Aristotles Concept of Ethical Responsibility

Aristotles Concept of Ethical Responsibility Free Online Research Papers The question of individual responsibility, in my opinion, is the most important in the field of ethics. Coming to an adequate understanding of human potential and limitation in forming the best life possible has been a prime question of the philosopher for ages, as it pertains to so many other forms of inquiry i.e. education, political formation, social justice, and knowledge. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is a work that delves into the problem of responsibility and attempts to provide an adequate outline for the development of the best human individual in relation with the best society in nature. Although his account of the topic is very brief in the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle gives an intelligible and valuable justification for voluntariness or free will via the notions praise and blame. As these notions are unintelligible without reference to freedom, Aristotle must explain for what we are properly praised and blamed, i.e. for what we are properly called responsible. Given his conceptualization of the conditions of virtuous action in relation to character and intelligence and the human’s responsibility for virtue, Aristotle stops the force of environment and other factors, and the extent of pardonable ignorance, in the proper place so that human freedom in decision making remains intact. Whether, as one may object, Aristotle gives significant weight to the notions of praise and blame arbitrarily so as not to fall into determinism will be considered with reference to his defense of responsibility of character and the possibility of becoming virtuous and maintaining virtue. To properly understand Aristotle’s view of responsibility it is necessary to understand what actions and character states are worthy of praise or blame, and which are worthy of pardon or pity. In book three of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle provides an outline for the responsibility of human action through his notion of voluntary and involuntary action. In chapter one of book three a criteria is provided to understand the nature of each designation, as translated by Irwin, Aristotle says, â€Å"Virtue, then is about feelings and actions. These receive praise or blame if they are voluntary, but pardon, sometimes even pity, if they are involuntary† (Aristotle, 1109b). What Aristotle means is that if an action can receive praise it can also receive blame, thus the individual has a choice to do a praise or blameworthy action. The next question considered is how Aristotle delineates the difference between a voluntary and involuntary action? He continues with book three to give a description of the difference between a voluntary and involuntary action. In Ostwald’s translation of the Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle states, â€Å"It is of course generally recognized that actions done under constraint or due to ignorance are involuntary. An act is done under constraint when the initiative or source of motion comes from without† (1110a). Further provided is an example of a man being blown away by wind as a case where external force or principle could cause an individual to do an involuntary action (Ostwald, 1110a). This notion of external principle seems simple enough, but Aristotle recognizes how an ambiguous situation could arise in the form of a mixed action. He posits an example, â€Å"Suppose for instance a tyrant tells you to do something shameful, when he has control over your parents and children, and if you do it, but if you don’t they die. These cases raise dispute about whether they are voluntary or involuntary (Irwin, 1110a). A mixed action is a situation where a person is under duress and has little time to decide what to do, or has to decide between two bad options. Aristotle leans toward the fact that an action like the tyrant anecdote is more of a voluntary action because the principle of bodily movement lies within the individual. Irwin provides an interpretation that goes as such, â€Å"Actions under duress are mixed, since they have some voluntary and involuntary aspects. But, taken as a whole, they are voluntary, since their principle of action is within the agent† (Irwin, 202). Mixed action should be understood in terms of degree. Not all circumstances in life will provide one with the best option. Aristotle draws a line at individual movement, in order for the individual to take control of what she can; even if life throws her a â€Å"catch 22†, because these situations do not happen very often in people’s lives. That is why Aristotle establishes a degree of voluntariness in mixed actions to include ambiguous circumstances that could occur. There is a wider scale of responsibility that Aristotle establishes which will be declared later. Aristotle posits that the other form of involuntary action is ignorance. â€Å"Everything caused by ignorance is nonvoluntary, but what is involuntary involves pain and regret† (1110b). An ignorant action is when a person acts with knowledge of the universal but ignorance of a particular. Ostwald illuminates this point with a syllogism, â€Å"Reasoning on matters of conduct involves two premises, one major and one minor. The major premise is always universal, e.g. â€Å"to remove by stealth another person’s property is stealing,† â€Å"Jerry took the horse but did not know it belonged to another† (Ostwald, 55). Therefore; Jerry acted out of ignorance of the particular, which is pardonable according to Aristotle if he expresses guilt about the situation. An interesting question arises: why must Jerry feel regret in order for his action to be considered involuntary as opposed to nonvoluntary? Aristotle answers, â€Å"Everything caused by ignorance is nonvoluntary, but what is involuntary involves pain and regret. For if someone’s action was caused by ignorance, but he now has no objection to the action, he has done it neither willingly, since he did not know what it was, nor unwillingly, since he feels no pain† (Irwin, 1110b). Irwin provides a key interpretation of this passage, â€Å"The distinction between the nonvoluntary and the involuntary is irrelevant to the agent’s relation to his action; for in either case he is not responsible for it. But it is relevant to his character. If he is pleased at something he has done because of ignorance, he shows what sorts of actions he is willing and prepared to do, and is rightly blamed or praised for his attitude to these actions. This passage is one that shows that Aristotle is concerned with more than responsibility for actions† (203). Aristotle’s assessment for the wider range of responsibility is achieved by character formation through one’s virtuous activity and intention to constantly mold one’s character towards a virtuous state. It is shown, with his types of involuntariness, that there are situations that one can engage which reduce the individual’s freedom, but does not outright destroy it. Aristotle is providing a realistic outlook for freedom and responsibility. Aristotle recognizes man’s limitations through two forms of pardon. First, involuntariness by force recognizes the limits of the human body in the face of nature. Second, involuntariness caused by ignorance recognizes the limits of human knowledge to see all particular circumstances. In light of these presuppositions; it becomes clear that Aristotle is placing extra significance on personal responsibility in order to maintain an appropriate state and this is character virtue. Man is able to maintain freedom through the development of his character even if circumstance brings ill fortune. With terms of the nature of an involuntary action defined the notion of voluntary action is illuminated. A voluntary action is one in which the person acts with freedom of bodily movement with knowledge of a particular in relation to the universal. The universal includes both moral action and intention for virtuous character. Says Aristotle, â€Å"Hence virtue is also up to us, and so also, is vice. For when acting is up to us; so is not acting, and when no is up to us, not acting, when it is shameful, is also up to us; and if not acting, when it is fine, is up to us, then acting, when it is shameful is up to us. But if doing, and likewise not doing, fine or shameful actions is up to us, and if, as we say, doing or not doing them is what it is to be a good or bad person, being decent or base is up to us† (Irwin, 1113b). Now with an understanding of Aristotle’s concepts of voluntary and involuntariness I will provide my own example and use his method to discern where the scope of responsibility can be applied. I will also introduce Aristotle’s concept of justice as a type of virtue in order to properly elucidate the degree to which responsibility lies. In Venice, California skateboarding is incredibly popular, as well as, numerous other outdoor activities since the climate there is pristine. This area supports flocks of people who make up a bustling area of outdoor vendors, recreational athletes, and homeless wonderers, and a pantheon of other walks of life. One particular Venetian past time is roller skiing. Roller skiing involves riding on a skateboard while being pulled by a dog, most usually a pit bull. A dog is harnessed and it takes the skateboarder on a wild ride dodging in and out of traffic, vendors, and benches. One day a friend of mine, while visiting Venice, witnessed one of these roller skier’s dog crash into a man with a shopping cart full of products that were intended to be sold on the beach. The man was not injured, but some of his products were damaged during the crash. Now where does the responsibility fall in this particular case for the man’s damaged goods? At first glance of the case you see that the dog was outside the skater’s principle of action. Also, the skateboarder did not have knowledge of the particular for he did not know that the vendor would cross his path during the ride. It would seem that according to Aristotle’s delineations of involuntariness the skater would escape responsibility for the crash and not have to repay