Mother Jones advertises itself as smart, fearless journalism Essay

Of all mothers, Mother Jones advertises itself as â€Å"smart, fearless journalism. † If only we all had mothers who looked this deeply through current events. This is a unique journal which holds itself to high standards in both a journalistic and moral sense. As the website says, they look for articles that are â€Å"Hard-hitting, investigative reports exposing government cover-ups, corporate malfeasance, scientific myopia, institutional fraud or hypocrisy, etc. † It’s a journal that likes to get facts, shocking facts, about what people care about. The pages of the journal are ridden with ads devoted to the environment and environmentally concerned companies. Even financial investors advertize themselves as â€Å"green† investors (pg3). A cigarette company has an entire page add with â€Å"Natural† as their larges printed word. Educational institutions also claim add space that contributes to the worldly responsibility saying â€Å"change yourself, change the world† (pg 21). By using the adds in this journal alone, you could help end animal cloning (pg.33), drink organic coffee (pg 32), invest in economically sensitive companies (pg 25), get information about fixing your pet (pg 21), and even discover how to take part in the â€Å"green festival† (pg 35). All of it is riddled with the underlying message of social responsibility. In the mission statement found on the journals website, it says â€Å"the Mother Jones produces revelatory journalism that seeks to inform and inspire a more just and democratic world. † Notice they used the word â€Å"world,† and not just nation. Both advertisements and articles aim to sway opinions towards helping to change the world. In a single publication, there are articles on global warming, several on current American politics, the possible dangers plastic pose to the environment, oil spills in Brooklyn, education of troubled and disabled students, and the lack of protests on the behalf of today’s college students. It’s clear that this journal is out to change the world and hold us all accountable for higher moral and ethical standards. But that begs a question; what kind of standards? It’s tricky to lay a claim on whether this journal is liberal or democrat, let alone identify any defining moral statement as it has articles reflecting both sides of the generalized views of those parties. Perhaps this sentence taken from the websites advertising policies page can help explain the confusion; â€Å"we’re in business to produce great public interest journalism, no strings attached. † Or maybe this one; â€Å"Mother Jones respects and values free expression and dissenting voices. † Sounds very intelligent and fair – idealistic almost – but what’s the catch? Well it’s clear that a magazine is a business, and like any business you have to sell. Mother Jones does this with shock value. They publish articles about torturing children and one entitled â€Å"Gay by Choice? † It also has an article depicting news corporations as bias and even creating â€Å"fake news. † Mother Jones tells their readers all about the things they cannot trust, and reasons why from the experts who claim it. The writers for Mother Jones are experts to say the least. Most of their columns are written by freelancers, but darn good ones. Their cover story â€Å"School of Shock† was written by Jennifer Gonnerman after a yearlong investigation. Gary Greenberg is a contributing writer who is also psychotherapist, and his work has appeared in The New Yorker and Best American Science and Nature Writing. It’s clear that they editors believe, as their website claims, that they â€Å"assume that our readers are sufficiently smart and skeptical. † Though, when reading the articles it is clear that a degree is not needed to read this journal. Technical terms are not used freely or thoughtlessly. All in all, this journal claims, and lives up to those claims, to be a smart and justifiable journalism. It’s a publication that’s not a slave to it’s advertizers, and respects different viewpoints. I could see favor given to stories with shock value, but the overall theme of the journal, of global responsibility, would not be compromised. A Journal of Interest In Jennifer Gonnerman’s article â€Å"School of Shock,† she describes the extremely controversial disciplinary actions of the Judge Rotenberg Educational center located in Massachusetts. The center was originally set up for children with such extreme behavioral problems that they could not be a part of a normal classroom. Electric shocks are used on about half of the 234 children within the facility which charges $220,000 a year for each student. These children are diagnosed with sever autism, metal retardation, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or are emotionally disturbed. By relaying the stories of children who have been through traumatic events in the facility, as well as her own personal experience interviewing them and visiting the school, Gonnerman creates a very emotional piece. After reading it myself, tears nearly ran down my cheek; and I’m a man who rarely tears. Surprisingly, most of the article is factual, with some informative narrative. The voice of Gonnerman is present, as are her thoughts and opinions, but they are not stated outright. By doing this she lets the reader feel through the facts and experience rather than preach to them. It could be very easy to push such an article in the face of readers with strong visual images, but instead the images are simply those of children sitting or standing, usually with an adult looking over them. There are no images of children being shocked, but there are also no pictures of children misbehaving. In this way, the article is neutral in it’s portrayal of the school. Though I cannot imagine anyone who believes that shocking a child with the voltage described is an ok thing to do, the article voices both sides of the argument. Numerous examples are given of a extreme behavior such as inducing vomiting, biting chunks out of his/her own tongue, setting fires and cutting him/herself. It’s a place where any child can go, despite their history or severity of behaviors. In some ways, it sounds like a necessary evil. The writing is clearly seeking to shut the school down, but it does not give a solution for its necessity. It does not give any alternatives for students or parents. I leave the article wondering how else to handle such violent and disturbed children. A Journal of Freelance Of the articles published in Mother Jones, most of it comes from freelance writers. That doesn’t mean, however, that just anyone can write for them. A slew of experts and highly educated, and highly published, writers contribute to this journal. But if you don’t want to go and get your doctorate just to be published, here are a few things to think about in order to get published: Subject, Experience, and Tone. The Subject, first and formost, must be one of large consequence. Either look to meet a large interest with a large number of people, or look for a topic that would shock a large number of people. Also, the topic must be something that can be affected or has subsequent consequences. To sum it up in a few words, it should be a new view on a popular subject. As for your experience with the subject, well years of schooling aren’t required to write for Mother Jones, but years of experience might be. Not only will this journal hold your writing and journalistic talents to a high level, but many people who have written on a subject for the journal have also written a book about it; and it’s been published. If you’ve been published in big name journals like The New Yorker, or Rolling Stone, that might work also. And finally the tone of your writing must be affirmative action. The editors of this magazine seek to change the world with it, so think along the lines of that. Other than a lot of research, aim to persuade readers to take action. Who knows, maybe Mother Jones will change the world some day, and you could be a part of it.

The Idea Of Regulating Air Pollution

Clean Air forms one of the most important necessities for the survival all living things. Both plants and animals utilize air in many ways which are very much diversified depending on several factors. Such factors include environmental factors like temperature humidity and sunlight.In addition, other determining factors on the ability of the living things to utilize air are those which fall under the broad category of chemical compositions and biological factor: There are some optimum quantities which are required by each individual living thing on the earth.These optima are therefore enormously varied because each and every living thing occupies its own niche within diversified environmental, biological and chemical factors.  Many environmentalists have emerged in the past few decades or centuries claiming that there are many substances which are being released to the environment from the various sources.These substances are alleged to have great impact on impairing the health of plants and animals. Due to these detremendous factors of pollutants, numerous bodies have been formed with the idea of regulating air pollution.Air is a composition of gases. The various air components are used differently by plants and animals. Any unpolluted air has definite compositions of these air components.Due to the release of harmful gases and excessive useful gases forming part of the air, the air composition becomes altered and either plants or animals are affected in one way or the other. In order to maintain the optimum air composition, the idea of regulating air pollution is put in place.In the first point of view, the idea of regulating air pollution will in one way be very advantageous to the prosperity of human beings. This is because it endeavors to ensure that life is not affected through chemical substance such as sulfur compounds, which are released by many factories and automobiles to the environment.When such substances are reacted with other useful particular matter in the atmospheres, they form new substance which destroys human properties.For instance, checking of sulfur oxide compounds from the air maintains minimal amounts of this compound, and thus it is impossible to have acidic rains which damages plants and housing roofs through corrosion. Regulating air pollution thus makes countries’ and world wide annual outputs to be increased or maintained at averages.When there are no damages within a country, and there is increase in outputs, this in most cases leads to an increase in trade. Hence, the replication in trades provides opportunities to for job employment to jobless people. Individuals find their living standards be improved through the earnings from the job returns.Moreover, trade and tax are intimately connected thus one cannot live on its own. It can then be seen that regulation of air pollution will indirectly contribute to the generation of revenue for the governments through trade.It not only generates revenues b ut also it saves government revenues through the elimination and abolishment of pollutants which are health hazard in the human body. This is because when citizen are affected by disease, the ruling government spends lots money in the provision medical amenities, medicines and drugs.It should also be noted that the ideas of regulating air pollution not only achieves the limitation of gaseous substances but also limit   the particular materials which might be released from its source and be suspended in the air.The materials coagulate and react with many other chemical substances resulting into fog formation. The resultant fog is viciously dangerous to air transportations.   Thus, the regulations aimed at reducing these materials helps to save life for those air travelers.  On the other hand, the idea of air regulation may be to a certain extent affect the worlds’ economy in the adverse manner. Air pollution does not occur in spontaneous action without the involvement of human activity, which is focused in production for some product.If there is the idea of regulating air pollution, then rules and regulation must be laid down for the producers of these products to follow. In some cases, the producers are compelled to comply with the set rules, but due either financial constrains or inability to make the necessary steps to check their emissions to air, the companies are enforced to close down.This creates a lot of impacts both to the economy of the country and the individual employees’ survival means. For instance, if strictly noise pollutant which forms part of air pollution is to be controlled in most developing and underdeveloped countries, it will very highly affect most of companies.This is because most of them can only afford to purchase second hand factory machine which are so noisy that they cause air pollution. This will also affect most transportation companies which are rampantly filled with unworthy vehicles.Finally, although the idea of regulating air pollution may lead to innovation and invention, it may deter quick progressive growth of the economy and development of a developing country. This idea calls for installation of some expensive gadgets to existing machines or as regulators and analyzers of pollutants.Furthermore, people will be required to invest in new and modern machines which are costly but pollutes environment the least. So, this does not favor most people who are in the developing country. Hence, it can be concluded that the idea of regulating air pollution remain a debatable issues for proper implementation processes. (Judith, 2002)

