The overall sense New World Essay Example for Free

The overall sense New World Essay The overall sense prevalent in each of the three readings is that the beginning of the inhabitation of the New World by the colonists was one filled with trepidation and little exploratory overtures. The colonies were on the surface largely inhospitable, and its original inhabitants viewed as savages were viewed with prejudice, wariness, and dread. As the days progressed, however, it became evident that the savages were willing to explore some form of relationship and interaction with the colonists, and in both John Smith’s and William Bradford’s accounts, there were episodic moments of goodwill, friendship, and collaboration. In these accounts, the importance placed upon their belief in God was uncompromising. In them, the providence of God in bringing friendly savages to befriend them and to supply them was acknowledged. There exists a palpable atmosphere of gratitude and cheer when such events transpired. It was almost as if the settlers in general and the writers in particular knew just how daunting a challenge their situation was, and how perilous their enterprise promised to be. The writers’ mention of God in the execution of their enterprise and how their fortunes rested on his statutes and goodwill bring out the stark contrast of the human displays of treachery, slander, and scant regard for the natives, whom they viewed as savages. This conflict would continue in their later dealings with the other tribes of the interior, and such janus-faced behavior appears schizophrenic, to say the least. Yet, the reliance on and the zeal with which they displayed their faith marked the beginnings of the settlements characterized by these three locations as mentioned in the writings. This faith then was the thread of continuity that existed in the different accounts and narratives of the settlers, and in spite of the different types of settlements founded by different groups for diverse purposes, the Christian basis was contingent on them all. It was needful for them to rely on a comforting system of belief, and one that provides them strength of hope, unity of oneness, and a certain security of what and where they had originated from. Yet, it is also very clear on a closer inspection of these three writings that William Bradford’s and John Winthrop’s accounts were more God-centric. This of course is a reflection of the foundations of their voyage and expedition. The colony of Jamestown, as displayed in John Smith’s account, was meant to promote business and reap profits, an enterprise by a joint stock company. Plymouth was for pilgrim families in search of a new life, a new beginning that was homely and familial. Boston, as characterized in John Winthrop’s account, was Christo-centric in its most fundamental conceptualization, foundation, and development. Little wonder that reading his account was akin to reading an interpretation of Scripture. The level of devoutness corresponded with the motivation for the founding of the colonies. Employing basic textual analysis, it is evident that the concern, thrust, and feelings surrounding their brave ventures centered on the role of their functions in the new settlements. Every one of these accounts ended in some measure of success, and each of them concludes with a triumphant tone that their efforts had not been in vain. From Winthrop’s firm exhortations to Smith’s tentative positive conclusion, it could be deduced that the strength of their convictions determined their celebration of the outcomes. Their struggles and searching out of the land, while battling disease, climate, lack of provision, and facing hostility from the natives, were definitely an arduous struggle. Yet, this brings out the reality of the situation and circumstances facing them, and as one gets drawn into the narrative, one begins to feel the proximity and reality of the connection. The desperation of the settlers at Jamestown was palpable, and the eventual sigh of relief gave way to a resigned air of fatalism, that the difficult labour exercised by the less-than-scrupulous figures that dominated the narrative would finally be put to rest. The more positive gratitude of Bradford’s account was dotted with certain moments of sorrow, yet, the overall emotion that emanated forth was that here was a place where industry and good Protestant ethics would prevail and reap them a good harvest, first a thirty-fold, then a sixty-fold, and finally, a hundred-fold. Winthrop’s account was a direct call to Christian virtues, with his sermonizing extolling the promises of God in accordance to their practicing of the faith, in spite of the difficulties that may appear from time to time. These narratives are the blood, sweat, and tears of our forefathers, and upon their shoulders are built the foundations of this great nation, America, that stand at once for freedom and liberty, and that proclaims, â€Å"In God we trust. †

John Steinbeck Essay -- essays research papers

