Everyday Use Essay

â€Å"Everyday Use† is a highly symbolic story with manifold themes and interpretations. It not only locates conflict that existed within the Afro-American community and presents life in relation to modern and traditional concept of Afro-American heritage but it further takes into account the feminist themes and agendas. It is a representative story of Black movement of 1960s but it does not manifest the Afro-American quest for socio-cultural identity like other Black Movement literature. The central conflict is symbolized by two main characters; Mrs. Johnson and Dee. Dee is an epitome of shallow materialism and an adherent of prevailing concept of heritage where heritage is revered only for trendiness and aesthetic attraction whereas Mrs. Johnson admires heritage for its practical utility and personal importance. Central conflict is between Maggie and Dee and it is about whether legacy and heritage subsists in belongings or in spirit. Dee’s longing for heritage is for ostentatious reasons. Contemporary periodical necessities make her cherish and celebrate her Afro-American heritage. But Mrs. Johnson and Maggie have learnt to live with their heritage. Dee is captivated by the beauty of â€Å"churn top† and wanted to have it to be used as centerpiece for her alcove table whereas Mrs. Johnson has used it practically for churn butter hitherto. Walker utilizes the butter churn to demonstrate Mrs. Johnson’s intrinsic understanding of heritage. When [Dee] finished wrapping the dasher the handle stuck out. I took it for a moment in my hands. You didn’t even have to look close to see where hands pushing the dasher up and down to make butter had left a kind of sink in the wood. In fact, there were a lot of small sinks; you could see where thumbs and fingers had sunk into the wood. It was a beautiful light yellow wood, from a tree that grew in the yard where Big Dee and Stash had lived. (Walker, â€Å"Everyday Use† use page number from your textbook) The narration of the story is in first-person where everything is reported and understood through the lenses of Mrs. Johnson. Her observation is astute as she provides minute details about the actions of her daughters. Alice Walker has introduced various symbols and figurative language to communicate some thematic expressions. The conflict of heritage becomes more evident as well as critical as the quilts are brought in the story. It signifies the procedure from which the insignificant and worthless may be changed into the valued and functional. The development of Dee into Wangero shows various facets and phases through which black identity passed during late 1960s and 1970s. Predilection for appearance as compared with spirit remained hallmark of this era and this trend is manifested through Dee’s transformation into Wangero. Social standing of females was a favorite subject to the writers at the start of 20th century. Society was dominated by patriarchy, male chauvinism and supremacy whereas women were perceived as fragile and dependant. Every Day Use is a thematic expression of feminism and manifests it at various levels and in various orientations. It also revolves around the same theme which was basically about their feminist struggles. In â€Å"Everyday Use†, Alice juxtaposes the female character against the pathos and miseries of life and demonstrates their strong will and mental capacity to stand against those hardships. They are subservient to any male character and do not needs their companionship. Hence Alice augments their characterization by inculcating a female identity. Although Feminism stands for women to have the same status as men in the society but Alice exhibits another manifestation of Feminism i. e. not a wish to have equal status but a practical demonstration to contribute equally to the socio-cultural milieu of the time. Dee is an epitome of shallow materialistic feminism and an adherent of prevailing concept of feminism that believes in things and materialistic feministic achievements whereas Mrs. Johnson looks at the spirit of feminism and contributes toward it at her own level. She raises up two daughters by her own. This implies she has already taken the position of a father. These kinds of female have the ability to make their own decisions and have independence of thought and actions. The mother even shows how useful and strong a woman is. In the story, Alice Walker pointed out that the mother is â€Å"a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands†. So Everyday Use is not a mere feministic wish to acquire equal status and should be considered and treated on equal terms but it is a practical manifestation of this feminist thought and ideology. Overall, Walker has invited us start living with our heritage instead of merely cherishing it. She further wants us to search our roots in the American soil instead of locating it on other continents. This story has eternalized the Afro-American themes in particular and feminist theme in general. The characteristic that makes the story universal and eternal is symbolic representation f the above-mentioned themes. It can be read and interpreted in various ways and at various levels.