Analyze Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Analyze - Assignment Example In this regard, it becomes less expensive to settle sovereign debt and penetrate integrated financial markets (Figge, 2010). Similarly, currency unions also help to promote trade liberalization because of the uniformity in the exchange values. For instance, during global inflationary periods, countries worst hit do not suffer from financial losses when trading with their partners (Figge, 2010). However, challenges also occur due to currency unions, sovereign debts and integrated financial markets. For example, there is the loss of an independent monetary policy, which affects the moderation of demand stocks and curbing of inflation rates (Figge, 2010). This implies that a country may be unable to execute monetary policies during inflation because it might affect international trade. It is apparent that introducing other monetary policies might involve the formation of a central bank to oversee the process. Another disadvantage is that currency unions may have a negative influence on developing countries when making investment decisions (Figge, 2010). This is because it limits the budget of the developing countries that cannot raise the required funds to initiate investments in the developed economies. The evolution of money involves the development of a medium of exchange unit during transactions. The first transaction was barter trade, which entails trading goods and services for other similar commodities. This implies that one would exchange his goods with other goods he needs or suits his wants. One of the cons of this system is that it enabled people to get what they wanted easily. This is because the two parties would agree on the commodities to exchange without problems (Davies & Julian Hodge Bank, 2002). Alternatively, it faced the problem of double coincidence of requirements in which one party had to fulfill the wants of the other. For instance, a person who had goats and wanted grains would not do

Terrorism and Globalization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Terrorism and Globalization - Assignment Example While such benefits either maintain or heighten the status of globalization, globalized progress occurs at the cost of the distribution of gains. Where considerable gains are obtained by rich nations or individuals, greater inequalities result, further causing potential conflicts within local settings and abroad. Another probable cost is perceived in the control of national economies which could shift from sovereign governments to other entities, typically leading to extreme nationalism or the rise to fundamentalist political movements (Intriligator). These ends eventually trigger the emergence of terrorism by an organization or movement that feels the necessity to contradict the direction of globalized trends especially on the thought that globalization promotes inequality and uneven allocation of the country’s goods, impoverishing minorities. This becomes, hence, one of the great causes behind the creation of terrorist groups such as the al-Qaeda and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) of the Reconstruction era in the U.S. which have both carried out severe violent reactions after the principal objective of advancing extreme ideologies as global jihadism and white supremacy with anti-immigration, respectively. Through suicide bombings of the al-Qaeda and KKK’s hostile killings with cross burnings, state authorities and the general public are reminded of being careful with the steps taken toward political and economic aims across the

Crimes and Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Crimes and Punishment - Essay Example Rather than being focused upon something as simple as racial prejudice, class envy, or a type of god complex, the three exemplifications that will herein be discussed engendered elements of these; however, the root cause can ultimately be traced back to a fundamental deficit of respect and appreciation for the rights, wellbeing and life of another. With regards to the situation involving the police brutality that was exhibited in Edward Mason and Tom Mashberg’s piece entitled â€Å"Police Misconduct†, the situation ultimately hinges upon the manner in which the Boston Police Department formerly utilized a system known as the Early Intervention System (EIS). This system, 15 years old and all but out of use at the time of the incident that the authors related occurred, was a tool whereby the shareholders within upper management and oversight at the Boston Police Department could keep track of those officers that had a high level of complaints and grievances filed against them. As a function of this, the department would be able to seek to provide al level of administrative oversight, discipline, or reassignment based upon the nature and content that the reports which were gathered and tallied on each and every officer of the force. However, rather than keeping such a system up to date, the department allowed it to lapse; ultimately, the fact of the matter was the blame with regards to how the system broke down and allowed for the violent outburst of Officer Gerald L. Cofield (Mason & Mashberg 2). However, what is interesting about this particular case is the fact that what ultimately caused the situation was a lack of respect on both the part of the officer as well as a lack of respect on the part of the Boston Police Department. Though it is clear that the lack of respect on the part of the officer was what caused the given situation, the fact of the matter is that the lack of respect by the Boston Police Department was what convinced the officer t hat behaving in such a way in the first place would have few if any real repercussions. In this way, the lack of respect for the citizens by both parities allowed a situation in which a lack of oversight encouraged an already unhinged officer to behave in an incomprehensible fashion. Similarly, but not within the same vein, the second story deals with a situation in which both the police and the responsible medical personnel showed a complete lack of respect and/or concern for the African American Garth. Rather than providing him the immediate medical attention he would have required to ensure that his life was preserved, the medical professionals reasoned, in the words of the author, that he was merely â€Å"just another nigger† and of little importance (Bartholmae 711). Such an incidence has a profound and lasting effect on Robby as he begins to describe that the world is nothing but â€Å"stone cold hard bitch† (Bartholomae 713). The disenfranchisement with the worl d ultimately led him to lose respect for society as well as the individual within society. Although he ultimately ends up in prison, the reader cannot definitively put the blame of this all upon Robby. Rather, there remains a level of culpability with

Transsexual Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Transsexual - Research Paper Example Negative, unoptimistic views towards transsexualism and prejudice normally accompany a number of cultural values or religious beliefs. There are traditions, which have no obscurity accepting individuals who switch gender. In fact, they hold them with high standards such as promoting them to leaders of the Two-Spirit individuals found amongst a number of Native American tribal groups (Ekins & King, 2006). The National Center for Transgender Equality estimates that one percent of the United States population is a transsexual population (Garcia & Swaab, 2008). It can be extremely wearisome and scary knowing that someone’s is different, but does not know why. Comprehending the nature of these distinctions can feel both frightening and empowering at the same time. Many transsexuals live in a â€Å"closeted† world hiding from who they are and convincing themselves that their thoughts are provoked by an over-active imagination. Even though, not everyone might support transsexu als, it is vital that they acknowledge and respect who they are, regardless of what others think. Diagnosis Transsexualism can be seen in the two main diagnostic manuals utilized by mental health experts globally, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). ICD defines transsexualism as an urge to live as a member of the opposite gender and still be acknowledged as a member of that sex, normally accompanied by a feeling of uneasiness with one’s God-given sex. APA does not differentiate between transsexualism and sex identity disorder, and explains transvestic fetishism as a distinct fact, which might co-occur with transsexualism. The APA diagnosis needs four components: An insistence or desire that someone is of the opposite biological sex. Proof of constant discomfort with the person’s biological sex The individual is not intersex Proof of clinically important impairment or distress in social or work life. Process of Diagnosis The recent diagnosis of for transsexuals who offer themselves for mental treatment is gender identity disorder (APA, 2000). This diagnostic label is normally vital to acquire sex reassignment psychotherapy with health insurance coverage. The labeling of gender identity disorders as psychological illness is not an authorization for discrimination such people. It does not also permit for the deprivation of transsexuals’ civil rights. Nevertheless, some individuals diagnosed with the disorder do not wish for sex reassignment therapy at all (Green, 2004). Whereas some consider that formal diagnosis assist in stopping discrimination, others consider that it simply adds stigma, feeling that the diagnosis is equal to claiming something is wrong with transsexuals (Green, 2004). The management of "gender identity disorder" is perceived as an insulting and inappropriate endeavor to some transsexuals, and might be regarded a causal matter in cases of harm occurring to tran ssexuals due to discrimination and prejudice when they are deprived of their own civil rights. A lot of transsexuals have requested the APA to eliminate Gender Identity Disorder from their guide (APA, 2000). These transsexuals feel that some

Socialization and Other Skills for the Students Essay

Socialization and Other Skills for the Students - Essay Example The student is in the classroom and often daydreams. In order to help this student, I would work with the student in a quiet area within the classroom. I would break the assignments down into smaller chunks. I would use a timer for this and set the timer to correspond with the student’s attention span. As an example, if I saw that the student began to daydream after ten minutes, I would set the timer for ten minutes and then allow the class to have a short break at the end of each 10 minutes. I would also use small group activities so that the student could interact with other students during the learning process. The third intervention would be to watch the student and as I saw them going into a daydreaming phase I would let them know I was going to call on them next to answer a question. I would remind the class to focus on what we were doing at that time so I could bring the student’s attention back to the classroom. This intervention would specifically address the d aydreaming in that it would give the student something to do for a shorter amount of time. The outcome for the intervention would be that the student was able to sit in the classroom for the entire classroom time, without daydreaming. Progress for this intervention could be monitored by keeping track of the amount of time that the student is able to tolerate. As an example, the starting point would be 10 minutes, the time would be extended to 15 minutes and then finally to the full class time. Once the student could stay in the class without daydreaming and without using the timer, I would know that the intervention was effective.