John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California, a farming community with of about 2500 people. He was the third of four children and the only son of John Ernst and Olive Hamiton Steinbeck. His sisters Beth and Esther were much older than John and he felt closest to Mary, the youngest. He spent his childhood and adolescence in the Salinas Valley, which he later called â€Å"the salad bowl of the nation.† John’s mother, Olive, was the daughter of Irish immigrants. She left her parents’ ranch to become a teacher. John remembered his mother as energetic and full of fun. He called his father, in contrast, â€Å"a singularly silent man.† Steinbeck’s father, also named John, worked as the treasurer of Monterey County. He had chosen a safe, practical course in life, in order to support his family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John enjoyed literature from an early age on. His mother read him the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, Robert Louis Stevenson, and the stories of King Arthur.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John attended Salinas High School, an experience he generally disliked, but one bright spot in his high school carrer was his ninth grade English teacher, Miss Cupp. She admired the compositions he wrote and encouraged him to continue with his writing. Throughout high school, John spent most of his free time writing stories in his room.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John graduated from HS in 1919 and then went to Stanford University. John wanted to study to be a writer, but his mother wanted him to be something practical, like a lawyer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While attending Stanford University, John Steinbeck decided that a degree was of no use to a writer. Instead, he studied the things that interested him and would help him progress as a writer. He studied literature, history, and classical Greek. He convinced university officials to let him learn human anatomy alongside the medical students. Dissecting cadavers would help him â€Å"know more about people†, he explained. Steinbeck’s creative writing teacher taught him to write stories that were â€Å"true.† She didn’t mean the events in the story had to have actually happened, but instead the story and characters must reflect real human feelings and conflicts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During his college years, Steinbeck worked at a number of different jobs to help pay for his educ... ...gories including physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace, and economics. The Prize is awarded to those who have made valuable contributions to the â€Å"good of humanity.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Nobel Prize was the greatest honor of John Steinbeck’s life. His acceptance speech concluded with the observation that â€Å"St. John the Apostle may well be paraphrased: In the end is the Word, and the Word is Man--the Word is with Man.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After receiving the Prize, John began having heart problems and he was moved to his home in New York. John Steinbeck died peacefully on December 20, 1968, with Elaine lying at his side. He was 66 years old.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As John Steinbeck experienced life in Ameria he recorded his observation, his enjoyment of life, and his belief in human goodness. Several of his works are now considered classics. His books differ in content and in form, â€Å"Of Mice and Men† is similar to a play and â€Å"The Sea of Cortez† is a scientific account. But Steinbeck wrote all of his books with a particular goal in mind. As he explained, â€Å"My whole work drive as been aimed at making people understand each other.†

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 25

â€Å"Oh, I just want to take a little peek,† Bonnie moaned, looking at the forbidden sketchbook, the one in which Lady Ulma had drawn their high couture outfits for the first party, the one that would be held tonight. Beside it, just within reach, were some sample squares from bolts of fabric in shimmering satin, rippling silk, transparent muslin, and soft, rich velvet. â€Å"You'll get to try it on for the last fitting in an hour – this time with your eyes open!† Elena laughed. â€Å"But we can't forget that tonight isn't playtime. We'll have to dance some dances, of course – â€Å" â€Å"Of course!† Bonnie repeated ecstatically. â€Å"But our purpose there is to find the key. The first half of the double fox key. I just wish there was a star ball that showed the inside of tonight's house.† â€Å"Well, we all know pretty much about it; we can talk about it and try to imagine it,† Meredith said. Elena, who had been fiddling with the star ball from the other house, now put the slightly cloudy orb down and said, â€Å"All right. Let's brainstorm.† â€Å"May I storm, too?† a low, modulated voice asked from the doorway. The girls all turned, rising at the same time to greet a smiling Lady Ulma. Before taking a chair, she gave Elena a particularly heartfelt hug and kiss on the cheek and Elena couldn't help herself from comparing the woman as they had seen her at Dr. Meggar's to the elegant lady she was now. Then, she had been hardly more than skin over bones, with the eyes of a timid wild creature under great strain, wearing a common housecoat, with men's bedroom slippers. Now, she reminded Elena of a Roman matron, with her face tranquil and beginning to fill out under a crown of glossy dark braids held back by jeweled combs. Her body was filling out, too, especially her belly, although she retained her natural grace as she took a seat on a velvet couch. She was wearing a saffron-colored gown of raw silk, with an underskirt of fringed and shimmering apricot. â€Å"We're so excited about the fitting tonight,† Elena said, with a nod toward the sketchbook. â€Å"I am as excited as a child, myself,† Lady Ulma admitted. â€Å"I only wish I could do for you a tenth of what you have done for me.