Interventions in order to increase the National Achievement Test of 4th Year Students of Malabon National High School Essay

The primordial purpose of this study is to provide the students with a complete and balanced education and to develop their performance in National Achievement Test (Nat) . Thus, the results of this study will benefit the students, the teachers and the school administrators. This study is significant because it will provide the indispensable facts for the students of Malabon National High School who were taking the National Achievment Test (NAT). including the faculty and school administrators as a result in a pervasive exposure of the aforementioned subjects. This study will serve as the basis for future plans of action by the school administrators with regard to the necessary actions for the school and for the students who were taking or will take the National Achievement Test (Nat). Among the persons who will be directly or indirectly involved are the following: This study will not only benefit the school administrators but also the entire student body as it will create a milieu of awareness about the Interventions in order to increase the National Achievement Test (NAT). The teacher and students of the Malabon National High School including the out-of-school youth will have a better understanding of the limitation; Importance of the National Achievement Test will enable them to know the area of difficulty and strength thereby guiding them in reconstructing their programs to suit their needs. Furthermore, this study will serve as a theoretical model for future studies of the same nature if ever the existing problem has penetrated in this case will exist in the future. Future researchers will benefit from this study, and it will provide them the facts needed to compare their study during their respective time and usability.

Enzyme Inhibition

Enzyme Inhibition Many drugs exert their action by inhibition of an enzyme activity in the body. If the activity of an enzyme is vital to the cell or organism, then inhibition may lead to death of the cell or organism. It is now possible to design new drugs which are enzyme inhibitors once a target enzyme has been identified. Types of Inhibitors A) Reversible Inhibitors:  The effect of the inhibitor is instantaneous, and it can be removed from the enzyme by dialysis so that the enzyme activity is returned to normal.Such inhibitors interact with the enzyme by weak non-covalent bonds to form an enzyme inhibitor complex. E + I ? EI B) Irreversible Inhibitors:  These inhibitors bind very tightly to the enzyme, sometimes by formation of covalent bonds to form an enzyme inhibitor compound rather than a loose complex. The effect is therefore progressive with time reaching a maximum when all of the enzyme has reacted. This is not easily reversed by simple physical treatments such as dial ysis. E + I > EI Reversible Inhibition of EnzymesThere are three types of reversible enzyme inhibition;  competitive, non-competitive  (also called mixed)  and uncompetitive. Competitive- molecules which closely resemble the substrate in size, shape and charge distribution may also slip into the active site. This may result in reaction i. e. the second molecule is another substrate for the enzyme, or it may result in inhibition because the active site is blocked. The inhibitor has a separate equilibrium with the enzyme. The binding of substrate and inhibitor is mutually exclusive. E + S ? ES > E + P, E + I ?EI Each of these equilibria is characterised by a dissociation constant. The first by Km (the Michaelis constant) and the second by Ki which characterises the binding between enzyme and inhibitor. If sufficient [S] is present then eventually the inhibition by I will be overcome. This is the diagnostic test for this type of inhibition. Both I and S compete for the available enzyme. The activity of an enzyme is described by the following equation: (Michaelis- Menton equation) In the presence of a  competitive reversible inhibitor, this equation becomes;So the  Michaelis constant  (which is a reciprocal measure of affinity of E and S) is changed by the factor 1 + [I]/Ki where [I] is the inhibitor concentration and  Ki is the dissociation constant for the equilibrium between E and I. Most importantly,  Vmax is unchanged  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ this is diagnostic for this type of inhibition. Ki is best defined as the concentration of inhibitor required to slow the reaction to half the rate it shows in the absence of inhibitor. It is a reciprocal measure of the affinity of E and I. Lineweaver-Burk Plot for Competitive Reversible InhibitionThe  intercept on the y axis represents 1/Vmax. The slope is altered by the factor 1 + [I]/Ki, but the  easiest way to calculate Ki  is from the  ratio of the intercepts on the x axis. Without inhibitor the intercept is -1//Km, with inhibitor it is -1/Km(1+[I]/Ki), so the ratio (bigger over smaller so it is greater than 1) is 1 + [I]/Ki. Easiest way to calculate Ki  is from the  ratio of the intercepts on the x axis. Equation: Other Types of Reversible Inhibition Uncompetitive- This type of reversible inhibition is said to occur when the inhibitor binds with the enzyme-substrate complex rather than the enzyme.Substrate and inhibitor bind dependently. Noncompetitive (Mixed)- This type occurs when the inhibitor binds to both the enzyme and enzyme-substrate complex. Substrate and inhibitor bind independently. Irreversible Inhibition of Enzymes Reversible  means that the timescale of the inhibition is similar to that of the enzyme action, usually measured over a few minutes. Irreversible  means that the enzyme activity is inhibited for times significantly longer than the assay times for the enzyme. It does not necessarily mean that the inhibition will not reverse given sufficient time i. . hours, days or weeks. Some of the most interesting examples of enzyme inhibitors as drugs are those which fall between the two extremes and are sometimes defined as Quasi-Irreversible. These include tight-binding inhibitors, transition state analogues and slowly dissociating intermediates. Tight-Binding inhibitors  and  Transition State Analogues  form high affinity complexes with the enzyme and may have Ki values in the order of nanomolar (10-9  mol L-1). The value of Ki will be very important in describing the potency of this type of inhibitor.As a rough guide the inhibitor concentration causing 50% inhibition (I50) is used as a measure of Ki. Slowly Dissociating Intermediates  react with the enzyme to form covalent intermediates which take time to dissociate from the enzyme. A Classification of Enzyme Inhibitors as Drugs For a compound to work as a drug in vivo it will ideally have TWO very important properties. These are; Potency  To work in vivo as an enzyme inhibit or the inhibitor will need to be potent enough so that the dose required is in the order of milligrams to grams.Specificity  If a compound is a nonspecific enzyme inhibitor it is more likely to be toxic and exhibit serious side effects. It may be a poison. Simple Reversible- A simple reversible inhibitor binds to the enzyme and decreases the enzyme activity instantaneously and reverses within the time of the enzyme action. The inhibitor binds non-covalently (ionic interactions, hydrogen bonds, Van Der Waal's forces) to the enzyme and the strength of binding is of a similar order to the substrate i. e. Ki will be of similar size to Km. For very good reasons, the Km values for enzymes vary between about 10-2  mol L-1  to 10-6mol L-1.Unlikely to be potent enough to work in vivo where competition occurs in a dynamic metabolic situation. For a simple competitive inhibitor the inhibition will be self-limiting. If an enzyme is not rate limiting, it may be necessary to achieve ;90% in hibition before any increase in substrate concentration occurs. To do this the inhibitor concentration needs to be approximately 20 times the Ki value. Conformationally Restricted Competitive Inhibitors- It is possible that a reversible competitive inhibitor which is a conformationally restricted analogue of the substrate will have a much higher affinity for the enzyme han does the substrate and hence can be potent enough to work in vivo at reasonable concentrations. Such compounds may have Ki values in the region of 1 x 10-7  mol L-1 Quasi-Irreversible Tight Binding Inhibitors- This is an extension of the previous class i. e. competitive inhibitors which are conformationally restricted and/or have many non-covalent interactions leading to long lasting complexes. Therefore binding is very tight (Ki in order of 10-9  mol L-1  to 10-10  mol L-1) and these compounds are potent enough to act as drugs in vivo.Transition State Analogues- Theoretically, an analogue of a transition state (or reaction intermediate) for the enzyme catalysed reaction will bind much tighter than an analogue of the substrate. The outcome is a potent and potentially specific inhibitor. Theoretically, Ki values can be very low. In practice if Ki values in the region of Nano molar can be achieved, these are potent enough to work in vivo. As we shall see, there has been much work in this area on proteases including HIV protease and there are now a major class of drugs which has been developed on this principle.Slowly Dissociating Intermediates- Some enzymes form covalent intermediates as part of their mechanism e. g. acetylcholinesterase. It is possible for a compound to act as a pseudo-substrate and be converted into a long lasting intermediate. Such an inhibition is time dependent and in some cases is virtually irreversible. Sometimes the intermediate is hydrolysed in minutes or hours but this is still much longer than the normal enzyme mechanism when the intermediate would last only milliseconds. Examples include the anticholinesterases neostigmine and physostigmine (eserine) and penicillin.Irreversible Nonspecific: a. Heavy metal poisons e. g. cyanide, hydrogen sulphide, carbon monoxide- Some enzymes and other important proteins such as Haemoglobin and Cytochromes, require metals as cofactors. These metals are often transition metals such as Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn and ligands which are electron rich will form co-ordinate covalent bonds with these metals will inactivate these proteins. These bonds are strong and very often these ligands are toxic because of this irreversible inactivation.Cyanide reacts with cytochrome oxidase which is the terminal electron carrier in the electron transport chain by ligand formation with the Cu atom at the centre of its mechanism. Similarly, carbon monoxide complexes with the Fe atom in the haem cofactor of haemoglobin. b. Heavy metal ions e. g. mercury, lead etc. – These are common irreversible inhibitors because of their abili ty to complex firmly with particular groups in enzymes. These effects can be reversed by treatment with chelating agents such as EDTA (ethylene di-amino tetra acetic acid). c. Thiol poisons e. . alkylating agents, Arsenic (III) Many enzymes contain thiol (-SH) groups in amino acid side chains – cysteine, which are essential for catalytic activity. Any compound which reacts with these functional groups will poison the enzyme. E. g. Iodoacetamide  (alkylating agent) Arsenic- The most toxic form of Arsenic is As (III) as in arsenite AsO2. In this form, Arsenic reacts rapidly with  thiol groups, especially with dithiols such as lipoic acid which is an essential cofactor for some important enzymes such as pyruvate dehydrogenase and -ketoglutarate dehyrdrogenase.You should remember these enzymes as part of the link reaction and the citric acid cycle. When these enzymes are blocked, respiration stops. Arsenic derivatives have been prepared as very poisonous war gases e. g. Lewis ite. antidote called  Dimercaprol (‘British Anti-Lewisite')  was designed by incorporating two thiols for the poison to react with. The two thiol groups react with the arsenical war gas forming a stable compound and thus stopping it from blocking the thiol groups in lipoic acid. Dimercaprol  is used these days as an antidote to poisoning with heavy metals such as antimony, arsenic, mercury, bismuth, gold, thallium.It is also used in conjunction with pencillamine in the treatment of lead poisoning (see BNF). Specific Irreversible Inhibitors: Affinity Labels (Active site directed irreversible inhibitors)- An analogue of the substrate which binds to the active site of an enzyme, but which contains a chemically reactive group, has the potential to form covalent bonds with side chains at or near the active site. These inhibitors are irreversible and have been very useful in elucidating enzyme mechanisms but their reactive nature makes them likely to be toxic when used in vivo .Mechanism-based Inhibitors (‘suicide reagents') – The principle of this sort of inhibition is that a pseudo substrate is accepted by the enzyme which then catalyses the production of its own inhibitor which reacts covalently in the active site. Such inhibitors should be specific as well as potent. Certain monoamine oxidase inhibitors have this mechanism, also the -lactamase inhibitors (e. g. clavulanate). The pyridoxal phosphate (vitamin B6) dependent enzymes have been a particular candidate for the development of this kind of inhibitor (e. g. difluoromethyldopa). Enzyme inhibitors:Edrophonium – conformationally restricted competitive reversible, ACE inhibitors – Tight binding, HIV protease inhibitors – Transition state analogues, Neostigmine, Penicillin – Slowly dissociating intermediates DFP – Irreversible group specific reagent, Clavulanate – mechanism-based irreversible inhibitor. Types of Enzyme Inhibitors Simple Reversibl e| Competitive (also uncompetitive, noncompetitive, mixed)| Simple substrate analogues Michaelis-Menten kinetics Ki in region of Km i. e. 10-2  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 10-6  M| Restricted Conformation| Rigid shape similar to favoured substrate fit Ki less than Km| e. g. drophonium as inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase| Quasi-Irreversible| Tight Binding Ki can be in region of nanomolar| E. g. ACE inhibitors Captopril, enalapril etc. | | Transition State Analogues. Binding constant theoretically below nanomolar| Inhibitors of proteinases e. g. pepsin, renin, HIV proteinase| | Slowly Dissociating Intermediates – time dependent kinetics| e. g. neostigmine, eserine as anticholinesterases Penicillin| Irreversible| Heavy metal poisons etc| Cyanide, Hydrogen Sulphide, Carbon Monoxide| | Group reagents| e. g. Arsenic (III), Iodoacetamide| | DFP action on esterases| | Affinity labels| TPCK on Chymotrypsin| | Mechanism Based (‘suicide inhibitors')| e. g. Clavulanate onlactamase| Enzyme Inhibi tors as Drugs ENZYME| INHIBITOR(S)| USES| Acetylcholinesterase| Edrophonium Neostigmine Eserine| Myasthenia Gravis Glaucoma Paralytic Ileus| Monoamine Oxidase| Tranylcypramine| Depression| Xanthine Oxidase| Allopurinol| Gout, adjunct to Cancer chemotherapy| Carbonic Anhydrase| Acetazolamide| Diuresis| Dihydrofolate Reductase| Methotrexate| Leukaemia|Transpeptidase| Penicillin| Antibacterial| Cyclo-oxygenase| Aspirin etc. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs| Analgesia Anti-inflammatory Anti-platelet| Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE)| Captopril, enalapril, lisinopril etc. | Anti-hypertension| Thymidylate Synthetase| Fluorouracil| Cancer chemotherapy| Penicillinase (-lactamase)| Clavulanate etc| Anti-bacterial| HIV proteinase| Saquinovar etc| HIV treatment| Reverse Transcriptase| AZT| HIV treatment| HMG-CoA Reductase| Statins, pravastatin etc. | Coronary Heart Disease| Phospodiesterase V| Viagra| Erectile dysfunction|

