Publishing Controversial Photographs

Publishing Controversial Photographs Ephron argued that since death is part of life, readers should not be sheltered from it. She asked why photos from fatal car accidents show the wrecked vehicles and not the victims. Mangled steel is worthless; a human life is priceless. Why not capture on film the loss of that which is truly precious? (Ephron, www.haverford.edu/) The so-named Boston Photographs were taken in 1975 by photojournalist Stanley Forman.. I made all kinds of pictures because I thought it would be a good rescue shot over the ladder, (Ephron, 433) Forman said in explaining why he took the pictures. In the first frame, there is a fireman with his arm around a woman he is attempting to rescue from a burning apartment building. The woman clings to her child. The fireman is reaching for the rescue ladder an arm s length away. It appears that everything will be all right, that the woman and her child will be saved. This picture, by itself, does not foreshadow the tragedy to come. It is a dramatic photograph, to be certain, but one that would assure the viewer that confidence in the bravery and skills of firefighters is not misplaced. The second photograph shows the fire escape pulling away from the building. Whereas the first photo makes the reader want to cheer, the second one reminds us that something can go wrong. The rescue is not successful until everyone is on the ground and safely away from the burning building. The photo shows, too, that the firefighter did everything he was supposed to do. His training prepared him for a moment such as this. More than anything else, this photo shows that courage and skill are not always enough. No one could have anticipated that the fire escape would pull away from the building. It is a picture that at once captures the good fortune of the woman in being rescued and the horrific moment when her luck turned. The third photograph is the most dramatic because it shows the woman and her child falling through the air. The child, naturally, looks frightened. Her arms and legs are splayed and we see the speed of her descent with her shirt, which the air has pushed up to expose her round, babyish tummy. Her eyes are open and her mouth is distorted by a grimace. The mother s fall is even more dramatic because she propels through the air headfirst. The viewer cannot see her face but can only imagine the horror reflected in her expression. It is impossible to know what the woman was thinking. Did she know that she was moments from death? Did she think about her child? Did she ask for God s help, or curse His failure to protect them? The woman is barefoot and she is wearing shorts. On a summer s day, it would be expected that someone be so attired at home. Yet the woman seems particularly vulnerable when dressed this way. She seems so exposed although, of course, long pants and shoes would not have made any difference to her survival. Who was this woman? We cannot really know anything about her from the picture. We can see that she is young, with the long, gangling limbs of a teenager. She looks like a child and yet she also has a child of her own. The picture causes us to reflect on death made more tragic by the fact that, for this mother and child, they come too soon. The falling flowerpots add to the poignancy of the photos. The apartment building, obviously older, represents urban life as experienced by someone who is young and poor. The flowers represent an attempt to add a little beauty to the surroundings. What sort of person is it who puts a flowerpot on a window ledge high above the city streets? The flowerpots give us a tiny glimpse into the character of the young woman. We feel we know a little more about her and that makes her death more tragic. To plant a flower is to feel hopeful about the future, and when we see the photograph, we know that the woman s hope in the future, unbeknownst to her, was misplaced. We feel a greater sense of loss. But do we know her? Of course not. The shocking photo arouses emotion within us and, whether we realize it or not, causes us to ascribe thoughts and characteristics to the victim that we can never verify, even when reading the accompanying news story. Perhaps the young woman did not care at all about the plants. It is even possible that they were left there by a previous tenant of the apartment and went unnoticed by the young mother. Perhaps she did not notice beauty and felt no hope at all for the future she and her child would share. There is no way the viewer of the photograph can ever know any of this for certain. The newsworthiness of the tragic fire is the photos themselves. Unfortunately, people die in fires in the United States all the time. The accounts of the fires are tragic, but as news stories they are usually only relevant to families and friends of the victims and the people who live in the community where the tragedy took place. Photographer Forman, who won a Pulitzer Prize for the photos, expected to record an event with a far different outcome. He was taking advantage of a relatively new technology, a motor-driven camera that allowed a photographer to take a series of pictures in rapid succession. He expected to capture, in still photographs, the sequence of events leading up to a dramatic rescue. Instead, he captured the moments before death. The third photograph as the last that he took of the rescue attempt. I realized what was going on, he said afterwards. I completely turned around because I didn t want to see her hit. (Ephron, www.haverford.edu/) The pictures are much more powerful than words in telling this story. It is not that words cannot sufficiently describe a scene or convey emotions. Author Stephen King is famous and wealthy because of his ability to construct tales that frighten us. John Grisham has used the power of words to make us feel outrage on the behalf of the underdogs whose stories he tells. Nicholas Sparks writes romances that bring some of his readers to tears. Forman s pictures tell a story for which each individual viewer provides his own words. More than that, however, the pictures evoke an emotional response that is instantaneous, even quicker than words can form. The pictures certainly drew attention to the event in a way that words alone would not. Newspaper editors know this and it can be argued that it was for the purpose of selling newspapers, not the imperative to show readers that death is part of life, which motivated them to print the pictures. Charges of sensationalism, voyeurism, and exploitation constituted many of the angry responses from readers. The reality is, though, that graphic images do capture people s attention. A news story, without photographs, would have dehumanized the tragedy. When we read that a woman fell to her death, our reaction is not nearly as strong as seeing the picture. We may soon forget that a woman died, particularly in reading the story and learning that the child survived. The picture, on the other hand, makes us confront the notion of death head-on. We may experience, even for a fraction of a second, that shiver of fear of falling. We think about what it must have felt like to fall, and what it must have felt like to watch the horror unfold. The fact that the woman and child were African-American also plays a part in judging the impact of the photo versus a story in words. A written story might not mention race; in a photo, it is there to see. To some viewers, race might matter. People assumed, because the young woman was black, that the burning apartment building was in a ghetto, when in fact it was not. African-Americans might identify more strongly with the photo than they would with just a story; white readers might identify less. For some readers, and it is hoped that it means more of them, not less, race is a non-issue and what they see is not the color of the victims skin but the horror expressed in their faces and body language. It is this horror that writer Ephron believes readers should see, but not because horror itself has value even though it does, in a way, in its ability to sell newspapers. As Ephron pointed out, though, these were great photographs. They captured something real and evoke strong emotion in people who look at