Growing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Growing - Assignment Example Balancing classroom activities and creating time for co-curricular is essential in reaffirming student’s academic performance. Social media interaction through Facebook, YouTube or LinkedIn, are critical to keeping learners updated on vital issues and trends in their fields of study. Digital technology plays an integral role in shaping today’s life. Technology has a great influence in nearly all the fields of life ranging including education. Introduction of distance learning allows people from all walks of live to access quality education regardless of their location. Digital technologies improve access to information, storage, and retrieval of documents through development of school websites and cloud computing. According to Higgins, Xiao & Katsipataki (2012), studies linking provision and use of technology to attainment indicate consistent positive association with education outcomes. Computers are essential in carrying out research, doing assignments and presentation as they provide the based updated information. Technology acts as a supplement to regular teaching hence should not be applicable as a replacement. In addition, tested attainment gains are evident in mathematics, science and in improving the learners writing intervention in literacy. In conclusion, being a user of the digital devices such as laptops and tablets, I regularly visit social media as a source of vital information and interaction with friends’ schedule in their daily program. Balancing of academic and other activities is my crucial tool in monitoring and limiting unproductive use of technologies. Higgins, S., Xiao, Z. & Katsipataki, M. (2012, November 26). The Impact of Digital Technology on Learning: A summary for the Education Endowment Foundation. Full Report. London: Durham University Education Endowment Foundation. Richtel, M. (2010, November 21). â€Å"Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction.† The New York Times.

Nowadays the effect of modern society have clearly shown on human society Essay Example for Free

Nowadays the effect of modern society have clearly shown on human society Essay Nowadays the effect of modern society have clearly shown on human society after 1950’s; however, there still have people live in minority types of family role in the united states and others Asian, Middle East, and Africa are known that man as breadwinner and woman as homemaker. There are few categories that play primary factors including culture and religion, and they become a barrier for people want to live in modern society. Although the changing gender roles of modern society have been observed and been perceived through times, the acceptance of its transformation still causes negative effects to society and family. In modern society, the idea of changing gender roles seem to be difficult not only woman or man do not have the skills for other one’s tasks but it also brings potentially risk to our society. In 1950s, the gender roles have been defined that man as breadwinner and woman as homemaker. As the society’s evolved, a woman becomes more active, ambitious and independent and a man becomes more emotional and involved in house tasks. According to Aaron H. Devor in his article, â€Å"Becoming members of Society: Learning the Social Meaning of Gender,† â€Å"†¦society demands different gender performance from us and reward, tolerates, or punishes us differently for conformity to, or digression from social norm† (527). Thus, when the gender roles are defined in terms of social interaction, then social norms seem to play a key role with it. The social norms tell us how the male and female should behave, expecting people to have their own personal characteristic an d act in a way appropriate to their gender. Even when the changing gender roles affect society, it still needs to consider and follow particularistic obligation of each gender roles. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, woman make up 47 percents of the work place between the ages of 25 and 54 worked outside home in 1995. Therefore, woman spends less time with their children or sends them to babysitter. When the society evolves and the value of the society around us has evaluated as more generalized norms of society, it will affect to the next generation. According to Devor in his article, â€Å"Becoming members of Society: Learning the Social Meaning of Gender,† â€Å"†¦.children initially acquire the value of the society around them almost indiscriminately. To the degree that children absorb the generalized standard of society into their personal concept of that is the generalized other† (530). Therefore, the changes of each parent directly affect to their children and its transformation causes the original characteristic of children to disappear or unnoticeable. Most children consider their parent as role model to follow and learn. Thus, the society and family both play a primary affect to the next generation through changing gender roles. As the previous idea, the family will affect to their children’s gender role; however, the reason unnecessarily applies to all aspects. When the families loosen attention on their children, the lacks of familial concern causes more damaged or perverted and leads the children to the wrong path in future. Each of individual family members which play a central help to their children need to consider what they do or how they behave toward their children. According to â€Å"Becoming members of Society: Learning the Social Meaning of Gender,† the family cannot pressure their children to choose the gender, when the time is right, their children will choose the appropriate gender (Devor 534). I deprecate the way of Devor’s thought, there are statistical datas show that the gender roles of children or adults have been modified by their parent and they are more likely becoming their own gender role. It is only right when the parent helps their children to choose the right path. Because of development of modern society, it appears many people not become what they are such as gays and lesbian, and it is because the lack of concern from their family. In conclusion, modern society has tremendous effects toward the development of our society; however, it also brings the potential risk, and affect to each family generation, and the lack of concerning to children in family during their mature. If we can mix the old and modern family types together, it will give us a perfect family formation in reality. The family cannot live either old type or modern type because it rules out the family existence or cannot have rigid family bond.

Characters in Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens Essay -- Great Exp

Characters in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Dickens has many ways of making his characters both striking and memorable, he uses the dialogue and blends it with the setting and social background as illustrated by ‘torn by briars; who limped’. Dickens is very descriptive; this also helps making the character real. Dickens creates a creepy mood when we are told about the graveyard in which we meet Magwitch as shown by ‘as if he were eluding the hands of dead people’. He uses the graveyard and the gibbet in the distance to help create this mood which adds to the edgy atmosphere. The tone of this extract is dramatic and intimidating; Dickens achieves this by using short, but descriptive sentences. Dickens makes us feel sorry for Magwitch because of the way he speaks, ‘wittles’ and ‘pecoolier’ are examples of this. As Magwitch talks to Pip, we, as the reader notice that Magwitch talks to Pip as a child and uses language that would only scare a child : ‘you little devil, or I’ll cut your throat!’. When pip meets Miss Havisham, Dickens makes it seem like it is a nice, rich room, however we soon find out it is a dull, lifeless room that hasn’t seen light in years : ‘. Dickens uses long, descriptive sentences here to introduce the setting and mood of the room. Dickens slowly gives us information bit by bit so we build a picture of what is going on. He slowly reveals that Miss Havisham has been jilted at the alter. Wemmick’s home reflects his personality in the way that he likes to be secure and safe. Wemmick is one of the most memorable of Dickens’s characters, as he is slightly out of the ordinary and has his own way of doing things. Wemmick keeps his work and his home life very separate, this is... ...rrible places to be; they carried lots of diseases and were extremely unhygienic. Miss Havisham is from an upper class background. She is very wealthy, however remains unmarried. Marriage for women in those days was more important than it is today because it used to be the men making all the money while the women looked after the house; however Miss Havisham has plenty of money so her problem is that she is lonely. Wemmick is in the working class and works in the prison as a clerk, the conditions of prisons in those days was very bad, which may be the reason why he keeps his home life and work life completely separate. Dickens achieves making his characters both striking and memorable by describing them in heavy detail, but not making it boring by having too much. In my opinion Wemmick is the most memorable character as I could imagine him being real.

