Disneyland Paris Marketing Analysis Essay

Introduction Following the success in America, Walt Disney decided to build a similar entertainment and vacation park in Europe. On April 12, 1992 the park was opened the first time as Euro Disney ® Resort. Nowadays it is known as Disneyland ® Paris, which is located close to Paris in France. It consists of two theme parks (Disneyland ® Park and Walt Disney Studio Park), one entertainment district (Disney Village)1 and 14 hotels owned by Disneyland ® Paris2 The opening of Disneyland ® Paris was debated. People were afraid of being affected by the unhealthy life style and consumption of the Americans. A French journalist wrote, â€Å"I wish with all my heart the rebels would set fire to [Euro] Disneyland† and a French philosopher said, â€Å"It is not America that is invading us. It is we who adore it, who adopt its fashions and above all, its words.† All in all people were against the opening of Disneyland ® Paris.3 How important is Disneyland ® Paris at this moment? How is it using marketing? Who are the customers, Americans and/or Europeans? Is Disneyland ® Paris a competitor in comparison to other amusement parks? Which challenges does it currently face? To find answers these questions, we will analyse Disneyland ® Paris? performance through a SWOT-Analysis, which gives us an idea of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. As we come to a conclusion, we will also give an advice to Disneyland ® Paris on what it can improve in order to perform better. Internal analysis The market Disneyland ® Paris is in a heterogeneous oligopoly. A heterogeneous oligopoly is a market in which there are a few sellers, and a lot of buyers. The sellers are in competition with each other and they are well informed about the actions of other sellers. Therefore, the decisions firms make, mostly are affected by decisions that their competitors make, and the other way around. Disneyland ® Paris is an actor in the market of amusement parks. In almost every European country you can find an amusement park. However, not all of these parks are offering accommodations and dining services, which makes the trip more of an unique and exciting experience. This market is  heterogeneous because, even though amusement parks seem the same, the feeling and experience in each one is completely different. Furthermore, only a few sellers can oversee decisions made by competitors. Next to that, there are many buyers. In 2013 14.9 million people visited Disneyland ® Paris4. Disneyland ® Paris’ position and performance As mentioned before, Disneyland ® Paris welcomed 14,9 million guests last year. This makes it the biggest tourist destination in Europe, especially compared to the Eiffel tower, which only attracts approximately 7 million visitors per year5. In comparison to other amusement parks How many visitors did other amusement parks in Europe welcome in 20136? ‘De Efteling’ (Holland) – 4 million visitors per year ‘Movie Park Germany’ (Germany) – 1.3 million visitors per year ‘Europa Park’ (Germany) – 4.6 million visitors per year ‘Gardaland’ (Italy) – approximately 7 million visitors per year Set side by side to other amusement parks in Europe, Disneyland ® Paris is doing really well on their visitors count. Financial performance Disneyland ® Land has been taking losses in 2011, 2012 and 2013. So with respect to its profit, Disneyland ® Paris is not doing that well at all. Their net loss was admittedly high in 2012, with 100.2 million euros. In 2013, they managed to cutback the loss to 78.2 million euros. See appendix, table 1. Notwithstanding, it is still a considerable amount of money. So how come that Disneyland ® Paris, the biggest amusement park in Europe, is taking a loss? 14,9 million visitors per year seems to be a high amount of visitors, but in the past three years, the number of visitors per year has decreased and the hotel occupancy rate has gone down. Even though the amount of money that visitors spent (per visitor) has slightly gone up, it is not enough to make up for the decrease in visitors. See appendix, table 2. Conclusion Despite the fact that Disneyland ® Paris is the biggest tourist attraction in Europe, and even draws more visitors than the Eiffel Tower, it is not financially healthy. Disneyland ® has again been taking a big loss.  Disneyland ® Paris has to change its strategy to achieve positive numbers and to start making profits. Value What Disneyland ® Paris offers to their guests is not only an amusement park, it is an experience. Disneyland offers two parks, Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park, with a total of 59 attractions. As stated by http://corporate.disneylandparis.com/: ‘Disneyland Park captures the wonder and fantasy of a classic Disney theme park while the Walt Disney Studios Park features the magic of movie-making.’ To make the Disneyland ® Paris experience complete, it offers several hotels, 63 restaurants, sport facilities, a wellness center, baby-care service, life-size Disney characters and a lot of shows and parades in the classic park as well as in the studios park. The value that Disneyland ® Paris offers is not just visit an amusement park with only fun rides, but an actual chance meet the characters from the Disney movies. Visitors can hug and take a picture with their favorite movie characters. Besides Disneyland  ® Paris made sure that its visitors stay in the Disney-feeling, even when having diner for example. Another part of the value that Disneyland ® Paris offers is that it combines the Walt Disney Studios Park with the classic park. For example ‘De Efteling’ (Holland) does not have a movie-oriented park, and ‘Movie Park Germany’ (Germany) does not have a classic park, but only the movie segment. The fact is that the customer does not need to choose between those two options at Disneyland ® Paris, but can have both at Disneyland ® Paris. A lot of other amusement parks in France or Europe also have astonishing attractions, but Disneyland ® Paris offers more than that. Disneyland ® Paris’ marketing mix As mentioned before, Disneyland ® Paris has a lot to offer. It serves their customers an amazing experience. Due to all this, the park had 14,9 million visitors last year. However, just like any other company, they used different tools to be this successful. Product Disneyland ® Paris offers several products and not just the amusement parks that people always seem to think about. Next to the two parks, they also own seven hotels owned by itself and seven partner hotels, including a free bus  connection from and to the park. Most of the hotels have their own special features, for example tennis courts, swimming pools, fitness centers, and pony ride. Furthermore, the resort includes Disney Village, which is a street where many shops, bars, restaurants, and attractions are located. Next to all this, the resort also includes a golf complex. The target segments of Disneyland are mainly families with children. When customers come to Disneyland ® Paris they expect to have a good time, not only for the children, but also for the parents. They might even want to feel as children themselves again. Disneyland ® Paris tries to give its visitors this experience using their parks, hotels and all the other features. Apart from feeling like a child again, some parents are looking for some relaxation and sports, which can be found at Disneyland ® Paris as well. All these products are part of the well-known brand Disney, even the hotels. This big mixture of products sets Disneyland ® Paris apart from other attraction parks. Even though other parks may have a brand and shops, most of them do not include a hotel. Even less parks accommodate a golf complex! These advantages make Disneyland ® Paris to what it is: a very attractive get-away. Strengths: Disneyland ® Paris offers a lot of different products. This makes it interesting for many target groups. It is not only for families with children, but can also be for groups of friends. Weaknesses: All the Disney items may become a bit too overwhelming. Price When the decision to visit Disneyland ® Paris is made, tickets need to be bought first. Tickets are sold on the website of Disneyland ® or throughout a travelling agency. The prices for tickets can be found in the appendix, table 2. As seen in the table, the park gives some discounts. For example, instead of paying for three day, one day is given for free. When the intention is to stay for more than one day, the opportunity to book a hotel is available. The tickets are already included in the price of the room. The price of the hotel for one night and one adult range from â‚ ¬111.00 to â‚ ¬663.00. Children from the age of 3 till 11 can spend the night in the hotels for free. However, these prices are not fixed but can fluctuate according to the needs and wants of customers. The prices in restaurants differ. They range from less than â‚ ¬15.- to over â‚ ¬25.-. This gives a wide range for customers and includes something for every target segment, rich or  poor. Having an inexpensive dinner might sounds great to most parents, since often the food in (other) attraction parks is very expensive. Strengths: The low prices of some of the restaurants can be considered as a strength. Usually the food in attraction parks is very expensive. Also, parents often believe that the trip itself already cost much money, so having some inexpensive restaurants gives Disneyland an advantage. Weaknesses: The entrance price of the park is very high, much higher than those of other parks, which are usually around â‚ ¬30.-. Furthermore, the stay in hotels might be too expensive for some customers. Promotion Disneyland uses several tools in promotion, such as the television, radio, advertisements and face-to-face communication. It sends out advertisement on the television on children and family senders. It also play ads on the radio, using the voice of Mickey Mouse. By reaching out to mostly children, it achieves its success. Next to these forms of promotion, it also posts advertisements for example in newspapers and children magazines. Also, there is the face-to-face communication. Visitors inform friends and family about their experience in Disneyland ® Paris, making the listener start thinking about Disneyland ® Paris positively or even negatively. Finally, there is a form of promotion that is not in the hands of Disneyland ® Paris itself, namely the media. Reporters and journalists write about Disneyland. These articles can be positive, but can also be negative. Unfortunately for Disneyland, it is very hard to prevent negative news. The only thing that Disneyland ® Paris can do is to show the journalists are wrong with their writings after their publications. Strengths: Focussing commercials on children is a smart move. Children can be very powerful towards their parents’ spending. Which parent does not want to see his or her child happy? Disneyland ® Paris is a fun experience and makes families bond. Weaknesses: Just like any other company, Disneyland can come across some negative media. Not only by journalists, but also people that have been in the park and have had a negative experience. All of them can start spreading the word about their experience. For example, in an article in The Independent, from May 6th 2010, which explains how employers of Disneyland ® Paris have had accidents or committed suicide, due to some issues with the management of Euro Disney. 7 Place Disneyland ® Paris is located very near to Paris, 32 kilometres to the east. This makes it a central point in Europe. It is well accessible by car, since the park is located near a high way. Across from the entrance of the two parks lies a train station, Marne la Vallee-Chessy. This train station has a direct high speed train service to cities like Bordeaux, Marseilles, Nice, Lyon and even Brussels. Also, the Eurostar services a direct line from London to this station. Another easy way to get to the park is to go buy bus, since there is a direct bus service provided from two international French airports, Charles De Gaulle International Airport and Orly Airport. Strengths: Disneyland ® Paris is easily accessible, which gives them a great advantage. Weaknesses: Disneyland ® Paris is located in a place where the weather is very unpredictable. You are never a 100% certain whether the weather will be good or whether it will rain all day. Also the surrounding villages might experience some troubles with Disneyland and its facilities. For example the train passing by only 200 meters from a city like Chessy. This can cause nuisance for the people living there. External Analysis An external analysis concentrates on all external variables that influence a company’s performance. They determine a company’s success, its chances and risks. Therefore it is a very important task for marketers to know the environment in case to adapt to trends. Marketers need to know and understand them in case to adjust their strategies. The external analysis is split up into two parts, which are called microenvironment and macroenvironment. 8 Micro-Environment The microenvironment is about â€Å"[†¦] the actors close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers [†¦]† (Kotler/Armstrong 2012, p. 66). In order to handle the customers, a company?s task is to build up a good relationship with those actors, that consist of other companies, suppliers, marketing intermediaries, competitors, publics and its customers. Customers As mentioned above a company has to create value for its customers. In order  to do so, Disneyland ® Paris has to know its customers’ needs and wants. First of all Disneyland ® Paris has to divide the market into smaller segments. Afterwards it has to decide which groups to target. There are many variables to use to split up a market into smaller groups and to decide whether to enter or not. In the following consumer analysis we look at the main variables like geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural. 1 Disneyland ® Paris? consists of a consumer market, which means Disneyland ® Paris is targeting individuals and households buying services and goods. The consumer market is a combination of a local and international market. Even Disneyland ® Paris is located in France, using the geographic segmentation, which divides a market into different nations, states, regions, countries, cities or even neighbourhoods, its main target group is Europe. As we can see in table 4 (see apendix), Disneyland ® Paris? target market consists of seven major groups and the rest of the world. T he table describes the major groups with the share in percentages from 2011 to 2013. The groups are France (51%), United Kingdom (14%), Spain (8%), Belgium (6%), Netherlands (6%), Italy (3%), Germany (3%) and the rest of the world (9%). With certainty we can conclude these are the biggest groups, not only through the table, but also through the official website which is presented in many languages. 9 A company also needs to make a decision whether for example which age, gender, family size, income they want to reach. These variables belong to the demographic segmentation. The book â€Å"Principles of Marketing by Kotler and Armstrong†¦p 191† says: â€Å"Demographic factors are the most popular bases for segmenting customer groups. One reason is that consumer needs, wants, and usage rates often vary closely with demographic variables.