Domestic and Community Violence Essay

Domestic abuse and child abuse cases have been on the rise in the recent past causing child and human rights activists to seek for ways of containing the situation. Previous studies have concluded that the cases of child abuse and domestic violence have risen in America and the world at large because of poor approaches used to contain them. In addition, the shocking news that more than 1,200 children die each year due to child abuse and a good percentage of them are girls less than 16years is worrying both parents and teachers. The rise in violence prevalence has been attributed to; poor child upbringing, poverty, modernization, lack of knowledge and neglect because studies have proved that abused ‘children’ will abuse their children in future etc (Nocav and Bourbonnais, 2002) The following issues indicate different stories; First, the U. S Advisory Board on Child Abuse has suggested that both child abuse and domestic violence may be the single major precursor to the main fatalities in the country hence the seriousness of the matter. This has come at a time when a survey conducted early this year found out that school age children who witness and exhibit violence of any form not only in their families but also in the churches, towns or schools suffer from problems such as; anxiety, depression and violence towards their peers. This calls for urgent strategies to prevent and address them at once. The best of them is the use of teachers to counsel the abused children, report suspected cases or take any necessary action that will be suitable. Teachers and domestic violence initiative program It has been noticed that more and more cases of child and domestic violence go unnoticed because of stigmatization or fear of retaliation especially by children. The main solution according to this program is to use the interactive ability of our teachers in schools to strictly follow any cases of suspected child abuse either directed to the child or to the parents. Children are very talkative especially with good interaction with their teachers are golden opportunities that can be used to assist those fighting the vice to get access to unreported cases. The objective of this program is to improve system and community responses of abuse of children and their families. All people today face the challenge of developing enhanced policies and programs to meet the increased need for curbing child abuse cases. This program will therefore ensure that members of the community respond immediately to allegations of child and women abuse. This report will deal with a program suitable for teachers in our schools to be in the front line in preventing domestic violence in our society. (Lupton and Power, 2002) The program considers the motivational tactics of getting teachers interact with their children outside the classroom and that they get the opportunity of knowing the problems children undergo while in class. It is obvious that children’s performance while in class reduce especially for abused children. In this program, teachers especially those teachers who teach children in lower grade classes will be taken through training sessions on how to interact more effectively with their students in class. The training sessions will also include learning the signs of domestically abused of sexually abused children The program will involve the utilization of services from survivors and activists who will keep the tracers well informed and properly equipped with the skills to handle, report and discuss cases of violence through the children. In that case, the children will be able to inform their teachers that their parents were quarrelling last night, they were raped last week or even misused over the weekend. These and other reporting tactics will be fundamental in helping the police to further investigate the allegations. As long as they will be funds to help schools identify troubled and troubled children at an early stage, it will be possible to rectify any impacts that might have been created by the abuses children go through. This program will therefore go a long way in boosting reconciliation and cutting incidences of crime and violence in our schools and society. When children are troubled and very disruptive in schools and at home, that is a sign of warning that children are either not being taken care of or they are experiencing some bad habits at home. It is then that teachers, parents and counselors come to look for causes of the wearied behaviors. The program described above will help in ensuring that such kind of strategies is achieved. (Nocav and Bourbonnais, 2002) Conclusion Teachers have a role to play in eradication domestic violence and child abuse in our society. They can do so by creating close interactions with their students who will then reveal what happens behind the curtains either to themselves or the house-help or any of their parents. Since the teachers will be given the opportunity to learn more about social and domestic violence, then it will be possible to change social and institutional norms that perpetuate family violence in the future. Together with other domestic violence programs, child welfare agencies and community organizers everybody can take part in forming effective collaborations and build partnership that will at the long run promote safe and health families. References Nocav, S. and Bourbonnais, C. (2002): No Room of Her Own. A Literature Review on â€Å"Women and Homelessness† CMHC Ottawa Lupton, R and Power, A. (2002): Social Exclusion & Neighborhoods. In Understanding Social Exclusion† Hills J, Le Grand J. & Piachaud D. Edn pp. 118- 140: Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Reasons for a Dysfunctional Family Essay

Reasons for in case of dysfunctional families/child abuse + neglect * Drugs/alcohol * Parents leaving kids to fend for themselves * Less belonging to churches + moral life lessons * Parent separation + divorce * Baby bonus may encourage people to have children for the wrong reasons What are the positive effects of a positive (good) self-esteem? ]Positive outlook Positive thoughts Good self-esteem level Good confidence Self Confidence 1. Self-confidence is the belief or feeling that a person has about themselves, which assists them to achieve in life. The development of self-confidence may be influenced by culture, environment, age, ability, life experiences, gender, parenting expectations. 2. The factors that may contribute to the positive or negative development is a poor outlook, poor body image, dysfunctional family. Your culture, environment, age, ability, life experiences, gender, parenting expectations. 3. The perceptions of femininity and masculinity on an individual’s development of self-confidence is strong gender classifications and stereotypes can make –girls in particular- feel less than boys. In some cultures, even in our own, females are pushed into a lesser mental state, not being able to achieve as much. 4. A) Achieves poor academics – negative B) Struggles to make friends – negative C) Takes on new challenges – positive D) Feels good about their achievements – positive Heredity 1. Heredity is the variation in individual growth and development is partly a result of heredity or genetic factors. Genes contribute to differences between males and females and between individuals of the same gender. They also contribute to the similarities between people. Accepting physical appearance and difference, along with other inherited traits, is an important part of development. Genes directly determine an individual’s hair, skin and eye colour, and certain health conditions. Heredity also has a strong influence on other individual characteristics, including height, weight, and even personality. Body shape is largely controlled by genetic characteristics and, although it may be altered by factors such as diet and exercise, it cannot be dramatically changed. 2. The factors that may impact positively or negatively on an individual’s development through heredity are: Positive – olive skin doesn’t blush, good health, tall, fast metabolism Negative – inherited disorders/illnesses, fair skin burn easily, very short, slow metabolism – prone to weight gain easily, drug/alcohol – negative traits (e.g. foetal alcohol syndrome), physical appearance that draws negative attention from peers, allergies (e.g. beestings, peanuts, grasses etc.) Environment Environment refers to the external (pressures) factors that influence an individual’s development. Environmental influences on individuals change as they move through their life cycle. Example – Baby is influenced by family, a child is influenced by child care/grandparents/carers, kid/teenager is influenced by peers and teachers at school. * Low socio-economic household * Unhappy/unsatisfied parents (angry household, lack of attention, child may be scapegoat, low esteem) * Loving, secure, stable household

Research Proposal for Research Methods Unit in Masters

For Methods Unit in Masters - Research Proposal Example After all, music is a foundation subject and the arguments for its inclusion in the curriculum must surely have been won; it is no longer what was once described as an 'endangered subject'. However, is this really the case Individuals and professional bodies regularly issue earnest statements about the educational significance and value of music studies and express concerns over limited staffing and resources. While there appears to be a steady supply of secondary specialists, Music Education is understandably disappointed by the scant attention now being given to music in the education and training of secondary school teachers. It may seem to some observers as if musicians and music educationists constantly need to protect their subject against people who regarded arts as little more than dispensable extras or mere entertainments. Whether or not there are any educational policy-makers who would subscribe to such an extreme view is questionable, but music educationists often appear to be on the defensive. In addition, in an age of transparency and accountability many teachers report that they are often required to explain, to different audiences, why music is of value within the context of a general education. The study intends to draw insights among Secondary School Administrators, Faculty Members and Selected Students in Queensland about the decline of music education in their region. Furthermore it seeks to accomplish following specific goals: 1. To present the views of Secondary School Administrators, Faculty Members and Selected Students in Queensland about music education. 2. To describe how Secondary School Administrators, Faculty Members and Selected Students in Queensland have shown appreciation and preservation of music education. 3. To discover the impacts of music education to the curricular and socio-cultural dimensions in the Secondary Schools of Queensland. 4. To solicit plan of actions from Secondary School Administrators, Faculty Members and Selected Students in Queensland on how to effectively improve the quality of music education in Queensland Secondary schools. Statement of the Problem The study aims to document critically the current views among Secondary School Administrators, Faculty Members and Selected Students in Queensland on the decline of music education in their region. Furthermore it seeks to answer the following specific research questions: 1. What are the current views and insights of Secondary School Administrators, Faculty Members and Selected Students in Queensland 2. How do Secondary School Administrators, Faculty Members and Selected Students in Queensland describe music education in the schools today 3. Do Secondary School Administrators, Faculty Members and Selected Students in Queensland believe that, the music education in secondary schools has declined Do they have proof/s on their claims 4. In what specific ways appreciation and preservation of music education are demonstrated or concretized in secondary schools5. What is the impact of music education to the curricular and socio-cultural dimensions in Secondary Schools of Queensland

The relations of Turkey with the European Union Essay

The relations of Turkey with the European Union - Essay Example The union had many requirements for the membership candidacy acceptance. In December 1999 however, the EU dropped its preconditions, the reasons of which were several. Associated through its Ottoman past to the Balkans, at the edge of Central Asia, and adjoining the Middle East oil fields, Turkey was deemed a very significant participant on the international stage with huge potential to play a stabilizing role in a turbulent region; it could not be ignored. The post 9-11 era poses critical implications in the world politics today. Any plotted course of such decision making is prone to have a long lasting impact, not only on the concerned countries, but also on every affected party. In this case, the Turkey-EU relations, as well as their future nature of this relationship, not only affect them, but also EU’s relations with its neighboring Muslim countries. It took 3 decades until Turkey became a legitimate candidate country for an absolute membership in the EU. This research pr oposal tends to closely examine if Turkey should join the EU, and comprehensively discusses the potential resulting implications arising from whether or not Turkey joins it. A comprehensive review of literature has been conducted to study different theories and perspectives from different directly concerned parties, stakeholders, and various analysts who have evaluated Turkey’s standing from different angles. Further on, the proposal outlines our research objectives for this paper, discusses the research methodology to be employed, as well as highlight the ethical issues and limitations we’re prone to come across. Research Questions: The primary objective of this section is to construct a succinct discussion, and with all the pros and cons of the resulting impact, be able to reach an answer to the following research questions: Should Turkey join the EU? What advantage would Turkey gain from attaining accession to the EU? What advantage would EU gain from Turkish access ion? What are the negative implications if Turkey joins EU? Literature Review/Background According to Van Herpen (2004) Turkey has been a significant geopolitical participant on the European stage for more than six centuries. Initially it was deemed as a threat, in response to which Luther inscribed his pamphlet ‘On War against the Turk’. But with due evolution, for the past 5 decades, Turkey has been a close ally to Europe in the NATO. Even though Turkey is an Islamic country, however, the Islam followed over there is not only identified as moderate and accepting, but is also barred from the public sphere. A decade ago, Rouleau (2000, p. 100) was of the view that Turkey stands at a crossroads; the ‘accession partnership document’ that it presented to the EU is a roadmap for the extensive political and economic reforms Turkey needs to endorse if it intends on joining the EU. However, according to the so-called Copenhagen regulations, certain guidelines were to be followed by all EU membership candidates including Turkey, which basically revolved around establishing ‘Western-style democratic institutions guaranteeing rule of law, individual rights, and minority rights’. Turkey, however, even after 10 months of the issuance of these norms,

