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

Project study - Essay Example The tourism and leisure sector has hugely varied career opportunities, ranging from management of hotels or sports centres, to managing logistics for exhibitions and organising holiday adventures. University courses in Tourism and Leisure Management are diverse, which allows the student to learn and master different professional skills required for future success in tourism and leisure careers (ljmu.ac.uk, 2015: p1). Moreover, the course helps the student gain relevant, specialised practical experience and knowledge. One aspect that is common for all tourism and leisure careers is the focus on people, customer service, and hospitality (ljmu.ac.uk, 2015: p1). This means that there is a need for successful students to effectively communicate with diverse individuals, while also handling different challenges and tasks and deriving pleasure from ensuring others have a good experience. These are some of the main reasons why I want to study Tourism and Leisure Management. Tourism is one of the business world’s fastest growing sectors and I believe that taking this course will provide a solid grounding in practice and theory of tourism management, while also preparing me for a successful career in the leisure and tourism industry. In addition, this course, with its industry-specific modules (ljmu.ac.uk, 2015: p1), should aid me in developing an array of business skills that can be applied to the broader commercial market. The Tourism and Leisure Management course at Liverpool John Moores University was recently ranked in the national top 10% for universities offering the same course (ljmu.ac.uk, 2015: p1). Moreover, its linkages local museums, the Mersey Partnership, tourism and leisure facilities, and transport companies provides a good environment for practical learning. The Liverpool Hope University has similar benefits, although its linkages are not as appropriate or broad as those at Liverpool John Moores

On Epictetus Discourse About Wealth and Freedom Essay

On Epictetus Discourse About Wealth and Freedom - Essay Example One thinks that wealth brings freedom and so he seeks to own gold, diamonds, lands and slaves through whatever means including what has been mentioned earlier. Another considers a high political status as something that would bring him freedom and in the modern world; education is regarded by most as the means to freedom. To Epictetus, he uses the first argument and links wealth and freedom in a manner that is debatable in an era where wealth is widely sought for, one that contradicts modern lifestyles, disagreeing that wealth brings freedom. Epictetus counts wealth as something that enslaves rather than frees someone because these are not the things that make men free rather are the ones that bound them to slavery. He considers owning nothing as having freedom, a concept that most of the people today might not agree with. One might laugh as well at such a concept, for how could a wealthy man be enslaved when he has the means to own his own slaves and be the master of other people? T he philosopher explains his arguments with examples that strongly support his thoughts, qualifying it as a serious thought one should think about not only by the seekers in his time but also in this period where it is believed to be most needed. Looking into his philosophies, one would have an illumination of his considerations and is guaranteed to be more inclined to agreeing than questioning. First, the philosopher considered fear and said that no one really fears Caesar but that they fear death, exile, deprivation of property, prison and disenfranchisement (Matheson, p. 72). Slavery to fear is not actually caused by men, not even powerful men, but is caused by what a person wants, things that he holds on to. This is the reason why Epictetus argues that having nothing, which includes wanting nothing, will release a person from fears. When an individual has properties, and is so attached to them, he would do everything he can to protect it from those who desire to have it, like rob bers. Wealth brings fear of losing it, fear of calamities, fear of people and things that would destroy and grab it away from him therefore a wealthy man is a slave to his fears, and is punished on his mind as to remedy how he should protect himself and his wealth. Sometimes, wealthy people also fear for their lives, because it is inevitable that when a person is after his wealth, he would plan to do all sorts or ways including unthinkable ones only to protect himself, including killing possible witnesses, killing the wealthy man. This is the reason why most of the rich ensure their security by paying thousands of dollars for security alarms and guards. Still, it does not give a hundred percent guarantee that they would all work for their purpose because as the rich man can be vigilant in his ways, robbers could also be more vigilant in their plans, thus, the fear continues and still is a master of the wealthy man. Money and wealth could be in a person’s possession but he cou ld still be a slave not to men but to an abstract yet gripping master called fear and what could be worse than to serve something that is within one’s self. Epictetus argues that one who is truly free is one who distinguishes what is his and what is not his, that he owns nothing but his will and to recognize that everything he has is God’s, so that if people take it away from him, he should let it be and if they leave him in peace, he should let it be and not worry much about the matter. Furthermore, the philosopher speaks about what people love, which can also serve as another master. People love wealth, the tribunate, the praetorship and the consulship (p. 72) which, in search for it, would cause a person to enslave himself to whatever matters and manners he