A Raisin in the Sun Essay

The significance of Lena Younger in the screenplay and movie A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Kenny Leon In the movie A Raisin in the Sun derived from the screenplay by Lorraine Hansberry, the character of Lena Younger is effectively portrayed to show the importance of the plant as a symbol of Lena being in possession of a garden to call her own. However, the theme of dreams, especially Lena’s, is not made prominent enough to show Lena as a symbol of African American’s in the 50’s owning a house and moving up in society. In the screenplay of A Raisin in the Sun, Lena Younger is a sensitive mother and grandmother to the Younger household. She is very religious, and demands of her kids to thank God for their lives. This is shown when Lena slaps Beneatha for challenging the idea of God in her life. Lena says, â€Å"Now you say after me, in my mothers house there is still God† (Hansberry 39). This scene is effectively remade in the movie. The actress that plays Lena makes her anger and shock in Beneatha’s comment very believable, which further emphasizes the fact that Lena’s values are portrayed just as effectively in the movie as they were in the written screenplay. Lena also stands up for herself, much like her daughter Beneatha. This is shown in the scene where Lena goes to the market to buy some apples that are in very bad condition. Lena says, â€Å"Got the nerve to be askin’ people thirty-five cents for them apples look like they was on the scene when Moses crossed over†¦ Wouldn’t be tryin’ to sell ’em over yonder where I work† (Hansberry 54). In this scene of the screenplay, Lena’s character seemed very headstrong. In the movie however, this quote was not included. Instead Lena told the clerk, in a sarcastic tone, â€Å"Am I being charged for the worms too? † (A Raisin in the Sun), which means that the quality of the apples was not good. Although the scene was different, the point Hansberry was trying to make came across both ways. Lena came across as a headstrong woman who only wants the best and nothing less, within her budget. In these ways Lena Youngers character was portrayed effectively, however, her character has more significance that just good acting. One of the most important symbols in the screenplay A Raisin in the Sun is the plant. Throughout the screenplay and the movie, no one else in the Younger household cares for the plant except for Lena, which is why the symbol directly links to her. In the screenplay, as soon as Lena enters her apartment she goes to open the window. â€Å"Lord, if this little plant don’t start getting more sun, it ain’t never going to see spring again†. (Hansberry 66). This shows that after a long day, she still cares for her feeble little plant, and its growth. In the movie this scene was not portrayed effectively, mostly because the apartment the director chose does not accurately fit the description in the screenplay, thus making the symbolism of the plant ineffective. Despite that, the true symbolism of the plant is that Lena was longing for her own garden, and that was shown effectively in the movie. The quote from the movie corresponding to this scene is â€Å"If that plant don’t get more sunlight than it’s been getting, it’s just gonna give up† (A Raisin in the Sun) which shows that Lena does care for the plant, but can’t do anything about its well-being. Later on in the screenplay Lena starts to get stressed and worried about her children. The only thing she turns to then is her plant, which shows that Lena is in control of at least one thing in her house. When Ruth brings up the fact that Beneatha is home later than usual Lena replies, â€Å"I don’t believe this plant’s had more than a speck of sunlight all day† (Hansberry 76). This could be to direct her worries elsewhere, which makes sense because in other emotional scenes, such as when Lena is hearing about Mr. Linder, the camera focuses in on Lena touching the plants soil with her hands. The reply could also be because she sees her dream in the plant – she sees it is in a weak state and that it is barely growing. Lena also sees that Beneatha and Walter, her children, are experiencing new things and are growing to become people of the new generation. Because of this, she may turn to the plant and hope the same for it – hope for it to blossom into something better and of that generation. Lena’s dream of owning a garden represents not only her dream, but the dream of all the lower class african americans of the 50’s. Although Lena tries to keep her run down apartment looking polished, she makes it clear that she dreams for bigger things. While conversing with Ruth about when her and Big Walter bought the house Lena said, â€Å"†¦ But Lord, child, you should have known all the dreams I had about buying me that house and then fixing it up and making me a little garden in the back† (Hansberry 69), which clearly shows Lena’s dream. Not only does she want a nice garden for herself, but she wants a house for her family, so they can all enjoy living. This scene was not effectively shown in the movie mostly because, as mentioned before, the apartment they were living in did not look run down as was described in the screenplay. Due to this, when the characters were talking about the â€Å"ratty-ness† of the apartment it did not make sense, because their dialogue did not fit the visual. The ultimate dream for african americans of the time was to live in a place full of life, and of course with less rent. The screenplay implies that the apartment is small and that â€Å"weariness has, in fact, won in this room† (Hansberry 23), which means that the room is in poor condition. The movie shows the living room as small but it does not show it as tattered, like the screenplay implied. At that time and now, this is considered poverty, however the movie displays the room as well kept and does not appear worn out, which is what Lena tries to make it seem like. After Mr. Lindner comes to the Younger household, Beneatha, Walter and Ruth explain what he wanted from them, which was to buy their house off of them. Lena does not completely understand at first why he would come, which shows that she does not comprehend that there will be complications with moving into a white neighborhood. â€Å"Father give us strength. (Knowingly and without fun:) Did he threaten us? †(Hansberry 169). This shows that although Lena feels threatened by Mr. Lindner, she does not realize that the new generation does not directly say what they feel. This creates the tone that, just like Beneatha and Walter have been telling Lena, she is not educated enough on the new generation. Since Lena represents the African Americans of the 50‘s expanding in society, it was ineffectively shown in the movie and the screenplay, because of he automatic assumption that they were threatened. All in all, the character of Lena is ineffectively portrayed in the movie to symbolize what the african american’s of the 1950’s should have been like. Taking a look at Lorraine Hansberry’s idea of having a character like Lena in the screenplay, one understands that she is a statement rather than just a character with a dream. Lena Younger is a statement to show that women in the 1950‘s can work all day to provide for their families and still be caring rather than miserable. The condition the Youngers were living in was one where Lena could easily have been sour to her family members rather than nurturing. This is what Hansberry wanted to show. Also the plant symbolizes Lena’s nurturing side, that she will do anything to make the people (or things) she cares for grow and succeed. Overall, the directors of the movie A Raisin in the Sun did a decent job in interpreting Lena’s role in the screenplay. A Raisin In The Sun Essay In my opinion, the most prevalent theme in, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† is the real meaning of money because all of the family members have dreams that require money in order for them to be fulfilled. Walter is always trying to get money to open up a liquor store and believes that the only way he can be a successful man is if he reaches this goal. Throughout the book, Walter is envious of wealthy people and is somewhat embarrassed of his career of a chauffeur. He would like for his son to have a better life and wants him to have everything that he could ever want. While talking to Mama in the book, Walter states, â€Å"Mama, sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass by them cool, quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking bout things, turning deals worth millions of dollars, sometimes I see guys don’t look much older than me.† (page 73) Walter pays so much attention to these rich â€Å"white boys† and this causes him to not appreciate what he has, he just always wants more. Walter believes that if Mama gives him the money to invest in a liquor store then he will be successful. Mama doesn’t understand why Walter is s o focused on money and she asks him, â€Å"Son-how come you talk so much ‘bout money?† Walter replies, â€Å"Because it is life, Mama!† (page 74) Mama doesn’t see money as such a big necessity in life and believes more in family, love and faith. She tries to show Walter and Beneatha that not everything in life is about being wealthy and having money. For example, after Walter tells Mama that he thinks that money is life on page 74, she says, â€Å"Oh-So now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life- now it’s money. I guess the world really do change†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 74) Mama is trying to teach Walter not to be so materialistic. She wants him to focus on other aspects of life that Walter just can’t seem to understand. Also, when Mama says how the world is changing, she is talking about how money has a negative influence on the people of that time and how sad it is that money  is such a necessity. During the conversation between Mama and Walter, Mama sys, â€Å"You something new, boy. In my time we was worried about not being lynched and getting to the North if we could and how to stay alive and still have a pinch of dignity too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 74) Mama is talking about how Walter should appreciate his freedom and how in her time, they had to fight for their freedom and could care less about money. Beneatha doesn’t seem to show as much interest in money until she realizes that all of her family’s money is one. In the beginning of the book, Beneatha is kind of the outcast of the family because she doesn’t seem too concerned about the money and has different views than the rest of the family. For example, Beneatha and Ruth had a conversation about why Beneatha won’t marry George and Beneatha says, â€Å"Oh, I just mean I couldn’t ever really be serious with George. He’s- he’s so shallow.† Ruth replies, â€Å"Shallow- what do you mean he’s shallow? He’s rich!† Beneatha then says, â€Å"I know he’s rich. He knows he’s rich too.