What were Apple’s competitive advantages

During the end 70’s and beginning of the 80’s, Apple’s competitive advantages assured high profitability to the firm. Apple II and Macintosh were premium (priced) products that were very easy-to-use computers with appealing design and technical elegance. Despite the slow processor speed and the lack of compatible software, the combination of superior software and peripherals, giving â€Å"unmatched capabilities in desktop publishing†, allowed Apple to reach 8% of the world market and more than 50% of the education market in the US by the mid 80’s. Also one other factor important for the high success of Apple in its early days is the fact that the operating system (OS) was a closed system, being therefore very difficult to clone. After some ups and downs during the 90’s decade, the strategy of Apple continued to base on differentiation. They offer high-quality, an exceptional design, the ease of use of their products, security, high-quality bundled software and in-store personalized service. At the same time, the incorporation of some standard interfaces (like USB ports) made Apple computers less closed systems, allowing the Mac customer to use non Mac peripherals with his OS. In terms of technical features, the total Mac sales increased about 40% from 2006 to 2007 thanks to Intel’s dual-core technology for Apple’s laptops. This specification allowed Apple to build laptops that were faster and less-power consuming, and at the same time could also easily run Windows and other third-party OS. One of the main problems of Apple, the lack of Macintosh software, was now solved. As it was mentioned above, one of Apple’s recent competitive advantages is the in-store personalized service. This, of course, is directly related to the introduction of stores, important not only because those stores are sales locations, but also because it allows Apple to control the image of the brand and provide an excellent customer service. The success of Apple stores is also due to the â€Å"halo effect† of iPod and iPhone that attracted many people to the stores. The iTunes Music and App online store, together with the iPod and iPhone products, are also one of the main reasons for the increasing of sales of Mac computers. Analyze the dynamics of the PC industry. Are these dynamics favorable or problematic for Apple? In our days computers are in most people everyday life and business and therefore computers are becoming even more a commoditized product. It is estimated that 1 billion of PCs are in use around the world! The PC industry has its origins in the mid-70s and it was dominated by IBM during its first decade of existence. By the early 90’s Wintels (Windows OS with Intel processors) replaced IBM computers as the industry standard. The market in those years already suffered some (fast) changes, as there were thousands of manufacturers (HP, Dell, Acer, Apple, and clone makers) building computers. In terms of buyers, also some several changes were observed: the US was no longer the main customer of this industry. The main share of the average 15% growth of PCs goes to the emerging markets, to countries like India and China. At the same time, revenue growth didn’t grow, mainly due to the decreasing of prices of these products. The main suppliers in this industry are the component manufacturers, the OS software programmers and the Application software developers. In what component manufacturers is concerned, the industry is dominated by two players, Intel and AMD, to produce microprocessors. These microprocessors are totally different in terms requirements and motherboard design, so if a PC manufacturer would think on changing the microprocessors of its products, it would also have to support high switching costs. The OS software programmers are resumed to one player, Microsoft Windows (about 90% of world computers run through Window platform). The Application software developers are mainly ISV’s, or Independent Software Vendors. In what buyers are concerned, we can divide them into 5 categories: home, small and medium business, corporate, education and government. In the past years we have been assisting to several changes: the home segment is nowadays the most important of the segments (42% of computers were acquired by this segment in 2007), followed by the business customers. In order to respond to the many needs of these customers, PC manufacturers react offering broad products. At the same time, it also must be taken into consideration that these segments meet different requirements when acquiring a PC: the home segment is very price sensitive and has recently started to value the product design, the mobility and wireless capability. The business customer makes his decision based on a combination of price an service. In terms of barriers of new entries, brands like Dell, Apple or HP are brand recognized and in a general way their clients are loyal to them, creating therefore difficulties for a potential new player in this market. Also the fact that most of these companies have good relationships with OEM allows them to benefit from economies of scale. The threat of substitution is high. Taking in consideration that the home buyer is the â€Å"best client†, there are several products that might be an alternative to computers, in particular laptops. PDA’s, smartphones, or game consoles allow the consumer to run video, watch DVD’s, play games, or even surf the web. In terms of competitive rivalry, the market is dominated by 4 players, Dell, HP, Acer and Lenovo. Together, these companies are responsible for more than 50% PC shipments (2007 data). In a general way, these companies are adopting a strategy of improving design, R&D spending, and aggressive consumer marketing. According to this industry analysis, Apple’s position in the market might be of some concern. One of the good and positive aspects of Apple’s strategy is the launching of complementary products to the Macs, like the Apple TV or home data centers. The strategy of differentiation and innovation has to continue to be adopted, as well as to build exclusive agreements and partnerships and OEM. Has Steve Jobs finally solved Apple’s long-standing problems with respect to the Macintosh business? In 1997, when Steve Jobs became the CEO of Apple, the firm was going through some problems with the Mac business. These problems weren’t solved with Spindler and Amelio strategies, which were mainly the cost reduction (cutting of 16% Apple workforce and reducing R&D spending), and several deep payroll cuts. Apple was already incurring in several losses and something had to be done! Steve Jobs started to restructure the company: partnerships with Microsoft, development of core products such as Microsoft Office, end of licensing agreements (to avoid cannibalization of Apple’s computers), consolidation of the product range, outsourcing, changing of distribution system, and promoting the brand as â€Å"a hip alternative† to other brands. But one of the most important changes was during 2006, four years after the launch of Mac OS X, when Apple’s computers also started to be equipped with Intel technology, allowing not only to reduce the technical specifications gaps between Macs and Wintel computers (Mac were slower in speed and more energy consuming) but also to use third-party applications (until then, Apple had to produce their own software because of its small market share). These measures, together with the synergies of iPod, iTunes and iPhone are responsible for the 33% increasing of Total Macintosh sales from 2006 to 2007. However, Apple still remains in the 2-3% range worldwide PC market. As its products are premium priced, I think that some measures might have to be taken in consideration, such as to continue developing and improving the brand image in order to continue practicing premium prices in its products, to improve relationship with 3rd parties (for example, with music labels for iTunes, with NBC for the Apple TV or with 3rd party software developers) or to continue producing complementary products to Macs. The iPod-iTunes business has been a spectacular success. Has Jobs found a new formula to create a sustainable competitive advantage for Apple? In fact, the iPod and iTunes and their synergies with Apple’s computers are one of the key drivers for the success of Apple. The launch of the iPod in 2001 and specially the introduction of iPod for Windows in 2002 simply boosted Apple’s sales. In 2003 the sales of iPods more than doubled in respect to the previous year. Its design, the easy to use system, its high margins (thanks to the use of flash memories instead of hard disks) and its reasonable selling price are some of the factors responsible for being such a hit. But it is in this very same year that the iTunes system is born. This online service is the main factor for iPod’s success (in 2004, after the first year of iTunes launch, iPods sales almost increased 300% as of 2003; in 2007 the iPod accounts for 35% of Apple’s total revenue). This reveals the synergy between iPod and iTunes (and also iPhone). This competitive advantage is not difficult to maintain as Apple has in fact the best product in the market, in terms of hardware and an efficient easy to use online store. The only problem that might exist is in terms of relationships with the music companies. In order to maintain the market size, Apple has to improve on this subject.

No Good Reasons To Believe in Dualism Essay

Are there any good reasons to believe in dualism? Dualism, the philosophical theory that states that there are two kinds of substance: mental and physical, is now largely discredited by the world’s leading philosophers. It first came to prominence through Renà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Descartes in his Meditations as he tried to come to terms with the fact that most of his knowledge was either false or that he did not have enough evidence to believe in it firmly enough. For many centuries the idea was debated and reclassified, changing slightly from philosopher to philosopher and being totally rejected by others. The alternative to dualism is monism, the idea that mental and physical substances are one and the same; that is that the mind is or is contained within (in the tissue of), the brain. At first it appeared that dualism was indeed a logical conception, as features of the mind and the body seemed very different indeed. Descartes pointed out that while one could imagine oneself without physical features, it was impossible to imagine oneself without a mind; indeed the very action of attempting this was enough to prove that a mind was present. This was the basis of Descartes’ theory to draw out basic knowledge that he could not be deceived about. Due to this distinction it seemed logical to conclude, using Leibniz’s Law, that physical and mental entities were indeed separate. However, Descartes had made a mistake in assuming that his clear and distinct perceptions of a thing made that thing possible. For example, I can clearly and distinctly conceive of a unicorn, but that does not mean that they exist. (Lewis Carroll parodied this in Through the Looking Glass, in which the Red Queen tells Alice she imagines several impossible things before breakfast. Presumably she has a clear and distinct perception of these things, as when Alice attempts it, she is told she is not trying hard enough.) Also, I can just as clearly perceive of something not being as of it being, and as something cannot both be and not be, it would seem that this theory for basing something upon an unalterable internal proposition falls down. So, the argument from clear and distinct perception cannot be used here as it is just as easy to conceive of the mind and body being separate as it is for them to be one and the same. There are many scientific and logical arguments in favour of monism, Occam’s Razor, for example, a theory which asks us to take the simpler solution to a problem over the more complicated theory. For example, before the biology of animals was worked out scientifically, it was believed that all living creatures had an attribute called vitalism, which kept it alive. Now we know the biology, we can use this much simpler explanation. Here it can be applied easily: obviously it is simpler to believe in one substance than two, one of which does not conform to the laws of physics. There is also scientific evidence that shows us how damaging or experimenting with the brain, which is undeniably physical, can affect a person’s mental behaviour. Performing a lobotomy, for instance, can totally alter a person’s personality – turning them from being calm and rational to being crude and rash, or vice versa. Similarly, stimulating neurons on the Thingybob Strip, which crosses the top of the brain, can cause sensations all over the body. It may be that prodding a part of this strip can make your elbow tingle in a most delightful manner or make your thumb feel as if it is being dragged through warm treacle. It would seem from this that the these feelings are to be found in the prodded part of the brain and this is where the mental is to be found within the physical. These reasons show that monism is probably the more scientifically favourable position, but are there any reasons that can show Dualism to be the more logical choice? Leibniz’s Law might argue for dualism in that there being differences between the physical and the mental, they must therefore be separate substances. For example, having a chunk of the physical removed does not mean a part of the mental has also been removed. In fact, an awful lot of the physical body can be harmed, even in the brain, before there is a definite mental side effect. Surely, say the dualists, if the some parts of the mental were contained within certain parts of the brain, for example, if the capacity to taste lentils were located solely in a small part of the brain, and that part were to be removed we would no longer have the capacity to taste lentils. But a lot of the brain can be removed, and so, if there were set areas we would be removing certain abilities of the mental. Therefore, the mental must be separate from the physical. However, it is true that removing some areas of the brain will prevent the mental from performing certain capabilities. It is possible to find out which areas of the brain are functioning when fuelled by particular stimuli, and if, when doing this we slice out those areas of the brain, in some (but not all) cases, those functions will no longer be possible. Also, the left side of the brain and the right side provide vastly different functions – one being more practical and other being more intellectual. This would seem to back up the monist theory that the mind is located within certain parts of the brain. Another counter argument to Dualism could be contained within Feigl’s concept of Nomological Danglers. If the mental is indeed distinct from the physical it cannot be present within the same world as the physical things we know of, as removing physicals things would inevitably reveal the mental substance. Therefore it follows that it is connected to this physical world in some other way. However, Feigl tells us that it is ridiculous to believe that there is a separate type of law for these substances, which allows them to exist dependently of the rest of physics. Surely the mental substances cannot be ‘dangling’ outside of the realms of reality? These masses of arguments for monism overwhelm the poorer, outdated arguments for dualism, which stem from a less scientifically advanced age, in which the solutions appeared to work logically, based on a more internal philosophy of contemplation, which is now being replaced by a more practical philosophy, backed up by the sciences. Hence it is not unfair to say that previous ideas that worked in favour of dualism are no longer good reasons to believe the theory and that as we have better reasons to take the theory of monism seriously, we must subscribe to it, and not dualism, as the correct theory.

