“Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers: Emily Dickinson

Hannah Hulvey English II Balint 22 April, 2013 â€Å"Hope† is the thing with feathers: Emily Dickinson In this poem, Emily is saying how nature is divided or basically, she employs images from nature for contrasting purposes. In this poem nature is both beneficent and destructive. The division is made between the image of the bird and the images of threatening storms and hostile environments. This split corresponds to a separation between inside and outside, between interior and exterior spaces.The major theme of this poem is that Dickinson is comparing the hope in the soul with a bird. The bird never stops singing. So should we keep singing our songs, our poems, our prose. Even the roughest storms can't keep the bird from its singing. Nor should we let our own storms, our personal disappointments like deaths of family and friends, stop us. The poem uses a bird as a symbol to define the feeling that hope can give an individual. In the first stanza, Dickinson tell the reader th at â€Å"Hope is the thing with feathers .That perches in the soul. and sings the tune-without the words. And never stops at all. † In other words, hope is part of a spirit that lives in all of us. The uplifting feel of hope comes naturally and stays with us. A series of words in the second and third stanzas â€Å"sore,† â€Å"storm,† â€Å"chillest,† â€Å"Extremity† combine to evince a different side of nature, as dangerous and threatening. Here the sense is of an exterior space, wild and unprotected.Dickinson tells us, the tune the bird sings is â€Å"sweetest,† suggesting both that it is the most comforting thing heard amid the noise of the storm, and that, while the tune is sweet when it is heard while one is safe, it is sweetest when one is in danger. If we look at â€Å"‘Hope’ Is the Thing with Feathers† in terms of Dickinson’s life, we can perhaps read a commentary on her withdrawal from the world. Dickinso n turned inward into herself and shut out the world, and she suggests that inside it is peaceful and secure, while outside it is hostile and dangerous. And how does this describe my life?

Existentialism and Human Nature Essay

Absolute individuality and absolute freedom: the basis of all existentialist arguments. The existentialist’s conceptions arise from their held views that since we are all ultimately alone, we have absolute freedom over our nature. Existentialists emphasize the â€Å"free and conscious self† which opponents constantly attack, exclaiming that there is a â€Å"higher power† enabling our consciousness. But are humans so simple? Can things be explained solely on blaming ourselves or another being for our nature? The existentialist generally believes in a sole existence; meaning that we are alone in the world, and that we have no one but ourselves. They also believe in the human being’s capacity to feel more than one kind of pain, and that there are three different levels to our pain, physical, psychological, and emotional. All of these types of pain can cause us to become irrational and anxious. But are we really anxious because of this pain, or is it because we ultimately feel alone? And if we are all individuals, can we really feel the same kind of pain as someone else? Existence precedes essence is also dominant in the mind and thoughts of the existentialist. That is, the idea that we are born into this world without a predetermined nature, and only later in life do we shape out nature through actions and choices. This opposes the traditional view that is that essence precedes existence, according to which we are seen as having a purpose, and values, all of which is determined before birth. (I personally think that the idea of essence preceding existence is rather obscure. There is no way that our values and purpose can be determined by genetic code. DNA is what we are, not who we are. ) Existentialists pose another question to the opposition: how can we be happy in a world devoid of significance and meaning? The loss of external values allows us to derive value from within ourselves. This value is greater than any imposed by outside forces, and thus cannot be taken away from said sources. Although many human beings live a life devoid of true happiness, it does not mean that we are incapable of attaining such a goal. If a person finds the meaning for their life, whether it be one meaning, or many, there is a large chance that they can achieve such a utopia without recognizing outside influences. People of different viewpoints follow different methods, as well as believe in different forces that shape our nature. It is in my opinion, as well as that of the existentialist, that we shape our own nature through decisions and actions made by our own free will; that we are ultimately free to act independently from the influences of outside forces. That we can ultimately ignore the views imposed on us, and achieve a sustainable level of happiness in the process. Human nature is a frail thing; people are just looking for someone else to blame for their actions and for who they are, even when there isn’t any. Therefore, there is no one to blame for who we are, but ourselves.

The History of Cocaine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The History of Cocaine - Essay Example It is an important source of nutrition and energy in a region that is lacking in other food sources and oxygen; the vitamins and protein present in the leaves, as well as the cocaine alkaloid, helps provide the energy and strength necessary for steep walks in this mountainous area and days without eating (Winger 45-47). Although the stimulant and hunger-suppressant properties of coca had been known for many centuries, the isolation of the cocaine alkaloid was not achieved until 1855. Although many scientists had attempted to isolate cocaine, no one had been successful for two reasons: the knowledge of chemistry required was insufficient at the time, and coca does not grow in Europe and is easily ruined during travel. The cocaine alkaloid was first isolated by the German chemist Friedrich Gaedcke. Gaedcke named the alkaloid "erythroxyline", and published a description in the journal Archives de Pharmacie. In 1856 Friederich Wohler asked Dr. Carl Scherzer, a scientist aboard the Novara (an Austrian frigate sent by Emperor Franz Joseph to circle the globe), to bring him a large amount of coca leaves from South America. In 1859 the ship finished its travels and Wohler received a trunk full of coca. Wohler passed on the leaves to Albert Niemann, a Ph.D. student at the University of Gottingen in Germany, who then developed an improved purification process. Niemann described every step he took to isolate cocaine in his dissertation entitled On a New Organic Base in the Coca Leaves, which was published in 1860 — it also earned him his Ph.D. and is now in the British Library. ... He wrote of the alkaloid's "colorless transparent prisms" and said that, "Its solutions have an alkaline reaction, a bitter taste, promote the flow of saliva and leave a peculiar numbness, followed by a sense of cold when applied to the tongue." Niemann named the alkaloid "cocaine" - as with other alkaloids its name carried the "-ine" suffix (from Latin -ina). In 1879 cocaine began to be used to treat morphine addiction. Cocaine was introduced into clinical use as a local anaesthetic in Germany in 1884, about the same time as Sigmund Freud published his work Uber Coca, in which he wrote that cocaine causes: ...exhilaration and lasting euphoria, which in no way differs from the normal euphoria of the healthy person...You perceive an increase of self-control and possess more vitality and capacity for work....In other words, you are simply normal, and it is soon hard to believe you are under the influence of any drug....Long intensive physical work is performed without any fatigue...This result is enjoyed without any of the unpleasant after-effects that follow exhilaration brought about by alcohol....Absolutely no craving for the further use of cocaine appears after the first, or even after repeated taking of the drug... In 1885 the U.S. manufacturer Parke-Davis sold cocaine in various forms, including cigarettes, powder, and even a cocaine mixture that could be injected directly into the user's veins with the included needle. The company promised that its cocaine products would "supply the place of food, make the coward brave, the silent eloquent and ... render the sufferer insensitive to pain." By late Victorian era cocaine use had appeared as a vice in literature, for example as the cocaine injected by Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 18

Assignment - Essay Example The lines consist of several curves, as well as, loose gestures. The curves are evident on the picture representing the dead Jesus. The belly consists of valley-like curves. Curves are used by artists whose intended messages on pictures are mainly emotionally based. The lines used in this picture are classical or analytical in nature. The lines are precise and are rationally and mathematically organized. The lines are drawn into scale in order to fit the available drawing page. The artist has used expressive lines in the above picture. The element of emotionality is evident in the picture. This was the artist’s intended message. The decoration of the photo, in terms of coloration is also an evident that the artists used expressive lines to come up with the picture. The artist of the above picture has used analytical lines. The lines are straight with no curves. The picture is also fixed in a small frame. This has been done to allow the viewing of all images in the picture. The lines used are expressive. There are several curves in the lines and the artist is trying to bring out an emotional status he/she had when composing the picture. The portrayal of the photo also reveals a lot concerning the emotionality of the photo. 7. Henri has used analytical lines in the designation of this photo. He has used straight lines with no curves. The lines are precise, rational, and mathematically organized. He has ensured that all that he wanted to present in the picture is included. This way, he manages to display his artistic skills. Expressive lines. Mary the artist has applied expressive lines when composing this picture with a view of showing the emotional aspect of the picture to the viewers. The lines are curved showing the image of a woman in 3D format. This enables the viewers comprehend the message behind this picture. Analytic lines have a close relationship with static composition. First, static composition implies

Information Systems in Accounting and Finance Essay

Information Systems in Accounting and Finance - Essay Example Security controls help in controlling attacks, these attacks maybe passive or active in nature. In passive attack, the information is not interfered with, however, for the active attack it involves interfering with the traffic, flow of messages. These may include the destruction and the deletion of important information by attackers masquerading as employees or impersonating other employees. The system accountant must apply some controls to ensure these risks are controlled. The ever-growing need to improve service delivery and storage of information has an equal measure of challenges. For instance, most retail organizations must ensure their pricing, product codes, and another confidential information is safe from malicious personnel (Hall, 2013). The retail organization will build a system that captures the price list of all the household appliances in their stores. The system will also have unique codes for each item on sale. This makes the organization have the potential to empower their customers to make online purchase. Customers can log into their website and make involve, and payment for their household items. The company must have measures to deliver the item either through courier delivery or alternative shipment strategy. The main challenge is lost or theft of such information thereby denting the credibility of the organization (Boczko, 2012). A retail organization involved in selling of home appliance must have proper working accounting syst ems that safeguard the customer information from individuals who may attempt to misuse the information. Therefore, such organizations must have strategies that identify possible risks and security threats to enable institution of audit procedures aiming at mitigation of the type of risks (Grande et al., 2011; Colbert, 2002). The essay looks at the types of risks and security threats a retail organization may face and the possible control