† (Kotler/Armstrong 2012, p. 191) Transferring this strategy to Disneyland ® Paris? customers, we can easily see its target groups w ithin the geographical segmentation. Disneyland ® Paris is mainly focusing on families with children within the age of 3 to 15 years10, which remains to be a problem as analysed later on. Secondary it also provides services and attractions to adolescents and older generations. As we have analysed in the first part of the paper, Disneyland ® Paris offers services and attractions for people in each life-cycle stage.11 As a result we can see Disneyland ® Paris is not mainly focusing on children, it is primarily focusing on family activities as a whole. The family size does not play a big role, because  also singles, classes or just big groups are welcome to visit the world of Disneyland ® Paris. Other variables are psychographic and behavioural. Disneyland ® Paris is targeting consumers who are looking for adventurous and unforgettable holidays, which belongs in the behavioural segmentation. Disneyland ® Paris requires visitors who are enthusiastic, active and dreamer. To achieve holidays like that people has to pay a high amount of money, therefore Disneyland ® Paris is targeting the working class with a higher income. All in all Disneyland ® Paris typical customers are not only young families with their children, also adolescents and groups, all from Europe. Because of the fact Disneyland ® Paris is quite expensive it is focusing on families with higher income, who want to experience a unique and adventurous entertainment. Competitors A company in the same business or in a similar business is called a competitor. In order to be successful, a company has to grant higher value than its competitors do. The same applies for Disneyland ® Paris. What are its competitors and how strong are they? In Disneyland ® Paris? case its competitors are not only located in France, also in Europe (compare table 5). The amusement park business is growing at a steady rate. Still Disneyland ® Paris is the market leader in this business. To evaluate its competitors in this market, it is necessary to take a more detailed look at them. One way is to look at the customers the amusement parks are targeting. Those parks who have the same target groups are closer competitors for Disneyland ® Paris. As mentioned above, Disneyland ® Paris? target groups are families with children and adolescents, who want to make a unique experience in connection with a longer holiday stay in Disneyland ® Paris. The majority of amusement parks are listed in table 3, which are focusing on customers who just want to stay for a day. Therefore Disneyland ® Paris and the other parks in comparison have mostly different target groups and goals. Another factor are the yearly guests. The main competitors are ?De Efteling? in the Netherlands with 4.2 million visitors and ?Europa Park? with 4.6 million visitors in Germany. Even if Disneyland ® Paris has twice as much guests (16 million) (see table 5), those theme parks have the same strategy in creating an overall theme-park atmosphere while targeting the same groups (families with their children and adolescents). Nonetheless, Disneyland ® Paris has  the highest market share and is definitely the market leader in this business. Its overall appearance with the whole Disney World makes the park unique in comparison to ?De Efteling? and ?Europa Park?. But it is very important we do not leave out of account the fact, Disneyland ® Paris is struggling from its debts and losses, as mentioned before. While Disneyland ® Paris is recording losses, the other two parks are recording profits and performing better financially.12 Disneyland ® Paris needs to watch out in order to stay the market leader. Competitive Strategies Disneyland ® Paris is using an effective brand strategy. These results in having a strong image of the Disneyworld in the customers? minds and reaching a higher value people put on Disneyland ® Paris. Besides, there are four basic competitive strategies used by marketers. The first one is called overall cost leadership, which tries to achieve the highest market share while having the lowest costs as possible. Another one is focusing on creating a high differentiation within the companys? product line (differentiation). Some companies also choose to serve just a few market segments instead of reaching the whole market. The fourth strategy is called middle-of-the-road which combines the strategies. Company performances are showing they are performing worse with it.13 While following one of these strategies – overall cost leadership, differentiation, focus or middle-of-the-road- companies want to give a superior value through value disciplines. Introducing all of them, operat ional excellence concentrates on reducing â€Å"[†¦] costs and creat[ing] a lean and efficient value-delivery system.† (Kotler/Armstrong 2012, p. 537) Another strategy is to concentrate on the needs and wants of the target groups (customer intimacy), while the last discipline called product leadership is always offering new and better products to their customers. Disneyland ® Paris? strategy is to combine the differentiation strategy with the customer intimacy strategy. Through the analysis in part one, where we have seen the financial debts of Disneyland ® Paris, it is definitely not pursuing the overall cost leadership strategy. Instead Disneyland ® Paris is focusing to expand its park while creating new products and services for all stages of the age life circle. This implies for the differentiation strategy. Doing this, Disneyland ® Paris has to know  its customers’ needs and wants very well, which results in customer intimacy. Reaching this goal Disneyland ® Paris is spending a high amount in research to develop modern products and services.14 It is marketing its amusement mark through digital media and internet to reach the adolescents and teens. Disneyland ® Paris owns the position as the product leader in its business, because it is always innovating and creating new products to keep its park attractive. It is steadily offering leading-edge products and services, not only to reach new customers also to convince customers to visit Disneyland ® Paris again. Macroenvironment In comparison to the micro-environmental analysis the macro-environmental analysis is not about the close actors around the company, it is about the larger societal forces as demographic, economics, natural, technological, political, and cultural forces, that effect the microenvironment. The trends of the factors listed before form the opportunities and threats companies have to deal with15. In case of Disneyland ® Paris the demographic change is one of the most important topics. The demography is looking at the populations’ structure and its shift. As we see in figure 1 (see appendix) the economy experienced an enormous decreasing trend in the birth rates, which resulted in an aging society. Smaller family sizes are the aftereffect of this trend. More important is to take a look how the demographic change will go on in the future. Figure 2 (see appendix) gives us an economic prediction of how the current situation affects the population structure in the future until 2060. Figure 2 (see appendix) shows the development from a bell shaped population towards a form like an urn. This is an indication of an aging population with less births. In 2011 the biggest age group was defined of people in the age of 15 – 55 years. In 2060 it might happen, this group becomes less and the age group of 60 – 90 years will increase. Referring to Disneyland ® Paris, as we analysed earlier in the paper, the main target group of Disneyland ® Paris are young families with children and adolescents. Therefore the demographic trend is a threat it has to deal with. Disneyland ® Paris has to change its structure towards satisfying older generations instead of focusing only on children and adolescents in order not to lose a high amount of customers. In addition Disneyland ® Paris has to  experience a price increase i n non-renewable resources such like oil and water, which belongs in the category of the natural environment. The price increase in oil in the last years is obvious16. Through higher prices for the resources, Disneyland ® Paris has higher costs. Disneyland ® Paris could increase its ticket prices, but how would customers react? Disneyland ® Paris is saying by itself it has to learn how to use its resources mainly water, paper and energy more wisely and efficient17. Even Disneyland ® Paris is geographically not affected by the consequences of the climate change, it is fighting against it. In its ?2013 Reference Document† Disneyland ® Paris is saying it helps †[†¦] through its environmental policy, in particular with its water consumption initiatives and its efforts in preventing and fighting pollution discharges.† Also within the social environment Disneyland ® Paris is putting a high emphasis on negotiating contracts with its suppliers. Disneyland ® Paris is listing its requirements in the ?2013 Reference Document? (p. 144): â€Å"Not to use child labor or forced labor; To treat each employee with dignity and respect and refrain from adopting discriminatory practices in hiring and employment; To respect employees’ right to associate, organize and bargain collectively; To provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment and to ensure that all accommodations provided to employees comply with health and safety standards; To apply laws and regulations relating to wages and working time, environment, manufacturing, pricing and sales and distribution of merchandise, Not to use subcontractors to manufacture Disney products or components without a prior written agreement [†¦] When a breach in standards is identified, the supplier must correct it or stop producing for [Disneyland ® Paris].† These points are showing the high social responsibility Disneyland ® Paris cares about. Besides this it is also trying to market its products child-oriented, improving its food in quality and safety and provides customer health and safety. Disneyland ® Paris also agreed to support the French economy and the employment18, but we won’t elaborate about that too much right now. Strategic advice and conclusion As analysed in the paper there are many threats Disneyland ® Paris has to deal  with. But, threats are not necessary bad for the company, they can also constitute opportunities to improve its strategy. Mentioned before, the demographic change is one of the biggest threats. Disneyland ® Paris has to change its concept towards older age groups in case of not losing customers. Disneyland ® Paris has already done a lot in this direction offering products and services to those age groups.19 This does not mean Disneyland ® Paris is safe, it still need to analyse its older customers? needs and wants in order to innovate products and services satisfying them. One advice is to improve the arrival and departure. Even though Paris and therefore Disneyland ® Paris are easy to reach, it can be still improved. An idea is using the international train Thalys. Thalys is offering many routes through five European countries – namely Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Unit ed Kingdom, stopping in 31 cities20. Disneyland ® Paris could cooperate with this company to create new packages (combining Disney-tickets with traintickets) for an easier and cheaper arrival/departure. Referring to the countries mentioned above, mainly these countries are presenting the target groups within Europe. As we analysed Disneyland ® Paris need to reach new customers. A possibility is to advertise itself more in eastern European countries such like Poland and Russia, which population became more willing to spend money on holidays. As we can see on Disneyland ® Paris? website, it does not offer its official website in those languages (www.disneylandparis.com). This is a point that can be improved to reach completely new target groups. Not only those countries seem to be interesting, also emerging countries such like south-western European countries. In order to reach them, Disneyland ® Paris could try to convince Thalys to expend its routes towards these countries. Another factor is Disneyland ® Paris seriously has to keep its prices stable or even lower them. Of course it is not that easy to reduce them while resource prices and therefore costs are increasing, but Disneyland ® Paris could building its own wind farm using renewable resources to produce own energy. This fact will not only contribute in lowering prices, it will bring a new philosophy that pays attention to the environment and it earns the trust of those people who are environmental conscious. Disneyland ® Paris can include this point, in case they implement this strategy, in their advertisements. Coming away from lowering costs and prices, Disneyland ® Paris can improve its image  through higher sociable responsibility. The main advice giving Disneyland ® Paris is to introduce a sensitization campaign, which is called cause-related marketing. â€Å"Cause-related marketing has become a primary form of corporate giving. It lets companies â€Å"do well by doing good† by linking purchases of the company?s products or services with fund-raising for worthwhile causes or charitable organizations.† (Kotler/Armstrong 2012, p. 85) Considering that Disneyland ® Paris is focused on families and children, for every ticket sold a portion can be donated to a charity for poor children. Not only Disneyland ® Paris would benefit of this marketing concept through higher profits, also children living in the underclass are better off. In one sentence: Disneyland ® Paris would not only give smiles to children visiting the amusement park, it also gives smiles to children that are not experiencing the unique and exciting dream world of Disneyland ® Paris. Reference List ?De Efteling?, official website http://www.efteling.com/NL/Over-de-Efteling/Pers-en-Publicaties.html 19-02-2014 21:36 De Efteling, Press Information 2013 http://www.efteling.com/media/Pdf/Persmappen/Persmap%20ENGELS%202013%20DEF.pdf 17-02-2014 20:18 ‘The independent’ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-dark-side-of-disneyland-paris-1964505.html 16-02-2014 15:39 Disneyland ® Paris http://www.disneylandparis.com/ 20-02-2014 18:06 Disneyland ® Paris, article about Disneyland ® Paris? decline http://disneyatwork.com/2013/08/is-disneyland-paris-in-decline/ 20-02-2014 18:03 Disneyland ® Paris, brochure http://corporate.disneylandparis.com/CORP/EN/Neutral/Images/Community%20report %202012.pdf 19-02-2014 14:23 Disneyland ® Paris, financial performance http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcorporate.disneylandparis.com%2Finvestor-relations%2Ffinancial-indicators%2Findex.xhtml&h=NAQG1F7MB 20-02-2014 16:26 Disneyland ® Paris, overall information http://corporate.disneylandparis.com/about-our-company/the-narrative-of-numbers/index.xhtml 20-02-2014 18:02 EURO DISNEY S.C.A. (2013): 2013 Reference Document http://corporate.disneylandparis.com/CORP/EN/Neutral/Images/fr-uk-reference-document-2013.pdf 19-02-2014 15:48 Europapark http://www.europapark.de/lang-en/Home/c1174.html?langchange=true 20-02-2014 18:03 ?Moviepark?, article http://www.derwesten.de/staedte/bottrop/kirchhellen/1-25-millionen-besucher-im-moviepark-id6139835.html 20-02-2014 18:07 Oil prices http://moneyweek.com/prices-news-charts/oil/ 17-02-2014 16:23 Philip Kotler & Gary Armstrong (2012, 14/E): Principles of Marketing, Global Edition, Pearson, Harlow, England Philip Kotler & Gary Armstrong (2014, 15/E): Principles of Marketing, Global Edition, Pearson, Harlow, England