† â€Å"You have already,† Elena said. â€Å"And if we can find the fox keys – it will only be because you helped us so much. And that – I can't tell you how much that means to me,† she finished almost in a whisper. â€Å"But you never thought I could help you when you defied the law for a ravaged slave. You simply wanted to save me – and you have suffered much for it,† Ulma responded quietly. Elena shifted uncomfortably. The cut running down her face had left only a thin white scar along the cheekbone. Once – when she had first returned to Earth from the afterlife – she would have been able to wave the scar away with a simple wash of Power. But now, although she could channel her Power through her body, and use it to enhance her senses, she couldn't make it obey her will in any other way. And once, she thought, imagining the Elena who had stood in Robert E. Lee High School's parking lot and drooled over a Porsche, she would have considered the marring of her face the greatest calamity of her life. But with all the accolades she had received, with Damon calling it her â€Å"white wound of honor,† and her certainty that it would mean as little to Stefan as a scar on his cheekbone would mean to her, she had found she just couldn't take it very seriously. I am not the same person I once was, she thought. And I'm glad. â€Å"Never mind,† she said, ignoring the pain down her leg that still throbbed at times. â€Å"Let's talk about the Silver Nightingale and her gala.† â€Å"Right,† Meredith said. â€Å"What do we know about her? How did the clue go again, Elena?† â€Å"Misao said, ‘If I said that one of the halves was inside the silver nightingale's instrument, would that even give you an idea?' – or something like that,† Elena repeated obediently. They all knew the words by heart but it was part of the ritual, every time they discussed it. â€Å"And the ‘Silver Nightingale' is the nickname for Lady Fazina Darley and everyone in the Dark Dimension knows it!† cried Bonnie, clapping her small hands in sheer delight. â€Å"Indeed, that has long been her sobriquet, given to her when she first came here and began to sing and play on her harps strung with silver,† Lady Ulma put in gravely. â€Å"And harp strings need to be tuned, and they're tuned with keys,† Bonnie continued excitedly. â€Å"Yes.† Meredith, in contrast, spoke slowly and thoughtfully. â€Å"But it's not a harp-tuning key we're looking for. They look like this.† She put down on a table beside her an object made of smooth pale maple that looked like a very short T or, if held on its side, like a gracefully waving tree with one short horizontal branch. â€Å"I got that from one of the minstrels Damon hired.† Bonnie eyed the tuning key loftily. â€Å"It might be a harp-tuning key we're looking for,† she insisted. â€Å"It might be used for both things, somehow.† â€Å"I don't see how,† Meredith said doggedly. â€Å"Unless somehow they change shape when the two halves come together.† â€Å"Oh, my, yes,† Lady Ulma said, as if Meredith had just made an obvious proposition. â€Å"If they are magical halves of a single key they will almost certainly change when the two halves come together.† â€Å"You see?† Bonnie said. â€Å"But if they can be any sort of shape, then how the hell will we even know when we've found them?† Elena asked impatiently. All she cared about was finding what it took to save Stefan. Lady Ulma fell silent, and Elena felt badly. She hated to use harsh language or even appear distressed in front of the woman who had lived a life of such subjection and horror since her early teens. Elena wanted Lady Ulma to feel safe, to be happy. â€Å"Anyway,† she said quickly, â€Å"we know one thing. It's in the Silver Nightingale's instrument. So whatever is inside Lady Fazina's harp, that has to be it.† â€Å"Oh, but – † Lady Ulma began, and then she stopped herself almost before the words were out. â€Å"What is it?† Elena asked gently. â€Å"Oh, nothing at all,† Lady Ulma said hastily. â€Å"I mean, would you like to see your dresses now? This last fitting is really just to make sure every stitch is perfect.† â€Å"Oh, we'd love to!† Bonnie cried, at the same time making a dive for the sketchbook, while Meredith rung a bell pull that brought a servant hurrying in and hurrying away again to the sewing room. â€Å"I only wish Master Damon and Lord Sage had agreed to let me create something for them to wear,† Lady Ulma said mournfully to Elena. â€Å"Oh, Sage is not going. And I'm sure Damon wouldn't have minded – as long as you designed him a black leather jacket, a black shirt, black jeans, and black boots all exactly like the ones he wears every day. He'd have been happy to wear it then.