Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - 858 Words

The definition of sexism is discrimination on the basis of sex. In many cultures sexism was and still is a controversial topic. In fact, women in America couldn’t even vote until the 1920’s. The abundant masculinity in this novel is not sexism but just how the culture functions. Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart is not sexist towards women; in fact, it shows that women are essential to the Ibo society and posses a great amount of strength. For example, the novel is not sexist because it emphasizes the importance of the women to the society. One of the major contributions women make is the amount of crops they harvest. â€Å"His mother and his sister worked hard enough, but they grew the women crops like coco-yams, beans and cassava. Yam,†¦show more content†¦But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you. She is buried there. And that is why we say mother is supreme. (Achebe 134) This proves that women are definitely needed because without them the children would never have anyone to turn to. The quote stresses that women are the ones that provide comfort and love. Also the fact that the quote says women are supreme shows their importance, supreme means of the highest quality, degree, character, or importance. Moreover, women’s importance is made evident by the fact that there are goddesses and priestesses. The priestess of Agbala is very significant in this novel and the men listen to her. If women did not have any importance then the men would not listen to them. Their importance in the novel is displayed during the week of peace, which is dedicated to the Goddess Ani. First of all, it is dedicated to a woman and second of all when Okonkwo violates the week of peace many people are fearful of what the Goddess will do. â€Å"The earth goddess whom you have insulted may refuse to give us her increase and we shall all perish† (Achebe 30). Once a gain if women have no importance then why would the men fear what Ani is going to do or what she thinks. Another key point that expresses the importance of women is the bride price. The bride price is meant to be respectful towards women and it is often more civilized than verbal haggling like a farmerShow MoreRelatedThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1415 Words   |  6 Pagesbook Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe does just that. This book should be taught in schools because it shows the values and traditions of Achebe’s Igbo culture, persistently teaches life lessons throughout the book, and shows the darker reality of European colonialism in Africa. Chinua Achebe is known as one of the most influential and famous authors to ever write. Chinua Achebe originates from an Igbo background and he expresses that through his writings very well including Things Fall ApartRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe1324 Words   |  6 Pages Chinua Achebe chose to write his novels in English to reveal a deep response of his people to colonisation and to make that response understood to people all over the world. Things Fall Apart was written in English to teach people worldwide of the struggles he faced and the people of Nigeria faced growing up. Many authors and critics have written about Achebe’s ‘Things fall apart’ adding their valued opinion on what he was trying to say and his decision to write in English. In the followingRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe Essay1203 Words   |  5 Pages who took their land for monetary gain. This was a dark period of time for Africans that live there. The U.S. Civil War and The Great Depression both can be related, in this instance, to how down their people were because of what happened. Chinua Achebe said it best, â€Å"I would be quite satisfied if my novels...did no more than teach my readers of their past...was not a long night of savagery from which the first European acting on God’s behalf delivered them†(qtd. in â€Å"Morning Yet† 45). In theRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1452 Words   |  6 Pagesassume control over the Roman Empire. However, imperialism in Africa remained a recorded element from 1750 to 1945. This paper visits how control and changes were influences over the Africans during this time period as seen through Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart. (UKEssays, 2015) Europe was experiencing a few financial and political changes that forced the major European forces to investigate abroad regions to add to their resources during the seventeenth century. In order for the EuropeanRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe2361 Words   |  10 PagesThings Fall Apart Book Critique Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a historical fiction novel describing the life of Okonkwo in a Nigerian village succumbing to European ways, in order to portray Achebe’s view on imperialism. It was chosen for us to read by our teacher because it describes imperialism and its effects in an Ibo village of Nigeria. It also shows the treatment of natives by the Europeans and how the natives reacted. Things Fall Apart is useful to our course of studies because itRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1265 Words   |  6 PagesThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is markedly relevant to our current course of studies in World History, as it tells a story based on European Imperialism in Africa. Coming off the heels of our Imperialism unit, this post-colonial novel provides very helpful context on different civilizations’ perspectives throughout the Age of Imperialism; aside from analyzing death tolls, descriptions of conflicts, and names of countries, it was previousl y hard to envision what life was actually like during thatRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 735 Words   |  3 PagesThings fall apart. Achebe. Ernest Gaines once said, â€Å"I write to try to find out who I am. One of my main themes is manliness. I think Im trying to figure out what manliness really is.† Indeed, every society or culture has its own understanding of an ideal man. Even though these characteristics are different in various parts of the world, the significance of masculinity can never be overestimated. â€Å"Things Fall Apart† by Chinua Achebe is considered as one of the best examples of a riseRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe692 Words   |  3 Pagesthe way to go. Through commercial trading Islam spread into Igboland, and this led to more Igbo people leaving the Igbo way of life for another, whether it be Islam or Christianity which divide the country in two. In the novel Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe British colonialism and the migration of Muslims to Nigeria led to the change in the faith, social and economic changes in the Igbo society. Traditional Igbo faith believes that there is only one creator or god known as ChinekeRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe897 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel, â€Å"Things Fall Apart† by Chinua Achebe the Igbo tradition revolves around structured gender role. Everything essential of Igbo life is based on their gender, which throughout the novel it shows the role of women and the position they hold, from their role in the family household, also planting women crops, to bearing children. Although the women were claimed to be weaker and seemed to be treated as objects, in the Igbo culture the women still provided qualities that make them worthyRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe Essay1851 Words   |  8 Pageschoice and styles are critical not only to the reader’s understanding of the text but to his appreciation as well. How language is effectively manipulated in their writings enhances the reader’s valuing of the works. The selected novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a representation of Igbo culture and their language. It explores the life of an Igbo tribe at the time of when colonization hit Africa. It could be considered as a post-colonial text, as the protagonist of the story and the other

Analysis Of The Book You Can See That Styron - 1553 Words

In the book you can see that Styron believes that many factors might have contributed to the onset of his depression such as being prescribed Halcion for his insomnia which is contraindicated for those living with depression, as stated on Webmd, due to the fact that it was seen to cause â€Å"suicidal obsession† (p. 71). He also hints at the fact that he was unable to grieve completely for his mother’s death, another factor he has in common with Esther who was unable to grieve for her father. This fact of depression not being due to one cause is also relevant in the bell jar. Esther not only feels inadequate and different in comparison to others but is also influenced by the restraints placed on her by societal expectations. ‘’I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor†¦ I couldn t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.† (p. 73). Esther’s sense of confusion is brought to life in her dream of the fig tree, which has so many figs, but she doesn’t know which to choose. To Esther all the choices she has inShow MoreRelatedThe taste of melon by borden deal11847 Words   |  48 PagesThe Taste of Melon B O R D E N Focus Your Learning Reading this story will help you: ââ€"   relate your own experience to the story theme ââ€"   analyse story structure ââ€"   identify changes in the narrator’s perspective ââ€"   interpret characters’ motives 130 Look Closely D E A L When I think of the summer I was sixteen, a lot of things some crowding in to be thought about. We had moved just the year before, and sixteen is still young enough that the bunch makes a difference. I had a bunch

Ode to Salt and The Sound of Silence Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Ode to Salt and The Sound of Silence. Answer: Introduction The state of total or nearly total lack of connection between the society and an individual is termed as social isolation. A person when isolated from his or her community, he or she is in the state of social isolation. The modern individual is facing problems related to social isolation where individuals are suffering from aloofness, self-centeredness, lack of concrete identity (de Jong Gierveld, Van Tilburg Dykstra, 2016). Thus, the modern individuals are socially isolated being. The purpose of this essay is to show the similarities and differences between Pablo Nerudas Ode to Salt and Paul Simons The Sound of Silence centralizing on a theme called social isolation. The thesis statement: The social isolation is the most common theme of the modernist writers. The Comparison of the Poems Based on the Themes Ode to Salt and The Sound of Silence The Latin American poet Pablo Neruda writes Ode to Salt. In his poem, the poet has illustrated the story of salt in the context of the vastness of the world, thus the salt is isolated from its root in the salt mine. The salt is confined in the saltcellar now and before that, it was in the salt mine. The salt mine is the vast family of the salt and so to speak it is the birthplace of the salt. However, the salt is taken from the salt mine and used for domestic purpose. This image is similar to portray an individuals feelings of isolation. The poet hears the solitude of the salt and the poet has been shivered by it. The poet sated, I shivered in those solitudes / when I heard / the voice of the salt in the desert. The poet is very respectful towards salt and expressed the long history and necessity of the salt. He wrote, Preserver/ of the ancient / holds of ships. The salt carries much details of the finite world, which was expressed in the last line. However, its voice is broken and i t sings a mournful song, when it is isolated from its association. The pain of isolation is expressed in the metaphor of the individuals pain in isolation. From another perspective, the poem is the representation of the glorification of the history of the salt. It portrays the importance of the salt in the history and the author is inspired by the salts history. Paul Simons poetry The Sound of Silence expresses the pangs of isolation in the modern world. The poem has been started with addressing the darkness, which is the old friend of the poet. The poet wants to talk with the darkness Within the Sound of Silence (Simon, 2016). However, the poet walks alone in some restlessness, which is the symbol of modernity. The poet might express the crowd by the restlessness. The isolation has been expressed in the lines, People talking without speaking / People hearing without listening / People writing songs that voices never shared / And no one dared / Disturb the Sound of Silence (Simon, 2016). The situation is like that where peoples interaction is meaningless, weightless and people are unable to communicate with an understanding. The songs in this world are meaningless where the oppressed voice is not shared and no one in this world is dared to write this kind of song. The silence sound of isolation is still there. Along with the representation of social isolation, the Paul Simons poem is the representation of the conflict between material world and the spiritual attraction, which transcends this material world. The voice in the poem plays a role of visionary who feels and makes caution about the lack of spirituality among modern people. The comparison The theme of social isolation is present in both the poems. Ode to Salt has represented the factor of social isolation in the metaphor of salt, The Sound of Silence has portrayed it by showing the modern mans situation where sound of silence is there, and no one is actually communicating to the others social being. The poet in his poem Ode to Salt has discussed the social isolation, though the salt shares long history with human being. The salt sung when it was in the mines, however, when it is in the solitude, the poet hears the shivering sound of the salt as isolation could make an individual sad and gloomy. In comparison to The Sound of Silence, the poet Paul Simon here has shown the social isolation in a broader way. The poet has shown the result of the social isolation among the human beings (Eajournals.org, 2017). The result is people communicates with each other without conveying the meaning, people hears to each other without understanding the meaning and the whole world is t he form of isolation where true communication has broken. Analyzing the Poems Both the poets have represented their views of social isolation in their own ways. Pablo Neruda has focused on the inanimate object and given it the essence of humanity. Thus, he has used the poetic tool of personification here. The salt is get personified and the poet heard the oppressed voice of the salt. The salt here is oppressed, as it is isolated. However, any isolated being could face a number of challenges as it is torn out from its root. The salt is isolated from the mines, thus, it is facing problems related to sadness for the rootedness. The poet has used ode form here, which highlights emotion. The relationship between the salt and the world has been expressed by the one-word lines, which are preposition (Wilson, 2014). The words are structured in a way that represents the sprinkling ways of fall of the salt as if the salt is crying. The Sound of Silence is a lyric of a famous band called Simon and Garfunkel. It also represents the social isolation in its own way. The ref rain in this poem establishes the silence nature of the sound that does not carry any meaning. The song carries itself the sound of the silence, which is the result of isolation. Conclusion It can be concluded that, as the social isolation is the pervading theme of modernity, most of the poems or songs carry the thread of this theme with them. The Pablo Nerudas poem Ode to Salt and Paul Simons The Sound of Silence has been analyzed in the context of social isolation and in this paper shown the reflection of isolation in the poems. References De Jong Gierveld, J., Van Tilburg, T., Dykstra, P. (2016). Loneliness and social isolation. Eajournals.org. (2017). Retrieved 11 October 2017, from https://www.eajournals.org/wp-content/uploads/Poetic-Vision-of-Pablo-Neruda.pdf Simon, P. (2016).Lyrics 1964-2016. Simon and Schuster. Wilson, J. (2014).A companion to Pablo Neruda: evaluating Neruda's poetry(Vol. 259). Boydell Brewer Ltd.