them. That they disturb readers, she wrote, is exactly as it should be: that s why photojournalism is often more powerful than written journalism. (Ephron, 438) The Boston Photographs are by no means the only pictures to evoke strong emotions and cause controversy among newspaper editors and their readership. This essay will discuss two other pictures that were considered controversial at the time they were published. Seven years before Stanley Forman won the Pulitzer for his photo, war photographer Eddie Adams earned the prize for his now-iconic photo showing the execution of a man by a military officer on the streets of Saigon. As was the case with Forman, Adams never expected that the situation would take such a dramatic and horrific turn. As Adams told the story in a video entitled An Unlikely Weapon: The Eddie Adams Story, he was in the Chinese section of Saigon on the second day of the Tet Offensive. He saw a man in a plaid shirt being led out of a building and into the street. He followed to see what would happen. He was not surprised or shocked when a man in uniform, a military officer, held a gun to the head of the man in the plaid. Adams interpreted the action as a means of intimidation, a threat used as part of an act of interrogation. ? Retrieved from PulitzerPrize.org [http://pulitzerprize.org/photography/vietnam/] In retrospect, it seems like an incredibly bold and even foolhardy move, to stand with a camera so close to someone with a loaded gun. Adams was an experienced war photographer, however, and danger was part of the job. He did not anticipate what happened next. Adams snapped a photograph; he moved his finger on the camera s shutter in the same instant that the officer pulled the trigger of his gun. The shocking photograph that resulted captured the moment in time when the bullet entered the man s head. The photograph is shocking for several reasons. The most obvious is the expression on the face of the man in the plaid shirt. It reflects both pain and terror. The lines around the right side of the mouth suggest the rapid and violent movement of the head as an involuntary response to the impact of the bullet. The man doing the shooting has a matter-of-fact expression. He does not take any pleasure in killing the man, but he does what he feels he must without flinching. He is very certain about what he is doing. Over the left shoulder of the shooter, we see a helmeted soldier wincing at the horrible spectacle before him. There is a military vehicle at the end of the street. There are other people in the street, but there response to the shooting cannot be discerned from the photo. The photograph is shocking because the shooting appeared to take place in broad daylight, in the middle of a city street. The shooter does not appear to be concerned about concealing his identity or his action. The photo is shocking in its close-up look at violence, and it is violence that is made very personal because we see it from a unique perspective. As with Forman s photo, we do not see death in its aftermath but in the moments before it occurs. Both photos are shocking and frightening. Both photos appear to show people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time and suffer fatal consequences as a result. Unlike Forman s photo, though, a news story accompanying Adams photo has the power to change one s perception of the brutal act caught on film. Looking at the picture, one might assume that it showed a military man killing a civilian execution-style. There was more to the story. The man in plaid was a Viet Cong Army officer; he was the prime suspect in the murder of an entire family that day. The family belonged to the aide of Brig. General Nguyen Ngoc Loan, South Vietnamese National Police Chief and the shooter in the photograph. Did it make a difference that the man being shot was on the side of the United States enemy? Perhaps it did to some who looked at the picture and read about it. It may be easier to explain the violence if one can justify it as necessary to bring about justice. The woman in Forman s picture was a random victim of a very unfortunate accident; the man in Adams photo was a suspected criminal, thought to be responsible for the killing of innocent civilians. Some people, reading about the circumstances under which he was shot, may believe that he deserved to die. Some might believe he deserved to die by virtue of the fact that he was a Viet Cong officer. Killing is part of war. We are not at all surprised that there is death on the streets of Saigon, but we are shocked when an image of it is captured so vividly. There was no justice to be served to the woman who plunged to her death in Forman s photo. We are shocked by her death and surprised by it. Forman s final photo is prefaced by one in which it looks as though the woman and her child will be rescued. There is no doubt, in looking at Adams photo, the man in plaid will die. It is the more shocking photo of the two because it makes us look right into the face of death. We can hold out hope for a miracle when we look at Forman s photo, and it is only upon reading the accompanying story that one learns the woman died and her child survived. At least there is some good news in that story. There is no miracle in Adams photo and no good news waiting for the reader of the story behind it. Adams photo, much to his dismay, became an iconic antiwar image. That was never his intent. Forty years later, the image endures. The story behind the photograph matters little. The photo has come to symbolize the horror and brutality of a war to which many Americans were, and still remained, opposed. Even more evocative in its antiwar sentiment is the 1972 photograph by Nick Ut, showing a young Vietnamese girl, naked, screaming, and horribly burned by napalm. ? Retrieved from BBC News [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4517597.stm] The photo needs no accompanying words to explain it or make it any more powerful. It is a heart-breaking photograph of a child in abject terror. There are other children in the picture but it is the nakedness and total vulnerability of the little girl that shocks and saddens us. There is nothing one can write about the horrors of war that exemplify it more than the perils of this child. As with Forman s photo of the mother and child, we can look at the little girl and hope that somehow she will survive this terrible event. Forman s photo showed the terrible circumstances of two people. Ut s photo, on the other hand, showed the terrible circumstances in which millions of people found themselves as a result of the war. The photo is a painful reminder that there are many victims of war, not just the soldiers who fight. It is difficult to look at the photo and not feel outrage, at the same time wishing there were a way to gather up the children and transport them to safety. We know now t hat the little girl survived; even knowing that, however, does not make the photograph any less shocking. The final photo to be discussed in this essay was taken September 11, 2001, by photographer Richard Drew. Often referred to as The Falling Man, it depicts one of the many people who leaped from the inferno of the Twin Towers, making the horrible choice to die by suicide than in the smoke and flames. ? Retrieved from Esquire Magazine online [http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN] The photo is shocking because, as one first looks at it, it seems to be some sort of optical trick. The vertical lines of the tower do not look like a building. The man does not look as though he is falling. In Forman s photograph, the woman and child fall from the building with arms and legs distended, desperate to seek purchase on anything that would break their fall. By contrast, the falling man appears to be holding a pose and is elegant in the way he does so. He is falling straight downward, his arms at his sides, one leg bent at the knee in a manner that resembles a casual stance. It is difficult to look at the picture and not be immediately transported back to the horrible events of the day. Much has been written about 9/11 and there were many pictures taken. The falling man was only one of many people who jumped that day, yet it is his picture which