Give me liberty or give me death Essay

As the basic human right, we are all enjoying the inherent freedom since we were born. However, 200 years ago, a group of people was fighting for their freedom perseveringly. On 23rd. March, 1765, Patrick Henry, who is the leading lights of American Revolution, gave the speech in front of Virginian audience. He responded the oppressive against the control of British. he turned colonial ideas against negotiation with England and toward armed rebellion. Patrick Henry illustrates the themes of freedom in the speech to Virginia convention through the use of the statement that there is no middle ground between freedom and slavery, the experience that how British desecrates their freedom and the emphasis on the importance of freedom. The strong desire for freedom is reflected in many parts of his speech. at the beginning of the speech, Henry pointed out that there is no middle ground between freedom and slavery. â€Å"I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery†¦It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfil the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. â€Å"(Henry,88) Henry pointed out that the only way in front of them is either freedom and slavery. There is no doubt that they can not just treat coldly to their own country and their right to get freedom. He also mentions that the act of fighting for freedom is related to the responsibility to God. Later on, Henry looks back on the experience that how British desecrates their freedom. â€Å"And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. â€Å"(Henry, 89) Henry uses several rhetorical questions on the issues and uses a short answer to response them. It clearly shows that the action that they took before for getting freedom was useless under British’s rude control. Last but not least, Henry emphasis the importance of freedom. â€Å"Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! † Henry ends his speech with this famous quote. He indicates that he’d rather die for his country than living without freedom. He repeats the importance of freedom and accentuates it in the last sentence. In this whole speech, henry uses there statements to prove his themes of freedom, which are the statement that there is no middle ground between freedom and slavery, the experience that how British desecrates their freedom and the emphasis on the importance of freedom With the process of the speech, Henry’s normal voice becomes louder and louder and almost shouts in the last sentence. And it eventually causes a large number of people to willingly enter the war and fight for their freedom.

Five factors of acceleration of globalisation Essay

Five factors of acceleration of globalisation - Essay Example These include market drivers, cost drivers, technological drivers, government or political drivers, and competitive drivers. Each of these will each be explained in detail in the following paragraphs (Campbell, Stonehouse, and Houston, 2002). There are two popular frameworks that cover the basic concepts of the drivers of globalisation. One of these is particularly relevant and will be covered here. One of the frameworks is Yip's Framework, and the other one of the frameworks is Porter's Framework. The one that will be covered in the context of this assignment is Yip's Framework, which covers four drivers of globalisation (Campbell, Stonehouse, and Houston, 2002). Yip did not believe in the two extremes that companies were either global or not global. Instead, he believed that all organizations were combinations of the two, each one being more of one than the other. His framework-or outline-allows an observer to determine specifically which parts of an organization are global and which parts have different aspects on a local level. If an organization wishes to evaluate their global strategy, analyzing Yip's Framework can play a crucial role (Campbell, Stonehouse, and Houston, 2002).. Yip argued that, "A global strategy will be global in many respects, but may also include features that are locally oriented. To achieve the benefits of globalization, the managers of a worldwide business need to recognize when industry conditions provide the opportunity to use global strategy levers (Campbell, Stonehouse, and Houston, 2002)." According to Yip, there are four drivers that that determine the extent of globalisation: market drivers, cost drivers, government drivers, and competitive drivers (Campbell, Stonehouse, and Houston, 2002). Market Globalisation Drivers The first driver of globalisation to take a look at is market drivers. "As domestic markets become more and more saturated, the opportunities for growth are limited and global expanding is a way most organizations choose to overcome this situation. Common customer needs and the opportunity to use global marketing channels and transfer marketing to some extent are also incentives to choose internationalization" (Bauernfeind, 2005, pg. 1). Market drivers have resulted in the convergence of per capita income among industrialized nations; take a look at the exchange rates across the globe for example. There has also been a convergence of lifestyles and tastes. People are demanding more high quality products and services than they ever have before, and they want them at the cheapest price, which seriously creates a problem for businesses that are attempting to make a profit. Organisations are beginning to behave as global customers. When organizations spread their operations to other countries, they have to look at finding suppliers in those areas in order to minimize their costs. There has been a notable increase in travel creating global consumers. This can perhaps be attributed to the astronomical increase in communication that came along with the growing popularity of the Internet. Regional and global channels have grown to astronomical proportions. This can be attributed once again to the growth in worldwide communication, as well as

Economic and Monetary Union in Europe Assignment

Economic and Monetary Union in Europe - Assignment Example When the concept of European Union was initially proposed, people thought it as a simple regional cooperation to exploit the possibilities of globalization. The concept of Economic and Monitory Union (EMU) in Europe was discussed earlier, but it failed to materialize because of various reasons. â€Å"The immediate impulse that led to the relaunch of EMU in the late 1980s was in the prospect of the completion of the Single Market†. â€Å"On December 10, 1991, at the Maastricht summit, the member states of the European Communities adopted the treaty on European Union. It amends and extends the 1957 treaty of Rome which established the European Economic Community†. This paper analyses the economic and monitory unions in Europe. The economic and monitory union (EMU) in Europe was established in 1999. The EMU has two components; an exchange rate union, and complete convertibility. Moreover, there are a number of alternative sets of monetary arrangements that are in theory co nsistent with monetary union such as currency union, exchange rate union, free inter-circulation union, parallel currency union etc. The necessities of a single currency in the integration process forced EU to think in terms of a single currency under the control of EU rather than the individual member countries. EU is responsible for determining the exchange rates, interest rate and other monitory polices. Individual countries do not have the authority to print more currencies or Euros than prescribed by the EU.

