Analyze the development and nature and assess the achievements of the movements for school and school improvement in the UK

At one level school improvement is a approach of schools achieving organizational development and growth. At another level school improvement has a moral purpose and is essentially associated to the life-chances and achievements of all students. School improvement is basically concerning building communities and instituting positive relationships within those communities. It has at its center the fundamental belief that schools can and does make a difference and that this difference can be considerably enhanced. Rutter et al. 1979:13) give one of the most encouraged statements about school improvement by highlighting that the factors that persuade school performance are ‘open to amendment by staff rather than fixed by external constraints’. In other words, schools can progress, schools can transform and school performance is not a fixed or predetermined entity. Evidence would imply that those schools engaged in improvement activities build communities that are joint and empowering. They promote positive relationships and permit all voices to be heard and accredited. In this sense, school improvement means moving from a culture of individualism to what Clarke (2000:7) calls ‘a transformed sense of social responsibility’. So, what’s in it for schools? At its most thoughtful, it is about making a difference to the lives of young people as well as at its most realistic it is about knowing how to do this most efficiently. It is obvious that schools that put in the development of their teachers also put efforts in the development of the school. While teachers are given power to act and are implicated in the development of the school there is more prospective for school growth. Hopkins (2001) concluded that â€Å"teachers' involvement is one of ten essential principles for what he calls authentic school improvement†. In a climate of collegiality rather than likability teachers are more expected to trust one another and to support innovation and change (Barth, 1990). Barth (1990:158) illustrates a school as ‘four walls surrounding a future’. This image detains the potency and prospect of school improvement. It reminds us that school improvement is much more than heaving test scores or increasing grades. Its core lies in building school communities that are joint, inclusive and eventually empowering. For it is only within such communities that the prospective of both students and teachers will be completely realized. It is this objective that lies at the heart of school improvement and make certain that schools remain places where, primarily learning matters. Schools are able of improving themselves if the conditions are right and the relations within the school are encouraging of change. It will inexorably be more difficult to form the optimum internal conditions in the face of persistent external change. Schools are presently caught between the demands of policy-makers and the desires of the students and parents in their community. Fullan (1999) argues that schools are inexorably pulled in two directions, by established and less stable forces, and that ‘the dynamics of the successful organization are of asymmetrical cycles and discontinuous trends’ (Fullan, 1999:4). Therefore, by building strong professional communities schools will be more capable to swim with the deluge of external reform and will be more skilled at coping with the pressures of external change. There are many projects that are initiated with the lap of time to attain school improvement in UK. The IQEA school improvement project provides an interesting paradigm of how a school improvement project can develop. What began as a complete school staff development initiative, ultimately transformed itself into a school improvement initiative with a total assurance to enhancing classroom practice. The overall aim of IQEA is ‘to make and appraise a model of school development and a programme of support, that supports a school's capability to provide quality education for all its pupils by building upon accessible good practice' (Hopkins et al. , 1994). In the project, approaches and methods from the development and effectiveness paradigms are mixed together; particularly, these comprise use of and work on improvement and change processes with contribution on school and classroom effectiveness and measurement of outcomes. Hopkins and Ainscow, 1993 outline five postulation on which they based later phases of the project: †¢ School improvement is a procedure that focuses on enhancing the quality of students' education. †¢ The vision of the school must be one which holds all members of the school community as both learners and providers. The school will see in exterior pressures for change significant opportunities to secure its inner priorities. †¢ The school will inquire to develop structures and make conditions which persuade collaboration and show the way to the empowerment of individuals and groups. †¢ The school will search to promote the view that monitoring and assessment quality is a job which all members o f staff share. The project, which began with just nine schools in 1991, has grown each year, and presently involves in many schools in several areas of the country. A contract is approved between school staff, the Local Education Authority and the project team. All staff of a school has to concur that the school will take part, and at least forty percent receive release time to take on specific project-related activities in their own as well as each other's classrooms, though all staff participate in certain IQEA-focused staff development events. At least two staff members are chosen as coordinators and attend ten days of training and support meetings, for which authorization is offered. The school selects its own priorities for development as well as its own methods to attain these priorities. It also participates in the assessment of the project and has to consign itself to share findings with other contributors in the project. The unique conceptualization of the project was based on the understanding that effective change strategies center not only on the implementation of central policies or chosen initiatives, but also on forming the conditions within schools that can protract the teaching-learning process. From their work on the IQEA project, there were known a series of conditions that underpinned the work of these successful schools (Hopkins and Ainscow, 1993). Broadly stated, the conditions are: †¢ Staff development †¢ Involvement †¢ Leadership †¢ Coordination †¢ Enquiry and reflection †¢ Collaborative planning. As work persistent with IQE A schools on the building of ‘capacity' in these areas, the project personnel began to observe a number of aspects influencing how particular conditions can best put in to a ‘moving school' ethos (Rosenholtz, 1989). As significance they began to expand a series of propositions concerning the relationship between the way a school approaches a particular condition and the collision of that condition on the school's capability to hold the key to the setting up of a school culture which can significantly allow all teachers within the school community (Hopkins and West, 1994). These six conditions and the interrelated propositions were the center of early work with the IQEA project schools. Consequently, the project began to center some of its research energies on to what was formerly thought to be a parallel set of conditions which linked to the idea of capacity at the classroom level. These conditions were linked to teacher development, much in the same way as the unusual set of conditions were linked to school development. As such, they were made-up to be transferable across classrooms and between teachers, and linked to a variety of teaching-learning initiatives designed to develop the achievement of students. At this stage, the project adapted a ‘Framework for School Improvement' (Hopkins et al. , 1994) to state the relationship, as it then saw it, between school and classroom conditions, and the development of development in schools. Other school improvement projects which are organic in nature are those that are based upon a partnership model with schools and the local education authority (LEA). The ‘Schools Make a Difference’ project in London and the Lewisham School Improvement project describe this type of approach. The Lewisham School Improvement Project commenced in the spring of 1993 and arose out of a partnership between Lewisham schools, Lewisham Local Education Authority (LEA) and the University Of London Institute Of Education. It has four aims: †¢ to boost pupil progress, accomplishment and development; †¢ to build up the internal capacity of schools for managing change and appraising its impact at: Whole school level; Classroom level; Student level; †¢ to develop the capability of the LEA to give data to schools that will support their ability to plan and assess change; To assimilate the above with the system's ongoing in-service and support services to figure a coherent approach to professional development. The project has some dimensions, though these overlap to some extent: Leadership development-a progression of voluntary five-day workshops (‘Leaders Together') with head teachers as well as deputy head teachers across the borough of Lewisham, who work with a par tner throughout and between sessions. Topics covered include and emphasize the significance of leadership and management of school effectiveness and school improvement. School projects-more intensive work with a preliminary pilot group of ten schools (primary, secondary and special schools are characterized), the heads and deputies of who have contributed in the initial workshops. A succeeding group of schools has consequently been involved. These schools have recognized a focus for improvement and learning, and cross-role project teams attend several sessions in which they work with Institute facilitators to process their focus areas through analysis of school-based data. They are as well introduced to the school effectiveness and school improvement research findings, with a special accent on their role as change agents within their schools. The title of the workshop series, ‘Moving Together', reflects the optimistic impact on school improvement of teachers learning together (Rosenholtz, 1989). Endorsement has been offered for course and project work. Indicators creation-a voluntary group of fifteen teachers, head-teachers, LEA advisers and officers have recognized and developed LEA and whole school indicators of change, development and achievement, with a focus on pupils through special educational needs. These indicators will be accessible to schools when evaluating their effectiveness regarding individual pupils' progress, whole school systems and worth for money. They will also give data to inform the LEA's strategic planning, comprising its resourcing and monitoring role. Monitoring and evaluation-evaluation of change is basic to the project, and the question ‘Has it made a difference? ‘ is a frequent theme. The purpose is for the project itself to represent appropriate evaluation procedures and to reveal effectiveness, as well as encouraging and supporting schools to assess their own effectiveness. The LEA collects borough-wide data on examination results, attendance and absenteeism, exclusions and staff absence data, broken down by gender along with ethnicity for each school. Pupil baseline data at age 11 also comprise the London Reading Test and a group reading test to be finished by all pupils throughout their first month in secondary school and are supplemented by a complementary test at the end of their first year. The accessible data will facilitate evaluation of the project's effectiveness in the pilot secondary schools against LEA averages, against other matched schools, and longitudinally. Some similar data subsist for primary aged pupils. At present, however, the capability for monitoring and evaluating efficiency in primary schools is limited, and pilot primary schools are being assisted to increase appropriate indicators (Stoll and Thomson, 1996). The Halton Effective Schools teacher survey (Stoll, 1992) has been modified to be completed by staff in all the pilot schools and in a group of coordinated schools. It will be repeated after two years. The schools themselves also give regular progress reports, addressing issues linking to success criteria, baseline data and development to date. An Institute researcher has carried out interviews in pilot schools, and LEA Link advisers finished questionnaires on their viewpoint of individual schools' progress. Interviews have also been carried out with key members of the LEA, together with the director. Follow-up interviews are planned. More current school progress reports reveal the increased emphasis on changing classroom practice and opportunities for student learning (Teddlie and Reynolds, 1999, 301). For instance, in an update in September 1994 the deputy head teacher of the special school observed that the first year was mainly devoted to the groundwork of staff-centered input and contribution, and teaching and appraisal strategy development. This year, with these structures in place, the focus has shifted to students in the classroom. According to Fidler’s (1997) idea that â€Å"no particular organizational structure is most effective in a given situation, for loosely coupled or even ‘fuzzy’ structures† â€Å"Increasing economic rationalism in society may be evident in schools with little value placed on whether students are happy or enjoying school. Curricula related to personal, social, and health education have become devalued, as they are not measurable quantities in the view of education authorities† (Morley & Rassool, 1999, p. 1). Schools implicated in the more detailed project work are a special school that caters for students who have rigorous learning difficulties and are between the ages of 11 and 19 years. The school has reported that ‘Leaders Together' has given them with the impulsion to work as a staff to write novel prospectus group-based schemes of work. For their project they have chosen to center on reporting and assessment so as to develop a system that will both sustain the UK's National Curriculum and permit for the marked differentiation between students that subsists in their school. Part of the cultural conditions of the school which they as well wish to integrate into the project is the contribution of their non-teaching staff. A primary school also implicated in the project has determined on students' writing, the curriculum center from the school's development plan. The staff as a whole have already spent time eloquent their vision and aims for the school, and they have explored and coordinated a diversity of strategies that comprise: analysis of the school's own statistics on attainment; using pertinent research findings to inform practice; paired classroom observations; staff development session; annual targets for individual teachers linked to the aims of the project; and the development of a usually known and agreed monitoring scheme to be used by the head teacher and languages teacher while they visit classrooms and give feedback to teachers. Governors and effectiveness-more recent corresponding work with governing bodies of numerous schools who have been introduced to school effectiveness and school improvement issues and are working through them as they relay to their own role in promoting better school effectiveness. Dissemination-dissemination within and beyond the LEA takes place. The last two yearly head and deputy head conferences have taken school improvement as their theme. Schools and their LEA partners also allocate experiences and understandings gained locally, around the country and in other LEAs, at Institute of Education conferences, and national and international research conferences. A presentation to the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement on the work of the project integrated the three partners in the project: the Institute, the LEA and the schools. In early 1993, Hammersmith and Fulham LEA recognized the Schools Make a Difference Project to assist the borough's eight secondary schools heave student levels of attainment, achievement and morale (Myers, 1995). While association to the project was optional, all eight schools in the ability chose to participate. The project's guiding principles were based on school effectiveness research findings. These principles were: †¢ that students require to believe that schooling can be valuable and relevant; †¢ that learning should be challenging and relevant, to support students to build up their capabilities as responsible, considerate and active citizens; †¢ that students' rational, personal and technical abilities, abilities and capabilities are recognized and valued, and that expectations of development and performance are high; that good behavior is a essential condition for effective learning, and that students take accountability for their own behavior and present a high level of engagement in a well planned learning process; †¢ that parental participation is vital and must be sought; †¢ that all staff in the schools are involved in, and devoted to, the school's development; †¢ that schools as well as the community work towards a shared vision and that a professional learning community is formed within schools; †¢ that head teachers have a fundamental role to play in providing a climate where this can take place; That a ‘plan, do and review' approach is thoroughly and rigorously applied. Hammersmith and Fulham LEA had chosen a project manager to work with schools and LEA personnel to found the structures and procedures for the project. Within her role she made usual visits to the schools and took the schools' senior management teams to visit schools of interest around the country. In combination with head teachers and higher education staff, she has also organized in-service training for the coordinators, head teachers, senior management teams and various other staff members. The schools all chosen project coordinators, who were awarded thirty half days of ‘cover' by other staff so as to carry out work linked with the project in their schools, attend in-service training sessions and visit other schools. Coordinators receive authorization for their course and project work through the London Institute of Education. The coordinators recognized project working parties in their schools that integrated representation from a wide range of teaching and support staff and, in some schools, from students, parents and governors. Every school produced a project plan based on criterion agreed by the head teachers for expenditure of the project budget. The plan was developed as a consequence of wide consultation, and integrated a project focus based on the school's development plan. Numerous schools chose as a focus supple learning strategies, and engaged in a diversity of forms of staff development to help bring in new teaching and student study methods to staff. In one school, for instance, the eight voluntary members of the SMAD Development Group determined to pair up with a partner to take on in classroom observation and act as every other's ‘critical friend'. Supply cover for this has been integrated within the school's project plan. The project also funded school-based revision centers throughout the Easter vacation that have already helped raise student engagement. The project's findings, as highlighted by its external assessor (Pocklington, 1995) were that, as there was and generally rise in student achievement across all of the schools in 1993-94, differing rates of progress were attained across the eight schools. hough it is difficult to attribute improvement to particular aspects of the project, probable contributors were examination revision canters as well as coursework clinics, celebratory events, an emphasis in the majority schools on student consultation, students' responses to improvements to the physical environment, and ‘the beginnings of transforming the leading ethos in the pupil sub-culture' (Pocklington, 1995:125). Four factors emerged to bear considerably on the degree to which the project was successful in each s chool: Hiring of a practically full-time project manager; Appointment of a controller in each school; Partnership between the manager and head teacher; Establishment of a group in each school to ease and oversee project accomplishment. SMAD and Lewisham School Improvement Project Both have particularly emphasized the role of the LEA in development as well as change. The impulsion for change in these projects is locally owned, outwardly supported and school-initiated. In all of these projects external support, though often welcomed, is not completely necessary all through the project as the school searches out and forms its own support networks. Disclosure to new ideas and practices, collaboration through consortium or ‘pairing’ arrangements are common in this kind of school improvement work. Primarily, programmes of this type interface at the complete school level but provide much-needed sustain and incentive for change at the classroom level. At the other end of the school improvement range are projects which fall into the mechanistic category in the respect that they advocate or set a particular approach to school improvement. Early examples of such approaches take in the self-managing approach to school improvement developed in the mid-eighties (Caldwell and Spinks, 1988). This approach has been extensively disseminated and is based upon a management cycle that has six phases, i. e. goal-setting, policy-making, planning, groundwork, implementation and assessment. Though this cycle is now comparatively commonplace, this ‘step by step’ approach has not proved successful with all schools. It is obvious that this instrumental approach and others like it do not take into account the changeability of schools and school context. Such mechanistic approaches presuppose consistency both within the organization and across organizations. The High Reliability Schools project in the UK characterizes a school improvement project intended to make sure that there are high levels of traditionalism between schools. This project is premised upon work by Stringfield (1995) which argues that educational systems have much to learn from the organizational processes of extremely reliable organizations within the corporate as well as state-owned sectors. The characteristics of highly consistent organizations take in effective training programmes, concentration on a few goals, standard operation procedures, attention to minor detail and identifying and rectifying weak links (Reynolds et al. 1996). The research concerning High Reliability Schools (HRS) is continuing but some evaluative proof is available. The message from this work is that ‘HRS principles and technology and the emphasis upon dependability are all generative of improved student outcomes but that optimum gain requires a consistent delivery system at project and school level’ (Stringfield et al. , 2001:36). It is obvious that success with HRS relies on schools taking on the model fully without the prospect of modification. The project in its promotional material frequently utilizes aircraft analogies, arguing, for instance, that if one is in a holding pattern over Heathrow Airport, it is not reassuring to note that one has the technology to land the plane however might not use it, or that only thirty per cent of air traffic controllers are effective air traffic controllers, or that we are trying to do something by understanding the ineffective air traffic controllers but have not quite managed it thus far. Because of the cost, both human and financial, of any failure, the plane should land. Recent estimates suggest the cost of needless school failure within the United States to be the equal of a plane crash every week, yet little is done to put off school failure and much is done to avert air traffic controller failure. The characteristics of these HROs have been determined to be as follows: †¢ They train extensively, pre-service and in-service, in order to eliminate operational flaws. When training, all levels of an organization act as respondents on the effectiveness of all levels, in a process of mutual monitoring; The goals of the HROs are few and explicit (the job of the air traffic controller is to land the plane, not to relate socially to the pilot! ); †¢ There is a body of knowledge about practice that is codified into SOPs-Standard Operating Procedures-which tell people how to behave in the event of any contingency; †¢ Great attention is given to minor errors, since the belief is that these could cascade into major system failure; †¢ Simulations to identify weak links are always being run, with direct action being taken to identify the trailing edge and to make it more effective; The organizations are well resourced, and equipment is kept in good order. (Reynolds 1998, 1-4) Underlying the reasons for the existence of all the organizational procedures is the belief that system failure or unreliability would generate costs that are too heavy for a society to bear. With eight secondary schools, working in close association with Sam Stringfield of Johns Hopkins University in the United States and David Reynolds of Newcastle University's Department of Education, a programme has been developed to model schools on these highly reliable organizations from other fields outside education. The programme consists of the following: †¢ All the schools have joined a performance indicator system that generates high quality data upon student achievement, the ALIS (‘A' Level Information System) and YELLIS (Year Eleven Information System) schemes pioneered by Fitz-Gibbon and colleagues at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (Fitz-Gibbon, 1992). These data feed back to schools their relative performance on their different public examination subjects, and relate directly to the effectiveness of their departments. †¢ All the schools are testing their intake of new pupils as they arrive from junior school. The testing will be repeated at the beginning of each school year, for these pupils plus for the new intake of pupils. Ultimately all pupils will be tested annually. These data will reveal those pupils who have unrealized potential, plus a ‘gain score' will be provided for each year that will be a baseline. †¢ The schools will be provided with the best knowledge available as their standard operating practices. Schools make available two of their five in-service days each year for ‘HRS' activities. One day will be for a formal knowledge input of school effectiveness/school improvement knowledge. The other day will be for an input of teacher effectiveness knowledge, plus in both days some skilling of whole school staffs. Both days will be oriented around background pre-reading, formal presentations and more group related activities. Schools are to adopt up to four goals to be their ‘HRS' goals. Two project-wide goals will be academic achievement (e. g. percentage of students with five or more GCSEs at grade A-C, staying on rate, percentage of students with five or more GCSEs at grade A-G, plus GNVQ outcomes as appropriate), and the unauthorized absence rate. Up to two other goals, which must permit measurement, will also be chosen by each school to reflect school needs, priorities, developmental status etc. (Reynolds 1998, 1-4) Thus, despite differences of approach, highly effective school improvement projects have been found to share certain characteristics or features. A broad comparative analysis of highly successful programmes demonstrates a number of shared principles or features (Harris, 2000c). This analysis found that effective school improvement programmes: †¢ focus closely on classroom improvement; utilize discrete instructional or pedagogical strategies, i. e. they are explicit in the models of teaching they prescribe; †¢ apply pressure at the implementation stage to ensure adherence to the programme; †¢ collect systematic evaluative evidence about the impact upon schools and classrooms; †¢ mobilize change at a numbers of levels within the organization, e. g. classroom, department, teacher level; †¢ generate cultural as well as structural change; †¢ engage teachers in professional dialogue and development; †¢ provide external agency and support. Harris, 2000c) This comparison showed that as the school improvement programmes and projects assorted in terms of content, nature and approach they imitated a similar philosophy. Central to this philosophy is an observance to the school as the centre of change and the teacher as the means for classroom change and development. Within highly effective school development programmes the non-negotiable elements are a center on teaching and learning, an obligation to professional development and diffused or devolved leadership. As new school improvement projects and initiatives appear to emerge daily, evidence concerning their collision is not always forth-coming. Critics of the school improvement field have highlighted the virtual absence of evaluative evidence concerning the impact of school improvement upon student performance and achievement. Additionally, there has been little deliberation of the relative effectiveness of different school improvement initiative in enhancing student performance. The studies that do subsist offer little evidence concerning the relative efficiency of one approach over another. Further comparative studies of school improvement are desired to assist schools in selecting development programmes that are most effectual and ‘fit’ their developmental needs. Presently, there is an accumulating knowledge base concerning school improvement arising from the numerous projects as well as programmes around the world. Moreover I believe that in order to improve and to protract improvement over time schools need to build and raise a sense of professional community. In the most effective schools, there is proof of positive relationships both within and outside the school. Barth (1990:45) portrays a professional community as ‘one where adults and students learn and each energizes and puts in the learning of the other’. A professional community is one in which there are collective norms and values amongst teachers and students. These norms and values symbolize the fundamental beliefs of those within the community and become the central purpose of the school. To build a professional community needs schools to think the type of school culture that reigns and to seek ways of changing it for the better. Learning within an organization is most favorable in an environment of shared leadership and shared power. To promote such an environment needs team work, collaboration and an assurance to enquiry. Connections are mainly important in building community. As Sergiovanni (2001:63) notes, ‘community is something most of us desire in order to experience the sense and meaning that we require in our lives. We cannot go it alone. We have to be connected somehow, somewhere. Community is a mainly important source of connection for children and young people. ’ If the needs of students to belong are not met by the school then they will get belonging outside the school. In schools that are improving there are communal norms, shared values, decided goals and common aspirations. These are schools where the social relationships are functional and where trust and deference are at the heart of all developmental work. This does not occur by possibility but results from the premeditated effort of staff and students to communicate and to work together with one another. Sergiovanni (2001) notes that such ‘communities of responsibility’ are far from easy to develop but are necessary to generate and protract school improvement over time.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: an Ecological Interpretation