† (page 48-49) Beneatha wants more from a man than money, she has more depth than that. She is an independent woman and refuses to marry someone just because they are wealthy. In the beginning, Beneatha isn’t too focused on money; however, she comes to the realization that in order to fulfill her dream of being a doctor, she needs money for medical school. When Walter lost all of the family’s money, ruining any chance of Beneatha becoming a doctor she tells Asagai, â€Å"Asagai, while I was sleeping in that bed there, people went out and took the future right out of my hands! And nobody asked me, nobody consulted me- they just went and changed my life!† (page 134) A Raisin in the Sun Essay A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, was written perhaps with some personal experience. When Lorraine was younger, a mob surrounded her home in a white middle class neighborhood and threw a brick in her window (Literature and Language, 913). However, racial prejudice is just one of the themes discussed in the play. The play takes place during the Civil Rights Movement, and the obstacles overcome are obstacles we still face today. Racial prejudice, family strength, and a sell out are the several strong thematic elements in the play. When the Younger family is introduced, they are introduced together. Despite the hardships endured throughout the play, the family stays together even through quarrels. Mama is almost like a Buddha of the Younger family by acting as the backbone of the family; Mama is the strong one (A Raisin in the Sun, 854). When Walter explains to Mama how he wants to start a liquor store with the money she tells him she doesn’t want to go into the liquor business. She decides then to tell him he needs to sit down and talk to his wife, which is more important, because she’s family (A Raisin in the Sun, 869). Mama notices also how Walter and Ruth’s relationship is uncertain (A Raisin in the Sun, 855) which is why she wants him to talk to Ruth about her pregnancy (A Raisin in the, 869). If the baby isn’t kept, Ruth and Walter might separate and Travis will have to go back and forth, and Mama won’t have another grandchild. If that had happened, the family would be broken up, and it seems to be a constant fear in Mama that the family might someday divide. Another sign of family strength is when Beneatha denies Walter as her brother (A Raisin in the Sun, 907). When Mama hears Beneatha shun her brother, she reminds her that her brother is just the same as her when she says: † You feeling like you better than he is today? † They are both strong-willed, live in the same apartment, and have the same economic situation. Mama scolds her for acting like the rest of the world. Looking down on him as a colored man doing low pay jobs to support them, and no one wants to claim that they know that poor sod. Mama tells Bennie not to write his epitaph like the outside world because she doesn’t have the privilege, because she’s just like him. Mama isn’t trying to remind Bennie that she suffers the same ordeals, but perhaps if she was the man of the family she might do the same. Bennie herself would try to provide for them, and Walter’s actions were meant out of kindness, and the least Bennie could do is to be with him in his time of need. Maybe Bennie’s attempts at being a doctor were partly out of love for her family to help provide for them, not out of pity or personal honor, but for unity. It’s not the characters that make the family struggle but mostly the conditions their forced to endure. Socially, they are shunned for being Negroes. When Mr. Lindner bribes the family to move out, the idea threatens to tear the family apart. The idea is at first easily denied because of the money they have to support themselves (A Raisin in the Sun, 892). However, when Walter loses the money, Mr. Lindner’s offer appeals to him (A Raisin in the Sun, 909). The family becomes shocked and tries to support him in his decision, but Walter realizes the importance of family and he turns Lindner away. However, the climactic theme of the story is Walter’s selling out point. A typical reader would want to hate Walter for using the money to start up a liquor store, but then it’s realized that he was only doing it for his family (A Raisin in the Sun, 896-897). When Walter gave the money away, he gave away the family’s future too. Beneatha wasn’t securely in school anymore, Travis would have to keep sleeping in the living room, and there isn’t money for Ruth’s baby. Not only did that affect their futures, but it hurt Mama as well. In a way, Walter gave away their memories and values. When Walter finds out the money is lost, he says that the money was made out of his fathers flesh, because it was his father who helped them to receive that money. Walter gave it away anyway though because he thought it would help the family (A Raisin in the Sun, 897). He gave away the family’s values by deceiving them into thinking that he did the responsible thing with the money, what the family wanted done with money. He fooled Mama into believing he was grown up and could become the head of the family. When the family learned of his mistake, the family became away of what he had done. Furthermore, it insulted them for how he had went about it. Bennie felt like low class, and didn’t feel she could be a doctor anymore (Raisin in the Sun, 901). Ruth felt insulted because she can’t believe her husband is going to take the bribe from Lindner (Raisin in the Sun, 905). Mama took it even harder because her husband’s blood, sweat, and tears went into it; and their dreams were lost because of it. They wanted their children to live out their dreams but instead Walter gave them away in a day (Raisin in the Sun, 856, 897). Perhaps the biggest struggle in the play is the racial prejudice the family endures together. Only because of their color, they end up working in a low pay job in a poorly attended apartment (A Raisin in the Sun, 897). Mr. Lindner is the main symbol in representing racial prejudice. Symbolically, Mr. Lindner could show that stereotypes even come in nice packages. On the outside, Mr.  Lindner was a polite man, but on the inside, he was racist and not accepting, like when he left their apartment the first time he visited and told Walter that you can’t change what’s in peoples hearts (A Raisin in the Sun, 891). Despite the simplicity of the message, it’s perhaps the most powerful of the themes. Although an entire neighborhood, an entire race, wants the Youngers to move out, they stand together and defend themselves and fight back, even when they feel like they have nothing left. However, Walter realizes that he does have something, which is family, and his pride, which he almost lost in taking the bribe (A Raisin in the Sun, 909). The Youngers, when standing together, show that with strength and defiance, they can pull through anything together. Together, the Youngers battled racism from a middle class white neighborhood. Together, the Youngers fought a loss of a dream when Walter sold out. Together the Youngers remained united by giving up their personal dreams for the one family dream of staying together. A Raisin in the Sun Essay In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry you go back in time to when segregation was still aloud. In this play you meet a cast of people with dreams of a better life. The American Dream, to be specific. This dream is portrayed differently for each character, all of which impact the play. Two of these character`s are Walter Lee Younger and Lena Younger. In Raisin in the Sun Mama and Walter’s American dreams conflict and impact the family through materialism and desire to be the ideal American family in society. Mama and Walter both desire to provide for their family. They both look at money as success. When the $10,000 insurance check comes along, Mama sees it as a chance for her family to finally live up and be more like the rest of the American society. She aspires to look after her family, by giving them a house, a car, and most of all- happiness. Walter on the other hand becomes obsessed with his dreams of business, which he believes will result in financial independence to provide for his family. He feels ashamed when he can’t give money to his son. When Travis asks for fifty cents and Ruth tells him they don’t have it, Walter gives him fifty cents anyway. â€Å"In fact, here’s another fifty cents†¦ Buy yourself some fruit today- or take a taxicab to school or something†(12) He yearns for his son Travis to look up to him. He adds another fifty to make this more real or true. This also shows how Walter looks at money as success. Walter believes this will be true if he has his dream of owning his own business or all in all- wealth. Success to both them means that they no longer have to struggle, and live up to what people perceive. Mama distinguishes herself from Walter when it comes to materialistic matters. The first thing mama does when she gets the insurance money is buy a house for her family. This shows how the capitalistic society is having a materialistic effect on Mama. Mama’s dream consists of a house and happy family. Mama’s plant is a perfect indication of her dream. It symbolizes her family in a way. When the family is down, the plant is down. Mama is constantly in protection of the plant, in hopes of holding on to her dream. Walter in comparison is always looking to be somebody and make it in life. Walter sees wealth as the only solution to this. He longs for financial support. He becomes corrupted by society -to find his identity through money. Walter tells his mother, â€Å"I want so many things†(60). This shows his greediness. All in all Mama and Walters dreams both involve money. Mama shows us her longing for the acceptance of society when she immediately buys a house in a white neighborhood, to provide for her family. Walter shows us his desperation to be a valuable human being when he steals money in hopes of starting his liquor business. Walter wants to be respected and live a happy lifestyle for this family. He longs to be the head of the household. Walter see’s himself with a liquor store as having power. It isn’t till the end until he rethinks the values of himself and his family’s future about how there is more to living than just having material riches. Mama only yearns for her family to be respected and live up to what society perceives. No matter what you perceive The American Dream to be, it is possible to attain it and be successful. The American Dream is whatever your dream of success perceives to be. Hansberry shows how hard it was for colored people to find their identities during segregated times. Walter and Mama learn that money doesn’t possess much when it comes by itself. In Raisin in the Sun Mama and Walter’s American dreams differentiate and impact the family through their wanting to be accepted in society and live in peace. Anyone in this country can undertake happiness and success if they work at it. A Raisin in the Sun Essay 1.When Asagai arrives at the apartment, how does his mood contract with Walter’s and Beneatha’s? He is very positive and is looking toward the future. Walter and Beneatha appear defeated. 