Tampa Urban Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tampa Urban Development - Essay Example In the United States, the evolution of urban regions has been dramatic. Numerous situations have congregated over a number of years in the US, and in present days almost 80% of the countries’ residents live in metropolitan regions that occupy below 20% of land area. The amount of urbanized land inside these metropolitan regions is much less. The urban population development started gradually, enhanced in the 19th Century, and after that the development sustained gradually during the following hundred years. The methods and causes for urbanizations have transformed significantly over time. Urban Development in America American metropolises have developed progressively but remained comparatively small in geographic region and population. Major urban developments are situated beside ‘transportation access points’ at docks, navigable tidal, important national rivers, seaways, and great lakes. During the civil war the form of urban development had started to change. Th e capitals have become the hearts of industry for accessing domestic and national natural resources. Trains are one of the leading transportation mediums in the country which is the most inexpensive way to carry materials for construction. After the World War II, suburbanization gained importance in older capitals. Numerous aspects have promoted the spread of suburbanization. The improvement of highway system lets individuals to travel for their occupations in the metropolises from outside civic limitations. This tendency has started in the period of 1920s and enhanced significantly after 1940s. Several multilane highways had developed which contributed to further suburbanization. The suburbanization offers a way of linking small towns with metropolitan lifestyle (Auch & Et. Al., â€Å"Urban Growth in American Cities†). Geographical Analysis of Tampa Development Tampa is situated in the harbor of west and middle Florida with an area of 1030 square kilometers. It is regarded a s one of the biggest open water bays in the southeastern side of America (Xian & Crane, â€Å"Assessments Of Urban Growth In The Tampa Bay Watershed Using Remote Sensing Data†). The width of water bays is almost 400 square miles and the size of drainage area is almost six times more. Tampa is affected by rapid development of human population and it is the second major metropolitan region in the US with almost 2.3 million people. It is anticipated that the population of metropolitan region will rise by approximately 20% by the year 2015. In the period of 1950s, the urban development of Tampa resulted in substantial corrosion in the water quality, environment and natural resources. Urban developments have transformed approximately 50% of Tampa’s original coastline. About 40% of Tampa’s sea-grass has been wiped out because of urbanization (Olsen & Ricci, â€Å"Introduction†). Urban Development of Tampa Development and urban extension have become a major conc ern for America. Throughout past 100 years, several towns have developed from small remote inhabitants to huge organized urban economical geographies. According to survey of ‘US Census Bureau’, almost 79% of American people live in urban areas. One of the major urban development’s of the US is Tampa which is situated in Florida. Tampa has been experiencing improvement since 1800. Several housing spaces were established in ‘

Blog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 13

Blog - Essay Example In response, the Cleveland Indians Baseball Team has responded to the racism critics by backing itself up for having recreated its current logo as a throwback to its Indians blue ‘C’ logo that the team used between the 1915 and 1927. The team has adjusted its logo over time since 1927 until the time it acquired its current logo which is a reconstruction of its original logo. Looking keenly at the Cleveland Indians’ logos since 1928 to present, there is a unique progression that is tied to racism. In 1928, the mascot used by the Cleveland Indians had a whole red painting, with just some few places bearing black color. In 1929-1932, they changed the logo to another mascot with red face and white helmet. In 1933-1938, there was a change of the logo to a mascot with a brown face and a brown and red helmet. Coming to 1938-1945, the mascot logo was changed to bear a red face and a white helmet again. In 1946 to 1950, the logo was changed to the head of a cartoon with a brown face and red and black helmet before they changed the color in 1951-72 to a red face and red and white helmet. This went on with one more change before they finally acquired their current logo which is a red ‘C’ from 2014 to present. All these are criticized to portray

Creating a Decision Making Matrix for Four Restaurant Alternatives Essay

Creating a Decision Making Matrix for Four Restaurant Alternatives - Essay Example Eventually, a two dimensional matrix is generated. Decision matrixes are common in procurement procedures where they are used to choose the best bid among the many proposals that have been received. A decision matrix has four major components which include; criteria, options/alternatives, weights and scores/rating (Hammon, Keeney and Raiffa, 2002). The purpose of this paper is to design a decision matrix and the scores for selecting the best restaurant from among four alternatives A, B, C, D using cost, convenience, service, taste and nutrition as the decision criteria. Creating the matrix The restaurants A, B, C, and D shall be ranked according to the following five criteria; cost, convenience, service, taste and nutrition. These criteria have been selected since they are the major determining factors ion the final decision making regarding the most suitable restaurant. The weights for the criteria are assigned in such a way that the total weight is 1.0. In this case, the weights fo r the criteria are as follows; Cost= 0.30, service=0.25, taste=0.2, convenience= 0.15, nutrition= 0.10. The total for the criteria = 1.0. The criteria ranking for each of the restaurant alternatives A, B, C and D are designed in such a way that the highest rank is 4. The score for each alternative is calculated as follows; Score = (Rating * assigned weight). The total score is obtained from the sum of all the scores. Based on the cost, convenience, service, taste and nutrition criteria, the restaurant options A, B, C, and D are ranked as follows; Criteria Ranking/Ranking Restaurant Options Cost Service Taste Convenience Nutrition A 3 4 1 3 2 B 2 1 2 4 4 C 4 2 3 1 3 D 1 3 4 2 1 The scores are calculated and tabulated as follows; Alternatives A B C D Criteria Weight Rating Score Rating Score Rating Score Rating Score Cost 0.30 3 0.9 2 0.6 4 1.2 1 0.3 Service 0.25 4 1.0 1 0.25 2 0.5 3 0.75 Taste 0.20 1 0.2 3 0.6 3 0.6 4 0.8 Convenience 0.15 3 0.45 4 0.6 3 0.45 2 0.3 Nutrition 0.10 2 0. 2 4 0.4 3 0.3 1 0.1 TOTAL 1.0 13 2.75 14 2.45 15 3.05 11 3.15 NB: Score= Rating* Weight. Explanation of ratings and scores After summing up the ratings for the four restaurant alternatives, alternative C has the highest rating of 15 followed by B with 14 while D has the lowest sum rating of 11. However, when the total scores are calculated from the rating and the weights, D has the highest score of 3.15 while B has the lowest score of 2.45. The total weighting for the criteria was calculated as 1.0. In terms of the cost criteria, restaurant alternative C attains the highest score of 1.2 while D receives the lowest score with a 0.3 score. In terms of service, alternative A receives the highest score with 1.0 while alternative B receives the lowest score with 0.25. Alternative D scores the highest in terms of the taste criteria with a score of 0.8 while A scores the lowest with 0.2. Alternatives B and C receive the same score in terms of convenience though they differ in other criteri a. Alternative B is the best in terms of convenience with a score of 0.6 while alternative D is the worst with a score of 0.3. Alternative A and C attain the same score in terms of convenience with a score of 0.45. In terms of the nutrition criteria which has the lowest weight among the other criteria, alternative B receives the highest score with 0.4 while alternative D receives the lowest with a 0.1 score. Choosing the best alternative The

Production and International Logistics Case Study

Production and International Logistics - Case Study Example In the early 1900, Henry Ford, the owner of Ford Motor company became the world's richest men by his mass production success in the automobile industry. During World War II, the US government also requested him to mass produced bomber air crafts for the US Air Force. Ford Motor Company's production system during those years is a good example of a mass production system. Demand was so high, Ford has to mass produced to satisfy demand. Ford has all the good reason to hold high inventories during those years, that was, to please his customers by keeping a steady supply of his automobiles. This is also one of the reasons why some firms chose to mass produced. Another reason is the uncertainties in supply and supply capacity (Morton 1999). Toyota saw the success of Ford Motor but cannot replicate Henry Ford's production strategy due to the devastation suffered by Japan's economy after the war. This gave birth to a new concept of production where inventory level is zero, the lean production system, otherwise known as the Just-in-Time or JIT system. In the Machine That Changed the World, James Womack, used 'the term lean production to describe the profound revolution in manufacturing that was initiated by the Toyota Production System (cited by Asay, D. and Ott, S ,1998 ). Toyota's factories, along with most of its suppliers, can be spotted around Toyota City. Delivery of components and parts depended on the speed of the assembly line, and parts were delivered using logistics just at the right time when these are needed. The system eliminates the need to carry large inventories but close coordination between suppliers and logistics for the success of the system. When delivery of components or raw materials lagged behind, or when there are defects on deliveries, the strategic advantage and benefits that could have been gained from using the lean concept would be defeated. This led adherents of JIT to embark on a system of managing inventory and logistics in collaboration with total quality management (Heizer, Render 2001). The movement of supplies and other commodities from suppliers to users or consumers in the supply chain is a function of logistics. This is particularly important in a global economy where competition is borderless. International logistics therefore plays an important role in the success of production. The following section compares and contrast the traditional mass production system and lean production system. 2.0 Mass Production vs. Lean Production Traditional mass production differs from lean production in its overall organizational characteristics and manufacturing methods. Let us compare and contrast mass production as against lean production on the following terms: business strategy, organizational culture, customer relationship, production and scheduling, inventory management, quality assurance, information management and manufacturing cost. 2.1 Business Strategy In mass production strategy, the focus is on exploiting economies of scale of existing products and technologies. This strategy takes advantage of the decrease in the unit cost of the product as the volume of production per period of time increases (Kroll, et al, 1996). On the other hand, lean production strategy is customer focused. It seeks to identify and exploit new opportunities and competitive advantage through product design,