Management of Innovation and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management of Innovation and Change - Essay Example Yes, CHANGE is the primary asset that the company upholds giving it the kind of reputation that it deserves from all the efforts that its administrators prefer to apply in the process of giving the organization a boost to continuously grow in the industry. How do they deal with the change Like others, they need to consider several points of change management that surely gives them a chance to handle the challenges successfully. To be able to successfully apply change, there are at least ten (10) major ways that should be considered by the administrators collectively. Deriving these particular procedures from the method pattern created by several experts on the organizational management field of industries, the discussion of the methodologies that follow are expected to more meaningful change of organizational structures. It is very important that the organization's vision towards the changes to be applied are strongly identified as it will certainly describe whether the changes to be done are of great importance for the sake of the organization's progress or not. 2. Planning the Procedures to be Taken The plans are to be clarified as they are the ones that would set the path that the adjustments on the organization would actually take. Moreover, the plans shall serve as the guidelines to everyone involved in the adjustments, hence, they should be modified so as to meet the needs of the company and its employees as well. 3. Collaborating with involved Higher Management Authorities After the plans have been made, asking the approval of higher managerial departments should be searched for further suggestions that they may still imply on the program. 4. Deciding on the plan's further scheduled application The plan's application is to be decided by the higher level of management. Hence, the schedule of all the activities pertaining to the change shall be well taken into consideration by the said personnel. 5. Communicating to the people (stakeholders of the company including employees of the rank and file positions) Once everything has been fixed, letting the members of the organization know of the changes and the procedures by which the adjustments are to take place is at an utmost importance to consider. 6. Empowering the People Communicating is not enough, it is strongly suggested that the people be empowered further so as to gear them with the preparation that they need for the adjustments to be further applied in the organization. 7. Applying the Action Application of the plan is then to commence once everything has been set. 8. Appointing Personnel Appointing the people who are to be stationed as supervisors of the results of the change,

The CCPI, ICCS, FutureGen Project and FutureGen 2.0 Project Essay - 233

The CCPI, ICCS, FutureGen Project and FutureGen 2.0 Project - Essay Example It was established to retrofit an existing Illinois coal plant and ensure carbon dioxide emission reduction by 90 percent. The project aimed at massively reducing carbon emission by utilizing safe pipeline technology to ship carbon dioxide and permanently store it underground in a designated storage site located near Ashland (Folger, 2012). FutureGen projects were viewed as the solution to ensuring clean future while using dirty fossil-fuel plants, thus received enormous backing from potential private investors to boost the clean technology. However, numerous challenges rocked the project and would never let it reach its maturity stage and deliver the much-anticipated results of reducing the emission of carbon dioxide by 90 percent. According to Folger (2012), one of the challenges that led to the failure of the FutureGen projects is increasing production costs. The existing technologies for capturing carbon dioxide did not cost cost-effective in the dimension of giant power plants ( Folger, 2012). Another challenge that led to the failure of FutureGen projects was development issues surrounding the project and inadequate incentives for private investors to venture into the projects. The sluggish development in the projects, both new and old, can be attributed to the laxity on part of the private investors to inject their finances into the project. This is because private investors were risk averse, especially because of the uncertainty surrounding the future of the projects and high project costs (Folger, 2012). According to Marxa et al. (2007), uncertainty makes people wary of the future. It was a huge challenge to secure funding from the private sector to meet the increasing cost of the project. Time constraint was also a major challenge for successful implementation of the project that was proving to be over the budget and competition from other countries made the project appear less feasible.

Frederick Jackson Turner writes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Frederick Jackson Turner writes - Essay Example The immigration of people of various ethnic backgrounds mostly Europeans into the region led to their transformation. They cultivated adopted and spread their culture and notions in west America. Thus, through these processes, they become Americanized. According to Jackson Turner, the long established American character originated from the forests and gained momentum every time it reached a frontier thus the frontier thesis. The American character entails democracy, equality, optimism, individualism, violence, and self-reliance (Turner 1). I agree with Turner that America owes its identity from the west. First, the Middle States, as well as the South, possessed democratic ideas and this formed the center of Ohio politics in her early history. This is proved since most of its members elected in the Ohio legislature in 1820 comprised a large number of the natives. For example, New England contributed nine Senators as well as six Representatives who mainly came from Connecticut. Moreove r, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania elected seventeen Senators as well as twenty-one Representatives majority who came from Pennsylvania (Turner 1). Further, the South elected twenty-seven Representatives and nine Senators most of whom came from Virginia. Among the Representatives, five of them were natives of Ireland. In total, the emigrants from the Middle Region and the Democratic South outnumbered the Federalist who originated from New England. Since America is the heart of democracy and Ohio was the first state to elect emigrants as representatives, then it shows that the idea of democracy in America arose from Ohio, which is in the frontier. Secondly, once the immigrants settled in the West, they cooperated among themselves in clearing land, building houses and barns, and establishing communities (Froner 337). These ideals of individualism spread from the west into other areas in America. Thus, the communities promoted selflessness within their communities which later

Animal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Animal - Research Paper Example Among the tests done on animals are the pharmaceutical testing which involves testing the mode of action of new drugs on animals before it is utilized by human being. The paper seeks to oppose the use of animals in scientific experiments. Animal just like human beings have rights. By understanding the rights of animals, scientists all over the world will consider other alternative research methods. Organizations have come up with an intention of protecting the rights of animals all over the world yet animals have continued being utilized in thousands of experiments without considering their safety. Some organizations such as the PETA international science consortium (PISC) have been set up with an intention of stopping the continued conduction of experiments on animals. The organization has funded and promoted the research types that utilized non animal methods. The organization has in the long run championed the non animal research methods and declined duplicate testing. The organization has ensured harmonization and global implementation of non animal methods of research. Though scientists have made us believe that sicknesses and diseases will reduce human being population if they end up giving up on using animals in animal researchers, they should also focus on the rights of the animals used and the safety. Many animals have died in experiments and it is time to stop such a n archaic habit and seek for alternatives, such as the non animals experiments. Continuous use of animals has reduced their numbers and some are even becoming extinct. Recent research has also indicated that animal’s body does not resemble the human body and should be continuously utilized in the experiments. Studies have indicated that animal experimenters have wasted human and animal lives with an intention of providing solutions to diseases and illnesses done through research. Animals have contracted diseases in the process and succumbed in the process.

Beowulf by Seamus Heaney and the Anglo-Saxon poem Dream of the Rood Essay Example for Free

Beowulf by Seamus Heaney and the Anglo-Saxon poem Dream of the Rood Essay Fealty is one of the greatly-recognized values of the Anglo-Saxon world. Often defined as a type of loyalty or allegiance, fealty plays a more engaging and active role in Seamus Heaneys Beowulf than in the Anglo-Saxon poem The Dream of the Rood because of the way it causes action to be taken. Understanding the use of this Anglo-Saxon value can reveal its importance in Anglo-Saxon life and literature. In Beowulf, the main character Beowulf uses fealty to empower him to perform heroic deeds. This is shown through the actions that he makes: upon hearing of the attacks by Grendel, Beowulf rushes to the aid of Hrothgar, a friend of his fathers. Beowulfs father, Ecgtheow, previously killed Heatholaf, a member of the Wulfing tribe. According to Anglo-Saxon terminology and law, a debt or wergild must be paid to the relatives of the victim. Unable to pay this manprice (StudyGuide.org), Ecgtheow fled to avoid war. Hrothgar healed the feud by paying (Line 470) this debt which caused Beowulfs father to swear fealty to Hrothgar. It is this fealty that his father made that encourages Beowulf to follow up on an old friendship (Line 376) and assist Hrothgar by defeating Grendel. Another example where Beowulf uses fealty to act heroic is the decision to fight the dragon. Although this occurs in the older phase of Beowulfs life, his loyalty or fealty to the Geats as king of the people (Line 2513) obliges him to defend them, believing that its his duty. Conclusively, the utilization of fealty by Beowulf results in actions being carried out. The Anglo-Saxon value of fealty is also used by other characters in Beowulf to execute intrepid actions. The greatest example of this is the aid shown to Beowulf by Wiglaf during the battle against the dragon. During this battle, Beowulfs sword fails him and hes in need of assistance from the eleven comrades personally chosen for the encounter. However, excluding Wiglaf, that hand-picked troop broke ranks and ran for their lives (Lines 2597-2598). Wiglaf was the only warrior of the band who stood by his lord. In a sign of respect toward the heroic ideal of the Anglo-Saxon world that states that he is obligated to fight for their lord to the death (StudyGuide.org), Wiglaf interferes in the fight and they eventually defeat the dragon. This principle demonstrates how fealty is significant to  Anglo-Saxon life in the way it inspired Wiglaf to aid Beowulf. All in all, fealty is acutely used in Beowulf as a basis to which one could complete actions. In Dream of the Rood, fealty is shown by the cross to Christ but it doesnt play an actual role in the poem because the cross is an inanimate object and cannot use his fealty to protect his lord. In a sense, the fealty in this poem is more idealistic than in Beowulf since the cross has the determination and the eagerness to aid Christ during the crucifixion but he cannot interfere. This willpower is illustrated when Christ was placed on the Cross in preparation for the crucifixion. The cross states that although the ground shakes, it darednot against the Lords word/ bend or break (Lines 35-36). That provides the notion that the cross has the intention to help Christ because it bending or breaking would hinder Christ; the cross, by announcing that it wouldnt do such a thing verifies its fealty. Therefore, fealty is used in the poem as a concept, not as a reason for action. In conclusion, the application of fealty to the two Anglo-Saxon texts is evident but more significant in one then the other. Still, fealty contributes to both pieces of literature and its complex use exposes why it is so vital to Anglo-Saxon society. Works Cited Glenn, Jonathan A. The Dream of the Rood. University of Central Arkansas. May 2009 . Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf A New Verse Translation (Bilingual Edition). Boston: W. W. Norton Company, 2001. Beowulf StudyGuide.org. StudyGuide.org. May 2009 . Works ConsultedDictionary.com. May 2009 .

