Catherines determination and is getting angry Essay Example for Free

Catherines determination and is getting angry Essay Now she has admitted to herself, not only to Rodolfo that she is afraid of Eddie. She is trying to escape Eddie and her feelings for him because she could picture what would happen if she stayed. It would be an awkward situation with Eddie and Beatrice keeping an eye on what she is doing. Although Eddie is not Catherines father, he is a very strong father figure to her and the man of the house. The immigrant community is very much a patriarchal society, parallel to Italy. The father and male is an authority figure. Eddie is very protective of Catherine in both positive and negative ways. Eddie really loves and cares for Catherine, and will do anything to protect and look after her, but his love for her is obsessive and possessive. Eddie feels he should choose her husband, as was the done thing in Italy, but Eddie cannot let go of Catherine. Up to the end of page 44 Rodolfo reassures her that they wont be living in Eddies house for much longer and tells her about his ideas for the future, to stay in New York legally, marry Catherine, have their own house and find a better job. Yet Catherine is still interested if he had to go and live in Italy because they had to, would he? Rodolfo, at this point, is getting quite aggravated by her persistence in wanting to go to the country he desperately left, to escape his problems. After they argue about this for a little, this makes the audience more involved in their fight. It makes the audience want the best for the couple but they cant solve their differences because they are only watching. Rodolfo is seemingly surprised at Catherines determination and is getting angry. Maybe this is a test to see if Rodolfo really does love her. If he does, he would marry her whenever, wherever. Rodolfo tries again to tell her. Rodolfo ~ No; I will not marry you to live in Italy. I want you to be my wife, and I want to be a citizen. Tell him that, or I will. Yes. And tell him also, tell him yourself, please, that I am not a beggar, and you are not a horse, a gift, a favour for a poor immigrant. I believe this small speech is very suspicious because first of all he says he wont go to Italy, he will only be her husband if he marries her in America probably because he wants to be a citizen. Then he jumps straight to Eddie, who hasnt been mentioned for a while. It is clear that Eddie lies behind the mood of Catherines. He wants her to tell Eddie that he is not a beggar, yet Rodolfo doesnt explain why he cant do it himself. Even though Catherine is trying to calm Rodolfo as the dispute continues, Rodolfo feels the need to get things off his chest, and Catherine doesnt make any attempt to defend her suggestion. This is because she knows deep down he is right and is making up an excuse for indicating it to Roldolfo. He speaks again about how bad poor Italy is compared to, the land of hope glory, America. Now Rodolfo, again, brings up Eddie. The audience are, at this time, very emotionally involved and might take sides to the characters. They might even relate to this situation making it even more dramatic and effective. When Rodolfo asks why she is afraid for him and her reply is I dont know, it shows that she is unsure of her feelings toward Eddie because Eddie cant explain his feelings for her. Catherine ~ Its only that I- He was good to me, Rodolfo. You dont know him; he was always the sweetest guy to me. He razzes me the time but he dont mean it. I know. I would just feel ashamed if I made him sad. Cause I always dreamt that when I got married he would be happy at the wedding, and laughin- and now hes- mad all the time nasty. Tell him youd live in Italy- just tell him, and maybe he would start to trust you a little, see? Because I want him to be happy; I mean- like him Rodolfo- and I cant stand it! This confession shows the audience how a usually private Catherine is truly feeling inside. Catherine finally explains to Rodolfo the real situation between her and Eddie and what happened before the cousins came. Catherine really wants the two important men in her life to get along so she tries to explain Eddies unpredictable character to Rodolfo. Catherine explains about him criticising her all the time because she really wants him to understand. She describes her dreams of her wedding and thinks of a way of gaining Eddies trust. But the idea of moving to Italy has changed, because originally it was meant for her and Rodolfo to have a new life but now it has been replaced as a way of satisfying Eddie. It could show minor feelings for Eddie. Rodolfo realises how this whole situation is really making Catherine miserable and I think Rodolfo feels really sorry for her so doesnt challenge her again. He knows she has had enough. Catherine says that she loves Rodolfo, but he then replies with comment, which again, has a hint of humour. Rodolfo ~ Then why are you afraid? That hell spank you? He dismisses her personal confession. This could be put down to him not taking Catherine seriously and might imply that he is using her. I think that Catherine at this point will be (secretly) at breaking point with Rodolfo because he isnt making any effort to understand her situation. He isnt taking her thoughts into consideration and is making it out to be some kind of a joke. But maybe it was just a nai ve, honest question. Catherine ~ You dont know; nobody knows! Im not a baby, I know a lot more than people think I know. Beatrice says to be a woman, but- With Catherine bringing up the subject