Convincing that the same sex adoption morally RIGHT Essay

Convincing that the same sex adoption morally RIGHT - Essay Example Having children is a dream come true for most couples, who are we to say that it is wrong for the same sex couples to want the same thing? In some ways, maybe same sex adoption has benefits that will prove it to be a morally right set up for those children looking for loving homes to belong to. After all, it is never morally wrong to want to give a child a place to live where he is loved unconditionally right? Let's admit it, not all heterosexual parents chose to become parents. Some of them became parents by accident. Such situations result in unwanted children whose existence is sometimes only slightly better than living in hell. On the other hand, same sex couples choose to become parents. It is because of this motivation that we can be assured that they will always be morally responsible for their actions when it comes to their children. According to experts like Abby Goldberg (As cited in Pappas, 2012), gay parents are usually more motivated than their heterosexual counterparts because they made the choice to become parents. As such the perception that same sex couples only want to have â€Å"designer babies† is based upon misinformation. The same sex couples have a full understanding of their responsibilities as parents and what to expect when they have children. They have a much deeper understanding and commitment to the life of the child that they will be raising than most heterosexual couples do. These children have the advantage of growing up in a home that has open-mindedness, tolerance and role models for equitable relationships as part of its lifestyle. Therefore the children will grow up having a deeper understanding of social issues and a ready acceptance for anything that others might view as out of the ordinary. Children raised in gay households are no different from their heterosexual counterparts. If anything, they grow up with more empathy towards other people because they do not find themselves constrained by gender stereotypes (Bloo ms, 2011). Instead, they prove to be well adjusted individuals who have a serious insight about life and the responsibilities that it entails. Let us not forget that there are thousands of unwanted children lined up in adoption agencies who are in need of a home. Homosexual parents are more than willing to give children that heterosexual parents pass on a good and loving environment to be raised in. Children all deserve to be raised in loving homes by people who only want what is best for them. But unlike straight couples who tend to pick the best of the litter (if one were to compare babies to dogs), same sex couples do not care about the shortcomings of a child. In a report by the LA5 Champions for Children, they discovered that (2012): â€Å"Research by the Evan P. Donaldson Adoption Institute found that gays and lesbians tend to adopt children who are typically difficult to place: minorities, special needs children, and kids older than 6... . â€Å" All that matters to them, i s that they have the chance to be parents to a child who would not have a chance in life otherwise. Maybe it is because the same sex parents have to overcome adversity and judgment themselves that is why they are able to offer the kind of love and care that these less than ideal babies and children would not get from traditional parent couples. Now that leads the a question that is normally asked of parents. What exactly makes a good parent? Does being a good parent mean that a child has a set of heterosexual pare

Results And Conclusion of Research Process Essay

Results And Conclusion of Research Process - Essay Example Since these sources of information are very reliable, they give the actual situation of the issue of teenage pregnancy (Nicoletti 2004). This information is then used to develop other better programs that will make teenage pregnancy a thing of the past and help in alleviating poverty among the American population. One of the steps used in ensuring the safety of the subjects involved in this research was through ensuring that the questionnaires they filled were anonymous. They were also informed of the potential risks and dangers that they had in participating in the study. One of the risk factor could be that the information they gave out could be accessed by other persons (Nicoletti 2004). They were given details involving the research in full including the intention of carrying out the study and how the information they gave could be used. The subjects were then required to sign a voluntary informed consent. The measure of reliability and validity of the data obtained was used made through the use of various analysis tools. Since the information was obtained from whole population, it was believed to valid since it was completely representative. For the quantitative data, various calculations such as the means, variance and standard deviation were carried out to measure its reliability. However, since the research was manly qualitative, reliability was ensured through the observation of the data sets. The subjects were also given two similar tests at different times and the scores from these test correlated using various correlation measures. This being mainly a qualitative study, data analysis was mainly aimed at giving deeper insight into the study by showing patterns. Qualitative data also gives details of information that cannot be represented in numerical format such as feelings, behavior and attitude. It also opens the topic to greater areas which may be considered in future studies. It also helps in the simulation of the unique personal experiences whic h can help in understanding why people act or behave in the way they do (Neinstein 2008). This also help to prevent prejudgment making the data collected from the research more reliable. In this study, the method of analysis that was used was deductive approach. The research was conducted based on various theories that have been developed about teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is a topic that has attracted the attention of many scholars leading to the development of various theories regarding tit. This research used the theories and information obtained previously on this topic to analyze the data obtained from this research. This has been very effective because it made it easy for new information on the topic to be realized. The inductive approach would not have been very effective for this study since it works well on research areas which have been remotely researched on. Using inductive approach on this topic would have a lower success rate of adding new information to this a rea which has already been widely researched on. The data analysis procedure involved the comparing of teen pregnancy data from different countries in Europe and America. This helped in answering the research question on whether the rates of teenage pregnancy in high in America compared to other countries. It also involved the analysis of the program that have been instituted at the state level such as sex

Tip Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tip - Assignment Example The practice has become a common thing to diners, waiters and other customer servers and customers, alike. Yet there are different reactions to it that it is interesting to note and learn from what people think about the matter. For the receiver of the tip, it is always a welcomed blessing for them to be given a tip for whatever service they have given. To some, it is considered a just compensation for what they did because whether they work well or not, their salary is often low. Thus, better performances are compensated through tips. However, there are also some who look at customers demandingly, thinking that it is but right for customers to give them tips because of the little favors they have done expecting to be paid in return. Still for others, tips can become a motivation for them to do even better in giving services. This brings problems to the attitude of employees towards customers. Sometimes, workers tend to do better when they serve potential clients whom they think would be benevolent enough to give more money but they would not give their best efforts in serving ordinary people. This brings problems that make customers feel discriminated and unsatisfied which in general affects the waiters, r eceptionists and other employees in being perceived negatively. On the other hand, the givers also have different reactions to tips. Some people think about it as a form of begging because they perceive tipping as a forced additional payment that they are obliged to give to the people who served them. Oftentimes, such reactions come from the similarly hard-working people who are not paid very well. However, there are also those who give tips grudgingly considering that they worked harder than the people who served them therefore, they are more entitled to the money than the one who served them. There is the perception that such employees are paid by their employers so they should not give more money to

Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Networking Essay Example for Free

Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Networking Essay Social networking sites have become extremely popular among the youth as well as the professional people. Keeping in mind, the growing popularity of these sites and the effect it has and the benefits that it brings along, it can be easily predicted that its popularity is sure to grow much more. The social networking websites are more like the virtual meeting places where people can just chill and hang out with friends. They can discuss on different topics, share information, and exchange files and pictures. We admitted the fact that using social networking is one way to enhance our social interaction with other people. Because of our technologies there are many ways that can help our works faster and easier. However, everything has a positive and negative side. Similarly, the social networking sites are also made up of their set of advantages and disadvantages; it is a one way to communicate our distant relatives or families, it’s a big help for the people who needs jobs especially there are online jobs offered in social networking and also it’s a way for some students who wants to finish their study due to their personal problems because there are many distance learning here in social networking. But among those advantages we can get from social networking, there are still many disadvantages that can affect to the users. Students are the one who are really affected for the disadvantages of social networking. According to the some surveyors many students are addicted to some social networking. That can lead them not to go to their classes’ hours. There are some social networking’s that are prohibited for minor children. Because of that, the cases now for the minor children like harassment, rape and etc. are getting higher. Because some are getting influence by what they have saw or learned from that social networking. In using social networking, it must be minimal and the users should know how it affects to her /his life so that there will be no regrets at the end. Do whatever you want as long as it can lead you on a better way and a peaceful life.

