Plato And Augustin Essay Example for Free

Plato And Augustin Essay 1) WHAT IS PLATO’S ATTITUDE TOWARD THE BODY? (300 Words) http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/symposium.html   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Platos work SYMPOSIUM there is much subtext to be found under the surface of what seems like a marginally focused conversation among several individuals. What is unique about this work is that within the random bits of dialogue put forth there is a certain unique cohesion that presents itself. That cohesion is present in the way in which the random gives way to the logical and nothing is more evident of this than what is found within Platos concept of the body.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The body, at first, refers to the physical appearance of an individual. This physical appearance provides the basis for attraction for a loved one. However, this attraction is very vapid and indicative of a surface level understanding of the individual. However, physical attraction is a strong emotion and while this attraction is devoid of depth it does give way to quantity. In other words, when physical attraction is all that matters to an individual then happiness derives from simply associating with more and more attractive bodies. This is about as vapid of a series of human relationships as one could possibly involve oneself. It also bases relationships on errant randomness as an individual simply bounces from one attractive person to the other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Where Plato does redeem the image of the body is in the way he presents it as a conduit to deeper meaning. In other words, while there is a certain randomness and banality to chasing beauty this chase can lead one to a partner who offers far more than merely what the body offers. Looks then become the conduit to true love, intellectual stimulation or a combination of both. This way the randomness found in the search for the best body merely acts as a transitory function in the sense that it eventually leads to the cohesiveness of a deep relationship. Well, hopefully anyway. 2) HOW DOES AUGUSTINE VIEW HUMAN NATURE? (300 WORDS) http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf102.iv.XII.1.html   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The relationship between God and Gods subordinates has been debated for many years. Much of this debate derives from the fact that there has never been a definitive statement on what God truly intended from those whom God created. As such, much has been left to speculation and interpretation. Regarding human nature, St. Augustine examines the flaws inherent with such nature and links these flaws with fluctuations inherent with reason.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To a great degree, Augustine notes that it is human nature to be flawed and much of this derives from reason. Augustine is clear to point out that there are a number of factors which separate humans from lesser beings and that while all things created from God are good humans have the capacity to deviate from natural order due to reason and passion. Hence, they can be prone to errors in judgment whereas lesser animals are not. Hence, human nature has the capacity for improvement but it also has the capacity to great harm to the self or others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Augustine points out that often people will use God as a crutch. That is, because it is human nature to draw value from the external many will see themselves as weak and cleave to God because it is God that gives them strength, God that gives them reason, etc. This, however, diminishes the value of the human as the reliance of the self is gone. So, while this cleaving to God may have noble intentions (seek advice from the higher power) it is actually a sign of weakness and a rejection of the free will God has provided. Hence, it represents another aspect of the flawed nature of humanity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Granted, while Augustine views human nature as a flawed entity he does equate flawed with bad. Flawed simply is the state of human nature and is neither good nor bad. It is simply the natural order of things.

Big five personality inventory with academic success

Big five personality inventory with academic success Many validation studies have been performed to test the validity of the Big 5 personality inventory with academic success and performance as well as which personality is predictor of good grades. In particular studies have found that contentiousness and openness especially correlated with academic performance. This essay will examine and evaluate the usefulness of the big 5 personality inventory and will be discussing its validity and implications. Conscientiousness personality traits lead students to be organised, disciplined and motivated to succeed. This in turn has a positive effect on their ability to study and on their effort and commitment they put into their work (Maltby et al 2007 p.387) a trait referring to individuals level of dutifulness, achievement striving and organization. Bratko, Chamorro-Premuzic Saks (2006) also have documented and argued that the Importance of Conscientiousness in educational settings is self-explanatory: Being organized, disciplined and motivate d to succeed has no doubt beneficial effects on students study habits, affecting their level of effort and commitment with the course (Bratko, Chamorro-Premuzic Saks 2006). Research indicates that the Big Five Traits (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness) reflect core aspects of humans personality and have strong influences on behaviour (Costa McCrae 1992 in Komarraju Karau 2005). Conscientiousness has consistently and positively predicted examination performance as well as grade point average and academic success. Openness is positively related to final grades with high scorers using learning strategies that emphasize critical thinking. Neuroticism is related to reduced- academic performance. Agreeableness is positively associated with grades. Entwistle and Entwistle (1970 in ibid) found that stable introverts using good study methods achieved higher performance than extroverts or emotionally unstable students, whereas Furnham and Medhurst (19 95 in ibid) showed a significant positive correlation between sociability and performance in a seminar class (Komarraju Karau 2005). Paunonen Nicol (2001 in Durham 2004) found the Big Five traits among the significant predictors of grade point average (GPA) in a population of college students. Similarly, Lounsbury, Loveland, Sundstorm Gibson (2003 in Durham 2004) found that Big Five traits significantly