PART I Essays - Internet Culture, Behavioral Addiction,

PART I Welcome online!. These are often the first words many teenagers hear when they come back home from school. For the past few years, the Internets distractions to teenagers has been a major social problem, and I have read many articles on students who are addicted to the Internet. Also, I have seen many people get involved in surfing on the net, and have seen their systematic lives deteriorate with their access to the Internet. This social issue has become even more serious as the great strides in technological advancements entice teenagers with newer temptations. Because of all the attention given to this issue, I have decided to research it and learn more about how the Internet distracts teenagers, and its effects on society. I already know that most teenagers have some sort of access to the Internet. I have always thought that the Internet is only a source of information and sometimes a source of entertainment, but after reading the frequent articles that show up on the newspapers about the usage of internet, I now know that most teenagers go online mainly to play games and to chat with other friends. I also personally know some people who claim that they are stuck in the net, and I have also recently discovered that todays teenagers, like myself, spend the most time surfing on the net instead of reading books or watching television. However, I know that there are many more causes of teenagers bondings with the Internet, and I hope to find out exactly what makes teenagers to become so dependent on it. PART II The question of the Internet being a distraction to teenagers is such a broad issue, in the sense that the internet has too many ways of distracting teenagers. I will, therefore, focus on two specific questions to learn about. First, I will find out what features on the Internet lure teenagers into it. For example, I know there are chatrooms which anyone can enter to talk to other people from all over the world. Secondly, I hope to find out how this attraction to the Internet can affect ones life so much as to get them addicted to it, and how it changes peoples daily lives. PART III In the Preliminary stages of my research, I discovered that it would be much different from those I have done in the past because the base of my search would not be encyclopedias or books. Although I knew that the library would produce little information on the subject I am researching on, I could not stop questioning the credibility of the sources from the Internet, and first went to the school library in the end of December. Entertainment on the Internet being a quite recent social topic, my first look into the books at the library was fruitless. Even after looking through the magazines that were available, I only found a minimal amount of information. My next and final reaction was to look into the Internet. The week after my first attempt of gathering information, I went to a web site with a variety of search engines and typed in the words Internet entertainment. The results were overwhelming at first. Over a hundred thousand web sites were found on the topic Internet entertainment, but I soon discovered that they all led to web sites that hosted Internet entertainment. This was when I noticed that I needed to go to a search site of newspaper and magazine articles. Then I went to the school library and went to a search engine site that was called SIRS. When I typed in the same words as before, I only got two articles. From the two, only one carried the information I was seeking for, and so I had to search in other sites such as PROQUEST DIRECT, TIME magazine search, NY TIMES and SCMP search. Even after going to the biggest search sites on the Internet, I was only able to find four written sources and was frustrated because I knew that there are a lot more articles dealing with the types of entertainment found on the Internet. However, it was after the end of my search for written sources when I realized that I

1984 by George Orwell. Term Paper

1984 by George Orwell. Term Paper 1984 by George Orwell. Term Paper 1984 was written by famous novelist George Orwell and published in 1949. This particular piece of literature takes place in the country of Oceania which is a totalitarian society under the â€Å"watch† of Big Brother. The citizens of Oceania are watched at every single time of the day and Winston (the main character) is against the oppression and manipulation. He wishes to rebel by joining the Brotherhood and overthrow the government and in this journey, he meets a beautiful woman by the name of Julia, who hates The Party just as much as he does and soon, they begin a secret sexual affair (which considered delicate crime). Julia and Winston meet a man named O’Brien whom they believe is part of the Brotherhood but is really part of the inner party. O’Brien â€Å"introduces† Winston into the Brotherhood which is really a trap that was planned for years. He and Julia are sent to the dreaded Ministry of Love. Winston and Julia are tortured and what they once b elieved in is suddenly tested, the individuality they once had is taken away. He is able to depict a society where one obtains no autonomy and incorporated the theme that a healthy and functional government consists of physical and psychological independence. Orwell is known for writing novels about social justice and opposition against totalitarianism. Another one of his popular pieces was Animal Farm which personified a barn of animals based on Stalin’s betrayal of the Russian Revolution. There is a definite pattern in his books. His form of literature came from his past experiences. He was the son of a British colonial civil servant. Growing up he participated in the Indian Imperial Police, in both the anarchist party in the 1920’s and socialist party in the 1930’s. By 1936 Orwell had traveled to Spain to fight for the Republicans against France’s Nationalists. He fled fearing for his life when the Soviet Union backed by communists suppressed revolutionary socialists. As a reader you can absolutely find the connection between his writing and his life. He was exposed to several famous social issues and in publishing books like 1984 and Animal Farm, it was a way for him to apply his background and thoughts abo ut the events into non-fiction stories foreshadowing what he thought about the issue or the future would look like. Orwell’s novel 1984 is narrated by main character Winston Smith. There were many ideas throughout the book but it mainly depicted what a government with too much power can do to a society. Through Winston we clearly saw that â€Å"a government with too much authority is unsafe and will not function properly for the citizens if they do not obtain physical and psychological independence.† The government manipulated and oppressed people’s lives, decisions and even thoughts. In Oceania Big Brother was the head of The Party. The population was constantly reminded â€Å"BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.† This served as a barrier for Winston along with the other people to not do, think, or say what they believed. There was nowhere, where you were safe and free of the government. In fact, the government was so powerful that they had control of even the past. Winston worked in the Ministry of Truth where he did away with documents of the past or altered them into somet hing The Party wanted it to be, â€Å"[his] job was to rectify the original figures by making them agree with later ones.† â€Å"Lies became the truth†¦ just once in his life he possessed†¦evidence of an act of falsification.† In opposition to the Party, Winston feels as if he obtains the power to expose the truth. Government oppression causes him to continue to do away with the past hence, showing us the frustration he would feel. Having the actual truth ready to be revealed yet completely shut down by just the thought of being supervised all of the time and fear of his life. Everyone in Oceania was completely brain washed and having no physical documentation of the past was definitely not helpful. â€Å"For how can you establish even

Glycosidic Bond Definition and Examples

Glycosidic Bond Definition and Examples A glycosidic bond is a covalent bond that joins a carbohydrate to another functional group or molecule. A substance containing a glycosidic bond is termed a glycoside. Glycosides may be categorized according to elements involved in the chemical bond. Glycosidic Bond Example An N-glycosidic bond connects the adenine and ribose in the molecule adenosine. The bond is drawn as a vertical line between the carbohydrate and the adenine. O-, N-, S-, and C-glycosidic Bonds Glycosidic bonds are labeled according to the identity of the atom on the second carbohydrate or the functional group. The bond formed between the hemiacetal or hemiketal on the first carbohydrate and the hydroxyl group on the second molecule is an O-glycosidic bond. There are also N-, S-, and C-glycosidic bonds. Covalent bonds between the hemiacetal or hemiketal to  -SR form thioglycosides. If the bond is to SeR, then selenoglycosides form. Bonds to -NR1R2 are N-glycosides. Bonds to -CR1R2R3 are termed C-glycosides. The term aglycone refers to any compound ROH from which a carbohydrate residue has been removed, while the carbohydrate residue may be referred to as the glycone. These terms are most commonly applied to naturally occurring glycosides. ÃŽ ±-  and  ÃŽ ²-glycosidic Bonds The orientation of the bond may be noted, too.  ÃŽ ±-  and  ÃŽ ²-glycosidic bonds are based on the  stereocenter furthest from saccharide C1.  An ÃŽ ±-glycosidic bond occurs when both carbons share the same stereochemistry. Î’-glycosidic bond forms when the two carbons have different stereochemistry.

