Assignment: Assigning Evaluation and Management Essay

Initial consultation is performed for a 78-year-old woman with unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, and rectal bleeding. A comprehensive history and examination is performed. 99205- The patient is a new patient who needs a comprehensive amount of data. The patient has unexplained symptoms, so it is very important to get the history in order to help figure out what may be causing these symptoms. A 30-year-old established patient presents complaining of flu-like symptoms characterized by unremitting cough, sinus pain, and thick nasal discharge. A detailed examination reveals bronchitis and sinus infection. The patient is prescribed a 5-day course of Zithromax. 99214- The patient is an established patient who is experiencing flu-like symptoms. The patient must have a detailed examination in order to figure out what the diagnosis is, it could be a multiple amount of different things. The risk was moderate because the patient was prescribed medication for 5 days and sent home. Established patient on Lithium presents for routine blood work to monitor therapeutic levels and kidney function. A nurse briefly reviews the results and advises the patient that tests are normal, and no change in dosage is indicated. 99211- The patient is an established patient and is returning to do routine blood work. The patient probably is required to provide the minimal amount of data. Since the patient has come in to only check on the therapeutic levels and kidney functions and to do blood work it is minimal. A 62-year-old diabetic female presents to her primary care physician for a bandage change of a wound on her left foot. A problem-focused examination reveals the wound is healing. The nurse applies a new dressing and patient will return for a check-up in one week. 99212- The patient is an established patient and this code was chosen because  it was a problem-focused examination, but straightforward. The patient had a minimal amount of risk due to the fact that she has diabetes and it is important to heal any wounds that may be on your feet. You can lose your foot if the wound is not treated. A mother brings in her 6-month-old male child for his first routine wellness check. A problem-focused history and examination reveals the child to be in good health and making adequate progress. 99215- The patient is an established patient because the child is 6 months old and has probably been seen before. The visit was comprehensive and the medical decision was of high complexity. This was decided because of the child’s medical history. Reference: The McGraw-Hill Companies, (2008). Procedural Coding: Introduction to CPT, p.161-165. Retrieved July 17, 2010 from University of Phoenix

Gender Stereotypes Essay

Simply put, gender stereotypes are generalizations about the roles of each gender. Gender roles are generally neither positive nor negative; they are simply inaccurate generalizations of the male and female attributes. Since each person has individual desires, thoughts, and feelings, regardless of their gender, these stereotypes are incredibly simplistic and do not at all describe the attributes of every person of each gender. While most people realize that stereotypes are untrue, many still make assumptions based on gender. There are many stereotypes we may all be guilty of, such as assuming that all women want to marry and have children, or that all men love sports. The following is a list of some of the most common gender stereotypes as they pertain to either men or women. Remember that these are stereotypes because they claim to apply to all men or women. Female Gender Stereotypes Gender stereotypes begin the second a baby’s gender is found out. As soon as we find out it’s a girl, we immediately begin decorating a pink nursery filled with soft dà ©cor and butterflies and flowers. We assume that our daughter will be very â€Å"girly† and fill her closet with frilly dresses and her toy box with tea sets and dolls. What this is essentially doing, even though many parents don’t realize it, is setting our child up to be the â€Å"perfect lady,† and teaching her how to be the stereotypical woman. We are teaching her that girls are supposed to wear dresses, serve food, and take care of babies; the biggest and most common stereotype put on women. Have you ever watched a little girl playing house? Even as young as five or six, she is well aware that she is supposed to stay home with the baby while the husband goes to work, and she has dinner ready when he gets home. Here is another stereotype; women stay at home while men go to work. While there are a million gender stereotypes about females, these are definitely the biggest, and the most debated by feminists of today. Some other stereotypes include: Women are supposed to have â€Å"clean jobs† such as secretaries, teachers, and  librarians Women are nurses, not doctors Women are not as strong as men Women are supposed to make less money than men The best women are stay at home moms Women don’t need to go to college Women don’t play sports Women are not politicians Women are quieter than men and not meant to speak out Women are supposed to be submissive and do as they are told Women are supposed to cook and do housework Women are responsible for raising children Women do not have technical skills and are not good at â€Å"hands on† projects such as car repairs Women are meant to be the damsel in distress; never the hero Women are supposed to look pretty and be looked at Women love to sing and dance Women do not play video games Women are flirts Women are never in charge Male Gender Stereotypes Stereotyping is no different when it’s found out that a boy is on the way. The nursery is decked out in blue, his closet is filled with tiny jeans, polo shirts, and boots, and the theme is usually something like jungle animals or dinosaurs; something tough. Boys’ toys consist of trucks, dinosaurs, action figures, and video games. From the beginning boys are taught to be tough, to be protective, and to defend themselves. Boys are taught that daddy’s go to work and mommy’s stay at home; from their point of view, boys have fun and girls do all the work. Are you surprised to hear that most parents admit that they do not teach their sons how to do chores such as washing dishes or folding laundry? Instead, they teach them to take out the trash and mow the lawn; from the get-go boys are made to think that certain household chores are â€Å"women’s work.† This is a major stereotype, but the majority of American households  today would prove this to be true. Men are supposed to do the dirty jobs and anything that requires muscle, they are also supposed to go to work and provide for the family. Little boys see this and the stereotype continues. Other gender stereotypes that inaccurately try to describe all men are: All men enjoy working on cars Men are not nurses, they are doctors Men do â€Å"dirty jobs† such as construction and mechanics; they are not secretaries, teachers, or cosmetologists Men do not do housework and they are not responsible for taking care of children Men play video games Men play sports Men enjoy outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, and hiking Men are in charge; they are always at the top As husbands, men tell their wives what to do Men are lazy and/or messy Men are good at math It is always men who work in science, engineering, and other technical fields Men do not cook, sew, or do crafts Can you see how many of these actually are true of many men or women that you know? They may even be true for you personally, but they do not apply to every single man or woman alive. That is what makes them stereotypes; the fact that these things are considered, â€Å"the norm† and expected of every male or female. Each person is an individual and it is perfectly normal for a woman to run her own business while a man stays home with the kids. On the other hand it is also perfectly acceptable for a man to be a nurse or hate sports, or enjoy cooking. Men and women are individuals; they are more than just male or female. Our gender is only part of who we are; it does not define us as people.

Impact of Globalization on Development of Nations Literature review

Impact of Globalization on Development of Nations - Literature review Example Globalization is related internationalization of production and business of organizations that require organizational structural changes, resources, management practices, capabilities and competencies to meet the needs & requirements of cross border production, business, transactional strategies, and marketing operations. [Dunning. 1993 taken from Clark and Knowles. 2003] Globalisation is essentially a plurality of global knowledge systems that results in cultures which spill over across boundaries (that were developed to constraint them) in many countries and hence forms a mass global society. [Worsley. 1999 taken from Clark and Knowles. 2003] Globalisation is an extension of geographic limits of economic activities across national boundaries of multiple countries such that the many internationally dispersed activities get categorized under global definitions and are functionally integrated. [Dicken. 1998 taken from Clark and Knowles. 2003]Â  There are many such definitions that de scribe globalization at economic, cultural, religious, linguistic, political, social, etc. levels but, as reiterated by Clark and Knowles (2003), a clear, concise and consolidated definition is yet to arrive. The paper is targeted to analyze the impact of globalization on the economic and social development of regions across the globe. The methodology employed for the study comprises of the study of the selected empirical literature on globalization. The arguments that support globalization, as well as the ones that criticize globalisations, have been considered to arrive at the conclusions. Vernon (1971) carried out an empirical analysis of the relationship between the globalization of businesses and national economic goals of a country. As per his analytics, the nations look forward to enhancements of much larger systems than just earning profits from exports or duties from imports. Enhancement of infrastructure, people competencies, technology, cross border controls for mutual be nefits, etc., acquisition of foreign currency, better utilization of capitals, higher revenues and margins are some of the economic benefits that nations look forward from globalization. For example, the development of global information and communications technologies (ICT), global aviation and road transportation of the nations is the result of collaborative working among nations to share their competencies and put demands on the industries multilaterally to achieve mutual economic benefits.

Film School Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Film School - Personal Statement Example Therefore, I believe people can examine their own society through the movies and as an aspiring film-maker, I hope to someday touch lives by creating films that examine this society Movies like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and "The Departed," gave me inspiration. After I graduated from high school my parents suggested that I take time off to find myself, it was difficult not being a student nor working and giving to the community. However, through watching films, I realized that no matter what kind of movie it was, every movie provided great insight and a message about life. I found myself researching why certain filmmakers decided to tackle a theme or what the inspiration was that launched their idea. For example, Martin Scorsese, the Producer and Director of, "Gangs of New York" had a personal interest in portraying the historical makings of Gotham City. His curiosity about his own city provoked him to create a piece of work that could be shared with a large audience. The Director, Ang Lee became another inspiration. His ability to cross the cultural, societal and linguistic barriers amazed me. Lee's leap from strictly small Chinese films to worldwide aw ard winners gave me hope that I too could stir the hearts and minds of society. These two directors, and many others compelled me to be a part of the industry that had such an effect on me. My interest in film grew when my friend who was a film maj

