Benefits of a Liberal Arts Degree Essay

The student who decides to pursue a liberal arts education in University often faces a discouraging reaction from family and friends. Everyone seems to know a B. A. in Philosophy who is flipping burgers at Wendy’s, or an M. A. in English who is clerking at Wal-Mart. Students who choose liberal arts hear the same remarks over and over: â€Å"What good is a degree in Medieval History, or Chinese literature, or Classics? Study something practical and get a real job! † In fact, however, no degree provides an automatic job ticket, since the market for employment is constantly in flux. The liberal arts offer education, not training, and thus prepare students for a wide range of possibilities in both work and life. By developing their minds through a liberal arts education, students benefit themselves, their eventual careers, and the culture at large . For anyone interested in personal and intellectual growth, the liberal arts offer immeasurable benefits. Studies in such fields as English and Philosophy introduce a student to the great writers and thinkers whose ideas have shaped our culture. By working through the dialogues of Plato, students see logic in action; by studying the plays of Shakespeare, the poetry of Wordsworth, or the novels of Dickens, they realize the power of language. Without knowledge of the great writers and thinkers of the past, people operate in a vacuum, unable to see beyond their immediate world. How can they gauge the validity of ideas if they know nothing except the present moment? In a media-driven culture of instant celebrity, students need to experience truths that have endured over hundreds and even thousands of years. These truths expand their thinking beyond their immediate limitations, and they discover new insights into their own minds. The benefits of a liberal arts education, however, go beyond personal growth into longer-term career skills. Every liberal arts course from Art History to Women’s Studies requires proficiency in reading and writing. Graduates with Arts degrees find their communication skills in demand by employers seeking people who can read, write, and speak well. As Francis Bacon observed nearly 400 years ago, â€Å"Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man, and writing an exact man†(106). No courses develop these skills more fully than do those in the liberal arts. In addition, the liberal arts foster analytical thought: the ability to break an argument into its parts and assess its validity. Clear analysis is fundamental to the practical worlds of trade  and commerce. Finally, the liberal arts encourage originality, as students learn to think in creative ways. The student who gives an inventive presentation or develops a fresh perception will enhance the workplace with that creativity. It’s no surprise that law schools actively seek liberal arts graduates for its programs, or that jobs in the civil service, human resources, and upper management are typically staffed by people with Arts degrees. The only surprise is that anyone still scoffs at the notion that a general B. A. is a useful degree. As significant as its impact may be on personal and career growth, the real value of a liberal arts education is found in its benefits to the culture as a whole. The liberal arts retain and transmit the history of civilization itself. Without a commitment to preserving that history, our culture runs the risk of forgetting or distorting its past. Liberal arts students serve as guardians of intellectual thought for the next generation. Writers, journalists, film-makers, and politicians – the people shaping the thoughts and actions of the future – are drawn from the ranks of liberal arts majors. For example, the creator of the Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling, has an undergraduate degree in Classics, and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff earned degrees in History. Moreover, the liberal arts tend to be interdisciplinary in nature. Knowledge in one area illuminates another, so that instead of creating a society of narrow specialists, liberal arts studies actually encourage a culture of educated, open-minded people. Such individuals have both the capacity and the training to address practical problems in society. Leading reformers of the 20th century, including Nelson Mandela (â€Å"Nelson†) and Martin Luther King, Jr. (â€Å"Martin†), profited from their liberal arts studies. A degree in the liberal arts is not a dead-end route that culminates in a lifetime of serving fries or stocking shelves. Rather, it is a doorway that opens to paths heading in every direction. Students who expand their minds through liberal arts benefit themselves, their future career choices, and the wider culture.

Within the maximum of 500 words, prove that there is a moral lesson implied in the novel “The picture of Dorian Gray”

Oscar Wilde is one of the greatest literary showmen of the English nineteenth century. Of all his works, his only novel â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is considered his masterpiece. In this novel, a moral lesson can be implied: Corruption will lead to destruction, obsession and torture. A moral lesson is experience that one can learn from a story and this lesson follows the standards of behavior considered acceptable and right by most people. A moral lesson implied when people suggest that something be true without actually saying it or suggests something as a necessary result. In this novel, the moral lesson is not directly delivered to the readers. It could only be found when people analyze what happens to the main character- Dorian Gray, what cause leads to what effect. At first, Dorian Gray appears to be something ideal and beautiful: young, handsome, innocent, simple and sensitive. He becomes the embodiment of Lord Henry’s ideas of the aesthetic life. Dorian soon leaves Basil’s studio for Lord Henry’s parlor, where he adopts the tenets of â€Å"the new Hedonism† and resolves to live his life as pleasure- seeker with no regard for conventional morality. He devotes himself to love in the beginning. Then he go from lover to lover, male and female and he pursues pleasure dispassionately. After that, he kills Basil, unable to accept the kind of love Basil is showing him. Dorian does not have a developed moral sense which would recognize a moral imperative- the idea that something is wrong no matter whether one ever has to pay to any consequences for them. He only regards acts as wrong when he can see their effects on the countenance of the figure in the portrait. He seems to separate the body and brain: â€Å"The body sins†¦ regret†. If body’s sin is natural, the soul should be responsible for physical action. Where sin has been committed, everything will be over and selfish is irresponsible thinking. At the end of the novel, Dorian is punished by his conscience, his innate and inner judge. He is torture badly for a long period leading to a tragic death. It is not the only thing he has to pay for his sins. The corruption from others leads to his destruction, bsession and torture. In the end, Dorian seems to be punished by his ability to be influenced: if the new social order celebrates individualism, as Lord Henry claims, Dorian falters because he fails to establish and live by his own moral code. In our life, we need to be alert in front of the seductions that are popular nowadays: hedonism and immoral pleasures. If not, we may be affected badly by the materialism leading to regrettable consequences.

Swot Analysis to Six Sigma

In 1981 Motorola launched an initiative calling for a 5-year, 10X improvement in quality. In 1987 Motorola initiated its â€Å"Six Sigma Quality† initiative, with the goal of no more than 3. 4 defective parts per million (ppm) across the company. A 4-year 100X quality improvement goal was set. In 1988, Motorola won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Motorola then shared its â€Å"Six Sigma† approach with other companies. In 1989, Motorola Chairman, Bob Galvin asked Mikel Harry to head the Six Sigma Research Institute, an organization that received funding from a number of Fortune 500 companies . In 1993 Mikel Harry left Motorola and went to Asea Brown Boveria Ltd. (ABB). Here, the strategy changed from â€Å"Quality First† to â€Å"Business First. † AlliedSignal implemented Six Sigma in 1994 and claimed savings of $1. 2 billion by 1998. Bossidy, CEO of AlliedSignal, convinced General Electric’s Jack Welch to try Six Sigma. The huge savings due to using Six Sigma were claimed in the GE Annual Report, Letter to Our Shareholders, February 12, 1999. With successes like these and strong business leaders like Jack Welsh and Bossidy, the demand for Six Sigma has exploded. Many Fortune 500 companies have begun Six Sigma initiatives and others have asked if Six Sigma is right for them. Numerous consulting firms have jumped on the bandwagon, including ASQ, and numerous articles and books have appeared on the subject. Many product and service advertisements are now mentioning Six Sigma. The term Six Sigma defines an optimum measurement of quality: 3. 4 defects per million events. The Greek letter SIGMA is a mathematical term that simply represents a measure of variation, the distribution or spread around the mean or average of any process or procedure in manufacturing, engineering, services or transactions. The sigma value, or standard deviation, indicates how well any process is performing. The higher the value, the fewer defects per million opportunities. One of Motorola's most significant contributions was to change the discussion of quality from one where quality levels were measured in percentages (parts per hundred) to a discussion of parts per million or even parts per billion. Motorola correctly pointed out that modern technology was so complex that old ideas about acceptable quality levels were no longer acceptable. One puzzling aspect of the â€Å"official† Six Sigma literature is that it states that a process operating at Six Sigma levels will produce 3. 4 parts-per-million nonconformances. However, if a normal distribution table is consulted (very few go out to six sigma), one finds that the expected nonconformances are 0. 002 parts per million (two parts per billion). The difference occurs because Motorola presumes that the process mean can drift 1. 5 sigma in either direction. The area of a normal distribution beyond 4. 5 sigma from the mean is indeed 3. 4 parts per million. Because control charts will easily detect any process shift of this magnitude in a single sample, the 3. 4 parts per million represents a very conservative upper bound on the nonconformance rate. Notes 1: the quality evolution of motorola 1979 â€Å"our quality sucks† 981 Motorola university, quality goal 10x reduction in 5 years 1985 Initiate corporate quality metrix 1987 Six Sigma program: 10x reduction in 2 years 1989 Received Malcolm Baldridge Award 1992 10x reduction in cycle time: customer satisfaction metrix 1996 order fulfillment quality 1997 Five Nines with an eyes on the customer Notes 2: six sigma history 1987 Motorola adopts six sigma 1991 Allied Signal adopts six sigma (Larry Bossidy) 1995 GE adopts six sigma (Jack Welch) 1997 Six sigma adopted in GE capit al (service industry)