predicted cumulative GPA among adolescents in high school and middle school. Lounsbury et al (2003 in Durham 2004) found that the Big Five constructs of conscientiousness, openness and agreeableness were positively related to course grades and grade point average. Durham (2004) therefore argues that these results suggest that students who are more open to new learning, discovery and exploration, higher on self control. More orderly, higher of achievement striving and lower on anxiety, impulsivity, hostility, and vulnerability will have higher GPA. Durham (2004) furthers his argume nt by saying that students who sit in the front of the class (conscientiousness) prepare their assignments (conscientiousness), follow the directions given (agreeableness) and ask questions (openness) and usually better students; high levels of openness, conscientiousness and agreeableness and low levels of neuroticism are an ideal combination (Durham, 2004) Hypothesis The hypothesis of this literature review is that Big 5 personality traits of Openness, contentiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism are significantly related to academic performance and predicting grades. There have been many studies documented which have investigated the relationship of the five personality traits namely, openness, contentiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism with academic achievement. For example, in studying the relationship between the big five personality traits and academic performance, Komarraju Karau (2005) developed the following specific hypotheses. First, as Neuroticism is characterized by emotional distress and poor impulse control (Komarraju Karau 2005), Komarraju Karau (2005) expected students high in Neuroticism to have difficulty in coping with academic challenges and dealing with setbacks. There, Komarraju Karau (2005) predicted that Neuroticism would be positively related with the academic motivation factors of debilitating anxiety, withdrawing, disliking school, and discouraged about school. Extraverted individuals are warm, socially-oriented, and assertive (Komarraju Karau 2005). Agreeable individuals tend to be trusting and co operative, and may be receptive to collaborative learning (Komarraju Karau 2005). Therefore, Komarraju Karau (2005) predicted that Extraversion and Agreeableness would both be positively related with approval and affiliating motives. Komarraju Karau (2005) argue that because assertiveness is an element of Extraversion they predicted that Extraversion would be related with influencing motives. Individuals high in Openness seek novel experiences, are intellectually curious, and may be more receptive to novel educational experiences Komarraju Karau (2005). The researchers therefore predicted that Openness would be positively related with thinking and desire for self improvement. Finally, conscientious individuals are generally organized, disciplined, and hard working, and have been found to achieve greater academic success (Komarraju Karau 2005). Therefore, the researchers predicted that Conscientiousness would be positively related with persisting, achieving, and desire for self- improvement. Komarraju Karau (2005) found that avoidance was positively related with both Neuroticism and Extraversion, and was negatively related with both Conscientiousness and Openness, with Neuroticism explaining the most variance. Komarraju Karau (2005) argue that these results may suggest that neurotic students tend to avoid many aspects of academic life and view education as a means to an end rather than an intrinsically fulfilling enterprise. Similarly, Komarraju Karau (2005) argue that extraverts may be more concerned with social aspects of college life. In contrast, conscientious and open students are less likely to be avoidant in their motivation. Komarraju Karau (2005) found that students with higher levels of Openness and Extraversion were more engaged in learning, with Openness explaining the most variance. Komarraju Karau (2005) further their argument by saying this suggests that students who are sociable and enjoy exposure to new ideas are likely to be engaged i n the educational experience and may benefit from discussion and interactive learning. Finally, Komarraju Karau (2005) found that students who were more conscientious, neurotic, and open to experience scored higher on achievement with Conscientiousness explaining the most variance. Komarraju Karau (2005) argue that these results suggest that students who are responsible and intellectually curious may be more achievement oriented, hard-working, and competitive. Komarraju Karau (2005) noted that neuroticism was related with achievement, and this relation between Neuroticism and achievement may be because of compulsive preparation Komarraju Karau (2005). Correlation of subjective responses and objective assessment and confirmation of the validity of conscientiousness trait with relation to academic achievement Discussion section There may be narrower personality traits that could add to the incremental validity of the Big 5 inventory with relation to academic success and predicting grades for example. Lounsbury, Sundstorm, Loveland Gibson (2003) investigated and examined the narrow traits in addition to the Big Five in predicting academic success among adolescents. Lounsbury et al (2003) investigated individual grade point average (GPA) and scores from the Adolescent Personal Style Inventory among 220 seventh-graders and 290 tenth-graders, including agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, extraversion, and openness, plus four narrow traits, aggression, optimism, tough-mindedness, and work drive. Lounsbury et al (2003) found that all traits correlated significantly (P The validity and reliability of the NEO PIR in terms applicability: discussing the issue for the professional development of the teacher in schools and also for the positive feedback and educational development of the child, analysing the practicality of the learning style Personality tests that are to predict academic achievement and success are not only for the professional development of the teacher, lecturer but also for the personal and educational development of the student or pupil at school or university. These personality tests therefore they need to be such that the teacher and student can interact with them for the teacher to perhaps to alter his or her teaching style and approach and more so for the student to be aware of his or her subjective and predominate learning style and how these are contributing to many cognitive aspects such as information processing, retention of information, memory or indeed knowledge acquisition. Research has testified that from the NEO PIR the trait