touches us the most. Words could not adequately describe the falling man s descent and the emotions the picture evokes. After an initial look at the picture, one realizes exactly what it depicts: a man hurtling towards his death. Junod (2009) wrote that the body fell at an estimated speed of one hundred fifty miles per hour. The fall would have taken approximately ten seconds. One cannot even imagine the crushing agony the jumpers experienced in the final moments of their lives. What must it feel like to know you have only seconds left to live? Looking at Forman s photo, one can hope that there was a good outcome. Looking at Adams photo, we see death. The bullet has entered the man s head but, because the camera can capture a fraction of a second, the man has not yet dropped. Looking at Drew s photo, we wee impending death and a man literally falling toward it with grace. It is incredibly sad, both the circumstances of his death and the calm dignity with which he goes to meet it. Newspapers and television news programs showed photographs of jumpers until there were too many complaints from the public about their indecency. Drew was able to identify, almost with certainty, the Falling Man, yet the family would not provide confirmation, becoming angry when asked to do so. They felt, as did many of the people viewing pictures of jumpers, that showing anyone in the last moments of life robbed those people of their dignity. Photojournalism can be much more powerful than written journalism. In describing the four photos discussed in this essay, writers would bring their biases to the work. The use of the word bias is not pejorative; it simply means that a writer s knowledge and experience contribute to the interpretation of the photograph. The four pictures shown are shocking and evoke strong emotion. The depth and range of emotion, however, depends on the person who is looking at the pictures. Each of us notices different elements; each of us is touched in a different way. When reading a newspaper account of a tragedy, we think about the story as we make our way through the printed words. Reaction to a picture is instantaneous and much more powerful. A picture puts us at the scene in a way that words do not. Ephron illustrated this by including the Boston Photographs in her essay. She discussed the impact of the photos and the controversy they caused. Without seeing the photos, it might be too easy to ask what all the fuss was about. By seeing the photos, one can understand why the inspired strong feelings. Ephron does not argue that newspapers should print photographs of death. She argues that they should print great pictures that tell a story and evoke strong emotional response from readers. Work Cited: BBC News. (2005). Picture power: Vietnam napalm attack. http://news.bbc.co .uk/2/hi/4517597.stm. Ephron, N. (2005). The Boston Photographs, reprinted in Chris Anderson and Lex Runciman, eds., Open Questions; Readings for Critical Thinking and Writing (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin s, 2005). Print via Retrieved from http://www.haverford.edu/writingprogram /development/Ephron.pdf Junod, T. The falling man. Esquire 9/8/09. Retrieved from http://www.esquire.com/features /ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN PulitzerPrize.org. (2010). Photography: Pulitzer Eddie Adams Vietnam. http://pulitzerprize.org /photography/vietnam/

Daily Athenian life :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Famed for its literature, poetry, drama, theatre, schools, buildings, government, and intellectual superiority you have no doubt that your polis, Athens, is clearly the shining star of all Greek city-states.†(Daily life in ancient Greece) Athens was a mighty city-state of Greece. Even though it was a very intellectual and powerful city-state, it did not mean that it was necessarily a good city. Athens was the cause of the Peloponnesian War. It deceived the other city-states by making them send money to Athens, so Athens could build a powerful army to protect Greece from the Persians. Athens started to use that money on the city of Athens. Eventually the citizens of Athens did not have to pay taxes. The other city-states got angry, thus beginning the Peloponnesian war. The war lasted about 30 years, starting from 461-406 BC.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An aristocrat named Cleisthenes, who was trying to gain more power, invented a form of government called democracy. Democracy was used in Athens. Athens was lead by a great statesman named Pericles. He died during the war because of disease. Many people died of the same disease. After the war, Sparta set up a government of thirty tyrants. Two of the tyrants were students of the renowned philosopher, Socrates. That stirred up some controversy later with Socrates and the Athenian aristocrats. A year later the democratic form of government was restored, and the Athenian government went back to normal. Men were prominent figures of government. Women were thought to be foolish and irrational, which we all know is not true. â€Å"Men, in the Greek view, were rational, thinking, stable, normal creatures, while women were irrational, hysterical, and dangerous.†(History for kids) Women for that reason were not given political rights. Athens had good soil, since it was near the coastline. They also had just enough rainfall, not too much or too little. They grew grain, grapes, olives, legumes, lentils, beans and chickpeas. The Athenians believed in many gods, just like all the other people of Greece. They had 7 seven main gods. The most important of all the gods was Zeus, the king of the gods, who was married to his sister Hera. The gods had humanlike characteristics; they got jealous and would do stupid things just like humans do.

Budgeting Issues :: essays papers

Budgeting Issues Music programs have a history of getting pushed aside in favor of subjects considered to be more academically valuable. From the 1970’s onward, music and arts have been routinely cut from school budgets. Until recently, New York City lacked almost any arts education program, and the Los Angeles school district had one specialty arts teacher per 4,700 students (Coeyman, 1998). According to the California Department of Education, the percentage of children who have access to music education has declined by half over the past five years (American). In addition, California schools are considering removing any music requirement for graduation (American). There are two main reasons for these cuts: money and test scores (Moran, 2004). In the wake of the No Child Left Behind Act, music education has been yet again squeezed from school budgets and schedules. With pressure mounting to raise reading and math scores, school administrators have added more reading and math classes th at leave little opportunity for elective courses like music (Moran, 2004). Music teacher employment has been decreased to the point that in Seattle, eleven teachers teach all of the elementary music classes in the district’s seventy schools (de Barros, 2004). No Child Left Behind Though No Child Left Behind is intended to improve the education system of the United States, interpretations of the act have lead to cuts in music education programs across the nation. While No Child Left Behind is a good idea in theory, in practice it has yet to work. The focus of funding has turned from what is good for students to what will help raise test scores. Paul Young, former president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, commented on the trend among his colleagues to shrink funding for music education. As stated in a press release, â€Å"Music education helps a student learn ‘how to think,’ and without it schools are only ‘creating kids who are able to pass tests’† (Andrews, 2003). He is further quoted as saying, "When you take the arts away, particularly music, you're messing with a community's identity. Those principals out there who don't understand that and are only focusing on test scores are making a mis take" (Andrews, 2003). Secretary of Education Rod Paige echoes Young’s sentiments: â€Å"No Child Left Behind included the arts as a core academic subject because of their importance to a child’s education† (2004).