Analysis of felda jengka settlement analysis

Analysis of felda jengka settlement analysis Pick any rural area that you are familiar with. Describe its socio economic background including approximate broadband penetration. Describe occupations that are existing there, demographics and geographies lay out including major buildings and geographical locations. What are rural areas? According to an online source, the definition of rural areas is areas that are largely isolated in an open country with low population density. Many people often have a misconception between the terms countryside and rural areas. Countryside is often referred to rural areas that are open. Areas such as forest, wetlands and others that have low population density are associated with rural areas. However the definition between the terms countryside, rural and urban areas differ from one country to another. In Malaysias early days, urban areas often equated to gazetted administration districts with a population of 1000 or more inhabitants where most of its economy are mainly professional-based. Most of the people living in urban areas work as Figure : Malaysia Rural Populationdoctors, lawyers, engineers and others. However, this definition is no longer applicable in todays world. In Malaysia, the economy of the rural areas on the other hand is mainly agricultural-based. Most of the settlers are smallholder operators in agricultural sector and labourers. The smallholder agricultural sector includes oil palm plantation, rubber plantation, fishermen, and estate workers, just to name a few. From Figure : Malaysia Rural Population graph, it can be seen that there are many rural settlers in the 90s. However, according to World Bank statistics, it is reported that in the year 2008 itself, the population of rural settlers was 8007029.29 people. From the graph itself, it can be seen that after the year 2000, the rural populations start to decrease. One of the reasons that cause the reduction of rural population is the migration of rural settlers to urban areas. Since decades ago, the main occupations of the rural settlers in Peninsular Malaysia are fishing or farming. Most of these settlers live in villages which are often known as kampongs. These villages consist of houses that are built on stilts with wooden or bamboo walls and floors, and thatched palm roofs. However, just as urban areas, there are higher income earners too in these villages. Higher income earners are often to live in houses that have either tin or tile roofs. Since the main occupation of these villages is farming, most of the rural settlers grow rice. Thus, rice will be their staple food. In Malaysia, most of the rural settlers are farmers due to the ideal climate and environment in Malaysia throughout the year that allows paddy to be planted. Besides paddy cultivating, fresh vegetables plantation and fishing in nearby streams or rivers are part of their daily chores. Raising rubber trees for rubber collection is carried out to increase the family income. Those living a long the coast will earn their living through fishing. In Sabah and Sarawak, the rural settlers differ from Peninsular Malaysia. In the western of Malaysia, most of the people live in isolated villages. They preferred to stay together in a large long house that can accommodate lots of families. Their daily chores include raising vegetables, hunting, fishing and gathering edible plants in the jungles. In most rural villages whether in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah or Sarawak, there will a few shops that will be operated by Chinese merchants. These shops will sell items that rural settlers could not produce. They include coffee, milks, utensils and others. However, in Sabah and Sarawak, some Chinese peddlers are willing to travel to the isolated villages by boat. Once they reached the isolated villages, they will exchange their goods with the forest products that the rural settlers have. Most of the rural settlers live in poverty. There are many factors that drive poverty among the rural settlers. One of the factors is multidimensional in nature ranging from social to economic factors. One of the researchers, Ungku Aziz (1964) stated that poverty is usually associated with lack infrastructures, low income, low productivity and unemployment. In conclusion, poverty in rural areas is due to lack of infrastructure development, welfare programmes and agricultural development. Figure 1: Jengka Triangle LocationUntil today, in Malaysia there are many rural areas that are scattered around. In this write up, the rural area that is picked is FELDA Jengka. FELDA Jengka or Bandar Pusat Jengka is located in the state of Pahang, Peniinsular Malaysia as shown in Figure 1. Bandar Pusat Jengka is one of the major cities and is located in the centre of the triangle Jengka which is also known as Felda Jengka. Bandar Pusat Jengka is under the supervision and administration of FELDA. It is located near to Gunung Senyum Recreational Forest which serves as a tourist destination. Gunung Senyum is believed that since Mesolithic era, there are human settlements in this area. Next to Gunung Senyum is Gunung Puyuh which consists of 18 caves. FELDA stands for Federal Land Development Authority which is established in 1st July 1956 by the Malaysian Government to handle the resettlement of rural poor to much more developed areas. FELDA provide the initial models to the rural settl ers to start their career in farming. This scheme is only applicable to ethnic Malays. Currently, according to a study carried out, FELDA is one of the worlds largest plantation owners. FELDA has about 811140 hectares of oil palms across Peninsular Malaysia. The location of Jengka Triangle or FELDA Jengka where 25 settlements are found in this Triangle. Figure 1: Location of Jengka Triangle Development Area http://www.nzdl.org/gsdl/collect/ccgi/archives/HASH9312.dir/80636e01.gif Figure 2: Jengka Triangle Development Area Jengka was first found in the year 1967 and today its population is reaching almost 300 thousand people. Jengka is located in between three regions namely Temerloh, Maran and Jerantut. This small town obtained its name from a nearby river called Sungai Jengka. According to some residents there, this river obtained its name from a story where a woman by the named Yang Jangka who drowned in this river. The Lembaga Kemajuan Wilayah Jengka (LKWJ) administered this town from the year 1967 to 1997. Then from 1997 until today, Jengka is administered by Majlis Daerah Maran (MDM). Bandar Pusat Jengka got its name from Jengka town. Jengka town originally is a settlement that specially built for workers who work in Kilang Syarikat Jengka Sdn. Bhd. (SJSB) in 1969. Kilang Syarikat Jengka Sdn. Bhd. (SJSB) is a subsidiary of the Pahang State Government. Jengka settlers came from all over Malaysia since 1986. They are the poor people who have the living standard of below poverty level. According to a study done, the majority of the FELDA Jengka settlers ancestors are mostly deployed from the northern states such as Perak, Perlis, Kedah and Penang. However, there are some who came from eastern states and southern states such as Kelantan, Melaka, and Selangor, just to name a few. This will leads to a blend of different cultures and traditions as different settlers from different states will try to preserve their ancestry customs and culture. Besides the majority Malays settlers, there are also Chinese and Indians settlers. Table 1 shows the breakdown of the Jengka settlers by state origin. It can be seen that most of the settlers are from the state of Pahang itself. Table 1: Jengka Settlers by state of origin Today under the administration of FELDA, in Bandar Pusat Jengka itself, there are about 25 FELDA settlements. They include FELDA Anggerik Jengka 1, FELDA Cempaka Jengka 2, FELDA Dahlia Jengka 3, FELDA Kemboja Jengka 4, FELDA Kekwa Jengka 5, FELDA Keembong Jengka 6, FELDA Kenanga Jengka 7, FELDA Kesidang Jengka 8, FELDA Kesumba Jengka 9, FELDA Mawar Jengka 10, FELDA Melati Jengka 11, FELDA Melor Jengka 12, FELDA Puteri Malu Jengka 13, FELDA Raya Jengka 14, FELDA Semarak Jengka 15,FELDA Sena Jengka 16, FELDA Seri Pagi Jengka 17, FELDA Seroja Jengka 18, FELDA Siantan Jengka 19, FELDA Tanjung Jengka 20 ,FELDA Teratai Jengka 21, FELDA Terkis Jengka 22, FELDA Tonkin Jengka 23, FELDA Jengka 24, and FELDA Jengka 25. These FELDA settlements are located a few kilometres away from each others. In each settlement there are about 300 to 500 of settlers occupying. Each of the male settlers is known as Peneroka FELDA and their wives are known as Penerokawati. The wives of the settlers are under the supervision of a manager that is appointed by the FELDA. For example in FELDA Jengka 25, there are about 152 families living in this settlement. FELDA Jengka 25 opened its door in the year 1986. The years before that, which is in between the year 1983 and 1984, development and deployment in FELDA Jengka 25 begin. In this settlement, farming land is divided into two categories which are Level 002 and Level 004. Level 002 consists of 95 people and Level 004 consists of 57 people. Level 003 do not have any settlers. The main occupations of the FELDA settlers are mainly agriculture based as more than half of the populations in FELDA Jengka are involved in agricultural activities. Table 2 shows the distribution of settlers in the FELDA Jengka Triangle according to scheme. From Table 2, it can be seen that FELDA Jengka settlers are mainly involve in oil pl antation and rubber. Thus, it can be concluded that in Jengka Triangle the main crops are oil palm and rubber. FELDA Jengka 24 is one of the 25 settlements in FELDA Jengka. It is found that up to year 2008, the population of this settlement is about 5000 people. Most of the settlers are involved in small businesses through the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) which was established few years back. Most of the older generations that settle in this settlement are involved in land cultivating, and working in farms and orchards. The younger generations have further their studies at the tie tertiary level in other states. Some of the younger generations seek jobs in big cities like Kuala Lumpur. As stated in the beginning of the writing, plantation sector is the source of income for most settlers in Jengka Triangle. Most of the settlers in FELDA Jengka 24 and also others settlements in the Jengka Triangle regions are involved in oil palm plantation. Besides involving in oil palm plantation, the settlers are brave enough to take the risk of investing in agarwood tree plantation. Agarwood is said to be one of the most expensive and good quality plant product. It is said that this plants required eight months to reap and a total of five years are needed for the trees to be cut. All the settlers work very closely with FELDA in this sector. Mature oil palms will be collected by the settlers and will be transported to FELDAs Oil Palm Processing Plant to be processed. FELDA play an important role in ensuring that the settlers will be paid for their hard work. Besides, it is also found that there is an average of 13 shops per scheme. Most of the shops sell basic necessities such as rice, sugar, canned food and others. There are also shops that operate as coffee shops that sell various types of cakes, drinks and noodles. Sundry shops and coffee shops are commonly found in the settlements. Besides, sundry shops and coffee shops, there are shops that repair motors, hardware shops, bookshops and others. Recently, a youth from FELDA Jengka involved in aquaculture field. Leech farming has been initiated by Mohd Khairul Nizam Che Anuar and his friends. They will rear leeches in canvas containers and after 60 days, they will sell these leeches at the price of RM200 per kilogram. These leeches will be processed into leech oil. Table 2: Distribution of Jengka Settlers based on the scheme In Bandar Pusat Jengka, there are about eight schools, two colleges and a university. The Government realized that education is really important in shaping the future of the younger generations. Besides, in Malaysias constitution, every citizens of Malaysia have the right to obtain a proper education. Thus, schools such as Sekolah Kebangsaan Jengka Pusat, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Jengka Pusat, Maahad As-Sultan Ahmad Shah Ad-Dini, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Jengka 6 and others were built. FELDA too provides monetary support for the settlers children who are furthering their studies to tertiary level. Besides, the Universiti Teknologi Mara  (UiTM) Cawangan Pahang Kampus Bandar Jengka was built so that standard of living of the settlers in Bandar Pusat Jengka can be improved. The Government have been developed Bandar Pusat Jengka by introducing new facilities to accommodate the needs of the people living in Bandar Pusat Jengka. The Government realized that new facilities should b e built in rural areas like Bandar Pusat Jengka to ensure that the rural settlers are not left behind in the countrys development. Bandar Pusat Jengka has been given many public facilities. They include Jengka Hospitals, Masjid Sultan Ahmad Shah, Bandar Jengka, public library, bus terminal Nadi Kota Bandar Pusat Jengka and Urban Community Polyclinic Jengka. Besides these facilities, the Government too have bring some of the Government agencies such as , Islamic Council and the Office of Customs Pahang , police station, Fire and Rescue Department , National Registration Department, Department of Road Transport, Office of  National Energy and Office of the  NSW Department of Water Supply to this area so that the rural settlers need not need to travel to the nearest town some 40 kilometres away to make a visit to any of these agencies. In addition to that, the Government too built some sports facilities such as golf courses, sports complex and mini stadium to allow the rural settle rs to involve themselves in sports. Financial institutions such as Maybank, Bank Rakyat, Tabung Haji and Affin Bank just to name a few have established in Bandar Pusat Jengka. These financial institutions provide facilities such as loans, financial management and others to help the rural settlers to increase their crops production. The welfare and safety of the settlers in each settlement in FELDA Jengka is well taken care of by the Scheme Development and Security Committee (JKKR) which is formed under FELDA entrusted. The Scheme Development and Security Committee (JKKR) will uphold a high responsibility in giving co-operations and help to the settlers so that the settlers will be able to progress further which is part of the governments aspirations. In the recent Budget, the Government has allocated a huge amount of allocation to develop the rural areas around Malaysia. This is to ensure that the settlers in the rural areas will be able to obtain adequate facilities. It can be seen that in most rural areas, most of the residents are able to enjoy electricity and water supply in their homes. Currently the one of the Government inspirations is to connect the rural areas with the urban areas. In order to achieve this, penetration of broadband should be introduced to rural areas. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Centre Line Community (CBC) is introduced to FELDA Jengka 23 and 25 in April 2010. This main aim of this facility is to help the younger generations in the rural settlement to be ICT literacy and to fill their leisure time. By having internet facility in the rural settlements, the younger generations will be able to communicate with the outside world as bridging between the rural and urban community coul d be formed. This will able to widen their knowledge. CBC was introduced to rural settlements due to the inspiration from the Government to ensure that all Malaysians have knowledge about the internet and are able to connect to the world. Besides, this will bring changes to the mentality of the FELDA younger generations settlers. According to CBC FELDA Jengka 23 Manager, Mohd Shahrir Md Yusof, he said that this facility is a joint venture project between the Government with Suruhanjaya Komunikasi Dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) and Telekom Malaysia. Broadband penetration in rural areas such as FELDA Jengka has brought changes to the living standard of the settlers. With the internet facility at Centre Line Community (CBC), the settlers are able to save time, money and energy. Moreover, their daily activities such as paying monthly utility bills, business online payment (money transfer), communicate with outstation family members and products ordering by consumers; just to name a few will be easier to be carried out. With this broadband penetration in FELDA Jengka, the settlers need not need to travel more than 40 kilometres to the nearest town such as Termerloh to carry out their activities. Currently in FELDA Jengka 23 itself, the Government and other organizations have allocated 20 units of computers. The settlers are able to use the facility from 9am to 6pm throughout the week. Besides, the CBC too provides basic computer classes to educate the settlers on the operations of the computer and some of the programmes. According to Mohd Shahrir, there is a high respond from the settlers on this facility where the average users of the facility are more than 100 settlers per day. Besides FELDA Jengka 23, other settlements such as FELDA Jengka 24 too are equipped with the broadband facility. In FELDA Jengka 24, the CBC is located together with the Rural Clinic. According to Khairul Nizam Che Anuar or Along who is a youth living in FELDA Jengka 24, he said that he us ually visit the CBC to surf the internet and to learn more about leech farming. CBC too can surf as a place where the settlers are able to meet up and communicate with other settlers. Thus, this will leads to a better bonding between the settlers. In FELDA Jengka 24, there are only two computers, a scanner and printer. In conclusion