of Beatrice its obvious that the conversation between Beatrice and Catherine earlier on in the play has been playing on her mind. She must have been thinking about what Beatrice said to her and tried to act on the advice given. It is Beatrice who is quick to keep the ball rolling in a conversation and to help gloss over and neutralise difficulties and reactions in the many conversations. Beatrice is very attentive and she develops as Catherines mediator in the play and it is very much as a pacifier how the audience sees her. Now she is absent from this scene Catherine might feel bitter towards her because she is not here to watch her. Maybe this is another sign of Catherines insecurity. Next, I think there is a slight bit of jealousy on Catherines part. She starts complaining about Beatrice and her cold nature towards Eddie. I believe that she is trying to change the subject so they dont have to talk about Eddie anymore. She says she knows Eddie inside out and she doesnt understand why Beatrice is told her to make a stranger out of him. She dont know why I have to do that? She is showing that she loves Eddie almost as deeply as she loves her. Maybe, again, her acting nai ve and it always gets used against her. But she might not be acting on it. Rodolfo tries to explain the situation to her by using a metaphor to help her understand. They stop fighting and decide to go to bed with each other. They both know they cant fight each other because neither of them can win, they dont know enough about each other. Now Eddie is in the apartment and drunk the audience gets a sense that something exciting yet unpredictable may happen. Eddie looks impatiently in the kitchen for Beatrice who is asleep and Catherine enters from a bedroom, the atmosphere must be very tense and quiet in the theatre making the play more realistic.

History Of Home Video Game Consoles

History Of Home Video Game Consoles Entertainment and technology have worked hand-in-hand on the path of progress since the beginning. Computer gaming has had an ever changing face ever since it was first introduced. We take a look at the predecessor of the heavily upgraded video consoles in the market today. A Video Game console is a device generally used for playing video games for non-commercial purposes. The video game console can be either an interactive computer or an electronic device. It produces a video display signal that is displayed using a display device (a television, monitor, etc.) to display a video game. The term video game console and is used to differentiate a machine designed for consumers to buy and use solely for playing video games from a personal computer, which has many other functions, or arcade machines, which are designed for video game businesses. The video game console requires a monitor, be it a television screen or a computer monitor, to display the images. The video game console is termed such to differentiate between arcade game machines, which are used for commercial purposes and personal computers, which offer many more features to the end-user. The first video game console was the brainchild of Ralph Baer of Sanders Associates. It was termed the Magnavox Odyssey and was released in 1972. Later, Atari came up with the extremely popular PONG games, which brought a flurry of Pong and Pong related games into the market. Apart from PONG, the other players in the market were Coleco Telstar and APF TV Fun. These consoles are known to be the first generation of video game consoles. The term videogame console was first used by Fairchild Systems for their Video Entertainment Systems (VES) in 1976. This was the first console to contain a programmable microprocessor. Soon, other manufacturers like RCA and Atari came up with microprocessor based video game consoles. These consoles are known as the second generation of videogame consoles. The Video Game console market faced its second and biggest crash in 1983. While the first crash in 1977 was mainly due to obsolete gaming consoles being sold at a loss-making price, the crash of 1983 had entirely different reasons behind it. In 1977, manufacturers of older, obsolete consoles sold their systems at a loss to clear stock, creating a glut in the market and causing Fairchild and RCA to abandon their game consoles. It was not until Atari released a conversion of the arcade hit Space Invaders in 1980 that the home console industry was completely revived. Many consumers bought an Atari just for Space Invaders. Its unprecedented success started the trend of console manufacturers trying to get exclusive rights to arcade titles, and the trend of advertisements for game consoles claiming to bring arcade experience home. Other companies released video game consoles of their own, throughout the early 1980s. Many of them were technically superior to Atari 2600. However Atari dominated the console market in the early 1980s. By 1983, the video game console market was in full bloom, and a number of companies had invested money and released either their own console games or consoles. Many of these were low on quality, high on advertising products which tried to bank on the popularity wave of video game consoles. One such game which gained massive unpopularity, and is often blamed (wrongly) for the video game crash of 1983 is E.T. The game was made with only six weeks of development time and tried to bank on two of the biggest booms at that time, E.T the movie and the video game console boom. It was full of programming bugs, improper and illogical programming and features and concepts which made the game