Considerations for Child Development - Middle Childhood Essay Example for Free

Considerations for Child Development Middle Childhood Essay Physical development is concerned with the biological changes of the body and the brain. It includes genetics, a foetus’s growth in the mother’s womb, the birth process, brain development and the acquisition of fine motor skills; it also encompasses behaviours that promote and impede health and environmental factors that influence physical growth. (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010, p. 5). I have chosen to evaluate the physical developmental stage of middle childhood, children the ages of six to ten years of age. This essay discusses the considerations for physical development and how it can be supported in the learning environment. It will look at motor development and its influences, the benefits of physical activity, and the consequences of inactivity. How a student’s physical development can facilitate or restrict development in other areas, and how we can support the physical needs and development of students. Read more:  Factors that influence child development essay Generally, children will develop their motor skills at them same time in life, however there are other factors that influence this development e. . a child’s environmental influences, (nurture) and also inherited characteristics and tendencies (nature). There are many things a teacher can do to facilitate a student’s basic cognitive process, they can help children pay attention to things that are important for them to remember; e. g. completing homework tasks, throwing litter in the bin, raising their hand and waiting before they speak in class. Introducing new information to the students existing knowledge will help them to continue to improve and learn. In middle childhood, children start to improve further on their fine motor skills, their handwriting becomes smaller, smoother and more consistent, and they will also start to participate in such fine motor activities as sewing, model building and arts and crafts projects. They will also intensify their speed, and coordination in running kicking, catching and dribbling. (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010, p. 161) In the case of infants and young children, teachers should try to provide a variety of sensory experiences, to facilitate a student’s motor development. It is very important to gain a balance of physical activity as well as class room work for a healthy all round child of this age group. Regular physical activity can benefit students by actually increasing their attention to more cognitively demanding tasks (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010, p. 172), in most cases if a child has a chance to be active and move around, they may be better able to prepare and settle into their theory work. Sport is another way that physical activity can benefit children. During Middle Childhood children begin to be more interested and start to excel in sport and athletics. Both organised and individual sports can be a good way to help maintain and enhance a child’s physical strength, endurance and agility. It can also promote social development by fostering communication, cooperation, and leadership skills (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010, p. 171). ‘The reality is that appearance is influential in social relationships, and it does affect how children feel about themselves’ (Chu, 2000; Dohnt Tiggermann, 2006b; Harter, 1999. ). Regular physical activity can help improve a child’s fitness, and help to maintain their weight and physical appearance, therefore making them feel better about themselves. Prolonged inactivity can result in weight gain, therefore effecting a student’s social emotional development. Being overweight or obese is a serious health risk in childhood. It predicts health problems in adulthood (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010, p. 189). Prolonged inactivity can cause lack of motivation and a decline in a child’s self-confidence. This is particularly important as during Middle Childhood, children start to develop friendships and internalise many of society’s rules and prohibitions (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010, p. 29). If a child fails to be physically active on a regular basis, e. g. staying indoors and watching television or playing computer games all day, it can restrict them from being social and forming important relationships and friendships. Prolonged physical inactivity can also affect a child’s concentration and participation during learning tasks. Over a period of time this could result in poor academic results. During middle childhood, children place great emphasis on the development of their own physical ability (parenting and child