the man, but that is not the right judgment. The skater is still responsible for the virtue of his character, and the most important and difficult of all the virtues is justice, because it relates to others. Aristotle says, â€Å"Moreover, justice is complete virtue to the highest degree because it is the complete exercise of complete virtue. And it is the complete exercise because the person who has justice is able to exercise virtue in relation to another, not only in what concerns himself; for many are able to exercise virtue in their own concerns, but unable in what relates to another† (Irwin, 1130a). Would it degrade the skater’s character to not offer compensation for the vendor’s damaged goods? I believe that Aristotle would think so because the vendor put himself in a situation where it was a good possibility that his dog would run into another person. Aristotle says, â€Å"There also seems to be a difference between actions due to ignorance and acting in ignorance. A man’s action is not considered to be due to ignorance when he is drunk or angry, but due to intoxication and anger, although he does not know what he is doing and is in fact acting in ignorance† (Ostwald, 1110b). Provided with an Aristotelian prospective a judgment can be made on the roller skier’s involvement in the action. He cannot be pardoned for the action of his dog running into the vendor because he created the circumstance for which the incident happened. He acted in ignorance of where the dog would run, and is responsible for knowing that the dog could hit an innocent bystander. Because of this, and for the interest of the skater’s character virtue, it would be just of him to compensate the vendor for the damaged goods. As stated before, character is the fundamental concern of Aristotle because it is the basis for which all actions derive from in the individual. A person is not always responsible for the consequences of their actions, but is always responsible for the consequences that form his character, and in turn will make moral actions because he is concerned with his character. He is free to mold his own character because he is free to be virtuous or not. The universal principle of being virtuous is that which ought to guide a person. Aristotle provides more reasons why humans have free will to make ethical choices, which are grounded in his understanding of human nature. He postulates that all things have a telos or final purpose, and humans have a particular telos, which is to achieve eudaimonia (Bostock, 6). Eudaimonia is translated into happiness from Greek, but it considers more than just the English language rendering of feeling good (Bostock, 8). Eudaimonia is the highest good which entails being virtuous, reasoning well, and contemplation (Bostock, 9). Eudaimonia is a state of character rather than a good feeling. Virtue and good reasoning go hand in hand as the only way for a human fully complete it telos. Unlike other things and animals a human is not guaranteed to fulfill her telos by just being. Aristotle says, â€Å"Hence it is clear that none of the virtues of character arises in us naturally. For if something is by nature one condition, habituation cannot bring it into another condition. A stone, for instance, by nature moves downwards, and habituation could not make it move upwards, not even if you threw it up ten thousand times to habituate it; nor could habituation make fire move downwards, or bring anything that is one condition into another condition. And so the virtues arise in us neither by nature nor against nature. Rather, we are by nature able to acquire them, and we are completed through habit† (Irwin, 1103a). According to Aristotle, humans are not determined in our natural state to be virtuous or not. Virtue is something that we have to mold in ourselves by consistently considering it. The fact that people have the ability to choose their character state implies a significant amount of freedom in their decisions. This does not mean though that they are free of the consequence of the choices which lead to bad habits. If one acts in accordance with the highest good, then the consequence will be a character that is more in accord with virtue. However; if someone consistently acts against the highest good, then the consequence will be the formation of a bad character. A two sided objection to Aristotle’s conception of free will can be raised. One, where does Aristotle derive his universal from? Two, what if a person has been badly habituated by his parents or city to the point where he cannot have otherwise than a bad person? The answer to the first question is an inductive one. Aristotle uses a â€Å"role model† argument to describe how a person can know what being virtuous is. That is why he thinks proper habituation is important, because a young mind that is not yet adept to reason; one must first learn by imitation. He learns to imitate the virtuous man and is then able to reason it for himself when his faculties develop. Once the child becomes a man, reason for the highest good become deductive. Example; P1: To know virtue is to know the highest good. P2 Chris knows virtue. Therefore: Chris knows the highest good. Is there a universal virtue model of a person to provide the next person the model from which they can deduce the highest good from? The difficulty of justifying this proposition seems great. Says, Friedrich Nietzsche, â€Å"How naà ¯ve it is altogether to say: Man ought to be such-and-such! Reality shows us an enchanting wealth of types, the abundance of a lavish play and change of forms- and some wretched loafer of a moralist comments: No! Man ought to be different.† He even knows what man should be like, this wretched bigot and prig: he paints himself on the wall and exclaims, â€Å"Ecce homo!†(Rachels, 185) Perhaps there is not a universal type man for virtue, but from an anthropological perspective universal virtues can be posited for a functioning society. James Rachels in his Elements of Moral Philosophy provides a list of virtues that are common to any society. In this list, one is courage, because life is full of dangers and without courage we would be unable to cope with them. Two is honesty, because without it relations between people would go wrong in myriad ways (Rachels, 184). These two examples provide proof that most people in any society will be exposed at least to some types of virtue. Given that all societies follow a general similar pattern that enables them to exist on this planet, it is not ludicrous to think that once a society is formed the people will start developing more complex ideas of how to be virtuous. Aristotle’s conception of free will is not debunked just because there are different types of people who perform different functions. Another objection to Aristotle’s responsibility formation lies within his model of habituation. Can people be considered to be responsible for their characters if they have had a terrible upbringing? Aristotle says that people who are unfamiliar with the universal good are considered to be base people and thus unpardonable (1110a). Example, what if a person is locked in a room for the first ten years of their life and when they come out they have no capability of acquiring language? Can this person be held responsible for their character when they were never even given the chance to speak? Aristotle would probably offer up pity for such a person. It is important to bear in mind that Aristotle keeps consequence as an important idea in understanding his ethics. People make choices that bear consequences which affect other people to a large degree. Aristotle doesn’t mistaken voluntariness to be a type of causa sui. A man inherits what others have done before, so what he is working with is in large part a by-product of what others have given to him. That is why education is an important part to developing citizens, because he recognizes the large degree of inheritance that occurs between generations. The element of responsibility is not removed because one who has developed rationality in Aristotle’s case will realize what his limits and potentialities and develop them to the fullest extent. The brilliance of the Nicomachean Ethics lies within its flexibility to analyze the human condition without giving direct oughts for all particular cases. Says Aristotle, â€Å"We must also remember our previous remarks, so that we do not look for the same degree of exactness in all areas, but the degree that accords with the proper subject matter and is proper to a given line of inquiry. For the carpenter’s and the geometer’s inquiries about the right angle are different also; the carpenter restricts himself to what helps his work, but the geometer inquires into what, or what sort of thing, the right angle is, since he studies the truth. We must do the exact same, then, in other areas too, seeking the proper degree of exactness, so that disagreements should not overwhelm our main task† (Irwin, 1098b). Under today’s philosophical terminology Aristotle would be defined as a compatibilist, which is someone who acknowledges both the determinate conditions of man. Aristotle had a keen mind for understanding development of human nature. His awareness of the instinctual and learned elements of the human species almost causes me to believe that a lot of psychologists were just reinventing the wheel with his methods. In reference to human freedom Aristotle recognized very well what the human limitations in relation to inheritance and exterior influence from nature were. This did not cause him though to throw away important elements in striving for the good. He provides an adequate defense for the notions of human responsibility, even if all the gray areas of accountability and human development are not developed in the Nicomachean Ethics. Research Papers on Aristotle's Concept of Ethical ResponsibilityComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesEffects of Television Violence on Children19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andResearch Process Part OneCapital PunishmentInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesGenetic EngineeringThe Effects of Illegal Immigration