On a Daily Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On a Daily Activity - Essay Example College is not an easy matter, and great devotion is necessary in order to succeed. As I went out the door I saw the sun burning brightly, maybe to brightly. I never had a love for hot weather, and I probably never will. Close to the fence I saw my grandmother and she was talking to a person who I didn't know. She gave me one of her usually look, with her piercing brown eyes and sinister smile. "Going to school" she said. "Yes I am". "You have an exam session right now, correct" "Yes I do well" "I hope you don't mess up". "I hope so too". She always said that. Always. And I hated every single word of it. No matter how well I did, there was always the possibility that I might mess up. But, I would be wrong if I said that her words where without meaning. It was an exam session, and the exams were quite hard. I do have more faith in myself, than in my grandmother words, so I believed that I would prevail. As I was walking towards the train station, I thought about a very interesting dre am I had last night. It was a wonderful dream, or rather a memory. I was lying on a beach near a lake and my girlfriend was lying next to me, her slender body so close to me that made breathing a Herculaneum task. She raised her head and smiled at me, her smile beautiful as ever. "Don't you think we should go home" she said "Just for a little while. I'm not in a hurry to get back home." "I hope you're not. I would be very offended". And then she widened her smile- a smile so enchanting; it will make even the strongest man a mere weakling. I don't get to see my girlfriend very much. We are both on college and they both have different responsibilities. I wish I could spend more time with her, but I guess you can get always what you want. I arrived at the train station and at first sight there wasn't anyone that I knew. I was entertaining myself with my MP3 player, as I am used to traveling and being alone, not including the presence of my close friends and girlfriend. Suddenly I heard a familiar voice. It was Christine, a girl I went to high school with, and I should say she was quite attractive that day. With her slender body, lovely smile and eyes that can seduce a god, she could have any man she wants. But I wasn't interested in her, nor I believe she was interested in me. "Hey, how are you doing I haven't seen you in a while. You look great!" "Thanks Christine. You look great as well, as always. Look, is the train going to be late The train during this time is usually late." "No I don't think so. They said that it was going to be on time. So are you going alone" "Yes I am a. What about you" "I met up with some of our old friends from high school and I am going with them. You can join us, of course." "Thanks. I will just a second." I went and I bought a newspaper. As usual there was nothing interesting to see. It was just your usual falling economy and various wars that exist in the world. The train came on time, just as Christine said. As usual, the train wa s crowded and there was nowhere to sit. We had to stand all the way to our final destination. As usual I indulged myself in my newspaper and the music coming out from my MP3 player. I was never a conversationalist and I didn't join the conversations that my former schoolmates were having. Caught and confined into a very small space, I waited for our hour-long journey to end.  Ã‚  

HOW DANGEROUS IS SMOKING FOR YOUR HEALTH Research Paper

HOW DANGEROUS IS SMOKING FOR YOUR HEALTH - Research Paper Example Further, it would be interesting to find out how the hot vapor containing fine particles of carbon directly and specifically affect human organs. Its implications to health would also be analyzed through the illnesses and diseases it inflicts. And finally, when people have realized the health hazards of smoking, this essay would explore ways and means to prevent and ultimately stop smoking. Historians traced the origins of smoking from the Mayan Indians of Mexico from as early as the 600 to 900 A.D. (Glantz 1) Tobacco, being the original source for a smoke, was grown as a cash crop in 1612 where the settlers of the first American colony in Jamestown, Virginia started cultivating and growing them. (Glantz 2). By 1800s, historians revealed that people started using tobaccos for various purposes such as: for chewing, smoking in a pipe, hand-rolled as a cigar or cigarette. According to Glantz, â€Å"the first commercial cigarettes were made in 1865 by Washington Duke on his 300-acre farm in Raleigh, North Carolina. His hand-rolled cigarettes were sold to soldiers at the end of the Civil War.† (Glantz 3). The invention of the cigarette making machine in 1881 by James Bonsack paved the way for the widespread production of cigarettes. His partnership with Washington Dukes son, James "Buck" Duke, initiated the establishment of the first tobacco company in the US, the American Tobacco Company. (Glantz 4) Tobacco, is first and foremost, the main ingredient in a cigarette. Tobacco is a leafy green plant widely grown in warm climates. In the planting phase alone, tobacco is already bombarded with chemicals, fertilizers and insecticides to ensure that the plant grows free from insects. In the manufacturing process, the chemicals are added for flavors and to make them combustible. Jacobs averred that â€Å"there are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes. 51 of them are known to be carcinogenic. A carcinogen

Mass Media and the Impact of Violent Imagery on Teens Essay

Mass Media and the Impact of Violent Imagery on Teens - Essay Example Within this context, one must learn to see media as more than just entertainment. It is also a library, a channel of communication and a means of self-betterment. In other words, teenagers must be guided toward a better understanding of mass media specifically because its function in society is subjective and undefined. Teenagers who are guided toward a broad utilitarian view of the media are more apt to use it responsibly and are less likely to exhibit negative behavior than those who are exposed indiscriminately to violent video games, programmes and films. Those who criticise the culture of violence that unquestionably proceeds from films, television, the Internet and video games have quite successfully leveraged the impressionable vulnerability of youth. However, this ideological position, which is now widely accepted, underestimates the capacity of teenagers for independent thought and reason. ‘The systematic derision of children’s resistant capacities can be seen a s part of a broader conservative project to position the more contemporary and challenging aspects of the mass media, rather than other social factors, as the major threat to social stability today’ (Gerbner 1993, p. 139). This tendency to emphasize the negative end of the spectrum, which is apparently enhanced every time a young person perpetrates an act of violence, is the rallying cry of interest groups and politicians seeking to prove a point. These factions have benefited from the published opinions of scholars and theorists who warn against the terrible residual effect of violence in the media on young people. George Gerbner, a communications professor, and social scientist, wrote that while there have been bloodier eras in human history, none have been so filled with violent imagery as the present: ‘We are awash in a tide of violent representations the world has never seen. There is no escape from the massive invasion of colorful mayhem into the homes and cultura l life of ever larger areas of the world’ (Gerbner 1993, p. 139). Gerbner and others associate violence with power, the acquisition of which is of keen interest to people of all ages. For teenagers, exercising power in the ‘virtual’ world of video games is an elaboration of personal power that is otherwise beyond the reach of young people. Gerbner argues that violent behavior among young people should be studied from the standpoint of the ‘cradle-to-grave’ violent imagery with which young people are bombarded. It is not perceived, isolated causes of violent acts that should be considered, Gerbner claims, but other less apparent factors to which pervasive media violence has contributed. He holds that the uniquely modern phenomenon of media-produced violence has engendered unconscious, deeply rooted feelings of vulnerability and personal insecurity and that it is this, more than anything, that produces aggressive and violent behavior in teenagers (Gerb ner 1993, p. 139).

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 102

Summary - Essay Example He further estimates that about 80 percent of the people will feel no change, while 17 percent or more will realize the benefits. In addition, condition of approximately two or three percent of the people will be worse off. These category consist of beneficiaries of the inequitable nature of the current health-insurance system. This is because they will pay more money if the health-insurance companies stop the inequality in service delivery. He gives an example that in the past years when they stopped the discrimination against the blacks and women in working environments, amount paid increased because employers started to treat all their employees equally. It is evident that Jonathan Gruber is perturbed about the Republican hatred for the law regardless of the quality and opportunities it offers. He points out that they do not address the real challenges of the ineffective private healthcare sector, which is a liability on the country economy. In his view, the republicans do not take into consideration the millions of uninsured adults who lack access to basic health care services. Instead they view a Heritage Foundation, free-market-designed, private healthcare exchange scheme as a communist plot. Most importantly, they fail to acknowledge their incompetency in service delivery. He concludes by suggesting that opposition to Obama care is a revolt against own

A New Day in Old Sana'a Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A New Day in Old Sana'a - Essay Example Ines is much more humble and genteel than Bilquis. Ines paints ‘nagsh’ (scrolls made of black henna dye) on other women for a living. Tariq, on the other hand, is Sana’a royalty—of the upper class. He is under familial obligation to marry a woman he does not love. Though the story is told in a simplistic manner, after having seen American films, it gets confusing in some places. Loose ends don’t seem to tie together and resolutions seem to come to easy and too fast as the story builds toward the usual ending. For example, the story of Riva, the Indian teacher who spanks the spoiled and insolent sister of Bilquis on the hand with a ruler seems an almost unnecessary part of the story until the very ending when the narrator brings us back to his world—on the outside looking in. It all boils down to whether Tariq will choose to do the right thing and marry the chosen bride, or go away with the woman Ines. It seems an easy choice once he discovers Ines loves him, too; but the ending is a classic tragedy. We are left with a sense that he really doesn’t have a choice or a say in the matter. Either way he decided, someone’s life would be ruined. Had he run away with Ines, his pledged bride would be hurt and ruined for life. Though the movie never lets us know if he â€Å"came to love† his wife or not, we do know that there is the eternal triangle: A wife with a husband who loves someone else, a man married to a woman he does not love, and the woman who was left alone to wander the streets at night waiting for him, how long? Forever? The historical context of the film is what many have come to know as still the norm in the Middle East—veiled women in public, men who consider the women lower than animals, and old traditions that die hard and leave modern women wondering just why these women subject themselves to such treatment? What seems old