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: An Ecocritical Interpretation Lieutenant Asit Biswas Bio-Notes: Lieut. Asit Biswas is an Assistant Professor, Dept. of English, and Associate NCC Officer, Acharya B. N. Seal (Govt. ) College, Cooch Behar, W. B. ABSTRACT: Shakespeare studies in India started as early as in the early decades of the 19th century when the Indians seldom engaged in Shakespeare interpretation and so the term ‘ecocriticism’ was unheard of.What we mean by the phrase ‘Critical studies of Shakespeare’ started in India in 1917 when Hindu College (later on Presidency College and now Presidency University) was founded. Then Shakespeare began to be evaluated from an oriental point of view. Some of those interpretations may be considered ecocriticism. The same thing was done by Purna Chandra Basu (in his article â€Å"Sahitye Khoon†, D. L. Roy (in his book, Kalidas O Bhababhuti) etc. Eco-criticism as a literary movement, as Yogesh K.Tiwari and N. D. R. Chandra say, began in the 1990s. But ecocritical evaluation of Shakespeare’s plays from Indian point of view is yet to flourish well. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream one can find plethora of materials relevant not only for the students of literature but of environmental studies also. The aim of the present play is to reinterpret Shakespeare’ play A Midsummer Night’s Dream from ecocritical point of view and thereby justify the contemporaneity of the Bard.Now-a-days many in many universities in India the students have to read English and Environmental Studies as compulsory subjects, Shakespeare being a part of the former. As the students of literature they would be keen to trace out the aesthetic aspects of the dramas of Shakespeare while belonging to various disciplines they would naturally seek for the relevance of Shakespeare in the present context. So the paper is an attempt to bring out Shakespeare’s anticipation of the environmental problems a nd thereby prove Shakespeare as a topic of both literature and environmental studies.Modern environmentalism began with ‘A Fable for Tomorrow’, in Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962). Mrs. Frederick Boas edited the Cambridge collection of Tempest Essays; Richard Kerridge N. Shammells published Writing the Environment, Eco-criticism and Literature (Zed Books-1998); J. Bate & L. Coupe published The Green Studies Reader from Romanticism to Eco-Criticism (by New York, Routeledge-2000);but the most outstanding book in this field is Green Shakespeare by Gabriel Egan who says, Crossing he boundaries of literary and cultural studies to draw in politics, philosophy and ecology, this volume not only introduces one of the most lively areas of contemporary Shakespeare studies, but also  puts forward  a convincing case for Shakespeare's continuing relevance to contemporary theory. There is a significant school named as the Association for the study of Literature and Envi ronment which was started in America and now has its branches in Japan and UK. It is mainly an association of the eco-critics. The Role of Literature in Placing a Value on the Environment: As Daniel B.Botkin and Edward A. Keller say in their book Environmental Science (5th edition, Page No. 11) the value of the environment is based on the following justifications: aesthetic, creative, recreational, inspirational, moral, cultural and utilitarian (materialistic). Aesthetic justification has to do with our appreciation of beauty of nature. Many people prefer living in the world of wilderness to one without it. Rabindranath Tagore created an instance by leaving the clutter of Calcutta settling down in the lap of Nature in Santiniketan.In Shakespeare the Forest of Arden minimizes the bereavement of the Duke in As You Like It. But in the Duke’s bemoaning for the subordination of the forest we hear the voice of an ecologist. It would not be a digression to say that Tagore’s e cocentrism is again found in Siksha: Tapoban in his comment on Shakespeare’s plays. While ecology is a mother branch of science, ecocriticism is comparatively a new branch which attempts to establish a relationship between literature and the physical environment.As Greg Garrard quotes in his book Eco-criticism from Glotfelty’s book The Eco-criticism Reader: Landmark in Literary Ecology: Simply put, eco-criticism is the study of the relationship between literature and physical environment. Just as feminist criticism examines language and literature from a gender conscious perspective, and Marxist criticism brings an awareness of modes of production and economic class to its reading of texts, eco-criticism takes an earth-centred approach to literary study.Garrard also adds that eco-criticism is closely related to environmentally oriented developments in philosophy and political theory. So eco-criticism may be interpreted as the analysis of a literary text from the point of view of an ecologist. Another epoch making writing that has relevance in our interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is Simon C. Estok’s research paper titled Shakespeare and Ecocriticism: An Analysis of â€Å"Home† and â€Å"Power† in King Lear in which the author explains the key terms â€Å"Anthropocentrism†, â€Å"Biocentrism/ Ecocentrism† and â€Å"Ecophobia†.Agreeing with Greg Garrard, Estok says that ecocriticism is not simply the study of nature or natural things in literature; rather it is any theory that is committed to effecting change by analysing the function – thematic, artistic, social, historical, ideological, theoretical, or otherwise— the natural environment, or aspects of it, represents in documents that contribute to material practices in material world. The explanation of the term ‘ecophobia’ is also very much necessary in our revaluation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Estok thinks that â€Å"ecophobia is the fear of loss of agency and control to Nature†.This ecophobia, found in both Oberon and Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, gives birth to various conflicts, both inner and outer, or, to say more explicitly, psychological and social (which includes ecological aspects also) and this sociological aspects of the play justify the contemporaneity of the bard. Some minor research works have been done on this particular topic on national and international levels. Some research papers have been published on eco-criticism in Shakespeare’s dramas in some journals; mention may be made of the one written by Dr.Subh Brat Sarkar, Rishi Bankim Chandra College, Naihati, W. B. The paper already written by the present researcher and published in the Research Spectrum (August-2012 Issue) contains some hints of the Eco-criticism in Shakespeare’s plays as seen by Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore considered it to be a kind of colonialism. Accord ing to him colonialism is not only the subordination of a weaker nation by a powerful one but the subordination of nature by human beings. Tagore also probably finds the ‘ecologist Shakespeare’ as in As You Like It, The Tempest etc.According to Nirmal Selvamony, the humans have introduced a hierarchy in nature. In that the humans have placed the domesticated animals higher than the wild animals. â€Å"Even animals were ranged in hierarchic order, the domestic and the wild† (Selvamony 4). But in A Midsummer Night’s Dream the role of the dominating power is taken by the fairies and the inferior race is the human beings. The fairies have occupied the topmost position in the hierarchy of Nature and they subordinate man and they quarrel in order to decide who will ‘domesticate’ the Indian boy who is the representative of the colonized people.This kind of colonialism found in Nature may be termed ‘Ecocolonialism’ or ‘Eco-imperiali sm’. In a supernatural drama like the present one the imperialists are the fairies but in reality they are the mighty people and the colonized ones may be the flora and fauna or even linguistically, culturally, racially, socially, politically, religiously or financially weaker section of the people. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream an ecologist easily finds plenty of materials relevant not only to the students of literature but of science, especially ecology also.The human beings in the person of the Indian boy or the European lovers are merely playthings to the mighty fairies. The fairies play with the humans for their own pleasure and showing their might and not for the amusement of the humans and they do it from anthropocentric point of view. In his Master’s Degree dissertation paper, (University of South Florida) Roy Patricia points out the environmental issues in MND by referring to â€Å"Folk Medicine and the Four Fairies of A Midsummer Night’s Dream,à ¢â‚¬  by Lou Agnes Reynolds and Paul Sawyer who have recovered the fairies from evil associations by casting them as herbal doctors.The article points to the strong early modern interest in the medicinal use of plants and finds that, by the use of this imagery, Shakespeare imbues his fairy characters and their natural remedies with beneficial, medicinal properties. Reynolds and Sawyer’s points are well taken, but we can develop them even further. Not only do the four attendant fairies – Cobweb, Mustardseed, Peascod and Mote – represent fairy medicine but all the actions in the forest also act therapeutically upon the lovers. The inversion of love-roles and the dreams of the lovers depend upon Oberon’s extensive knowledge of the herbal lore of his world.As Oberon himself states: â€Å"Fare thee well, nymph [Helena]. Ere he do leave this grove / Thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love. (2. 1. 245-6). In Act-1I, scene-i of from the speech of Puck we come to know that the king, Oberon is angry with the queen, Titania as she has seized away a boy from India and made him her servant. â€Å"For Oberon is passing fell and wrath, / Because she as her attendant hath / A lovely boy, stolen from an Indian king†. But the king wants to roam about the forests (Nature), along with the boy. As a result whenever they meet, they quarrel.Titania also alleges him of emptying of the venom of jealousy. She says that whenever they meet they quarrel and as a result the wind cannot sing the song of peace and is sucking the fog from the surface of the seas and the water level of the seas has been raised up; the natural system has been disrupted, resulting in untimely flood and thereby destruction of vast area of crops and extinct of a number of species. The ever smiling spring, the scorching summer, the frowning autumn and the cruel winter have changed their plight and so people cannot identify them.Titania confesses that they are responsible for this unholy variation of the cycle of seasons. The people cannot endure the change of the cycle of seasons; suffer from untimely winter and also various kinds of diseases due to the change and endangered bio-diversity. In reply to the allegation of the queen, the king urges her to correct the ecological imbalance as she has the power to remedy. The reason of their quarrel is also clear to the readers—possession of the boy kidnapped from India.Here the quarrel is between a power that has deprived the creature of his natural habitat and made him her servant and the eco-friendly power that is keen to roam about the forests, along with the innocent creature. But none is ready to provide the boy with absolute freedom and so their quarrel does not come to an end here. The king requests the queen to hand the boy over to him but she is too obstinate to nod. She frankly declares that she cannot lose her control over the boy even if she is given the whole fairy land. So Oberon deci des to use tricks.He advises Puck to extract the juice of a certain flower which would act like black magic and leave its evil influence on Titania’s eyes, if administered properly. It would also be able to invert the usual behaviour and natural instinct of a person as in the modern age we see the evil influence of narcotics especially in the third world countries. The harmful effect of the use of drugs on eco system is mainly felt in the developing countries. Again Titania, admits that their quarrel has destroyed the usual course of the natural phenomena and nature has undergone vast changes, creating ocean of troubles for human beings.In Act-1, Scene-ii (Lines 81-117) Titania, the Queen of the fairies alleges that their quarrel has destroyed the usual habits of the natural phenomena and Nature has undergone vast changes, creating ocean of troubles for human beings. It may be considered Shakespeare’s anticipation of what McKibben says in his book The End of Nature (19 90): We have changed the atmosphere, and thus we are changing the weather. By changing the weather we make every spot on earth man-made or artificial. We have deprived nature of its independence, and that is fatal to its meaning. Nature’s independence is its meaning; ithout it there is nothing but us. (McKibben 1990: 54) In this connection it may be recalled that India was a favourite commercial place to the Western countries form the time of ancient history. And for the sole possession of India several wars were for between the English and the French and others. The Indian boy in the play is symbolically a colony, an ideal place for business. Now-a-day it may be a typical Indian plant for whose patent the economic colonialists are ever fighting among themselves and in order to supersede one another destroying the eco system of the whole globe.Recently we witnessed the war between Iraq and U. S. A. Various reasons may be found out but the naked truth is that the sole reason o f the notorious war is nothing but the shameless effort of control over the petroleum mines of the Arabian countries. When the two â€Å"do square, that all their elves for fear/ Creep into acorn cups and hide them there†. The peaceful people whenever get frightened, seek refuge in nature and it may be kept in mind that the best remedy of various pollutions including noise pollution is plantation.Nature is the man’s ultimate refuge because only nature can provide the human beings with eternal pleasure, both physical and mental. Puck also confesses that he, in order to make a fun and to show his prowess, perturbs the natural habits of an object both animate and inanimate. In modern age the modern Pucks very often destroy the Nature and subordinate the creatures of Nature very often out of fun. Examples may be given of the tortured animals in the circus shows, poachers’ activities etc; moreover, we torture the animals in the zoo.Keeping bird cages is a favourite b ut cruel hobby of a kind of people even after the passage of law against it. It is not only inhuman and unlawful but harmful to bio-diversity also. Recently a television channel telecast a live show of beating thousands of innocent seals to death in Antarctica by a community as it is the annual festival of the community. The pain of the poor seals, especially the half dead ones, the fear of the eco system to be disturbed, the melting of the glaciers and thereby upheaval of the sea level cannot render them anxious of the future of the earth.In this post-Modern age MND is quite relevant and significant since we witness the ecological imbalance, extinction of a large number of species, climatic change, global warming, uprising of the sea level, earth quake, tsunami, El Nino etc. The reason behind such troubles may be, along with the others, the wars (Gulf war, the long war between Iran and Iraq and of course the two World Wars), nuclear bomb testing and above all merciless deforestatio n. Here in the speech of Titania we seem to hear the voice of an environment scientist or of an ecologist.It may be noted that the more mighty the power, the more strong a destroyer is he in this post-Modern Age. Probably Shakespeare anticipated the natural problems created by the super-human power. The Titanias now-a-days are the war-mongers greedy of absolute power, who seldom think of the future of the globe. So in this age of science and technology the revaluation of the plays of Shakespeare is very much significant. In the same Act and scene the speech of Oberon (L-176–185) is also significant.He speaks of the juice of a flower that is able to hypnotize any man or woman and make him/her fall in love with any creature seen first. But the remedy is known to Oberon only. So it may be supposed that he wants to administer the cunning trick only to destroy the natural habit of a creature and to apply his remedy and thereby to prove his power. In the post-Modern age of economic colonialism this cunning theory is felt to have come back, but with a new dimension. For example the parthenium plant has allegedly come from U. S. A. As found in an e-article (http://www. streetdirectory. om) It appears that Parthenium is not native to India, but it came with the imported wheat as a mixture, when the US sent wheat to India under PL 480 (Public Law 480 passed in 1954 to give food grains to developing countries) in 1956. However this concept was contradicted by some as not the real story because Parthenium was present in India even in 1951 itself. Some people allege that this plant causes asthma whose medicine would be made in USA and so in order to sell the medicine and to prevail over the subcontinent, the Americans sent the parthenium seeds as adulteration with wheat seeds.So the purpose is to make the Indians asthma patients and then to sell to them asthma medicine. But we should not engage ourselves in this controversy, since we are not talking of international politics but of literary criticism. Here, in the drama the role of Oberon is like that of a modern capitalist who uses his cunning method in order to prove his supremacy and thereby dominate over the comparatively weaker sections and he is doing this out of ecophobia. Ultimately Oberon, the king realizes the harmful effect of his sports and then he feels sorry and takes the responsibility and so urges his assistant to correct the mistakes.He also pacifies his quarrel with Titania, once again with the help of the same narcotics. Here we see the constructive use of the herbs. Thus the play ends with an optimistic note and indirectly upholds the banner of Nature which is the best remedy for the revival of the impaired eco system. It also opines that man cannot remain happy by subordinating nature. Now in the age of global warming the plays of Shakespeare deserve a re-reading. One may recall the peaceful atmosphere in the Forest of Arden (As You Like It) and realize that subordination of nature cannot bring us mental peace as Tagore realized.He establishes his opinion by citing examples from As You Like It, Sakuntala etc. In the concluding song Puck urges the audience to consider the play to be a dream. We may do but it would not be an overstatement to consider it to be a dream of an ecologist because in the play we see what an ecologist would think of the vast change taken place in environment due to the modern leaders of the planet. Reference 1. Arumugam, E. (2008) Principles of Environmental Ethics, Sarup Book Publishers Pvt. Ltd. , New Delhi-2, India. 2. Bookchin, Murray, Anthropocentrism versus biocentrism – a false dichotomy http://climateandcapitalism. om. 3. Botkin, Daniel B. ; Keller , Edward A. , (2005), Environmental Science, John Wiley ; Sons, Inc, U. S. A. 4. Estok, Simon C. , Shakespeare and Ecocriticism: An Analysis of â€Å"Home† and â€Å"Power† in King Lear, http://simonestok. com. 5. Garrard, G. (2007) Ecocriticism, Routled ge, London and New York. 6. Gifford, Terry: (1999) Pastoral, Routeledge, London and New York. 7. Glotfelty, C. and Fromm, H. (ed) (1996) The Eco-criticism Reader: Landmark in Literary Ecology, University of Georgia Press, London. 8. McKibben, B. (1990), The End of Nature, Penguin, London, 9.Patricia, Roy, (2004), â€Å"Shakespeare’s Midsummer Fairies: Shadows and Shamen of the Forest†, http://scholarcommons. usf. edu/etd/1226 10. Purohit , S. S. ; Ranjan, Rajiv (2003), Ecology, Environment and Pollution, Agrobios (India), Jodhpur, India. 11. Sarkar, Subh Brat, (2005), â€Å"Ecological Theatre: Performance and Ecological Issues† (in Prakashkal) Unique; Panshila, Sodepur, W. B. , India. 12. Selvamony, Nirmal, (2001): â€Å"Persons for Alternative Social Order†, Chennai, India. 13. Shakespeare, William, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, New Delhi: Oxford ; IBH Publishing Co.Pvt Ltd. , 1980. 14. Tagore, R. , (1932) The Religion of Man, George Allen and Unwin, London. 15. Thompson, Jr. , E. , (1926), Rabindranath Tagore: Poet and Dramatist, Read, p. 12, http://en. wikipedia. org. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 1. Dr. Amit Bhattacharya, Associate Professor ; Head, Dept. of English, University of Gour Banga, Malda, W. B. , India. 2. UGC (India) for MRP (No: F. PHW-131/09-10 (ERO) Date: Sept. 07, 2009) 3. The Essay was published in the International Journal of Innovative Research and Development (ISSN 2278-0211), Vol-1, Issue-6 September, 2012. www. ijird. com.