Analysis of mariama ba’s novel ‘so long a letter’

In some literary works the principal characters are portrayed through their relations with other protagonists. Such a tool of expression is specifically utilized by Mariama Ba in her famous novel So Long a Letter. Comparing Ramatoulaye with Aissatou, Binetou with Nabou and Modou with Mawdo, this Senegalese writer uncovers the identities of her characters, their personal characteristics and beliefs, motivations and social standing. The novel So Long a Letter is created in the form of a prolonged letter written by Ramatoulaye Fall to her close female friend Aissatou Ba. Applying to the letters of Ramatoulaye, the author reveals that recently she has lost her husband, Modou Fall, and in accordance with her Muslim religious beliefs, she has to spend much time in privacy. Ramatoulaye compares her fate with the fate of Aissatou; in fact, both women are betrayed by their husbands and have to adjust to polygamy. Ramatoulaye identifies herself with Aissatou, claiming that â€Å"we walked the same paths from adolescence to maturity, the past begets the present†¦ Yesterday you were divorced. Today I am a widow† (Ba 1). Both Ramatoulaye and Aissatou have received good education that allows them to strive for equality between men and women. Mariama Ba demonstrates that although these female characters are the victims of their religious beliefs and low social position, they are engaged in the struggle for personal freedom and independence of their country. On the other hand, the writer shows that Ramatoulaye and Aissatou act differently when they collide with the husbands’ betrayal; Aissatou decides to divorce her husband Mawdo Ba, while Ramatoulaye remains a second wife of her husband. In this regard, Ramatoulaye believes that it is necessary to unite some good old traditions of Muslims with the principles of personal freedom, while Aissatou rejects old customs, making an attempt to become fully independent and finding her new place of living in the United States. Thus, although Ramatoulaye and Aissatou have received similar education, share similar religious and political beliefs, they reveal different personal motivations and different family positions. They are both strong females, but they utilize different ways to cope with their personal tragedies. Comparing personal fates of Ramatoulaye and Aissatou, the writer simultaneously demonstrates a connection between Modou and Mawdo, the husbands of two female characters. Both Modou and Mawdo decide to take younger wives, fully ignoring the devotion of their first wives. These male characters treat females as their own properties, considering women lower to them. Modou goes even further than Mawdo, he not only abandons his wife with twelve children, but he also chooses a young female who is a close friend of his daughter. As a result, Modou is punished more than Mawdo; Modou dies because he deserves such a stroke of fate. Modou neglects his first family when he takes the second wife, greatly injuring Ramatoulaye, while Mawdo’s second marriage frees Aissatou and provides her with the possibility to find her true self. Ramatoulaye, belonging to a rather noble family, marries Modou, the member of the khaki-class, because she loves him. However, Modou forgets Ramatoulaye and her love, marrying Binetou and ignoring his role of a family defender. Describing Binetou, the author compares her with Aunty Nabou, mother-in-law of Aissatou. While Binetou is portrayed as a person who evokes much sympathy, Nabou is a woman who makes everything to preserve her high social position and who considers that â€Å"the first quality in a woman is docility† (Ba 29). Binetou is twice younger than her husband Modou, and Ramatoulaye claims that this innocent female will suffer much in due course. Ramatoulaye marries Modou for love, while Binetou performs the wish of her mother who considers that this marriage will provide the family with a good social position. But Binetou’s marriage to Modou ruins this female character. Nabou, who contributes much to Aissatou’s divorce, also hopes that this divorce will save her family. This woman is obsessed with social prejudices and regards Aissatou as inappropriate match to her son. As the writer states, Aunt Nabou â€Å"is a descendant of Bour-Sine. She lived in the past, unaware of a changing world† (Ba 26). Nabou identifies herself with her cast, being unable to resist its traditions and reveal her independence. In this regard, Nabou resembles Binetou who also fails to reject the dictated marriage, following the destructive path. Works Cited Ba, Mariama. So Long a Letter. London and Nairobi: Heinemann, 1981. Related essay: â€Å"Co Curricular Activities Letter†

Water Balance Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water Balance - Lab Report Example The vegetation and near costal topography of Berkeley is different when compared to the hilly continental Terre Haute which earlier had a facilitating water storage with a longer period. Humid and hot air with high pressure characterize Berkeley, which has dry and hot seasons. The indication to this is through the precipitation levels, which are precipitations less than one centimeter in the region during summer and up to 10 centimeters rise in precipitation in the same region during winter. This simply means that there is a rise in precipitation during winter and a fall during summer. This shifts focus to the earlier mentioned vegetation, which can only survive in one region at a time. When compared to a low-lying coastal stretch California, Indiana has high altitude levels meaning the climatic changes in both regions differ. Precipitation come because of the humid winds that blow from the oceans because of evaporation that continuously take place in oceans. When evaporation takes place in the oceans, winds blowing collect the water in humid form thus bringing about precipitation. The latter statement suggests that without winds there can be no precipitation explaining why precipitation is less in dry areas but very high in moist and icy areas. There is a higher likelihood of Evapotranspiration taking place brought about by high pressure and temperatures. The two figures explain that when there are high speeds of wind, precipitation goes high and vice versa. Therefore, during the months or November to march when the wind speeds are slightly higher than other months, the precipitation levels are high. It is during the months of November to march that high temperature levels force water to turn to vapor which ascends to the atmosphere and falls as conventional rainfall after condensation. Science explains that when water moves up in terms of vapor it

Medicaid and HMOs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Medicaid and HMOs - Essay Example Of the different types, HMO is usually the least expensive plan. Patients will not have any deductibles in HMOs and the co-pay is very reasonable. This plan covers preventive measures such as yearly check-ups. The perceived downside of HMO is that you have to choose your doctor and other health providers in your HMO network. You can be restricted in your choices. PPOs, or Preferred Provider Organizations, like HMOs, have pre-approved lists of healthcare providers. Like HMOs, this type of Medicare Advantage Plan allows for the insured to choose from doctors and other healthcare professionals outside of this network. However, this plan cost you more in the deductibles, co-insurance and other out-of-pocket expenses. In this plan, when you use a non-participating provider you will be paying more for that privilege. A Point-of-Service plan or POS is a bit like a combination of the HMO and PPO. Like the HMO, you must select your own doctor or primary physician but can also have the choice to go out of your network like in a PPO. If you stay within the network like HMO, your copayment and deductibles are small.

Why plagiarism increases in schools and universities around the UK Essay

Why plagiarism increases in schools and universities around the UK - Essay Example Some of the reasons why plagiarism is rising in that manner are explained in this essay. One of the reasons for the increase of plagiarism in universities and schools around UK is the easy access of the internet (Watkins, 2008). There are various tools such as Google that students use to conduct their research and get access to information and ideas that can be used to complete assignments and research projects. However, such research tools have contributed to plagiarism increase across the UK because it enables learners to copy information from the internet. It is difficult to spot this form of plagiarism and cannot be identified manually. Indeed, there is a â€Å"significant, negative influence on the rate of plagiarism due to the internet† (Ison, 2014). The internet is therefore a significant cause of increasing plagiarism in most universities and schools around UK. Online education is also a significant contributor of plagiarism on the internet platform. Ison (2014) argues that online coursework or online education which is common in various institutions in UK causes a great temptation for students to plagiarize than the brick-and-mortar form of education. Online education allows students to stay on the internet for a long time, tempting them to search through various websites for information that can enable them to complete their online assignments easily. Furthermore, there is limited supervision in online studies because the student and the lecturer operate from different places and the lecturer cannot supervise the student directly.