that is predominately applicable is conscientiousness as we have seen, although the other four have also contributory effects for academic achievement, however the practicality of using it may still be questionable because if the trait of conscientiousness is the p redictor of academic success then will it be easy for the student to develop these traits within him. How easy will it be for the teachers to aid and support the students in developing a conscientiousness personality is questionable. An easier way for both the student to understand for his or her own academic development and also for the teacher to support the student may be through the education of personal learning styles. Learning styles in particular is a model which pinpoints and highlights the cognitive abilities necessary for learning, which is a cognitive process. The tools of learning style can enable the student to completely understand which styles may aid him or her and according to that style of learning, the teacher will be able to help and support the student developing a interactional system between the teacher and the student in an academic environment and discussing cognitive variables in relation to learning styles rather than broad personality traits which maybe far difficult to generalize towards the students learning process. Therefore learning style approach and assessment may not only be a cognitive and academic achievement predictor most importantly on the basis of individual differences but this will enable both the teacher and student to interact with them for the professional development of the teacher and for the academic and cognitive development of learner. A well known and documented approach to learning is presented by Kolb (1984 in Maltby 2007) in which he discusses the learning processes such as concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation. Other than the Big Five traits of conscientiousness, openness, agreeableness, extraversion and neuroticism, there are other traits or, motivation related traits as argued by Lounsbury (2003 in Durham 2004) which can add incremental and predictive validity to the NEO personality inventory in the domains of education success. For example, Lounsbury (2003) found that traits such as aggression, optimism tough mindedness and work drive can not only significantly correlate with grade point average but moreover add incremental validity to the existing NEO Five. (Durham, 2004) In line with Lounsbury (2003) Durham (2004) is also for the inclusion of the factors of aggression, optimism and tough mindedness. Durham (2004) argues that these traits of optimism, aggression and tough mindedness could be better predictors of academic performance and grade point average. Optimism, Durham (2004) argues is a tendency to maintain positive expectations about the future and Prola and Stern (1984 in Durham 2004) found positive correlations between optimism and grade point average. Optimism is an important assessment because it influences task-orientated behaviours (Durham 2004). With regards to conscientiousness there will a consensus that it is correlated with academic achievement and performance through Meta analysis and self and other assessed approaches, however with regards to openness, although it has been acknowledged that it refers to academic intelligence, agreeableness, neuroticism, extraversion there is far lesser consensus how it refers and relates to academic achievement. For example Bratko, Chamorro-Premuzic Saks (2006) have found that some argue that high neuroticism is detrimental for academic performance on school examinations but others suggests that higher levels of worry and perfectionism that characterize neurotic individuals may lead to better and higher performance. The trait of extraversion is also debated with academic achievement as some have argued of negative correlation and other have argued of positive correlation (Bratko et al 2006). Bratko et al (2006) also argue that alternative explanations indicate in the direction of deve lopmental changes in the ability-extraversion correlation, such that brighter individuals become more introverted over time. Some traits of the BIG 5 such as extraversion, conscientiousness and openness which all relate to motivation, striving and academic self fulfilment have been correlated with certain measures but have not been correlated with other measures such as the IQ tests. Psychologists have argues that the NEO Big 5 personality inventory predominately reflects a persons motivation and in particular motivation to self actualise in academic domains but does not take into consideration specific academic cognitive abilities which is predominately related and correlated with academic success and achievement. For example, Ones Schmidt Viswesvaran 1993 (in Gagner Pere 2001) have established no correlation between motivational factors and IQ ability for academic progress. The psychologists argue that the tests such as the NEO PIR which may measure or take into consideration the motivation factor of conscientiousness and disregard cognitive abilities may not be highly valid in predicting achievement in comparison to higher validity and reliability of cognitive and IQ measures of predicting achievement, and the results obtained from an IQ test maybe useful for the professional development of the teacher with relation developing cognitive constructs of the child such as numeracy but also important for the development of the learner to know which areas in academia need to be concentrated upon. Gagner Pere (2001) assessed the unique contribution of motivation to academic achievement. Over 200 high school students completed two IQ tests and three motivation and conscientiousness related measures twice during a semester. The results revealed that IQ and motivation were not correlated; cognitive abilities were by far the best predictor of school achievement. The psychologists argue that these results question the belief of most educators about the crucial role of motivation as a determinant of scholastic achievement these findings may in invite the educators to not only consider moti vation and conscientiousness as an important factor of achievement but to also concentrate on the cognitive abilities of the learner and ways to enhance them perhaps by working with the learning style of the learner considering the VAK (the visual, auditory or kinaesthetic individual differences) and modifying educational resources to support all types of learners and by working within the unique learning style of the individual with the belief that by working within the cognitive framework of the individual this will improve the cognitive performance and abilities of the learner such as problem