A Night To Remember

I just read the first two chapters of the Night to remember reply to chapters 1 and 2. As I read these chapters, I put all the pictures I saw in the book in the book. When I was reading, I saw that Lord Walter was not very much in Westmills and metaphor. He has a good way to make readers intriguing rather than bored. When I read books, I usually look for plots at the beginning of books. When I read this novel, I found that it was very interesting that he began a major accident on the iceberg in the first chapter of chapter 10. The memorable night and Titanic tell the story in an entirely different way, but there are very similar themes throughout the process. Night worth remembering is based on what Walter Lord calls night worth remembering. The film traces chronological events, and the central person of Lightholler is the second officer who survived the disaster. From boarding the ship to sinking of the ship, it concentrates on him. He is depicted as a respected and gentle leader, e specially when he shows courage and wisdom by helping to control the event and helping save lives. He played a big part as he summarized the movie, he is the person whom the observer can pay attention. http://www.markedbyteachers.com/gcse/sociology/using-the-factual-accounts-of-the-titicic-compare-and-contrast-how-the-directors-of-titanic- And overnight notes, Drawings - Event - ie incurred.html Use Titanic's facts to silence, compare, and contrast how the director of Titanic and Difficult to remember the night describes the events that happened Last night was an unforgetable night. Tonight is an unforgetable night. But everything to remember is not what happened, but the way you make me feel. Last night when I left the laboratory and went to your house, I did not want to see you riding on me. But I am very pleased that you decided to meet me the way, just like you waited. After a long day, homemade pasta and warm biscuits, a quiet conversation from your island, and the way you smil e in your eyes flashes: peace of mind, peace of mind. Hugs become passion, sex turns into thumb war and more drinks. More drinks became risk chip poker games, and on the evening of the game came through a campus and got a semi-drunk bike. This is another moment. The freshness of the warm cheeks of the night makes us refreshed. Then my dad chatted with us. I remember that night clearly. Even though the moon is out, this is an unusually quiet night. Usually, on such a night, because the next day is school day, you hear mother shouting to the child. I remember that children will smile when they play the last hide and seek game. But that night was different. My father has just returned from work. I'm very excited because I would like to know which college I will go to. I was elected to three universities. I am anxious to leave home for the first time. To be honest, I do not want to be around when you keep looking for you. I found mother and father's eyes injured.

