Italian and German Opera Essay

he Italian opera and the German opera are two different fields that both share characteristics, some of which are paralleled, and some of which contrast. Specifically, Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner use motifs such as: redemption through love, patriotism, and sacrifice which run throughout both of their operas. The theme of betrayal also seems to be echoed throughout both operas; yet they are each used to project a different response. The significance of this comparison demonstrates that Verdi and Wagner may allude to the same references, such as Victor Hugo, Shakespeare, and Byron, but the operas The Flying Dutchman (German opera) and that of Nabucco (Italian opera) are completely different in context, and musical style; perhaps even The Flying Dutchman is a musical imitation of Italian opera while still trying to originate his own musical ideas as well. The Italian opera has three main genres: the Baroque, the Romantic, and the Modern. Italian opera first started to materialize in the seventeenth century, and approximately two hundred years later, the Romantic genre was introduced. Throughout the seventeenth century there were many developments in Italian opera due to Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), who wrote his first opera in 1607 (La Favola d’Orfeo) which to this day, is still performed. He introduced ideas such as the bel canto and buffa styles. Having a strong connection between the instrumental music and words was of major importance to Monteverdi, and this became a major theme for other opera composers to follow. The Romantic operas started to appear in the early 19th century. Romantic operas stress the world of imagination and emotions and through its music and aria’s was this theme magnified. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was one the composers of this era who changed the way composers would forever more look at operatic writing. His first successful opera Nabucco was immediately well received by the public for its amazing choruses, and vigorous music. One of the chorus interpretations Nabucodonosor, or in English, Nebuchadnezzar. This opera has four acts, and to the libretto by Temistocle Solera based on the biblical story of Nebuchadnezzar. In part one the Priest Zaccaria tells the Jews that there still may be peace due to the presence of a hostage, Fenena,(the younger daughter of Nabucco). Zaccaria gives Fenena to Ismaele,  (the nephew of the King of Jerusalem). Ismaele tells her to escape even though they love one another. The King (Nabucco) enters and Zaccaria disobeys him, and th reatens to kill Fenena with a dagger. Ismaele intervenes to save her. Nabucco responds by ordering the destruction of the temple, and the Jews curse Ismaele as a traitor. In part two Nabucco is away at war and has appointed Fenena as ruler. Abigaille (Fenena’s older sister) has discovered a document that proves she is not actually Nabucco’s real daughter, but in fact, a slave. The Priest of Baal tries to put Abigaille on the throne by spreading a rumour that Nabucco died in battle. Then Fenena is converted to the Jewish religion. Suddenly Nabucco himself enters which is unexpected because everyone thinks he is dead. He then declares himself God. Zaccaria objects, so then Nabucco orders that the Jews be put to death. Fenena says that she will die as one of them. When Nabucco says he is god again he is hit by a thunderbolt and goes insane. The crown falls and is picked up by Abigaille. The Priest presents Abigaille the Jews and Fenena’s death sentence. Nabucco walks in looking like a mad man, and claims his throne. Abigaille persuades him to carry out the sentence, but in the end he asks that his daughter, Fenena be spared. Here, Nabucco tells Abigaille that she is not his actual daughter but really a slave. Abigaille then destroys the document with the evidence of her being a slave. He is now a prisoner, and pleads for Fenena’s life. Then we hear the famous chorus Va persiero, chanted by the Jews as they long for their Homeland. In the final act Nabucco’s health and mentality are fully recovered. He sees Fenena in chains being taken to her death. He then asks God for forgiveness and promises to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and to follow the â€Å"true faith.† He and his loyal soldiers decide to punish the traitors and rescue Fenena. The Jews and Fenena are prepared for death on the sacrificial altar of Baal. Nabucco rushes in with his sword and the Idol of Baal shatters into pieces. Nabucco tells the Jews they are free. Abigaille enters. She poisoned herself. She asks for forgiveness of Fenena, says she’s sorry and dies. Zaccaria (the priest) hails Nabucco as the ‘servant of God and the King of  Kings.’ After Nabucco, Verdi based his operas on more standard romantic sources by Victor Hugo, Shakespeare, and Lord Byron. Orchestrally, it is scored for strings, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, two flutes, one piccolo, two oboes, one English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four French horns, two trumpets, three trombones, two harps, and one cimbasso. Musically, this opera is very directly vigorous. It sticks to the widely used concepts of arias, duets, finales, and choruses. His fine music often excused the glaring faults in character and plot lines. Contextually, there are themes of love, betrayal, and patriotism represented. We see love through Kind Nabucco’s love for his daughter Fenena, and his constant want to help and protect her. It is almost through this love that he is redeemed, and made whole again. We also see the love between Ismaele and Fenena as pure and genuine. Although this opera is not directly patriotic to Italy itself, it shows a certain sympathy and connection with the people of Jerusalem and their hardships. Abigaille betrays her ‘family’ and her people. The betrayal of close loved ones seems to be a popular theme for many Italian and German operas. The German opera can be seen in four main genres: the Baroque, the Classical, the Romantic, and the Modern. German opera first started to materialize in the seventeenth century approximately three decades after the Italians had started composing operas. German composers continuously tried to challenge the Italian dominance for the most part of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, but none were successful until Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart established the tradition of serious German opera in 1781 with the release of Idomeneo. Mozart took the genre of Singspiel and evolved it into something far more sophisticated. The Classical era emerged in the late 18th century, and at this time, a lot of German composers were still avoiding writing in their own language. This was because the courts of German states favoured Italian operas. In 1730, the Italian librettist and chief of opera seria, Metastasio, took up residence as the imperial poet in Vienna. Opera in German was forced to look  to the general public to survive because it had no aristocratic funding. This meant theatrical companies had to tour from town to town. The Singspiel became the most popular form of German opera, especially by the composer Johann Adam Hiller. The Singspiel’s were comedies intertwining spoken language with singing. They often had very simple music; Singspiele were no match for the opera serias in artistic eloquence and sophistication. Yet at the end of the 18th century Mozart changed all this, as mentioned before. Richard Wagner is one of the most controversial composers throughout history. He changed the way everyone looked at opera not only in Germany and Austria, but all throughout Europe. Wagner gradually evolved a new concept of opera: Gesamtkunstwerk (meaning â€Å"complete work of art†), binding music, poetry and painting all together. Wagner believed his career truly began with The Flying Dutchman (Der fliegende Hollander) (1843). Together with the two works which followed, Tannhauser and Lohengrin, this has been described as the â€Å"zenith of German Romantic opera† (Parker 220). The Flying Dutchman was preformed in Dresden at the Semper Oper in 1843. Both the music and libretto is by Wagner himself. This opera has three acts and is based on the legend of the Flying Dutchman who is captain of a ship condemned to sail until Judgement Day. In the first act captain Daland is on his journey home when he is forced to take refuge due to the stormy weather. He leaves the helmsman on watch and he and the sailors stop working. The helmsman falls asleep. A ghostly vessel appears and invisible hands furl the sails. A man dressed in black steps ashore. Having broken his promise, he is cursed to roam the sea forever without rest. An angel says that at the end of every seven years he will be cast upon the shore and if he can find a wife who will be true to him he will be redeemed. Daland meets him. The ghost offers him treasure, and when he hears that Daland has an unmarried daughter, he asks for her as his wife. Tempted by gold Daland consents, and both vessels set sail. In the second act Senta dreamily gazes upon the picture of the Flying Dutchman, whom she desires to save. Against the will of her nurse she sings the story of the Dutchman, and she says she will save him. Erik (who loves  her) arrives and hears her and warns her, telling her of his dream, where Daland returned with a mysterious stranger, who takes her off to sea. Daland finally arrives with the stranger, and he and Senta stand gazing at each other. Senta then swears to be truthful till death. In the last act the crew of Daland invites the men on the strange vessel to join in the festivities. The girls retire in wonder, and Daland’s men retreat in fear. Senta arrives, followed by Erik, who scolds her for her desertion, as she had loved him before and had vowed her faithfulness to him. When the stranger hears these words, he is overwhelmed with sadness, as now he is forever lost. He tells Senta of the curse and to the dismay of Daland and his crew declares that he is the ‘Flying Dutchman.’ As he begins to leave shore Senta plunges into the sea, proving her loyalty unto death. This is his salvation. The ship then disappears and Senta and the Dutchman are seen going up into heaven. One can suggest that these ideas of live and redemption, betrayal, and sacrifice can be alluded to the works of Victor Hugo, Shakespeare, and Lord Byron; specifically, Ernani (1844), Macbeth (1847), and Il Duo Foscari (1844) respectively. Orchestrally, it is scored forContextually, there are themes of redemption through love, betrayal, and sacrifice represented. There is not an overwhelming presence of family love between Senta and her father. However, we see the undying love Erik has for Senta, and the intense love Senta has for the Flying Dutchman. This love is what ultimately redeems the Flying Dutchman, and only because of this is he free. Senta ends up betraying Erik and his love for her, as she had previously already confirmed her faithfulness to him. Daland sacrifices his daughter, although he gets treasure in return, but we see how Erik has the sacrifice of letting Senta go to the Dutchman willingly. Musically, The Flying Dutchman is very different than the opera Nabucco. Wagner did not entirely abandon the traditional forms of the Italian singing-opera. For there are solos, duets, choruses, etc. just as in other operas of the time. However, he made the characters move, act, and sing in a way that suited the situation, according to the laws of ordinary  common-sense. Not yet was he entirely possessed by the leitmotiv system which later became the characteristic feature of his works, although the characteristics of the system are certainly embedded in the score. A leitmotiv is a â€Å"short theme or passage in a composition, repeated throughout the work and associated with a certain person, situation, or idea.† (Oxford Dictionary 660). In The Flying Dutchman Wagner is only evolving his way towards this essential and most principle aspect of his music. Hence the work is based half on old style, half new, overall with the balance in favour of the old. In the Overture one can only briefly note the general musical characteristics of the opera itself. There are some conventionalities in it but the score contains many passages of beauty and of vital dramatic force. The music of the First Act could not be more charmingly sea-like. No one can fail to be struck with the ghostly music which accompanies the various entries of the demon ship. The Spinning Song, one of the most popular tunes, is a lyric composition. Its dozy hum is exactly what is required to put the listener in the mood for sympathizing with Senta and her dreams. The Sailors’ Choruses are all bright and tuneful. Senta’s ballad in the second act is written in plain song form, yet is immensely dramatic in its expression. As mentioned before, The Flying Dutchman contains only small traces of the leitmotiv system. With this evidence provided it is quite clear that both Verdi and Wagner have produced two very different operas both getting inspiration from major traumatic events in history-whether it is fact or legend. Recurring themes seem to be echoed in both operas such as redemption through love, betrayal, and sacrifice. Wagner demonstrates how he is moving into his own musical style through The Flying Dutchman however originally using the more traditional forms that Verdi implements in Nabucco; suggesting that perhaps The Flying Dutchman in a way is a musical imitation of Italian opera whilst in the same way trying to develop German opera as its own independent genre which is what German composers were trying to do throughout the entire seventeenth and eighteenth century. Works Cited: 1. Balthazar, Scott Leslie. Evolving conventions in Italian serious opera: scene structure in the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi. University of Pennsylvania, 1985. 2. Gentry, Theodore L. Emblems of love and death in Italian realist opera. 1992. 4. Doerner, Mark Frederick. The influence of the â€Å"Kunstmà ¤rchen† on German romantic opera. 1990. 5. Smart, Mary Ann. Mimomania : music and gesture in nineteenth-century opera. Berkeley : University of California Press, 2004. 6.Brauner, Charles Samuel. â€Å"Vincenzo Bellini and the aesthetics of opera seria in the first third ofthe nineteenth century.† Doctor of Philosophy diss, Music History: Yale U., 1972. 7.Swales, Martin. â€Å"Schiller, Verdi, Wagner: Opera and the tragic mode in the nineteenth century† In: Vermittlungen: German studies at the turn of the century–Festschrift for Nigel B.R. Reeves Munchen: Iudicium, 1999. 8.Hall, Frederick Albert; Chapple, Gerald; Schulte, Hans. â€Å"The Romantic tradition: German literature and music in the nineteenth century† Series: McMaster colloquium on German studies no: 4. 1992. 9.Koury, Daniel. â€Å"The orchestra in the nineteenth century: physical aspects of its performance practice† PhD diss., Musicology: Boston U., 1981.