My useful psychology book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

My useful psychology book - Essay Example In relation to this, the paper will be discussed from my perspective, which is how exactly this book has been a helping hand; this includes meditation, how to manage stress and managing myself in time. Meditation has been preferred for one’s peace and healthiness, however this was not included in my normal routine, but introduction of this book has been a very great help as the text introduced and somehow persuaded me to try out meditation. Once I started this exercise, I couldn’t help but notice the positive changes it started to bring in my life. For instance, it reduces tension related problem such as anxiety, joint and muscles issues and headaches. Not only this, the feeling of boundless energy and to be creative, being emotionally stable and feeling unusually happy and healthy are some of the perks of meditating. Moving to the next help that has been extended to me by reading and examining this book is the different ways and procedures through which I can manage stress. The initial step that is needed to be taken to ensure stress management is the very core from which this problem is erupting. If the original reason behind this issue is external that one should try to eliminate this factor, or if tit is internal that one should produce ways to deal with it. Another way to control stress is keep doing what you love such as painting, reading, go for outing, sharing with your parent, sibling or friend, because the more you indulge yourself in your favorite activities, the less you ponder over the issues that generates stress. Interestingly, stress is also sometime caused when you do something which you shouldn’t have done, so sometimes confessing helps too in reducing stress. Likewise, one should always try to look at the bright side or do things the right way. Exploring the third benefit which I have extracted from the book; the initial and the most important thing when managing yourself in time is to set achievable and realistic goal, because if

Fixed and Floating Exchange Rate Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fixed and Floating Exchange Rate Systems - Essay Example In fixed exchange rate system, the central bank decides the official rate of exchange of currency conversion which is fixed. This means that the traders would need to convert the currency of one country into the currency of another country at the rate of exchange fixed by the central banks. The fixed exchange rate systems could be classified as hard pegged exchange rate systems and soft pegged exchange rate systems. The hard pegged exchange rate system indicates that the pegging nation has lesser volume of control in the process of currency conversion and is very much dependent on the targeting nation. In hard pegged exchange rate systems, the fixed currency conversion rates are followed in a strict manner (Heakal, 2012). On the other hand, the soft pegged currency exchange systems are influenced by the fluctuation in the market conditions. The floating exchange rate systems are on the other hand marked to market. This means that these exchange rates fluctuate with the corresponding changes in the market supply and demand. The inflation or deflation in the economies leads to changes in the currency conversion rates. The exchanges rates in such conditions are said to be floating which corrects itself constantly with respect to the market and economic fluctuations. The exchange rate system that includes conversion of local currency pegged against the US dollars is an example of hard pegged exchange rate system. The currency is converted strictly with the rate of exchange for US dollars. In reality, no exchange rate system is fully fixed or floating. An example of soft pegged exchange rate system is the slight fluctuation in the rate of currency conversion due to changes in monetary supply in the economy. An example of floating exchange rate system is the auto-correction of the currency conversion rate due to the changes in the economic conditions. The devaluation of currency would lead to rise

Causes of World War Essay Example for Free

Causes of World War Essay World War 1 was the first war in history that had most of the world dragged into conflict against one another. There were many causes of WW1 the main one that actually started it was a short term cause, the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austria-Hungary Empire. But there were a lot of long term causes that were building up to war like the arms race with military sections such as navy being built up especially between Britain and Germany. Also Imperialism was a great cause because Germany had only just unified in comparison to the rest of the world they wanted to get themselves on the map in regards to some colies but there wasnt much free space rest in the world, also there was the alliance systems that actually pulled everyone into the war. Nationalism also played a role, basically its patriotism so it cone sides with the alliance system especially to do with Britain and all its colonies such as Australia and Canada, they join the war because of the alliance but also because Britain is basically there mother so even though they were independent they still were going to help out their oldest and greatest ally at that time. The only short term cause was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28 1914, this act committed by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo; Bosnia was the match that started the fuse that led to war. The reason for this assassination was mainly because he and his group wanted to break free of the Austria-Hungary Empire and have an independent Yugoslavia. This caused the spark of the war because Austria-Hungary found out that Serbia helped to provide some equipment and weapons. So they decided to teach Serbia a lesson by going to war with them and were planning on crushing them but they couldnt because Serbia was allied with Russia but they did anyway pulling there ally, Germany, in and causing the whole conflict to kick off. The death of one royal family member and the actions of one man to commit that murder ended up getting approximately 16 million people killed in the process. The arms race then ensued when Germany started to build its navy in compaction with Britain use 4,532,000 tonnes of iron and other materials and had 63 separate Dreadnoughts built. Those figures were just for the dreadnoughts that does not include other ships like destroyers and torpedo boats. That shows the pure magnitude of the want that Germany had to out-class and over power the amazing and massive British Navy that had been dominate in the oceans of the world for hundreds of years. There is a reason for the saying Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves. The whole arms race was because Germany wanted to become the world power over Britain and to do that they needed a navy but they couldnt really build massive ships in secret so the British found out and started to up there navy power as well, to stay ahead. One of the main ways they did that was by introducing the HMS Dreadnought; it was a new design that was faster and stronger than any other ship that had been built to date. It was launched on the 10th of February 1906 starting a new class of ships, the Dreadnought class. The whole naval arms race was a product of Germanys imperialism and want to become a major world power but because they had only unified in 1871 they didnt have much of a chance to get many colonies but they got a few and needed a navy to defend them but they had other plans on what to do next. There was also an arms race on land/ sky but it was no were near as large or cost as much because ships are a lot bigger and more expensive. But ever since wright brothers flew their first plane the military was interested in using them as weapons and they did, Biplanes made their combat debut during WW1 and it was the first time battles had taken to the skies and there was more than just ground forces to consider when planning out tactics. Also it was during but there was also the invention of the Tank or as it were first called Land ships. Imperialism was a major stir between the European powers as they were all trying to get more colonies and more land, but during this time Germany still wasnt Germany it was Prussia and because they unified late they didnt have a chance to colonies the world but they did do it in time to participate in the scramble for Africa and its resources. The reason for it being a part of the build up to WW1 was that Germany was envious of the rest of the European powers and how many colonies they possessed, especially Britain. This might not seem that important but to be a world power you needed influence around the world or a lot of land (like Russia) but Germany had neither but the wanted to be conceded a world power but they couldnt really because there was not much land left that the Germans could Colonise. Germany was also involved in the Morocco crisis because they wanted equal economic benefits from Morocco including Moroccos natural resources. This whole situation was a big problem between the European power and who would control Morocco. Nationalism is just patriotism on an extreme level, during the early 1900s all powers in Europe had their populations tricked because they all thought their ideologies were the best and their army could crush any opponent. Basically the major powers thought they were the biggest and the best. This was especially important between Russia and Germany the main reason Germany agree to support Austria-Hungary is because the tension between Russia and Germany was building. But because of nationalism was so strong in Germany they thought, well war is inevitable so we may as well crush them now. But Russian people had the same idea. On the outbreak of war Germanys mobilised with the strength of 3.8 million in there general army compared to Russias 5.25 million. You can see that Russias military was a lot bigger but Germany had it going through their minds that they could win anyway, even though on the outbreak they sent most of their troops towards France to destroy them quickly, that was the plan anyway. The whole reason most empires/ countries got involved was because they thought their armies were so amazing that their contribution would end the war in under a year, which was not true because of the stalemate that old tactics with new equipment caused, because as soon as machine guns were introduced trench warfare was outdated. The alliances were the main long term cause of WW1 they are what brought everyone into the war making it a world war, because it involved most of the world. The first treaty that was called upon was Serbia calling on Russia because of the treat from Austria-Hungary and Serbia could definitely not stand up on its own to such a large empire such as Austria-Hungary. There  was no signed treaty but Russia wanted to keep the peace in the Bucklands area and to do that they need to mobilise their military. And the mobilising of Russias military marked the start of many chain reactions of treaties/ alliances that would be called upon that cause one assassination to turn into the First World War. The Duel Alliance was the defence agreement between Austria-Hungary and Germany it was brought in, in case Russia attacked which was most likely at the point when the treaty was signed in 1879. Also ironically it was signed to limit war but it did the exacted opposite. But even though it was called upon for an offensive movement it was still defensive from Russia because Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia cause the Russians to move there army towards Austria-Hungary so they called for support from Germany and they got it. These were the first two alliances call upon and they started the First World War. The Franco-Russian Alliance was between Russia and France it was mainly to contain the threat of Germany because if Germany decaled war on either of them they would have to fight on two fronts because France and Russia were right next to Germany but on opposite geographical sides. It was signed in 1836 and its purpose was to dissuade Germany it worked for a while but ultimately it failed and Germany declared war on both of them. The Treaty of London was signed 1839 and its point was to recognise and guarantee Belgiums independence and Neutrality. Because it was so old Germany called it The Scrape of Paper and when Germany planned to disregard Belgiums neutrality by going through Belgiums boarders to invade France they expected no one to care or act upon it. Not only was this seen as war mongering but Britain stayed true to their word to Belgium and got involved in the war because of that. And with the entry of Britain brought all her allies from her colonies; Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa. With that most of the world was involved and it truly had become a World War. Then finally there was America. America was not obliged to join the war at any point by a military alliance but as soon as Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917 trying to restrict shipping to Britain and force them to surrender by starving them American shipping was in danger because America shipped food and other goods to help them in the war effort indirectly. But with their shipping naval personnel in danger they didnt have much of a choice to declare war on Germany thus America entered the war. In conclusion there were many reasons for WW1 to start but most of them had been building up for years behind the scenes it just took the match of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand to light the fuse and the world exploded into chaos and destruction with roughly 16 million people dead, 20 million wounded, and 8 million missing it was one of the biggest wars in the worlds history. BIBLIOGRAPHY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5YREY33W24 Published on 4 Aug 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njINCi9iIrA Published on 25 Jun 2010 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/gcselinks/wars/firstwwlinks/worksheets/causeswwi.pdf Published on (No date found) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_World_War_I Published on 29 Aug 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria Published on 29 Aug 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria Published on 27 Aug 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavrilo_Princip Published on 5 Aug 2014 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/archduke-franz-ferdinand-assassinated Published on (No date found) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-German_naval_arms_race Published on 19 Jul 2014 http://alphahistory.com/worldwar1/imperialism/ Published on (No date found) http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/moroccan_crisis_1905.htm Published during May 2012 http://alphahistory.com/worldwar1/nationalism/ Published on (No date found) http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3415778 Published on 24 Sep 2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Serbia_relations Published on 11 Jun 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_Alliance_(1879) Published on 2 Aug 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Russian_Alliance Published on 23 Aug 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_London_(1839) Published on 23 Aug 2014 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/america_and_world_war_one.htm Published during 2006 The First World War, Robin Lobban, Oxford University Press Text book from school, page 91 (white)

Comparison Between Grapes Of W :: essays research papers

People who feel trapped often do desperate things that affect themselves and others. “Fifth Business'; and “The Grapes of Wrath'; are two novels that both consist of trapped characters that are affected physically, emotionally, and socially. These elements are the very foundation of entrapment, which lead to the downfall of the characters. Mary from the novel “Fifth Business'; and Grampa from “The Grapes of Wrath'; are two characters that have a fatal flaw in their lives and characteristics that lead to their destruction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mary and Grampa are the two characters that can be portrayed as being physically trapped. Mary is physically trapped by her own actions. When she meets a tramp in the gravel pit, she allows him to make love to her. This event causes her husband Amasa to resign from his job as a Baptist Minister due to shame and disgrace. After this happening Amasa keeps her tied in a harness so she cannot get out of the house. Mary’s actions affect and ruin her family life. Later in the story it is mentioned that she is in a small hospital behind bars and often under sedation due to her abusive behavior towards Dunstan Ramsay. Dunstan is the one who has cared most for her during her life; however, she considers him her worst enemy for keeping her son away from her. Her physical entrapment due to her behavior and actions, eventually lead to her death. Grampa is also physically trapped, because of his old age. His inability to move around freely has an impact on his lifestyle. Grampa is always trapped in his household and in the vehicle the family is travelling in to get to California. When he does not wish to travel, he is drugged and is forced to go on the journey. Now the entrapment can be seen in the truck; he is physically unable to do anything and ultimately dies. He is not able to go anywhere and is restricted to visit places due to his old age.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emotional entrapment is one of the major factors in the destruction of the characters. Mary is emotionally trapped in the past. Even years after her son ran away, she still feels that he is a little boy. Her emotional condition ultimately drives her insane. Her insanity changes her thoughts and ideas. This can be seen when she blames Dunstan for keeping her son away from her.

