Free Essays on Isaacs Storm

Some people are just gifted. While researching data on a turn-of-the-century murder, author Erik Larson stumbles upon newspaper accounts of the most lethal natural disaster in American history (Random House, 1999). The discovery leads to his writing of Isaac’s Storm, a national bestseller. The book describes in great detail how a hurricane destroyed the town of Galveston, Texas in 1900. Larson’s interest in history and foul weather phenomenon combined with the intriguing photographic devastation was factors that led to his writing. He was amazed that few people knew of a documented catastrophe with a death toll greater than the combined toll of the Johnstown Flood and San Francisco Earthquake. Although he has no formal weather training his research and self-proclaimed â€Å"forensic investigation† techniques (University of Oregon, 1999) produced an excellent read. From Larson’s childhood background in Freeport, Long Island during the hurricane years of the 1950’s and 1960’s through his major in history at the University of Pennsylvania he seemed to prepare himself for just such a work. His resume also includes graduation from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, teaching nonfiction writing at San Francisco State University, and stints with major papers and periodicals such as the Wall Street Journal, Harpers and Atlantic Monthly. From the opening chapter â€Å" The Beach†, Larson provides enough documentary that you find the book hard to put down. He lays out families, events, days and people in detail that you can follow throughout the book; in some cases you can imagine yourself actually there. The next chapter traces the origin of the hurricane in the next chapter followed by a description of Isaac Cline’s upbringing and weather forecasting background, providing a strong basis for tracking the storm and understanding Cline’s mindset. While important to document the National Weather Service’s mode of operation it... Free Essays on Isaac's Storm Free Essays on Isaac's Storm Some people are just gifted. While researching data on a turn-of-the-century murder, author Erik Larson stumbles upon newspaper accounts of the most lethal natural disaster in American history (Random House, 1999). The discovery leads to his writing of Isaac’s Storm, a national bestseller. The book describes in great detail how a hurricane destroyed the town of Galveston, Texas in 1900. Larson’s interest in history and foul weather phenomenon combined with the intriguing photographic devastation was factors that led to his writing. He was amazed that few people knew of a documented catastrophe with a death toll greater than the combined toll of the Johnstown Flood and San Francisco Earthquake. Although he has no formal weather training his research and self-proclaimed â€Å"forensic investigation† techniques (University of Oregon, 1999) produced an excellent read. From Larson’s childhood background in Freeport, Long Island during the hurricane years of the 1950’s and 1960’s through his major in history at the University of Pennsylvania he seemed to prepare himself for just such a work. His resume also includes graduation from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, teaching nonfiction writing at San Francisco State University, and stints with major papers and periodicals such as the Wall Street Journal, Harpers and Atlantic Monthly. From the opening chapter â€Å" The Beach†, Larson provides enough documentary that you find the book hard to put down. He lays out families, events, days and people in detail that you can follow throughout the book; in some cases you can imagine yourself actually there. The next chapter traces the origin of the hurricane in the next chapter followed by a description of Isaac Cline’s upbringing and weather forecasting background, providing a strong basis for tracking the storm and understanding Cline’s mindset. While important to document the National Weather Service’s mode of operation it...

