Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research - Essay Example Therefore the count of blue shirts sold against other colors would be annualized and average taken with the same equation for all other variables.. Median divides the sets of data in half and places half above the median and half below the median while mode pertains to the score that occurs more frequently in a set of data. In each case an entire set of data can be summarized with a single value. There are also three main formulas for the measure of variability and they are Range, Variance and Standard Deviation. Through these measures we can tell how much the data in each set varies. Range measures the distance between the highest and lowest values and gives us an idea of the width of our data set. This is popular although it does not show were the data is grouped in the set. The total amount of variability is taken into account with Variance. To assess the difference in data sets a point needs to be found to which each observation can be compared. As mean takes in every observation in its calculation it would be the best point of comparison. Standard Deviation calculates the square root of a variance. It gives a good measure of variance and shows the average distance each observation is from the

Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing - Essay Example The researcher states that the children and the old man illustrated on the picture were maybe on vocation before the cows joined them. The cows, one big and the other small maybe its calf splashes water to a great length along the river meaning they have just joined the children. One child sees to touching the big cow with his/her left hand while the other enjoying as depicted by facial expression. The old man behind the cows is maybe waiving or raising his left hand a coincidence with the child touching the cow with the left hand. This picture was taken along the river or water pond. There seems good relationship between the two animals and the children; one child is touching the cow as the other enjoys the event. This leads to speculation that the animals come from the same family with the children or the old man behind the cows owns them as well as the children. The presence of the boys and the cows in the river depicts different cultures in the world. Although people inherit vari ant cultures they have been integrating with different animals both kept domestically or aesthetic. Intact the boys taking â€Å"shower† with the cows along the river with a grown-up man looking at the happening depict complete societal inheritance. The picture represents the striking contrast between the intense light of sun reflection or camera flash light and sky darkness. This invites several interpretations of the image. The two children topless one touching the cow while the other enjoy depicts meditation of innocence. The topless children one on bluish shorts and the other on creamy short beside blackish cows inform of an old man represent extinction of innocence and dawn of reality. Although there is certainty of really what the children are doing with the cows and what the old man is doing or saying the children are so close to the cows and seems to be doing something sinister or off-limits. Despite this, the children seem to enjoy the company of the animals.

On Going a Journey Essay Example for Free

On Going a Journey Essay One of the pleasantest things in the world is going a journey; but I like to go by myself. I can enjoy society in a room; but out of doors, nature is company enough for me. I am then never less alone than when alone. The fields his study, nature was his book. I cannot see the wit of walking and talking at the same time. When I am in the country, I wish to vegetate like the country. I am not for criticising hedge-rows and black cattle. I go out of town in order to forget the town and all that is in it. There are those who for this purpose go to watering-places, and carry the metropolis with them. I like more elbow-room, and fewer incumbrances. I like solitude, when I give myself up to it, for the sake of solitude; nor do I ask for ——a friend in my retreat, Whom I may whisper solitude is sweet. The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases. We go a journey chiefly to be free of all impediments and of all inconveniences; to leave ourselves behind, much more to get rid of others. It is because I want a little breathing-space to muse on indifferent matters, where Contemplation May plume her feathers and let grow her wings, That in the various bustle of resort Were all too ruffled, and sometimes impaird,  that I absent myself from the town for awhile, without feeling at a loss the moment I am left by myself. Instead of a friend in a post-chaise or in a Tilbury, to exchange good things with, and vary the same stale topics over again, for once let me have a truce with impertinence. Give me the clear blue sky over my head, and the green turf beneath my feet, a winding road before me, and a three hours march to dinner—and then to thinking! It is hard if I cannot start some game on these lone heaths. I laugh, I run, I leap, I sing for joy. From the point of yonder rolling cloud, I plunge into my past being, and revel there, as the sun-burnt Indian plunges headlong into the wave that wafts him to his native shore. Then long-forgotten things, like sunken wrack and sumless treasuries, burst upon my eager  sight, and I begin to feel, think, and be myself again. Instead of an awkward silence, broken by attempts at wit or dull common-place s, mine is that undisturbed silence of the heart which alone is perfect eloquence. No one likes puns, alliterations, antitheses, argument, and analysis better than I do; but I sometimes had rather be without them. Leave, oh, leave me to my repose! I have just now other business in hand, which would seem idle to you, but is with me very stuff of the conscience. Is not this wild rose sweet without a comment? Does not this daisy leap to my heart set in its coat of emerald? Yet if I were to explain to you the circumstance that has so endeared it to me, you would only smile. Had I not better then keep it to myself, and let it serve me to brood over, from here to yonder craggy point, and from thence onward to the far-distant horizon? I should be but bad company all that way, and therefore prefer being alone. I have heard it said that you may, when the moody fit comes on, walk or ride on by yourself, and indulge your reveries. But this looks like a breach of manners, a neglect of others, and you are thinking all the time that you ought to rejoin your party. Out upon such half-faced fellowship, say I. I like to be either entirely to myself, or entirely at the disposal of others; to talk or be silent, to walk or sit still, to be sociab le or solitary. I was pleased with an observation of Mr. Cobbetts, that he thought it a bad French custom to drink our wine with our meals, and that an Englishman ought to do only one thing at a time. So I cannot talk and think, or indulge in melancholy musing and lively conversation by fits and starts, Let me have a companion of my way, says Sterne, were it but to remark how the shadows lengthen as the sun declines. It is beautifully said: but in my opinion, this continual comparing of notes interferes with the involuntary impression of things upon the mind, and hurts the sentiment. If you only hint what you feel in a kind of dumb show, it is insipid: if you have to explain it, it is making a toil of a pleasure. You cannot read the book of nature, without being perpetually