Social networking sites in the work place

Social networking sites in the work place Benefits and problems of social networking sites in the work place â€Å"In the early 1990s, websites were used to share information with other people, though many people felt that this was not personal enough, since it lacked the sense of togetherness. This led to the development of social networking and social networking sites in the early 2000s. This concept was embraced and readily accepted by many people who felt the need for a more personalized way of communicating through the web†. (Sharpened.com, November 2009) Between 2007 and 2009, the craze about social networking and especially social networking sites has grown rapidly and is continuing to grow at a very rapid rate. Accodring to Owyang, social networking sites like Facebook has a high growth rate with more than 60million active users, an average of 250,000 new registrations every day since January 2007 and with an average 3% weekly growth rate since January 2007.(2008)Smith(2008) also states that the number of people using social networking sites has grown by 12% in the last six months from June 2008. The most popular social networking sites include the likes of Facebook and HI5, which according to Smith(2008), together have 59million users(see figure 1); they can also include internal social sites for people working in the same enterprise. Social networking sites are popular because anyone who has access to the internet can join any social networking site seeing as they are free and easy to join. This makes people spend most of their t ime on these social networking sites chatting with friends or just updating their information. This craze has also affected those in the workplace and they find themselves spending a lot of company time on these social sites (some of which are also internal social networking sites) and forget to work. The amount of time employees spend using social networking applications is a major reason why many enterprises do not like their employees using the social networking applications during office hours. I believe that social networking and social networking sites do have their advantages that can be of great benefit to an enterprise; but they can also cause problems for an enterprise. In this paper, I am going to discuss the benefits/advantages and problems/disadvantages of social networking and find out if it is worth having social networking and social networking sites in the work place. Keywords: social networking, social networking sites, social networking applications, Social networking can be broadly defined as a social structure made of people who may or may not have a common interest. WhatisSocialnetworking.com(2009) agrees with this definition by defining social networking as the grouping of individuals into specific groups,although social networking is possible in person, especially in the workplace, universities and high school, it is most popular online. I can define a social networking site as an internet site where people go to communicate and keep in touch with their friends and family. But according to Boyd and Ellison(2007), the terms social networking and social network should not be used interchangeably seeing as they do not mean the same. They(Boyd and Ellison,2007) decided to use the term â€Å"social network† which they define as, â€Å"[a] web-based service that allows individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bound system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. Social networking has many benefits to both individuals and enterprises. However many enterprises today are still sceptical about whether or not to permit their employees access to social networking sites and their applications; and if they do grant access, they worry about the implications of allowing them to access these sites and applications, in terms of time spent on these social networking sites and using the applications. However, such enterprises should understand that there are benefits to using social networking sites and applications in the workplace that not only benefit the employees but also the enterprise as a whole. Some of the benefits have been discussed below. Benefits of social networking in the workplace There are various benefits of social networking in the workplace and these include: firstly, social networking and social networking sites can be used to enhance the enterprises image. If an enterprise has access to social networks, this can improve its image. According to Kelleher(2009), building [a] strong social network can help a business to improve its reputationand that social networks can boost the image of an enterprise as thought leaders in the field and customers start to acknowledge the enterprise as reliable and excellent source of information/products that meet their[customers] requirements. Also a social network can help an enterprise expand its market research. Social networking sites can be used by an enterprise to increase its customer base. This is true because an enterprise can advertise its products/services to the users of these sites; the enterprise can also use these social networking sites to get new users for its products/services seeing as through the social sites, the enterprise can do a survey of those people who know/use their product/service and then target those who do not know about their Kelleher(2009) agrees with this for he says that using a social networking site like facebook can help a small business target a large audience without having to do much advertising. In addition, social networking sites can be used as a low-cost marketing tool. An enterprise can use social networking sites to advertise itself and its products and services. This is because in most social networking sites, advertising of products/services is done for free and hence the enterprise saves the expenses it would have used on advertising. By having an internal social network an enterprise can keep records of the employees more easily. According to DiMicco et al(2008), a social network can be a new source of information for the enterprise, and new possibilities for understanding the workforce. This can enable the managers at the enterprise to better understand its workforce. Furthermore, social networking sites can help an enterprise to increase its customer base. An enterprise can mine its employees friends on social networking sites and target them as new customers for its products/services. Laudon and Laudon(2007) agree by saying that social networking can be used to expand the number of an enterprises business and social networks/contacts and also to link people through mutual business thereby enabling them to mine their friends for sales leads.This is an effective way for an enterprise to increase its customer base because it may be easier to convince people who have a mutual relationship with your employees to use your product/service than it is to convince people who have no relationship with the enterprise at all. Lastly, social networking can enable the enterprise to reach its target market/customers. an enterprise can use social networking sites to find out who their target customers are. According to Ladoun and Laudon(2007), an enterprise can do this seeing as users of social networking sites reveal a lot of information about themselves when signing up and using these sites and this information can be used to create advertisements that will appeal to their desired target customers/audience. An enterprise can further use social networking sites to have a closer relationship with its customers. An enterprise can form its own group in a social network where all its present and potential customers can join and gain access to the offers and deals that the enterprise has to offer for members of its group only. Kelleher (2009) agrees with this in that he says that social networks provide an opportunity for businesses to reach out and target groups of customers; he also agrees that businesses can encourage customers to join their network of friends in the social networking site in order to access special discounts given only to those customers who are online contacts to the business. Problems of social networking in the workplace The major problem most enterprises have with allowing their employees access to social networking sites is employees spending too much time on the social networking sites thus affecting their(the employees) productivity. Keller (2009) agrees with this as he also says that organizations do not like having social networking in the workplace since most employees spend most of their time on these sites updating their profiles instead of doing their work. Laudon and Laudon(2007) also share the same view as they say, â€Å"members of social networking sites spend hours surfing pages, checking out other members and exchanging messages† To support his argument, Keller uses the example that if every employee in an enterprise comprising of 50 employees spent 30 minutes a day on a social networking site per day, the enterprise would lose 6,500hours of productivity in a year! This is a great amount of time that could have been used to do company work and be productive. Social networking can also lead to tension in the workplace. This is in terms of the relationships in the office. This is because some employees will feel that their colleagues are spending too much time on social networking sites while they are working to cover the workload for those who are on the social networking sites. This causes tension especially if those employees who spend a lot of time on the social networking sites are known by the other Another problem can be that of wastage of companys resources. This is in terms of bandwidth. Most of the social networking site have some content that takes up a lot of bandwidth and if employees access these contents, they use up all the bandwidth making it impossible for other internet users to access the internet. This can also make the enterprise incur more costs because it will have to use more money to create more bandwidth that an support both the social networks content and those of the enterprise(Kelleher, 2009). The third problem of social networking in the workplace, according to Kelleher (2009), is the threat of viruses and malware: â€Å"Hackers are attracted to social networking sites because they see the potential to commit fraud and launch spam and malware attacks. There are more than 50,000 applications available for FacebookSome have the potential to be used to infect computers with malicious code, which in turn can be used to collect data from that users site. Messaging on social networking sites is also a concern, and the Koobface worm is just one example of how messages are used to spread malicious code and worms.† A further problem may be that of social engineering. Social engineering has been defined by*** as Reputation and legal liability Employees may post information that may damage the companys image To prohibit or not to prohibit There is no one solution to the problem of employees abusing their access to social networking sites. Some enterprises have tried using technology and internal controls to control the amount of time employees spend on these sites and the content that they can access. Though this seems to fail seeing as employees are devious people and will always get other ways of accessing these social networking sites wither by bypassing the security measures put by the enterprise or by accessing the sites from elsewhere. This causes a dilemma for the management of enterprises because they know that the world is moving towards social networking as the new mode of communication with customers and the outside world and they also know the benefits their business will accrue due to the use of social networking sites; and they also know the implications they have when they (managers) allow employees free access to these sites. So what options does the enterprise have in its reach? According to Kelleher (2009), an enterprise has three options it can use when dealing with the issue of social networking in the workplace. That is: ban access to social networking sites, set limits and restrictions to use, and allow unmonitored access. i) The first option an enterprise has is total ban on access of social networking sites. This simply means that the enterprise does not allow employees to access any social networking sites from the workplace computers. This option is mainly used by organizations that want to keep the status quo. However most enterprises do not seem to opt for this option because they see it as a sign of no trust in the employees causing them to rebel against the enterprise and be less productive. ii) The next option is setting limits and restrictions for use. This simple means allowing employees access to some of the applications available on the social networking sites. Some enterprises may even go to the extent of only allowing certain employees access to the social networking sites for a limited amount of time. This strategy may not be total useful for an enterprise in that if some employees are granted access to the social networking sites while others are not, it may bring about hatred and jealousy in the workplace making the work environment tense and unfriendly. iii) Allowing unmonitored access. This is when the enterprise allows its employees to access social networking sites at any time and for whatever duration of time. This is the worst strategy of the three in that the employees will now be even more unproductive seeing that they have access to these sites without anybody monitoring what they are doing. This can also turn to be detrimental to the enterprise in that it has no control over the content the employees are posting and passing through the sites since the enterprise does not monitor what the employees are sending. Of the three options, the best would be to setting limits and restrictions for use. However, whichever option an enterprise chooses to use, it must ensure that the enterprises vital and critical information is protected from viruses and malware and from hackers. This can be achieved by having updates anti-viruses, a firewall to monitor and restrict access to certain internet applications, and social networking sites.(Kelleher, 2009) Conclusion Social networking is a concept that is quickly gaining acceptance from everyone in all walks of life from students to CEOs and senior managers of big enterprises. They see social networking as a quick, cheap and effective way to keep in touch and communicate with their friends and family; and customers and employees, in the case of CEOs and senior managers. Social networking sites are both beneficial and risky to an enterprise. The major thing that perturbs most enterprises of today about allowing employees access to social networking sites is that they have no control over the information being passed by the employees. Most social networking sites ask for so much information when one is joining and at times, this information can be used against the individual and may eventually be used against the enterprise. Kelleher(2009) suggests some tips for an enterprise should follow when allowing access to social networking sites; these are:- i) Restrict access. An enterprise can achieve this by controlling the amount of time employees spend on the social sites. One enterprise may allow employees to access these sites during their breaks or before/after office hours. While another may allow its employees to access only certain social sites and only certain applications in those sites that do not take up the enterprises bandwidth. ii) Educate and train employees. Employees should be educated on the implications their activities on the social sites may have on the enterprise because most employees do not know that their actions on social sites can have a great impact on the enterprise. Employees should also be trained on how to recognise suspicious links that may be connected to viruses and malware that could damage the machines and the enterprise network, and that they should not just click nay link they find on social sites. They should also be made conscious of the information they give on these sites and how this information can be used against them and the enterprise. iii) Set security and usage policies. June 2008 December 2008 Total unique total unique visitors(000) visitors(0000 1H08 growth Total internet: total audience 860,511 815,797 5.5% 44.716 Social Networking: Total audience 580,510 516,318 12.4% 64,102 Facebook 132,105 97,792 35.1% 34,313 Myspace 117,582 107,167 9.7% 10,415 hi5 56,367 31,428 79.4% 24,939 Friendstar 37,080 29,735 24.7% 7,345 Orkut 34,028 25,138 35.4% 8,891 Bebo 24,017 21,282 12.9% 2,736 Other 179,330 203,776 -12% -24,447 Sorce: comScore.Inc cited in Smith(2008) Geography: Worldwide References Social Networking, accessed from http://www.sharpened.net/glossary/definition.php?socialnetworking, accessed on 4th November 2009 What is social networking?, accessed from http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/ accessed on 23rd November 2009 Boyd D. M., and Ellison N.B., Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship, Michigan State University, (2007), accessed from http://consommacteurs.blogs.com/files/socialnetworksites_boyd-ellision_2007.pdf , accessed on 23rd November 2009 DiMicco J., Millen D. R., Geyer W., Dugan C., Brownholtz B. and Muller M., Motivations for Social Networking at work, CSCW, (2008), accessed from http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/1470000/1460674/p711-dimicco.pdf?key1=1460674key2=0634998521coll=GUIDEdl=GUIDECFID=64533696CFTOKEN=15961752 , accessed on 23rd November 2009 Kelleher D., 5 Problems with social networking in the workplace, Information Management Special Reports, October 2009, accessed from http://www.information-management.com/specialreports/2009_165/social_networking_media-10016208-1.html , accessed on 7th November 2009 Laudon K.C. and Laudon J.P., Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm, 10th Edition, Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. ISBN: 0-13-120681-8 Owyang J., Social Network Stats: Facebook, MySpace, Reunion (Jan, 2008), Weekly Digest of the Social Networking Space, (January 2008), accessed from http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2008/01/09/social-network-stats-facebook-myspace-reunion-jan-2008/ ,accesed on 3rd December 2009 Sinrod E. J., Can social networking co-exist with the workplace?, December 2007, accessed from http://news.cnet.com/Can-social-networking-co-exist-with-the-workplace/2010-1030_3-6223458.html , accessed on 7th November 2009 Smith J., Intriguing trends in Social Networking Growth during 1H 2008, (July, 2008), accessed from http://www.insidefacebook.com/2008/07/27/intriguing-trends-in-social-networking-growth-during-1h-2008/ , accessed on 3rd December 2009