Theory Of Conversational Implicature To Recognize Meaning English Language Essay

Theory Of Conversational Implicature To Recognize Meaning English Language Essay Introduction To understand an utterance is to go beyond the literal meaning interpretation. It is also to go beyond proposition analysis. This implies the existence of unity of what is said and what is implicated. The theory of conversational implicature by Grice is a theory that provides an account of the possibility to give a meaning that extend beyond the literal expressions that are uttered by the conventional sense. Through this theory, it will be available to catch the attention of the speaker and catch the figure of speech within the literary work. It will be also possible to improve the communicative skill. Grice has distinguished between the sentence meaning and the speakers meaning. He looked into the differences between the literal meaning that is contextually dependent and the conversational implicature that is contextually determined. For instance, the statement of this expression He is a fine friend, may convey that fact that the speaker is communicating ironically as the speaker intends that He is not a good friend. To find out such details, it is something dependent on the particular context in which this statement is uttered. Therefore, in order to understand a message is to understand the meanings of the words that are uttered in the message and the grammatical relations between such meanings. This notion usually needs a particular degree of implicitness in the communication. This is what Grice has offered through the introduction of his principle that is called the Co-operative Principle (CP). Through this principle, it is to be aware of the entire communicative intentions as well as the conversational implicature. This is the mechanism to recognize meaning. The conversational implicature theory and its implications will be explored in the following line with reference to its capability in distinguishing meaning. Grices Theory of Conversational Implicature Grice (1975;42) has made a distinction between the meaning of the words, what the speaker literally reports when coming up with them, and what the speaker intends to mean by conveying such words. This is the notion that usually goes beyond what is said. For instance, when someone is asked to lunch and he replies that he has a one oclock class that he is not prepared for; by this, he has conveyed that he will not be coming to lunch, although hasnt literally said so. He wants the second party to understand that by giving a reason for not accepting to have lunch (the need to prepare the class) he intends to inform that he is not coming to lunch due to that reason. The study of such conversational implicatures is the main focus of Grices theory. To start with, the Grices theory of conversation provides a clear distinction between what someone says and what he implicates by conveying this utterance. The utterance that someone conveys is elaborated by the sentence conventional meaning as well as the processes of disambiguation of context and fixing the reference. The implication is connected with the presence of some rational principles and maxims regulating the conversation and this is what known as the conventional implicatures that will be explored in the later lines. The literal content of the utterance has been broadly identified as the direct interpretation of the utterance without reference to any other contextual implications. The implicature or what the speakers intends to convey or what is implied in the speakers utterance stands on different bases from what the speaker intentionally communicates. The Co-Operative Principle (CP) Grice suggests that speakers and hearers share a co-operative principle within the conversation. He proposed four maxims or four guidelines that control the efficient co-operative use of language. His co-operative principle states that it is to make a contribution as per the required levels in terms of the stage at which it occurs, the purpose of the talk, and the direction of talk exchange in which the speaker or hearer is engaged (Grice, 1975; 43). The four maxims As Grice conveyed, there are four maxims that guide the implementation of the co-operative principle in the plans of speakers and comprehension of listeners. These four maxims are as follows: Quantity This maxim implies that the speaker should avoid the inclusion of unnecessary information in what he contributes. Should the speaker go back and forth without providing anything new or informative; this is to make the listener lose interest in the discourse. The contribution is to be as informative as is required (for the present goals of the exchange). The contribution is not to be more informative than required. Quality This maxim implies that the speakers should provide all the information that the hearer is in need to understand. Should the speaker come over a significant piece of information, it will be difficult for the addressee to get what the speaker is attempting to convey. Relation The principle of relevance is so important in Linguistics. By, relevance, Grice means that, within the conversation, the speaker should involve the information that is relevant to the conversation subject. The principle of relevance is a matter of degree as there is a divergence between people as what is relevant and what is not relevant. It is not something absolute. As per the circumstances of separate situations, the particular application of the principle varies to great extents. Manner Politeness is a more moral principle than its grammatical significance in Linguistics. This maxim involves some sub-points; Avoiding obscure expressions. Avoiding ambiguous elements. Avoiding prolixity. To have the characteristic of delivering ordered utterances. To convey what is said in the manner that is most appropriate for any response that would be viewed as appropriate (Grice, 1975; 44). The request for politeness implies that the speaker should treat the hearer in the manner that he would like to be treated According to Grice, the principles that control the conversation are derived from the controls that regulate the cooperative actions of humans. Extensive discussions have been introduced regarding the co-operative principle and the maxims. The questions that can be raised here are that whether there is a need for more or not. It is to be argued that whether these principles are normative or descriptive. Also, it is to be argued whether these principles are assumed to be observed by the speakers or hearers in rational communications or that they are tools for rational construction. A later argument that can be raised is that whether the co-operative principle needs from the part of speakers or hearers cooperation towards a more common goal and not to be restricted to understanding of what is said. It is clear that Grice gives to these principles a vital role in both of the definition and the interpretation of conversational implicatures. According to Grice, coherence and purposefulness are two major characteristics of verbal exchanges. Verbal exchanges are not a continuum of disconnected remarks (Grice, 1975; 45). The participants who are engaged in the talk-exchange cooperate in terms of the goal and purpose of the exchange and their mutual grasp of the maxims or rules of conversation that bring out what is appropriate or inappropriate to the talk-exchange. Speakers may intentionally break the rules or maxims. For example, speakers may say things, in a talk-exchange, which they dont believe (violating the maxim of quality) or may render a weak judgment of what the hearer knows (violating the maxim of quantity). The crucial factor in distinguishing between conversational implicatures and conventional implicatures, according to Grice, is that conversational implicatures are calculable. Conventional implicatures are given by the meaning of particular particles such as but or therefore. The difference between (1) and (2) can be seen: He is an American, therefore he is open-minded. He is an American, and he is open-minded. His being open-minded comes from his being American. In (1) and (2), the speaker conveys the same meaning in accordance with Grice. But, there is a difference that with (1), the speaker implicates (3). This is what is called conventional implicature. This has to do with the conventional meaning and has nothing to do with the maxims of cooperation that extend beyond what is being said. Conventional implicature is the greatest part that has undergone argumentation in the theory of conversation. This can be attributed for many reasons. One reason is that its application to particular examples goes against common intuitions. Also, the notion of conventional implicatures sheds light on the distinction between what is informed, directed by the semantic conventions of the language, and what is implicated, usually conceived as a subject of inference to the speakers intentions through his sayings. The conventional meaning of a sentence has largely to do with what is said and this is essentially different from implicatures. Eventually, it positions the study of conventional meaning for certain utterances inside the boundaries of pragmatics that is interested in the study of implicatures, rather than semantics that is realized as the dwelling of conventional meaning. In addition to the notion of conversational implicatures, Grice distinguished between what are called particularized and generalized implicatures. The particularized are implicatures that are produced by saying something with reference to some specific features of the context. The generalized implicature takes place where the use of specific forms of words in an utterance will carry a sort of implicature (Bach, 1994; 162). The example that was provided by Grice; Y is meeting a woman this morning. In the absence of special conditions, it will be implicated that this woman is a woman other than Ys wife, mother, sister, or friend. In appropriate circumstances, this implicatures can be ignored due to the availability of some contextual information. On the other hand, particularized conversational implicatures export more than one application. Such applications include tautologies, metaphor, irony, and any non-conventional uses that can be accounted for through them. The theory of implicature is counted to be significant. It is a very important theory in pragmatics. Sentence meaning and speakers meaning Grice believes that speakers meaning is a fundamental concept in communication, and that the meaning of the sentence can be explained by means of it. This notion contrasts with what can be called the truth-conditional theory whose proponents believe that the meaning of a sentence can be given through truth conditions and this should have the priority in explaining the meaning conveyed by the speaker. Grice (1975) was much concerned with the types of meaning that can be existed in language. Two types of meaning have been identified; the natural meaning and the nonnatural meaning. This example is adopted from Grice (1975; 337) The three rings of the bell mean that the bus is occupied The three rings of the bell mean that the bus is occupied, and indeed, the bus is occupied. The three rings of the bell mean that the bus is occupied, but indeed, the conductor was wrong and the bus is not occupied. In the above three examples, there is a nonnatural relationship between the three arguments of rings, bell, and bus. The relationship between the signal and intended meaning is what conveys the meaning. No natural reason can be found for such assumption. Why in particular the three rings, not one or two, denote that the bus is full. This notion is termed by Grice as (meaning NN). Grice contends that the non-natural meaning occupies a great part in the language. Communicative intentions According to Grice, word-meaning and sentence-meaning are basically rested upon what is called speakers intentions. This notion is called by Grice as the communicative intentions. Grice has worked much upon the idea of the ontology of semantic notions. In his perception, the characteristics of communicative intentions and the mental forces beyond the communicative actions, and what the listener has to understand in order for the communicative act to success are the pillars of the semantic ontology. As realized, the communicative intentions have the following characteristics; Communicative intentions are directed towards some other agent; i.e. to the addressee. Communicative intentions are overt. They are targeted to be identified by the addressee. Satisfaction of communicative intentions lies mainly in being identified by the addressee. The important conclusion that can be derived from the above facts is that the communicative intentions have much to do with being recognized by the addressee. Meaning recognition Much of Grices work (1975) consisted mainly in shedding light on the difference between what is conveyed literally in a given sentence and what is solely suggested in an utterance of the same sequence of words. To distinguish between the two, Grice (1975; 55) used the terms implicate and implicature with referring to content of the utterance that is linguistically coded as WHAT IS SAID. What is said within a sentence and what is implicated in an utterance in the same string of words in that sentence is what is known as the TOTAL SIGNIFICANCE OF AN UTTERANCE (Grice, 1989; 41). Implicature refers to a collection of ways that is used to convey the literally unsaid information. To graphically represent the relationships between these notions, the following diagram can be represented: Total significance of an utterance What is said what is implicated Conventional nonconventional Conversational nonconversational Generalized particularized The concern will be with the conventional implicature and the two kinds of conversational implicature. When it comes to conventional implicature, the conventional meaning of the given words will specify the implication or what is implicated in addition to helping in identifying what is said (Grice, 1975; 55). An example form Grice (1975;56) of conventional implicature can be considered. The following example is meant conventionally to have an implication rather than to literally say that the mans being open-minded comes from his being an American: He is and American; he is, therefore, open-minded The existence of the lexical item therefore has to give prominence to the conventional implicature in the above example. Conventional implicature are generated by certain hints of discourse rather than the literal meaning or the conventional meaning of a give word (Grice, 1989; 30). These features can be explored in the following points: The cooperative principle governs the linguistic exchanges. The content of the cooperative principle is elaborated in terms of the four maxims of conversation and their submaxims. In a given exchange, should one participant deviates from the cooperative principle, his parteners will assume that the principle is adopted at some deeper level. A fifth point that for Grice is the understanding of the intercultural process as it raises the awareness of the participants regarding what they have in common in terms of the four factors. According to Sperber and Wilson (1989; 45), there is no a true warranty in the assumption of mutual knowledge. Sperber and Wilson convey that the notion of mutual knowledge has no close counterpart in