Punjab -The Gateway to Serenity

Pakistan is a multicultural society when you visit its urban centers especially Karachi but in the rural areas, it is certainly influenced by one culture and that is the culture of Pakistan first and then the province in which the village is situated. The province of Punjab, one of the largest provinces, has the riches village life and for a first time visitor to Pakistan, it is best to start with Punjab to learn more about village life. People in villages speak the native language of the province and not Urdu, which is the native language of Pakistan. While people understand Urdu, they would prefer to communicate in the regional language. They are very hospitable and what makes them endearing to a visitor is their spontaneity and unaffected behavior. They welcome guests with open arms but are very rigid about their own moral and social codes. Since most of them follow the Islamic religion, they prefer the moral code that comes with being a Muslim. There are no large or small restaurants in the villages. If there is anything even remotely close to a restaurant that's what they call a hotel where they serve food on wooden seats or charpoi (a bed made of jute). Women are expected to dress modestly and most girls are married off very young. Men are not the sole breadwinners and women are allowed to work in the fields with the men. In fact more women choose to work than stay at home. Schools are few and quality of education is low. These schools are run by the state but children still manage to gain required primary education from these schools. Village life in Pakistan is rich and there are many cottage industries that provide most of the handicrafts that are even exported to western countries.

Internationl Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Internationl Business Law - Essay Example Millions of dollars were also spent to pay up third parties that implicated embezzlement. It was found that there is an atmosphere of tolerance and even the company’s cultural acceptance of the practice in all levels of the corporation. There has been a systematic implementation of this scheme that engaged the members of the organization (ibid). There was a failure by the internal safeguards of Siemens to clean up their business adequately in time prior to the case filed by the SEC to their disadvantage. The main issue encompass the acts of the company in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) under the United States federal law which punishes bribery of foreign officials. This is in relation to the thrust of the Securities and Exchange Commission to regulate businesses under its jurisdiction. Specifically, the provisions of Sections 30A, 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act were violated (ibid). The court found in favor of the SEC and grante d the highest settlement in this particular area where Siemens has offered $1.6 billion in payment for the fines and disgorgement provided under the law. Out of which, $350 million will go to the SEC in disgorgement, $450 million in criminal fine to the Department of Justice, about $569 million as fine to Germany’s Office of the Prosecutor General in Munich. This is apart from the approximately $285 million Siemens has already paid in 2007 to the Prosecutor previously mentioned (ibid). In the end, the SEC and the State together with the German government won this case through an amicable settlement by the plaintiff and defendant. This is a good manifestation of the gravity of the battle against foreign bribery as a matter of policy showing the best possible sign of its effectiveness. This was an ideal scenario where the company has offered on its own a significant sum to rectify its deeds. The willingness of the Siemens to settle, granted that $1.6 billion is already a sizabl e sum, brings to question the actual extent of the profit that they may have acquired through these dubious dealings. Further raising doubts is the fact that there are many countries involved in the transactions investigated by the SEC. Upon scrutiny of this case and the outcome, it is immediately apparent that the United States and Germany got the best end of the bargain. It must be noted that there are a number of other countries who suffered with most of them developing countries. It brings to mind the question of what the others will get out of this case and will they benefit from Siemens’ mea culpa. 1. How do the Siemens’ penalties relate to the caps on fines discussed earlier in this chapter? Fines are a form of sanction on companies to deter them from committing offenses and grave abuses to the expense of others. The penalty imposed upon Siemens is a glaring example for others not to follow suit on the ill practices that they have previously engendered as a comp any culture. The likelihood of a significant fine that

Entrepreneurship Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Entrepreneurship - Outline Example The intention of this study is an entrepreneurship as one of the major activities for fostering economic growth. Entrepreneurs are essential instigators for renovation in an economy, and entrepreneurship accelerates the growth for new economic and industrial prospects and effectual resource utilization. The efficacy of an economy is improved when entrepreneurs perform to simplify trade between organizations or countries with different inclinations and resource endowments. Economic progress takes place when entrepreneurs accelerate the generation, distribution and application of pioneering thoughts. Entrepreneurship not only takes advantage of new business prospects by proper distribution of resources, but it also pursues new potentials for resource utilization and thus re-draws the limitations of economic movement. As a result, entrepreneurial activities help to reduce the unemployment rate and poverty. The association between entrepreneurship and employment is covered with uncertain ty. It can be stated that lower degree of entrepreneurship can result in low economic development which in turn can impact on the level of employment rate. Entrepreneurs can create new businesses and organizations, which generate job opportunities, therefore reducing the unemployment rate. On the other hand, new businesses and organizations are considered of having low rate of survival and growth due to huge competition in the market, thus this fact argues that entrepreneurship can lead to unemployment. ... Research Objectives The study will have the following objectives: To measure the impact of entrepreneurial activities on employment in the UK To discover the relationship between entrepreneurial activities and job creation To know the view of people in the UK towards new innovations and businesses To identify the effect of entrepreneurship in the economic development of the UK Research Question and Hypothesis The study will seek to resolve the following research question: â€Å"Does entrepreneurial activity create an impact on the employment rate in the UK?† In order to resolve the above research question, hypothesis has been developed which can help to understand the relationship between entrepreneurship and employment in the UK. The null hypothesis (H0) will be = â€Å"Entrepreneurial activity increases the employment rate in the UK† The alternate hypothesis (H1) will be = â€Å"Entrepreneurial activity does not increase the employment rate in the UK† The hypot hesis will be tested with Pearson correlation analysis by using statistical data. Background of the Study In present days, relations among new creations, new business proprietorship and economic growth have been acknowledged for substantial consideration from researchers and policy creators. The increasing unemployment rate in several countries along with inadequate economic development has prompted the policy developers to provide higher attention to entrepreneurship and self-employment. Entrepreneurship has been recommended by many researchers as a cure against higher unemployment and slow economic development. Europe and other industrial economies of the world have practiced substantial industrial reforms in last

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin - Research Paper Example The most famous inventions of Eli Whitney was the cotton gin which saw forth the revival of slave trade, a practice that was by the time of the invention was on its rapid decline not only in the south but also in the northern parts of the American continent (Alan, 2014)1. The cotton gin bore tremendous benefits to the slave owners and plantation farmers. The invention and production of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin created a very profitable business in the cotton industry. This invention later led to increased slavery in both the south and northern America and consequently seeing through the dawn of civil wars. Eli Whitney was born in Westborough, Massachusetts on December 8, 1765. He graduated from Yale College in 1792 with some hopes of becoming a lawyer (Olmstead, 1832: 207)2. After graduation, he got a job as a tutor in South Carolina. On his way to South Carolina, he met a woman by the name of Catherine Greene, who was a widow of a general. She had invited Eli to stay on her plantation called Muylberry Groove to study law (Mitchell, Simon, & Schuster, 1954: 75)3. After Eli found out that his tutor job was not going to be half of what he was told, he accepted Catherine Greene’s offer. While staying on Catherine Greene’s plantation, Eli learnt about cotton production and the difficulty farmers underwent while eking out a living from cotton production. Cotton was a very important crop, it was easy to grow and its fibers could be stored for a long time. The problem however, was that cotton had seeds that were very hard to separate from the fibers. Another type of cotton called ‘the lone staple’ was very easy to clean but only grew along the coast. Most of the farmers had to grow the ‘short staple cotton’ which required a lot of labor. It had to be cleaned by hand, which was a very difficult and very time consuming4. A cotton picket could pick the seeds from one pound of short staple cotton a day. In this