Personal Statement, My Personal Experiences Essay

Personal Statement, My Personal Experiences - Essay Example His ambition for his children has often placed me in challenging positions. The most challenging of these was when, following the completion of my secondary education, he decided to transfer me to SMUK-1 BPK Penabur, the most difficult and best high school in Indonesia. I did not want to transfer and quite honestly, did not feel that I was capable of succeeding in such a competitive and tough educational environment where students where, to a large degree, expected to rely on themselves for success or failure. The environment, being so very different from what I was accustomed to, frightened me and for much of my first high school year, I was miserable. It was, within the limits of my experience, a period of tremendous intellectual and psychological hardship. Besides being extremely competitive and difficult, I had no friends at SMUK-1 BPK Penabur. There was, therefore, no one to guide me through this period and, at the same time, my father demanded nothing less than excellence. All I could do, therefore, was accept the situation and apply myself as I had never in my life done. While I recall this as a miserable year, the fact is that I succeeded and achieved the grades demanded of me. More importantly, I discovered that nothing is really ever too difficult. (2) As Indone

In what ways has the fashion blog changed fashion journalism Essay

In what ways has the fashion blog changed fashion journalism - Essay Example The contemporary society which is characterized by the application of information and communication technology in various economic, social and political activities has found increasing use of the internet in the communication of fashion. The advent of the internet has contributed greatly to fashion journalism as facilitated by fashion blogs and websites. This paper gives a critical analysis and discussion of fashion journalism in relation to the fashion blog and how it has transformed fashion journalism. Traditionally fashion journalism involved the presentation of fashion designs by writer and publishers in books. Magazines and newspaper were also common print forms of fashion journalism. Craik (1997) points out that with the advent of computer and their application in communication via the innovative internet application, fashion websites and blogs have become the most common media through which fashion journalism is being perpetuated and communicated to the audience. Magazines and newspapers are also significantly used in the modern fashion journalism to communicate images and messages on fashion. However the internet is the most preferred media for fashion journalism. Blood (2002) explains that fashion blogs are preferred in fashion journalism because of their effectiveness in passing information on fashion to the audience. Additionally, fashion blogs provide a means through which fashion writers and producers would reach a great audience. This is because of the nature of the in ternet in providing global reach for information on fashion. With the evolution of fashion journalism, its production has also changed significantly over the years. Independent Fashion Bloggers (2012) demonstrate that the traditional production of fashion images and messages by writer involved writing of scripts on fashion which were published through long processes of book production. The production of fashion images involved black and white images which

Research Findings, Statistical Analysis and interpretation for Essay - 2

Research Findings, Statistical Analysis and interpretation for Etisalat Telecom Corporation - Essay Example Next is the presentation of results of reliability analysis are presented for all the items used in the questionnaire and for each item used in the questionnaire. The third section presents the results of correlation analysis using graphs where the performance data is graphically presented on their associations. The last section presents the results of hypotheses tests using one-sample t-tests. Table 1 shows the age distribution of the respondents. As shown, the results show that 34% of the respondents were aged 21-25 years, 11% were aged 26-30 years, 13% were aged 31-35 years, 16% were aged 36-40 years, and 28% were aged 41 years or above. Thus most of the respondents were aged 21-25 and above 40 years. These results are also presented in Figure 1. The graphical presentation of ratio analysis is provided in Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5. As shown there has been a decline in performance of Etisat in all the ratios. It can be noted that since 2006, the gross profit margin, pre (ITDA) profit margin, operating profit margin, and net profit margin has been falling to the lowest in 2012. Figure 2 shows that the gross profit margin was 79.21% and declined to 75.94 in 2007, 68.63% in 2008, 68% in 2009, 67.25% in 2010, 64.2% in 2011 and in 2012. This clearly shows a decline in the gross profit margin for Etisalat Company. Figure 3 show that pre (ITDA) profit margin was highest in 2006 at 76.82% and lowest in 2012 at 61.65% having declined over the period of analysis. Figure 4 also shows a decline in operating profit margin as it was the highest in 2006 at 68.25% and lowest in 2012 at 51.69% having also declined over the years. Figure 5 shows that the net profit margin was highest in 2006 at 35.97% and lowest in 2012 at 26.92%. This shows a decline of operating profit margin over the period of analysis. Table 2 shows the descriptive results for all the 30 items used in the study. As shown, the results are

Reformation in Northern Europe has an effect on painting Essay

Reformation in Northern Europe has an effect on painting - Essay Example The essay "Reformation in Northern Europe has an effect on painting" analyzes what influence has the reformation in Nothern Europe on painting. In fact, reformation led to the fromation of protenstantism with constituent branches spread across Europe. The spread of reformation was enahanced by use of images, which become remarkably effective in dissemination of information regarding the negaitve practices of the church that the reformationists were opposed to thus art was applied to popularize the reformation movement . First, the main cause of the reformation was deeply rooted in dissatisfaction with the practices upheld by the church. This movement is attributed to protests founded by a German named Martin Luther who was an Augustinian monk. In 1517, he expressed his arguments against the abuse of indulgences that were solely official pardons granted upon repentance of one’s sins. The particular objection raised by the reformist was the parctice of selling indulgences that a llowed christians to literary buy their â€Å"ticket† into heaven. This practice had become quite popular in the beginning of the 16th century. Martin Luther, the founder of the reformation objected to the basic tenets of the Roman Catholic Church, which entailed the clergy’s exclusive manadate to grant salavation. Martin Luther believed that a person’s salvation was dependent on an individual’s faith and not solely on priestly mediation. In addition, Martin Luther considered the Bible to be the true and ultimate source.