Financial Report of the Fashion Company Hermes Case Study

Financial Report of the Fashion Company Hermes - Case Study Example The paper "Financial Report of the Fashion Company Hermes" is a report of finance situation of the fashion company called Hermes. A small number of attainment in wristwatch manufacture and fleece merchandise, as sound as in the additional unidentified fields of furnishings, upholstery fabrics and wallpaper complemented. Our existing mà ©tiers, enabling us to tender our clientele a increasingly better alternative of exceptional objects. The responsibility of the managerial Chairmen is to administer the collection and proceed in its all-purpose interest, within the range of the commercial principle and focus to those powers specifically approved by decree to the decision-making Board and to General Meetings of shareholders. Hermà ¨s International’s executive administration is comprised of the administrative Chairmen and the administrative group, which consists of six administration Directors, every of whom has distinct areas of accountability. Its task is to administer the Gro up’s deliberate executive. The Supervisory Board movements current organize over friendship management. For this reason, it has the similar authority as the legal Auditors. The administrative Board determines the planned pay appropriation for the financial year to be submitted to the Annual General Meeting. Among the goods include; Leather Goods-Saddlery: Leather goods and saddler are Hermes founding mà ©tier and account for 47% of sales. Its goods include bags, clutch bags, briefcases, luggage, diaries, writing accessories., small leather accessories, saddles and other equestrian items. Ready to wear and fashion accessories; This group includes; Women’s Ready to wear; tiring a gaucho bonnet and with a button in give, the proviso was decent in tooled or full-grain leathers set sour by a shagreen sheen, by means of entwined jackets in squashy lambskin plus crocodile bronzed to clearness, the final achievement. Tall, slim silhouettes in jodhpur jumpsuits, Amazon skirts, bloomer shorts in strand gabardine or draped dresses in iris and bright green viscose jersey were mutual with harness-bit belts, Etriviere trinkets and Jumping boots in a jiggle to the equestrian globe. Attributing a mark to this innovative vote, clean lines exposed the exactitude of volumes and the exquisiteness of resources. Maxi-hoods, lambskin leggings or jog bottoms in knit cashmere were damaged by athletic women or regular traveler. MEN’S READY-TO-WEAR The materials were work in innovative ways by means of ground-breaking technique that lent them strange weightlessness and gentleness. â€Å"Phantom-seam† calfskin, an terrific instance of trompe l’?il, necessary tremendously precise hot stamping. in the meantime, Etriviere lambskin acquire a screen-printed lining featuring the Pegase d’Hermesmotif, addition the sum total of modification to its very manly outlook. Creating â€Å"suffer exhaustion strand† knit necessary a highly complicated man ufacture progression and more than a few. ACCESSORIES The Accessories Department covers enamel and leather ,

Answer all of them i short paragraph ( around 20 sentences) Essay

Answer all of them i short paragraph ( around 20 sentences) - Essay Example Procrastination is also there when one wants everything perfect and distractions to perform certain tasks also cause procrastination. For overcoming procrastination, one should acknowledge about the presence of a problem. Another way of overcoming the issue of procrastination is by following the Nike’s slogan, â€Å"Just do it†. The work should be started without worrying about how, when, where or etc. The issue of procrastination can be overcome by setting the preferences and following realistic goals. Guided imagery can be effective theoretically on a neurological level because through nerve cells, the message is chemically sent to various parts of the body, so the feelings, emotions and images sent chemically can bring about physiological changes in the body by guided imagery. According to the cognitive theory, change in negative thought patterns or interpretation of happenings slows down the nervous system provocation and reduces the stress feelings making guided imagery effective. Then, there is a theoretical perspective about cognitive distraction according to which, as a result of brain’s filtering of signals, there are competitive stimuli due to which, attention is diverted towards guided imagery making it effective. Burnout can be defined as a condition when a person undergoes subtle and continuous stress resulting in depletion of energy and motivation to do any action. There are three recognizable features of burnout, which are ‘exhaustion’, ‘pessimism and cynicism’, and ‘feelings of failure’. Exhaustion can be described as ending of all energy and sleep resulting in inaction and one’s consideration why should one do anything. Pessimism and cynicism can be explained as having a lot of negativities with everything accompanied with lack of energy and motivation resulting in frustration and depression. Feelings of failure can be understood as having no

International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International business - Essay Example Combustible energy sources like coal, oil and wood emit environmental pollutants and contaminants. Only those sources that offer minimal contamination to the environment are deemed acceptable if they are to be sustainable. The sun is the cleanest source of energy with its free-of-charge irradiation and easy access all over the world. The sun’s irradiation can be converted to usable energy via hybrid conversion, simultaneously, into electrical and thermal energy (Afgan, 2008: p240). This involves the use of hybrid collectors that differ from thermal collectors due to the construction of their absorber, with solar cells, water flow tubes, and a metal system. The collectors can be used in hospitals, private companies and small industries. Compared to ordinary solar panels, the hybrid collector ensures better usage of space, savings during construction and the simultaneous conversion of solar energy into electric and thermal, current using one device. They are contemporary and eco logically clean. Sustainable development can be defined as the as the integral cultural, social, technological, and economic development that is adjusted to the requirements of environmental protection, thus enabling present and future generations to satisfy their needs and improve their quality of life (Afgan, 2008: p242). The underlying principle of sustainable development is the creation of an effectual system of distribution and application of resources over the long-term. Sustainable development focuses on the rational use of the earth’s natural treasures, with the concept oriented towards life upgrading and improvement of environmental quality. In order to accomplish sustainable development, there is a need to provide sustainable energy. This means that future development needs to be based on the lowering and strict control of environmental emissions and the use of renewable and clean energy (Afgan, 2008: p243). The cleanest source of energy that can aid in the achievem ent of this goal is solar energy. For five billion years, the sun has been sustaining and enabling life on earth. The sun’s rays have provided energy for growth, as well as development, of plants via the process of photosynthesis. Now, it is time for the sun to power our industries and drive development around the world as a sustainable energy source. Key Words; Solar energy, solar collectors, sustainable development 1. SUSTAINABILITY Solar energy is one of the main sources of clean and sustainable fuels. The main source of power or the fuel is suns rays that falls on the earth. Solar collector that is used to generate power using suns rays is essentially a sustainable system. The main reason as to why this is called sustainable is that the energy source continues to provide limitless energy. Unlike finite sources of power such as oil or coal, there is no depletion of power. While creating energy, carbon is mot emitted in significant quantity. It is true that some amount of c arbon is released and conventional power consumed while making the solar panels and solar cells and while manufacturing components such as solar collectors, inverters, batteries, electrical lines and cables and other such components. However, these are one-time costs only. The process of power generation and consumption remains sustainable and perennial. It meets the definition of sustainability where the needs of the present are met and the needs of the future generations are not compromised. There is almost zero impact on the environment due

Advertisement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Advertisement - Essay Example In this paper, the effects and purposes of an advertisement will be analyzed. The analyzation will be based on a fragrance advertisement from the international fragrance and designer clothing producer, Calvin Klein. In this advertisement there are various themes which have been put into consideration and have been considerably used to put forward the message intended by the seller to the probable buyers. Some of these themes include love and romance, relationships, and beauty or overall physical appearance. The purpose of these themes is to pinpoint and draw in an audience, one that is interested in the thing being advertised. The advertisement is meant for a new product in the market from the Calvin Klein chain of companies. The product in this case is a fragrance which is meant to be advertised in a magazine based on fashion, one that both sexes would read, such as Osmoz.. In this advertisement, the target audience is both sexes. According to the photographs on the advert, we can clearly see that both these people are young, so the advertisement is meant for the young generation.

Destination Report & Presentation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Destination Report & Presentation - Assignment Example The paper intends to make a comparison between two popular tourist destinations of the country and finally make a few important recommendations for the policy maker associated with the tourism industry of the nation. Overview The world of the 21st century is moving at a fast pace. The fast pace of advancement of the modern day world is happening more on the lines of rapid change and tremendous development. It is of high importance to mention that the evolution of the telecommunication technology along with the process of emergence of high speed internet and various kinds of technology enabled gadgets has resulted in the process of playing a tremendous amount of influence in the lives of the masses around the world. It needs to be mentioned that because of the lines of emergence of high speed internet connectivity, the network of communication channels has improved in a drastic manner all over the world. Because of this technology powered transformation of the world around us, there h as always been a steady evolution of various kinds of trends associated with the factor of globalization. The trends of globalization, is resulting in the process of evolution of various kinds of new types of consumer demands. These new consumer demands are increasingly paving the way for a significant amount of business opportunity. Because of the rise of business opportunities, many firms located in different global markets are increasingly entering new markets. This is automatically triggering an increase in competition in the market. For the purpose of sustaining themselves, while retaining their competitive edge, the companies are increasing the pressure of performance on the employees. As a result of increasing stress in the workplaces, the people around the world are increasingly looking forward to relax by taking some highly enjoying vacations. The focus of this project is to compare and contrast two different tourism locations of Canada while judging them on the basis of fa ctors like tourism planning environments, destination components as well as relative position in regards to tourism destination cycle. The two popular tourist destinations that have been chosen in this case are Harbourfront Centre as well as Banff National Park of Canada. Comparison of Harbourfront Centre and Banff National Park Harbourfront Centre Brief Overview The Harbour Front Centre is a neighbourhood located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, within the premises of city of Toronto of Canada. The history of the region highlights that the harbour of Toronto has been using since the days of founding of Toronto for industrial as well as shipping purposes. However, the Harbourfront Centre was formed on the first day of the year 1991 as a non profit organization dedicated towards charity. It has a mandate to organize as well as present public events over a regional spread of around 94 acres. As of the current times, the Harbourfront Centre was transformed into a popular all year ro und tourist destination. The offering of the tourist site comprises of a sizzling blend of culture, arts, recreation along with indoor cafe and outdoor patio. Various events of

Chapter 21 Question 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chapter 21 Question 3 - Essay Example Because of this reason the cost of capital starts first to decline to a point where it achieved an optimal mix of debt and equity. If a firm uses too much debt financing, its overall risk profile start to increase. With more debt, the cash flows of the firm started to get strained because of the high proportion of them going for debt servicing. This reduces the free cash flow available to the firm which is one of the essential indicators of the value. It is because of this reason that the required rate of return on equity capital of the firm starts to rise thus increasing the overall cost of capital of the firm. It is also important to note that with more financing availed; shareholders tend to view the company with more skepticism as high amounts of debts indicate high risk because it may be perceived that the company’s operations may not have the capability to generate cash. Due to this perception, investors, who may be willing to invest into stock of the firm, start demanding high rate of return on equity capital. This, therefore, increases the total cost of