† Lady Ulma laughed. â€Å"I see. Well, there will be enough fantastical styles worn tonight that he may change his mind for the future. Now let's draw the curtains on the windows all around. This gala is to be indoors, with gaslight only, so colors will show true.† â€Å"I wondered why it said ‘indoors' on the invitations,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I thought maybe it was because of rain.† â€Å"It's because of the sun,† Lady Ulma said soberly. â€Å"That hateful crimson light, changing every blue to purple, every yellow to brown. You see, no one would wear aqua or green to an outdoor soiree – no, not even you, with that strawberry hair that cries out for it.† â€Å"I get it. I can see how having that sun hanging there every day would really get you down after a while.† â€Å"I wonder if you can,† murmured Lady Ulma, and then she added hastily, â€Å"While we wait shall I show you what I have created for your tall friend who doubts me?† â€Å"Oh, please, yes!† Bonnie held out the sketchbook. Lady Ulma thumbed through it until she came to a page that seemed to please her. She took up pens and coloring pencils like a child eager to play with beloved toys again. â€Å"Here it is,† she said, using the colored pencils to add a line here and a curve there, but holding the book so that the three girls could see the design. â€Å"Oh, my God!† cried Bonnie in genuine astonishment, and even Elena felt her eyes widening. The girl in the sketch was definitely Meredith, with her hair half up and half down, but wearing a dress – such a dress! Black as ebony, strapless, it clung to the long slim figure perfectly sketched in the picture, emphasizing the curves, enhancing them on top by what Elena learned was called a â€Å"sweetheart† neckline: one that made Meredith's front look like a Valentine's Day heart. It kept close to the body all the way to the knees where it suddenly flared out again, dramatically wide. â€Å"A ‘mermaid' dress,† Lady Ulma explained, satisfied with her sketch at last. â€Å"And here it is,† she added as several sewing women entered, reverently holding the miraculous gown between them. Now the girls could see that the material was of plush black velvet dotted with tiny rectangular metallic golden flecks. It looked like midnight back home, Elena thought, with a thousand falling stars in the sky. â€Å"And with it, you will wear these very large black onyx and gold earrings, these black onyx and gold combs to hold your hair up, and some lovely matching bracelets and rings Lucen has made just for this outfit,† Lady Ulma continued. Elena realized that sometime in the last minutes Lucen must have entered the room. She smiled at him, and then her eyes dropped to the three-tiered tray he held. On the top tray, against an ivory background, were two black onyx and diamond bracelets, as well as a ring with a diamond in it that almost made her swoon. Meredith was looking around the room as if she had stumbled into a private discussion and didn't know how to get out. Then she looked from the dress to the jewels to Lady Ulma again. Meredith was not one to lose her composure easily. But after a moment she simply went to Lady Ulma and hugged her fiercely, then went to Lucen and very gently put her hand on his forearm. It was clear that she couldn't speak. Bonnie was studying the sketch with the eyes of a connoisseur now. â€Å"Those matching bracelets were made just for this dress, weren't they?† she said with a conspiratorial air. To Elena's surprise Lady Ulma seemed uncomfortable. Then she spoke slowly. â€Å"The truth is†¦well, that Miss Meredith is†¦a slave. All slaves are required to wear some sort of symbolic bracelets when they travel outside their households.† She turned her eyes down to the polished wooden floorboards. Her cheeks were flushed. â€Å"Lady Ulma – oh, please, you can't think it matters to us?† Lady Ulma's eyes flashed as she looked up. â€Å"Not matter?† â€Å"Well,† Elena said hautily, â€Å"it doesn't really matter†¦er, yet, because there's nothing to do about it, not now.† Of course, the servants weren't in on the secrets of the Damon-Elena-Meredith-Bonnie relationship. Even Lady Ulma didn't see why Damon didn't free the three girls just in case â€Å"something should happen, may the Celestial Guardians forbid it.† But the girls had formed a solid phalanx against it; it would be like jinxing their whole enterprise. â€Å"Well, anyway,† Bonnie was blathering, â€Å"I think the bracelets are beautiful. I mean she could hardly find anything more perfect for the dress, could she?† – striking at the professional sensibilities of the designer. Lucen smiled modestly and Lady Ulma gave him a loving glance. Meredith's face was still glowing. â€Å"Lady Ulma, I don't know how to thank you. I will wear this gown – and for tonight I will be someone I have never been before. Of course, you've drawn my hair up, or partly up. I don't usually wear it that way,† Meredith finished weakly. â€Å"You will tonight – up and high over that lovely wide brow of yours. This dress is to show off the charming curves of your bare shoulders and arms. It's a crime to cover them, day or night. And the hairstyle is to lay bare your exotic face instead of hiding it!