Theres a Gender Pay Gap in Kids Allowances and Parents Are To Blame Essay

Theres a Gender Pay Gap in Kids Allowances and Parents Are To Blame - Essay Example The way parents bring up their children has a direct effect on the future choices being made by children pertaining to their choices of work and work-related activities. Parents are responsible for directing children mindset to value professions like law, Medicine among others and devalue others such as house chores and teaching. The majority of the gap seen in the pay between men and women in the society comes from the occupational differences and not the gender role differences (Eliana). The pay gap clearly demonstrates to the girls that the kind of household work that they do does not qualify in the level of works that need to be rewarded. This is why when girls grow up into womanhood, they tend to spend most of their times on the work that is unpaid such as household chores. In contrast to women, men only try to find more time to relax themselves out . Normally, girls do two more hours of daily chores when compared to boys. On the other hand, boys do spend much of their time, twice as much as the girls, in playing. Despite this hard work shown by the girls, boys are likely to be paid for the chores that they do. A similar research done by the junior achievement USA indicates that seventy percent of all boys are more likely to get allowance as compared to a small figure of sixty percent of girls, who are likely to receive allowances. According to Sandberg and Neil â€Å"Lean in: women, work and the will to lead â€Å"; gender pay difference is also a result of the gap in leadership ambition. In many working environmental, men are observed to be more ambitious to achieving senior jobs compared to their female counterparts. A 2012 Mc Kinsey survey found out only eighteen percent of women in a working environment aspire for the senior jobs that are high paying compared to thirty-six percent of the men population in the same environment (Sandberg and Nell, 13). It is no doubt that women do possess equal skills to

Intellectual Property of Islamic civilization in Andalusia Essay

Intellectual Property of Islamic civilization in Andalusia - Essay Example Cordoba attracted Intellectual giants like Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar), Al-Khwarizmi (Algorizm) and Al-Razi (Razes) to name a few, were all Muslims educated in Al-Andalus. In the 700 years that they have been in Europe, the Muslims of Al-Andalus produced a great civilisation that was far ahead and more advance than the rest of Europe at that time. Many tribes, religions and races coexisted in al-Andalus, each contributing to the intellectual prosperity of Andalusia. Literacy in Islamic Iberia was far more widespread than any other country of the West. Today also, unlike other muslim inhabitants of elsewhere , the southern Spain which was known as Muslim Spain is far ahead and distinct in education and thinking. The properity and peace of Andalusi is marked by intellectual advancement specially in field of education and translation works.In the 10th century, the city of Cordoba had 700 mosques, 60,000 palaces, and 70 libraries, the largest of which had up to 600,000 books. In comparison, the largest library in Christian Europe at the time had no more than 400 manuscripts, while the University of Paris library still had only 2,000 books later in the 14th century. In addition, as many as 60,000 treatises, poems, polemics and compilations were published each year in Al-Andalus. In comparison, modern Spain published 46,330 books per year as of 1996. The historian Said Al-Andalusi wrote that Caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III had collected libraries of books and granted patronage to scholars of medicine and "ancient sciences". Later, al-Mustansir (Al-Hakam II) went yet further, building a university and libraries in Cà ³rdoba. Cà ³rdoba became one of the worlds leading centres of medicine and philosophi cal debate. â€Å"The subjects covered by the texts included medicine, astrology, astronomy pharmacology, psychology, physiology, zoology, biology, botany, mineralogy, optics, chemistry, physics, mathematics, algebra, geometry, trigonometry,

Supporting Children Essay Example for Free

Supporting Children Essay â€Å"The Human Rights Act 1998 came in to force in October 2000 and had a big impact on current legislation in UK.† (Tassoni. P, 2007, pg. 115) Although this Act was not created specifically for the protection of children, It does ensure that children have the same rights as adults, for example the right to dignity. It also ensures they are given respect and fairness in the way theyre treated. This led to settings not being able to use any type of physical punishment, like slapping or caning despite gaining the parents consent to do so or not because it is seen as a violation to a childs right as it is degrading. The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child 1989 was also signed by the UK as an addition to The Human Right Act 1998 as it gives children under the age of 18 their own set of rights. This particular piece of legislation was separated into five separate strands; reinforcing the importance of fundamental human dignity; highlighting and defending the familys role in childrens lives; making sure children are respected; supporting the principle of not discriminating children; as well ensuring that the legal framework of the UK complies with the Convention. Within this piece of legislation are many articles which focus on difference parts of childrens rights, but there are a specific few that have an impact on practice. For example: Article 2 – which talks about the right to be protected against any discrimination – means that practitioners have to treat all children fairly and settings must give equal opportunities; Article 3 – says that the best interest of the child should always be considered in actions where they are concerned – this means that practitioners have to ensure the child has the care they needs and that all their needs are being met, whether the practitioner agrees with the way its done; Article 12 – states that children have a right to express their views freely, and be listened to – which means that all childrens opinions, likes, dislikes etc. are taken into consideration at all times; Article 13 – Talks about children having freedom of expression and exchange of information regardless of frontiers – this means children should be able to ask questions and be answered with things that concern them; and Article 28 – A child has the right to education with a view to achieving – which is why children in the UK from the age of around 5 must attend some kind of educational setting. Another piece of legislation used in the UK is the Children Act 1989 which was created after the UNCRC was adopted, it was made to bring other pieces of legislation together into one Act, but this meant that it covered a wide range of things from child protection to the inspection of settings to parental responsibilities. As a result of this act settings now have to make sure they view parents as partners as they are the childs main carer and have a right to know and help with their childs development, this is done by regularly updating the parents and sharing all information. It also stated that the welfare of the child is paramount and that children and young peoples views should always be taken into consideration during any decision making about their future care within all settings. After the Children Act 1989 came the Children Act 2004 which was made as an addition and provided for a childrens commissioner as well as allowing the government to ensure that the Every Child Matters scheme had a legal framework to go with it. This scheme is now used through out appropriate childcare settings and ensures that the services at hand for children work together more effectively. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 was made so that discrimination against children and their families was prevented, this is because the act made it illegal not to provide access for disabled people to their settings whether this meant providing wheelchair access, or having things printed in large fonts for parents/carers or ensuring children are given the opportunity to join in all activities and experiences regardless of their disability. E3 – In order to safeguard children, all settings have many policies and procedures in place to ensure that practitioners know what their roles and responsibilities are at all times. Other wise, the children would be at risk from many different things. Policies like; Health and Safety; Child Protection; Anti Bullying; Behaviour; Fire Procedures; Partnership with Parents; Anti-Discrimination; Food Hygiene/Avoiding Cross-infection; Whistle blowing; Confidentiality and a Signing in/out Policy all help to keep children healthy, safe and secure and avoid putting them in any danger or harm. The signing in/out policy means that any visitor or volunteer who comes into the setting should wear proof of identification that shows that they are a member of staff especially in larger settings. It is also crucial to check the adults coming in, are allowed to be in the setting, (for example parents who are not allowed to pick up their child) and all visitors should sign in and out of the setting which not only provides the setting with proof of identity but also lets the staff know who has entered the building and when, which helps to protect children as it means no one who may put the children at risk are allowed around the children, and that in the case of any child being abused by a visitor or someone entering the building, it is possible to look back and have access to important information like names and dates. A whistle blowing policy is for someone within the organisation or setting that wants to report inappropriate actions of another practitioner by alerting someone in a higher position to them e.g. room supervisor who then deals with the report and helps to prevent any abuse from those employees working directly with the children which in turn helps to prevents the allegations of abuse in future. The Food hygiene or Cross infection policy was implemented to avoid any children (or staff) becoming ill and catching infectious illnesses. Using this policy means that all staff who prepare and cook food which is served to others, have to be trained in food handling procedures, as well cleaning of resources, toys and equipment of there is an outbreak of infectious illness within the setting. This is to avoid any germs spreading causing other children and staff to have poor health. E4 All settings have specific policies to ensure that children and their families feel welcomed and included at all times during their time at the nursery. One of the policies which does this is the Equal Opportunities policy which means as a practitioner you have a duty to ensure that children as well as their carers are valued and not discriminated against either by adults or by other children. This policy also helps to prevent discrimination because every one is entitled to join in all activities, regardless of their age/stage or ability. This is because the policy says that every activity or experience provided at the nursery must be easily adaptable for everyone to participate in. By having a settling in policy, this also makes parents/carers feel more welcomed into the setting and more reassured about their child starting at the nursery, because it shows them you understand that each child is different in the way they adapt to new situations, some fit right in, and others take time to get used to the new people and activities. The behaviour policy which can be found in all childcare settings also helps to prevent any children or families being discriminated against, because by having this policy parents/carers understand that the practitioners are being fair if a situation occurs where a child behaves inappropriately, this means that allegations of discrimination are less likely to be made against practitioners and parents understand that behaviour policy applies to ALL children, and any other child would be treated equally. E5 – As children, we depend on adults a lot, but the older we get, the more independent we become. If adults give children the chance to be self-reliant, and independent, they become confident in themselves and their ability to do certain things, which means they feel empowered. To do this, children must be given choice in lots of things they do, and encouragement to do things by themselves where choice is not available, for example getting dressed or going to the toilet. One way to offer children choice as part of their daily routine, is through food, as all children have to eat, but all children are different and enjoy different food. If a practitioner gives the child choice between two types of vegetables or drinks, for example then the child will learn to make simple decisions, and the more they do it the more confidence they will gain as they know what they like and dislike, and this will make them feel grown up and help there self-esteem grow rather than someone telling them what they are eating and them doing so. One other strategy for helping children to feel empowered through choice, would be in play, this is done by setting up various activities and letting them choose between them, this is a more child-led approach, as they are able to find an activity most suited to their interests, instead of being told they are doing a specific activity and not enjoying it. By letting them choose, again they will feel more independent and if they enjoy the activity they will also become more confident because they will feel like they made the right choice for themselves giving them a sense of achievement. D2 – By giving children choice in both food, and in play, you are encouraging them to be independent, even if they dont realise it. However, it is important that children are allowed to change there mind in play as this helps them learn what they enjoy doing, children might not understand what kind of things they like or dislike they just know what they want to do. By giving them choice, and asking why they made that choice, they should learn and understand their preferences helping them to make simple decisions in the future, leading them to make more complicated ones later on. It is important that practitioners ensure they are using choice-giving as a way to empower children, rather than getting them to do what the practitioner wants. For example, it is not helpful to the child, if you say you can either choose to apologise to this girl, or you are not going outside the child is being given a choice, rather than understanding their actions were unkind. You need to be clear on what is right or wrong and explain consequences and give choice through other activities, and as a practitioner, it is unfair on the child if you tell them they made a bad choice, instead you should ask them to evaluate their own choice and the consequences so they can make a better choice for them in future. By doing this, they have confidence in themselves because they will feel good after making a choice which is suitable for them, for example being kind to another child, will mean they are praised and shows they know how to respect others, not only encouraging them to be kind more often, but also easing decision making for them helping them to feel empowered. E6 – During a childs life, they will have to go through many transitions, most children will go through the transition of moving class, or school, some children may move house or city, and other children may go through bereavement. Most of these transitions, practitioners can help prepare for by doing many things. For example, most childcare settings have a settling in policy that they can refer to for new children. This is because If a child is moving from nursery to reception in a completely separate building with new teachers, they will find it very distressing if it is quite sudden. However there are many things settings can do to help the child settle in steadily, like: Meeting the teacher/key worker a few times before they start, where the practitioner will introduce themselves and get to know the child, this is so they know a familiar face, and know that they can trust the teacher/key worker. Having half days is also an important way of introducing a child to a new situation, especially if they are going from half days to full days in a new place. Other wise the child will be overwhelmed, they will feel uncomfortable being in a new place with new people for longer than they are usually left without their parent/carer. Once they have started at a new place, it may be reassuring for them to have their previous teachers or key workers visit, as they are likely to trust them, and notice that if they feel comfortable here, then it is okay for the child to feel comfortable too helping them feel reassured. Some places may offer for the child to come once or twice for short sessions and participate in activities like stories, this gets them used to the place in small doses and that way when they officially move, they will be used to the building and the people, making it less distressing for them. E7 – Unfortunately in some settings discrimination may occur, against some children and families. Which is why it important to ensure that you are fair and treat everyone as a unique individual. Discrimination can occur when people have stereotypical attitudes, this means that they see a group of people with one characteristic in common and think they are all the same, for example, disabled people cannot live by themselves. Some stereotypes can lead to practitioners making assumptions about what children can do. Prejudice is also another cause of discrimination, as it stems from stereotyping. If someone is prejudice then it means they are pre-judging someone without knowing anything about them, due to a specific stereotypical view a practitioner may hold. For example, if a child is over weight, they may assume the child doesnt want to take part in physical activities. Which is unfair on the child, as this is not necessarily true. If a child or there family, is discriminated against, they will start to pick up on the actions of the practitioner, and it will have an affect on their self-esteem, and self-worth, as by the age of 3 or 4 a child will have developed their sense of identity and understand racial and gender differences, and the way people treat each other. A child will understand the differences in the way the people they look up to treat others especially if it because they are a different race, age or gender. If they feel discriminated against, they will have a lower self-worth and self-esteem, they may grow up feeling inferior to others because of different characteristics like colour, they may fear failing new activities, leading them t achieve and succeed less at school, or have difficulty in developing emotionally/socially in order to form relationships in the future. D1 Gathering information to support the child would be a good way to prepare children for transitions because practitioners often feel the need to reassure children by talking about the new setting they are going to, whether it is a hospital, new school etc. but often the children are given misinformation, leading them to expect certain things or do things in a particular way, this can make their first experiences within a setting more difficult. Therefore it is important that practitioners find out information for themselves before sharing with the children, this can be done through websites, particularly for schools, brochures, prospectus or leaflets about certain procedures, talking to other people who may have already been through the same transition, e.g. older siblings. Or possible letters and phone calls where you can directly find out about certain enquiries you or the children may have. By doing this you can successfully answer childrens questions and support them and hopefully they will then feel reassured about the change. Working in partnership with parents is crucial for a child to succeed in calmly changing settings. This is because we can only do our best for the children in our care if we involve their parents and families. We need to listen to what parents can tell us about their children and accept that as their childs main carer they hold a lot information, practitioners could use to help support the child. Firstly, children may confide in their parents/carers about things troubling them linked with the transition, and whilst parents may not have the answers, practitioners may be able to help, therefore it is essential that communication between the two is continuous. There are many other ways to help children communicate their expectations and fears, some more subtle than others. For example, Role play, using an object or toy, drawing, changing activities and promoting the development of self-help skills. One way to encourage children to talk about their worries or questions, is bringing an object or toy, for example using a teddy, explaining that he is going through a transition just like the children and asking them what they think the teddy may be worried about. This strategy often brings up their subconscious thoughts. Using drawing activities can also be helpful, as you could ask them to draw scenarios they predict will happen at the new setting. Changing activities and promoting self help skills is particularly important, if the child is moving in education, as they will have to be more independent, have the ability organise themselves, particularly if they are in charge of their own lunch money, or transport, and need to be responsible for their own possessions. Helping them to prepare for practical activities, like getting a bus on their own, will give them confidence as they feel more grown up and independent, although in this case it important that the child is given accurate information so they know what to expect. C1 – A lot of childcare settings have modelled their techniques after Vygotskys principles, allowing children to have a supportive learning environment and empowering them to develop their personal strengths. Experiences that students have at school contribute to learning both inside and outside of the classroom. Vygotsky says that children need to be taught using structured education where a teacher can give clear instructions to help children learn as well as social interaction between children. Vygotskys theory suggests that there are three ways in which children learn; firstly, imitative learning, where the child copies the actions of others; Instructed learning comes second, where a child acts out what the teacher tells them to do and they learn through activities, and; the third is collaborative learning. Collaborative learning happens when a group of children work together in order to achieve a specific goal which helps them as they are working to understand each other. Teachers and carers, want to get the most from students, challenging them to reach their highest potential and once they do they will feel confident in their own abilities and have a higher self-esteem. Vygotskys belief that social interaction leads not only to easier learning for the child, but that it actually changes a childs thoughts and behaviours. Vygotsky believed that exposing children to various cultures meant that they would be more knowledgeable about the world and themselves. Learning through this means that children develop their own self-worth as they will evaluate how much knowledge they can put forward into a group and how helpful they are. The more experiences that a child has, the more about other people and cultures they find out, and the more they learn the more independent they should become as experiences such as these will help them to form their perceptions of the world which all leads to children feeling independent and therefore empowered. B1 An equal opportunities policy means as a practitioner you have a duty to ensure that children are valued and not discriminated against either by adults or by other children. Equality of opportunity means ensuring children in a setting’s care are seen as being individual and special. However, this does not mean treating all children exactly the same as some children may need more adult help and support than others or even special equipment to undertake and participate in activities. Equality of opportunity means ensuring that children are equally valued and given the same opportunities to fulfil their own potential.