A Good Man Must Know One Song by Heart Movie Review

A Good Man Must Know One Song by Heart - Movie Review Example A gripping story set in 1929 about a family of three. The father leaves home for New York to work there along with his friends as members of a band. The band becomes popular at that area, and pay becomes even better. Way back home, the ten-year old son and his mother alternates time among playing piano, strolling around the vicinity, and cooking food. The situation forces the son to look for his father bringing only with him a song that his father taught him years ago.The film's narration played as a flashback starting out promisingly in what is supposed to be an abandoned area in New York, where the son is shown to be cuddling his father while humming a tune. The father was looking aimlessly at nowhere in his tattered suits, while the son looked simple in his pants and jacket. The transition to the next scene was poignant and dramatic because the succeeding scene was beautifully juxtaposed with the previous scene. In the second scene, the father was seen cuddling his son while singi ng the song "While My Baby Lulls in a Hammock." The mother entered the scene, and then all at once, the audience was introduced to all the principal characters of the film. But just when you are expecting things to get even better, as the film tried to give the audience an idea of the setting and the zeitgeist of the story, the film slowed down and devoted too much time to the protagonists' uneventful music sessions. There, the film accommodated half of the total number of songs-there were ten-that were supposed to be played in the entire film. While the film's first half tried your patience, it picked up speed as the focus shifted to where it should be: New York and the specter of the Great Depression. There were two significant events between the period of 1925 and 1935 that were woven into or depicted in the film: 1) The movie's moral crackdown in 1934-Due to the newly-enforced rigorous production code courtesy of Will Hays, the film's dialogues, song lyrics, and the presentation of the visuals were seemingly sanitized. Rumor has it that several lines-including "Mother, do you think is it acceptable for Father if I were to fall in love with someone, but not marry her"-were intentionally omitted during the post-production to suit the taste of the members of the so-called Legion of Decency. As a result of this, the film in its entirety was devoid of any shocking but commercially appealing dialogue and situations. Instead, unnecessary optimism pervaded all throughout in its less than 90-minute run. Such existential optimism was manifested in script like "Do not worry son. Your father will soon find his way to us." 2) The ushering of the Great Depression in 1929-discussions among bankers visiting the club where the father plays centered on the issue of Wall Street's fall. Although, the site of Wall Street was never included in any of the scenes, the actors really talked about blue chips like Standard Oil and Westinghouse, and the plummeting values of the shares of White Sewing Machine with ease that one could have an impression that bankers who were forced to resign from financial institutions were acquired as actors. Commentaries One critic said that there was a visible effort on the part of the filmmakers to show that this film had set the bar high in terms of visuals, sounds, and historical accuracy. Although the visuals, through camerawork, hardly moved to prevent the scratches made by camera from being recorded, the actors' faces registered clearly and properly projected to create an impression of a depressing scenario. The sounds consisted of a few songs of longing and melancholia and crisp and concise audible (and inaudible) dialogue. The claim to historical accurac

Political Deviance or Scandal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Political Deviance or Scandal - Research Paper Example It is the higher immorality and has its roots in the governmental search for power and profit (Simon & Eitzen, 2002). It is a rational solution to the barriers or problems that stand in the way of these politician’s aims. The following seeks to look into the various aspects of political deviance and also explore its overall effects. The paper also looks at the accepted practices and policies in curbing this deviance. The last section of this study offers a projection on how political deviance will be treated in the next ten to twenty years. During political deviance, responsibility is denied by referring to actions as mistakes (Cepernich, 2008). There is also victimization through dehumanizing victims. Higher loyalties are invoked then condemners are condemned. It can be demonstrated in cases of extortion, bribery, or kickbacks. Political deviance is seen internationally in the actions of the CIA, that is, in war crimes like Mai Lai massacre and the Vietnam genocide (Cepernich, 2008). In the United States, for instance, the notorious Watergate scandal rocked the United States back in 1970s. Upon the occurrence of any political deviance, numerous effects are felt by both the affected society and culture. Political scandal being unethical and morally unacceptable in any society, it has to be dealt with accordingly. Engaging in political deviance attracts allegations of political bias (Cepernich, 2008). This activity is commonly more harmful both socially and even economically. Most state deviances are restricted to the a ctions of people of the highest social status. They involve tactical exploitation of the powerless members of the society by domination of the economy, engaging in crimes of government control, and abuse of human rights (Cepernich, 2008). It results in vast amounts of injury. The significant effect of any form of political deviance is that it

Issues of Childcare in Contemporary Society