Mother- Tongue based Multilingual Education Essay

Transfer to the other languages once Filipino or English has been acquired to use these skills in thinking and articulating thought and Be used in the process of acquiring English and Filipino more effectively Social Development Maintains local language and culture while providing national/ international language acquisition and instruction Promotes learners’ integration into the national society without forcing them to sacrifice their linguistic and cultural heritage. Using the culture the child knows enabling immediate comprehension from which new concepts can be built- going form the known to the unknown. Academic Development Meaning based education that enables students to learn well with the understanding of what the teacher is saying. Be well prepared to enter and achieve well in the mainstream education system. Source: Gazette of the Philippines The WHY’s In an article by Cruz (2011) under grading P-Noy the country’s president Pres. â€Å"Noy Noy† Aquino said, â€Å"My view on this is larger than just the classroom. We should become tri- lingual as a country; Learn English well and connect to the world; Learn Filipino well and connect to our country; retain your mother tongue and connect to your heritage†. In light to the Legal basis in the 1987 Constitution (Article XIV Sec 7), For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English. The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein, and as supported by the  1987 Philippine Constitution (Article XXVII Sec 30) which states that the child has the right to an education and to learn and use the language of his family, and as strengthened by RA 8780 EECD Law (Sec 5a) which states that schools a nd institutions shall use the child’s first language as the medium of instruction and Education for all should enable everyone to speak in the vernacular, Filipino and English, RA 9155 or EFA/MDG. Under BESRA KRT 3, all persons beyond school- age regardless of their level of schooling should acquire the essential competence to be considered functionally literate in their mother tongue in Filipino or in English. Theories of Language and Cognition This new approach in education in the Philippines under the Mother- Tongue based education in the newly implemented K-12 program has so much promise when it comes to having a solid foundation in literacy with children and thus this would create a ripple effect as they progress in their succeeding years not only academically but also in life itself. There had been several studies and researches done showing the efficacy of using the majority’s mother tongue language in learning a minority language, and in the case of the Philippines it is a country that embraces several mother tongue languages according to Lewis, Simons, Fenig (2013) the country includes around 120- 170 identified mother tongues spoken in different parts of the country; the Department of Education in the Philippines has somehow introduced and currently approved 12 mother tongues to be used in each respective areas that use such mother tongue languages, the 12 identified major language or lingua are as follow: a ) Tagalog b) Kapampangan c) Pangasinense d) Iloko e) Bikol f) Cebuano g) Hiligaynon h) Waray i) Tausug j) Maguindanaoan k) Maranao; l) Chabacano. Even with the studies and researches done to prove that having a good foundation of the understanding of the mother- tongue language of the child, there is still a whole lot of questions that rose with regards to parents’ aspirations for their children to learn English as early as Kindergarten since most have the mentality that learning the English language and being able to use the language in daily basis not only in school but also in social gatherings, homes and play area would make their children more appealing and would excel academically. To answer those questions, enlighten peoples’ mentalities and  to clearly understand the underlying effect of the benefits mother tongue based education offers; let us first see the theories that would explain the scientific workings of language in several context. Under the theories of Language and Cognition as described by Cummin (1981) he clearly illustrated under the Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP) that the basis for st udents to further learn a new language or L2 is the cognition and language fundamentals that student’s learned from their primary language or L1. In other words, if a student has a strong foundation and is competent in their L1, they are most likely to be competent in the acquisition of a second language, the L2. The Common Underlying Proficiency or CUP serves as the central operation system of both languages L1 and L2, Cummin (1981). In short, if there is comprehension on the water cycle in their L1, that formulated knowledge transfers to the comprehension of water cycle in another language or L2. In the Philippines’ case let us say that the water cycle as discussed in Bisaya (mother tongue used in Cebu) is learned it is of close certainty that learning the same context discussed in English (students’ L2) would also be learned by the students. Linguistic knowledge, as well as skills such as summarizing chapters, can also transfer between languages, Freeman & Freeman (2004). The results of many recent studies suggest that bilingualism can positively affect both intellectual and linguistic progress. These studies have reported that bilingual children exhibit a greater sensitivity to linguistic meanings and may be more flexible in their thinking than are monolingual children (Cumm ins and Swain, 1986; Diaz, 1986; Hakuta and Diaz, 1985; Ricciardelli, 1989). Most of these studies have investigated aspects of children’s metalinguistic development; in other words, children’s explicit knowledge about the structure and functions of language itself. Another concept under Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and consisting of the language skills that enables students to communicate in everyday social contexts at home or in group, Diaz- Rico & Weed (2006) and consists of more social cues, such as wave or a smile when a friend or acquaintance is seen, or a nod from a teacher or parent to affirm that the child is doing a good job. Since it is context embedded, L2 learners tend to develop it within 2 years; much more quickly than Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). CALP can be seen of as academic, or school language and requires more complex thought  process such as categorizing and analyzing. It focuses more on â€Å"abstract and decontextualized† Diaz- Rico & Weed (2010), higher- order thinking skills are required from students in this aspect, since the lack of context clues that CALP provides, it can take up to five years for English Language Learners or L2 to develop. An important characteristic of the bilingual children in the more recent studies (conducted since the early 1960’s) is that, for the most part, they were developing what has been termed an additive form of bilingualism (Lambert, 1975); in other words, they were adding another language which is English as their second language to their repertory skills at no cost or disadvantage of their first language but instead these children were in the process of attaining high level of fluency and literacy in both of their two languages. To further develop such skills what teachers could do is to encourage students to keep reading stories, articles or animations in their native language for fun, or even talk about their day in school with their parents, guardians, friends and/ or social circle in their native language, and in order to allow for the development of BICS, teachers need to give students time to socialize throughout the school day. This time could be during a work time or even just at lunch and on the playground. Without many opportunities to communicate socially, English Language Learners will struggle with basic language development. In the aspect of the development of CALP in an English Language Learner is one that will take more time and thought on the part of the teacher. When introducing content-specific language in the classroom, it is helpful to provide student with visuals and realia as much as possible. Giving students the opportunity to visually picture the concept will aid their understanding. When the concept is more abstract, as is the case with more upper-leveled grades, resources such as charts, graphs and graphic organizers may be particularly helpful in the development of CALP. Cummins himself says that â€Å"not only does maintenance of L1 helps students to communicate with parents and grandparents in their families, and increase the collective linguistic competence of the entire society, it enhances the intellectual and academic resources of individual bilingual students†Ã‚  Cummins (2000). Children use language in social context, especially in building relationships, exchanging information, thinking and with the play of words and in communicating while learning. We know today that the ability to communicate is prior to linguistic development: before producing words to communicate, babies start to babble or show signs in order to communicate to their caregivers or family; then they start to name people and things around them to exchange information and make sense and meaning of the world they are in. As they continue to develop, their language develops and they become more sophisticated communicators; from then on their personality develops and when they go to school they start playing with other children and cooperating and use their language(s) to interact with peers and adults and to learn. Therefore, children need language to socialize, to communicate, to understand the world and to learn. As Harding and Riley (1986) write: â€Å"A child learning a language is learning about the world, about how it is organised and how it works. This is very different from the adult learning a second language who tends to work the other way round: he brings his world with him and uses the language to try to express it.† When placed in a bilingual or multilingual setting, children are going to learn in that context through their first language or L1 and that it is important to acknowledge several facts around L1: that is the language acquired from home and from birth to their social cir cle and it does not stop by the time children enter school. And that the additional language would not develop and progress similarly with L1 since L1 is already pre- existing. As a teacher, one should always remember that just because a student speaks English well on the playground, does not mean their CALP language is fluent. A teacher should encourage students to continue to read regularly in their native language, so that they can transfer these skills into English. As Cummins (2000) states: â€Å"Conceptual knowledge developed in one language helps to make input in the other language comprehensible. If a child already understands the concepts of â€Å"justice† or â€Å"honesty† in her own language, all she has to do is acquire the label for these terms in English. She has a far more difficult task, however, if she has to acquire both the label and the concept in her second language† Shoebottom (1996- 2012). Another tactic teachers can use is to allow students to work in groups with other who speak the same native language. Teachers could allow students to talk among  themselves, use pictures or dictionaries if they don’t understand something. Teach all students the vocabulary before starting an new unit, this can benefit the entire class. Never judge a student for not unde rstanding something taught to them in their L2. It had been noticeable that almost anywhere the minorities are taken for granted. They are expected, if not required to assimilate to the socio- political edifices, social practices, and the social standards which are mostly built by the majority. Even then the majority still treats them less than equal, if not less than human. And with regards to the minority in the aspect of language in the Philippines, this particular learning initiative is ideal to the schools who caters to disabled students and also to students who have special needs. And with this new program which is the MTB- MLE it is most likely to enhance and help them make meaning to the concepts and topics that are being introduced, it would eliminate one aspect of understanding the word, their only concern by then is understanding the concept since they already understand the language use in the introduction of the content, thus making it easier for them and making it personal and relatable. Since the aim of mainstreaming is to let students with special needs learn at par with regular students, this learning initiative would enhance that aim and would fully immerse students with special needs in the â€Å"regular world† it would also put them at par with the reality that regular students are in. This learning initiative would help these marginalized minorities through supporting the use of their mother tongue and helping them make sense of the words and the world they are in. In line with the salient features of this MTB- MLE learning initiative, this would be powerful in the development of their language literacy, thus providing them with a strong educational foundation on their first language and bridging it in learning another language either the Filipino language or the English language and also, enabling them to use both or all languages in their own discretion, and given that students with special needs find it challenging in transferring concepts and instantly making meaning on concepts compared to regular students, this learning initiative would put their mother tongue as their solid foundation in figuring out the meaning of  each topic and the concept introduced, making it less stressful and difficult. Another feature that was presented focused on Cognitive development of students and learners, and with MTB- MLE learning initiative it is based on the child or students’ own known environment and bridges their world to the wider world so as the concept of â€Å"Known to Unknown† and the build- up of higher order thinking skills as to where they are capable of doing, may it be figuring out money change, or deciding as to where the safest part of the road to cross; and the understanding concepts learned through their mother tongue would then be transferred in another language, and making it less confusing since there is already prior knowledge and familiarity o the concept. In the aspect of social development, since these minorities have difficulty with regards to their social skills, this learning initiative would enable them to make it less threatening and intimidating for them to engage themselves in social circles, practices and activities, may it be joining a person or two in the playground and engaging in a simple play or social gathering. MTB- MLE enables these students to use their known culture and enabling them to immediately comprehend social practices, activities and realities based on their known world outside those in school—their known world at home, encouraging them to interact and share what they usually do at home since the language used at home, is the same language used in school, activities and social practices in their learning environment. And the last salient feature discussed in this learning initiative is academic development, through MTB- MLE learning initiative, students with special needs are able to make meaning of what the teacher is saying since the language used is their mother tongue, the language most likely they use at home and are familiar to them. And also, it would allow this minority to be well prepared to achieve well in the mainstream education system as what most parents aspire their children to achieve. The learning experience of students with special needs would most likely be enhanced with this learning initiative since it is basing the acquisition of concepts, topics, context and ideas in their known language and allowing immediate acceptance to these concepts since the language used is already an experienced everyday activity. It would limit special needs students’ intimidation, threat and hesitation in engaging themselves socially, academically and emotionally, since they could clearly see that their fellow  students, as well as teachers are using the same known language with regards to teaching and learning, and putting them on the same standard as of the other regular students, also allowing the minimal feel on the difference of regular students and special needs students. This learning initiative would most likely encourage students to achieve more are would not make big concepts in different subjects intimidating since the language used are non- threatening to them, this would allow them to relate their everyday reality to the reality nationally, internationally and globally. Upon having a solid foundation on their mother tongue, students are also able to retain their local identity and national identity at the same time being able to find their global identity thus giving them a key to fully experience the world outside their known world through the help of worldwide web, media, and global activities. Though this learning initiative is very ideal to the marginalized minority which is towards students with special needs under mainstream program; this learning initiative poses a challenge to its proponents, especially the teachers, since being the product of the old education system which uses English as the medium of instruction and mother tongue was not in the picture in the whole education process, teachers would find it a constant challenge to cultivate their known mother tongue and use it in their teaching practices, learning once again how to write in their mother tongue at the same time being critical with the syntax and technicalities when it comes to the grammar in their mother tongue, since one could not directly translate English sentences to one’s mother tongue due to its arrangement and syntax. Teachers have to shift to what they have known, used and practiced in their education as well as their profession, it is a shift to learning and entertaining their mother tongue and incorporating it to their instruction; it would mean relearning terminologies and changes in outlines, instructional materials, resources, references, educational strategies and practices; these challenges are to be faced head on and demands consistency and result from stakeholders such as schools, parents, students and the government. This learning initiative is properly introduced and practiced, it would make a difference not only to the marginalized minority but also to the other students especially those who are struggling academically, and since theories involving L2 acquisition shows that having a solid foundation on L1 does not hinder any academic  performance rather than it supports and enhances the students understanding of concepts since the language used is their home language, the language that they have been familiar since birth, the language that they have learned to make meaning on this outside their academic world. The successful practice of this learning initiative would bring about better comprehending students, better learners, enhancement of higher order thinking skills, life skills and whole rounded learners. It would also promote unity in different localities in the same region, unity in schools and not having that glaring difference on status basing on the language spoken, unity in public a nd private school sectors, unity and uniformity in concepts taught. And as a teacher, I am moved to respond to this learning initiative by furthering and widening my skills and knowledge on my mother tongue since I personally am not confident to teach my mother tongue, since I grew up in an English speaking environment and in a family that used English in almost always at home. I am challenged to relearn my mother tongue and to have full command of my local language, and since the country is already adapting to MTB- MLE it is my responsibility as a future teacher to make into reality the aims and features of this learning initiative, making the learning experience personal to my future students and learners even if there are more than 30 students in a class, it is my responsibility to make sure that my future students would confidently be able to make sense and meaning to what I am conveying and saying with regards to teaching concepts, and also carry with it the encouragement for unity, uniformity and decrease the fear of being different in terms of understanding the language. Since this learning initiative is fairly a new concept to some, it is also my responsibility to share the beauty and its advantages, in the whole educational experience of a learner, it is my responsibility to make it known to others of the weight of such learning initiative in the enhancement and development of whole rounded learners and life- long learners. References Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA), 2010. BESRA Key Reform Thrust 3: Influential social institutions and key social processes are engaged by DepED to support national scale attainment of desired learning outcomes. Retrieved from http://www.fnf.org.ph/downloadables/Basic%20Education%20Sector%20Reform%20Agenda.pdf Cruz, Isagani 2011. Grading P- Noy. PhilSTAR.com the Filipino Global Community. Retrieved from http://www.philstar.com/education-and-home/708011/grading-p-noy Cummins, J. & Swain, M. (1986). Bilingualism in education: Aspects of theory, research and practice. London: Longman. Cummins, J. (1981) Bilingualism and minority language children. Ontario; Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Cummins, J. (2000) Language, Power and Pedgogy: Bilingual Children in the Crossfire. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Diaz, R. M. (1986). Bilingual cognitive development: Addressing three gaps in current research. Child Development, 56, 1376-1388. Dà ­az-Rico, L. T. & Weed, K. Z. (2006). The cross-cultural, language, and academic development handbook, fourth edition. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Diaz-Rico, L. T. & Weed, K. Z. (2010). The crosscultural language, and academic development handbook: A complete K-12 reference guide(4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Freeman, D. E. & Freeman, Y. S. (2004). Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, and grammar. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Hakuta, K. & Diaz, R. M. (1985). The relationship between degree of bilingualism and cognitive ability: A critical discussion and some new longitudinal data. In K. E. Nelson (Ed.), Children’s language, Vol. 5. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum. Harding, E. & Ri ley, P. 1986. The bilingual family: a handbook for parents. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lambert, W. E. (1975). Culture and language as factors in learning and education. In A. Wolfgang (Ed.), Education of immigrant students. Toronto: O.I.S.E. Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.) 2013. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Seventeenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved from http://www.ethnologue.com Official Gazette of the Philippines (n.d). K-12 Basic Education Program: Salient Features. Retrieved from http://www.gov.ph/k-12/#Features Philippine Constitution 1987, Article XIV Sec 7: Education, Science and Technology, Arts , Culture and Sports. Retrieved from http://www.lawphil.net/consti/cons1987.html Ricciardelli, L. (1989). Childhood bilingualism: Metalinguistic awareness