Adult Development Analysis

Lamis came from a family that originated from the country of Pakistan. She has a big family–her mother, father, fiver brothers, and two sisters–and they all give importance to the values, culture and behaviors inculcated into their minds by their parents. She expressed how blessed she was to be in a family that treasures love, respect, integrity, and life.Lamis life was indeed very challenging because she grew up amidst various complexities in life. When she was a little child, she was always confused as to whose directions should she follow because she has parents who are entirely two different individuals. Her mother is someone who loves to be with people so much.She likes socializing with people and undertaking activities with them because such experience gives her certain pleasure and enjoyment that she does not find in any other places. Her father, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of her mother. He does not like the idea of being with people.He is more comf ortable being alone in his own place, perhaps because her father is a very private person. He keeps a lot of things in his mind and usually do not share most of those things to her mother. Furthermore, her father is very pragmatic and he is open-minded that he understands the contemporary things they do in their lives even if those are sometimes against his beliefs.On the contrary, her mother does not want them to do things on their own. She is very strict in terms of the things they undertake. She wants them to always obey her because she believes that she knows what is best for her children.The contradictions demonstrated by Lamis’ parents made her initially a very confused individual. It affected the development of her morality. She told me she loves both of her parents so she was usually torn between whether to follow her father or her mother.She eventually learned to balance the characters of her parents and somehow managed to grasp the positivity of their differing indi vidualities and created a whole set of values, behaviors, and beliefs that influenced her moral development.Lawrence Kohlberg, a theorist who proposed the concept of moral development, conceived that individuals continue through each stage of moral development consecutively without skipping or returning to a previous stage.According to him, the stages of processing ideas, implying qualitatively, various ways of reasoning, and of problem solving are incorporated in the three levels of pre-conventional, conventional and post conventional development (Hayes, 1994).The pre-conventional level of Kohlberg’s moral development theory communicated that behavior is motivated by anticipation of pleasure or pain (Hayes, 1994). The child is aware of cultural rules and labels of good or bad and right or wrong.The subject then interprets the labels in terms of the physical consequence, such as punishment or reward. This was true in Lamis’ family particularly with how her parents rais ed them. Her mother, in particular, would always want them to help each other and to do things in accordance with her will because she was so strict during those times. She would not allow them to play outside the house if any of them disobey her.Also, she wanted them to always study hard and incessantly reminded them the importance of education in their life. Hence, she would keep their toys and other sources of entertainment like television if they do not review their lessons at least two hours everyday.Her father, on the other hand, would reward them for every good things they do like cleaning the house, fixing their bedrooms, and studying their lessons. He would buy them special cookies or their favorite chocolates every good grade they get from school.Going back to Kohlberg’s moral development theory, the first level, pre-conventional, of moral thinking is generally found at the elementary school level, before the age of nine (Kay, 1982). This level is divided into the f ollowing two stages.The punishment and obedience orientation. This is observed in children ages one to five. The subject is in avoidance of physical punishment and deference to power. The child behaves according to the socially acceptable norms, due to the fear of punishment by an authority figure. The physical aftermaths of an action ascertain its goodness or badness.â€Å"What is right is to avoid breaking rules, to obey for obedience’s sake, and to avoid doing physical damage to people and property† (as cited in Wart, 1998, p. 36). Furthermore, an individual at this stage does not consider the thoughts or feelings of others, nor are they able to relate two points of view. As in Piaget’s framework, ego-centrism and the inability to consider the perspectives of others characterize the reasoning of stage one (Piaget, 2003).The individual instrumental purpose and exchange orientation. Subjects usually between the ages of 5 to 10 are observed maintaining the attri butes of being â€Å"self-serving.† This stage is â€Å"characterized by a view that right behavior means acting in one’s own best interest and occasionally taking into consideration the needs of others† (Penn State Engineering, 2006).There is an early emergence of moral reciprocity. â€Å"You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.† The individual will do what is necessary to satisfy his own needs not concentrating on loyalty or gratitude. Justice becomes â€Å"Do unto others as they do unto you.† What is right is the immediate interest in the form of an equal exchange, deal or agreement.A subject at this stage of moral development has a basic understanding that norms and conventions are necessary to uphold society. The motto of this stage is â€Å"What’s in it for me?† Elements of sharing are present but are interpreted in a physical pragmatic way (Hayes, 1994).When Lamis was a little kid, she told me she really did not care so much about the feelings of other people like her siblings and playmates. What was important for her was to play and made sure that she did not violate any of her parents’ rules because her strict mother would surely punish her.Lamis was so young then that she actually did not understand everything her mother told her but she did acknowledge the fact that her mother would not be happy if she does something wrong. Until Lamis learned to care about other people and realize the importance of doing good things to others.Her father played an important part in making her understand the essentiality of recognizing the welfare of other individuals in order for those people to do the same good things to her.Lamis’ early learning experiences were fundamentally influenced by her family. She told me during the interview that she did not go to school early, unlike other children, because she had asthma. She only started to go to school when she was eight years old.Apart from the fac t that she had asthma, her parents were scared to leave Lamis in school at a very early age. Such action, according to her, was perhaps due to the conservatism in their culture. Yet, her father never forgot to tell her good things about going to school and learning new things from a teacher.Lamis’ father would always narrate his positive experiences he acquired from school and things that education allowed him to do. Hence, Lamis became really interested in going to school and in fact, became one of the best students when she started her formal education.Furthermore, Lamis was very thankful to her mother being extrovert. Although she was not allowed to go to school at an early