How Do We Know Something Is True in the Arts and Science Essay Example for Free

How Do We Know Something Is True in the Arts and Science Essay Hey Jamie! I’ve been wondering for a while now how you can really know if something in art or natural sciences is true.? I mean when you look at a piece of art or let’s say the way atoms connect with each other, or how the gravity works, how do you know it’s all true? Obviously there are laws that are connected with these things, however how can you be sure if what the law states is true? Jamie:You’re pretty much right about that, but I think it’s not about the truth for now – first there should be some kind of idea or a belief, before it can be confirmed, right? I mean, for instance Newton came up with the idea of gravity when an apple fell on his head, remember? It made him think about it more and more until the conception of some kind of force that affects everything on Earth popped into his mind, but I don’t think art works the same way†¦ Molly:Right†¦ Art’s totally different thing. Natural science have some rules they work with, even though there probably are some we still don’t know about, however we can notice something that happens the certain way. The rules are true. Well – people, or rather scientists claim so, but they are based on long-term observation and other research, right? Jamie:Right! If someone is absolutely certain that something is true, is it because this is the way he sees it or seeing it equals believing it is true? Molly:Well†¦ That’s a good question. I’ve heard that there are some ways to know that something is true – like I’ve mentioned before, observation, or rather a sense of perception, is one of them, but there is also reason and language that suggests people which is the objective, factual or relative truth. It’s more connected with natural sciences, however when it comes to art the way one can tell something is true is slightly different. Jamie:How so? I mean†¦ I don’t get what your point is. Molly:Look, if you have a piece of art, let’s say a picture of a battle, okay? The one who painted it, probably had some kind of knowledge about the battle he was drawing, right? Jamie:I think so†¦ Molly:So, let’s say, there is a person the picture revolves around, some kind of great figure, a king or other known man. The author of the painting wanted to show ordinary people the greatness of the person he pictured in the centre of his work. And there is a big chance that the person who’ll look at this exact piece of art, will think ‘Oh, that man was so great. ’, but how can he or she know it is true that he was as ‘great’ as the author portrayed him? Then, we could take a work of another author, the same battle, and there will be no person who will attract your attention at first, just the way the battle looked like, dead people, blood on the ground and other realistic fragments. If I was the one comparing these two pictures, I’d get a feeling that the first artist suggested the greatness of the man he portrayed because he was paid or had to do so, while the second one would be more true to me, because it would probably show the facts at some point. Jamie:Oh I see what you mean now! Hmm†¦ I have a feeling that in the end art and natural science are somehow connected when it comes to knowing the truth! Molly:†¦ Okay, now you got me confused. How can they be connected? Explain? Jamie:Oh look! If you take our chemistry book, you’ll find there all kinds of described experiments, right? However it is rare to find the outcomes of these experiments in the book. Molly:Yeah†¦? Jamie:And when you listen to your chemistry teacher, and he’ll tell you before you do the experiment that the product of the reaction should smell the certain way, as let’s say†¦ Hydro-sulfuric acid smells like rotten eggs. After finishing your research and experiment you would probably note that the smell of the acid was of rotten eggs, because this is what has been suggested by your teacher, right? Molly:Oh, now I see how it’s connected to art. Some kind of statement can be suggested to you and you are very likely to believe it, however, then you could find some other research that declines what your teacher claimed or that the guy portrayed in the picture was great. Jamie:Yes! Exactly! But then there arises a new question. Molly:Huh? What question? Jamie:Can we be sure of what people claim to be true to be actually true? Molly:Right†¦ In the end I think we are should stick to the rules that have been stated in the past, because they seem to be true, however after you said that†¦ I’m starting to doubt everything I know! Jamie:Sorry for that! Didn’t want to make you confused! Molly:No, it was actually pretty interesting! Jamie:Yup! But I think we can never be in 100% sure of what is true when it comes to art and natural science. Molly:Yeah, totally agree with you on this one.