Hunger in Black Boy Essay Example for Free

Hunger in Black Boy Essay Hunger in Black Boy Have you ever experienced real hunger? The kinds of hungers that Richard experiences in Black Boy are not evident in the society where you and I reside. The present middle class citizens cannot really relate to true physical hunger. Hunger for most of us is when there is nothing that we desire to eat around the house and therefore skip one meal. This cannot even compare to the days that Richard endures without food. Physical hunger, however, is not the only hunger apparent in Richards life. Richard suffers from emotional and educational hungers as well. He yearnsfor such things as mere association with others and simple books to read. Both of which are things that most people take for granted. This efficacious autobiography, Black Boy, by Richard Wright manifests what it is like to desire such simple paraphernalia. From a very early age and for much of his life thereafter, Richard experiences chronic physical hunger. Hunger stole upon me slowly that at first I was not aware of what hunger really meant. Hunger had always been more or less at my elbow when I played, but now I began to wake up at night to find hunger standing at my bedside, staring at me gauntly (16). Soonafter the disappearance of Richards father, he begins to notice constant starvation. This often reappears in his ensuing life. The type of hunger that Richard describes is worse than one who has not experienced chronic hunger can even imagine. Once again I knew hunger, biting hunger, hunger that made my body aimlessly restless, hunger that kept me on edge, that made my temper flare, that made my temper flare, hunger that made hate leap out of my heart like the dart of a serpents tongue, hunger that created in me odd cravings (119). Because hunger has always been a part of Richards lifestyle, he cannot even imagine eating meat every day. This simple privilege would be a miracle to him, yet to most it is nothing. These weakening and piercing hungers are frequently evident where poverty dwells in the Jim Crow South. Furthermore, emotional hunger also represses much of Richards life. Richard desires attention from people. However, since he does not receive much of this at home, he does not really know how to associate with others. This provokes a problem when he leaves home because he cannot understand the friendliness of people around him. Nevertheless, I was so starved for association with people that I allowed myself to be.