health, â€Å"http:/www. cyh. com/HealthTopics†). It is important as a teacher to try to focus on a student’s individual needs, encourage them to compete against themselves rather than their peers; this will help promote good self-confidence and will have an all-round good effect on other areas of their development. The rate of development differs considerably with differences partly the result of genetic diversity (nature), and partly a result of personal choices and environment (nurture) (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010, p. 176). If a child is brought up in an environment that promotes healthy eating and exercise they will generally be in better physical state of health. Physical development can also promote social-emotional development by fostering communication; cooperation and leadership skills (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010, p. 171); this can affect the child by making them feel more confident, motivated and be better prepared to form social relationships. However, for a child who does not have regular access to a healthy diet and a safe place for physical activity, this can lead to weight gain and obesity therefore restricting their social-emotional development, lowering their self-esteem, motivation and restricting their ability to form social relationship and friendships. A child’s motor skills can also be restricted by a lack of environmental support, if they are not provided with ample opportunity to practice their motor skills, whether it be through organised sport activities, or regular practice with mum or dad, they can fall behind on mastering these skills and allowing more complex skills to emerge (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010, p. 176). It is important for a child to have a good balance both in school and at home and in their community, with both learning and physical activities. Physical activity is essential for children, you can help to facilitate this by being pro-active, trying to provide frequent opportunities for students to be physically active through the day, e. g. break up theory work with a few minutes of physical movement, this will help them to better concentrate on the next learning task. Aim to make exercise challenging, but enjoyable, change team members around frequently to ensure all students are equally participating and try to provide all children with a role. Providing a safe environment and ensuring children use appropriate equipment for their age will help to minimise the risk of injury (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010, p. 185). In the case of a teacher having a student with special needs, providing they have permission, they should educate the other students on their condition and explain the nature of the disability; this will help the other children to be more accepting. There are many things a teacher can do to accommodate and support the physical needs and development of students. It is important to encourage every child to participate in all activities to the fullest extent possible, in a practice called inclusion; children with special needs joined their non-disabled peers in everyday school activities (Logan, Alberto, Kana Waylor-Bowen, 1994; Sailsbury, Evans, Palombaro, 1997). Engaging with parents and guardians can help give a teacher insight and suggestions into any adjustments that would help the child participate more fully in activities (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010, p. 185). In middle childhood, children are increasingly comparing and often critical of themselves and their peers, a teacher should try to focus on and meet a student’s individual needs and aim for them to be competitive with themselves, rather than their peers e. g. aiming to beat their personal best score or time. This will help boost their confidence and give them a drive to do better next time. Thoughtful attention to children’s physical needs can enhance children’s health, well-being, and ability to focus on their schoolwork. Such short-term effects pay dividends for future health, because good habits in childhood pave the way to health living later in life (McDevitt Ormrod, 2010, p. 186). It is always important for a teacher to pay such close attention to the children’s needs due to the fact that the impact of either class room learning or physical activity can both heavily shape their futures, or take from their quality of life in the future. In summary, for the Middle Childhood developmental stage that has been selected for the purpose of this assignment, there are many considerations for physical development and how the physical needs of students in the learning environment can be accommodated. A teacher can promote self –esteem and self-confidence making and engage with parents and guardians in order to successfully aid the child. Children can display a decline in self-confidence; this can be identified particularly in a child who does not have regular access to a healthy diet and a safe place for physical activity. It is therefore paramount to a child’s development that a teacher does actively encourage every child to participate in all activities to the fullest extent possible. It is in the best interest of the children for the teacher to incorporate a healthy balance of physical activity in with academic activity.