the real world. Instead, they suggest that, the communication process is the essential beyond the joint information. They also suggest that the communication is achieved if there is shared information between the participants. Meaning as Use The major contribution of Grice concentrated on making distinction between the semantic and pragmatic implications. Meaning as use points to the speakers meaning and what the speaker intends as well as the communicative influence of the utterance. This perspective of meaning is sound since the function of language is to serve a purpose. It other words, language is purposeful, i.e. when speaking an utterance; it is intended to achieve specific ends. Therefore, language as use includes making choices about the suitable linguistic forms that are appropriate to the communicative situation and the cultural context. The view of meaning is based the tenet that that language is an instrument of social interaction and communication. As per this tenet, there is an emphasis on the principles that determine the way in which language operates in the daily life. Hereby, meaning is regarded as a pragmatic phenomenon that has multiple uses governed by tacit principles. The application of these principles relies on the communicative setting, social bonds, and the cultural context. Meaning as use is not directly concerned with the word or sentence in itself. It, rather, depends on the utterance that is defined in respect of a speech act. The speech act has three criteria to define it; it is defined as a locutionary act, an illocutionary force, and it is finally defined as perlocutionary event. Such criteria can be accounted for in respect of the utterance. For example; Semantics has many benefits In a particular context, this is a locutionary act. There is an articulation of phonemes, words, and syllables so that a certain linguistic meaning can be encoded. In terms of the linguistic communication rules, there is a message and purpose for the utterance. If this utterance is said by the professor to the student, it is then an act of persuasion. Also, this utterance is a perlocutionary event as it entails the supposition of some reaction or consequence. The consequence may take place as more positive attitude to linguistics. It is normally perceived that giving an advice has the expectation that this advice will be responded positively and not rudely. To cut this long story short, it can be said that the utterance generates a link between the speaker, the hearer, and the message. Not only does the speaker encodes the meaning and the message from the linguistic perspective, but also it has an impact on the action through the use of language. So, the definition of the speech act comprises to utterance characteristics; encoding the meaning by the speaker in the manner of a mental representation and the decoding of the communicative function by the listener. Hereby, natural language is described as both a social and psychological phenomenon. On the psychological basis, it is communicative language that makes people able to communicate in an effective manner by the means of verbal means (Chomsky, 1975). The communicative competence comprises both of the grammatical skills and the sociolinguistic skills. The sociolinguistic skills involve the rules of social bonds and interaction in the light of the cultural conventions and values. On the other hand, the communicative competence involves a mix of the pragmatic and grammatical competence. Functional Grammar Functional grammar (FG) implies that notion that elements of language are studied with reference to their function in the language. Functional grammar thus investigates language function from the perspective of communicative context. It concentrates on the grammatical data generating from the social communication. According to the functional grammar, language is an elaborate system of meanings that are realized as semantic constituents together with the other grammatical categories. This is considered a synesic approach to grammar study rather than a syntactic one. Linguistic forms are not an end in themselves, but they are a means to an end. Thus, it vane be realized that functional grammar model is referred to a semantic system mixed with the linguistic forms through which meanings are realized. For functional grammar, every language is centered on two fundamental meaning components; the ideational and interpersonal metafunctions. By means of the ideational metafunction, it is to acquire knowledge and learning about the surrounding world and to communicate ones experiences. By means of the interpersonal metafunction, language is used to establish and keep relationships with others. Both of the interpersonal and ideational metafunctions are representation of the universal use of language. It is to control and understand the surrounding environment. Together with these two components, it the third element which is called meaning or the textual metafunction. Through the textual metafunction, the language user has the tools for arranging information in coherent passages. Intercultural interaction Sperber and Wilson (1995) report that individuals who speak the same language and who belong to the same linguistic community do not have the same assumptions. It can be argued that the principle of common knowledge cannot be completely supported and idea of shared knowledge is too ambiguous. Ostension is a fundamental point in the theory of Sperber and Wilson. Ostension means when a speaker makes something that draws the attention of the other participants within the discourse. Also, there is what is known as the theory of relevance that is an act of Ostension bears a guarantee of relevance and this principle of relevance makes the intention beyond the Ostension more manifest. This guarantee is not intended to mean that the assumption implies the notion of mutual manifestation or that the communicative intent will not be a failure. The main function of the guarantee is that something relevant is at hand. The point of manifests occupies a significant position within the theory of Sperber and Wilson. Manifest is what is recognizable or inferable but not necessarily recognized or perceived. To apply manifests, it is to extend from facts to all assumptions. Assumptions can be defined as what individuals think of as a representation of the real world. This stands on a contradictory basis with the fictions and desires. It is possible to make assumptions, but assumptions cannot be made without activation within the conversation process. It can be assumed that Osama Bin Laden has never played tennis with the American President Bush, but this assumption cannot be made real without being activated. According to Sperber and Wilson, it is available to suggest that mutual manifests are available and are not implausible like the notions of mutual knowledge and mutual assumptions. Mutual cognitive environment is very close to the notion of mutual manifests that can be defined as any joint cognitive environment that is manifest that it is shared by people. That two people have the same cognitive environment does not mean that they have similar assumptions, but they are placed to do so. One of the needed outcomes of the intercultural communication is to increase the range of mutual knowledge of others assumptions. What the conversation involves in terms of the activation and mutual bases depends on the appreciations of the parties participating in the conversation and their skill as well as their continuous negotiation. The relationship between conversational structure and thought In general, it is obvious that what the conversationalist spreads, intents, or says in the articulation is out-of- the-way beyond the meanings of the sentence in the context of the articulation. This relates to semantic meaning of the context of pronunciation. However, it is debatable which cases suit this description. The quantifier domain restriction is one of these debatable cases. Suppose, a person is standing in his house after a party, he says to his wife in a gloomy way, Every bottle is empty. What is not debatable is that his conveyance through this articulation is not meant that every bottle in the universe is empty, but that every bottle in his house is empty. The debatable question is how this phenomenon should be elaborated. It could be mentioned that the sentence Every bottle is empty is sensitive to context and it indicates to a variant proposition relative to variant contexts of articulation. For instance, this might be due to the logical form of the sentence involves a variable whose value is the domain of quantification, and the importance of this variable differs according to contexts of articulation (John David Yule, 1985). In comparable, the sentence, in terms of pragmatics, to the letter means (semantically expresses) the wrong suggestion that every bottle in the universe is empty and there is some other non-semantic elaboration of the fact that in this event I am able to transfer the limited suggestion that every bottle in the flat is empty. Remarkable intuitive support for the pragmatic method exists for addressing these cases; after all, it is right that my wifes reply could be well, every bottle isnt empty; our guests just drunk all of the soft beverages in our flat. Surly, there is sense in which this reply achieves the things aimed at, although it is not useful; the pragmatic method has an excellent elaboration of this in terms of its claim that the original sentence is wrong in a literal sense. One who follows the pragmatic method has to say how a proposition P can be transferred by an articulation of a sentence, which, in the context, its meaning differs from the proposition P. This elaboration is provided in terms of specific rules running conversation, according to a Grecian version of the pragmatic method. The idea of Grice was that a person can transfer, in some articulation, a proposition by implicating it in a conversational way. Conversationally, a person involves a proposition p by an articulation when (nearly) the coming three conditions are met. The first, the talker is hypothesized to be collaborative in the sense that he is pursuing the maxims of conversation. Secondly, the supposition the conversationalist thinks p is needed to make his articulation match with the maxims of conversation. Thirdly, the conversationalist believes that (2) is right. 1 in the existing case, the articulation of a sentence, which means every bottle (in the universe) is empty, is an a rticulation of a sentence that is clearly wrong, and so breaks the Maxim of Quality. Thus, if we are to presume that the conversationalist is being collaborative, we have to presume that the conversationalist was seeking to get across some discrete, not clearly wrong, suggestion. In addition, it appears possibly that this suggestion should be related to the clearly wrong one that was literally indicated by the sentence; given the context, every bottle in the flat is empty is the proposition, which is the clear-cut option. Language Use Thought In the event of quantifier domain restriction, the elaboration of the phenomena can be created in events of applying language outside of conversations. Uses of language in thought are the most significant of such events. Assume that my before the end of the party, my wife went to sleep and that after leaving the last invitee, I say in a gloomy way to me every bottle is empty. Fascinatingly, this case looks parallel to the case mentioned above, in which I apply the same sentence in speaking. Just naturally, it would be represented the case as the one in which I said to myself that every bottle in the flat was empty since it would be to provide the identical description of my pronunciation, in speaking, of the similar sentence to my wife. However, it doesnt appear open, in spite of this resemblance to the same elaboration: sitting lonely after the party I was not involved in a speaking, and therefore was not expose to the maxims of conversation. In addition, this appears raise a doubt about the original Gricean elaboration of the articulation to my wife. An elaboration, which relays on characteristics limited to one, is ad hoc to the degree that the phenomena look the similar. According to the proponents of Grice, thinking is a type of conversation with oneself and thus it is ruled by the same maxims as conversations of several parties? Not very plausible. My use of Every bottle is empty during speaking with my wife carried the limited suggestion that every bottle in the flat is partly empty, Since I believed that she was able to see that the presumption, in which I thought this and needed to convey it by my articulation, was needed to make my articulation match with the traditions ruling the conversation. However, the use of Every bottle is empty in thinking cannot provide the same elaboration. Despite we offer that I count as the audience of my own articulation here, we should ask: is it actually the case that I am capable of applying this sentence to say to myself that every bottle in the flat is empty, just due to thinking that I am able to solving that the presumption, in which I think of this, is required to conform my articulation to myself with the traditions of conversation, and because of thinking additionally that I am aware that I am able to solving that I think this? From time to time, I could carry these surprising thoughts, although it just appears that I need to apply every bottle is empty in thought to have in mind that every bottle in the flat is empty. The debate, which proposed against the elaboration of Gricean of quantifier domain restriction, is simple: firstly, quantifier domain restriction occurs in uses of language in thought along with in communication. Secondly, the phenomena seem to be similar and thus they worth an integrated elaboration. Thirdly, the elaboration of Gricean doesnt hold good for cases of quantifier domain restriction in uses of language in thought. Hence, fourthly, instances of quantifier domain restriction in communication is also failed to be explained by the Griceans elaboration. Semantics that is based on Intentions An intention based semantics that is to say, a semantical theory according to which the meaning of an articulation is illustrated in terms of the psychological condition is meant to generate in an audience was proposed by Grice. The applying of language to communicate is concentrated by such semantics (Spencer et al, 2002; 74-91). Thus, Grice starts to make a try to separate a special type of meaning and he named this communicative meaning, or non-natural meaning (meaningNN). Natural vs. Non-natural meaning Natural Meaning [Non-cognitive meaning] Those spots mean rubella. Those didnt mean anything to me, but they meant rubella to the doctor. The recent budget indicates that we shall experience a tough year. Non-natural Meaning (MeaningNN) [Communicative meaning] Three rings on the bell indicate that the bus is complete. That note, Smith couldnt dispense with his problem and struggle, indicated that Smiths wife was more necessary to him. Grices attempt is to generate an account of meaningNN. Tests for MeaningNN Entailment X means that p necessitate that p, in cases of natural meaning, while in cases of meaningNN, there is no such necessity. For instance: Those spots denote rubeola, however he hasnt got rubella is self-conflicting. The three rings on the bell indicate that the bus is complete, however the bus isnt