Little Red Riding Hood Essay Example for Free

Little Red Riding Hood Essay Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault is a story every child learns that is about a young girl with a red riding hood who goes into the woods to deliver some food to her very ill grandmother and in her journey she encounters a wolf who in the end wants to trick her into believing he is her grandmother. However children only enjoy a simple fairy tale for the fact of being imaginary, as when we were children we never sensed a double meaning to this story. In Charles Perrault version of this popular tale he adds a moral to this tale which is â€Å"Children, especially attractive well bred, young ladies, should never talk to strangers, for if they should do so, they may well provide dinner for wolf. I say â€Å"wolf,† but there are various types of wolves. There are also those who are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet, who pursue young women at home and in the streets. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all† (Perrault). With this moral at the end of the story we can realize how he is using a gender based opinion by how he is directly stating young girls as defenseless and only assuming girls to be a target. When he mentions children he states rapidly the term â€Å"young ladies†, not realizing also that young males are also a target for predators. This story provides an incentive of paranoia for a child with his words of describing a wolf terrorizes the idea of speaking to a stranger which makes it seem he is describing a male. Even if his intentions are to raise awareness on the dangers that are out there this purpose fails since he makes the mistake of not alerting the audience of both genders, only referring to a specific one. I refer to children because he relates them with young women, the similarity he sees between them is of defenseless, naive and vulnerable in every way. The male however represents a wolf and it is easy to figure out once you see how Charles Perrault refers to women being the weaker gender. Needless to say stories sometimes withhold more meaning than mere words; the context of each story is what holds the real purpose of the writer’s words. That is why in this version Little Red Riding Hood is portrayed as a helpless young girl in need of protection. This story is very symbolical because the author feels the need to depict how vulnerable red riding hood was when in his story he wrote â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood took off her clothes and got into bed† (Perrault). We can also realize how graphic the scene gets after this when they confront each other in the bed and finally he ends up eating her up. Notice how in the end the author lets the wolf have his way and neither the grandmother or red riding hood made it alive. The story had no happy ending like every traditional tale did. Just think how can we have freedom when we are confining ourselves and others to have stereotypes that don’t allow us to think freely since it narrows our mindset to one thing? We can’t. It affects our young society to live with these stereotypes that limit their potential; a girl could grow up thinking she should aspire to only be a housewife and not anything else. I personally have been affected by these stereotypes because they still exist to this day. Sometimes I feel like my presence doesn’t make as much as an impact as a man would in the business world. Not only did this not end happily ever after, the main characters died and left the readers with a negative thought. The main audiences for this story are children and the plot ends a bit too harsh, we could agree that this isn’t really child appropriate. If we want to keep the children of our society innocent and teach them in a much healthier way not to trust strangers this story is not the way to do so. It encourages the thought of stereotypes and could give the wrong idea to what children should consider dangerous. The author describes the wolf as what we could call a sociopath. It is not a child’s duty to know everything since they are children and that is why parents should care for them to look out for their wellbeing. Furthermore it is not healthy to create so much doubt in a child since this could result in anxieties that can develop in a child’s mind creating traumas. Comparing a wolf to a stranger is not the best way to teach a child to not trust strangers and in addition to this; strangers are not always the bad guys giving the fact that most child abuse happens among those who aren’t strangers. Let’s teach our children regardless of race to be alert of any signs that they should consider dangerous strangers or not. In addition women should be respected by not being compared to children since this belittles them as a person. Women and men are created equal so it isn’t right to underestimate either gender because this can affect the person’s outlook on life in the long run.