age, her mother would always bring her whenever her mother would socialize with her friends and this was perhaps where she learned most of her social skills, where, according to Kohlberg and Piaget, most moral development occurs along with aging process (Duska & Whelan, 1975).When Lamis started her firs t formal education in Saudi Arabia, she admitted to me that she had complicated experiences the first time basically because she found it very challenging to assimilate to the culture of her school considering that her native culture was very different from the school culture in so many ways.On top of this, she did not know the English language that made it more difficult for her to interact with and understand her classmates. She shared to me one experience and this happened during the school opening. She came to school with short hair and most of her classmates were making fun of her.Since she did not understand the language, she did not get affected and instead maintained her good values and behaviors that her parents inculcated into her mind. Lamis further shared to me some of her strengths when she was a student. She told me she was that kind of student who leads and influences other students. She never got intimidated by the presence of her classmates.In fact, she was the clas s leader and she was the one assigned to do the morning news and introduction at school. She was capable of handling the entire class and her teacher actually entrusted to her the class whenever the teacher leaves. She took responsibilities very well. Such behaviors gave her good grades in school for 12 years.During this part of the interview, I was able to trace where these positive and strong attitudes and behaviors came from. I believe her being strong, socially interactive, intelligent, independent, and creative was due to the trainings provided by her parents when she was a little kid.As mentioned earlier, Lamis was introduced to the notion of reward and punishment system when she was young. Her strict mother would always ask her to study and do things accordingly; otherwise a corresponding punishment would be executed.The interview moreover reveals that Lamis’ life is heavily influenced by her many personal encounters with an array of people of equally diverging persona lity types. Which is why, Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory appears to be a very good choice to help further elucidate Lamis’ unique learning tendencies and personality traits.Erikson’s model, if only to mention, puts higher premium than most on exploring the environmental influences of a person as one grows up. In other words, it â€Å"considers the impact of external factors, parents and society on personality development from childhood to adulthood† (Learning Theories, 2007).According to Erik Erikson, each person needs to undergo eight major life-defining stages over the period of their given life spans. And these stages, on a careful analysis, have two chief characteristics. First, these interrelated life stages – infancy, toddler-hood, school-age, adolescence, early and mid and late-adulthood – are differentiated not by the traditional approach involving the use of chronologically-based age ordering system.Put in other words, Eriksonâ €™s model does not rely on the age of the person in solely evaluating his or her psychological development. Instead, Erikson conceives of these life stages always view of the growth and development of a person achieves relative to his or her age. Critical to his notion of psychosocial theory of personality development is the areas of growth that come with each life stage.Second, every life stage consists in â€Å"a developmental task that confronts individuals with crisis† (Satrock, 2006, p. 71). Erikson’s model maintains that a person needs to find a resourceful way to successfully hurdle the respective crises each life stage brings him or her. If a person resolves a crisis, it serves his growth process well.If a person is unable figure a resolution for it, chances are, it stalls the development of his or her growth and well being. Crises, in needs to argued, are life-defining moments. And as such, it promises not only an ugly catastrophe for a person, but an â₠¬Å"enhanced potential† of a healthy psychological life as well (p. 71).During infancy, Erikson believes that a person needs to resolve fundamental trusts issues. This is achieved when a child is adequately nurtured; i.e., if the immediate environment – the mother, father and siblings, among others – responds well to his or her needs.If a child did not establish a basic sense of security from the family, it can result to an unfortunate retardation of his capacity to trust the larger world later on. Stage two meanwhile pertains to the struggle of a toddler to establish his will.During this stage, a child is able to learn many new things and is beginning to learn what is right from wrong. Depending on the way a person is nurtured at this particular stage, a child can either end up having a strong sense of autonomy or shame.The next phase is the preschooler stage – a time, as it were, to indulge in childhood curiosity. When properly affirmed, a child can devel op a good sense of initiative. When constantly rebuked, a child is expected to develop a gripping sense of guilt.According to Erikson, the immediate family of a child plays a very crucial role in the development or the retardation of children undergoing these three initial stages. In many ways, the importance Erikson places on the role of the family makes his theory wholly distinct from the more inclination-indulging theory of S. Freud (Erikson, 1964, p. 9)Stage four meanwhile concerns the school phase of a child. During these years, a child needs to be empowered to develop his or her competence and self-esteem. At this stage too, a child can either develop a sense of industry or inferiority depending on the manner by which he or she successfully handles the pressures of peer and studies.The next phase is the adolescence stage. At this point, the influence of the family, especially the parents, start to diminish. Everyone’s chief concern at this stage is to establish fidelity in one’s personal affiliation, belongingness, or even relationships. Moreover, a person can either end up establishing a strong sense of who he or she is, or wound up under-developing his or her identity in a crisis marked by severe confusion. Stages six to eight pertains to a person in his or her adulthood.In particular, stage six, or the early adulthood stage, underscores a person’s struggle for love. Since this is the stage proper to establishing relationships, a person can either nurture intimacy or fall apart because of isolation. Stages seven and eight are phases that involve a person’s quest for generativity and integrity. When undermined, a person can sorely wound up into a stage of extreme wallowing and despair (Learning Theories, 2007; Satrock, 2006, pp 71-72).Using Erik Erikson’s theory to evaluate Lamis, the following observations can be noted:First, it can be said that Lamis’ authoritative comportment and unmistakable confidence take root from a successful resolution of her life’s first stage. Lamis’s early life was marked by healthy interaction with her family members.And because each person takes on the â€Å"capital† of gaining something from one’s family of origin (Wartofsky, 1986, p. 113), it can be argued that Lamis’ was able to gain the all important aspect of familial love in her life. Lamis admits belonging to a family that places much regard on