unplayable. It has been dubbed as the worst video game of all time by many. This was critical in putting to an end the second generation of video game consoles. In 1983, Nintendo came up with the Famicom (Family Computer) or NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) series of games, which brought about a change in the video game console market. The NES series featured full colour, high resolution and longer games with detailed graphics. The game was bundled with a plastic Robot and a light gun. Like Space Invaders for the 2600, Nintendo found its breakout hit game in Super Mario Bros. Nintendos success revived the video game industry and new consoles were soon introduced in the following years to compete with the NES. The NESs massive success with Super Mario Bros, which heralded the return of video game consoles. This wrapped up the success of the third generation of video game consoles. Nintendo ran a tight ship as regards its NES system. It introduced a lockout system, which forced game manufacturers to go through Nintendo only for their games. Also, it allowed third party game manufacturers to make only five games per year for the NES. The fourth generation of video game consoles saw the release of Segas Master System and Segas Sega Mega Drive. The Sega Mega Drive was released on October 29, 1989, two years before the release of Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Sega extended the Mega Drive with the Mega CD/Sega CD, to provide increased storage space for multi-media based games that were then in vogue among the development community. Later Sega released the 32X, which added some of the polygon processing functionality common in the fifth-generation machines. However the peripheral was a commercial failure due to the lack of software support, with developers more keen to concentrate on more powerful machines, with a wider user base, such as Saturn that followed shortly after. The fifth generation video game consoles were feature-rich and had many other capabilities as compared to their previous counterparts. Chief among these was the Sony PlayStation and the Nintendo 64. The other players in the market were 3DO and Atari. Atari Jaguar and the 3DO, both of these systems were much more powerful than SNES or Mega Drive. They were better at rendering polygons, could display more onscreen colours and the 3DO contained discs that contained far more information than cartridges and were cheaper to produce. Neither of these consoles were serious threat to Sega or Nintendo, though. It was not until Segas Saturn, Sonys Play station and the Nintendo 64 were released that fifth generation consoles started to become popular. The Saturn and PlayStation used CDs to store games, while the Nintendo 64 used cartridges. All three cost far less than the 3DO, and were easier to program than the Jaguar. The Saturn also had 2D sprite handling power on par with the Neo-Geo. The sixth generation of video game consoles saw updates and new releases. This generation saw a move towards Pc-like architectures in gaming consoles, as well as a shift towards using DVDs for game media. This brought games that were visually more appealing. Furthermore, this generation also saw experimentation with online console gaming and implementing both flash and hard drive storage for game storage. Sonys released the next version of the PlayStation, the PlayStation 2, while Nintendo and Microsoft fought competition with the GameCube and the Xbox respectively. Sega came up with the Dreamcast, but has since then stopped production. The Xbox heralded a new age in video game consoles, by being the first console to have a hard disk drive. It had many similarities to a low end computer. The features introduced in the seventh generation include the support of the new disc formats: Blu-Ray Disc, utilized by the PlayStation-3, and HD DVD supported by the Xbox 360. Another new technology is the use of motion as input, and IR tracking (as implemented in Wii). Microsoft kicked off the seventh generation with the release of the Xbox 306 in 2005. It featured processing power never before seen until Sony stroked back with its PlayStation 3 one year later. The software used on these dedicated computer systems has evolved amazingly from the simple rectangular blips used in Pong. Games today feature richly textured, full-colour graphics, awesome sound and complex interaction between player and system. The increased storage capacity of the cartridges and discs allows game developers to include incredibly detailed graphics and CD-quality soundtracks. Several of the video game systems have built-in special effects that add features like unique lighting or texture mapping in real-time. Each new generation of console hardware made use of the rapid development of processing technology. Newer machines could output a greater range of colours, more sprites, and introduced graphical technologies such as scaling and vector graphics.}

Peer Pressure Leads To Guilt And Destruction

