Will Essay Example For Students

Will Essay About a Boy by Nick HornbyWill Freeman is the main character of About a Boy, even though he isalready far from being a boy. In fact, he is 38-year-old single Londoner. Will lives in his own world which appropriately refers to as anisland where owning an expensive car and designer clothes fulfill hissatisfaction. He is ecstatically childfree and against marriage, heactually feels sorry for married people with children. He wants to live hisown life and does not want to think of other peoples problems or beresponsible for them. His philosophy is to mean nothing, about anything toanyone and he thinks this will guarantee him a long, depression-free life. We will write a custom essay on Will specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now His nights, whenever possible, are devoted to beautiful women, withwhom he deliberately never starts a serious relationship. He likes the ideaof having a girlfriend, but plots his escape from them as soon as thingsget too serious or complicated. He is very proud of his way of life and of what he is doing. He ishandsome, self-observed, rich, yet shallow and women find his appearanceirresistible. Will spends his days buying new CDs, shopping for designerclothes and worrying about his up-to-the-second hairstyle on which hespends a fortune. How he finds time for all that is simply due to his lack of aprofessional life. Thanks to a ubiquitous Christmas song written by hisfather and recorded by everyone from Elvis to the Muppets, Will does nothave to work like the rest of the world. The royalties rolling in haveenabled him to make a profession an art, really out of avoidingresponsibility and filling his days with tasks of ease and fundamentallyunproductive actions. Nevertheless, he occasionally volunteers toparticipate in minor jobs such as work in soup kitchens, volunteer work,for which he fills in forms yet never reports for duty. A brief encounter with a single mother sets Will off on his newcareer, that of serial nice guy. As far as he is concerned, he is theperfect catch for the young mother on the go. After an interlude of sexualbliss, she will realize that her child is not ready for a man in theirlife. Will, having searched for a way out of the relationship with his lastvictim, happily rides off to the sunset where more single mothersapparently await. The only catch is that the best way to meet these womenis at single-parent get-togethers. That is when the lies begin. He joinsSPAT Single Parents Alone Together and all of a sudden, he is a singlefather of an imaginary child among many single mothers who all feel sorryfor him because the mother of his son took off and left him with all theresponsibility. As Will feels comfortable with telling lies, he createsthe illusion of his son by buying all sorts of child accessories to accountfor his always-absent child. What interferes with Wills well thought-through strategy, of course,is reality in the shape of a 12-year-old boy who is in many ways hispolar opposite. Having to put up with this child, who happens to beannoying, weird and entirely unaccustomed to fashion, for a long time findsa new view to life and himself. He even falls in love, which is a firsttime ever for him. In just a few weeks, he turns his philosophy from beingselfish and egocentric to being somewhat responsible and even caring. Tiina Thnas

Service User Participation Myth Or Reality Social Work Essay Essays

Service User Participation Myth Or Reality Social Work Essay Essays Service User Participation Myth Or Reality Social Work Essay Essay Service User Participation Myth Or Reality Social Work Essay Essay As with all my past assignments, I have been aware non to utilize any names of service users or so the name of the administration I am employed by to keep namelessness and protect the confidentiality of the service users who avail of the service. This assignment has non required the aid of any service users or information from the bureau, hence, namelessness is non of issue in this piece of work, and I have non needed to inquire for their consent. The past 10 old ages have seen more acknowledgment and credence of the right of service users to take part in developing societal attention, particularly given the new duties that cardinal authorities legislative and policy enterprises have placed on administrations to confer with service users. As a consequence, service users are progressively asked to take portion in the planning, proviso and rating of services. This has created involvement in what works in engagement and why. Therefore, this assignment will look at issues around service user engagement, in peculiar, I will specify the footings participation , and service user , expression at the history of engagement, analyse Arnsteins ladder and its utilizations for engagement, good pattern and barriers to engagement, which shall include theory and research, to complete one shall discourse what is the deduction of engagement to societal work pattern. Service user engagement has emerged more so in the last 30 old ages as a cardinal characteristic in societal work policy, pattern, research and instruction. The accent on democracy in the UK over the past century has implied that members of society have a right to take part in civil life, and this accent on engagement has bit by bit been extended to public services ( Taylor et al 2004 ) . Service user engagement has been a cardinal subject in the modernization docket when defining and development services, it has besides been highlighted within recent statute law to affect service users in every facet of attention planning, bringing and reappraisal, besides in the engagement of service users and carers in the reform of societal work instruction ( Warren, 2009 ) . Service user engagement has been influenced by a figure of societal policy theories including consumerism, citizenship, human rights based theories and societal justness attacks, all have helped to organize a model for current pattern in service user engagement ( Abel et al, 2007 ) . However this country is a extremely complex and contested country with small research into how engagement really works in pattern, although there are many published plants on how engagement should be achieved but non how the result of engagement has been achieved. This is because the specifying the footings participation and service user can be hard to specify because of linguistic communication used and are subjective, for illustration, one person may depict themselves as something different to another. What is a service user? Beresford ( 2005, p471 ) states that Service user has tended to develop as a generic term to depict people who receive, have received or are eligible for wellness and societal attention services, peculiarly on a longer term footing . Beresford ( 2000, P489 ) besides highlights the term service user as debatable because it views people chiefly in footings of their usage of services, which may non be how they would specify themselves . A service user Tyler ( 2006 ) states that Being termed a service user is meaningless to anyone if it does non see the individual behind the label. Although I am proud of whom I am, what I have achieved and bask being me, it is of import that people see the bigger image of who I am . The label service user applies to us all, we all use services, some persons more than others which allow them to portion their single ideas and experiences to profit others. Determining our lives ( 2003 ) give their ain definition and depict this as the term service user can be used to curtail their individuality as if all they are is a inactive receiver of wellness and public assistance services they go to state that this do it look that the most of import thing about them is that they use or have used services and ignores other things that make a individual who they are . This definition indicates that persons are people foremost and thier commonalty of utilizing services and their shared experiences can assist to do betterments to services. However, each person s positions are different to each other s depending on their experiences and hence are non a homogeneous group. What is Participation? The Oxford lexicon ( 2010 ) defines engagement as the act of taking portion in something. However, ( Braye 2000, p9 ) states that the linguistic communication of engagement is complex ; the same term means different things to different people, and the same construct may be known as a figure of footings , such as partnership, engagement, and working together and coaction. Karen Healey ( 2000 ) has, for case, claimed that there is no cosmopolitan definition of user engagement or user engagement. The construct must ever be placed in a context. User engagement is therefore construed and perceived otherwise in different contexts. Public, societal and single. Involve understanding engagement. Engagement can include affecting the service user in the appraisal of their demands ; guaranting that their wants and feelings are taken into history, besides in the planning of services required, an illustration of this can be seen in direct payment and single budgets, and besides in the reviewing of attention programs and within meetings where determinations are to be made, this is specifically true in kids s services. The UN Convention ( 1989 ) on the right of the kid states Child engagement is the right of the every kid , and article twelve provinces Children have the right to be heard and considered in determinations impacting them ( unicef, 2009 ) . In this context partnership does non merely mention to working with other professionals and bureaus but besides working aboard service users and carers as equal spouses. Thompson ( 2000 ) high spots, societal work intercession involves the exercising of power, which if used negatively can reenforce the disadvantages that service u sers experience. Used positively nevertheless power can assist to heighten the working relationship, the results, and authorise the service user. Finally, engagement in strategic planning and service development, research and in the design and execution of statute law, for illustration, our wellness, our attention, our say ( Department of Health ( 2005 ) . Warren ( 2009, p6 ) states that participation, partnership, engagement, and working together are frequently used to encapsulate a broad scope of different thoughts and activities. These