Issues of Childcare in Contemporary Society Kiran Buttar Unit 11 History of the child Task 1 : Using knowledge and understanding gained from study of this unit, together with independent research complete the following: Outline the history of the child including key events which mark significant changes in a child’s existence, together with description of example context of childhood Through independent research and demonstration of knowledge and understanding from study of this unit, draw comparisons between changes in childhood across a range of countries and cultures. Comment on similarities and differences, providing evaluation of underpinning rationale for these similarities and differences (for example economic, social etc.) Identify controls and strategies that have been historically and socially imposed on children Explain how the changes in family structure have influenced childhood experience; include comparisons between UK and other countries and cultures using independent research Define modern childhood and discuss current rights that are supported with legislation, policy and agency supervision Discuss conflicts that children may experience within a modern society . Task 2 : Using knowledge and understanding from the study of this unit, together with independent research complete the following: Describe legislation relating to child existence; in order to fulfil this element of task 2 independent research will need to be undertaken in order to evaluate historical and current relevant legislation Explain and discuss some complexities and challenges of childhood in modern society; provide examples. Introduction Restoring childhood historical record and further developing it has been taken up as major area of study by most historians and educationists who deal with children. Everyone would want to know how children grew up in the old times; what influenced their daily lives and what created meaningful impacts in their lives as they grew into adults (Lambert, 2008). It’s true when one goes through the history that children undergo stages in life that bring about significant changes in life. This also changes from time to time because of the continuing change in the way of life. The way a child was brought up in the Ancient Greece is different from the way it was in Egypt and further more different from the way it was in the United Kingdom and the present USA (Lambert, 2008). Similarly, the modern child is different from the ancient child. Upon this observing is where this paper is out to focus on outlining the history of children with emphasis on the events that have marks changes in a child’s life, comparison of childhood changes across countries and culture and a general commentary on the similarities and differences. The discussion of the above will further lead into the discussion of how changes in family structures have influenced children’s lives and the conflicts that children face in the current modern world. Any further legislation that has been set up to protect the child will also be reviewed. History of Children and Comparison across Cultures Children born some five hundred years ago had a rough life (Lambert, 2008). This was because few of the children born survived. Most of them died before their fifth birthday while others died their sixteenth birthday (Lambert, 2008). For those who survived, life was very difficult; they didn’t go to school. They instead helped their parents with work at home. The children grew up under strict discipline from their teachers and parents as most of the naughty children could be beaten up (Lambert, 2008). Despite this, the children had a lot of time to play. The most important event that would take place in a child’s life was learning, discipline and play. For example, in the ancient Egypt, children played with dolls, toy soldiers, ball and marbles. This is similar to what happens to children today. Also, these children never went to school. Instead, boys learnt farming and trade while girls learnt sewing, cooking and other skills from their fathers and mothers respectively. When compared to children in Greece, children were regarded as persons at the age of five. Parents were entitled to abandon newborns babies to die of exposure. Those babies got by strangers would later become slaves. Girls learned skills like weaving from their mothers. Unlike in Egypt, boys went to school and learnt reading, writing and arithmetic, and poetry and music. They believed physical education was important for boys. The early life of children in the USA was characterized by early recruitment into the local factories as labourers. This was implanted by the colonial attitude that rocked the country at that time. This was later changed through championship for child rights. However, in the UK projects were established to help parents to be the first people to educate their children before anyone else (Evangelou Sylva, 2007). This would give the children a good start in life. The focus was much on parent-child interaction which was seen as very vital for a child’s early learning (Evangelou Sylva, 2007). It would also contribute to the child’s later academic achievement especially those from low-income households. In England, Scotland and Wales, it is reported that one child in every five households received mean-tested benefits in a case where their parents weren’t working (Evangelou Sylva, 2007). Thus intervention programs were meant to do away with disparities in the presch ool years so that poor children enter school on a more footing to their affluent peers. Controls and Strategies historically and socially imposed on Children The children in the early ties got controlled through strict discipline. For example, in Greece discipline was severe to the extent that could often be beaten (Lambert, 2008). Those who did wrong were denied important basic needs like food, put under harsh treatment and whipped for any offence (Lambert, 2008). Similar to UK, children were expected to show respect to their elders. They were to grow according to the morals that they would be taught by their grandparents. Children in the UK were given equal opportunities for learning. At some point, the parents were required to show recognition of their early literacy achievement (Evangelou Sylva, 2007). They were also required to engage in interaction with children on literacy activities. High level of integrity was regarded as a virtue and whoever did not show it faced harsh consequences. How changes in family structure affects Children’s Experience It is a fact that children do display different patterns of life depending on the family context in which the child has been raised. For example, those children who have been raised in