Film Schindler's List Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Film Schindler's List - Movie Review Example chindler' Lit i not jut a biography of Okar chindler, but it i the tory of how good can overcome evil and how charity can overcome greed. (Paldiel, 2007) chindler' Lit begin with the early life of Okar chindler. The novel decribe hi early family life in the Autro-Hungarian Empire, and hi adolecence in the newly created tate of Czecholovakia. It tell of hi relationhip with hi father, and how hi father left hi mother. Hi mother i alo decribed in great detail. Like many German in the outh, he wa a devout Catholic. he i decribed a being very troubled that her on would take after her etranged huband with hi negligence of Catholicim. Okar never forgave Han, hi father, for hi abandonment of hi mother , which i ironic conidering that Okar would do the ame with hi wife Emilie. In fact Han and Okar chindler' live would become o much in parallel that the novel decribe their relationhip a "that of brother eparated by the accident of paternity." Okar' relationhip with Emilie i alo decribed in detail a i their marriage. The heart of the novel begin in October 1939 when Okar chindler come to the Polih city of Cracow. It ha been ix week ince the Ger man' took the city, and chindler ee great opportunity a any entrepreneur would. For chindler, Cracow repreent a place of unlimited poibilitie becaue of the current economic diorder and cheap labor. Upon hi arrival in Cracow he meet Itzak tern, a Jewih bookkeeper. chindler i very impreed with tern becaue of hi buine prowe and hi connection in the buine community. oon chindler and tern are on their way to the creation of a factory that would run on Jewih labor. Around thi time, the perecution of the Jew of Poland begin with their forced relocation into ghettoe. Thi turn out to be timely for chindler a now he i able to get very cheap labor. (Fench, 1995) The next few year would go well for chindler and hi factory for they turned a great profit. In fact he made o much money that he i quoted a aying, "I've made more money than I could poibly pend in a lifetime." Hi worker were alo very happy. Thi i becaue "chindler' Jew" were treated a human a oppoed to being treated a animal. For them, working in chindler' factory wa an ecape from the ghetto and from much German cruelty. They loved chindler o much that hi factory became known a a haven throughout the Jewih community. However, thing began to go our for chindler, when the German ordered the liquidation of the ghettoe. oon all of the Jew in the Cracow ghetto were relocated to the Plazow labor camp. By thi time chindler had grown o affectionate toward hi Jewih worker that he refued to hire Pole, and intead ought of a way to keep uing the Jew that he had grown o accutomed to. A the Cracow Jew were relocated to the Plazow labor camp, Okar chindler came into direct dealing with the camp' dir ector, Amon Goeth. He did not like Amon, but he tried to get in on hi bet ide in order to keep uing hi Jew in hi factory. Amon agreed to let chindler ue them, and thu aving hi Jew from ome of the harhne of the Plazow labor camp. A the war began to go badly for the German, they decided to accelerate their "final olution" by ending the Jew to more initer concentration camp uch a Auchwitz. Thi i when Okar chindler finally come to the realization that he had the power to help hi people. (Yule, 1997) The now enlightened chindler decide to ue hi entire fortune to

Inresume and cover letter, find a job opening that looks interesting, Case Study

Inresume and cover letter, find a job opening that looks interesting, and then write a resume and cover letter for that job. Start by read the following in ProQuest - Case Study Example In this case, I find it fun and fulfilling to integrate new systems while working with my team members, which is challenging although the benefits enhance seamless and productive flow of work in an organization. In addition, I have managed to acquire management skills that enhance me to engage in a proactive management style, which provides me with essential communication skills to enhance teamwork. I am assiduous in staying up-to-date and maintaining a grasp on accounting information and knowledge. Hence, I undertake courses that enhance my ability in using the essential technology that are crucial in accounting. Therefore, I am proficient in Oracle, Hyperion, Ms. Excel, and SAP accounting programs. Moreover, I am a qualified accountant and registered with the ICA. I will pass this expertise to your company and ensure that your company benefited from the skills and knowledge that I have gained over time, which will ensure a positive outcome. I am look forward to this new challenge offered by your company. You can call me on [Your Number] or write to me on [email address] and I will be glad to discuss any other issue. I have gained the ability to carry out successful planning, implementation, maintenance, and management of financial tools and processes, which includes the processes of efficient training and integration of the systems in an

Health and human services capstones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Health and human services capstones - Essay Example ype of contracting does not comply with the market principles, in practice, however it is based on long term associations between the government and the contracting agency. The question to privatize health and human services arises when the government is required to deliver more with less money because of the falling revenues and rising costs. The government, by employing privatization programs, is able to increase its revenue, reduce costs and better utilize the private capital for health and human services and facilities. The government is still responsible for the provision and the quality of HHS, though the contracting party is actually providing the services. This type of privatization is attained through an Invitation to Bid (ITB) or a RFP process (Request for Proposal). In the RFP process, the concerned government agency takes proposals from all qualified businesses entailing the cost and the methodology of providing human and health services to the people. The decision is made on the basis of the quality and efficiency of the services being provided most economically rather than considering the cost of the service alone. On the other hand, an invitation to bid refers to the method taking the standard sealed competitive bids in which the government usually accepts the lowest bid for the desired job. Contracts can be classified in to various forms such as the unit price contracts, fixed price contracts and cost plan contracts. It is imperative that the contractor is held accountable for the quality and efficiency of the service, as per standards, by the government and the desired performance of providing such services should be clearly

How far povtery as inpact on child life chaces Essay

How far povtery as inpact on child life chaces - Essay Example However, the important thing is to understand that these problems are created because the poor people are deprived of the social, emotional and psychological opportunities that well to do people get. The lack of financial resources to afford education, home and healthy food affects the future prospects of poor children. To solve the problem of poverty, it is important to know the magnitude of the effect of poverty on the life of poor children. The intention of this research is to understand to what extent poverty affects the life chances of a child. The study also aims to understand what other factors, related to poverty, are responsible for affecting the life chances of poor people. The word ‘chance’ means opportunity. ‘Life chances’ can be defined as the opportunities a child should get to become whatever he wants to, when he is born. However, the systematic study of the social situations in the eighteenth and nineteenth century revealed that society has regularly displayed a certain trend in the lives of people regarding crime rates, trade, birth rate and mortality rates (Daston, 2008, para 9). The social trend has revealed that people born in the family with certain social background lead a certain life. The regularity of the trend is so astonishing (Daston,2008, para 12) that now, it is possible to tell if a child will enjoy the luxury of life chances or not, simply by knowing the financial status of the family he is born in. The higher the social position is, the more luxurious the financial standing of the family, the higher the possibilities the child will live to get ample supply of food for his nutrition, financing for his edu cation and a shot at a wider career perspective because of the social positioning of

The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb - Article Example Recommendations made by Stimson to presidents Roosevelt and Truman were based on consultation with the people concerned with the issue. One of the sources that Stimson relied on for information was General Grove. This person was to provide information on the progress of the project design for making the atomic bombs. The other source of information that Stimson relied on was the secretary of state and secretary of naval forestall. Moreover, Stimson relied on information from other members of the interim committee as well as members of the scientific panel. All these sources provided him with information that assisted him in arriving at the recommendations to both President Roosevelt and President Truman. Air of uncertainty indicated no proof that any given bomb would explode when dropped from an airplane. This resulted to a problem of exploding a bomb at predetermined height in air. However, the atomic bombs had a higher chance of exploding when dropped from a plane than the other types of bombs. This made them to be preferable to the other types of bombs. Therefore, the â€Å"air of uncertainty† influenced the choices made by revealing that other bombs had a lower chance of exploding when dropped from a plane compared to the atomic bomb. Several people influenced the reached decision. Participants who had most influence on the reached decisions were President Roosevelt and President Truman. Other individuals who had most influence on the reached decisions were the members of the interim committee including Stimson. Moreover, General Grove had a very great influence on the decisions of using the nuclear bombs in the war against Japan. This is because he was the one who provided the information on the progress of the project initiated to create the bombs. The other people who had most influenced on the reached decisions were the members of the scientific panel since they provided

Avoiding Groupthink Essay Example for Free

Avoiding Groupthink Essay The case study we are addressing this week involves how a team and Project Manager avoid Groupthink and its pitfalls. In order to understand what group think is you have to refer to Irving Janus who coined the phrase back in 1972. He related that Group Think is when a group makes a decision based on group pressure; it can lead to faulty decisions. Janus, 1972) Some of the symptoms that Irving Janus documented of group think are Illusion of invulnerability, Collective rationalization, Belief in inherent morality, Stereotyped views of out-groups, Direct pressure on dissenters, Self-censorship, Illusion of unanimity, and Self-appointed ‘mind guards’. (Janus, 1972) In our book, Making the Team: A Guide for Managers states that there are three (3) key symptoms that take root and they are Over Estimation of the Group, Closed Mindedness and Pressure towards Uniformity. These will be the 3 areas I am going to focus on. Over Estimation of the Group Now that we know what group think is we can move on to how a team and Project Manager might avoid the mistakes and downfalls of Group Think situations. (Thompson, 2008) When a team is falling into a group think methodology a Project Manager must be able to recognize the signs before any decisions are made and set in motion. If the group is making statements that start with we feel, we think, or we suspect it is a good indicator that they just don’t know or are just following along with the consensus of the group. Group think can cause problems when everyone goes with the flow especially on a wrong decision. In using group think methodology management has to weigh the pros and cons of the group’s decision from all sides. Sometimes a little more research prior to implementing a group think decisions should be done or a devil’s advocate should be assigned into the group think matrix in order to prevent team members from being led down a garden path. The one thing I have noticed when in a group think situation, the group always looks for someone to be the mouthpiece for the group, this person usually has strong leadership skills but can be short sited and very opinionated which rubs off on the group as a whole. Some team members tend to have difficulty explaining or relating what is on their mind in a group setting, they rather tell their ideas one on one because they are an introvert by nature! They would rather have the extrovert take charge and be the one who voices the opinions or decisions of the group. They tend to stay out of the lime light. Project Managers should encourage team members to bring out concerns or objections to issues that are being discussed and/or considered, he/she should not influence the team with his or her own preferences to the issue, he/she should play the devil’s advocate and guide conflict in a positive manner, the group should be allowed to be evaluated by other groups and critiqued in an unbiased manner, splitting the group into different sub groups to bring out and investigate different alternative solutions or methods that could be used, call meetings with the group to discuss and evaluate any decisions prior to instituting them and develop alternatives for each methodology prior to giving final approvals. (Thompson, 2008) A good Project Manager should keep his group focused on the project at hand, have weekly meetings to check progress of his team to ensure that discussions are being conducted that is giving the group the necessary conflict for them to evaluate potential risks and dangers involved with the decisions they are recommending. The Project Manager should make the team aware that they can bring up ideas or doubts about any issue without the fear of being ridiculed or rejected by other team members. The ultimate goal is for the Project Manager to make his team work as a team through having all members contributing their knowledge and skills in making the project a success.