Peer Pressure Leads To Guilt And Destruction Macbeth, written by Shakespeare, is a tragedy that showed the consequences of Macbeths guilt from the peer pressure of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth questioned Macbeths manliness several times throughout the story. Macbeth wanted to prove that he was a stronger person. Even though Macbeth proved his manliness, he regretted his decision. Macbeths decision to kill Duncan was based off of peer pressure from Lady Macbeth. The character Macbeth had been told by the three weird sisters that he was going to be the Thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland. In order for Macbeth to take the throne, he had to kill King Duncan. Macbeth never asked the question, Do I really have to kill Duncan in order to become king? Instead, Macbeth was pressured into his decision by his wife, Lady Macbeth. From Macbeths decision some ask the question, Was Macbeth really pressured by Lady Macbeth? Another question often brought up is, Why did Macbeth make the decision to kill Duncan? I believe the main reason for the murder of Duncan was from the peer pressure of Lady Macbeth. Macbeth had just returned from stopping two invading armies, but that did not stop him from wanting more power. Macbeth was ambitious but lacked he lacked the effort to make it happen (Snodgrass 37). He often thought about the consequences that would happen if he were to proceed in killing Duncan. Macbeth also thought about the things Duncan had done for him when he served him as king. He decided he could not bring himself to kill Duncan, but he wanted more success. On the other hand Lady Macbeth was far more ambitious than her husband. Lady Macbeth was described as very ambitious, burning in unquenchable desire to have the name of queen (Quennell 133). After Lady Macbeth read the letter her husband wrote her she said, Hurry home so I can twist your thinking with my sharp words toward the obstacles that stand in the way of your crowning, a rise to greatness that destiny and the witches have promised (I.V.24-29). She had a plan up her sleeve to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth did not see an ything wrong with killing Duncan; she only saw a way to gain more power. Lady Macbeth called upon evil spirits to get her in the right mind-set to pressure Macbeth. She said, Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe, top full of direst cruelty (I.V.38-41). Come to my womans breasts, and take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers, wherever in your sightless substance you wait on natures mischief (I.V.45-46). Come thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, that my knife see not the wound it makes, nor heaven peep through the blanket of dark (I.V.48-51). First Lady Macbeth said, Unsex me here, to prove that she would be willing to become the opposite sex. Lady Macbeth practically wished at this point that she was not a woman anymore, so she could kill Duncan. Then she called upon the evil spirits to replace her breast milk with bitterness. Lastly, she asked for the night to be covered with fog so she would not be able to see the wound of Duncan. This showed how much she was willing to kill King Duncan. Macbeth told his wife Duncan will be staying with us but he will leave the next morning. Lady Macbeth said, O! Never shall sun that morrow see/ your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters (I.V.58-61). She told Macbeth, Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent undert (I.V.63-64). She then said, Leave all the rest to me (I.V.71). Lady Macbeth meant go and treat Duncan like royalty and keep your murderous intent hidden. Lady Macbeth then planned out the plot to kill Duncan. That greatly showed her ambition and hunger for power. Macbeth contemplated if he should kill King Duncan. Macbeth had thought of several reasons why he should not and did not want to kill Duncan. First, Duncan was king over him. Second, Macbeth was his protector and host because he was staying at Macbeths house, and he should not harm him. Lastly, King Duncan had been a good and kind ruler, so Macbeth felt he should never hurt him. Macbeth brought to his wifes attention that he did not want to go through with the plan to kill King Duncan. He said, We will proceed no further in this business; he hath honourd me of late; and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people, which would be worn now in their newest gloss, not cast aside so soon (I.VII.31-34). That should have been the end, but Lady Macbeth would not take no for an answer. Lady Macbeth urged Macbeth to kill Duncan, which eventually led to his downfall. She did not only question his decision, but she questioned his manliness. Men never like to feel weaker than women. Macbeths wife said, When you durst do it when you were a man; and, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man (I.VII.49-51). Lady Macbeth meant if you murder Duncan and do what you plan, then you will be a real man. Lady Macbeth showed she could be masculine when she said, I have given suck and know how tender tis to love the babe that milks me; I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluckd my nipple from his boneless gums, and dashd the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done (I.VII.54-59). Lady Macbeth expressed a very powerful statement when she said she would be able to kill her own child. Lady Macbeths words were a great challenge for Macbeth. Macbeth said, Bring forth men-children only for thy undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males (I.VII.7 2-74). Macbeth meant you have such a hardened heart that you should only bear male babies (Snodgrass 51). Lady Macbeth felt he was too compassionate to kill Duncan in order to claim the throne. He would rather take the throne fairly (Snodgrass 37). Questioning Macbeths manliness pressured him into killing King Duncan. Lady Macbeth gave the excuse that she could not kill Duncan because he looked too much like her father. She said, Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done it (II.II.12-13). She was giving an excuse for why she did not want to kill