The Importance of Being Human :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

The Importance of Being Human ABSTRACT: In this paper I will defend a kind of human-centered perspective regarding ethical questions wherein the interests of humans and nonhumans alike are involved. Compared to other species, however, the idea that there is something special about being human is commonly vague. For example, it is unclear whether the thought is (1) being a human being is important in itself, or (2) it is important to be like a human being — that is, to have the capacities which a normal adult human being enjoys. I build my defense of human dignity on the claim that we regard a biological human being as a being of intrinsic importance, which is what (1) is about. However, I also consider the ethical implications of (2), which concerns the moral significance of personhood. I argue that the idea of a special intrinsic value of being a human is applicable only to cases where we deal with nonpersons. I claim that in spite of this qualification, we might defend a substantial principle of human di gnity founded upon this generalization. Traditionally in the West we regard the property of being a human as something morally significant. In what does this significance consist? Is membership in our species important in itself, or does the importance lie in having the properties that a normal grown-up human being has? I believe that this distinction is commonly neglected in discussions about a special human value or a human dignity. It is a distinction between the direct and indirect importance of a property. What I want to claim is that there is a way of arguing for the existence of a value which proceeds from the assumption that most of us believe that being human is something important per se. The advantage of founding the idea of a human dignity on this kind of reasoning is of course that it allows all human beings to have a share in this value. In the traditional view, however, it is not only important to regard all human beings as having a share in a special human value, it is normally important as well to regard all human beings as having this share to the same extent. Not only is it the case that human beings are more valuable than non-humans, all human beings are equally valuable. This second aspect of the importance of being human will be given no treatment here.

Natural Born Killers Essay -- Film Review, Classic, Oliver Stone

Oliver Stone’s 1994 classic, Natural Born Killers, excited and traumatized its audiences while also causing controversy. The tale of white trash lovers caught up in a realm of chaos that includes a continuous murderous rampage from state to state, draws in audiences with its graphic violence and riveting pulse inducing music. Yet, the message of this film seems to be much deeper than just exposing audiences to yet another chaotic action movie filled with guns, blood and mayhem. Stone’s Natural Born Killers examines the subject of media’s investment in serial murder very thoroughly, and so it seems likely that it has the potential to offer a more rigorous interrogation of the nature of the American public’s fascination with the serial killer superstar (Schmid 123). Natural Born Killers is a film that exposes modern society’s obsession with serial killers and how the media aids in the glorifying of these notorious icons. The film also plays into the f act that society while finding murder repulsive are just as sick as the serial killers because the enjoy watching such films. In Natural Born Killers, Mickey and Mallory the main characters kill 52 people before being caught and imprisoned. Prior to the arrest, the manhunt for them has gained them celebrity and half of the country if not the world are rooting for their triumphant escape form the law. Though their clean getaway is shattered by imprisonment their celebrity persists. When they do break out of prison, in the midst of a riot, their escape is filmed live by the host of a true-crime program. Naturally Born Killers gets most of its message across visually as all films do. By making use of animation, colored filters, a variety of different types of film stock, in both col... ... the satisfaction of a dual and related curiosity on the part of the spectator about celebrities and killers, but this satisfaction can come about only if these films can discipline effectively the unstable structures of identification they generate (Shmid 113). While it seems that Oliver Stone’s mission is to bring a satirical eye-opener to the its audience while exploring an underlying theme of obsession with murder, the audience looks their own inner demons, while examining their own morals as well. And just as an obsession with murder would exude, it has been found that Natural Born Killers has been implicated in 15 murder cases, with the most infamous being the murders of four people in Paris by Florence Ray and Audry Maupin, and in the United States the killing of William Savage and injury of Patsy Ann Byers by Sarah Edmondson and Benjamin Darras (Young 6). Natural Born Killers Essay -- Film Review, Classic, Oliver Stone Oliver Stone’s 1994 classic, Natural Born Killers, excited and traumatized its audiences while also causing controversy. The tale of white trash lovers caught up in a realm of chaos that includes a continuous murderous rampage from state to state, draws in audiences with its graphic violence and riveting pulse inducing music. Yet, the message of this film seems to be much deeper than just exposing audiences to yet another chaotic action movie filled with guns, blood and mayhem. Stone’s Natural Born Killers examines the subject of media’s investment in serial murder very thoroughly, and so it seems likely that it has the potential to offer a more rigorous interrogation of the nature of the American public’s fascination with the serial killer superstar (Schmid 123). Natural Born Killers is a film that exposes modern society’s obsession with serial killers and how the media aids in the glorifying of these notorious icons. The film also plays into the f act that society while finding murder repulsive are just as sick as the serial killers because the enjoy watching such films. In Natural Born Killers, Mickey and Mallory the main characters kill 52 people before being caught and imprisoned. Prior to the arrest, the manhunt for them has gained them celebrity and half of the country if not the world are rooting for their triumphant escape form the law. Though their clean getaway is shattered by imprisonment their celebrity persists. When they do break out of prison, in the midst of a riot, their escape is filmed live by the host of a true-crime program. Naturally Born Killers gets most of its message across visually as all films do. By making use of animation, colored filters, a variety of different types of film stock, in both col... ... the satisfaction of a dual and related curiosity on the part of the spectator about celebrities and killers, but this satisfaction can come about only if these films can discipline effectively the unstable structures of identification they generate (Shmid 113). While it seems that Oliver Stone’s mission is to bring a satirical eye-opener to the its audience while exploring an underlying theme of obsession with murder, the audience looks their own inner demons, while examining their own morals as well. And just as an obsession with murder would exude, it has been found that Natural Born Killers has been implicated in 15 murder cases, with the most infamous being the murders of four people in Paris by Florence Ray and Audry Maupin, and in the United States the killing of William Savage and injury of Patsy Ann Byers by Sarah Edmondson and Benjamin Darras (Young 6).