footings may sometimes be used interchangeably or can hold different significances for different people, there being no universally accepted definition . This besides states that this is a postmodernist position and that linguistic communication shapes our positions of world. If it is true that there is no understanding in how to specify engagement and it is subjective, comparative and is socially constructed, so engagement could be seen as a procedure instead than an result of intercession which so informs of the ground why there is small research into engagement and measuring results. For illustration, if the research is assessed in quantitative, numeral signifiers, such as inquiring how many persons have turned up to a meeting and got involved, it does non take into history that presence does non intend engagement, engagement can be done in so many other ways. For old ages now Arnstein s ladder ( 1969 ) has informed the pattern of engagement, and has been a cardinal papers in this country. Arnsteins ladder consists of 8 rounds arranged in a ladder form with each round matching to the extent of citizens power in finding the terminal merchandise ; hence, it focuses on the redistribution of power in citizen engagement in a hierarchical society. ( Arnstein, 1969 ) The purpose to engagement is to accomplish a echt partnership between the service user and bureau and although the ladder is a utile tool to find if the results are being achieved and that the bureau is non take parting in the rounds of tokenism or non engagement ( Dungey et al, 2007 ) . However, the undermentioned position of engagement suggest that Arnsteins ladder has for a long clip now gone uncontested and when looking at engagement we should take a critical stance on Arnsteins ladders and seek out other methods in order to be better informed. Tritter and McCallum ( 2006, p156 ) province that despite its importance in determining thought, this theoretical account continues to be applied uncritically , and argues that for Arnstein, the exclusive step of engagement is power to do determinations and prehending this control is the true purpose of citizen battle . Thus, the different rounds on the ladder relate straight to the grade to which citizens have attained determination doing power with complete citizen control being defined as the highest point ( Tritter and McCallum 2006, p157 ) . However, the battle of user engagement is complex and persons will explicate their ain significances and action that reflect in their ain positions of what engagement is and how they want to affect themselves. For illustration, a service user can take part and consequence determinations without really holding to hold the power to do a determination, and hence, Arnsteins ladder is constrained by a specific conceptualization of activism, su ch as hierarchies of power and that engagement should be procedures that are authorising and enabling at four degrees: system, administration, community, and single ( Tritter and McCallum, 2006 ) . Collins et Al ( 2006 ) besides agrees with this and suggests that Arnstein s ladder, with its focal point on power, is deficient for doing sense of engagement at a conceptual or pattern degree. Warren ( 2009, p50 ) states that different degrees of engagement of may be appropriate for different persons and groups of service users and carers at different times and contexts . Therefore, the ladder does non recognize the diversity of services users who may seek different degree of engagement in relation to different issues and at different times, it merely recognises the hierarchy of power which assumes that service users have a end and a step of this is non accomplishing full power and small chance to measure the person or groups engagement. Thompson ( 2000 ) discusses that power can be a complex issue that operates on different degrees. Quinney ( 2009, p33 ) states that shared power is a non hierarchal construction where power is shared but duty and answerability demands to be clear. Power sharing can be hard to negociate and is complicated by power being located and experienced at the personal, professional, and social degree . When service suppliers seek to affect service users, they frequently do so in order to derive feedback so that they can do alterations and betterments to their services. What this rule asserts is that attacks to engagement should besides be designed so that service users are personally empowered by the experience. In other words, there should be a bipartisan, instead than a one-way benefit. A good illustration of where things can travel incorrect in footings of engagement is when service users feel that their positions have non been listened to or taken earnestly, which can hold the consequence of doing people experience disempowered instead than empowered. Adams et Al ( 2002 ) states that In order to accomplish meaningful communicating, the societal worker demands to be able to construct a relationship with trust ; the kernel of partnership is sharing. It is marked by regard for one another, function divisions, and rights to information, answerability, competency and value accorded to single input. Each spouse is seen as holding something to lend, power is shared, determinations are made jointly and functions are non merely respected but are besides backed by legal and moral rights ( Tunnard, 1991 ) . In an overview of research from SCIE, Carr ( 2004 ) suggests that people are being involved and take parting, nevertheless, this research shows that it is ill-defined to what degree and impact that persons have on result, which suggests that better monitoring and rating demand to be addressed with service user which integrates function and feedback in the whole engagement procedure. Crawford et Al ( 2002 ) point out that the ultimate end of service user engagement should be the publicity of wellness, quality of life, or overall user satisfaction with services. However, these results are frequently hard to mensurate, they can take a significant sum of clip to go apparent, and the nexus with the engagement of services users and carers can be hard to turn out . Overall, the grounds base is by and large weak in the country of rating of user and carer engagement. Few documents examine the results of user engagement for the assorted stakeholders and the existent result steps are ill conce ptualised ( Carroll et al, 2007 ) . The issues involved with researching service user engagement are complex and sentiments are frequently polarized as it is in its babyhood, with many practical, ethical, moral, methodological, and philosophical inquiry unanswered ( Grant et Al, 2007 ) . No set theoretical account of how to take part Although there are expressed demands to measure how commissioners and suppliers are affecting their users, nevertheless there are fewer centrally set marks to asses this. Truman and Raine ( 2002 ) claim that there has been a long tradition within the voluntary sector of centering the planning and bringing of services on the demands of users. However, how this is managed can take to tokenism, for illustration, a service may name themselves user led, but in fact when the information from service users is interpreted by workers/ directors this reading can be lost in linguistic communication ; A service may affect service users in planning meetings but when implemented in pattern the workers can utilize their ain reading of this. Tokenism occurs when an administration feels satisfied that it has ticked the boxes, yet the world is experient really otherwise by service users and carers. Heikkila and Julkunen ( 2003 ) province that user particiaption and user engagement have two really different significances and that engagement is implicative that service user activity has an impact on the service procedure in some manner, whereas, engagement suggests that service user are engagement in a activity merely as sources. INVOLVE WEBSITE PUBS 3 theoretical account societal single and social. Put this and what its about as a presentation to particaption. Look at all three and analyse. Research Barriers to engagement As Is have already discussed above power is the biggest barrier to engagement, there are many more barriers which need to be discussed. Barriers are historical, fiscal, physical and attitudinal. Kenyon Et Al, ( 2002 ) specify entree as the procedures by which people are prevented from take parting in the economic, political and societal life of the community because of decreased handiness to chances, services and societal webs, due in whole or in portion to deficient mobility in a society and environment built around the premise of high mobility. The reappraisals indicate that organizational civilization and construction besides needs to react and alter in order to suit new partnerships and new ways of working with people who have frequently been oppressed and marginalised. There are things to larn about advanced and corporate attacks to engagement and alteration from user-controlled administrations such as Centres for independent/inclusive life and self protagonism strategies. Administrations require policies and processs ( formulated with service users ) that engender positive political committedness and minimise opposition to user led alteration. User-led research could usefully uncover more about the function of professional Alliess in advancing alteration. Healey ( 2000 ) highlights the demand for us to recognize the productiveness of power, and argues that by concentrating on power as merely being oppressive ignores the positive dimensions of power. to be sensitive to the issues of power and instabilities to recognize the power instabilities Healey ( 2005 ) discusses the pattern rules and how the societal worker should follow a positive and optimistic attitude towards service users, working in partnership with them so solutions to jobs are developed collaboratively. Tokenism occurs when an administration feels satisfied that it has ticked the boxes, yet the world is experient really otherwise by service users and carers. It is besides indispensable to observe that user engagement takes topographic point on different degrees ( Truman A ; Raine 2002 ) , 1 ) at a national and local degree ; 2 ) in the planning, organizing and pull offing services ; and 3 ) in organizing single attention Barriers to engagement Good pattern Deductions for sw authorization, info sharing ECT Policy and statute law