Marian Halcombe Between Genders And Gender Roles

Marian Halcombe Between Genders And Gender Roles According to Lyn Pykett most of Collinss novels explored the way in which gender roles were constructed, and, at the same time, explored various pressures for and anxieties about changes in gender roles in the mid-nineteenth century (2005: 128) and offered a critique of the class and gender hierarchies of Victorian society (2005: 223). The Woman in White is one of those novels to which Pykett referred to and Collins uses his unconventional heroine Marian Halcombe to serve his purposes. In this chapter I want to show that Marians unconventionality resides in the way she looks and behaves and that this allows Collins to challenge gender roles and that she is used to blur gender boundaries. The novel begins with Walter Hartrights words This is the story of what a Womans patience can endure, and what a Mans resolution can achieve. (Collins 1) After a first reading of the novel these words will prove he is an unreliable narrator at least, if not a man who consciously wants to mislead the readers into thinking that a woman is only passive and must endure and that only a man is strong and capable of great deeds, when this is not always the case, especially in this novel. I say this because throughout the novel there are male characters that must have patience and endure and female characters that are resolute and active. For instance, Sir Percival must have patience if he wants to get in possession of his wifes money and Count Fosco constantly reminds him of that patience, Percival -patience. Youre always talking of patience' (Collins 285). Marian Halcombe, although a woman, has resolution Miss Halcombe cut the knot of the little embarrassment forthwith, in her resolute, d ownright way (Collins 42) and throughout the novel her resolution will recommend her as a powerful woman as I will show later on in this chapter. His words can be interpreted as reflecting the Victorian ideology of the separate gender roles for women and men. However, I argue that these words are not fully illustrative for the content of the novel and for its characters because of Marian Halcombe and what she represents in the economy of the novel. What she does shows that a woman is not always patient and enduring but can be also resolute. Marian Halcome whose far more interesting character represents the only significant variation on business-as-usual in the novels gynaeceum (Miller 176) is portrayed from the beginning of the novel as being between the genders in the sense that her physical description shows she is both masculine and feminine (Pykett 2005:126). From her description it can be seen that at this point in the narrative that her femininity resides in the beauty of her body and her masculinity in the traits of her face. Walter Hartright describes her and his contradictory reactions thus Her figure was tall, yet not too tall; comely and well-developed, yet not fat; her head set on her shoulders with an easy, pliant firmness; her waist, perfection in the eyes of a man (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) The ladys complexion was almost swarthy, and the dark down on her upper lip was almost a moustache She had a large, firm, masculine mouth and jaw; prominent, piercing, resolute brown eyes; and thick, coal-black hair, growing unusually low down on her forehead (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦)To see such a face as this set on shoulders that a sculptor would have longed to modelto be charmed by the modest graces of action through which the symmetrical limbs betrayed their beauty when they moved, and then to be almost repelled by the masculine form and masculine look of the features in which the perfectly shaped figure endedwas to feel a sensation oddly akin to the helpless discomfort familiar to us all in sleep, when we recognise yet cannot reconcile the anomalies and contradictions of a dream. (Collins 24-25) As Sophia Andres well remarks Walters conventional expectation of femininity is unsettled by the disjunction of femininity with masculinity (371) when he first sees Marian and his reaction could have been the reaction of any other Victorian that had fixed conceptions about the way a woman had to look like but I argue that Collins mocked in a way the gendered expectations of Victorians when he created Marian and showed that women are not all the same and that masculinity can characterize a woman too and not only a man. Her sister Laura makes an indirect remark about her masculine face when she returns from her honeymoon and exclaims that she missed her own dear, dark, clever, gipsy-face (Collins 188). Talking about Marians description Valerie Pedlar notes that Walter finds himself face to face with a lady who is not at all easy to categorize and who falls outside conventional literary or social models (76) My opinion is that it is precisely because she cannot be categorized by the con ventional society of the age that she can be seen as expressing Collinss contempt for the Victorian gender norms and gender definitions. Apart from her masculine face she has other masculine physical traits of which she is aware My hands always were, and always will be, as awkward as a mans (Collins 204) because they are big. Another remark that she makes about herself and that implies she is aware of her masculinity is that made when she tries to stop herself from crying because she says My tears do not flow so easily as they ought they come almost like mens tears, with sobs that seem to tear me in pieces, and that frighten every one about me (Collins 144). When she makes choices about her personal items she intentionally highlights her masculine side because from Laura we learn that she has a horrid heavy mans umbrella with which she always would walk out with when it rained (Collins 188).Her personal choices like that of having a mans umbrella instead of a smaller womans umbrella show that she disregard the etiquette of the time and this furthermore implies that her wishes are more important for her than what other s think is right for a woman to do. One would think that a discussion about the fact that she has a heavy mans umbrella is not very illustrative for the subject of this chapter but the fact that it is heavy shows that Marian has physical strength and since women in that period were considered fragile mentally, morally and physically and she is a woman, again points to one conclusion: Victorian gender expectations are flouted. According to Carolyn Oulton her masculinity is initially signaled in the references to physical traits such as facial hair (84) but throughout the novel instances when she is seen as masculine and treated like if she were a man and when she behaves in a masculine way occur. Masculinity is associated with physical and mental strength and Marian possesses these qualities that lastly make those who know her realize she is unique. One of these persons is Eliza Michelson who said to Laura when she realized that Marian had disappeared from Blackwater Park despite the fact she was ill Remember, my lady, what surprising energy there is in Miss Halcombeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ She might well make an effort which other ladies in her situation would be unfit for (Collins 344). She is an extraordinary woman and without doubt people notice that. Count Fosco is surely the one person who most sees how different she is from other women and admires her despite all her masculine traits. He says to Percival when they talk about how to get in possession of Lauras money She is sharp enough to suspect something, and bold enough to come downstairs and listen, if she can get the chance. (Collins 285) Can you look at Miss Halcombe and not see that she has the foresight and the resolution of a man? With that woman for my friend I would snap these fingers of mine at the world. With that woman for my enemy, I, with all my brains and experienceI, Fosco, cunning as the devil himself, as you have told me a hundred timesI walk, in your English phrase, upon egg-shells! And this grand creatureI drink her health in my sugar-and-waterthis grand creature, who stands in the strength of her love and her courage, firm as a rock, between us two and that poor, flimsy, pretty blonde wife of yoursthis magnificent woman, whom I admire with all my soul, though I oppose her in your interests and in mine, you drive to extremities as if she was no sharper and no bolder than the rest of her sex. (Collins 291) He acknowledges her as a powerful enemy because she is resolute, courageous and intelligent as a man but he is also capable of seeing her as a feminine woman and this furthermore makes him admire her. After reading her diary he states Admirable woman! I allude to Miss Halcombe. Stupendous effort! I refer to the Diary. Yes! These pages are amazing. The tact which I find here, the discretion, the rare courage, the wonderful power of memory, the accurate observation of character, the easy grace of style, the charming outbursts of womanly feeling, have all inexpressibly increased my admiration of this sublime creature, of this magnificent Marian (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Under happier circumstances how worthy I should have been of Miss Halcombehow worthy Miss Halcombe would have been of ME. The sentiments which animate my heart assure me that the lines I have just written express a Profound Truth. (Collins 302-303) He not only praises her for all that she is and does but he also seems to declare his love for her. He considers himself powerful, courageous as I am by nature (Collins 545) and intelligent and she being an unparalleled woman as he himself observed, could have been the perfect match for him precisely because of her strong nature. They are very much alike. She is the first and last weakness of Foscos life (Collins 556). What Collins seems to suggest through Count Foscos voice who does not blame Marian for not being as feminine as women have to be but on the contrary is that such atypical Victorian women as her should be acknowledged in their society although they undermine mens domination. Not only Count Fosco realizes that she has things in common with men and admires her. Walter Hartright says about her She caught me by both handsshe pressed them with the strong, steady grasp of a man à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ She stopped, drew me nearer to herthe fearless, noble creature (Collins 107). The same Count Fosco who talked about Marian in such admiring terms had talked previously in terms that express the mentality of the time about ways in which men can rule women and about resolution that is characteristic of men and that women cannot possess. After reading what he later on says about Marian and after all the instances when she uses her resolution it is clear that Marian does not fail in resolution and that again conventional ideas of the time do not fully apply in her case. Human ingenuity, my friend, has hitherto only discovered two ways in which a man can manage a woman. One way is to knock her downa method largely adopted by the brutal lower orders of the people, but utterly abhorrent to the refined and educated classes above them. The other way (much longer, much more difficult, but in the end not less certain) is never to accept a provocation at a womans hands. It holds with animals, it holds with children, and it holds with women, who are nothing but children grown up. Quiet resolution is the one quality the animals, the children, and the women all fail in. If they can once shake this superior quality in their master, they get the better of HIM. If they can never succeed in disturbing it, he gets the better of THEM (Collins 291) Although Marian has manly impulses like that of hitting Sir Percival I started to my feet as suddenly as if he had struck me. If I had been a man, I would have knocked him down on the threshold of his own door, and have left his house, never on any earthly consideration to enter it again. But I was only a womanand I loved his wife so dearly! (Collins 218) and Count Fosco, My hands tingled to strike him, as if I had been a man! (Collins 495) she refrains herself because she knows that a violent act would do her no good as she is in neither cases in the position of gaining anything from hitting them. Often, her transgressions of gender roles are made with the purpose of protecting her sister and in the first case if she strikes Sir Percival she risks being thrown out from his house leaving her sister unprotected from his villainies and in the second case the situation is the same, she risks leaving her sister unprotected and alone as Walter is not in the city to stay with her. With all her transgressions her options as a woman are limited and being a man would have certainly opened up more possibilities for her. When she arrives at Blackwater Park she waits impatiently for her sisters arrival from her honeymoon and she affirms If I only had the privileges of a man, I would order out Sir Percivals best horse instantly, and tear away on a night-gallop, eastward, to meet the rising sun () Being, however, nothing but a woman, condemned to patience, propriety, and petticoats for life, I must respect the house- keepers opinions, and try to compose myself in some feeble and feminine way. (Collins 174) The last sentence describes the condition of middle-class women in Victorian England, condemned to a domestic existence but these are not necessarily her own words expressing her beliefs and opinions because she says that she must respect the housekeepers opinions and the fact that she mentions this thing makes me interpret what she says as being the ironical rendering of the housekeepers words. Marian is glad when some people around her, for example Count Fosco, see her masculine side and treat her differently than they would treat a conventional Victorian woman He flatters my vanity by talking to me as seriously and sensibly as if I was a man (Collins 197). Not all who meet her treat her like Count Fosco and there is an amusing moment with a school teacher that thinks she is as traditional Victorian woman, therefore weak and who tries to protect her from a shock. Instead of being grateful she is ironical and the answer to his attitude shows that she is not satisfied when people treat her as a weak woman I beg your pardon, Miss Halcombe, interposed the school-master a little uneasilybut I think you had better not question the boy. The obstinate folly of his story is beyond all belief; and you might lead him into ignorantly- Ignorantly what? inquired Miss Halcombe sharply. Ignorantly shocking your feelings, said Mr. Dempster, looking very much discomposed. Upon my word, Mr. Dempster, you pay my feelings a great compliment in thinking them weak enough to be shocked by such an urchin as that! She turned with an air of satirical defiance to little Jacob, and began to question him directly. (Collins 72- 73) On the other hand, although she is not satisfied when people think she is a weak person she herself has moments of weakness. Those moments attest she is feminine too. After the discussion with Laura, during which Laura said she was going to marry Sir Percival after all, she starts to cry The tearsmiserable, weak, womens tears of vexation and rage started to my eyes. She smiled sadly, and put her handkerchief over my face to hide for me the betrayal of my own weaknessthe weakness of all others which she knew that I most despised (Collins 159). She despises weak people and tries to hide her own weakness. She tends to believe that it is the fact that she is only a woman (Collins 529) and has a womans body that makes her weak and that this weakness is not representative for who she really is inside. Her femininity is not as accentuated as her masculinity but without a doubt it is a part of who she is too and she learns to accept it. After she moves with Laura and Walter she has to take c are of the household and she says to Walter What a womans hands ARE fit for, she said, early and late, these hands of mine shall do. They trembled as she held them out (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) the unquenchable spirit of the woman burnt bright in her even yet. I saw the big tears rise thick in her eyes, and fall slowly over her cheeks as she looked at me. She dashed them away with a touch of her old energy, and smiled with a faint reflection of her old good spirits. Dont doubt my courage, Walter, she pleaded, its my weakness that cries, not ME. The house-work shall conquer it if I cant. (Collins 390) Although moments like the one mentioned in the last paragraph that show her femininity are not as many as those that show her masculinity they exist in the novel. For example, in the beginning of the novel Walter is shocked to see she has masculine qualities and he expects her to have an inexpressive facial expression like that of a man and to have the voice of a man too but he is pleased to see that her dark face lighting up with a smile, and softening and growing womanly the moment she began to speak (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) These odd words of welcome were spoken in a clear, ringing, pleasant voice (Collins 25). Also, she dresses in a feminine way. Walter notices when he looks at her, Mrs. Vesey and Laura that she is richly clad with delicate primrose-yellow colour which matches so well with a dark complexion and black hair (Collins 44). When she prepares to spy on Count Fosco and Sir Percival she says that A complete change in my dress was imperatively necessary for many reasons () In my ordinary evening costume I took up the room of three men at least (Collins 287). When Walter asks her if she would write to him after he leaves Limmeridge House her dark eyes glitteredher brown complexion flushed deepthe force and energy of her face glowed and grew beautiful with the pure inner light of her generosity and her pity (Collins 107) showing that despite her masculine face she is capable of having womanly feelings. Another moment when her femininity is revealed is when she talks with Walter about telling Laura that her husband died and Walter notices that An unaccustomed tenderness trembled in her dark eyes and softened her firm lips, as she glanced aside at the empty chair in which the dear companion of all our joys and sorrows had been sitting (Collins 499). She has a robust physicality (Oulton 85) but her body has its limits and because of that she has to give up doing things despite herself like the moment when she wants to go and look for Laura after talking with Count Fosco who told her she does not have to sign Sir Percivals act my head was giddy and my knees trembled under me. There was no choice but to give it up again and return to the sofa, sorely against my will (Collins 244). The limitations of her body show again her femininity. From the beginning of the novel she makes mean and sarcastic remarks about women herself included. For example, she says to the puzzled Walter Hartright that How can you expect four women to dine together alone every day, and not quarrel? We are such fools, we cant entertain each other at table. You see I dont think much of my own sex, Mr. Hartright (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) no woman does think much of her own sex, although few of them confess it as freely as I do (Collins 25-26). Her words can be interpreted as showing her disappointment for the way women behave. I opinion that at the same they show she tends to have misogynistic views on women. Normally misogyny is associated with men and in this case her words furthermore show that she is masculine too. She observes his bewilderment and continues I will give you some tea to compose your spirits, and do all a woman can (which is very little, by-the-bye) to hold my tongue (Collins26) The irony is that she does not hold her tongue but on the contrary so her remark is somehow sarcastic attacking the ideology of separate gender roles. After she says this Walter remark that she was laughing gaily (Collins 26) so this sustains what I have just said. Other examples of remarks about women coming from her are Women cant draw-their minds are too flighty, and their eyes are too inattentive (Collins 27), Women, as everybody knows, constantly act on impulses which they cannot explain even to themselves (Collins 227) and Women can resist a mans love, a mans fame, a mans personal appearance, and a mans money, but they cannot resist a mans tongue when he knows how to talk to them ( Collins 228). According to Lyn Pykett she does not think much of either sex (Collins 126) and her affirmation is confirmed by Marians words about men No man under heaven deserves these sacrifices from us women (Collins 159). The same Lyn Pykett sustains that Collins uses Marians proto-feminist pronouncements and her active involvement in rescuing Laura and helping Walter to restore her half-sisters identity as a way of questioning and challenging current gender roles (Collins 126). In the light of the matters discussed in this chapter it is clear that these instances named by Pykett are not the only ones when Collins challenges gender roles. Another instance when gender roles are clearly challenged is when Marian disregards all the rules of proper womanly behaviour and spies on Count Fosco and Sir Percival staying on the roof of a verandah. Throughout the novel she is active and helps Walter not only by doing different activities that are not typical for a woman in the Victorian period but also by giving him advices that are helpful and that determine him to trust her. In an age when few middle-class women had the power to act against the gender norms and defy the hierarchy of gender roles of their society she is one such example of woman who behaves differently than expected and when for example she fails to express her opinion as she usually does people around her are astonished. Such a situation is when asked by Mr. Gilmore to say whether they should trust Sir Percival when he said that Anne Catherick was taken by him to the asylum with the permission of her mother she says nothing and his reaction is resolute, clear-minded Miss Halcombe was the very last person in the world whom I should have expected to find shrinking from the expression of an opinion of her own (Collins 117). According to Lilian Craton the dark and ugly qualities of Marians physical appearance defy the feminine ideal but enable her strong sense of individuality as do the masculine personality traits (133). I agree with her but I would also add that her feminine qualities should not be disregarded. Marian is not defined exclusively by the masculine but by the masculine and the feminine at the same time and the fact that she is a combination of these two is what make her unique. By presenting her as being between genders Collins subverts traditional Victorian gender definitions. She fails to comply with contemporary gender roles and as a consequence she affirms her individuality.