Global Marketing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Marketing Strategy - Essay Example The induction and diffusion of the effects of globalization in various parts of the world has been fast forwarded in a tremendous manner by the easy availability of high speed internet connectivity in every corner of the world. The easy availability of information in the various forms of virtual media like the online media forums, social networking sites and blogs have significantly contributed to the faster dispersion of the effects related to globalization. This has brought into play, a significant and constant process of change in the macro and micro environmental factors related to the development of business opportunities in the established as well as the developing economies of the world. As a positive impact of globalization, there has been a significant increase in the opening up of economies around the world. As a result of opening up of economies of various emerging and developing countries, new markets are emerging from various corners of the globe. The steady rise in the opening up of new markets around the world is leading to a tremendous increase in competition in the global marketplace. Talking on this note, it can be said that the process of opening up of markets around the world is allowing organizations located in various parts and corners of the world to look for opportunities related to market expansion by applying various strategy-based methodologies and action plans. This approach of entering new markets, by various international firms, is leading to the rise of business practices in the domain and arena of international business practices. Theoretical framework: International business Talking about international business, if we wish to define it, it can be said that the international business or international trade comprises of various business activities that are undertaken by business organizations around the world to develop new markets for the purpose of gaining significant growth opportunities by catering to the demands arising from the new markets. In an effort to do so, the international firms focus on the process related to generating, communicating, delivering as well as capturing of value for the customers of the new markets while customizing the product or service features as per their needs and requirements (Dlabay & Scott, 2011, p. 8). The concept of international business is also highly applicable and relevant in the case of various business firms who look forward to tapping significant amount of business opportunities by providing their services and products to various remotely located clients and customers who dwell in different countries. In the context of various business to business scenarios, international business represents the process of conduction of business between various business organizations through the mass conduction of import and export of goods and services. For the process of conduction of international business, opening up of economies as well as setting up of various investment f riendly policies and tax laws in the new and developing economies is very essential. It is highly important to mention in this case that the flexibility in multiple government outlined policies and regular evaluation

What are the distinguishing features of projects Essay

What are the distinguishing features of projects - Essay Example Project management is management of creation, be it a new facility or improvement of the existing one, across the human need spectrum. It is a deliberate response of an individual or an organization to meet a requirement or need in planned manner. It has a planned start and planned finish dates with a set of resources deployed. The key to management of projects is like other management, managing the required inputs and resources optimally to add value. Project management is associated more with the developmental part of activities of organizations or societies rather than maintenance aspect.There is an interesting history of evolution of the discipline Project Management. "Project management was not used as an isolated concept before the Sputnik crisis of the Cold War. After this crisis, the United States Department of Defense needed to speed up the military project process and new tools (models) for achieving this goal were invented. In 1958 they invented the Program Evaluation and Review Technique or PERT, as part of the Polaris missile submarine program. At the same time, the DuPont corporation invented a similar model called CPM, critical path method. PERT was later extended with a work breakdown structure or WBS. The process flow and structure of the military undertakings quickly spread into many private enterprises"(www.bambooweb.com/articles)Till recently project management used to be referred to management of time, cost, quality, scope and resources associated with large size capital projects. But in the era of discontinuous change the essence of project managed has got integrated to routine working of the organizations in the form of improvement projects carried out by cross functional teams. This instrument is able to create higher level of energy and synergy among the team and challenging goals are achieved. What are the different types of projects There are various ways to classification of projects based on the output of the project, industry sector, geographical location etc but the classification of projects based on outcomes i.e. product of project management process is the commonly applied classification such as software project, building project, process improvement project etc. What are the keys to success in project management Project management is no longer limited to huge capital projects but it is becoming a way of life in organizations and priority goals are being achieved through improvement projects under various terminologies viz. six sigma breakthrough projects, cross functional teams around a project, Quality improvement projects etc. Looking carefully around the trends in organizations, following factors may be considered as key elements of successful project management: KM concepts in project management: A project can be broken down into many elements like sub projects, processes, activities, and performance of individuals, learning from both success and failure. Information/knowledge stored under different headings will go a long way in creating higher success rate. The Community of Practice concept deployed among the people engaged in project management will facilitate knowledge sharing and bonding leading to better performance with time. Focus on Thinking: Thinking is basically searching for something beyond existing and projects are having many facets, which need solution beyond existing ones. A culture of individual or shared thinking may result in beneficial result as compared to an approach where project management is synonymous with actions at breakneck speed. Leadership: Leadership has a more crucial role to play in project management than in routine jobs, as challenges are more formidable needing those extra energy levels from the team to make it extraordinary efforts. The essence of leadership i.e. influence on fellow human beings is needed. Thus the selection of project manager is crucial for the project success. Investment in planning: In the planning vs execution, planning aspect has to

Data Analysis Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Data Analysis Project - Assignment Example Additionally, the study applied a chi-square test to analyze the relationship between the ownership of a vehicle and the visiting of an outside facility besides the SU facilities. The results show that there are no relationships between gender & exercising once a week, and cigarette smoking & gender. Additionally, the results showed that there are substantial examples of associations between gender and the type of exercise, gender and the frequency of exercising, being a member or not of an athletic team and the rating as well as satisfaction of participants using the SU facilities. Major disparities in the results show that, although gender determines the type of exercise chosen, there are no major relationships between the frequency of attendance and the choice of attending exercise sessions once a week. The measurement tool for this research is a questionnaire comprising of 6 questions for this section of the study which seeks to analyze the data on exercise habits and it relates one variable with another. The data set considered three types of question types comprising of multiple and closed-ended questions. For the multiple choice questions, the participants were expected to select any of the answers that suit them best. For the closed-ended questions, only answers such as ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ were allowed as this would make part of the numerical data analysis. Through the representation of results as ‘yes’ or ‘no’, numerically this can be presented logically as 1s and 0s for every ‘yes’ and ‘no’ respectively. In this case, questions that require ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers provided the independent variables that other items on the variable list depended on. For instance, the questionnaire requires participants to indicate their sex. In this case, each male case is denoted as a 1 and every female participant is indicated as a 0. In this

Should smartphones be bsnned in classrooms Research Paper

Should smartphones be bsnned in classrooms - Research Paper Example 1). In addition, the same discourse has identified that the smartphone owners by age group revealed that 23.8% are owned by young people, specifically within the 13 to 24 years range (Alexander, 2012), or those who are considered within the school-age bracket. In this regard, the current study aims to determine the effects of smartphone use in academic performance. Despite the academic benefits that have been published associated with smartphone use; apparently, there are more costs or disadvantages linked to its usage within the classroom setting. As such, one argues that smartphones should be banned in classrooms due to the greater disadvantages associated to its use and its negative impact on academic performance. Impact of Smartphone Use in the Classroom Setting One of the more prominent reasons for arguing that smartphones should be banned is its being used to promote maladjusted behavior, including cheating and posting inappropriate information about teachers (Gutnicki, 2010; ( Barkham & Moss, 2012). As emphasized by Gutnicki (2010), â€Å"smart phones are being utilized to cheat in the classroom and to record/post inappropriate information about teachers. ... Concurrently, smartphones should be banned in classrooms for being a distraction and taking crucial time from focusing on the instructions. From among the schools that have confirmed the distractive effect of smartphones, instituting banning or prohibitive policies of their use within the classroom setting were noted to have gained benefits in terms of improvements of academic behavior. As noted from a spokesperson for Cockshut Hill Technology College in Yardley, Birmingham, â€Å"we introduced a complete ban on mobile phones two years ago because of the disruption they were causing†¦and it has improved behaviour† (Barkham & Moss, 2012, par. 14). If the collective time spent of viewing and attending to applications in the smartphones are removed, these time would completely be focused on academic endeavors and instructors would enhance students’ awareness of subject matters that would benefit them most. Thus, the banning of smartphones has evidently proven that stu dents’ behavior and academic performance significantly improved. Finally, smartphone use were clearly linked to cyberbullying. Banning smartphones within the classroom setting and within the campus would therefore minimize time spent to send distructive messages that aim to ridicule, discriminate, or victimize unsuspecting students. As emphasized, â€Å"a recent survey conducted by the National Crime Prevention Council reported that 43% of middle school students: received an e-mail or an instant message that made them upset had something posted on a social networking site that made them upset had been made fun of in a chat room; had something posted on a Web site that made them upset; had something posted online that they did not want others to see; and were afraid to go on the computer†