The 5 Best SAT Prep Games

The 5 Best SAT Prep Games SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You may have heard of a new trend in test prep:games. That’s right- studying for your SAT by playing computer (and even phone) games! If this sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. Most of the SAT prep games out there are pretty bad.However, there are a few games that may genuinely help you with some aspects of your test prep experience- although they won’t do much other than supplement your more typical studying activities like taking practice tests and doing practice problems. In this article I’ll break down the SAT prep game trend, explain why most prep games won’t help you, describe what makes a good prep game, offer some recommendations for games that will help you, and offer some advice on how to use them. SAT Prep Games: An Overview The past few years have seen a rise in â€Å"gamification,† or the attempt to make regular, tedious life tasks more game-like and thus more fun and exciting. There are apps for gamifying exercise, productivity, household chores, finance, and even shopping. Given the ever-increasing circle of things that have been gamified, it’s no surprise that SAT games have proliferated in the past few years. Lots of test-prep companies have gotten on the train. Kaplan, the Princeton Review, the Idiot’s Guide- they all have created or helped create SAT practice games. The general idea behind SAT games is that if preparing for the testis fun, you will want to do it. If you want to do it, you’ll spend more time preparing. But is this true? And even if it is, is the preparation you get from playing games comparable to that from less fun modes of studying? Can you game your way to SAT success? Why Most SAT Prep Games Are Bad The truth is that there are very few test-prep games that will actually provide substantial help on the SAT. In fact, they may even be detrimental, because you may play them thinking you are getting in some valuable preparation when you really aren’t. The problem with most SAT prep games is that they are mostly just glorified multiple-choice quizzes. However, the questions are generally of low quality and don’t resemble real SAT questions very much. Answers are sometimes truly ambiguous or unclear, and explanations are often lacking or nonexistent.Further limiting the utility of many of these games is that they haven’t been updated for the revised SAT. So you’ll be hit with outdated question styles that aren’t even on the SAT anymore, like Sentence Completion and Sentence Error. If a game just asks you â€Å"SAT-style† multiple choice questions, I advise you to stay away from it unless you can thoroughly vet that the questions actually resemble real SAT questions. You are much better off using genuine College Board SAT practice tests or even ACT tests if you need more sample questions to prep for the SAT. It might be marginally more fun to see yourself get points for correct questions in an app or on a website, but you’ll be much happier in the long run if you spend that time answering well-written sample questions that will actually help you. Also, the College Board has now partnered with Khan Academy to create SAT prep resources online, which has both gamified aspects like earnable badges and College-Board official practice questions. You are better off using Khan Academy than any other multiple-choice-based SAT prep game. There are many SAT games that are very focused on vocab. However, while a diverse vocab is still important for the SAT, the revised test places much less emphasis on knowing arcane words out-of-context. So exclusively â€Å"SAT Vocab† focused games may not have much utility for you. STOP before you play bad SAT games! What Makes a Good SAT Prep Game? There are, in general, three things that make for a good prep game. #1: Targets a Specific SAT Skill or Content Area A game aimed at a specific concept that’s tested on the SAT- trigonometry, modelling, punctuation, etc- will be much more useful than something that just offers half-baked multiple choice questions on vocab words. This means that the best SAT prep games may not even be designed specifically for the SAT! They just need to work on building a skill or reviewing material that is covered on the SAT. #2: Engaging If the game is boring, you might as well just take practice tests. A prep game doesn’t have to be the most fun you’ve ever had, but it should break up your practice routine a little bit. #3: Content Is Accurate This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s very important to make sure that the game is actually presenting content accurately. Otherwise you could be studying incorrect material! I would include in this that multiple-choice questions need to actually resemble real SAT questions. Keep your SAT ducks in a row! Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! 5 Solid SAT Prep Games If you want to incorporate some academic and SAT-prep games into your studying, there are several sources where you might look for actually useful games. #1:Sheppards Software This site has a variety of simple, educational flash games for pre-K through 12th grade. The math page has games for probability, algebra, geometry, and several other topics that appear the SAT. There are also word games in the Language Arts section that test your skill with punctuation and parts of speech. This is a solid resource if you find yourself getting stuck on a particular concept in math or language arts, and you just need to drill recall in a non-boring way. #2:FreeRice FreeRice is an online game in which you answer questions to fill up your bowl of rice; every correct question answered actually provides rice to someone in need. FreeRice has an SAT prep category, but I don’t advise using it as the questions are based on the old SAT. I think the English grammar mode is much more useful; you’ll pick the grammatically correct sentence and move through progressively harder levels as you keep choosing the right answer. This is good practice for your wrong-answer elimination skills on the Writing portion of the SAT! #3:NYTimes Student Crosswords This page has printable crosswords (and answer keys) in a variety of academic subjects, including several that are relevant to the SAT, like grammar, geometry, and algebra. These could function as a fun review of some key subject-matter concepts for the SAT. #4:Quizlet With a free account on Quizlet, you can access thousands of flashcard sets that others have uploaded to the site, including a variety of SAT prep sets. Of course, you’ll want to check out a set before you use it to study to make sure it actually has useful (and correct) information. What’s even better is that you can make a set yourself with the things you really need to drill down on. Once you make or choose a set, you can play with it in two game modes. There’s a matching game and a game where you prevent asteroids from hitting the planet by typing the correct answer. #5:Daily SAT Practice This is one of the less gamelike options out there, but it is an official College Board app. It offers you an official practice SAT question every day; once you answer the question you can compare how you did with other students. A solid option simply because all of the questions are College Board-approved. Make your SAT prep arsenal a full deck. How to Use SAT Prep Games in Your Own Studies While SAT games won’t replace the majority of your regular, unglamorous studying, they can supplement it in a few key ways. #1: To Target Specific Skills/Concepts SAT prep games can be helpful in targeting specific skills or concepts that you have trouble with. If commas stump you, try a punctuation game; if triangles trouble you, play a trigonometry or geometry game. Games can be a fun way to learn or reinforce an underlying concept you need to know for the SAT. #2: Keep Material Fresh Between Study Sessions A quick SAT game can be a good way to keep things fresh between dedicated preparation sessions. A few grammar questions on FreeRice will help keep your grammar brain fresh when you go a day or two without any serious prep time. #3: As Warm-ups, Breaks, and Rewards SAT practice games are also a great way to warm up your brain at the beginning of a study session, and a good way to re-energize yourself during a quick break. Playing an SAT game you like for a few minutes before you take a practice test will help turn on your brain and get the gears moving before the main event. You can also use prep games as a reward after you finish a study session to help wrap things up on a low-stress note! The judicious use of prep games can help you hit an SAT home run! Key Takeaways Do I think you could do all of your studying with prep games and do well? No, especially because most prep games are just poorly-written SAT quizzes. That said, here’s what does make a solid SAT prep game: It presents skills and content that are tested on the SAT It’s engaging It presents accurate information There are several sources you might look for to find game-like resources for SAT prep: Sheppards Software- Simple flash games for math and English concepts. FreeRice - Has an English grammar mode that’s useful for the Writing section. NYTimes Student Crosswords - A fun way to review fundamental concepts in a subject. Quizlet - Make your own flashcards and then play games with them! Daily SAT Practice - this College Board official app offers a question a day and lets you see how others did. While they won’t replace most of your studying, there are some targeted ways you might deploy SAT prep games as part of your preparation plan: To target specific skills/concept areas you are weak in Keeping material fresh between study sessions Warm-ups, breaks, and rewards during studying With these tips in mind, you’ll be sure to be able to get the most out of your SAT prep games instead of being played by them! What's Next? Looking for more SAT practice resources? Check our list of best SAT prep books.Or see our list of SAT practice tests. Want to score a super high SAT score?Get all the tips and expert advice you need inmy guide to getting a perfect SAT score. Looking for additional SAT prep help?Check out our picks for thetop SAT prep websitesandappsyou should be using in your studies. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

The Use of Storytelling in Videogames Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Use of Storytelling in Videogames - Essay Example This is not possible in the traditional storytelling methods and even theatricals. Video games allow the player to make a choice on the direction that the story will take. The freedom to make a choice makes the player feel a part of the happenings in the story. The player has the ability to make decisions that impact on the story. Video games enable players to role play and this makes the player to adopt a set of characters for the choice made. Story telling through the use of video games offers more latitude to the player because a single game can have multiple endings. The player has an active role not just as a mere viewer. The games that are player driven games tell a story in a dramatic way such the player feels the impact of the decisions taken in real time as the game continues. The outcome of the video game may depend on the performance of the player and the options taken in the scenarios that present themselves in the game. Therefore, the video games tell a story in a dynami c and interactive way instead of the traditional media that tell stories in a static way. The synthesis between the story and game play is important if a video game is to have an impact on its target audience. The user interface of the game has to be compelling and the game should not have any technical bugs that affect it during play. The storyline has to be well thought out such that even if there can be multiple outcomes of the game, coherence and flow is still maintained. Videogames allow for the developer to include a back story. This significantly helps to expand upon the main story and put all the characters in context. For instance, if a given character in a war game is full of vengeance, the background story can be given to elaborate on the reasons for this. Back story also helps to add special scenes to the story that highlight traits of character that may not be shown in the game. Different game modes allow the player to choose the specific settings that suit their prefer ence when playing the game. The result of this is that the games tells a story that is customized to a given player hence it becomes more captivating and interesting than in the traditional media. Video games engage the player to actively take part in activities that unfold in the story. The feeling of involvement makes the story more engrossing to the player; a feat that cannot be attained through the use of traditional media. The use of video games in story telling has gained widespread adoption especially among school going children and youths. This is because the characters in the video games are easy to identify with. On top of that, the challenge involved in crafting their story as they play the video game is a significant motivator. In as much as both video games and films share the same characteristics in terms of story line and visual style, video games have an added advantage by enabling interactivity. Videogames may also tell a story through cut scenes. This is whereby th e game pauses and plays a saved clip to explain the next plot before play advances. The player has to put aside the controls and watch the clip before advancing to the next level. However, with advances in technology, most games of recent times have embraced the concept of empowering the player to write the story. This further cements the position that the future direction in video games is more inclined towards player driven games. The actual control of the games may not necessarily be real but what

