLAVULANIC ACID STOCK SOLUTION For preparation of clavulanic acid stock solution Augmentin powder (gsk company) was used- 1.2gm vial of (Augmentin) contains 200mg clavulanic acid 1200 mg contains 200mg clavulanic acid Therefore, 6 mg Augmentin contains 1 mg clavulanic acid. 6 mg Augmentin is dissolved in 1 ml sterile distilled water to make a solution i.e 1ml solution contain 1 mg clavulanic acid. i.e 1000ul solution contains 1000ug clavulanic acid. PREPARATION OF CEFOTAXIME-CLAVULANIC ACID DISC15,16 Cefotaxime (30ug) discs were kept separately in a sterile petridish. 10ul of stock solution of clavulanic acid was added to each disc with a micropipette. 30 minutes were allowed for clavulanic acid to absorb and also for the disc to dry. The discs were used immediately after preparation. STORAGE OF CEFTAZIDIME+CLAVULANIC ACID DISC Clavulanic acid being labile, discs were placed in separate screw capped glass vials and stored at -200C. When antibiotics discs were required for test, they were removed from the freezer and allowed to come to room temperature before application. 17 APPLICATION OF DISCS:- After preparing the inoculum, Muller Hinton agar plates were inoculated. With the help of sterile forcep antibiotic discs containing ceftazidime and ceftazidime+clavulanic acid and cefotaxime and cefotaxime+clavulanic acid were placed on inoculated Muller Hinton agar plate at a distance of 24 mm from center to center. Plates were inverted and incubated at 370C for 16-18 hours. INTERPRETATION More than or equal to 5mm increase in a zone diameter for ceftazidime and cefotaxime tested in combination with clavulanic acid versus its zone when tested alone indicate ESBL production. ESBL POSITIVE:- If an isolate is confirmed as ESBL producer, the isolate reported as resistant to all Penicillin, Cephalosporins and Monobactam (Aztreonam). ESBL NEGATIVE:- If an isolate is not confirmed as ESBL producer, the sensitivity of the isolate was reported as per sensitivity test report. RESULT The total number of patients screened were 100 of which 64 were males and 36 females (M : F = 1.78:1). The average age was 44.72 years (Range 12-80 years). The types of wounds were post operative wounds (65.7%) and burns (34.3%). Duration of hospital stay ranged from 15 days to 3 months. Out of 137 strains, 87 (63.50%) were confirmed as ESBL producers (Table 1). Susceptibility pattern of the ESBL producers were studied. All the isolates were sensitive to Imipenem. Resistance against Ampicillin (10ug) is 100%, Gentamicin (10ug) is 80.46%, Ciprofloxacin (5ug) is 74.72%, Tetracycline(30ug) is 63.22% and Amikacin (30ug) is 16.10.% (Table 3). TABLE 1 Distribution of ESBL strains among the different organisms isolated Sr. no Organism No. of organisms Isolated No. of ESBL strains % ESBL strains 1 Escherichia coli 71 45 63.38% 2 Klebsiella pneumonia 57 36 63.15% 3 Enterobacter spp. 07 04 57.14% 4 Morganella morganii 01 01 100% 5 Providentia rettgeri 01 01 100% TOTAL 137 87 63.50% Table 2 Distribution of ESBL strains based on clinical diagnosis Sr. no Clinical diagnosis No. of organisms Isolated No. of ESBL strains % ESBL strains 1 Post operative wounds Infections 90 55 61.11% 2 Burns 47 32 68.08% Table 3 Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of ESBL positive strains Sr. no Organism Susceptibility Category A Ak G Cf T I 1 Escherichia coli (45) S 00 37 07 10 18 45 IS 00 05 02 01 02 00 R 45 03 36 34 25 00 2 Klebsiella pneumonia (36) S 00 30 05 07 10 36 IS 00 02 02 02 01 00 R 36 04 29 27 25 00 3 Other. (06) S 04 06 05 05 04 06 IS 00 00 00 01 01 00 R 02 00 01 00 01 00 A=Ampicillin, Ak = Amikacin, Cf = Ciprofloxacin, G = Gentamicin, T = Tetracycline, I = Imepenem, R= Resistance, S = sensitive, IS = Intermediate sensitive DISCUSSION The prevalence of ESBL among clinical isolates very greatly worldwide, indifferent geographic areas and are rapidly changing overtime.18 In, 1983, Knothe et.al describe for the first time transferable resistance to the broad spectrum cephalosporins in clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae.19 The routine susceptibility test done by clinical laboratories fail to detect ESBL positive strains. The incidence of ESBL producing organisms in various studies has varied from 