Case Study: Pregnancy Gestational Diabetes

Case Study: Pregnancy Gestational Diabetes Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as glucose intolerance of variable severity, with onset or first recognised during pregnancy1. This definition includes women whose blood glucose goes back to normal after giving birth, those with undiagnosed type I or type II diabetes and also those with monogenic diabetic2. GDM is believed to complicate approximately 1% to 5% of all pregnancies and is associated with increased foetal and maternal morbidity and mortality1. The prevalence ranges from less than 1% to more than 10% due to the different populations or ethnic groups being studied and lack of uniformity on diagnostic test employed1. Women from Indian subcontinent have an increased prevalence rate of GDM by eleven fold whereas those from South East Asia have eight fold increased rate3. This is followed by women from Arab or Mediterranean with six fold and Afro-Carribbean women with three fold3. The pathophysiology of gestational diabetes mellitus includes increase in maternal insulin resistance, autoimmune ÃŽ ²-cell dysfunction and genetic abnormalities which causing impaired insulin secretion4. Progression of insulin resistance normally starts near the mid-pregnancy throughout the third trimester and progresses to resistance level seen in Type II diabetes4. There are two type of insulin resistance namely physiological insulin resistant and chronic insulin resistant with ÃŽ ²-cell dysfunction. It has been suggested that physiological insulin resistance is contributed by combination of increased maternal adiposity and effects of placental growth hormones4. A study revealed the defects of postreceptor in the insulin-signalling pathway of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue has caused the insulin sensitivity reduction in pregnancy5. The alterations in the pathway reduce the insulin-mediated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle which is a major tissue for glucose disposal5. The inc rease in physiological insulin resistance and alterations in glucose metabolism are believed been influenced by placental growth hormones. This is proven when resistance abates soon after labouring in women with normal glucose tolerance6. Chronic insulin resistance is a condition where patients have ÃŽ ²-cell dysfunction which is presented before pregnancy and exacerbated during pregnancy due to some physiological changes6. Chronic insulin resistance occurred mostly in women with GDM and this had been demonstrated in a study where normal women have higher insulin sensitivity than those with GDM after physiological insulin resistance abates4. It is also believed that obesity play a role in developing insulin resistance since GDM women tend to be obese6. Among the women diagnosed with GDM, a minority of less than 10% of them have presence of cytoplasmic islet cell antibodies and anti-GAD antibodies in their circulation6. These are the markers used to identify the individuals who develop autoimmune diabetes namely Type I diabetes. Patients with autoimmune destruction of pancreatic ÃŽ ²-cells will then have inadequate amount of insulin which leads to hyperglycaemia. This subtype of patients most probably will experience rapid metabolic deterioration after pregnancy due to the autoimmune destructive condition6. Besides autoimmune ÃŽ ²-cells destruction, genetic abnormalities caused by autosomal and mitochondrial DNA mutations also contributed to less than 10% of GDM6. The autosomal mutation, for instance maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) has a dominant inheritance pattern whereas mitochondria DNA mutations has maternal inheritance pattern4, 6. Both of these monogenic forms of diabetic have a younger age onset than non-immune t ype of diabetes and the patients do not suffer from obesity and insulin resistance6. The genes involved in the monogenic diabetes appear to posses a crucial influence on ÃŽ ²-cells regulation which severe enough resulting hyperglycaemic if mutation occurs even with the absence of insulin resistance6. 3.0 Implications 3.1 Maternal implications GDM may implicate either immediate or long term mortality on pregnant women. Studies have demonstrated that GDM has complicated pregnancy by increasing duration of maternal hospitalization, caesarean delivery and also preeclampsia in pregnant women7, 8, 9. Caesarean delivery incidence is increased in GDM pregnancies in order to avoid birth trauma7. Women with GDM are also at increased risk to develop type II diabetes with trials showed that 30% to 50% former GDM women developed diabetes at 3 to 5 years after their delivery10. Women who have GDM with higher BMI are more susceptible to diabetes development. This is demonstrated by a study where approximately 60% of obese women and 30% of lean women during pregnancy have 15 years of prevalence in Type II diabetes11. The study is supported by other studies where maternal obesity plays an important role in developing diabetes later in life12. A considerable number of women with prior GDM were found to share some characteristics of those suffered from metabolic syndrome like elevated triglyceride levels, glucose intolerance, obesity and HDL cholesterol reduction. Women who are diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance at 6-12 weeks postpartum showed increased triglycerides level and decreased HDL cholesterol as well as systolic blood pressure >140mmHg compared to those with similar BMI and normal glucose tolerance13. Atherosclerosis which is known to be contributed by inflammatory responses also studied in women with GDM with findings showed that hsCRP and interleukin-6, both are inflammatory mediators, were respectively higher in GDM women after 3 months postpartum than in normal subjects14. Studies of women prior GDM on insulin resistance and factors in metabolic syndrome suggest that lipid abnormalities and inflammatory mediators significantly related to cardiovascular threat. 3.2 Foetal and neonatal implications Offspring of mother with GDM have an increased risk of perinatal mortality as well as morbidity which involved hyperbirubinemia, hypoglycaemia, macrosomia, birth trauma, childhood risk of obesity and subsequently type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease15. Improper management of GDM women during pregnancy has contributed to a four fold increasing in perinatal mortality rates11. Approximately 20% of GDM pregnancies are found to be complicated by macrosomia which defined as foetus weight lies above the 90th percentile of gestational age or more than 4000g15, 16. Maternal nutrition is a crucial factor in foetal growth. Excess foetal growth is caused by diabetic intrauterine environment since glucose passes through placenta but maternal insulin unable to cross the placenta17. Besides, increased glucose load in foetal also promotes the growth hormone under influence of developing foetal pancreas and further encourages foetal growth and adiposity17. As a result, shoulder dystocia, a con dition where one of the shoulders being stuck behind mothers pelvic bone, preventing the birth of babys body can occur if foetal weight is above 4000g18. The chance of developing shoulder dystocia is even increased by two to six folds if the growth of the trunk and shoulder is not proportionate18. A study indicated that offspring of GDM women have increased body fat when compared with same weight offspring of controlled healthy women19. Offspring of women with GDM are also found to be on 30% heavier than expected according to their height20. The study also evaluated that there is a strong relationship between pancreas cell activation in diabetic intrauterine environment and childhood obesity, which then predisposes to obesity20. Maternal insulin insensitivity is then believed to associate with foetal overgrowth, predispose to childhood obesity and glucose intolerance. Cardiovascular abnormalities can be another implication on offspring of women with GDM. Diabetes is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and this issue is evaluated and examined in offspring of diabetic pregnancies. The results significantly showed that offspring of the diabetic pregnancies has higher systolic and mean arterial blood pressure, endothelial dysfunction markers as well as cholesterol level compared to offspring of healthy mothers20. 4.0 Screening and diagnosis All pregnant women will undergo universal screening for GDM between 24-28 weeks of gestation and those with high risk of GDM development should perform the screening at first trimester21. Women with high risk of developing GDM refer to those who fulfil one or more risk factors. For instance, over 35 years old, previously diagnosed with GDM or with macrosomic, from high risk populations like American Indian, South-East Asian and Arab, obesity which BMI ≠¥ 30kg/m ², diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome and first degree relative to diabetes3, 21. The screening test is called oral glucose challenge test (OGCT) and carried out where the pregnant women were given a sugary beverage with 50g glucose load to drink21. After an hour, plasma glucose is measured and if the reading is ≠¥10.3 mmol/L, GDM is diagnosed21. If the plasma glucose reading is

Appeal to Aesthetics in Death in Venice Essay -- Literary Analysis

In the late 19th century decadence was a tremendously popular theme in European literature. In addition, the degeneracy of the individual and society at large was represented in numerous contemporary works by Mann. In Death in Venice, the theme of decadence caused by aestheticism appears through Gustav von Achenbach’s eccentric, specifically homoerotic, feelings towards a Polish boy named Tadzio. Although his feelings spring from a sound source, the boy’s aesthetic beauty, Aschenbach becomes decadent in how excessively zealous his feelings are, and his obsession ultimately leads to his literal and existential destruction. This exemplifies how aestheticism is closely related to, and indeed often the cause of decadence. Although the narrative is about more complexities, the author’s use of such vivid descriptions suggest the physical, literal aspect of his writing is just as important to the meaning of the story. The first and most obvious instance of aestheticism and decadence as correlating themes in this story is the title, Death in Venice. By fore-grounding the name of the city in the title, Mann is highlighting the city's key role in the unfolding narrative. Mann aligns the word 'Venice' with the word 'death' in the title. This creates a relationship between these two words - the word 'death' strongly infuses the word 'Venice' with all its connotations. Death and decay are important ideas within the context of decadence. By shear nature the title relates the concepts of death and dying to the city of Venice, which implies that the location is where a death will occur. However, this is paralleled by the opening of the story when Mann drearily tells of Aschenbach’s stroll through Munich. In the reading of this passage it ... ...nternally decadent through his indulgence in Tadzio’s appearance. He then changes his appearance to please his idol which in turn corrupts himself by turning him into the type of decadent man he once despised. These themes of aestheticism and decadence, not in juxtaposition but in duality, are used frequently by Mann throughout the novella. Works Cited Mann, Thomas, and Clayton Koelb. Death in Venice: a new translation, backgrounds and contexts, criticism. New York: W.W. Norton, 1994. Print. Ritters, Naoimi, and .Jeffrey B. Berlin. "the Tradition of European Decadence." Approaches to teaching Mann's Death in Venice and other short fiction. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1992. 86-92. Print. Shookman, Ellis, and Rene-Pierre Collins. Thomas Mann's Death in Venice: a novella and its critics. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2003. Print.