Developing Oral Language Summary Essay Example for Free

Developing Oral Language Summary Essay Oral language and written language are essential skills that are needed for comprehension. Comprehension is defined as an understanding of oral and written language. In order for a child to comprehend what they are reading, several factors must come into play. Reading and decoding the words effortlessly without errors is the main step toward comprehension. When a child is reading text, they are experiencing phonemic awareness by sounding out the words in their mind. Writing is the next step toward comprehension. Writing goes hand in hand with reading. When a child is writing, they are also sounding out the words in their mind. Adults play a huge role in how children develop oral language skills. Automatic language is part of our everyday routines and children learn by â€Å"listening and speaking, phonological awareness and alphabetic knowledge, print awareness, comprehension, and writing† (Virginia.gov, n.d.). When students are learning to read and write, they do so simultaneously. It used to be thought that students should learn how to read first and then learn how to write. However, research has shown that learning to write while learning to read is important and vital in the development of reading (Pearson, D. 2007). A student needs to be able to read and write fluently in order to comprehend the material. In order to comprehend academic language, which is what students will use in school, there are certain concepts that a student must learn. Students need to learn syntax which is how words are formed to be able to create sentences void of errors. Students need to semantics which is defined as the meaning of language. Students should be able to cognitively understand and think about what they are reading. They also need to know how to use the language which is known as pragmatics. Through the use of various resources, students build up their vocabulary and strengthen their abilities to read fluently. â€Å"†¦the larger the reader’s vocabulary (either oral or print), the easier it is to make sense of the text† (National Institute,.n.d.). At this point, they will learn text structure and how sentences are strewn together. Of course, this all depends on what genre of text they are attempting to read and how complex the text in regards to the grade specific text they are reading. Being able to comprehend what one is reading all depends on what mood the student is in at the time. The student should be motivated and interested in the reading material. They need to understand the purpose of the reading; is it for enjoyment or for a school assignment? All of these are key factors that lead to comprehension. Another element of comprehension is cognitive targets. Cognitive targets are defined as the way a person comprehends or thinks about what is being read. The targets are locate and recall, integrate and interpret, and critique and evaluate. Locate and recall refers to locating or recalling something specific, such as the main idea, about the text they have read. Integrate and interpret refers to how a student can explain or compare what they have read. Critique and evaluate refers to how a student exams the text or evaluates certain parts of the text. Students practice these cognitive targets in both literary and informational texts. Examples of literary text include poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. â€Å"Informational texts include three broad categories: exposition; argumentation and persuasive text; and procedural text and documents texts† (NAEP). There are specific forms of instruction to improve comprehension and are most effective when taught together if possible. Comprehension monitoring is when a person is aware that they understand what is being read. Cooperative learning is when a group of students learn to read together. Graphic and semantic organizers are tools that readers use to represent material so that it is easier to comprehend. Question generation and question answering is when a reader asks themselves questions about the text and answers questions from the teacher. Story structure is when students are able to remember the main part of the story and answer questions about the story. Summarization is when a student reads text material and is able to generalize the entire text into a shorter passage. According to the article, Writing to Read, â€Å"instructional recommendations have shown clear results for improving students’ reading† (Graham S., Hebert. M., 2010). When these are other instructional methods are implemented into the reading process, comprehension can be very effective. This is especially true if these methods are built on top of an already developed language, strong background knowledge, and a high vocabulary. When teaching students comprehension through oral language and writing, teachers need to incorporate English language learners into their curriculum. English language learners may have linguistic issues and cultural background issues that are not only preventing comprehension, but also preventing reading and writing to begin with. As a teacher, it is crucial to first assess the ELL’s reading status to find out exactly where they are in the reading process. If so, what strategies can be implemented to better teacher the ELL’s. Also, a teacher needs to assess whether the student’s cultural background is preventing them from understanding the language. If this is the case, the teacher needs to learn the student’s background in order to assess where they are coming from academically. Not unlike native English learners, socioeconomic background can have an effect on how an ELL student is doing in school. According to the article, Cultural and Linguistic Impact, Patricia C. Salazar explains, â€Å"A student who comes from an educated middle-class family will have a different approach to learning than one who comes from a war-torn region of the world where food is scarce, and tragedy and trauma are daily occurrences† (Salazar, PC. 2009). Teaching an ELL student how to develop oral and written language will come from a successful assessment of the student. In order for a student to be successful at comprehension, oral language and written language skills must be mastered first. Reading is enhanced by written language and writing is enhanced by oral language. To facilitate a child’s learning, parents and teachers should provide as many resources as possible to accomplish this. In order to comprehend oral and written language, the student needs to be motivated and be reading grade specific text in order for the student to retain what they are reading. Cognitive targets are useful in facilitating comprehension and used regularly. Teachers also use different forms of instruction when teaching students how to build oral and written language. Finally, when teaching English language learners how to develop oral and written language, it is imperative that the teacher first learn of any linguistic or background issues and adjust their curriculum accordingly. It is crucial that educators teach students how to develop oral and written language in order to be successful academically. References Graham, S. Hebert, M. (2010). Writing to Read: Evidence for how Writing can Improve Reading. Vanderbilt University. Carnegie Corporation, NY. Retrieved from: http://carnegie.org/fileadmin/Media/Publications/WritingToRead_01.pdf Language Development. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://languagedevelopment.tripod.com/id11.html Language and Literacy Language. (n.d.). Retrieved from: and Literacy http://www.dss.virginia.gov/files/division/cc/provider_training_development/intro_page/publications/milestones/milestones_individually/05.pdf National Center for Education Statistics. (n.d.). National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Retrieved from: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/reading/whatmeasure.asp National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). What Works in Comprehension Instruction. Retrieved from: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/105/ Pearson, D.P. (2007). Reading Researcher Advocates Strengthening Literacy Programs Through Reading-Writing Synergy. Retrieved from: https://portal.flsouthern.edu/ICS/icsfs/reading_writing_synergy.pdf?target=7fde5bd4-34ca-4c2a-9b7b-3cf7f64718b8

UNDERSTANDING THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTIES OF ASSESSMENT Essay Example for Free

UNDERSTANDING THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTIES OF ASSESSMENT Essay During the initial assessment the assessor must ensure the learner knowledge performance and practical skills. The assessor must ensure that the learning understands their course, The assessor must explain all the units to the learner and support them in choosing the most suited units for their learner. The assessor and the learner must decide on an assessment plan. Setting dates and times to meet with the learner.as well as Agreeing on the best assessment method. The assessor will be able to use question, observation and examine the learners work. The learner must submit assignment or evidence. That their assessor must review to ensure that they have done what was asked for. The assessor must provide feedback to the learning . the feedback must be positive, constructed and encouraging. Once this has been done a feedback form must be used. Here the assessor can recommend ways of improvement and log, what agreements have been made with the learner and set deadline. The assessor needs to cross reference the leaner work with the assessment criteria to ensure the leaner work and evidence is valid and proves that the leaner is competent in the unit. DEFINE THE KEY CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT. As an assessor you will be observing what the learner are doing. Asking them question and reviewing their progress. The key concepts and principles of assessments would be  INITIAL ASSESSMENT The result of the initial assessment will provide the assessor with information of any previous knowledge or experience on the subject to be assessed. The information can be obtained through application form and interviews. This will help the assessor, assess the learner on any specific requirements their learner may need (I.e. their learning style or any further training they may need. ASSESSMENT PLANNING Planning a suitable types and method of assessment with the learner. Setting appropriate target dates. Always involving other colleagues or supervisors. ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY Observation and questioning the learning. Completing assignments. Writing statements or gathering appropriate evidence of competence .Assessments can be on going or summative at the end. ASSESSMENT DECISION AND FEEDBACK Giving constructive feedback. Always supporting your learner and agreeing and further action that may be needed. Making records of what was assessed and the decision made should always be maintained. REVIEW PROGRESS The assessment plan of the learner can be reviewed updated at any time unit the learner completes . reviewing progress with the learning will give the assessor the opportunity to discuss any other issues that may be relevant to their progress. Assessment activities will give you the opportunity to amend them if necessary. EXPLAIN THE RESONSIBILITIES OF THE ASSESSOR The main role of an assessor is to assess their learner in relation to the agreed criteria to enable the learner to become qualified in their subject. The assessor responsibilities include planning assessment, giving learner feedback, assessing the learner knowledge and understanding of the subject .keeping accurate records. There will be certain records and documents that the assessor will need to maintain. These will include assessment plans. Feedback records and review of progress and overall track sheets. All record must be maintained to organisational and regulatory requirements. An assessor should also store confidential documents and audio or video records that include learner.