The Seven Principles For Making a Marriage Work :: essays research papers

The Seven Principles For Making a Marriage Work   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work there are seven myths and seven real truths about marriage. The first myth is that neuroses or personality problems will ruin a marriage. The truth about that myth is that we all have our crazy buttons or issues we’re not totally rational about, but they don't necessarily interfere with marriage. The key to a happy marriage isn't having a "normal" personality, but finding someone with whom you get along with. The second myth is that common interests keep you together. The truth is that it is a plus to have common interests with someone, but is all depends on how you interact with the other person while pursuing those interests. The third myth is the saying "You scratch my back and .....". The real truth about this myth is that it is only a truly unhappy marriage where this quid pro quo operates, where each partner feels the need to tally up things the other partner did. Married couples should just do things f or one another because it feels positive to them and their spouse. If you keep score in marriage it shows there is an area of tension in your marriage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another myth that is shown to us in this book would be that avoiding conflict in a relationship will ruin your marriage. The truth about this myth is that couples simply have different styles of conflict. Some avoid fighting with their spouses at all costs, some couples fight a lot, and some can find a compromise with out ever having to raise their voices. No one of these styles is better for the other it's just a matter of which style works for both spouses. The fifth myth that is portrayed is that affairs are the root cause of divorce. The truth is that problems in marriage which send couples on a path to divorce also tends to lead to one or both of the partners resort to an intimate relationship outside of marriage. Eighty percent of divorced men and women said their marriage broke up because they gradually grew apart and lost a sense of closeness, or because they did not feel loved or appreciated. The sixth myth that is talked about is that men are not biologi cally "built" for marriage. The truth is that among humans the frequency of extramarital affairs does not depend on the gender so much as the opportunity.

Y176 Tma01

Describe the three different parenting styles and discuss how they might impact on children’s behaviour. Use the module materials to illustrate your answer. Task 1 Question 1 Point 1: It is not only parenting styles that can impact on a child’s behaviour, other factors such changes in a child’s life can also affect behaviour Task 1 Question 2 Evidence for point 1: †¢Colloby et al. (2012, ch 2) With the focal family in the son Thomas’s behaviour since being diagnosed with having a hearing impairment has had a significant effect on the family. †¢Colloby et al. 2012, ch 2) Thomas was introduced to a speech and language therapist. Task 1 Question 1 Point 2: Early learning stages of a child’s life can create an impact on children’s behaviour Task 1 Question 2 Evidence for point 2: †¢Colloby et al. (2012, p. 42) states Swiss biologist and psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980) â€Å"is renowned for his four-stage model of child develo pment that linked children’s behaviour to different stages of development† †¢Colloby et al. (2012, p. 42) shows a table of Piaget's first two stages of cognitive development and how these relate to key characteristics of children’s play †¢Colloby et al. (2012, p. 3) Russian psychologist, Vygotsky (1896-1934) argued that â€Å"Piaget had underestimated the role of language and social interaction in cognitive development and that children learn best in a social context with a ‘more knowledgeable other’ – someone who can support and encourage them in their learning† †¢Colloby et al. (2012, p. 43) states â€Å"Vygotsky believed that learning occurs when a child is supported by another person to do what they could not do alone. He called this the ‘zone of proximal development’†. †¢Colloby et al. (2012, p. 44) states â€Å"Feund (1990) conducted a study where young children were involved in placing fur niture in doll’s house. She concluded that playing alongside a ‘more knowledgeable other’ helped the child to achieve the next step in their own learning thereby achieving something they could not have done alone† Task 1 Question 1 Point 3: Transition in children’s lives can impact on their behaviour when a transition to daycare or school occurs. Task 1 Question 2 Evidence for point 3: †¢Colloby et al. (2012, p. 47) states â€Å"Childcare professionals play an important role in the lives of the twenty-first century family for a number of reasons† †¢Colloby et al. (2012, p. 7) states â€Å"it is much more common for both parents to go out to work, either full or part time, and so children may be accessing day-care settings for at least some of the time, before they go to school† Task 1 Question 1 Point 4: The involvement of professionals and having to build new relationships can impact on a child’s behaviour Task 1 Quest ion 2 Evidence for point 4: †¢Colloby et al. (2012, ch 2) the son Thomas has had to build new relationships and adapt to changes that he is not familiar and comfortable with. With the involvement of professionals Thomas was introduced to a speech and language therapist Task 1 Question 3The focus of this essay is to describe the three parenting styles and to discuss how they might impact on children’s behaviour. The three parenting styles are authoritarian parent, an authoritative parent and a permissive parent. I am also going to describe other factors that may impact on children’s behaviour, such as changes in a child’s life, the involvement of professionals in children’s lives, the early learning stages and also the transition children experience when having to detach from their primary carer to attend day-care or school. Authoritarian parents are considered as being disciplined, strict and controlling.Rules are set and they expect their child to f ollow them. They will not allow the child to make any choices or decisions of their own. They use a tough disciplined technique. The rules imposed are not open to negotiation with the child. They often will not explain the reasons why the rules are being imposed and also enforce their own punishment when a rule is broken. Similar, but different to, is the authoritative parent. They are also defined as strict but they have more of an understanding approach to their child when boundaries have been broken.The parent will set boundaries, rules and guidelines that are plausible rather than enforce unrealistic ones. They will explain to the child the reasons why they are being introduced, should they broken, they will also issue non-punitive punishments. The third style is a permissive parent. They recognise their child’s developmental and emotional needs but they have difficulty imposing rules and setting boundaries. This style teaches the child that rules do not have to be follow ed. They are also described as being soft and too easy going. Permissive parents become a friend rather than a parent and tend to ‘give in’ to their child very easily.A child’s behaviour can be both good and bad, so parenting styles can have a positive and a negative effect on a child. Majority of children’s behaviour problems take place during times of change and transition, this is a natural progression of development. Child psychiatrist and educator Rudolph Dreikurs (1897-1972), believed â€Å"that all humans, as social beings, want to belong and be accepted by others. He identified four goals for misbehaviour: attention, power, revenge and display of inadequacy† Colloby et al. (2012, p. 62). With the focal family in Colloby et al. 2012, ch 2) the assistance of Dreikurs four goals for misbehaviour gave Cara a better understanding of both her children. Cara was able to reflect on this information, and was able to take an impartial and objective lo ok at her children’s behaviour and address it. Initially the parenting style both Cara and Alastair were trying to establish with Thomas and Rowanna, had a disciplined approach, however, as they lived with Alastair’s mum Diane, she had a soft approach, and this did not help the situation as Diane would give in to their every needs, she adopted more of a permissive style.Children in this situation can get confused and frustrated not knowing which is right and which is wrong. Children require consistency as this can greatly impact on how they grow and develop. As well as the overall parenting style, family’s lives are affected by outside factors, such as changes in a child’s life can also affect behaviour. With the focal family in Colloby et al. (2012, ch 2) the son Thomas’s behaviour since being diagnosed with having a hearing impairment has had a significant effect on the family.Thomas has had to build new relationships and adapt to changes that he is not familiar and comfortable with. With the involvement of professionals Thomas was introduced to a speech and language therapist. In addition to the sessions they carry out together, Cara and Alastair play an important role carrying out further exercise and activity sessions at home. The home sessions became mundane and tedious, and Thomas was getting upset because he no longer wanted to do them.Early learning stages of a child’s life can create an impact on children’s behaviour as Swiss biologist and psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980) â€Å"is renowned for his four-stage model of child development that linked children’s behaviour to different stages of development† Colloby et al. (2012, p. 42). Russian psychologist, Vygotsky (1896-1934) â€Å"believed that learning occurs when a child is supported by another person to do what they could not do alone. He called this the ‘zone of proximal development’†. Colloby et al. (2012, p. 4 3).Whilst I agree with Piaget’s first two stages of cognitive development, the sensori-motor stage, whereby infant’s 0-2years will practice play and be allowed to explore and experience things for themselves, and the pre-operational stage, 2-7years, when a child’s play will replicate their own experiences, and they will see things from their own perspective using their own imagination, I also agree with Vygotsky’s beliefs that children can copy a person and learn from them. Some children can be further developed than others and so a child more conversant in play can assist with another child’s development.Transition in children’s lives can impact on their behaviour when a transition to daycare or school occurs. In Society today it is much more common for both parents to go out to work, Colloby et al. (2012, p47) and so the need for childcare facilities increases. Childcare professionals play an important role in the lives of the twenty-first century family for a number of reasons, Colloby et al. (2012, p. 47). An example of this could be a child possibly needing to attend day-care before they attend school so parent(s) are able to continue with their careers.By accessing the day-care placement, a child would be allocated a key person. The role of the key person is for the child to develop a bond with them so that they will make them feel safe and secure. The choice of parenting style is crucial to a child’s psychological and social development. Baumrind suggested that the majority of parents display one of three different parenting styles, Colloby et al. (2012, p. 70). The chosen style should provide a loving, supporting and disciplined approach to build a healthy and happy child.A parent’s behaviour towards a child can potentially impact significantly on his or her wellbeing. The style is generally based on how they were reared themselves, or, it can be as a result of this that they choose another. It ca n also be chosen as a result of the society in which they live, their ethnicity or their cultural groups. Word Count 1,079 References Colloby, J. , Collins, J. , Conradie, L. , McKeogh, S. and Shelton, I. (2012) Understanding children and young people, Milton Keynes, The Open University.