Essay --

Dreams Occur Only During REM Sleep Many individuals believe that you can only experiences dreams during the REM stage of sleep. The REM stage is one of five stages that people pass through when they go to sleep ever night. REM is an acronym that stands for rapid eye movement. The REM stage was discovered by the two scientists, Kleitman and Aserinsky (Suzuki et al., 2004). During their research they observed that when their patients were woken up during the REM phase, they were capable of recalling their dreams most vividly. Since then the REM has always been associated with dreaming. During REM sleep, dreams tend to be longer, more bizarre, and more complex. However, this is not the only stage of sleep in which people dream. In fact there are multiple stages of sleep in which a person can dream (Behn, Ananthasubramaniam, & Booth, 2013). In order to better understand how this myth originated, the original research by Kleitman and Aserinsky must be looked at in further detail. After discovering the human rapid eye movement sleep stage (REM), they documented that dreams were obtained most frequently when the patients were woken up from the REM sleep (Suzuki et al., 2004). Many scientists began conducting studies on REM sleep and dreams. They found a strong connection between an electrophysiologic phenomena and participants experience during REM sleep. Electrophysiologic phenomena is defined as, â€Å"the electrical properties, characteristics of living organisms, and the processes of organisms or their parts that are involved in generating and responding to electrical charges† (Brown, 2010). This means that during REM sleep, our brains is experiencing high activity. This explains why the REM stage is associated with longer, more complex... ...g the REM stage. Non-REM dreams are similar to thinking about something briefly during the day, whereas REM dreams are more comparable to thinking intensely about something. The duration in which you are in the stages differ as well. The REM stage last of about two hours a night. Non-REM last for about four to six hours. The intense dreams experienced during the REM sleep is a result of heightened brain activity (Hartman & Zimberoff, 2012). The quality of sleep we get during the REM stage and non-REM stage differ greatly. Therefore, it seems only logical that the way we dream would differ as well. We dream more intensely and vividly during REM sleep but that doesn’t mean that we don’t dream in non-REM sleep. It just simply means that we dream differently. Even if we dream in a less intense way during Non-REM sleep, we are still capable of dreaming during this stage

Franklin D. Roosevelt: An Influential Leader Essay -- History Roosevel

Franklin D. Roosevelt: An Influential Leader Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was a man of unusual charm and great optimism, which he was able to communicate to others. He had a broad smile and was a charismatic optimist whose confidence helped sustain the nation through its darkest moments during crisis like the Great Depression and World War II. He became one of the most beloved of U.S. presidents for four terms in office. But beneath his outward friendliness was an inner reserve and an iron will. His admirers emphasized the way in which he met the nation's problems. They praised him for insisting that the federal government must help the underprivileged and that the United States must share in the responsibility for preserving world peace. Franklin Roosevelt made a profound and very important impact upon his times and his policies exerted great influence on the future (Freidel). Assuming the Presidency in 1932, at the depth of the Great Depression, Roosevelt helped the American people regain faith in themselves. He brought hope to the people when he promised prompt, vigorous action, and asserted in his Inaugural Address, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" (The White House). FDR’s first one hundred days in office were known as "The Hundred Days" (The Great Depression). The main drive of Roosevelt's administration was toward a balance of economic interests. He believed that he should represent all the people--farmers, laborers, and white-collar workers as well as businessmen (The Great Depression). With this in mind, he presented a wide variety of legislation to Congress, which brought relief to the needy and helped improve the economy. This legislation gave authorization to a sweeping program that was designed to bring reform, recovery to business and agriculture, relief to the unemployed and to those in danger of losing farms or homes. "T he Hundred Days" set a new standard for Presidents and members of Congress that followed Roosevelt (The Great Depression). The first order of business for FDR tackled was the banking crisis. Since the start of the Depression, Americans had lost their life’s savings. Roosevelt recognized that if he kept the banks open, panicked depositors would withdraw their money and more banks would fail. FDR declared a â€Å"bank holiday† during which time a hastily prepared emergency banking bill gave the Secretary o... ...pe it needed to revive itself by delivering prompt and vigorous action. Roosevelt held office during two of the greatest crises ever faced by the United States: the Great Depression of the 1930s, followed by World War II. His domestic program, known as the New Deal, introduced far-reaching reforms within the free enterprise system and gave people a new perspective on government. FDR rallied the country after the near disaster of Pearl Harbor, mobilizing over ten million troops. His military and diplomatic skill as the Commander in Chief during World War II, won him an award in the hearts of many Americans. Both in peacetime and in war, his impact on the office of president was enormous, making him one of the most influential leaders in US history. Works Cited American Experience: The Presidents. September 7, 2004, Boorstin, D. J., Kelley, B.M., and Boorstein, R. F., A History of the United States. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2003. 624, 659-60. Freidel, Frank. †Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal.† The New Book of Knowledge. 2004 ed. September 7, 2004, The Great Depression: FDR and the Depression. September 7, 2004, The White House. September 7, 2004,

Horror Genre Essay

Film Genre Report Horror is considered an ancient art form, delivering thrills and telling stories of the dark and forbidden side of life and on the contrary, death. Horror’s most far back influences go to the year of 1235, where ideas of witchcraft took position in these ancient societies, it wasn’t until the seventeenth century these beliefs amongst society faded. By the 1400s artists begin producing paintings of a nightmarish impact, and illustrations and tales of supernatural forces begin publishing. Development continues throughout time and by 1800 ‘Wake Not the Dead,’ by Johann Ludwig Tiek becomes the first known English vampire story when it is translated from German. By 1910 the first Frankenstein movie is made, with Thomas Edison having much input, and as the expansion in technology continued we have seen the production of many horror films in our society today. The top 5 Horror films of the 21st Century include Jurassic Park, The Sixth Sense, Jaws, I Am Legend and Ghostbusters, with these films engrossing millions for their production. Horror films attempt to extract the emotions of fear, horror and terror from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness and include a central villain. When comparing old horror films to new films, it is evident that the films reflect the social, cultural and technological values of their time. When evaluating the 1963 film The Birds, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, there is much proof of how the values and attitudes of portrayed within the film may be seen as anachronistic in our contemporary society. The film shows social values such as the women in the film being in danger, typically known as a â€Å"damsel in distress. † The woman is unprotected and cannot fend for herself without the help of the strong, masculine man within the film. When comparing this to a new film such as the 1999 film, The Sixth Sense, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the typical social ideas are abolished. The film does not carry the idea of a woman in distress, and explores deeper meaning with family values included, rather than the typical hero and villain initiative. Cultural values such as smoking are portrayed throughout the older film The Birds, as the main character frequently holds a cigarette in her hand. During the 1960s smoking was an accepted and encouraged habit, and cigarette brands were frequently sponsors of television shows. In current society, cigarettes are frowned upon and the only advertising to do with smoking are full-on campaigns demoting cigarettes, explaining the danger and risks associated with smoking, including cancer and heart disease. When considering the technological values between older and new films, the obvious factor is special effects. When viewing The Birds, the underdeveloped special effects in comparison to at the present are detected with the use of simple backgrounds and the mixture of real and mechanical birds. Alfred Hitchcock's most expensive film to date (at the time) featured a stylized sound track – composed from a constant interplay of natural sounds and computer-generated bird noises. Real birds and animatronic birds were used throughout the film; advanced rotoscoping (an animation technique in which animators trace over live-action film movement, frame by frame) and male/female traveling mattes were used in the 20-second scene of hundreds of birds flying over an aerial view of the town. A combination of real live-action footage with hand-drawn matte paintings, in the scene of the bird-attack at the school, special effects combined the shot of the schoolhouse in the background with kids running on a treadmill in the foreground. With the progression of technology in the late 20th century and 21st century, films such as The Sixth Sense have been able to use higher standards of special effects, enhancing the illusion of the ‘dead,’ effective camera angles and photorealistic characters. Horror movies generally have similar codes and conventions – including the symbolic, written, audio and technical codes. Symbolism is used within horror to portray an important idea. For example, within the film The Sixth Sense, the colour red is used to symbolise death and the colour red is seen often at moments in the film when death is significant. Written codes include anything written on the screen, this may be subtitles, letters etc. Audio codes within horror films are a major aspect of adding suspense. Without intense music, a horror film is nothing but a mixture of moving images and words with no suspense added. Music adds to the build up of a terrifying or horrific moment, leaving the viewers on the edge of their seats. Finally, technical codes are important in creation of the film and the supernatural characters associated with horror films. Technical codes also include the use of camera angles, which can help in adding suspense for the viewers. Camera shots such as extreme close ups and panning shots are effective in adding tension within horror films. Overall, with the comparison of the new film The Sixth Sense, and the older film The Birds, we can effectively interpret the difference in values and attitudes portrayed from these times, and how the use of codes and conventions have influenced the portrayal of these ideas.