lone-parent families normally show little progress in their general well-being than those from two-parent families (Mackay, 2005). When parents opt to separate, the effects become adverse. This shows clearly that child outcomes are contingent on family contexts. With much reference to family separation, the impacts include interference in cognitive capacity, schooling, physical health, mental and emotional health, social conduct and behaviour, peer relations and criminal offending actions like cigarette smoking (Mackay, 2005). Such children often abandon their homes at early stages in life. Others later get subjected to sexual abuse (Mackay, 2005). In other words, research shows that children who experience multiple transitions in family structure normally face worse developmental outcomes than childre n raised in stable families (Fomby Cherlin, 2007). However, these multiple transitions and negative child outcomes are most associated to common causal factors such as parents’ antecedent behaviours and attributes (Fomby Cherlin, 2007). Modern Childhood and their Current legislation, policy and rights Comparative study of child history goes as far as exploring the differences that emerge in different nations and between the West and other societies. Unlike in the past where parents just gave birth to any number of children, in the modern world, there are policies that control the birth rates especially in Europe and USA. On the issues of Child Labour, there have been continuous reforms especially in the US. The US started it much earlier than Europe by developing a mass compulsory education. However, in America, children to date are allowed to express themselves and even dispute parental views and actions. In Europe, this goes against the crusade for obedience and good manners in the 19th century. Also, in USA, the enthusiasm for childish innocence and maternal affection surpasses that of Europe. To date the authoritarian parental approach ahs remained in Europe. Conflicts that Children Experience in Modern Society Children in the modern evidently have freedom to learn so much. However, the modern world also approaches them with conflicts that have great impact in their lives (Danziger, 2003). Some leave harsh experiences in their minds. The modern toady today faces conflicts like war in the society. According to the United Nations study on children, war in the form of harsh emotional, physical and sexual violence do shutter children’s world. War undermines their life foundations, destroys their homes and breaks down their trust in adults. There is need to reduce armed conflict for the sake of children. Complexities and Challenges of Childhood in Modern Society It is further a fact that the modern to some point has not taken issues of the child seriously. This is because of the so many complexities and challenges of modern childhood. This can be well seen through an exploration of the relationship between childhood and globalisation (Finn et al, 2010). Issues of social construction of childhood well present some of the challenges that affect children. These are: marketization, marginalization, medicalization and mobilization (Finn et al, 2010). These processes do shape the experience of the child as well as their social work policies and practises. Educational Setting in children’s Lives A focus on the historical educational practitioners shows how childhood was highly celebrated in the past. This is because these practitioners brought about an impact on the educational practice. Some of the impacts have been adopted into children’s early education today. To expand more on these, it worth discussing the philosophies that were presented by some of these theorists. An example is Fredrick Froebel. Fredrick had the idea that the key event that marked a child’s life was play. He presented the fact that children learn through exploratory, symbolic and free-flow play. Exploratory play meant children playing with natural materials consisting of clay, mud, water and sad, a type that would help them to get motivated and focus on building relationships between the child’s home and the nursery/school. Free-flow play entailed children learning freely without much use of adult supervision. In the end, the children would become independent. Symbolic play involv ed playing with objects to make them into something else. This would mostly happen in role-plays in that toddlers would use objects and transform them into something else. For example, a toddler playing using a bin would turn it around and use it as a drum. The idea of Fredrick was later introduced in schools in the form of physical plays. Children would go outside and work on their physical skills. This has influenced today’s society as children would need to do more than staying in classrooms. They would go outside or go on field trips. This would in turn help with their exploratory play and physical play as they would develop their physical skills as well as their intellectual skills. At most times, they used symbolic play area for children to socialise with each other and express their emotions. They also let children become independent so would use free-flow play. Another theorist was Rudolph Steiner: Rudolph Steiner saw children as having three developmental stages which would help them to become independent when they came into adulthood. These stages are the active stage; emphasis on feelings and the cognitive stage. The active stage started at the early ages of seven. This is where children play willingly but under adult supervision. However, the adult must ensure that the children show their independence. The stage where children would emphasis on their feelings starts at the age of seven to fourteen. This is where they would have emotional feelings from their heart and go further to express their feelings. Later came the cognitive stage which would start at the age of fourteen years onwards. This is when they would become independent without a lot of adult supervision. Rudolph saw children as having different developmental stages. His thoughts which had started at the age of 7 later came to influence today’s early years setting bec ause the adult role would be to observe the children to see if they are on the right tracking. Maria Montessori another scholar believed