Contex and Principles for Early Year Learning Essay

Question: An explanation of the legal status and principle of the relevant Early Years Framework and why the early year frameworks emphasise a personal and individual approach to learning and development 1. 1 The statutory framework for the EYFS sets out the legal requirements relating to learning and development and the legal requirements relating to welfare. The EYFS framework has statutory force by virtue of Section 44 of the Childcare Act 2006. The EYFS is a central part of the ten year childcare strategy Choice for parents, the best start for children and the landmark Childcare Act 2006. This Act, which regulates the childcare in England, formalise the important strategic role local authorities play, through a set of duties. These duties require authorities to †¢ work with their NHS and Jobcentre Plus partners to improve the outcomes of all children up to five years of age and reduce inequalities between them †¢ secure sufficient childcare for working parents †¢ provide a parental information service †¢ provide information, advice and training for childcare providers. The act also lays out registration and inspection arrangements, providing for an integrated education and care framework for the Early Years and general childcare registers. The sufficiency, information and outcomes duties came into effect on 1 April 2008 and the remaining provisions came into effect from September 2008. The revised, simpler framework for the EYFS was published on 27 March 2012, for implementation from 1 September 2012. This is an integral part of the Government’s wider vision for families in the foundation years. It demonstrates our commitment to freeing professionals from bureaucracy to focus on supporting children. Together with a more flexible, free early education entitlement and new streamlined inspection arrangements, this is a step towards a lighter touch regulatory regime. The Government will continue to seek to reduce burdens and remove unnecessary regulation and paperwork, which undermine professionals’ ability to protect children and promote their development. The new EYFS framework makes a number of improvements: †¢ Reducing bureaucracy for professionals, simplifying the statutory assessment of children’s development at age five. †¢ Simplifying the learning and development requirements by reducing the number of early learning goals from 69 to 17. †¢ Stronger emphasis on the three prime areas which are most essential for children’s healthy development. These three areas are: communication and language; physical; and personal, social and emotional development. †¢ For parents, a new progress check at age two on their child’s development. This links with the Healthy Child review carried out by health visitors, so that children get any additional support they need before they start school. †¢ Strengthening partnerships between professionals and parents, ensuring that the new framework uses clear language. The Early Years Register (EYR) and the General Childcare Register (GCR) provide a regulatory framework for childcare under the act. Ofsted regulates the two registers – the EYR for people caring for children aged from birth to 31 August after their fifth birthday and the GCR for childcare over this age. The GCR has two parts: the compulsory part (for providers of childcare for children aged five to seven) and a voluntary part (for providers of childcare for children aged eight and over or childcare that is exempt from registering on a compulsory basis). The EYFS has replaced three precedent frameworks: Curriculum Guidance for Foundation Stage, the Birth to Three Matters frameworks, and the National Standards for Under 8s Day-care and Childminding. The EYFS is given legal force through an Order and Regulations made under the Act. From September 2008 it will be mandatory for all schools and early years providers in Ofsted registered settings attended by young children – that is children from birth to the end of the academic year in which a child has their fifth birthday. All early years providers are required to meet the EYFS requirements. From September 2008 it is the legal responsibility of these providers to ensure that their provision meets the learning and development requirements, and complies with the welfare regulations. The Early Years Foundation Stage 2012 (EYFS) sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life. Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right. Good parenting and high quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up. The EYFS seeks to provide: †¢ quality and consistency in all early years settings, so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind; †¢ a secure foundation through learning and development opportunities which are planned around the needs and interests of each individual child and are assessed and reviewed regularly; †¢ partnership working between practitioners and with parents and/or carers; †¢ equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that every child is included and supported. The EYFS specifies requirements for learning and development and for safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. The learning and development requirements cover: †¢ the areas of learning and development which must shape activities and experiences (educational programmes) for children in all early years settings; †¢ the early learning goals that providers must help children work towards (the knowledge, skills and understanding children should have at the end of the academic year in which they turn five); and †¢ assessment arrangements for measuring progress (and requirements for reporting to parents and/or carers). The safeguarding and welfare requirements cover the steps that providers must take to keep children safe and promote their welfare. Four guiding principles should shape practice in early years settings. These are: †¢ every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured; †¢ children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships; †¢ children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers; and †¢ children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities. The aim of the EYFS is to help young children achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes of staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution, and achieving economic well-being by: 1. setting the standards for the learning, development and care, ensuring that every child makes progress and that no child gets left behind. Parents, providers should deliver individualised learning, development and care that enhances the development of the children in their care and gives those children the best possible start in life. Every child should be supported individually to make progress at their own pace and children who need extra support to fulfil their potential should receive special consideration. All providers have an equally important role to play in children’s early years experiences and they have to ensure that the provision they deliver is both appropriate to children’ needs and complementary to the education and care provided in child’s other settings. 2. providing for equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice and ensuring that every child is included and not disadvantaged because of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties or disabilities, gender or ability. Practitioners should focus on each child’s individual learning, development and care needs by: removing or helping to overcome barriers for children, being alert to the early signs of needs that could lead to later difficulties and responding quickly and appropriately, stretching and challenging children because all of them should have the opportunity to experience an enjoyable programme of learning and development. 3. creating the framework for partnership working between parents and professionals, and between all the settings that the child attends. Working with children means working in partnership with a lot of people, for this reason is important that practitioners ensure continuity and coherence by sharing relevant information with each other and with parents. Parents and families are central to a child’s well-being and learning’s needs. For this reason practitioners should support this important relationship by sharing information and offering support for extending learning in the home. 4. improving quality and consistency in the early years sector through a universal set of standards which apply to all settings and providing the basis for the inspection and regulation regime. 5. laying a secure foundation for future learning through learning and development that is planned around the individual needs and interests of the child, and informed by the use of ongoing observational assessment. It is important to their future success that children’ earliest experience help to build a secure foundation for learning throughout their school years and beyond. Practitioners must sensitive to the individual development of each child to ensure that activities they undertake are suitable for the stage that they have reached. Children need to be stretched, but not pushed beyond their capabilities, so that they can continue enjoy learning. Practitioners must observe assessment planning for each child’s continuing development through play-based activities, and respond quickly to children’s learning and development needs. There are a lot of important aspects on the early years’ provision in the EYFS framework. These principles are: 1. There should be a variety of provision for children under five in any locality. 2. All groups should operate in safe, healthy premises and should register with the local social services department. 3. Groups should be of manageable size and have a high adult to child ratio. 4. Groups should comply with al employment legislation and pay adequate salaries and expenses to volunteers. 5. Staff should be trained and experienced, and with volunteers and parents, should be given the opportunity to further their learning. 6. Groups should have opening times that reflect the needs of parents and children. 7. Groups should have clear policies and procedures for admission and attendance of children 8. Groups should consider children’s dietary needs to ensure that any food or drink provided is appropriate, acceptable and nutritious. In the provision of any refreshment, groups should respect individual, cultural, religious and medical requirements. 9. Groups should have appropriate and adequate insurance cover. 10. Parents are the main educators of their children and should be involved in all aspects of the group including management. 11. Groups should have sound management procedures. 12. Groups should be recognised by, and have contact with, other local providers of education and care for young children. 13. Groups should provide for children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties including â€Å"children in need† as defined by the Children Act 1989. 14. Groups should be well organised, with carefully planned activities. 15. Groups should provide good quality educational equipment and play activities appropriate ages and stages of development. 16. The quality in any group is ultimately dependent upon the skills, attitudes and commitment of adults, and groups should build upon these. 17. There should be equal opportunities, in all aspects of the group’s work, for adults and children. All children in England between ages 5 and 16 must receive a full-time education. For children under age 5, publicly-funded nurseries and pre-schools are available for a limited number of hours each week. After the age of 16, students can attend sixth form colleges or other further education institutions. There are different types of child settings but all of them should follow The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 that sets out two main duties for childcare providers: †¢ not to treat a disabled child ‘less favourably’ †¢ to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for disabled children Registered day nurseries Children are normally admitted from age 18 months to 3? years. They usually have fixed opening times and are usually open all day and during the school holidays to meet the needs of working parents. They may also offer before and after school childcare and holiday care for school aged children. Local authority nursery schools and nursery classes They are funded by the local authority. Children can start a nursery school or nursery class attached to a primary school from the age of three. Some nursery places are for a half-day (either a morning or an afternoon), others are for the whole school day. Pre-schools and Playgroups Pre-schools and playgroups provide care, play and learning opportunities for children aged two to five years. They usually offer half day sessions, term time only, although some may offer extended hours. Primary school Primary schools are for children aged from four or five until the age of 11. Secondary school Secondary schools are for children aged 11, until the age of 16 but often also include sixth form centres or colleges which have pupils until the age of 18. Special schools Special schools educate children or young people aged 5 and upwards almost always with statements of special educational need. Childminders Provide care, play and learning opportunities within the childminders own home. They may be able to work flexible hours and periods. Will often take or collect children from playgroup or school. Can care for a maximum of six children under 8 years of age, depending on the play space available, but no more than three under 5 years of age and not normally more than one under 12 months Question: An explanation of how national and local guidance materials are used in setting 1. 