2.How has the loss of the money changed Beneatha’s optimism? What does she tell Asagai? What is Asagai’s response? She has given up and admits defeat. She tells Asagai there is no hope and everything is over. Asagai is very critical of Beneatha’s feelings and tells her if she has dreams and wants a positive future, she needs to make it herself. He also asks her to go to Africa with him. 3.How does Asagai define idealists and realists? Which group does he prefer to be associated with? Idealists have dreams and go after them. Realists only see the circle of life and the things that are right in front of them. He would rather be an idealist. 4.What alternative view of the future does Asagai offer to put Beneatha’s depression in perspective? Go to Africa with him. 5.Asagai leaves and Walter comes into the living room. How does Beneatha attack Walter? What does Walter do? She attacks him by speaking down about who he is as a man. Walter ignores her and looks for something in the apartment. 6.How has Mama’s physical appearance changed? Why does Mama put her plant back on the windowsill? She is depressed and seems defeated. Mama puts her plant in the window because she feels as if she is going nowhere. 7.Who does Mama blame for the current situation, and how does she plan to deal with it? She blames herself for this because people have always accused her of dreaming too big. 8.Up until now, Ruth has been the practical one. How does she react to Mama’s new attitude? She tries to lift Lena’s spirits. She doesn’t know what to think or how to really handle Mama’s new attitude. 9.When Walter arrives back home, what does he say he has done? What does he plan to do? He has called Mr. Lindner, and the family is going to take the money that was offered to them. 10.Describe Walter’s new view of life as being divided between the â€Å"takers† and the â€Å"tooken.† He feels that life is full of takers and tooken. His family has been, he feels, has always been â€Å"tooken† From this point forward, they are going to be â€Å"takers.† 11.What does Mama mean when she tells Walter that if he takes Lindner’s money he will have nothing left inside? He will loose his dignity and pride of he takes the money. 12.Beneatha says Walter is no brother of hers. What lesson does Mama have to remind Beneatha about? Mama tells her she has no right to feel that way or say that about her brother. Regardless of what has happened, she has always taught Beneatha to love. 13.When Lindner arrives, why does Mama insist that Travis stay in the room? She wants him to learn from his father 14.What does Walter tell Lindner? Why? He talks to him about his father and how he worked all his life for others. He continues to tell Lindner that his family is not going to take his money because his father earned the house for the family. 15.Why does Lindner decide to appeal to Mama? What is her response? He appeals to her because he says she is older and wiser. He feels that she will bend to the demands of the neighborhood. 16.What is the importance of having Mama return to the empty apartment to grab her plant? That plant represents her dreams and the spirit of her family. Wherever she goes and the family goes, so does the plant. She isn’t one to walk out on her family or her dreams. A Raisin in the Sun Essay Lorraine Hansberry’s play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† was far ahead of its time in both depicting the everyday life of black people in a way that everyone can understand and discuss the oppression that black people still felt even though strides had been taken towards civil rights. According to NPR, Hansberry shared the aims for this play with her husband. â€Å"Hansberry told her husband she wanted to write a social drama about blacks that was good art. Instead of stereotyped characters that would bear no resemblance to actual people, she invented a situation that was sometimes painfully realistic. The plot revolves around what her characters do given the opportunity to escape their cramped surroundings† (NPR). Much of the material from this play is based on Hansberry’s own life experiences. They are real characters. The reader can feel Mama’s love for her family and her desire for them to better themselves. Travis should not have to sleep on the couch. Beneatha should be able to be a doctor, but she must be careful not to overspeak according to Mama. Beneatha’s frustration with the â€Å"outdated† ideas of her mother and her brother’s traditional marriage are felt. She is a dreamer and yet the reader wants to believe with her. Walter’s anger is perfectly justified although it gets him nowhere, and Ruth’s increasing frustration with her husband is also justified, especially as they are about to bring another child into the world. The reader hopes that Walter’s scheme will work even though he/she knows it never will. In the end, the family triumphs against daunting odds. They will have to work harder than they ever have to keep their house, and they will never fit into their neighborhood. They will likely face acts of discrimination even more pronounced, but they do not swallow their pride and submit to the demands of Lindner and their neighborhood. Her characters even speak in the dialect of a real Chicago neighborhood. She uses a non-standard dialect that would only be spoken in black communities. The use of the poem of Langston Hughes called â€Å"Dream Deferred† makes the subject and characters even more real. It asks the reader to think about what would happen if someone worked all their lives for a dream and was unable to achieve it. The poem then gives options that fit various people within the play. Anyone who reads the play can definitely see the struggles of African Americans. Hansberry was deeply committed to the fight for civil rights just as her parents had been. The struggles of the Younger family parallel the struggles of African Americans in a time where the discrimination was just beginning to be faced. According to Books and Writers, in 1959 Hansberry had said in a speech: â€Å"The unmistakable roots of the universal solidarity of the colored peoples of the world are no longer â€Å"predictable† as they were in my father’s time – they are here. And I for one, as a black woman in the United States in the mid-Twentieth Century, feel that I am more typical of the present temperament of my people than not, when I say that I cannot allow the devious purposes of white supremacy to lead me to any conclusion other than what may be to most robust and important one of our time: that the ultimate destiny and aspirations of the African peoples and twenty million American Negroes are inextricably and magnificently bound up together forever. † (Books and Writers). This sums up Hansberry’s ideas about the race and shows us how the play deals with the supremacy of whites. It is clear that the white characters like Karl Lindner and Walter’s boss are better off. Even the blacks who sell out in one way or another like George Murchison or Willy Harris are in better places than the Youngers. This family finds it almost impossible to get ahead as the whole social structure is opposed to them. And while this is a play about the American Negro, it is also one with a universal theme. It is also about the failure of the American Dream, which anyone in any time period can relate to. Writing in Commentary, Gerald Weales pointed out that â€Å"Walter Lee’s difficulty †¦ is that he has accepted the American myth of success at its face value, that he is trapped, as Willy Loman [in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman] was trapped by a false dream. In planting so indigenous an image at the center of her play, Miss Hansberry has come as close as possible to what she intended–a play about Negroes which is not simply a Negro play. † (Gale Research). In other words, she has succeeded in discussing an American Negro family, and yet, making it understandable and relatable to everyone of every race. This was no easy task. This is reiterated by Critic Harold Clurman, in the Nation, noted that â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun is authentic: it is a portrait of the aspirations, anxieties, ambitions, and contradictory pressures affecting humble Negro fold in an American big city. † (Gale Research). Much of the historical information in this play comes from Lorraine Hansberry’s own life. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago, just like in the play. Hansberry’s parents were activists as well as intellectuals and her father was a real estate agent. He violated a covenant law and moved into a white neighborhood. Their white neighbors tried to evict them. Hansberry’s father actually won an antisegregation case that he fought with the aid of the NAACP with the Illinois Supreme Court. These events are the events on which A Raisin in the Sun was loosely based. When Lorraine was eight, her parents bought a house in a white neighborhood, where they were welcomed one night by a racist mob. Their experience of discrimination there led to a civil rights case. Her father won the case; the Supreme Court declared that the discrimination was unconstitutional. However, nothing really happened in reality as a result of winning this case. Hansberry’s family also learned about the results of fighting the system as they faced many prejudices and acts of discrimination because of their fight, such as a brick being thrown through their window. . Hansberry also worked for Freedom, a progressive black newspaper from 1950 to 1953, which is seen in the play’s emphasis on civil rights (PAL). Also according to PAL, â€Å"In 1963 Lorraine Hansberry became very active in the civil rights movement in the South. She was a field organizer for CORE† (PAL). Again, her emphasis on civil rights in the play comes out of her own beliefs and actions. In the play the topic is covered very thoroughly as the Younger family buys a house in a white neighborhood. Houses in black neighborhoods were double the price, and their dream is to get out of the run-down apartment. In discussing this, Hansberry outlines the discrimination built into housing in Chicago and other urban areas. So, they bought the house in the white neighborhood and are elated, but their elation is short-lived because Mr. Lindner shows up. The family fights back as he tries to talk them out of moving by saying things like, â€Å"I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities† (Hansberry 2. 3. 65). He ends with a statement about Linder hoping the family knows what they are getting themselves into. In the end, even after Walter loses the money, the family decides to move anyway. They will take extra jobs to make sure that their children have a better life. Hansberry’s interest in Africa began at an early age. According to Books and Writers, in an unfinished, partly autobiographical novel Hansberry wrote: â€Å"In her emotions she was sprung from the Southern Zulu and the Central Pygmy, the Eastern Watusi and the treacherous slave-trading Western Ashanti themselves. She was Kikuyu and Masai, ancient cousins of hers had made the exquisite forged sculpture at Benin, while surely even more ancient relatives sat upon the throne at Abu Simbel watching over the Nile†¦ † (Book and Writers). This love of and interest in Africa is shown through both Asagai and Beneatha. Beneatha and Asagai show this interest in African pride in a time in America that was well before Africans began taking interest in their roots or going back to Africa. Asagai is from Africa and has great pride in it; Beneatha is interested in her roots even though she does things like straighten her hair, which Asagai says is assimilationist. Asagai even woos her with his pride in his country. For example, â€Å"I will show you our mountains and our stars; and give you cool drinks from gourds, and teach you the old songs and the ways of our people† (Hansberry 3. 