put to the trouble of translating it for the benefit of others. I am for the synthetical method on a journey, in preference to the analytical. I am content to lay in a stock of ideas then, and to examine and anatomise them afterw ards. I want to see my vague notions float like the down of the thistle before the breeze, and not to have them entangled in the briars and thorns of controversy. For once, I like to have it all my own way; and this  is impossible unless you are alone, or in such company as I do not covet. I have no objection to argue a point with any one for twenty miles of measured road, but not for pleasure. If you remark the scent of a beanfield crossing the road, perhaps your fellow-traveller has no smell. If you point to a distant object, perhaps he is short-sighted, and has to take out his glass to look at it. There is a feeling in the air, a tone in the colour of a cloud which hits your fancy, but the effect of which you are unable to account for. There is then no sympathy, but an uneasy craving after it, and a dissatisfaction which pursues you on the way, and in the end probably produces ill humour. Now I never quarrel with myself, and take all my own conclusions for granted till I find it neces sary to defend them against objections. It is not merely that you may not be of accord on the objects and circumstances that present themselves before you—these may recal a number of objects, and lead to associations too delicate and refined to be possibly communicated to others. Yet these I love to cherish, and sometimes still fondly clutch them, when I can escape from the throng to do so. To give way to our feelings before company, seems extravagance or affectation; and on the other hand, to have to unravel this mystery of our being at every turn, and to make others take an equal interest in it (otherwise the end is not answered) is a task to which few are competent. We must give it an understanding, but no tongue. My old friend C——, however, could do both. He could go on in the most delightful explanatory way over hill and dale, a summers day, and convert a landscape into a didactic poem or a Pindaric ode. He talked far above singing. If I could so clothe my ideas in sounding and flowing words, I might perhaps wish to have some one with me to admire the swelling theme; or I could be more content, were it possible for me still to hear his echoing voice in the woods of All-Foxden. They had that fine madness in them which our first poets had; and if they could have been caught by some rare instrument, would have breathed such strains as the following. ——Here be woods as green As any, air likewise as fresh and sweet As when smooth Zephyrus plays on the fleet Face of the curled stream, with flowrs as many As the young spring gives, and as choice as any; Here be all new delights, cool streams and wells, Arbours oergrown with woodbine, caves and dells; Choose where thou wilt, while I sit by and sing, Or gather rushes to make many a ring For thy long fingers; tell thee tales of love, How the pale Phoebe, hunting in a grove, First saw the boy Endymion, from whose eyes She took eternal fire that never dies; How she conveyd him softly in a sleep, His temples bound with poppy, to the steep Head of old Latmos, where she stoops each night, Gilding the mountain with her brothers light, To kiss her sweetest.—— Faithful Shepherdess. Had I words and images at command like these, I would attempt to wake the thoughts that lie slumbering on golden ridges in the evening clouds: but at the sight of nature my fancy, poor as it is, droops and closes up its leaves, like flowers at sunset. I can make nothing out on the spot:—I must have time to collect myself.— In general, a good thing spoils out-of-door prospects: it should be reserved for Table-talk. L—— is for this reason, I take it, the worst company in the world out of doors; because he is the best within. I grant, there is one subject on which it is pleasant to talk on a journey; and that is, what one shall have for supper when we get to our inn at night. The open air improves this sort of conversation or friendly altercation, by setting a keener edge on appetite. Every mile of the road heightens the flavour of the viands we expect at the end of it. How fine it is to enter some old town, walled and turreted just at the approach of night-fall, or to come to some straggling village, with the lights streaming through the surrounding gloom; and then after inquiring for the best entertainment that the place affords, to take ones ease at ones inn! These eventful moments in our lives history are too precious, too full of solid, heart-felt happiness to be frittered and dribbled away in imperfect sympathy. I would have them all to myself, and drain them to the last drop: they will do to talk of or to write about afterwards. What a delicate speculation it is, after drinking whole goblets of tea, The cups that  cheer, but not inebriate, and letting the fumes ascend into the brain, to sit considering what we shall have for supper—eggs and a rasher, a rabbit smothered in onions, or an excellent veal-cutlet! Sancho in such a situation once fixed upon cow-heel; and his choice, though he could not help it, is not to be disparaged. Then in the intervals of pictured scenery and Shandean contemplation, to catch the preparation and the stir in the kitchen—Procul, O procul este profani! These hours are sacred to silence and to musing, to be treasured up in the memory, and to feed the source of smiling thoughts hereafter. I would not waste them in idle talk; or if I must have the integrity of fancy broken in upon, I would rather it were by a stranger than a friend. A stranger takes his hue and character from the time and place; he is a part of the furniture and costume of an inn. If he is a Quaker, or from the West Riding of Yorkshire, so much the better. I do not even try to sympathise with him, and he breaks no squares. I associate nothing with my travelling companion but present objects and passing events. In his ignorance of me and my affairs, I in a manner forget myself. But a friend reminds one of other things, rips up old grievances, and destroys the abstraction of the scene. He comes in ungraciously between us and our imaginary character. Something is dropped in the course of conversation that gives a hint of your profession and pursuits; or from having some one with you that knows the less sublime portions of your history, it seems that other people do. You are no longer a citizen of the world: but your unhoused free condition is put into circumscription and confine. The incognito of an inn is one of its striking privileges—lord of ones-self, uncumberd with a name. Oh! it is great to shake off the trammels of the world and of public opinion—to lose our importunate, tormenting, everlasting personal identity in the elements of nature, and become the creature of the moment, clear o f all ties—to hold to the universe only by a dish of sweet-breads, and to owe nothing but the score of the evening—and no longer seeking for applause and meeting with contempt, to be known by no other title than the Gentleman in the parlour! One may take ones choice of all characters in this romantic state of uncertainty as to ones real pretensions, and become indefinitely respectable and negatively right-worshipful. We baffle prejudice and  disappoint conjecture; and from being so to others, begin to be objects of curiosity and wonder even to ourselves. We are no more those hackneyed commonplaces that we appear in the world: an inn restores us to the level of nature, and