The Organisational Learning and the Learning Organisation Essay Example for Free

The Organisational Learning and the Learning Organisation Essay Schools are in business to promote learning; amongst both adults and pupils. But do they as organisations learn? Is it in fact possible for an organisation as a whole to learn? Even if there is evidence that individuals within organisations are learning, this does not automatically add up to collective learning: There are many cases in which organisations know less than their members. There are even cases in which the organisations cannot seem to learn what every member knows. (Argyris and Schà ¶n 2000:309) How schools learn to implement complex and multiple change successfully has always been of central concern to those interested in school improvement: making the link between organisational learning and school improvement is not a new idea. Roland Barth claims that school improvements main task is all about learning: School improvement is an effort to determine and provide, from without and within, conditions under which the adults and youngsters who inhabit schools will promote and sustain learning among themselves. (Barth 1999:45) In England especially, schools are under pressure to accommodate and manage change and are constantly dealing with public scrutiny of their effectiveness. Issues they are required to deal with include: a revised National Curriculum, performance management, revised criteria for OFSTED inspections, school self-evaluation, standards for head teachers and subject leaders, as well as the ongoing requirement to improve attainment for all pupils. All the activities that constitute learning are a fundamental contribution not just to improvement and performance, but also to an ethos and spirit of community in a school.( Stoll, 2005, 62-69)   We outline the importance of organisational learning to school improvement, and highlight the role of feedback, suggesting ways in which its role could be developed. The five questions we ask are:   1 What is organisational learning?   2 Why is it important to school improvement?   3 What are the processes that influence organisational learning?   4 What is the contribution of feedback?   5 How could its role in organisational learning be enhanced? What Is Organisational Learning? A definition of a learning organisation as it relates to education is: â€Å"A group of people pursuing common purposes (and individual purposes as well) with a collective commitment to regularly weighing the value of those purposes, modifying them when that makes sense, and continuously developing more effective and efficient ways of accomplishing those purposes.† (Leithwood and Aitken 2003:41) This definition suggests certain basic activities need to happen for organisational learning to be able to occur: the pursuit, review and modification of common aims; and opportunities to identify, articulate and design more effective, efficient ways of accomplishing these purposes. It can be easy for a school to lose sight of its primary purpose of fostering and encouraging learning, particularly in times of increased complexity and requirement to respond to external demands for improvement. As a recent participant on one of our courses put it: the core beliefs and goals about learning in my school †¦ have been forgotten in the mass of pressures we are under at the moment. School improvement research distinguishes more effective and more rapidly improving schools by the ability of practitioners to stay in touch with the schools core values, beliefs and goals and take charge of externally driven change rather than being controlled by it (Senge 1999; Rosenholtz 2000; Stoll and Fink 1999; Gray et al. 2003, 141-53). This is, in Senges words, because they are constantly enhancing their capacity to create their own future and know that it is in their hands. This mind-set is a cornerstone of effective improvement efforts. Organisational learning has been described as a dynamic and complex phenomenon best understood by considering learning processes and effects as influencing each other in a reciprocal way (Cousins 1998:220-1). Through collective inquiry, school staff and their communities engage in processing of internal or external information that challenges them to reflect on and adapt assumptions underpinning their practice. It also helps them to understand how they can influence their own destiny and create the necessary knowledge. In this sense, the basic meaning of a learning organisation is one that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future (Senge 1999:14). The Processes That Influence Organisational Learning Our own work suggests four particular processes that can crucially influence the organisational learning of schools. Where these can be deliberately and strategically developed, this facilitates the appropriate conditions and climate within which school improvement can operate. These four processes are: working actively with the context; processing, creating and using strategic knowledge; developing learning-oriented cultural norms; and systems thinking. (Leithwood, K. and Louis, 1998, 119-23) Working Actively With The Context The articulation of goals that are shared by all stakeholders in a school, including pupils, is not enough in a rapidly changing and demanding context. More than twenty years ago, Argyris and Schà ¶n (2000) argued that the key challenge is not to help an organisation become more effective at performing a stable task in the light of stable purposes, but to help an organisation restructure its purposes and redefine its task in the face of a changing environment (p. 320). To do this, schools need to connect more effectively with the world beyond them: Schools cannot shut their gates and leave the outside world on the doorstep, they can no longer pretend that their walls will keep the outside world at bay.   (Hargreaves and Fullan 1998:7) Being able to read the context is a critical skill in effective school improvement. Schools, as other systems, must have the capacity to sense, monitor and scan significant aspects of their environment (Morgan 1999:87). Intelligent schools know their survival can depend on their sensitive response and adaptation to the environment of which they are a part. This contextual intelligence has been defined as one of nine key intelligences a school needs to have (MacGilchrist et al. 2002). Working to develop and adapt school goals in the light of contextual messages is a crucial purpose for the organisational learning that schools continually need to address. (MacBeath, 1998, 311-22) Currently, insufficient notice is being paid to the limited opportunity and power schools feel they have to attend to this basic process. Indeed, the predominant emphasis on the delivery of the external reform agenda paradoxically distracts many schools from initiating their own learning and this results in a loss of both collective self-esteem and of feeling in charge of change (Learmonth and Reed 2000). Processing, Creating And Using Strategic Knowledge The importance of strategic thinking, planning and action in school improvement together constitute a particular knowledge base required for organisational learning. Louis (1998) argues that what distinguishes organisational learning processes from the notion of acquisition, storage and retrieval inherent in some definitions of individual learning, is an additional step of collective knowledge creation: Schools cannot learn until there is explicit or implicit agreement about what they know about their students, teaching and learning, and about how to change. (p. 1086) She describes three sources from which this knowledge is drawn: teachers individual knowledge about the curriculum and their own pedagogical practice; knowledge created when their practice is systematically examined; and knowledge that comes from others, advisers, colleagues, inspectors. Through a combination of dialogue and deliberation, this information is explored, interpreted and distributed among the school community creating collective knowledge and helping powerful learning systems in a school to develop. (Cousins, 2000, 305-33) The process is complex but can also increase the potential for organisational learning in a range of ways. Five assertions have recently been made about the contribution that a strategic approach can make to school improvement (Reed 2000). These are: 1 A strategic approach is underpinned by an explicit commitment to fundamental values and goals in a school.   2 A strategic approach is not just about putting a particular plan into operation. It is a way of working with different levels, goals and expectations at the same time.   3 A strategic approach involves a complex combination of skills thinking, planning, doing, analysing, judging, reflecting and giving and receiving feedback.   4 A strategic approach is more than a way of achieving coherence. It is a social process that needs to take account of how those involved are feeling and experiencing life in a school as well as supporting them in investing in their own learning.   5 A strategic approach builds knowledge and interest about what is happening as it goes along so that everyone can learn about the process and work together to achieve the agreed goals. Developing Learning-Oriented Cultural Norms Once schools have identified key aspects of their environment, they must be able to relate this information to the operating norms that guide their current behaviour. Norms are the unspoken rules for what is regarded as customary or acceptable behaviour and action within the school. They are also a window into the deeply held beliefs and values of the school: its culture (Stoll 2003). Leithwood, Jantzi and Steinbach (1998) found that school culture appeared to be the dominant influence on collective learning, more so than vision and mission, structure, strategies, and policy and resources. Rait (2003) explains: An organizations culture embodies an informal structure and normative system that influence information flow and other organizational processes. Culture may implicitly or explicitly delineate the boundaries of what is considered proper and improper action. (p. 83) Norms are critical because Life within a given culture flows smoothly only insofar as ones behaviour conforms with unwritten codes. Disrupt these norms and the ordered reality of life inevitably breaks down (Morgan 2002:139). Norms, therefore, shape reactions to internally or externally proposed or imposed improvements and, indeed, to organisational learning. Cultivating learning-oriented norms is, therefore, essential because the acceptance of changes by a school depends on the fit between the norms embedded in the changes and those within the schools own culture (Sarason 1999). Knowledge needs to have a socially constructed, shared basis for organisational learning to occur (Louis 2004). If norms of individualism and self-reliance exist, and collaboration is not valued, the necessary team learning is at risk. Similarly, schools with norms of contentment, avoidance of change, goal diffusion, top-down leadership, conformity, nostalgia, blame, congeniality rather than collegiality, and denial (Stoll and Fink 1998), are less likely to engage in organisational learning. Stoll and Fink (1999) identify ten norms that appeared to underpin the work of improving schools: shared goals; responsibility for success; collegiality; continuous improvement; lifelong learning; risk taking; support; mutual respect; openness; celebration and humour. They highlight the human and cultural dimension of change. Two of these merit further discussion for organisational learning. The first, collegiality, involves mutual sharing and assistance, an orientation towards the school as a whole. It is spontaneous, voluntary, development-oriented, unscheduled, and unpredictable. Little (1999) identifies four types of collegial relations. She views three as weaker forms: scanning and story telling, general help and assistance, and sharing. The fourth form, joint work, is most likely to lead to improvement and, we would argue, organisational learning. It covers team teaching, mentoring, action research, peer coaching, planning and mutual observation and feedback. These activities create greater interdependence, collective commitment, shared responsibility, and, perhaps most important, greater readiness to participate in the difficult business of review and critiques (Fullan and Hargreaves 2000, xii). The second norm, risk taking, is also critical for organisational learning. Time for experimentation, trial and error and handling failure are essential parts of learning. They symbolise a willingness to try something different, to consider new approaches, and to move into uncharted territory. The other norms support, mutual respect, openness, and celebration and humour set the important climate that enables risk taking to occur without danger. School improvement depends on the use of different mental maps of a school and the creative pursuit of understanding how the whole (the system) and the constituent parts (the subsystems) are relating to each other. Organisational learning occurs where the interdependency of parts and whole, systems and subsystems can be enhanced to enable collective activity to be more effective and satisfying for everyone involved. Systems thinking has been described as a discipline for seeing wholes (Senge 1999:68). It is a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than linear cause-effect chains, for seeing patterns and processes of change rather than a static snapshot. The capacity to see patterns and discern connections between seemingly unconnected events emerges as a key feature of organisational learning from both our experience and the literature: A systems approach at least helps an investigator understand that the problem is to discover the underlying connections and interdependencies (Vaill 1999:108). It is also a crucial tool for improvement efforts, a basis for taking charge of change and feeling more in control. Systems thinking enables a school to analyse more deeply the causal factors that underlie their concerns and difficulties especially where linear deductions of causality fail to get at the root issues. In short, it means it is more important to focus on circles of influence rather than straight lines (Senge 1999). We now take up this point in relation to the role of feedback. One way we have come to understand the contribution of feedback to organisational learning is to take as a starting point Senges (1999) definition of feedback. He uses the discourse of learning and feedback described as loops. Feedback as it used here, is different to positive feedback meaning making encouraging remarks or negative feedback meaning potential bad news. It is a broader concept, meaning any reciprocal flow of influence (p. 75) encompassing the notion that every influence is both cause and effect. Indeed, Senge argues that the practice of systems thinking and organisational learning starts with understanding feedback. We want to present a view of feedback as an organisational process that itself can be learned about and used as well as having the other, more dialogue-based functions that feedback can have in the school community. OConnor and McDermott (2002) describe feedback as thinking in circles; hence the notion of feedback loops: the consequences of our actions coming back to us and so influencing what happens next. This concept of feedback challenges immediately any notion that organisational learning can be achieved by either linear or mechanistic means: it needs processing and use of information. Feedback, then, in this sense is the return of information to influence the next step (OConnor and McDermott 2002:26). Two basic types of feedback loop have been identified. The first is reinforcing feedback. This describes a situation where change continues to change and grow: a response to something happening makes it happen more frequently. An example from school life could be a response to a high number of exclusions. (Goldstein, 2000, 313-15) The school puts in place a procedure for sanctions and rewards, and this results in further exclusions. The feedback from this situation, then, suggests that the procedure for sanctions and rewards itself needs tightening up which, again, unexpectedly causes more exclusions to occur. The second is balancing feedback, which reduces change and restores balance. A balancing feedback loop is where the response to something happening makes it happen less (Johnstone 2004:12-13). An example would be a primary school that on analysing its KS1 results finds that the poor quality of spelling is contributing to low attainment. A plan implemented across the Key Stage for addressing spelling more systematically with pupils and their parents enhances their capability, reduces their errors and significantly raises attainment. Schools as systems are experiencing feedback loops in this way all the time, and to the extent that they are aware of and working with reinforcing and balancing loops, and are learning how to manage them, they will be in the process of genuinely becoming a learning organisation. (Anderson, 2003, 235-58) Currently, a focus on the analysis of attainment data and making causal links to practice in the classroom can provide good examples of use of feedback. Significant connections are being made from one part of the school (the data) to another (the learning and teaching programme), and in the process organisational learning can occur. Morgan (2002) and others have reminded us of a key element in organisational learning processes which may influence the direction a reinforcing cycle takes towards growth or decline. Organisations may display adaptive learning which solves problems at an operational level: they scan the environment, compare against the operating targets, and initiate appropriate action. In so doing, they show the ability to detect and correct deviations from the norm. Many organisations are quite proficient at this including bureaucratic, fragmented organisations where employees are not encouraged to think for themselves and interest in what the organisation is doing is marginal. However, single loop learning may keep an organisation focused on the wrong goals and prevent success in a changing environment. Effective organisations require double loop learning in which the crucial extra ingredient is to question whether the operating targets are relevant and whether the norms are appropriate. (Chaston,   2001, 139-51) This is generative learning which solves fundamental problems in a creative way and facilitates survival in periods of change. Morgan suggests that when people are unable or not prepared to challenge underlying assumptions, The existence of single-loop learning systems, especially when used as controls over employees, may prevent double-loop learning from occurring (2002:90). The capacity in a school to reflect on its own learning while it is using the information provided by feedback is crucial. Ertmer and Newby (1999, 1-24) outline the characteristics of an expert learner, which include the capacity to regulate ones own learning, to self-monitor. It is possible to see that this capacity in a school, to use and reflect on feedback processes, is a key capability in a learning organisation. The following example illustrates the value of questioning while using feedback. A school joined one of our school improvement projects with the view that a group of Key Stage 2 pupils were, in the staffs description, restless and lacking concentration in their lessons because they had poor listening skills. It was to be the focus for their project. These were not pupils with any obvious learning difficulties. The teachers stated clearly that they wanted to improve the listening skills of these pupils. We cautioned them not to jump to conclusions before they had carried out a careful systemic audit and analysis of the context in which this problem was manifesting itself. (Fiol, 2002, 803-13) They reluctantly agreed. What emerged from the audit was a very different kind of causal picture. The process of gathering information showed that this group were actually very good listeners in settings that sufficiently caught their attention and enabled them to access the curriculum in ways that made sense to them. Through examining the wider system that the pupils were part of, it seemed that this group of pupils were signalling through their lack of engagement that schemes of work and teaching processes were inadequately differentiated for them. (Huber, 2000, 88-115)   Improving this practice was the focus of a very successful project in the school. The teachers learnt to look at their whole situation in a more sophisticated way instead of jumping too quickly to conclusions based in their minds on a linear and more simplistic model of the relationship between learning, teaching and achievement. The situation these teachers found themselves in is a very good example of reinforcing feedback. The more the pupils had a learning diet that did not meet their needs, the more they did not listen. When the school gave them a more carefully designed programme of activities the listening skills of the pupils were shown to be perfectly satisfactory. The balancing feedback process had produced the results that they wanted and staff had learnt a great deal about those pupils, their needs and most importantly about the impact of their teaching.( Kim, 2003, 37-50) It has been claimed that school improvement is an inquiry not a formula and that the successful structure for school improvement will have the nature of a clinical science, where communities of educators treat their best ideas as stepping stones to better ones (Joyce et al. 2003:2). The Making Belfast Work, Raising School Standards (MBW RSS) initiative can be seen as exemplifying such a process. Individual schools involved in the initiative engaged in self-evaluation and review as an integral part of the initiative. (Learmonth, 1998, 78-85) The fourteen schools also worked together during the three years on the project sharing experiences and approaches, creating a wider learning community outside the individual school. The LEAs engagement in the process was threefold; manager, participant and an evaluator of the change process. (Mumford, 2000, 24-31) The external evaluation, however, provided the LEA with an objective framework within which to consider organisational learning at a range of levels. Managing educational change and the resultant organisational learning is [a] multivariate business that requires us to think of and address more than one factor at a time. While theory and practice of successful educational change do make sense, and do point to clear guidelines for action, it is always the case that particular actions in particular situations require integrating the more general knowledge of change with detailed knowledge of the politics, personalities and history peculiar to the setting in question. (Fullan 2000: xii) In evaluating the MBW RSS initiative it is important to acknowledge the context of civil unrest which for over a generation has been an everyday fact of life for people living in the city. Recent political initiatives to move forward the peace process have been welcomed by all who are concerned about the quality of life in Belfast although uncertainty about the future remains evident. The term feedback, in education, is perhaps most commonly used in classroom and school contexts. (Sadler, 2003, 877-909)   It can, however, be used across the education system to promote organisational and institutional learning. We focus on the role of the external evaluation as a method of providing feedback to   †¢ increase understanding of the various impacts of an educational improvement initiative; improve awareness of the processes of implementation at school and LEA level; and provide the basis for analysis of planning, implementation of future initiatives, enhancing the capacity of the LEA to evaluate its own organisational learning with regard to future initiatives involving clusters or individual schools. The extent to which an organisation can learn from feedback from an outside evaluation depends on a number of factors. The very act of commissioning shows a willingness to be scrutinised and a desire to learn from an experience. In the MBW RSS there was a climate within both the LEA and schools which suggested that they could effect change and raise standards. Participants were willing to ask difficult questions and challenge practice. A high degree of co-operation among participants and an honest willingness to talk about strengths and weaknesses were important prerequisites for organisational learning. (Prange, 2003, 23-43) However, many school improvement initiatives have fallen short of their stated objectives because managers have tried to change too much, too quickly. If learning is to take place there must be a tacit understanding that this will not happen for all participants at the same time. Finally there was an acceptance by participants that if this initiative was not going to be just another one of many, which would have little impact beyond set funding, plans and systems had to be put in place which would sustain learning. (Nicolini, 2003, 727-47) LEAs are charged with the duty of managing and monitoring school improvement in their schools. There are many ways in which an LEA might approach this function. Areas for improvement could be identified in Educational Development Plan (EDPs) and targeted through programmes for continual professional development (CDP). Perhaps the most common mechanism used to stimulate school improvement by an LEA is the formulation and management of school improvement initiatives. (Gray,   2002, 27-34) The recent implementation of national initiatives in England (e.g. the National Literacy and Strategy and Numeracy Hour in primary schools) has not stopped LEAs from continuing to develop locally targeted projects aimed at raising school standards. Most recently, inspection has been one route by which the performance of school improvement initiatives has been monitored (the programme began in January 1998). The Office of Standards in Education (OFSTED) underlines the important contribution an LEA can make in delivering school improvement by calling its framework for LEA inspection LEA support for school improvement, picking out school improvement as an LEAs key function (OFSTED 2003:6). However, the Chief Inspector of schools in his annual report (1998/2003) claimed that some LEAs gave ineffective support to schools and could spawn a plethora of ineffective and often unwelcome initiatives which, more often than not, waste money and confuse and irritate schools (p. 20). The extent to which OFSTED can give detailed feedback on initiatives, sufficient to ensure organisational learning, is limited because inspections use a national framework and thus do not focus on the aims of different LEA initiatives. An alternative to inspection would be to use outside consultants to evaluate a specific programme. If an LEA is to make use of an evaluation to improve its services, the evaluators feedback can identify areas in which the LEA can learn and should indicate how that learning can be transferred to other initiatives. In evaluating the Making Belfast Work Raising Schools Standards initiative, the ISEIC team were specifically asked to investigate the impact of the overall project and to identify the factors which facilitated improvements and any barriers to success. The BELB, which has a history of innovative projects, wished to consider the implications of the evaluation with a mind to examining other school improvement projects and its part within these. The idea for the initiative stemmed from thinking in the Department of Education: Northern Ireland (DENI) which approached Making Belfast Work as funders. The initiative intended to help schools address significant disadvantage and under-achievement among their pupils. The project was intended to target a small number of secondary schools and their main contributory primary schools. Additional funding of  £3m, over a three-year period was to be allocated. We cannot report on all aspects of the evaluation covered in the main evaluation report (Sammons et al. 1998; Taggart and Sammons 2003) but will focus on ways in which the evaluations final report was able to feed back key learning points to the LEA, relevant to its management of future school improvement initiatives and the extent to which the initiative had an impact in term of its stated aims. The feedback was couched in terms that were intended to enable BELBs personnel to engage with their own learning and thus better understand their crucial role in initiating and managing initiatives. By doing this, the evaluators sought to help the Board improve its capacity to learn and thus enrich the service it offered to schools in the crucial area of raising school standards. Outsiders offering schools critical friendship as a basis for dialogue can be invaluable to developing organisational learning capacity. Schools need an external perspective to observe what is not immediately apparent to those working on the inside. These individuals and groups can watch and listen, ask thought-provoking questions about formal and informal data that help those in schools sort out their thinking, make sound decisions and determine appropriate strategies. This relationship, however, is more likely to work when it is based on trust and support, where critical friends bring an open mind and a commitment to mutual exchange, rather than their own vested interests. Consequently, when the feedback critical friends convey contains difficult messages, these are more likely to be heard and taken on board. A longer-term outcome of effective critical friendship appears to be the ability to help a school become its own critical friend. References    Anderson, V. Skinner, D. (2003). Organisational learning in practice: How do small businesses learn to operate internationally? Human Resource Development International, 2(3), 235-258. Argyris, C. and Schà ¶n, D. A. (2000) Organizational Learning: a theory of action perspective, Reading MA: Addison-Wesley.   309-20 Barth, R. (1999) Improving Schools from Within: teachers, parents and principals can make the difference, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.   44-46 Chaston, I., Badger, B., Sadler-Smith, E. (2001). Organisational learning: An empirical assessment of process in small U.K. manufacturing firms. Journal of Small Business Management, 39(2), 139-151. Cousins, J. B. (1998) Intellectual roots of organizational learning, in K. Leithwood and K. S. Louis (eds) Organizational Learning in Schools, Lisse: Swets and Zeitlinger.   220-21   Cousins, J. B. and Leithwood, K. (2000) Enhancing knowledge utilization as a strategy for school improvement, Knowledge: Creation, Diffusion, Utilization 14: 3, 305-333. Ertmer P. A. and Newby T. J. (1999) The expert learner: strategic, self regulated and reflective, Instructional Science 24: 1, 1-24. Fiol, C.M. Lyles, M.A. (2002). Organisational learning. Academy of Management Review, 10(4), 803-813.   Fullan, M. and Hargreaves, A. (2000) Whats Worth Fighting for in Your School?, Buckingham: Open University Press.   p.xii   Goldstein H. (2000) Editorial: statistical information and the measurement of education outcomes, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society A 155:3, 313-315. Gray, C. Gonsalves, E. (2002). Organisational learning and entrepreneurial strategy. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 3(1), 27-34. Gray, J., Hopkins, D., Reynolds, D., Wilcox, B., Farrell, S. and Jesson, D. (2003) Improving Schools: performance and potential, Buckingham: Open University Press.   141-53   Hargreaves, A. and Fullan, M. (1998) Whats Worth Fighting for in Education?, Buckingham: Open University Press.   p.7 Huber, G.P. (2000). Organisational learning: The contributing processes and the literatures. Organisation Science, 2(1), 88-115.   Johnstone, C. (2004) The Lens of Deep Ecology, London: IDEE. Kim, D.H. (2003). The link between individual and organisational learning. Sloan Management Review, Fall, 37-50.   Learmonth, J. and Lowers, K. (1998) A trouble shooter calls: the role of the independent consultant, in L. Stoll and K. Myers (eds) No Quick Fixes: perspectives on schools in difficulty, London: Falmer Press.   78-85   Learmonth, J. and Reed, J. (2000) Revitalising Teachers Accountability: learning about learning as a renewed focus for school improvement, paper presented at the Thirteenth International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, Hong Kong, January.   Leithwood, K. and Aitken, R. (2003) Making Schools Smarter, Thousand Oaks CA: Corwin.   Leithwood, K. and Louis, K.S. (eds) (1998) Organizational Learning in Schools, Lisse: Swets and Zeitlinger.   119-23   Leithwood, K., Jantzi, D. and Steinbach, R. (1998) Leadership and other conditions which foster organizational learning in schools, in K. Leithwood and K. S. Louis (eds) Organizational Learning in Schools, Lisse: Swets and Zeitlinger.   Little, J. W. (1999) The persistence of privacy: autonomy and initiative in teachers professional relations, Teachers College Record 91:4, 509-536.   Louis, K. S. (2004) Beyond managed change, School Effectiveness and School Improvement 5:1, 2-25.   Louis, K. S. (1998) Reconnecting knowledge utilization and school improvement, in A. Hargreaves, A. Lieberman, M. Fullan and D. Hopkins (eds) International Handbook of Educational Change. Part 2, Dordrecht: Kluwer.   MacBeath, J. (1998) I didnt know he was ill: the role and value of the critical friend, in L. Stoll and K. Myers (eds) No Quick Fixes: perspectives on schools in difficulty London: Falmer Press.   311-22   MacGilchrist, B., Myers, K. and Reed, J. (2002) The Intelligent School, London: Paul Chapman. Morgan, G. (1999) Images of Organizations, Newbury Park, CA: Sage.   Morgan, G. (2002) Images of Organization (2nd edn), London: Sage. Mumford, A. (2000). Individual and organisational learningthe pursuit of change. Industrial and Commercial Training, 23(6), 24-31. Nicolini, D. Mesnar, M.B. (2003). The social construction of organisational learning: Conceptual and practical issues in the field. Human Relations, 48(7), 727-747.   OConnor, J. and McDermott, I. (2002) The Art of Systems Thinking, London: Thorsons. Prange, C. (2003). Organisational learningDesperately seeking theory? In M. Easterby-Smith, J. Burgoyne, L. Araujo (Eds), Organizational learning and the learning organization (pp. 23-43). London: Sage Publications.   Rait, E. (2003) Against the current: organizational learning in schools, in S. B. Bacharach and B. Mundell (eds) Images of Schools: structures and roles in organizational behavior, London: Sage.   Reed J. E. (2000) Strategic thinking in the Malawi school support system project, unpublished materials developed for Ministry of Education, Malawi.   Rosenholtz, S. J. (2000) Teachers Workplace: the social organization of schools, New York: Longman Sadler-Smith, E., Chaston, I., Spicer, D.E (2003). Organisational learning in smaller firms: An empirical perspective. In M. Easterby-Smith, L. Araujo, J. Burgoyne (Eds), Proceedings of the 3rd International Organisational Learning Conference (pp. 877-909). Department of Management Learning, Lancaster University.   Sarason, S. B. (1999) Revisiting The Culture of the School and the Problem of Change, New York: Teachers College Press.   Senge, P. M. 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Feminine Hygiene Products Advertising Analysis