Toni Morrisons Sula - The Character of Eva Peace in Sula :: Sula Essays

The Character of Eva Peace in Sula       In the novel Sula, there were other important characters besides Sula.   The character in this book I would like to focus on most is Eva Peace.   Eva is a woman who has a disability but remains strong, and this will be the focus of this paper since it wasn’t focused on so much in the book.  Ã‚   Eva is an amputee.   There are many different theories about how she lost her leg.   Many say she may have cut it off in order to receive insurance money so she could feed her children.   Other tales told claim that Eva had sold her leg for $10,000.00 or that she had stuck it under a train.   Some people in the town said that there was a corn on her toe and it just grew and grew, traveling up her entire leg until the doctors finally had to cut it off.   Others told stories about how her leg had just got up one day and walked off.   Nobody quite knew how Eva had lost her leg and not many people in the town remembered her with it, but everyone knew that Eva Peace was a very strong woman who knew what she needed to do in order to survive.   Her survival consisted of taking care of her children, making sure they had enough to eat.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eva was the single mother of three kids.   She was the matriarchal figure in her household, which did not only consist of her children, Pear, Plum, and Hannah and Hannah’s daughter Sula, but also many others who boarded in her house.   There were three young boys, all named Dewey by Eva, who had arrived to the house at the same time.   Eva knew that if she named them all the same name it would make them feel as though they were equally loved and cared about.   Such name-calling created a positive camaraderie between them.   Also in the boarding house resided a drunk, Tar Baby, and various newlyweds.   Eva kept the whole house under control.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although the logistical theory of how she lost her leg was to feed her family, it did not stop there.   Eva did everything she could do to protect her children.   She used her stump, in one incidence, to maneuver herself in such a way that she was able to jump out of the window and save Hannah, who was literally on fire.

Islam the Role and Function of the Mosque in a Muslim Community :: essays research papers

The role and function of the mosque in a Muslim community A mosque is generally a very symbolic place for a Muslim, being a humble way for Muslims to recreate pure divine presence on earth. The primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place where Muslims can come together for prayer. Nevertheless, mosques are known around the world nowadays for their Islamic architecture but most importantly for its general vitality to the Muslim Ummah (community). A mosque brings the community together as it acts as many things, a social centre, a community centre and an educational centre etc as it has many events which welcome both old and new members of the mosque. In addition to holding the five obligatory daily prayers, mosques hold jumu?ah prayers, or Friday prayers, which replace the midday prayer as the second required prayer on Fridays. It is required for all men to attend mosque on Friday for Jumu?ah. The sermons often have a strong practical slant, trying to integrate and apply Islamic beliefs and historical teachings into contemporary daily life. In many Islamic societies, jumu'ah often has a significant community or even political role. I believe sermons are significant in bringing the community together as the congregation is standing side by side in a line, facing Mecca, together, all united in their faith and worship of Allah There are study centres for new comers of the faith to come and learn about the Islamic faith, about the teachings of the Qur?an, learn how to read it and pronounce . These are often take place on weekends or in the evenings. Some mosques provide full time schools if you depend on the mosque to provide a full time Islamic education. Few but some mosques have Madrassah?s Arabic classes, classes on the Shariah, the hadith, the Sunnah, Tafsir(Qur?anic interpretation) and Muslim history. This will expand ones knowledge of Islam and will also draw them closer to their faith. Mostly children attend this study centre however all are welcome who care to learn.. Which can deepen the faith as it can expand ones understanding of Islam. Islam the Role and Function of the Mosque in a Muslim Community :: essays research papers The role and function of the mosque in a Muslim community A mosque is generally a very symbolic place for a Muslim, being a humble way for Muslims to recreate pure divine presence on earth. The primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place where Muslims can come together for prayer. Nevertheless, mosques are known around the world nowadays for their Islamic architecture but most importantly for its general vitality to the Muslim Ummah (community). A mosque brings the community together as it acts as many things, a social centre, a community centre and an educational centre etc as it has many events which welcome both old and new members of the mosque. In addition to holding the five obligatory daily prayers, mosques hold jumu?ah prayers, or Friday prayers, which replace the midday prayer as the second required prayer on Fridays. It is required for all men to attend mosque on Friday for Jumu?ah. The sermons often have a strong practical slant, trying to integrate and apply Islamic beliefs and historical teachings into contemporary daily life. In many Islamic societies, jumu'ah often has a significant community or even political role. I believe sermons are significant in bringing the community together as the congregation is standing side by side in a line, facing Mecca, together, all united in their faith and worship of Allah There are study centres for new comers of the faith to come and learn about the Islamic faith, about the teachings of the Qur?an, learn how to read it and pronounce . These are often take place on weekends or in the evenings. Some mosques provide full time schools if you depend on the mosque to provide a full time Islamic education. Few but some mosques have Madrassah?s Arabic classes, classes on the Shariah, the hadith, the Sunnah, Tafsir(Qur?anic interpretation) and Muslim history. This will expand ones knowledge of Islam and will also draw them closer to their faith. Mostly children attend this study centre however all are welcome who care to learn.. Which can deepen the faith as it can expand ones understanding of Islam.