quits scores with society! I have certainly spent some enviable hours at inns—sometimes when I have been left entirely to myself, and have tried to solve some metaphysical problem, as once at Witham-common, where I found out the proof that likeness is not a case of the association of ideas—at other times, when there have been pictures in the room, as at St. Neots, (I think it was) where I first met with Gribelins engravings of the Cartoons, into which I entered at once, and at a little inn on the borders of Wales, where there happened to be hanging some of Westalls drawings, which I compared triumphantly (for a theory that I had, not for the admired artist) with the figure of a girl who had ferried me over the Severn, standing up in the boat between me and the twilight—at other times I might mention luxuriating in books, with a peculiar interest in this way, as I remember sitting up half the night to read Paul and Virginia, which I picked up at an inn at Bridgewater, after being drenched in the rain all day; and at the same place I got through two volumes of Madame DArblays Camilla. It was on the tenth of April, 1798, that I sat down to a volume of the New Eloise, at the inn at Llangollen, over a bottle of sherry and a cold chicken. The letter I chose was that in which St. Preux describes his feelings as he first caught a glimpse from the heights of the Jura of the Pays de Vaud, which I had brought with me as a bon bouche to crown the evening with. It was my birth-day, and I had for the first time come from a place in the neighbourhood to visit this delightful spot. The road to Llangollen turns off between Chirk and Wrexham; and on passing a certain point, you come all at once upon the valley, which opens like an amphitheatre, broad, barren hills rising in majestic state on either side, with green upland swells that echo to the bleat of flocks below, and the river Dee babbling over its stony bed in the midst of them. The valley at this time glittered green with sunny showers, and a budding ash-tree dipped its tender branches in the chiding stream. How proud, how glad I was to walk along the high road that overlooks the delicious prospect, repeating the lines which I have just quoted from Mr. Coleridges poems. But besides the prospect which opened beneath my feet, another also opened to my inward  sight, a heavenly vision, on which were written, in letters large as Hope could make them, these four words, LIBERTY, GENIUS, LOVE, VIRTUE; which have since faded into the light of common day, or mock my idle gaze. The beautiful is vanished, and returns not. Still I would return some time or other to this enchanted spot; but I would return to it alone. What other self could I find to share that influx of thoughts, of regret, and delight, the fragments of which I could hardly conjure up to myself, so much have they been broken and defaced! I could stand on some tall rock, and overlook the precipice of years that separates me from what I then was. I was at that time going shortly to visit the poet whom I have above named. Where is he now? Not only I myself have changed; the world, which was then new to me, has become old and incorrigible. Yet will I turn to thee in thought, O sylvan Dee, in joy, in youth and gladness as thou then wert; and thou shalt always be to me the river of Paradise, where I will drink of the waters of life freely! There is hardly any thing that shows the short-sightedness or capriciousness of the imagination more than travelling does. With change of place we change our ideas; nay, our opinions and feelings. We can by an effort indeed transport ourselves to old and long-forgotten scenes, and then the picture of the mind revives again; but we forget those that we have just left. It seems that we can think but of one place at a time. The canvas of the fancy is but of a certain extent, and if we paint one set of objects upon it, they immediately efface every other. We cannot enlarge our conceptions, we only shift our point of view. The landscape bares its bosom to the enraptured eye, we take our fill of it, and seem as if we could form no other image of beauty or grandeur. We pass on, and think no more of it: the horizon that shuts it from our sight, also blots it from our memory like a dream. In travelling through a wild barren country, I can form no idea of a woody and cultivated one. It appears to me that all the world must be barren, like what I see of it. In the country we forget the town, and in town we despise the country. Beyond Hyde Park, says Sir Fopling Flutter, all is a desert. All that part of the map that we do not see before us is a blank. The world in our conceit of it is not much bigger than a nutshell. It is not one prospect expanded into another, county joined to county, kingdom to kingdom, lands to seas, making an image  voluminous and vast;—the mind can form no larger idea of space than the eye can take in at a single glance. The rest is a name written in a map, a calculation of arithmetic. For instance, what is the true signification of that immense mass of territory and population, known by the name of China to us? An inch of paste-board on a wooden globe, of no more account than a China orange! Things near us are seen of the size of life: things at a distance are diminished to the size of the understanding. We measure the universe by ourselves, and even comprehend the texture of our own being only piece-meal. In this way, however, we remember an infinity of things and places. The mind is like a mechanical instrument that plays a great variety of tunes, but it must play them in succession. One idea recalls another, but it at the same time excludes all others. In trying to renew old recollections, we cannot as it were unfold the whole web of our existence; we must pick out the single threads. So in coming to a place where we have formerly lived and with which we have intimate associations, every one must have found that the feeling grows more vivid the nearer we approach the spot, from the mere anticipation of the actual impression: we remember circumstances, feelings, persons, faces, names, that we had not thought of for years; but for the time all the rest of the world is forgotten!—To return to the question I have quitted above. I have no objection to go to see ruins, aqueducts, pictures, in company with a friend or a party, but rather the contrary, for the former reason reversed. They are intelligible matters, and will bear talking about. The sentiment here is not tacit, but communicable and overt. Salisbury Plain is barren of criticism, but Stonehenge will bear a discussion antiquarian, picturesque, and philosophical. In setting out on a party of pleasure, the first consideration always is where we shall go to: in taking a solitary ramble, the question is what we shall meet with by the way. The mind is its own place; nor are we anxious to arrive at the end of our journey. I can myself do the honours indifferently well to works of art and curiosity. I once took a party to Oxford with no mean eclat—shewed them that seat of the Muses at a distance, With glistering spires and pinnacles adornd—  descanted on the learned air that breathes from the grassy quadrangles and stone walls of halls and colleges—was at home in the Bodleian; and at  Blenheim quite superseded the powdered Ciceroni that attended us, and that pointed in vain with his wand to common-place beauties in matchless pictures.