A Synopsis of the Movie Farewell My Concubine

Shuo Zhang Writing 1 05/6/2011 A new look on homosexuality-analysis of Farewell My Concubine Although homosexuality exists in social reality, the lack of its own â€Å"truthful† representation in terms of books or films creates numerous misunderstandings that prevent the development of a positive homosexual sensibility in Chinese culture. Therefore, the most impressive and controversial part of the movie Farewell My Concubine (Kaige Chen, 1993) is its effort to break the language-less silence in search of an appropriate voice to express homosexual experience and anxiety.By showing Dieyi Cheng's painful life against the historical backdrop of extreme turbulence in China (from 1924 to 1977), the movie critiques the homophobic phenomenon in traditional Chinese culture, and summons the establishment and development of a more liberal society. Dieyi’s tragic life begins with his designation to play Dan’sroles because of his delicate appearance. At first, this idea stro ngly bothers him. When the famous theatrical agent, Nakun, visited the troupe, Dieyi was brought to recite his bravura role; but instead of saying the correct line â€Å"I am naturally a girl, not a boy†, he insisted in saying ‘I am by nature a boy.. (17:57). With the future of the troupe at risk, such a mistake was not tolerable in the highly-standard traditional Peking Opera, Xiaolou twisted a tobacco pipe in Dieyi’s mouth until Dieyi whimpered the correct lines with his mouth full of blood. Dieyi tried to escape from the opera house with another apprentice Laizi, but came back after seeing a performance by an opera master that impressed and made both of them long for the life of opera stars. After their return, Xiaolou was brutally beaten for allowing their escape, and seeing this scene, Laizi hanged himself so as to be free from the pain of punishment.This heartbreaking experience forced Dieyi to accept his female role, and made him submissive to the headmast er. To become a professional Dan, Dieyi must have gone through highly intensive training process. Although the movie leaves out this part, we can imagine that he was taught to speak and act like women even in his daily life. According to Min Tian’s essay â€Å"Male Dan: the Paradox of Sex, Acting, and Perception of Female Impersonation in Traditional Chinese Theatre†, â€Å"identification, given the strict stylization and codification in raditional Beijing Opera, is one of the cornerstones of performance and it is stressed even more in the art of female impersonation precisely because of the ‘prescribed necessity of dissolving the disparity between the actor and his female role’†. (Tian, 84) Hence, it is necessary for Dieyi to constantly imagine himself as a woman so as to reach the standard of performance and be accepted by the censorious audience. Dieyi succeeded in playing the role Concubine Yu in his debut performance. He was so effeminate and a ttractive on stage that Eunuch Zhang became crazy for him and secretly raped him afterwards.In return for Dieyi’s sacrifice, Eunuch Zhang made the opera house the most popular one in Beijing, and Dieyi, the most promising â€Å"actress† among his peers. However, Dieyi was crushed after this grueling experience, as shown in the movie: he remained silent for days, tucked away from his fellow apprentices, and even indulged himself more into his fantasy, into his role of Concubine Yu: In the middle of a performance, the Japanese troop broke into the theatre and started to rob the audience. The stir became a huge riot when a woman was shot to death so that the actors and workers stopped performing and fought back against the soldiers.Only Dieyi remained on stage, continued singing and dancing, as if the shot, the fight, the impending anti-Japanese war were none of his business. This shows Dieyi's complete dedication and focus on stage and within his constructed fantasy as C oncubine Yu. Also, it is from this incident that Dieyi’s sexual orientation became deviated from the â€Å"norm†, that he relied more and more on Xiaolou, his robust friend, who played the King as Dieyi’s counterpart, because Xiaolou always protected Dieyi when he encountered unfair treatment.To analyze Dieyi’s psychological development of homosexuality, we may refer to Metzger, Sean’s essay â€Å"Farewell My Fantasy†, which offers an insightful interpretation in terms of Freud’s psychological analysis. Sean suggests that Dieyi’s childhood experience is close to â€Å"Freud’s trajectory of the female beating fantasy†(Sean, 233) and several scenes in the movie are particularly attached to this theory is that Xiaolou was cruelly beaten after helping Dieyi cheat with a torturous training process.Xiaolou was nearly beaten to death, but remained smiling to Dieyi till the end in order to relief Dieyi’s panic and guilt, which made Dieyi feel, subconsciously, like a female protected by a male, Xiaolou. They were learning, performing and hanging out with each other every day. Xiaolou joked that if one day he becomes the King of the world, he would make Dieyi the queen, just like the story of Farewell, My Concubine. Dieyi, however, took that seriously as he faithfully believed that he could not live without Xiaolou.The highly standard rules for Dan’s performance and the horrible childhood experiences all contribute to Dieyi’s development of homosexuality. He became so in love with Xiaolou, that upon hearing the news of Xiaolou’s marriage with Juxian, a beautiful prostitute, he screamed to Xiaolou in a trembling voice: ‘I want to stay together with you forever, not an hour, a minute or a second less. ’(50:11) Of course, Dieyi’ s wish could never be fulfilled because Xiaolou is not a gay; moreover, Xiaolou strays away from Dieyi probably due to his fear of Dieyi’s abnormal behavior which could imperil his relationship with Juxian.Being Dieyi’s only friend, Xiaolou’s alienation left Dieyi with nothing but pain. Although he enjoyed tremendous fame and fortune as the best Dan in Beijing, he relieved his loneliness and grief by smoking opium. To Dieyi, opium had the magic effect of trapping him in his fantasies, where he is the real Concubine Yu, and the King never left him. For most part of the movie, Dieyi remained in female costume and concubine makeup, because the transvestite stage of Peking opera offers a place, an imaginative capaciousness, where he could represent and masquerade his genuine sensibility.However the more he did so, the more he drifted apart from reality, and the more he suffered. He had a grueling time giving up opium, because it consumed too much of his energy and mentality that he passed out during a performance. Locked in a room, he could not help but to smash all the stuff, crying for assis tance and cursing the world. Next follows one of the most heartbreaking scene in the movie: among a mess of broken glass and ripped clothes, Dieyi leans on Juxian’s lap, pale and frail, murmuring that he misses his mother.Juxian, with her eyes full of tears, answered: â€Å"Mom is here, don’t be afraid†(90:37). Even Juxian, Dieyi’s rival in love, can understand his pain and helplessness at this moment. She pretended to be his mother, giving him temporary love and support in order to help him overcome the great difficulty. And due to his loneliness, Dieyi also developed a relationship with Patron Yuan, a bureaucrat, a wealthy admirer, and a crazy theatergoer, not because of love, but because of the absence of Xiaolou. Yuan encouraged, and even indulged himself in the antasy of Farewell My Concubine with Dieyi: he bought exquisite decorations and costumes for Dieyi, saying that they would make his Concubine Yu more glamorous; he dressed like the King, sang and danced with Dieyi in his lavish courtyard, turning a deaf ear to the chaotic world outside. Dieyi was so isolated from the world that he even performed for Japanese invaders during the anti-Japanese war, innocently thinking that they would appreciate and even spread Peking Opera in their country; instead, he was tortured and imprisoned for his treason by the Chinese government at the end of the war.His failed relationship with Yuan even affected him during the Cultural Revolution, because having any relation with a senior bureaucrat from the Qing Dynasty, the enemy of communism, was considered to be formidable crime at that time; and, being a gay, which was considered to be a scandal in traditional Chinese culture, further aggravated his accusation. Hence, Dieyi was punished and humiliated in front of the public in his most beautiful costume of Concubine Yu.Dieyi’s tragic experiences must have something to do with his homosexual identity, as Benzi Zhang observes in  "Figures of Violence and Tropes of Homophobia, Reading Farewell My Concubine between East and West†: â€Å"although the dominating powers were constantly shifting in China from 1924 to 1977, the discourse of peremptory heterosexuality and patriarchy has never been changed or challenged. Similar to the victims of rape, homosexual men meet the worst injustice and violence during that terrifying period of history†(104).Refusing to be settled in either the category of heterosexuality or patriarchy, Dieyi is a â€Å"nomad† with inappropriate identity; he threats and challenges the heterosexual cultural value, and thus becomes the enemy of the whole feudal society. Therefore, Dieyi’s loneliness can be interpreted as being marginalized by the mainstream society, and his susceptibility to violence can be seen as a general characteristic among the homosexual minority. To further interpret this movie, we need to analyze the Beijing Opera Farewell, My Concubine, whic h dominated the professional life of Dieyi.It is a love story circulated in Chinese society for thousands of years. In this tragic tale, Concubine Yu is so loyal and true that rather than abandoning her king as he faces military defeat, she chooses to dance for him one last time and then to cut her throat with his sword. From the perspective of modern people, this story obviously reflects â€Å"a cultural discourse invested with male dominated values†(Zhang, 103), because the death of the young and beautiful Concubine Yu shows her loyalty to her husband, which is valued as a virtue, or even a standard of conduct for women for thousands of years. The binary model of the King (dominant masculinity)-Concubine Yu (subservient femininity), which serves well the patriarchal, heterosexual orthodoxy, has been the dominating ideology in Chinese culture, which has an oppressive and suffocating consequences for homosexual discourse†(Zhang, 103). To echo with this story and to prov ide a heart-rending frame for the movie, Dieyi killed himself in the same pattern as Concubine Yu. At the end of this movie, Dieyi and Xiaolou were reunited on the stage, practicing Farewell, My Concubine again.Xiaolou began with the line â€Å"I am naturally a girl, not a boy†, which gave Dieyi trouble forty years ago. Accidentally, Dieyi made the same error of finishing the line with he is not a girl. Then all of a sudden, Dieyi swiftly pulled out the sword and killed himself in front of his â€Å"king†. Why did Dieyi commit suicide? Was it because he could no longer withstand the agony of living? I don’t think so, because 1977 was the dawn of Chinese modernization, a signal of a brand-new and peaceful era. With the hope of a bright future, Dieyi would not expect to repeat his heartbreaking experiences.Was it because he lose faith in mending his relationship with Xiaolou? Definitely not, as seen in the movie, Xiaolou and Dieyi talked and smiled like old friend s at their reunion. The most reasonable answer is that he killed himself to assert his homosexual identity and to demonstrate his unyieldingness to the ugly world he lived through. According to Zhang, â€Å"Deviance such as homosexuality has long been regarded in Chinese culture as a sign of â€Å"transgression† that demands a different order of social normality†. (Zhang, 101) Therefore, to maintain this order, anything that subverts the orthodox morality should be exterminated.In this sense, Dieyi’s death is an inevitable consequence, is a powerful highlight of this movie, which strikes the hearts of the audience. Overall, the movie can be seen as a modern version of the old tragic Farewell My Concubine: they both happen in troubled times, and both the heroines died in the end. However, instead of eulogizing the heroine’s loyalty and purity, the modern version summons a hope, a pressing demand for a liberal society. If Dieyi were born in a liberal societ y, where homosexuality is not a shame, where gay men have equal rights to pursue love nd live a normal life, he wouldn’t be abused in the opera house; he wouldn’t be alienated by his best friend; he wouldn’t indulge himself in his fantasy by smoking opium; he wouldn’t be humiliated during the Cultural Revolution, and he wouldn’t kill himself in the end. In a word, it is the huge pressure from the conservative society that leads to Dieyi’s death. Therefore, the tragic ending is not designed to break our hearts, but to make them stronger, so that we are determined enough to fight for liberty and equity.With the fascinating story being told, what are the general messages that the movie conveys? First, Farewell My Concubine is a great attempt to break the language-less silence on the issue of homosexuality, and due to its controversial topic, it was once banned in Chinese mainland theatre. However, it still succeeds in arousing people’s a ttention on this issue. Second, it criticizes the unfair treatment and the general despise of gays or lesbians in traditional Chinese culture. Third, it suggests a suppressed consciousness of â€Å"modernity† through the issue of homosexuality.With all the blood and tears from the painful history, the movie calls for a liberal and comprehensive society, in which people’s freedom and desire can be satisfied to the utmost. Finally, it instills hope and courage to us-that we should stop complaining about lives and cherish what we own now, because we are lucky enough to live in a peaceful and prosperous society. Meta-analysis I had a hard time picking out thesis, because Farewell My Concubine is so rich in context that it addresses several significant binaries about the world: love and betray, public and private, freewill and predestination, homosexual and heterosexual.I chose the binaries: public and private, freewill and predestination for my close reading essay, trying very hard to make correlations between them. It didn’t work well, however, for it lacks a focus, a lens, through which I can analyze this film in depth; moreover, I could not find useful secondary sources illustrating any relation between public life and fatalism. Therefore, I turned my attention to a more specific and well-expressed topic of this movie: homosexuality. In my lens essay, I let my analysis evolve with the progression of the story.I firstly identify the causes to Dieyi’s homosexuality by illustrating several important details in his childhood with the explanations from Metzger Sean and Min Tian’s studies. It shows that the strict training process of Dan, and some childhood violent accidents such as raping and beating all contribute to his homosexual development. Secondly, I explore the relationship between his torment life and his homosexual identity. After watching this movie several times, I found out that most of his misfortune comes from his â €Å"abnormal† sexual preference.For example, although he is well recognized as a distinguished artist on stage, nobody really cares about his feeling in real life; instead, even Xiaolou alienates him. He is discarded from the mainstream society, and therefore, he seeks consolidation from smoking opium and completely dedicating in his role Concubine Yu on stage. Over time, he is isolated by the community, and suffers from his innocence during social movement. Then, with the help of Benzi Zhang’s study on homophobia in traditional Chinese culture, I investigate the causes of this relationship.As Zhang pointed out, â€Å"Deviance such as homosexuality has long been regarded in Chinese culture as a sign of â€Å"transgression† that demands a different order of social normality†(103). Therefore, I conclude that Dieyi’s tragedy is an inevitable consequence given the general homophobic culture he lives in, and his death in the end can be interpreted as th e successful extermination of â€Å"nomad†, or a sort of threat, of the orthodox feudal society. Finally, I tried to reveal the implicit message this film conveys to the public.I discovered that this movie can be seen as a modern version of the well-known tale Farewell My Concubine , but with a new meaning, a new expectation to our modern world. By bring up homosexuality, a sensitive issue that has been suppressed for thousands of years, the movie suggests an urgent need for China’s modernization, a call for a liberal society, in which minorities such as homosexuals can seek for happiness like anyone else. Reference Min Tian, â€Å"Male Dan: the Paradox of Sex,Acting, and Perception of Female Impersonation in Traditional Chinese Theatre†, Asian Theatre Journal, Vol. 7, No. 1(Spring, 2000), pp. 78-97, University of Hawai’i Press. Metzger, Sean . â€Å"Farewell My Fantasy†. Journal of Homosexuality 2000, Vol. 39 Issue 3/4, p213. EBSCO. Olin Library. Washington University in St. Louis. 31/03/2011 16:10. Benzi Zhang. â€Å"Figures of Violence and Tropes of Homophobia, Reading Farewell My Concubine between East and West†. Journal of Popular Culture Fall99, Vol. 33 Issue 2, p101-109. EBSCO. Olin Library. Washington University in St. Louis. 31/03/2011 16:10.