Feminine Hygiene Products Advertising Analysis Fulya Felicity Tà ¼rkmen Perceptions on the Idealized Image of Women in TV Ads Revisited:  The Example of Sanitary Napkin Advertisements Introduction and Methods This study has two parts: The first part gave me a perspective and understanding about how to read and evaluate an advertisement. In this way, I could determine some criteria to decode the linguistic and non linguistic components of the sanitary napkin advertisements. I watched 35 sanitary napkin advertisements but I did not choose to make a quantitative analysis since it would be too hard to examine the data manually. Instead of this, I chose the qualitative methods. I made certain groups based on the determining characteristics of the advertisements and I evaluated only one advertisement for each group such as one for blue liquid type and one for mini drama type advertisements. My first thesis was assuming that advertisements are a part of the reproduction of discourses on womanhood by supporting the idealized images of womanhood. But as I go on watching the advertisements I also noticed that they create some stigmas about the taboo on menstruation and feminine hygiene. This is why I also included the part menstruation as embarassment as a component of the perceptions on womanhood. In the presentation I used the expression of hidden messages by referring to the use of lingual and non linguistic components of the advertisements which are telling women something other than the features of the products and promising them things whch are not directly relevant with the product itself at first sight. While doing these, I also tried to track down the transformation of advertisements since it was legally allowed to do advertising on sanitary napkins to see what has changed since the beginning. Advertisements Now and Then Previously, advertisements were less complicated than they are today and there was only one goal to achieve with the simplest ways: to make people buy a certain product by explaining its specific or differentiating features. Thus, production or supply of the products was determined according to the demands of the societies. Today, we see the constant creation of new demands and increasement of the existing ones. In this new order, advertisement has become a tool to create consent for more consumption. In this way, social utility has also become the utility of the capital owners but these are presented as if they still accomodate social benefits. Media a great power of influencing and directing the society. In advertisements, this power manifests itself through the chain of product, production and consumption. In this way, products go beyond the production processes and factories and they become a part of the media culture. Although the basic motivation behind the advertisements is simply selling more products, there is no advertisement which only gives information about product to motivate people for buying it. Beyond this simple aim, each advertisement has a message that would be received by for potential consumers via different canals. Today we observe that the symbols and images take a precedence over the product itself most of the time. In the science of semiotics, it is claimed that signs are open to different interpretations and they can have different meanings in different contexts. Thus, we receive different messages via signs and attribute them to different meaning while we communicate. We receive these signs with our many senses such as audial or visual. Saussure argues that the sign dynamic has two components: A form of the sign and its meaning, respectively, the signifier and the signified. Thus, languages which enable us to communicate through different sounds or written symbols are arbitrary and they are subjected to change in time. They are only as important as their function in the communication rather than their historical importance or features. Therefore, language is in a constant state of change which includes its reconstruction and re-analyze through the changing social relations and discourses. According to Williamson, semiotics is composed of thing and meaning as well. The important thing here is not how a certain word or term is formed but how it is shared and found itself in the daily expressions. Williamson takes the issue of advertisement as a determinant of culture and everyday practices. These practices are mainly there to sell products but at the same time they make properties to mean something for us. They present and promote the idea of being a certain kind of person. The language of this promotion is not a singular one; it rather changes according to different times and cultures. For instance, I observed that many brands use different advertisements for the promotion of sanitary napkins in different countries according to these countries’ cultural norms and values. The portrayal of a certain ideal type is given in the advertisements but at the same time this ideal type is linked to the certain products through messages. For instance, â€Å"delikanlÄ ± kÄ ±zlar molped kullanÄ ±r.† The construction of these linkages occurs over long processes. Thus, connections are made between people and objects are made. So, we should take the sign for w hat it signifies, the thing becomes the symbol of a feeling. â€Å"Material things we need are made to represent the other non- material things we need. The point of exchange between two is where meaning is produced.† (Williamson, 2000) What an advertisement actually does is to show and give audiences an object of desire. When a product is used exclusively by women, female image and female sexuality is packed up with the product and presented to the women again. In our case, the object of desire could be manifested as youth, freedom, happiness, a good career, etc. In the advertisements, what is not shown or expressed, in other words absences are as important as what are present. For instance, advertisements can show what people actually want to be like in this way. According to Crook, there are two main dimensions which reflect the distinction between the linguistic and the non-linguistic components of commercials that should be taken into account. These are the product- claim dimension and reward dimension. (Crook, 2004) When product claim dimension is used, some information or claims of the producers are presented to the consumers in the form of physical outcomes and benefits. For instance, in our case of sanitary napkins, this could be dryness. There usually is a superimposed linguistic message and/ or a message which is given by a voiceover, a narrator or a mini drama with one or a few highlighted characters. The use of reward dimension targets the more emotional side of the audiences. The benefits and offers are emotional and more abstract. For instance, in our case, this could be the promise of intimacy or modernity. As it can be deducted from this example, the benefits may not seem such related with the product itself at the first sight. The tools of non-verbal communication such as colors and music are used in these types of advertisements. The Construction of Menstruation as Embarrassment Menstruation is accepted, portrayed and presented as an embarrassing hygienic trouble which needs to stay hidden and covered up in the public realm, specifically from men. It is also seen as an obstruct on the way of achieving to the standardized and ideal womanhood norms as Evans also points outs. Menstruation stood in the way, as a threat to a womans reaching the ideal of beautiful womanhood, (Evans, 1995, p. 25) All of these negative connotations helped the construction of menstruation as embarrassment for females. As an historical inheritance, this problem is limited to the one’s private sphere. Thus, offering solution to this hygienic problem can easily be considered as overruling one’s privacy. Advertisers observed that there might be negative reactions occurring, as viewers evaluate these advices as a violation of their liberties and privacy. In the specific type of commercial that we are trying to explore here, the producers of the advertisements could be accused of taking the liberty of talking about a private issue because these advertisements postulate the existence of a ‘problem’ and describe menstruation as a barrier with discomforting symptoms which put limits on one’s mental and physical actions. Therefore, there is a message of â€Å"You need these hygienic products to hide and relieve your embarrassment and stay pure and clean. Otherwise you would be stained and feel ashamed and dirty.† For instance, Kotex started a series of advertisement which are based on a simple question to women: â€Å"What weird things do you do on your special days?† In the series, a famous actress took part and filmed doing weird things such as carrying a awkwardly huge bag to hide her back, getting extremely angry out of little issues or taking photos of herself to check whether there is any stains caused by her period. The Myth of the Magical Youth and Beauty â€Å"With the rise of the youth culture, advertisers shifted even more from health and safety to youth and beauty. Youth and all things modern have been idealized.† (Del Saz-Rubio and Pennock-Speck, 2009) The advertisements that I watched were proving this statement since all women that took place in these advertisements were at the age of 17-25 or 30 at most. Moreover, the older women were portrayed as role models and advisers in the advertisements and they were not on the focus. Since all women are potential customers until they step into the menopause (age 45-50 on average), there should be another motive behind this choice. As another important point, there is a set of standardized beauty norms in these advertisements. For instance, there was no over weighted woman in any of the sanitary napkin advertisement I watched or analyzed. All of the women were conformed to the widely accepted body norms and standards. So, the modern woman is idealized at being young, free and nor matively beautiful and the message of â€Å"youth knows it better† is given. Although sanitary napkins are started to produce from mid-1980s, its advertisement was not legally and culturally possible until 1920s. First, sanitary napkin advertisements started to take place in women’s magazines such as Vogue in 1920s. Then, in 1970s it became legally possible for sanitary napkin brands to do advertising on television and radio. There were still a lot of written and unwritten rules: For instance, these advertisements are shown during daytime which is considered as ‘women’s TV time’, rather than prime time hours. Moreover, it still stayed as a controversial issue and many opposed to this new situation. We can evaluate this new era as a adoption phase in which ‘blue liquid’ advertisements appeared in the scene. For a long time, blue liquid tests in laboratory environment are used all around the world, as well as in Turkey. The Messages in the Sanitary Napkin Advertisements Although the first advertisements focused on the promotion of the product by comparing the diffferent brands such as Orkid vs. Sanitary Napkin with labaratory experiments, this method has been abandoned by many brands recently or they were started to support by some charachters and mini drama scripts. The technique of placing highly imposed linguistic message has also been abandoned for the purpose of decreasing the sense of intrusion to private life and decisions directly. Instead of that, a mini drama script and some famous actresses that became public figures and whose consumption habits become trends and followed by the consumers are used. When it comes to the spaces which are used in these advertisements are also important as one of the non-linguistic components. As I observed, the place is chosen as ones which are most far away from the main issue. One would expect that bathrooms are used in these advertisements but instead of this, broad and bright spaces are used in interior shootings and crowded and alive urban landscapes for external shootings. The message and intention of this choice is to decrease the possible uneasiness of the viewers with the presupposition that menstruation is a disturbing issue which needs not to be talked or displayed with direct references to it. It should be softened and hidden as much as possible. Another message about the places is the emphasis on the modern and urbanized woman who is a part of the dynamic city life. For instance, Molped and Orkid gave this message and Orkid even conducted a promotion campaign with its ‘à ¶zgà ¼r kÄ ±z’ Nil Karaibrahimgil. This ima ge is created exclusively for the campaign and she is portrayed as a free and strong woman who is capable of having a career and children at the same time. Thus, here we see that products promise modernization, urbanization and freedom to women according to new type of ideal woman. Therefore, we see that advertisement also impose a certain life style on women by using identification techniques.