Engineering Is a Very Important Part of Our Society Essay

Engineering is a very important part of our society, both now and in the past. It is a major that opens a wide variety of career opportunities for you after college. Engineering is what keeps our nation moving and up to date with technology. It is a very strong appealing major in college due to the amount of average income, and also it appeals to many individuals likes in a career. It has the highest paying income straight out of college, and that increase in pay usually does not stop, it just keeps increasing. Another appealing aspect of a career in engineering is the possibility to work for a foreign company, and no matter where you live in the United States, your income never decreases due to the other local income. It is a rewarding career, both financially and mentally. This is one of those careers that you feel a great deal of self-worth after completing an assignment, or creating something new and improved to keep up with technology. It is a major that requires more time and effort than most other majors. You need to apply yourself or you will just fall behind and most likely just drop the major all together. Whether you choose general engineering or a more difficult division such as mechanical or To become a successful engineer is to ensure a spot in our future. Almost every type of engineering will be required to run our world, now and in years from now. Engineering is very important aspect of our working world. It keeps us going and up to date with technology. Without engineers, there would be no moving parts, which means no cars, planes, video games and anything else you can think of that requires moving parts to operate. Over all engineering is concerned with technology and keeping the world going. In the future, near or far, engineering most definitely has its place in our world. If the future holds a few big technological advances or a lot, engineers will still be there making sure everything runs smooth and properly. A world without engineers could only exist if everything made, was made to perfection and would never fail or break down. For now, we need to keep putting out successful engineers into our working world, and make sure that there is a future. l or aerospace, your major is the most difficult one you can choose. I recently interviewed Jack Byrd, an engineering professor at West Virginia University, on Mechanical Engineering. The interview detailed the importance of engineering and the process he went through to be where he is today. This interview would be an insight to anyone who has the slightest interest in engineering or becoming an engineer and what it takes to become a successful engineer. After college is where your education really takes its part in your life. Even though your schooling is over, it plays one of the biggest roles in all your opportunities after you graduate. Once you get your resume around, you have many possibilities and opportunities ahead of you to choose The world is changing rapidly. From the Stone Age to the Iron Age today we are living in an ultramodern era where things which were not even thought of earlier have become vital necessities in our life. For example, light in those ages was to be got only from sun for a limited part of day. But now we have electricity for all time use. Thanks to Thomas Alva Edison who by inventing electricity illuminated the whole world.

The eNotes Blog Novembers Teachers Corner Column A Guide to Summative and FormativeAssessments