Duncan. This showed she lost strength when she saw Duncan sleeping, for he reminded her of her father. It showed she became weak inside and pressured Macbeth instead. Lady Macbeth tried to sound tough when she said, Unsex me here, but became weak when she saw him sleeping. Macbeth was afraid that the plan will fail, and the people will find out that he murdered Duncan. She told Macbeth, Screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we will not fail (I.VII.60-61). Lady Macbeth said, If we pretend to grieve for the king no one will challenge us (I.VII.77-79). He finally decided he wanted to prove to Lady Macbeth that he was a real man. Macbeth went through with the decision and murdered Duncan. She said, Smear the faces with blood. Macbeth refused, Mocking his weakness, she takes the daggers and performs the task herself (Rozakis 240). Lady Macbeth put blood on Duncans guards and laid the daggers next to them. She left the people thinking it was Duncans guards who planned the murder of their king. The Bible gave us many good examples of how we need to submit ourselves to our husbands. God gave a command that said, Wives submit to your husband as is fitting in the Lord (NIV Colossians 3:18). Lady Macbeth should have let Macbeth make the decision based off of what he was right and what he felt was the right decision. She was only thinking of herself and what she got from the situation. She knew she wanted to have the title of becoming queen and did not think of the consequences that could come from the situation. I Corinthians 11:3 stated, The husband is to assume leadership in the home. The husband and wife should both show love and respect towards each other, but he should have told Lady Macbeth I will do what is best for us. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experienced guilt and regret after the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth experienced regret because he had to hire murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance to cover up the slaughter of Duncan (Rozakis 240). Macbeth began to feel insanity from the whole situation. Lady Macbeth was affected from the situation when she began to sleep walk. As Lady Macbeth was sleep walking, she began rubbing her hands. She rubbed her hands trying to get the blood off of them (Quennell 134). She kept thinking that her hands were bloody from when she smeared the blood on the faces of Duncans guards. This drove her into insanity, which eventually led her to commit suicide. The story of Macbeth was a good example that showed the effect of peer pressure. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in America among teens. Peer pressure has not only led to suicide, but also drug overdoses, fatal car accidents, violent crime, and unwanted pregnancy (Unknown Author). Teens, who have been pressured by their friends, sometimes turn to suicide as a way out (Unknown Author). Lady Macbeth only thought about fame and power and did not think about the consequences of her actions. She pressured Macbeth, which led to Duncans murder. She did not only think about how this decision could affect her. She felt guilty, which led to her insanity. One action led to not only the murder of Duncan, but the murder of herself.

Hot Dogs :: essays research papers

How Hot Dogs Are Made: The Real Story There are many tall tales about the way in which hot dogs are made. I remember when I was a kid, my dad told us that hotdogs are pig fetuses and other bi-products picked up from the floor and thrown into the grinder. To tell you the truth I have thought that ever since I first heard it. It wasn’t until I decided to do a little research on this before gruesome and now pleasant process. First, specially selected meat trimmings of beef and/or pork (just like the meat you buy at the grocery store) is cut or ground into small pieces and placed in a mixer. Poultry hotdogs will obviously use poultry trimmings. High speed, stainless steel choppers blend the meat, spices, ice chips and curing ingredients into a creamy, meaty batter. The batter is constantly weighed to insure that the correct amount of each ingredient is being used. The mixture is then pumped into an automatic linking machine, where it flows into casings. The most popular brands of hot dogs such as, Oscar Meyer or Ball Park use cellulose casings, which are later removed. Some wieners use natural casings, which remain on the wiener when it is eaten. These wieners are considered more traditional, and are usually made by smaller manufacturers and tend to cost a little more. Once the casings are filled, they are linked into long strands of hot dogs and moved to the smokehouse; there they are fully cooked under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. They may be hardwood smoked for added color and flavor. After passing through the smoke and cook cycle, the hot dogs are placed in cool water. If the hot dogs were made with cellulose casings, they are sent to an automatic peeler, where the cellulose skin is stripped away. The individual links are then put through to the packaging equipment. When cellulose casings are used, the hot dogs are of exact size and weight. They are vacuum-sealed in plastic films to protect the freshness and f lavor of the hot dog. Because the casings on natural casings wieners are made from cleaned and processed animal intestines, they are of similar, but not exact, size. Each package of hot dogs contains an ingredient statement, which lists everything that goes into it. These days, it is less common to use variety meats such as hearts in hot dogs.