Adolescent Role Assessments: José and Chhaya Essay -- Eating Disorder

â€Å"Adolescents experience dramatic changes in physical appearance, family relations, peer relations, sexuality, and media use† (Arnett, 2012). Through these experiences, adolescents have the opportunity to change their outlook and behavior. From family relations to questioning identity, to peer relationships and self-esteem, adolescents have various ways of coping with the changes they are presented with. The stories of Josà © and Chhaya reflect the changes adolescents go through to better understand who they are. Their stories mainly look at their peer and family relations, and the impact they had on Josà © and Chhaya. These stories accurately represent the discussions and readings we’ve had in class (J.Davis, Psych 234, February 28, 2014). Identity is defined as a person being aware of their uniqueness in terms of beliefs, attitudes, and aspirations. As most people have difficulty defining the word identity, most people struggle with their own identity. This can be particularly true for adolescents. Identity can be coupled with achievement or confusion; either the individual has a clear understanding of who they are, or they do not (J.Davis, Psych 234, February 28, 2014). Both Josà © and Chhaya reached a point in their life when they were confused with their own identity. Josà © struggled with identifying his ethnicity, and acknowledging he was different from his classmates and peers. Chhaya struggled with her identity in regards to her parents, peers and how they would treat her, and what was expected of her through their relationships. Josà © was faced with being unaware of his racial identity. He viewed his ethnic identity with public regard, and only thought about how others viewed his race, and felt that he was no diff... ...t she should have showed interest towards the young man, because he was attractive, and there would be few others of his caliber to go out with her again. This lead to Chhaya believing there was something wrong with her, and the way she handled the romantic situation she was placed in (Garrod, Smulyan, Powers & Kilkenny, 2012). Josà © and Chhaya both went through struggling to understand themselves, and how to handle the responsibilities their peers or parents had put on them to act a certain way, or provided Josà © and Chhaya with the need to make a point, and prove themselves. Works Cited Arnett, J.J. (2012). Human development: A cultural approach. Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Garrod, A., Smulyan, L., Powers, S.I., & Kilkenny R. (2012). Adolescent portraits: Identity, relationships, and challenges. 7thedition. Boston MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Mind, Matter and Descartes :: Philosophy essays