care, love and nurturance.Moreover, her being born into a large family turned out to be an advantage for her as well, since her basic need to be nurtured and taken care of as an infant was addressed. This is perhaps the most fundamental reason why Lamis was to develop a strong sense of security as an adult; as indeed, this factor too may help explain why she looks at the world brimming with confidence, optimism and pride.Next, one can also note that Lamis’ is herself quite clued-up with the fact that most of what she bel ieves in and holds on in life stem from the unique manner by which she was nurtured. For instance, Lamis claims that early on in life, she already manifested a certain strain of stoicism towards feelings on account of a very strong sense of rules and punishment-reinforcements.For someone who was just beginning to explore the world, it seems pretty obvious that Lamis developed a sense of autonomy defined by how successful she was able to play by the rules. Her desire to avoid being punished and suffer the shame of being reprimanded by her otherwise rigorous mother was controlling motive for this.As such, this is a classic case of autonomy vs. shame struggle manifested by toddlers. In the process, what emerged from her struggle to obey was a person who has a specific leaning towards obedience and a knack on leadership that influences other people to obey as well.Lastly, it has to be mentioned as well that Lamis’ school age is also marked by a successful overcoming of inferiorit y and low self esteem crises. During the interview, Lamis revealed that her initial contact with the school environment turned out rather unpleasant; as indeed, she had to adjust into the school system rather quickly (since she did not have any schooling prior to her entrance at the age of eight), and put up with incessant teasing of her classmates.But because she was nurtured by a family that cared and supported her, she was able to overcome her school-age crises. In the process, she developed her sense of initiative and industry. This is perhaps seen most glaringly in the healthy and motivated way by which she views her efforts to succeed well in her studies even until the present.To briefly conclude, this paper ends with a thought that, indeed, Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory is able to provide a window for us to look at Lamis’ belief system, behavioral uniqueness and personal worldviews within the larger context of her past experiences. Lamis is indeed a person shaped by the interactions she has had in her lifetime.It is imperative to note that in the years to come, she is to encounter more life defining crises; this time about issues pertinent to adulthood. But what stands out for the meantime is her triumphant emergence from the three identified crises she has thus far encountered.After using Erikson’s theory, we were able to affirm that Lamis’ being able to establish a healthy sense of confidence as an infant, autonomy as toddler, and initiative and industry as a school-age child, surely did serve her well.BibliographyDuska, R. & Whelan, M. (1975). Moral development: A guide to Piaget and Kohlberg. New Jersey: Paulist Press.Erikson, E. (1964). Insight and Responsibility. Lectures on the Ethical Implications of   Ã‚   Psychoanalytic Insight. New York: Norton and Company.Hayes, R. L. (1994). The legacy of Lawrence Kohlberg: Implications for counseling and human development. Journal of Counseling & Development, 72(3), pp. 2 61-267.Kay, S. R. (1982). Kohlberg’s theory of moral development: Critical analysis of validation studies with the defining issues test. International Journal of Psychology, 17(1), pp. 27-43.Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2008). â€Å"Erikson’s Stages of Development†. Retrieved 28   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   July 2008, from Penn State Engineering. (2006). Ethical decision making processes. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from http://www.vanderbilt.edu/CenterforEthics/Descriptions-More%20Info/Resource%20Pages%20for%20Ethics%20Workshop%20-%202006.pdf.Piaget, J. (2003). Part I: Cognitive development in children – Piaget development and learning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40(1), pp. 8-18.Satrock, J. (2006). Educational Psychology. New York, McGraw Hill, Inc.Wart, M. V. (1998). Changing public sector values: Montgomery Van Wart. Taylor & Francis.

Classic Literature Essay

Writers also use a foil character as well as irony of circumstances. A foil character is used to create suspense because the reader doesn’t know how the foil character will react in his situation, or how the other characters will react to him. Another element writers use is foreshadowing. Writers reveal some details in the story to lull the reader into thinking something is going to happen a certain way. However, when the writer uses irony of circumstances, the reader is caught off guard because the story didn’t end the way the expected it. rs use foreshadow and irony of circumstances to create suspense in their stories. Kate Chopin uses foreshadow in her story â€Å"Desiree’s Baby.† In â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† she uses irony of circumstances. Let’s first look at â€Å"Desiree’s Baby.† She uses foreshadowing to create suspense. Writers reveal certain things about characters to prepare the reader for the outcome. This creates suspense because the readers want to continue reading when they catch a glimpse of a character or the character’s actions. Through these revelations, readers anticipate how the story will end, so they continue reading to find out what does happen. Kate Chopin uses foreshadow in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby.† When Desiree notices something different about her baby, she talks to Armand. He tells her that the baby’s coloring indicates only one thing–he is part black. Armand accuses Desiree of deceiving him. Chopin uses a certain passage to foreshadow things about Desiree that may reveal what will happen to the characters in the end. Desiree told Armand, † ‘Look at my hair, it is brown; and my eyes are gray, Armand, you know they are gray. And my skin is fair, †¦ Look at my hand; whiter than yours, Armand.’ † These details show the reader that Desiree is lighter than Armand. The reader becomes confused and wonders what is happening. A writer uses foreshadowing to reveal certain details that lulls the reader into thinking a certain way. Then, through the use of another technique called irony of circumstances, a writer wants to surprise the reader at the end of the story by making an  unusual turn of events. At the end of the story, Chopin finally reveals that Armand is the one who is half white and half black and not Desiree. Just like â€Å"Desiree’s Baby,† Chopin uses irony of circumstances in â€Å"The Story of an Hour.† Mrs. Mallard is waiting of news about her husband, whom she thought might have died since he had been gone so long. When Mrs. Mallard is told that her husband’s name is on the list of those who were killed, Mrs. Mallard is devastated. However, her attitude changes quickly because she is free to do what she wants. The reader is still held in suspense because he or she doesn’t know what Mrs. Mallard is going to do until the end of the story. The reader is surprised when Mrs. Mallard’s husband shows up alive, and when Mrs. Mallard dies after seeing her husband. Even though Chopin uses foreshadowing, she still catches the reader off guard by using irony of circumstances.