Novembers Teachers Corner Column A Guide to Summative and FormativeAssessments Teacher’s Corner is a monthly newsletter from just for teachers. In it, experienced educator and contributor Susan Hurn shares her tips, tricks, and insight into  the world of teaching. Check out this month’s Teacher’s Corner column below, or sign up to receive the complete newsletter in your inbox at . Keeping Up with Assessment and Grading Assessing students’ achievement is an integral part of teaching, and like everything else in the profession, it has become more complicated. The days of giving a chapter test and calling it good are over. That’s not a bad thing though. To really keep tabs on who’s learning what, assessment has to be an ongoing process, and it has to offer kids a variety of ways to show what they know and what they can do. To be thorough and effective, assessment has to include the three main types of measurement: diagnostic, formative, and summative. Diagnostic assessment is imperative, since it’s impossible to know how much ground students have gained at the end of a study unit unless we know where they were at the beginning. Formative assessment checks their learning along the way and provides an opportunity to adjust lesson plans, if necessary, and to address specific problems a struggling student might be experiencing. Summative assessment at the end of a study unit indicates kids’ overall mastery of new material and gives a clear idea about how to proceed in instruction. A review of all six types of assessment can be found  here at edudemic.com.  Another good site with information about assessment practices is  utexas.edu/teaching. Summative assessments are most effective in determining student progress throughout the year when they vary in design and implementation. There are so many different ways to assess students’ knowledge and skills that it wouldn’t be feasible to list them all here, but five come to mind immediately: the five P’s- papers, presentations, projects, products, and portfolios. Check out the site Learner Centered Teaching for some suggestions.  It lists dozens of ways to assess learning in addition to using tests. At some point, assessments become grades to record. Keeping a grade book and reporting students’ grades have become more complicated, too. In days of yore, as you might remember, grades were recorded by hand in strange-looking books that teacherscarried around with them and guarded day and night. Some parents checked on grades occasionally, but most parents relied on grade cards to keep track of their kids’ achievement. Now, grade books throughout the land are electronic, and parents can review grades on line as they are recorded. It’s a plus that parents can see how their children are doing at school week to week, but keeping an electronic grade book up to date is a challenge, especially if you have stacks and stacks of papers to evaluate. Also, many districts now require teachers to record a minimum number of grades each week. There are some ways to keep up in posting grades, however, that also employ good methods of formative and summative assessment. For instance- Formative assessments: All formative assessments shouldn’t be graded, but it’s fair to take a few grades to indicate a student’s progress in achieving specific objectives. A good formative assessment doesn’t have to be time consuming to grade. Short check-up quizzes are easy to grade. A check-up could be as simple as asking the class two or three key questions over the material and having students respond briefly in writing after they hear each question. Having students do a few problems or complete a short worksheet over skills they should have mastered is another quick formative assessment that’s easy to grade. A crossword puzzle could serve as a valid, quick-to-grade formative assessment. With Puzzlemaker you can make your own crosswords, and nine other kinds of puzzles, several of which would be good to use in a formative assessment. Puzzlemaker is quick, easy, and free. Summative assessments: Since grading a comprehensive test usually takes a lot of time, use some other means of summative assessment, or write the kind of test you can grade and record more quickly. Student presentations can be graded with a rubric as you watch them in class. In creating rubrics, use free resources like this one from rubistar.org. It features a large collection of excellent rubrics over subjects in ten areas. You can use the rubrics as they are or easily edit them to measure exactly what you want to assess. Projects, like graphic organizers, take less time to grade than papers. They, too, can be scored quickly with a rubric. When you do use a test in summative assessment, write one that let kids show what they know in several ways and that you can grade in less time. Include a variety of questions- True/False, Fill in the Blank, Matching, Multiple Choice, Completion, and Short Answer Essay. Writing a variety of short answer essay questions and letting students choose two or three to tackle gives them a greater chance to demonstrate their knowledge. Grading several short essays requires less time and concentration than evaluating a long essay that by its nature is limited to one topic. It seems this month’s column has turned into an epic- again! I hope there’s something in it that contributes to your students’ success and makes your work a little easier and even more satisfying. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! See you in December. Susan

Writing Mantras

Writing Mantras    Im not a fan of interviews, which might sound a little self-centered because I have been interviewed many times. But I have to admit that when I see an interview of an author with all the stereotypical questions, I hit delete. I dont know how I managed to remain on this authors interview page long enough to read to the end of it, to the juicy part, but I did. And I immediately thought, My readers need to know this. lucberthelette.com/#!authorelizabeth-gilbert/c1vg0 Elizabeth Gilbert is author of several books, most notably Eat, Pray, Love. The interviewer asked a   few clichà © questions, but luckily Ms. Gilbert answered with genius. Rather than describe the interview, I chose to pull out snippets that I label as mantras. If youve read The Shy Writer Reborn (www.chopeclark.com), you know that I am a believer in mantras to instill willpower. The simplest path seems to be to embrace what you are good at, which is like swimming with the current, rather than against it. to figure out what, indeed, your own life is all about requires a ferocious level of attention to the way you are tuned, and equally ferocious stewardship of the Self once I began writing, it became clear to me: This is not a foreign language; this is my native tongue. You must write the book that you feel is missing from your bookshelf. My suggestion is to focus not on becoming successful, but on becoming great. dont demand that your art supports your life. Instead, make a promise that your life will always support your art. A degree in writing is not what makes you a writer. Writing every day is what makes you a writer. And writing every day is absolutely free. And when asked for a final word, she said, ONWARD. I smiled because mine is MOVE FORWARD. Always has been. Your mission is to live forward, not backward. Make each step new and fresh, not one that re-walks old ground.

A Library Outside the Traditional Library System Article

A Library Outside the Traditional Library System - Article Example I was stuck in my research quest. I did not know what to do. My cousin had limited experience with the online library himself. We send a message through the system in the form of an inquiry to the librarian about how to proceed. The librarian answered in less than 48 hours. The tips I received from the librarian on how to find the information I was seeking were very useful. Remote access is the ability to enter or log into a network from a remote location (Webopedia, 2007). School should be providing this type of service to its student body. Remote access has plenty of applications for students enrolled at the k-12 level. Teachers can create laboratories in their classrooms is which all the students are able to log into a network to enjoy some type of educational experience. The teacher itself does not have to be present during the session since remote access allows teachers to monitor the system from an outside location. Student knowing that the teacher can monitor their computer activities; since every action get logged into the system will behave well and learn the value of responsibility and self-control. Remote access can also provide privileges to the k-12 students such as the ability to enter the school library or electronic resources to find information after school that can help them with their assignment from their homes. As a part of team responsible for managing a school library media system in the transition process of creating a website and electronic resources there would be plenty of things that had to be worked on, but the top priority would be on educating the faculty and teachers on the system. A school with technologies deficiencies in its library system has a great possibility of having these types of deficiencies thought the school. I would set up immediate mandatory seminars for the teachers to get them up to data on the National Educational Technology Standards.

Organisations and Behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisations and Behaviour - Assignment Example Since every department is branching out into many sub divisions and vertical as well as horizontal branches, cross communication has seen an enormous rise. Thus looking at the present scenario, a hierarchal organisational structure will lead to a lack in communication and the resultant organisational will be more bureaucratic in nature. In the given case study, Hawk Company has been observed following taylorist methods of production. A taylorist method can be described as a production process, in which the assigned tasks and works are broken down further into segments or smaller clusters, with the objective of monitoring the process and correcting any action. This can be regarded as a rigorous method of production where each and every action is flowed by strict monitoring. A taylorist approach can be accompanied by many methods of organisational structure. These can be bureaucratic, hierarchal or specialised structure. In the bureaucratic, structure, strict rules and regulations are followed and procedures are delegated in order to achieve compliance and control of subordinated from those who give orders. The second one is hierarchical in which decision makers are separated from employees who implement. Traditional methods of taylorism are highly dysfunctional and lead decrease in motivation of employees and workers. In order to achieve control and compliance in an organisation, a beurocratic structure follows strict rules and regulations and controls of all functioning within the organisation. From the above theories of organisation structure, we can conclude that because of the strict hierarchical structure and taylorist methods, the organisation faced many issues and problems. It is also evident that the arising issues and complications from the traditional methods of organisational structure and production process lead to the subsequent changes, which were implemented in the organisation. As a result of the perennial problems occurring in the organisation, the management decided to take necessary steps. The first action was to consult the workers and other staff members of the organisation and take relevant feedback about the organisation structure and satisfaction level. With the help of workers and employee feedback, many changes were made. The first change was made in the workshop and the factory. Old and traditional machinery were replaced by new and more advanced equipments. Special training was also provided to the workers for making them acquainted with the latest machinery. The traditional assembly line was changed to a more collaborative and compatible group. The new task assembly was divided into teams of workers, performing a specific job, rather than working haphazardly and simultaneously at different places. The workers were also invited to take part in management decisions and this helped in increasing their motivation to a great extent. Thus, by removing bureaucratic structure form their organisational portfolio, the ma nufacturing company was able to increase motivation and commitment level from their employees. With the implementation of teams in the factory, the traditional hierarchal structure also became dysfunctional, and the workers as well as the employees were able to communicate as well as contribute in

To what extent do the accounts of turn taking in conversation Essay

To what extent do the accounts of turn taking in conversation described in Sacks, schegloff and Jefferson (1974) and Duncan ( 1972) agree with each other - Essay Example For example, we now all realize that the speaker who says "Its me" is not violating a rule of English by which he should say, "Its I." Rather, the mistake belongs to the grammarian who calls it an error. Speaker transition without gap or overlap is a feature of the social organization of conversation, achieved always then and there. For example, participants do not retrospectively attain it by editing their memory of a conversation. They do not, in the first instance, go outside the conversation in order to report violations to referees, policemen, oracles, etc., in the hope that external agencies will punish the violators. There is, then, a social organization to turn-taking which has as one of its proper products that one person talks at a time: Achieving this product requires participants to encounter and solve at least two tasks: the collaborative location of transition points, and the collaborative use of means for arriving at who speaks after any current speaker (Beattie, 1983). These are tasks which, on the situated occasions of their solution, are tasks of understanding. And participants so interpret them. They take failing to talk when one has been selected to and another s tops as evidence of failing to understand what has been said. The specific kinds of understanding required for achieving proper turn-taking are determined by how turn-taking is socially organized. For example, if conversation were structured so that the order of speakers and the lengths of their utterances were pre-assigned for whole conversations, turn-taking would impose rather minimal tasks of understanding upon participants (Duncan, 1972). They work in such a way as to require that parties to a conversation do extensive work of understanding if their system of turn-taking is to operate as it does. Both employ utterance units which need to be constantly monitored for their completion. Both operate to select future speakers in an one