Reading Music Essay

Of all the stuffs that people usually deal with ease, reading sheet music is just one of the downfall points. They think that the course is not as easy as ABC. Technically, reading sheet music effectively may certainly be impossible if one wants to learn fast. The course usually takes a lot of time and patience before everything is grasped and practiced. This is probably the reason a lot of music enthusiasts out there seldom know how to read sheet music. Undeniably, playing music is not impossible even if the person is unable to read sheet music. The thought is just similar to those who are able to speak, yet unable to write. But learning how to read sheet music will allow someone to explore and discover various music theories that are strange to others who just know the basics of music. On top of that, once techniques in reading sheet music are deeply understood, one is no longer limited to play songs that he/she encountered. The course will lead someone to play all types of music, even the foreign ones. Learning to read sheet music is a little complicated (Lux, n. d. ). Thus, we should take it one step at a time. The following are the ways to read sheet music effective and efficiently. The first lesson in reading sheet music is the study of the staff (Evans, n. d. ). It has five lines and four spaces wherein each corresponds to a single note. The space seen either above or below a certain line represents a note either below or above the scale. The next step a neophyte must learn is to identify the clef and its respective form (Evans, n. d. ). A clef is the first music symbol written over a staff. The clef plays a role that helps indentify which line or space in the staff represents a certain note. A chef is categorized into treble and bass clef. Each has distinctive characteristics. The former is known as a G-clef, a symbol that is used in writing music for melodic voices like soprano, alto, tenor, and the like. The latter, on the other hand, is known as F-clef, a symbol that is used for low-pitched instruments like bass, bassoons, and among others. Determining the key signature is the subsequent step in reading sheet music (Evands, n. d. ). The term, key signature, refers to a group of symbols that are placed directly to the right portion of the clef before a note is written. Such symbol could be a flat or a sharp. If the sheet music does not contain so many symbols, its key signature is considered â€Å"natural† which means it is neither sharp nor flat. Aside from the determination of key signature, it is important to observe the time signature. Such is usually located in the right portion of a key signature. It consists of two numbers that appear similarly to a fraction. These are top number and button numbers. When the preceding steps are followed well, the next step is to play the notes in relation to its time signature. Since, you are already aware of the lines or spaces that correspond to a note, you may now read the piece from left to right. It has to be remembered though that the symbols will either stand for notes or rests. The latter means silence. In other words, rests do not assign any pitch for they are placed in always the same position over staff. Types of notes and rests are whole rest, whole note, half rest, half note, quarter rest, quarter note, and a lot more. It is important to know and understand each type. The last important step in learning how to read sheet music is to listen how notes are played together vis-a-vis the sheet music. There may be some loopholes that will come out while playing, but a constant practice makes it perfect. Learning how to read sheet music is not simply memorizing it. One must understand its basic concepts well enough, see the patterns and apply them. Banking the concepts is something that everyone must do. Without it, real music will not come out. Work Cited Evans, Ashtyn. â€Å"How to Read Sheet Music. † n. d. How To Do Things. 12 April 2009 < http://www. howtodothings. com/hobbies/a2683-how-to-read-sheet-music. html> Lux, Kevin. â€Å"Introduction to Reading Music. n. d. DataDragon Information Services. 12 April 2009 < http://datadragon. com/education/reading/>