Theories on Discourse and Changes in Ideology

Theories on Discourse and Changes in Ideology Language, that makes us the Crown of Creatures, empowers us with an expressive medium which we exploit to communicate, understand, interpret, negate, acknowledge, appreciate, influence, persuade, dominate, control, etc. Metaphorically speaking, language helps us to caress and comfort our feelings, excite and thrill our spirit, rattle our nerves, kill our desire, and so on. Language is a variegated phenomenon. It can emotionally move and affect us as powerfully as physical actions. This is the power of language. 1.1 What is Discourse? The term discourse has been derived from French word discours meaning talk. In linguistics, discourse is a sequence of utterances. Grammarians define discourse as large pieces of speech and writing: stretches of language longer than a sentence. Language is used to mean something and to do something, and this meaning and doing is determined by the context of its usage. As discourse is dialogic in nature, the things which make it different from ordinary language use are context, creation, reception and interpretation. It should not be confused with either of the Chomskys or Saussures categories. It is neither performance or parole which is concerned with language in its actual utterances, nor competence or languewhere language is a code system and a system of communicative conventions. Although it contains both the elements, it goes beyond the distinction of performance or parole and competence or langue; it is the study of language use. If language is speech act and social behavior, discourse is a form of social practice. Foucault defines discourse as ways of constituting knowledge, together with the social practices, forms of subjectivity and power relations which inhere in such knowledges and relations between them. Discourses are more than ways of thinking and producing meaning. They constitute the nature of the body, unconscious and conscious mind and emotional life of the subjects they seek to govern. (Weedon, 1987) a form of power that circulates in the social field and can attach to strategies of domination as well as those of resistance. (Diamond Quinby, 1988) In other words, discourse is a string of utterances concerned with the production of meaning. Discourse is a socially organized way of speaking. According to Foucault, discourse constructs the topic. It governs what can and cannot be said about the topic. Apart from governing the topic, it is also used to influence people to change ideas into practice (be it personal or others ideas), and to regulate the conduct of others. As discourse is concerned with the production of meaning, the utterances have a relation to common sense assumptions. Cultural hegemony is maintained through common sense assumptions which become universal ideologies through language or in other words discourse. Language exerts hidden power, like a moon on the tides. (Rita Mae Brown, Starting from Scratch, 1998) 1.2 What is Ideology? Ideologies are those ideas, values, attitudes, and (general or cultural) ways of thinking that shape our belief systems and mind sets about what is /isnt correct, and how it must be. Ideologies, be they religious or political or social, maintain power structures and social hierarchies and remain dominant and prevalent in the society through rhetorical discourse or hidden power in discourse. The main purpose of ideology is not only to change the existing structures, but also to maintain already existing set of ideals. Ideas, beliefs, and attitudes which maintain status quo become dominant or prevalent ideologies of the society. These ideologies are so powerful that they ignore and sideline those ideas which are against its very existence through a normative thought process and politics of the language. Ideologies when become shared experiences start making sense. People start making sense of their lives while observing them. In other words, they are no more false beliefs and ideas, rather a true and lived experience. THEORIES ON DISCOURSE IDEOLOGY The social theory has contributed in many ways to explore the role of language in exercising, maintaining and changing power. Firstly, the work in the theory of ideology talks about ideology as a mechanism of power without using coercive means and language as a locus of ideology which is significant in exercising power. Secondly, Michel Foucaults work ascribes central role to discourse in the development of power structures of forms. Thirdly, Jurgen Habermas theory of communicative action which challenges Marxist focus on economics or alienated labor- is considered as the sole determining factor of oppression. He argues that key to liberation is rather to be found in language and communication between people. 2.1 Marx and Ideology Karl Max, a social thinker of 19th century, talked of ideology in terms of an instrument of social production. He gave economic base and superstructure model of society, where base denotes the relation of production and superstructure denotes the dominant ideology. Base shapes the superstructure of any society, while the superstructure maintains and legitimates the base. According to Marx, bourgeoisie create and reinforce particular ways of thinking, in other words, particular ideology which in turn reinforce the structure of the society, thus maintaining status quo and existing hierarchies of status and power. Fig. 1: Marxs Base Superstructure Model of Society According to Karl Marx, social ideologies not only cause status quo or hegemony in the society, but also a conditioning where false consciousness created by the ruling class is justified. This conditioning makes us think that the way our society operates is for the best, and lower class justifies its own lower position in society. Michel Foucault in The Order of Discourse In The Order of Discourse, Foucault argues that the discourse is controlled by certain functions, actions and rules. In particular, certain topics are prohibited and who speaks is limited. Reason is valued and madness is ignored. It is also controlled by what we choose to comment on and by the will to truth. [T]he highest truth no longer resided in what discourse was or did, but in what is said: a day came when truth was displaced by from the ritualized, efficacious, and just act of enunciation, towards the utterance itself, its meaning, its form, its object, its relation to its reference. (1462) In every society, the production of discourse is at once controlled, selected, organized and redistributed by a certain number of procedures whose role is to ward off its powers and dangers, to gain mastery over its chance events, to evade its ponderous, formidable materiality (p.210). Foucault also talks about procedures of exclusion and procedures of inclusion. He states that prohibition of including or discussing certain topics very soon reveal [discourses] link with desire and with power (p.211). At another place he says that discourse is not simply that which translates struggles or systems of domination, but is the thing for which and by which there is struggle; discourse is the power which is to be seized (p.211). In Weedons (1987) in interpretation of Foucault is: A dynamic of control between discourses and the subjects, constituted by discourses, who are their agents. Power is exercised within discourses in the ways in which they constitute and govern individual subjects. Foucaults focus is upon questions of how some discourses have shaped and created meaning systems that have gained the status and currency of truth, and dominate how we define and organize both ourselves and our social world, whilst other alternative discourses are marginalised and subjugated, yet potentially offer sites where hegemonic practices can be contested, challenged and resisted. Foucault developed the concept of the discursive field as part of his attempt to understand the relationship between language, social institutions, subjectivity and power. Discursive fields, such as the law or the family, contain a number of competing and contradictory discourses with varying degrees of power to give meaning to and organize social institutions and processes. They also offer a range of modes of subjectivity (Weedon, 1987). It follows then that, if relations of power are dispersed and fragmented throughout the social field, so must resistance to power be (Diamond Quinby, 1988). Foucault argues though, in The Order of Discourse, that the will to truth is the major system of exclusion that forges discourse and which tends to exert a sort of pressure and something like a power of constraint on other discourses, and goes on further to ask the question what is at stake in the will to truth, in the will to utter this true discourse, if not desire and power? (1970, cited in Shapiro 1984, p. 113-4). Thus, there are both discourses that constrain the production of knowledge, dissent and difference and some that enable new knowledges and difference(s). The questions that arise within this framework, are to do with how some discourses maintain their authority, how some voices get heard whilst others are silenced, who benefits and how that is, questions addressing issues of power/ empowerment/ disempowerment. 2.3 Louis Althussers view of Ideology Louis Althusser builds on the work of Jacques Lacan to understand the way ideology functions in society. He thus moves away from the earlier Marxist understanding of ideology. In the earlier model, ideology was believed to create what was termed false consciousness, a false understanding of the way the world functioned (for example, the suppression of the fact that the products we purchase on the open market are, in fact, the result of the exploitation of laborers). Althusser revised Marxs view of ideology, which he described as: thought as an imaginary construction whose status is exactly like the theoretical status of the dream among writers before Freud. He saw human individuals being constituted as subjects through ideology. Consciousness and agency are experienced, but are the products of ideology speaking through the subject. Above all, ideology is an imaginary construction that represents the real world. However, it is so real to us that we never question it. Althusser posits a series of hypotheses that he explores to clarify his understanding of ideology: Ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence (Lenin 109). The traditional way of thinking of ideology led Marxists to show how ideologies are false by pointing to the real world hidden by ideology (for example, the real economic base for ideology). According to Althusser, by contrast, ideology does not reflect the real world but represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to the real world; the thing ideology (mis)represents is itself already at one remove from the real. In this, Althusser follows the Lacanian understanding of the imaginary order, which is itself at one step removed from the Lacanian Real. In other words, we are always within ideology because of our reliance on language to establish our reality; different ideologies are but different representations of our social and imaginary reality not a representation of the Real itself. Ideology has a material existence (Lenin 112). Althusser contends that ideology has a material existence because an ideology always exists in an apparatus, and its practice, or practices (Lenin 112). Ideology always manifests itself through actions, which are inserted into practices (Lenin 114), for example, rituals, conventional behavior, and so on. It is our performance of our relation to others and to social institutions that continually instantiates us as subjects. Judith Butlers understanding of performativity could be said to be strongly influenced by this way of thinking about ideology. all ideology hails or interpellates concrete individuals as concrete subjects (Lenin 115). According to Althusser, the main purpose of ideology is in constituting concrete individuals as subjects (Lenin 116). So pervasive is ideology in its constitution of subjects that it forms our very reality and thus appears to us as true or obvious. Althusser gives the example of the hello on a street: the rituals of ideological recognition [] guarantee for us that we are indeed concrete, individual, distinguishable and (naturally) irreplaceable subjects (Lenin 117). Through interpellation, individuals are turned into subjects (which are always ideological). Althussers example is the hail from a police officer: Hey, you there!' (Lenin 118): Assuming that the theoretical scene I have imagined takes place in the street, the hailed individual will turn round. By this mere one-hundred-and-eighty-degree physical conversion, he becomes a subject (Lenin 118). The very fact that we do not recognize this interaction as ideological speaks to the power of ideology: what thus seems to take place outside ideology (to be precise, in the street), in reality takes place in ideology [.] That is why those who are in ideology believe themselves by definition outside ideology: one of the effects of ideology is the practical denegation of the ideological character of ideology by ideology: ideology never says, I am ideological. (Lenin 118) individuals are always-already subjects (Lenin 119). Although he presents his example of interpellation in a temporal form (I am interpellated and thus I become a subject, I enter ideology), Althusser makes it clear that the becoming-subject happens even before we are born. This proposition might seem paradoxical (Lenin 119), Althusser admits; nevertheless, That an individual is always-already a subject, even before he is born, is [] the plain reality, accessible to everyone and not a paradox at all (Lenin 119). Even before the child is born, it is certain in advance that it will bear its Fathers Name, and will therefore have an identity and be irreplaceable. Before its birth, the child is therefore always-already a subject, appointed as a subject in and by the specific familial ideological configuration in which it is expected once it has been conceived (Lenin119). Althusser thus once again invokes Lacans ideas, in this case Lacans understanding of the Name-of-the-Father. Most subjects accept their ideological self-constitution as reality or nature and thus rarely run afoul of the repressive State apparatus, which is designed to punish anyone who rejects the dominant ideology. Hegemony is thus reliant less on such repressive State apparatuses as the police than it is on those Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs) by which ideology is inculcated in all subjects. (See the next module for an explanation of ISAs.) As Althusser puts it, the individual is interpellated as a (free) subject in order that he shall submit freely to the commandments of the Subject, i.e. in order that he shall (freely) accept his subjection, i.e. in order that he shall make the gestures and actions of his subjection all by himself' (Lenin 123). Louis Althussers ISA Althusser proposed a materialistic conception of ideology, which made use of a special type of discourse: the lacunar discourse. A number of propositions, which are never untrue, suggest a number of other propositions, which are true. In this way, the essence of the lacunar discourse is what is not told (but is suggested). For Althusser, beliefs and ideas are the products of social practices, not the reverse. What is ultimately important for Althusser are not the subjective beliefs held in the minds of human individuals, but rather the material institutions, rituals and discourses that produce these beliefs. Althusser identified the Ideological State Apparatus (ISA) as the method by which organizations propagate ideology primarily. Violence or threat of violence is secondary. ISAs for Althusser were religious, educational, family, cultural institutions. This is in contrast to the Repressive State Apparatus (RSA), by which compliance can be forced and includes the army, police, government, prisons. Force or threat of force is primary, while ideology is secondary. For example, arrest imprisonment, corporal punishment, etc. 2.4 Discourse as Social Practice Social relations of power and domination are sustained through ideology. To Fairclough, ideologies construct realities which give meaning to discursive practices. Through power relations implicit in orders of discourse, discourse becomes invested ideologically. Hence the discursive practices, loaded with ideologies not only produce, but also reproduce or transform social identities, social relations and systems of knowledge and belief. 2.4.1 Fairclough and Ideology: There are two ways of exercising power: through coercion and through consent. According to Fairclough, Ideology is the key mechanism of rule by consent, and discourse is a favored vehicle of ideology. It functions to establish, sustain or change domination or power relations in the society. For Fairclough, ideologies are constructions of reality which are built into various dimensions of the forms and meanings of discursive practices. Through power relations implicit in orders of discourse, discourse becomes invested ideologically. Through being ideologically invested, discourse is a mode of producing, reproducing or transforming social identities, social relations, and systems of knowledge and belief. Fairclough (1992) makes three claims about ideology, based in part on the French Marxist philosopher, Althusser: Ideology has a material basis in the social practices of institutions. As a form of social practice, discourse practices are material forms of ideology. Ideology interpellates subjects. It works by constituting people as subjects within the framework of ideology. Patriarchal ideology interpellates individuals as more powerful men or less powerful women. Racist ideology interpellates groups as ourselves and the Other (see Hall 1997 The Spectacle of the Other). Ideology operates through powerful ideological state apparatuses. Althusser contrasts what he terms the repressive agencies of the police, the military, prisons and the courts, with the ideological state apparatuses of the mass media, education and popular culture. In Faircloughs theory, all of these give rise to institutional and societal orders of discourse (the societal order of discourse is a condensation of the institutional orders of discourse). 2.4.2 Fairclough and Discourse Discourse involves two kinds of social conditions: social conditions of production and social conditions of interpretation. These social conditions are naturalized through the ideological functioning of the practices of dominant class. Fairclough describes underlying conventions of discourse which in fact determines discourse in terms of what Foucault refers to as orders of discourse. To Fairclough, these orders of discourse embody particular ideologies. Fairclough refers to the three dimensions of discourse. They are discursive practice (discourse practice), social practice (socio-cultural practice), and text. Social practice includes discourse which not only reflects reality, but also effect social structures which play active role in social change. Different subject positions determine different discoursal rights and obligations of individuals. Discourse practice refers to the production and reception of messages. Participants indulged in discourse construct their social identities and relations by knowing how to act in certain situations. For this participants draw on what Fairclough refers to as members resources (MR). This include internalized knowledge of social structure and social practices; knowledge about production and interpretation of discourse types; and detailed knowledge of particular linguistics and textual structuring devices. Text is the record of a communicative event. It can be written, spoken or visual. While analyzing text in terms of ideologies embedded in it, two things are very important: firstly, representation of ideological facts and beliefs and construction of participant identities (writer and reader), and secondly, textual function which frames the message. 3.How Ideologies are Embedded in Language Language produces, maintains and changes social relations of power. It also contributes to the domination of some people by others. Power is exercised through language in conversations and other forms of text or talk. When people interact linguistically, the conventional talk embodies common sense assumptions where power structures are treated as legitimized. According to Fairclough, these assumptions are ideologies which are closely linked to power and language. Power relations determine the conventional ideological assumptions, which in turn legitimize existing social relations and unequal power. Language, a social behavior, relies on common sense assumptions. The exercise of power in modern society is increasingly achieved through ideology, and more particularly through the ideological working of the language. (Fairclough, 1989) Further he says, Ideology is the prime means of manufacturing consent. 3.1 Memory Resources Ideological assumptions are mere common sense assumptions, and contribute to sustain existing power relations. To Fairclough, these common sense assumptions are memory resources (MR). when sender encodes a message, the receiver not only decodes it, but also interpret it by comparing and contrasting features of utterances with representations stored in long term memory. Fairclough refers to these prototypes as member resources: grammatical forms, structures, shapes of words, sequence of events, systems of meaning, sounds, etc. Interaction between interpreted utterance and MR results in comprehension. According to Fairclough, understanding how language, power, and ideology are interrelated requires attention to the processes of production and comprehension because MR/ representations/ prototypes are socially determined and ideologically shaped. They are so automatic, natural, legitimate and common sense assumptions that they remain in disguise. The sociologist Harold Garfinkel, describes the familiar common sense world of everyday life as a world which is built entirely upon assumptions and expectations which control both the action of members of society and their interpretation of the action of others. Such assumptions and expectations are implicit, back grounded, taken for granted, not things that people are consciously aware of and rarely explicit. Effectiveness of ideology depends to a considerable degree on it being merged with this common sense background to discourse and other forms of social action. 3.2 Language Ideologies in Text Language ideologies are not just ways of explaining language and language use for economic reasons, but are the language ideas of the dominant groups in society. They may equally be inter-changed with discourses about language. Ideologies are not untrue indeed, like stereotypes, there may be a degree of truth in them. Ideology is to study its effects on discourse forms and meanings and how discursive structures may in turn contribute to the formation and transformation of ideologies. However, ideologies are also at play when language users engage in the ongoing construction of context as subjective, as well as group sensitive, interpretations of social situations. While talking about ideologies embedded in text, we can say that this genre of discourse is a level of language use which is super-ordinate to sentences and texts. Text is not something having a beginning and an end. It involves exchange of meanings. Text are created by speakers and writers who share societys beliefs concerning what is right and what is wrong or about the way things should be for the best in society. When they want to maintain their belief systems or ideologies, they take the help of language. These ideologies remain implicit in the text as they seem natural or common sense. The ideologically loaded language of the text grants it the ideological power. Such langue has judgmental value and meaning as well. Many ideologically loaded words have their judgemental value because their meaning is rational. They exist as binary pairs: master/mistress, housewife/working mother, middle class/working class, freedom fighter/terrorist, hero/coward, etc. Some linguists maintain th at all language all meaning is an ideological construct. Following are few texts which are all related to social problems for one and social beliefs for the other. In other words, they contain social ideologies which are neutralized in the society. CONCLUSION Long-range social changes are driven by changes in ideology. But at a local level, change in actual discourse practices can be cumulative in effect. Both discourse and ideology are based on the relationship between power and knowledge. We tend to think of knowledge as empowering ourselves (Sarup, 1993). Besides this, knowledge is the ability to exercise power over others. So, power is both positive (productive in creating identities), and negative (destroy identities). In productive power, one is not reduced to one dimension as in ideologies and power is not held by one person or group for good. Rather, it exists as a circuit, something which is exercised by everyone in different situations. As where there is power there is always resistance, power can be challenged. We might not say certain things in certain situations, but by breaking the rules, we can re-define the limits of discourse. Hence, redefining the limits of discourse is something productive about power.