Batang Pusit

I. Introduction Batang Pusit is a story of children in Masbate who catches squid to earn a living. They work to provide their families and themselves something to eat in their everyday. Their families depend on them. These children are hardworking for the sake of their families, but even though they’re hard up in catching squids they still continue doing it because they don’t want their families to suffer from hunger. Unlike other kids who just waste their time doing things that won’t help them.With the children in the film, â€Å"Batang Pusit† they are encouraged by their parents to do well in their work as squid catchers for them to have a brighter future. II. Summary The day starts early for a group of children at a remote coastal village in Masbate, an island province in the central Philippines. Even before dawn breaks, several children and a few adults line the seashore, busily preparing their boats and nets for a day of squid fishing. Jameson, Estoy, and Jason who at a very young age were taught by their fathers to dive for squids. The residents largely depend on the sea to make a living.There are no concrete roads, water comes from deep wells, and there is no electricity. Everyday, they set out to sea. A boat crew is comprised mostly of children. The adult stays in the boat while the children do the diving. The kids wear improvised goggles and fins made of wood that are fastened to their feet by strips of rubber. The kids lure the squids into the nets by making noise hitting the water surface hard with their arms or getting rocks underwater and throwing them hard at the water surface. They then dive as the net closes in to secure the squids that were trapped in the net.After a full day at sea, each goes home with less than thirty pesos in their pockets. But for the overworked children, this is more money than they have ever known before. Most of the time however, they catch just a few not even enough to shoulder their families expenses in a day. The children say they still have time to go to their classes, walking for hours through tall grasses along hilly landscapes to reach school. Their elementary school teacher, Melchor Rojas, though, says most squid catchers report to school only once or twice each week.Squid fishing takes up the kid’s time and when its harvest or planting season, there are the teacher reports even fewer students. Of the few squid divers who are his students, Rojas expects less than half would be able to pursue higher education. The kids parents themselves seem resigned to the fact that they would never be able to send their children to school. For these children, education remains uncertain, but they maintain high hopes. Given a choice, they prefer to attend school in order to finish their education rather than spend their time at work.Every summer, the number of child squid catchers rises because they are also saving for the coming school year. The squid catchers are torn b etween studying for a better future and providing for themselves and their families. III. Reaction Children do the work of their parents to provide their needs for themselves and to give expenses to their families. Children worked hard for their families for them not to suffer from hunger. Their parents depend on their children. Children worked for their families for them to survive.I feel sad because they only go to school once or twice a week, they do not attend their classes anymore because of their work. I feel happy because at a very young age they were able to help their parents and they were able to provide their needs. They worked very hard and providing for their families. These children need time in studying than working because it helps them to achieve their goals in life. IV. Conclusion / Lesson I learned that we should be proud of what we are having right now. I learned how to be a responsible child. We must help our parents because they provide all the things that we n eed for us to have a good life.We must be thankful to our parents because they give us the opportunity to study. We must study hard so that we can achieve and reach our dreams in life in the future. We must be proud because we go to school to learn new things because it provides numerous opportunities for the development of our life. We must not waste this opportunities of going to school because some children do not study because of too much poverty. We must take this as a great opportunity for us because it only comes once, because education helps us to reach our dreams and goals in life.We must be hardworking and patient enough to study because it can make our dreams in life come true. We must not waste our time in the things that is useless and can destroy our life. We learned many good traits in our life such as discipline, obedience, and respect to elders, honesty and many more. It is our duty to acquire these qualities of life which will enable us to stand in good stead in th e future. We must pursue and do our best in all aspects of life for us to have a brighter and better future and for us not to suffer from poverty.

How Can Men and Woman Communicate More Effectively Through Technology

How can men and women communicate more effectively through technology? * Women are more expressive when they type or text, on the other hand men aren’t as expressive .EX: women may use more punctuation or emoticons * Men should try to be expressive so that it doesn’t like they don’t care or to let the woman know they are listening and caring about what they have to say * Or, women should try to tone it down a bit with the seriousness of everything when everything doesn’t have to be so critical or over exciting for no reason * When communicating through texts or email, since women tend to be more expressive they tend to max out the the160 character message limit (news wise) * Men would probably listen more if they didn’t have to read such lengthy texts.Women should probably try to fit what they have to say in few words that still get their point across. * The best ways of communication would obviously be face to face but next to that, technology like chat rooms and instant messaging and social networking sites make it easier for opposite sex to talk to each other. (eCommunications) * Takes away the stress and pressure of talking in person. If these are the ways men and woman communicate, they need to make sure that they think about the misinterpretations that could happen. To avoid the misinterpretation, men and woman should both understand that technology isn’t a real serious way of communicating just in case the whole misinterpretation gets in the middle of things and starts drama. * Sources: * â€Å"When Texting, Eligible Women Express Themselves Better.   Newswise: News for Journalists, Press Release Distribution for Public Relations. Indiana University. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www. newswise. com/articles/when-texting-eligible-women-express-themselves-better>. * â€Å"Best Ways to Communicate Through Technology. †Ã‚  ECommunications. ECommunications. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://efunsoft. com/best -ways-to-communicate-through-technology. htm>.