Reaction Paper to given quotes listed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reaction Paper to given quotes listed - Essay Example Instead of increasing taxes, Senator Cornyn strongly suggests to carefully look through the government spending which is as high as 25% of taxes as compared to 18% of tax revenues (Cornyn, 2011). President Obama is a Democrat whereas Senator Cornyn is a Republican. In Senator Cornyn’s speech, he mentioned that â€Å"President Obama’s re-election speech was abosultely disgraceful† and that â€Å"the president is criticizing the work performances of other people without even doing his own job by proposing a responsible solution to our nation’s debt† (Cornyn, 2011). Upon analyzing the situation, Senator Cornyn was not really out there to destroy the well-being of President Obama. He was simply commenting on what he think is best in terms of coming up with effective solutions that could improve the socio-economic status and quality of life of the American people. In fact, Senator Cornyn’s criticism was based his perception about President Obama’s re-election speech. It was not something that he made up to destroy the reputation of Obama as the president of the United States. As a common knowledge, each politician has their own strategic way on how they could protect their professional standing. However, it is a wrong perception for people to think that becoming a part of the Texas government politics could severely hurt us as a person. Given that each politician has their own personal views on how they can contribute in the development of the U.S. economy, it is but a common thing for them to criticize the works of other politicians so they can convince the people to support their political strategies than those of others. Ann Richards was the first woman elected as the State Treasurer in Texas back in 1982. Because of the extensive experiences in the field of politics that Richards gained over the years, she quoted that â€Å"I’ve always said that in politics,

Great Depression and The New Deal Research Paper

Great Depression and The New Deal - Research Paper Example Later in 1935 the Social Security Act came into power, aiming to provide the disabled, old-age or surviving citizens with social insurance. The New Deal, though rather slowly, appeared to be working. As Robert Murphy writes, â€Å"Although still abysmal, the unemployment numbers finally began receding almost the moment Roosevelt took office. Other indicators of economic health, such as Gross National Product, also reversed their staggering decline.† (Murphy 12). It seemed, availability of public funds freed many people from starvation and despair. In one of the accounts of the Senate Committee on Manufacturers (1932), the Committee’s member exemplifies horrors of the Great Depression through recalling a woman who â€Å"borrowed 50 cents from a friend and bought stale bread for 3 and a half cents per loaf, and that is all they had for eleven days except for one or two meals†. His other examples include people picking up food that accidentally fell from the goods t rain, people starving for two days and finally feeding themselves with dandelions (Senate Committee on Manufacturers). The photo taken during the time of Great Depression illustrates how undernourished and emaciated people were in their efforts to earn at least a dollar or two (See Picture 1). But as soon as 1938 a new disaster struck. As there appeared to be a 3 per cent collapse within the economic output, the unemployment rate also soared to the yearly figure of 19 per cent. This came to be known as â€Å"depression within the Depression† (Murphy 13). Roosevelt’s New Deal turned out to be incapable of producing the expected full recovery. This view has been supported by professors Cole and Ohanian, the...The booming prosperity of the American economy in the 1920s suddenly collapsed due to unexpected stock market crash in 1929. For the decade that followed, the country found itself stuck in an unprecedented economic depression.Statistically, the unemployment rate in the United States soared as high as to 25 per cent (to compare: in 1929 it was just 3.2 per cent). Industrial figures were no better. For example, overall production within industries declined by a half with international trade decreasing by 30 per cent. Roosevelt that took the office in 1933, just at the peak of Great Depression, proposed the Americans â€Å"The New Deal†. It was a policy that aimed at ending Depression through extensive government intrusion. It suggested new legislation that increased the role of government in the life of the American society. The New Deal, though rather slowly, appeared to be working. As Robert Murphy writes, â€Å"Although still abysmal, the unemployment numbers finally began receding almost the moment Roosevelt took office. Other indicators of economic health, such as Gross National Product, also reversed their staggering decline.† . Interestingly, despite the fact that many modern historians are inclined to depict Roosevelt as a saver, and his New Deal policy as a successful recovery act, his close colleague and advisor Henry Morgenthau was known to think the opposite.

Pets and health and lifestyle Speech or Presentation

Pets and health and lifestyle - Speech or Presentation Example The social impact of pet ownership will first be discussed followed by its positive effects on the physical and mental health of an individual. Pets form an underlying reason for social interaction between people. Thus they tend to make an individual socially active. For example when people take their dogs for a walk, they tend to stop and talk to other dog owners. This leads to social contact and helps a person to become active. Such interactions are also a common sight at pet shops or at veterinary clinics. Another important aspect linked with animals that enhances social skills is the fact that people find it easier to interact and talk to people who are walking with their pets. This is because it is a common notion that people who own pets are nice and caring (Fetters 2014, Robinson and Segal 2014). Physical activity is another benefit linked with owning pets and this improves the physical health of an individual. Pets require attention and no matter whether the pet is a dog or a parrot, a person has to perform some activity for them. This prevents a person from total physical inactivity. An added benefit is for the people who take their animals like cats and dogs for walks. A study has revealed that people who take their dogs for walks have a lesser probability of gaining excessive weight in comparison to the normal population (Fetters 2014). Pets have a significant role in stress reduction and in preventing anxiety and thus they are important in maintaining good psychological health as well. Being alone makes an individual depressed and thus the partnership of an animal keeps a person busy and prevents depression. Not only this, people who stay isolated from others seek comfort by staying with their pets. It has been suggested that spending time with pets and playing with them helps to relieve stress by altering the hormone levels in the body and making an individual energetic (Fetters 2014). To sum up, it can be understood that

The Role of Colors in The Great Gatsby Research Paper

The Role of Colors in The Great Gatsby - Research Paper Example The first huge symbolism that is exemplified in the Great Gatsby is the symbolism of green light. The green light is a monumental factor that exemplifies Jay’s dream to chase Gatsby. The green light had a profound meaning as it signifies Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future. Gatsby love for Daisy, as excellently illustrated in Chapter 1 as he reaches for the light, represents his quest to get Daisy. Gatsby had a strong attachment to this mysterious light as the author states, â€Å"Gatsby believed in the green light† (Fitzgerald 128). The green light was Gatsby only diminishing hopes to ever get back with Daisy, which unfortunately never occurred.   In addition, the green light also represents that of the quest for the â€Å"American Dream† that the new immigrants desired when they reached the â€Å"promise land† (Mellard 853). In essence, Fitzgerald believed that Americans were disillusioned by attaching a meaning to America through their own dreams. Green is used to portray wealth and money that all people love to accumulate. Similarly, Gatsby is deceived as he attaches this perfect illusion to Daisy. Unfortunately, Gatsby is struck with utter failure as he fails to attain Daisy just as the American dream was devastated by the materialistic things in 1920’s. Gatsby’s bold attempt to re-create his best memory, which was to spend time with Daisy in Louisville, never happened. Sadly, Gatsby lost his will to live and looked forward for his death (Mellard 855). Another element that is exemplified via color, is ash through the color of gray. .† Fitzgerald excellent ability to point of key flaws in society was perfectly illustrated by this symbolism. Fitzgerald describes the Valley of Ashes in his book â€Å"a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and

Adolf Hitler and world war 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Adolf Hitler and world war 2 - Essay Example nticipated to coup the republican government in a â€Å"beer-hall putsch.† The Leading Bavarian officials, the discontented nationalists, surrounded at a meeting during a Munich beer hall held by Nazi militia or the storm troopers. The nationalists had loyalty to the revolution of Hitler. After regaining his freedom, they used the army (Reichswehr) in defeating the coup. That led to the fleeing of Hitler. Later, arrested and imprisoned for five year in Landsberg fortress where he served nine months (Rice 46). The putsch was significant to the growth of Hitler as it made him known throughout Germany. He dictated his ambitions to Rudolf Hess on the turgid struggle while still at the prison. His sentiments were full of worship of power, the anti-Sematic outpourings, and the strategy for the world domination and the disdain for the civil morality. It, therefore, became the bible for the National Socialism. In 1929, under the leadership of Hitler and Gregor Strasser, the party gained popularity during the economic depression, bringing in mass support (Rice 76). The Germans were tired of the reparations payments to the World War I victors. Threatened by the hyperinflation, possible Communist takeover, and political chaos, Hitler offered the solutions and the scapegoat. To the economic depression, he promised to despoil the â€Å"Jew financiers.† To the workers, he promised security. As a result, he received the financial support from the bankers and the industrialists with the anti-Communism and in promising to control the trade unionism (Rice 77). Therefore, Hitler had a sinister and a keen insight into issues to do with mass psychology. He was the master of maneuver and intrigue. After getting the citizenship of Germany through the Brunswick state, he ran for the presidency during the 1932 elections. He loses to the prevalent war protagonist Paul von Hindenburg. He received a major part of his votes from the protestant followers, approximately 18.3%

Business Report Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Report - Term Paper Example The founder was Ms.CarrollCaire who acted as the director. Co-founders included Johnson. P. K and Katherine Powell. Initially Katherine was the secretary general while Johnson was the manager. The hotel has twenty two employees and has two locations in the city(Ford, 2008). The company has experienced tremendous growth since2014 due to the increasing number of tourists in the city. The profit increased by a profit margin of 12% since its foundation. In 2013 the hotel was among the best hotels in the city in the 2009-2010 financial years. The main services and products include catering and accommodation services. Recreational services such as swimming and gymnastics are also available to the clients at a fee. There are some fast food shops that sell artistic assets to the tourists at a cheap price(Begley, 2006). Business report is a form of assignment that serves to analyze a using application of business theories to produce a range of suggestions for improvement of the business of a given client or firm. This business plan will thus demonstrate my analytical, reasoning, and evaluation skills while identifying and weighing-up possible solutions and outcomes of the personalized customer service in Pacino Sky Fall Hotel. The business plan will also examine available and potential solutions to solve problematic situations or issue arising from customer’s feedback information desk(Taggart & Publications, 2009). In an attempt to make customers delightful a hotel company need to find out what makes their clients tick. There is a great need to monitor the service users and learn what they deem important by setting up metrics to measure their behavioral changes. The main agenda is to increase customer’s engagement and service fulfillment(Begley, 2006). Personalized customer service is a system that focuses on customer’s

Vertigo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vertigo - Essay Example While investigating and trailing her, he discovers that she is suicidal and is suffering from thoughts of committing suicide. Later both of them fall in love with each other and then the protagonist experiences the death of Madeleine as she commits suicide. Later he is cared for by Judy Barton who resembles Madeleine and Scottie once again falls in love and this time he is in love with Barton. He tries to mold Barton and make her look exactly similar to Madeline but later he discovers that Madeleine’s death was a hoax and was a plan by her husband. Later due to an accident Barton dies and the protagonist loses his fear of heights but ends up being heart broken. The central point that is being discussed in the movie is the attraction as well as fear that are associated with death. Death can cause different emotions within an individual, for example it can result in the emotion of fear or it can even result in the emotion of satisfaction. This is a point that has been quite heavily depicted in the movie. The movie depicts that when an individual himself experiences death or a near death situation, he/she is most likely to experience the emotion of fear (Krueger 53). This was quite evident as when the protagonist of the movie is about to die as he is about to fall from a very tall building. Due to this incident he became so afraid of death by falling that he became afraid of heights and developed a psychological disorder called acrophobia. At the same time movie even depicts that death is a way through which individuals can gain satisfaction and relief from emotional stress. This feeling of satisfaction and emotional relaxation is experienced by those individuals who use death as a tool of revenge (McDougall 121). This is quite clearly depicted within the movie as the protagonist tries to kill Judy who had helped in planning the death of Madeline. Although the protagonist was afraid of death, he counters this fear when he himself