Langston Hughes The Weary Blues Essay examples -- Music Blues Jazz Mu

Langston Hughes' The Weary Blues   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jazz music is often associated with long, lazy melodies and ornate rhythmical patterns. The Blues, a type of jazz, also follows this similar style. Langston Hughes' poem, "The Weary Blues," is no exception. The sound qualities that make up Hughes' work are intricate, yet quite apparent. Hughes' use of consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and rhyme in "The Weary Blues" gives the poem a deep feeling of sorrow while, at the same time, allows the reader to feel as if he or she is actually listening to the blues sung by the poem's character.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Blues musical move was prominent during the 1920s and '30s, a time known as the Harlem Renaissance. Blues music characteristically told the story of someone's anguish, the key factors, and the resolution of the situation. This is precisely what Hughes' poem, "The Weary Blues," describes. Hughes uses the rhythmic structure of blues music and the improvisational rhythms of jazz in his innovative development of "The Weary Blues." The poem opens by first setting the scene. "Down on Lenox Avenue" the speaker heard a "mellow croon" (lines 2 and 4). The tune was played on a piano and sung by a man with the emotions coming from the "black man's soul" (15). The piano man expresses his feelings of loneliness and dissatisfaction with his life in lines 19-22 and 25-30: "Ain't got nobody in all this world,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ain't got nobody but ma self.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I's gwine to quite ma frownin'   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And put my troubles on the shelf."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "I got the Weary Blues   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And I can't be satisfied.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Got the Weary Blues   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And can't be satisfied-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I ain't happy no mo'   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And I wish that I had died." The piano man, in a slightly backward order, tells how he wished that he had died because he feels so alone. But, instead of an ultimate end, the piano man decides to "put his troubles on the shelf," or rather, push them aside and continue living without the distraction of those pains.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tone of "The Weary Blues" is quite dark and melancholy. This matches the sorrowful theme of the poem. Sound patterns play a key role in this poem. They enhance the already somber mood by way of consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and rhyme patterns. Consonance is found within the first line of the poem. "Droning a drowsy?" brings a hard 'd' sound to... ...  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  O Blues! The end of each of the above lines has the long 'u' or 'oo' sound but doesn't exactly rhyme with the preceding line or lines. This off-rhyme gives this blues poem more dimension. With precise rhyme, the poem would seem too forced but with this off-rhyme, the true flow of the blues is apparent and works very well. Additionally, the near rhyme of the long 'u' or 'oo' sound reinforces, once again, the sorrowful and melancholy theme of the poem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the consistent use of consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and rhyme patterns of "The Weary Blues," Langston Hughes produces a poem with a great deal of emotion. The feelings of sadness and loneliness resonate throughout the poem. The long, lazy melodies and ornate rhythmical patterns of jazz music and the blues are really brought to life in "The Weary Blues" via Hughes' intricate workings of sound patterns that are cleverly implemented in every nook of the poem. Because of these descriptive sound words, I can almost picture myself walking down Lenox Avenue and hearing the old piano man and his "Weary Blues." Bibliography: Hughes, Langston. Selected Poems. New York: Random House/Vintage Books, 1987.