—A s another exception to the above reasoning, I should not feel confident in venturing on a journey in a foreign country without a companion. I should want at intervals to hear the sound of my own language. There is an involuntary antipathy in the mind of an Englishman to foreign manners and notions that requires the assistance of social sympathy to carry it off. As the distance from home increases, this relief, which was at first a luxury, becomes a passion and an appetite. A person would almost feel stifled to find himself in the deserts of Arabia without friends and countrymen: there must be allowed to be something in the view of Athens or old Rome that claims the utterance of speech; and I own that the Pyramids are too mighty for any simple contemplation. In such situations, so opposite to all ones ordinary train of ideas, one seems a species by ones-self, a limb torn off from society, unless one can meet with instant fellowship and support.—Yet I did not feel this want or craving very pressing once, when I first set my foot on the laughing shores of France. Calais was peopled with novelty and delight. The confused, busy murmur of the place was like oil and wine poured into m y ears; nor did the mariners hymn, which was sung from the top of an old crazy vessel in the harbour, as the sun went down, send an alien sound into my soul. I only breathed the air of general humanity. I walked over the vine-covered hills and gay regions of France, erect and satisfied; for the image of man was not cast down and chained to the foot of arbitrary thrones: I was at no loss for language, for that of all the great schools of painting was open to me. The whole is vanished like a shade. Pictures, heroes, glory, freedom, all are fled: nothing remains but the Bourbons and the French people!—There is undoubtedly a sensation in travelling into foreign parts that is to be had nowhere else: but it is more pleasing at the time than lasting. It is too remote from our habitual associations to be a common topic of discourse or reference, and, like a dream or another state of existence, does not piece into our daily modes of life. It is an animated but a momentary hallucination. It demands an effort to exchange our actual for our ideal identity; and to feel the pulse of our old transports revive very keenly, we must jump all our present comforts and connexions. Our romantic and itinerant character is not to be  domesticated. Dr. Johnson remarked how little foreign travel added to the facilities of conversation in those who had been abroad. In fact, the time we have spent there is both delightful and in one sense instructive; but it appears to be cut out of our substantial, downright existence, and never to join kindly on to it. We are not the same, but another, and perhaps more enviable individual, all the time we are out of our own country. We are lost to ourselves, as well as our friends. So the poet somewhat quaintly sings, Out of my country and myself I go. Those who wish to forget painful thoughts, do well to absent themselves for a while from the ties and objects that recal them: but we can be said only to fulfil our destiny in the place that gave us birth. I should on this account like well enough to spend the whole of my life in travelling abroad, if I could any where borrow another life to spend afterwards at home! Hazlitt.

Child Language Development Case Study

Child Language Development Case Study Introduction This paper explores a case study with one family with a child displaying slower language development, examining the case in the light of well-known theories around child development. These theories, which include scientific approaches, social approaches, and applied approaches to understanding and supporting child development, are evaluated in the light of the existing literature and in relation to health visiting practice. The Case Child A is a 2 year old male, the only child of a same sex lesbian couple, living in an ex-council house within a village environment. The area of the village in which they live is predominantly local authority housing, but they bought their house as a private sale from its previous owner. The biological mother, who for the purpose of this essay will be called Mother A, was brought up in this village, and left to attend university and have a career, returning when the child was 3 months old. Mother A works 21 hours a week as a nurse, and also works ad hoc shifts as an agency nurse. Mother B is a university graduate who left full time employment to move in with Mother A, and now works for a local women’s charity part time, as a child support worker. Child A displays normal development in most areas, and demonstrates clear cognition and understanding of language and interactions, potentially beyond the standard for his stage of development. However, Child A does not use verbal language himself very much, and at times displays behaviour which suggests he is withdrawn and not interested in socialising. Mother A states that Child A socialises well in the Creche he attends 3 days per week. However, Mother A also states that as a family they are very socially isolated. Mother A’s extended family lives within 3-5 miles of them, but has very limited contact, because of discomfort with their lifestyle. The family attempted to join a mother and toddler group, but were made to feel unwelcome, and both parents state that they are ostracised by their local community, and cannot access social support from a wider lesbian community because they have no childcare other than the crà ¨che. They have been unable to secure a childminder or babysitter because of their alternative family arrangement. Observations of interactions between parents and child demonstrate good, positive attention from both parents. Mother A is very ‘attuned’ to the child and ‘interprets’ behaviours and expressions, anticipating the child’s needs. Interaction between health visitor and child suggests the child is capable of proper linguistic expression. On one occasion, the child corrected the health visitor, to inform her that a shell in his ‘collection’ was grey, not white. The child also shows some ability to recognise alphanumeric characters. Despite this, verbal communication seems very limited. Discussion This case provides an interesting dilemma in exploring the theories which would explain the apparent linguistic retardation this child displays. Bowlby’s attachment theory, for example, might suggest that the child’s linguistic restriction is due to some element of attachment, and that the primary attachment figure for this child is Mother A. In the absence of what others might describe as a normal social sphere for the child, the attachment between Mother A and Child A may never have been challenged, and this close attachment means that the child feels no motivation to speak, because his needs are being anticipated by his primary caregiver. Discussion with both parents does not indicate that the child undergoes separation distress (Bowlby and Bowlby, 2005)), but this could be anticipated from what might be an overly strong and exclusive attachment to Mother A. However, this author feels that attachment theory does not provide a model to explain what effect this kind of relationship might have on linguistic development. Behavioural theories of child development might also provide some insight, particularly if the child views that his current behaviours are being rewarded and reinforced by one or both of his parents (see, for example, the theories of Skinner, Pavlov and Watson). Scientific and biological theories of linguistic development may shed some light on the situation. Chomsky (2007), for example argues that the development of language in the