All The Kings Men :: essays research papers

The amount of change people go through in their lives is remarkable. One day, you can be a devious criminal, while the next you could turn a new leaf and become a saint. The change that Jack goes through in All the King’s Men, is comparable to that of the patient who receives a lobotomy. Although Jack undergoes no physical change, the events he witnesses rock his personality, and transforms him into an entirely new man. His metamorphosis from the beginning of the story to the end has as many parallels to the faceless patient’s operation as it does differences. Besides the obvious fact that no one ever operated on Jack, there are still many differences between him and the lobotomy patient. The most significant difference, however, lies in the reason for both men’s change. Adam remarks that the man will have a completely â€Å"new personality†, and when Jack brings up the concept of baptism, Adam adds that a baptismal is different because it does not give you a new personality, it merely gives you a new set of values to exercise your personality in. Here is where Jack and the patient differs. Jack is the complete opposite. While the man will have a new personality, Jack will go on to have the same personality, but exercise it in a different set of values. The man the reader comes to know in the final pages of the novel is still recognizable as Jack. In these final pages, Jack notes that Hugh Miller â€Å"will get back into politics,† and that Jack himself will â€Å"be along to hold his coat.† One will recall Mill er as the Attorney General who resigned to keep â€Å"his hands from getting dirty.† This is a clear example of Jack’s new set of values. Jack will keep doing what he has done for so many years -working in politics - because his personality has not changed. Nevertheless, his new set of values will not allow him to work for someone who is amoral any longer. Although there are such discernible differences as the one previously mentioned, one must also realize that there are prominent similarities between Jack and the anonymous patient. The leading similarity, strangely enough, is connected to the change cited earlier. Jack’s new set of values is what is equivalent to the new values the patient receives along with his new personality. Jack

Tips on Writing :: Literature

Tips on Writing There are many different aspects to consider when writing a paper. In order to get the reader's attention, the topic or thesis has to be of interest. Choosing a title appropriate for the essay is also important. Detail and proper structure are also important. These things combine together to make a good essay. The title of an essay is important to the way a reader views the essay. Some titles turn the reader off to the article. In the definition essay we chose, "The Value of Honesty," the title explains that the article is about honesty and that honesty is being valued. Our second essay, "Unlikely Learning," lets the reader know what the essay is about. It talks about the learning a student experiences in unexpected places. "Athenian Adventure" is a good title because the essay is full of the adventures of a day in Athens. The fourth essay we chose was a narrative, "Blue Band Emotional High." This was a good title because it explained the feeling of being chosen as a band member. We think the titles of the essays we chose were good indicators of what the essays were about. Along with capturing the reader's attention, coming up with an appropriate title and adding plenty of detail, a well-written essay has to have the proper structure. Structure consists of an introduction paragraph, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Examples of strong structure can be seen in "Blue Band Emotional High." In this essay, the writer uses a strong thesis sentence to build her body paragraphs upon. she writes, "The proudest moment of my life was when I became a member." The following body paragraphs go on to describe the rigorous practice, the suspense of waiting in the trampled field waiting for her name to be called, and then finally hearing it over the megaphone declaring her a member of the band. Without this kind of structure the essay wouldn't even be worth reading. All in all, structure is an extremely important element, if not the most important to good essay writing. A good piece of writing has to keep the audience interested and entertained. If it's hard to keep one's attention on writing, the reader won't fully comprehend it. It would be hard to have every reader interested in one's writing, so one should appeal to a certain audience.