Analysis Of Dantes Inferno English Literature Essay

Analysis Of Dantes Inferno English Literature Essay Dantes Inferno represents a microcosm of society; that is, laymen, clergy, lovers, wagers of war, politicians, and scholars are all collected into one place and punished for their worst and most human attributes. Hell, despite its otherworldly appearance and brutal, ugly nature, is somewhat humanized by the fact that those who are punished come from every country (Dante 3.123) and every walk of life, regardless of age, race, sex, or creed. While Dante Alighieri did not invent the idea of Hell as a place of punishment for the wayward and sinful souls in the afterlife, he did create the most powerful and enduring (Raffa 1) imagining of a concept which has received significant attention in biblical, classical, and medieval works. Dantes Divine Comedy was written sometime between 1308 and 1321 and is considered the supreme work of Italian literature (Norwich 27). It is an epic poem divided into three separate sections: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, res pectively. The personal element of the journey through Hell in Dantes Inferno literally explores the descent of one man into sin; through the use of poetic justice, both contemporary and historical figures, and mythological figures, Dante crafts an immediate and enthralling work dealing with the nature of sin and its place in society. The concept of poetic justice is famously explored in Inferno, where it is put to dramatic effect devising appropriate torments for each particular sin (Raffa 3). From Limbo to Treachery, Dante catalogues and documents the punishment of sinners both infamous and beloved, famous and unknown. In every case, the punishment fits the crime in a twisted and malignant fashion after all, the poem does discuss the realm of Satan, the Christian embodiment of evil. The nine circles of Hell described in Inferno are as follows: Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Avarice and Prodigality, Wrath and Sullenness, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery. These nine circles are based off of the idea of the Seven Deadly Sins, with some additions such as Limbo created by Dante. The poem begins with Dante lost in a dark wood, assailed by three beasts he cannot evade, and unable to move straight along (Dante 1.18) the road to salvation, represented by a mountain. A lion, a leopard, and a she-wolf symbolizing pride, envy, and avarice, respectively block Dantes path to the top of the mountain, forcing him to descend into the depths of Hell with Virgil. The entire journey documented in the Divine Comedy is an allegory for mans fall into sin before achieving redemption (represented by Purgatorio) and eventually salvation (represented by Paradiso). Before Dante even enters the gates of Hell, he is introduced to his guide for the first two realms of the afterlife, Inferno and Paradiso. For this role, Dante chose Virgil (70-19 BCE), who lived under the rule of Julius Caesar and later Augustus during Romes transition from a republic into an empire, and is most famous for the Aeneid. Two episodes in Virgils work were of particular interest to Dante. Book IV tells the tale of Aeneas and Dido, the queen of Carthage, who kills herself when Aeneas abandons her to continue his journey and [found] a new civilization in Italy (Raffa 8). Book VI recounts Aeneas journey into Hades to meet the shade of his father and learn of future events in his journey. Many elements in the Aeneid are present in heavily modified form in Dantes Inferno. Many of Dantes mythological elements are based on Book VI of Virgils Aeneid, which recounts Aeneas visit to the underworld. Virgil imbued his version of the underworld with a fluid, dreamlike atmosphere (5 ), while Dante instead strives for greater realism, providing sharply drawn and tangible figures. After passing through the gateway to hell, marked ominously with the words ABANDON EVERY HOPE, WHO ENTER HERE (Dante 3.9), Dante and Virgil witness a realm of miserable people who lived without disgrace and without praise (3.17-35) on the periphery of the Inferno. In this realm, the two poets encounter the souls of those who lived such undistinguished and cowardly lives that they have been cast out by Heaven and refused entry by Hell. These souls are forced to race after a banner which never comes to a stop, and are stung repeatedly by flies and wasps, their blood and tears nourishing the sickening worms (3.69) at their feet. The punishment for these cowardly souls is clear; just as in life they refused to be decisive and act, they now are barred from both eternal paradise and eternal damnation, and chase down a waving banner which they will never be able to reach. Next, Dante and Virgil meet Charon, Hells boatman. In the Aeneid, Charon is the pilot of the vessel that transports shades of the dead across the waters into the underworld. In both works, he is an irritable old man with hair white with years (3.83) who objects to taking a living man (Aeneas, Dante) into the realm of the dead. In each case, the protagonists guide (the Sybil, Virgil) provides Charon the proper credentials, and their journey continues. In Limbo, the guiltless damned, noble non-Christian souls, and those who lived before the time of Christianity are punished. The idea of a place for souls who did not sin; and yet lacked baptism (4.34-35) existed in Christian theology prior to Dante, but his vision is more generous than most. Dante includes unbaptized babies, as well as notable non-Christian adults in his version of Limbo, which bears a resemblance to the Asphodel Meadows, a section of the Greek underworld where indifferent and ordinary souls were sent to live after death. Dante suggests that those in Limbo are being punished for their ignorance of God by being forced to spend the afterlife in a deficient form of Heaven; while certainly not as hellish as the other circles, Limbo is by no means a paradise. Dante encounters the classical poets Homer (eighth or ninth century BCE), Horace (65-8 BCE), Ovid (43 BCE -17 CE), and Lucan (39-65 CE), who welcome back their comrade Virgil and honour Dante and one of their own (Dante 4.79-102). Philosophers Socrates and Aristotle also make appearances in Limbo as the shades of men renowned for their outstanding intellectual achievements. Socrates (born ca. 470 BCE in Athens) was a legendary teacher known for the rigorous method of questioning that characterizes the dialogues of Plato (ca. 428-ca. 347 BCE), who also appears. In addition, one notable non-Christian soul finds himself in Limbo, separated from the rest: Saladin, the distinguished military leader and Egyptian sultan who fought against the crusading armies of Europe yet was admired even by his enemies for his chivalry and magnanimity. Dantes implication is that all virtuous non-Christians find themselves in Limbo. The Lustful are punished in the second circle by being blown about by a hellish hurricane, which never rests wheeling and pounding (5.31-33). Lust, for many of the inhabitants of this circle, led to the sin of adultery and in the cases of Dido, Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, and others a violent death. The violent winds are symbolic of lust, and represent the power it holds in affairs of blind passion and physical love. Lust contains the shades of many famous lovers: Semiramis, Dido, Paris, Achilles, and Tristan, among others. Semiramis was a powerful Assyrian queen alleged to ave been so perverse that she even made incest a legal practice (Raffa 27); Dido, queen of Carthage and widow of Sychaeus, committed suicide after her lover Aeneas abandoned her (Virgil IV); Paris later died during the Trojan war; Achilles was the most formidable (Raffa 27) Greek hero in the war against the Trojans, who was killed by Paris (according to medieval accounts); finally, Tristan was the nephew of king Mark of Cornwall who fell in love in Iseult (Marks fiancee) and was killed by Marks poisoned arrow. Minos, the one who judges and assigns (Dante 5.6) the souls during their descent into Hell, is an amalgam of figures from classical sources, completed with several personal touches from Dante. He is a combination of two figures of the same name, one the grandfather of the other, both rulers of Crete. The elder Minos was admired for his wisdom and the laws of his kingdom. The second Minos imposed a harsh penalty on the Athenians (who had killed his son Androgeos), demanding an annual tribute of fourteen youths (seven boys and seven girls), who were sacrificed to the Minotaur, which appears later in Inferno. Minos long tail which he wraps around himself, that marks the sinners level (Dante 5.11-12) is Dantes invention. Gluttony is punished in the third circle. The souls of the damned lie in a vile, grimy slush brought about by cold, unending, heavy, and accursed rain (6.7-8). These former gluttons lie sightless and heedless of their neighbours, symbolizing their cold, selfish, and empty pursuit of hedonism and empty sensuality. The slush, representative of overindulgence and sensuality, serves to cut one off from both the outside world and from Gods deliverance. Gluttonous individuals of note include a Florentine contemporary of Dantes, identified as Ciacco (pig in Italian). Ciacco speaks to Dante regarding the political conflict in the city of Florence between two rival parties, the White and Black Guelphs, and predicts the defeat of the White Guelphs, Dantes party. This event did indeed occur, and would lead to Dantes own exile in 1302. As the poem is set in the year 1300, before Dantes exile, he uses the events of his own life to illustrate the unique ability of shades in Inferno to predict the future, a theme which is returned to later in the poem. Cerberus, guardian of Gluttony, is similar to the beast of Greek mythology. In the Aeneid, Virgil describes Cerberus the three-headed dog which guards the entrance to the classical underworld as loud, huge, and terrifying. Dantes Cerberus displays similar canine qualities: his three throats produce a deafening bark, and he eagerly devours the fistful of dirt Virgil throws into his mouths like a dog intent on its meal. Cerberus bloodred (6.16) eyes, greasy, black (6.16) beard, and large gut link him to the gluttonous spirits whom he tears, flays, and rends (6.18) with his clawed hands. The Avaricious and the Prodigal are punished together in the fourth circle. Avarice, or greed, is one of the inequities that most incurs Dantes scorn and wrath (Raffa 37). Prodigality is defined as the opposite of Avarice; that is, the trait of excessive spending. Both groups are forced to eternally joust with one another, using cumbersome stone weights as weapons. They call out to each other: Why do you hoard? Why do you squander? (Dante 7.30). Here Dante describes the punishment of both extremes, criticizing excessive desire for and against the possession of material goods using the classical principle of moderation. In the fifth circle, the Wrathful and the Sullen are punished. The wrathful fight each other eternally on the surface of the river Styx, which runs darker than deep purple (7.103), while the sullen lie gurgling beneath the water. Dante describes how the Wrathful combat one another: [They] struck each other not with hands alone, but with their heads and chests and with their feet, and tore each other piecemeal with their teeth (7.112-114). The wrathful are damned to eternally struggle and fight without direction or purpose, while the sullen have withdrawn into a black sulkiness from which they can find joy in neither God nor life. In the fifth circle, Filippo Argenti, a prominent Florentine and a Black Guelph, calls to Dante. A hotheaded character (Raffa 40), little is known regarding Filippo except what transpires in Inferno. He quarrels with Dante, lays his hands upon the boat the poets travel on, and is eventually torn apart by his wrathful cohorts. The two men were political opponents, but Dantes behaviour towards Filippo indicates a more personal grievance. Perhaps he had humiliated Dante in life, or had taken some part of Dantes property after his exile from the city. Phlegyas is the solitary boatman (Dante 8.17) who transports Dante and Virgil in his boat across the Styx, the circle of the wrathful and sullen. He was known in Greek mythology for his impetuous behaviour; in a fit of rage, Phlegyas set fire to the temple of Apollo because the god had raped his daughter Apollo promptly slew him in response. Phlegyas appears in Virgils underworld as an admonition against showing contempt for the gods (Virgil 6.618-620), a role which he reprises in Inferno. Between the fifth and sixth circles lie the walls of Dis, the fortressed city of Lower Hell (Raffa 39). The fallen angels who guard the gates of Dis refuse entry to the two poets, requiring the arrival of a messenger from Heaven to open the gate for them. Dante designates all of Lower Hell circles six through nine, where the most serious of sins are punished as the walled city of Dis, with its grave citizens, its great battalions (Dante 8.69). The first five circles, which exist outside of Dis, are collectively known as Upper Hell, as they are where the lesser sins are punished. With the appearance of the three infernal (9.38) Furies, who threaten to call on Medusa, Virgils credibility and Dantes survival appear to be at risk. Furies were often invoked in Virgils classical world to exact revenge on behalf of offended mortal and gods. Medusas hair was turned into snakes by an angry Minerva after Medusa made love with Neptune in the goddesss temple, and became too horrifying to look at without being turned to stone. Dante describes Medusa as the Queen of never-ending lamentation (9.44). The Furies names evil thought (Allecto), evil words (Tisiphone), and evil deeds (Magaera) (9.45-48) describe the three manifestations of sin, which can turn people to stone by making them obstinate cultivators of earthly things (Raffa 41). Heretics are punished inside the walls of Dis, in a spreading plain of lamentation and atrocious pain (Dante 9.110-111) resembling a cemetery. The sixth circle contains souls trapped and