Catholic Views on Social Issues

Catholic Views on Social Issues â€Å"Religion is the set beliefs, feelings, dogmas and practices that define the relations between human being and sacred or divinity† (Green, 1962, pg. 1). Religion is a way for people to have a strong confidence in something greater than themselves. Religion also brings unity to communities by creating stability and order. On the other hand, some critics may argue that religion creates more conflict than resolution, due to corruption and contradiction. Religion can be defined in three characteristics: Believes and religious practices, the religious feeling (such as faith), and unity in a community of those who share the same faith (such as the Church)† (Green, 1962, pg. 1). Thus, this essay will discuss the changing nature and views of Catholicism on social justice issues such as reproduction, crime and punishment, and same-sex marriage. This essay will argue that Catholicism has now taken a more flexible approach to social justice issues in comparison to how Catholic ism was practiced earlier. Many social theorists of the past have seen the diminishment of religion as imminent and desirable (Mainwaring, 1986). For instance, in 1830, Ludwig Feuerbach dismissed religion as a projection, and deemed that it would not last long. At the same time, Marx agreed with this assessment and believed that religion was an ideological mystification that created a divide between the bourgeoisie and the rest of the classes (Mainwaring, 1986). In a study conducted by Cook (1993) and associates, a state exit poll was conducted in 1990 to determine whether Roman Catholicism affects abortion attitudes. The individual-level effects in which the Church socializes individual members was compared alongside contextual effects, in which the Church affects abortion attitudes by altering the terms of the debate outside the Church’s membership (Cook et al., 1993, p. 223). Both effects were found to be statistically significant (the effects were reliable), although the contextual effects of Catholicism were negative (Cook et al., 1993, p. 223). This part of the study suggested that the Catholic Church is affective in teaching anti-abortion attitudes to its members, but that a strong Catholic presence in a state influences citizens in a counter mobilization way, on the part of non-Catholics (Cook et al., 1993, p. 223). Oliver (2008) makes an excellent point in understanding the relationship between the Catholic Church and social justice. For instance, Oliver (2008) states that in order to have a deeper understanding of the Catholic perspective of crime and criminal justice, one must have an understanding of the central concept that lies at the heart of the criminal justice system (p. 3). For instance, there is a human desire for justice. In Catholicism, there are those who are religious that seek justice in the world so that God’s will is done on earth. There are also a set group of people who profess no religion that seek justice through the court system based on the rule of law.[1] Oliver (2008, p. 223) also points out that in the mid-1800’s, the Catholic Church had prodded the medical community to prevent midwives and rogue doctors from performing abortions. Further, the Catholic Church drew upon the fact that abortion was immoral, and thus both the Catholic Church and many physicians argued that the health of the woman was put at risk (Oliver, 2008, p. 223). However, as awareness regarding abortions grew and as time went on, there were changing attitudes towards abortion. For instance, doctors claimed that they should be the only ones to carry out abortions (although they were the same doctors that felt it was morally wrong), and the American Medical Association began to hold the reigns of the issues of abortion more so than the Catholic Church. Thus, since the topic of abortion is a social justice issue in which Catholic views on the issues have been changing as opposed to stagnant, this supports the thesis that Catholic standpoints are becoming less stringent than they were previously. The other issue related to the social justice topic of abortion is the topic of justice in and of itself. Justice in the Catholic faith brings in another perspective. From the Catholic standpoint, justice is based on the word of God, the teaching of Jesus Christ, and the Traditions of the Roman Catholic Church (Oliver, 2008, p. 4). Moreover, in American penal organizations, Post-revolutionary Catholicism favoured a democratic model of authority, local autonomy, and the separation of the Church and the state (Stotnicki, 2013, p. 83). In other words, a congregational pattern of church polity was regarded as the most acceptable model of the prison system (Stotnick, 2013, p. 83). Thus, this points to a symbiotic relationship between Catholicism and the criminal justice system in which Catholicism worked hand-in-hand with social justice, and in some cases, removing signs of religion from within the system to maintain the justice system’s autonomy. However, in 1973 an event in New Y ork changed the landscape in which Catholic teachings would be allowed in the penal system. For instance, in 1973, the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) published a Reform