individual child depends on a combination of genetic factors, which precipitate language learning in terms of a biological imperative, experience, which relates to the placement of the child as interacting with its social world, and principles of development which are not specific to the faculty of language. What this demonstrates is a move away from Cartesian dualism, and the reintegration of the processes of the mind into the functional and developmental processes of the body (Chomsky, 2007). In this case, therefore, Child A is likely to have biological imperatives precipitating linguistic development, but may not be achieving his potential due to a possible deficit in his interactions with the social world. It may be that this theoretical perspective highlights the single most important feature in this case, t he lack of social integration into the wider social world, or into normal society. This is not to say that if a same sex lesbian family were socialising in peer groups or social networks, that this would not be normal – far from it. What is notable about this case is that the family are isolated from both general, â€Å"heterosexual† society and from peer-related social groups. If there are, then, elements of linguistic development which are founded on social interactions, a deficit in these areas would likely indicate a potential reason for Child A’s linguistic retardation. The family have attempted to ensure the child is with his own peer group by placing him in a crà ¨che, a group childcare environment, rather than a single carer environment, which is a positive move. However, it could be that even this is not sufficient to precipitate the linguistic development that would be expected of Child A at this point. Classic theories such as Piaget’s constructivist theory, which posits certain developmental stages, might be useful here. In Piaget’s theory, constructivism is an alternative to simple biological understandings of child development, and the development of children’s thinking and cognition is segemented into four stages, which are viewed as progressive (Dawson-Tunkin et al, 2004). Piaget’s stages suggest that children must all move through these stages, sequentially, in order to develop ‘normally’. It is unsurprising that many theorists argue against the centrality of these sorts of stages, as being too restrictive and rigid and not necessarily universally applicable (Dawson-Tunkin et al, 2004). Piaget posits that equilibration, the process of learning wherein the individual reflects on previous experiences to assimilate new concepts and knowledge into current knowledge, is perhaps the most significant of the features of children’s devel opment (Dawson-Tunkin et al, 2004). So, although Piaget understood that biological maturation may set the timetable and limits of some aspects of child development, but stresses that the environment in which children are placed, and their interactions with that environment, is essential to them developing as they should. â€Å"Children who have severely limited interactions with their environments simply will not have the opportunities to develop and organize their cognitive structures so as to achieve mature ways of thinking† (Cook and Cook, 2005). There appears to be an almost inbuilt dissatisfaction with equilibrium, requiring individuals to extend their cognitive structures by seeking out, assimilating and processes new information (Cook and Cook, 2005). This is complemented by reflective abstraction, in which individuals take note of something in their environment, then reflect on it (Cook and Cook, 2005). However, Piaget also argues that â€Å"children do not passively absorb structures from the adults and other people around them†¦[but] actively create their own accommodations and so construct their own understandings† (Cook and Cook, 2005). Feldman (2004) criticises Piaget’s theories because they do not properly allow for the individuality of children, and for differences in development which might be quite marked between children in different circumstances (Feldman, 2004). This author also questions whether there is any need for such rigorous demarcation of stages of development, because if they are still only theories, then labelling children as failing or falling behind might be detrimental to the child and his/her family. However, many theories of development, general and linguistic, do suggest that social environment and/or interactions affects cognitive and linguistic development. Therefore, it could be that in this case, Child A, through his experiences to date, which have been somewhat limited in wider social interaction, has developed his own understandings of the role and function of language in his life, and has perhaps come to the conclusion that the verbalisation of language, at least for him, is rarely necessary. Cognition is not absent, this is evident from interactions with him. He can speak, or at least, it is evident that he understands language, symbols and complex sentence structures, but he does not have any motivation to speak. If asked to carry out a relatively complex task, such as ‘put the shells back in the truck, and put the truck away†, he can do this, readily, and willingly. But if asked to describe what he is doing or to describe his truck, he uses one word answers, gestures and facial expressions to communicate. Cole et al (2004) discuss how positive emotions are important in child development, suggesting that â€Å"emotions organise attention and activity and facilitate strategic, persistent or powerful actions to overcome obstacles, solve problems and maintain wellbeing (Cole et al (2004). This might suggest that perhaps Child A is not being placed in situations where he is emotionally tested enough, in order to motivate him to utilise language in ways that other children might do. Bell and Wolfe (2004) also suggest that there is a need to better understand and explore the role of emotions in organizing and regulating a child’s thinking and learning, and also in understanding the role and of thinking, learning and action in the regulation of children’s emotions. Certainly both Piaget and Vygotsky both argue that children working together learn more than children attempting to, for example, solve problems alone (Cole et al, 2004). It would be no great stretch to see the connection between these collaborative or interactive experiences, the emotional responses of children, and their development, and this must include linguistic development, because these interactions would require the use of language, and perhaps, the development of new linguistic capabilities. Callanan (2006) states that children’s cognitive processes are connected to the language they hear around them. In this case, therefore, it could be argued that Child A may be limited linguistically because the language he hears around him is only that of his two main carers, and of course, the language he hears on television. His social isolation may be affecting the ways in which he is thinking about the world, because he is exposed to limited verbiage. A Freudian analysis of this situation would be both problematic and challenging. If Child A is passing through Freud’s stages of psychosexual development, it could be said that he is perhaps arrested in his oral stage of development, and has not moved out of this stage because of his relationship either with Mother A alone or with both of his female parents. Freudian analysis here is fraught with difficulties, however, because this is not a typical heterosexual relationship, and so the parameters