Immigrants from Columbia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Immigrants from Columbia - Essay Example Men usually shake hands with direct eye contact and use of appropriate greeting of the day is very vital. Women often do not shake hands but rather grasps forearms. The official language in Colombia is Spanish and it’s spoken widely and the rest are American Indian languages. Religious wise, Colombians are Roman Catholics and such personal issues as marriage and family life have been highly influenced by the same. Thus my approach in trying to work with this family would be to first approach the elders of the family (in this case the grandparents) and strike a friendship with the them since they are the most revered and will obviously have the final say. I would engage them with the language that they understand best and then try to deduce claims of abuse. If the claims are true, then I will follow the right way to have the children registered in the appropraite way so as they can benefit from the Department of Children and Family, of course with the full support of their mother and

If the Clothes Fit, Wear It Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

If the Clothes Fit, Wear It - Essay Example When the mother came to the door, I saw the lady’s face beaming with so much joy as she gave the fruit basket to my mom. I remember her saying a bunch of thank you’s to my mom as my mom graciously said that she was only glad that she could help out. When the lady with the fruit basket left, mom told me that the lady was the daughter of one of her patients in the hospital who has just recently recovered. I remember my schoolteacher telling us that nurses play a very important role in the community because they help doctors and take care of sick people. That moment when the lady with the fruit basket came, I came to realize exactly what my schoolteacher meant. That was also the moment that I told myself that someday, I would wear the same immaculately white clothes, help doctors and take care of sick people. Ever since that day, I have tried my best and worked very hard in trying to accomplish my goal of someday being just like my mother. As a licensed vocational nurse, I have come to appreciate life and all that it has to offer, including the good and the not-so-good. Nursing is not a financially rewarding profession. It is exhausting physically, mentally and emotionally.

Moral&apos;s in Modern Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Moral's in Modern Culture - Research Paper Example The end of this one man challenge would determine the victor, and those, who lost, would be subdued. The event is avidly described in 1 Samuel 17:41-58 where David approaches the battle line and upon exchanging a few words with Goliath, he hastens towards him, draws out his sling and a stone and with one swing, hits the giant on the forehead, stone sinks and he dies (â€Å"Bible Gateway passage,† n.d.-b). However, the text in 2 Samuel 21:18-22 is the primary source of contradiction. Verse 19 of the text states that a Jair’s son, Elhanan, killed the brother of Goliath. In the footnote of New International Version, it remarks that the original Hebrew text lacks the part â€Å"the brother ofâ€Å", which can then imply that the text originally read that Elhanan killed Goliath (â€Å"Bible Gateway passage,† n.d.-c). There may be a valid argument in that viewpoint, but the text in 1 Chronicles 20:4-8 can help clear the contradiction. The text in that excerpt briefly describes the same events described in 2 Samuel 21:18-22 but there are no footnotes indicating that the words â€Å"the brother of† was absent in the original text (â€Å"Bible Gateway passage,† n.d.-a). This impression is applied, therefore, in the interpretation of the verse in second Samuel. With such developments, it is pretty much clear that Elhanan killed Goliath’s brother, and not Goliath. The event of Goliath being slain is well described in the text 1st Samuel that is convincing enough that David killed Goliath. In the readings provided, there are two people presented to have killed Goliath. The first one is David; son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite and the second is Elhanan, son of a Bethlememite man, Jair. In the 1 Samuel 17:41-58 text, David is vividly described to have killed Goliath, with a clear demonstration of events that took place during that day. This writing, therefore, supports the fact that David killed Goliath way better than

Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing - Assignment Example The SWOT analysis represent the analysis of factors of strength, weakness, opportunities and threats that are existing in the marketplace with regards to the characteristics of the organization. It is highly relevant to say that the strength and weakness can be categorized as internal factors of evaluation for an organization. On the other hand, the issues of opportunities and threats are categorized as external factors and are always analyzed with regards to the happenings and influence coming from the external environment (Pride and Ferell 33). In very layman terms, marketing can be explained as an activity which comprises of the process of value generation, value communication, value distribution and value delivery to the consumers. Marketing is often represented as the activity which comprises of smooth application and integration of the 4Ps of marketing like product, place, promotion and prices (Pride and Ferell 4). Matching the 4Ps of marketing with the equation of value, it can be said that product represent value generation, place represents value distribution, promotion represents value communication and price represents value delivery and capture. It is very important for a business to implement the various variables of marketing in the right time but in a new and innovative manner so as to leverage the maximum amount of competitive advantage that can be extracted for the business. ... crucial activity in any business, since it plays the lead role in communicating the values of the company or organization’s products or services to the desired set of clients and customers. For the purpose of sustaining in the market, it is very important for a company to focus on its revenue earning strategy and thereby develop a significant competitive edge. It can be said in direct link up that for the purpose of generating a steady cash flow process, it is imperative that the organization’s products and services attain high sales volume in the market place. It can be said that for the purpose of selling a product or service, having a proper and effective STP strategy is highly important. STP which denotes segmentation, targeting and positioning helps the organizations in a market place to focus on the process of aiming the right set of customers. Talking in a more simplistic manner, it can be said that the segmentation of a particular set of population helps the com panies to identify the right group of customers who have the needs to buy the particular line of products and services. The method of targeting represents the process of aiming the right set of identified customers by the firms to attain a significant growth in sales of the firm’s products and services. The picture provided below represent various kinds of segmentation strategy employed by the firms. Source: Pride and Ferrell 160 It is highly imperative to mention that in this stage, the strategic decision makers of the company tries to identify the potential buyers for the firm’s products and services, while analyzing their individual consumer behaviour as well as demographic profile and purchasing power capacity. Finally, while discussing on the factor of positioning, it can be highlighted that

Women religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Women religion - Essay Example This paper will encompass this aspect with regard to the work done by some of the brave women who stood up for this right and provided an insight in to this matter. During the Puritan Age, there was a religious belief that the sacred text of Bible could only be understood by the holders of the local ministries. It was further believed that only they possessed the right to explain the religious text to others as they were the only ones who interpret the true meaning of the Holy Book. The ministers were all men and hence only they had this ultimate right which led them to manipulate religious thoughts according to their ways. They suppressed women by presenting their thoughts that females did not have the capability of understanding religion and that females were subordinate to them. Anne Hutchinson was a brave lady who stood up against these barriers in this period of ignorance and started preaching religion with her own viewpoint. Anne Hutchinson stood for the fact that a person had the capability of linking directly to God and they were not supposed to depend upon others for explaining religion to them. To support this she claimed, " that god had spoken to her directly and not through the intermediary of properly appointed (and male) minister"1. She was of the belief that religion had no barriers and a person was only accountable to God for his actions and not others. This resulted in an uproar since this was an unusual thing in that time. Females were suppressed and they were not supposed to express their perspectives of understanding religion. This led the state to take action against her and the Governor of Massachusetts imposed a ban on her ceremonies where she openly declared and taught her beliefs to other women and she was asked to undergo a court trial. The governor criticized her by saying "by the general assembly as a thing not tolerable nor comely in the sigh of God, nor fitting for your sex"2. Th is statement clearly indicates the male

Ammendments to the bill of rights of the US Constitution Essay

Ammendments to the bill of rights of the US Constitution - Essay Example Bill of Rights is the synonym of freedom to American citizens. The rights and freedoms that are covered under the Bill of Rights involve, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Assembly, Freedom to keep and Bear Arms, Freedom of Religion and Protection for that Accused of Crimes. Other crucial rights covered by Bill of Rights include Freedom to petition as well as the rights to save themselves from unreasonable search, seizure and cruel and unusual punishment. Citizens of United States are also entitled to the rights against compelled self-incrimination. The Bill of Rights limits the powers of the federal government in United States. These restrictions on the rights of the government boost up the rights of the citizens, visitors, and other temporary residents in the nation. Bill of Rights guarantees several crucial enumerated rights to the citizens. These amendments also control the government from making any new laws that respect the establishment of religion. These ame ndments also ensure that the government does not seize anybody’s life, property or freedom unless it happens by the processes of the law. Bill of Rights ensure that the Congress do not make any citizen deprive of his life and liberty. In the matter of criminal cases only the indictment by grand jury can deal a capital (infamous) crime. These special freedom rights ensure a speedy public trial on these cases using a local or impartial jury. These rights also ensure there never occurs a double jeopardy. The Fifth Amendment upholds the rights of people in this case. Majority of the Bill of Rights were applied to the nation by a sequence of decisions that include the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. These were included after the American Civil War. The Bill of Rights is a fundamental symbol of the freedom, liberty, independence and choice of the nation. Bill of Rights was first prepared in 1789 by James Madison and was drafted during a period when there happened nu merous ideological misunderstandings between Federalists and anti-Federalists. These ideological conflicts had started since the 1787 Philadelphia Convention. These conflicts and the associated problems questioned the Constitution's ratification. The Bill of Rights is closely associated with the 1689 English Bill of Rights, George Mason's 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights, English political documents like Magna Carta (1215) and the other important documents that were associated with the natural rights. The Bill of Rights answered all questions related to the freedom of citizens and was a big challenge to the celebrated founding fathers who completely forgot to include the basic principles of human liberty in the constitution. The Bill of Rights is too important for American citizens, American law and the government. You can find a copy of the Bill of Rights available for public display in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.. There are fourteen original copies of the Bill of Rights. December 15 is considered as the ‘Bill of Rights Day’ as per the declaration of the Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Bill of Rights ensures any abuse of power from the part of the government. Citizens enjoy various types of freedom through the Bill of Right

Importance of accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Importance of accounting - Essay Example It is proved that accounting systems can highly influence the decision-making process and that the mode of intervention of these systems in the above process is not standardized. Under these terms, it can be assumed that the view of Thaler on accounting systems, as presented above, is justified. In order to understand the role of accounting system in the decision-making process it would be necessary to refer to the involvement of accounting information in critical decisions. Indeed, accounting systems affect the decision-making process through the data they incorporate, i.e. through the accounting information. Drury (2007) notes that accounting is used for ‘communicating information to people who have an interest in the organization, i.e. shareholders, employees or even the government’ (Drury 2007, p.4). It is assumed that the primary role of accounting is to provide to individuals critical information in regard to various business activities. Nikolai et al. (2009) note that accounting information has a different role in decision-making. For example, investors use accounting information, as incorporated in a company’s financial reports, in order to decide the level of their investment in the particular organization (Nikolai et al. 2009, p.7). Moreover, s tock exchanges also review the accounting information in order to take decisions related to ‘listings, cancellations or rule-making’ (Nikolai et al. 2009, p.7). Accounting information is also valuable in negotiations between employers and trade unions. The latter need accounting information in order to get informed on the financial status of the employer involved and decide on their position and their financial claims (Nikolai et al. 2009, p.7). According to Hall (2010) accounting information is quite critical in the development of strategic decisions. It is explained that strategic managers have to review their firm’s financial data before taking any decision (Hall