enclosed in fiery tombs for failing to believe in God and the afterlife. Since they did not believe in Hell, the Heretics are punished by being sealed away from it in the most unpleasant possible way inside a flaming sepulchre. Among the tombstones of the sixth circle, Dante encounters more Italian contemporaries. A pair of Epicurian Florentines are disocvered sharing a tomb: Farinata degli Uberti, a Ghibelline; and Cavalcante de Cavalcanti, a fellow Guelph and the father of Guido Cavalcanti, Dantes fellow poet and closest friend. Farinata is an imposing figure, rising out of his inflamed sepulchre from the waist up and seeming to have great contempt for Hell (10.31-36). As the leader of the Ghibellines, Farinata was an enemy to the Guelphs, the party of Dantes ancestors. Farinata declares that his colleagues would have annihilated Florence (10.92), had he not interceded forcefully, an act which has earned him Dantes respect. Cavalcante was an enemy to the Ghibellines, like Dante, and married his son Guido to Farinatas daughter in order to foster peace between the two parties. Dantes best friend, Guido Cavalcanti, was a poet who held the philosophical belief that love is a dark force which leads only to mis ery and death. Therefore, Cavalcantes appearance in Hell might be more a matter of guilt by association to his sons worldview than any kind of reflection on himself. The Minotaur is the guardian and mythological symbol for the seventh circle, Violence. At the sight of Dante and Virgil, the minotaur reacts like one whom fury devastates within (12.15), and his frenzied bucking allows the travellers to proceed unharmed. The Minotaur is a physical manifestation of violence in Inferno: almost every part of the Minotaurs story, from its creation to its demise, contains some form of violence (Raffa 55). The sinners in the seventh circle are divided into three groups: the violent against people and property, the violent against themselves, and the violent against God and nature (Dante 11.28-33). The first group comprised of assassins and murderers, among others are immersed in Phlegethon, a bloodred, boiling (12.101) river of blood and fire, up to a level commensurate with their sins (12.73-75). Because they committed such acts of bloodshed and destruction in their lives, they are punished by being immersed in a river of that which they have spilt. The second group the suicides are transformed into knotted, gnarled (13.5) thorny bushes and trees, which are fed upon by Harpies. These souls have given away their physical bodies through suicide, and are forced to maintain treelike forms. These suffering trees cannot speak until Dante accidentally injures one and causes it to bleed. Dante uses the soul-trees as a metaphor for the state of mind which leads to self-harm and suicide. Fi nally, the third group blasphemers and sodomites reside in a desert of sand, fire and brimstone falling from the sky. The blasphemers lie down upon the sand, the usurers recline, and the sodomites wander seemingly aimlessly in huddling groups, all while being burned by distended flakes of fire (14.28-29). This symbolizes how those who act violently against God and that which God has provided are perpetually unable to find peace and comfort in their lives. Among those immersed in Phlegethon is Alexander the Great, submerged up to his eyebrows in blood. He suffers for his reputation as a cruel, bloodthirsty man who inflicted great harm upon the world and its peoples. In the forest of suicides, Dante hears the tale of Pier delle Vigne, who killed himself after falling out of favour with Emperor Frederick II (Dante 13.64-69). Dante encounters his mentor, Brunetto Latini, among the sodomites. Surprised and touched by this encounter, Dante shows Brunetto great respect and admiration, thus refuting suggestions that the poet Dante placed only his enemies in Hell (15.43-45). The Centaurs are men from the waist up with the lower bodies of horses (Raffa 55) who guard the river Phlegethon. Thousands of centaurs patrol the bank of the river, using bows and arrows to keep damned souls submerged. In classical mythology, Centaurs are best known for their uncouth, violent behaviour. Chiron, leader of the Centaurs, enjoyed a favourable reputation as the sage tutor of both Hercules and Achilles. Pholus and Nessus the Centaurs assigned to escort Dante and Virgil have fully earned their negative reputations, however: Pholus who Virgil describes as full of rage (Dante 12.72) had been killed when a fight broke out during a wedding after he and his fellow centaurs attempted to carry off the bride and several other girls, and Nessus was killed by Hercules with a poison arrow for attempting to rape the heros wife, Deinira, after Hercules entrusted him with carrying her across a river (12.67-69). The penultimate circle as well as the most detailed is Fraud, which Dante describes as a place in Hell made all of stone the colour of crude iron (18.1-2). This circle is divided up into ten smaller pockets: panderers and seducers, flatterers, simonists, sorcerers, barrators, hypocrites, thieves, fraudulent advisers and evil councillors, sowers of discord, and falsifiers. Panderers (pimps) and seducers march eternally in opposite directions, lashed cruelly (18.36) by demons. Just as they used passion and seduction to bend others to their will, they are now themselves driven by hellish demons. Flatterers exploited other people using language, therefore, they are plunged in excrement (18.113), representing the false words they produced. Simonists payed for positions of power within the Catholic Church, and are placed upside-down into holes in the floor, with both soles [of their feet] on fire (9.25). The holes into which their heads are planted resemble baptismal fonts, used in sever al religious rituals a constant reminder of the corrupt nature of their former positions in the church. Sorcerers, astrologers, and false prophets have had their heads twisted toward their haunches (20.13) so that they can not see what is ahead of them. This symbolizes the twisted nature of magic in general specifically, it refers to the use of forbidden means to see into the future. Dante felt particularly unforgiving towards politicians after his exile from Florence, thus, corrupt politicians (barrators) are immersed in a stew of sticky pitch (21.8). Their punishment represents the sticky fingers, corrupt deals, and dark secrets inherent in positions of political power. The hypocrites listlessly walk with lagging steps, in circles, with features tired and defeated (23.59-60), wearing leaden cloaks, representing the falsity behind the appearance of their actions. This falsity literally weighs these souls down and renders any sort of progress impossible. The thieves are pursued an d attacked by lizards and snakes, their bites causing them to undergo various transformations (24-25). Just as they stole in life, their very human identity becomes subject to theft in Hell. Fraudulent advisers and evil councillors are encased within individual pyres. These individuals did not give false advice out of ignorance; rather, Dante refers to rhetoric [used] by talented people for insidious ends (Raffa 99). In life, they caused those whom they advised to do ill without dirtying their own hands now they are punished alone in their fires. The sowers of discord are hacked apart, their bodies dividing as in life they caused division among others. Their wounds are quickly healed, only to have themselves hacked apart again (Dante 28.139-142). Dante considers falsifiers (alchemists, counterfeiters, perjurers, and impersonators) a disease upon society, and their corrupting influence is reflected in their diseased bodies and minds (Raffa 99) in the tenth pouch. In the eighth circle, Dante meets a number of notably fraudulent individuals. Venedico Caccianemico, who sold his own sister to the Marchese dEste, is recognized among the pimps in the first pouch, despite his attempts to avoid detection (Dante 18.40-60). In the fifth ditch, the thief Vanni Fucci is burnt to ashes before being reincarnated; Agnel blends together with a reptilian Cianfa; and Buoso exchanges forms with Francesco. Vanni Fucci was a black Guelph from Pistoia, a town not far from rival Florence; Dante says he knew Vanni as a man of blood and anger (Dante 24.129). Agnel is thought to be Agnello Dei Brunelleschi, a man who joined the white Guelphs Dantes party but then switched to the black faction when they came to power. Both he and Cianfa are renowned for their thievery. Buoso stole while serving in public office, then arranged for Francesco de Cavalcanti to take over and steal on his behalf. In the eighth pit, Ulysses and Diomedes are condemned for the deception of th e Trojan Horse, luring Achilles into the war effort, and stealing a statue of Athena from Troy (26.58-63). Dante encounters the schismatic prophet Muhammad; the poet views Islam as an off-shoot from Christianity, and similarly condemns Ali, Muhammads son-in-law, for the schism between Sunni and Shiite Muslims (28.22-33). The Malebranche (Evil claws in Italian) are the devils of the fifth pocket of circle eight who bring to Hell the shades of corrupt political officials and employees. They are agile, smart, and fierce (Raffa 77), they are armed with long hooks, which they use to keep the shades under the surface of the black pitch (Dante 21.55-57). It is likely that the names Dante coined for individual demons (Bad Dog, Sneering Dragon, Curly Beard, etc.) are based on actual family names of civic leaders in Florence and the surrounding towns. The Giants physically connect circles eight and nine: standing on the floor of circle nine, they tower over the inner ledge of circle eight with the upper halve of their immense bodies. They are archetypal examples of defiant rebels: Nimrod, who attempted to build the Tower of Babel before it was knocked down by God and his people were scattered; Ephialtes, who fought against Jove and the other Olympian gods; and Antaeus, whose relationship with the titans who stormed Mt. Olympus damned him, despite the fact that he was born after his brothers had waged war against the gods. Nimrod has been punished by being forced to speak an incomprehensible language; that is, his language is as strange to others as theirs is to him. Ephialtes, like the rest of the titans who challenged the gods, is immobilized with heavy chains. Antaeus is not given any exceptional punishment, for he is only guilty by association. It is Antaeus who assists Virgil and Dante by lowering them down to the ninth circle , after being enticed by Virgil with the prospect of eternal fame upon Dantes return to the world (31.115-129). The final circle is Treachery, a frozen lake at the centre of Hell, which is divided into four Rounds: Ca?na, Antenora, Ptolomaea, and Judecca. In Ca?na, traitors to their kindred are immersed in ice up to their faces. In Antenora, traitors to political entities are located similarly in the ice. In Ptolomaea, traitors to their guests are punished, lying on their backs in the ice, with only their faces uncovered. In Judecca, the traitors to their lords and benefactors are completely encapsulated in ice, distorted in pain. In the first round of Treachery, Dante encounters Mordred, who attacked his uncle King Arthur and was pierced mortally by Arthurs lance (Dante 32.61-62). In the second round, Count Ugolino pauses from his ceaseless assault upon the head of his rival, Archbishop Ruggieri, to tell Dante how Ruggieri imprisoned and killed him with his children. This story, the longest single episode related by a damned soul in Inferno, serves as Dantes final dramatic representation of mankinds capacity for evil and cruelty. Fra Alberigo, who had his brother killed at a banquet, explains a key conceit of Dantes Inferno: sometimes, a soul falls into Hell before they have actually died. Their earthly bodies are possessed by demons, so what appears to be a walking, living man is actually beyond the point of repentance (33.134-147). Finally, Lucifer the emperor of the despondent kingdom (34.28) lies at the centre of the Inferno. As ugly as he once was beautiful (34.34-36), Lucifer is a wretched contrast with his limited autonomy and mobility. Lucifers three faces (black, yellow, and red) parody the doctrine of the Holy Trinity: three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) in one divine nature the Divine Power, Highest Wisdom, and Primal Love which also created the gates of Hell, and, by extension, the entire realm of eternal damnation. His flapping wings generate the wind that keeps lake at the centre of Hell frozen, while his three mouths chew on the shade-bodies of the three archtraitors Judas, Brutus, and Cassius the gore mixing with tears gushing out of his three sets of eyes (34.53-57). Dantes Inferno heralded a revolution in Christian theology through its innovative use of poetic justice, historical and contemporary figures, and classical mythology. By combining these disparate elements into a single, cohesive poem, Dante effectively changed the way the Western world imagined the afterlife and Hell in particular. By focusing on the details of the scenes and the identities of those whom the fictional Dante converses with, Inferno illustrates a horrifyingly real and immediate vision of Hell, one which has persisted at least in some part to this day. By focusing on the personal journey of one man through the afterlife, the focus of the narrative is shifted onto the reader, who can easily identify with Dante as the first-person narrator. While the circumstances surrounding the creation of the Divine Comedy Dantes exile from Florence, his fall from political grace, and his eventual death soon after the completion of his magnum opus are rather tragic, they all contri bute to Dantes work in a way which colours the text and gives it a personality and passion which is still felt to this day. For seven hundred years, Inferno has elicited strong responses from its readers from fascination to revulsion and everything in between (Raffa 5). Regardless as to the readership, the response to Inferno has been, and will continue to be, anything but apathetic.