† Lady Ulma said firmly. Good, Elena thought. They've gotten her off the subject of symbolic slavery. â€Å"You'll wear a touch of makeup as well – pale gold on your lids, and kohl to enhance and lengthen your lashes. A touch of golden lipstick, but no rouge; I don't believe in that for young girls. Your olive skin will complete the picture of a sultry maiden perfectly.† Meredith looked helplessly at Elena. â€Å"I don't usually wear makeup either,† she said, but they both knew that she was beaten. Lady Ulma's vision would come to life. â€Å"Don't call it a mermaid dress; she'll be a siren,† Bonnie said enthusiastically. â€Å"But we'd better put a spell on it to keep all the vampire sailors away.† To Elena's surprise, Lady Ulma nodded solemnly. â€Å"My seamstress friend has sent a priestess today to bless all the garments and to keep you from being victimized by vampires, of course. If that meets with your approval?† She looked at Elena, who nodded. â€Å"As long as they don't keep Damon out of the way,† she added jokingly, and felt time freeze as Meredith and Bonnie immediately turned their eyes on her, hoping to catch something in Elena's expression that would give her away. But Elena kept her expression neutral, as Lady Ulma continued, â€Å"Naturally, the restrictions would not apply to your – to Master Damon.† â€Å"Naturally,† Elena said soberly. â€Å"And now for the smallest beauty to go to the gala,† Lady Ulma was saying to Bonnie, who bit her lip, blushing. â€Å"I have something very special for you. I don't know how long I've been yearning to work with this material. I've trudged by it in a shop window year after year, just aching to buy it and create with it. You see?† And the next set of sewing women came forward, holding a smaller, lighter frock between them, while Lady Ulma held up a sketch. Elena was already staring in amazement. The material was glorious – incredible – but especially clever was how it had been put together. The fabric was vivid peacock green-blue, with the most amazing hand stitching to represent a pattern of peacock eyes flaring up from the waist. Bonnie's brown eyes had widened again. â€Å"This is for me?† she breathed, almost afraid to touch the material. â€Å"Yes, and we're going to slick that hair of yours back until you look as sophisticated as your friend. Go ahead and try it on. I think you'll like the way this dress has come out.† Lucen had retired and Meredith was already being carefully encased in the mermaid dress. Bonnie happily began to strip. Lady Ulma turned out to have been right. Bonnie loved the way she looked that evening. Right now she was being given the finishing touches, such as a delicate spray of citrus and rosewater; a fragrance made just for her. She stood before a giant silvered-glass mirror, just minutes before they were due to start off for the gala given by Fazina, the Silver Nightingale herself. Bonnie turned a little, looking at the strapless, full-skirted dress in awe. Its bodice was made – or seemed to be made – entirely of the eyes of peacock feathers, arranged in a spray that was gathered together at her waist, showing off how tiny it was. There was another spray of larger feathers that pointed downward from the waist, front and back. The back actually had a small train of peacock feathers against emerald silk. In front, below the larger, downward pointing spray, a design worked in silver and gold, of stylized undulating plumes, all upside down, made its way to the bottom of the gown, which was edged with thin gold brocade. As if this were not enough, Lady Ulma had had a fan made with real peacock eyes set in an emerald jade handle, with a tassel of softly clinking jade, citrine, and emerald charms at the bottom. Around Bonnie's throat was a matching necklace of jade, inlaid with emerald, sapphire, and lapis lazuli. And around each of her wrists were several emerald jade bracelets that clicked together whenever she moved, the symbol of her slavery. But Bonnie's eyes could hardly linger on them, and she couldn't summon up a proper hatred of the bracelets. She was thinking of how a special hairdresser had come to â€Å"slick back† Bonnie's strawberry-colored curls until, darkened into true red, they were plastered flat against her skull and held in place with jade and emerald clips. Her heart-shaped face had never looked so mature, so sophisticated. To emerald eyelids and kohl-darkened eyes, Lady Ulma had added a vivid red lipstick and had for once broken her rule and cleverly, wielding the brush herself, had added touches here and there of blusher so that Bonnie's translucent skin looked as if she were constantly coloring at some compliment. Delicately carved jade earrings with golden bells inside completed the ensemble, and Bonnie felt as if she were some Princess of the Ancient Orient. â€Å"It's really some kind of miracle. Usually, I look like a pixie trying to dress up as a cheerleader or a flower girl,† she confided, kissing Lady Ulma again and again, delighted to find that the lipstick stayed on her lips instead of transferring to her benefactress's cheeks. â€Å"But tonight I look like a young woman.