Militarization And Weaponization Of Outer Space Politics Essay

Militarization And Weaponization Of Outer Space Politics Essay The exploration and use of outer space à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ shall be for peaceful purposes and shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [The] prevention of an arms race in outer space would avert a grave danger for international peace and security Prevention of an arms race in outer space, United Nations General Assembly Resolution, A/RES/55/32, January 2001. (PDF Document) Its politically sensitive, but its going to happen. Some people dont want to hear this, and it sure isnt in vogue, but-absolutely-were going to fight in space. Were going to fight from space and were going to fight into space. Thats why the US has development programs in directed energy and hit-to-kill mechanisms. We will engage terrestrial targets someday-ships, airplanes, land targets-from space. Commander-in-Chief of US Space Command, Joseph W. Ashy, Aviation Week and Space Technology, August 9, 1996, quoted from Master of Space by Karl Grossman, Progressive Magazine, January 2000 World Agrees: Space for peaceful purposes Internationally, for many years, it has been agreed that space should be used for peaceful purposes, and for the benefit of all humankind. Examples of uses and benefits include weather monitoring, help in search and rescue, help in potential natural disaster detection, coordinating efforts on detecting and dealing with issues of space debris and minimizing harmful impacts on Earth, research in sciences, health, etc. The United Nations (U.N.) Outer Space Treaty provides the basic framework on international space law, saying that space should be reserved for peaceful uses. It came into effect in October 1967. As summarized by the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs web site, the treaty includes the following principles: the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind; outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all States; outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means; States shall not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies or station them in outer space in any other manner; the Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes; astronauts shall be regarded as the envoys of mankind; States shall be responsible for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental activities; States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects; and States shall avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies. Towards the end of 2000, the United Nations General Assembly had a vote on a resolution called the Prevention of Outer Space Arms Race. It was adopted by a recorded vote of 163 in favor to none against, with 3 abstentions. The three that abstained were the Federated States of Micronesia, Israel and the United States of America. (You can see the details from a U.N. press release, together with a list of countries that voted, were absent and so on.) In June 2004, The United Nations reiterated concerns about the militarization of space and not being used for peaceful purposes in a U.N. General Assembly session: The view was expressed that the [U.N.] Committee [on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space] had not been fulfilling the mandate given to it by the General Assembly in recommending ways and means of maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes. That delegation expressed the view that the Committee should address itself to that issue, since military activities in outer space were seriously affecting international cooperation in the exploration and peaceful uses of outer space. Some delegations expressed the view that a greater risk of the introduction of weapons into outer space and the adoption of a concept of a use of force in outer space would undermine the basis for and the very logic of developing nonproliferation mechanisms and of the whole system of international security. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The view was expressed that an international agreement should be concluded to prohibit the deployment of weapons in outer space. Report of the Committee of the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, United Nations General Assembly, Fifty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/58/20), 11 to 20 June 2003, pp. 7-8 Similar positions have been reiterated since, too. For example, October 2006 saw a near-unanimous vote at the General Assembly when 166 nations voted for a resolution to prevent an arms race in outer space. Only one country abstrained, Israel, while only one voted against such a resolution, the United States of America. Whether the Committee can be effective, as the General Assembly desire, depends largely on some of the most powerful nations in the world. US Seeks Militarization of Space While various militaries around the world have used Space for years, it has largely been for surveillance satellites etc. However, the Bush Administration in the United States has long made it clear that the US wishes to expand its military capabilities and have weapons in space and therefore also be dominant in this fourth military arena (the other three being sea, land and air). This new ultimate high ground would provide further superior military capabilities. While it would provide additional important defense mechanisms, many worry about the other benefit it would bring-capabilities for offensive purposes to push Americas national interests even if they are not in the interests of the international community. Furthermore, together with its pursuit of missile defense, (which goes against the Anti Ballistic Missile treaty, an important part of global arms control mechanisms), the USA risks starting a wasteful expenditure of an arms race in space. Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, and the resulting War on Terror military-based policies and spending has increased. So too have the policies looking into space-based weapons. The Washington D.C.-based Center for Defence Information (CDI) provides a detailed report suggesting that this should not be a rushed decision: Unlike in Star Trek, the final frontier has yet to become a battlefield. But if the current trends continue, that will change-not in the distance future of science fiction, but within the next several decades. Emerging Bush administration plans and policies are clearly aimed at making the United States the first nation to deploy space-based weapons. There are several drivers behind this goal, including the very real concern about the vulnerability of space assets that are increasingly important to how the US military operates, and the administrations decision to pursue missile defense. Unfortunately, the administration has done little thinking-at least publicly-about the potential for far-reaching military, political and economic ramifications of a US move to break the taboo against weaponizing space. There is reason for concern that doing so could actually undermine, rather than enhance, the national security of the United States, as well as global stability. Thus it behooves the administration, as well as Congress, to undertake an in-depth and public policy review of the pros and cons of weaponizing space. Such a review would look seriously at the threat, both short-term and long-term, as well as measures to prevent, deter or counter any future threat using all the tools in the US policy toolbox: diplomatic, including arms control treaties; economic; and military, including defensive measures short of offensive weapons. There is nothing to be gained, and potentially much to be lost, by rushing such a momentous change in US space policy. Theresa Hitchens, Weapons in Space: Silver Bullet or Russian Roulette?, The Policy Implications of US Pursuit of Space-Based Weapons, Center for Defence Information, April 18, 2002 But because space-based weapons have been on the agenda long before September 11, and the War on Terror, the fight against terrorism is not the sole justification, though it may now add to the reasons. However, long before September 11, the concerns of the US motives for pursuing such policies have been questioned. The fear is that by seeking to create a dominant position in space, the US will become more powerful and others may be compelled to join an arms race in space. The above-mentioned CDI report also points out that The Bush administrations views were directly reflected in the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), released Oct. 1, 2001. A key objective à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is not only to ensure US ability to exploit space for military purposes, but also as required to deny an adversarys ability to do so, states the QDR. In this context then, space is no longer seen as the resource available for all of humanity, but another ground from which to fight geopolitical and economic battles. The New York Times reported (May 18, 2005) that there is a further push by the US Air Force for weapons in space. Any deployment of space weapons would face financial, technological, political and diplomatic hurdles, although no treaty or law bans Washington from putting weapons in space, barring weapons of mass destruction, claims the Times. Yet, this news article appears to ignore the Outer Space Treaty mentioned above, or the Prevention of Outer Space Arms Race resolution, adopted by a recorded vote of 163 in favor to none against, with 3 abstentions (the US being one of those three). If technically there are no bans on weapons, then certainly such weaponization would go against the spirit of those treaties. What the Times does mention, though, is that There has been little public debate while the Pentagon has already spent billions of dollars developing space weapons à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ preparing plans to deploy them; Air Force doctrine defines space superiority as freedom to attack as well as freedom from attack in space; In April 2005, Gen. James E. Cartwright, who leads the United States Strategic Command, told the Senate Armed Services nuclear forces subcommittee that the goal of developing space weaponry was to allow the nation to deliver an attack very quickly, with very short time lines on the planning and delivery, any place on the face of the earth.' Space superiority is not our birthright, but it is our destinyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Space superiority is our day-to-day mission. Space supremacy is our vision for the future. General Lance Lord, head of US Air Force Space Command, quoted from Air Force Seeks Bushs Approval for Space Weapons Programs, New York Times, May 18, 2005 On August 31, 2006, President Bush authorized a new national space policy, superseding the National Space Policy of September 14, 1996. The policy was based on 8 principles. One was about supporting the peaceful use of space by all nations. However, Consistent with this principle, claimed the policy, peaceful purposes would allow U.S. defense and intelligence-related activities in pursuit of national interests. Two other key principles noted the use of force, if needed to defend US interests: The United States considers space capabilities-including the ground and space segments and supporting links-vital to its national interests. Consistent with this policy, the United States will: preserve its rights, capabilities, and freedom of action in space; dissuade or deter others from either impeding those rights or developing capabilities intended to do so; take those actions necessary to protect its space capabilities; respond to interference; and deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to U.S. national interests; The United States will oppose the development of new legal regimes or other restrictions that seek to prohibit or limit U.S. access to or use of space. Proposed arms control agreements or restrictions must not impair the rights of the United States to conduct research, development, testing, and operations or other activities in space for U.S. national interests; Unclassified National Space Policy PDF formatted document, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the US President, October 6, 2006 Despite its commitment to peaceful use of space as stated in its policy, just a few weeks later, the US was the lone vote against such a resolution at the UN General Assembly (and has voted against such a measure in the past), as mentioned further above. The policy therefore appears to meet the US Air Forces desire for weapons in space. The fear is that others will take a similar view (using the rhetoric of protecting its own interest in space) and encourage an arms race. For many, it may be shocking or disappointing that this might happen, but human history is littered with examples of powerful nations looking to consolidate their position to maintain their dominance which is a major reason for their wealth and success. China and Space As noted further below, China is likely to be considered a possible adversary of the US in the future, and may be one of the countries that could threaten US dominance in space, even though for now it has constantly opposed the use of space for military purposes. Countries that may either have their own power ambitions, feel threatened by the US, and/or are genuinely for peace, may all therefore have different reasons to want space used for peaceful purposes. When China recently blew up one of its aging satellites with a medium-range ballistic missile, it caused mild panic and concern amongst US, UK and other circles. The immediate fear was that China was slowly flexing its muscles and that an arms race was now underway. It was one of the first such acts since the 1980s when the Soviet Union and the US did such things. China is feared to be developing better weapons to do such things, and there was also concern that China didnt inform anyone that it was doing this. This lack of openness is certainly a worry and smacks of hypocrisy for wanting a global treaty to ban weapons in space on the one hand and then using a weapon to blow up a satellite in space later. It may indeed be that China is sincere in pursuing a global ban, but its lack of transparency has certainly diminished confidence in that idea. However, as the BBC noted, Chinas actions may have been in response to Bushs earlier declaration that they will seek to dominate space militarily and prevent a global treaty to ban weapons in space. On the issue of space weapons, the US certainly risks the charge of hypocrisy, the BBC noted. From the US perspective, the announcement of [US policy against a global treaty banning weapons in space] was clearly a response to a perceived threat from China as well as an attempt to preserve the current US advantage in space. Yet, It may be that last weeks test is an attempt by China to push back at the US and put pressure on Washington to consider negotiating a treaty to ban weapons in space. In addition, despite much of the mainstream media implying China had started an arms race, it could be thought that the US had already started it, and that unfortunately China decide to join in. Furthermore, any talk of an immediate threat from China, or one that is not too far off, would seem irrational, as clearly the US arsenal far outweighs any Chinese capability for the short-term future. Thus, any intention China has would result in self-annihilation. The concern the US has then is the longer term. US build-up in the region, fermenting alliances (e.g. India), purportedly due to the War on Terror also serves to check China in a new Cold War as Maryann Keady notes. As