paper on Correctional Institutions in the 70s and claimed that certain practices they were proponents of, decreased recidivism rates, while results showed the opposite-that recidivism rates increased with such practices (Stotnicki, 2013, p. 84). The other issues with the paper were that the paper called for rehabilitation without defining what it meant by the term and what goals would be accomplished (Ibid., p. 84). Lastly, the paper called for alternatives to prison, without giving examples of such alternatives (Ibid., p. 84). Furthermore, Stotnicki (2013) argues that the concept of deterrence does not fit in with the Catholic religion. Thus, this could point to delineation where the Catholic tradition had less of an impact on the penal system than it did in previous decades. A principle component of Catholicism and the criminal justice system is that incapacitation should be used to reshape the beneficent values of a market economy on a case-by-case basis (Stotnicki, 2013). What is interesting about trends in social justice and Catholicism is that in a Gallup poll conducted in 2004, 71% of Protestants and 66% of Catholics support the use of capital punishment (Stotnicki, 2012). Although this poll was taken over 10 years ago, what is interesting is that capital punishment is not in line with the New Testament although arguably, it is an Old Testament principle; this is fodder against the argument that Catholicism has not taken a flexible approach in comparison to earlier years if the Gallup poll is anything to go by. On the other hand, opinions (particularly with people that identify as Catholic) might be changing in as fast as 10 years. The last issue that warrants mention on the topic of Catholicism and social justice is the topic of same-sex marriages. The topic of same-sex marriage is a social justice issue because it is an issue which affects a large segment of the population and it is a contentious issue which has sparked debate over the last few decades in Western society. For instance, Dempsey (2008) demonstrates that the Catholic Church holds the view that circumstances may increase the culpability of a person to engage in homosexual acts (p. 77). Furthermore, Dempsey (2008) points out that Catholics believe that respect for the basic human dignity of the homosexual entails respect for his ability to cooperate freely with God’s grace in turning from evil ways and embracing a chaste life in Christian love (Ibid., p. 77). The Catholic Church affirms the natural law and Christian vision of marriage as the loving and life-giving union of a man and a woman (Dempsey, 2008, p.77). Furthermore, the Catholic C ongregation beliefs that â€Å"a person engaging in homosexual behaviour therefore acts immorally.† (Ibid., p. 77). The Catholic teaching then tries to take a scientific spin on the union of marriage by arguing that homosexual activity is not a complimentary union, able to transmit life, and so it halts the call to life and thus of self-giving, in which the Gospel claims is the essence of Christian living. Thus, the Catholic Church tries to use morality and science to argue against the notion of same-sex marriages. On one hand, the Catholic Church respects homosexuals as people, yet on the other hand, part of the statement calls such acts â€Å"evil† and invites the â€Å"evil-doer† to embrace a chaste life in Christian love. Thus, in this regard, the Catholic Church still has a long ways to go before it deals wholly with the issues of same-sex marriage and homosexuality. Having said that, in an interview with Pope Francis in the summer of 2013, the Pope stated that while homosexual acts were sinful, homosexual orientation was not.[2] This shift in attitude although still stringent but making some leeway towards homosexuality, demonstrates that there has been a change to views on homosexuality as the world becomes more global and accepting of same-sex marriages. The other reason why the topic of same-sex marriage is a social justice issue is because it has been an issue that has seen the inside of courtrooms throughout historical debate. For instance, Olson and associates (2006) argue that public opinion has had a major impact on same-sex marriage discourse. Furthermore, Canadian cases like M. v. H. [1999] has provided awareness to the cause of same sex-marriages. In the case of M.v.H, the Supreme Court of Canada ordered Ontario to amend its definition of family to include cohabitation of partners (whether male or female). Thus, in this case, lesbian and gay couples were given the same rights and responsibilities that married, opposite-sex couples traditionally have. Further to Olson and associates’ (2006, p. 342) study, while Americans have become less willing to restrict the civil rights of gays and lesbians, religion has been seen as a sometimes ambiguous influence on the opinions on homosexuality. Once again, these findings indicate that there have been small steps in Catholic opinions on homosexuality and same sex marriage. Conclusion Skotnicki (2013) argues that the Catholic Church plays a limited role in determining American correctional policy due to a failure at variance with significant developments in its own history (p.1). Skotnicki’s (2013) statement points to either a reform