† She would have kept on babbling, helpless to stop herself even though Lady Ulma already was trying to discreetly dab tears away from her eyes, except that at that moment Elena came in and she gasped. Elena's dress had already been finished by the afternoon and so all Bonnie had seen of it was the sketch. But somehow that had failed to convey just what this dress would do for Elena. Bonnie had secretly wondered if Lady Ulma were leaving too much to Elena's own natural beauty, and was hoping that Elena would be as excited about her own dress as everyone seemed to be about Bonnie's and Meredith's. Now Bonnie understood. â€Å"It is a called a goddess dress,† Lady Ulma explained to the stunned silence in the room, as Elena walked in, and Bonnie dizzily thought that if goddesses had ever lived up on Mount Olympus, they would certainly have wanted to dress this way. The trick of the dress lay in its very simplicity. It was made of milk-white silk, with a delicately pleated waist (Lady Ulma called the irregular tight pleating â€Å"ruching†) which held two simple bodice panels that formed a V-neckline, showing off Elena's peach-blossom skin between them and behind them. These panels in turn were held at the shoulders by two carved clasps – gold inlaid with mother-of-pearl and diamonds. From the waist, the skirt fell straight in graceful, silken folds all the way to Elena's delicate sandals – again designed in gold, mother-of-pearl and diamonds. In the back, the two panels that clasped at the shoulder became straps and crossed over to once again meet at the pleated waist. Such a simple dress, but so magnificent on the right girl. At Elena's throat, an exquisitely designed golden and mother-of-pearl necklace in the stylized shape of a butterfly was inset with so many diamonds that it seemed to blaze with multicolored fire each time she moved and they caught the light. She wore this over the lapis and diamond pendant Stefan had given her, since she had flatly refused to take the pendant off. It didn't matter. The butterfly covered the pendant completely. On each wrist Elena wore a wide bracelet of gold and mother-of-pearl inset with diamonds, creations that they had found in the secret jewel room, obviously made to go with the necklace. And that was all. Elena's hair had been brushed and brushed and brushed until it formed a silky golden tumble of waves that hung below her shoulders in back, and she was wearing a touch of rose-colored lipstick. But her face, with its thick black eyelashes and lighter arched brows – and just now its look of excitement that parted her rose-colored lips and brought brilliant color to her cheeks – had been left entirely alone. Earrings that were just cascades of diamonds peeped through her gold tresses. She's going to drive them crazy tonight, Bonnie thought, eyeing the daring dress with envy, but not with jealousy, instead rather reveling in the thought of the sensation Elena would make. She's wearing the simplest gown of any of us, but she still completely puts Meredith and me in the shade. Yet Bonnie had never seen Meredith look better – or more exotic. She'd also never known what a stunning figure Meredith had, despite her friend's wide assortment of designer clothes. Meredith shrugged when Bonnie told her this. She had a fan, too, black lacquer, that folded. Now she opened it and folded it shut again, tapping her chin thoughtfully. â€Å"We're in the hands of a genius,† she said simply. â€Å"But we can't forget what we're really here for.†

The Nature of Good Teaching

There continues to be ongoing debate about the qualities of a good physical education teacher. For a long time it was considered that keeping the students â€Å"busy, happy, good† was an end in itself. This emphasis affords little attention to what the students actually learn in physical education classes. Physical Education in our curriculum today has changed as has the way we live our lives, entertain ourselves and technology.Before we look at what is considered today to be qualities of good physical education teaching, we need to look at where the notion of ‘busy, happy, good’ has come from. Richard Tinning, David Kirk and John Evens outline the progression of what has been deemed to be quality physical education in Australian schools over the decades. Their study looks at the methods being used by physical education teachers and what actually happens in the lesson instead of characteristics displayed by teachers.The notion â€Å"busy, happy, good† was s uggested to be a measure of quality teaching by Judith Placek in 1983. (Placek, 1983). Prior to Placek’s research one of the most commonly used tools to research the effectiveness of a teacher was the Academic Learning Time (ALT). An adaption of this was used for the research of effective physical education teaching research ALT-PE (Tinning, Kirk &Evans p. 139). This method of research was focussed on monitoring a student’s engagement and successful completion of the task.The research conducted by Judith Placek found that â€Å"for most teachers and student teachers the dominant concerns in teaching physical education are to keep the children ‘busy, happy and good’† (Tinning, Kirk &Evans, 1993). â€Å"Success, in many cases, is not Sharon or Bob learning to jump shot correctly. Success is related to the immediate, observable happenings in the gym. Are the students participating (busy), enjoying themselves (happy), and doing what the teacher directs (good)? (Placek, 1983, p. 54)When this was written in 1993 one of