Mind, Matter and Descartes "Cogito Ergo Sum," "I think, therefore I am," the epitome of Rene Descartes' logic. Born in 1596 in La Haye, France, Descartes studied at a Jesuit College, where his acquaintance with the rector and childhood frailty allowed him to lead a leisurely lifestyle. This opulence and lack of daily responsibility gave him the liberty to offer his discontentment with both contrived scholasticism, philosophy of the church during the Middle Ages, as well as extreme skepticism, the doctrine that absolute knowledge is impossible. Through the most innovative logic since Aristotle's death, as well as application of the sciences, he pursued a lifelong quest for scientific truth. Philosophy is believed to have begun in the sixth century in ancient Greece. In fact, the word "philosophy" is the Greek term for "love of wisdom" (Pojman). After notable minds of the Ancient World such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, by modernist standards, original thinking ceased for many centuries. Throughout the following period, later known as the Middle Ages, the world was dominated by dogma of the Catholic Church. Scholasticism allied with severe punishment for heresy prevented rationalization outside of religion. Descartes was the first to bring philosophy to its "Renaissance" (Strathern 7-9). He questioned the reality of everything, including God. Though he was a devout Catholic, and later proved the existence of God mathematically, he founded and popularized the concept of questioning that which is taught. Descartes' philosophy was an attempt to create a genuine foundation upon which further scientific developments would be established. His devotion to math's methodic nature and invariability lead him to apply these concepts to all other ideas. He hypothesized that "those propositions which one could come to understand completely would be self evident, since one's knowledge about them would not depend upon knowledge of any other propositions; therefore they were suitable to stand as fundamental assumptions, to be the starting points from which other propositions could be deduced" (Walting). He realized that he knew nothing for certain except for the fact that he was thinking, which proved that he existed; "Cogito Ergo Sum." "Descartes argues that all ideas that are as clear and distinct as the Cogito must be true, for, if they were not, then Cogito also, as a member of the class of clear and distinct ideas, could be doubted" (Walting). Descartes theorized that each person has an innate idea of a perfect being.

Earthquake in Pakistan Essay

Earthquake activity in Pakistan is mainly concentrated in the north and western sections of the country, along the boundary of the Indian plate and the Iranian and Afghan micro-plates. The Chaman Fault runs along Pakistan’s western frontier with Afghanistan from Kalat, in the northern Makran range, past Quetta and then on to Kabul, Afghanistan. A fault also runs along the Makran coast and is believed to be of the same nature as the West Coast fault along the coast of Maharashtra, India. An active subduction zone exists off the Makran coast. The great 1945 earthquake was centred in this region. This zone forms the boundary between the Arabian and the Iranian micro-plate, where the former subducts or dives beneath the latter. Thrust zones run along the Kirthar, Sulaiman and Salt ranges. There are four faults in and around Karachi and other parts of deltaic Indus, and Makran coast. The first is the Allah Bund fault that passes through Shahbundar, Jah, Pakistan Steel Mills, and runs through eastern parts of the city and ends near Cape Monz. This fault, in fact, has caused extensive damage in the past many centuries in the deltaic areas. The destruction of Bhanbhor in the 13th century and damage to Shahbundar in 1896 were caused by this fault. The other one emanates from the Rann of Kutchh. The third one is the Pubb fault which ends into Arabian sea near Makran coast and the last one is located in the lower Dadu district near Surajani and falls in the vicinity of Karachi. Tsunamis or tidal waves have also affected the coast of Pakistan. The worst case was in 1945 when an earthquake of magnitude 7. 9 struck the Makran coast, waves as high as 12 meters were reported.

10 examples of political rhetoric Essay

1. â€Å"Medicare is the binding commitment of a caring society.† In President Bush’s State of the Union Address, he describes what medicare is to the public. I honestly cannot make any sense of this statement. It sounds like he is trying to make Medicare into something it is not. It appears that Mr. Bush is just trying to sound intelligent in my opinion. 2. â€Å"Axis of evil† This is the term by which President Bush refers to North Korea, Iraq, and Iran; he uses this term so people will associate these countries with â€Å"evil†. He is giving enemies a name that makes them look worse to the public. 3. â€Å"Weapons of mass destruction† President Bush uses this term to make the atomic/nuclear weapons that Iraq supposedly possesses seem more intimidating to the public. He is literally trying to scare people with this rhetoric. After people hear and believe this phrase, any action that Bush chooses to carry out on Iraq will seem justifiable. 4. â€Å"Evil doers† Rather than naming the specific people or group he is speaking of (such as Osama bin-Laden or members of the Al-Qaeda network), Bush refers to them as â€Å"evil doers†, which is a very emotionally charged phrase, used to ensure that the public share his sentiments toward the â€Å"evil doers†. 5. â€Å"Shuttle contingency† Before NASA was positive that the shuttle Columbia had exploded, the situation was referred to as a â€Å"contingency† (a possible emergency). 6. â€Å"Inner-city areas† 99% of the time the phrase â€Å"inner-city area† is used; it is referring to an African-American or Hispanic neighborhood. They use this term because it’s more â€Å"politically correct†. 7. â€Å"Equal Opportunity† This term is used usually when one minority is, in reality, getting preferential treatment in order to make things â€Å"equal†. 8. â€Å"War on Terror† This phrase is used to imply that the U.S.A. is targeting possible or actual terrorists and more than ready for war with them. 9. â€Å"War on Drugs† This phrase is used to imply stricter drug policies on people and places by longer prison sentences, mandatory minimums, and many other tougher penalties for drug offenders. 10. â€Å"Third World Nation† When someone refers to a â€Å"third world nation†, they are referring to a rather poor, â€Å"underdeveloped† nation.

Fast Changes in Technology- Excitement or Agony Essay

In 1859, Charles Darwin published his theory of natural selection in which he observed that finches adapted a different beak shape to be able to survive in their environment. Science and technology are our civilization’s beak. A very good afternoon to everyone present here today. I, Shimona Agarwal, Of Scottish High International School, will be speaking today on the topic â€Å"Fast changes in science and technology- excitement or agony† and I am resolutely for the motion. As I am sure that most of you are aware, the global population is increasing at an alarming rate. While just a mere 10 years ago, the world population was 6070 billion, it is now a complete 7 billion. This rate of growing population will become unsustainable in the near future unless science and technology are advanced. Advancements in science and technology have provided humankind with luxuries that have enabled them to live a safe and comfortable living. Only, and only through the rapid changes being made in science and technology, have we been able to increase the average life span of a human being. There are new medical breakthroughs occurring every day, and new innovations are helping mankind lead a safer living. A particular idea that is fast advancing and can prove to be extremely useful is that of using EEG to put the brakes on a moving vehicle. This is a big deal because the normal reaction time for a person to apply the brakes is often too long to prevent an accident. However, by harnessing brain signals via electroencephalography (EEG), most accidents can be prevented. With further advancements, it will be soon possible for humankind to avoid death altogether. Stem Cell Heart Regeneration is such a field where science and technology is fast progressing and showing positive results. See more: how to cite an article For the first time, a human heart has been created using stem cells, a major step forward in organ generation. Scientists used adult stem cells to create a living human heart that they hope will revolutionize transplants. If all goes as planned, the heart will continue to grow and eventually begin beating automatically. Advancements in science and technology are the only way to prevent the eventual collapse of our environment. As the climate changes and pollution increases, we are facing a potential decline of our environment. New advancements, however, are providing us with solutions to save our environment. A recently discussed topic is Paperless Paper. For us stubborn paper lovers, there may soon be a product available that provides the look and feel of paper, with the advantages of a digital device. In fact, the technology is already available, though it hasn’t yet translated into a marketable product. It’s called electronic paper. Before long, the plastic shell of e-readers may not be needed and you’ll be able to handle â€Å"paper†. Another innovation which can prove highly helpful to our environmental problems is a space-based dust cloud which can be used to protect our Earth’s atmosphere. Scottish scientists have proposed to use a giant space-based dust cloud, blasted off an asteroid, to shade the Earth from the sun. This dust-cloud could be large enough to block out 6. 58% of solar radiation that would normally reach the Earth. This would be more than enough to combat any current global warming trends. Waste disposal problems are posing a serious threat to our environment and ecosystem, and science and technology could eventually solve this problem too. Using Plasma Arcs for waste disposal is gaining momentum in the waste disposal industry. Imagine harnessing the power of lightning to turn garbage into glass or into a gas that can be used as an energy source. The advantages include less garbage in landfills, less carbon from incineration, and creating a natural gas power resource. As I come to the end of my debate, I would just like everyone present here to truthfully acknowledge the fact, that without science and technology our lives are never complete. We need technology to advance for civilization to advance. At one point the wheel was the hottest piece of technology around.