1. 55). While Walter makes fun of all the African conversation, that is also historically accurate ahead of its time. Many Africans were interested in their past and wanted to learn about their terrible past. Some, such as Malcolm X, even went so far as to change their name to reflect their former slave status. Others thought the interest was dumb, a part of their past, not their future. Lorraine Hansberry also puts Beneatha forth as a feminist long before women began demanding their rights. The National Organization for Women was not formed until the late 1960s. Yet Beneatha is a feminist. When Asagai makes the statement, â€Å"For a woman it should be enough†, Beneatha replies, â€Å"I know—because that’s what it says in all the novels that men write. But it isn’t. Go ahead and laugh—but I’m not interested in being someone’s little episode in America† (Hansberry 1. 2. 114). She wants to be a doctor, and her conviction is so strong that the reader believes her. Hansberry was also a feminist ahead of her time to put these ideas into writing. Even though Beneatha seems to â€Å"flit† from one thing to another, she is in the process of finding her identity. Exploring options and experiencing life is the way that she will find herself as well as having diverse friends like Joseph Asagai. Even her name implies that she believes everything is beneath her. Sometimes irritating, Beneatha is a true feminist before her time. Feminist as anything else is a progression in coming into womanhood. For example, Mama speaks matter-of-factly of her husband’s womanizing ways. She does not condemn him, but seems to accept that womanizing is what men do. Ruth would not put up with that from Walter although she does defer to him on a number of occasions. She also has a more gentle way of getting him to come around. Beneatha represents the â€Å"new woman† or feminist in that she would not put up with any of this. She wants to forge her own identity independent of a man. She believes that people must accept her as she is and refused to â€Å"be nice† as Mama tells her. This play also shows the change in black arts and intellectualism. According to Schmoop, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun is part of broader shift in black art towards depicting working-class, ordinary African-Africans. Previously, black intellectuals did not use literature, art, or the stage to portray working-class African-Americans for fear they would perpetuate undesirable stereotypes. † (Schmoop). Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes both thought this idea ridiculous. They, in fact, felt the opposite. They felt that they could challenge these stereotypes by writing about them. Also according to Schmoop, â€Å"By focusing on the dreams and aspirations of one particular working-class black family, moreover, Hansberry was able to show audiences the universality of black aspirations while also demonstrating that their race posed a significant barrier to achieving those goals† (Schmoop). That is precisely what Hansberry did. She showed the trials and struggles of one family. The family is black, and some of the themes only those of color could relate to but others are universal—family love, sibling rivalry, wanting the best for children, wanting to make money and have more, etc. A Raisin in the Sun is a masterful play. While some see it overly simplistic, Hansberry gives us the gamut of African American response to the oppression that was still occurring. Walter is just angry. Mama and Ruth are more concerned with just getting by and providing better opportunities for the next generation. Willy Harris steals from his own to get ahead, and George Murchison rejects his own upbringing. Asagai also rejects American ways, but he is African. Beneatha most represents Lorraine Hansberry as she tries to fight the system, fight society’s expectations of her as a black woman, and forge her own identity. All emotions are represented in this play. Works Cited Books and Writers. http://www. kirjasto. sci. fi/corhans. htm http://www. shmoop. com/intro/literature/lorraine-hansberry/a-raisin-in-the-sun. html Colas, Brandon. Lorraine Hansberry. A Raisin in the Sun. The Ghetto Trap. Retrieved November 28, 2008 at http://www. literature-study-online. com/essays/hansberry. html Corley, Cheryl. A Raisin in the Sun. March 11. 2002. NPR. Retrieved November 26, 2008 at http://www. npr. org/programs/morning/features/patc/raisin/ Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. â€Å"Lorraine Hansberry. † Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 25. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich. : Thomson Gale. 2007. http://www. edupaperback. org/showauth. cfm? authid=93 Reuben, Paul. PAL: Perspectives in American Literature. Retrieved November 27, 2008 at http://www. csustan. edu/English/reuben/pal/chap8/hansberry. html A Raisin in the Sun Essay Lorraine Hansberry’s play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† was far ahead of its time in both depicting the everyday life of black people in a way that everyone can understand and discuss the oppression that black people still felt even though strides had been taken towards civil rights. According to NPR, Hansberry shared the aims for this play with her husband. â€Å"Hansberry told her husband she wanted to write a social drama about blacks that was good art. Instead of stereotyped characters that would bear no resemblance to actual people, she invented a situation that was sometimes painfully realistic. The plot revolves around what her characters do given the opportunity to escape their cramped surroundings† (NPR). Much of the material from this play is based on Hansberry’s own life experiences. They are real characters. The reader can feel Mama’s love for her family and her desire for them to better themselves. Travis should not have to sleep on the couch. Beneatha should be able to be a doctor, but she must be careful not to overspeak according to Mama. Beneatha’s frustration with the â€Å"outdated† ideas of her mother and her brother’s traditional marriage are felt. She is a dreamer and yet the reader wants to believe with her. Walter’s anger is perfectly justified although it gets him nowhere, and Ruth’s increasing frustration with her husband is also justified, especially as they are about to bring another child into the world. The reader hopes that Walter’s scheme will work even though he/she knows it never will. In the end, the family triumphs against daunting odds. They will have to work harder than they ever have to keep their house, and they will never fit into their neighborhood. They will likely face acts of discrimination even more pronounced, but they do not swallow their pride and submit to the demands of Lindner and their neighborhood. Her characters even speak in the dialect of a real Chicago neighborhood. She uses a non-standard dialect that would only be spoken in black communities. The use of the poem of Langston Hughes called â€Å"Dream Deferred† makes the subject and characters even more real. It asks the reader to think about what would happen if someone worked all their lives for a dream and was unable to achieve it. The poem then gives options that fit various people within the play. Anyone who reads the play can definitely see the struggles of African Americans. Hansberry was deeply committed to the fight for civil rights just as her parents had been. The struggles of the Younger family parallel the struggles of African Americans in a time where the discrimination was just beginning to be faced. According to Books and Writers, in 1959 Hansberry had said in a speech: â€Å"The unmistakable roots of the universal solidarity of the colored peoples of the world are no longer â€Å"predictable† as they were in my father’s time – they are here. And I for one, as a black woman in the United States in the mid-Twentieth Century, feel that I am more typical of the present temperament of my people than not, when I say that I cannot allow the devious purposes of white supremacy to lead me to any conclusion other than what may be to most robust and important one of our time: that the ultimate destiny and aspirations of the African peoples and twenty million American Negroes are inextricably and magnificently bound up together forever. † (Books and Writers). This sums up Hansberry’s ideas about the race and shows us how the play deals with the supremacy of whites. It is clear that the white characters like Karl Lindner and Walter’s boss are better off. Even the blacks who sell out in one way or another like George Murchison or Willy Harris are in better places than the Youngers. This family finds it almost impossible to get ahead as the whole social structure is opposed to them. And while this is a play about the American Negro, it is also one with a universal theme. It is also about the failure of the American Dream, which anyone in any time period can relate to. Writing in Commentary, Gerald Weales pointed out that â€Å"Walter Lee’s difficulty †¦ is that he has accepted the American myth of success at its face value, that he is trapped, as Willy Loman [in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman] was trapped by a false dream. In planting so indigenous an image at the center of her play, Miss Hansberry has come as close as possible to what she intended–a play about Negroes which is not simply a Negro play. † (Gale Research). In other words, she has succeeded in discussing an American Negro family, and yet, making it understandable and relatable to everyone of every race. This was no easy task. This is reiterated by Critic Harold Clurman, in the Nation, noted that â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun is authentic: it is a portrait of the aspirations, anxieties, ambitions, and contradictory pressures affecting humble Negro fold in an American big city. † (Gale Research). Much of the historical information in this play comes from Lorraine Hansberry’s own life. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago, just like in the play. Hansberry’s parents were activists as well as intellectuals and her father was a real estate agent. He violated a covenant law and moved into a white neighborhood. Their white neighbors tried to evict them. Hansberry’s father actually won an antisegregation case that he fought with the aid of the NAACP with the Illinois Supreme Court. These events are the events on which A Raisin in the Sun was loosely based. When Lorraine was eight, her parents bought a house in a white neighborhood, where they were welcomed one night by a racist mob. Their experience of discrimination there led to a civil rights case. Her father won the case; the Supreme Court declared that the discrimination was unconstitutional. However, nothing really happened in reality as a result of winning this case. Hansberry’s family also learned about the results of fighting the system as they faced many prejudices and acts of discrimination because of their fight, such as a brick being thrown through their window. . Hansberry also worked for Freedom, a progressive black newspaper from 1950 to 1953, which is seen in the play’s emphasis on civil rights (PAL). Also according to PAL, â€Å"In 1963 Lorraine Hansberry became very active in the civil rights movement in the South. She was a field organizer for CORE† (PAL). Again, her emphasis on civil rights in the play comes out of her own beliefs and actions. In the play the topic is covered very thoroughly as the Younger family buys a house in a white neighborhood. Houses in black neighborhoods were double the price, and their dream is to get out of the run-down apartment. In discussing this, Hansberry outlines the discrimination built into housing in Chicago and other urban areas. So, they bought the house in the white neighborhood and are elated, but their elation is short-lived because Mr. Lindner shows up. The family fights back as he tries to talk them out of moving by saying things like, â€Å"I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities† (Hansberry 2. 3. 65). He ends with a statement about Linder hoping the family knows what they are getting themselves into. In the end, even after Walter loses the money, the family decides to move anyway. They will take extra jobs to make sure that their children have a better life. Hansberry’s interest in Africa began at an early age. According to Books and Writers, in an unfinished, partly autobiographical novel Hansberry wrote: â€Å"In her emotions she was sprung from the Southern Zulu and the Central Pygmy, the Eastern Watusi and the treacherous slave-trading Western Ashanti themselves. She was Kikuyu and Masai, ancient cousins of hers had made the exquisite forged sculpture at Benin, while surely even more ancient relatives sat upon the throne at Abu Simbel watching over the Nile†¦ † (Book and Writers). This love of and interest in Africa is shown through both Asagai and Beneatha. Beneatha and Asagai show this interest in African pride in a time in America that was well before Africans began taking interest in their roots or going back to Africa. Asagai is from Africa and has great pride in it; Beneatha is interested in her roots even though she does things like straighten her hair, which Asagai says is assimilationist. Asagai even woos her with his pride in his country. For example, â€Å"I will show you our mountains and our stars; and give you cool drinks from gourds, and teach you the old songs and the ways of our people† (Hansberry 3. 1. 55). While Walter makes fun of all the African conversation, that is also historically accurate ahead of its time. Many Africans were interested in their past and wanted to learn about their terrible past. Some, such as Malcolm X, even went so far as to change their name to reflect their former slave status. Others thought the interest was dumb, a part of their past, not their future. Lorraine Hansberry also puts Beneatha forth as a feminist long before women began demanding their rights. The National Organization for Women was not formed until the late 1960s. Yet Beneatha is a feminist. When Asagai makes the statement, â€Å"For a woman it should be enough†, Beneatha replies, â€Å"I know—because that’s what it says in all the novels that men write. But it isn’t. Go ahead and laugh—but I’m not interested in being someone’s little episode in America† (Hansberry 1. 2. 114). She wants to be a doctor, and her conviction is so strong that the reader believes her. Hansberry was also a feminist ahead of her time to put these ideas into writing. Even though Beneatha seems to â€Å"flit† from one thing to another, she is in the process of finding her identity. Exploring options and experiencing life is the way that she will find herself as well as having diverse friends like Joseph Asagai. Even her name implies that she believes everything is beneath her. Sometimes irritating, Beneatha is a true feminist before her time. Feminist as anything else is a progression in coming into womanhood. For example, Mama speaks matter-of-factly of her husband’s womanizing ways. She does not condemn him, but seems to accept that womanizing is what men do. Ruth would not put up with that from Walter although she does defer to him on a number of occasions. She also has a more gentle way of getting him to come around. Beneatha represents the â€Å"new woman† or feminist in that she would not put up with any of this. She wants to forge her own identity independent of a man. She believes that people must accept her as she is and refused to â€Å"be nice† as Mama tells her. This play also shows the change in black arts and intellectualism. According to Schmoop, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun is part of broader shift in black art towards depicting working-class, ordinary African-Africans. Previously, black intellectuals did not use literature, art, or the stage to portray working-class African-Americans for fear they would perpetuate undesirable stereotypes. † (Schmoop). Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes both thought this idea ridiculous. They, in fact, felt the opposite. They felt that they could challenge these stereotypes by writing about them. Also according to Schmoop, â€Å"By focusing on the dreams and aspirations of one particular working-class black family, moreover, Hansberry was able to show audiences the universality of black aspirations while also demonstrating that their race posed a significant barrier to achieving those goals† (Schmoop). That is precisely what Hansberry did. She showed the trials and struggles of one family. The family is black, and some of the themes only those of color could relate to but others are universal—family love, sibling rivalry, wanting the best for children, wanting to make money and have more, etc. A Raisin in the Sun is a masterful play. While some see it overly simplistic, Hansberry gives us the gamut of African American response to the oppression that was still occurring. Walter is just angry. Mama and Ruth are more concerned with just getting by and providing better opportunities for the next generation. Willy Harris steals from his own to get ahead, and George Murchison rejects his own upbringing. Asagai also rejects American ways, but he is African. Beneatha most represents Lorraine Hansberry as she tries to fight the system, fight society’s expectations of her as a black woman, and forge her own identity. All emotions are represented in this play. Works Cited Books and Writers. http://www. kirjasto. sci. fi/corhans. htm http://www. shmoop. com/intro/literature/lorraine-hansberry/a-raisin-in-the-sun. html Colas, Brandon. Lorraine Hansberry. A Raisin in the Sun. The Ghetto Trap. Retrieved November 28, 2008 at http://www. literature-study-online. com/essays/hansberry.html Corley, Cheryl. A Raisin in the Sun. March 11. 2002. NPR. Retrieved November 26, 2008 at http://www. npr. org/programs/morning/features/patc/raisin/ Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. â€Å"Lorraine Hansberry. † Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 25. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich. : Thomson Gale. 2007. http://www. edupaperback. org/showauth. cfm? authid=93 Reuben, Paul. PAL: Perspectives in American Literature. Retrieved November 27, 2008 at http://www. csustan. edu/English/reuben/pal/chap8/hansberry. html A Raisin in the Sun Essay A Raisin in the Sun is a story of the Younger Family dealing with racial problems in Chicago slums. Ten thousand dollars arrives in the mail and Lena has to decide what to do with it. Bennie wants it for tuition money, Walter wants it for down payment for the liqueur store and Ruth just wants everyone to be happy. So there is three major events happening: (1) Lena decides to buy a house in a white neighborhood, (2) Lena entrusts the rest of the money to Walter telling him to save a good amount for Beneatha’s schooling and (3)Walter loses all the money in the liquor store scam. In all these dilemmas Lena has a plant that she talks and takes care of it through out the story. Mama’s plant symbolizes hope for the future. In act one scene one Mama says â€Å" Lord, if this little old plant don’t get more sun than it’s been getting it ain’t never going to see spring again.( Hansberry, 40)† In the beginning that the plants needs sun because its in a room with a little window and Mama worries that it will not spring so it shows that even thought it does not have enough sun and it is still surviving so it wants to holding because it knows it will be in a better place and become stronger in the future. In act one scene one Mama says â€Å"They spirited all right, my children. Got to admit they got spirit- Bennie and Walter.. Like this little old plant that ain’t never had enough sunshine or nothing – and look at it†¦(Hansberry,52)† Mama Knows that Bennie and Walter are strong and do not just give up like that plant which shows hope for the future for both them to hold out for that soil and that house even thought it has racism they can get through it like the plant without the sun. Beneath: â€Å"Mama, what are you doing?† Mama:â€Å" Fixing my plant so it won’t get hurt none on the way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Beneatha: Mama, you going to take that to the new house?(Hansberry,121)† Mama: †un-huh-† Beneatha: â€Å" that raggedy-looking old thing?† Mama: It EXPRESSES ME!† Even thought Beneath tells Mama how the plant is old and worthless she knows that expresses her. Mama’s plant does not symbolizes anything because all she talks about is getting the garden since all she has is one plant so she says the houses in her neighborhood have their garden. â€Å"well, I always wanted me a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the houses down home. This plant is close as I ever got to having one.(Hansberry,53)† Lena just wanted to have a garden since she could not have one when she was little because she was a slave. So that plant is the  closest thing she ever had to a garden. Although some may be able to argue that Mama’s plant does not symbolizes anything because she only wants a garden with her house. She wants a garden and that plant is the only thing she can have but it does mean the plant symbolizes hope because sh e treats the plant like one of her children she nurtures it and wants to take it to a new house to live. Mama’s plant is hope for the future because it thrived or lived through not having a lot of light through that small window in the apartment just like the family went through racism.