Motivation Theories in Project Management

Motivation Theories in Project Management In this assignment I will present my views about some motivation theories and how they can be applied or not applied when running in a project mode Introduction About Societe Generale Albania Banking sector continues to be one of the most important economic sectors and one of the most rapid growing businesses in Albania in the last 10 year (Bank of Albania, 2010, www.bankofalbania.org). Societe Generale Albania, previously named Banka Popullore, started its activity on 1st of Mars 2004. In 18th of April 2007, Societe Generale Group acquired 75.01% of the shares of this bank. The bank has its head office in Tirana and is present allover Albania with 41 operation branches. At the end of 2009, the bank had 379 employees, both Albanian and French nationality (Annual Report 2009, 2010, www.societegenerale.al). About the case study Being on the most important economic sectors has created enough space for operation of 17 Banks in a relatively small market like Albania. With such a high competition it is very important that banks stay always in line with economic developments and react fast toward customer needs for new products or adaptation. Our bank is quite small and there are frequently high pressures for sharing resources in order to complete in time and with budget different operational or business initiatives. These needs has made mandatory for bank management to apply a matrix organizational design in our organization. Such organizational structure are quite complex when it comes to management and control of staff performance, as they bring the employee in front of two managers, the department manager and the project manager. Now days project management is becoming a key component of the success for eveyr organization in any sector and such the motivation of employees working in projects is of a great interest for both the project manager, as the main beneficiary, and the organization. There a lot of researches and studies for motivation in standard organizational structure, but the topic is considered as less explored when it comes to project management (Dwivedula and Bredillet, 2009). Theories of motivations Motivation is the driving force within individuals that compels them physiologically and psychologically to pursue one or more goals to fulfill their needs or expectations, (Lam and Tang, 2003, p. 61). Why do managers need motivation? If we agree that an output of motivation is control, than we may say that a manager needs motivation to make people do the things he wants and stop doing the things There are currently a lot of theories to explain the nature of motivation and help mangers on addressing it according to their needs. These theories do not conflict between them, which means the manager can use any of them or even combine them. In my assignments I will be focused in 2 theories; The hierarchy of needs as the most first one and most well known by all kind of managers and The dual-structure theory since it was developed based on a research on engineers and accounts, which is about the same environment and employee nature as in my bank. The Hierarchy of Needs This is one of the most well know need theories of motivation and was developed by Abraham Maslow in 1940. According to this theory the needs are organized in 5 main groups of needs that stay together in the form of a pyramid (Maslow, 1943): Physiological Needs; they stay in the bottom of the pyramid and include the basic needs of every human been such as: the need for food, drink, education, medical care, etc. Every organization can provide these needs by providing good working condition and a salary to their employees. Security Needs; includes the need for feeling safe and secure, having a secure job, having a home and a future. The organization can satisfy these needs by offering job continuity, health and retirement plans. Belongingness Needs; includes the needs of humans to love and be loved, to be accepted by others, to take and give friendship. Most of this needs get satisfied by the family ties, but this is not enough since we spend a considerable time of our life in our works. Managers and direct supervisors can play a significant role to satisfy these needs by encouraging the work in group, enhance their communication with employees and provided basis for social interaction between employees. Esteem Needs; the needs of this group in be divided into two major needs, the need for self respect and the need for being respected by others. The organizations and managers can satisfy this by job title, awards, recognition of merits, benefits etc. Self-Actualization Needs; is the highest level of the hierarchy and includes the need we have to be the one we want to be in order to be self fulfilled. If all the other levels of the hierarchy are fully satisfied, it does not remain a lot for the managers to do to satisfy this need, all they need to take care off is make sure the individual has a challenging job and that other needs in lower level become deficient. According to the theory the needs of each level should be satisfied before going to the next level until we reach the self-actualization needs, however if during our road to the top of hierarchy, a lower level of need become deficient again the individual returns to that level (Moorhead and Griffin, 1995). Despite the fact that the theory is well recognized among many organization and managers due to the intuitive logic and easy understanding, the theory is not fully validated either by Maslow or any other research, in contrary many deficiencies have been identified (Wahba and Bridwell, 1976) It is important to mention that the most basic needs are provided by the top management of an organization and more we go up in the hierarchy of needs more we go down in the level of management responsible to satisfy these needs and turn them in motivator for improving job performance. The Dual-Structure Theory The theory was developed by Herzberg on late 1950s based on a research with a couple of hundred engineers and accounts (Herzberg, 1968). The finding of this research proved that different set of factors were connected with different feelings about work. The motivation of an employee goes in a two step process, first satisfying the employee (eliminate any factor which may bring dissatisfaction) by hygiene factors and second go with motivation factors. The motivation factors would result at the end with satisfied and motivated employees who can have a long term and positive job performance. The combination of these factors can set employee in four situations (Herzberg, 1987): Satisfied and motivated employee. The target situation for having the best performance. Satisfied but not motivated. The manager should find the way to apply motivation factors and change the status; otherwise the de-motivated employee will bring low productivity and bad quality. Not satisfied but motivated. The company should change its policies and rules and try to change the situation. An employee is not expected to stay to long in this status. Not satisfied and not motivated. The worst situation, both company and managers have a lot to do. These employees will bring to the business apart from the low productivity and bad quality a lot of complains, strikes, no communication. The hygiene factors, when they exist are in placed by the company strategy and/or governments rules and they are not directly related to the performance and ability of anybody. In opposite with them, the employee can get the motivation factors only by his involvement and his work. (McCrimmon, 2008). The theory has been analyzed more than any other theory in the field of organizational behavior (Pinder, 1998) and the results are quite contradictory. Studies and researchers which use the same method support the theory, other ones criticize it for the research population used, which is limited only to accountants and engineers, for not taking into account the individual differences, since a motivation factor can depend individual age and/or organizational model (House and Wigdor, 1967). Herzbergs theory states that money does not motivate employees but only satisfies them (Herzberg, 1968), due to this statement the theory is widely discussed and analyzed in studies and researches about the rewarding and motivation (Beel, 2007).The rewords supporters are totally against it and they say it does not have evidences to prove that money is not a motivation. Another aspect of critics is the fact that the theory does not take in consideration the circumstances, what does motivate an employee today, not necessary satisfy and motivate another one tomorrow (Robbins, 2005). Visual presentation of the dual structure theory (http://www.tutor2u.net/business/people/motivation_theory_herzberg.asp, Nov 2010) Motivation in Project management PRINCE2 manual defines a project as: a management environment that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according to a specified business case. Another definition is: a temporary organisation that is needed to produce a unique and pre-define outcome or result at a pre-specified time using pre-determined resources. Being a temporary organization and with specific targets, the project organization is a more complex structure than a normal organization unit and different rules and practices are applied in every aspect of organizational behavior, including motivation. In 2008, our bank started a project for migration of existing core banking system into a new and modern one as part of the group strategy for mutualization of IT services. The project team was composed by more than twenty employees coming from different departments and sectors, covering many different positions such as; translators, business analysts, IT developers, organization and even a public relationship specialist. We knew since the beginning that such a challenging and multidimensional project could not succeed without a motivated team. Why do we need motivated staff? Is motivation the only factor for having a good performance? Conclusion Projects by definition are a temporary organization, this automatically excludes some motivation techniques which become irrelevant due to the time required to give their effects. What should we do? Should we leave motivation only to be applied in standard organizational structure?