Union Management and Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Union Management and Organization - Essay Example Union Management and Organization USA as country was growing due to rapid industrialization during 19th century as subsequently demand for labors was also growing at rapid pace. Historians named the phase as ‘Industrial Revolution† and as the frequency of inclusion of labors in the workforce increased subsequently the fear of insecurity from owners of the industry was automatically generated among workers. At that time, labors came across various examples of mistreatment such as physical abuse, extended work hours etc conducted by the owners of organizations and in such situation, they felt the urge of a protector group who can communicate the demand of labors to owners. As the time passed by, the protector group became the first organized union in USA. In 1837, the union of labors demanded to reduce the work hour and make it of less than 10 hours and finally organizations were compelled to grant the legislation of ten-hour workdays. After the success of first attempt to form organized labor union, small level city unions had organized and successfully established National Labor Union during 1866 (Murray, 2011). National Labor Union lobbied for Federal eight-hour workday but the demand was set for only government workers. At that time, two separate groups were also formed American Federation of Labor (AFL) and Knights of Labor in order to protect interest of workers. During late 19th century and early 20th century, valuation of unskilled labor pool in USA decreased due to the fact that owners of the organization had started to replace the unskilled workers by immigrants. As a result, unskilled workers in USA became vulnerable to low wages and poor working condition and these labors organized riots and strike in order to get their demands noticed (Murray, 2011). For example, strike by United Mine workers and Pullman Railroad workers in Pennsylvania were ended by Federal Government interventions. In many instances, AFL pressed Federal Congress to amend Union Labor Law and U.S. Departm ent of Labor was created in order to protect the rights and interest of wage earners. For example, Clayton Act was passed in 1914 in order to legalize boycotts and strikes. However, the situation had changed during Great Depression because during Great Depression, unemployment rate in USA significantly increased. At that time, legal act like Fair Labor Standards Act and Public Contracts Act were passed in order to address issues like child labor, overtime pay and minimum wage. Unionization had lost its wind during World War II and labor organization took no-strike policy at that time. After the War, Civil Rights Acts and Equal Pay Act were passed during 1960’s in order to address discrimination in workplace. After understanding the historical context of Union Labor Management, the essay will shed light on actions of unions and management to determine basic compliance with the major U.S. federal labor laws. According to draft published by U.S Department of Labor (2011), there should be an Administrator which will direct and supervise the actions of unions and management in the organization. According to the direction of Administrator, management and unions should appoint, select and classify labors in accordance to their merit. Unions should contact management regarding any discrimination in terms of wage, racial, working hour etc and both of them should take actions

Professional Capstone Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Professional Capstone Project - Essay Example In particular, the paper analyzes the problem or issue identified in the articles, strengths and weakness of the articles and proposed recommendations/solutions. Lastly, the paper gives a rationale to support the choice of the literature and its significance to the project. The articles propose pain prevention theories other than use of therapies. The first search strategy applied in the study is the use of well-built clinical questions. In this context, well-built research questions are those deduced from the research topic so that they respond to key issues that form the topic. 1. Ferrel, B., Levy, M. H., & Paice, J. (2008). Managing pain from advanced cancer in the palliative care setting. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 12 (4), 575-81. The author proposes a gate control theory of pain among cancer patients in palliative care. In particular, the article recommends integration of physical, physiological, social, and spiritual therapies for the well-being of patients. This app roach is of key interest to patients and caregivers/nurses. ... 2. Kumar, S. P. (2011). Reporting characteristics of cancer pain: A systematic review and quantitative analysis of research publications in palliative care journals. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 17 (1), 57-66. This article identifies cancer as a â€Å"global health burden† and has reviewed existing scientific literature on palliative to establish whether there exists â€Å"adequate scientific research base on cancer pain† (Kumar, 2011, p. 57). The article proposes that adequate scientific research would be instrumental in pain management among cancer patients. In particular, effective research practices would enable researchers to identify chief causes of pain among cancer patients. Moreover, adequate research will make recommendations concerning the problem. The article uses sociological theories of self-awareness to solve cancer pain among patients. The article complies with up-to-date research on pain management among cancer patients, and hence is significant i n the study. 3. Fayers, P. M., Hjermstad, M. J., Klepstad, P., Loge, J. H., Caraceni, A., Hanks, G. W., & Kaasa, S. (2011). The dimensionality of pain: Palliative care and chronic pain patients differ in their reports of pain intensity and pain interference. Pain, 152 (7), 1608-20. The article draws attention to the significance of accuracy in assessment of pain in palliative care. There are different levels of pain among terminally ill patients, and hence the need for different pain management practices. The article proposes the specificity theory as the best pain management theory among cancer patients. The article uses quantitative research techniques to categorize cancer pain. The article identifies intensity and

Media Ecology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Media Ecology - Essay Example As the physical and social environments have their effect on human society, similarly, in today's era, environments created by media also play an important role on the psyche human society. Therefore, it would not be far from truth if we call the study of relationship between environment created by media and the society as "media ecology". According to the Media Ecology Association, media ecology can be defined as "the study of media environments, the idea that technology and techniques, modes of information and codes of communication play a leading role in human affairs." Therefore, in this discourse an effort will be made to understand media ecology by addressing following three aspects:- There is a strong interconnectivity between different forms of media. Their effectiveness is along two strings. One is their indigenous and the second is an ability to complement the other form of media. Therefore, each media enables to form two types of environment. One which is formed by a particular media itself and the second one is formed by complementing the other forms of media. To elucidate the above point further, we take example of 9/11. We suppose that when the unfortunate incident of 9/11 took place there was only print media available. We can imagine that apart from the people who got affected, there would not be many who could have known the incident immediately. By the time print media would have conveyed the extent of havoc created by the terrorists, too much time would have been lost to create an atmosphere for global response. Still with graphic details and good script an atmosphere could have been created but for short duration. Too less and too late. Now we include radio (audio media) in the scenario. The explicit detail given in newspaper with live commentary of what all was going on would have created an atmosphere more focused on the event. Add TV (auditory - visual media) to the situation. Continuous pouring of live scenes on TV, descriptive account on radio and detailed news and views in print media created an atmosphere which was bound to last longer than what only one of the forms of media was in operation. The atmosphere is more fueled by the

Tow Qustions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tow Qustions - Essay Example Furthermore, program evaluation seeks to evaluate if the program is worthwhile, needs improvement or re-focusing. The program evaluation that sparked my interest is the assessment of the juvenile justice programs. The juvenile justice programs are tasked with transforming delinquents into socially functioning individuals. Rarely do citizens question the effectiveness and success of such a respected public institution. This evaluation utilizes SPEP (Standardized Program Evaluation Protocol) to determine the efficiency of the juvenile institution (Rossi et al., 2004, p23). The SPEP compares several juvenile justice programs to determine their effectiveness. Prior to evaluating this effectiveness, the researchers developed a meta-analysis of the programs. Meta-analyses are a definitive way used in assessing the best practices from the analysis of several studies on programs. The meta-analyses aim at improving the program, in our case the juvenile justice, to achieve efficiency and effectiveness (Bardach, 2012, p68). Other techniques used in the evaluation program for the juvenile justice program are the OJJDP’s strategy that assesses the current juvenile systems. This program evaluation aims at improving on the juvenile justice record of positively changing the lives of delinquents. The evaluation aims at instigating change and reform in this system responsible for the lives of misguided youths. It further aims at disapproving certain methods used in, such as the use of confinement to discipline delinquents. The results of the program evaluation are not definitive. However, the researchers leave several guidelines and recommendations that suggest the best way forward for the juvenile justice program. This way is based on the results gathered from the research. All stakeholders of the program are addressed individually as the evaluation seeks to improve on the program’s effectiveness

Customer Service- Reflection Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Customer Service- Reflection Paper - Assignment Example My perspective on customer service centers on the immense benefits that it has on the organization. In this regard, therefore, I believe that it is essential for any organization to undertake customer service in order to equip employees with excellent customer relations qualities (Online Trainees, 2013). When I first learnt about customer service, I found some ideas quite interesting to me. One of the most interesting ideas was research; I came to learn that any customer training program has to incorporate research. This helps the organization to understand the needs of their customers. Another important idea is training; employees have to be subjected to training on a continuous basis as this helps them the needs of customers. My philosophy of customer service is based on the belief that customers are crucial in determining the success of an organization. As such, employees of the customer service department should possess the requisite knowledge on how to handle customers. As a customer service manager, I will apply the concepts of this course my job. The principles will help me manage my staff and teach them skills on how to handle customers with care. Apple can be credited as a company that provides excellent customer service. Over the years, Apple has provided customer service through an online platform that allows customers to get support from the staff. Through such a platform, customers can gain knowledge on the products offered by the company and the availability of the