0-84%. In our study prevalence of ESBL producing strains is found to be 63.5%. All ESBL producers were sensitive to Imipenem. The result is in accordance with observation reported by other investigators.3,12,18,20 The new inhibitor based confirmatory test approach has been recommended by the CLSI for detection of ESBL. In the present study we found disc potentiation method to be reproducible, sensitive, easy and cost effective for use in a busy diagnostic laboratory.3,11 The use of both cefotaxime and ceftazidime with and without clavulanic acid increases the sensitivity of detection of ESBL compared to the use of only one of them. Inclusion of Cefpodoxime has been reported to further increase the sensitivity of this tests. 3,11 Among the Enterobacteriaceae, ESBL are most prevalent in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. isolates. CONCLUSION The prevalence of ESBL producing strains is 63.5%. Multidrug resistance was found to be significantly higher in ESBL positive isolates as compared to ESBL negative. All the ESBL producers are sensitive to Imipenem. If an isolate is confirmed as ESBL producer, the isolate reported as resistant to all Penicillin, Cephalosporins and Monobactam (Aztreonam). Detection and reporting of beta lactamases producer is responsibility of every clinical Microbiologist. To prevent the spread of ESBLs producing organisms, infection control precautions like barrier nursing, cohorting of patients and nurses, attention to hand washing are essential. REFRENCES Chambers H F, Neu H C, Other beta lactam antibiotics In:Mandell G L, Bennetts J E, Daolin R, editors. Principles and Practice of infectious diseases 4th ed. Vol.I, New york: Churchill Livingstone;1995p.264-72. Fatima H M,, Chanawong A, Kevin G K, Birkenhead D and Hawkey P M. Detection of extended spectrum beta lactamases in members of the family Enterobacteriaceae: comparision of the MAST DD test, the double disc and Etest ESBL. J antimicrob Chemother (2000) 45: 881-885. Mathur P, Kapil A, Das B and Dhawan B. Prevalence of extended spectrum beta lactamases producing Gram negative bacteria in a tertiary care hospital. Indian J Med Res (2000) 115: 153-157. Samaha-Kfoury J N and Georges F A. Recent development in beta lactamases and extended spectrum beta lactamases. British Med J (2003) 327: 1209-1213. Tenover F C, Mohammed M J, Stelling J, O’brien T and Williams R. Ability of Laboratories To Detect Emerging Antimicrobial Resistance: Proficiency Testing and Quality Control Results from the World Health Organisation’s External Quality Assurance System for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. J Clin Microbiol (2001) 39(1):241-250. Louis Rice, MD. Evolution and Clinical Importance of Extended Spectrum beta Lactamases. CHEST (2001) 119: 391S-396S. Decre D, Guchot B, Lucet C, Guillaume A, Bergogne B and Regnier B. Clinical and Bacteriologic Epidemiology of Extended Spectrum beta Lactamases Producing Strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Medical Intensive Care Unit. Clin Infect Dis (1998) 27: 834-844. Thomas K S. Controversies about Extended Spectrum and AmpC beta Lactamases CDC (2001) 7(2): 1-9. Rodrigues C, Joshi P, Jani S H, Alphonse M, Radhakrishanan Ramd Mehta A, DETECTION OF BETA LACTAMASES IN NOSOCOMIAL GRAM NEGATIVE CLINICAL ISOLATES. Indian J Med Microbiol (2004) 22(4): 247-250. Tankhiwale S S, Jalgaonkar S V, Sarfraz Ahmed and Hassani U. Evaluation of extended spectrum beta lactamases in urinary isolates. Indian J Med Res (2004) 120: 553-556. Chaudhary U and Aggarwal R. EXTENDED SPECTRUM BETA LACTAMASES (ESBL) – AN EMERGING THREAT TO CLINICAL THERAPEUTICS. Indian J Med Microbiol (2004) 22(2): 75-80. Menon T, Bindu D, Kumar CPG, Nalini S and Thirunarayan M A. COMPARISON OF DOUBLE DISC AND THREE DIMENSIONAL METHODS TO SCREENING FOR ESBL PRODUCERS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL. Indian J Med Microbiol (2006) 24: 117-120. Betty A Forbes, Daniel F Sahm, Alice S Weissfeld. Laboratory cultivation and isolation of bacteria. In: K.Fabiano, Sarahly L, Ellen Wurm, editors. Bailey and Scott’s Diagnostic Microbiology, 11th ed. Mosby Elesvier; (2002): 133-147. Koneman E W, Allen S D, Janda M W, Schreckenberger P C and Wine W C. The