China and others increase in economic strength, investment in military and other such areas is going to increase. It is already recognized that China will be spending a lot more on military in coming years, but more to modernize rather than build up. However, in that process, it will likely gain a lot more capability, so people are watching with caution. India too has been investing in more space-based technologies and nuclear programs, which the US has been keen to get involved in. India, for its part has been only too happy for such assistance, even at the risk of neighboring tensions. Militarization of Space for Economic Superiority With regard to space dominance, we have it, we like it, and were going to keep it. Space is in the nations economic interest. Keith Hall, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space, Speech to the National Space Club in 1997. (Emphasis Added) Most wars (hot wars, trade wars, cold wars etc) throughout history have had trade and resources at their core. (See the Military Expansion part of this web site for more on that perspective.) The military superiority of past and present nations has been to defend or expand such national interests. The militarization of space by the USA, even when there has been an international agreement to use space for peaceful purposes, as mentioned above, begs the question why? On 16 January 1984, Reagan announced that Nineteen eighty-four is the year of opportunities for peace. War is Peace, as Orwell wrote in his satirical book [called 1984]. Peace through strength, peace through domination. It is clear to most of the world that the Son of Star Wars, the Nuclear Missile Defense option, is also not about defense, but it is another way for the US to exert its global hegemony. The NMD, as this history of the SDI shows us, is a political weapon to further US ends rather than enhance global security. Vijay Prashad, Shooting Stars, June 15, 2001 While the answer from US authorities is usually along the lines of defensive purposes (as with the related issues of missile defense and star wars, as also discussed on this web site, in this section), many see the domination of space as the ability to maintain, expand and enforce those policies that will serve that national interest. The US military explicitly says it wants to control space to protect its economic interests and establish superiority over the world. Several documents reveal the plans. Take Vision for 2020, a 1996 report of the US Space Command, which coordinates the use of Army, Navy, and Air Force space forces and was set up in 1985 to help institutionalize the use of space. The multicolored cover of Vision for 2020 shows a weapon shooting a laser beam from space and zapping a target below. The report opens with the following: US Space Command-dominating the space dimension of military operations to protect US interests and investment. Integrating Space Forces into warfighting capabilities across the full spectrum of conflict. A century ago, Nations built navies to protect and enhance their commercial interests by ruling the seas, the report notes. Now it is time to rule space. Karl Grossman, Master of Space, Progressive Magazine, January 2000 An Arms Race? How will the rest of the world take to being dominated from above? One doesnt have to be particularly unfriendly to the US to feel uncomfortable. More naturally hostile or suspicious countries could well feel they have been given no choice but to develop their own antisatellite weapons in an attempt to blind US satellites, even though, since the US will far outspend them, the effort would become an ever receding goal. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It will not only make enemies where none exist, it will drive its Nato allies, already nervous and alarmed about the consequences of the ballistic missile shield plan, into a state of antipathy towards America. Jonathan Power, Space-After Titos fun it might be Rumsfelds nightmare, Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, May 9, 2001 Additionally, the development of weapons in space risks leading to an arms race, as mentioned in the Star Wars section on this site, in discussing the development of missile defenses. Currently, as CDI points out, the threat to US space-based interests is not as much as it is made out to be: Vulnerabilities do not necessarily result in threats. In order to threaten US space assets, military or commercial, a potential adversary must have both technological capabilities and intent to use them in a hostile manner. There is little hard evidence that any other country or hostile non-state actor possesses either the technology or the intention to seriously threaten US military or commercial operations in space-nor is there much evidence of serious pursuit of space-based weapons by potentially hostile actors. Currently, the simplest ways to attack satellites and satellite-based systems involve ground-based operations against ground facilities, and disruption of computerized downlinks. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It is obvious that the United States must ensure the integrity of its increasingly important space networks, and find ways to defense against threats to space assets. Still, there is little reason to believe that it is necessary for the US to put weapons in space to do so. Space warfare proponents are making a suspect leap in logic in arguing that space-based weapons are, or will soon be, required to protect the ability of the United States to operate freely in space. One could argue much more rationally that what is needed most urgently is to find ways to prevent computer network intrusion; to ensure redundant capabilities both at the system and subsystem level, including the ability to rapidly replace satellites on orbit; to improve security of ground facilities (perhaps moving to undergrou nd facilities); and to harden electronic components on particularly important satellites. Furthermore, the evidence of actual space weapons programs by potential adversaries is thin. Theresa Hitchens, Weapons in Space: Silver Bullet or Russian Roulette? The Policy Implications of US Pursuit of Space-Based Weapons, Center for Defence Information, April 18, 2002 However, fearful of the additional advantage, dominance and power the US will have, it is possible other nations may choose to develop their own systems to try and keep up or minimize the perceived threat. This will in turn make the US want to increase its expenditure even more, and so on, leading to an arms race, which risks leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy to justify continued expenditures. Once testing [of space weapons] begins, the need for destructive capabilities in orbit induces a mindset opposed to rational restraint. The mindset becomes unassailable if testing is completed, for then the system must be deployed since, if we have developed the capability, others will want to follow suit and rapidly will do so. Chief of Research, Colonel Daniel Smith, USA (Ret.), Space Wars, Center for Defense Information, February 2001. While the US may possibly be able to afford this, for other nations to get involved into such expenditures will be costly indeed, especially most have other pressing priorities. (It is also somewhat questionable that even the US can afford this in the long term, but the influential US military industrial complex supports this and so tax payers money will help large military contractors, as also discussed in more detail on the Star Wars page on this site.) (The star wars part of this section on this web site, also linked to from above, discusses more about the possibilities of an arms race and an impact on international relations.) China and Russia would seem two of the most likely adversaries that might engage in such a space-based arms race. However, as the Monterey Institute for International Studies in California notes, China has consistently opposed the weaponization of outer space in its official statements, and, along with Russia, has led the initiative to create an international treaty banning all weapons in space through negotiations within an ad hoc committee of the Conference on Disarmament. It could be argued that these nations are only pursuing such a course because they fear the more powerful United States getting even more powerful. This view may take hold in nations such as the US that do not look at the Chinese regime favourably (though much criticism is definitely warranted.) On the other hand, if China is going down this path for self-interest or self-preservation concerns, then by pressing for a treaty to ban weapons in space, they are doing it in a way that will prevent them from using space for their own military advantage. With backing from the United States the desires of the world community to keep space for peaceful purposes could be realized. The various technical monitoring facilities that would need to be in place to ensure compliance would likely mean any nation with desires to deceptively pursure a space militarization program could be thwarted. The US labels other nations that do not want to be part of the international system as rogue, yet one cant help wonder how the US should be labeled on this issue, then. Irans satellite: a look at the implications by Taylor Dinerman Monday, October 18, 2004 Recently, the Iranian military announced that it has successfully tested a 2000-km range missile, the Shahab 5, and the Tehran government has also said that, in April of 2005, they plan to launch the Islamic Republics first satellite. This, combined with the mounting evidence that their nuclear program is accelerating, indicates that we are headed for a major crisis next year. During the debates, both Bush and Kerry talked as if they will be able to stop Irans drive for nuclear weapons and the long-range ballistic missiles to deliver them, if not with diplomacy and sanctions, then with force. If they mean what they say, there is going to be trouble ahead. From inside Iran, a 2000-km missile will be able to hit, to the west, Greece, Turkey, parts of the Balkans, and the parts of Ukraine. To the east, it will cover all of Pakistan and major parts of India. To the south, it will not only be able to target Saudi Arabia, but Yemen, Eritrea and Djibouti, as well. To the north, not only will the nations of the Caucasus and Central Asia be within range, but major parts of Russia, as well. The capability of this weapon is far beyond what is needed for a strike against Israel. This missile and its longer range successors that are already in development are part of a major asymmetric arms buildup. The purpose of this effort is, in the first place, to safeguard the Mullahs position at home, where they are under challenge from a generation of young people who reject the Islamic revolution and the dictatorship it has created. Second, it is intended to provide an umbrella for the extension of their power into Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf, through the use of surrogates, such as Al Sadr and Gulbaddin Hekmatyr. If Iran can build and test a nuclear weapon, and prove that it has the capability to build and launch a satellite, even a small one, it will join a new category of states that could be referred to as mini-superpowers. Irans drive for nuclear weapons is obviously not going to be stopped because the Europeans or the Russian ask them to. The Mullahs believe that they need nuclear weapons not only to deploy against the US and Israel but also to safeguard their own regime. This does not mean that they are going to blow up one of their own cities if the locals get out of line, but it does mean that they want the prestige and the burst of nationalist pride that the Indians and Pakistanis got when their governments tested nuclear weapons in the 1990s.They may also hope that the West will fear that, if the regime is overthrown, the ensuing chaos might lead to a loose nukes situation. Under the Shah, Iran not only bought billions of dollars worth of western weapons, but also arranged for thousands of Iranian students to study science and engineering in the US and elsewhere. Many of these students stayed in the West, but thousands of others went back to Iran. Some of them, or people trained by them, are no doubt working on the Mullahs nuclear weapons and on the means to deliver them. If Iran can build and test a nuclear weapon, and prove that it has the capability to build and launch a satellite, even a small one, it will join a new category of states that could be referred to as mini-superpowers. A nation that can launch a satellite can theoretically build an ICBM. Israel and India are members of this club. Pakistan has not yet launched a satellite but has indicated that it plans to do so. Nations as diverse as Brazil, North Korea, South Korea, South Africa, and Japan all have tried, at one time, for membership. Having a satellite in orbit and a bomb in the basement gives a government options, and a certain amount of room to maneuver than states without that capability would have. During its war with Iraq, despite a larger population and greater strategic depth, Iran was nonetheless fought to a standstill, due to Saddams access to better weapons, from the USSR, France, China, Brazil and elsewhere (The US supplied less than 1% of Saddams weapons, mostly training helicopters and Chevy Blazers) and to his massive use of poison gas. The Islamic Republic learned to modify and to adapt the American and British weapons it had inherited from the Shah. The ability to keep even a small part of these systems in operation is not to be dismissed. To imagine, as some analysts do, that Iran is technologically dependent on Russia, North Korea, China, or Pakistan for its nuclear missile and satellite program is surely a mistake. The Shah was an exceptionally ambitious ruler and he laid the groundwork for Iran to develop a sophisticated and capable armaments industry. The requirements of the 1980-1987 war forced them to build on this foundation. Unless great care is taken, the Mullahs military may reserve some nasty surprises for anyone who goes against them. Fortunately, all reports indicate that the regime in place is at least as unpopular as that of the Shah during his last days. Indications of unrest are all over the Internet and even reach into the mainstream press. Sadly, this may not be enough to overthrow the Mullahs any time soon. So the US has got to begin developing some alternative plans for dealing with Iran. The US Army and Marine Corps may be fully engaged in Iraq, but the Air Force and Navy have plenty of spare capacity that could be used if diplomacy fails. Effectively targeting these forces against Irans bomb program and its supporting infrastructure is an exceptionally tough problem for the Pentagons and Centcoms Joint Planning Staff. If the US does nothing, then it is quite possible that, within a decade, Iran will have nuclear-tipped missiles that can hit not only Israel and Europe, but America itself. To counter that threat, the US will need a far more effective missile defense system than the one it has today. Only space-based boost phase interceptors, combined with a real multi-layered defense system, could hope to negate the threat. The final option is to develop and deploy space-based weapons capable of destroying Irans missiles and satellite launchers. This means accepting the weaponization of space, something that the Bush Administration seems to be trying to avoid dealing with. So the US and the West are faced with three exceptionally unpalatable choices. First, they could continue down the diplomatic path. This is currently being pursued, but since the Mullahs are obviously playing