Shangri-La Hotels

What are the key elements of Shangri-La Hotel’s strategy? Which of the five generic competitive strategies described in Chapter 5 is the company employing? What is Shangri-La’s strategy for competing internationally? 2. What policies, practices, support systems, and management approaches underlie Shangri-La’s efforts to execute its strategy? 3. How important are the company’s training and Shangri-La Care program to its success? What is your assessment of Shangri-La’s compensation policies and career growth effort? What pluses and minuses do you see? . What are the key features of the culture at Shangri-La Hotels? How important is the culture in the company’s success? Explain. What impact do the company’s mission statement and the Shangri-La Care program have on the company’s culture? 5. What core/distinctive competencies has management at Shangri-La tried to build and nurture? What challenges does the company face as it attempts to transfer its core and distinctive competencies to other cultures? How has the company attempted to resolve these challenges? Has it been successful in doing so? 6.What does the company’s financial and operational performance reveal about how successful its strategy and strategy implementation efforts have been? Should shareholders be pleased with the company’s financial performance? Why or why not? What financial and operating performance pluses and minuses do you see? 7. What challenges does Shangri-La face in expanding into Eastern China? Do you believe the company’s current policies and operating procedures will be sufficient in addressing these challenges? If so, why? If not, what else may need to be done? 8. How do the challenges associated with Shangri-La’s expansion into Europe,Australia, and North America compare with the company’s expansion in China? Do you believe the company’s current policies and operating procedures will be sufficient in addressing these challenges? If so, why? If not, what else may need to be done? 9. How big a threat does the expansion of other hotel chains into China pose for Shangri-La Hotels? What specific challenges are likely to arise as a result of this expansion? How should Shangri-La address these challenges? 10. What recommendations would you make to Symon Bridle to improve Shangri-La’s prospects for continued success? Shangri-La Hotels Shangri-La Hotels Contents Background Executive Summary Problem Statement Current Strategy External Environment VRINE Model Internal Analysis TOWS Analysis Value Chain Analysis Key Success Factors Alternatives Recommendations Implementation Plan Prologue Appendices Background Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is Asia Pacific's leading luxury hotel group and regarded as one of the world’s finest hotel ownership and management companies. The Shangri-La story began in 1971 with its first deluxe hotel in Singapore. Today, there are  71 hotels and resorts throughout Asia Pacific, North America, the Middle East, and Europe,  representing a room inventory of over 30,000. In addition, new hotels are under development in  Austria, Canada, mainland China, India, Macau, Philippines, Qatar, Turkey and United Kingdom. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to provide a strategic analysis of Shangri-La Hotels and its rapidly expanding business of luxury hotels into Eastern China, Europe, North America, and Australia; while still holding on to Shangri-La’s signature standards of â€Å"Shangri-La Hospitality. My analysis supports the recommendation that Shangri-La hotels have the required resources, expertise and efficiencies to successfully expand into these markets even with the tight labor markets and vast cultural differences Problem Statement Shangri-La Hotels is attempting to expand its business into other countries; however, expanding into high-wage economies’ such as E urope and North America could tarnish their brand and lead to a reduced overall profit. Current Strategy External Analysis PESTEL Analysis Political – little impact in Canada, however foreign companies may restrict trade or impose tariffs, thus increasing costs. Free trade may help or hinder companies. Favorable taxation or subsidies in other countries may assist competitors. Economic – Collectivity stage and needing to delegate (marketing). Interest rates, currency fluctuations and unemployment are factors. Social and Cultural – Foreign interest in products could be a fad. Advantage is quality. Technological – improved production/packaging technology needed Environmental- could focus on recyclable, reusable packaging. Legal- Foreign sales may require changes or inter-provincial sales may result in abiding by various provincial regulations. | Test| Competitive Implication| Performance Implication| Valuable| Does the resource or capability allow the firm to meet a market demand or protect the firm from market uncertainties| The product itself doesn’t protect the firm from uncertainties. The marketing concept of a healthy product, charming PEI and authentic ‘goodness’ is the competitive edge. Protecting the branded image and promotion is important in sustaining the market position and increasing this position. | Rare| Assuming the resource or capability is valuable, is it scarce relative to demand? Or is it widely possessed by most competitors| The preserve product can be copied. Strawberry jam has the most demand and supply meets demand in N America. Unique product combining high fruit content and liquors. | Product is easily copied; therefore it is important to differentiate fro m the competition with use of specific formulas of ingredients to have a unique taste. Inimitable and non substitutable| Assuming a valuable and rare resource how difficult is it for competitors to either imitate the resource or capability or substitute for it with other resources and capabilities that accomplish similar benefits| Preserve resource is not rare. The culture of home made natural image in the PEI setting is the rarity and could be substituted but countered with its original/ authentic brand. | Product is easily copied, so value must be in packaging/image/marketing appeal. Exploitable| For each set of the preceding steps of the VRINE test, can the firm actually exploit the resources and capabilities that it owns or controls? | One resource that the company has access to is the fresh fruit within the region, therefore there is the potential that the Company could monopolize the fruit market in the area. | Product is easily produced with access to fruit in the area. | Int ernal Analysis Functional Analysis Production Marketing Human Resources Finance Value Chain Analysis TOWS Analysis | From External Analysis| Opportunities1. New national and international markets/customers2. Custom production to utilize spare capacity3. Japanese tourism and marketplace4. Potential to tailor products to consumers in each geographical region| Threats:1. Potential entrants/substitutions claiming PEI origin2. Tariffs on exports make the product a less competitive price3. Labor intensive and seasonal labor 4. Significant currency fluctuations can impede exporting| From InternalAnalysis| Strengths:1. Quality product attracting premium pricing2. PEI ethnicity and charm3. Favorable tax status in Cda4. Increased sales and international interest5. Fresh local produce not requiring freight and storage costs6. Quality staff with low turnover. | SO strategies (use strengths to take advantage of opportunities)Increasing sales across Canada will promote PEI, incur favourable tax status vs imported products and therefore increase/improve competivenessJapanese market can be tapped with Japanese tourism in Canada (Vancouver/Toronto) without incurring the prohibitive multi levels of taxes and levies. Expansion would not