solving, information processing, logical and rational thinking which will enhance the IQ and therefore academic achievement. Komarraju Karau (2005) also acknowledge that students who are taught in a way that matches their learning style and ability are likely to achieve at higher levels. In light of the findings that there are less or no correlations of motivational factors such as conscien tiousness with academic progress Bratko et al (2006) argue that empirically, evidence is mixed with some studies indicating personality has incremental validity over ability in the prediction of academic progress but others showing it doesnt (Bratko et al 2006). Bratko et al (2006) also argue that personality inventories such as the NEO PIR use self ratings of traits. Whilst Bratko et al (2006) acknowledge and argue that most investigators have used self report personality inventories and academic progress as they are convenient and because they believe that people have a unique perspective of their own experiences and history of behaviour, however Bratko et al (2006) also maintain that self ratings can be inaccurate because people may present themselves in an unrealistically positive light or their position of an actor can bias their perception of their own consistent personality attributes other-rating data can be less susceptible to distortions caused by defensiveness and self-pr esentational strategies (Bratko et al 2006). As studies have shown that peer-ratings consistently show a substantial correlation with self rating data and their validity widely demonstrated (Bratko et al 2006), Bratko et al (2006) suggest that adding to peer-rating to self-rating can enhance the incremental validity of personality tests such as the NEO PIR further. Although some studies did not find a link between motivation and academic achievement some other studies did. For example Komarraju Karau (2005) investigated the relationship between personality characteristics and academic motivation. Their research examined the link between the Big Five personality traits and individual differences in college students academic motivation. Students were asked to complete the NEO Five Factor Inventory and the Academic Motivations inventory and the facets of both the academic motivations inventory and NEO big Five were correlated together which supports their academic motivation hypothesi s and its importance with success (Komarraju Karau 2005). This study not only indicated the importance of administering tests to examine academic motivations with relation to individual differences but also confirms the validity and reliability of the NEO Big Five. Personality or intelligence tests: independence of personality tests from intelligence: understanding the correlations of ability intelligence tests and personality tests Although studies have testified to the theory that measure of intelligence is valid and reliable for prediction of academic achievement some other studies have discovered the importance of personality tests independently from intelligence which adds to the validity and reliability of personality testing in relation to academic performance and achievement. For example Bratko et al (2006) analysed the relationship of self and other-assessed personality with school grades in 255 pupils. Conscientiousness was the strongest personality correlate of school grades for both self and peer-ratings. That is, the scores of self-rating and peer-rating for conscientiousness significantly correlated. It was interesting to discover that grades were negatively correlated with self assessed extraversion and emotional stability (neuroticism) and positively correlated with peer-ratings of autonomy. When cognitive ability was partialled out correlations between personality and school grades showed little change indicating that the effects of personality on academic performance was independent of intelligence. The investigators not only argue of the independence of personality to academic performance and therefore stressing its validity in domains of education but also argue that self ratings had only marginal incremental validity (3%) over peer-ratings in predicting school grades while incremental validity of peer-over self -rating was larger (9%). Therefore this study supports the notion that testing personality in domains of education and academic performance is indeed valid. In this study the self-rated assessment or rating compared to the peer-rated (observer) assessment and rating is thought provoking because there was a difference in both ratings and their correlations significances. In the study of Bratko et al (2006) noted that the relationship between. In the study Bratko et al (2006) found that the predictive power of conscientiousness increased substantially when assesse d by peer ratings as opposed to self-rating and there Bratko et (2006) argue that this suggests that socially desirable responding may undermine that validity of self rated conscientiousness. Their results also indicated that combining measures of conscientiousness with intelligence are likely to be advantageous when it comes to predicting academic progress (Bratko et al 2006). Bratko et al also argue that students may also want to look conscientious and autonomous in the eyes of personality tests and therefore Bratko et al (2006) recommend that investigators include social desirability alongside both peer and self-ratings of personality to explore determinants of success and failure (Bratko et al 2006). Another way to avoid distortion and therefore validity in applied educational settings is for participants to respond anonymously possibly by mail as argued by Schinka (1997). Schinka (1997) suggests that these techniques of anonymity will minimize conscious motivation to distort pe rsonality profiles. Psychologists studied how the Big Five personality traits may relate to individual differences in academic motivation. Alongside the achievement and academic success, motivation is very important to reach academic success and this area also needs to be considered for students. Komarraju Karau (2005) also reflect upon an interesting meta-analysis in support of the personality tests such as the NEO PIR for academic performance and success as well as for convergent and predictive validity. For example, Komarraju Karau (2005) argue that Ackerman and Heggestad (1997 in Komarraju Karau 2005) found some modest relationships between personality and intellectual ability measures. In their study Openness was positively related to intellectual ability, whereas Neuroticism was negatively related to intellectual ability. Komarraju Karau (2005) argue that these investigators concluded that intellectual abilities, interests and personality are interrelated