Gender Differences in Academic Underachievement Research Paper

Gender Differences in Academic Underachievement - Research Paper Example Methods 10 Participants 10 Design and procedure 10 Data analysis 10 Summary 11 References 12 1. Introduction Background Secondary and high school students in US, UK and other countries have been witnessing an increasing drop in educational achievement of boys when compared to girls. In some of the school settings, research has found that girls outperformed boys in English more than in other subjects (Bush, 2005). While there may be many reasons for underachievement of both, it is more prevalent with performance of boys rather than that of girls. More boys who underachieve in GCSE test in the UK are found to fail or underachieve in the elementary too. It is likely that boys are four times prone to underachieve than girls of the same age. There is an ‘anti-education culture’ (Paton, 2007) gaining acceptance among ‘the lads’, particularly in the working class boys who develop a ‘counter-school culture’ in terms of ‘hegemonic masculinityâ€⠄¢ in which the teachers are also found to be accomplices to an extent (Abraham, 2008). Patterns of interaction among underachieving boys and girls are also similar as boys tend to develop anti-education culture more prominent in the early years while girls develop similar behavioural traits at later stages (Myhill, 2002). A study by AUT University in Auckland reveals that more teenage boys, as high as 72 percent, are underachieving and are over-represented in suspension and stand down rates than girls. Also, 10 percent more of girls are entering university when compared to boys (Boys underachieving in school and overrepresented in suspensions, 2009). Although, there has been a general disparity between girls and boys attending primary education in many countries across the globe, over the last three decades, the intervention of Commonwealth has ensured equality in education and gender parity. This has led to increased participation among girls on par with boys. However, underachiev ement in education by boys is a serious concern faced by almost all countries and is inevitably compared with participation and performance of girls (Jha and Kelleher, 2006). Need for the Study Motivation techniques for underachieving students, which section, is dominated by boys are to be identified to tackle the problem of underachievement in education by boys. It may be that the issue of underachievement is blown out of proportion by a section of the organization or media but the problem remains. Several researchers have tried to understand the reasons behind the anti-education culture exhibited by boys but somewhere down the line, there is a lack of clarity on the nature of problem and the necessary remedies that need to be included in addressing the issue on hand. Statement of the Problem The purpose of this study is to understand the reasons behind underachievement in education by boys. It is to be understood at what stage, boys who underachieve start to show behavioural or pe rformance symptoms. Gender differences and their influencing factors will also have to be related to understand the anti-education culture that boys are found to exhibit. It is also important to understand what solutions can be obtained in this regard and to what extent are they measureable. Limitations This study is limited in scope as it focuses on understanding gender differences and differences in educational performance in the different levels or forms. Although reasons for

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Essay Example for Free

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Essay After Chielo took Ezinma away, Okonkwo was not able to sleep. He made several trips to the cave before he finally found and joined Ekwefi waiting outside the cave. When Chielo came out of Agbalas cave with Ezinma in the early morning hours, she ignored Okonkwo and Ekwefi and carried the sleeping Ezinma home to her bed, with the girls parents following behind. On the following day, the village celebrates the next event in the marriage of the daughter of Obierika, Okonkwos friend. The uri is a ritual in which the suitor presents palm-oil to everyone in the brides immediate family, her relatives, and her extended group of kinsmen. For this ceremony, primarily a womans ritual, the brides mother is expected to prepare food for the whole village with the help of other women. Ekwefi is exhausted after the preceding nights events. She delays going to the celebration until Ezinma wakes and eats her breakfast. Okonkwos other wives and children proceed to Obierikas compound; the youngest wife promises to return to prepare Okonkwos afternoon meal. Obierika is slaughtering two goats for the soup and is admiring another goat that was bought in a neighboring village as a gift to the in-laws. He and the other men discuss the magic of medicine used in the other village that draws people to the market and helps rob some of them. While the women are preparing for the feast, they hear a cry in the distance, revealing that a cow is loose. Leaving a few women to tend the cooking, the rest go find the cow and drive it back to its owner, who must pay a heavy fine. The women check among themselves to be sure that every available woman has participated in rounding up the cow. The palm-wine ceremony begins in the afternoon as soon as everyone gathers and begins to drink the first-delivered wine. When the new in-laws arrive, they present Obierikas family with fifty pots of wine, a very respectable number. The uri festivities continue into the night and end with much singing and dancing. Analysis This chapter further contributes to the understanding of several tribal customs and beliefs: the uri ceremony, which illustrates the phase of the marriage process following the agreement on bride-price (Chapter 8); the belief in supernatural powers to attract people to a market and even to help rob them; the law that requires villagers to control and corral their animals or else pay a penalty; and the custom that requires all available women to chase an escaped cow home. These descriptions follow the events of the preceding chapter and illustrate the strength of the villagers beliefs in the earth goddess and her powers, even when she requires the near abduction of a child. Yet, in most of the traditional events, the less than complete, blind obedience to a law or custom by some men and women suggests several strong, individual personalities. For example, Ekwefi is certainly one of the less-traditionally constrained women, and Obierika represents men who question some traditions and rituals. Sexual activity is a subtle part of courtship and marriage rituals. The chant at the end of the celebration, when I hold her waist beads / She pretends not to know, suggests that sexual anticipation is an enjoyable game for women as well as for men. In the preceding chapter, Okonkwos protective, manly presence in the darkness by the cave triggers Ekwefis fond memories of her first wedding night, when he carried her into his bed and . . . began to feel around her waist for the loose end of her cloth. Glossary umunna the extended family and kinsmen. a great medicine a supernatural power or magic that may take the shape of a person. In the Umuike market, the medicine assumes the shape of an old woman with a beckoning, magical fan. yam pottage a watery gruel made of yams. Summary In the dead of night, the sound of a drum and a cannon announce the death of Ezeudu, an important man in the village. Okonkwo shivers when he remembers that Ezeudu had warned him against playing a part in the killing of Ikemefuna. Everyone in the village gathers for the funeral ceremony of a warrior who had achieved three titles in his lifetime, a rare accomplishment. During the ceremony, men dance, fire off guns, and dash about in a frenzy of wailing for the loss of Ezeudu. Periodically, the egwugwu spirits appear from the underworld, including a one-handed spirit who dances and brings a message for the dead Ezeudu. Before the burial, the dancing, drumming, and gunshots become increasingly intense. Suddenly an agonized cry and shouts of horror are followed by silence. Ezeudus sixteen-year-old son is found dead in a pool of blood in the midst of the crowd. When Okonkwo fired his gun, it exploded and a piece of iron pierced the boys heart. In the history of Umuofia, such an accident h as never occurred. Okonkwos accidental killing of a clansman is a crime against the earth goddess, and he knows that he and his family must leave Umuofia for seven years. As his wives and children cry bitterly, they hurriedly pack their most valuable belongings into head loads to be carried as they prepare to flee before morning to Mbanta, the village of his mother. Friends move Okonkwos yams to Obierikas compound for storage. After the familys departure the next morning, a group of village men, carrying out the traditional justice prescribed by the earth goddess, invade Okonkwos compound and destroy his barn, houses, and animals. Okonkwos friend Obierika mourns his departure and wonders why Okonkwo should be punished so severely for an accident. Again, Obierika ponders the old traditions, remembering his own twin children who were abandoned in the forest because of tribal tradition. Analysis In the literary tradition of the tragic hero, Okonkwos undoing continues with his accidental killing of Ezeudus son. Early in the chapter, Achebe foreshadows the event with Okonkwos memory of Ezeudus warning about not killing Ikemefuna. The author builds dramatic tension by describing an increasingly frenzied scene of dancing, leaping, shouting, drumming, and the firing of guns, as well as the frightening appearance of the egwugwu. The action climaxes with an explosion of gunfire and then comes to a stop with the phrase All was silent. Achebe emphasizes the gravity of Okonkwos crime by saying that in Umuofia nothing like this had ever happened. As in Chapter 8, Obierika quietly questions clan traditions — this time, the tradition demanding that Okonkwo be banished for seven years because of an accidental killing. He also questions the tribal abandonment of twins, remembering his own innocent children left to die in the forest. The chapter includes several intimations of impending doom for the clan and its traditions. Achebe ends the chapter dramatically with the proverb, If one finger brought oil, it soiled the others, suggesting that Okonkwos crime may lead to the ultimate downfall of Umuofia itself. Glossary Go-di-di-go-go-di-go. Di-go-go-di-go the sound of drumbeats on the ekwe, or drums. esoteric intended for or understood by only a chosen few, as an inner group of disciples or initiates (said of ideas, literature, and so). raffia 1) a palm tree of Madagascar, with large, pinnate leaves. 2) fiber from its leaves, used as string or woven into baskets, hats, and so on. Mbanta The name means small town and is where Okonkwos mother comes from, his motherland, beyond the borders of Mbaino (Ikemefunas original home).