R.E.M. - Automatic for the People :: Music

R.E.M. - Automatic for the People Professor's note:   This is the best freshman essay I have received this entire year! It is, without a doubt, a question that has been raised in the mind of every man since the days of Defoe and his heroic castaway, Robinson Crusoe. What would it be like to be marooned on a desert island? And so myself and each member of my English class has been asked to imagine ourselves as modern day Crusoes, stranded in a world of our own, engulfed in an ocean of solitude, with no other person for hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles. Yet, on each of our respective desert islands we are not completely void of emotional contact with others, for our professor has allowed us to bring a traveling companion: a CD of our choosing that is to be our only connection with the life we once led. The task of choosing a single compact disc as my only tangible connection to the outside world was one that I approached with reservation. This CD will not only be my sole companion in a world of solitude, but a soundtrack for the rest of my life. It’s songs must remind me of my former existence and have the ability to adapt to each new situation I am presented with, yet never compromise itself. It must be one that I can play over, and over and appreciate its beauty more each time. It is by these qualifications that I choose Automatic for the People by R.E.M. as my desert island disc. Admittedly, Automatic was not my first choice, or even my second. When the assignment was first presented to me, like a pià ±ata at your eighth birthday party, I was unsure of which album to even consider first. There were so many choices, and like the pià ±ata, it was going to take a few swings before I was rewarded. I had Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits packed the minute the task was presented, but there was much debate among my classmates over the appropriateness of a greatest hits album as a desert island disc. They argued that a compilation did not truly capture the emotion of the band, but rather offered all of the works someone else deemed worthy on one disc. I conceded, and after much thought, moved onto 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged. I love this album, but struggled to find some reason, other than "I like it," to justify spending the rest of my life with it. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People :: Music R.E.M. - Automatic for the People Professor's note:   This is the best freshman essay I have received this entire year! It is, without a doubt, a question that has been raised in the mind of every man since the days of Defoe and his heroic castaway, Robinson Crusoe. What would it be like to be marooned on a desert island? And so myself and each member of my English class has been asked to imagine ourselves as modern day Crusoes, stranded in a world of our own, engulfed in an ocean of solitude, with no other person for hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles. Yet, on each of our respective desert islands we are not completely void of emotional contact with others, for our professor has allowed us to bring a traveling companion: a CD of our choosing that is to be our only connection with the life we once led. The task of choosing a single compact disc as my only tangible connection to the outside world was one that I approached with reservation. This CD will not only be my sole companion in a world of solitude, but a soundtrack for the rest of my life. It’s songs must remind me of my former existence and have the ability to adapt to each new situation I am presented with, yet never compromise itself. It must be one that I can play over, and over and appreciate its beauty more each time. It is by these qualifications that I choose Automatic for the People by R.E.M. as my desert island disc. Admittedly, Automatic was not my first choice, or even my second. When the assignment was first presented to me, like a pià ±ata at your eighth birthday party, I was unsure of which album to even consider first. There were so many choices, and like the pià ±ata, it was going to take a few swings before I was rewarded. I had Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits packed the minute the task was presented, but there was much debate among my classmates over the appropriateness of a greatest hits album as a desert island disc. They argued that a compilation did not truly capture the emotion of the band, but rather offered all of the works someone else deemed worthy on one disc. I conceded, and after much thought, moved onto 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged. I love this album, but struggled to find some reason, other than "I like it," to justify spending the rest of my life with it.

Mississippi style by Erle Johnson

The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission was enacted by an act of the Mississippi legislation in 1956. Its objectives was to protect the sovereignty of the state, and her sister state. The commission is run by four ex-official; the governor (who was the chairman of the commission), the president of the state (vice-chairman of the commission), the attorney general, and the speaker of the house. Other members of the commission includes: two members from the senate, appointed by the president and the senate; and three members from the house representatives who are appointed by the speaker. Various leaders in Mississippi had either credited or criticized the performance of the Commission. Coleman acknowledges the work that was being done by the Commission and asserted that the Commission was useful in abolishing the racial conflict and violence. Ross Barnett on the other hand complained about the method used by the Commission, he directed the Commission to create the speaker’s bureau to present the Mississippi views. The investigation team were also expanded which were in charge of investigated individuals and the organization that were challenging the racial status quo. Another key leader who contributed towards creating and shaping the new image of the Commission was Erle Johnston. Erle took measures to clean up the Commission, removing all discrimination reports especially those which meant to barred African and Americans from voting. He was born in 1917, in Garyville, Louisiana. Erle attended Grenada High School, where he played several roles ranging from participated on the baseball team, being a member of the band, and a newspaper writer. However, Erle did not go further with education due to financial problems, and hence after completion of High School in 1935, he started working part-time with Daily News, the Jackson-Leader, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal up to 1937 when he secured a full time job with the Clarion-ledger. Johnson Erle thereafter managed to serve in several capacities ranging from a mere newspaper reporter and the state editors to being the State Director of the Office of War Information in 1943. He was also called to serve in the U.S Army in 1945. His reputation as a respected newspaper writer and editors as well as a political reporter enabled Erle emerged into public arena and participated in the Mississippi political campaigns. In 1960, Erle was appointed as Director of Public Relations by Barnett and began to work with the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission where he develops a public program that would counter criticism from the civil rights activist. He led the Commission in conducting investigation on those who challenged racial segregation, and directing on how to avoid civil rights legislation. Johnson also redefined the Commission name into Mississippi Information Agency in order regain its recognition. In 1966, a meeting was called to approve a new policy redefining the Commission as the watch dog in an effort to combat the threat of integration. Erle continued to hold the Executive Director of the Sovereignty Commission until his resignation in 1968. After his resignation John became Mayor of Forest from 1982-1985 where he alert on the advancement and development of the city’s industry. The success of the development of the city’s industrial led to the creation of many jobs opportunities. He later take over to a new career as an author of Mississippi politics where he before his death he wrote three books. He continued holding different position and engaging in various activities such as civic, religious, and community’s events. John was selected as Co-Chairman of Tougaloo College’s Committee on the prevention of the Civil Rights Activities in 1992. He later received recognition into the Mississippi Press Association Hall of Fame before his death which occurred as a result of heart attack in 1995. He left three children. Conclusion Johnson Erle born in 1917 was one of the leaders whose contribution led to a great success of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission. His reputation well known as the respected journalist and political reporters gave him an edge into political arena. He served several position during his life and always been struggling for the abolition of the racial segregation. Reference: 1. Erle Johnston memo, June 24, 1965, SRC ID # 9-31-4-3-1-1-1. 2. General Laws of the State of Mississippi, 1956, Chapter 365, 520-524. 3. Mississippi’s Defiant Years, 1953-1973: An Interpretation Documentary with Personal Experiences (Forest, Miss: Lake Harbor Publishers, 1994). 4. Politics: Mississippi Style (Forest Miss: Lake Harbor Publishers, 1993) 5. Rolled with Rose: A Political Portrait (Baton Rouge: Moran, 1980). Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â  

Hamlet Act 3 – the Dumb Show

The Dumb Show As Claudius asks for the ‘light’, he wants actual light. The light also means the act of asking for forgiveness. People who are of the same rank or are comfortable with each other speak to each other is pros. Hamlet speaking to the players, he speaks down to them in verse. For the play within a play, Shakespeare uses rhymed verse to elevate the language. This was done because Claudius was of a higher status and this raises the severity of the crime. Hamlet is using the language to identify the’ criminals’, through the language.Blank verse – an official occasion or speaking to someone older (like poetry), like Hamlet and his Mother. Hamlet tells Horatio that he admires his sense of loyalty, character and sincerity. In the Excerpt: Identify 3 metaphors, how the theme of appearance vs reality is revealed In what ways is Horatio similar to hamlet? In what ways is he a foil? Is Horatio expendable in the plays plot development? Is act 3 the c limax? No, I do believe that this was the climax. I believe iIs it evident that act 3 might be the climax of this play? This is because at this point we discover who Hamlet truly was. He is not the ideal hero we actually perceive him to be. His murder of Polonius was equal to the murder of King Hamlet. In both cases, there are children who lost their lives. Even though Claudius’s murder was pre-meditated, murder is still murder. Even though Hamlet did this without planning, the fact that he was able to take a life so abruptly shows that he is not in essence the ‘hero’ within the play.Anachronism – When something doesn’t fit the context of the play. For example Hamlet’s school didn’t exist in the time in which Shakespeare wrote the play. The recurring motif is son’s avenging their fathers. (Old Norway and Young Hamlet) Now Hamlet kills Polonius who has a son. Laertes After getting evidence that Claudius is actually guilt, he feel s that he can now kill Claudius. That is why he kills Polonius without confirming why it was. (Deduced that it was Claudius hiding)