in motivating children. She believed that children are active learners, so would not need a lot of adult supervision as they should learn things on their own. She believed that children would learn naturally. This is a well-known placement around the world that showed Maria Montessori encouraged children to become independent and to do independent work. The reason why she decided to do this was because she wanted to encourage children to work alone so that they could get used to the routine when they are older. She argued that children are naturally self-motivated and that children are active learners. This would later enhance problem-solving skills in children. In her theory, Maria Montessori does not use free-flow play but considers it to be useful and important at times as it could be part of their daily routines, mostly at the ages of 3-5 years old. Steiner and Frobel on the other hand, believed that children should do things without a lot of adult supervision. This is because it would make them independent and they would not need to rely on other people as much as they should. Margaret McMillan had the same views as Frobel about free play and natural play. This is because they believed that it would help children to learn and recognise the natural materials, and build their knowledge on where they come from. McMillan also influenced the school meals and medical services. School meals would be used for those whose parents worked and did not have time. They gave medical service so that children could get checked up while in school. These check-ups consisted of things like head lice and meningitis shots. McMillan also thought that children needed meals while they are in any environment. She also informed about the child’s safety. If a child had hurt himself/herself then the adult’s role was to record it for the paren t/guardian so that they would realise what had happened. Another theorist Susan Isaacs believed that at the age of seven, children should not do things such as exams so as to give them time to do things such as creative play that would help them learn to express and feel differently. They would be able to move around and develop different developmental skills in their own time and in turn get used to schools routines. Susan Isaac encouraged children to express their feelings and use their imaginative thought in dramatic play, which would also consist of creative play. This would help children with their social and language development. Dramatic play was thus considered as the home corner in early years setting. They would have a home corner in their activity plan as it would help children with their learning and development. In today’s society, they would use Isaac’s views of dramatic play. This is because it would help them with their social skills. Reggio Emilia plays a role of artful balancing between engagement and attention which is based on careful and sensitive listening, observation/documentation, and reflection with other adults. She says that the teachers serve as resources and guides to the children. This would then help the teachers to work together with the assistance of other staff members and also the parents. This would in turn create a welcoming, learning and developmental environment. After a thorough look at the different educational practitioners that may have an influenced the education settings, it is clearly that the ones whose ideas most impacted up to today’s education settings are Margaret McMillan and Maria Montessori. This is because it comes out clear through analysis that Margaret McMillan was the one who influenced the practices in the UK. The reason why the education practice has improved when looking at Margaret McMillan practitioners is because, Margaret McMillan had influenced things such as free meal times, snack time, free-flow play and natural play. She also influenced and brought up the idea that children would get medical check-ups each year to make sure that they do not have things such as head-lice and chicken pox . These are vital illnesses that most children would receive when they are at the ages of 3-8 years old. Medical check-ups are there so that the illnesses do not get spread around to the other children. Sometimes parents mi ght not know if their children have the chicken pox. Therefore, they would send them to school where other children would receive them. This would be the same with head lice. Therefore, this called for regular check-ups. For example, when a child falls while playing in the playground, they would get it checked to make sure that there are not any bleeding/ bruising. If it occurs then the person who had witnessed it would need to write it in a witness book to show their parents/guardians. This book would in turn be signed by the parent on regards that they have spoken about the incident and had realised what had happened. This also helped to stop any dramatic effects that the parents/ guardian would use on the teacher in the future. References Finn, J. (2010). The meaning and making of childhood in the era of globalization: Challenges for social work. Elsevier. (Online). Retrieved on 19th August, 2013 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740909002473> Danziger, N. (2003). Children and War. (Online). Retrieved on 19th August, 2013 from http://www.redcross.int/EN/mag/magazine2003_3/4-9.html> Encyclopaedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society.( 2008). Comparative History of Childhood. Retrieved from http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Ch-Co/Comparative-History-of-Childhood.html> On 19th August, 2013. Fombly. P. Cherlin, A. (2007). Family Instability and Child-well-being. Retrievd from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3171291/> on 19th August, 2013. Mackay, R. (2005). The Impact of Family Structure and Family change on Child Outcomes: A Personal Reading of the Research Literature. Ministry of Social Environment. Retrieved from http://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/journals-and-magazines/social-policy-journal/spj24/24-impact-of-family-structure-and-family-change-on-child-outcome-p111-133.html> on 19th august, 2013. Lambert, T. (2008). A Brief History of Children. Retrieved from http://www.localhistories.org/children.html> on 19th August, 2013.