Enterobacteriaceae. In: Andrew A, Collins H and Deitch S editors. COLOUR ATLAS AND TEXTBOOK OF DIAGNOSTIC MICROBIOLOGY, 5th ed. Philadelphia: J b Lipincott Co. 1991: 105-184. National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. Twelth Information Supplement 2002. M100-S12. Vol.20 No.1 2 Villanova Pa. Steward C D, Rasheed J K, Hubert S K, Biddble J W, Raney P M, Anderson G J, Williams P P, Brittain K L, Oliver A, McGowan J E and Tenover F C. Characterization of clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae from 19 laboratories using the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standard Extended spectrum beta Lactamases Detection methods. J Clin Microbiol (2001) 39(8): 2864-2872. Watt C, Louie M, simor A E. Evaluation of Stability of Cefotaxime(30ug) and Ceftazidime(30ug) discs impregnated with clavulanic acid(10ug) for detection of Extended spectrum beta Lactamases. J Clin Microbiol (2000) 38(7): 2796-2797. Babypadmini S and Appalaraju B. EXTENDED SPECTRUM BETA LACTAMASES IN URINARY ISOLATES OF ESCHERICHIA COLI AND KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE – PREVALENCE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERN IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL. Indian J Med Microbiol (2004) 22(3): 172-174. Liu P Y, Jai-Chain T, Se-Chin Ke and Chen S L. Molecular Epidemiology of Extended Spectrum beta Lactamases producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates in District Hospital in Taiwan. J Clin Microbiol (1998) 36(9): 2759-2762. Shukla I, Tiwari R and Agarwal M. PREVALENCE OF EXTENDED SPECTRUM BETA LACTAMASE PRODUCING KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL. Indian J Med Microbiol (2004) 22(2): 87-91.

Charlie Gordon :: essays research papers

Charlie Gordon is the main character of Flowers for Algernon. Charlie is a mentally retarded, 33 year old adult. He desperately wants to be smart, especially after a very troubled childhood in a family who had a hard time adapting to his illness. Charlie has a great attitude about changing his life, and was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish the task of becoming smart. Charlie partakes in a surgery to boost his intelligence that has only been tested on rats, specifically one named Algernon. After the surgery Charlie learned that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, and that many of his old friends wouldn’t see the same person in him. Charlie suddenly had to experience drastic changes in his lifestyle and the story revolves around these complications.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charlie’s story began with the surgery, the biggest decision he made in his life. Although he was a guinea pig in the procedure, he wasn’t worried at all about the surgery, but rather on becoming smart as fast as he could. Supposedly these doctors were doing Charlie the greatest favor he would ever receive, and he was so eager to learn as much as he could. Soon however, Charlie would encounter challenges he never faced with the intelligence of a 6 year old. Before his surgery, Charlie had great friends in Miss Kinnian and the bakery workers. After the surgery the relationships between Charlie and everyone he knew would take a drastic turn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A growing problem of Charlie’s is his extremely mixed emotions toward the opposite sex. He starts a serious relationship with Alice Kinnian, his former teacher. Charlie begins to learn of how society treats the mentally retarded. He realizes his old friends at the bakery just make fun of him. After watching the audience laugh at video of him before the operation, Charlie runs away from a mental health conference with Algernon after learning that his operation went wrong. Charlie does research on himself and learns that intelligence without the ability to give and receive affection leads to mental and moral breakdown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In many ways Charlie was better before the operation. With his simple minded approach to life e was able to live happily with out problems or difficulties that we face in relationships today. Although he was never smart, Charlie was a good person before the surgery.