Development and frameworks support development influence current practice Essay

Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development focusses on how children acquire knowledge and learn. He believed that when a child and an adult are given the same logical question children gave less sophisticated answers, not because they were less competent than the adults but because children are born with an extremely simple mental structure which is the basis for the child’s knowledge and learning ability. He suggests that children go through four stages of intellectual growth: 0-2yrs – Sensorimotor, i.e. motor control and learning about objects, the child explores the environment around them using their senses; 2-7yrs – Preoperational, verbal skills development, the child understands the use of symbols and language; 7-11yrs – Concrete Operational, beginning to grasp abstract concepts, shows logical thinking; 12yrs to adulthood – Formal Operational, logical and systematic reasoning skills, is able to work through abstract problems. One of the basic components of Piaget’s theory is ‘Schemas’. Each schema is a building block of intelligent behaviour and a way of a child’s brain organising the knowledge they have gained. Children will develop new schemas as they learn and experience more to allow them to retain this knowledge, as well as modifying their existing schemas as new information about them emerges through additional knowledge. We can effectively plan the development of a child by taking his ideas of ‘schemas’ into practice and using Piaget’s stages we can assess where and how a child is currently learning. From assessment it becomes possible to plan activities to help them to develop onto the next stage. Psychoanalytical Sigmund Freud (1856 1939) An Austrian neurologist Freud believed that each stage of a child’s development directly related to specific needs and demands, each based on a particular body part and was rooted with a sexual base. Freud outlined these stages as oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital. Each stage involves the satisfaction of a desire and can later play a role in the adult personality. Freud suggested that if a child does not successfully complete a stage, they could develop a fixation that would later influence adult personality and behaviour. According to Freud the mind can be split into two halves, the conscious (mental processes we are aware of) and the unconscious mind (mental processes we are unaware of), and has three separate aspects – the Id (the conscious mind), Ego and Superego (unconscious mind) which all need to be balanced to have good mental health. The Id is about basic needs and feelings, the pleasure principle. The Ego is the reality principle and the Superego is the moral part of the mind. Freud’s theories about unconscious actions can still be witnessed, for example when a child is caught hurting another child. The aggressor may deny it and tell a lie, but may start to cry because he knows what he has done is wrong, and that he has lied about it. Whilst Freud’s psychosexual theories do not fit well with today’s more scientific standards and are considered not to be very accurate, they have been influential because it was original thinking about human development, and many other theorists used his ideas as a starting point. He has also helped those working with children by understanding there is a link between our conscious and unconscious actions. Humanist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) An American psychologist Abraham Maslow was a humanistic psychologist who is most famous for his ‘Hierarchy of Needs’, which is relevant to all ages, not just for children. The five-stage hierarchy of needs is often visually displayed as a pyramid with the largest most important needs at the bottom and the more advanced needs at the top We are born with basic needs for survival, food, water, shelter and sleep which is represented in the first layer. Without these nothing else is possible. Once these needs are met we can progress to the next level which consists of a need for feeling safe and secure. We seek safety from others and strive to be in an environment that keeps us safe and free from harm. The third level is our need for love, our desire for acceptance and our need to fit in. At this level we seek out love, friendships and intimacy. The fourth level is our need for esteem, achievement, education and respect. At this level we focus our attention on self-respect and respect from others. We seek information and knowledge through education, strive to make advancements in our careers and work towards an overall higher self-worth. The fifth and final level in the hierarchy is our need for self-actualisation, the need to reach our fullest  potential with complete understanding of ourselves. According to Maslow very few people if any, master this level. Our basic needs (1st level) are essential for our survival. We need to feel safe (2nd level) before we can develop friendships which will give us a sense of belonging (3rd level). Once we have developed friendships we seek the esteem of self and others (4th level). This demonstrates how each layer must be fulfilled before moving up to a higher level. Maslow’s theories are very relevant to child development and care. Based on his hierarchy of needs a child would find it very hard to learn if their basic needs are not being met, for example a hungry or thirsty child would find it difficult to focus their attention to learn as the most basic need must be met first. A simple solution of snack time in between lessons and having drinking water available would help to overcome this problem. Addressing a child’s most basic needs will help them to grow, learn and develop. Social learning Albert Bandura born 1925, an American psychologist Bandura states that behaviour is learned from the environment, i.e. behaviours of others, and then imitated. His famous experiment in 1961 – the Bobo