and that intellectual ability level an d personality traits determine success. The validity of personality tests and their application in academic prediction of ethnic and culturally different students Durham (2004) acknowledges that studies have established differences in the scores between African American Students and White students on personality measures, as well as in the educational domains including. Ethnic students bring their values and in particular ethnic values to the learning environment. Therefore, when assessing personality and correlating with grade point average it is important to consider and acknowledge different cultural and racial differences which may affect an individuals learning style and development (Durham 2004). Therefore, generalising the significances of the results on populations this issue also needs to be considered thoroughly. Durham (2004) argues if there are differences in the personality traits scores of black and white students the applicability of these assessments to ethnic populations in doubt. Using the MMPI may be appropriate for use with ethnic and racial students The validity and reliability of the NEO-PIR or Big Five inventory and its applicability across races and cultures Worrell Cross (2004) investigated the reliability and validity of Big Five Inventory scores in a sample of African American college students as performed on the Big Five Inventory. The investigators discovered that reliable measures could be developed from the Adjective Q -sort and that there are no perceived predictive validity differences between White and Black students using the NEO PIR (Worrell Cross 2004) The use of other measures especially the inclusion and applicability of the Assessment of Academic Self concept and motivation (AASM) Assessment of Academic Self concept and motivation was developed according to the motivational systems theory. The uniqueness of this assessment is that it postulates that motivation is the patterns of gaols, emotions and personal agency beliefs (self -concept) which is consistent with the socio-cognitive theory of personality development proposed by Albert Bandura. Durham (2004) argues that this model and assessment four aspects of self concept- ability, environmental responsiveness, control and value or importance it also assess four dimensions of the education environment: cognitive, social extracurricular and personal (Durham, 2004) validation studies have been performed by Rouse Cashin (2000 in Durham 2004) and have found support for this assessment as well. Durham (2004) argues of the advantages of this measure with ethnic clients because it measures internal locus of control and the motivation aspect can measure academic success. With regards to values and race and cultural d ifferences, John (1989 in Goldberg 1998) examined judges classifications of the 300 terms in the Adjective Check list into the Big Five Categories to examine its validity and argues that traditional values and individuation/ autonomy adjectives closely related to the persons self -concept and cultural determinants may lie outside the Big Five. Goldberg (1998) argues that other personality factors that are not included inside the Big Five are religiousness, sexuality, introspectiveness, maturity, gender roles thrift and suppression and repression (Goldberg 1998). As there lays other aspects beyond the Big Five it would be interesting to see these influences for academic achievement as well. Paunonen Jackson (2000) had also investigated into the NEO PIR and the Big Five traits and after a thorough investigation and analysis they found that a) Religious, devout, reverent b) sly, deceptive manipulative c) honest, ethical moral d) conservative, traditional, down-to-earth e) egotistical, conceited, snobbish and f) thrill seeking behaviours were independent from the Big Five Factors as they did not correlate. This finding is important to establish the internal consistency validity and what differences it would make if these traits are also examined along with cultural values as discussed to evaluate the impact it has on education success and achievement because these traits such as masculinity-femininity, religiosity, are also determinants of human behaviour and also academic motivation. These recommendations will improve the internal consistency of the NEO PIR personality assessment as argued by Paunonen Jackson (2000)

The Power President George W. Bush’s Speech On 9/11/01 -- Public Speak

The Power President George W. Bush’s Speech On 9/11/01 No one will forget the day we saw planes crash into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and perish into Shanksville, Pennsylvania’s countryside. On September 11, 2001 terror struck the heart of every American citizen. We did not know who was responsible for this mass murder and why anyone would do such a thing. Over 3,000 people died that gruesome day. 2,654 people were killed at the World Trade Center, 125 at the Pentagon, and 265 on the four airplanes the crashed. The country was in a state of turmoil and disbelief. That evening President George W. Bush gave a moving speech to console and unify our nation after the brutal attacks. After talking about Kenneth Burke’s pentad in class I felt that the "act" of President Bush’s speech was to address the citizens of the United States of America. The "scene" was September 11, 2001 in the United States of America. The "agent" was President George W. Bush. The "agency" was a televised speech. The "purpose" was to empower and unify the United States of America. I felt the r... The Power President George W. Bush’s Speech On 9/11/01 -- Public Speak The Power President George W. Bush’s Speech On 9/11/01 No one will forget the day we saw planes crash into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and perish into Shanksville, Pennsylvania’s countryside. On September 11, 2001 terror struck the heart of every American citizen. We did not know who was responsible for this mass murder and why anyone would do such a thing. Over 3,000 people died that gruesome day. 2,654 people were killed at the World Trade Center, 125 at the Pentagon, and 265 on the four airplanes the crashed. The country was in a state of turmoil and disbelief. That evening President George W. Bush gave a moving speech to console and unify our nation after the brutal attacks. After talking about Kenneth Burke’s pentad in class I felt that the "act" of President Bush’s speech was to address the citizens of the United States of America. The "scene" was September 11, 2001 in the United States of America. The "agent" was President George W. Bush. The "agency" was a televised speech. The "purpose" was to empower and unify the United States of America. I felt the r...