Development Of Defense Of Provocation :: essays research papers

Development of Defense of Provocation Question: Critically evaluate the development of common law principles applicable to the defence of provocation in criminal law from the decision in Mancini v DPP [1942] AC 1 to Mascantonio v R (1995) 183 CLR 58. Assess the degree to which the common law has proved inflexible in responding changing societal needs and expectations. Are there other legal means of achieving substantive justice? At the time of the case of Mancini the concept of provocation as a defence to murder was already a well established one dating back centuries. It originated from the days when men bore arms and engaged in quarrels of violence that often resulted in a homicide being committed. For provocation to be an ample defence to murder it needed to be something which incited immediate anger, or "passion" and which overcame a person's self control to such an extent so as to overpower or swamp his reason. What this something can be has been the subject of many views through the centuries, and these views have strongly depended upon the type of person whom the law has regarded as deserving extenuated consideration when provoked to kill. In the words of Viscount Simon "the law has to reconcile respect for the sanctity of human life with recognition of the effect of provocation on human frailty. " In this regard the difficult concept of the "reasonable man" or the "ordinary man" has developed and with it the legal doctrine that provocation must be such as would not only cause the person accused to behave as he did but as would cause an ordinary man to so lose control of himself as to act in the same sort of way. It is therefore interesting to examine how the doctrine of common law in relation to provocation has responded to changing societal needs and values. It also provides a useful case study in which the development of common law doctrine can be observed. It is useful to conduct a case-by-case analysis of the rule of provocation as a defence to murder in order to more effectively observe the legal evolution that has taken place. In the case of Mancini v DPP [1942] AC 1 the appellant had been convicted for murder after stabbing a man to death in a club. The appellant's counsel contended that the trial judge should have directed that the jury was open to find provocation to reduce the appellant's conviction to manslaughter. Lord Simonds provided direction upon what kind of provocation would reduce murder to manslaughter. He said that the provocation must temporarily deprive

Compare and Constrast Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods Essay

Based on Freud’s theory (psychoanalytic) human functioning 1. The structure of the mind and the distinct functions of Personality The Freud’s structural theory (Freud, 1923, 1926) dispenses with the concepts of a fixed id, ego and superego, and point out unconscious and conscious conflict among wishes:dependent, Controlling, Sexual, Aggressive, guilt, shame, emotions (especially anxiety and depressive affect), And defensive operations that shut off from consciousness some aspect of the others. Id, ego, and super-ego are the three parts of the † Psychic apparatus † of Freud ‘s structural model of Moreover, healthy functioning (adaptive) is also determined, to a great extent, by resolutions of conflict. According to Freud’s theory that explain human functioning based on three level, Ego strengths include the capacities to control oral, sexual, and destructive impulses; to tolerate painful affects without falling apart; and to prevent the eruption into consciousness of bizarre symbolic fantasy. Synthetic functions, in contrast to autonomous functions, arise from the developmet of the ego and serve the purpose of managing conflictual processes. Defenses are an example of synthetic functions and serve the purpose of protecting the conscious mind from awareness of forbidden impulses and thoughts. One purpose of ego psychology has been to emphasize that there are mental functions that can be considered to be basic, and not the derivatives of wishes, affects, or defenses 2. Defence mechanism The ego fights acontinual battle to stay on top of the warring id and superego. Occasionally, their conflicts produce anxiety that threatens to overwhelm the ego. The anxiety is a signal that alerts the ego to marshal defence mechanisms. Unconcious protective processes that keep primitive emotions associated with conflicts in check so that the ego can cotinue its coordinating function. We all use defence mechanisms at times,they are sometimes adaptive and other time they are maladaptive. Human use defence mechanisms to function well and this defence mechanism can be used under the unconscious and conscious state of mind. However, it is important to note that autonomous ego functions can be secondarily affected because of unconsious conflict. For example, a patient may have an hysterical amnesia (memory being an autonomous function) because of intrapsychic conflict (wishing not to remember because it is too 3. The stages of Psychosexual development Freud’s assume that each child is born with a source of basic psychological energy called libido. Further, each child’s libido becomes successively focused on various parts of the body (in addition to people and objects) in the course of his emotional development. During the first postnatal year, libido is initially focused on the mouth and its activities, nursing enables the infant to derive gratification through a pleasurable reduction of tension in the oral region. Freud called this the oral stage of development. During the second year, the source of excitation is said to shift to the anal area, and the start of toilet training leads the child to invest libido in the anal functions. Freud called this period of development the anal stage. During the period from three through six years, the child’s attention is attracted to sensations from the genitals, and Freud called this stage the phallic stage. The half dozen years before puberty are called the latency stage. During the final and so-called genital stage of development, mature gratification is sought in a heterosexual love relationship with another. Freud believed that adult emotional problems result from either deprivation or excessive gratification during the oral, anal, or phallic stages. A child with libido fixated at one of these stages would in adulthood show specific neurotic symptoms, such as anxiety. According to him, unconscious mental structure called the id contains a person’s inborn, inherited drives and instinctual forces and is closely identified with his basic psychological energy (libido). During infancy and childhood, the ego, which is the reality-oriented portion of the