Comparing Making History and Death of a Salesman Essay

‘The tragic hero is a man of noble stature. He is not an ordinary man, but a man with outstanding quality and greatness about him. His own destruction is for a greater cause or principle.’ Aristotle How far is this statement true concerning Willy Loman and Hugh O’Neill? Compare and contrast how heroism is presented in Making History and Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman has no extensive amount of greatness as a character and socially he is a middle-class citizen, he is a very proud man, this personality flaw tends to obstruct his view of reality. Within the Loman household Willy controls his family, in return they look up to him as the man of the household and a symbol of dependence as he is shown to be the prime bread-winner and he constructs a cloudy image to his sons that he is a â€Å"well liked† man in order to inspire them to pursue the ‘American Dream’. Hugh O’Neill, on the other hand, is a much more renowned man within society and his role is great (dissimilar to Willy’s), due to the fact he has a vast amount of power as the Earle of Tyrone. He too has an image to present for his plans to ensue effectively. Willy Loman believes that the only people who achieve are the ones who â€Å"make an appearance in the business world, the man who creates a personal interest, is the man who gets ahead.† Something Willy said to Bernard, an inferior friend of Biff’s who is far less ‘attractive’ but more intelligent, ironically Bernard becomes more successful in further scens of the text. In addition, this illustrates how Willy’s ideals are becoming outdated and obsolete, as the society he is living in requires work to be efficient and the way a person is perceived has no impact on working effectively. Willy’s incapability to overlook aesthetic qualities is one of many flaws he possesses as a character, due to the fact his thoughts have been narrowed by past ideals. Willy hasn’t changed along with the format of the high demand-business world he inhabits; this contributes towards his depression and dissatisfaction with his son Biff, who has so much â€Å"personal attractiveness†. Although this segment of the play is a memory and seemingly light-hearted, the message is a lot deeper and symbolises how shrouded Willy’s views are, Bernard acting as a symbol of this. Arthur Miller uses several character’s to act as symbols or messages, for example it could be argued that Ben, Willy’s older, more successful brother is a metaphor for the ‘American Dream’ as he achieved what neither Willy nor any other Loman have managed. Ben talks of â€Å"diamonds† which are aesthetically attractive, and it could be argued that they are worth s o much due to their appearance, this is very reflective of Willy’s own pride induced views of success. During Act 2, Scene 2 when Hugh â€Å"shuts the book in fury† is symbolic as it represents change within Hugh, in earlier sections of the play Hugh questions Lombard’s intentions when writing said book, and asks â€Å"But you’ll tell the truth?†, and now in the second act he is infuriated by the book as Mabel is not a part of his history and Hugh disregards his usual behaviour to follow instructions. His duty would be to remain true to Lombard’s plan, but his anger towards ‘The History’ book demonstrates Hugh’s personal beliefs becoming a priority whereas beforehand his identity was dependant on his duty. The theme of history reoccurs throughout Friel’s play, the title alone reinforces the idea that Lombard wants to make a history for the Irish to remember, but Hugh wants reality. It could be argued that Hugh’s identity becomes less fragmented as the play ensues. The book Aristotle said that â€Å"A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall†. Similarly, Willy is aware of his flaws but fails to outwardly admit to doing so, instead he takes a defensive approach and orders his memories in a way to create a reality which does not exist, for example, during Act 2, Scene 5 Willy learns of Bernard’s success and naturally compares him to Biff, (as he always has) who is yet to achieve anywhere near as much as Bernard. When Bernard asks Willy about what happened to Biff, Willy answers â€Å"If a boy lays down is that my fault?† The reason for Willy’s aggressive behaviour in this scene is influenced by the fact he knows that he is the reason for Biff’s loss of ambition. His flaw being brought to the surface, as Willy fails to admit that he is to blame although the audience is shown via facial expressions and changes in vocal tone or physicality e.g. a nervous twitch, to show Willy’s anxiety towards Bernard.

Sense of Identity

Developing a sense of self entity is an essential part of every individual becoming a mature person. Each person's self-conception is a unique combination of much identification, identifications as broad as woman or man, Catholic or Muslim, or as narrow as being a member of one particular family. Although self-identity may seem to coincide with a particular human being, identities are actually much wider than that.They are also collective — identities extend to countries and ethnic communities, so that people feel injured when other persons sharing their identity are injured or killed. Sometimes people are even willing to sacrifice their individual lives to preserve their identity groups. The Australians Aboriginal sense of personal identity is derived from only one context, the idea of place. Negara, sense of place, is a word of great importance that contains both physical and metaphysical connotations.Unraveling these apparent contradictions reveals a distance dimension of t he Aboriginal world view and sense of identity. The entire earthly environment is ngurraI, or â€Å"country†, â€Å"camp†, or â€Å"place†, as made by the Ancestor Spirits. The colonization' of Australia by Europeans has caused a lot of problem for the local Aborigines. It drastically reduced their population, damaged ancient family ties, and removed thousands of Aboriginal people from the land they had lived on for centuries.In many cases, the loss of land can mean more than just physical displacement. Because land is so much connected to history and spirituality, the loss of it can lead to a loss of identity. The issue of Aboriginal identity only became an issue after white settlement. However, that is not to say that there was no cultural identity pre-colonization, but more that colonization was the cause of Aboriginal identity to be threatened. There are several ways in which the colonists imposed themselves on Aboriginal society.Firstly, when they arrived t hey needed land to settle on and this of course meant they would take land away from local Aborigines. This action displaced thousands of people from their homeland and severed their spiritual connection to the land. From this point on, the idea of Aboriginal identity was simultaneously created and put at risk. Without land and place to connect people to their heritage, Australian Aborigines were forced to search for other symbols of Aboriginality to provide them with a sense of identity. t is hard to calculate how many aboriginals children â€Å"†¦have been forcibly separated from their families and communities since the very first days of the European occupation of Australia† (Australian Human Rights Commission, 1997) but that it could sit at between one in three and one in ten in the period from 1910 until 1970. Numerous stories outlined in the report that the environments these children were forced into after being taken from their parents were far from acceptable.On e example is the story of Jennifer who was taken from her parents and taken to Cootamundra Home where â€Å"Some of the staff was cruel to the girls. Punishment was caning or belting and being locked in the box-room or the old morgue† (BTH, 1997). This story is not in isolation, there are others. In Paul’s case no one in his foster family ever acknowledged or discussed his heritage and he was left to feel different based the observation that his skin looked different; he was 18 before someone mentioned that he was of Aboriginal descent.The importance of identity for many aboriginal people seems to be recognized on a broader scale than in recent years. The negative media images which drew a direct line between Indigenous people and violence and alcohol have been replaced with more realistic images, depicting vibrant and diverse people and cultures. As well, the importance of ‘place’ would appear to be slowly acknowledged as critical to Indigenous peopleâ₠¬â„¢s sense of identity. Place is used here to describe a belonging to and knowledge of country and kinship to its people.This was denied to many Indigenous people due to the assimilation policies introduced in the 1940’s. Indigenous people lost contact with their families, with their land, with their very essence. Children were taken from their families to be institutionalized or fostered with Anglo Australians. Aboriginal people were forced from their country and moved onto reserves. Anglo Australians made all decisions for Indigenous people, (including who was or was not aboriginal! ) Sense of Identity Developing a sense of self entity is an essential part of every individual becoming a mature person. Each person's self-conception is a unique combination of much identification, identifications as broad as woman or man, Catholic or Muslim, or as narrow as being a member of one particular family. Although self-identity may seem to coincide with a particular human being, identities are actually much wider than that.They are also collective — identities extend to countries and ethnic communities, so that people feel injured when other persons sharing their identity are injured or killed. Sometimes people are even willing to sacrifice their individual lives to preserve their identity groups. The Australians Aboriginal sense of personal identity is derived from only one context, the idea of place. Negara, sense of place, is a word of great importance that contains both physical and metaphysical connotations.Unraveling these apparent contradictions reveals a distance dimension of t he Aboriginal world view and sense of identity. The entire earthly environment is ngurraI, or â€Å"country†, â€Å"camp†, or â€Å"place†, as made by the Ancestor Spirits. The colonization' of Australia by Europeans has caused a lot of problem for the local Aborigines. It drastically reduced their population, damaged ancient family ties, and removed thousands of Aboriginal people from the land they had lived on for centuries.In many cases, the loss of land can mean more than just physical displacement. Because land is so much connected to history and spirituality, the loss of it can lead to a loss of identity. The issue of Aboriginal identity only became an issue after white settlement. However, that is not to say that there was no cultural identity pre-colonization, but more that colonization was the cause of Aboriginal identity to be threatened. There are several ways in which the colonists imposed themselves on Aboriginal society.Firstly, when they arrived t hey needed land to settle on and this of course meant they would take land away from local Aborigines. This action displaced thousands of people from their homeland and severed their spiritual connection to the land. From this point on, the idea of Aboriginal identity was simultaneously created and put at risk. Without land and place to connect people to their heritage, Australian Aborigines were forced to search for other symbols of Aboriginality to provide them with a sense of identity. t is hard to calculate how many aboriginals children â€Å"†¦have been forcibly separated from their families and communities since the very first days of the European occupation of Australia† (Australian Human Rights Commission, 1997) but that it could sit at between one in three and one in ten in the period from 1910 until 1970. Numerous stories outlined in the report that the environments these children were forced into after being taken from their parents were far from acceptable.On e example is the story of Jennifer who was taken from her parents and taken to Cootamundra Home where â€Å"Some of the staff was cruel to the girls. Punishment was caning or belting and being locked in the box-room or the old morgue† (BTH, 1997). This story is not in isolation, there are others. In Paul’s case no one in his foster family ever acknowledged or discussed his heritage and he was left to feel different based the observation that his skin looked different; he was 18 before someone mentioned that he was of Aboriginal descent.The importance of identity for many aboriginal people seems to be recognized on a broader scale than in recent years. The negative media images which drew a direct line between Indigenous people and violence and alcohol have been replaced with more realistic images, depicting vibrant and diverse people and cultures. As well, the importance of ‘place’ would appear to be slowly acknowledged as critical to Indigenous peopleâ₠¬â„¢s sense of identity. Place is used here to describe a belonging to and knowledge of country and kinship to its people.This was denied to many Indigenous people due to the assimilation policies introduced in the 1940’s. Indigenous people lost contact with their families, with their land, with their very essence. Children were taken from their families to be institutionalized or fostered with Anglo Australians. Aboriginal people were forced from their country and moved onto reserves. Anglo Australians made all decisions for Indigenous people, (including who was or was not aboriginal! )