All About Personal and Professional Health Care Essay Example for Free

All About Personal and Professional Health Care Essay Health care communication is an important practice in the treatment of a patient. Ensuring effective communication can help the patient understand their state of health. The Meaning and Nature of Healthcare Communication Healthcare communication involves an efficient line of communication between medical professionals, clients, and patient. A vital component of healthcare communication is the ability to share information that can enhance a patient’s knowledge. This is important in assuring quality healthcare (Williams, 2007). Personal healthcare communication is vital in promoting a physician’s understanding through discussion and support groups. Healthcare communication considers factors such as the attitude of the patient, their behavior and belief which could have an impact on how the physician can improve the quality of health care (Williams, 2007). In addition, it requires empathy and understanding from the physician when communicating with their patients. An effective way of achieving effective communication is to get feedbacks from the person getting the information. The healthcare practitioner should carefully evaluate if the client can understand the message being relayed (Williams, 2007). One of the most effective ways of achieving an effective healthcare communication is by conducting a personal interview. This method will help determining the accuracy of information regarding their condition. The psychosocial aspects of the patient’s conditions can be considered when conducting the interview (Williams, 2007). The Relevance of Healthcare Communication An effective professional health care communication can improve the health outcome of a patient. The health care professional can utilize various guidelines to achieve effective healthcare communication. It can help the healthcare practitioner to establish a better understanding of the condition and history of their patients (Williams, 2007). In addition, effective healthcare communication can increase the patient’s satisfaction and knowledge of treatment and its possible outcomes. Without effective healthcare communication, the patient will not have a clear understanding of the state of their health. As a result, they are more likely to spend more on healthcare, take the wrong medication, and become depressed (Williams, 2007). The Principles of Therapeutic Communication The Talking Cure In the early history of health care, therapists or in this case health care professionals rarely say a word. Usually, the best way they understand the condition of their patient is through listening but they never communicate. However, it is likely to practice a non-threatening way of communicating with patients and will not hurt their self-esteem (Wachtel, 2008). In this process, the healthcare professional conceals their real message in a meta-message, which can both be demonstrated in a manner that would make it likely to address the conflicting issue which the patient has avoided (Wachtel, 2008). The manner of delivery by the therapist can have a huge effect on the patient compared to the real message. Most of the time, what the therapist says lowers the self-esteem or confidence of the patient (Wachtel, 2008). In this practice, the therapist must be consistent in monitoring their part in the therapeutic session (Wachtel, 2008). Cyclical Psychodynamics The theory of cyclical psychodynamics utilizes a series of repetitive cycles of communication between people. It combines views from interpersonal dynamics and behavioral and family systems (Wachtel, 2008). The cyclical psychodynamics theory states that people live in a contextual life and their behavior is always related to an individual or object. In therapeutic communication, it is important for the health care professional to understand the roots of the patient’s difficulties (Wachtel, 2008). Cyclical psychodynamics focuses on understanding the cause of the patient’s anxiety. The difficulty of a patient can be rooted from their early knowledge of being afraid of their feelings, thoughts, and inclinations. The aim of therapy in this sense is to help the patient refocus these feelings and integrate them into a complete life (Wachtel, 2008). One aim of therapeutic communication is to direct the patient to a variation of the truth that would help them see new possibilities in their life and to modify life patterns that have been responsible for their difficulties. By using meta-messages, the therapist will help the patient affirm, acknowledge, and understand their feelings (Wachtel, 2008). Other therapeutic techniques provide a different climate, focusing on inhibition, silence and non-engagement from the therapist. With cyclical psychodynamics, however, the health care professional is more involved in the therapeutic process (Wachtel, 2008). Conclusion Healthcare communication involves an efficient line of communication between medical professionals, clients, and patient. A vital component of healthcare communication is the ability to share information that can enhance a patient’s knowledge. This is important in assuring quality healthcare. An effective professional health care communication can improve the health outcome of a patient. The health care professional can utilize various guidelines to achieve effective healthcare communication. It can help the healthcare practitioner to establish a better understanding of the condition and history of their patients. Effective healthcare communication can increase the patient’s satisfaction and knowledge of treatment and its possible outcomes. Without effective healthcare communication, the patient will not have a clear understanding of the state of their health. As a result, they are more likely to spend more on healthcare, take the wrong medication, and become depressed. In the early history of health care, therapists or in this case health care professionals rarely say a word. Usually, the best way they understand the condition of their patient is through listening but they never communicate. However, it is likely to practice a non-threatening way of communicating with patients and will not hurt their self-esteem. In this process, the healthcare professional conceals their real message in a meta-message, which can both be demonstrated in a manner that would make it likely to address the conflicting issue which the patient has avoided Cyclical psychodynamics focuses on understanding the cause of the patient’s anxiety. The difficulty of a patient can be rooted from their early knowledge of being afraid of their feelings, thoughts, and inclinations. The aim of therapy in this sense is to help the patient refocus these feelings and integrate them into a complete life. With cyclical psychodynamics, the patient is directed to a variation of the truth that would help them see new possibilities in their life and to modify life patterns that have been responsible for their difficulties. By using meta-messages, the therapist will help the patient affirm, acknowledge, and understand their feelings. Compared with other therapeutic techniques, which focuses on inhibition, silence and non-engagement from the therapist, cyclical psychodynamics involves more involvement and participation by the health care professional in the therapeutic process All About Personal and Professional Health Care. (2016, Dec 04).