Time in The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

Time in The Great Gatsby Time is an idea described in different periods and aspects, for example philosophical, psychological, physical and biological. This time flows evenly but is broken into the past, present and future. Since we only live in the present forever planning for our futures and dreams, when we try to live in the past it restricts our future. Throughout Fitzgerald's novel, Gatsby wasted time and his life for a single dream, and it was his illusion of his ideal future that made time a key dimension in his life. Gatsby suffers from past memories of Daisy and tries to relive the relationship and in the process Gatsby was murdered. Nick says, "Almost five years! There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion". Gatsby's idealistic view of Daisy was, she was of pure and perfect form and after he kisses her, his ideal perfect relationship starts to decay, "...and the incarnation was complete". The incarnation meaning Daisy cannot be ideally perfect anymore now that Gatsby's with her. Daisy is not pure and perfect like Gatsby thought she was in the past. From Gatsby's illusions of the past preoccupying all his thoughts, he forgets about the key dimension he exists in which is the present. Although Gatsby was persistent on reliving the past, Gatsby vaguely lived for the present. This is apparent when he cancels his biology by leaving home, changing his name, and leaving his heritage behind which was not done by following the past. In the past Jay Gatsby made, "...a platonic conception of himself". What Nick said about Gatsby's platonic theory of himself was that Gatsby "...was a son of God". From Jay Gatsby's theory he makes a ideal conception of himself, of which he projects himself into the future. Ultimately Gatsby is left with the choices to "...suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder," or kiss Daisy and "...his mind would never romp again like the mind of God". In Gatsby's choices he is to climb "the ladder" to God which represents Gatsby's future or choose Daisy and choose the past.