Gender Differences Essay

Sexual double standard refers to gender differences in sexual freedom (Gentry, 1998). In 1960, Ira Reiss defined orthodox double standard as premarital sex prohibition on women but not on men (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). This social standard became the conditional double standard wherein females are only allowed for sexual relationship within marriage while males are not prohibited to incur sexual relationship as many as they can (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). As stereotype, society generally condones certain sexual behaviors only for male but considered as taboo for females (Gentry, 1998). From the early historical period of the Western nations, the unequal treatment between men and women regarding with sexual issues have been recorded (Haavio-Mannila and Kontula, 2003). Women were usually expected to preserve virginity upon marriage and to avoid sexual contact with any one even after legal separation or husband death (Haavio-Mannila and Kontula, 2003). This sexual inequality orientation became the traditional moral standards for both male and female groups but with strict provisions on women. Further, this inequality, according to Williams (1987), was resulted from the early conception that women are valuable property of men and an object of exchange (Haavio-Mannila and Kontula, 2003). As such, sustaining female value requires virginity preservation. In connection to this, the strict observance of chastity has been implemented within a clan for the prevention of unwanted pregnancy, preservation of family honor, and assurance of proper social-class marriage (Haavio-Mannila and Kontula, 2003). After 1960s’ and 1970s’ decades of sexual behavior liberalization, sexual double standard is deemed to be gone (Gentry, 1998). Although arguments on this matter until this present are still in existence, most researches failed to provide a strong ground for the continuous existence of sexual double standard (Gentry, 1998). In spite of this, sexual issues such as teenage pregnancy, rape, illegitimacy of birth, pre-marital relations, and even sexual-related diseases like AIDS are continuously perceived with respect to gender-based sexual attitudes (Gentry, 1998). In fact, studies on the sexual behaviors for both male and female showed the persistence and effects of double standard for both sexes (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). Literature Review During 19th century sexual differences has became the focus of scientific investigation (Haavio-Mannila and Kontula, 2003). For instance, Havelock Ellis treated women’s sexuality as weakness while the Kinsey era supported the equality of gender (Haavio-Mannila and Kontula, 2003). Nonetheless, Masters and Johnson proved the similarity in sexual response between male and female (Haavio-Mannila and Kontula, 2003). Meanwhile, the emergence of more equal opportunities for both sexes was ascribed to the socioeconomic developments (Haavio-Mannila and Kontula, 2003). At this time, equal educational opportunities for men and women have started to be provided. Moreover, increasing socioeconomic affluence and wealth have improved means and styles of living (Haavio-Mannila and Kontula, 2003). This paved the way towards sexual exploration, adaptation and revolution (Haavio-Mannila and Kontula, 2003). Gender differences in sexual behaviors, based on evolutionary psychology, are brought by human evolution. Gender differences are related with reproduction; to ensure the survival and perpetuity of species, male organisms needed to impregnate many females as they can (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). On the other hand, as explained by social learning theory, since sexually-permissive women are ostracized while men with multiple partners gained societal popularity, the society was conditioned to delimit sexual relationship of women into monogamous relationship while giving reinforcement to males having many sexual affairs (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). This notion gave way to the rise of sexual script theory that catered explanation for the sexual behavior patterns. In accordance with this theory, to abide with the traditional script, men are used to have many sexual partners while women are exclusively intended for one-partner relationship (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). However, amidst these glaring differences, studies on double standard have produced conflicting results. The differences in results for those studies were ascribed to the instruments and criteria utilized by researchers in the conduct of their study (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). In her study, Gentry (1998) failed to provide conclusive findings on traditional sexual double standard in accordance with gender-based perceptions of her respondents. Also, the respondents’ perception depended mainly on the target’s type of relationship and sexual activity. As consistent with other studies, respondents gave more positive rating on the target with below average sexual activity and in monogamous relationship (Gentry, 1998). Still, the female participants rated an assertive and liberal woman as with higher level of sexual activity (Gentry, 1998). On the other hand, the degree of assertiveness and sexual activity were not significantly associated with the concept of liberal men (Gentry, 1998). As such, it was noted that male and female participants both used social and physical attributes in their perception of a desirable individual (Gentry, 1998). Generally, male respondents relied on gender and sexual activity data in conceiving the personality of male targets and classified targets with below average sexual activity as less appealing (Gentry, 1998). However, the findings of this study did not reflect the noticeable gender bias in the university where it was conducted; the pathway towards female residence halls was named as â€Å"walk of shame† which is an insinuation against female student who spent overnight with male (Gentry, 1998). In 1982, Spreadbury reported that women respondents tended to rate the sexual behavior of women as more promiscuous than men which denoted their support towards double standard (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). Also, in 1987, when it comes to the assessment of the first sexual experience of a hypothetical case, Sprecher, Orbuch, and McKinney revealed that respondents gave negative more negative rate on female case than male case (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). In terms of preferences for a partner, in 1995, O’ Sullivan revealed that both male and female respondents less favored for a highly sex-experienced person (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). Moreover, in 1997, Sprecher, McKinney, and Regan showed that both male and female respondents preferred for a date without any sexual experience (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). Nonetheless, in 1992, Sedikides reported male respondents much preferred sexually experienced women for casual date (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). This male preference for casual date reflected the double standard among male participants. In relation to this, in 1992, Oliver and Sedikides reasoned out that male respondents choose women with more sexual experience as casual dates to gain sex experience but much preferred women without sex experience as their marriage partners (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). This is again an indication of a double standard. In the same manner, as explained by Sprecher, Orbuch, and McKinney in 1991, the refusal of female respondents with highly sex-experienced men in any relationship, implied reversed double standard (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). In their study among university women in Canada, Milhausen and Herold (1999) found that students are personally against double standard even if women’s behavior was deemed harshly than men (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). They also favored for the importance of sex, thus, rejecting one notion of double standard (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). In addition, the respondents gave negative rating for both male and female with more sex experience (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). Still, they perceived men with multiple sexual partners as exploitative, sexual predators, and manipulative (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). They also perceived that other women mostly gained criticism from other women than men due to their sexual behavior (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). Furthermore, the respondents denounced the idea of supporting either a female friend in dating with highly sex-experienced man or even a male friend dating with highly sex-experienced woman (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). This signified the discouragement for double standard. However, if the highly sex-experienced man has other positive characteristics, the respondents gave possible chance of dating with that man (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). Personality attributes take precedence in choosing a partner rather than sexual experience (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). Conversely, there were respondents that even in the presence of good personality traits in a sex-experienced man would still turn down the date (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). In line with this, women who had multiple sexual relations tended to choose men who also had multiple sexual affairs (Milhausen and Herold, 1999). The experimental investigation of Sheeran, Abrams, Spears, and Abraham in 1996, respondents perceived that female should have lower number of sexual relationship than male (Crawford and Popp, 2003). In addition, as perceived by both non-religious female and religious male, sexually active women are seldom observed (Crawford and Popp, 2003). Moreover, participants rated women who have changed sexual partner for several times in a year as more irresponsible than men of the same case (Crawford and Popp, 2003). In the same year, Sprecher and Hatfield observed that male respondents signified a double standard for both male and female in casual dating but not for male and female in a pre-engage or serious dating stage (Crawford and Popp, 2003). In a cross-cultural study, Russian students have higher tendency for traditional double standard even during the dating stage (Crawford and Popp, 2003). In contrast, higher tendency for double standards endorsed by male respondents than female respondents were observed for the United States participants than Japanese and Russian participants (Crawford and Popp, 2003). As such, in the United States, male respondents associated permissiveness more on males than females (Crawford and Popp, 2003). As a general observation, male in the United States have greater inclination towards double standards than female (Crawford and Popp, 2003). In terms of personality attributes, Morris, Young, and Jones (2000) found that Bolivian elite students, both male and female, having high self-esteem generally involved in sexual intercourse. In contrast, home self-esteem was associated with conservative sexual behaviors. Analysis and Conclusion Event though double standards may seem to vanish but its contemporary form may emerge which in turn affects human sexual behavior (Crawford and Popp, 2003). Evidences of heterosexual standards emanated from respondents as they proposed dissimilar levels of accepted sexual activity for both male and female (Crawford and Popp, 2003). Similarly, double standards may arise through the responses of the participants with regards to specific behaviors. Also, double standards can be noticed and evaluated based on the purpose of sexual activity and global measures respectively (Crawford and Popp, 2003). Meanwhile, double standards in sexual issues have been captured the attention of social and biological researchers, the studies have poor methodological designs (Marks, 2008). In relation to cognitive theories, in 2006, Marks and Fraley postulated that observations congruent with the double standard are easily encoded in mind than deviant events (Marks, 2008). For instance, a woman maligned due to extramarital affairs easily clings in the mind of the public than a woman given reinforcement because of sexual activity. Also, in 2007, they endorsed that individuals while in group, tended to support double standard than when alone because of interactions among the respondents (Marks, 2008). The social interaction among the participants may trigger cognitive functions leading to the use of stereotypes, thus, signified the tendency of the respondents to endorse double standard in public but not privately (Marks, 2008). Most of the researches conducted in this endeavor, utilized fictional approach instrumentation in eliciting respondents’ perception regarding every possible aspect of double standard; thus, failed to accurately quantify the sexual double standards in real-life basis (Marks, 2008). In this approach, hypothetical cases in the form of interview or stories will be given to the participants and allowing them to form judgments based on case specificity. However, double standard stereotypes were formed as general impression for a specific class of individuals (Marks, 2008). Hence, the purpose served by the research technique mentioned earlier was individuation not as stereotypes. In connection to this, Marks (2008) found that participants rated both males and females equally with respect to double standards on full attention basis. On the other hand, when their attention was divided, they favorably rated sexually-active men than women (Marks, 2008). Based on the results of his study, Marks (2008) reported that sexual double standard was more common than what has been suggested by previous researches. In addition, the fictional strategy in the assessment of double standard can hardly measure the extent of double standard in sexuality (Marks, 2008). Based on the abovementioned literature, socio-cultural factors shape gender stereotypes which in turn lead to the practice of double standards in sexuality. However, contemporary researches showed that sexual stereotype does not hold true for general cases (Clements-Schreiber and Rempel, 1998). For instance, McCormick (1979) reported that students generally attributed sex goal to males and sex avoidance to females but contemporary researches revealed that women initiated sex with their partners as men showed some form of resistance towards sexual intercourse. In line with this, the value given by the society to sexual double standard is a determinant of gender inequality. On the other hand, double standard may affect women positively. For example, women are prohibited for multiple sexual affairs but men are condoned for such practice. This double standard saves women from unwanted pregnancy and transmission of sexually-related diseases like HIV/AIDS and gonorrhea. Additionally, having unplanned children form different men will also be lessened; hence, causes reduction of population explosion and deterrence of its inevitable consequences such as poverty and food scarcity. Therefore, in a way or another, sexual double standard was spontaneously established through norms, mores, and traditional beliefs of the early society to regulate sexual relationship which in turn leads to a strong clan foundation. As supported by the findings of McCormick (1994), since women in general, make the crucial decision on the extent of sexual behavior in heterogeneous relationship (Milhausen and Herold, 1999), they have been the subject of the preconceived inequality in sexual relations. Hence, for a better perspective of this sexual double standard, contemporary research findings should be integrated with the historical and traditional rationale of double standard existence. In the end, the persistence or re-emergence of any sexual standards in the contemporary society will always depend on individuals themselves. References Clements-Schreiber, M. E. , Rempel, J. K. , and Desmarais, S. (1998). Women’s Sexual Pressure Tactics and Adherence to Related Attitudes: A Step Toward Prediction. The Journal of Sex Research, 35 (2), 197-205. Crawford, M. and Popp, D. (2003). Sexual Double Standards: A Review and Methodological Critique of Two Decades of Research. The Journal of Sex Research, 40 (1), 13-26. Gentry, M. (1998). The Sexual Double Standard The Influence of Number of Relationships and Level of Sexual Activity on Judgments of Women and Men. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 22, 505-511. Haavio-Mannila, E. and Kontula, O. (2003). Single and Double Standards in Finland, Estonia, and St. Petersberg. The Journal of Sex Research, 40 (1), 36-49. Marks, M. J. (2008). Evaluations of Sexually Active Men and Women Under Divided Attention: A Social Cognitive Approach to Sexual Double Standard. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 30, 84-91. Milhausen, R. R. and Herold, E. S. (1999). Does the Sexual Double Standard Still Exist? Perceptions of University Women. The Journal of Sex Research, 36(4), 361-368. Morris, J. , Young, M. , and Jones, C. (2000). Self-Esteem and Adolescent Sexual Behavior Among Students at an Elite Bolivian School. The International Electronic Journal of Health Education, 3(1), 36-43.

Antarctica essays

Antarctica essays National Geographic Antarctica: Life at the Bottom of the World p2 - 36 Scientists has spent all or part of the current summer in the Taylor Valley. The study of algae and glaciers. They are tracing how the creatures that live in this environment adapt to each other and to the Antarctics extreme conditions. Using Dry Valley soils as a model for the more complex soils that exist in the rest of the world. The dearth of species here makes relationships between organisms and their environment easier to discern. In normal soils, the soil organisms are extremely complex, there are as many species in the soil as you have above ground. Soil scientists have found as many as 110 different nematode species living in the grassland soil of Colorado and thats not including earthworms and ants. In Taylor Valley, the soil is home to only bacteria and three species of nematode. This is one of the few places on earth where you can pick up a handful of soil and not find a nematode at all. The researchers work at a Long Term Ecological Research site established by the National Science Foundation at Lake Hoare, which is about two miles long and lies at the edge of the Canada Glacier. The glacier ends in a sharply scarped lobe about halfway up the 18 mile valley. The nematode researchers, measuring what factors affect the abundance and variety of nematodes. Among other things, they have discovered that when it is too cold and dry, nematodes enter a state of suspended animation, called anhydrobiosis, in which they lose up to 99 percent of the water in their bodies, essentially freeze-dried. In this freeze-dried condition, the nematodes are easily dispersed by the wind, another factor the scientists are eager to measure. The scientist believe that nematodes were in meltwater pool atop the glacier. The scientist are also interested in what influence nematodes have on the carbon cycle when they consume bacteria that in...