good versus evil :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the chapter titled Rebellion (or his book title), Feodor Dostoevski’s character, Ivan Karamazov, demonstrates that his angry and resentful attitude is the by-product of his very choosing. The fundamental principal of our own humanity is God’s acknowledgment of our expression of free will. Found between the boundaries of man’s ownership of worldly acts and thoughts, which can lead him to an eternity of joy or damnation, is that critical choice of what attitude we will wrap ourselves in for our finite time here. The extreme, and perhaps somewhat all too common, result of this human choice between simple joy and compounding suffering is presented in Ivan. As highlighted in Genesis account of Gods’ pure joy and pleasure of man, and His authoritative command for man’s dominion over all of His creations, it is impossible to imagine our Creator desiring our willing choice for suffering.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  God’s divine plan for man starts and ends upon love. God provides overflowing and unconditional love so we can grasp the extent of His love for the purpose of developing our own love of self. The evolvement of our personal faith instills in us the divine sense of worth and desire, we some how come to â€Å"know† originates from our Creator. Ivan has neither grasped nor developed this love, let alone experienced this instilment. Genesis states God said, â€Å"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness† (KJV Gen 5:26). In the shared likeness of God Himself, we must assume we all have the full capacity to experience and share God’s innate love and joy. God’s sending of His son in order to redeem us, His children, is the ultimate act of both heavenly and earthly love. Through His written word and through His son, God explicitly teaches us that love and joy are the nature of His being. Man, in God’s likeness, must activel y counter this nature in order to derive an attitude of suffering, through the denial of natural joy and love. Ivan is a clear example of this suffering activism, as he clearly stands against most issues rather than necessarily in agreement or support of any higher principal. In Feodor Dostoevski’s book The Brothers Karamazov, this excerpted chapter is appropriately titled â€Å"Rebellion†. Rebellion is defined as the willful resistance or defiance of an established principal or authority. In our definition of activism, Ivan’s rebellion would be considered the most aggressive and destructive form of activism.

The influence of sleep on the accuracy of memory Essay -- Health, Fals

The influence of sleep on the accuracy of memory The purpose of this study is to do a memory-for-words that will explore the influence of sleep on the accuracy of memory. The study examines the influence of sleep on false memory. This study is looking at two things: (1) how does sleep improve recognition of words? And if so, it would support the claim that sleep facilitates encoding into LTM. (2) How does sleep enhance a false memory of a word? According to Elizabeth F. Loftus (1996) false memories are often created by combining actual memories with suggestions received from others, it can include words that we learn and having them associated with semantic information. False memories are cause when we fail to recall the correct information. When we store information rarely we retrieve it exactly the way it happened, the fail to recall the information correctly may lead to false memories. Sleep in false memory are measured by recalling words that categorized as studied before, critical words which are the unstudied words, and the critical words which are the one that were nit studied before, but because of the semantic association it may appear during recall process. Stadler, Roediger, & McDermott (1999). A DMR paradigm is the tendency to falsely recall a target word from a list of words concentrated around that word. It lures people to falsely recall items that were never presented Roediger & McDermott (1995). In DRM paradigm, lists of words are constructed so that each word given is associated with a single non- presented word, referring to it as a critical lure. For instance, in this experiment to test participants’ words such as letters, school, study, reading, pen, pencil, paper, and pages, were presented, but its relat... ...he items in the evening and in the following morning 12 hours later after their normal sleeping time, their memory for the items were tested. The non-sleep group studied and practiced the items in the morning 12 hours later after their day of activity their memory was tested. From the results was found that there was no significance difference between the two groups in recalling the words. Limitations in this study that it uses a recognition technic instead of a free recall, low sample size, did not look at gender, as well as ethnicity (language in this case mater, especially when it comes to words that are not so familiar it is hard to recall them). In future studies a bigger sample size would be relevant for a better outcome of the result, do the test in a native language would help participant for a better recall, look at the difference in gender, ethnicity.