in Catholic policies in order to co-exist in the changing times, or more flexibility in its outlook on criminal justice practices. In critiquing the effect that Catholicism has had in the criminal justice system, Stotnicki (2013) further argues that while the prison system needs a clear system of why it has the right to punish- not in terms of vengeance of self-interest, but in terms of human life and human community, the Catholic Church has failed to provide significant help in addressing the crisis of punishment and reoffending. What is clear is that the Catholic Church’s landscape is changing. For instance, Curran (2010) states that the understanding of the Church (ecclesiology) is changing, the sociological relations hip of the Catholic Church to U.S. Society is changing, and the circumstances affecting social justice, along with Catholicism, are changing in the United States. With these changes, the social mission of the Church is also changing, thus allowing for more flexible practices in social justice and social tolerance. References Cook, A.E., Jelen, G.T., Wilcox, C. (1993). Catholicism and Abortion: Attitudes in the American  States: A Contextual Analysis. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 32(3), 223-230. Curran, E. C. (2010). The Social Mission of the U.S. Catholic Church: A Theological  Perspective. (Washington: Georgetown University Press). Dempsey, J, R. (2008). The Catholic Church’s teaching about Same-Sex Marriage. The Linacre  Quarterly, Volume 75. Graham, G. (1962). The Power and the Glory. (UK: Penguin Books).   M.v.H. [1999] 2. S.C.R. 3. Mainwaring, S. (1986). The Catholic Church and Politics in Brazil, 1910-1985. (CA: Stanford  University Press). Oliver, M. W. (2008 ). Catholic Perspectives on Crime and Criminal Justice. (MD: Lexington  Books). Olson, L, R., Cadge, W., Harrison, T. J. (2006). Religion and Public Opinion about same-sex  Marriage. Social Science Quarterly 87(2). Pope Francis: Who am I to judge gay people? BBC News. 29 July 2013. Retrieved 26 March  2015 from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-23489702 Skotnicki, A. (2012). The Last Judgment: Christian Ethics in a Legal Culture. (Vermont:  Ashgate Publishing Company). Skotnicki, A. (2013). The U.S. Catholic Church and Criminal Justice. New Theology Review. [1] It is arguable that the doctrine of the Rule of Law has religious underpinnings. [2] Statement taken from an interview conducted with Pope Francis. Interview Retrieved from BBC News on March 26th 2015 from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-23489702

The Combray Section of Marcel Prousts Swanns Way Essay -- Swanns Wa

The Combray Section of Marcel Proust's Swann's Way      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The "Combray" section of Marcel Proust's Swann's Way is an extended meditation on an idyllic past. The book begins, though, not with recollections of Combray, but with a description of the narrator's half-asleep state, a state of consciousness where he does not know where, or even who, he is. The expanded memories of his past, then, seem an attempt to establish a stable sense of self, a sense that continually eludes him. In this exploration, which constitutes the entirety of the "Combray" section, we find the narrator, a young man with literary aspirations, struggling to understand the characters of his childhood in a way that captures their contradictions, only to find that each person seems more like a spectrum of singular, varying selves than a single delimited identity.    When we encounter the narrator addressing the problems faced by the artist, he notes that "the ingenuity of the first novelist" lay in the realization that a simplification of characters that corresponds to the "suppression" of "'real' people" inevitably makes novels stronger, more effective in conjuring a sympathetic response from a sensitive reader. "A 'real' person," he begins, profoundly as we may sympathize with him, is in a great measure perceptible only through our senses, that is to say, he remains opaque, offers a dead weight which our sensibilities have not the strength to lift. If some misfortune comes to him, it is only in one small section of the complete idea we have of him that we are capable of feeling any emotion; indeed it is only in one small section of the complete idea he has of himself that he is capable of feeling any emotion either. (83) ... ... key to inner life. As everyone is guarded, influenced by the conditions that surround them, the social conditions, it seems that only when alone may they be truthful.    But instead of confirming this, instead of giving us insight into the "core" essence of his characters, the "truth" that all their masks conceal, Proust confounds us by making the confessions imparted in solitude as constructed as any others. In fact, perhaps the only distinguishing factor, is that in solitude, his characters are free to feel and admit guilt, something they would be reluctant to admit in public. But even in private, their lives are organized as a sort of public confession, as they struggle to maintain the illusion of a stable self.    Work Cited Proust, Marcel. Swann's Way. Trans. C. K. Scott Moncrieff and Terence Kilmartin. NY: Random House, 1981.   

Violence On Television And The V-chip :: essays research papers

Violence on Television and the V-chip Television programs that generate a great deal of concern among parent and educators are those that contain violence. The questionable violence, sex and language on television have caused the nation to find methods of censoring these problems. Due to television violence, censorship should reduce the ability for children to view violent content.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Children have an easy access to violence on television from violent programs through movie channels. The public’s concern has been reflected in congressional hearings and massive studies on the effect of TV violence, especially on children. Dr. James C. Dobson from the Focus on the Family Newsletter says: If you have any doubt about the influence MTV wishes to exert on today’s adolescents, watch their popular program Beavis and Butthead†¦They use crude words, fondle themselves, do horribly cruel things to animals, and sit around watching heavy-metal videos as bright green stuff runs from their noses†¦Beavis and Butthead took a trip to a rifle range where they accidentally shot down a plane. They had difficulty opening the door of the wrecked plane, so they left women and children to die inside. This is the fare served up to preteens and adolescents by the company that seek to shape an entire generation (Hendershot 13) In 1994 a small child burned down his trailer house, killing his baby sister. His mother responded to the accident by saying that he learned to do so by watching Beavis and Butthead. Instead of legal issues, MTV responded by moving the program to a later time. (Hendershot 14)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many reasons to be concerned about violence. Television violence is more frequent then real violence. Television violence spares the views the suffering of the victim and the disorder of the killer. By the time a child is the age of 18, they will see 115,000 violent acts on television. (Hefzallah 88) An eleven-year-old child reported, â€Å"I was scared when I saw Friday the 13th. Whenever the girl went into the water and Jason stuck a knife in her and all this blood was in the water-I got real scared.† (Abelman 28) Robert Singer voiced: Working-class children, minority children, unpopular children and children doing poorly in school seem to be the ones more susceptible to imitating the aggression that they see on television. This may be partly because they watch more hours and are exposed to more television violence†¦Television may or may not contribute to their aggressive behavior, but their aggressive nature does play a major role in what they choose to watch.

Tim O.Briens, the Things They Carried Critical Essay

Dan Gaumer Gaumer 1 Prof Montgomery English 104 10/22/12 Hard Times of Norman Bowker Have you ever found yourself carrying something heavy for a long period of time? Do you remember feeling pain, or wanting to drop the object because it was too much to bear? Tim O’brien’s novel, The Things They Carried, is about men in the middle of the Vietnam War just trying to survive. These men, like all soldiers, carried many things ranging from the physical items of war to the emotional and mental weight that comes along with the horrors of war. They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried. †(O’brien,7) I believe in this novel, O’brien gives many great and detailed examples of PTSD, even in his own life. This novel is more than just about the Vietnam War. It is about what a solider goes through on and off the battlefield. It’s about the art of a real war story. Most importantly it’s about what soldiers carried, physically, ment ally, and emotionally; during, before, and after the war.The soldiers that made it back home suffered from many mental issues, mainly Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. Many people who go through traumatic events have difficulty adjusting and coping for a while. But with time and taking care of yourself, Gaumer 2 such traumatic reactions usually get better.In some cases, though, the symptoms can get worse or last for months or even years. (Staff, Mayo Clinic,†Definition†) Thoughts of sorrow and loss overwhelm the Vietnam veterans upon their return back home. Crushed from the horror of war, they come back to even bigger disappointments and sadness. Instead of the mellow lives they lead before they left for war and the presence of warm and caring ever yday life, most of them encounter empty beds, cold family ambiance and overall loss.Already physically and emotionally defeated, they can’t seem to pick up their lives where they left off. Even in instances of supportive partners, the inevitable horrors of the war haunt them in sleep or come back to them in daydreaming. They all came back with multiple disorders, PTSD with the common symptoms. â€Å"The war was over and there was no place in particular to go† (131). Various examples of this disorder are found in a few chapters such as â€Å"Speaking of Courage† and â€Å"The Man I Killed. † For Vietnam