Classification of Restaurant Customers :: Classification Essay

Classification of Restaurant Customers â€Å"I’ve been here for ten minutes and my server hasn’t taken my order yet!† This is a direct quote from me before I worked at a restaurant. I never looked to see how many tables my server actually had or how much running I made them do. The sad truth is most people do not notice these details either, which may affect the tip their server will receive. By looking at the attitude and maintenance of restaurant customers, you can classify them into three categories according to their tipping patterns: the â€Å"hmm†¦how good were they? tippers,† â€Å"the â€Å"stick-to-the-fifteen-percent tippers,† and the â€Å"I-am-or-once-was-a-server tippers†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The â€Å"hmm†¦how good were they? tippers† stick out as a sore thumb would. They have the attitude of â€Å"They are working for me,† and â€Å"The whole world revolves around me.† They also say things such as, â€Å"Is my food suppose to look like that?† and â€Å"Where is my refill?† They are the customers who always have a disgusted face and are not satisfied with anything. The â€Å"hmm†¦how good were they? Tippers† are not only high maintenance but also the worst tippers. When the bill comes, they feel they can justify giving a small tip because of their â€Å"lack of service†. Many can guess the server likes these customers least. These customers not only put the server in an angry mood but also the rest of the employees that must hear from that server.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The average customers in a restaurant fall under the â€Å"Stick-to-the-fifteen-percent, tippers.† They have the attitude of â€Å"I’m just here for the food.† These average customers can be heard saying, â€Å"Looks good, I just need ketchup.† and â€Å"When you get a chance, may I please have a refill?† The â€Å"Stick-to-the-fifteen- percent tippers† have a more serious, laid-back face and stay quiet. These customers are average maintenance and average tippers. The only time they leave more than a fifteen- percent tip is when they need to round to the nearest dollar. Their server is mellow and polite because he is thankful for the expected tip. A server walks away from the table cool, calm and collected with no need to complain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The best customers of all three categories are the â€Å"I-am-or-once-was-a-server tippers†. These wonderful customers have the attitude of â€Å"I know how hard they are working.† and â€Å"Wow, our server is busy.† They are the customers who don’t say anything at all except for their order.

Failure of Thomas Gradgrind (Hard Times by Charles Dickens)

Thomas Gradgrind is a man bereft of any imagination or fancy, and perhaps that is why he is a staunch believer in the practicality of the education system. He discards wonderment and regards facts and figures as the ultimate path to learning. In the novel Hard Times, the author Charles Dickens has shown Gradgrind as an educationist, and hence has portrayed him implementing his views on both his pupils in the school, as well as on his family. He expects his students to engage in nothing but factual education; and brings up his children on the same principle.Fashioning his children on the principle of logic, he wants to make model beings out of them, which he may portray to society as examples of a practical nature. But he fails to understand the power of human emotions, or rather their weakness. Ignoring all possibilities of what hope and imagination could bring, into the lives of both himself and others around him, he creates a wall of facts beyond which it becomes very hard for his daughter Louisa and his son Tom to see, which they very much come to want. They get sick of their father’s ‘eminently practical’ ways and long to break free from the environment they are made to live in.Their desires and wishes are so subdued that they are forced to turn to whatever respite, no matter how little they can get from any source whatsoever. Despite his efforts to implement his theory upon everyone around him, the seed of fancy does not die out in his son and daughter, and is evidently on display in the incident where the siblings are caught peeping in at the fanciful circus which fuels their starved imaginations, but their moment is short lived as they are caught by their eminently practical father who chastises them for their behavior.In his views, their behavior is astonishing, for such practical children are not expected to be seen paying attention to things such as circuses and other such buffoonery. His views, which he holds in such high regards, fail here as it shows that no matter how much practicality a person is fed with, even if it is up to the brim leaving no room for any thing belonging to another nature, that basic human nature, which is known as, among others, fancy, will find its way through the thickest of books and the toughest of facts, into the minds of human beings, especially those so deprived of it.And it may as well grow their, positively if it is fed, and