Dialysis Encephalopathy: A Complication of Chronic Renal Failure Essay

Dialysis Encephalopathy: A Complication of Chronic Renal Failure The neurological problems that patients with chronic renal failure face are relatively new to the medical world. Although dialysis was technically feasible in the 1940’s, it has only been since 1960 that techniques and equipment have been developed to make long term dialysis available as a practical treatment for end stage renal failure. Further, it has only been since 1973 when Medicare legislation was amended to include patients with chronic renal failure; and the expansion of hospital dialysis services in addition to the emergence of private outpatient hemodialysis clinics, that hemodialysis has become available for the vast majority with end stage renal failure. By increasing services to many more patients, our experience with the problems associated with long term dialysis has grown. All body systems, including the central and peripheral nervous system, are affected by chronic renal failure and its treatment. We have developed an understanding of the long term effects of chronic hemodialysis and the physiological effects are still being studied, but some of the long term complications of chronic renal failure are still unknown. The neurological problems encountered in patients with chronic renal failure may be acute, such as dialysis disequilibrium syndrome. Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome is caused by abrupt changes in the osmotic pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid during dialysis. Chronic complications, such as uremic peripheral neuropathy and dialysis encephalopathy, also known as dialysis dementia, are also well documented. This paper will focus on one of those neurological complications of chronic renal failure namely dialysis encephalopathy. .. ...imental Aluminum Encephalopathy. Acta. Neuropathol., 50:19-24, 1980. 6. Asbury, A. K., McKhann, G., Mc Donald, D. Diseases of the Nervous System. Vol. 2, W. B. Saunders Company: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich ,Philadelphia, 1992. 7. Nissenson, A. R., Fine, R. N., Gentile, D. E. Dialysis in Chronic Renal Failure. Appleton-Century-Crofts, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1984. 8. Knochel, J. P. and Eknoyan, G. (Edt.) The Systemic Consequences of Renal Failure. Grune and Stratton, Inc. New York, 1984. 9. Geary, D. F. et. al. Encephalopathy in Children with Chronic Renal Failure. Journal of Pediatrics, 96: 41-44, 1980. 10.Rosati, G., De Bastiani, P., Gilli, P., and Paolino, E. Oral Aluminum and Neuropsychological Functioning. J. Neurol., 223: 251-7, 1980. 11.De Broe, M. E. and Coburn, J. W. Aluminum and Renal Failure. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Boston, 1990. Dialysis Encephalopathy: A Complication of Chronic Renal Failure Essay Dialysis Encephalopathy: A Complication of Chronic Renal Failure The neurological problems that patients with chronic renal failure face are relatively new to the medical world. Although dialysis was technically feasible in the 1940’s, it has only been since 1960 that techniques and equipment have been developed to make long term dialysis available as a practical treatment for end stage renal failure. Further, it has only been since 1973 when Medicare legislation was amended to include patients with chronic renal failure; and the expansion of hospital dialysis services in addition to the emergence of private outpatient hemodialysis clinics, that hemodialysis has become available for the vast majority with end stage renal failure. By increasing services to many more patients, our experience with the problems associated with long term dialysis has grown. All body systems, including the central and peripheral nervous system, are affected by chronic renal failure and its treatment. We have developed an understanding of the long term effects of chronic hemodialysis and the physiological effects are still being studied, but some of the long term complications of chronic renal failure are still unknown. The neurological problems encountered in patients with chronic renal failure may be acute, such as dialysis disequilibrium syndrome. Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome is caused by abrupt changes in the osmotic pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid during dialysis. Chronic complications, such as uremic peripheral neuropathy and dialysis encephalopathy, also known as dialysis dementia, are also well documented. This paper will focus on one of those neurological complications of chronic renal failure namely dialysis encephalopathy. .. ...imental Aluminum Encephalopathy. Acta. Neuropathol., 50:19-24, 1980. 6. Asbury, A. K., McKhann, G., Mc Donald, D. Diseases of the Nervous System. Vol. 2, W. B. Saunders Company: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich ,Philadelphia, 1992. 7. Nissenson, A. R., Fine, R. N., Gentile, D. E. Dialysis in Chronic Renal Failure. Appleton-Century-Crofts, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1984. 8. Knochel, J. P. and Eknoyan, G. (Edt.) The Systemic Consequences of Renal Failure. Grune and Stratton, Inc. New York, 1984. 9. Geary, D. F. et. al. Encephalopathy in Children with Chronic Renal Failure. Journal of Pediatrics, 96: 41-44, 1980. 10.Rosati, G., De Bastiani, P., Gilli, P., and Paolino, E. Oral Aluminum and Neuropsychological Functioning. J. Neurol., 223: 251-7, 1980. 11.De Broe, M. E. and Coburn, J. W. Aluminum and Renal Failure. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Boston, 1990.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Essay -- Education Teaching

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Students are generally classified by two different types of motivation, which are, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. These two types of motivation are the basis for a student’s action and their view of how they perceive schooling and even life. The first type of motivation is intrinsic motivation, which â€Å"generally refers to motivation to engage in an activity because that activity is enjoyable and satisfying to do† (Noels, Pelletier, Clà ©ment, & Vallerand, pg. 38, 2003). Intrinsic motivation is generally the best type of motivation for students to have, because doing certain activities is not being forced upon them; however, the students are enjoying the activities by themselves. This also leads to students creating interesting and self determining solutions for how to problem solve because they are working hard in order to solve the problem or do the activity. An example of intrinsic motivation can be seen everyday when a student thoroughly enjoys a class that they are taking. For example, let us say that a student is taking a math class and they are enticed by math. That student will most likely go home and work on the math homework first and devote the most time to it, because the student is intrinsically motivated to do it. The second major type of motivation is extrinsic motivation. According to Wlodkowski, in extrinsic motivation systems, teachers are perceived to motivate students through the engineering of rewards and punishments (1999). This type of motivation is used when students are not intrinsically motivated and must have some type of â€Å"push† in order to complete an assignment or learn a certain type of area. The main goal for teachers is to try and make students intrinsically ... ...nternet on-line courses. Retrieved November 10, 2004 from http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/diseduc/home.html A good website that discusses the importance of the internet in the classroom and how it will affect the future of student learning and motivation. Technologies for Communication. (1993, September). Retrieved September 27, 2004, from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/TechReforms/chap2e.html This article describes how communication can be used effectively in the classroom in order to achieve motivation in students. Tuckman, B. (2000). Using frequent testing to increase students’ motivation to achieve. Retrieved November 21, 2004 from http://dennislearningcenter.osu.edu/belgium-paper/BWT-belgium-paper.htm A teacher at Ohio State University who says that frequent testing will motivate students to learn. Gives an example of a study he did in 2000