Minimum Wage is a frequent topic of political debate. Analyze the pros Essay

Minimum Wage is a frequent topic of political debate. Analyze the pros and cons of such a policy using the relevant theoretical - Essay Example This made it a requirement of all states to set this as their minimum wage limit but this does not make it mandatory because some states exhibit variations of this set minimum. Some states, like California, have higher limits of this wage, which is at $8.00 while others, like Georgia, have wage limits below that federal limit at $5.15 per hour. These differences are made possible, by the municipal and state laws, which make it possible, for individual states to set their own minimum wage limits by exercising their right to enact their own by laws. This enables them to determine the limit of minimum wage, with respect to the economic potential of that a given state because it would not make sense to match the minimum wage with a rich state in terms of resources. This is an analytical discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of the minimum wage policy in the United States of America using a theoretical construct approach. Minimum wage from an economists view is disadvantageous to the market system of demand and supply. This is because when the minimum wage is raised the number of people vying for that job position increase, but the employer’s willingness to offer the position decreases because it is an increase in expenses in terms of salaries. In this scenario, employers would rather delegate the duties to be filled, by the new position to existing employees, than offering the job position. On the other hand, if the minimum wage were reduced, it would give employers an opportunity to create more job opportunities in organizations because they can afford to do so. This would depend on the amount of the wage set because a minimum wage of $1 per hour would not attract anyone, but student workers could consider a $4 per hour. Setting up the minimum wage law disrupted the functioning of supply and demand system because it dictates what employers should pay, instead of letting the two factors standardize the field on their own. Market factors of demand and supply govern the number and type of jobs available along what each job category would pay (Schmidt, 19). Increasing the minimum wage deprives a group of young Americans the much needed life lessons, which can be acquired when one works minimum wage job. This is because these jobs are popular with interns, workers in training and students, which help them, learn early in life how to handle money and relate with people in different circumstances (Schmidt, 16). They instill the values of hard work, responsibility and hard work early in their lives and motivate them to aspire to go to college and acquire advanced skills, which can enable them get better paying jobs in the future. Raising the minimum wage reduces the number of these types of jobs because employers will not be willing to offer these job positions because of increased salaries. This will translate to the emergence of a generation of Americans who have no value for hard work and responsibility, which would be detrimen tal to the economy of the country. It means that most of the American society in the future will lack a driving force that is essential in inculcating work ethics that are vital to a vibrant economy characterized by a work force that knows and understands the benefits of hard work. An increase in the minimum wage will result in a decrease of job opportunities that offer invaluable experience that is a prerequisite in almost all well paying and stimulating jobs in America. New entrants into

Philosophy Skepticism Essay Example for Free

Philosophy Skepticism Essay Definitely the most fascinating thing when it comes to skepticism is not that severely philosophically doubtful people are present it is the opinions that come from guiltless principles and get to amazing deductions. Rationalists like Locke argue that â€Å"all knowledge is based on reason (and the reasoned analysis of certain innate concepts and ideas that are possessed and understood by everyone). † Therefore, the inherent uncertainty of sensory experience (i. e. optical illusions and hallucinations) cannot provide a solid foundation for knowledge. Normally, a skeptic starts from several of explanations for a single situation but they will always end in wrong conclusions. Skepticism can take you to fertile results if you contemplate the following and consider the Sorites Paradox. First of all, admit these three properties. If you have two eyes and can see clearly- that means you are not blind. And if you have mostly no eyes or cannot see either, then you are not blind. Likewise, if you take off one eye, this does not make you completely blind. So keep taking your two eyes off. Agreeing with this evidence, you should not get blind . However; you would get blind (www. philosophytalk. org). In addition, if we make reference to Descartes Meditations dispute. What Descartes argument means is that â€Å"the kind of evidence we have for our beliefs underdetermines what to believe (60). † Hence, we could use Bertrand Russells example. Imagine you had some kind of hallucinations consequence from some kind of drug or substance. In this case, how could someone differentiate their dream life from their real life? Since the skeptic never accepts that we are actually having a dream in the place of living. In fact, the skeptic states that our existing evidence does not regulate the chance that it could be a dream instead of real life. Idealism is definitely a good solution for skepticism. Moreover, skepticism creates the difference among our thoughts or observations and things that provide importance to these thoughts and perceptions such as dreams or any life experience. So, demanding that the universe is part of our ideas would separate the problematic of skepticism. For example, there is nothing concluded about the existence of a chair than just the impression that the table is there. During decades, many philosophers and skeptics have always had an extremist position as a way to give strength to their opinions. Though, idealism is actually more absurd than skepticism and our commonsense should allow us to reject it (Philosophical Reporter (4:50): Polly Stryker interviews Michael Shermer, the director of Skeptic Society). I believe that many skeptical opinions do not necessarily have to be based on a strong formation of knowledge. We can believe whatever we want whether or not those beliefs are based on a complete form of knowledge? If knowledge is hypothetically that type of belief-with that kind of authority- whatever it is, that sustains skeptical opinions, then we probably do not count the privilege of having that knowledge. Nevertheless, we believe in several things and some of those beliefs are more or less acceptable by argument and/or evidence. Undoubtedly, many of the things we believe in are strong enough for this life with a list full of different and infinite purposes, even if the skeptic is right that none of them deserve the honorific label knowledge† (Stroud, 96). Whenever we believe in something, we risk more than having some kind of knowledge . When I purely believe something and do not any doubt it and actually have evidences to support it, then that is when I cannot even have the thought or idea that my belief could be wrong for a certain reason. So Knowledge is in a way stronger than that. One cannot know that p, unless p is the case (Nozick, 109). There are serious doubts about the reliability of sensory experience on human beings in the development of ideas, and the possibility of ‘certain knowledge’ is definitely questionable. So, while experiences are the foundation for knowledge and certainty, we cannot fully trust our experiences, and cannot hope to accomplish certainty in our knowledge of the world. Reasoning a bit, we can realize that knowledge would always be dependable from the passing of time, and that knowledge could change anytime as well. Different kinds of advances, transformations and variations could lead knowledge to be moldable in anyway in any area depending on what we believe now and what we will believe later based on science or the resemblance of the past. All knowledge is a product of human experience, and is not possible that people are born with innate ideas . On the other hand, beliefs will always be based on the criteria of each people that comprise a whole different world, and our beliefs would hardly change the way we see and justify things that surround us in a period of five years or less. I do not think that knowledge is as important as it seems. I tend to believe that the rational part does everything. We want all of our beliefs to be constant under the stress that the rational pressure causes. When those balanced belief are being formed, our goal is to reach those beliefs that are receptive to all the stress of rational beliefs and that even after all that force of a rational belief, they can keep themselves firm. Perhaps a belief that is privileged of having such receptiveness to reasons and could appreciate the stability of not having any pressure by any rational beliefs, and then it would gain the honor to be named knowledge. * www. Philosophytalk. org * Nozick, Robert. An Analysis of Knowledge. Philosophical Inquiry. Indianapolis. Hacket Publishing Company Inc. 2007 * Stroud, Barry. Philosophical Scepticism and Everyday Life. Philosophical Inquiry. Indianapolis. Hacket Publishing Company Inc. 2007 * Descartes, Rene. Meditations on First Philosophy. Philosophical Inquiry. Indianapolis. Hacket Publishing Company Inc. 2007.

French and Indian War DBQ Revise Essay Example for Free

French and Indian War DBQ Revise Essay In the course of years through 1754-1763 the British were engaged in a war with their rival French. The conflict was known as the French and Indian War. It started when the colonies could not shift west, and the British trying to settle in the Ohio Valley and the French did not want them to expand. It was played entirely in North America with the colonials on the British side. The conflicts between French and the British would cause a drastic change in the colonial-British relationship. It would alter the political, economic, and philosophical relations. The political aspect would change when the British would start taxing the colonies to pay of debt accumulated by the war. Just like James Ottis said, â€Å"No taxation without representation,† The colonies agree with the statement and believed they had the right to be represented. If they had representation, it would have been virtual, instead of direct. With direct representation the colonies would be able to overpower the government and vote for someone with their interests. The colonists though during this time were not use to the British paying so much attention, because Salutary Neglect happened before the war. This was when they loosely enforced the laws on the colonists. Other then the British now enforcing laws, the colonists also did not appreciate when they declared the Proclamation of 1763. Canassatego, chief said, â€Å"We must insist on your removing them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They set the proclamation to keep the Indians happy. This helped prevent another uproar like Pontiacs Rebellion, and also did not allow colonists to move westward. Also, during the war to keep the Iroquois Indians pleased, Franklin called the Albany Congress into plan. The economical piece also differed during the war. In the war, the British collected a great amount of debt. They believed that the colonials should be taxed to help pay off this debt. The British order in council said, â€Å"Not only is revenue impaired, but the commerce of colonies diverted for its natural course† (Doc F). They also believed in mercantilism, were they exported more than imported. By doing this they lost money and supplies, while benefiting the mother country. To repair money situations, the Navigation Acts were enforced to start generating revenue. After the Navigation Acts were enforced, the first act declared to raise money came to power. It was known as the Stamp Act. In Document H, â€Å"The TIMES are Dreadful, Doleful, Dismal, Dolorous, and DOLLAR-LESS† (Newspaper Masthead). This was proof of the colonies hatred to the stamp tax. The stamp act was like sales tax, where all merchandise purchased must be stamped. In the letter to John Huges from Benjamin Franklin, â€Å"Undertaking to execute it may make you unpopular for a time† (Doc G). The act by the British was unpopular with the colonist, because they did not want to help by paying the debt. Along with economics, the philosophical stance of America toward the British changed as well. At the end of the war colonists were feeling powerful and more independent minded. The French were no longer a threat and they had the desire to expand westward. The British on the other hand thought of the colonies in a whole different way. They believed they were laze and backwards. George Washington, â€Å"I wish earnestly to attain some knowledge of the military profession† (Doc C). George Washington worked with Braddock with the British and even ending the war his views started to change. With the average age being sixteen and doubling every twenty-five years the British would not allow the colonies direct vote. They could not let, because with the French out of the way the colonies could now take over with their population growing rapidly. With the population growing they wanted to expand west, but the Proclamation of 1763 would not permit it. Also now much of the land had shifted to the Spanish, with the French gone, as displayed in document A. The colonies believed they were being treated unfairly. In Massachusetts Soldier’s diary, â€Å"Who are but little better than slaves to their officers† (Doc D). The British wee cruel to them and this put an enormous impact on their relations. The political, economic, and philosophical relations of the British-colonial ship would be differed for the future to come. The relationship was strained, because of taxes needed to repay war debt, and not being represented for it. To have the claim over the river valley, but try to keep the Indians within their trust. They were there to please themselves and In the end the French lost almost all of the North American land that went to the Spanish. These conflicts led to the North American war called the French and Indian War, and later a greater conflict around the world as the seven years war.