negatively, in a manner of frustration and despair, if it is not. Such was the case with Gradgrind’s children that their fancy was gravely trampled upon and not allowed to grow, that their basic human nature of fancy and imagination took on a negative tone of development and brought out in them natures far from what might be considered good. Gradgrind’s forcing upon them his extreme practicality and factual nature brings out the worst in them, as is often the case with youth exposed to the extremities of human psychology.His daughter Louisa enters into a loveless marriage with the unsympathetic man Bounderby, and becomes an unfeeling and cold person. There is no hope developed within her to help her think about what other prospects might have been open for her; whereas Tom goes astray and disembarks on a path unfit for a gentleman of his stature. There is no imagination in his mind whatsoever to suggest to him another course of being other than the one he has been brought up on, which is also the one he detests, and hence, in desperation, he takes to the only other path he sees before him.Gradgrind, having firm belief in the sensibleness of his ideas, extends his educational theory to the orphan child Sissy, who is the estranged child of the circus man Jupe, whom Gradgrind, overcome by pity at realizing her prospects as an un-apprenticed orphan, invites to live in his own house, which he relishes in presenting as an example to Louisa as to what becomes of someone who engages in things which do no appeal to the rationa l side of man.He provides Sissy with the same logical education he had been fashioning his children and his pupils on, but Sissy is not able to be as practical in nature as her education ought to have made her. She is not able to leave behind her basic nature, one which has bred from a past of reading fairy tales and enjoying the circus, which Thomas Gradgrind so detests. And it is this past, this quality of nature, which ultimately helps his son to escape a dreadful turn of events. Tom Gradgrind, on the other hand, having received an education factual in nature to the core, and without any experience whatsoever in mattersotherwise, goes off course and unlike his father, becomes a man of lesser standards. He enters into gambling and commits thievery. The education tom receives, which teaches him that self interest must rise above every other, is over-done. As a result Tom becomes so selfish that he coaxes his sister Louisa into marrying the rich businessman Bounderby just so that he could mint money for his gambling purposes, and becomes cross with her, when Louisa lands up on the wrong side of her marriage and is not able to fulfill his demands anymore.His sister is distraught at being treated coldly by her beloved brother, as he is the sole love of her life. He is very efficiently able to hide the crime he commits by playing upon the general suspicion on the poor workman Stephen Blackpool, the suspicion he has facilitated by taking advantage of Stephen’s gratitude towards his sister and asking to keep watch over the bank on the days leading to the robbery, so that the general doubt would naturally fall on Stephen.Gradgrind is forced to realize the failure of his theory implemented on his children by the embarrassment he suffers at the hands of his son when Tom junior, after his heist at the bank is at the brink of exposure, is in the process of escaping but is stopped short by Gradgrind’s old student Bitzer, who has now become a man of utmost p ractical bend of mind, who places his teacher’s very theory in his own face.Bitzer is an unyielding man who gives importance to nothing above self interest, which, as he truly states, was taught to him under the school of thought propagated by Thomas Gradgrind himself. He gives no regard to his former educator, stating instead that self interest and practicality is what he has been taught all his life, and that is what he shall practice. Gradgrind’s daughter Louisa marries Bounderby solely for the sake of her brother.Neither does she feel anything special towards Bounderby, neither holds anything against him, but agrees to it solely on her brother’s suggestion. To her, nothing in her life is worth getting excited for, as the extreme practical nature of her upbringing restricts her from thinking about things she could’ve possibly engaged in. Her saying, from time to time, â€Å"What does it matter? † suggests that she is so jaded of the system she i s a part of, that it does not matter to her what goes on around her, and is devoid of all concern.Her upbringing and education has been so weak in equipping her with knowledge about human relations of any kind that she is flustered when she is approached by James Harthouse with matters of the heart, and rushes back to her father as she is clueless about what to do about or make of the situation, thus displaying the failure of Thomas Gradgrind’s principles and beliefs on which he has brought his daughter up. This which goes on to show that man’s basic temperament cannot be bottled and filed, thus failing his theory of education being profoundly practical.