Consumer Behavior Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Consumer Behavior Paper - Essay Example In this case, my problem was motivated by an internal stimulus. The social factor that prompted my decision was the need to experience convenient mobility around my hometown. Additionally, the psychological motivator was the need to be feel I belonged to the same class with my peer, Arnold. When it came to seeking information about possible solutions to my needs, I looked for external information because I had never owned a car before. My search was active; initially Arnold was the primary source. He explained the fundamentals of a fuel efficient vehicles and the convenience offered by different transmission system. He suggested many models, but only two met buying criteria; Honda CR-V 2014 or a Toyota Harrier. Additionally, I did an online search on the various sports utility vehicles available before the search culminated with visits to at least three dealerships. Salesmen offered different pricing range for the two models. They explained the off-road performance for each type. I was had a hand on experience with both vehicles through brief road tests. Evaluating the alternative needs the buyer to choose a model by which to access the available choices. I used the expectancy value model. Fuel efficiency, five gears automatic transmission, sunroof, intelligent multi-information display and price were the attributes I was seeking in a car. My comparison was based on ease of operation with an element of perceive reliability. It is worth noting that consumer will always assess products by the characteristics or benefits that are significant to them. Since I was a young, I always wanted my first car to be blue in color, and this can attributed to my association of the color blue with coolness. While making these decisions, there were risks that I perceived in my mind could come as a result of making that purchase. These included; functional risks, physical risks, and psychological risks. To deal with the

What are the health issues faced by young asylum seekers in the uk and Essay

What are the health issues faced by young asylum seekers in the uk and what has the government put in place to improve these issues - Essay Example Various research studied conducted in the past have shown asylum seekers and refugees being maltreated by members of host countries, which in turn, may lead to psychological problems. I have conducted a content analysis study-gathering qualitative, quantitative and mixed method studies on the topic, specifically those which involved children, teenagers and adolescents based 0-24 years old. There were 6 qualitative studies, 1 quantitative study, and 1 mixed methodology study were gathered for the review. Social services and mental health services may correctly address the problematic areas that bother UASC while in the UK, one of which is dealing accordingly to language problems by getting translators or having information translated in the children’s native language. Most articles also suggested that clinicians and other institutions dealing with UASC must be aware of risk factors, since they have implications to children’s mental health. Early detection of highly distr essed UASC is needed so that interventions could be made right away. Should the government ignore this; the entire community of the host country will also suffer as a result. Asylum seekers, including children, show elevated levels of distress and psychiatric disorder trait to difficult experiences in particular constant post traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) depression, and anxiety (Patel and Hodes 2006). As a result of the traumatic experiences that these children go through, increases vulnerabilities to psychological disorders ( Papadopoulous et al, 2004). This is because they experience major up heals and long periods of instability once they enter into a foreign country. They might have witnessed killing and torture, sometimes of whom are family members. They are separated from their families, and in addition to this, they might have been subject to brutality themselves. All these events affect their psychological health and well-being. There is a correlation