Gabriela Mistral :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gabriela Mistral was an extraordinary woman. Her life was filled with tragedy but she turned her experiences into beautiful poetry. Her poetry reflected many things about who Gabriela Mistral was and what had happened to her throughout her life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gabriela Mistral was born on April 7, 1889 in Vicuà ±a, Chile. When she was only three years old, her father abandoned her family. She attended a rural primary school and the Vicuà ±a state secondary school. By the age of sixteen, she started to support herself and her mother by working as a teachers aide. Gabriela Mistral is only a pen name for Lucila Godoy Alcayaga. She took the name from her two favorite poets: Gabriele D’Annunzio and Frà ©dà ©ric Mistral. She was the first Latin American to receive the Nobel Prize for literature (1945). After the suicide of her lover, Romelio Ureta, she lived a life of self-described desolation. Although she wanted it, she never experienced motherhood. She did adopt a child but it later died. She taught at Colombia University, and Vassar College. In 1930, she was a visiting professor at Barnard College in New York City. She also became the principal of Santiago High School. Her first text was la Voz de Elqui and Diario Radical de Coqui mbo in 1905. Her second work was called Desolacià ³n. Soon after she accepted her post at Santiago, she was invited to work in Mexico on a plan to reform the libraries and the schools. She lived primarily in France and Italy during 1925 to 1934. She also worked for the League for Intellectual Co-operation of the League of Nations between 1922 and 1938. She was the honorary consult for Brazil, Spain, Portugal and the U.S. In 1933 she entered the Chilean Foreign Service and was appointed by the government of Chile as a sort of ambassador-at-large for the Latin American Culture. During World War two, she became friends with Stefan Zweig and his wife. Later they committed suicide in Rio de Janeiro. Also her nephew, Juan Miguel killed himself. Because of poor health, she was forced to retire to her home in New York. She died on January 10, 1957, at the age of sixty-seven. She died of cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Like most people, Gabriela Mistral wrote poems about her life experiences or what she holds to be true. In her poem â€Å"Dolor†, which is from the Desolacià ³n collection, she expresses her feelings on the death of her lover.

Cosmic Education

Rachael Jacobson Cosmic Education Exiled to India during World War II, Maria Montessori developed one of the basic tenets of her philosophy of education. This tenet is what she called cosmic education. In To Educate the Human Potential (ed 2007 p9) Montessori said that, â€Å"the stars, earth, stone, life of all kind form a whole in relation to each other, and so close is this relation that we cannot understand a stone without some understanding of the great sun†. This interconnectedness, the interconnectedness of every element of the universe, is at the heart of cosmic education.As Dr. Montessori explains, â€Å"all things are part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity. The idea helps the mind of the child to become focused, to stop wandering in an aimless quest for knowledge. He is satisfied having found the universal center of himself with all things†. Montessori believed that children who received a cosmic education would grow to have a clearer understanding of themselves because they had a better understanding of the natural world and their place in it.She also believed that children are much closer to nature than adults. Therefore, the ideas of cosmic education can be impressed upon them more easily so that they can grow up with an appreciation and sense of wonder about the natural world and keep it as adults. An awareness of the interdependence between humans and the universe and the sense of gratitude that comes from that awareness are absolutely necessary if a child is to grow into a peaceful human being.Montessori believed that providing a cosmic education to children would be a means to this end because children who are exposed to all the elements and forces of nature gain a sense of importance, purpose, and responsibility, which they carry into their adult lives. It was her belief that the future was in the hands of children and that their education would determine whether or not the future humankin d was a peaceful or one fraught with destruction, violence, and war. Cosmic Education is held together by aâ€Å"glue† known as The Great Lessons. The Great Lessons introduce the overall scope of cosmic education .There are five Great Lessons. â€Å"Montessori believed that storytelling was an ideal way to introduce knowledge to elementary children, engaging both their imaginations and their developing powers of reason†. All of these lessons are accompanied by illustrations and charts, and many by scientific demonstrations. They are all told to the children in the first months of school, and are re-told each year to the returning children. They help children build a context for the knowledge that they will acquire throughout their years as EC, EI and E2 students. The Five Great Lessons are: 1.The Coming of the Universe: This lesson introduces scientific thought on the origins of the universe and our own planet. Using charts and experiments, this first Great Lesson desc ribes how minerals and chemicals formed the elements, how matter transforms to three states of solid, liquid, and gas, how particles joined together and formed the earth, how heavier particles sank to the earth's core and volcanoes erupted, and how mountains were formed and the atmosphere condensed into rain, creating oceans, lakes, and rivers. From this story, students are introduced to lessons in physics, astronomy, geology, and chemistry.For example, they learn about light, heat, convection currents, gravity, galaxies, planetary systems, the earth's crust, volcanoes, erosion, climate and physical geography. 2. The Coming of Life: This lesson represents the beginning of life on Earth from the simplest forms through the appearance of human beings. The second Great Lesson explains how single-cell and multi-cell forms of life became embedded in the bottom of the sea and formed fossils. It traces the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and the Cenozoic periods, beginning with the kingdom of trilobit es and ending with human beings.The teacher indicates on a time line where vertebrates began, followed by fish and plants, then amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. In this lesson students are introduced to the basics of zoology and botany. 3. The Coming of Human Beings: This lesson is an introduction to prehistory and history that continues the exploration of life on Earth, with an emphasis on the development of humans. The aim is for the children to imagine what life was like for early humans. This lesson is the basis for lessons in history and the development of ancient civilizations.They also learn how climate and topography influenced various civilizations. 4. The Story of Our Alphabet: This story is an introduction that follows the development of writing from its appearance in primitive cultures to its role in modern times. From this lesson, students use grammar materials, which help them examine how language is put together, and refine capitalization and punctuation. Stu dents are introduced to the study of the origin of English words from other languages, the meanings of prefixes and suffixes and different forms of writing such as poetry and prose. 5.The Story of Our Numerals: This story is an introduction that emphasizes how human beings needed a language for their inventions to convey measurement and how things were made. The story describes how number systems evolved throughout time and within different civilizations. This story is the basis for the children's learning of mathematics, which is integrated into all studies. The first three stories are what Duffy (2002 p30) calls â€Å"the story of our origin and past,† while the last two stories are illustrations of â€Å"human cultural accomplishments and the evolution of human ideas. Stoll Lillard (2005 p134) calls this â€Å"a core of impressionistic knowledge that is intended to inspire the child to learn more. † The Great Lessons simultaneously raise and answer questions. How d id the universe come to be? Our solar system? Our planet? Our oceans, lakes, mountains, forests, flowers, and animals? The Great Lessons helps children see how interrelated all things are. They instill in children the understanding that all people are one and that we must all be our brother’s keeper. Most importantly, The Great Lessons provide the child with a macro view of the world.Through the stories told in each of the five lessons, the child is introduced to â€Å"the big picture†. â€Å"Children become aware that the universe evolved over billions of years, and that it is based on the law and order through which all the plants, animals, and the rest of creation is maintained. From that point, students are introduced to increasing levels of detail and complexity within these broad areas and gradually understand that they are part of this order and are participants in the ongoing life of the universe.Thus, The Great Lessons provide a springboard of sorts from whic h children can develop their individual interests and shape their own learning. The Great Lessons allow the child to move between macro and micro levels of knowledge. The basic premise of cosmic education maintains that no subjects should be taught in isolation. Rather all elements of the curriculum are viewed as interdependent upon one another. The outcome of cosmic education allows children to become thankful for the world around them and an understanding of their place in it. They will begin to understand that they have been given many gifts from the past and present.They also develop wonder, gratitude, a sense of purpose, and a feeling of responsibility to others, to the earth, and to future generations. If young children grow up with love and respect and the knowledge that they matter, they have the best chance of growing up and meeting their full potential†¦no matter their circumstances. Duffy, M ; D (2002) Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary Classroom Parent Ch ild Press: Hollidaysburg. Montessori, M (ed 2007) To Educate the Human Potential The Montessori Series: Amsterdam. Stoll Lillard, A (2005) Montessori: The Science behind the Genius Oxford University Press: Oxford