Cmrj 302 Should Juvenile Be Tried as Adults

Since the beginning of human time there have been sins, delinquent actions, crimes, and with all of this, punishment for those actions. From Cain and Able until today, the 21st Century, we still deal with these problems. And what’s worse is that now it is the children who are committing these crimes. Our, so called, future of tomorrow. The next generation of this country. Throughout recorded time, juvenile delinquency has been the very biggest issue to tackle. In the 15th century, the parens patriae concept was common and described parental care by the state or guardian of the community.Children were property and punishment was delivered from the family and/or public punishment dealt by the village and in public. The juvenile justice system in the 19th Century adopted the parens patriae concept and provided the legal structure for the juvenile court system. In the late 1800’s reform schools were created and started, where reform was the main ideological theory, to insti ll in delinquent children; principals and morals to attempt to stray they away from future crime. Today, we still have trouble determining whether or not to try juveniles as adults, how to punish them, what works and what doesn’t.When a juvenile kills, do they instantly become an adult? Do they maintain some kind of innocence of childhood, despite the severity of their actions? These are the plaguing questions in our American judicial system today. The violent acts of juvenile offenders continue to make headlines and are becoming more violent and unfortunately more frequently. So today, the question is, should juvenile be tried as adults? Yes. Yes, I believe that juveniles should be tried as adults. However, I also believe there should be a few exceptions. This is not really a black and white issue.Exceptions should be put into place regarding, what type of crimes, age of the offender and what kind of punishments should be issued. This is what I will attempt to explain. The c riminal justice system serves two primary functions: protecting society and providing retribution or punishment for a crime to achieve the value of justice or fairness. Concerning the protection of society from violent or even not violent offenders, the judge can ensure an appropriate penalty without having to try someone as a juvenile. I believe that juveniles can and should be tried as adults.The judge and/or the jury can take the defendant's age into consideration while deliberating and determining a suitable penalty for their crimes. The defendant's attorney can make a legitimate argument in their defense based on their age, maturity and mental abilities or state of mind because age is not always the best indicator of maturity or personal accountability. This can ensure each case is evaluated individually not based on standards or common practice, but on an individual basis and attention which is what each case deserves.Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida said in (2001) after a 14-yea r-old juvenile was found guilty for killing his English teacher; â€Å"There is a different standard for children, there should be some sensitivity that a 14-year-old is not a little adult. † To this quote I have to disagree. All but five states allow children of any age charged with murder to be tried as adults. The death penalty generally not an option, at least not for defendants under the age of 16 since the U. S. Supreme Court has ruled capital punishment unconstitutional.In fact, it was only in 2005, in Roper vs. Simmons , that the Supreme Court finally ruled the juvenile death penalty was unconstitutional. In arguing, the text describes a paradigm that informs legal reasoning in US law and specifically the Eighth Amendment’s barring of cruel and unusual punishment for anyone who hasn't celebrated their 16th birthday. Some states, however, will consider 16 year olds and 17 year olds for the death penalty (Reaves, J. Time Magazine, (2001), Should the Law Treat Kid s and Adults Differently? ).Additionally, two cases are currently before the Supreme Court that affords our nation the opportunity to right this wrong and join the modern world. Sullivan vs. Florida and Graham vs. Florida will require the Supreme Court to rule on whether life sentences for juveniles that preclude the possibility of parole are, in fact, constitutional. Additionally, in most states, a juvenile offender must be at least 16-years-old to be eligible for waiver to adult court. But, in a number of states, minors as young as 13 could be subjected to a waiver petition.And a few states allow children of any age to be tried as adults for certain types of crimes, such as homicide or armed robbery. Many states have laws that do not allow juvenile courts to take cases involving very serious or violent crimes, such as murder or armed robbery. Generally, juveniles are charged with delinquent acts, not crimes. However, the nature of some offenses may result in a juvenile being charg ed with a crime in the regular court system. In these instances, the juvenile’s age does not matter. They will be tried in the adult criminal system, unless transferred o juvenile courts by the judge. The current trend among states is to lower the minimum age of eligibility for waiver into adult court. This is due in part to public perception that juvenile crime is on the rise, and offenders are getting younger. Factors that might lead a court to grant a waiver petition and transfer a juvenile case to adult court include: †¢The juvenile is charged with a particularly serious offense. †¢The juvenile has a lengthy juvenile record. †¢The minor is older. †¢Past rehabilitation efforts for the juvenile have been unsuccessful.Youth services would have to work with the juvenile offender for a long time. (Michon, Kathleen, J. D. , (2011) When Juveniles Are Tried in Adult Criminal Court) All states now maintain a juvenile code, or set of laws relating specifically t o juveniles. The state codes regulate a variety of concerns, including the acts and circumstances that bring juveniles within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, the procedures for juvenile courts, the rights of juveniles, and the range of judicial responses to misconduct or to the need for services. Steinberg, Laurence, (2000) Should Juvenile Offenders Be Tried As Adults? A Developmental Perspective on Changing Legal Policies). The basic framework created by the first juvenile court act is largely intact and that rehabilitation, not punishment, remains the aim of the juvenile justice system, and juvenile courts still retain jurisdiction over a wide range of juveniles. (Retrieved from: http://law. jrank. org/pages/7958/Juvenile-Law-Modern-Juvenile-Law).The most notable difference between the original model and current juvenile law is that juveniles now have more procedural rights in court. In re Gault, 387 U. S. 1 (1967), the United States Supreme Court established that children under the fourteenth amendment accused of crimes in a delinquency proceeding must be given many of the same due process rights as adults such as the right to timely notification of charges, the right to confront witnesses, the right against self-incrimination, and the right to counsel.These rights also include the right to an attorney and the right to be free from self incrimination. These are rights given to adults and now to juveniles. Juveniles are committing the same crimes as adults, have the same rights as adults and also need to be tried as adults. Despite the input of these experts on the juvenile justice system, there are thousands of children who are automatically transferred to adult criminal court due to the change in the laws over the past few years.In a report released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (1998) titled Juvenile Felony Defendants in Criminal Courts, states that â€Å"an estimated 7,100 juvenile defendants were charged with felonies in adult criminal co urt in 1998†, and that in these criminal courts, â€Å"juveniles were more likely than adults to be charged with a violent felony† with juveniles occupying 64% of the felony charges in stark contrast with the adults who occupy 24% of those charges (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009).That report also states that showed that â€Å"transferring juveniles to adult court is not an effective deterrent of further criminal activity† (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009). I completely disagree, juveniles would be better off tried in criminal courts and sentenced than to be tried in juvenile courts, and sentenced to rehabilitation. In the words of Pete Wilson, former Governor of California, â€Å"young offenders know they can laugh off the token punishment of our current juvenile justice system, they commit more and increasingly brutal crime.That’s unacceptable†¦We must make clear to the violent youthful offenders, ones who just don’t want to be saved, that California will not tolerate their depravity. It will replace slaps on the wrist with the slapping on of handcuffs†¦and will impose adult time for adult crime. † (retrieved from: www. voterdigest. com/yes-on-21). This is the kind of attitude and foresight that we need. In this day in age juveniles, even those younger than 14-years-old know that in this generation, the law can't touch them and that most likely they will only get a slap on the wrist for the first offence or house arrest at best.Murder by juvenile delinquents is rising in leaps and bounds and the justice system is giving them light sentences if any at all. What about the victim(s) and their family(s)? What about the police putting their lives in jeopardy every single day that arrest these children and before the ink is dry on the paper the children are walking down the front steps of the police station with those smirks and grins on their faces! As the quote goes, ‘You do the crime, you pay the ti me. ‘ There is ample evidence, therefore, to raise concerns regarding the ompetence of juveniles under age 15 to participate in criminal trials. Although the majority of 13 year-olds would likely meet the minimal competence criteria even at age 15, a significant fraction of adolescents should not be assumed competent to protect their own interests in adversarial legal settings. If an adolescent does not have the understanding, appreciation, or reasoning ability necessary to make such decisions, criminal court is an inappropriate venue for determining that adolescent’s disposition. Steinberg, Laurence, (2000) Should Juvenile Offenders Be Tried As Adults? A Developmental Perspective on Changing Legal Policies). Although I may believe that juveniles should be tried as adults, however, no juvenile under the age of 13 should be tried in an adult court. The adult justice system presumes that defendants who are found guilty are responsible for their own actions, and should be held accountable and punished accordingly. Historically, those who are guilty but less responsible for their actions receive proportionately less punishment.It is therefore worth considering whether, because of the relative immaturity of minors, it may be justified to view them as being less blameworthy than adults for the very same infractions – that is, whether developmental immaturity should be viewed as a relevant mitigating factor. Children as young as nine have the capacity for intentional behavior and do know the difference between right and wrong; as such, there is no reason why children of this age must unequivocally be held blameless for their conduct.At the same time, it is also clear that the vast majority of individuals younger than 13-years-old do lack certain intellectual and psychosocial capabilities that need to be present in order to hold someone fully accountable for his or her actions. These circumstances include situations that call for logical decision-m aking, situations in which the ultimate consequences of one’s actions are not evident unless one has actually tried to foresee them, and situations in which sound judgment may be compromised by competing stimuli, such as very strong peer pressure to violate the law.Once individuals have reached a certain age, about 17 or so, it is reasonable to expect that they possess the intellectual and psychosocial capacities that permit the exercise of good judgment, even under difficult circumstances. Thus, while pressure from one’s friends to violate the law may be a reasonable mitigating factor in the case of a 12-year-old juvenile, it is unlikely to be so in the case of a 17-year-old juvenile.When the individual under consideration is younger than 17, however, developmentally normative immaturity should be added to the list of possible mitigating factors, along with the more typical ones of self-defense, mental state, and extenuating circumstances. Finally, the choice of tryin g a juvenile offender in adult court versus juvenile court determines the possible outcomes of the adjudication. In adult court, the outcome of being found guilty of a serious crime is nearly always some sort of punishment; about 80% of juveniles who are convicted in criminal court are incarcerated.In juvenile court, the outcome of being found delinquent may be some sort of punishment, but juvenile courts typically retain the option of a rehabilitative disposition, in and of itself or in combination with some sort of punishment. In essence, the juvenile court operates under the presumption that offenders are immature. (Steinberg, Laurence, (2000) Should Juvenile Offenders Be Tried As Adults? A Developmental Perspective on Changing Legal Policies). Juveniles tried as an adult and can face the same penalties as adults, including life without parole.If convicted, juveniles will have an adult criminal record which can significantly affect future education and employment opportunities. F urthermore, an adult conviction can also result in the loss of rights, including the right to vote and right to own a firearm. (Lamance, Ken (2011) Juvenile Tried as an Adult). If a juvenile is convicted of certain sex offenses, he may be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, regardless of his age at the time of conviction.In some states which automatically seal a juvenile's record once he passes a certain age, that record may remain unsealed if the defendant is convicted of an adult offense before he reaches that age (Retrieved from: http://www. expertlaw. com/library/criminal/juvenile_law). The following are Common Juvenile Rights questions: Can a child receive capital punishment for a crime committed as juvenile? The United States Supreme Court in the case of Roper v. Simmons, 543 U. S. 551 (2005), stated that it is unconstitutional to impose capital punishment for crimes committed while under the age of 18.The Courts 5-4 decision overruled the Court's prior ruling upholding such sentences on offenders above or at the age of 16, in Stanford v. Kentucky, 492 U. S. 361 (1989), overturning statutes in 25 states that had the penalty set lower (Retrieved from: http://www. topjuveniledefender. com/juvenile_rights). Can a child receive life in prison without the possibility of parole for a non-homicide crime? In 2010, the United States Supreme Court in the case of Graham v. Florida ruled that children cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for non-homicide offenses.The U. S. Supreme Court decided whether Roper v. Simmons which had abolished the death penalty for juvenile offenders should also apply to sentences without the possibility of parole for children. Justice Kennedy stated, â€Å"The constitution prohibits the imposition of a life without parole sentence on a juvenile offender who did not commit a homicide. A state need not guarantee the offender eventual release, but if it imposes a sentence of life it must pro vide him or her with some realistic opportunity to obtain release before the end of that term. . . (Retrieved from: http://www. topjuveniledefender. com/juvenile_rights) Can a child receive a life sentence? Yes. If a child is prosecuted as an adult, he or she can receive a life sentence if convicted certain qualifying crimes. However, if a child is prosecuted in juvenile court, he or she can receive a sentence commonly called â€Å"juvenile life† that carries life but will be incarcerated only until the age of 25 years of age at the Department of Juvenile Justice (formerly the California Youth Authority. ) (Retrieved from: http://www. topjuveniledefender. om/juvenile_rights) The end result of a heinous crime remains the same, no matter who commits it. Our justice system depends upon holding perpetrators responsible for their actions. Harsh sentencing acts as a deterrent to kids who are considering committing crimes. Trying children as adults has coincided with lower rates of juvenile crimes. Light sentences don't teach kids the lesson they need to learn: If you commit a terrible crime, you will spend a considerable part of your life in jail. (Reaves, J. Time Magazine, (2001) Should the Law Treat Kids and Adults Differently? Kids today are more sophisticated at a younger age; they understand the implications of violence and how to use violent weapons. It is absurd to argue that a modern child, who sees the effect of violence around him in the news every day, doesn't understand what killing really is. The fact that child killers know how to load and shoot a gun is an indicator that they understand exactly what they're doing. (Time Magazine, (2001) Should the Law Treat Kids and Adults Differently? ). I’ll end with a quote from Fredrick Douglas, â€Å"It is easier to build strong children then to repair broken men! †