only include different geographical locations but includes the potential to utilize quality staff throughout the year, rather than only seasonallyPromote company culture| ST Strategies (use advantages of strengths to overcome threats)PEI authenticity and premium gourmet product with specific marketing highlights to overshadow competitors substitutions. Selling to tourists within Canada, with no GST/PST or tariffs makes the product more attractive Selling nationally reduces freight/shipping damages and more inventory control | | Weaknesses1. Marketing plan2. Restaurant business dilutes core business3. Seasonal business4. Underutilized capacity5. Management’s lack of experience in growth management| WO strategies (use opportunities to overcome weaknesses)Custom production, expansion of selling to new markets/customers and effective marketing plan can utilize the unused capacity and even out the seasonal nature of the business Outsource canning, packing – research alternatives with environmental/recycle benefits| WT strategies (use defensive strategies to minimize weaknesses and avoid threats) Targeted marketing plan and sales agent to identify the place and promotion of the 4P’s to expand sales and sales mix. Increased sales and production would require full time staff and reduce seasonality which would increase ability to retain quality staff. | Key Success Factors Alternatives 1. Pro Con 2. Pro Con 3. Pro Con Recommendation Implementation Plan Short-Term Long-Term Prologue According to the SHANGRI-LA ASIA financial reports for 2006 through 2009 the Asian division has had an increasing net income with the exception of 2008. Proving that Shangri-La has been a success in Asia, even with the expansion into the Chinese market. Appendices Bargaining Power of Suppliers Substitute Products Bargaining Power of Buyers Threats of new entrants Competitors-Airbus/Boeing CCCComCompetitAIRBUS/Boeing Airlines Leasing companies Governmental institutions FAA, IATA, EPA Other regulating bodies Advance in short haul turboprop technology Advances in automotives industry and infrastructures High speed train Advances in telecommunications: video conferences etc†¦ Engine manufacturer Electronic, Semiconductor etc†¦ Others manufacturers such as metal, composite materials Government institutions Capital sources investors and banks FAA, IATA, EPA Other regulating bodies Mitsubishi Others emerging power Others small aircraft manufacturers Military companies: Dassault, Lockheed, ATR Mission Statement We envision a community of responsible and educated citizens who are environmentally conscious, practice social responsibility in their daily lives and inspire others to do the same. We commit to operating in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner whilst balancing the interests of diverse stakeholders. We strive to be a leader in corporate citizenship and sustainable development, caring for our employees and customers, seeking to enrich the quality of life for the communities in which we do business, and serving as good stewards of society and the environment. Partnering for the Future With a solid foundation and reputation for excellence in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and North America, the company's strategic plan now incorporates the goal of expanding the Shangri-La brand globally by operating deluxe hotels in gateway cities and key resorts around the world under management agreements, equity participation or ownership. Given the commitment to becoming a top-end global hotel company, the development functions of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts are directly led by the President and Chief Executive Officer. Shangri-La has always believed in the unique characteristics encapsulated by Asian Hospitality. Our commitment to providing guests with distinctive Asian standards of hospitality and service from caring people remains our major point of differentiation from our peers and the very cornerstone of our reputation as a world-class hotel group. â€Å"Pride without arrogance† is of particular importance as we want our people to be internally proud of our achievements but outwardly humble. After all, the hallmark of true success is that it does not need to be stated. In striving to delight customers each and every time they stay with us we aim to exceed expectations through consistently providing quality and value in our products and services. That’s why we look for trendsetters, professionals who are enthused by innovation and driven by achievement. Environment Our  daily operations ensure that we mitigate the impact of climate change, uphold biodiversity in conservation/habitat restoration, adopt the best practices in preventing ozone depletion, and continually strive to improve ater-use management, waste-disposal management and indoor air quality. Health & Safety We  are committed to protecting our customers, employees, stakeholders and the greater public by providing a safe and healthy environment based on international standards. Employees Our colleagues are our number-one asset, and our source of inspiration for the greater communities with which we work. We value our stakeholders and always engage them with clarity, honesty, and respect. We require that our business partners ensure the highest standards in environmental, hygiene and labour practices. We believe that caring for others today allows them to care for themselves and others tomorrow. ‘Embrace’ aims to build, strengthen and sustain local communities through various and specific education and health projects. Each of our resorts provides a natural habitat for flourishing biodiversity. The ‘sanctuary' is Shangri-La’s project for ensuring the highest standards in marine and terrestrial habitat restoration and environmental conservation.

Human Factors Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Factors Psychology - Essay Example An area that is known for continuous workload challenges is related to the field of nursing and medicine. Understanding the complications of this profession as well as ways to alleviate these challenges can provide fewer risk factors in this profession. The more in which one understands of the stress and challenges of these jobs, the easier it will become for implementation of a different organizational environment for those working in the nursing profession. When considering human factors and engineering, there are several components to include. Currently, developments in technology have created specific interactions between nurses and requirements within hospitals. There is a direct association with the psychological and mental responses as well as the physical capabilities of nurses and how they respond to different environments. More important, the engineering available through technology is creating new types of limitations and possibilities for nurses. The human – system interaction that is currently required presents new challenges for nurses in their ability to operate different pieces of technology while defining how design relates to specific needs. The combination of human performance and limitations, as well as how this interlinks with systems, then defines the first set of challenges of nurses (Wickens et al, 2004). The problems between human capability and systems use for nurses move into problems with how patients are cared for within a hospital setting. The patient safety often becomes part of the stresses of the situation. Human error, too many expectations among nurses and limitations of technology links can hinder those that are receiving care. If a nurse is required to move into a specialized unit, such as intensive care, then it leads to consequences that are further defined by the pressures required in the work space. Problems with