The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights Essay - 2327 Words

In 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was approved. by the United National General Assembly. Since then the idea of human rights has become a ubiquitous part of the world order, and is used to justify sanctions and wars against offending countries (Goodhart, 2016: 2-3). With something so pervasive across international relations it is important to interrogate it and come to an understanding of what exactly human rights are, and how it works. This essay will examine human rights by looking at how it is implemented by the United Nations, and what obstacles it has faced. This essay will be organized in the following way: First, it will give a brief history of human rights as a UN doctrine and philosphy in order to situate the essay. Second it will look at the tools the UN has to enforce Human Rights, specifically looking at so-called â€Å"naming and shaming†, sanctions, and military actions and the obstacles these tools have to being effective. Finally, using t his information it will draw a conclusion about the state of Human Rights as a whole. The idea of Universal Human Rights did not start with the UDHR, as the idea existed for a long time before that. However, it was the shock and horror of World War Two, and the Holocaust, that forced the world to rethink what rights were and how they were implemented. In the eyes of the world the war was something that needed to never happen again, and there needed to be a universal code to define in what way human rightsShow MoreRelatedThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights1728 Words   |  7 Pagespeople. Culture can impede progress and leave women, minorities and other sub-sects of a society without the basic human rights that they deserve. Clinging too close to culture can be dangerous. The Foundations of a Universal Declaration The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was drafted shortly after the United Nations was established in 1945. The aim of the Declaration was to ensure that an atrocity such as the mass killings of Jews and other minorities in Nazi Germany would never happenRead MoreThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights1131 Words   |  5 PagesHuman rights are moral principles that set out specific standards of human behavior, and are normally ensured as lawful rights in both national and global law. They are acknowledged to be inalienable, since anybody is characteristically qualified for it essentially on the grounds that they are individuals. Whatever our nationality, sex, shade, religion, dialect, or ethnic source is, we are all just as qualified for our rights without separation or discrimination. All human rights are resolute andRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights Essay1368 Words   |  6 Pages The Universal Declaration of Human rights was adopted in the UN gene ral assembly by the 10th December 1948. This is the first time that the world recognized that everyone had the right to enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom from fear and want, and many other rights. International human rights come along way; before there was no rights. The idea of having rights that led to the development of international human rights takes time. There are benchmarks developments in internationalRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights Essay1276 Words   |  6 PagesA human right is an ethical choice and moral belief belonging to all humans regardless of traits, status, location, color, gender, or belief system. Making the connection to a universal law, the United Nations Rights High Commissioner explains these rights are, â€Å"guaranteed by law† and protected as â€Å"fundamental freedoms† (OHCHR, 2016). The Cambridge Dictionary defines privilege as â€Å"an advantage that only one person or group of people has† listing examples such as having a high social position or wealthRead MoreUniversal Declaration Of Human Rights1263 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a doctrine created to ensure a mutual standard of treatment amongst all humans, every person deserves an equal set of life standards. According to Article 18 of this 30 Article document, â€Å"everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teachingRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights1417 Words   |  6 PagesImplemented in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) delineates the basic rights and freedoms entitled to all humans. 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I am going to argue if Human Rights should or should not be unically adapted to differentRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights875 Words   |  4 PagesI feel that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) does have a western bias. Many people look to US for guidance, but not many other nations copy our way of life. States can sign treaties, but they cannot be reassured that the other nation will keep its word. The US and the UN should maybe not be engaging in promoting western society, but they should be engaging in promoting the protection of human rights. The UN UDHR fought for minimal rights in 1948 by identifying three types of generationsRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights1485 Words   |  6 Pages1003236982 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states â€Å"that human rights are held by all persons equally and universally forever† –hence, they are universal held. This is due to them being the exact same for all human beings anywhere in the world. One cannot acquire human rights because of where they come from, but because they are a member of the human race. Nobody can lose those human rights, nor can they be taken away for whatever the reason may be. Together, we have the right to express ourselvesRead MoreThe Declaration Of Universal Human Rights869 Words   |  4 PagesGeneral Assembly (UNGA) set forth a declaration of universal human rights. The goal was to set a common standard of rights based on â€Å"recognition of the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family.† It was meant to become the perfect social contract but unfortunately was not upheld even by the signatory nations themselves. Many critics now looking b ack have cited the overreaching ideals as the downfall of the declaration but yet many have responded saying it