2 UK’s current provision to work with early years children has been influenced by many different theories. FRIEDRICH FROEBEL (1782-1852) Froebel founded his first kindergarten in 1840. He believed in outdoor and indoor play and invented finger play, songs and rhymes. He valued symbolic behaviour through play: this is where children understand that they can make one thing stand for – or symbolise – something else – for example, a yoghurt pot can symbolise a cup of tea. He felt that children were able to learn at their highest level through imaginative play. He was also well known for encouraging block play which he called gift – encouraging children to understand a variety of mathematical concepts and relationship through play with various wooden blocks. His theory start with the concept that humans are creative beings, for this reason true education must help children to understand their true nature as creative beings. Froebel believed that play is the engine that drives true learning. Play is not idle behaviour. It is a biological imperative to discover how things work. It is happy work, but definitely purposeful. Froebel sought to harness this impulse and focus the child’s play energy on specific activities designed to lead them to create meaning from this experience. In his opinion children can only learn what they are ready to learn. Each child is unique and develops according to their own schedule. Nothing can be more wasteful or frustrating than to try to force a child to march to a different beat. Froebel works with each child’s own rhythm but makes it purposeful and guides the child toward the group. Froebel recognized that you cannot control the child so he controlled everything else. A prepared environment provides the teacher with the proper tools and gives children the experiences that the teacher feels are most beneficial, leading the child’s mind to the subject at hand. It feels less structured or forced, but it is actually extremely efficient. After his death the idea of his child-centred kindergarten became popular in both Germany and the rest of Europe. MARIA MONTESSORI (1870-1952) Maria Montessori was a doctor in poor areas of Rome in the early twentieth century. During this time she observed children’s development and saw them as active learners. She did not believe in imaginative play but she felt that children needed to experience concepts such as shape, size and order through structured play. She also felt that, at different stages of their development, children are particularly receptive to certain area of learning and that the adult must guide them through these. Montessori believed that children would become independent learners if they worked on their own. She did not encourage sequence of exercises often using specifically designed didactic (instructional) materials. (Penny Tassoni, 368)These are materials that involve sensory experiences and are self-correcting. Montessori materials are designed to be aesthetically pleasing, yet sturdy and were developed by Maria Montessori to help children develop organization. Montessori believed that the environment should be prepared by matching the child to the corresponding didactic material. The environment should be comfortable for children (e. g., child-sized chairs that are lightweight). The environment should be homelike, so child can learn practical life issues. For example, there should be a place for children to practice proper self-help skills, such as hand washing. Since Montessori believed beauty helped with concentration, the setting is aesthetically pleasing. The â€Å"Montessori method† consists in a carefully developed set of materials which create the proper environment for children at each stage of their development. In this environment and with the guidance of trained teachers, they can develop their intellects and acquire all the skills and content of human civilization. Over sixty years of experience with children around the world proved Dr. Montessori’s theory that children can learn to read, write and calculate as easily and naturally as they learn to walk and talk. Her methods are still popular in Montessori schools around the world. The High/Scope approach The High/Scope Approach has roots in constructivist theory. Constructivists believe that we learn by mentally and physically interacting with the environment and with others. Although errors may be made during these interactions, they are considered just another part of the learning process. Although both Constructivism and the Montessori Method involve learning by doing, there are significant differences. In Montessori, for instance, the didactic, self-correcting materials are specifically designed to help prevent errors. Children learn by repetition, instead of by trial and error. The role of pretend play is also different in the two methods. In High/Scope, children’s creative exploration is encouraged, and this sometimes leads to pretend play, while in Montessori, â€Å"practical life work† that relates to the real world is stressed. Although Constructivism is a theory of learning, as opposed to a theory of teaching, High/Scope has exemplified an approach of teaching that supports Constructivist beliefs. Thus, children learn through active involvement with people, materials, events, and ideas. What Are High/Scope’s Main Components? Social †¢ One of the fundamental points in the High/Scope approach is that children are encouraged to be active in their learning through supportive adult interactions. †¢ The High/Scope approach includes times for various grouping experiences in the classroom. There are specific periods in each day for small group times, large group times, and for children to play independently in learning centres throughout the classroom. †¢ Children are encouraged to share their thinking with teachers and peers. †¢ Social interactions in the classroom community are encouraged. Teachers facilitate work on problem resolution with children as conflicts arise. †¢ When a child talks, the teachers listen and ask open-ended questions; they seek to ask questions that encourage children to express their thoughts and be creative rather than a â€Å"closed† question that would elicit more of a yes/no or simplistic answer. †¢ Each day the High/Scope teacher observes and records what the children are doing. During the year, teachers complete a High/Scope Child Observation Record from the daily observations they have collected. Curriculum †¢ â€Å"Key experiences† were designed specifically for this approach. The following is a brief summary of key experiences taken from Kostelnik, Soderman, & Whiren (1999, p. 32). The key experiences for preschool children are: -Creative representation -Classification -Language and literacy -Seriation -Initiative and social relation -Number -Movement -Space -Music -Time. †¢ â€Å"Plan-do-review† is another major component of the High/Scope framework. Children are encouraged to: 1) plan the area, materials, and methods they are going to work with; 2) do, actually carry out their plan; and 3) review, articulate with the class-room community what they actually did during work time. The review time helps children bring closure to their work and link their actual work to their plan. †¢ Cleanup time is a natural part of plan-do-review. Children are given a sense of control by cleaning up. Representative labels help children return materials to appropriate places (Roopnarine & Johnson, 1993). †¢ The High/Scope classroom has a consistent routine. The purpose of the resulting predictability is to help children understand what will happen next and encourage them to have more control in their classroom. Environmental Set-Up †¢ The High/Scope ® classroom is a materials-rich learning environment. Usually, the locations for classroom materials are labelled to help children learn organizational skills. †¢ Materials are set-up so that they are easily accessible at a child’s level. This helps facilitate children’s active exploration. †¢ Teachers set up the classroom areas purposefully for children to explore and build social relationships, often with well-defined areas for different activities. Reggio Emilia Approach Reggio Emilia is a small town of northern Italy. The approach has become so popular in the early childhood field because it offers many unique curriculum ideas, because of the strong infrastructure for the Reggio schools, and because of the attention to co-construction. What Are the Reggio Emilia Approach’s Main Components? Social †¢ Cooperation and collaboration are terms that stress the value of revisiting social learning. First, children must become members of a community that is working together (cooperation). Once there is a foundation of trust between the children and adults, constructive conflict may be helpful in gaining new insights (collaboration). †¢ Co-construction refers to the fact that the meaning of an experience often is built in a social context. †¢ An atelierista is a teacher who has a special training that supports the curriculum development of the children and other faculty members. There is an atelierista in each of the Reggio Emilia pre-primary schools. †¢ Pedagogistas are built in as part of the carefully planned support system of the Reggio Emilia schools. The word pedagogista is difficult to translate into English. They are educational consultants that strive to implement the philosophy of the system and advocate for seeing children as the competent and capable people they are. They also make critical connections between families, schools, and community. Curriculum †¢ One of the special features of the Reggio Emilia approach is called â€Å"documentation. † Documentation is a sophisticated approach to purposefully using the environment to explain the history of projects and the school community. It does not simply refer to the beautiful classroom artwork commonly found throughout schools following Reggio Emilia Approach. And, even though it often incorporates concrete examples of both the processes and products that are part of a child’s education, it is more than just that. It is a fundamental way of building connections. Documentation is discussed in more detail in the next section that describes the uniqueness of the Reggio Emilia Approach. †¢ Co-construction increases the level of knowledge being developed. This occurs when active learning happens in conjunction with working with others (e. g.having opportunities for work to be discussed, questioned, and explored). Having to explain ideas to someone else clarifies these ideas. In addition, conflicts and questions facilitate more connections and extensions. There is an opportunity to bring in different expertise. Thus, to facilitate co-construction, teachers need to â€Å"aggressively listen† and foster collaboration between all the members of the community whenever possible. Real learning takes place when they check, evaluate, and then possibly add to each other’s work. †¢ Long-term projects are studies that encompass the explorations of teachers and children. †¢ Flowcharts are an organized system of recording curriculum planning and assessment based on ongoing collaboration and careful review. †¢ Portfolios are a collection of a child’s work that demonstrates the child’s efforts, progress, and achievements over time. Environmental Set-Up †¢ In Reggio Emilia, the environment is similar to that found in Montessori schools. However, the environmental set-up as a â€Å"third teacher† has been enhanced and extended in the Reggio Emilia approach. †¢ Like Montessori, it is believed beauty helps with concentration; the setting is aesthetically pleasing. †¢ Reggio Emilia schools create homelike environments. In Reggio, the homelike atmosphere is designed to help make children feel comfortable and learn practical life issues. †¢ Each child is provided a place to keep her own belongings. †¢ Documentation is a major part of the environmental set-up. Documentation illustrates both the process and the product. In documentation, the child is seen as an individual but also in relation to a group, with various possibilities for the individual. Question: An explanation of how different approaches to work with children in early years have affected current provision. 1. 3 Early years frameworks emphasize a personal and individual approach to learning and development because every child is unique and they develop and learn in different ways and at different rates, for this reason all areas of learning and development are equally important and inter-connected. Another reason is that experiences during the early years strongly influence a child’s future development. This means that the care and education that babies and young children receive to support their growth, development and learning must be of high quality and appropriate to their individual needs. Therefore, all practitioners should look carefully at the children in their care, consider their needs, their interests, and their stage of development and use all this information to help plan a challenging and enjoyable experience across all the areas of learning and development. In fact EYFS’s aim is to reflect the rich and personalised experience that many parents give their children at home. Like parents, providers should deliver individualised learning, development and care that enhances the development of the children in their care and gives those children the best possible start in life. Every child should be supported individually to make progress at their own pace and children who need extra support to fulfil their potential should receive special consideration. All providers have an equally important role to play in children’s early years experiences and they have to ensure that the provision they deliver is both appropriate to children’ needs. Question: An explanation of the Partnership model of working with carers 3. 1 Working with children means have a lot of responsibilities and one of the main ones is to have a positive partnership within the child setting’s staff and parents/carers. For this reason every child setting has its own policy to regulate relations between carers and carers and families. Positive partnership calls for: †¢ mutual respect and trust †¢ a recognition of equality between parents and professionals †¢ awareness of cultural and ethnic diversity †¢ partners to share information and skills. This means that good communication is essential to working with children, young people, families and carers. It helps build trust, and encourages them to seek advice and use services. It is key to establishing and maintaining relationships, and is an active process that involves listening, questioning, understanding and responding. †¢ an acknowledgement and sharing of feelings †¢ all parties to play a role in the decision making process. Question: A review of the Potential barriers to participation for carers, and an explanations of how these barriers may be overcome 3. 2 Barriers to partnership working There are many potential barriers to establishing a working partnership with parents, which can apply to both parties. Here are some of them: Time and availability. †¢ Finding a mutually convenient time and venue to meet †¢ Other demands from family and work †¢ Access and transport for some parents Language, culture and religion Cultural and/or religious attitudes towards disability †¢ Language barriers (there are no words for Down’s syndrome in Punjabi or Urdu) †¢ What is culturally acceptable Parents own education †¢ Negative feelings towards school and authority †¢ Feelings of inadequacy †¢ Fear of being judged Communication †¢ Poor communication channels (e. g. through the child only) †¢ Poor information sharing (what does go on in school? ) †¢ Automatic use of jargon. †¢ Shyness †¢ Lack of confidence School and staff †¢ Personal relationships between teacher and parent †¢ Limited facilities for meeting with parents †¢ Lack of empathy with the role of parent †¢ Lack of staff skills and confidence †¢ Access to relevant information †¢ An unwelcoming environment Parent and school †¢ Who to talk to? †¢ Lack of acceptance or awareness of child’s difficulties †¢ The value placed on education †¢ Young people not wanting parents involved †¢ Lack of information around transition periods (from one school to the next) †¢ Disinterest/lack of clear responsibility. †¢ Lack of consensus between parents Previous experience †¢ Negative previous experience †¢ Feelings of being judged †¢ Lack of action or follow up †¢ Being patronised Some ideas for overcoming barriers Communication †¢ Use regular newsletters to improve information flow †¢ Have a central information point e. g. regularly updated notice board †¢ Have a central contact point †¢ Exploit technology – web sites, email, blogs, text messaging †¢ Provide up to date information and a jargon buster. Create regular meeting slots †¢ Create opportunities for informal as well as formal contact e.g. parents assemblies, social events †¢ Collect parents views e. g. suggestion box, parent forum, parents’ spokesperson †¢ Involve parents in school activities †¢ Use home/school books and diaries †¢ Use email or phone if there is sensitivity about keeping a written record School and staff †¢ Develop staff skills in communication and listening †¢ Increase availability of staff and head teacher e. g. regular meeting slots, surgery times for 1-1 meetings †¢ Improve the range of activities in which parents can participate †¢ Make direct personal contact with parents †¢ Provide creche.