within which Freud’s psychoanalytical theories are framed simply to do not apply. The whole issue of gender here could be a difficult one, because there may be those who believe that a male child needs a gender-similar role model, and his current parenting situation does not provide this. However, contemporary theories on child care and child rearing have veered away from gender-specific behaviours and advocated for gender-neutral child rearing, a reorientation which has follow ed in the wake of radical and second wave feminist theories (Martin, 2005). These feminist theories have at times rejected concepts such as socialisation in the development of children’s social and personal awareness and in developing gender identity (Martin, 2005). However, this author believes, as does Martin (2005), that socialisation is an important feature in child development, and that while Freudian theories posit primary socialisation as occurring within the home, socialisation also occurs once the child is exposed to new environments. If the child is only exposed to limited social environments, this might also mean the child does not become socialised to as many environments and behavioural codes as it should do. Certainly, this author has met colleagues who have argued that the lack of a male role model, or male role models in the home situation, would constitute a problem. However, it would seem that many would argue that gender neutral parenting would not affect d evelopment, particularly if gender and chld development is fixed by biology (Martin, 2005). Vetegodt and Merrick (2003) suggest that there are five important needs that children have, in relation to formation of their identity and in relation to their cognitive development. These needs are: â€Å"the need for acknowledgement, acceptance, awareness, or attentions, respect and care† (Vetegodt and Merrick, 2003). There is a suggestion that if children do not have these needs met, they may then modify their own identities to adjust to their parents and the situation (Vetegodt and Merrick, 2003). While this may not necessarily be true, in the case of Child A and his family, it might be that his needs are met in the home situation, but his needs may be being met in other situations. Certainly, conversations with the parents suggest that they fear his needs, of the nature described above, would not be met outside the family environment because of the nature of his family. There is an ongoing belief that childhood is of primary importance in children forming ‘healthy i dentities’ (Taylor, 2004). The Role of the Health Visitor These theories are mere explorations of potential reasons for an apparent deficit in linguistic development in Child A. Addressing this developmental issue with the parents, in this context, is likely to be somewhat challenging, particularly as the relationship between the health visitor and the parents is of primary importance (Jack et al, 2005). Certainly the child’s home situation is a positive one, and there are no issues in relation to economic or other deprivation. Both parents are intelligent and open to discussion about development and the child’s social needs, but both are also, understandably, sensitive about their continued social exclusion. However, the role of the health visitor is to promote the child’s health and wellbeing (Condon, 2008), and so part of the role in this situation is to assess this wellbeing and ensure the child is offered full participation in all the aspects of health promotion and disease prevention available (Condon, 2008). In t his case, as Mother A is a nurse, and Child A has been subject to all necessary health checks, immunisations, and the like. Engaging with the family has allowed the health visitor to identify elements of the home situation which could affect maternal wellbeing, and so affect child development and wellbeing, but there are no signs of postnatal depression or anything else to raise any warning signs (Peckover, 2003) Here, the role of the health visitor may be to assist the family in identifying ways of extending their social sphere and social life, and integrating their child into social groups and networks which might be more accepting of their alternative family construct. However, there are limits to what a health visitor can advise, and it might be necessary to look at other disciplines, other professionals, and other agencies to support this family. Certainly with changes in the law and social life in recent years, it is becoming less challenging for alternative families to find support and inclusion, but in this case, it would seem that social inclusion may be negatively impacting upon their child’s development. The public health dimension of the health visitor role is very much vaunted in the literature and in governmental policy, but is less easy to realise in practice (Cameron and Christie, 2007). Yet activities such as those discussed in this essay contribute to the public health dimension of the health visitor’s role, in concrete ways. Perhaps it is most important to view the macrocosm of public health policy in relation to the microcosm of the daily work of the health visitor, although it is not always easy to evaluate the day to day function of this role in relation to wider public health improvements. Conclusion It would appear that, whatever the theoretical standpoint, there seem to be a range of ways of defining child development, and many of these relate to the way that children relate to their environment. While there may be a biological imperative to develop cognitively, developing cognitive and, in the case of Child A, linguistic processes, there can be factors which can negatively affect these processes. If these factors are socially mediated, then the social environment that the child finds itself in may be as important as providing good nutrition and health protection. The author deliberately chose a family which was not characterised by typical socio-economic deprivation, or domestic violence, or drug abuse, to demonstrate that child development is fundamentally about the child learning to interact with others, peers and adults alike, in a range of social contexts, and it would seem, from this case, that linguistic development may be more psychologically mediated by such contexts. It may be more than a simple biological/cognitive process, and may require exposure to a range of social settings to fully develop properly, to motivate the child to use language effectively. References Bee, H Boyd, D (2006). The developing child. 11th Ed. USA: Allyn Bacon Longman. Bell, M.A. and Wolfe, C.d. (2004) Emotion and cognition: an intricately bound developmental process. Child Development 75 (2) 366-370. Bowlby, J Bowlby, R (2005). Making and breaking affectional bonds. London: Routledge. Callanan, M.A. (2006) Cognitive development, culture, and conversation: comments on Harris and Koenig’s ‘Truth in Testimony: how children learn about science and religion. Child Development 77 (3) 525-530. Cameron, S and Christie, C. (2007). Exploring health visitors perceptions of the public health nursing role. Primary Health Care Research Development, 8 80-90 Chomsky, N. (2007) Biolinguistic explorations: design, development, evolution. International Journal of Philosophical Studies 5 (1) 1-21. Cole, P.M., Martin, S.E. and Dennis, T.A. (2004) Emotion regulation as a scientific construct: methodological challenges and directions for child development research. Child Development 75 (2) 317-333. Condon, L. (2008) Child health promotion in the United KingdomL does health visitors’ practice follow policy? Journal of Advanced Nursing 62 (5) 551-561. Cook, J.L. and Cook, G. (2005) Child Development: Principles and Perspectives Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Dawson-Tunkin, T.L., Fisher, K.W. and Stein, Z. (2004) Do stages belong at the center of developmental theory? A commentary on Piaget’s Stages. New Ideas in Psychology 22 255-263. Department of Health (2004). The Children Act. London: HMSO. Department of health (2008) Child Health Promotion program. Feldman, D.H. (2004) Piaget’s stages: the unfinished symphony of cognitive development. New Ideas in Psychology 22 175-231. Hall, D Elliman, D. (2006). Health for all children. 