Directions in Language Essay Example for Free

Directions in Language Essay On this essay we are going to expressly talk on promoting Academic Success for ESL Students and also understanding second language acquisition for school, I will take my time to explain Linguistic processes and discusses the linguistic processes of first and second language acquisition. First language acquisition is a complex, lifelong process. And I will also explain in detail the influential factors of social and cultural processes on all aspects of linguistic, cognitive, and academic development. Students that are in English speaking Countries, who English language is very new to need to acquire profiency in the language, and this same student need to learn some things in addition such as, to learn a range of academic content, some of which they are very new to. Now let us look through these major model factors. The model defines factors that enable predictions to be made regarding English learners’ degree of second language acquisition in an academic context. Taking a critical look from the authors angle describe in detail the dimensions and components of the model and gives more clearly several currently popular types of education programs for English language learners in the United States. Such as their degree of adherence to the model. Finally, we compare the predictions of the model, using predicted rankings of relative program success, to the actual measured effectiveness of each program in producing varying degrees of English learners’ achievement gap closure with mother tongue-English speakers. Promoting Academic Success for ESL Students We are going to look critically at, why is necessary to promote academic success for ESL students and Understanding second language acquisition for school. In the recent research by (Thomas Collier, 1995) shows that when examining interactions among student background you can deduce the difference in treatment and variables and their influence on student outcomes. The two-way bilingual education at the elementary school level which was found has giving a promising program model for the long-term academic success for language minority students. Language acquisition over the years has recently become a thing of necessity for every ESL students, acquiring language as a major tool for effective learning and successful years of study. In a scenario ESL student in country such as USA. It becomes a must for such a student to learn second language, if not it will be a little bit difficulty for such a student to learn fast and even relate with other friends around. ESL students must be encouraged to relate with English speakers and language minority students learning academically through each others languages. (Virginia, George Mason University, 1995). Perceptions among staff, students, and parents that it is a gifted and talented program, leading to high expectations for student performance with this kind of influence given to both languages a level of language stability would be achieved to a large extent creating self-confidence among language minority students. The duty of parents to promote both language minority and language majority for closer home-school cooperation can not be over emphasized to help in promoting the influence academic success for ESL Student, their must be cordial relationship between ESL students and Teachers/lectures or between ESL students and other colleagues and more so between wards/guardian and ESL students and the school authorities. We must watchfully guide against racism around us and protect the interest of ESL Students. The continuous support for staff development, emphasizing whole language approaches, natural language acquisition through all content areas, cooperative learning, interactive and discovery learning, and cognitive complexity of the curriculum for all proficiency levels. . (Virginia, George mason university, 1995). The linguistic processes of first and second language acquisition: The lifelong process: For us to really understand the progresses in language acquisition during the school years, it is expedient to recognize the complex, lifelong processes we actually go through to acquire our first language and second language acquisition in parallel processes. The complex oral language development system from birth to age five is universal, without any physical disabilities or isolation from humans. But the most talented five-year-old child entering pre-nursery is not yet half-way through the process of first language development. Research heard it that Children from ages 6 to 12 will continue to acquire steady or continuous distinctions, formal discourse patterns, vocabulary, syntax, semantics, and complex aspects of pragmatics in the oral system of their first language (Berko Gleason, 1993). More so, children that are properly brought up in this level adding reading and writing to the language of listening and speaking across the globe are usually very intelligent, skilled and increase in grades level and a clear increase in language academics subject. Adolescent that eventually gained admission into high school must have learned and acquired lots of vocabulary in every discipline of study and will continue to acquire more writing skills, this process continues like that till you get to adult age. Adult age is very sensitive age as language acquisition is concerned, as an adult you may not be able to learn too more language than your first language you had acquired. So first language acquisition is an unending process throughout our lifetime (Berko Gleason, 1993; Collier, 1992a). Let us take a look Second language acquisition is also a complex phenomenon. We use some of the same processes we have used to acquire our first language, going through progressive stages and relying on native speakers to provide modified speech that we can at least partially comprehend. The influential factors of social and cultural processes There are four major component of model namely, sociocultural, linguistic, academic, and cognitive processes. These four components are interrelated together and for you to really understand their importance in developing second language acquisition processes that occurs in the school context. There is a figure below to show the interrelationship between the four components. Figure 1 Language Acquisition for School (Virginia P. Collier, 1994. ) Sociocultural processes At the center of the figure above, you will notice that other components are surrounding social and cultural processes through the process of acquiring a second language in school. It is Central to that students acquisition of language are all of the surrounding social and cultural processes occurring through everyday life within the students past, present, and future, in all contexts-home, school, community, and the broader society. The work of Sociocultural may include individual student variables such as self-esteem or anxiety or other affective factors processes in promoting second language acquisition. These factors can strongly influence the students response to the new language, affecting the process positively only when the student is in a socioculturally supportive environment. Linguistic processes: A second component of the model, consist of the technical aspects of language development â€Å"(an innate ability all humans possess for acquisition of oral language)†, as well as the acquisition of the written system of language metalinguistic, conscious and formal teaching of language in school. First and second languages across globe include the acquisition of the oral and written systems of the students, such as phonology, vocabulary, morphology and syntax, semantics, Pragmatics, paralinguistic, and discourse. (Virginia 1994. ) Academic development. A third component of the model, academic development, includes all school work in language arts, mathematics, the sciences, and social studies for each grade level, Grades K-12 and beyond. It this succeeding grade, academic work dramatically expands the vocabulary, sociolinguistic, and discourse dimensions of language to higher cognitive levels. Academic knowledge and conceptual development transfer from the first language to the second language; thus it is most efficient to develop academic work through students first language, while teaching the second language during other periods of the school day through meaningful academic content. In earlier decades in the United States, we emphasized teaching the second language as the first step, and postponed the teaching of academics. Research has shown us that postponing or interrupting academic development is likely to promote academic failure. In information driven society that demands more knowledge processing with each succeeding year, students cannot afford the lost time. (Virginia 1994. ) Cognitive development: The fourth component of this model, the cognitive dimension, has been mostly neglected by second language educators in the U. S. until the past decade. In language teaching, we simplified, structured, and sequenced language curricula during the 1970s, and when we added academic content into our language lessons in the 1980s, we watered down academics into cognitively simple. (Virginia 1994. ) Tasks we also too often neglected the crucial role of cognitive development in the first language. Now we know from our growing research base that we must address all of these components equally if we are to succeed in developing deep academic proficiency in a second language. Interdependence of the four components All of these four components-sociocultural, academic, cognitive, and linguistic-are interdependent. If one is developed to the neglect of another, this may be detrimental to a students overall growth and future success. The academic, cognitive, and linguistic components must be viewed as developmental, and for the child, adolescent, and young adult still going through the process of formal schooling, development of any one of these three components depends critically on simultaneous development of the other two, through both first and second languages. Sociocultural processes strongly influence, in both positive and negative ways, students access to cognitive, academic, and language development. It is widely advice and crucial that educators provide a socioculturally supportive school environment that enable natural language, academic, and cognitive development to flourish. (Virginia 1994) Conclusion These few points raised above I belief has shown the importance of Language Acquisition for ESL students, crucially I have been able to raise some reasonable points concerning, understanding the relevance of Language Acquisition for ESL student. Promoting academic success for ESL students Understanding second language acquisition for school Then I have been able discuss the linguistic processes of first and second language acquisition which also link to First language acquisition is a complex, lifelong process. More so, I have been able to explain the very importantly the influential factors of social and cultural processes on all aspects of linguistic, cognitive, and academic development and interrelationship between these component and why they must be put in place, if we really want to promote Language Acquisition for ESL students. Without bordering our minds for ever am sure that these points contributed have immensely added to effect of promoting Language Acquisition for ESL students, understanding the importance of first language and second language acquisition and also the processes involved in learning these first and second language. The component involved in enhancing the Language Acquisition had been enumerated above. Reference Berko Gleason, (1993); Collier, (1992) Collier P Virginia, (1995). Directions in Language Education National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. George Mason University. Vol. 1, No. 4, Collier. P. Virginia, (1997). Promoting academic success for ESL students Understanding second language acquisition for school (3rd ed. ). Woodside, NY: Bastos. Thomas Collier, (1995).

Hearts and Minds Essay Example for Free

Hearts and Minds Essay Movies and documentaries have a way of touching the lives of many. For the most part, they are geared towards the exhibition of truths that are hidden from other people. The documentary, â€Å"Hearts and Minds†, mirrored the numerous difficulties experienced by the Vietnamese in the hands of the American soldiers. The harsh realities shown by the American soldiers towards the Vietnamese was quite difficult to believe, for we all know how the Americans would care for any other individual. Directed by Peter Davis, the documentary showed different clips that prove the harsh attitude towards people at that time. Even the speech of former President Lyndon Johnson was shown in the said documentary. To give people a great feel of the said timeline, much of the most famous details during that particular time were shown. The type of music, clothes, and even some old archives were shown. In this manner, it would become easier for the audiences to understand what was being explained to them. I admire the montage feeling provided by the documentary. Together with the voice over, watching the documentary was like watching any other historical how. However, what sets it apart from the rest were the heartbreaking realities exhibited. I could not help but wonder as to how people were treated unfairly and how other people could bear causing pain to others. One of the scenes that caught my attention was the funeral of a soldier. Surrounding the coffin were grieving people, including the family and friends. However, for some reason, one grieving lady was stopped from following the coffin being laid to rest. This particular scene was contrasted with a clip showing the interview of the general who led the Vietnam War. Furthermore, there were several other interviews included in the documentary. Although I am not of Vietnamese, origin I was heartbroken by the difficulties experienced at that time. For the longest time, they experienced pain, both physical and emotional, while they struggled to raise their families accordingly. A particular scene exemplified the hardships endured by the Vietnamese during that particular time. The scene showed how the prisoners of the war were sitting restless and not paying attention to what their employer had in mind. I felt pity with the condition these people experienced, toppled by the excessive torture and inhumane humiliations provided by the American soldiers. After watching the documentary, one could not help but question what has been taught in class during our younger days. I was surprised at how the outcome of this war has been, including the participation that the American soldiers portrayed. However, due to the extensive information provided, some critics may also form their own conclusion as to how the said war was used as propaganda. On the other hand, it would be expected that some people would opt to be biased towards the Vietnamese and consider them to be victims of the American occupation. Regardless of everything that has been said, I believe that we all have our own perceptions towards things. Personally, I believe that the goal of this film was to show the other side of history that not everyone was aware of. In this manner, I would be able to form my own beliefs as to how people would be able to learn from these hurtful experiences. It is useless for us to keep on living in the past—we should all move forward in helping make a different in this lifetime. I must say that I recommend this film to everyone, especially those who are currently studying about the history of the United States.