Hydrogen Fuel Cells Innovation for the 21st Century

Hydrogen Fuel Cells Innovation for the 21st Century In 1839, the first fuel cell was conceived by Sir William Robert Grove, a Welsh judge, inventor, and physicist. He mixed hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of an electrolyte and produced electricity and water. The invention, which later became known as a fuel cell, didnt produce enough electricity to be useful. Early Stages of the Fuel Cell   In 1889, the term â€Å"fuel cell† was first coined by Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer, who attempted to build a working fuel cell using air and industrial coal gas. Another source states that it was William White Jaques who first coined the term fuel cell. Jaques was also the first researcher to use phosphoric acid in the electrolyte bath. In the 1920s, fuel cell research in Germany paved the way for the development of the carbonate cycle and solid oxide fuel cells of today. In 1932, engineer Francis T Bacon began his vital research into fuels cells. Early cell designers used porous platinum electrodes and sulfuric acid as the electrolyte bath. Using platinum was expensive and using sulfuric acid was corrosive. Bacon improved on the expensive platinum catalysts with a hydrogen and oxygen cell using a less corrosive alkaline electrolyte and inexpensive nickel electrodes. It took Bacon until 1959 to perfect his design when he demonstrated a five-kilowatt fuel cell that could power a welding machine. Francis T. Bacon, a direct descendant of the other well known Francis Bacon, named his famous fuel cell design the Bacon Cell. Fuel Cells in Vehicles In October of 1959, Harry Karl Ihrig, an engineer for the Allis - Chalmers Manufacturing Company, demonstrated a 20-horsepower tractor that was the first vehicle ever powered by a fuel cell. During the early 1960s, General Electric produced the fuel-cell-based electrical power system for NASAs Gemini and Apollo space capsules. General Electric used the principles found in the Bacon Cell as the basis of its design. Today, the Space Shuttles electricity is provided by fuel cells, and the same fuel cells provide drinking water for the crew. NASA decided that using nuclear reactors was too high a risk, and using batteries or solar power was too bulky to use in space vehicles. NASA has funded more than 200 research contracts exploring fuel-cell technology, bringing the technology to a level now viable for the private sector. The first bus powered by a fuel cell was completed in 1993, and several fuel-cell cars are now being built in Europe and in the United States. Daimler-Benz and Toyota launched prototype fuel-cell powered cars in 1997. Fuel Cells the Superior Energy Source Maybe the answer to Whats so great about fuel cells? should be the question Whats so great about pollution,  changing the climate  or running out of oil, natural gas, and coal? As we head into the next millennium, it is time to put renewable energy and planet-friendly technology at the top of our priorities. Fuel cells have been around for over 150 years and offer a source of energy that is inexhaustible, environmentally safe and always available. So why arent they being used everywhere already? Until recently, it has been because of the cost. The cells were too expensive to make. That has now changed. In the United States, several pieces of legislation have promoted the current explosion in hydrogen fuel cell development: namely, the congressional Hydrogen Future Act of 1996 and several state laws promoting zero emission levels for cars. Worldwide, different types of fuel cells have been developed with extensive public funding. The United States alone has sunk more than one billion dollars into fuel-cell research in the last thirty years. In 1998, Iceland announced plans to create a hydrogen economy in cooperation with German carmaker Daimler-Benz and Canadian fuel cell developer Ballard Power Systems. The 10-year plan would convert all transportation vehicles, including Icelands fishing fleet, over to fuel-cell-powered vehicles. In March 1999, Iceland, Shell Oil, Daimler Chrysler, and Norsk Hydroformed a company to further develop Icelands hydrogen economy. In February 1999, Europes first public commercial hydrogen fuel station for cars and trucks opened for business in Hamburg, Germany. In April 1999, Daimler Chrysler unveiled the liquid hydrogen vehicle NECAR 4. With a top speed of 90 mph and a 280-mile tank capacity, the car wowed the press. The company plans to have fuel-cell vehicles in limited production by the year 2004. By that time, Daimler Chrysler will have spent $1.4 billion more on fuel-cell technology development. In August 1999, Singapore physicists announced a new hydrogen storage method of alkali doped carbon nanotubes that would increase hydrogen storage and safety. A Taiwanese company, San Yang, is developing the first  fuel cell  powered motorcycle. Where Do We Go From Here? There are still issues with hydrogen-fueled engines and power plants. Transport, storage and safety problems need to be addressed. Greenpeace has promoted the development of a fuel cell operated with regeneratively produced hydrogen. European car makers have so far ignored a Greenpeace project for a super-efficient car consuming only 3 liters of gasoline per 100 km. Special Thanks goes to H-Power, The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Letter, and Fuel Cell 2000