Alienation and Fragmentation in Modernist Literature Essay example --

With Sasha Jansen, Jean Rhys created in Good Morning, Midnight a female character who does not have a place in the world. Sasha walks the streets of Paris, commenting, reflecting, remembering. Her few coping-mechanisms show how deeply she is already alienated from the world, even from herself. As a reader you get this fed bit by bit, in fragments, jumping between the actual narration, memories and inner monologues. As a woman in Paris in the late 1930s Sasha Jansen is far ahead of her time. In her book about Jean Rhys, Elaine Savory says about Sasha: "She lives in the 1930s, when women were supposed to gain social standing through marriage to a man (preferably of means), or, if they remained single, to hold onto respectability even in hard times." (p68) Sasha is on her own, her former husband left her at some point in the past, she lives in rented rooms, has very little money and is definitely having a hard time as she is very aware of and does not feel well with her own ageing. Instead of 'holding on to respectability' she drinks. Sometimes she cries in public. She takes men back to her hotel room and has random sex. Her drinking habits seem to be old, it seems that she has been drinking for a long time, regularly. Drinking is one of her main coping mechanisms. Every time she finds herself in an emotionally challenging situation, she longs for a strong drink to soothe herself, to feel less of the pain that is her life. After she started crying in the house of an artist-friend she says: 'I have an irresistible longing for a long, strong drink to make me forget that once again I have given damnable human beings the right to pity me and laugh at me.' (p. 78) While she lived in London, she tried to drink herself to death an... ...ally it wouldn't be too bad to be happy, to be in a better place within herself or just in a lighter, nicer room. But the end of the book is so shockingly bleak that it takes away all hope. She agrees to the one man on her floor she loathes and fears, she invites him in, into her bed, into her body: 'Then I put my arms around him and pull him down on the bed, saying: 'Yes – yes – yes†¦' (p. 159) She finally reaches this place of indifference where nothing matters, where she does not care if she lives or dies, as the stranger in the dressing-gown could just easily kill her. Works Cited Rhys, Jean. 2000. Good Morning, Midnight. London: Penguin Books Savory, Elaine. 2009. The Cambridge Introduction to Jean Rhys. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. A. L. Kennedy. 2000. Introduction. In: Rhys, Jean. 2000. Good Morning, Midnight. London: Penguin Books

Petty Lawsuits :: essays research papers

Are we Sueing for a Purpose? People today are not sueing to rectify matters. There is no purpose in lawsuits today. I believe everyone is out to get an easy buck through the judicial system. It is almost inevitable if people spill hot coffee on themselves that they will win a lawsuit against the company that served them that coffee. People believe that nothing is their fault and that someone (the defendant) should pay. The problem with the judicial system today is that people are sueing all the time and winning in court with ridiculous cases. Take this case in North Carolina for instance. A Dallas couple is sueing Kmart for $23 million dollars because some Kmart employees harassed and accused the Dallas couple of going through their garbage. The employees were fired and the Dallas couple sued for $23 million. Fortunately the couple didn’t receive all that money, there is a state law capping punitive damages which forced the judge to reduce it to $250 thousand dollars. The plaintiffs feel that they have been mistreated and that Kmart should reconcile with them by paying them off. The couple states at the end of court that â€Å"they believe us. That the most important thing, they believe us.† Obviously that is not the most important thing to them for they are trying to appeal the state law which caps their $23 million. And if that’s not greedy enough, the week before the jury awarded them $18,985 in compensatory damages. So the couple was awarded $268,985 for being accused over something as petty as going through a stores trash. Anyone can differentiate one fraudulent case from another. I understand that the Dallas couple is trying to clear their name from shame. But trying to appeal the already huge sum of money and going for more shows just how greedy these people really are. They got what they wanted, for the people to believe them. Everyone believes them now, and on top of that, they were awarded a nice some of money. There are people out there who really do deserve some kind of compensation for negligence, harassment, or anything else that might have gone wrong. For example, a Gastonia man who already has enough appeal to pity has yet another problem to deal with. He is a paraplegic who awoke to find a rat eating at his leg to the bone.