Charlotte Haze

Charlotte Haze Literature is not solely a method of entertainment. It is also used to expand a readers mind by allowing them to enter a different world. To do so, a reader will often have to suspend their disbelief. It is very rare that one must question what he/she is reading. Vladimir Nabokovs Lolita is the confession of an erudite European intellectual with an obsessive desire for nymphets-girls between the ages of nine and fourteen who are, as he judges them, sexually aware. In Humbert Humberts confession, he admits to the years of molestation of a young girl referred to as Lolita (Dolores Haze). This confession is written by him while awaiting trial for a seemingly unrelated murder. At the end of the novel, Humbert states that the murder he committed was an act of love and he rationalizes not only his violence but his pedophilia. Although the confession seems free-flowing and a spur of the moment decision on the part of the narrator, how does Nabokov indicate that Humbert Humbert is an unrelia ble narrator through the use of literary devices and linguistic patterns in Lolita? Despite Humbert Humberts horrid crimes, his language and wordplay make for a more pleasant reading experience than one would expect. Through the use of characterization, diction, and comparison and contrast, Nabokov suggests that Humbert is unreliable and knowingly writes a tale that paints himself as a victim of circumstances. Characterization: As Humbert Humbert is the narrator of the novel, he characterizes the individuals in the story. No second opinions are presented; therefore the reader is given a one-dimensional interpretation of each character. There are clues in the novel that suggest Humberts descriptions are biased in his favour, including the rapid changes in the characters personalities and the tone in which they are described. Humberts descriptions of Charlotte Haze, in particular, change significantly as the story progresses. Charlotte, Lolitas mother and Humberts eventual wife in the novel, is a middle-class American housewife who aspires to be sophisticated and cultured. Her relationship with her daughter is strained as she focuses all her attention on accommodating her lodger Humbert Humbert, who finds her intolerable and simply wants access to Lolita (Dolores Haze). During the beginning of the novel and the beginning of their relationship, Humbert refers to Charlotte simply as the Haze woman. His disgust and aggravation is apparent even at the mention of her presence. When first describing Charlotte to the reader, Humbert states: I think I had better describe her right away, to get it over with. She was, obviously, one of those woman whose polished words may reflect a book clubbut never her soul; women who are completely devoid of humour (Nabokov 37). His dislike for Charlotte is made clear from the m oment she is introduced to the reader; however Humbert continues to point out her vulgarity and lack of sophistication. One night, while secretly fondling Lolita on the front porch, Humbert writes: [Lo] fidgeted a good deal so that finally her mother told her sharply to quit it and sent [her] doll flying into the dark (Nabokov 46). Charlottes behaviour seems over-the-top and disdainful. However, it is interesting that whenever Humbert has any inappropriate contact with Lolita, he follows quickly by writing of Charlottes contempt towards her daughter. After his contact with Lolita on the front porch, he quite sarcastically writes the following excerpt: [Lolita] had been spiteful, if you please, at the age of one, when she used to throw her toys out of her crib, so that her poor mother should keep picking them up, the villainous infant. Now, at twelve, she was a regular pest, said Haze. Her grades were poor. Of course, moodiness is a common concomitant of growing up, but Lolita exagerrate[d]. Sullen and evasive. Rude and defiant (Nabokov 46). Although expressing Charlottes frustration with her daughter, the speech is not a direct quote from Charlotte indicating that Humbert is paraphrasing what she has told him. This harsh-toned speech seems to be a convenient ploy on the part of the narrator to distract from the fact that he took advantage of a young girls trust for his own physical gratification. In fact, throughout the novel, Humberts abuse of Lolita is followed by negative dialogues from the other characters. Nabokov seems to suggest that Humberts confession is well thought-out and biased in his favour. It seems the narrator wants to justify his actions. After Lolita tags along to a shopping trip with him and Charlotte, Humbert quotes her mother as saying: It is intolerable that a child should be so ill-manneredwhen she knows she is unwanted (Nabokov 51). While they are driving, Humbert takes advantage of Lolitas proximity to hold, stroke, and squeeze [her] little paw all the way to the store (Nabokov 51). Humbert use s Charlottes contempt towards Lolita to justify his affection towards her. Although this physical contact is outwardly innocent, Humberts intentions are clearly pedophilic. It is by characterizing Charlotte as unmotherly and unkind that Humbert tries to gain the readers sympathy. He portrays himself as a father figure providing a mistreated girl with love. Before her death in the novel, Charlotte is portrayed as a brutal, unloving mother. However, after she is accidently killed, Humbert is free to parent Lolita. After he collects Lolita from the summer camp she was forced to attend, one notices the change in the tone he uses to address Charlotte. Lolita, since returning from camp, has remained troublesome and moody. After Humbert has consummated his relationship with the young girl, they engage on a long road trip including many pit stops and shopping trips. The teenage girl is not particularly enjoying their voyage and is understandably vulgar and upset. Humbert is quoted many times as saying: Charlotte, I begin to understand you! (Nabokov 149). Humbert narrates and characterizes other individuals in a way that will arouse sympathy for himself. Previously, when Humbert would engage in inappropriate contact with Lolita, he would deliberately point out her mothers unaffectionate nature to justify his touching her child. Now that Charlot te, the obstacle, has been overcome and Humbert regularly molests and abuses her daughter, he points out Lolitas insufferable qualities. He now understands Charlotte and points out that she was not as negative a person as she seemed. Humbert does this in order to paint himself as a tired father putting up with his difficult daughters every whim. Humberts descriptions of Lolita also change, removing the characters likeability as the story progresses. At the beginning of the novel, Lolita is described as closely resembling Annabel, Humberts childhood love. Humbert explains that he is instantly captivated by her beauty: When I passed her in my adult disguise, the vacuum of my soul managed to suck in every detail of her bright beauty (Nabokov 39). Although Lolita is a mediocre American child, vulgar and even less polished than her mother, Humbert seems to view the girl through rose-coloured glasses. To him, she is not vulgar, but charming, not aggressive, but misunderstood by her wretched mother. Although Humbert does not appreciate Lolitas idolization of American pop culture, nothing much else is said with regards to her intellect. Interesting to note is Lolitas minimal dialogue in this part of the novel. She does not say much, except for her frequent arguments with Charlotte. In these arguments, Lolita is not portrayed as a de licate child, but rather a strong-willed, aggressive girl. I think you stink and this is a free country are some of the arguments made to her mother during their verbal fights (Nabokov 46). During one particular fight, Humbert writes: Later, I heard a great banging of doors and other sounds coming from quaking caverns where the two rivals were having a ripping row (Nabokov 48). Writing this, Humbert indicates that Lolita is able to hold her own against her mother. She is not the type to be trampled over or forced to do anything. By including dialogues and descriptions such as these, Humbert suggests that Lolita is a strong child who gets what she wants. In addition to describing her bad-temper, the physical contact between Humbert and Lolita is always said to be instigated by the girl. Humbert narrates: Presently an old gray tennis ball bounced over [Charlotte], and Los voice came from the house haughtily: Pardonnez, Mother. I was not aiming at you. Of course not, my hot downy darling (Nabokov 55). What to an average person would seem like a playful act derived from boredom, Humbert tries to illustrate as an act of seduction. Humbert portrays Lolita as a willing participant in his games, as shown in the following excerpt: Humbert Humbert intercepted [her] apple. In a sham effort to retrieve it, [Lo] was all over me. Every movement she made, every shuffle and ripple, helped me to conceal and to improve the secret system of tactile correspondence between beast and beauty-between my gagged, bursting beast and the beauty of her dimpled body in its innocent cotton frock (Nabokov 58-59). Although Humbert sits there almost inert during thi s encounter, and although Lolita comes to him, he instigates the situation by innocently taking her fruit from her. After her stay at a summer camp, Lolitas sexuality has changed drastically as the reader learns she has had her first sexual encounter. In this part of the novel, through direct quotes, Lolita is characterized differently. She is very teasing of Humbert: I did not [miss you]. Fact Ive been revoltingly unfaithful to you, but it does not matter one bit, because youve stopped caring for me anywayyou havent kissed me yet, have you? (Nabokov 112). Humbert then narrates: Lolita positively flowed into my arms (Nabokov 113). This is the first serious encounter the two characters have: a kiss Humbert narrates as having been Lolitas idea. Although Humbert describes the confidence with which Lolita engages in this behaviour, he also reveals that it was but an innocent game on her part, an imitation of fake romance. Having already lost her virginity to a young man at camp, Lolita initiates sexual intercourse with Humbert during their stay at a hotel. However, more than a romantic partner, Nabokov illustrates Lolita as a young girl in search of affection of any kind. Charlotte, not fitting the maternal archetype whatsoever, was jealous of the relationship between Humbert and Lolita. Having not yet learned that her mother is dead, and believing Humbert and Charlotte are still married, Lolitas contact and conversation with Humbert resembles a bitter act of rebellion against her mother who forced her to attend camp (an experience she describes as dirty and naughty despite her cool demeanor). Having sex with Humbert seems like more of a game to Lolita as she does not understand the severity of her actions. However, it is a way of betraying her mother, just as Charlotte betrayed her by sending her to camp. When Humbert reveals in a most insensitive way that Charlotte is dead, Lolita is truly heartbrok en. Humbert writes: At the hotel, we had separate rooms, but in the middle of the night she came sobbing into mine, and we made it up very gently (Nabokov 142). The quotation suggests that the two engaged in sexual relations once again, and although Humbert does not specify why Lolita was crying, it was most certainly due to the death of her mother and not the mild argument she had with him. The statement illustrates a young girl with no one to turn to except for the adult who victimizes her. Having lost her mother, her only remaining parent, Lolita turns to Humbert-her technical father. He uses her need for affection to gain control of the situation for his own physical gratification. Despite frequent dialogues and descriptions in which Lolita is shown to be unhappy and vulnerable, Humbert adds his own biased interpretations of Lolitas behaviour. She is characterized as a manipulative, able girl. If she is not bought certain things, if she is not allowed to go to certain places, Lolita withholds sex from Humbert. This is an unfavourable depiction of the young girl as her body is the only power she possesses. She has no money, and without Humbert, she cannot survive. In order to put herself in a position of power and achieve some sort of reward for her suffering, Lolita uses her sexuality-something Humbert describes as cruel, manipulative promiscuity. Killing Clare Quilty, the man with whom Lolita runs away, Humbert describes as an act of love for having forced Lolita into poverty. His possessiveness in this part of the novel indicates