veterans, nothing could replenish the zest for life they had before the war.According to O'Brien's text, upon their arrival home the veterans imagine, even hallucinate, what things would have been like if they had not suffered through the war. Examples of such occurrences exist in the stories â€Å"Speaking of Courage† and â€Å"The Man I Killed. â €  Norman Bowker in â€Å"Speaking of Courage† daydreams of talking to his ex-girlfriend, now married to another guy, and of his dead childhood friend, Max Arnold. He lives out over and over his unfulfilled dream of having his Sally beside him and of having manly conversations with Max.He cannot stop day dreaming and dwelling in the past. Gaumer 3 Unemployed and overwhelmed by inferiority and disappointment, Bowker lacks a motivating force for life. Emotionally stricken, he only finds satisfaction in driving slowly and repeatedly in circles around his old neighborhood in his father's big Chevy, â€Å"feeling safe,† and remembering how things used to be when there wasn’t a war. These recurring events also spring memories of the beautiful lake where Norman used to spend a lot of time with his now married ex-girlfriend Sally Kramer and his high school friends.The lake invokes nostalgic and sentimental memories both of his girlfriend and his long gone – dr owned – best friend, Max Arnold. However, now for Norman the past seems an idea, or like Max would say, that everything exists as a â€Å"possible†¦ idea, even necessary as an idea, a final cause in the whole structure of causation† (133). Thus, his ex girlfriend, his friends, the lake, the gatherings, his father and all the rest exist as ideas in Norman's head now that all of his past exists only as flickering thoughts in a big jumbled chaos in his head.All of this has symptoms of PDST all over it. He only possesses the solitary capability of bragging about the medals he won or he should have won. Even that does not bring him comfort since he imagines talking to Sally: † ‘How's it being married? ‘ he might ask, and he'd nod at whatever she answered with, and he would not say a word about how he'd almost won the Silver Star for valor† (134). Nothing fulfills Norman Bowker anymore. Instead, a terrible confusion has taken over his mind in the form of blur and chaos. He desperately needs someone to talk to: â€Å"If Sally had not beenGaumer 4 married, or if his father were not such a baseball fan, it would have been a good time to talk† (134). Unfortunately, he keeps questioning and answering himself in order to justify and compensate the loss and to make some sort of sense out of the entire situation. He loans to impress Sally with some dumb tricks of telling the exact time without even looking at a watch, just as much as he wishes for a father-son conversation. So that he can make his father proud, if nothing else, that his son won seven medals during the war.He does not have anybody to comfort him in moments of self-blame, for example when he cannot forgive himself for not winning the Silver Star because he â€Å"couldn't take the goddamn awful smell† (136). He evokes the â€Å"shit experience† from his war days. He goes on to comfort himself, by pretending what considerate thoughts his father mig ht have: â€Å"If you don't want to say anymore -,† to which immediately Norman answers himself: â€Å"I do want to†(136). He tries to maintain calm and balance-minded while thinking of being camped in the shit field.He cannot stop thinking of the cruel war incidents that he witnessed, and therefore, he cannot forget the death of his friend Kiowa, who died in an explosion in the shit field: â€Å"There was a knee. There was an arm†¦ There were bubbles where Kiowa's head should've been†¦ He was folded in with the war; he was part of the waste† (142,143, 147). Not only can Norman not stop thinking about the cruelties, but he also cannot forgive himself for letting go of Kiowa because he blames himself for not being able to save his Gaumer 5 friend's life, of which as a consequence Norman did not win the Silver Star.It seems like Norman carries the shit experience with him for life. Other characteristics of PTSD in this story are Norman's inhibited social skills. Instead of placing a fast-food order through the drive-through intercom he honks at the waitress and once he gets his order, he does not move away until after he eats his hamburger and then presses the intercom again to inform the waiters that he finished his hamburger. From this novel I’ve come to figure out the realism of the true things soldiers carry during and after the war.There is the weight of the physical items, than there are the weight of the mental issues that come along with fighting in war. Issues like PTSD, which the story of Norman Bowker gives various good examples of. And the proving the very real pain that goes along with it by him eventually committing suicide. In my opinion, in this novel, O’brien gives many examples of PTSD, even in his own life. The results of the trauma suffered in the war together with the emotional baggage: grief, terror, love, and longing, proves how PTSD can affect a soldier.