Labor Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Labor Economics - Research Paper Example No matter how effective the human resource managers are in the selection and recruitment process, it appears that they still have to invest in employee training to optimize employee productivity. The essence of this article is to carry out an analysis of the two sources of employee knowledge and to provide a fact-based reaction on the same. Employee training refers to the provision of extra education to employees after the recruitment process as a way of enhancing their productivity by equipping them with knowledge that is relevant to the organizational activities. On the other hand, on-school training refers to the kind of knowledge that potential employees gain in school depending on the subjects and the topics they pursue in part of their career specialization. Most economists have failed to reach a concession on which of the two is more effective or which would be more beneficial to the organization in terms of profit turnover. Dostie (2008) is one of the researchers who have eng aged in an empirical research to investigate the effectiveness of the two sources of employee knowledge. The findings of her research indicate that there is a particular advantage in obtaining employees with proper school training rather than investing on on-job-training. It is indisputable to appreciate that each of the two types of training has its pros and cons and as it seems both are important to the firm. In supporting school training, Dostie (2008) points out that the subjects provided in school are optimized and are best suited for diversified for job opportunities. Consequently, employees will have a good background that will enhance their productivity while in the employment sector. In addition, employees who have adequate training will require little adapting to various work environments much quicker and hence reach the expected production rate almost after they are assimilated in the company. However, the major weakness in school trained employees is that they have littl e diversified knowledge while companies have specific operational activities that may be unique from one organization to the other. In short, although school training outputs an effective labor force, they may have shortfalls in terms of specialization and work orientation. On the other hand, the on-job-training is efficient in orienting new employees to the specific tasks that they are supposed to undertake in an organization. The strength of worker training lies in its ability to model the employees to fit their job description more efficiently and quickly whose cumulative effect is to improve their productivity. However, Dostie (2008) points out that employee training consume a lot of company capital that cannot be recovered by the impact of the process on employee productivity. From this point of view, on-job-training may have a negative impact on the turnover value of the company, which is contrary to the company’s aim of effecting this strategy (Goux & Maurin 12). In es sence, employee productivity can only be measured from their net contribution to the revenue turnover of the firm at the end of the fiscal year rather than their gross production rate. The main goal of any organization is to achieve maximum profits by optimizing employee productivity and minimizing the expenditure in terms of either salary or other priced business operations. The graph below

Is the Law Relating to the Offence of Dissemination of Terrorist Essay

Is the Law Relating to the Offence of Dissemination of Terrorist Publications in Need of Reform - Essay Example Recently, the UK government had problems in complying with provisions of the European Convention of Human rights in respect to its terrorism laws1. One measure in UK’s terrorism law is the pre-charge detention of terrorist suspects for up to twenty eight days without taking appearing in court. The British government intention to amend this law in 2008 and extend it to 42 days was unsuccessful. The government met resistance from civil right groups and parliamentarians who were against such measures since they saw it as an abuse of fundamental rights of individuals. The committee on human rights gave a conclusion that such measures were a breach of the right of liberty as in article five of the European Courts of Human Rights and derogation was necessary for the measure to be lawful2. Legal experts’ opinion was that the pre-charge detention for 42 days is disproportionate and European human rights laws do not provide legal framework for arbitrary arrests and detentions. R eaction from the British government was an explanation that the forty two day period was compatible with the ECHR. The European laws do not set a specific time period for which a person can be detained without appearing in court. ... However, this made the Blaire’s government to be in conflict with parliament resulting in the defeat of the 90 day period proposed by Tony Blaire to a 28 day period3. The premier criticized parliament and the labour MPs who came against him. Defeat of Tony Blaire’s government concerning this anti-terrorism bill brought a debate on whether Mr Blaire was an independent premier or a lame duck that was unable to mobilize his party to support such a crucial bill. Basing on this, likely changes in the bill will have a political effect in the sense that parliament might opt to refuse the changes or support the changes. The media is likely play a role in discussing such issues, with either providing a critique of the said legislation or supporting the legislation on condition that they do not breach the individual rights of people. Changes in the terrorism act of 2006 are likely to affect fundamental human rights and freedom which include4, right to freedom of movement, right t o privacy, right to non-discriminative policies, right to a remedy for breach of human rights, right to fair trial and freedom of expression. These rights are under protection of European Courts of Human Rights5 and the government of UK has committed itself to uphold them. Concerning these fundamental human rights, changes in terrorism act of 2006 will create new detention and questioning powers for security agencies in the UK, they will give the Attorney General new powers to proscribe terrorist organisations and will create new criminal offences and means of controlling people’s movements and activities. For instance, changes in terrorism law regarding attendance at a place formerly in use of terrorism activity, the