How to achieve peace in Pakistan Essay

Pakistan was founded. Pakistan was built to fulfill the needs of the Muslim community by providing them equality, Justice and freedom. However, soon enough it failed to fulfill the promises it had made to its society thus instability, restlessness and wretchedness reigned throughout the nation. Achievement of peace in Pakistan is actually the desire of every follow Pakistani or at least a huge majority of them. To devise a proper strategy we need to analyze and understand the causes f unrest and chaos in Pakistan. Factors causing disturbance in Pakistan can be categorized in internal and external factors. Internals factors consist of social, economic, political and administrative whereas external factors are related to regional instability and international so-called war on terror involving Kashmir, Iran, Afghanistan and Baluchistan. For achievement of peace and stability we need to address the huge gap between haves and have not’s. Firstly socially, there seems to be a huge gap between the different classes within the country. A large majority when sees a small minority enjoying a very luxurious life style they naturally rebel and resort to unlawful activities to become rich overnight. We can say this is a poor vs. rich tension, which disturbs the peace of society in various ways such as crime and law breaking. Secondly, politically, in Karachi different political parties have armed wings. Karachi being the biggest city has greater influence. Respective political leaders protect crimes of members of these gangs. While political leaders re enjoyingi government position at the same time they are patronizing criminals, murderers, target killers, extortionists and land grabbers. Thirdly, economically, Karachi being port city and major economic hub affects Pakistan. One day of strike and unrest in Karachi costs billion of rupees to national exchequer. Lastly, on the administrative side, law enforcement agencies are plagued by corruption. They are packed with cronies of influential people along with lack of proper training and sufficient resources. In some cases sources of trouble and unrest outnumber civil law nforcement agencies. Furthermore criminals are able to get relief from tax and justice procedures. They can even intimidate eyewitnesses and thus obstruct dispensation of Justices. This further erodes confidence of public on the prevailing system and thus increases unrest and instability. Therefore, to achieve peace we need to address all these issues immediately. The first step should be to break the vicious cycle of illiteracy, poverty and disease by providing educational and health facilities and equal Job opportunities on merit. We have to uplift standard of general public through a fair system based on social Justice by educating general public through print and electronic media about the responsibilities and rights of a citizen. Law enforcement agencies need to be revamped by selecting officers and cadres on merit, proper training and equipping them with latest equipment and technology and where necessary paramilitary forces can be used to assist them. A fair and speedy Justice system, which ensures that troublemakers are taken to task without ny delay, should be formed. Similarly, on the international front we have to get out of Afghan war. We should not allow proxy wars to be fought in our territory. In KPK and Baluchistan political reconciliation is required since administrative measures alone have failed to give desired results. To sum up, peace in Pakistan cannot be achieved in bullet but a set of social, economic, political and administrative system could help our country to gradually move towards the right path and a path towards stability.

The Old British Imperial System essays

The Old British Imperial System essays The British Imperial system was fundamentally based on the policy, mercantilism. Where each colonial possession should provide wealth to the mother country, in these circumstances, the American colonies provided wealth to the British. Colonies were not supposed to compete with the mother countrys home industries. The British Empire was a closed system, designed to keep competition out. The mercantile policy turned Britain into the preeminent center of trade in the world. Through out the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the basic purpose of the colonies was to support the mother country. The colonies acted as tenants for the British. The colonies had to produce raw materials, such as, tobacco, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, timber, indigo and beans. Britain produced a surplus amount of goods, and the colonies were forced to buy the surplus, there for the colonies can also be viewed as an outlet for surplus manufacturers. The colonies were also and outlet for surplus population. For example, some religious groups, such as the Quakers, were persecuted through out Britain; consequently they were forced to move to the new world. In order to instigate the mercantilist policy, on the colonies, the British composed a series of enactments. The most important act passed, was the navigation acts, implemented to regulate trade and commerce. The acts limited the colonies to trading exclusively with the British. The vessels had to be assembled by shipbuilders of the British Empire, and three quarters of the crew, had to be English. To expand the mercantilist policy, the British implemented restrictions on colonial manufacturing and trade. The Wool Act of 1699 stated that none of the colonies could sell or produce wool, the Hat Act of 1732, made the British the primary manufacturers and sellers of hats. The Iron Act of 1750, declared that Iron was to be sold and produced, only by the British. The Mol ...