The Jabidah Massacre Essay Example

The Jabidah Massacre Essay Example The Jabidah Massacre Paper The Jabidah Massacre Paper In 1963, the resource-rich territory of Sabah, which had been under British control since the late nineteenth-century, formally became part of the Federation of Malaysia. The Philippines, however, protested this, claiming that Sabah had never been sold to foreign interests, and that it had only been leased (padjak) by the Sulu Sultanate and therefore remained the property of the Sultan and by extension the property of Republic of the Philippines. This dispute led the-then Philippine presidents Diosdado Macapagal then later on Ferdinand Marcos to establish special military units tasked with fomenting dissent amongst Sabahs non-Malay ethnic groups, namely the Tausug and Sama, two groups closely aligned ethnically and culturally with Filipinos. The code-name of this destabilization programme was Operation Merdeka (Operation Freedom), with Manuel Syquio as project leader and then Maj. Eduardo Abdul Latif Martelino as operations officer. The object of this program was the annexation of Sabah to the Republic of the Philippines. The plan involved the recruitment of nearly 200 Tausug and Sama Muslims aged 18 to 30 from Sulu Province and Tawi-Tawi and their training in the island-town of Simunul in Tawi-Tawi. Simunul was where the Arab missionary Makhdum built the first mosque in the Philippines in the 13th century. The recruits felt giddy about the promise not only of a monthly allowance, but also over the prospect of eventually becoming a member of an elite unit in the Philippine Armed Forces. From August to December 1967, the young recruits underwent training in Simunul. The name of the commando unit was Jabidah. On 30 December 1967, 135 to 180 recruits boarded a Philippine Navy vessel for the island of Corregidor in Luzon for specialized training. This second phase of the training turned mutinous when the recruits discovered their true mission. It struck the recruits that the plan would mean not only fighting their brother Muslims in Sabah, but also possibly killing their own Tausug and Sama relatives living there. Additionally, the recruits had already begun to feel disgruntled over the non-payment of the promised mon thly stipend. The recruits then demanded to be returned home. Four decades later, an incident known as the Jabidah massacre, continues to haunt the Philippines. No-one is sure how many trainee soldiers, most of them Muslims, died when a plan to attack the Malaysian state of Sabah leaked out and authorities moved to destroy the evidence. The Jabidah massacre, also known as the Corregidor massacre, refers to an incident which occurred on the night of March 18, 1968 on the Philippine island of Corregidor. It was on this night that members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) massacred at least 28 Moro Muslim recruits under their supervision. The Jabidah Massacre is widely regarded as having been the catalyst behind the modern Moro insurgencies in the Southern Philippines. As the sole survivor later recounted, the plotters led the trainees out of their Corregidor barracks on the night of March 18, 1968 in batches of twelve. They were taken to a nearby airstrip. There, the plotters mowed the trainees down with gunfire. Jibin Arula, the survivor, said that he heard a series of shots and saw his colleagues fall. He ran towards a mountain and rolled off the edge on to the sea. He recalled clinging to a plank of wood and stayed afloat. By morning, fishers from nearby Cavite rescued him. The truth of the massacre took some time to emerge. In March 1968 Moro students in Manila held a week long protest vigil over an empty coffin marked ‘Jabidah’ in front of the presidential palace. They claimed â€Å"at least 28† Moro army recruits had been murdered. Court-martial proceedings were brought against twenty-three military personnel involved. There was a firestorm in the Philippine press, attacking not so much the soldiers involved, but the culpability of a government administration that would ferment such a plot, and then seek to cover it up by wholesale murder. The matter even made its way to the Supreme Court in 1970, on a preliminary issue. Although the exact number of deaths still continues to vary depending upon the source of the reference, there is no denial of the fact that Corregidor was host to a massacre on that night. Comments and Analysis In March 1968 Moro students in Manila held a week long protest vigil over an empty coffin marked ‘Jabidah’ in front of the presidential palace. They claimed â€Å"at least 28† Moro army recruits had been murdered. Court-martial proceedings were brought against twenty-three military personnel involved. There was also a firestorm in the Philippine press, attacking not so much the soldiers involved, but the culpability of a government administration that would foment such a plot, and then seek to cover it up by wholesale murder. The plan of Ferdinand Marcos was failed because of the leaked happened. The members of the Jabidah do not want to continue the fight in Sabah because they were deprived of having promised monthly stipend. They were also dismayed because they discovered the true intention of the regime Marcos. The member of the Jabidah does not want to fight their Muslim brothers like Tausug and Maranao. The plan of Marcos was destroyed and unsuccessful so he ordered his military personnel to kill all the members of the Jabidah. It is not right to kill innocent people. Those people who were killed are not aware on the true mission of Marcos. Because of what Marcos did, many of our Muslim brothers wants to revenge on what happened in Jabidah massacre or in other words the Corregidor Massacre. There are Muslims who made a group that will fight the government for the wrong things they have done to our Filipino people. The main legacy of the Jabidah massacre was the crystallization of Moro discontent and the subsequent formation of the Moro National Liberation Front and, later, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Because what President Marcos done, the insurgency in our country increased, from that tragedy the Moro National Liberation Front was established and wants to fight the government and to separate the land for muslims only. Killing our co-Filipino is not a moral activity instead of killing other why we should help one another for the betterment of our country. Instead of decreasing insurgencies in our country, it become larger and larger and until now we can’t stop the insurgencies in our country because of wrong doings of our government. The justice for the people who died in Jabidah massacre was not given attention. After years past, the cased was disappeared and nothing happened. No right justice for those people who died in the massacre. Philippine justice system and no real punishment was ever handed-down to the accused. References corregidor.org/heritage_battalion/jabidah.html

Top 6 Key Questions to Ask at Your Next Job Interview

Top 6 Key Questions to Ask at Your Next Job Interview You got the interview!  Things are going well. You’ve smoothly discussed your performance points, you’ve glossed over That Incident We’d All Like to Leave Behind, and you’ve been making eye contact like a pro. Suddenly, the interviewer asks you if you have any questions. â€Å"Oh ho,† you think. â€Å"The interviewee has become the interviewer!† But in the moment, you start to feel a bit of inward panic. You’ve focused so fully on answering any question that could possibly be thrown your way, and now you’re drawing a bit of a blank. The best way to avoid that deer-in-headlights moment in an interview is to be prepared. Ahead of the interview, think of a set of questions to have on hand no matter how the discussion shakes out. If possible, work them in organically during the interview (without seeming too Barbara Walters about it). If they don’t really fit with the flow of the conversation, hold them until the end when y ou might well have an open floor.1. â€Å"How has this position evolved?†This one can give you a sense of how the company sees this role- and, potentially, you. If this is a role that has expanded or updated with each person that has held it, that’s a good indicator that it is a growth position. If it has stayed more or less the same over time, it could be that there is not much room for you to a) make it your own or b) advance beyond a certain point. Not necessarily a dealbreaker, depending on your perspective, but definitely something to be aware of as you go into it.RELATED:  Crush your Next Job Interview with These 12 Questions2. â€Å"In the first year, what is the highest priority for this position?†Five-year plans (a common interview and career subject) are all well and good, but the first year in a position could make or break it for you. Knowing the immediate plans for this role can tell you whether this is where you really want to be. After all, the company’s goals for the position will become your goals if you end up taking the job, so it would be helpful to know as early as possible whether the initial priorities are ones that seem manageable to you and likely to be a challenge.3. â€Å"In this position, how would I be working with my manager?†Speaking of things that can make or break your new job, your boss might be the most important one. We all have management styles to which we respond well- and ones that make us want to run screaming for the nearest exit. The answer to this question can let you know whether you’ll be working shoulder-to-shoulder with your manager, or if he or she expects you to take a ball and run with it, with minimal input or hand-holding.4. â€Å"What are the biggest challenges in this role?†Just like you present the best parts of yourself in your resume and the interview, the employer wants to present the best parts of this job to prospective employees. There is likely mor e to the job than the bare-bones job description, and now is your chance to get some of that extra context if the interviewer hasn’t already offered that information.5. â€Å"What is a typical day like in this role?†If you’ll be spending most of your day on particular tasks, this question can help you figure out whether that will work for you. For example, if you hate fielding phone calls, but it turns out that 75% of this job is working the phones, this is crucial information to have. This can also help you figure out what the priorities will be for the position and help you shape any subsequent answers around that information to show that you would be a good fit for that daily routine.6. â€Å"Is there anything else I can provide to help you make this decision?†This is a good grand finale question once the interview is winding down. It shows you’re proactive and keenly interested in the position, for starters and also gives you a chance to clarif y any vagueness or confusion on the interviewer’s part.Asking questions in your interview is key. It demonstrates that you’re paying attention and are engaged in the process. And by asking smart ones on the spot, tailored specifically to the job description and your pre-interview research on the company, you show the interviewer that you’re a better-prepared candidate than someone who either doesn’t speak up or who ignores the useful opportunity to ask counter-questions.

Kuwait unversity is loosing its ranking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Kuwait unversity is loosing its ranking - Essay Example This population accounts for at least half the population of Kuwait; thereby raising alarm amongst scholars and educators alike as to whether this drop in world rank is representative of a drop in the quality of skills and competency transfer within the institution? What does this portend on the institution’s capacity to attract international students in light of an ever globalizing world? To a country whose population comprised almost half by teens aged 18-24 years, the youth represent a significant component towards the future development of Kuwait as a country. The former Minister for education in Kuwait, Noria Al-Sabeeh ably identified that, â€Å"investing in young people is actually investing in the future.† But this is not so evident at the university. In a 21st century environment, the use of ICT learning is one of the most revolutionary concepts for all proactive educators. According to the Kuwait University 2011-2012 catalogue, there seems to be a failure to reconcile this thought in its academic policies. Emphasis is still being placed on student’s physical attendance in class without providing clear stipulations as to how open-distance learning can be effected. Subsequently, with the high levels of student intake it seems clear that the existing four campuses were inadequate for the increasing student level approximated at over 19,000 in 2005. The continued falling of teacher-student ratio nationally which currently stands at a paltry 0.06:1 may have contributed to a decline in the state university ranking (StateUniversity.com). The educational statistics for 1997-98 shows a greater decline of Kuwaiti educators at university level; the tendency to rely on foreign educators has an indirect impact on the student performance because learning cannot be effectively â€Å"localized† in the sense of practical exemplification of theoretical concepts; development and assessment of student projects and proposals. Finally, the occurrence of