Employee retention strategies Essay

We will focus on different ideas, tips and strategies that can help companies cope up with the up-and-coming problem in the human resources industry. As much as we know that many current employees are getting out of their jobs voluntarily not because that they were fired by their superiors but because they want to meet their expectations and good opportunities with other companies locally or overseas. Despite the fact that the most mentioned reason for leaving is financial, other important aspect is a factor that motivates them to gave up their jobs to look for other jobs elsewhere (IOMA, 2005). According to Paul J.Sarvadi (Sarvadi, 2005), the reality behind why employees gave up their jobs lies not only to monetary issues but goes deeper into the human consciousness that their actions and characters concerning work will be appreciated and makes them feel secured and successful. He suggested that sound retention strategies should be focused to four key elements – performance, communication, loyalty and competitive advantage. Let us start on the first key element which is performance, most companies undergo evaluations and performance metrics that will likely sum up their overall accomplishment either annually, quarterly or monthly. It is important that it must not rely solely on quantitative evaluation or assessment but most of all the qualitative measurement should also be considered. The intense craving for an attention to speak their opinions and make it a part of the company’s objectives is a very significant factor that is fulfilling to human beings, when they felt that their actions, talents and capabilities are brought into play that makes a difference to the company or organization, a sense of belonging and the feeling of they are at home is beginning to develop. The subconscious of human beings is attached to the emotions that they feel that’s why they are happy when they are in the process of achieving a goal and making valuable contributions (Sarvadi, 2005). He added that communication process with employees is an essential part of developing a relationship with them. Not just a simple communication that involves deadlines, submissions and technical aspects but they must use a two-way transmission of ideas and opinions. It is better to hold regular meetings to properly channel all comments and suggestions, give feedbacks and share what the company has been going through the years, and listen to what they aspire and suggestions. Surveys are good indicators of assessing the performance of the company though not dependable, it can contribute insights from the employees on what is giving them motivation and morale. On the other hand, loyalty is a great tool in winning employee retention strategy, it is measured in terms of how committed and loyal the employee is, it is not an imposed requirement but an earned reaction to the trust, respect and commitment shown to the individuals in a company (Sarvadi, 2005). The success of an employee – growth and development, and their contributions to the company’s wellness is an essential part of commitment and loyalty and both should work together. The last element of Sarvadi’s strategy is competitive advantage, people in the workplace is expecting excitement, new adventures, and competitions. Winning and losing are the key words for competitive advantage, employees wanted to know unique competitive products in the marketplace and they wanted to be part of these exciting race. Everyone wants to be a champion, it is healthy to inform your employees about the competitive advantage of your company so as to keep them motivated to join the winning team. To attract and retain top performers, employers should focus on recognizing and rewarding employees frequently and taking them for granted is not an answer to a successful relationship, and most importantly, know what the enemy does according to Cheryl Cran, a human resources consultant, an art of war, a strategy to win the best performers, know and discover what the enemy offer and ensure that you can target and extend beyond the limits of the expectations of the employees (Cran). To save expenses from the personnel turnover and increase output and productivity as well, another top retention tips to retain key personnel are the following (Mason): 1. Deal fairly with employees like you deal with your most valuable clients. 2. Let your employees adore and care for your company. 3. Powerful retention strategies turn into powerful recruiting advantages. 4. Preservation and maintenance is much more successful when you put the right person into the right job. 5. Monetary reason is important but it is not the sole basis of people who stay with an organization. 6. Creation of committees for the employees can help expand retention strategies as well as developing an effective strategy. 7. Leadership must extremely devote in retention. 8. Different forms of expressing recognition and appreciation is a strong and powerful retention strategy. 9. Always keep in mind that the â€Å"Fun Factor† is very significant to many employees. 10. Be familiar with the drifts and developments in benefit packages. Give the best to tender the ones your employees want (Mason). In addition to the strategies above, in Ghana a capacity project has been carried out to health sectors that could also be beneficial to other employees. Five key stakeholders were interviewed for this topic. Other keys are additional duty hours allowance, car and housing loans, post graduate training opportunities, relaxed criteria for promotion, and flexible contracts, public-private partnership. To understand the strategies, the table below indicates the key retention strategies: Table 1. Key retention strategies (Perry, 2006) Incentive type Brief description Financial Incentive Initiate added duty allowance particularly for doctors (Perry, 2006). Non financial incentive Proposal for a car and housing loan under negotiation for professionals who are assigned in the rural community. (Perry, 2006). Career advancement opportunities Initiate and suggest schemes for more prospects for two year post graduate training program (Perry, 2006). Rest and recreation eligibility criteria for advancement (Perry, 2006). Creative contracting arrangements Give way to pharmacists in the public sector to perform duties for the private sector (Perry, 2006). Conclusion: The best and the brightest in a company as well as entry level employees should be carefully