Critical thinking skills

Critical thinking skills According to Loving and Wilson (2000), its challenging task to making sure the students have the critical thinking skills. To Novak, learning requires 5 components which are the teacher, learner, knowledge, evaluation and context to present. Novak also mentioned that students should be guided by a good teacher through actual learning and not just by just memorizing it. A concept map is taught to the students in order to improve their cognitive skills related to critical thinking skills which are useful in various fields. The concepts map is able to improve the students performance in the subjects requiring critical thinking skills (Daley et al, 1999). Hence, Ausubels (1968) assimilation theory is used together with Novaks (1998) concept map in order to promote critical thinking skills among the students because the characteristics of critical thinking such as analysis, interpretation, inference, explanation and self regulation are involved in the concept development. (Vacek, 2009) 5 steps of learning process such as concept formation, subsumption, progressive differentiation, integrative reconciliation and conlidation are described in the Ausubel assimilation theory. These steps are combined to make complicated critical thinking process so much easier through the building of a concept map (Novak, 1998). The formation of concept is divided into the primary concept and secondary concept. According to Ausubel (1968), the young children begin to recognize and label something that is regular using the language symbols and the concept formation is first occurring in them. Through observation, the young children shaped their intellectual activity and this makes up the primary concept which the example of primary concept include chair, table and cat (Novak 1998). The secondary concept is when upon having recognized much regularity, their cognitive structures are built, and many new concepts without any visible objects are taken by the children through children. The examples are love, anger and sadness. According to Novak (1998), the learning process of adults constructing the new concepts is similar with the process learnt by a child to create meaning for words. The formation of concept is also similar with interpretation of critical thinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Ausubel (1968), the integration of the newly acquired knowledge with the previous knowledge is what known as the subsumption, a phase of learning process and meaningful learning. New content and old knowledge are linked together and this forms the assimilation theory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In progressive differentiation, Ausubel (1998) stated that the natural sequence in which human beings cognitively organize and store knowledge is hierarchal from general to specific. It is rarely used in the education which causes many students to memorize the information than having a meaningful learning process. Human mind works by taking the whole with the assimilated parts than the vice versa process. Ausubel (1998) also mention that it can be achieved by arranging the information in a hierarchal series which its from the general to the details parts in a descending manner by having subset points branching from the main points.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Integrated reconciliation is a form of analysis which it will occur when a person understands a given concept which is different but also similar to another concept. Misconceptions will happens when integrated reconciliation is not done. Newly acquired ideas are integrated and related with the previously learned subjects. With integrated reconciliation, students will know how to interconnect his new learning and old learning through making full use of the previous learnt knowledge to support the new knowledge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ausubel (1968) mentioned that consolidation is done through correction and clarification and it is important to master one lesson before learning the next lesson as learning might be interrupted if a student did not master the current lesson. Its a part of critical thinking as consolidation will create opportunity for the student to self-regulate their lesson.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The combination of Ausubels theory of assimilation and Novaks concept maps is used to promote and master the critical thinking skills. According to Novak(1998), a concept is defined as a perceived regularity in events or objects, or records of events or objected designated by label. A concept map can help people to decode, interpret and categorize the problems. A concept map is started by identifying and addresses the problems on maps and later presenting it from the general into more specific concepts in a descending hierarchal manner with cross-links that portrays a connection of knowledge. Barriers to Critical Thinking The integration of critical thinking skills to education are often hindered by barriers or obstacles. These barriers are lack of training, lack of information, preconceptions and time constraints. According to Broadbear(2003), the lack of training among the teachers in critical thinking methodology cause the poor the critical thinking skills among the students. The teachers dont know how to teach critical thinking skills although they have received the training methods and knowing the contents of the critical thinking skills. Next, Scriven and Paul (2007) mention that the lack of additional critical thinking resources in the instructional materials as only a few instructional materials provide it. Although, certain textbooks provide chapter-based critical thinking discussion questions but however it lacks additional information. Often, preconceptions such as personal bias about the instructional materials often inhibit and blocks the ability of the teachers and students to think critically as one of the characteristics of critical thinking skills is analytical skills which is being fair, open-minded and inclined to ask questions regarding the topics. (Kang Howren, 2004). Lastly, instructors have to cover a wide content within a short time period and hence, shortcuts are taken by these instructors in order to finish the syllabus. Lectures, tips or objective tests are given to the students instead of testing their analytical abilities through problem based questions. The instructors tend to focus on the content rather giving opportunities to the students to solve questions. Objective tests are given to the students as it is faster to grade than short answer questions and according to the research done, objective tests and lecturing are not the best assessment and instruction methods (Broadbear, 2003; Brodie Irving 2007). Critical Thinking Development: A Stage Theory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are 6 stages in the critical thinking development. The stages start with the unreflective thinker stage followed by the challenged thinker, the beginning thinker, the practicing thinker, the advanced thinker and lastly, the master thinker stage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first stage, the unreflective thinker stage, which the thinker lacks the awareness regarding their thinking are affecting their lives and they dont know how to apply their knowledge and regularly practice in their daily lives. Clarify, accuracy, logic, or relevance are part of the standards for the assessment of thinking of which the thinkers in this stage are unaware of. Their thinking skills may have developed but they might not realize it. Besides, problems such as prejudices and misconceptions might occur in their lives due to lack of self-monitoring thoughts. Next, graduates graduating from secondary school or college can be still in the first stage and they lack the skills to assess or improve their thinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second stage, the challenged thinker, is defined when the thinkers realized and aware that thinking is part of their lives and also problems arises due to poor thinking. They are aware that their thinking has problems but unaware in identifying the problems are. Standards for the assessment and also awareness of thinking as involving concepts, assumptions and inferences are what the thinkers in this stage are becoming aware of although their understanding might be limited. The inconsistency of applying their thinking skills are making the thinkers believed that their thinking is better than it actually is. The beginning thinker which is the third stage is when the thinkers realized the basic problems in their thinking and begin to find ways to understand and improve their thinking through modification of some of their thinking but might have lack the systematic plans and limited understanding of deeper levels of problems. In this stage, the thinkers have enough skills to self regulate their thoughts and able to accept the critique of their powers of thought. Next, they begin to realize the needs of internalizing and using the standards for the assessment of thinking and also the role of thinking in their daily life. The fourth stage is the practicing thinker which the thinker recognize the needs to address the problems existed the in their thinking through a systematic practice in thinking regularly and internalize them into habits. However, they lack the understanding of the deeper levels of understanding which leads to deeper levels of problems embedded in the thinking. They becoming more knowledgeable and regularly monitor the role in their thinking and also assessing their standards for the assessment of thinking. The key trait in this stage is intellectual perseverance which will become a driving force developing a realistic plan for systematic practice. Stage five or the advanced thinker is when the thinkers are into problems at deeper levels of thought such as egocentric and sociocentric and also actively analyzing their thinking. They are able to systematically monitor the role in their thinking and regularly assess their standards of assessment. Next, the advanced thinkers are able to develop new habits of thought through the deep and systematic internalization of critical thinking. Besides, they are able to figure the strengths and weaknesses of their own thinking and systematic plans and will try to keep improving the plan. The last stage or the master thinker stage, the thinkers are to take charge of their thinking, self monitoring, and continue to improve their own set of thinking. They are highly conscious and intuitive regarding of their own critical thinking skills through many experiences and practices. They are fairly minded and have developed new insights into problems at deeper levels of thought. To summarize, master thinkers are able to critique, consistently monitor, improving, think through complex issues with good judgment and perform effectively in everything in their lives. Critical Thinking Cognitive Skills   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Facione (1990), both cognitive skills and the disposition dimension are required for a good critical thinking. For critical thinking, cognitive skills such as interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation and self-regulation are the six 6 core skills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Facione (1990) mentioned that the panels of experts defined interpretation as to comprehend and express the meaning or significance of a wide variety of experiences, situations, data, events, judgments, conventions, beliefs, rules, procedures, or criteria. Below the interpretation are the sub-skills of categorization, decoding significance, and clarifying meaning. In categorization, it is to sort and sub-classifying information in order to understand or describe events or situations. Describing intentions, purposes and motives of a persons facial expressions, language, signs or graphs and tables are what sub-skill of decoding significance about. Lastly, clarifying meaning is about to paraphrase or finding example which helps to explain something to other person while the meaning remains the same as intended.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Analysis is defined as to identify the intended and actual inferential relationships among statements, questions, concepts, descriptions, or other forms of representation intended to express belief, judgment, experiences, reasons, information, or opinions.. The sub-skills of analysis are examining ideas, detecting arguments, and analyzing arguments. Examining ideas are about defining terms, to compare ideas or statements, and also to identify problems or issues. In detecting arguments, its to determine the claims or against a given opinion based on given paragraphs, statements or descriptions. In analyzing arguments, its about finding the main resources, background and the sub-points of the main conclusion based on given reasons intended to support some claim.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The panels of experts in Delphi study defined the evaluation as the to assess the credibility of statements or other representations which are accounts or descriptions of a persons perception, experience, situation, judgment, belief, or opinion; and to assess the logical strength of the actual or intended inferential relationships among statements, descriptions, questions or other forms of representation. The sub-skills of evaluation are assessing claims and assessing arguments. The recognizing of factor which makes a person as credible witness or to determine given claim is whether true or false are what sub-skill assessing claims are about. In assessing arguments, its about judging between two contradict statements and also judge whether the conclusion drawn have the evidence back-up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inference is defined as to identify and secure elements needed to draw reasonable conclusions; to form conjectures and hypotheses; to consider relevant information and to reduce the consequences flowing from data, statements, principles, evidence, judgments, beliefs, opinions, concepts, descriptions, questions, or other forms of representation. The sub-skills of inference are querying evidence, conjecturing alternatives and drawing conclusions. In querying evidence, the information related to theory, questions, and issues is judged before it is decided. Next, multiple alternatives are create to solve a given question with a range of possible consequences, decisions and policies in the sub skill of conjecturing alternatives. Lastly, various opinions, evidences, relevant information together with ones own opinion are required before making a final conclusion for a given problem for the sub-skill of drawing conclusion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last 2 core skills can enable people to think, explain their thinking and apply the critical thinking skills in their thinking thus improving themselves. In explanation, it is defined as to state and to justify that reasoning in terms of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, and contextual considerations upon which ones results were based; and to present ones reasoning in the form of cogent arguments. The sub-skills of explanation include stating results, justifying procedures and presenting arguments. Stating results sub-skill requires a person to analyze results of which he had produced accurate statement through reasoning and state ones research findings. In justifying procedures, a person shall record, evaluate, or justify his or her processes of solving problems based on other sub-skills and by presenting the evidences and also methodological. For example, it is used to show the steps in solving mathematical problems. La stly, to give reasons for accepting some claims is what sub-skill presenting argument about.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lastly, self-regulation is defined as self-consciously to monitor ones cognitive activities, the elements used in those activities, and the results educed, particularly by applying skills in analysis, and evaluation to ones own inferential judgments with a view toward questioning, confirming, validating, or correcting either ones reasoning or ones results. The sub-skills are self-examination and self-correction. In self-examination, it is based on ones motivation, reflections, values, reasoning or attitudes to verify results produced and correcting the cognitive skills involved. In self-correction, its to create steps to corrects the problems that are arises when self-examination reveals errors. Learning Theory Behaviorism Behaviorism is when the a person is a passive learner, which the teachers mere fill the empty minds of the students with knowledge for the sake of getting better results in the examination. Its based on principle of stimulus-response which the behavior is caused by the external or environmental stimuli. The learners are extrinsically motivated by the teacher and absorb knowledge only. Correct behavior will be reinforced by the teacher through a system of rewarding and incorrect behavior by the students will be punished by the teacher. The learner is an empty vessel and the behavior is shaped through positive or negative reinforcement. Thorndike (1911)s theory of law of exercise showed that a learners behaviors and thinking can be influenced through responses from a teacher. The thinking opportunities are limited as implicit thinking is through passive process as knowledge is obtained to exposure only. Constructivism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In constructivism, the learners are an active learner, which they keen on experimenting with materials, objects and ideas in order to understand new information and often, they enjoy group work. The learners can develop their own personalized understandings of how world revolved around them by constructing their own knowledge and understanding. New knowledge which is obtained by learners is checked against existing self-existing knowledge. Disequilibrium might occur as newly obtained knowledge might conflict with existing beliefs and new knowledge have to be assimilated into the new knowledge. The teacher can support the development of the thinking in the learners by giving challenging problems and this enables the learners to have cognitive processing. There are 4 stages of cognitive development according to Piagets theory. First stage, sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 year old), the infant is able to differentiate between self from other objects and ab le to understand how things by interacting with the environment. Assimilation and accommodation helps learning to take place. Next stage, between ages 2 to 4, preoperational stage, objects are represented through images and words as the child is able to learn to use language and also be classified in simple ways through the distinct features. The child is unable to think abstractly and needs concrete situations. Examples of abstract and concrete are justice and court. Third stage, the child is between age 7 to 11, a concrete operations stage, the child is able to think logically about objects because the child to think abstractly and conceptualize and also, the modified schemata due the object cannot be assimilated is increased due to accumulation of physical experience. The last stage, the formal operations stage, ages 11 to 15, the person is able to make deductive and hypothetical reasoning as his or her cognitive ability reaches the final stage and thus, the thinking is also simi lar to an adult in this stage. The implications of thinking are implicit thinking through assumed process and thinking outcomes by task resolution. Social Constructivism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Social constructivism is based on the Vygostkian ideas which social interaction is important for the development of thinking and cognitive as well. In Vygostkian idea, the main concepts are the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) and Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). MKO is defined as a person who is more knowledgeable, better understanding, higher ability than learner regarding to a task, process and concept. The MKO can be anyone from teacher, coach, peers, younger person or computers. ZPD is defined by Vygostky (1986) as the the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers. An appropriate assistance or scaffolding which is given to learner for particular task will help the learner to achieve the task faster and once the learner mastered the task, the scaffolding can be removed as the learner is able to complete the task on his or her own. Language is important as its an important tool to put the inner thoughts and thinking into words. Vygostky also stressed that social interaction is important than development. Its a dynamic process between teachers and learners as teacher helps to meditate, scaffold and supports thinking. The thinking is explicit as the learner is actively sharing the cognitive and collective contribution to solve problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brain aspects that promote critical thinking are divided into 5 types which are the unique brain, the problem solving brain, the maturing brain, the adaptive brain and the emotional brain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Factors that affect the uniqueness that is different in every human being are gender, exposure to abuse, specific disorders, culture and exposure to drugs, toxins or trauma. For example, a person with head trauma might have difficulty in learning compared to a person with a healthier brain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the problem solving brain, a person is not born with ability to solve skills as problem solving requires many skills and these skills have to be learnt by the brain. The brain will change every time a person learns a skill by reorganizing the brain mass, cortical organization and interregional connectivity. Next, new synapses are created whenever there is a new learning which has a challenging task. In addition, repetition is the key for learning new skills in the brain. The process of learning a skill should work from particular sub-skill, generalizing sub-skill and lastly to real-life experiences. Theres should be a limit of interval for the training of new thinking skills. Besides, the production of new cells for learning and memory are enhanced by the gross motor activity or the movements of the large muscles of the body as the physical exercise can make reading easier to students who have difficulties in learning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The environmental factors are directly affecting the maturation of the brain. Next, every parts of the brain have different maturation rates as brain frontal lobes may fully matured at the age of 25 to 30 as it is a slow process. The characteristics of the maturing brain are language and reading skills, social awareness, ability to know the cause and effect and ability to make hypotheses or inferences. Poor nutrition will cause the process of brain maturation to slow down. Lastly, past and life experience will shape the neurons in the frontal lobes of the brain which is responsible for higher order thinking skills such as critical thinking skills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The adaptive brain is when the brain is shaped through by postnatal experiences. Highly complex interaction with the environment through stimulation will help to cause the brain to be specialized and thus allowing development of thinking in the learners brain. For example, higher SAT scores are obtained by students who are actively involved in school drama performance than the students that did not participate. It is important for the parents to let the children to play and early experiences that make them to make mistakes. Next, exceptional upbringing such as unusual mentor or parents will often results children with exceptional thinking skills. Next, nutrition also plays important roles in cognitive among the children. Lastly, opportunities should be given to the children to develop talents and abilities as its important for them to developing thinking skills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The emotional brain relates to the ability to think critically. The emotions are always changeable due the brains sensitivity of responding to both internal and external stimuli and the brain are consists of cooperative neural clusters activated by chemical and electrical energy. The stable states or when neurons involved tend to coalesce into cooperative groups, self organizing in to collective behaviors are likely to occur again at another time if the stable states of that person is long. For example, a person who is frequency afraid will enter that afraid stage, the stable state of his anytime. Hence, its important for the student to be taught the ability to focus to become the stable states as the ability is not innate thus for a student to think well, the ability to control emotions is important as well. Sensations, mental state, and feelings are what make up of emotional states and only one part of emotional state is what we consciously feel at t he time. The ability to activate the state that is required to solve problems and suppresses the negative parts of the state is what make a good critical thinker.