personality, develops to balance and complement the id. The ego utilizes a variety of conscious and unconscious mental processes to try to satisfy id instincts while also trying to maintain the individual comfortably in relation to the environment. Although id impulses are constantly directed toward obtaining immediate gratification of one’s major instinctual drives (sex, affection, aggression, self-preservation), the ego functions to set limits on this process. In Freud’s language, as the child grows, the reality principle gradually begins to control the pleasure principle; the child learns that the environment does not always permit immediate gratification. Child development, according to Freud, is thus primarily concerned with the mergence of the functions of the ego, which is responsible for channeling the discharge of fundamental drives and for controlling intellectual and perceptual functions in the process of negotiating realistically with the outside world. Although Freud made great contributions to psychological theory—particularly in his concept of unconscious urges and motivations—his elegant concepts cannot be verified through scientific experimentation and empirical observation. But his concentration on emotional development in early childhood influenced even those schools of thought that rejected his theories. The belief that personality is affected by both biological and psychosocial forces operating principally within the family, with the major foundations being laid early in life, continues to prove fruitful in research on infant and child development. Freud’s emphasis on biological and psychosexual motives in personality development was modified by the German-born American psychoanalyst Erik Erikson to include psychosocial and social factors. Erikson viewed emotional development over the life span as a sequence of stages during which RIGIDITY/FLEXIBILITY The quality of being rigid; stiffness; inflexibility; absence of pliancy; specifically, in mech. , resistance to change of form. In all theoretical discussions respecting the application of forces through the intervention of machines, those machines are assumed to be perfectly rigid so far as the forces employed are able to affect their integrity of form and structure. Rigidity is directly opposed to flexibility, and only indirectly to malleability and ductility, which depend chiefly on relations between the tenacity, the rigidity, and the limit of elasticity. Flexibility- means holding our own thoughts and emotions a bit more lightly, and acting on longer term values rather than short term impulses, thoughts and feelings. Why? Because thoughts and emotions tend to be unreliable indicators of long term value. We have no control over them and they tend to ebb and flow – sometimes dramatically. If we trust our thoughts and emotions and act based on them, we can often overlook the more important, sustained patterns of action which bring true meaning, vitality and richness to our lives. Question 2 Behaviourism and education-how behaviourism view human functioning Behaviourism focuses on one particular view of learning: a change in external behaviour achieved through a large amount of repetition of desired actions, the reward of good habits and the discouragement of bad habits. In the classroom this view of learning led to a great deal of repetitive actions, praise for correct outcomes and immediate correction of mistakes. In the field of language learning this type of teaching was called the audio-lingual method, characterised by the whole class using choral chanting of key phrases, dialogues and immediate correction. Within the Problem Based Learning (PBL) environment, students may be encouraged to engage with the learning process and their peers within the group by positive reinforcement from a skilled facilitator to increase positive actions of engagement, contributions and questioning. Negative behaviours e. g. ack of engagement, negative contributions, could be minimized by the facilitator using negative reinforcement. Within the behaviourist view of learning, the â€Å"teacher† is the dominant person in the classroom and takes complete control, evaluation of learning comes from the teacher who decides what is right or wrong. The learner does not have any opportunity for evaluation or reflection within the learning process, they are simply told what is right or wrong. The conceptualization of learning using this approach could be considered â€Å"superficial† as the focus is on external changes in behaviour i. e. ot interested in the internal processes of learning leading to behaviour change and has no place for the emotions involved the process 1. 1 Operant conditioning Operant conditioning (or instrumental conditioning) is a type of learning in which an individual’s behavior is modified by its consequences; the behaviour may change in form, frequency, or strength. Reinforcement is a consequence that causes a behavior to occur with greater frequency while punishment is a consequence that causes a behavior to occur with less frequency and extinction is caused by the lack of any consequence following a behavior. When a behavior is inconsequential (i. e. , producing neither favorable nor unfavorable consequences) it will occur less frequently. When a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced with either positive or negative reinforcement, it leads to a decline in that behavior. 1. Positive reinforcement (Reinforcement): occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by a stimulus that is appetitive or rewarding, increasing the frequency of that behavior. In the Skinner box experiment, a stimulus such as food or a sugar solution can be delivered when the rat engages in a target behavior, such as pressing a lever. 2. Negative reinforcement (Escape): occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus, thereby increasing that behavior’s frequency. In the Skinner box experiment, negative reinforcement can be a loud noise continuously sounding inside the rat’s cage until it engages in the target behavior, such as pressing a lever, upon which the loud noise is removed. 3. Positive punishment (Punishment) (also called â€Å"Punishment by contingent stimulation†): occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by a stimulus, such as introducing a shock or loud noise, resulting in a decrease in that behavior. 4. Negative punishment (Penalty) (also called â€Å"Punishment by contingent withdrawal†): occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by the removal of a stimulus, such as taking away a child’s toy following an undesired behavior, resulting in a decrease in that behavior. Classical conditioning by associating one thing with another. Operant conditioning = by the consequences of what we do.