Miss Essay Example for Free

Miss Essay You will also evaluate who the target audience is, and analyse the effectiveness of the advertiser’s use of language, imagery and colours (advertising techniques) in achieving their intentions. Students must also discuss and evidence their understanding of the social, historical and cultural features which they feel are explicit and implicit within the poster. For this task, all students must demonstrate that they are taking an active and contributory role within the discussion and annotation process and that you have met the assessment criteria for this element of the task. Photographs of each group’s annotated ‘War Child’ poster will be taken. (1. 1 – 4. 2) ii. Compare and contrast the two advertisements by holiday companies to inform and persuade their target audience For this part of Task 3, you must compare and contrast the two holiday advertisements for Ibiza and Blackpool. Use the writing frame and assessment task criteria to help you structure your writing. Paragraph 1 Introduction (1. 2) Introduce the two adverts, what they are for? Are they predominantly trying to persuade or inform? Mention the fact that you are going to compare and contrast them, and will be evaluating who the target audience is, evaluating what style and form the advertiser’s use, analysing the language used in the advertisements, and evaluating the imagery and colours that the advertisers have used. You will also mention that you will be analysing the social, historical and cultural features in the advertisements which are explicit and implicit. You must also comment on how you will be evaluating what all of the above (advertising techniques) has with regard to the overall effectiveness of the advertisements in targeting the audience. |In this media essay, I’m going to compare two adverts – which are adverting on holidays. The first advert is for the ‘IBIZA’ (I will call this advert A) The | |second is for ‘BLACKPOOL’ (I will call this advert B) Although they are both adverting on holiday, the advert holiday is totally on a different ways. This is| |because they are aimed at different group of people. | | | | Paragraph 2 – Target Audience (3. 1) Compare and contrast the two advertisements with regard to the target audience. Here you must evaluate who you think the advertisements are aimed at. You need to give at least two main points of evidence here. You also need to summarise how effective you think the advertisements are with regard to the targeting of the audience. The adver t A is persuading the young people and also giving information to what they are presenting for them during the time spent on their holiday. The | |advert B is also persuading people by giving them a free ticket to come to the Blackpool tower a place for holiday also informing them for is best to receive| |like the Tower complex houses have many attractions in all kind of entertainments that you can think of. | |In this two Adverts A and B I am going to have a closer look on both of them by comparing and contrasting them and evaluates who the target audience is. Both| |adverts are aimed at adults. However, advert A is aiming to the young people whereas advert B is aimed to mature adult’s men and women. The denotation of | |advert A IBIZA the style of the advert is girly colours like bright pink, blue and yellow and the written words are of red, white, yellow and violet colours. | | | | | |Poster A is aiming to the young people whereas poster B is aiming to adult’s men and women. In the advert A IBIZA the uses is girly colours like bright pink,| |blue and yellow and the written words are of red, white, yellow and violet colours. The imagery is about grouping pictures of young boys and girls at the | |beaches, cinema, airport, and car park; and some are travelling on large vehicle and they are of different code of dressing which is mainly for the young | |people and the language uses on it, it is an attraction to draw the attention of the young once that’s planning for their holiday. The both adverts are very | |effective because of different colours uses to design the posters they are of different effects, the form of the languages uses is to call an attraction of | |people and persuade them to come spent the holiday and the words uses are of upper and lower case which explain the thing to expect like going around visit | |the city, to the beaches, clubbing, dancing in the hall while spending their holiday. | | |These adverts are aiming at two different groups of people for the young boys and girls the styles uses and the languages uses know exactly the mind of young| |people of kind of thing they want like the social life style a young person would like to receive to be a history something they should look back on. | Paragraph 3 – Style and Form (3. 2) Here you need to compare and contrast the style and form of the two advertisements. Evaluate the overall style and form of the advertisements (the layout). Things to consider might be the position of the writing and the pictures. Which dominate and why? How does that link to the target audience? What font styles are used? What words are made to stand out? Again, summarise how does this link to how the advertisers are trying to inform or persuade the target audience? You must provide evidence. | | |The advert A which is the IBIZA has more effect on the poster and more colours also more photos of groups of people. The poster is displaying different | |people on different types of dressing. On the poster the written languages were uses upper and lower case some are bold and italics. The word used to stand | |out the advert is IBIZA written in a capital form with a large form of Alphabets. | |The position of the advert characters was at the right which displayed things to do at the beach, nights on the town, what’s are the costs prices, also the | |photos of groups of people was at the right side, they advertise the club beats with upper and lower case. |The advert B BLACK POOL the denotation of advert uses are less in colours and one photo of people dancing in the tower hall, photo of two people sited at the| |beach, the front photo of the tower hall and map show the travel direction which displayed the address and the direction to Blackpool town hall. The | |languages uses were upper and lower case some of the written words are highlighted bold and the position were at the left and the word Blackpool was written | |bold with a red colour and a written note from Deca Maggie to Jacquie were at the middle of the poster. The word used to stand the adverts is Blackpool | |written with a red colour and with large Alphabets. The two adverts A and B are trying to persuade the target audience to come and experience a good holiday. | | | Paragraph 4 – Language and slogans (4. 2) Here you must compare and contrast the language and slogans used in the two advertisements. What do you notice about the language choices? Is it formal or informal? Does it contain any dialect? Are there any slogans? Can you analyse how the language in the advertisements is used in different social contexts? Again, summarise how effective you think the language used in the advertisements is, in targeting the audience. You must provide evidence. |The language uses is to draw the attention of people who’s want or planning for holiday uses persuading word , writing on different form of colours, make | |use of italic, bold, upper case and case to call attraction. The imagery showing the adult’s men and women dancing at the tower all these are form of drawing| |an attention of the people to come and spent their holiday at the Blackpool tower. | |The language used was a clear and understand English languages there were nothing contain dialect and is wasn’t formal or informal. The language was use | |effectively because on the poster you can see that the written word was design attractively on lower and upper case has different attracting colour and the | |languages was targeting the people planning on holiday. Paragraph 5 – Imagery and colours (3. 2) Compare and contrast the imagery and colours used in the advertisements. Here you must evaluate the imagery (pictures and graphics) contained in the two advertisements. Compare the imagery of the two advertisements and comment on the differences. You could discuss how you think the use of imagery and colours is perhaps more effective than the other in targeting the audience. Wh at does the imagery and colours suggest about the two holiday destinations? Evaluate how the colours in the advertisements create a mood? Are they vibrant and exciting, or plain and reassuring? As before, summarise how effective you think the imagery and colours used in the advertisements is in targeting the audience. Give evidence. |The imagery is displaying group pictures of young boys and girls at the beaches, cinema, airport, and car park; travelling on large vehicle also the code of | |dressing which is mostly for the young people and the language uses on it. This advert is to call attraction to draw the attention of the young once that’s | |planning for holiday by persuading them to come and spent holiday. On the other hand, the denotation of advert B is a Tower hall Blackpool the style of the | |adverts uses in the background is blue with yellow and red and dim warm colour and the written words are of red, blue, yellow and black. | |The image and the pictures contained in the two adverts are very different; the IBIZA has more features images of young people than the Blackpool. The colour| |used for both image is more effective because it is attractive poster whose ever see is would like to have a closer look what the advertisement for and these| |adverts is targeting many adults willing to go on holiday. The evidence used to compare to be a poster magazine contrast. | Paragraph 6 – Social, historical and cultural features – explicit and implicit (4. 1) Compare and contrast the social, historical and cultural features which are explicit and implicit in the two advertisements. For instance, in the Blackpool advertisement why do you think the advertisers show a prominent image of a postcard? Is this a social, historical or social feature? You must provide evidence. |The imagery of the social life styles these days are totally different from the time of 1990. This present time we are now has different kind of dressing | |compare to the time of 1990, like the young boys and girls at this present time we are now put on tight clothes like jeans, short sleeve wearing of boots, | |different kind of hair styles but some people still like the old hair style of 1960, but the hair styles this time is different compare to the time of 1990 | |when people use to have afro hair styles and the code of dressing now also different. The code has built in rules or signals indicating the message being | |given by a persons clothing and how it is worn. This message may include indications of the persons gender,  income, occupation and  social class, political,| |ethnic and religious affiliation,  attitude  and attitude towards comfort, fashion, traditions, gender expression, marital status, sexual availability and | |sexual orientation, etc. Clothes convey other social messages including the stating or claiming  personal  or  cultural identity, the establishing, maintaining,| |or defying social group  norms, and appreciating comfort and functionality and the technology this time has developed more and experience han the time of | |1990 the both young’s and adults people are now civilise, mature in every areas of their social life styles with now bring effect on cultures and tradition. | Paragraph 7 – Conclusion (1. 1, 1. 2, 2. 1, 2. 2, 3. 1) For your conclusion, you must compare and contrast the two advertisements, evaluating how effective you think the advertising techniques used are with regard to th e audience the advertisers are targeting. I am going to compare adverts of IBIZA and Blackpool for the conclusion of the advertisement. The IBIZA was very effective because it draw the attention of | |young people to take part of the holiday programme it to make the young people to have interest on what they were adverting that why it was design with so | |many effective colour that can create an attraction. The techniques used to advertise the poster was aiming to the young’s people who are planning for a | |holiday. The Blackpool is aiming to the adults men and women and the techniques used for the advert was targeting the adults people planning on holiday. The | |effect of the advert written was clear and clean easy to read and understand the colour use are so bright and the photograph show on the advert is a sign to | |encourage people whose has not have the chance to dance for a period of time, if you love dancing and meeting new people this is your chance to dance. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Project cost management