kept, managed and trained. The ultimate strategy that should be considered for employees is to consider the needs, wants, and personal aspirations like career development, recognition and reward and the objectives they want for the organizations. Rewards should be helpful to them like educational opportunities, car and housing incentives, health plan for the employee and their family and good bonuses. Emergency funds if necessary when problems like illness arise in one of the members of the family, and more vacation and/or sick leaves are also a rewarding remuneration to employees. Managers and supervisors who are good listeners to their employees are good signs of good relationship, it is like a father/mother – daughter/son relationship that is always there to listen, understand, and suggest what is best and what is worst, even the most personal things of the employee should also be taken in consideration. Manager’s role is a crucial aspect of retaining best employees because they will serve as a mentor that will guide the employees towards a positive direction. Availability, fair treatment, flexibility and open communication during tough times is a positive message and strong response to employees who are in dire need to seek help, as a result, a healthy environment and workplace is being developed and cultivated. After all, empowerment, sustainability, goal-oriented and development are the most important key words for the success of organizations and individuals. Reference: CRAN, C.Employee Retention Strategy: How to Attract and Retain Top Performers. HEATHFIELD, S. (2007) Keep Your Best: Retention Tips. IOMA (2005) Employee Retention Strategies Best Practices to Reduce Turnover and Cut Costs. LOSYK, B. Immigrant & Ethnic Workers – How to Recruit, Hire & Retain the Best LOSYK, B. Rotating Turnover: Ways of keeping the best and the brightest. MASON, L. J. Maintaining Key Personnel and Top Ten Retention Tips. MEYERS Employee retention: value and strategy. PERRY, S. (2006) An Introduction to Retention Strategy Review in Ghana SARVADI, P. J. (2005) Key Elements of a Winning Employee Retention Strategy.

Is Single Life or Married Life Better Essay

In my culture, you used to be required to be married in order to be treated as a grown up or an adult. That concept had been in my culture for more than a thousand years. As time changed, that concept has somewhat changed too. Nowadays, being married in an option. Many people prefer to stay single and are living happily with their choices, but many others disagree. They think that you need to be married to achieve ultimate happiness. So, what are the differences between being married and being single? The three most popular arguments between a married life and a single life are freedom, social ife and finance. Let’s start with the first difference: freedom, since it is the first thing you give up when you marry to someone. Coming along with marriage is responsibilities, it means that you have to take care of your partner, your children, you cannot just decide to do anything on your own anymore. You can’t take off and do anything you want anymore, because most of your time will be dedicated to your family. So, whenever you want to go out with your friends, you need to ask your partner for permission. Things are ifferent when you are single. When you are single, you have full control over your life, you are not bound to any responsibility but your own. If you need to take a break from the stress from your work, you can just take off by yourself. When you want to go out with your friends, you don’t need to ask anyone’s permissions. In contrast, you have busy life taking care of you parent and your children, and you don’t get enough time to go out and enjoy yourself. If you’re married, you don’t have to worry about your social life. It won’t be a hassle if you ecide to go out or need someone to hang out with because your partner will always be there. Since you and your parent have become a package, your amount of friends will become double concluding your partner’s source of friends. You get to meet more people with more choices of activity. But, things are much more difficult for a single person than a married couple in social life. People who are single always have to worry about their companion whenever they are out. They don’t have such a stable friend or partner every time they go out. Instead, they need to call many friends before they find a suitable partner for the night, or they need to spend more time making new friends. Also their choices of activity are limited and predictable since there are only some activity for single person. So in comparison, people who are married will save time in finding a partner for their social activity with a lot more choices. Last but not least, finance. It is very controversy topic whether you will save more money staying single or earn more money being a married couple. According to Tom Van Riper on Forbes. com, married couples have the advantage in the short term compared to single life, where only 9. 3% of monthly gross income goes for rent compared with 23% for single, 5. 6% vs. 8. 3% for food, 1% vs. 1. 8% for cable television, and 1. 2% vs. 2. 8% for telephone bill. In addition, auto insurers place married couple in a lower risk class, saving them money on car insurance. On the other hand, once the children enter the picture, which can bring a married couple in financial trouble, a child’s cost can goes up to $4000 per onth ascending in ages. Despite the expenses, single people actually do better in buying houses. Annually, standard deduction for a single person is $4,750 per year, where married couple stands at $7,950 per year. Moreover, married couple tend to start saving for retirement early on, while singles generally wait until they’re 40, which means singles have more free cash in their pocket than married couple. As I stated in the introduction, nowadays, being single or married is a choice, which many eople choose differently according to the perks they encountered. But beyond the perks, you need to choose wisely with another point of view where you can acknowledge advantage and disadvantage of being single or married. Married life comes with responsibility, where you need make the correct decisions every day and taking care of your partner and your children; while single life offers freedom, escape from the burden of responsibilities, but lonely in the late years of your life. It has been always a tough decision.