the main concerns with young people was the amount of time spent watching TV as the main source of their entertainment. Tinning, Kirk and Evans point out that for children to engage in their education they wanted to be entertained or they would disengage. Since the rapid growth of technology our lifestyles have changed and become more demanding. The population of developing countries has become less active leading toward significant health issues that impact the whole community.The World Health Organisation released a Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health in response to the concerns of the changing lifestyles of developed countries in the last 25 years. (WHO, 2012) â€Å"Because of these changes in dietary and lifestyle patterns, chronic NCDs —including obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension and stroke, and some types of cancer — are becoming increasingly significant causes of disability and premature death in both developing and newly developed countries, placing additional burdens on already overtaxed national health budgets† (WHO 2012).In 2007-08, one quarter of Australian children (or around 600,000 children aged 5-17 years) were overweight or obese, up four percentage points from 1995. Studies have shown that once children become obese they are more likely to stay obese into adulthood and have an increased risk of developing diseases associated with obesity (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010). The issue today for physical education teachers is still one of engagement and the need for students to have fun however these alone do not fully satisfy the curriculum standards by which we operate.The Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) Health and Physical Education guidelines states; â€Å"(schools) provides students with knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to achieve a degree of autonomy in developing and maintaining their physical, mental, social and emotional health† (VELS, 2012). A student can be fully engaged, having fun and behaving well while not being aware of learning anything. So if keeping students ‘busy, happy and good’ is not enough then what does make a good physical education teacher?The Alliance for a healthier generation suggests that PE focuses more on the acquisition of lifetime skills and knowledge and exposes students to a wide variety of physical activities that can be engaged in for a lifetime (Alliance for a healthier Generation 2012). The Victorian Essential Learning Standards states â€Å"It promotes the potential for lifelong participation in physical activity through the development of motor skills and movement competence, health-related physical fitness and sport education. (VELS 2012) It is obvious that as physical education teachers we have the opportunity to impact students for the rest of their lives either in a positive or a ne gative way. Unfortunately today there are children that have negative experiences in Physical Education. These experiences have the potential to negatively impact a student for the rest of their lives preventing them from enjoying regular participation in a local sporting and health community.VELS Health and Physical Education focuses on the importance of â€Å"lifelong participation in physical activity through the development of motor skills and movement competence, health-related physical fitness and sport education. † (VELS, 2012) What the curriculum has set out to do is provide a positive foundation where students can be immersed in a motivating culture, that is â€Å"a force that energises, sustains and directs behaviour toward a goal† (Egan, Kauchak, 2007, p. 298).Some of the problems facing today’s physical education classes are outlined by Kathryn Meldrum and Jacqui Peters that include â€Å"an overcrowded curriculum, teacher who don’t like phys ical education won’t teach it, PE is not an academic area, teachers don’t have enough confidence to teach it, the schools facilities and equipment are poor† (Meldrum & Peters, 2012, p. 12). The lack of motivation is clear and passed onto students resulting in poor participation, low motivation and a negative impact that can affect a rise in chronic health issues.The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians addresses the role played by schools to â€Å"promote the intellectual, physical, social, emotional, moral, spiritual and aesthetic development of young Australians† (Meldrum & Peters, 2012, p. 13). To address the issue of ‘busy, happy, good’ quality physical education programs need to be embraced by the whole school community. One of the aims of physical education is to enable students to develop positive attitudes towards physical activity and lifelong habits of participation.The initial physical activity experience s which the child has at school will impact significantly on attitudes and practices in later life. Hence we need to ensure that the experiences in physical activity at school are positive in order to achieve this aim. (NSW Government, 2012) The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (USA) have outlined four components that contribute to high-quality physical education programs they include; opportunity to learn, meaningful content, appropriate