Project cost management Introduction The successful design, development and implementation of projects are very complex and at times daunting tasks for many project managers. The sum of growth in competition and globalization, institutionalization of innovation-based economics, rapid development of technologies, the uses of outer resources, increase in the significance of customers focus and the shortening of products and services cycles means that projects cost management has become a multifaceted issue for majority of businesses today. In essence, this has resulted in the need for the adoption and focus on project based on cost management of business activities. Indeed a lot of researchers emphasis the need for a multi-project environmental management of projects that pays cognizance to the key ingredients that will ensure for the success in projects. This paper will synthesis, analyze and dissect the key attributes that are seen to be inherently important for ensuring effective project cost management. Towards this, an insightful and succinct discussion of the following key factors for successful projects shall be done; appropriate senior management levels commitment to the project, adequate project funding, project requirements analysis and specifications, stakeholders involvement, risks management and presence of a contingent plan. While several dimensions could be pursued under each element only few will be highlighted Ensuring for effective project cost management Phillips (1) illustrates that From IT to construction, most projects have to purchase materials: routers and cables, shingles and cement, and so on; we must always buy some things to complete the project work. Without even underlining the scope or schedule of a given IT project, funds must be availed and properly managed and appropriated to achieve the goals of the project. In the cost management of IT projects, there are three major estimates cost techniques that project managers should make use to effectively manage their projects. These include the Ballpark estimate, the budget estimate and the definitive estimate. According to Barkley (68) Ballpark estimate is also known as the rough order of magnitude (ROM)which is based on high-level objectives, provides a birds-eye view of the project deliverables, and has lots of wiggle room in that most ROM estimates are dependent on the industry and have a range of variances from -25% all the way to +75%. The budget estimate that is also known as the top down estimate is more accurate than the Ballpark estimate and is always formulated at the beginning of the projects life. It includes a number of conditions just like the Ballpark estimate in that it takes into consideration a range of variances and assumptions that are characteristics of any projects estimation. The definitive estimate or bottom up estimate is the real opposite of the budget estimate (Haughey, 29). In effective cost management of an IT project, it is imperative that all the estimate methods are used to mitigate the effects of overhead costs on the project. Baldwin, Rose-Anderssen, Ridgway, Allen, Lopez, Strathern, and Varga (1), clearly demonstrates that The definitive estimate requires a work breakdown structure (WBS) and a WBS is not a list of activities, it is a detailed description of deliverables-oriented decomposition of the project scope. The attention to the creation of goods and services and technologies has significantly increased over the last few years that have prompted and preconditioned the need for better and more efficient projects cost management. This call for paying cognizance to the following key factors; Senior management support The success of projects will to a large extent rely on the interests, support and commitment of the senior management. This is in order to ensure that everybody in the project team and indeed the whole employees are focused and committed. Most projects in organization are sometimes conceived, funded and developed without appropriate senior management involvement or approval. Armstrong (25) has for example noted that some projects go forward without the management clearly conceptualizing what the project entails. A distinction between mere approval and commitment should be clearly discerned so that the projects run smoothly. According to Dennis (87) and Blair (13), most projects fail when the senior management lacks a clear understanding and a paucity of the projects perceived benefits, risks and difficulties. This is fundamental because the management plays a central role in costs appropriations and budget allocations for project activities. This means that while the projects approva l may actually have been acquired, in the euphoria of getting the projects approved; some of the risks may be ignored or glossed over. Efficient project cost management especially in the field of IT should however ensure that projects approvals are not based on hype and unrealistic calculations but on a framework that encapsulates a realistic assessment of the projects benefits, risks and costs. Adequate financing or funding for the project This forms the fundamental groundwork for the achievement any IT related projects objectives and goals. Most IT projects being initiated will require some substantial funding and resources deployment because they are always characterized by abnormally huge overhead costs. However, Kerzner (11) and Loosemore, Raftery and Reilly (161), have noted that ample project funding is not in itself a panacea to projects success. It has been advanced that inadequate project funding will most invariably result on delivery of less than promised. The realization of projects success has been positively correlated with efficient resources management and budget controls. According to Armstrong (32) effective resources management as well as its impact on the compatibility between the costs management and project value accumulation has been empirically proved in literature. Researchers show that in order to avoid the gap between the organizational strategies and the limited resources, it is purposive that available resources are reviewed and aligned to the budget in a seamless manner. This means that a lot needs to be arranged before and also during projects executions. A clear delineation of all the resources that are essential to the successful running of the project and a formulation of a budget that captures all the needs and requirements is therefore important. Armstrong (33), succinctly state that A project funding should be seen as a continuing and flexible process in that while a reasonable estimate of project expense must be made to obtain initial approval, this figure should not be considered as the final project cost. This point is further buttressed by Meyer (172) in illustrating that As the true scope of an IT project is revealed, the project manager can more accurately identify project expenses and recalculate the costs at several checkpoints in the project life cycle so that the new figures are communicated to senior management. Requirements analysis Requirements analysis should be carried out in order to develop the architectural design or frameworks of the specific IT project for the initiation and inception of the project. This calls for a thorough discussion between the clients and/or the stakeholders in order that all the salient issues are brought to the fore and the project is set off on a sound footing. According to Armstrong (27), client consultation at all the stages of an IT project development should always be done in order to avoid situations where repeated references to the project requirements are the case or projects are discontinued entirely. Requirements analysis should be detailed and the analysis or the project manager should visit, communicate and discuss the project requirements with the clients on a conclusive and comprehensive manner. A clear delineation of what will be delivered or not within projects scope should ideally be done. Project managers will attest to the fact that taking a thorough requirement analysis ahs the benefit of arriving at an accurate estimate on a project. This will reduce the effects of time wasted in search of more funds and convincing clients and other stake holders to increase funding after its initiation. In addition to the above, it comes with the added advantage of taking due care of crash programs and thus protects the projects from the effects external factors (Meyer, 171). Development of a comprehensive project plan and its cost components Basically, there are three main benefits to be realized through the development of a clear, comprehensive and elaborate project plan. One such benefit is that through adequate planning, the planners are able to present a clear and well documented or properly focused understanding of project. Secondly, adequate planning ensures that all issues are raised to help avoid instances of overlooking some issues that may later prove problematic. Finally, adequate planning reinforces and helps build confidence in the success of the project. Jiang and Gary (20) elucidates that project planning should never be viewed as a waste of time. This point has been buttressed by Armstrong (29) who has advanced that a very strong correlation between the lengths of time allocated to the project planning and the ultimate projects success abides. Stakeholders involvement The attainment of all the stakeholders involvement has been cited as an important ingredient in the success of IT projects in organizations. This means that every stakeholder in the organization is seen too own the project. This ensures that there are no complains about the project contents and performance when it is completed. This becomes more poignant when it is noted that projects warrants large investment of resources such as time, efforts and money. The involvement of the employees, internal customers and other important stakeholders should therefore be paid utmost cognize (Raz, Erez, 48). Frequent project status reporting should accompany the progress of the project and this should be done on as a regular interval in as far as is soundly possible. As early as the projects life, frequent reporting should help spot and identify adverse issues, as well as how these can be overcome. Jiang and Gary (31) have noted that it is not important that regular updates are provided but the accuracy of such reporting be the case so as to ensure that the status of the projects progress are accurate, realistic and timely. Risk assessment in an IT project It is important that a detailed risks assessment is carried in an IT project so as to ensure for the success of a project. Essentially, risks assessment may fall into two categories, i.e. the more usual and obvious risks and the risks that may be generated from the functions and requirements of a particular problem (Raz, Erez, 53). A businesslike approach to project management requires carefully considering and addressing these risks with internal customers and senior management as part of the projects approval process and if the risk analysis leads to a decision not to move forward, it is much better for everyone involved that the decision is made sooner, rather than later (Raz, Erez, 55). Armstrong (34) has advised that it is prudent to consider the possibility of some failures in the projects that would call for the development of contingent plans to overcome difficult situations should they arise and a project may have to incorporate items that were overlooked, or changes in the business needs associated with the project. This may result in delay of some projects that were dependent on this project or indeed some other business activities. Successfully and efficient project cost management will therefore entail the development of contingent plans to mitigate against such occurrences. In the course of an IT project development, a lot of issues and difficulties may arise. Thus, while some problems may have been anticipated, some occurrences, the need to clear to meet deadlines among others may create insurmountable pressures and tensions. These must be mitigated through the adoption of sound cost management approaches that ensures that issues and matters arising are addressed and mitigated. In some instances, continued top management support must be continually sought so that commitment to the project remains true, and un-anticipated funding requirements are met or delays in operations are understood. In obtaining senior management support, project managers must be willing to present an accurate picture of the potential difficulties inherent in the project in that insofar as is practical, senior management must be given a realistic assessment of the potential for difficulty and be willing to stay the course if things go wrong (Dennis, 95). Conclusion Effective project cost management is a multifaceted issue especially in an IT related project and difficulties abide in the identification and management of all potential difficulties and the ramifications that are associated with the successful development, budget appropriation and implementation of projects. This will depend to some extent on the size of the project where it is seen that the larger the size, the greater the probability of unseen contingencies. In large IT projects for example, the task can prove overwhelming and massive to coordinate. Organizations attempting to find and resolve all IT project difficulties and potential difficulties may not find the issues presented here as all inclusive as there are a lot more issues that must be paid cognizance for the efficient project cost management. However, while the draft does not strive for perfection, it can nonetheless be adjudged that paying attention to the issues raised, a project manager will be better prepared and k nowledgeable enough that undoubtedly greatly enhances the likelihood of a successful project and cost management strategies. WORKS CITED Armstrong, Mark. 2007. Simplified Risk Assessment. Engineering management journal.10, 1: 19-24. Baldwin, James, S., Rose-Anderssen, Chris., Ridgway, Keith., Allen, Peter, M., Lopez, Alvaro.,Strathern, Mark and Varga, Liz. (2006). Management Decision-Making: Risk Reduction Through Simulation. Website: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/rm/journal/v8/n4/pdf/8250020a.pdf Barkley, Bruce. 2004. Project risk management. McGraw-Hill Professional. Blair, Gerald, M. 2007. Planning a Project. http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art8.html?http://www.ee.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art8.html Dennis, Lock. . 2007. Project management. 9th edition. London: Cooper Lybrand Haughey, Duncan. 2000. Planning a Project using a Work Breakdown Structure Logic Network. Website: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/planning-a-project-using-a-work-breakdown-structure-and-logic-network.html Jiang, James, J. and Gary, Klein. Software project risks and development focus. Project management journal, 32, 1: 4-9. 2001. Kerzner, Harold. Project management: A Systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. 9th edition. New York: John Willey Sons. 2006. Loosemore, Mark, Raftery, Justin and Reilly, Chris. Risk management in projects. Taylor Francis. 2006. Meyer, Brad, C. Project Costs and Crashing. 2002. Retrieved on February 22, 2010 from Website: http://www.cbpa.drake.edu/bmeyer/webm120/PPT_Crashing.pdf Phillips, Joseph. Project Cost Management. 2010. Retrieved March 15th, 2010 from Website: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/project-cost-management.html Raz, Tzvi and Erez, Michael. Benchmarking the use of project risks management tools. Proceedings of the project management Institute Annual Seminars and Symposium.1999.