that he is defending his honour rather than hers. Humbert writes his confession in order to convince the reader that though he is g uilty, he was controlled by a force greater than himself. Through his dynamic characterization of the other characters, Humbert inadvertently reveals he is only interested in telling the story from a viewpoint that will allow the reader to sympathize with him. Diction: In addition to character development in Lolita, diction is also suggestive of Humberts unreliable narration. Throughout the novel, the reader is entranced by Humberts fancy prose style. It is the language used that makes the grotesque themes in the novel bearable. However, many recurring words and linguistic patterns used by Humbert betray the persona he wants to create. Although Humbert wants his confession to seem unbiased and unplanned, the first paragraphs of the novel indicate that his confession is directed to a particular audience-[the] ladies and gentlemen of the jury (Nabokov 9). He, himself, titles his work Lolita, as it is essentially the story of the young girl. However, the foreword written by the fictional Dr. John Ray titles it The Confession of a White Widowed Male. It is interesting that it is always during the most grotesque scenes in the novel that Humbert directly acknowledges the presence of the reader. When pondering whether or not to kill Charlotte, Humbert directly engages the reader(s): And, folks, I just couldnt! In silence I turned shorewardand still I could not make myself drown the poor, slippery, big-bodied creature (Nabokov 87). At times during the confession, Humberts writing becomes almost self-reflective-it seems he gets lost in his past experiences. Nonetheless, in the moments where his morals come into question and where his behaviour becomes criminal, he speaks directly to the reader. Humbert almost acts as his own lawyer, and in an eloquent persuasive tone, tries to sway the reader in his favour. Humbert also uses wordplay to foreshadow Clare Quiltys involvement and significance to the story. In the beginning of the novel, Humbert reads a review. Clare Quiltys name appears, alongside others, and plays are listed including The Little Nymph and Fatherly Love. Humbert says that Lolita could have appeared in a play called The Murdered Playwright, alluding to playwright Clare Quiltys murder. Quiltys presence is always felt in Lolita even before his character is introduced. This leads the reader to believe that Humberts narrative is not free-flowing, but rather serves a direct purpose: to gain sympathy from the reader for the murder he committed. In addition to the change in audience, the connotation and tone of the words used change depending on the situation. Besides Humberts descriptions of nymphets, every other character and experience in his confession is described with cynicism and irritation. Nymphets are introduced as fantastical beings: Nine and fourteen [are] the boundaries-the mirrory beaches and rosy rocks-of an enchanted island haunted by those nymphetsand surrounded by a vast, misty sea (Nabokov 16). This description seems out-of-character for Humbert, who otherwise presents himself to be (within reason) rational. Humbert also states that not all girls in this age range are nymphets. It is the slightly feline outline of a cheekbone, the slenderness of a downy limb [which identify] the little deadly demon offantastic power (Nabokov 17). Humbert chooses to coin the term nymphet instead of using the accepted term of underage girl. By stating that he is not attracted to all young girls, Humbert tries to separate him self from regular pedophiles. The magical tone that surrounds these descriptions makes it seem as though Humbert is not in self-control and submits to the powers of these mystical demons who drive him to abnormality. It is interesting to note that Humbert is very scientific and technical in other parts of the book using jargon such as pederosis and pseudolibidoes. The two different methods of speaking represent Humberts ability to change according to circumstance. While trying to explain his helplessness in the presence of Lolita (and other nymphets), Humbert betrays himself through his word choice. Although eloquent, his possessiveness jumps off the page. Whenever speaking of Lolita, seemingly arbitrary descriptions include possessive pronouns. This is demonstrated numerous times in the novel: How smugly would I marvel that she was mine, mine, mine (Nabokov 161). Constantly referring to the girl as my child, my Lo, my pet, Nabokov italicizes the pronouns to place emphasis on Humberts possessiveness. Furthermore, it is interesting to look at the sentence structure. Whenever events take place involving other people, Humbert makes sure to unite Lolita and himself: Last night, we sat on the piazza, the Haze woman, Lolita and I. Even when writing, Humbert must remain close to Lolita, using punctuation to separate Charlotte from the two of them. Humbert tries to label Lolita as the seducer and instigator of their physical relationship: She played with and kept sticking to my lap (Nabokov 45). Descriptions of such scenes are never explicit, but when movements are described, they are always those of Lolita. Humbert leads the reader to believe he is just a pawn in Lolitas game. In another section of the story, he writes that [Lolita] struck Humbert, quite painfully (Nabokov 65). This is yet another example of Humbert purposefully showcasing Lolitas strength and willpower. Surprisingly, he refers to himself in the third person-something he does often when he bribes/seduces Lolita. It is unavoidable for Humbert to implicate himself in the novel, but when he narrates the more disturbing things he does, he never personalizes it, using Humbert instead of I or me. By doing so, Humbert defeats the purpose of a confession, not really acknowledging it was him who did anything wrong. Although Lolita is shown to sometimes be an hasty child, the words used to describe her when shes around Humbert always paint her as bold and aggressive. She is said to make Humbert nervous. When Lolita reproaches him for his lack of kissing skill, Humbert tells her to show [him] wight ray (Nabokov 120). It seems out-of-character for the eloquent Humbert to be so inarticulate. However, through the use of diction and punctuation, Nabokov suggests that Humbert does not directly quote characters in the novel. In one part of the novel, Humbert writes: Look, we need to go, said Lolitaor something along that line (Nabokov 76). Even though Lolita is clearly quoted, Humbert cannot be sure. This allows the reader to create distrust in Humbert, as he clearly changes dialogue. Many of the letters and conversations Humbert includes in the confession, he admits are paraphrased. Therefore, it is quite difficult to completely trust Humberts story as some of his bias has inevitably seeped through. Also interesting are the nicknames given by Humbert to other characters. Charlotte is also known as the Haze woman, cold big Haze and Lady Hum. Humbert reveals his own mercurial nature by changing the connotation of the nicknames depending on his mood. The fact that his opinions of other characters change so rapidly and so often indicate that Humbert is using them to better his image in the eyes of the reader. There are instances where Humbert seems disgusted with himself, describing his attraction to nymphets as a monstrous love(Nabokov 83). Immediately after he reproaches himself, Humbert goes on to support pedophilia: We are not sex fiends! We are unhappy, mild, dog-eyed gentlemen sufficiently well-integrated to control our urge in the presence of adults, but ready to give yearsof life for one chance to touch a nymphet. Emphatically, no killers are we (Nabokov 88). Humbert never apologizes for his behaviour, admitting it is only society that makes him feel deviant. Contrast Comparison: Nabokov uses contrast and comparison in Lolita to indicate Humbert Humberts biased narration. Humbert often defends his pedophilia-reprimanding societys hypocrisy. He compares his relationship with Lolita to many historical couples: American president Abraham Lincoln and his younger wife, Italian scholar Petrarch and 12 year-old Laureen, and poet Dante Alighieri and his 9 year-old companion. Humbert mentions these relationships as if to validate his relationship with Lolita. These men, whose women were often their muse, served great purpose to society. Humbert questions the confines the law puts on his people (pedophiles), as these men of great status improved the world while sharing his love of nymphets. It is important to note Humbert does not dwell on the age of these men or the time period they lived in (hundreds of years ago). In addition to this, Humbert makes a direct comparison between Annabel, his childhood love, and Lolita. Dolores Haze takes on multiple names: Lo, Lola, Dolly, Hot Little Haze, and Lolita. Humbert states that: in [his] arms, she was always Lolita (Nabokov 9). Later on in the novel, one discovers that Lolita is derived from combining Annabels name with the name Dolores. Annabel Lee and Dolores produce Lo-lee-ta. Although Humbert ridicules psychiatrists, he drops many clues (including this wordplay) that suggest that Annabels early death is the reason for his attraction to underage girls. A love taken from him during a fragile age leading to sickness-this image, he hopes, will arouse the readers sympathy. In the novel, Humberts love scenes with Annabel are somewhat explicit; they use many metaphors and symbols: I was ready to offer her everything, my heart, my throat, my entrails, I gave her to hold in her awkward fist the scepter of my passion (Nabokov 15). As he and Annabel are of the same age, Humbert can be more direct with the reader in these scenes. Conversely, Lolitas sexual scenes with Humbert are quick and do not describe any physical interaction. One assumes that Humbert does this to avoid arousing disgust in the reader. This indicates that Humbert formulates his story in a way that keeps the reader on his side. Throughout Lolita, comparisons are made between older women and girls Humbert deems to be nymphets. Older women, no matter their role in Humberts life, are always unattractive, cruel and unintelligent. Valeria, Humberts first wife, is described as fat, dumb and completely inept. Charlotte Haze is also fat, disgusting and irritating. Young girls are always painted as desirable. The most beautiful language is used to convince the reader of the power of these nymphets. They are seductive, physically-tone, and delicate (Nabokov 17). Humbert tries to illustrate older women as revolting, so the reader will be able to empathize with his lifestyle. Younger boys, however, are never described in the same light as young girls. They are dirty, repulsive, and dangerous. Any boy Lolita speaks to, any waiter who comes into contact with her is described negatively. Humbert portrays himself as Lolitas protector, unwilling to let her be tarnished by these lowly creatures. This is how he sees Clare Quilty. He is the man who kidnaps his daughter and then abandons her. Before Humbert discovers that Quilty is the man Lolita runs away with, Humbert sets out on a mission to trace the fugitiveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to destroy [his] brother (Nabokov 247). In the final scenes where Humbert and Quilty are fighting, Humbert narrates: I rolled over him. We rolled over me. They rolled over him. We rolled over us (Nabokov 299). This is the only time in the novel when Humbert (indirectly) acknowledges his mistakes. Referring to Quilty as his brother, Humbert illustrates that they are one in the same. They both helped in destroying a young girl. This is the only moment of remorse shown in the novel, as Humbert quickly reverts back to condemning Quilty. Conclusion: Although readers often expect the narrator of a novel to be completely truthful, it is important to question the reliability of the narrator. In Lolita, Nabokov indicates that narrator Humbert Humbert has his own personal agenda and tells the story in a very biased way through the use of characterization, diction, and comparison and contrast. Why then is this novel so compelling to read? Why does the reader insist on being lectured by the corrupt Humbert and feeding into his lies? Although the narrator is biased in his assertions, Nabokov makes sure to include several clues to help the reader discover Humberts deception. Lolita is not simply escape literature, as it requires the reader to actively think about the story being told. By placing trust in the reader and stimulating their intelligence, Nabokov has created one of the literary masterpieces of all time.