instruction and student and program assessment.These alone are not enough to address the issues facing today’s students. Colin Marsh in his fifth edition of ‘Becoming a Teacher’ partly describes a good teacher to have â€Å"humanity and warmth – to know at all times what students in class are doing and also to care about what they are doing. † (Marsh, 2010, p. 3) Good teachers need to be able to motivate students. Generally students who are motivated have more positive attitudes and are more sa tisfied, persist on difficult tasks, and process information in depth and excel in learning experiences (Egan, Kauchak 2007).There is no one solution to providing a quality physical education program in schools today. Clearly we cannot be satisfied with the notion of ‘busy, happy, good’. Physical education encompasses physical mental emotional needs of students while creating socially engaged citizens, leaders and community minded citizens. Physical education is providing a platform of skills and motivation to further a life of healthy lifestyle habits. Physical education classes are not fitness centres where students receive their weekly exercise program and are kept engaged for the time spent there.To facilitate these needs takes cooperation from all school staff working together to strengthen Physical Education programs in local schools. Skilled teachers that are connected into local communities guiding students to further pursue what they have engaged in at school. Physical education is the one subject that has the greatest and longest lasting impact in a student’s life so we need to deliver a quality program to every student. Reference ListAustralian Bureau of Statistics, 2010, ‘Health: Obesity’, retrieved 29th August 2012, http://www. abs. gov. au/ausstats/[email  protected] nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1370. 0~2010~Chapter~Obesity%20(4. 1. 6. 6. 3) Eagan, P, Kauchak, D 2007, Theories of Motivation In Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms, 7th Edition, Pearson Education Publication, Upper Saddle River, NJ Marsh, C 2010, Becoming a Teacher: Knowledge, Skills and Issues, 5th Edition, Pearson Publication, Frenchs Forest, NSWMeldrum, K, Peters, J 2012, Learning to teach health and physical education: The student, the teacher and the curriculum, Pearson Publication, Frenchs Forest, NSW National Association for Sport and Physical Education, 2012, ‘Key Points of Quality Physical Education’, retrieved 29th Augus t 2012, http://www. aahperd. org/naspe/publications/teachingTools/QualityPE. cfm NSW Department of Eduaction, 2012, ‘What is good physical education? ’, retrieved 29th August 2012, http://www. curriculumsupport. education. sw. gov. au/secondary/pdhpe/assets/pdf/pa_025. pdf Placek, J 1983, Conceptions of success in teaching: Busy, happy and good? Teachings in Physical Education, Human Kinetics Publishers, Champaign, Illinois Tinning, R, Kirk, D & Evans, J 1993, Learning to teach physical education, Prentice Hall Publication, Melbourne World Health Organisation, 2012, ‘Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health’, retrieved 29th August 2012, http://www. who. int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/trs916/intro/en/

Make Peace not Terrorism

Make Peace not Terrorism Make Peace not Terrorism Terrorism has always been considered as a threat with particular influence not only on people but on infrastructure as well. Since the old times people involved in terrorist attacks pursued an objective to prove their power and strength. They choose extirpation not by exident. Psychological nature of human beings functions in a way that fear for ones life is one of the strongest leverage to make someone pay attention to something. Infrustructure is the second important area terrorists use for attacks. Destroying infrustructure means serious interruption in normal life flow of people and creating threat for their natural existence. All of us remember the events of 9/11 where both people and infrustructure experienced powerful attack lead to enormous tragedy ever. However, it should be born in mind that violence can never be erased. That is why it is important to be always on the look-out. Measures should be taken not only by government of USA but by individuals in private as well. Common efforts can considerably contribute in preventing terrorism locally and on a national basis. Terrorism is a phenomenon that can not be destroyed by ignorance. The proper informing of individuals how to act in a case of attack or suspicious obstacles would be of a great importance. But at the mean time situational awareness should not turn into total paranoia about the possibility to be killed anywhere. As for public security within the USA it should be focused on providing safe environment for people anywhere. Emergency service should be prepared to act immediately and secret service should be ready to foresee several scenarios of terrorists acts and be able to react in an appropriate way. In conclusion I would like to say that terrorism is the only global problem of the modern world can not be resolved. In this case people have to be ready to face it

Pepsi Company 2014 Diversification Strategy Essay

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