What Is Emory Pre-College Program Should You Apply

What Is Emory Pre-College Program Should You Apply SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In this guide, I'll be discussing the Emory Pre-College Program, a summer program for high school students located at Emory University. The program allows students to take college-level classes (either for credit or non-credit) while living on campus at Emory or commuting. There are several subprograms under the Emory Pre-College Program (EPCP) umbrella, and while you can read all about it on the programwebsite, someinformation can be difficult to track down. For this reason, I’ve gathered all the necessary program information (details about the program, application information, cost, and more) and put it into this easy-to-read guide. I’ve created a Table of Contents so you can findeachsection if you’re only interested in a specific topic; however, I recommend reading the entire guide. Please note thatthis information is up to date for the Summer 2016 program, but program details may change for following years. What Is the Emory Pre-College Program? What Do You Do in the Program? Why Should You Attend? How To Apply and Application Requirements How Much Does It Cost? Tips on How to Get In Featured Image: Christopher Octa/Flickr What Is the Emory Pre-College Program? What Do You Do in the Program? The Emory Pre-College Program is a program for high school juniors and seniors that offers a preview of college life. Each year around 300 participants take classes and live on Emory’s campus in the dorms (you can also choose to commute) throughout the summer. There are threecourse options for program participants. You can choose to take two-week non-credit courses, six-week credit courses (only offered to commuters), or a three-week institute. What Are the Similarities and Differences Between These Program Options? For students in all threeprograms, you are only allowed to take one class per two, three, or six-week term. However, if you have the time and money, you can enroll in anadditionalterm and take an additionalcourse/institute at that time. For the two-week non-credit courses and three-week institutes, students have the option to commute or live on campus.Studentshave class 9-11:30am Monday-Friday. After class, students have lunchthenhave free time or optional activities (such as volunteer opportunities or Atlanta area excursions) from 1-4pm. In the late afternoon (4-5:30), students participate in college prep courses (known as College 101) that teach students about topics such as the college application process, financial aid, and picking a college major. After College 101, there is dinner, followed by free time or optional activities such as movie screenings or group outings to a Braves game. Curfew is at 11 pm on weekdays and midnight on weekends. On Saturdays, students in the two-week non-credit course program participate in afull day of pre-planned activities in the Atlanta area. On Sundays, students have free time with optional activities available. For the six-week credit courses, all students must commute, but they're invited to participate in all the optional social activities mentioned above (Atlanta outings, screenings, etc.).Students' schedules vary by the class they choose to take.Students will be enrolledalongside Emory undergraduates andare subject to the same academic requirements as Emory undergraduates. Thesix-week credit course will count towards your futurecollege academic record, which includes yourcollege GPAand college transcript.Your Emory transcript will needto be submitted when you apply to college. Who’s Eligible for the Program? The basic application requirements for all applicants are: Be rising high school juniors orseniors who will be at least 15 years old by the program orientation date.(If you’ve already graduated from high school, you’re ineligible.) If you’re applying to participate in a lab science course, you must be at least 16 years old by the program orientation date. Have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA. If you’re an international student, you’re only eligible for the non-credit courses or institutes, and you also must meet the following qualifications: If English isn’t your first language, you must submit a TOEFL score and score close to 100 on the internet-based test. Other recognized English language qualification test scores, such as the Cambridge exams, may also be submitted. Have a valid passport. Have health insurance. What Are the Program Dates for Summer 2016? The programs dates for Summer 2016 vary by subprogram (two-week non-credit courses, six-week credit courses (only offered to commuters), or a three-week institute). Some subprograms such as the two-week non-credit courses and six-week credit courses are offered multiple times during Summer 2016. However, the different sessions have different course offerings, so look into the courses offered during each session before choosing your session date. (NOTE: the course offerings for 2016 haven't been posted yet.) Session A (two-week non-credit course): June 20 - July 1, 2016 Session B (two-week non-credit course): July 5 - July 15, 2016 Session C (two-week non-credit course): July 18 - July 29, 2016 Three-week non-credit institutes: July 5 - July 22, 2016 Session 1 (six-week credit course): May 16 - June 24, 2016 Session 2 (six-week credit course): June 27 - August 5, 2016 Why Should You Attend the Emory Pre-College Program? I’ve broken down the pros and cons of Emory's pre-college programbelow. Pros of the EPCP Test out Emory to see if it’s the right college for you. Take college courses: figure out what you might be interested in majoring in (you’d be surprised, you could find out you hate Art and want to study Biology or vice versa). Also, if you attend the 6-week program, you can get college credit. If residential, experiment with living away from your parents for the first time and gain some independence. Receive help with the college application process from Emory experts. Have a prestigious program on your resume for your college applications. If you have a positive experience with your Emory professor, you can get a letter of recommendation for your college application. These pros are useful no matter where you end up going to college, so the Pre-College program can be beneficial even if you aren't interested in or certain you want to attend Emory. Cons of the EPCP Expensive,although there is some financial aid available (I discuss the cost and financial aid below). While many program participants do go on to attend Emory, there is no guarantee of admissions and no guarantee that participating will better your chances of admission. I’d highly recommend doing the Emory Pre-College Program if you can afford it and it works withyour summer schedule. I participated in a similar program at UCLA, and the program allowed me to figure out whether I was interested in attending UCLA (which I found out I wasn’t) and what kind of coursework I wanted to pursue. How To Apply and Application Requirements You apply directly to your program of choice, either the two-week non-credit courses, six-week credit courses, or three-week institute.If you’re interested in more than one program, you can apply to multiple prorgams but will need to submit a separate application for each. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis beginning in January, butstudents hoping to receivefinancial aid (which I’ll discuss more in-depth below) should apply before the preferred financial aid deadline: April 1.While the final application deadline for Summer 2016 has not yet been decided, the Pre-College program suggests you apply early as housingis limited for the program. This suggestion seems to indicatethe earlier you apply, the more likely you'll be accepted. Program administrators will review your application and notify you via email of acceptance into the program.I spoke to someone at Emory'sPre-College office who said they look to accept students into the Pre-College programwho would be qualified to attend Emory University.Not everyone who applies will be accepted. I'll give tips on how to get acceptedbelow. The application requirements for all applicants (US International for all programs) are: $70 non-refundable application fee (paid by credit card when you apply online). Completedonline application questionnaire (asks for demographic, parent/guardian, and educational information). Submission ofan official high school transcript (which must include your grades from 9th grade through the fall of your current school year). If you’ve attended more than one high school, you will need to submit transcripts from both schools. An SAT or ACT score report sent to Emory, if available. If you haven’t yet taken the ACT or SAT, you can submit your PSAT score or PLAN report. One recommendation from a teacher or counselor (through the online portal). You’ll need to submit the teacher/counselor's name, email, and phone number for them to complete the recommendation. Additional international applicant requirements: Submission ofan official secondary school transcript with certified English translations. In your recommendation, your teacher or counselor must state your English language proficiency level. Submission ofa writing sample. TOEFL score report from ETS (Educational Testing Service). A Skype interview may also be required. How Much Doesthe Emory Pre-College Program Cost? The exact cost of EPCP varies by program and whether you’ve decided to live on campus or commute.NOTE: Commuter costs cover the cost of all programs and off-campus events. Residential fees additionally cover room, board, and three daily meals. I’ve provided the breakdowns below: Two-Week Non-credit Course Commuter $2,694 Residential $3,851 Institute (noncredit, three weeks) Commuter: $3,941 Residential: $5,851 Six-Week Credit Course (Commuter only) Three Credit Course $4,389 Four Credit Course $5,817 Remember, on top of these fees, there is a $70, non-refundable, application fee. There is also a required $350 deposit thatis non-refundable and must be paid upon acceptance into the program to secure enrollment. Is There Financial Aid? How Do You Apply? Yes, there is financial aid available, but it is only available to US Citizens or Permanent Residents and will not cover the full cost of the program. Awards range from $500 to $1000, depending on financial need and academic merit. How do you apply for financial aid?You must first complete your Emory Pre-College application and submit the $70 application fee (there is no application fee waiver available).In addition, to be considered for financial aid, you need to submit the following before April 1st, 2016: The two-pagePre-College Program Financial Aid Application (NOTE: the link is to the summer 2015 financial aid application; the summer 2016 financial aid application will not be available until January 2016) Your parents' 2015 tax returns Submit these materials either with the rest of your application or mail or fax themseparately to the Emory Pre-College Program. Fax: 404-727-6724 Address: Emory University Pre-College ProgramCandler Library, Suite 200Mailstop: 1580-002-2AA550 Asbury CircleAtlanta, GA 30322 Who Qualifies for Financial Aid? According to the Pre-College Program website, â€Å"Awards will be primarily based on demonstrated financial need and academic merit will be a secondary consideration.†Both your financial aid application (including household income, household size, and cost of attendance to your specific subprogram) and your academic history (including transcript, test scores, and teacher/guidance counselor recommendation) will be considered whendeciding if you get financial aid and how much aid you receive. Tips on How to Get In As I mentioned above, not everyone who applies to the program will be accepted. While the Emory Pre-College office doesn't publish their acceptance rate, I spoke to the Emory Pre-College office, and they said they look to accept students into the Pre-College programwho would be qualified to attend Emory University. Therefore, if you’re dying to get into the EPCP, you should try to get your GPA and scores close to (or better yet above) the GPA and score of Emory’s freshmen admits.The 25th/75th percentile average unweighted GPA for Emory’s admitted freshmen is typically 3.70 – 3.97. The 25th/75th percentile SAT score was 2020–2260, and the 25th/75th ACT score was 30-34. If you don’t meet these qualifications, don’t freak out. You’re applying for the Pre-College Program, not to Emory College, so you’ll still have a chance of admission to the Pre-College Program with lower test scores and a lower GPA. However, to have the best chance of acceptance, you’ll want to improve your test scores and GPA. While you may not have a lot of time before applying, there are ways to raise your GPA fast.If you haven’t taken the SAT or ACT yet or already took the one of the testsbut scored low, we have guides to help you raise your low ACT score or SAT score. Since there is no essay or personal statement to show who you are and your desire to do the program, your transcript, scores, and letter of recommendation need to show what a stellar student you are. For your recommendation, make sure you get the best letter you can. Check out 4 amazing example letters and 3 bad examples. What’s Next? Learn about the college application process: How To Do College Research Right: Step-By-Step Guide Complete Strategies: Common App Essay Prompts (2015-16) How to Pay for College: A Complete Guide Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

International relation study guide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

International relation study guide - Essay Example The lack of reality is depicted by incapability to embrace and regulate the interaction and display the actual practice in real life situation to the scholars. Instead, it is based on stereotypes and affects the self understanding of international relations. These deny the scholars the academic relevance in the fact that they only learn but cannot put the same into practice. Most of the academic concept revolves around research driven teaching responding to ancient ideologies rather than the present day real life situation. This offers a challenge for making the study central to the discipline and do not improve the academic understanding by the scholars. It lacks the ability to solve human conflicts but rather since it fails to nurture the formation of critical ideas and formation of intellectual sensitivity in the scholars mind. This has affected the self understanding and does not address the global dimension of political, social and cultural behavior and how it can be used to improve the international

In Which Ways Do Feminists Take Relations Between Men And Women To Be Essay

In Which Ways Do Feminists Take Relations Between Men And Women To Be Uequal - Essay Example The culturally instituted gender ideologies continually define the responsibilities and rights that are appropriate for both men and women in the society. Such ideologies influence the access and control over resources and participation in making decisions on matters of development. In essence, these gender ideologies usually reinforce male dominance and the idea of women’s inferiority. In conclusion, it can be stated that several feminist have worked hard by publishing articles, books, and other journals to argue their cases regarding unequal treatment of women because of their gender. Cultural factors can be blamed as one of the major factors that have purported the masculine authority over the feminine. However, some of the feminists have believed that women are naturally created to be in the private divide because of their reproduction nature. Women give birth and thus get tasked with the responsibility of childrearing at home. This natural phenomenon provides men with the freedom to explore the public divide by looking for jobs and becoming the breadwinners of the family. Such situations make men be dictators since they have economic power in the traditional nuclear family. To come out of the private divide, women must endeavor to start being autonomous by selecting their careers well to fit in the job market. Political, social and economic powers held by an in dividual shall ultimately lead to self-autonomy; therefore, women should strive to achieve those elements of power.