Ethics and Leadership in Engineering

Engineers play a significant part in the development, prosperity and safety of people around the globe. The primary role of engineers is to identify/sense and respond to a need by constructing or creating a solution with certain specific guidelines. While it is the responsibility of engineers to develop such structures, it is also their responsibility that their creation serves the function in a proper manner, take all safety precautions while making it and give the safety directions to the users after handing it over. Discussion These structures, however, do not stay safe forever. No matter how safe a construction or a creation is, it reveals its failure after sometime. Eventually these failures lead to dire consequences some time. Engineers struggle all the time to avoid failures and make their solution safer and more efficient. Sometime mere lacking of professional ethics is the reason. In UK, the seriousness of ethical issues, which arise in professional lives of engineers, has been recognized recently. However, in USA this has been recognized for some time. Their universities offer substantial guidance and support to their professionals. The Royal Academy of Engineering, in 2005, initiated the process and brought its publishing in the form of â€Å"Statement of Ethical Principles†, which outlines the specific ways in which engineers across UK are committed to upholding certain ethical values. During the same time, UK Engineering Council amended its standards for chartered and incorporated engineers, in order to increase awareness of ethical issues. It appears that this has resulted in having a profound effect as many universities have incorporated ethical perspective in their studies. Professional Engineers strive to develop solutions that improve the health and safety conditions for the welfare of society. The statement of Ethical Principles sets standards for professional Engineers (Statement of Ethical Principles. 2005). It presents four principles that guide engineers in their professional duties. It includes Accuracy and Rigour, Honesty and Integrity, Respect for life, Law and the Public Good, and Responsible Leadership. Accuracy and Rigour means, Engineers have the responsibility to acquire and sustain the information relevant to their practices; they should also keep their knowledge up to date. It is also the responsibility to always act with care as their profession requires a strong commitment. They should only perform their services in the field of relevant competence. Since the technical knowledge, an Engineer can understand are not easy for the others, therefore, it is the duty of engineers to not knowingly mislead others as it can have dire consequences and therefore unethical. Honesty and Integrity means; engineers should act with high standards of professional ethics. They should not accept any bribery or questionable payment from anyone. They should act in the best interest of employer, unless it is not in conflict with rights of the other party. Respect for Life, Law and the Public Good, entails that engineers should be aware of relevant laws and regulations and should work accordingly. Conservation of nature and its resources should be a priority. They should act in the best manner that does not bring bad image to their profession. Responsible Leadership involves practicing high level of standards and leadership in the management of technology. Provide awareness to the public. Listen to the concern of the society. Adhering to these principles will bring good name to the profession and will make sure that it achieves what it is meant to be, welfare of society. However, we can have numerous examples from the past, of such negligence and improper conduct in this respected profession. In past successive accidents of railway occurred in UK, which were later fully investigated. These include the accident of Clapham Junction rail crash, on 12 December 1988. 35 people killed while 100 injured, when oncoming train ran into wreckage. Another on, 19 September 1997, Southall rail crash, killed 6 people and 150 injured. It occurred because of a collision with freight train. On 5 October 1999, Ladbroke Grove rail crash happened, when train passed the signal at danger and resulted in the head on collision, killed 21 while 523 injured. Investigation reports show that these could have been prevented by timely action of professional engineers. In America, a TV Antenna Tower collapsed in 1982, killing several people. Later investigation showed that safety measures were not taken as should have been (Uff, 2012, Pp13). Conclusion Engineering is a much respected profession. This respect demands responsibility. Adhering to rules but there arise ethical responsibilities too. However, if professional engineers stick to the four principles and apply them in their activities, it will surely add more value to this profession for sure. Running Head: leadership techniques Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing. [Name of writer] [Name of institution] Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing Thesis Statement â€Å"Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing†. Introduction â€Å"Leaders create and change cultures, while managers and administrators live within them.† (Edward Schein) Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing. Leader also sounds similar to the manager to the common man. But we know there are subtle differences. It takes a totally different approach to become a leader. These subtle differences create the difference that is visible in performances of organizations. There have been many theories on leadership and management. Talking about whether a manager is born or developed, what styles are of management exist and which is appropriate. Also, what a leader does, where his/her power comes from. First of all we will differentiate between a leader and a manager. Then we will discuss some models and theories related to it. Discussion The role of a manager is to achieve goals effectively and efficiently, by planning, organizing, co-ordinating and controlling. The importance of time is immense. On the other hand, leaders create and communicate a vision, then energise their followers towards achieving that vision. Leaders create a culture of shared values, beliefs and rituals to challenge the status quo. Managers use position authority to make subordinates work towards goals. While leaders motivate and inspire their followers to achieve their goals. Today the trait theory (born leaders) is criticized more. It is argued that even leadership has different styles, which are learned with experience rather than born traits (Daft, 2003, Pp.518). Ashridge Management College did research and found four major classifications of management styles. Tells, sells, consults, join. In tell style, the manager is autocratic, making a decision and imposing it on others. In sell style, manager still makes a decision on self like basis, but try to explain the logic behind it. In consult style, manager makes decision but in consultation with his/her subordinates. The most democratic style is join style, where manager himself becomes part of the team that makes joint decisions, and also claims the responsibility of that decision afterwards. Research indicates managers are generally thought to be having told or sell style. While employees prefer consult style. Choosing which style is more appropriate, depends on several factors. Contingency approach by Charles Handy suggests that four factors need to be understood to answer this question. The environment, task or people, trust or control, liking or respect (Schermerhorn 2012, Pp.266). Each particular combination of these factors results in a different situation and, therefore, requires a different tailored approach of management towards it (Robbins & Judge, 2010, Pp.393). Michigan and Harvard identified two basic types of leaders. Task oriented and people or relation oriented leaders. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Ohio state research suggests that task orientation and people orientation can be achieved simultaneously; they are not mutually exclusive. Blake’s management grid proves this research by suggesting rather than asking a question that a manager should be task or people oriented; ask to what extent a manager should be task and people oriented (Daft, 2003, Pp.522). Managers and leaders differ in their approaches towards performing similar tasks. The approach of management is routine in nature. They like to work under conditions of certainty, strive to gain as much information as they gain, take relatively less risk. Leaders on the hand challenge the status quo. They talk about changing the culture and create followers with their motivation and persuasions skills. Leaders create a shared culture towards achieving the vision that followers own. Conclusion Who is best, a leader or manager is, however, a question depending on what needs to be accomplished. If it is a routine or not so dynamic environment, then decision tilts in favour towards manager. While if it involves dealing with changing and fluctuating situation with lots of risk involved then it will require the initiative approach of a leader.

Illegal Immigration: Too Large a Burden on America

Illegal Immigration: Too Large a Burden on America â€Å"Households headed by illegal aliens imposed more than 26. 3 billion dollars in costs on the federal government†¦and paid only 16 billion dollars in taxes, creating a net fiscal deficit of almost 10. 4 billion dollars, or two thousand seven hundred dollars per illegal household† (Miller 1). Some people would argue that immigrants come to America to take jobs that no one else will do, but the illegal immigrants are in fact draining social services and stealing free health care benefits.In addition, immigrants pay little or no taxes to benefit the social services and health care providers that they drain. By doing so, the American tax payers must take on the high price of the American government turning a blind eye to the illegal immigrants rushing in. Yes, illegal immigrants take not so pleasant jobs, but it’s not worth the high price of social services and health care they impose. Although legalized immigratio n is what this country was founded on in the 1700’s, in modern day America many feel it is becoming too large a burden on the American tax payers to stop the influx of illegal immigrants to the United States.The problem of immigration can be solved if we place more restrictions on who is allowed in to our country, and let more able bodied, skilled workers in instead of letting every sob story have priority. Paul Hina, author of Illegal Immigration ( Contemporary Issues Companion), states that due to â€Å"illegal immigration and because U. S. immigration policy slants toward admitting relatives rather than immigrants with needed workplace skills, our immigration system literally imports poverty† (Hina 2).So instead of benefiting America with skilled workers, uneducated, poor immigrants are admitted and given full benefits of the social services they don’t deserve. Rachel Alexander, lawyer and coeditor of IntellectualConservatives. com, argues â€Å"illegal immi gration is a major problem in the United States because illegal immigrants pay no taxes yet consume welfare resources at the tax payers’ expense†¦Border security has not stemmed the tide of illegal immigrants, so the government should focus instead on depriving them of social aid so that they will not be disinclined to sneak in to the country† (Haugen 1).Providing illegal immigrants with social aid is wrong, because not only should they not be in our country, they are supported here by citizens’ tax dollars. The social services of this country is one of the reasons immigrants rush over here in the first place, so if we place more restrictions on who can receive social aid, they won’t be so encouraged to hop the border. The massive amounts of immigrants who enter this country illegally make American citizens suffer economically and physically.Jamuna Carroll, author of many young adult books, stresses â€Å"how can we ask working families of California – many of whom have taken out sizable loans to finance their children’s education and many of whom will never be able to afford to send their children to college – to subsidize the education of those who should not be in our country at all? † (Carroll 2). Citizens in some states are now obligated to pay taxes to help illegal immigrants pay less for the same college education.It is unfair to provide immigrants who are here illegally, with discounts to public colleges and held as a priority over American citizens, who are burdened with taxes that pay for their discounts, in fact, the immigrants should not even be able to attend public colleges since they are breaking the law by being here, and colleges shouldn’t grant acceptance to them. Carroll further suggests â€Å"no one needs a college degree to sustain health and welfare and education is not a human right, as some of the proponents of this goofy attitude about tuition subsidies for illegals su ggest† (Carroll 2).Education is not an inalienable right. Nowhere in the constitution does it state education is an essential and necessary right the government must provide all who live within the borders. California should not enforce this view on their state residents because illegal immigrants should not benefit from education discounts when California citizens have to pay the hefty bill. Also by placing more restrictions on social aid programs, the tax payers won’t be so burdened with useless taxes to pay for illegal aliens, who don’t provide any benefits to the country.The United States should make educated skilled workers a priority in the immigration policy and place more restrictions on social aid to solve the immigration crisis. Lori Newman, writer for the Greenhaven Press, reminds us, â€Å"every legal immigrant before 1924 was examined for infectious diseases upon arrival and tested for tuberculosis. Anyone infected was shipped back to their country of origin†¦today†¦illegal aliens simply cross our borders medically unexamined, hiding in their bodies any number of diseases’ (Newman 3). In 1924, only the healthiest and most educated could be admitted ntrance in to America, the land of opportunities, now the poorest and least educated immigrants with innumerable amounts of diseases flood into our country every day. Those with diseases once rare in our country infect and burden the American health care system. The United States should enforce more restrictions on social and the immigration policy so we can stop these diseases from infecting our people. America should stop trying to enforce rights that do not exist on people who should not be in our country and pay more attention to those dying because of the people who bring the diseases in illegally.Many Americans agree the United States needs to stop trying to provide for illegal immigrants within our borders and focus on legal citizens who give back to the coun try through taxes. Statistics show â€Å"approximately 480,000 family-based immigrants and 140,000 employment based immigrants, as well as around 80,000 refugees and 20,000 immigrants seeking asylum† come in every year and stay because they are given health care, welfare and discounts on colleges with no costs to them (Haugen 1). Tax paying Americans are suffering while illegal aliens are given health care and welfare.The government needs to crack down on social services and help their fellow countrymen rather than uneducated and poor immigrants from which American reaps no benefits. Immigrants are what America was founded on, but citizens express that today they come in and take advantage of what America has to offer instead of those who first came to our country, ready to work and provide for their country. America needs to realize they can’t help everyone who asks, there is simply not enough resources or money, especially in these discouraging economic times. Help t hose who give America, not those who take advantage. Works Cited Carroll, Jamuna. Subsidizing college Tuition for Illegal Immigrants is Unfair. † Opposing Views Resource Center. Gale. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. Haugen, David. â€Å"Illegal Immigrants Should be Stopped From Draining Public Services. † Opposing Views Resource Center. Gale. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. Hina, Paul. â€Å"Illegal Immigrants Are Abusing the Public Health System. † Opposing Views Resource Center. Gale. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. Miller, Debra. â€Å"Illegal Immigrants Create a Drain on the U. S. Government. † Opposing Views Resource Center. Gale. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. Newman, Lori. â€Å"Illegal Immigrants Threaten U. S. Health Care. † Opposing ViewsResource Center. Gale. Web. 20 Oct. 2010.