doll study – involved a film being shown of an adult beating up a Bobo doll and shouting aggressive words. This was then shown to a group of children and after watching the film they were allowed to play in the room that held the Bobo doll. All the children began to beat up the doll and were physically and verbally aggressive towards it, even though nurturing toys were available to play with the doll. They were apparently imitating the actions of the adult they had seen in the film. This was seen as an important break away from the behaviourist theory that behaviour is directed by reinforcement or rewards. The children simply copied the adult’s behaviour. They received no encouragement or reward. Bandura’s theories have an influence on current practice today in the form of positive role modelling. Recognition that child carers have a responsibility to demonstrate positive role modelling, as children will often imitate their behaviour. If aggressive behaviour or frustration is exhibited by the adult it is likely to be imitated by the child. Learning  is acquired by observation and imitation. Operant conditioning B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) An American psychologist. Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning can be described as a process that attempts to modify a behaviour through the use of positive and negative reinforcement. The child will make the association between a particular behaviour and a consequence. The fundamental idea behind this is that behaviours that are reinforced will tend to continue while behaviours that are punished will eventually stop. Positive reinforcement is when a desired behaviour is rewarded positively: for example, when a child completes a set task they would receive a positive response e.g. a sticker, positive praise or maybe free play. Negative reinforcement is more about focussing on the negative behaviours that are to be changed and instilling a sanction or removal of a positive event: for example, a child that is continually exhibiting a negative behaviour, such as disobeying house rules will be told that if this behaviour continues they will lose their gaming machine or similar sanction. In summary if we reward good behaviour we expect that behaviour to continue and if we punish negative behaviour we hope that behaviour will cease. Importantly adults using this theory must make sure that they consistently carry out what they have intended otherwise the system becomes completely ineffective. Skinner’s theories are used widely in childcare today, we actively praise children for positive behaviours and for performing actions correctly; additionally we use the ‘time out’ method for negative behaviour. Behaviourist John B Watson (1878-1958) An American psychologist. Watson believed all learning was gradual and continuous. Development is a sequence of specific conditional behaviours with the main emphasis on the environment not heredity. Observable behaviours were considered to be more important rather that internal events such as thinking because external/observable behaviours could be witnessed and monitored. Watson believed that everyone is born as a ‘blank canvas’ and with the same abilities as each other and that they can be taught and trained to become anything they wish to be. Individuals can be trained to behave in a certain  way. He believed all behaviour is a result of the environment and a response. His work was heavily influenced by physiologist Ivan Pavlov who is famous for his theory based on dogs. Pavlov learned that dogs would begin to salivate in response to seeing a care giver in anticipation of food, rather than just in the response of receiving food. He named this response the ‘Classical Conditioning Theory’. It was Watson’s and Pavlov’s ideas which impacted on that of Skinner’s. We use Watson’s theories today by rewarding good behaviour and punishing negative behaviour. Good behaviour in our classrooms today is often rewarded with stickers, privileges or other positive motivators. To discourage negative behaviours often a stepped warning system is used. A system of planned ignoring is beneficial and often used for dealing with attention seeking behaviour. Social pedagogy Social Pedagogy is a framework that influences current practice by creating a holistic way of working with children by seeking to bring together theories and concepts from education, psychology and sociology. It aims to treat the child as a whole, making sure all their needs are met especially those children with additional needs.

My Favourite Pet

My new pet is a dog. They are so loving, caring and a true friend. My little dog, Jingle, is a living example of what love is all about and he is my little treasure and holds a special place in my heart. Where in this world could you find a friend who is more faithful and pure of heart? I always know that when I get home, I have a friend waiting there for me. After a long day, it is always nice to be greeted by my trusting friend with the wagging tail. His little eyes seem to sparkle like a diamond and his loving ways can soothe a weary heart. A dog's love is unselfish, pure, and so true. No finer friend could a person have than the love of a little dog. Little Jingle gives me great joy as he is an inspiration to me as he brings a smile to my face and a song to my heart. In the spring and summer when the weather is nice, we go for long walks and smell the flowers and the leaves along the woodland's edge. He is a gentle little dog with a loud bark, though his bark is worse than his bite. Jingle's love is as radiant as the summer sun and as pure as the morning dew. He is my ray of sunshine, even on a cloudy day as he puts my mind at ease. My little Jingle teaches me to be patient and to care. As his little eyes show me the true meaning of love and of what is important in life. In this hectic world of stress and strain, it is nice to have loyal and trusting friend who would give their life for you, if need be.