Describe 3 of the deaths in Hamlet Essay

Hamlet is a revenge tragedy play, which was a very popular theme at the time Shakespeare was writing. Hamlet was written at the time Shakespeare was writing at his very best. Hamlet was written over 400 years ago and has outlived most other revenge plays but still continues to hold great appeal due to the effect it has on all those who see and hear it As Hamlet is self-titled we know Hamlet will die and this event will bring a close to the play. Because we know how the play will end Shakespeare entices the audience by keeping us on the edge about when, where, how and why it will happen. In this essay I have chosen to write about the death of Gertrude, Claudius and Hamlet. All three characters die in the last Act, Act 5. Hamlet is a play set in Denmark. His father at the start of the play has already been brutally murdered by his (Hamlet’s) Uncle Claudius. – brother to the deceased king. The ghost of his father appears to him and reveals how Claudius so cunningly murdered him, and begs Hamlet to avenge his death. Ghost: Revenge his foul and most unnatural murther Hamlet is already furious with Claudius for marrying his mother within such a short time of his father’s death. Hamlet: †¦ for look how cheerful my mother looks, and my father died within’s two hours. This causes him to wonder if his mother had had any part in his fathers murder also. Hamlet within him vows to obey the ghost of his father. While all this is happening Fortinbras of Norway is invading Denmark with the aim of avenging his fathers death that was taken by the late king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father. Hamlet decides to have the players play a play similar to the death of his father to see the reaction of Claudius. Hamlet: I’ll have these Players, Play something like the murder of my father, Before mine uncle. I’ll observe his looks,†¦ He wants to be sure that the ghost was not evil and telling the truth. The play is a success and Hamlet can now be sure that Claudius is responsible for the death of his father. Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother along with everyone else are outraged by Hamlet’s change in character. Polonius, Lord Chamberlain, a good friend to the king believes Hamlet is mad as a result of his daughter Ophelia rejecting Hamlet’s love as he had ordered her too. Gertrude asks for her son to visit her in her bedroom. Here Hamlet mistakenly stabs Polonius who is hiding behind the curtains when he heard Hamlet’s footsteps approaching after having been talking to the queen. Queen: O what a rash and bloody deed this this! Polonius’ children now change in character. Ophelia turns mad and drowns herself, while Laertes returns from studying in France and is also driven to avenge his father’s death. Hamlet’s madness causes Claudius to send Hamlet to England. However, Hamlet who seems always to be one step ahead of the king knows Claudius has sent a letter requesting Hamlets death and switches the note with his own for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, once friends of Hamlet’s, before they decided to betray him by becoming Claudius’ informants and so they are killed. Hamlet: Why do you think I am easier to be played on, than a pipe? Later Hamlet returns to Denmark, to much surprise of the king to see Ophelia’s burial. Throughout the play the audience are kept in suspense about as to when Hamlet will strike Claudius. Hamlet can be seen as a hero or villain. Shakespeare makes the audience see Hamlet as a hero. Through Hamlet’s soliloquies the audience feel as though they come to know Hamlet. In this they experience what he is going through and feel his hurt and pain, which is not enough to justify his killing on Claudius but to understand why he feels he must. Act 5 begins with the burial of Ophelia and shows the first confrontation between Laertes and Hamlet. Here Shakespeare allows the audience to acknowledge that both Laertes and Hamlet are suffering in the same way; although Laertes has lost both a father and sister, as Ophelia’s death was a result of her fathers. However, Shakespeare causes the audience to excuse Hamlet’s wrong deed and side with him. Scene two from this Act is the last in the play. Claudius falsely welcomes Hamlet home. However, Claudius and Laertes see Hamlets return as a suggestion to all their troubles, to kill Hamlet once and for all. They cunningly plan a duel between Laertes the best fighter and Hamlet. What they do not know is that Hamlet has been practicing during his time in England. Hamlet: †¦ since I went into France, I have been in continual practice; The fact that this is secretly revealed by Hamlet to Horatio, Hamlets good friend, reveals also a secret to the audience. At this point the audience cannot be sure if Hamlet will die, as the title suggests. The audience are at this point plagued with the fact that Laertes, Claudius and Fortinbras are all awaiting the day that Hamlet will die. During the wager Hamlet is the first to make a hit. Laertes and Hamlet soon scuffle and wound each other. However, Laertes sword has poison on so that when he hits Hamlet he will die. This was the plan of the king and Laertes. The king who also put a poison pearl into the win glass ‘If Hamlet give the first, or second hit,.. ‘ is horrified when Gertrude drinks from the cup in honour of Hamlet giving the first hit. Gertrude soon dies. Queen: The drink, the drink, I am poison’d. The fact that we never truly knew until this point that Gertrude was an innocent party in her husband’s murder causes us to feel pity for her. We also pity her as Claudius tried to have her son executed and pretended to love her in order to keep the thrown. The audience can now see that Gertrude was tricked from the beginning by Claudius, as well as he taking her husbands life he has also taking her own. This shoes that Claudius was only looking after himself. We pity her because Claudius could never have loved her especially not as her husband did as he was the cause of her death. The way in which she was killed causes the audience to experience horror because we did not expect Gertrude to drink the wine. Also because it was her husband that allows her to die. Although he tries to stop her he does not try hard enough. King: Gertrude, do not drink. It horrifies us that Claudius was so eager to get rid of Hamlet that he even had two plans and so we fear what will happen next. Claudius is already aware that it will only be a matter of time before Hamlet will die as before Laertes did he had cut Hamlet. We also fear what Claudius has become and if he will stop at anything. Hamlet has now lost a mother and a father at the hands of Claudius. The audience are now fearful of the amount of hatred Hamlet must have for Claudius and fear how he will react. The sudden death of Hamlet’s father and Gertrude leaves the audience disturbed as both had no time to repent their sins and we fear if Gertrude will become ‘Doom’d for a certain term to walk the night:†¦ ‘ The plot of Hamlet thickens more and the audience at this point are left to wonder if Claudius will get away with his terrible deeds. However, during the scuffe hamlet picked up Laertes sword when it the scuffle it had been knocked forom his hand and Hamlet had wounded Laertes At this moment Laertes ‘exchange forgiveness’ with Hamlet and his last few words ensure that the king, ‘He is justly serve’d’. Laertes: †¦ the King, the King’s to blame. When Hamlet is sure that it was ‘Treason’ he stabs the king and he is only then ‘justly kill’d with mine own treachery’. The king is now dead. At this point it is hard to pity Claudius because he has been the cause of so many lives being taken away. In spite of this we pity him because he is human and he did attempt to stop Gertrude which he did not have to do. We can also pity him because Hamlet and his parents had a good family and wealth and friends all of which Claudius did not. The audience have been forced from the start of the play to believe that there is an after life and world, heaven and hell. We therefore pity what will become of Claudius because he has been so bad. Ghost: My hour is almost come, When sulphurous and tormenting flames†¦ This shows that the ghost of Hamlet’s father is going to hell, so we pity Claudius as we assume he will be here also. On the other hand we cannot forget what Claudius has done and are horrified by his actions. The numerous ways he has tried to kill Hamlet on several occasions and stopping at nothing, no matter who he hurt in order to achieve his aim. We are again horrified by Claudius allowing his wife Gertrude to die. At this point it looks as though everyone with a path to the throne is dead. We now fear for the people of Denmark about who will save them from Fortinbras. Hamlet who was stabbed by Laertes with the poisonous sword is now feeling the effect of the poison and can feel it taking over him. Hamlet departs this life. Hamlet: †¦ I am dead,†¦ Shakespeare causes the audience to pity Hamlet because he has lost both his mother and father and lover. Claudius had been attempting to kill Hamlet for ages and because he kept failing the audience feel as though hamlet has outwitted Claudius until now and so maybe he would live. The audience have become attached to Hamlet and it hurts them to see him die. We pity Hamlet because he may also go to hell when he was only trying to get even with Claudius the way he thought was right. The audience also pity Hamlet as if Claudius had let his father be, then the ghost would not have told him the truth and he would still be alive. Nevertheless, we fear for Hamlet in the next life, and are horrified that Hamlet dies and Fortinbras is left to take the throne without opposition. Hamlet is very much a revenge tragedy. The first murder of his father led to a string of killings after it. In stating this it shows that certain deaths had to come first in order for others to occur. I think Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been such a success due to the truthful implications it deals with. Revenge is thought to be wrong, immoral, but in Hamlet Shakespeare expresses revenge as the natural human impulse that lies within us all. Hamlet is only acting out of the love he has for his father, which is undoubtedly the reaction each and every one of us would take. Although revenge was a popular theme during the time Hamlet was acted, Shakespeare takes it that great leap further which no author had began or even thought about doing. Instead of hating the avenger and wanting him to die we appreciate his aim and hence feel sorry for him at his death. Shakespeare forces us to perceive Hamlet for the person he is and not for the vile act he commits. The concept of Claudius having destroyed his family as well as his life remains at the forefront of our minds whilst watching the play and causes us to feel immense pity towards Hamlet and we the audience can therefore not loathe him. What makes Hamlet all the more fascinating is that we are kept in suspense as to if Gertrude had a part in the murder of her Husband. Throughout the play Shakespeare causes the audience to experience horror, pity and fear by making the next stage in the play all the more unpredictable. Just when we think we know what will happen due to what has been revealed to us through conversation and especially soliloquies does Shakespeare prove us wrong by adding an unexpected twist. I think Hamlet has also been such a success because it shows how life in this world is so short and puts fear into us about life in the next. It also shows how one incident can affect so many lives so much. The fact that Hamlet is betrayal within a family causes the audience to feel that little bit more afraid. When the tight unity between families is broken then respect for anyone can hardly be possible, as the ability to trust and love another must be hard. Even so Hamlet did and still does love Ophelia. Hamlet: I lov’d Ophelia; forty thousand brothers Could not (with all their quantities of love) Make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her? Shakespeare causes even more pity towards Hamlet, as through this quote it is inevitable that Laertes’ loss was also a loss of Hamlet’s.