Ancient Egypt - Land of the River :: Ancient Egypt Egyptian History

Ancient Egypt - Land of the River "All of Egypt is the gift of the Nile." It was the Greek historian Herodotus who made that observation. The remarkable benefits of the Nile are clear to everyone, but through history he was the first to talk about it and consider its fascination. Through history, the Nile played a major role in the building of civilizations. The first civilizations to appear in history started on a river valley or in a place where resources are numerous and example of these are in India where Indus river is found and Tigris where Euphrates is found and many other places (cradles of civilization). The Nile is the longest river in the world, cuts a swath of green and life through the bareness of the giant Sahara desert in northern Africa. It is almost 4160 miles long from its remotest head stream, the Lavironza river in Burundi, in central Africa to its delta on the Mediterranean sea north east of Egypt. The river flows northward and drain 1100100 square miles, about tenth the size of Africa, passing through ten African countries. It has many tributaries but there are two main ones: the White Nile fed by lake Victoria and the Blue Nile coming from Ethiopian mountains. These two main branches join near Khartoum, the capital of Sudan and they continue together as Nile proper until meeting the Mediterranean Sea and forming the Nile delta in northern Egypt. Around 5000 BC, one of the first great civilizations developed in the northern Nile river valley dependent on agriculture in a land called Egypt. Water; Fertile soil; and river's flow north while prevailing wind blows south made the Nile the best transportation way, were examples of the Nile gifts. Another gift is that every year the flood came bringing disaster and famine due to destroying the crops and their villages. The first forms of government appeared in Egypt when the Egyptians organized their efforts under one leadership to avoid the disasters of the yearly flood. On the other hand Nile flooding caused some problems in landmarks. Simple geometry had to be found to keep the boarder and a simple system metric (invention of the nilometer) to study the Nile flow and flood every year. As the state grew and more complex religious and political systems started to emerge, the need for a system to record events and rituals was growing too.