Impacts Of Urban Development On Wetlands Environmental Sciences Essay

Impacts Of Urban Development On Wetlands Environmental Sciences Essay According to Ramsar convention 1971, wetlands are defined as areas of marsh, fern, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporal, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, blackish or salty, including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tide does not exceed 6m (Davies, 1993). Wetlands may incorporate riparian and coastal zones adjacent to the wetlands, islands of water bodies of marine water deeper than 6m at low tide lying within the wetlands. Wetlands affect the lives of every one of Ugandas citizens. We depend on wetlands for food, and clean water, for building materials and fuels, for livestock grazing and medicines and for water flow regulation. They provide a powerful engine for our countrys development with wetland services and products (WMD, 2008). The economic and ecological wealth represented by Ugandas wetlands, which cover 15% of its land cover are found in almost every sub-county (WID, 2001). While such a dispersed geographic coverage provides wetland benefits to a greater number of people, it also increases the likelihood of overexploitation and degradation. Ugandas high level of political and administrative decentralization adds to this risk. In Uganda there are no recent, exact countrywide statistics on chances in wetland area. The latest national land cover map with detailed wetland information was produced in 1996 (NFA, 2006). However local observations cited in Ugandas recent state of environment report indicate a reduction in wetland coverage, mostly due to conversion into crop land and spread of urban settlements (NEMA, 2007). While such conversions provide economic benefits from agriculture crop and real estate development, they are also associated with social costs primarily due to reduced or total loss of hydrological functions, habitat benefits and other ecosystem services. One of the factors driving these conversions is that the immediate economic returns to individuals outweigh the costs to the wider society associated with the loss of important ecosystem services. On a global scale, urbanization is increasingly homogenizing the biota of less developed countries. Even though urban sprawl is a worldwide problem, most studies on the effect of urbanization on wetlands and the conceptual models have focused on developed countries. South America has not escaped urbanization and therefore has undergone the effects of urban sprawl and development. Pavements replace native wetland ecosystems and what is left of the natural ecosystem is dominated by non-native ornamentals species (Tolba and El-khoy 1997). Kampala, Ugandas capital city has experienced rapid population growth of 5.61% per annum from 774,241 in 1991 to 1.2million 2002.The growth, which has occurred concomitantly with changes in population structure of the city, is influenced by rural-urban migration (UBOS, 2002). Population increase in Kampala area is responsible for increased demand for employment, land for housing, social services and infrastructure that have stimulated spatial urban development and industrialization. Due to increasing rate of industrialization, which is an indication of development, many people are coming into the urban centers to look for jobs. On the other hand, the employment opportunities are too few to absorb the labour, coupled with increasing population; this creates an influx of laborers. This has had serious environmental consequences including wetland degradation, deposition of solid and toxic wastes in the wetlands and drainage channels (NEMA, 2001/2002). The current urban development is occurring in a haphazard manner largely dominated by the urban informality in most of the sectors (NEMA, 2001/2002). This has greatly contributed to the unsustainable utilization of natural resources with in the area resulting in environmental degradation through solid waste accumulation, wetland encroachment, water pollution and land use/cover change, which is reducing the ecological services from the natural environment of the area. Although Ugandas wetlands are protected by National Environment stature 1995, most of them are still being reclaimed and degraded, especially those outside protected areas. The environment and natural resource issue in Nakivubo division pose some of the most contentious, difficult and politically sensitive questions.Therefore,the future of our environment and natural resources seems to depend more on the trends in; economic gains, social and political developments as well as outcome of litigation, legislation and administrative debates and decisions. In general the most outstanding issue concerning urban wetlands is the increasing level of degradation mainly from encroachment. Related to this issue are pressures, which include ownership of wetlands as property, and government/institutional policies. Other threats to the stability of wetlands are agricultural conversions, industrial pollution, drainage and over harvesting of wetland resources. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Nakivubo wetland, one of the main wetlands in Kampala district, has suffered major encroachment in the recent past. A visit to the wetland reveals a lot of new activities, which signify recent massive encroachment. The activities include; residential and commercial buildings and car washing bays among others. There is significant reduction in the vegetation cover, and the wetland now experiences more visible instances of flooding than before during heavy rains. All these activities put a lot of pressure on the wetland, and affect its ecological function and cause degradation. These activities are thought to be a consequence of the increasing rate of development and urbanization in Kampala. Though there is insufficient data at the present to link urbanization with encroachment on Nakivubo wetland. The size and biodiversity of unconverted portions of wetlands has drastically diminished, with some areas completely converted. In 1993 it was noted that 13% of the wetlands in Kampala was s everely degraded and by 2002 only 3.3% was remaining and was continuing to be degraded (NEMA, 2007). Housing, industrialization and infrastructure development play an important role in wetland degradation. This study will therefore examine the relationship between urbanization and the encroachment and degradation of the Nakivubo wetland, and suggest options for addressing the problem. OBJECTIVES The overall objective is to examine the effects of urbanization on wetlands, using Nakivubo wetland in Kampala as a case study. Specific objective i) To describe the types of activities in the Nakivubo wetland and their social-economic implications on the urban people. ii) Assess the sustainable management practices urban people use to improve on wetland ecosystem. iii) Assess the awareness of urban people towards wetland use and management. Research questions The following questions are going to guide in my research. i) What activities do you carry on the wetland and how do you benefit from such activities? ii) What management practices are you using not to degrade the wetland? iii) Are you aware of any organization that protects wetlands? 1v) what are your main sources of information concerning the conservation of wetlands. 1.5 Justification of the study The study will evaluate the impact of urbanization on urban wetlands. The research is to examine how urban development leads to environmental changes mainly through wetland degradation. Its to provide information on wetland degradation that is currently inadequate. Thus the research will guide National Environment Authority (NEMA), the National Wetland Program and other interested parties to carry out appropriate actions to halt degradation of wetlands and develop more efficient wetlands conservation programmes. The information would further help district administrators like district environment officers to prepare action plans to improve local wetland resource management and mobilize community efforts to participate in wetland conservation. The information will also help urban planners in practicing sustainable development that is beneficial to the people but also environmentally friendly. It will provide knowledge to the local community on the effects of wetland encroachment. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION The growth of urban and sub-urban areas has been a dominant demographic characteristic of the 20th century. During this time urban population has increased ten-fold, and the proportion of the human population living in urban areas has risen from 14 to over 50% (Platt, 1994). Much of this expansion of urban land, and citizenry has occurred along coasts, as port cities have expanded, coalesced, and engulfed neighboring undeveloped lands. Between 1960 and 1990, coastal counties in the US increased in population by 43%, a faster rate of growth than in the country as a whole. Likewise, between 1970 and 1989, nearly half of all building activities took place along the coasts (Anon., 1994). As of 1981, 28% of municipal areas were coastal, but they accounted for 55% of the US population (Walker, 1990). Elsewhere in the world, the story is similar: of cities with populations over 1 million, 100% of those in South America are coastal, as are 75% of those in Asia and Africa ( Berry, 1990). Ugan das population growth also continues to be amongst the highest in the world. The population in 2007 stood at 28.4 million an increase of 70 Percent since 1991 and 16 percent since 2002 and the countrys population is expected to exceed 50 million and 127 million by 2025 and 2050 respectively, (NEMA 2007). Not surprisingly, the effects of this burgeoning coastal development on natural resources have been profound (Walker and Nordstrom,1990). Damage to and loss of wetlands have been extensive ( Tiner, 1984Dahl, T.E., Johnson, C.E., 1991. Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States, Mid 1970s to Mid-1980s. US Dept. Int., Fish and Wildlife Serv., Washington, DC.). A recent survey by the US Department of Agriculture found that urbanization was implicated in wetland loss in nearly all surveyed watersheds (96%) and may account for as much as 58% of the total wetland loss (Anon, 1997 ). Yet wetlands remain an integral part of social and economic stability and their continued disappearance should be of concern to everyone. 2.2 HISTORY OF WETLAND MANAGEMENT IN UGANDA The economic and ecological wealth represented by Ugandas wetlands, which cover 15 percent (31,406sq km) of its land area and are found in almost every sub-county, is well recognized by both its people and its leaders. Wetlands provide not less than 37 valuable services and products, and contribute hundreds of millions of dollars per year to the national economy (WID, 2001). Over 70 percent of all wetlands in Uganda are used for three purposes simultaneously: water collection, livestock grazing, natural tree harvesting, clay and sand mining, fishing and sources of crafts materials among other uses. In addition, they play a key role in filtering pollutants and in regulating water flows, which in turn influence groundwater recharge, flood impacts, and water availability during the dry season. Ugandas policy-makers have acknowledged the importance of wetlands in the countrys Constitution (1995), which commits the government to hold them, along with other natural resources, in trust for the common good of all citizens. Over the past 15 years, innovations including Ugandas Wetland Policy and decentralized wetlands management have established a firm foundation for more sustainable wetland management. Environmental and wetland concerns are also integrated into several of the governments other primary policies, including the Poverty Eradication Action Plan, Plan for Modernization of Agriculture, and District Development Plans. The ten-year Wetlands Sector Strategic Plan, launched in 2001, identifies eight key strategies to achieve sustainable wetlands management. Between 1995 and 2005, the Wetlands Inspection Division spent about $US 2 million to carry out wetland inventories for 30 Districts and build the National Wetlands Information System (WID and IUCN, 2005). 2.3 URBAN WETLAND ENCROACHMENT Historically, there are several factors that can explain as to why the wetlands resources have and are still getting degraded in urban areas like Kampala. The major reason is rapid population growth leading to quest for extra land for cultivation and settlement. Extensive wetland resources both in the industrial and developing economies have already been lost or undergoing increasing change due to conversion to aquaculture or industrial use. In his speech to mark the wetlands day 2010, Mafabi [who is he?] quoted that many wetlands around Kampala have been reclaimed and used for development purposes like building industries, rise growing, impunity and disregard of the law. Mafabi (1991), observed that one of the reasons degradation of wetlands, in Uganda are the increasing number of landless people, who are forced to drain and cultivate wetlands due to pressure for agricultural land. Land in Kampala is very scarce and where its available, its very expensive, yet people really need land for agriculture and settlement. According to William (1990) and Njuguna (1982), reclaimed wetlands produce new soils, which are a basis of increased food production required to feed the rapidly growing population in developing countries. Since people consider wetlands to have very fertile soils and the fact that relevant institutions have turned a blind eye on encroachers, thus encroachers have taken advantage of these weaknesses to settle around and within these areas. Few people have demanded the protection and conservation of wetlands and these few who have tried are in most cases not noticed or are taken for granted by the authority (NEMA 2010). From my own local observation, some individuals use their profile for example high ranking officials or senior citizens to abuse these wetlands however much the public complains. Finlayson and Michael (1991) noted that a fundamental cause of urban wetland loss in the past is that few people have demanded their conservation. Since other people are encroaching on the wetlands, many other individuals, even those who were campaigning for the conservation of these areas have lost hope and also encroached for their own benefits. On the other hand however, Dugan (1990), consent that the main causes of wetland loss and exploitation are: the secrecy and manipulation of information, the dominance of short-term private profit on long term public benefits. People are very much interested in short term private benefits without spending much from their pockets. Wetlands are not supposed to be owned by private individuals or parties NES (1995), and therefore many people encroach on them because they are not going to be asked for any land titles. Ntambirweki (1998) noted that many people are utilizing these wetlands because the economic policy for free goods is deficient and the land tenure system is not clear. Dugan (1990) goes ahead to state that deficient economic policy for free goods and insecure and undocumented land tenure has also been a cause of the degradation of these wetlands. In my own view, there is lack of appreciation by people in these urban areas like Kampala of the extent to which these wetlands are important and are used by rural communities for purposes like domestic water, water for agriculture and some cultural values. The people in urban areas will therefore, continue to use the wetland for their development purposes. Citing some examples from the flood plains of the inner delta of the river Niger where the wetland exploitation is rampant, Dugan (1990) observed that one of the fundamental reasons for the drive to convert natural wetlands to other uses is a very poor international appreciation of the extent to which they are important and are used by rural communities. He therefore concluded that the absence of this understanding on wetlands makes conservation difficult and unable to challenge the proposed changes, which are seen as being essential to economic development. Some other factors that are influencing wetland encroachment are poverty related. These wetlands contain plants like papyrus, which people are harvesting and using to make goods like bags and mats (crafts) that they sell and earn a living(R. kabumbuli et al 2009). This in the long run affects the functioning of the wetland incase these plants are over harvested. They are also using the wetlands to grow rice for food and sale, making bricks and for fishing. All these activities contribute to degrading the wetland but are beneficial to the urban people for them to earn a living. ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT IN WETLANDS Today, theres a growing concern to conserve and use wetlands in a sustainable way. Wetlands are more valuable economic resources in their natural state for certain objectives such as fishing, wildlife enhancement, aquaculture, water quality improvement and flood control, compared to the gains from a modified wetland, (Barbier, 1994). By encroaching on these areas, their economic function is being greatly affected and can have adverse impacts. Many activities are going on in the wetlands of Kampala as a result of encroachment by wetland users. These activities may have significant implications on the wetland, which may be beneficial or destructive to the wetland. Wetlands have been used for farming and for agriculture by many people. Crops such as yams and rice have been grown in the wetlands; livestock is taken to the wetlands for grazing. Water for irrigation, domestic use and livestock is collected from these wetlands. The growing of some of these crops like the yams is beneficial in these wetlands as these yams play an important role in the cleaning up of the water since they remove some minerals and nutrients from the water (Njuguna, 1982). On the other hand, extensive growing of these yams can lead to destruction of the wetland. The people practicing agriculture in these areas around wetlands have gone ahead to construct houses within the wetland so as to settle near their crops and also due to the fact that land is a scarce resource in urban areas. By constructing these houses, the flow of water in the wetland is disrupted and this in most cases leads to flooding mainly in the rainy seasons (Dugan, 1990). Settlement within wetlands has led to other associated degrading activities like brick making (Namanve wetland), sand extraction, and papyrus over harvesting (Kyengera wetland). Activities like sand extraction for construction of houses when carried out massively and brick making can have serious implications on wetlands as the sand that is removed is important in the filtration function of the wetlands (NEMA 2001/2002). This affects water filtration as a service provided by the wetlands. Over harvesting of wetland resources like papyrus for the purposes of making crafts so as to increase on the income of these people is also likely to affect the filtration and purification role of wetlands as these plants play a vital role in water purification in these wetlands. There are a variety of investments that are put up in these wetlands by reclaiming of the wetland to create land. Industries have been put up, churches have been constructed and other businesses like markets and shops have been developed with in urban wetlands. These are some of the major encroachments and activities going on in wetlands worldwide and in Kampala. A lot of land has been reclaimed and used for constructing of big industries in the urban areas due to development, which has resulted in shortage of land for the construction of these industries and factories. The reclaiming of these wetlands so as to create land for construction has been a great cause of flooding (Mitsch and Gosselink 1990). On the other hand, this creates and provides land for development and settlement in urban areas. Due to development, there is need for roads with in these urban centers and therefore, some of the roads that have been constructed have encroached on the wetlands and others have been constructed either adjacent or within wetlands, which has affected the functioning of the wetlands. Roads constructed adjacent or within wetlands increase on the level of silting in the wetlands and they also disrupt the flow of the wetlands since this can lead to the diverging of the wetland (Anibal and Aguayo, 1995). There is also a likelihood of these roads breaking down after some time hence affecting many people. Within wetlands, activities like fishing and aquaculture are being carried out. People depend on these activities to earn a living and for livelihood support. Fish ponds have been constructed to culture fish near these wetlands. Wetlands both permanent and seasonal especially along the lakeshores are an important source of fish for the local community. The interface zone between the swamp and the open water is an important breeding ground for commercial fish including tilapia (William, 1990). Its also a home to many aquatic and wildlife species and birds. Extensive fishing can lead to over exploitation of the fish species, which are of importance in the ecosystem. This in the long run may affect the ecological functioning of the wetlands since it affects the food chain. AWARENESS TOWARDS WETLAND USE AND MANAGEMENT It should not go unnoticed that, historically, many wetlands have been misconceived to be waste lands. Consequently, they were drained or degraded by human activity without factoring in their numerous functions, benefits and values, (William, et al, 1990). Wetlands were also regarded as bogs of treachery, mines of despair, homes of pests, refuge for out laws and rebels, (Williams, 1990; Mafabi, 1991). A good wetland was a drained one, free of this mixture of dubious social factors, (Dugan, 1990). Lack of awareness is the major cause of the increasing deterioration of biodiversity in urban areas of developing countries (Anibal Pauchard, 2005). Public awareness of wetland issues is indeed a key tool in wetland conservation and must be part of any attempt to change attitudes and behavior patterns. Many people living around wetlands are not aware of the impacts they are likely to cause to the wetlands in relation to their practices and in the long run have continued using the wetlands in a way that is degrading them. Some, who are aware about the impacts they can cause on the wetland, have had very poor attitudes towards the information they have been given and have continued to use the wetland in a manner that is not sustainable. In order to alert the public on the values and functions of wetlands and the need for their sustainable use, the national wetlands programme (NWP) has developed an awareness campaign consisting of videos, audio tapes, posters, leaflets and booklets (NWP, 1997). Newspapers have carried features on wetlands; songs have been developed to supplement radio and television programs. Awareness seminars and outreach programs are also carried out. The target groups are farmers, resource users, schools and district development committees. There have also been various efforts to promote environmental education through formal education in schools especially the wildlife club of Uganda. Also NEMA has tried to put up programs in various schools to promote environmental protection. All this has to some extent raised awareness and concern about wetlands among Ugandans (NEMA, 1998). Many Ugandans including grass root communities, policy makers, and natural resource planners while aware of environmental problems have little commitment to environmental conservation (NEMA, 1998). This may be because majority of the population living in poverty under constant threats to food insecurity is so concerned with basic survival matters that theres not much room to be concerned about environmental issues such as proper management of wetlands. Institutional understanding of the value of wetlands and associated investments in wetland has grown in Uganda. Similar changes in peoples perceptions and attitudes of wetlands have given rise to arrange of conservation initiatives in wetland management. In Uganda, for instance, the Ministry responsible for environment protection is elaborating a national wetland policy in direct response to rising local concern over environmental and social consequences of wetland loss. Generally, the cumulative importance of wetlands has gradually developed because of the growth of knowledge about their numerous functions, values and threats documented by various researchers. In fact the Wetland Inspection Division in Uganda regarded the wetlands as wealth land because if well managed, the products and services can be reaped in perpetuity. And thus they are worth conserving and wisely utilized. CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY This section focuses on the study methodology.ie. Sample area, sample selection procedure, data collection technique, entry, processing and analysis that is going to be used. STUDY AREA The study is going to be carried out on Nakivubo wetland. The wetland forms the boundary between Nakawa and Makindye divisions in the valley between Bugolobi, Mpanga and Muyenga hills (ADF). It is permanently water logged and is fed by the Nakivubo channel. It is one of the major wetlands on the north-western shores of Lake Victoria. The study will specifically be carried out in Nakawa Division, Kampala district. Nakawa Division is in the eastern part of the city, bordering Kira town to the east, Wakiso district to the north, Kawempe division to the northwest, Kampala central to the west, Makindye division across Murchison bay to the southwest and lake Victoria to the south.it covers an area of 47.45  square kilometers (18.32  sq.  mi). Map of Nakivubo Wetland (Source; Emerton et al., 1999) Study population The study population involves mainly farmers, brick layers, residents, builders and other individuals who are greatly involved in the use of the wetland e.g. People involved in putting up of business like shops and schools in this are also going to be interviewed to get more information on the study objectives. The area is estimated to have a population of 135,519 people. Meteorology of Nakivubo wetland The Nakivubo swamp is within the equatorial belt, and has a moist sub-humid climate. It receives a bi-seasonal rainfall in the periods of March to May and September to November. The rainfall is linked to the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the altitude, local topography and the lake. Short duration tropical thunderstorms are particularly common around Lake Victoria and Kampala. The latter is reported to receive more thunder storms than any other capital city in the world (Kansiime et al; 1999). This rainfall frequency and reliability favor the formation of peat lands and swamps. The presence of a large adjacent water body also ensures a both reliable and fairly stable hydrological regime (always humid, annual water level variations about 0.5 m). This is a requirement for papyrus, the dominant wetland macrophyte in the Nakivubo swamp. Geology of the swamp area The soils of the Nakivubo swamp area are alluvial and lacustrine sands, silts, and clays overlying granite gneisses. Indeed the gneisses overlay most of the Lake Victoria basin north of Kagera River, the main tributary of Lake Victoria located in the SW (Kansiime et al; 1999). Within the swamp, the alluvial soils range from semi-liquid organic material in the very upper layers of the emergent vegetation zones, through reddish ferruginous (high contents of dissolved iron in run-off water) loams to clays. Drainage of Nakivubo Swamp The major surface water drain into Nakivubo swamp is the Nakivubo Channel. In addition, Port Bell and Luzira waste water channels and a number of minor culverts discharge their water (some seasonally) into the lower Nakivubo swamp. The catchment area into the lower Nakivubo swamp is about 1.1 km2 from the Luzira watershed, 2.5 km2 from the Bukasa watershed and about 50 km2 from the city centre via the Nakivubo Channel and the upper Nakivubo swamp. These, with the exception of Luzira Prisons effluent and the Nakivubo channel, also carry rainfall and contribute different amounts of water into the swamp. METHODOLOGY RESEARCH DESIGN The study design will be stratified random sampling. The study area is going to be stratified on political units[at what level?]. The political units surrounding Nakivubo wetland are Bukasa, Kisugu, bugolobi, luzira prison and Mutungo[which political units are these?].One division is going to be chosen purposively basing on its accessibility from town due to limited finances, from which two parishes are going to be picked and from each parish 25 people[why 25 and not more or less?] will be interviewed by choosing the fifth house[why the 5th and not any other?] after each house with the head of the household[why the head and not any other member of the household?] being the target for interviews. schools, shops and gardens are going to be considered as plots (houses).[what does this mean?] SAMPLING AND SAMPLE SIZE The study population is going to be obtained by stratified random sampling; its objective is to reduce bias by sampling different strata. Stratification is going to be based on administration units. A Sample of 50 respondents is going to be interviewed using questionnaires and these are going to be obtained randomly. This is because of logistical, time and financial constraints. [This contradicts your research design, which is which?] DATA COLLECTION Data collection is going to be by primary data obtained directly from interactions with responds in the field and secondary data from library books, peer reviewed journals and government offices. The principal research technique in primary data collection is going to be by use of questionnaires (to answer all objectives),which are both closed and open ended, and are going to be administered by the way of direct interview with respondents. The open-ended questionnaires are going to allow multi-response that will shade more light on the subject matter. The interviews are going to be carried out in both Luganda English. Direct observations use of a camera are going to be used to get detailed information. Using a map of the area, a transect walk is going to be carried out to get a general view of the area. KEY INFORMANTS Key informants like environment secretaries and officials from environmental organizations (NEMA, WID) are going to be interviewed to get more valuable information on all my objectives. This will help me get firsthand information about the problem under study. It also helps to correct anomalies from questionnairesand leads to collection of in-depth data Is this true?. FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS (FGDs) Focus group discussions (FGDs) are going to be carried out with some purposively selected respondents[what purpose?]. The FGDs are going to confirm the gathered information from questionnaires.[what comes first, FGDs or Surveys?] Further more they will give exploratory, illuminating and enlightened data. Such information will provide insight into attitudes, perceptions and opinions of participants. FGDs give participants ample opportunity to comment, explain and share experiences that were not available from individual interviews, questionnaires or other data sources and therefore views got from such d

Martin Luther King, Jr., ?A Time to Break Silence? Essay -- essays res

Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the most influential people of this century. People remember King for his humanity, leadership and his love of his fellow man regardless of their skin color. Through reading King’s writings and speeches, that changed the world, one can learn that his values of integrity, love, truth, fairness, caring, non-violence, and peace were what motivated him to greatness. One of his less known speeches is â€Å"A Time to Break the Silence†, this speech was different than most of King’s speeches; the theme of this speech is not civil rights movement, but Vietnam. King addresses the war in Vietnam and he gives reasons why it should not continue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He asserts that Vietnam War has hindered the Civil Rights movement to achieve its goals. He expounds that the military drafted young black man to protect the rights of people of Vietnam and yet, these black youngsters did not have freedom for themselves. He says, â€Å" We were taking black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them 8,000 miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in Southwest Georgia and East Harlem. So, we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white to boys on TV screens as the kill and die tighter for a nation that has been unable to seat them tighter in the same schools†¦ I could not be silent in the face of such cruel manipulation of the poor.† King presented to the people a fact that n...

Essay Discussing Societal Conflicts in Lispeth and Story of an Hour :: Story Hour Lispeth Essays

Societal Conflicts in  Lispeth and Story of an Hour  Ã‚      "Lispeth" and "Story of an Hour" are both stories that deal with societal conflicts through their impact on the protagonist. In both stories the protagonists seem largely unaware of the conflict and resulting oppression, until events occur that force them to see it. In both stories the protagonists are ultimately "defeated" by the social conflicts; but the really important point of these stories is not winning or losing the struggle but the change that comes about as a result of the struggle. In "The Story of an Hour" Mrs. Mallard , as one would expect, is very grieved at her husband's death. But as she attempts to adjust to her new status she begins to change. The author conveys this in a couple of ways. She uses references to what is happening outside the window, "new spring life," "patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds" to show nature paralleling Mrs. Mallard's opening up. The author also describes the realization of freedom as if it were a tangible thing, "something coming after he," that she was fighting off. Her epiphany comes when she realizes that she was oppressed. In this realization she finds new strength, courage, and joy. She has not resolved the conflict; she has only become aware of it. She now knows that, although her husband was not a mean man, he imposed his will on her, and well meaning or not this was an oppressive act. It appears that she was not aware of being a prisoner until she was freed and in being free life has taken on new meaning, and she is a new person. But in the end Mr. Mallard is not dead. And, as I said, Mrs. Mallard has only discovered the conflict between men's and women's roles; she has not resolved or overcome it. But she has changed and this new person is unable to cope with the prospect of living in her old world-the shock of it kills her. One suspects that has she not died physically, she would have "died" spiritually anyway. In "Lispeth" the conflict is between two cultures: one indigenous and the other colonial. As in "The Story of an Hour" the protagonist, Lispeth, does not seem to be aware of a conflict and embraces her oppressor. In fact, she "used to lock herself into her own room for fear they might take her away.