Our Journey to the New World

For Two days Martha rode in the back of the dusty wagon and cried. She was one big mess. Feeling sorry for herself, and mad at the whole family. Pa stopped the wagon, and everybody got out to eat, Everybody but Martha. She just sat where she was, moping instead of crying, till she'd run out of tears. â€Å"Martha Madison, are you going to eat something?' asked ma. â€Å"You know I can't swallow when I'm upset,† she told Ma. â€Å"Leave her be,† said Pa. â€Å"My Martha has a mind and a stomach of her own.† â€Å"I'll take her gingerbread,† said Billy. He was Martha's older brother, only one year older. Ma plunked Bob on Martha's lap. â€Å"Well, if you're not going to eat, how about looking after your baby brother?† Bob was a cute little rascal, but Martha was busy thinking about her home back in Jackson, Mississippi and her friend Denis. Martha missed her home and wanted to go back home. Denis and Martha swore to be friends forever, but the creaky old wagon was putting more miles between them everyday. Billy and Bob liked traveling in the wagon, the same with Pa. Ma wasn't the complaining sort, but Martha just hated traveling. Ma said to many times to Martha, â€Å"Your Pa's got itchy feet. He's a traveling man and he'll keep on moving west till we run out of land.† Everybody was excited about going to Saint Joseph, Missouri. It was where Pa was bringing them to join a wagon train headed for Oregon. It took them two weeks to reach Saint Joe. When they got to Saint Joe it was Pa and Billy who turn to be disappointed. They were too late for the wagon train. It had been gone for a week. They'd have to wait a month for the next one. After their long miserable ride from Jackson things moved pretty fast. By late afternoon they were set up in two little rooms on Mudd Street. And Pa found a job with the New West Harness Company. Martha and Ma had supper ready. They all crowded around the table and joined hands. Pa said grace and they all said â€Å"Amen.† After supper Ma spread two blankets on the floor for Martha and Billy. Pa and Ma and Bob took the big bed in the other room. And everyone was sound asleep. Pa worked all day at the New West Harness Company. â€Å"Missing that wagon train may turn out to be a blessing,† said Pa. â€Å"Why?† said Ma. â€Å"It'll give me time to bargain for all the things we'll need for Oregon,† answered Pa. First Pa bought extra oxen. Then he traded their old wagon in for a big new one with a canvas top. â€Å"How does she look?† he cried. â€Å"Looks like a cross between a boat and a wagon,† said Ma. â€Å"That's why they call these contraptions prairie schooners,† said Pa. â€Å"We're going to sail her all the way to Oregon!† shouted Billy. Martha had to laugh. The wagon did look like a ship, with its big white canvas top. There small rooms in the wagon were crammed with things for the trip. Bags of dried beans, tin buckets of lard and brown sugar, and jars of apple jelly all these things crowded around their beds. When Martha looked up at night, Martha was staring at slabs of bacon and dried beef hanging from the ceiling. â€Å"We'll need enough food to last us through six months,† said Ma. Saint Joe was filling up fast. New wagons pulled in, crammed with goods and people. New children and dogs were all over the place. Martha's worries came to her head the day Pa said, â€Å"Time to pack the wagon. Captain Jonah, the trail boss, says the train moves tomorrow.† Billy and Pa loaded all the heavy boxes into the wagon. â€Å"It's going to hard to fit everything in the wagon,† she said. â€Å"But all of us ought to have our own little space. You can take anything you want, as long as it fits into your box.† Martha took out her box out to the porch. It wouldn't hold much. Maybe the box would hold her doll with the china head and her hair ribbons. Leaving Saint Joe was going to be just as bad a leaving Jackson. At breakfast Pa said grace. â€Å"Dear Lord, give us a good journey and safekeeping. And bring us finally to Oregon if it be thy will.† Everyone rolled up there bedding and put it in the wagon. Martha helped Ma hang her pots on big hooks on the outside of the wagon. Pa said, â€Å"I'm going to drive the wagon to the front of the house. Just to see how she pulls.† They all watched. Billy bounced up beside Pa. â€Å"Giddup!† shouted Pa. The oxen strained under the load. The wagon jerked forward. â€Å"She rides real smooth,† called Pa. â€Å"Everybody hop in.† Ma climbed up with Bob. The grove outside Saint Joe where the wagon train formed looked like a big campground. Children ran yelling and playing around the wagons, dogs joined in, barking and chasing after kids. Pa finally found Captain Jonah. He gave Pa a number for our wagon number 49. Billy asked Pa if he could carve the number on the side of the wagon. â€Å"You can do more than that,† said Pa. â€Å"We've got to keep track of the days. Carve a notch for each weekday and a long mark for each Sunday.† Martha felt cheated. Pa always gave Billy the important things to do. But Pa surprised Martha. â€Å"Come with me, Martha girl,† he said. â€Å"I've got a special job for you.† Pa lifted up a round tin can from under the wagon seat. Then he showed Martha how to put axle grease on the big wagon wheels. â€Å"Every day it gets dark I want you to grease each wheel, Martha. Then check all the spokes for cracks. Let me know if you find anything wrong.† said Pa. Martha stared at the big wheels. They were as tall as her. Pa said, â€Å"It's these wheels that will get us to Oregon. You've got a sharp eye, Martha. I'm trusting our wheels to you.† Pa managed to get there wagon through all the confusion. Finally they found wagon number 48. They pulled up right behind it. Toward the front of the line they could hear a lot of shouting. â€Å"I can't make it out,† said Pa At first Martha couldn't make it out either. Then she got it clear. â€Å"They're shouting, ‘Wagons, ho!† she cried. The air was ringing with â€Å"Wagons, ho!† too. Martha thought it was pretty exciting, before she knew it she was yelling, â€Å"Wagons, ho!† too. The white tops of the wagons in front of us started bobbing up and down. â€Å"Giddup!† shouted Pa. â€Å"Oregon, here we come!† yelled Billy. Martha crawled over the boxes and sacks to the back of the wagon. She raised the lid of her box, and there she saw her doll. â€Å"We're on our way, Miss Chocolate,† she whispered. â€Å"So far, so good.† The canvas topped wagons were like ovens. Billy and Martha found out they could walk as fast as the train moved. It was cooler to walk, too. The first day they were walking beside the wagon, she met a big girl who was in wagon 48. She was a sight. Wild, curly, carrot colored hair shot out in all directions around her head. Her calico dress looked about two sizes too large. She wore it hitched up so you could see the big brogan shoes on her feet. This big headed girl walked right up to Martha and said, â€Å"My name's Laura Smith. What's yours?† â€Å"Martha Madison,† she told her. â€Å"Let's be friends, I'll look after you,† said Laura. â€Å"But I don't need anybody to look after me,† Martha told her. â€Å"Rats!† she said. â€Å"Everybody needs a friend, and I am the best looker you'll ever meet. I do all the looking after for my Pa.† â€Å"What about your Ma?† asked Martha. â€Å"Ma's dead a year now,† she said. â€Å"And you cook and wash and do everything?† asked Martha. â€Å"Everything,† boomed Laura. â€Å"Promised Ma I'd look after Pa.† Then Laura said, â€Å"Stick with me, honey. You won't have a thing to worry about. Let's shake on it.† When the shadows started getting long, a message came down the line of wagons. â€Å"Campsite for the night about a mile ahead,† yelled the scout. By the time they made the circle with the wagons it was late afternoon. Pa and Billy unhitched the oxen to let them graze on grass. Martha helped Ma get a cook fire started. Then Martha got the tin bucket from under the wagon seat and greased the wheels. She felt every spoke till they were smooth as glass. Supper on the prairie that first night was delicious. Cook fires circled the big camp. There was lots of visiting back and forth. Laura came barreling over to there campfire. She didn't give Martha a chance to even introduce her. â€Å"I'm Laura Smith,† she said, grabbing first Ma's, then Pa's hand. When she went to Billy, he stepped back and just nodded his head. â€Å"Welcome,† said Ma. â€Å"Would you like some coffee?† â€Å"No, I'm full as a boardinghouse bedbug,† said Lauren, patting her stomach. Everyone laughed. Then Laura settled down with them like a longtime friend. In one of the wagons someone was playing a fiddle. Martha looked up at the sky. About a million sparkling stars were winking at her. It was a perfect night. From the first day, Billy was asking, â€Å"When are we going to see some buffalo?† But he had carved ten notches on the wagon before we spotted any. â€Å"I'd sure like to see one of them beasts up close!† he cried. â€Å"I like them right where they are,† Martha said. In a way Martha soon got a lot closer to the buffalo. They ran out of firewood and had to burn dried buffalo droppings. They were called â€Å"chips.† The longer they were on the trail, the hotter it got. Everybody was glad to see the sun set. At least it was cooler at night. But when night came, so did thousands of buffalo gnats. The only way to keep from being eaten alive was to sit close to the campfires. The gnats hated smoke more than they liked humans. Martha sneaked over to Laura's wagon , and got dozens of bites. Late one afternoon Laura and Martha were counting the notches Billy had carved. â€Å"It's hard to believe we've been on the trail almost three weeks,† Martha commented. â€Å"Not for me,† said Laura. â€Å"I feel like I've already walked three thousand miles and picked up a million buffalo chips!† While they were laughing, Martha heard a rumbling sound. â€Å"You hear that?† asked Martha. â€Å"Sounds like thunder,† said Laura. From the front of the train two scouts came riding towards them. â€Å"Swing the wagons in a circle!† they shouted. â€Å"What's wrong?† asked Pa. â€Å"Buffalo stampede!† shouted the scouts. The rumbling was growing louder. Laura ran to her wagon. In a few minutes the wagons were in a raged circle. Ma and Martha ducked under the wagon with Bob. Pa and Billy grabbed guns and crawled behind the big wagon wheels. All Martha could see was a big dark cloud mobbing towards them. â€Å"Where are the buffalo?† Martha asked. â€Å"In the dust cloud,† said Pa. â€Å"There must be thousands of them.† Captain Jonah rode up. â€Å"Have your guns ready!† he shouted. â€Å"But don't shoot until I give you the order.† The buffalo were close. Martha could taste dust in her mouth. Then, in the moving dust cloud, she saw them. They were packed tight, like a solid wall. Their heads were down. Their tails were in the air. The ground shook under their pounding hooves. â€Å"Hold your fire!† commanded Captain Jonah. Martha was sure the buffalo would crush them any second. She closed her eyes. â€Å"Fire! Fire! Fire!,† shouted Captain Jonah. The guns barked and Martha's eyes flew open. Several buffalo in the front of the pack crumpled to the ground. More and more piled up behind them. But one huge wounded beast kept coming. He plowed into a wagon near there's. There was this sickening thud. The wagon rolled over. Martha heard screams and more gunfire's. The huge shaggy buffalo was slumped against a schooner. A red stain was spreading in the sand around the dead buffalo. Martha felt sick. But the gunfire was working. The solid line of buffalo split in the middle. They turned away from the pile of dead buffalo and ran past the wagons. Martha could see hundreds of brown shaggy legs flying by their wagon. â€Å"We've broken the stampede!† shouted Captain Jonah. The mad, rushing buffalo swung wide of the wagons. Soon the last of the huge herd passed them by. The dust began to settle. The thundering roar of the stampede faded away. â€Å"We're safe now,† said Pa. â€Å"I'm going over to help the folks under the wagon and shook the dust off. Back at the wagon Pa told us we were going to stay put for the night. â€Å"It'll give us time to skin some buffalo for supper,† he said. Billy went to skin the dead buffalo. Martha started greasing the wagon wheels. The men came back with big buffalo steaks. Ma fixed some for there supper. Martha couldn't eat the tough meat. Martha stared out across the starlit prairie. She felt so lonely. As far as she could see there was nothing just flat prairie stretching on and on. â€Å"Where is your Pa?† asked Captain Jonah. â€Å"Over there,† Grasped Martha, pointing in the opposite direction. The Captain rode away, in a hurry. When Pa came back to there wagon, he said we would make camp early. â€Å"Why?† asked Ma. â€Å"Indians,† said Pa. â€Å"They've been tracking us all day.† For three days the scouts reported: â€Å"Indians still tracking us.† â€Å"They probably only want to do some trading,† Captain Jonah reassured us. â€Å"The important thing is that no one panics and does something foolish. I've brought many wagon trains through Indian country and I had never had any real trouble.† It was late in the afternoon on the fourth day when Martha saw them. At first they were tiny specks bobbing up and down far out on the plains. â€Å"They're on horseback,† said Laura. The scouts rushes up shouting, â€Å"Circle the wagons!† As soon as the circle was made, Pa grabbed his gun. Then he joined the men lined up behind Captain Jonah. Martha peeked through a slit in the canvas. A long line of Indians on horseback were moving slowly toward them. It was so still and quiet, Martha could hear everyone breathing in the wagon. Suddenly the Indians stopped. Captain Jonah made a sign with his hands. An Indian who must have been the chief returned Captain Jonah's sign. Then Captain Jonah and the chief rode out and met in the middle. For a few minutes they talked, and made signs with their hands. Then Captain Jonah turned and went back to his men. The chief did the same. Crack! A single gunshot rang out from one of there wagons. The pony one of the young Indians was ridding stumbled and crashed to the ground. The rider went down with him. Our scouts raced back toward the wagon train, yelling, â€Å"Hold your fire!† The Indians pulled up around the wounded pony and the fallen rider. Captain Jonah dashed up to them and jumped off his horse. Martha was sure the Indians would kill him. Why didn't the scouts go to his rescue? Instead the scouts kept yelling, â€Å"For God's sake, don't shoot!† In a few minutes that seemed to last forever, the crowd around the fallen rider parted. The young Indian who had gone down with the pony looked dead. The captain rushed back to the wagons. The Indians made a long line facing them. They just stood there, silent and threatening. â€Å"Who fired that shot?† demanded the captain angrily. Two scouts dragged a man from wagon 42. â€Å"That was a stupid thing to do, Ned Butcher!† shouted the captain. Ned stared to protest. But Captain Jonah shouted, â€Å"I don't care about your excuses. I only care about the safety of the folks on this wagon train. I could hang you for disobeying orders. Or I could just hand you over to the Indians.† Ned's wife rushed up to Captain Jonah. She stared to pleading with him. Captain Jonah motioned her away. â€Å"All they wanted was to trade hides for blankets and sugar. Now the stakes are higher. Thank God the boy's only stunned. But the pony is dead. Either we supply them with two oxen and sugar and blankets, or we can expect an attack. Those are the terms!† The men started shouting all at once. Captain Jonah held up his hand for silence. â€Å"They're going to sit there for a half hour. If we don't have the oxen and other stuff outside the wagon train by then, they're going to come swooping down on us. I've told the chief we'd meet their demands.† â€Å"Ned Butcher, you have 4 oxen. Unhitch two of them for the Indians,† commanded the captain. â€Å"But only two oxen can't pull my wagon,† Ned protested. â€Å"You can lighten your load by dumping some of it right here.† â€Å"Every wagon must give a pound of sugar and a blanket,† said Captain Jonah. â€Å"And be quick about it! Our time is running out.† In just a few minutes every person piled up a great mound of blankets and sugar. Captain Jonah and the scouts brought out the two oxen. They staked them by the sugar and blankets. Then everyone pulled back behind the wagons. â€Å"Keep your guns ready, men. But don't make a move unless I give order!† shouted Captain Jonah. Suddenly the still, silent line of Indians plodded. They came racing toward them. They were yelling and waving guns and spears, kicking up clouds of dust. Martha expected arrows and bullets to rip through the wagon any second. When the Indians reached the staked oxen, the pile of blankets and sugar, the Indians stopped in a cloud of dust. Suddenly the wagon train started to move out. When Martha looked back, the Indians were dividing up the blankets and sugar. They were chattering and laughing and didn't seem the least bit warlike. That night as they sat around the campfire, they celebrated there coming to Oregon. In the morning Captain Jonah pushed the wagon train hard after the Indian scare. â€Å"This is the hard part of the trip,† he said. â€Å"We've got a tough river to ford before we cross the mountains.† â€Å"But the oxen are worn out,† one of the men protested. â€Å"Get out of the wagons and walk!† snapped the captain. Then he made it an order. â€Å"Everybody walks from here on.† All of them plodded along beside our wagons in the boiling sun. â€Å"If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?† Laura asked Martha. â€Å"Ice, ice, and more ice!† â€Å"Your wishes wouldn't last a minute in this heat,† said Laura. They kept walking in the whole terrible heat. One day they came upon a long line of boxes, trunks, and furniture scattered beside the trail. Lauren and Martha ran over to see what was in the trunks. â€Å"Keep moving!† shouted one of the scouts. â€Å"Just count yourself lucky we don't have to dump all our goods. Take a like over there!† Martha gasped. Sun bleached skeletons of oxen lay in the sand. â€Å"Their teams gave out,† explained the scout. â€Å"They doubled up and went on as best they could. Move along now. We've got a river to ford up ahead. By the time they reached the river, the scouts were struggling to get ropes strung across. The muddy water looked ready to overflow the riverbanks. The oxen had a hard time making it across. But finally the scouts got two short ropes anchored across the river. Then the captain gave the signal. â€Å"One driver to a wagon, everybody else, over on the ropes!† he ordered. Pa drove there big schooner into the river. â€Å"She floats like a boat!† he called They plunged into the water. Martha could see Laura up ahead on the rope. At first it felt good just to be cool again. Then in the deeper water Martha began to feel the strong pull of the undertow. Billy called behind Martha. â€Å"Hey, this is fun!† Martha was about to tell him to hold tight, since he'd soon be in the undertow. But Billy shouted again. â€Å"Look, no hands!† Martha turned, there he was, treading water with both hands off the rope. â€Å"Billy!† called Martha. â€Å"Stop that!† You know you can't swim!† He struck the undertow and went under like a rock. Martha was so frighten, she couldn't even call for help. Billy popped back up right next to her. He was coughing and spitting water. Martha grabbed his arm. But she was thrashing around so wildly, Martha lost her grip on the rope. They both went whirling toward the center of the river. They shot right past Ma and Bob. Ma screamed. Martha was sure they were lost. But she still held on to Billy, but his head kept on bobbing under. Then she hit something. Something hard that sent pain shooting up her arm. It was Laura's wagon. Martha grabbed it. Then she pulled Billy up close, where she could keep his head above water. He coughed, and spit more muddy water. â€Å"Grab the wagon!† She yelled. He clawed at the side of the wagon and found a pot hook to hang on to. Martha was afraid to let him go. But her arm was hurting so, she didn't know how long she could hold on. Suddenly Laura was there with her arms around both Billy and Martha. She had them penned against the wagon. â€Å"Hang on!† she cried. â€Å"You all right, Billy?† He spit more water and mumbled, â€Å"I'm fine.† â€Å"You don't look too bad for someone who's just drunk half a river,† said Lauren. â€Å"How about you, Martha?† Martha was scared to death, and her arm was hurting something fierce. Laura clung to the wagon with them until they were across the river. Everyone cheered as they staggered up the muddy riverbank to safety. The three of them flopped on the ground and sat there, completely worn out. â€Å"Oregon's on the other side,† announced Captain Jonah. â€Å"We've got a hard ride up, but an easy ride down. Let's start climbing!† They all still had to walk. And when the trail got steeper, they had to help push the heavy wagons. But the coolness in the mountains felt good. The rocky trail was hard on wheels. Every day a wagon would have to pull out of line to fix a broken wheel. Martha still took care of their wheels. Even though her arm was hurt, she wouldn't let Billy take over. She was superstitious about them. When the last one was checked, she'd pat it and say, â€Å"Lucky wheels! You'll get us there!† Well, the luck played out before they reached the crest of the mountains. The whole family plus Laura's was pushing there wagon up a steep part of the trail. Crack! There left front wheel hit a big rock. â€Å"Knocked the iron rim completely off!† cried Pa. â€Å"We'll have to drop out of line and fix it.† â€Å"How long will it take?† Martha asked Pa. â€Å"Maybe half a day,† he answered. Captain Jonah rode up. â€Å"Tough luck,† he said. â€Å"We're less than a day away from the crest. Then it's easy going. Tell you what we'll do. I'll camp an hour early tonight and start out an hour later tomorrow. That'll give you time to catch up.† Pa thanked the captain. Then he rode off and left them to tend the broken wheel. Martha was scared seeing all the wagons go, and being left behind. By the time Pa fixed the wheel, it was dark. â€Å"Hurry! We've got miles to make up,† he said. And he pushed the oxen as fast as he dared. â€Å"Pray for a bright moon,† said Pa. â€Å"Driving by night is the only way we're going to catch up.† But low hanging clouds blocked out the moon and the stars. It started to rain. â€Å"We'll have to stop,† said Pa. â€Å"It's foolhardy to go on.† â€Å"Might as well try to get some sleep,† Ma said. Martha then realized it stopped raining. A bright patch of moonlight cut through the back of the wagon. â€Å"The moons out! It's so bright you can see everything! Pa! Pa! Martha called. Wake up! The rain's stopped. We can get moving!† Pa jumped up â€Å"By golly, our luck's changed. We'll catch up now!† he cried. Day was breaking when we saw the wagon train camp on the crest of the mountains. When we pulled into camp, Lauren ran to meet their wagon. â€Å"I knew you'd make it!† she shouted. I've got breakfast ready. As they had breakfast the sun suddenly popped out, round and red and beautiful. Captain Jonah's big voice boomed, â€Å"Look, folks. There it is. That's Oregon down there!† From there high perch you could see miles of wild, beautiful valleys stretching before them. For a moment no one said anything. Then Martha let out a yell and turned a cartwheel. Pa put his arm around Ma. â€Å"Now, this looks like our Journey to the New World.†