Should Students Be Graded on Attendance Essay Example for Free

Should Students Be Graded on Attendance Essay Should a student be graded on his or her attendance in class? No, a student should not be graded on their attendance in class. A student should be graded on their work that they do in class not the fact they are sometimes not in attendance. A student should not be graded on their class attendance for many reasons. One of those main reasons could be a continuous illness. A student with a continuous illness has no choice but to miss days out of class. For example a student with diabetes has to go to doctors appointments to have their glucose level checked. This student can quickly get sick and need medical attention, which will cause them to miss class. Would you rather have a student in your class sick and not learn anything or would you have them miss class and seek medical attention. A student that misses class often can possibly pass that class. It all depends on the grade that they have. Yes missing class sets the student back and causes him or her to spend time making up the work that they have missed, but that does not mean they are going to fail. If this student is passing that class they can afford to miss one class every often. It is when they start to miss too many classes that you should start to deduct points from their grade. A student with a passing grade and does his or her work should not be graded on their attendance because you never know what the circumstances of their absence might be. Often time’s college students feel that since they are paying for school they have the right to miss class. True students are paying for class but that does not give them the right to miss class. Yes you are paying for your education and you should be able to miss class whenever you would like too. It’s the student and their parent’s money and they should be able to waste it however they want. Some students feel that they pay a teacher to come to class everyday and that if that teacher misses days out of class then they have the right to miss class. In some cases this statement is true. It’s their money and they feel as though they have the right to miss class since they are paying for it. Students should not be graded on their classroom attendance. A student can have a good average and if they miss class and get a grade for not being present it could lower their grade. Students sometimes do not miss class intentionally, events just happen that cause them to miss class. Although a student pays for their education it does not give them the right to miss class at any time. Students are in school to get an education and should attend class everyday.

Approaches of New Criticism Essay Example for Free

Approaches of New Criticism Essay A literary movement that started in the late 1920s and 1930s and originated in reaction to traditional criticism that new critics saw as largely concerned with matters extraneous to the text, e.g., with the biography or psychology of the author or the works relationship to literary history. New Criticism proposed that a work of literary art should be regarded as autonomous, and so should not be judged by reference to considerations beyond itself. A poem consists less of a series of referential and verifiable statements about the real world beyond it, than of the presentation and sophisticated organization of a set of complex experiences in a verbal form (Hawkes, pp. 150-151). Major figures of New Criticism include I. A. Richards, T. S. Eliot, Cleanth Brooks, David Daiches, William Empson, Murray Krieger, John Crowe Ransom, Allen Tate, F. R. Leavis, Robert Penn Warren, W. K. Wimsatt, R. P. Blackmur, Rene Wellek, Ausin Warren, and Ivor Winters. Archetypal/Myth Criticism A form of criticism based largely on the works of C. G. Jung (YOONG) and Joseph Campbell (and myth itself). Some of the schools major figures include Robert Graves, Francis Fergusson, Philip Wheelwright, Leslie Fiedler, Northrop Frye, Maud Bodkin, and G. Wilson Knight. These critics view the genres and individual plot patterns of literature, including highly sophisticated and realistic works, as recurrences of certain archetypes and essential mythic formulae. Archetypes, according to Jung, are primordial images; the psychic residue of repeated types of experience in the lives of very ancient ancestors which are inherited in the collective unconscious of the human race and are expressed in myths, religion, dreams, and private fantasies, as well as in the works of literature (Abrams, p. 10, 112). Some common examples of archetypes include water, sun, moon, colors, circles, the Great Mother, Wise Old Man, etc. In terms of archetypal criticism, the color white might be associated with in nocence or could signify death or the supernatural. Psychoanalytic Criticism The application of specific psychological principles (particularly those of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan [zhawk lawk-KAWN]) to the study of literature. Psychoanalytic criticism may focus on the writers psyche, the study of the creative process, the study of psychological types and principles present within works of literature, or the effects of literature upon its readers (Wellek and Warren, p. 81). In addition to Freud and Lacan, major figures include Shoshona Felman, Jane Gallop, Norman Holland, George Klein, Elizabeth Wright, Frederick Hoffman, and, Simon Lesser. Marxism A sociological approach to literature that viewed works of literature or art as the products of historical forces that can be analyzed by looking at the material conditions in which they were formed. In Marxist ideology, what we often classify as a world view (such as the Victorian age) is actually the articulations of the dominant class. Marxism generally focuses on the clash between the dominant and repressed classes in any given age and also may encourage art to imitate what is often termed an objective reality. Contemporary Marxism is much broader in its focus, and views art as simultaneously reflective and autonomous to the age in which it was produced. The Frankfurt School is also associated with Marxism (Abrams, p. 178, Childers and Hentzi, pp. 175-179). Major figures include Karl Marx, Terry Eagleton, Fredric Jameson, Raymond Williams, Louis Althusser (ALT-whos-sair), Walter Benjamin (ben-yeh-MEEN), Antonio Gramsci (GRAWM-shee), Georg Lukacs (lou-KOTCH), and Friedrich Engels, Theordor Adorno (a-DOR-no), Edward Ahern, Gilles Deleuze (DAY-looz) and Felix Guattari (GUAT-eh-ree Postcolonialism Literally, postcolonialism refers to the period following the decline of colonialism, e.g., the end or lessening of domination by European empires. Although the term postcolonialism generally refers to the period after colonialism, the distinction is not always made. In its use as a critical approach, postcolonialism refers to a collection of theoretical and critical strategies used to examine the culture (literature, politics, history, and so forth) of former colonies of the European empires, and their relation to the rest of the world (Makaryk 155 see General Resources below). Among the many challenges facing postcolonial writers are the attempt both to resurrect their culture and to combat preconceptions about their culture. Edward Said, for example, uses the word Orientalism to describe the discourse about the East constructed by the West. Major figures include Edward Said (sah-EED), Homi Bhabha (bah-bah), Frantz Fanon (fah-NAWN), Gayatri Spivak, Chinua Achebe (ah-CHAY-bay) , Wo le Soyinka, Salman Rushdie, Jamaica Kincaid, and Buchi Emecheta Existentialism Existentialism is a philosophy (promoted especially by Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus) that views each person as an isolated being who is cast into an alien universe, and conceives the world as possessing no inherent human truth, value, or meaning. A persons life, then, as it moves from the nothingness from which it came toward the nothingness where it must end, defines an existence which is both anguished and absurd (Guerin). In a world without sense, all choices are possible, a situation which Sartre viewed as human beings central dilemma: Man [woman] is condemned to be free. In contrast to atheist existentialism, SÃ ¸ren Kierkegaard theorized that belief in God (given that we are provided with no proof or assurance) required a conscious choice or leap of faith. The major figures include SÃ ¸ren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre (sart or SAR-treh), Albert Camus (kah-MUE or ka-MOO) , Simone de Beauvoir (bohv-WAHR) , Martin Buber, Karl Jaspers (YASS-pers), and Maurice Merleau-Ponty (mer-LOH pawn-TEE). Structuralism Structuralism Structuralism is a way of thinking about the world which is predominantly concerned with the perceptions and description of structures. At its simplest, structuralism claims that the nature of every element in any given situation has no significance by itself, and in fact is determined by all the other elements involved in that situation. The full significance of any entity cannot be perceived unless and until it is integrated into the structure of which it forms a part (Hawkes, p. 11). Structuralists believe that all human activity is constructed, not natural or essential. Consequently, it is the systems of organization that are important (what we do is always a matter of selection within a given construct). By this formulation, any activity, from the actions of a narrative to not eating ones peas with a knife, takes place within a system of differences and has meaning only in its relation to other possible activities within that system, not to some meaning that emanates from nature or the divine (Childers Hentzi, p. 286.). Major figures include Claude LÃ ©vi-Strauss (LAY-vee-strows), A. J. Greimas (GREE-mahs), Jonathan Culler, Roland Barthes (bart), Ferdinand de Saussure (soh-SURR or soh-ZHOR), Roman Jakobson (YAH-keb-sen), Vladimir Propp, and Terence Hawkes. Post-Structuralism and Deconstruction Post-Structuralism (which is often used synonymously with Deconstruction or Postmodernism) is a reaction to structuralism and works against seeing language as a stable, closed system. It is a shift from seeing the poem or novel as a closed entity, equipped with definite meanings which it is the critics task to decipher, to seeing literature as irreducibly plural, an endless play of signifiers which can never be finally nailed down to a single center, essence, or meaning (Eagleton 120 see reference below under General References). Jacques Derridas (dair-ree-DAH) paper on Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences (delivered in 1966) proved particularly influential in the creation of post-structuralism. Derrida argued against, in essence, the notion of a knowable center (the Western ideal of logocentrism), a structure that could organize the differential play of language or thought but somehow remain immune to the same play it depicts (Abrams, 258-9). Derridas critique of structuralism also heralded the advent of deconstruction thatlike post-structuralismcritiques the notion of origin built into structuralism. In negative terms, deconstructionparticularly as articulated by Derridahas often come to be interpreted as anything goes since nothing has any real meaning or truth. More positively, it may posited that Derrida, like Paul de Man (de-MAHN) and other post-structuralists, really asks for rigor, that is, a type of interpretation that is constantly and ruthlessly self-conscious and on guard. Similarly, Christopher Norris (in Whats Wrong with Postmodernism?) launches a cogent argument against simplistic attacks of Derridas theories: