Position arguments on immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Position arguments on immigration - Essay Example Given the socio-cultural implications of this phenomenon, a critical assessment of the positive consequences of the immigration phenomenon must be done in relation to the host country and home country of the immigrants must be carefully done. As such, this paper aims to focus on the advantages of immigration by: firstly, elucidating the nature of immigration from a socio-cultural standpoint, and secondly, going through the specific advantages of immigration. From a more general perspective, immigration can help improve the economic status of the original country through the money being sent by migrants to their families. In this regard, disparity in wealth between developed and developing countries could be resolved. In addition to this, immigration can also enrich the host country’s cultural orientations through the influx of new ideologies and perspectives, thus, strengthening its social capital. The arrival of people with different socio-cultural backgrounds can indeed help people from the host country to analyze certain societal issues in a much wider perspective. This paper, therefore, wishes to zero in on these aforementioned benefits in order to bolster its thesis that promoting immigration is tantamount to recognizing the need to develop a more unified and open-minded global community. As highlighted in an online article entitled Immigration, one of the biggest benefits of immigration is tied with wealth distribution (Shah 1). For one, with the migrants’ perspective of getting any job that could allow them to earn a living, human capital of the host country is said to be reinforced. In fact, the migrants’ willingness to take on whatever job is available helps the host country fill up the areas that badly need workforce. In this regard, undermanned job functions are usually filled in by these migrants, thereby increasing the productivity of the industries involved. From a managerial

An essay about one of the subject listed, please read

An about one of the subject listed, please read - Essay Example The growing clamor for U. S. intervention cites the massacre of unarmed civilians, including women and children. The Assad regime is sinking to new levels of authoritarian brutality, with its use of helicopter gunships and arbitrary arrests. But it is to be kept in mind that when aerial bombing is ruled out, because of the risk of high civilian casualties, what remains is the prospect of American boots on the ground. With the unresolved quagmire of Iraq and Afghanistan looming in the background, the call for U.S. action is premature to say the least. Using a practical frame of reference, we must admit that, unlike Libya, Syria is not rich in natural resources. The only justification for America to send its troops into the midst of an escalating civil war is the humanitarian obligation. From the World Wars to the Balkans, Americans have done their share in sacrificing their lives for the cause of world democracy and justice. America consistently shoulders the major burden of all NATO commitments. It is time that other countries accept responsibility in ensuring peace. President Obama is correct in his stand to let the U.N. explore various other options in

Causes and triggers of domestic violence

Causes and triggers of domestic violence Domestic abuse also referred to as asspousal abuse happens where in a marriage or an intimate relationship one partner tries to take control and dominate over the other. Where physical violence is involved, such domestic abuse is called domestic violence. An abuser uses intimidation, shame, fear and guilt to wear the other down so that the abused can be kept under the thumb. Abusers may threaten, hurt you and even those around you. There is no discrimination in domestic violence and thus it may happen among same-sex partners and heterosexual couples. Moreover, domestic violence may happen irrespective of our ethnic backgrounds, age and economic backgrounds. Women appear to be the common victims but in modern day society, men are also falling victims especially emotionally and verbally. Different approaches have been used by theorists to show that there are specific characteristics associated with individuals who abuse their partners. These approaches have shown that such abusive characters have inability to cope with stress, possess low self-esteem, they have desire to have control and power over others, once had social support isolation, are dependent on their victims, feelings of jealousy and they may also have some psychological and mental disorders. This indicates that there are different risk factors of domestic violence from economic to biological ones. Thesis: irrespective of what causes a particular domestic violence incident be it economical or biological, domestic violence is a social problem that affects our quality of life. This is an abusive behavior which is never acceptable and it doesnt matter whether it comes from a woman or a man, an adult or a teenager. Every one of us deserves to be safe, respected and above all valued. Ideas (risk factors) Idea #1: There appears to be a statistical correlation between domestic violence and substance abuse. Several studies on domestic violence indicate that there are high rates of substance abuse by perpetrators. Regular use of alcohol is documented as one of the leading risk factors in intimate partner abuse. There is evidence that drug and alcohol addiction and domestic violence are things that usually occur together. This indicates that most families where there is a parent who abuses alcohol or any other drugs have high rates of domestic violence. There are several statistical evidences that show substance abuse increases the risk of domestic violence in homes. For example, around 87% of program directors in the field of domestic violence assert that intimate partner violence increases in a family where both partners are drugs or alcohol addicts. The U.S. Departments of Justice in its records show that around 61% of domestic violence offenders are addicts of alcohol or any other types of drugs. Moreover, a study conducted by the same Department in 2002 on murders in U.S. families indicated that more than half of those accused of murder of their intimate partners had abused alcohol and other drugs at the time of the murder. This is enough statistical evidence linking alcohol abuse and other drugs to domestic violence (Schechter, 2000). People who abuse alcohol and especially men argue that they normally engage in domestic violence because at that time they were under the influence of alcohol. In some other instances, those batterers living with women who abuse alcohol or drugs justify their domestic violence as one of the best ways in which they can control their spouses the moment they come home drunk. In such instances, risks associated are high because the woman who is being battered may not have control to seek help since she is not sober. Studies on domestic violence in U.S. population shows that in cases where the man is the batterer and frequently abuses drugs and alcohol, such men have the tendency to rid themselves of the violence responsibility by stating that they did so since they were under the influence of alcohol (Kenneth and Elizabeth, 2000). Substance abuse not only affects the intimate partner in the household but also the children. Children brought up in such a family experience more sexual, emotional and physical abuse than those in non-substance abusing families. Surveys conducted by National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse shows that around 80% of cases of child abuse are associated with parents who abuse drugs and alcohol. This problem may be translated into the later life stages of such children and thus reports indicate that there is high probability that they also abuse alcohol and other drugs and also result in the same domestic violence (Jeffrey and Abigail, 2007). Idea #2: a major piece to battering of wives is rooted in most cultures especially in the African traditional society. Most men who batter their wives have rigid rules and views on their gender roles. Most batterers have sexist attitudes towards their intimate partners and this has been a consistent cultural issue causing domestic violence. Majority of our societies have trained men in a way that they see women in objectified and disrespectful ways. This makes most men to see their intimate partners as their possession. It was not long ago when in most cultures, women were always considered as properties of men. This is an attitude that actually still lives in the culture of United States. Today, only several years have passed since most states in the U.S. changed their laws regarding rape that occurs among married couples. There before, the laws in most states stated that a man could not be convicted in jail because of raping his wife. This is an implication that this woman was the property of her husband. Thus men in such cultures could do anything with the wife and the only thing that was required of her was just to cooperate. Even if such laws have been changed today, there are still churches where ceremonies are performed for the wife to rake oath that she is going to honor, love and obey her husband. In most cultures, when a woman gets married, she has to take the name of her husband. The main idea here is that it becomes simpler than to add middle names or even to hyphenate names. This follows from the fact that in marriage and in all societies, a woman has to leave her fathers house and join the husband in his house. There is no time women belonged to themselves but they only belonged to their husband or father. This is what represented the womans last name. We can liken this to African slaves who would always take the name of their master or the slave holder. Even in matters of political choices, women started voting the other day and they were taken as individuals who could not take any stand on political matters. The underlying theme is that the general attitudes men have towards women affect peoples willingness to hurt them physically. Emerging African literature on different causal theories shows there is power of norms and tradition in African cultures that explain the widespread domestic violence incidence. There are so many African societies which see that as a direct connection and as a result they argue that wife battering is normal in African traditions. According to Randall (2003), this is a proposition that is supported by several authors who have conducted several interviews. One such good example is the interview from the Social Welfare Office of Ibadan, Nigeria. This is a region where even police officers remind women who come to report that they have been battered by their husband that Yoruba culture allows its men to beat their women. There are however other indirect cultural explanations of some concepts such as polygamy impact, male promiscuity acceptance, uneven power distribution in traditional African marriages, power of extended families on a married couple and the bride price institution as und erlying causes for wives abuse. Payment of bride price to the wifes parents after marriage makes it even more difficult to leave their battering husbands unless the amount paid is willingly returned by the families of origin. According to Randall (2003), domestic violence studies conducted in Zimbabwe involving interviews on twenty-five male abusers and seventy-five female victims of domestic violence in Shona-speaking community showed that cultural factors are a major cause for domestic violence. In this study, it was reported that most domestic quarrels emerged out of jealousy and money. A good example is in the Shona community where quarrels between a husband and his wife emerge because the wife has asked for money. This is taken as a challenge on the traditional absolute male control of the household on family finances. There is also a similar dynamic in domestic violence which is initiated by jealousy. Even if male promiscuity in Africa is traditionally accepted, the sexuality of the females is zealously controlled by the family or the husband. Not only in African traditional societies but also in other earlier civilized ones in Americas, Asia and Europe where a wife may be seen as challenging the hu sbands prerogatives and authority the moment she demands explanations on his extramarital involvements. In most cases violence erupts if the wife asks her husband where he has been and with whom or in other cases showing threat for addition of other wives. Addition of multiple wives is today seen as a big threat to economic survival for the first wife, the children and a source for HIV/AIDs scourge and thus wives may be tempted to question their husbands. But this questioning is seen as a challenge to the traditional mans rights and a threat to the culturally prescribed position and this automatically provokes violence. Idea #3: absolute poverty is considered one of the fundamental basis of domestic violence against women in most households (Inter-American Development Bank, Biehl and Morrison, 1999). Relative violence may also play a role though complementary in generating domestic violence since such families have difficulties in attaining standards of consumption apart from food and this may be a potential source of violence. Studies have shown that there is a positive correlation between domestic violence and poverty. One of the common opinions is based on the fact that poverty comes with frustrations which normally may tend to unleash violent behavior. There are numerous aggravating problems for this and they include high consumption of alcohol, low schooling levels, poor living conditions, few entertainment opportunities, poor jobs and failure to improve conditions of living, large family burden and lack of adequate basic services in life (Rachel, 2000). These are potential circumstances that might predispose marginalized and poor family members to result to domestic violence. The major domestic violence in such cases occurs between the husband (provider) and his wife who takes over the management of the household. On the mans side, source of conflict is the deficit to materially provide for the household while on the side of the woman; the source may be her inability to manage the little they have whi ch is always never enough. In such a standpoint, domestic violence has come as a result of poverty in the household. According to Schechter (2000), there were so many studies on domestic violence among low-income that were conducted in the 1990s when most families lost guarantee on income supports. The results were pervasive. After low-income people in Chicago were examined, the studies found that 25% of low-income non-recipients and 33% of welfare recipients experienced severe aggression in their adulthood via their partners. There were also results that 8% of non-recipients and 19% of recipients experienced serious aggression within the previous twelve months. The same studies found that in Worcester, Massachusetts low-income and homeless mothers reported 32% positive cases of physical violence within the previous two years. Moreover, a study by the National Family Violence Survey showed that domestic violence on women who have annual income less than $10,000 were 3.5 times likely if compared to those who had more than $40,000 annual salary. Counterargument There must be a misconception that domestic violence is caused by substance abuse, cultural factors or even poverty. The fact is that equal numbers of drunken and sober men are equally violent. Where studies have been conducted on this they have not been able to explain in detail why almost 80% of heavy and binge drinkers never abuse their partners be it the wife or the husband. Alcohol or any other stimulant substances are used by men so that they can use them as the excuses or the permissions for them to act violently. Many stop taking alcohol and they still continue being violent. Also not every child who grows up in a violent home will grow up to become a violent adult in his/her home. Domestic violence is a choice. Sometimes people react violently because they have been provoked by others and this may act just as the normal self-defense. Refutation By the time one gets provoked, its because he/she has in one way or the other tried to exert control over his/her partner. It is a fact that irrespective of whether the domestic violence resulted after one was provoked either due to poverty frustrations and pressures, cultural beliefs or substance abuse it has adverse effects on our victims. Children brought up in such backgrounds may develop low self-esteem and long term effects that may haunt them later in their lives. It is possible to find such children having dismal academic performances. Others have been sexually, emotionally and physically assaulted and all of us need respect, love and to be valued. Conclusion Domestic violence is live in our modern society. Women appear to be the most affected since gender inequality ahs always been there. Until the 70s women who were battered had no places to report or to seek support ands especially those who were sexually assaulted. There were few shelters for victims of domestic violence like hospitals, civil and criminal courts, law enforcement and other social service agencies. But today, there seems to be numerous community-based violence programs that provide array of quality services. These include safety planning, transportation, crisis counseling and intervention, legal advocacy, childrens services and housing and relocation services among others. In order to minimize domestic violence cases there are many programs engaging in continuous advocacy efforts and this may include collaboration with community service workers, development of public awareness campaigns and being active for political lobbying efforts that improve safety for children and victims. With such efforts, we may help to minimize adverse effects on victims.

The Choosing Of A Landfill Site Essay -- essays research papers

The Choosing of a Landfill Site There is currently much debate on the desirability of landfilling particular wastes, the practicability of alternatives such as waste minimisation or pre- treatment, the extent of waste pre-treatment required, and of the most appropriate landfilling strategies for the final residues. This debate is likely to stimulate significant developments in landfilling methods during the next decade. Current and proposed landfill techniques are described in this information sheet. Types of landfill Landfill techniques are dependent upon both the type of waste and the landfill management strategy. A commonly used classification of landfills, according to waste type only, is described below, together with a classification according to landfill strategy. The EU Draft Landfill Directive recognises three main types of landfill: Hazardous waste landfill Municipal waste landfill Inert waste landfill Similar categories are used in many other parts of the world. In practice, these categories are not clear-cut. The Draft Directive recognises variants, such as mono-disposal - where only a single waste type (which may or may not be hazardous) is deposited - and joint-disposal - where municipal and hazardous wastes may be co-deposited in order to gain benefit from municipal waste decomposition processes. The landfilling of hazardous wastes is a contentious issue and one on which there is not international consensus. Further complications arise from the difficulty of classifying wastes accurately, particularly the distinction between 'hazardous'/'non-hazardous' and of ensuring that 'inert' wastes are genuinely inert. In practice, many wastes described as 'inert' undergo degradation reactions similar to those of municipal solid waste (MSW), albeit at lower rates, with consequent environmental risks from gas and leachate. Alternatively, landfills can be categorised according to their management strategy. Four distinct strategies have evolved for the management of landfills (Hjelmar et al, 1995), their selection being dependent upon attitudes, economic factors, and geographical location, as well as the nature of the wastes. They are Total containment; Containment and collection of leachate; Controlled contaminant release and Unrestricted contaminant release. A) Total containment All movement of water into or out of the landfill is prevented. Th... ...eatment, and the most appropriate methods, are site-specific. The timescale required for active leachate management is dependent on the rate at which pollutants are flushed from the landfill. With conventional low- permeability top covers and containment strategies, it is likely that the timescale will be several centuries, for wastes with a high pollution potential, such as MSW. There is currently a great deal of interest in shortening this period by high- rate recirculation and partial treatment. As yet, these accelerated flushing techniques have not been proven at full-scale. Until they are, or until waste minimisation and pre-treatment reduce the pollution potential of the wastes that are landfilled, the long time-scales for pollution control arising from current landfill techniques will remain. References: 1.Hjelmar O, Johannessen LM, Knox K & Ehrig HJ, Composition and management of leachate from landfills the EU. To be presented at 5th International Landfill Symposium, Sardinia, October 1995 [return to text] within 2.Dept of the Environment, A review of water balance methods and their application to landfill in the UK, UK Dept of the Environment Report No. CWM 031/91.

Greatest Chinese Inventions

The Greatest Chinese Inventions Gene R. Kelsey Strayer University The ancient Chinese culture produced major inventions that some of which still are relevant and useful to our modern culture all over world even today. When an Italian merchant named Marco Polo traveled to China in during the Song Dynasty in 1271 he discovered a place so technologically advanced far greater than any Western European nation of its time. The following is a listing of 9 important inventions instrumental to our growth as modern Human Beings.It would be a technical pilgrimage for me to win this contest. I would love to visit China. (1) The Process of Paper making. Although first used as wrapping and padding for over 100 years before it became a medium for writing upon around AD 105. Paper along with printing changed the way the world documented everything from history to science and many years later paper currency. Even though our modern culture is moving away from paper it will always be used in one form o r another. There is no such thing as electronic toilet paper. 2) The invention of the printing press with moveable text symbols by Bi Sheng. It was this invention that was eventually taken over to the West and used by Gutenberg for the printing of the Bible. Needless to say, this had a profound effect on the nature of knowledge and the development of literature, (The Franklin Institute). (3) Gun Powder and Fireworks. The use of gunpowder in weapons gave those with access to the technology a greater ability to protect themselves from enemies or to conquer and control others. It greatly affected the balance of power in many parts of the world.Whether we agree or not the invention of Gun Powder and the weapons that followed were huge game changers for Humanity. (4) The Compass which was really pre-dated by the discovery of magnetism by the Chinese which was first noted in a book from the Song Dynasty. However, the first suspended magnetic needle compass was written of by Shen Kuo in hi s book of AD 1088. The wet Compass was the most used. Eventually the Dry Compass took shape but was not as well accepted by the Chinese. (The Science Forum 2007) (5) The Great Wall of China. One of the wonders of the world its construction began in 221 BC in an effort to keep Mongol invaders out. The Sui Emperor Yang Di began the reconstruction and repairs of the wall around the 600’s AD. Hundreds of thousands of laborers were used to do the work. As some perished they were buried where they fell and remain in the wall. It is the biggest man made structure on earth and is said to be the only one visible from space. However, upon going to the NASA web site (www. nasa. gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall. html) you will find some contradiction to that story.Only from low level orbit can it be made out to the unaided eye. (6) Cast Iron. In the 4th century BCE due to the prior discovery of refractory clays to allow for construction of a blast furnace that could handle the heat required to melt down iron the Chinese were able to pour and mold cast iron. That along with the use of phosphorus to reduce the heat required using coal as the fuel. With the development of annealing ploughshares, longer swords, and buildings were also using iron in their construction. (Asiasociety. Org). (7) Row Crop Planting 6th Century BC. 200 years before the western world adapted this practice the Chinese were growing stronger crops much faster than previously done by planting in rows. This process allows for greater access to the plant for watering, weeding, and harvesting along with greater protection for the plant from the elements. This practice is still used today as it still remains the perfect way to grow and harvest. (8) Deep Drilling. Around the 1st Century BC the technology to drill deep bore holes using equipment that would be recognizable today.They used Derricks that towered has high as 180 feet and could reach depths of 4800 feet. They captured natural gas i n bamboo tubes to use as fuel for evaporating water by boiling brine to produce salt. There is also evidence that they may have burned it in lanterns for light. It wasn’t until the 1800’s before western nations adapted the use of deep drilling. (9) Porcelain. To this day Chinese porcelain is prized by all cultures. The process of using materials such as glass and mineral compounds in a kiln at high heat. Invented during the Sui Dynasty and perfected in the Tang Dynasty most notably by Tao-yue (c. 08 – c. 678). By the time the Sung Dynasty it reached its peak around the 10th century. It wasn’t until over 500 years later the monopoly was broken by a German Physicist Tschirnhausen who invented European porcelain. Generally speaking most scholars believe the 1st four I have in order are the most important contributions to humanity. Although the greatest written works of man may have eventually reached the pages of a book using other materials other than paper . And printing hadn’t been created when it was following paper by the Chinese.Take the time to consider the Chinese were hundreds of years or more ahead of the west so think how many works would have been lost if man continued to carve in wood and write on cloth. And of course Gun Powder which led to fireworks and firearms. And lastly the compass so one can find their way home at the end of the fireworks show. I think the greatest invention from the Chinese is their diverse culture. China is one of the four ancient civilizations (alongside Babylon, India, and Egypt) with 3600 years of written history. Out of the nine I have chosen Cast Iron which eventually became steel as something I couldn’t live without as I do.The Chinese invented the process but it wasn’t perfected until a British inventor names Henry Bessemer mass produced it in his facility in Sheffield, England in 1856. Steel is still produced using the process of blowing air through molten pig iron to o xidize the material to separate the impurities. Why would I choose cast iron and steel? All my life I have worked with iron and steel. I build cars and restore them by welding in new metal where old has rusted away. I build iron gates and art work with iron and steel. I have my work adorning many friends and family’s homes.The art of blacksmithing holds great interest for me. What other material on earth is so strong yet can be heated and molded into any shape. While doing research for this paper I ran into some of the writings of Shen Kuo. We have been studying the Renaissance of Italy. Shen Kuo was the Leonardo da Vinci of China. He was a mathematician, astronomer, meteorologist, geologist, zoologist, botanist, pharmacologist, agronomist, archeologist, ethnographer, cartographer, encyclopedias, general, diplomat, hydraulic engineer, inventor, academy chancellor, finance minister and it goes on.In the Song Dynasty he was the head of the bureau of astronomy in the Song court. One of the greatest Western sinologists of this century, Joseph Needham wrote â€Å"The Science and Civilization in China†. This Book is now one of the main references about Shen Kuo’s work in a western language. What this tells me is that genius is not limited to the west or east. The Renaissance was not limited to the west. Great minds are of the nature of the human race. They don’t come around that often. But every century has had a few of them since the eginning of man. And China has had their fair share dating back to the origin of what is China! References Secrets of Lost Empires (The Science Forum 2007) Bodde, Derk (1991). Chinese Thought, Society, and Science. On Shen Kuo. The Needham Research Institute (NRI), home of the Science and Civilization in China project. (www. nasa. gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall. html) (The Franklin Institute, 2012). The Humanities: Culture, Continuity, & Change: Volume 1 Second edition.

LEE Kathryn IndivAssignment

Woven Fang came from an average family and was studying in one of the top independent girls' schools in Singapore. She seemed like an average 1 6-year- old girl going through normal teenage girl problems, or so everyone thought. This essay describes the experiences and problems faced by Woven in her final year of secondary school. To understand Hoovers case better, theoretical background and research will be applied to explain her experiences and problems. Finally, some strategies and solutions will be proposed as resolutions to the issues presented.Background – Woven's Story Woven's parents migrated from Taiwan to Singapore and raised their four children in Singapore. Her brother and two sisters were 12, 10 and 7 years Older than her respectively. Her father, Mr.. Fang, was a businessman and traveled for long periods of time due to work. When he was in Singapore, he did not meddle in the affairs of his children, leaving his wife to take care of all their needs. As the younges t of four children and also because of the age gap between Woven and her older siblings, she was given extra care and attention by her mother.She also turned out to be the brightest, making it onto top primary and secondary schools in Singapore. Compared to Woven, her older siblings were a letdown to Mrs.. Fang, as they did poorly in school. Faced with problems from her other children, Mrs.. Fang placed extremely high hopes on Woven, dictating most of Woven's life and making most of the decisions. In Sec 4, Woven started losing weight drastically. Despite the drastic weight loss, Mrs.. Fang refused to admit that there was anything wrong with her daughter. Finally, Woven was so thin that Mrs.. Fang had to bring her to a doctor for fear that her life was in jeopardy.She was admitted into the capital and diagnosed with anorexia nervous. Only during the numerous counseling sessions did Woven's problems surface. Woven admitted that she face problems in school. First, although Woven had b een consistently doing well in school, she felt pressurized by the competitive environment she was in, where good grades were emphasized. On top of that was the pressure she felt from her mother to do well in school, especially as her mother often lamented to her about her siblings' failures and cautioned her not to turn out like them. Second, her schoolmates were all particularly concerned about weight and size.Although she was of an average height of 1. Mm and an average weight of keg, her classmates teased her about being chubby looking. As a result, Woven began to doubt her intelligence as well as her appearance and eventually, she stopped eating. As her weight started to drop and she became thinner, Woven finally felt in control Of something in her life – her actions actually produced results and this egged her on to lose more weight until she ended up in hospital. With a better understanding of her problems, the doctors treated her for anorexia and sent her for counseli ng at the same time.After a couple of months in the hospital, she was allowed to go home when her weight increased slightly. However, this was not the end of her problems. Woven was forced to return to school where she would face her classmates again. She was worried about her appearance, grades and studies. Although the counselor suggested taking the rest of the year off from school and repeating Sec 4 again the next year, Mrs.. Fang refused as she felt it was very embarrassing. At that point in time, Mrs.. Fang still refused to admit that her daughter was going through a very serious problem in terms of mental and physical health.Back in school, Woven tried to catch up with her peers in her school work. However, she felt as if they were constantly staring at her. Although they did not say anything, she knew that they knew about her hospitalizing and about her eating disorder, making her feel all the more conscious about herself and her appearance. Unable to take the demands of sch ool work and the ogling of her school mates, Woven returned to her old ways of not eating or vomiting what she ate. Although Woven is currently going through counseling her problems are far from being over.Analysis – Applying Theoretical Background / Empirical Research to Woven's Case According to Frontbenchers bacteriological theory of development, Woven's Microsystems would have very powerful environmental influences on her development. In Woven's case, it can even be said that her mother would perhaps have the greatest influence on Woven's personal development, as her mother would have spent the most amount of time with her since she was born (Gene and Chukka, 2010). Mr.. Fang's absence as a father figure in Woven's life was an uninvolved parenting style, thus making Mrs..Fang the most influential person in Woven's life. She had an authoritarian parenting Tyler as she often stressed for Woven to do well and often made decisions on her behalf in both school and home domains . As a result, Woven ended up worrying about pleasing her mother and felt like she had a lack of control over her own life (Gene and Chukka, 2010). Naught and Chicest (2002) believe that authoritarian parents are â€Å"rigid and unresponsive† and â€Å"in extreme cases their children have low self-esteem and use aggressive coping behaviors†. This was true in Woven's case. Mrs..Fang's parenting style also affected Woven's identity development, as suggested by Banding (1991). Parents are important figures in adolescents' identity development and poor communication between parents and adolescents lead to less positive identity development (Contracts, 2007). Marcia (1980) postulated a theory of identity formation, in which an individual can take on one of four identity commitments. Applying Marcia's concept of identity commitment to Woven, it is likely that Woven is a foreclosed individual, who has clear commitments which are internalized by her mother.Her commitments were not self-chosen and it is believed that no other alternatives were seriously considered (Mishmash, 2005). According to Kroger (1993), it was observed that identity-foreclosed adolescents â€Å"evidenced the highest levels of authoritarianism and socially stereotyped thinking, obedience to authority, external locus of control, and dependent relationships with significant others†. In line with this, Cote (2009) believes that adolescents are led to being identity-foreclosed by autocratic parents who control behavior without giving the adolescent a chance to express opinions. Therefore, it is likely that Mrs..Fangs authoritarian parenting style resulted in her being an identity-foreclosed individual. Erosion's theory of personality development proposed eight developmental Stages (Erikson, 1968, 1980). In his theory, an adolescent approaches identity formation (the fifth stage) ‘With a sense of self as an autonomous, active and competent agent in a relatively secure worldâ € , only if the earlier four stages have developed well (Mishmash, 2005). Woven may not have developed a sense of self as an autonomous agent as a child and thus was hindered by feelings of shame, self-doubt and inferiority in her adolescent years (Mishmash, 2005).Identity formation is such a challenging process that any robbers encountered in earlier development are likely to increase the chances of negative outcomes. Woven's parents are not the only ones to have a huge impact on her development. The people she meets every day in school are also part Of her Microsystems. As her peers and her teachers are involved in Woven's immediate settings, they have enormous influence over her development as an individual as well (Gene and Chukka, 2010).The influence of Woven's peers on her would come in three forms – attitudes and values, social development and emotional support (Ginsberg, Babes, & Spaniard, 2006; Rubin, Bouzoukis, & Parker, 2006). This explains why Woven was especia lly affected by her peers about both studies and weight issues. The standards maintained by her peers about these issues would become very important to her and thus Woven was likely to conform to her peer standards of achieving good grades and being thin.Through the influences of her peer group, her self-concept and self-esteem would be affected as well. There are many factors that can influence an adolescent female's self-esteem. The decline in self-esteem during adolescence may be due to physical hangers due to puberty, an increase in academic expectations and demands, and insufficient support by the school and parents (Contracts, 2009). These were all likely factors that influenced the decline in Woven's self-esteem over her secondary school years.A vicious cycle in which declining self-esteem affected her academic performance which then affected her academic self- concept which again influenced her self-esteem is likely to have occurred. As a result of her declining self-esteem, her grades took a downturn and she lost her self-worth as an individual, wanting to conform to norms set by her peers instead. It is probable that Woven's academic, social and physical self- concept interacted with her sense of identity, which then influenced her self- esteem negatively (Gene and Chukka, 2010).More support for this is provided by Harder (2006) who found that persistent low self-esteem usually leads to other more serious problems including low academic achievement, depression and eating disorders. It is evident from Woven's actions and behavior that she was going through a period of emotional turmoil. Some researchers might consider this normal because adolescence is often described as a time of emotional turmoil (Hall, 904). However, at the end Of the day, most adolescents do make it through these difficult and moody times to develop into competent adults.In spite of this, Woven has exhibited signs of emotional stress, through her anorexic behavior, falling grades, failing self-esteem and consciousness with how her peers view her as a person. As the onset of Woven's problems occurred in late adolescence, it can be inferred that it was environmental experiences that contributed to her emotional turmoil. Research suggests that emotional fluctuations in early adolescence are related to hormonal changes at that time, whereas in late adolescence, teenagers are more emotionally settled by then, displaying fewer worries and less moodiness (Hooper, 1980).As such, it is likely that the people around her affected Woven's emotional development. Emotional stress is usually the result of conflicts that adolescents have with their parents and these conflicts often happen because adolescents want to make independent choices which are usually not in line with what their parents have in mind for them (Child Development Reference). Interventions – Resolutions to Woven's Case The following strategies and interventions are believed to help Woven irately.A lthough there are many factors that contributed and led to Woven's current problems, the main cause of her problems seems to be her mother. This is because her mother would have had the most influence over Woven's development from a child and into her adolescent years. Therefore, tackling Mrs.. Fangs parenting style and the mother-daughter relationship is the foremost important issue. A successful intervention on this relationship will also affect Woven's formation of her own identity and self-esteem positively.With this as a base to build on, it will be easier to tackle the issues about Woven's peers and how she views herself as a result of her relationship with them. It is suggested that competent adolescent development is most likely to occur when adolescents have parents who carry out the following actions (Contracts, 2007). For Woven's case, Mrs.. Fang should avoid the tendency to be too controlling and allow Woven to make her own decisions about school and what she wants to do . Instead of trying to control Woven's life, Mrs..Fang should monitor her development and try to understand Woven's cognitive and constitutional development. She should also show more constructive says of dealing with problems and conflict because studies have shown that reprimanding only serves to increase the parent-child gap. In addition, both parent and child should come together to discuss ways to help Woven (Contracts, 2007). Woven's parents are also advised to take on a democratic instead of autocratic role. They would encourage Woven to participate in family decision making, thus fostering identity-achievement in her.This would be the most desirable outcome for Woven's self-identity as Kroger (1993) observed that â€Å"identity-achievement individuals showed the highest levels of go development, moral reasoning, internal locus of control, self-certainty and self-esteem, performance under stress on a concept attainment task, and intimacy in interpersonal relationships† (Mishmash, 2005). In line with the study conducted by Campbell, Adams, & Dobson (1 984), healthy identity formation of an individual is developed by family relationships that are both individuated and connected.A family atmosphere which promotes individuality and connectedness is lacking in Woven's life. She needs to have her own individuality, where she can have her own point of IEEE and develop her own communication pattern to express herself. At the same time, her family environment should promote connectedness, where emotional affection among family members is promoted. This suggests that Woven should be allowed to develop her own point of view, while her parents work on building the relationships within the family.A combination of connectedness and individuality in the parent-adolescent relationship forms the base from which Woven can explore her widening social world (Campbell, Adams, & Dobson, 1984). To further support the reasons why Woven's parents have to change their ren ting style, it is believed that the â€Å"fit† between â€Å"parents' style Of interaction and the interactive style and needs of the child† forms the foundation to a healthy emotional development of the child (Child Development Reference). Therefore, it is apparent that parents do play a vital role in their children's emotional development.To salvage the relationship they have with their daughter and to prevent Woven from sinking further in her own problems, it is highly recommended that both Mr.. And Mrs.. Fang undergo counseling to understand how their actions as parents have a great impact on their daughter. Both parents and Woven should also attend parent and child counseling sessions where the counselor is able to take on a mediator role and help to bridge the gap between them. Although Woven's parents are accountable for the bulk of her problems, the school environment she was in was very unhealthy as well.School-wide programmer which focus on self-image and sel f-esteem ought to be implemented to educate Woven and her peers on such issues. It is also necessary to educate them on the perils of eating disorders which could have damaging and dangerous consequences on their lives, as it affects their hysterical and mental health. In conclusion, Woven went through a difficult and trying period growing up, which led to some impairment in her development as an adolescent, especially in the identity and emotional development aspects.This was largely caused by the context of her development, which includes her immediate family members, in particular, her mother, as well as her peers and school environment. However, appropriate interventions and strategies could assist Woven in fixing some of these problems. The proposed interventions and strategies would not solve Woven's problems overnight but it is imperative hat they are implemented to kick-start Woven's road to recovery. (2495 words) References Banding, D. (1 991 The influence of parenting styl e on adolescent competence and substance use.

Passive Voice Definition and Examples

Passive Voice Definition and Examples In traditional grammar, the term passive voice refers to a type of sentence or clause in which the subject receives the action of the verb. For example, A good time was had by all. Contrast with active voice. The most common form of the passive in English is the short passive or agentless passive: a construction in which the agent (that is, the performer of an action) is not identified. For example, Mistakes were made. (In a long passive, the object of the verb in an active sentence becomes the subject.) See the discussion of the passive gradient in Examples and Observations below. Often the passive voice is formed by using the appropriate form of the verb to be (for example, is) and a past participle (for example, formed). However, passive constructions arent always made up of be and a past participle. For example, see the discussion of the get-passive. Though many style guides discourage use of the passive, the construction can be quite useful, especially when the performer of an action is unknown or unimportant. Passive constructions can also enhance cohesion. Examples and Observations Last week our dogwood tree was struck by lightning.Pandora, from Greek mythology, was given a box with all the worlds evils in it.(Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture, 2008)It is believed that in the elementary school a class of fifteen pupils for one teacher gives better results than either a class of three or a class of thirty.(Psychological Foundations of Educational Technology, ed. by W.C. Trow and E.E. Haddan, 1976)[Fern] found an old milking stool that had been discarded, and she placed the stool in the sheepfold next to Wilburs pen.(E.B. White, Charlottes Web, 1952)America was discovered accidentally by a great seaman who was looking for something else . . .. America was named after a man who discovered no part of the New World. History is like that, very chancy.(Samuel Eliot Morison, The Oxford History of the American People, 1965)Her bones were foundround thirty years laterwhen they razedher building toput up a parking lot.(Maya Angelou, Chicken-Licken. Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well, 1975) In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.(Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, 1979)Fiction was invented the day Jonas arrived home and told his wife that he was three days late because he had been swallowed by a whale.(attributed to Gabriel Garcia Marquez)The young gentleman was later seen by me in front of the gare Saint-Lazare.(Raymond Queneau, Passive. Exercises in Style, 1947) In Defense of the Passive Voice The proportion of passive verbs varies with the type of prose: scientific prose, for instance, may show far more passives than narrative prose. But to point this out is not to denigrate scientific writing. The difference merely reflects the different natures of content, purpose, and audience. . . . Not only is the passive voice a significantly frequent option in modern prose, but it is also often the clearest and briefest way to convey information. . . . Indiscriminate slandering of the passive voice ought to be stopped. The passive should be recognized as a quite decent and respectable structure of English grammar, neither better nor worse than other structures. When it is properly chosen, wordiness and obscurity are no more increased than when the active voice is properly chosen. Its effective and appropriate use can be taught. (Jane R. Walpole, Why Must the Passive Be Damned? College Composition and Communication, 1979) True Passives, Semi-Passives, and the Passive Gradient The statistic from corpus analyses that four-fifths of passive sentences in texts occur without the agentive by-phrase makes a nonsense out of deriving passives from actives. In the active subjects are obligatory; there can be no active sentences without a subject. So where do all these passives with no agent come from whereby the agent is unknown? Not from an underlying active, obviously. It is common practice to assume a dummy subject in such cases, equivalent to someone, i.e. underlying My house was burgled is the sentence Someone burgled my house. But that is stretching a point beyond credibility. . . . [Randolph] Quirk et al. [in A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, 1985] attempt to get over this problem by presenting a passive gradient and the notion of semi-passive, exemplified by the following sentences: (33) This violin was made by my father.(34) This conclusion is hardly justified by the results.(35) Coal has been replaced by oil.(36) This difficulty can be avoided in several ways.- - - - - - - - - - -(37) We are encouraged to go on with the project.(38) Leonard was interested in linguistics.(39) The building is already demolished.(40) The modern world is getting more highly industrialized and mechanized.(41) My uncle was/got/seemed tired. The dotted line indicates the break between real passives and semi-passives. Those above the line are real passives, those below the line are increasingly remote from the ideal passive with a unique active paraphrase, and are not real passives at allthey are semi-passives. (Christopher Beedham, Language And Meaning: The Structural Creation of Reality. John Benjamins, 2005) Rise of the Get-Passive The passive in English is usually formed with the verb to be, yielding they were fired or the tourist was robbed. But we also have the get passive, giving us they got fired and the tourist got robbed. The get-passive goes back at least 300 years, but it has been on a rapid rise during the past 50 years. It is strongly associated with situations which are bad news for the subject- getting fired, getting robbed- but also situations that give some kind of benefit. (They got promoted. The tourist got paid.) However, the restrictions on its use may be relaxing over time and get-passives could get a whole lot bigger. (Arika Okrent, Four Changes to English So Subtle We Hardly Notice Theyre Happening. The Week, June 27, 2013) When to Use the Passive Voice in Journalistic Writing Lauren Kessler and Duncan McDonald [in When Words Collide, 8th ed., Wadsworth, 2012] offer two situations in which the passive voice must be used. First, passive voice is justified if the receiver of the action is more important than the creator of the action. They use this example: A priceless Rembrandt painting was stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art yesterday by three men posing as janitors. In this case, the Rembrandt should remain the subject of the sentence even though it receives the action. The painting is obviously more importantmore newsworthythan the three men who stole it.Kessler and McDonalds second reason for using passive voice is if the writer has no choice. Thats when the writer does not know who what the actor, or the creator of the action, is. The example they use: The cargo was damaged during the trans-Atlantic flight. Air turbulence? Sabotage? Was the cargo strapped in properly? The writer doesnt know, so the voice must be passive. (Robert M. Knight, A Journalistic Approach to Good Writing: The Craft of Clarity, 2nd ed. Iowa State Press, 2003) Evasive Uses of the Passive Voice: Mistakes Were Made [W]hen [New Jersey Governor Chris Christie] said mistakes were made, did he know he was quoting Nixon press secretary Ron Ziegler, or did that particular obfuscatory use of the passive voice just pop into his head? (Katha Pollitt, Christie: A Bully’s Bully. The Nation, February 3, 2014)Mistakes were made. I didnt make them. (Chief of Staff and later Secretary of State Alexander Haig, Jr., on the Watergate scandals, January 1981)We did not achieve what we wished, and serious mistakes were made in trying to do so. (President Ronald Reagan, regarding the Iran-Contra affair, January 1987)Clearly, no one regrets more than I do the appearance of impropriety. Obviously, some mistakes were made.† (Chief of Staff John Sununu, when caught using government military aircraft for personal trips, December 1991)Mistakes were made here by people who either did it deliberately or inadvertently. (President Bill Clinton, when it was discovered that he had invited the countrys senior bankin g regulator to a meeting with the Democratic Party’s senior fund-raiser, January 1997) I acknowledge that mistakes were made here. (Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, regarding the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, March 2007)We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to the active voicethat is, until we have stopped saying It got lost, and say, I lost it. (Sidney J. Harris, On the Contrary, 1962)