Forex risk management Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Forex risk management - Dissertation Example ...6 Evidence and Valuation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 Learning form Cases of Companies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦.....7 Presentations/Findings..........................................................................................8 Forex Risk Management.......................................................................................9 Other Tools for Forex Risk Management †¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....12 Discussion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.13 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦...16 Bibliography Introduction A billionaire once related that with worrying trend of their national economy which is characterized by burgeoning debt, increasing unemployment rate, spiraling number of foreclosures of mortgage properties, there is one option to earn substantially—and, this is to trade currency. ... But how are they influenced and controlled by the market? Forex is a huge trading market that is geographically dispersed and exchanges could either be favorable or not, depending on the measures of risk management employed by limiting â€Å"trade lot size, hedging, trading only during certain hours or days, or knowing when to take losses†(Milton, 2011). Forex trading may seem easy, but in all honesty so difficult, indeed. Traders would either experience sudden corrections in currency exchange rates; bewildering variations in exchange rates; susceptibility to market’s rapid change for profit opportunities; lost payments; delay in the confirmation of receivables and fees; discrepancy of bank drafts received and the contract price† (Milton, 2011). Forex has four interdependent spot markets where currencies are traded. These are the spot market, futures market, option market and derivatives market. Most of the time, these markets are availed by key actors in direct a nd indirect investments, such as, exporters, importers, investors, speculators, and governments. Trading is often done at interbank markets and financial institutions although the most common currency traded is the US dollars. Exchange rates are managed either in fixed rate, semi-fixed systems, and floating rates. People trade to profit and such made the trading attractive to gain regardless where the market is going. Purpose of the study But Forex trading is not at all positively experienced. Many experienced problems too and were exposed to risks. Forex trading can make you rich or make you poor. It is about buying and selling currencies. If the value of the currency brought rise up, there is assured profit. But if it goes down, one’s loses. It is indeed risky. It is in this context that this

Technology and beck's concept of world risk society Essay

Technology and beck's concept of world risk society - Essay Example Using this definition as the starting point, we get the subsequent argument that ‘Systemic events’ showed that industrial societies were generating hazards ‘that they could not control’ (Beck, 1999, 51, 44, 72). ‘Compounded risk’ had become the new meta-norm in a networked society (Daniell, 2000, 18). Hence, the thinking here is that the world is spinning out of control with people in the grip of â€Å"blind and impersonal† forces that they can neither control nor comprehend. In this context (Obama, 2006), the development of contraceptive pills and their widespread use has to be seen as a valiant effort at providing â€Å"space† to the marginalized (ethnic minorities, women) as a means of empowering them and providing them with reproductive choices. Ulrich Beck’s World Risk Society (1999) was a sociological meditation on the interlinked forces of ‘globalization, individualization, gender revolution, underemployment, and global risks (as ecological crisis and the crash of global financial markets)’ (Beck, 2000, 2). Beck examined the ‘risk calculus’ concept, the power dynamics and sociology of risk (why groups profit from ‘manufactured uncertainty’), the ‘sub-politics’ of global dissent (anti-globalist and environmental campaigns), and how reflexive modernity uses conjecture in response to crises. Beck’s work was essentially a treatise on the chaos that the processes that we shall talk about subsequently were unleashing on the world. In this context, Beck was in consonance with other social scientists that foresaw a dystopian vision for humanity and tried to warn us to the inherent dangers. In such a bleak scenario, it is worthwhile to consider the fact that the development of contraceptive pills is indeed a bright spot in an otherwise anarchical situation. For instance, Kaplan in his book The

Macbeth was one of the first plays written during the reign of James I Essay Example for Free

Macbeth was one of the first plays written during the reign of James I Essay Macbeth was one of the first plays written during the reign of James I. Shakespeare intended to honour the King by glorifying Banquo, the legendary founder of the Stuart line. Hence the play also serves as a mirror for magistrates, a dramatization of the theme of kingship. James I strongly believed in the Divine Right of kings. He believed that the lord of the heavens had placed kings to rule over people in the world, thus Kings had a god-given right to rule and treachery was like turning away from God and not only the king. In actually fact, if you went against your own king, you were indeed challenging God. James I had ruled the Scottish Parliament more or less how he liked using the concept of Divine Right but when he came to rule over England, he found the English parliament far less easy to handle, insisting that the king could only rule by its consent. In Macbeth the common theme is based on the natural order of things. Macbeths lawless act destroys all law: it occasions confusion and disorder in the world of men and animals as well as in the heavens above. Everywhere there is upheaval: on the night when the murder is done, chimneys are blown down, lamentations and strange screams of death are heard in the air, and some say the earth was feverous and did shake (2,3,53-59). All this confirms the interdependency of man and nature. The natural elements, following the death of Duncan, are in strange disorder and there is the further recounting of other amazing violations of nature, the unnatural behaviour of animals no longer acting according to their ways. A falcon towering in her pride of place was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed (2,4,13). As you can probably guess the owl is supposed to represent King Duncan, on top of the chain, and mousing owl is supposed to be Macbeth, the person who broke this chain and disordered everything, to the tiniest atom. Macbeth, at the time would have been exceptionally, politically advantageous to James because it would have greatly increased the publics view that James I was Gods so-called Sergeant on earth, and so had the right to do or change whatever he pleased. The easiest way to attack a political rival was to accuse him of treachery and the easiest way to prove his treachery was to link him with one of the proscribed religious groups. In 1605 James dealt with some troublesome rivals by claiming to have detected a Catholic plot to blow up the parliament. In Scotland, even more than in England at the time, political troublemakers were accused of witchcraft and heresy. James himself was an authority on witchcraft and the London edition of his Demonology was published in 1603, the year of his accession to the throne of Great Britain. Certainly most people believed in the existence and power of witches, devils and ghosts and the religiously orthodox stressed that the devil could take many shapes. According to the teaching of the Church, Heaven and Hell were actual places and the central teaching of Christianity was the sinful (fallen) nature of man and the necessity of a sense of guilt to bring the sinner to accept the salvation from sinfulness offered by Christ. The reason of man was not foolproof and the Church urged the faithful to be on their guard against any suggestion of communication with the Devil. In Act I, Scene 3 of Macbeth Baquo expresses similar fears concerning the witches: Were such things here as we do speak about? Or have we eaten on the insane root That takes the reason prisoner? (Lines 82-84) And And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths; Win us with honest trifles, to betrays In deepest consequence (Lines 122-125 At the start of the play there surrounds two conflicting views of the hero, Macbeth. In scene 1, when the audience have already found out that the witches have met in order to meet Macbeth, a big question mark surrounds Macbeth. The audience is forced to ask themselves who is this Macbeth and what business does he have with these foul witches. In scene 2 the audience finds out the true identity of Macbeth. He is indeed a Hero! We learn that a battle between King Duncans army and the rebels is raging nearby. The scene starts of with King Duncan being given the latest news of the rebellion by the sergeant. The sergeant reports, with great enthusiasm, how the battle was at first, in balance. That is until, gallant and brave Macbeth, ignoring all the odds, slashing in and out with his bloody sword reached the traitor Macdowald and with no pity, ripped the traitor from head to toe. After hearing how the battle went, King Duncan has nothing but praise for the heroic deed of Macbeth and announces that Macbeth is to be given the title of Thane of Cawdor and the treacherous Cawdor is to be executed immediately. The battle is given a size and importance that magnify the qualities of Macbeth and our curiosity and anticipation are aroused to meet this might champion so praised by all who have seen him. But our memories still hold the mention of his name by the witches and the finale line of the scene (What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won) reminds us of line 4 in scene 1 (When the battles lost and one) and this connexion is consolidated in Scene 3. Macbeths first words echo the witches so foul is fair a day I have not seen. This suggests Macbeth is already in tune with the way the witches think. Banquo believes that these witches are in league with the devil and thus should not be trusted, Can the devil speak truth? However Macbeth wants to hear more of this strange intelligence, upon this blasted heath you stop our way with such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you. The witches predict two things:- that Macbeth will become the thane of Cawdor, and the king hereafter. They also predict two things for Banquo that he will be lesser than Macbeth, and his children will be the kings after Macbeth. The witches second prediction of Macbeth (All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter) is exactly what Macbeth wants to hear because it is his greatest ambition to be king, the ultimate prize is his for grabs. The soliloquy beginning Two truths are told which shows that the witches second prediction has come true about Mabeth earning the title of Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth then begins thinking about the witches third prophecy the greatest is behind and what he needs to do now to become king. It is at this point that he starts to consider murder but he feels very uneasy about the word even though he is renown around Scotland as a ruthless soldier, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs (1,3,134-136). Macbeth is confused but still very ambitious. Macbeth shows signs of having a good heart and good intentions, but he also shows that he has a weak mind that ignores and disobeys what he knows is right. You can straight away see that Macbeth has got a powerful conscious when Lady Macbeth has a torrid time trying to convince him to kill King Duncan. At first he absolutely refuses to do such a horrible deed to such a noble person. He knows in his heart that to kill Duncan is wrong and deceitful. The reader can tell that Macbeth is trying is utmost best to resist the misgivings of his wife. We will proceed no further. He hath honoured me of late, and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon (1,7,31-35). Although he knows that this deed will have profound consequences he allows Lady Macbeth to persuade him into doing what he knows is wrong. Macbeth knows he has chosen the wrong path when he says, Ill go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done; Look ont again, I dare not (2,3,46-48). Therefore Macbeth is disobeying what his own heart is telling him. In fact, Macbeth speaks of the distrust he has for his own heart when he says False face must hide what the false heart doth know. Lady Macbeth persuades her husband to do the murder by telling him that, all he is doing, is fulfilling his own lofty ambition and that surely he is not a coward. If he is a man, he should act like one. The fact that Macbeth is so easily persuaded to kill a man, proves that he must have considered murder before. It is also the sign of a person who has a weak mind and who does not stand up for himself. Lady Macbeth feeds on this weakness. Macbeth is tempted to do evil and Lady Macbeth is the key human agent the one Macbeth trusts and loves- who ensures his temptation is through and complete. Lady Macbeth, when we first encounter her is, dominant, determined, powerful, and even perhaps frightening in the intensity of her uncompromising desire for her husband to ascend the throne. Be it, the price of murder. We understand that Macbeth has his own deep desires, but this seems tame compared with Lady Macbeths unquenchable aspirations (she summons evil itself into her body and soul to unsex her and remove any doubts she might have). Further, we see in her actions, a cool, self-assured person, unlike her husband. When Macbeth falters, she is there and she also has the courage to return the daggers and to faint at the news of King Duncans murder, and so distract any attention from her husband. She plans the details of the murder; she has the future worked out. She is also pre-eminently cunning and shows no fear of the supernatural and death itself. That is why she can say, a little water clears us of this deed (2,2,67), because there is nothing to fear from God and old-fashioned ideas of retribution. She can happily envisage hypocrisy and falsehood. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth fates are inextricably joined, but her role and character support Macbeths destiny. However like Macbeth, Lady Macbeth shows moments of humanity she would have killed Duncan herself only he reminded her of her own father. It is these small details that perhaps indicate that she is not as cold and inhuman as she makes herself to be. It could actual, all be an act just to persuade Macbeth to do the final deed. This of course makes her breakdown seem the more inevitable as she is bound to blame herself in some way for the murder. Ultimately she finds out that water will not wash away the stain of blood. It is then ironic that Macduff on first meeting Lady Macbeth refers to her as gentle lady and one too sensitive to even hear the word murder. By the end of the play she is recognized for what she is, a fiend-like queen (5,6,108). Macbeth, in the final analysis, is too preoccupied with his own role to give support to her. Once he has done his first major murder he needs no help from her to do the others. Macbeth is a man of action: the play proves this in more ways then others. He is a fearless warrior and an important lord who defends his king against treachery. However, ambition is his finale weakness. He allows, first the witches prophesy and then his wifes ambition for him, to undermine his integrity. It is clear that he is not easily won over to evil. His conscience is strong and throws up many objections to his doing the deed. However, he is also too easily influenced in the direction that he secretly desires to go. Once he has decided, he does not deviate, and each step subsequently reaffirms his initial choice. Macbeth, then, is determined, and with this determination turns to a violent and ruthless path, full of chaos. So how does Macbeth a peerless kinsman, develops into King Duncans murderer? Is Macbeths mistake in killing gracious king Duncan, his entire fault? Is he to blame for his own doing or were they any other factors that bade him to do this terrible deed? Is Macbeth still the hero at the end of this play and does he deserve what he gets? For these Questions to be answered we need to look at the fundamental theme of the play, Ambition. Partly because it is the driving force of Macbeths life. Macbeth is a deep sentimental tragedy. Tragedy, in Shakespeare usually concerns a great person, the hero, who through some weakness of his character falls from grace, endures intense sufferings (which fascinate the audience), and who inevitable dies a tragic death. In fact, who must die as a consequence of their weakness. Thus if you look at The Tragedy of Macbeth, we find all these ingredients; and if we consider what is the heros weakness, it must and can only be ambition. Macbeth says this specifically when he is attempting to resist the murder of Duncan: I have no spur.but only/Vaulting ambition which oerleaps itself (1,7,25-7).This acknowledgement comes after he has considered all the good reasons for not murdering Duncan. Only ambition is left to overrule his troubled conscience. Furthermore, whilst the influence of both Lady Macbeth and the witches is strong, their power over Macbeth is only possible because the ambition is already there. Macbeth ,then, is a hero but one who is fatally undermined by his ambition, that are the fabric of the play. Put in another way: it is his ambition that leads Macbeth to murder, treason, hypocrisy, corruption and deepest evil.

Elie Wiesel Essay -- essays research papers fc

Elie Wiesel The book Night opens in the town of Signet where Elie Wiesel, the author , was born . He lived his child hood in the Signet, Transylvania . He had three sisters Hilda, Bea, and Tzipora. His father was an honored member of the Jewish community. He was a cultured man concerned about his community yet, he was not an emotional man. His parents were owners of a shop and his two oldest sisters worked for his parents. Elie was a school boy and interested in studying the Zohar â€Å"the cabbalistic books, the secrets of Jewish mysticism†(Wiesel 3). His teacher was a foreigner, Moshe the Beadle, a â€Å"poor barefoot of Signet†(Wiesel 3). He was Elie's teacher until he was forced to leave Signet by the Hungarians because he was a foreign Jew. After several months Elie saw Moshe the Beadle once again. Moshe the Beadle told his story about his journey that the Jews were forced to get out and dig grave which would become final resting places for prisoners who were killed. Luckily, Moshe the Beadle was able to escape. He pretended that he was dead in order to escape being killed. Not only did Moshe tell his story to Elie, he wanted to warn the Jews of Signet of what could happen to them. However, they only thought it was a vivid imagination speaking from his lips. No one wanted to believe his story and people lived life as usual. It was not until German troops would enter Hungarian territory that life would change for the Jews of Signet. At first the German soldiers did not seem like a threat. During the week of Passover things seemed to be going well. People were celebrating yet, it was not a complete celebration. On the seventh day of the Passover Jewish leaders of the community were arrested. After that rules were set by the Germans. Jews were confined to their homes for three days and they could no longer keep valuables such as gold, jewelry and other objects. The Germans took it all. Elie's father managed to bury the family's savings in the cellar. After the three days Jews had to wear a yellow star. After this more rules were set. Jews could not go to restaurants, travel on railways, go to synagogues, or go out after six o'clock. As if the rules and restrictions were not enough. Soon Jews would be placed in Ghettos. There were two gettos set up in Signet. These ghettos were fenced in with barbed wire and the windows of the houses facing the street were boarded... ...last moments of his life. On January 28, 1945 Elie went to sleep and his father was still alive. When he woke up the next day his father was gone(Wiesel 106). On April 11,1945 Elie was free. The Americans moved in on Buchenwald and took over the camp. The first thing the free men wanted was food. They could not think of revenge or their families â€Å"Nothing but bread†(Wiesel 109). Elie was sick from food poisoning after the liberation, he almost died. However, when he was finally able to get up and look in the mirror after so many years he did not even recognize himself. All he could see was a â€Å"corpse† staring back at him. Elie Wiesel now lives in the United Stated under the name of Andrew Mellon. He is the Professor of Humanities at Boston University. He is also Chairman of the Holocaust Memorial Council. This organization is a nonpolitical organization that was formed to educate people of the crimes put forth on the Jewish people during the Holocaust (Chaimberlin 14). Works Cited Chamberlin, Brewster, and Marcia Feldman eds. The Liberation of the Nazi Concentration Camps 1945. Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C, 1987. Wiesel, Elie. Night . Bantam Books: New York, 1989 .

Definition of Nursing

â€Å"Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through diagnosis and treatment of human responses, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations,† defines the American Nurses Association (ANA, 2003, p. 6). The six main features of nursing are: provision of caring relationship to promote health; the different human experiences and responses to health and illnesses; assessment of data and knowledge to understand each age group; application of knowledge, judgment, and critical thinking to diagnosis and treatment; advancement of professional nursing knowledge; influences on social and public policy to promote social justice; and the assurance of safe, quality, and evidence based practice (ANA, 2010, p. 9). Discussed will be the definitions and examples of human responses, nursing application, nursing actions, and nursing outcomes. Human Responses According to the ANA (2010), a human response is defined as, â€Å"the responses of individuals to actual or potential health problems, and which are the phenomena of concern to nurses† (p. 10). Human responses are basically the problems that nurses want to work on or solve. â€Å"Human responses include any observable need, concern, condition, event or fact of interest to nurses that may be the target of evidence-based nursing practice,† states the ANA (2010, p. 0). Human responses are the target of evidence-based practice in relation to birth, health, illness, and death (ANA, 2003, p. 71). An example is the care processes, which is seen in a patient who is unable to care for themselves where the nurse assumes this role to care for the patient (ANA, 2003, p. 71). Another example is physiological and pathophysiological processes such as respiration, circulation, and elimination (ANA, 2003, p. 71). Research is continuously investigating the best practice in caring for the body’s physiological process. For example, if a patient cannot urinate, a catheter is place to aid elimination. A protocol for insertion and how often the catheter should be changed has been determined from research making it evidence-based practice. Another example of human responses is physical and emotional comfort, discomfort, and pain (ANA, 2003, p. 71). Pain medications and interventions to relieve pain are researched to find the best method to reduce pain and promote comfort. The last example of human responses is decision and choice making abilities (ANA, 2003, p. 1). Through evidence-based practice, the nurse is able to use knowledge about the best standards of practice to critically think when caring for a patient. Nursing Theory According to the ANA (2010), nursing theory is defined as, â€Å"a set of interrelated concepts, definitions, or propositions used to systematically describe, explain, predict, or control human responses or phenomena of interest to nurses† (p. 10). Nursing theory is main ly the science and reason behind what evidence-based practice is founded on. Jean Watson was a mid-range theorist who focused on the theory of human caring (Cherry, 2011, p. 98). Her theory was summarized as, â€Å"philosophy and science of caring and humanistic nursing; this holistic outlook addresses the impact and importance of altruism, sensitivity, trust, and interpersonal skills† (Cherry, 2011, p. 95). This theory serves as a basis for evidence-based practice because caring for others is basis of nursing. Also, trust and rapport has to be evident in the nurse-patient relationship to provide adequate care in healing others. Caring promotes the notion that every human being strives for interconnectedness with other humans and with nature,† explains Cherry (2011, p. 98). The goal is for the patient to experience balance and harmony in mind, body, and soul to overcome illness (Cherry, 2011, p. 98). Nursing Actions According to the ANA (2010), nursing actions are defined as the aims to, â€Å"protect, promote, and optimize health; to prevent il lness and injury; to alleviate suffering; and to advocate for individuals, families, communities, and populations. † (p. 11). The ANA (2010) continues by stating, â€Å"nursing actions are theoretically derived, evidence-based, and require well-developed intellectual competencies† (p. 11). For example, one nursing action/intervention to promote health is good hand hygiene by nurses to prevent the spread of infection to patients. A nursing action/intervention to prevent injury is assessing a patient’s surroundings to help prevent falls such as keeping the bed in a low position, the room uncluttered, and having the patient ask for help before trying to get out of bed. Another xample of a nursing action/intervention to promote safety for the patient and aid in the prevention of medication errors is the five rights of medication administration which are the right patient, right dose, right route, right time, and right documentation. A nursing action/intervention to prevent needle stick injury in nursing is going to the needleless system by using retractable needles, not recapping needles, and alwa ys disposing needles in the â€Å"sharps† container. Most of the tasks and procedure have a protocol and has been researched. They have been proven as the best practice method, so it is known as evidence-based practice. Nursing Outcomes Nursing outcomes are basically the last part of the process and the final effects. The ANA (2010) explains this as: The purpose of nursing action is to produce beneficial outcomes in relation to identify human responses. Evaluation of outcomes of nursing actions determines whether the actions have been effective. Findings from nursing research provide rigorous scientific evidence of beneficial outcomes of specific nursing actions (p. 11). Human responses are the initial situation or problem. Nursing outcomes are the final effects after the nursing theories and actions have been implemented. The outcomes are reviewed to see if it should be implemented into practice or not. The combination of the two is what defines evidence-based practice and if it is implemented then that has been found to be the best result to be put into practice. Conclusion Human responses, nursing theory, nursing actions, and nursing outcomes are essential characteristics in defining the nursing practice. Nurses are valued for their knowledge, skills, and caring to aid in improving the health of the public (ANA, 2003, p. ). Nurses are responsible for providing safe, effective, and quality care (ANA, 2003, p. 1). Nurses use human responses to anticipate actual or potential problems. They use nursing theories to assist in working on the actual or potential problem. They then implement an action to see if that will help to solve the problem. Then finally, the nurse will see if the outcome has been effec tive and if so they are helping to bring it into practice. Nursing will continue to be defined in the future using these characteristics of evidence-based practice.

General Trends of English Politics Before The Viking Invasions Essay

Do you detect any general trend or trends in the pattern of English politics before the Viking invasions? Although there were sporadic Viking attacks on the coasts of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms from 793 onwards, the Viking invasions, when large forces started to appear for sustained campaigns, should probably be seen as beginning in 865, when a â€Å"heathen army† encamped on Thanet.1 Before this time, we see a trend in English politics of increasingly extensive overlordship of some kings over others. There is debate about the extent of these overlordships, but it seems reasonable to suggest that certain kings at certain times were able to dominate other kingdoms, and also that there was some increase in the area a king might aspire to control. However, there is more argument about what this trend might mean, and particularly whether it can be seen as part of an inexorable progression towards the unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the ninth and tenth centuries. I shall argue that the pattern tended to a limit, and that there is no reason to see unification as its inevitable result, for three main reasons. Firstly, we see another trend that, as kingdoms grew both in size and strength, it became harder to convert overlordship into amalgamation, although this is seen in some cases. Secondly, I shall contend that the overlordship seen was based upon opportunism, with little or no institutional continuity between different overlords. Thirdly, the nature of Anglo-Saxon politics was such that no kingdom before the Viking invasions could sustain its ascendancy sufficiently for the trends to represent long-term moves towards unification. The best way to explain the eventual unification is not as a result of long-term trends, but as West Saxon opportunism at a time when the other kingdoms were weak, buttressed by a latent sense of united ecclesiastical identity, which the Viking threat brought to the surface. The main trend that we see in the pre-Viking Anglo-Saxon kingdoms is the growth of overlordship, whereby one political unit, while retaining a degree of separate identity, and quite possibly its own ruler, was dominated by another. Bede uses a variety of terms to refer to different rulers, including rex, princeps and subregulus. The impression that one gets from this is a complex patchwork of kings, with some subordinate to others: Dumville and Campbell both justifiably point out that the terminological variety suggests that there was no universal pattern, but a web of dependent relationships; this is similar to the situation in Ireland at the same time. It is likely that such relationships go back to the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon period; Kirby points out that this would hardly be surprising, since Tacitus describes similar hierarchies in Germany. However, we do see overlordship being exercised over increasingly large areas: the traditional starting point here is Bede’s lis t of seven kings who ruled â€Å"over all the southern kingdoms†. 2 The evidence does generally support the view that these kings exercised considerable power over large parts of England. Keynes asserts that it is inconceivable that Aelle of Sussex and Ceawlin of Wessex, the first two rulers, could have wide ranging power. We know little about them, but the Chronicle entries do suggest that they were significant and had successes, particularly against the Britons.3 Furthermore, Myres’ studies of the distribution of pottery fragments suggest that both rulers exercised some authority in the Midlands and East Anglia, since pottery finds match those in their native kingdoms. The evidence is not sufficient to suggest that they had control as far north as the Humber, but we would be unwise to dismiss the idea that these kings had some form of overlordship over much of southern England. Furthermore, Keynes is sceptical about Aethelbert of Kent’s power, suggesting that Bede’s reiteration of the claim that he was king of all the land south of the Humber4 shows that this was dubious, requiring repetition to convince readers. However, the papal appeal that Aethelbert should spread the Word to his subjects suggests that he had considerable power, as Higham argues, even if he was not literally â€Å"king of the English†, the style accorded to him by the appeal.5 It is less easy to rebut Keynes’ diminution of Raedwald of East Anglia, since we know very little about him. If we could be more certain that the person buried at Sutton Hoo is indeed Raedwald (as many historians posit), we could assume that he was a very rich and powerful king; however, Keynes does not give us any positive reason to doubt Bede’s claim regarding Raedwald’s wide overlordship. Although Keynes asserts that Bede makes inflated claims about the scope of the influence of Edwin, Oswald and Oswiu of Northumbria, there is no strong evidence to support this: Bede’s account is internally consistent, giving examples of these kings intervening in the Mevanian Islands (Angelsey and Man),6 Wessex,7 East Anglia,8 and Mercia9 at various times. These interventions could be entirely military (as is implied for the islands) or could involve peaceful shows of power, such as Oswald’s participation in the baptism of Cynigils of Wessex. It seems reasonable to conclude that these kings did exert influence across large parts of Southumbria and it appears that the areas they could control increased; Keynes’ attempt to deny extensive overlordship in this period to strengthen his (already strong) case against a formal Bretwaldic institution is not particularly convincing. Furthermore, overlordship did not end with Oswiu: indeed, the later Mercian kings were possibly even more successful in securing practical overlordship across much of Southumbria. Bede acknowledges that the southern kingdoms were subject to Aethelbald at the time he was writing,10 supporting Dumville’s conclusion that the omission of the Mercian kings from the earlier list was prompted by concern to curtail the digression from Aethelbert’s death, rather than Northumbrian bias. There is evidence of Mercian hegemony in the south before Aethelbald: Bede explicitly states that the South Saxons were subject to Wulfhere11 and Eddius refers to Wulfhere’s ability to draw forces from all the southern kingdoms.12 Furthermore, charters give us evidence that Mercian kings were overlords in Southumbria: in the Ismere Diploma, Aethelbald is styled â€Å"king not only of the Mercians but also of all provinces which are called by the general name ‘South English'†;13 Offa could confirm a land grant by an ealdorman of the South Saxons;14 Offa was apparently the â€Å"most beloved lord† of the Hwicce;15 Offa was in a position to revoke a grant of land by the King Egbert of Kent;16 Wiglaf could grant land in Worcestershire;17 and Brihtwulf could do the same in Berkshire.18 This charter evidence is very important: it demonstrates that the kings of Mercia in this period claimed authority over other southern kingdoms and also implies that this authorit y could have practical manifestations, such as the right to grant land or at least to confirm grants made by their underkings. The extent of their authority seems to decline after Offa, but the principle of overlordship, in a more limited sense, continued. One of the most debated possible indicators of widespread Mercian overlordship is the document known as the Tribal Hidage. The difficulties and ambiguities of this text are such that the charter evidence cited is a far stronger sign of extensive Mercian overlordship, but there is a significant possibility that the Tribal Hidage is a Mercian tribute list, estimating the tribute that the Mercian kings hoped to collect from southern kingdoms. Higham’s bold self-confidence in dismissing a Mercian origin is unwise, in that such levels of certainty are wholly inappropriate in this context: all we can do is suggest hypotheses, while accepting that other hypotheses may be valid. As Featherstone and Sawyer point out, the methodical arrangement, with the kingdoms being arranged in an approximately clockwise order around Mercia, hints at a Mercian origin. The inclusion of a figure for Mercia, which Higham sees as evidence that the document is a Northumbrian tribute list, might be an assessment of internal food renders, Featherstone suggests. The preservation and copying of the Tribal Hidage imply that there was some practical purpose in estimating the hidation of Southumbria: it is still possible to accept tentatively the claims of Davies and Vierck that the Tribal Hidage is an indicator of widespread Mercian overlordship. There is some agreement that Egbert of Wessex, whom the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle appends to Bede’s list of overlords and styles Bretwalda (Manuscript A – ‘ruler of Britain’) or Brytenwalda (other Manuscripts – ‘wide ruler’), was overlord of extensive territories. Keynes accepts the Chronicle’s claim that Egbert â€Å"conquered the kingdom of the Mercians, and everything south of the Humber†;19 this statement must cast doubt upon Stenton’s assertion that the extent of Egbert’s overlordship was not comparable to Offa’s. Nevertheless, Keynes’ claim that Egbert was the first, not the eighth, wide ruler is dubious: the evidence very strongly suggests that overlordship had been an aspect of Anglo-Saxon politics for centuries. However, the territories being brought under a single overlord were tending to increase in scale: the archaeological record suggests that the early great kings, like Aelle and Ceawlin, could aspire to rule much of the land south of the Humber, but nothing like as much as the later Mercians and Egbert. This trend was not relentless: in the period between Offa and Egbert, there is little evidence of comprehensive overlordship on the scale of either of these rulers. Although we observe this trend towards the formation of more extensive overlordships, we should not conclude, as Stenton and John do, that this trend could be extrapolated to encompass the unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In the first place, it seems to have been increasingly difficult to convert overlordship into the actual amalgamation of kingdoms. Initially, with small kingdoms, it may not have been unduly difficult to effect such assimilation: Yorke points out that East Kent seems to have consumed West Kent sometime during the sixth century. Indeed, much amalgamation probably occurred in the sixth century, before the various kingdoms that we see emerged. Furthermore, it was often possible for a larger kingdom to digest a smaller one: this is seen in the cases of Deira (eventually subsumed into Bernicia after 651) and the Hwicce (gradually divested of independence by Mercia in the eighth century). However, integration was not always smooth: despite being united under Aethelfrith and Edwin, Deira was ruled separately under Oswine from 642 until 651. In the latter part of the pre-Viking period, it would have been very difficult for one of the greater kingdoms to consume another permanently: this is suggested by the fact that, despite their struggles and periods of subjection to one another, Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia and Wessex all survived until the Viking onslaught. An illustration of this difficulty is the case of Mercia: Oswiu of Northumbria was only able to rule Mercia directly for three years after his victory in 655; he was driven out by the Mercian ealdormen in 658. Similarly, Egbert’s domination of Mercia was not secure: he was recognised as king by the Mercians in 829 but Wiglaf was restored in 830. Indeed, it would seem that political union was most successful when it was pursued gently: unlike Offa’s aggressive attempts to dominate Kent from 764 until 785, Wessex’s absorption of Kent and Sussex was done with sensitivity to the local nobles; this did, however, mean that the sense of union was perhaps not cemented, as is suggested by Aethelwulf’s proposed division of Greater Wessex, with Aethelbert succeeding in the East and his other sons taking Wessex itself in turn. However, unification in the ninth and tenth centuries can be explained in that the situation after the coming of the Vikings was different, since Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria were seriously weakened by the attacks, aiding Wessex’s expansion. Moreover, the overlordship that we see was probably highly opportunistic, without institutional underpinnings. Yorke is probably right that the principal motivation for overlordship was the collection of tribute: Bede mentions tribute in connection with overlordship20 and Eddius says that Wulfhere’s purpose in attacking Northumbria was to gain tribute.21 Furthermore, the Mercians could presumably have conquered a tribe like the Hicca (assessed at a mere 300 hides in the Tribal Hidage), had they wished to do so; that such tribes existed as notionally independent entities suggests that, if the Tribal Hidage is a Mercian tribute list, the Mercians were content with tribute rather than political union. However, John argues that there was some kind of institutional framework and that overlordship was being gradually translated into unification. Key to this argument is the adoption of formal titles by kings: John contends that the ideal of a united Britain was a real one in kings’ minds, citing the use of various titles. The most famous of these is Bretwalda or, as John prefers, Brytenwalda, which appear in different versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle;22 I shall not become drawn into an argument about which style is the original, because the ambiguity and confusion is sufficient of itself, as Wormald argues, to cast doubt upon the existence of such an institution in reality. Clearly, whoever was copying the manuscripts was not familiar with the term, which suggests that it was a literary construct devised retrospectively to describe Egbert; its frequent application to kings like Aelle and Raedwald is therefore probably anachronistic and Kirby’s vision of kings â€Å"striving to become Bretwalda†23 is most likely to be fanciful. John also argues that other titles imply the existence of some kind of abstract concept of overlordship separate from the individual kings who happened to be overlords. For example, he highlights that Adomnan says that Oswald was â€Å"ordained by God as emperor of all of Britain†24 and that Boniface refers to Aethelbald â€Å"wielding the glorious sceptre of imperial rule over the English†.25 This evidence, combined with the point about Bretwaldas, is a rather thin basis for a case: it is quite possible that the titles were simply being used for flattery; the fact that Boniface calls Aethelbald â€Å"king of the Mercians† in his letter asking Herefrith to deliver the previous communication suggests that the imperial title used in the letter to Aethelbald was unofficial.26 Moreover, Offa is also generally styled â€Å"king of the Mercians†,27 as is Cenwulf.28 In their charters, they tend to claim to be kings of various kingdoms, rather than stressing title s of institutional overlordship. If there was no institution of overlordship, each de facto overlordship would have to start afresh in trying to create cohesion: the trend of increasingly extensive overlordship was not therefore destined to result in the formation of England, since there was often little continuity between the different overlords. The sense of common identity that began to emerge by the later ninth century (Alfred could speak of Angelkynn and Englisc) probably had far more to do with religious unity in the face of the pagan Viking threat. As Wormald argues, the Church, rather than the so-called Bretwaldas, was the institution that provided a common reference point for the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, by stressing that the Gens Anglorum was a chosen people, selected to receive the Word. Given that there were most probably no institutions to produce continuity in overlordship, momentum towards unification could only be maintained as long as a particular kingdom was in the ascendant; however, the nature of Anglo-Saxon politics in this period was such that success tended to be transient. We see this is Northumbria, whose hegemony collapsed very quickly after defeats at the Battle of the Trent (679) and Nechtansmere (685). Likewise, Mercian hegemony seems to have declined gradually after Offa. There was, to a significant extent, a natural instability in the pattern of politics: kings required land to grant to warriors (to secure their support), which required the conquest of land, which required more warriors; this pattern was clearly unsustainable in the longer term. The importance of giving gifts to warriors is seen in â€Å"Beowulf†, where Hrothgar says that he will â€Å"dispense / his God-given goods to young and old†;29 Bede shows that such gifts were necessary in the real world, expressing concern that excessive endowment of secularised monasteries had left Northumbria with insufficient land to grant to warriors. 30 There is evidence to suggest that warriors would desert their lord, if he ceased to provide them with treasure and land: Aldhelm expresses disapproval of those who do this in his letter to the clergy of Bishop Wilfrid.31 Probably, the importance of conquering new lands explains why the initiative shifted away from the south-east to Northumbria, Mercia and Wessex: these kingdoms could, at least for a while, conquer land from Britons, in a way that kingdoms like Kent could not. A notable feature of both â€Å"Beowulf† and Anglo-Saxon politics is that kingdoms tended to come to grief sooner or later; success was rarely lasting. Another source of instability was internal dynastic politics: there seem to have been frequent civil wars. This is hardly surprising given that, according to Dumville, any aetheling could claim the throne through descent in the male line from the founder of the kingdom: the â€Å"multiplicity of aethelings†32 would not infrequently compete for the kingship. The Historia Regum attributed to Simeon of Durham demonstrates that four different dynasties competed for the Northumbrian throne between 759 and 796, with murders, exiles and (probably forced) tonsures being common.33 Similarly, there is evidence of the threat of dynastic instability in Mercia, in that Offa decided to eliminate his son Cenwulf’s potential competitors; Alcuin attributes conflict in Cenwulf’s reign to this policy and says that â€Å"this was not the strengthening of his kingdom, but its ruin†. 34 Given that there were such internal problems, it is hardly surprising that kingdoms could lose overlordship quickly, as dynastic politics came to predominate. The importance of dynastic stability is seen in the eventual rise of Wessex: Egbert’s successes against Mercia came when the latter was probably engaged in dynastic wrangles; Campbell suspects that neither Ludeca (825-7) nor Wiglaf (827-40) were related to their predecessors. On the other hand, the West Saxon succession was more stable, as Dumville points out: this is seen in the succession in turn of Aethelwulf’s sons, even if it did not conform entirely to Aethelwulf’s intentions. However, dynastic tension was generally a feature of the pre-Viking period: this contributed to the rapid rise and fall of kingdoms, meaning that overlordship could not consolidate into unification. We do therefore see a trend towards greater overlordships in this period, though it must be noted that this trend was gradual and not entirely linear. Nevertheless, it is clear that certain kings were able to exert influence over far larger areas just before the Viking invasions than others could at the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon period. However, it would be unwise to extrapolate this trend and interpret it as some kind of progression towards the eventual unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms under the West Saxons. It became harder to translate overlordship into political amalgamation as kingdoms grew, and overlordship was not itself stable, given the internal vicissitudes of kingdoms. We see that, before the later ninth and tenth centuries, no kingdom could sustain overlordship for long and, in the absence of recognised institutions of overlordship, this meant that whatever progress might conceivably have been made towards unification under one overlord was lost when his kingdom’s power waned. The rise of Wessex was predicated upon factors that mostly could not have been foreseen: it was able to take advantage of the weakness of the other English kingdoms in the wake of the Viking attacks and could exploit the latent sense of religious unity, which was probably made stronger by the common, external, pagan threat. Bassett’s extended metaphor of a knockout football competition, which inevitably produces a single winner, is not particularly apposite; while we might nowadays modify Kemble’s nineteenth century allusions (he described overlordship as â€Å"a mere fluctuating superiority such as we may find in Hawaii, Tahiti or New Zealand, due to success in war and lost in turn by defeat†35), his basic conclusion, that the overlordships that we see in the pre-Viking Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were not leading inexorably towards unification, still seems entirely reasonable. Bibliography Sources: Adomnan, Life of Columba, ed. and trans. R. Sharpe (1995) Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in ‘English Historical Documents’, i, 1, ed. and trans. D. Whitelock (1955) Beowulf, trans. S. Heaney (1999) Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ed. and trans. B. Colgrave and R.A.B. Mynors (1969) Bede, Letter to Egbert, in ‘English Historical Documents’, i, 170, ed. and trans. D. Whitelock (1955) Eddius, Life of St Wilfred, in ‘English Historical Documents’, i, 154, ed. and trans. D. Whitelock (1955) Simeon of Durham, Historia Regum, in ‘English Historical Documents’, i, 3, ed. and trans. D. Whitelock (1955) Charters: in ‘English Historical Documents’, i, 54, 66-7, 76-7, 79-80, 85-7 Letters: in ‘English Historical Documents’, i, 165-6, 177-9, 191-3, 195, 197-200, 202, 204-5, 208-10, ed. and trans. D. Whitelock (1955) Secondary works: S. Bassett (ed.), The Origins of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms (1989) M.P. Brown and C.A. Farr (eds.), Mercia: An Anglo-Saxon Kingdom in Europe (2001) J. Campbell, Bede’s Reges and Principes (Jarrow Lecture 1979), in J. Campbell, Essays in Anglo-Saxon History (1986) J. Campbell (ed.), The Anglo-Saxons (1982) J. Campbell, The Impact of the Sutton Hoo Discovery on the Study of Anglo-Saxon History, in J. Campbell, The Anglo-Saxon State (2000) W. Davies and H. Vierck, The Contexts of the Tribal Hidage: Social Aggregates and Settlement Patterns, in ‘Frà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½hmittelalterliche Studien 8’ (1974) D.N. Dumville, The Aetheling: a study in Anglo-Saxon Constitutional History, in ‘Anglo-Saxon England 8’ (1979) D.N. Dumville, The Terminology of Overkingship in Early Anglo-Saxon England, in ‘The Anglo-Saxons from the Migration Period to the Eighth Century: An Ethnographic Perspective’, ed. J. Hines (1997) N.J. Higham, An English Empire: Bede and the early Anglo-Saxon kings (1995) D. Hill, Offa’s Dyke: Pattern and Purpose, in ‘Antiquaries Journal 80’ (2000) E. John, Orbis Britanniae and the Anglo-Saxon Kings, in E. John, ‘Orbis Britanniae’ (1966) J.M. Kemble, The Saxons in England, ed. and revised W. De G. Birch (1876) S. Keynes, Raedwald the Bretwalda, in ‘Voyage to the Other World: the Legacy of Sutton Hoo’, ed. C.B. Kendall and P.S. Wells (1992) S. Keynes, England 700-900, in ‘The New Cambridge Medieval History II, c.700-c.900’, ed. R. McKitterick (1995) D.P. Kirby, The Making of Early England (1967) D.P. Kirby, The Earliest English Kings (1991) J.N.L. Myres, Anglo-Saxon Pottery and the Settlement of England (1969) P.H. Sawyer, From Roman Britain to Norman England (1998) F.M. Stenton, The Supremacy of the Mercian Kings (1918), in F.M. Stenton, ‘Preparatory to Anglo-Saxon England’ (1970) F.M. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England (1971) A. Williams, Kingship and Government in Pre-Conquest England c.500-1066 (1999) P. Wormald, Bede, the Bretwaldas and the Origins of the Gens Anglorum, in ‘Ideal and Reality in Frankish and Anglo-Saxon Society: Studies presented to J.M. Wallace-Hadrill’, ed. P. Wormald et al. (1983) P. Wormald, The Venerable Bede and the Church of the English, ‘The English Religious Tradition and the Genius of Anglicanism’, ed. G. Rowell (1992) B. Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England (1990) 1 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 865 2 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ii, 5 3 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 485, 491, 568, 577, 584 4 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, i, 25; ii, 3; ii, 5 5 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, i, 32 6 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ii, 5; ii, 9 7 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ii, 9; iii, 7 8 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ii, 14 9 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ii, 16 10 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, v, 23 11 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, iii, 30 12 Eddius, Life of St Wilfred, 20 13 English Historical Documents, i, 67 14 English Historical Documents, i, 76 15 English Historical Documents, i, 77 16 English Historical Documents, i, 80 17 English Historical Documents, i, 85 18 English Historical Documents, i, 87 19 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 829 20 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ii, 5; iii, 24 21 Eddius, Life of St Wilfred, 20 22 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 829 23 Kirby, The Making of Early England, p 54 24 Adomnan, Life of Columba, i, 1 25 English Historical Documents, i, 177 26 English Historical Documents, i, 178 27 English Historical Documents, i, 191, 198, 210 28 English Historical Documents, i, 204, 205 29 Beowulf, lines 72-3 30 Bede, Letter to Egbert 31 English Historical Documents, i, 165 32 Dumville, The aetheling: a study in Anglo-Saxon constitutional history, p 13 33 Simeon of Durham, Historia Regum, in English Historical Documents, i, 3 34 English Historical Documents, i, 202 35 Kemble, The Saxons in England, volume ii, p 17

Standard deviation Essays

Standard deviation Essays Standard deviation Essay Standard deviation Essay Essay Topic: A Streetcar Named Desire In this unit, students will examine and discuss the ways in which content, plot, setting, imagery, characterisation, style and theme reflect the historical and social context of the time when the text was composed. Students will also explore the ways characters in texts have individually different human experiences. In addition, students will be encouraged to reflect on their own perspectives in issues, ideas and experiences.Class texts will include Of Mice and Men, A Streetcar Named Desire, An Enemy of the People and a film study of Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. In this unit, students will examine and discuss the ways in which content, plot, setting, imagery, characterisation, style and theme reflect the historical and social context of the time when the text was composed. Students will also explore the ways characters in texts have individually different human experiences. In addition, students will be encouraged to reflect on their own perspectives in issues, ideas and experiences.C lass texts will include Of Mice and Men, A Streetcar Named Desire, An Enemy of the People and a film study of Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Task 1: In-class essay Weighting: 25% Length 800-1000 words Date due: Week 6 August 27th amp; 28th Text: Of Mice and Men Conditions: Question given to students 1 week prior to the exam on August 20th. Essay will be written over 2 periods. Novel allowed. Assessment Criteria You will be assessed on the degree to which you demonstrate:  · an ability to respond critically to texts and logically justify viewpoint  · an ability to evaluate and synthesise material to make meaning  · imagination and originality competent and effective use of language for a range of purposes and audiences  · control of appropriate medium. Task 2: Oralon perspectives in poetry/short story and one text of your own choice Weighting:25% Time 8-10 minutes Due dates: Weeks 9-10 TOPIC: â€Å"You cant see the world from somebody elses point of view and not be changed. â €  Lena Coakley By studying various texts it becomes evident that people can have different opinions on a range of issues.You are to select: * one poem/song * one short story and * another text of your own choosing that explores various perspectives on an issue, event or person. Present your analysis of these three texts in an oral presentation. In your presentation it is expected that you will include: * an explanation of your chosen topic (issue, event or person) * an examination of the relevance of Coakley’s quotation * the perspectives offered by each of your chosen writers/composers * an analysis of the techniques utilised to present each perspective * your personal response to the issue and each ext. Possible Topics are: The Stolen Generation Rationale: 400 – 600 words Date due: Week 12- October 21st Text: Boy in the Striped Pyjamas TOPIC: Choose to do either 1or 2 1.Imagine you are writing a follow up article on two of the people whose stories are told in Bo y in the Striped Pyjamas. The article will explore each person’s views and perspectives as portrayed in the film and any influences on those views. Their stories will be published in â€Å"The Two of Us,† a regular feature in The Good Weekend magazine of The Sydney Morning Herald. The tone, language and presentation (layout, pictures and graphics) of the articles should be in keeping with â€Å"The Two of Us. † (minimum of 400 words per response) 2. Look closely at a particular incident from Boy in the Striped Pyjamas that is significant for two characters.Write about the incident from the viewpoint of each character. This is to be a first person narrative in the form of an internal monologue. It is essential that this is not just a retelling of the events. You must try to capture the voice of each character along with their emotional response to the events and how they feel about the possible consequences. (minimum of 400 words per response) Conditions: You mus t submit a 400-600 word rationale that explains the decisions you made in the creative process. This is a BSSS requirement. Assessment CriteriaYou will be assessed on the degree to which you demonstrate:  · an ability to respond critically to texts and logically justify viewpoint  · an ability to evaluate and synthesise material to make meaning  · competent and effective use of language for a range of purposes and audiences  · control of appropriate medium. Task 4: Common task – essay written under exam conditions Weighting: 25% Length 800-1000 words Date: Week 15 Conditions: A copy of the play will be allowed with tabs, but no markings can be present on the tabs or in the text. TOPIC: TBA Assessment CriteriaYou will be assessed on the degree to which you demonstrate:  · an ability to respond critically to texts and logically justify viewpoint  · an ability to evaluate and synthesise material to make meaning  · competent and effective use of language for a range of purposes and audiences  · control of appropriate medium. Assessment Policies and Procedures Unit assessment procedures are conducted in accordance with the policies of the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies. Information about the following policies can be accessed in the Daramalan College Senior College Guide to Courses or on the ACT BSSS website. ww. bsss. act. edu. au -plagiarism -cheating -late and non submission of assessment tasks -attendance -course requirements and prerequisites -appeals procedures Moderation and Meshing Procedures All English teachers engage in rigorous moderation procedures. This entails samples of student responses to all major tasks being assessed by two teachers to ensure the accurate and consistent awarding of grades and marks. Should agreement not be reached initially, the English Coordinator is notified and a third teacher assesses the student response(s) in question.This process continues until such time as agreement is reached. Teachers rev iew their assessment of all student responses based on the outcome of the above procedure. A record is kept of all moderation undertaken. The meshing of the English Integrated and English Extended scores occurs at the end of each semester when all student responses to all tasks have been assessed and moderated. This process results in a combined Tertiary English rank order and is carried out by the English Coordinator. There is no meshing of scores in Accredited English or between Tertiary and Accredited English courses. Grade descriptorsPlease see the attached table which has been extracted from the BSSS English Framework document. Penalties Penalties will be applied for cheating, plagiarism and late and non submission of assessment tasks. Students must meet the attendance and assessment requirements in order to be credited with the unit of study. Method of Unit Score Calculation Daramalan College is required to follow the procedures set down by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary St udies for the calculation of unit scores. These procedures are to ensure that unit scores are comparable from unit to unit throughout the course and across courses/subjects.For the first unit of Year 11 the mean and standard deviation of unit scores for each course/subject are to be derived from historic parameters. In subsequent semesters the unit scores for the course/subject group are to be backscaled to the previous semester. How are the unit scores calculated? 1. The parameters (mean and standard deviation) for each unit are set by the Director of Curriculum in accordance with ACTBSSS policy. The parameters are not necessarily the same for each course. 2. During the semester, students are given marks for assessment items.The weightings for these assessment items are detailed on the unit outline which students are given for each unit they are studying. 3. The raw scores for each assessment task are standardised to produce a z-score for each assessment task. This procedure is don e so that there can be comparability between the scores. 4. The z-scores are then added using the appropriate weightings to give an overall z-score for the unit. 5. The overall z-score is then standardised or back scaled to the given mean and standard deviation for that unit. This score is the final unit score.Z Scores The z-score shows how many standard deviations the student is above or below the mean. For example, a z-score of 1. 0 indicates that the student has achieved a result that is one standard deviation above the mean. Two of the most important pieces of information for a student are the rank and z-score that they achieve in subject each semester as they give an indication of where the student stands in relation to other students. COURSE SCORES At the end of Year 12, students are awarded a Raw Course Score for each T Course completed.These scores indicate the relative ranking of students within a Scaling Group and are not designed to show a level of achievement in a course . For all course types, (minor, major, major/minor, double major), Raw Course Scores are calculated using the 80% rule. That is, the top 80% of unit scores are used to calculate the Raw Course Scores. These calculations are done in the ACTBSSS database. Raw Course Scores are calculated in the following way: Minor Courses Raw Course Scores are calculated as follows: a) If two units have been completed, then the best 1. 6 units are used and averaged.For example, if the unit scores were 78 and 82, then the course score is calculated as follows: (82 + 78 x 0. 6) /1. 6 = 80. 5 b) If three units have been completed, the best 2. 4 units are used and averaged. For example, if the unit scores were 75, 83 and 85, then the course score is calculated as follows: (85 + 83 +75 x 0. 4) /2. 4 =82. 5 Major Courses Raw Course Scores are calculated as follows: a) If four units have been completed, the best 3. 2 units are used and averaged. For example, if the unit scores were 81, 75, 57 and 72, then t he course score is calculated as follows: (81 + 75 +72 +57 x 0. 2) /3. 2 =74. b) If five units have been completed, the best 4. 0 units are used and averaged. For example, if the unit scores were 82, 90, 60, 75 and 65, then the course score is calculated as follows: (90 + 82 +75 +65) /4. 0 =78 Major Minor Courses and Double Major Courses The same procedures are used for these courses. The best 4. 8 units are used for major/minor courses and the best 6. 4 units for double major courses. Note: When a student completes more than the minimum requirements for a course, a Raw Course Score is calculated when the minimum requirements have been met and when the student has completed their studies.The higher of the two values is recorded as the Raw Course Score. Raw Course Scores are then scaled by the ACTBSSS by a method called Other Course Score (OCS) scaling. This produces a Scaled Course Score for each T Course completed. Scaled Course Scores are reported on the Tertiary Entrance Statemen t. They are not reported on the ACT Year 12 Certificate. The best 3. 6 Scaled Course Scores are then used to calculate the student’s ATAR. For further details about the procedures used to generate course scores and the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, refer to the article â€Å"Whats the ATAR? (ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies). Students must keep a copy of all assignments submitted, together with drafts and preparation notes, all marked work and your notes for oral presentations. This material must be retained until unit results are released. All work submitted (with the exception of in-class tasks and exams) must have a Statement of Authorship attached. Year 12 students must submit 2 copies of assignments done at home as their work is being collected for Moderation in Semester 2 2012. The last day for the submission of assessment items is 13 November, 2013, 3. 30pm.The declaration below is to be signed and returned to your English teacher. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. STUDENT DECLARATION: I †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. have read the relevant policies and procedures referred to above. (PRINT YOUR FULL NAME) I understand what my rights and responsibilities are for the completion of this unit. Signature: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Date: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. UNIT GRADE DESCRIPTORS for T COURSES Assessment criteria| Responding critically| Evaluation and synthesis of ideas| Imagination and originality| Use of language| Control of medium| A student who achieves an A grade typically| esponds to texts critically and with a high degree of insig ht justifies viewpoint through well-structured, logical argument and highly effective use of textual references| synthesises and evaluates material in a complex manner to construct a perceptive response| demonstrates a high degree of creativity andoriginality| communicates with asophisticated control oflanguage for a range ofpurposes and audiences| demonstrates a highlydeveloped control and use of the conventions of the medium| A student who achieves a B grade typically| responds to texts critically and with insight ustifies viewpoint through structured, logical argument and effective use of textual references| synthesises and evaluates material in an effective manner to construct a competent response| effectively demonstrates creativity and originality| communicates witheffective control oflanguage for a range ofpurposes and audiences| demonstrates an effective and consistent control and use of the conventions of the medium| A student who achieves a C grade typically| res ponds to texts critically and with some insight justifies viewpoint through structured argument and some use of textual references| ynthesises and evaluates material to construct a satisfactory response| demonstrates somecreativity and originality may present work that is derivative in nature| communicates withdeveloping control oflanguage for a range ofpurposes and audiences| demonstratesunderstanding of theconventions of the medium but applies theminconsistently| A student who achieves a D grade typically| responds to texts withoccasional insight shows some capacity to justify and supportviewpoint| synthesises and evaluates material in a limited manner to construct a response| demonstrates limitedcreativity and little in theway of originality ay present a literalinterpretation| communicates withinconsistent control oflanguage with limitedunderstanding of purposes and audiences| demonstrates a partialunderstanding of themedium and limited use of its conventions| A student who achieves an E grade typically| paraphrases or retells shows little capacity tojustify and supportviewpoint| constructs a simplistic or incomplete response| demonstrates anunderstanding of simpleand concrete ideas presents a literalinterpretation| communicates with limited control of language| demonstrates littleunderstanding of theconventions of the medium|

Carl Gauss Essays - Differential Geometers, Number Theorists

Carl Gauss Carl Gauss was a man who is known for making a great deal breakthroughs in the wide variety of his work in both mathematics and physics. He is responsible for immeasurable contributions to the fields of number theory, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, magnetism, astronomy, and optics, as well as many more. The concepts that he himself created have had an immense influence in many areas of the mathematic and scientific world. Carl Gauss was born Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss, on the thirtieth of April, 1777, in Brunswick, Duchy of Brunswick (now Germany). Gauss was born into an impoverished family, raised as the only son of a bricklayer. Despite the hard living conditions, Gauss's brilliance shone through at a young age. At the age of only two years, the young Carl gradually learned from his parents how to pronounce the letters of the alphabet. Carl then set to teaching himself how to read by sounding out the combinations of the letters. Around the time that Carl was teaching himself to read aloud, he also taught himself the meanings of number symbols and learned to do arithmetical calculations. When Carl Gauss reached the age of seven, he began elementary school. His potential for brilliance was recognized immediately. Gauss's teacher Herr Buttner, had assigned the class a difficult problem of addition in which the students were to find the sum of the integers from one to one hundred. While his classmates toiled over the addition, Carl sat and pondered the question. He invented the shortcut formula on the spot, and wrote down the correct answer. Carl came to the conclusion that the sum of the integers was 50 pairs of numbers each pair summing to one hundred and one, thus simple multiplication followed and the answer could be found. This act of sheer genius was so astounding to Herr Buttner that the teacher took the young Gauss under his wing and taught him fervently on the subject of arithmetic. He paid for the best textbooks obtainable out of his own pocket and presented them to Gauss, who reportedly flashed through them. In 1788 Gauss began his education at the Gymnasium, with the assistance of his past teacher Buttner, where he learned High German and Latin. After receiving a scholarship from the Duke of Brunswick, Gauss entered Brunswick Collegium Carolinum in 1792. During his time spent at the academy Gauss independently discovered Bode's law, the binomial theorem, and the arithmetic-geometric mean, as well as the law of quadratic reciprocity and the prime number theorem. In 1795, an ambitious Gauss left Brunswick to study at Gottingen University. His teacher there was Kaestner, whom Gauss was known to often ridicule. During his entire time spent at Gottingen Gauss was known to acquire only one friend among his peers, Farkas Bolyai, whom he met in 1799 and stayed in touch with for many years. In 1798 Gauss left Gottingen without a diploma. This did not mean that his efforts spent in the university were wasted. By this time he had made on of his most important discoveries, this was the construction of a regular seventeen-gon by ruler and compasses. This was the most important advancement in this field since the time of Greek mathematics. In the summer of 1801 Gauss published his first book, Disquisitiones Arithmeticae, under a gratuity from the Duke of Brunswick. The book had seven sections, each of these sections but the last, which documented his construction of the 17-gon, were devoted to number theory. In June of 1801, Zach an astronomer whom Gauss had come to know two or three years before, published the orbital positions of, Ceres, a new "small planet", otherwise know as an asteroid. Part of Zach's publication included Gauss's prediction for the orbit of this celestial body, which greatly differed from those predictions made by others. When Ceres was rediscovered it was almost exactly where Gauss had predicted it to be. Although Gauss did not disclose his methods at the time, it was found that he had used his least squares approximation method. This successful prediction started off Gauss's long involvement with the field of astronomy.On October ninth, 1805 Gauss was married to Johana Ostoff. Although Gauss lived a happy personal life for the first