Module a

Whilst texts may be fictitious constructs of composers’ imaginations, they also explore and address the societal issues and paradigms of their eras. This is clearly the case with Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein (1818), which draws upon the rise of Galvanism and the Romantic Movement of the 1800’s, as well as Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner (1992), reflecting upon the increasing computing industry and the predominance of capitalism within the late 20th Century. Hence, an analysis of both in light of their differing contexts reveal how Shelley and Scott ultimately warn us of the dire consequences of our desire for omnipotence and unrestrained scientific progress, concepts which link the two texts throughout time. Composed in a time of major scientific developments, including Galvani’s concept of electricity as a reanimating force, Shelley’s Frankenstein utilises the creative arrogance of the Romantic imagination to fashion a Gothic world in which the protagonist’s usurpation of the divine privilege of creation has derailed the conventional lines of authority and responsibility. Her warning of the dangers of such actions is encapsulated within Victor’s retrospective words of â€Å"how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge†, whilst Shelley’s use of a fragmented epistolatory narrative adds a disturbing sense of truth, foreshadowing the dark consequences of Frankenstein’s actions. Moreover, her allusions to John Milton’s Paradise Lost evoke the poetic retelling of Satan’s fall from grace, wherein the daemon’s association with â€Å"the fallen angel† exacerbates the effects of Victor’s rejection, ultimately transforming its â€Å"benevolent nature† into a thirst for retribution. Together with its questioning of how Victor could â€Å"sport with life†, Shelley’s warning reverberates past the page, directly questioning the scientists of her era, including evolutionary theorist Erasmus Darwin, to reinforce the dangers of our humanity’s inherent yearning to play the role of the Creator. Such a warning also exists within Scott’s Blade Runner, hence linking the two texts throughout time, where the director echoes the rise of capitalist ideals and the Wall Street mantra, â€Å"greed is good†, through the symbolic dominance of Tyrell’s towering ziggurat, a reflection of both his desire for omnipotence and commercial power. Tyrell’s egocentric nature is epitomised within the religious connotations of his abode, including his voluminous bed, modeled after that of Pope John Paul II, as well as his reference to Batty as â€Å"the prodigal son†. Such symbols are unnervingly subverted through both the foreboding Chiarscuro of flickering candle-light with shadow and his violent death at the hands of his own creation. Scott’s warning of the dangers of such a desire is also evident within the expansive shots of 2019 LA, revealing a dark and tenebrous world lit by the glow of corporate advertisements, a representation of a bleak future dominated by commercial dominance. Hence, by drawing upon elements of his context, including the growth of capitalism and the ‘trickle-down theory’ of Reagan’s era, Scott positions us to reassess the consequences of overstepping our boundaries. In addition, both texts’ warnings also encompass the dangers of unrestrained scientific progress, where Frankenstein further demonstrates the Romantic Movement’s influence on Shelley’s mindset, as her criticisms of the Age of Reason and Industrial Revolution reflect their denigration of rationality. The imagery of the â€Å"dead corpse† and repetitious use of â€Å"horror† upon the creation of the â€Å"miserable monster† establish a strong aura of death and despair around this scientific advancement, whilst Victor’s warning of Walton to â€Å"avoid ambitions of science and discoveries† encapsulates Shelley’s vilification of contributors to the Industrial Revolution, including renowned inventor James Watt. Moreover, Shelley stresses her warning through the protagonists’ connections with nature, where Victor’s â€Å"insensibility to its charms†, arising from his immersion in science, results in his â€Å"deep, dark and deathlike solitude†, with the heavy alliteration exemplifying his degraded sense of humanity. Conversely, the monster possesses greater â€Å"benevolence† and a more intimate connection with â€Å"the pleasant showers and genial warmth of spring†, with such characterisation capturing Shelley’s reflection of Romanticism’s idolisation of nature, cautioning us against the dehumanising effect of unrestrained scientific advancement. Blade Runner is no different, with Scott’s reflection of the explosion of technological progress during the 1980’s, including the rise of computing giants IBM and Microsoft, highlighting the dangers of such unrestrained progress. Most notable is the opening panoramic shot of blazing smokestacks which, together with the haunting synthetic pulses of the Vangelis soundtrack, establishes a festering miasma of technological overload, adding further semiotic weight to the film’s nightmarish dystopian agenda. Indeed, this portrayal of a decaying environment reflects the growing ecological awareness of the 1980’s, which, whilst different to Shelley’s Romantic values, is similarly employed to highlight the destruction of mankind due to technology. Moreover, Scott illuminates us to the dehumanising effects of such progress, foregrounded through Deckard’s â€Å"retiring† of the Replicant Zhora. Here, the stylistic placement of the transparent poncho places further emphasises the violence of her death, with slow-motion low angle shot conveying her heightened sense of humanity within her last painful moments. In contrast, Deckard’s emotionless features, together with the monotonous drone of the droid, suggests that our artificial creations will ultimately lead to the dehumanising of mankind, undermining our humanist framework and hence, warns us of the dire consequences of unchecked scientific progress. Thus, we can see how both Shelley and Scott reflect their zeitgeists in their texts, Frankenstein and Blade Runner, as they draw upon the societal concerns of their times in order to warn us of the consequences of overstepping our boundaries and unbridled technological advancement. Subsequently, it becomes evident that despite their temporal and contextual differences, both texts are in fact linked through their common concerns and concepts.