4th Revised Ed. Oxford University Press. Jack, S.M., Dicenso, A. and Lohfeld, L. (2005) A theory of maternal engagement with public health nurses and family visitors. Journal of Advanced Nursing 49 (2) 182-190. Martin, K.A. (2005) William wants a doll, can he have one? Feminists, Child Care Advisors and Gender-Neutral Child Rearing Gender and Society 19 456 – 478. Peckover, S. (2003) I could have just done with a little more help. An analysis of women’s help-seeking from health visitors in the context of domestic violence. Health and Social Care in the Community 11 (3) 276-282. Santrock, J.W. (2006). Child development.11th Ed. USA: McGraw-Hill. Sheriden, M (Revised and updated by Frost, M. Sharma, A. (1997). From birth to five Years. London: Routledge. Taylor, C. (2004) Underpinning knowledge for child care practice: reconsidering child development theory. Child and Family Social Work 9 225-235. Ventegodt, S. and Merrick, J. (2003) The life mission theory IV. Theory on Child Development. The Scientific World Journal 3 1294-1301.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s All the Sad Young Men Essays -- Fitzgerald Sad Y

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s All the Sad Young Men F. Scott Fitzgerald’s All the Sad Young Men was his sixth book. The work was composed of nine short stories that had been published in magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post over the course of the previous year. The work was Fitzgerald’s third short story collection and followed the Great Gatsby in publication on the 26th of February 1926. To most, this book signaled Fitzgerald’s staying power as many of his seniors had believed that his initial success as a writer was lucky. They did not take Fitzgerald seriously as an author. On the whole, critics valued the work and praised some of the stories as the best Fitzgerald had written to date. The collection of short stories in All the Sad Young Men included: â€Å"The Rich Boy,† â€Å"Winter Dreams,† â€Å"The Baby Party,† â€Å"Absolution,† â€Å"Rags Martin-Jones and the Pr-nce of W-les,† â€Å"The Adjuster,† â€Å"Hot and Cold Blood,† â€Å"The Sensible Thing,† â€Å"Gretchen's Forty Winks.† Of these, â€Å"Absolution† was widely considered to be the best as it was an artistic piece as opposed to the ones that the critics claimed Fitzgerald wrote to sell. â€Å"Absolution† is a story about an eleven year old boy and a priest; even those who did not like this collection wrote favorably about this story. One critic said of â€Å"Absolution,† â€Å"Yet, it must be said, immediately, that ‘Absolution’ is a penetrating and profound effort to articulate life in primal and dark conflict. It is simple and stripped of all artifice. The poet and humanist in Fit zgerald is in this counting of the search of a boy and an elderly priest for absolute truth, in the conflicting presence of the demands of daily life with its common everydayness of people and trivial affairs.†[1] ... ...cal jazz age mold and reached new audiences. Fitzgerald also received the common criticism that he was writing to sell; many critics felt that â€Å"Absolution† and â€Å"The Rich Boy† with a few others from the selection were the only works of merit. Bibliography ed. Bryer, Jackson R. F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Critical Reception. Burt Franklin & Co., Inc. 1978. http://www.people.vcu.edu/~bmangum/asymcr.html. (This site is not very informative.) http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/collection/dustjackets/sadmen.html. (Dust jacket) [1] Bryer, Jackson R. Pg. 258. [2] IBID. Pg. 259. [3] IBID. Pg. 253 [4] IBID. [5] http://www.georgetown.edu/tamlit/collections/fitzwrks.html#dreams [6] IBID. Pg. 260. [7] IBID. Pg. 258. [8] IBID. Pg. 259. [9] IBID. Pg. 261. [10] IBID. Pg. 261. [11] IBID. Pg. 270. [12] IBID. Pg. 269.

Symbolic Imagery in Langston Hughes Poems, The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Symbolic Imagery in Langston Hughes' Poems, The Negro Speaks of Rivers and Mother To Son Langston Hughes uses symbolism throughout his poetry. In the poems 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers' and 'Mother To Son', Langston Hughes uses symbolism to convey his meaning of the poems to the readers. Readers may make many interpretations about the symbols used throughout these poems. Throughout the poem 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers' Hughes uses metaphorical statements to suggest to the reader what the soul of the African American has been through. The symbols of the old rivers, from which the African American ideal has risen, can be interpreted in many different ways. They can represent the birth and growth of the African American culture, and some of the most significant moments of their past. The symbolism in 'Mother To Son' is used to portray a life of struggle that African Americans must strive to conquer. The words written in this poem represent the pride and knowledge of a group of outstanding people. Reader response varies widely due to the use of symbolism in Langston Hughes works. Throughout the poem 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers' Hughes uses the word 'I' (4). Some people interpret this word not merely as one man but instead the embodiment of the African American culture. In the poem Hughes says 'I've known rivers' (1) this may be interpreted to mean that the African People have seen those times that are represented by the rivers and flourished because of them. This poem can be interpreted to mean that the African Americans accomplishments and history is being shown by the rivers. Hughes is saying that the culture of these people has ?grown deep like the rivers? (3). It has become a plethora of ... ...n his poetry. Hughes creates many responses to these poems through the use of symbolism, which he may otherwise not have been able to do. Works Cited Dove, Rita, and Marilyn Nelson. ?Langston Hughes and Harlem.? Literature An Introduction To Fiction, Poetry, And Drama. Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia 3rd ed. New York: Longman, 2003. 770 Hughes, Langston. ?The Negro Speaks of Rivers.? Literature An Introduction To Fiction, Poetry, And Drama. Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia 3rd ed. New York: Longman, 2003. 759 Hughes, Langston. ?Mother To Son.? Literature An Introduction To Fiction, Poetry, And Drama. Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia 3rd ed. New York: Longman, 2003. 759 Pinckney, Darryl. ?Black Identity In Langston Hughes.? Literature An Introduction To Fiction, Poetry, And Drama. Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia 3rd ed. New York: Longman, 2003. 772

Ronald Reagan Life Span

Introduction On Feb. 6, 1911 a child named Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in a small town, Tampico, Illinois. His parents are the late Nelle Wilson and John (â€Å"Jack†) Reagan. Ronald grew up with one brother by the name of Neil (â€Å"Moon†) Reagan. The Reagans moved quite a few times throughout Ronald’s childhood before settling down in Dixon Illinois. Although Reagan Majored in Sociology and Economics, his love was in entertainment. In 1936 he accepted a position with the radio station WHO in Des Moines, Iowa as a sports caster. Only a year later, Reagan went on to Hollywood in Los Angeles, California to establish his acting career. His acting career lasted 25 years. Reagan became known for his political abilities in 1964 when he preformed a television speech that supported Senator Barry Goldwater’s campaign for presidency. Although Goldwater lost, the speech was moving none the less. After the speech was delivered, a group of Republicans in California approached Reagan and convinced him to run in the 1966 election for the seat of governor of California. Reagan beat out Democrat Edmund G. Brown, his opponent, by nearly a million votes. In the Race for presidency in 1980 Regan’s opponent was Jimmy Carter. Carter’s nervous mannerisms were no match for Regan’s charm and public appeal. Carter's 41% of votes was dwarfed by Reagan’s 51%. Reagan became known as â€Å"the great communicator. † Reagan became the 40th President of the United States of America. Reagan spoke out publicly against federal regulatory agencies, expensive social programs, and government bureaucracy. He was a public speaker and advocate of the middle class. However, he also thought the government had too much control and influence over businesses. Psychological Influences His father was an Irish-American. His father was a shoe salesman by trade. Reagan’s mother was Scotts-Irish. Reagan didn’t care much for his name Ronald so he went by â€Å"Dutch†, a nickname that very well could have come from his father saying he looked like a fat Dutch boy. Reagan’s mother was a huge advocate for the needy. She also supported efforts for prohibition. She thought that alcohol was a moral decay of the family fabric. This was more than likely because Reagan’s father was an alcoholic. Be that as it may, Nelle always supported Jack and never chastised him for what she classified as his â€Å"sickness†. Reagan seemed to have such an empathetic mother. She seems to be so supportive of his father as well as the rest of the family. Even though she had personal ideological disagreements with the way that Jack was living his life, Nelle had compassion and stood by Jack with emotion; showing a good moral environment for her children. Support Structure Systems Reagan was antisocial as a child and didn’t have many friends. The Reagan’s were a tightly knit unit. However, Reagan did write in his memoirs an entry along the lines of Dixon being a small town in which everyone had a sense of community for one another. It was a place where people helped others in need. This is very important because this could allude to an opinion of Reagan’s genuine concern for others. Reagan, at the age of 11, became very devout in religion. He aspired to become a Disciple of Christ and became baptized by a Disciple of Christ. Throughout his life, Reagan constantly remained vigilant in his religious endeavors. He believed in God and he believed in brotherhood. Through these two powerful belief structures, Reagan received support from within that he needed to pursue endeavors throughout his life. Neither of Reagan’s parents possessed a formal education. For this reason they were very concerned that their children did well in school. Despite Nelle and Jack’s efforts, Reagan’s interest wasn’t as much on education, as it was on sports. However, this gave him a substantial structure through his teammates on his football team. Although his educational goals gave him an early start for college and eventually for his major in economics and sociology, he also gained an important support foundation from making friends and becoming social in sports. Nelle and Jack were advocates of equal opportunity and encouraged cultural growth. On many occasions they invited Ronald’s multicultural friends into their home for social gatherings. Personality Theories Some people argue that Reagan was an Introvert merely because he was an actor previous to his career as a politician. An introvert is someone who is concerned primarily with one's own thoughts and feelings rather than with the external environment (dictionary. com). Most people become actors because they are shy and sensitive people. They are often insecure people who find difficulties expressing themselves. Some people would argue that Reagan had script writers that aided his abilities to be so charismatic. Some Introverted People resort to acting because being onstage is an out for them and a way for them to be extroverted when they can find no other means to do so. On the contrary, many people claim that Reagan was an extrovert due to his jocularity and ability to communicate very well. Extroversion is the tendency to be sociable, active, and willing to take risks (Kowalski & Western, 2005). Reagan displayed the ability to charm a crowd seemingly with no effort. Reagan was forthcoming, energetic, and open like most extroverted individuals. Extroverts tend to want to be continuously moving. Extroverts thrive on different activities, be it either physical or mental. Extroverts likewise gain their energy from their surroundings. An extrovert’s environment stimulates them greatly such as Reagan seemed to be from his. Best Match/Conclusion In 1921 a Swiss Psychoanalyst, Dr. Jung, coined the terms introvert and extrovert. He believed that people are born with these two innate attitudes. He believed that everyone possesses these two attitudes but favors one more so than the other. According to Dr. Jung’s research an introvert focuses on their feelings, emotions, and Ideas as an extrovert focuses on heavy doses of social stimulation. A research study was conducted at Berkeley and the results found online at berkeley. edu revealed that Reagan could be ranked as a disparate conservative. Other disparate conservatives that were ranked in the study with Reagan were Hitler and Mussolini. The Study believes that theses three individuals express the same traits. The traits that were observed were fear, aggression, dogmatism, intolerance of ambiguity, uncertainty, avoidance, need for cognitive closure and terror management. Many psychoanalysts associate a close relativity between extroversion with conservatives. According to Dr. Salvatore Didato, Ph. D. , Reagan is an extrovert (St. Petersburg Evening Independent 1985). By looking at Reagan’s jocular approach to his speeches and his constant drive for attention as well as combining this with the research findings of the Berkeley study, I agree. I believe that Reagan thrived on the support and attention of the public to satisfy his feelings of self fulfillment. References Introvert. Retrieved from http://dictionary. reference. om/browse/introversion on November 2, 2009. Extrovert. Retrieved from EBOOK COLLECTION: Kowalski, R. & Western, D. (2005). Psychology (4th ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. On November 2, 2009. Berkely. edu research study. Retreieved online November 2, 2009. http://berkeley. edu/news/media/releases/2003/07/22_politics. shtml Dr. Salvatore Didato, Ph. D. ,†Most of us are a mix of introvert and extrovert† St. Petersburg E vening Independent Saturday March 9, 1985 retrieved from http://news. google. com/newspapers? nid=950&dat=19850311&id=Ou4LAAAAIBAJ&sjid=X1kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7075,2599676 on Nov 02, 2009.