The Political Community in Guatemala Essay -- essays research papers

The Political Community The â€Å"social apartheid† that exist in Guatemala separates Guatemala into two places and does not allow the country to be united, both democratically socially. The indigenous population is separated from opportunities. Without the minimal conditions, necessary for citizens to exercise their rights in practice there is not citizenship and therefore no â€Å"true† democracy. New democratic institutions must both address the anxiety existing among Ladinos and prove to be responsive to a sizeable segment of the national community that has previously been excluded based on language and ethnicity. Authoritarian regimes which retain considerable power and the democratic transition is never fully consolidated, stable, or lasting. Dealing not only with the elimination of military control, but also addressing the country’s historical problems, including massive social inequalities. More than half of Guatemalans are descendants of indigenous Mayan peoples. Westernized Mayans and mestizos (mixed European and indigenous ancestry) are known as Ladinos. Most of Guatemala's population is rural, though urbanization is accelerating. Although the official language is Spanish, it is not universally understood among the indigenous population. According to the World Bank, Guatemala is the country with the second-greatest income disparity between rich and poor in Latin America, behind Brazil. On which sides of that divide Guatemalans sit depends largely on whether they are Indian...

Cathedral Essay -- essays research papers

The protagonist in â€Å"Cathedral,† Bub, is a man who has several defining characteristics. Bub is insecure, insensitive, and ignorant. This is clearly shown in Bub’s relationships with his wife and Robert. Bub’s insecurities are blatantly shown when he comments on his wife’s ex-husband: Her officer-why should be have a name? He was her childhood sweetheart, and what more does he want? Bub resents the ex-husband for being his wife’s first love. He would have liked to have had that role so he negatively addresses his wife’s past relationships. Bub’s unconfident mannerisms further transpire when he comments on his wife’s relationship with Robert. He states: In time she put it all on tape and sent the tape to the blind man. Over the years she put all kinds of stuff on tapes and sent the tapes off lickety-split. Next to writing a poem every year, I think it was her chief recreation. On the tape, she told the blind man she’d decided to live away from her officer for a time. On another tape she told him about her divorce. She and I began going out, and of course she told her blind man about it. She told him everything, or so it seemed to me. This intense friendship between his wife and Robert further exacerbated his insecurities. Robert and his wife have an intimate relationship that Bub has never, and probably will never, have with his wife. He goes on to say: My wife finally took her eyes off the blind man and looked at me. I had the feelings she didn’t like what she saw. I shrugged. This relationship offers Bub only one consolation, he believes that because he can see that has an advantage. He constantly refers to Robert as â€Å"the blind man.† He never uses Robert’s name or assigns any human attributes to him. This insecurity is partially responsible for his wife’s continued involvement with Robert.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also responsible for his wife’s close relationship with Robert is Bub’s inability to feel. He exhibits a great lack of emotional depth. Bub comments on Robert’s marriage: They’d married, lived and worked together, slept together-had sex, sure- and then the blind man had to bury her. All this without having never seen what the goddamned woman looked like. He has no feelings of sympathy for the loss of Robert’s wife. Bub goes on to comment about his wife telling him exactly happened to Robert’s wife. He says, â€Å"My wife filled me in w... ...s his freedom from his sheltered and close-minded life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The overall themes of the story were alienation and loneliness. The main characters experience, and have experienced alienation and loneliness. Bub is discontented in his work, envious of his wife, and isolated from other human beings and also from himself. Because of this, Bub resents his wife’s connections with other people. Keening this in mind, Bub makes no effort to correct this problem. When Robert arrives he makes to attempt to engage him in conversation. He prefers to remain cut off and observe. As the conversation breaks, Bub turns on the television, which is not only extremely impolite, but one that offers proof of Bub’s detachment with his wife and her friend.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story demonstrates an interesting sort of irony. The disability that Bub condemned and presupposed was in fact a handicap that he had himself. He was emotionally blind. Robert assisted Bub in overcoming those traits that were keeping him from experiencing the most wonderful things in life. This freed Bub from his insecurities, ignorance, and insensitivities. He was then capable of truly seeing.

Cognitive Behavioral Theory Essay

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a short-term, problem-centered therapy that is used to address psychopathology within the individual (Beck, 1995). This model of therapy is used to address issues of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, relational problems, and drug abuse, and can be utilized when working with individuals, as well as within group and family modalities. The core aspects of this therapy include collaboration and participation by the client, a strong alliance between therapist and client, and an initial focus on current problems and functioning (Beck, 1995). The theory of CBT emphasizes the relationship between the individual’s thoughts feelings and behaviors, which is seen as being the underlying cause of psychopathology in individuals. Therefore, this theory asserts that the identification, evaluation, and modification of one’s negative thoughts will lead to an improvement in one’s mood and behaviors (Beck, 1995). It is important to understand the concepts and theory from which CBT is based in order for it to be efficiently implemented in therapeutic work with individuals, groups, or families. While CBT is used to treat psychological disorders, this theory can be examined by looking at the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individual’s with an absence of psychopathology. Beck (1979) and Beck (1995) present the cognitive model in order to explain the theory of CBT. The cognitive model demonstrates that the emotions that an individual experiences and the behaviors that they exhibit are a result of their perception of a situation or event (Beck, 1995). When in any given situation, an individual’s immediate thought response is their automatic thought (Beck, 1995). These thoughts are an immediate evaluation of the situation, which in turn directly influence the feeling that a person has about the situation. Automatic thoughts are experienced by everyone and occur in the individual’s mind prior to reasoning. These thoughts occur swiftly and often times the individual may be unaware that they have occurred, being more observant of the emotion that they are feeling in the moment (Beck, 1995). Once an automatic thought occurs within the individual, it triggers a feeling, which in turn triggers the individual’s response, such as a behavior and/or physiological response. For example, after a young child begins to pick up his blocks to be put away, his mother rubs him on the back and gives him praise for his actions. His automatic thought may be, â€Å"I am good when I put away blocks,† triggering a feeling of confidence, an increased level of physical energy, and the behavior of putting away the remaining blocks. Automatic thoughts can be neutral, positive, or negative. We all have our own automatic thoughts as we move through our day-to-day lives and interact with others. In regards to individuals with psychological disorders, the cognitive model looks at how negative thoughts influence the individual’s feelings and behaviors (Beck, 1995). From a CBT lens, it is the negative automatic thoughts that an individual has that perpetuate symptoms of psychological disorders, the occurrence of negative mood, uncomfortable physiological responses, and maladaptive or inappropriate behaviors (Beck, 1995). While we all have moments of experiencing negative automatic thoughts, for those with psychological disorders, and more pervasive difficulties in living, negative thoughts are often experienced in situations that are neutral, producing negative feelings that lead to maladaptive behaviors or responses that would not typically be expected from the neutral situation (Beck, 1995). Aaron Beck presents theory of the cognitive model of how depression is rooted and perpetuated in individuals as a result of the interaction between negative automatic thoughts, feelings, and behavioral response. In this discussion, depression is conceptualized in terms of the cognitive triad, which describes three components of negative thinking of the depressed individual: the individual’s negative view of self, their negative view of the others and the world, and their negative view of the future (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979). The cognitive triad is maintained via the remaining components of Beck’s cognitive model of depression, the individual’s schemas, or core beliefs, and the utilization of faulty thinking, or cognitive errors (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979). Cognitive theory asserts that our automatic thoughts are rooted in our core belief system or cognitive schemas. Core beliefs begin to be developed early in life and are based on experiences that the individual has throughout their life. Because these beliefs are so grounded in how the individual views their life, others, and the world, and begin to be cultivated so early in development, they become a fundamental aspect of the individual, who considers them to be absolute truths (Beck, 1995). Core beliefs are deeply rooted in an individual, so much so that the individual may be unaware of the belief and how it influences their thoughts about themselves and the world. Each belief can have varying levels of presence within an individual’s day to day life, with some core beliefs remaining predominately dormant and only being activated in certain situations, while others may be frequently present in an individual’s thoughts (Beck, 1995). It is the individual’s cognitive schemas that allows for the categorization and evaluation of different experiences or situations (Beck, Rush, Shaw, and Emery, 1979). The core belief system maintains the way an individual experiences and thinks about a given situation (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979). While everyone conceptualizes a given situation in their own way, each individual typically conceptualizes similar situations in a similar way based on their own core beliefs (Beck, Rush, Shaw, and Emery, 1979). Within a set of similar situations, the individual’s core beliefs trigger automatic thoughts, which in turn trigger the individual’s emotional and behavioral response. Over time, the individual’s responses to similar situations become more consistent, thereby causing the development of a routine response to these types of situations. As this consistently occurs, the schema connected to particular type of event is further developed and the individual’s assertion that the belief holds absolute truth is strengthened (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979). Beck’s theory underlying CBT focuses on the idea that symptoms of depression, as well as those of other psychological disorders, are developed and maintained through to the individual’s negative core beliefs and triggered negative thoughts. In addition to the individual’s negative schemas, Beck’s theory states that the cognitive triad of negative cognitions of self, others, and future is further perpetuated through patterns of faulty thinking (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979). There are a variety of faulty thinking mechanisms that are used by individual’s to support their automatic thoughts and core beliefs, even in light of contradictory evidence (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979). This type of thinking can be characterized as labeling, over generalizing, personalization, emotional reasoning, magnification or minimization, and all-or-nothing or impetrative thinking (Beck, 1995). These cognitive errors are often extreme and unrealistic ways in which the individual assesses and draws conclusions regarding their problems, which is then used to further support their negative belief system and automatic thoughts. CBT theory declares that the individual can learn to identify their automatic thoughts, thereby creating an avenue for changing the emotions, behaviors, and psychological responses to various situations. When utilizing CBT with a client, it is necessary for the therapist to conceptualize the individual’s presenting problems from the perspective of the cognitive model (Beck, 1995). This can be done through the work of gathering information regarding the individual’s current problems, diagnosis, and how the problems have been developed and maintained. As this information is collected, the CBT therapist begins to assess and identify the inaccurate and unhelpful thoughts connected to the problems, and the behaviors that are exhibited as a result of this thinking (Beck, 1995). As this is done, the therapist can then begin to guide the individual to identify, examine, and correct or modify the negative automatic thoughts, underlying core beliefs, and faulty thinking mechanisms that have sustained the presenting problems (Beck, 1995).