First Day of School Essay

The first thing I remember about this day was my mother; she woke me up early and started dressing me and combing my hair. I remember I was so excited that I got in the car while singing and dancing. I sat in the front seat and we drove off to the beginning of my life. My mom walked me in while holding my hand and just then I remember not wanting her to let go, I felt so safe with her by my side. Just then the class teacher comes up to us, and I remember her asking me my name, but I was too shy to answer. Then my mom explains to me that she had to go and that I’m going to have so much fun here and make a huge amount of friends. I stood there watching my mom walk away with tears falling down my face; I have never felt so alone. But the teacher turned out to be so nice she immediately started to calm me down. That’s when she took me to this room filled with toys and beautiful pictures on the wall, I remember how noisy it was because kids my age were running around everywh ere playing and laughing. see more:first day of school essay At the moment the feeling of missing my mom was completely gone and all I wanted to do is join the kids with whatever they were doing. I was shy at first, but then a group of little kids came up to me and asked me if I would count for them while they would all go and hide. I immediately agreed and just like that I was a part of the best hide and seek game in my 4 year old life. I remember how easy it was to make friends but how hard it was to memorize their names. It was an extreme problem for me then because I didn’t know how to call out to them while playing. The best activity of the day was when the teacher took us outside and we played on the swings and slides. The best of all was the sandbox, we would run to the back of the school yard where the water taps were, and fill our little buckets with water and spill it on the sand so this way it would be wet and perfect to make sand castles with. As the day came to end I remember not wanting to go home. But that all changed when I saw my mom in the front door of the class room ready to take me home, I was so glad to see her, as I had so many things to tell. I went on and on about what I had experienced, telling my story with a smile on my face. And when I got back home I repeated the whole thing to dad, everyone was glad I had such a wonderful day. I was looking forward on going back there again tomorrow, but this time with a mission, I was determined on memorizing all of their names, so I would know how to answer when someone asked about the names of my friends. I was officially the happiest kindergartner of all times.