African American Studies

American Literature has come a long way. It dates back as far as the pre-colonization-period America which is contrary to the current belief of almost everyone that English has always been the language in America. Although it was noted that â€Å"some fifty years after the political establishment of the United States, the concept of an American literature barely existed† (Delbanco), American literature did exist and is still existing. Literature as a communication involving some degree of emotional or aesthetic response is both an independent discipline and one of the tools of anthropology.The latter is a description and explanation of social behavior in every possible environment-from the primitive to the sophisticated-in every part of the world. (Dennis and Aycock 41) In this regard, looking at how literature emerged and how it evolved, identifies the kind of society and the kind of people living in a certain era. II. Evolution & Era The discovery and/or development of a cer tain type of literature did not just happen in a flash. American Literature, the different types of it, sprouted in a seasoned manner.This means that there would not be political writings, or none of them would be popular, if there were no political issues looming around the corner. It is quite amusing to know that American writing (in English) started not as a seriously intended literary piece but as a work â€Å"chiefly for the benefit of readers in the mother country. † (â€Å"American Literature†). These were the English travelers and explorers who became Americans during those olden times, circa 1583 to 1763. Following is the timeline of the American Literature (Trent):1. English Travelers and Explorers, 1583-1763 – retaining their own language as they travelled to America and became Americans while chiefly influencing the literature with this language: the heritage of the English race; 2. The Historians, 1607-1783 – this was the period of gentlemen adventurers writing about America’s colonies; 3. The Puritan Divines, 1620-1720 – again, Englishmen who gave their intellects to a strict scheme of doctrinaire theology, and gave up their freedom to the letter of the Hebraic Scriptures; 4.Edwards – was a special time when he, Edwards, inscribed a sequence of reflections, foundation to a great metaphysical discourse of his own; 5. Philosophers and Divines, 1720-1789 -a traditional categorization of the human ability giving reason for the American thought in the eighteenth century, which is believed to have led to the overthrow of high Calvinism: those who went after the intelligence were the rationalists, or deists; those who went after receptivity or sensibility were the â€Å"hot† men, or enthusiasts while those who went after the will were the moral or ethical reformers.6. Colonial Newspapers and Magazines, 1704-1775 – the knowledge of and about Europe had erupted so commonly through colonial new spapers; 7. American Political Writing, 1760-1789 — this was the period of â€Å"storm and stress†, of â€Å"revolution and evolution†, bringing forth a literature dominated by politically-themed content. Most of the topics involved â€Å"the nature of the British constitution, the formulation of colonial rights, and the elaboration of schemes of government and administration†; 8.The Beginnings of Verse, 1610-1808- the beginning covered early colonial verse starting in 1610 while in 1700 it began with transition in purpose, subject, and style and later on during, the beginnings of nationalism that is related to the passage of the Stamp Act in 1765 ending with the publication of Bryant's Embargo in 1808. 9. Travellers and Observers, 1763-1846- this was the literature of travels, brand new, wide-ranging, and sophisticated, taking its magic from the sense of wonder; 10.The Early Drama, 1756-1860 –The American native drama, even though it antedated the novel and the short story, has arrived only during the latter half of the eighteenth century having Androborus in 1714, which was noted to be a satirical embarrassment. 11. Early Essayists-during this period the first essays that were in print in colonial newspapers were written with a cognizant ethical purpose. 12. The time of Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859)-a well-known American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century who authored â€Å"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow† and â€Å"Rip Van Winkle†;13. The time of Bryant – an American who has the gift of poetic genius, and writing verses that last; 14. Fiction/Novels-the moment for literary lies;† that they served no virtuous purpose; that they melted rigorous minds; that they crowded out better books; that they painted adventure too romantic and love too vehement, and so unfitted†¦Ã¢â‚¬  III. The Role of Printing Press Taking into consideration th e lack of other means of publication those days, early American literature succeeded with the big help of the printing press.Some Americans even had an undying zeal for literary outputs that they were â€Å"stimulated by a desire to render Washington City as well the seat of literature as of government, a number of gentlemen have formed themselves into a ‘ Printing and Bookselling Company† (McMurtrie 266). It may appear funny but it is true. IV. Current Scenario & Conclusion â€Å"Who in the four corners of the globe reads an American book? † (Edinburgh Review, cited Delbanco) Contrary to this insult, there are still the likes of Twain that many people all over the world know and many hunger for their literary pieces.Another noted American literary figure is Toni Morrison, a Nobel Prize awardee for literature. She is noted to be â€Å"a public intellectual, she's influenced how we think about race and storytelling †¦ how we use language, what we do with lan guage, how we keep language alive and well. â€Å"(â€Å"Toni Morrison Society Honors† 15). Thus, American Literature, no matter how it is being viewed, is sure to be existent, alive and persisting. Works Cited â€Å"American Literature. † The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. 2009. Questia. Web. 19 July 2010. Delbanco, Andrew.â€Å"American Literature: A Vanishing Subject?. † Daedalus 135. 2 (2006): 22+. Questia. Web. 19 July 2010. Dennis, Philip A. , and Wendell Aycock, eds. Literature and Anthropology. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Press, 1989. Questia. Web. 19 July 2010. McMurtrie, Douglas C. A History of Printing in the United States: The Story of the Introduction of the Press and of Its History and Influence during the Pioneer Period in Each State of the Union. Vol. 2. New York: R. R. Bowker, 1936. Questia. Web. 19 July 2010. â€Å"Toni Morrison Society Honors Nobel Laureate with 70th Birthday Tribute.† Black Issues in Higher Education 29 Mar. 20 01: 15. Questia. Web. 19 July 2010. Trent, William Peterfield, John Erskine, Stuart P. Sherman, and Carl Van Doren, eds. The Cambridge History of American Literature. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1917. Questia. Web. 19 July 2010. According to Langston life can be equated to a staircase. This can be interpreted to mean that life is not a pain-free experience where people get to walk through with ease. On the contrary, it is a roller-coaster with ups and downs, a long and hard journey which should be viewed as such.Many people in the world have gone through untold suffering and despair and know exactly what a hard life is but none has seen it quite as much as Angel, at least none that I have so far met. Now Angel is not the regular teenager whom you would expect to be fretting about boys, hairstyles, which parties to attend or what to wear. Angel has been to hell and back and such issues would seem petty if you were fortunate enough to meet her. Yes, I say fortunate to meet her beca use most of us trudge through life trifling about very unimportant things which do not matter at all while people go through real problems.Angel is an embodiment of resilience and has proved it by living the life she has and come out triumphant. I met Angel last year while on a volunteer program at a shelter in Chicago, Illinois whose identity will remain undisclosed at the request of those involved. Angel was born 17 years ago to a single mother who was barely a teenager herself. Her father had gone to jail or so she was told whenever she asked. Her mother eked a living by working three jobs to support Angel and her three siblings; two sisters and a mentally challenged brother.The first few years were bliss but she later found out that her mother was shielding her from most of the suffering. By the time she was ten, her mother had been ravaged by the pressure of her jobs and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. To worsen matters she started doing drugs among other vices. A devout Chr istian had given up and Angel and her siblings started witnessing visits from strange men who apparently were her mother’s boyfriends. There was a particular man who was a frequent guest and stayed longer. He was the meanest. He would beat up her mom, regardless of her condition.Then he would turn on Angel and the other kids. Whenever she tried to protect them she would get bruises and broken bones. Her jaw was broken thrice in a span of less than a year and there was nothing she could do about it. As if this was not enough, the man would sneak into her bed every night after her mother had passed out and force himself on her. Angel was forced to leave school and take care of her brother and sister. When she thought things could not get any worse, her mother disappeared for days on end. Her lifeless body was found in a dark alley, stripped naked; apparently it was a drug overdose.Then hell broke loose. Angel was left with two kids to take care of at the tender age of twelve. T hey moved from street to street and foster to foster since no relative would take them in. The things she did to ensure her siblings would live a semblance of a life were too much for a twelve year old. She faces each day at a time. Every morning she wakes up and looks to the sky and asks why her life had to be so rough, so early. Robbed of her childhood and innocence she can only hope for the best and thank the church that runs the shelter.Perhaps she will never know the answers to the several questions she has but you can’t help but admire her courage and hope that someday she will become someone. The system will be forced to eject her once she gets to 18 but she would rather not worry about that now, hope for a better future is all that keeps her going. Essay 2- Original Folk Tale. Since time immemorial, the art of story telling has been used as a source of entertainment and a way of transmitting knowledge and wisdom to the younger generations.Perhaps there is nothing that is as universal as human beings and their ability to stretch their imagination to create stories with so much meaning and entertaining. Folk tales were laden with a group’s culture, tradition and beliefs that were passed on for posterity. From the Americas to Asia and the African continent millions of folk tales abound and though the culture of story telling is fading, most of these tales have been documented for posterity and perhaps someday they will get the attention they deserve.Once upon a time, the little red hen wanted to make bread and so she picked up some wheat grain and headed out. On her way to the farm she met the pig and asked whether she could help plant the wheat. The pig refused to offer any help and so the little red hen decided to plant the wheat by herself and it grew. One day on her way to pick some wheat she met the pig who was rolling in the mud. Once again she asked for her help in picking the wheat to which she refused again. Nobody in the animal kin gdom was willing to help. (Williams, 2009)When the little red hen went to the mill to get flour from her wheat she asked the dog whether he could help and he too refused adamantly. Very tired and weary, the hen climbed the hill and had her wheat ground. On her way back she met the cat and asked her to help her carry the flour to which the cat replied that she was too busy and therefore could not help. When she got home, the little red hen asked the cat and the duck to help her make bread. Both lazy animals refused to help her make the bread. The little red hen had no choice but to bake the bread herself which she did.When the bread was ready, all the animals wanted a piece of it but the hen had it all by herself. (Williams,2009) The story of the little red hen is a very popular folk tale that extols the virtues of hard work and personal initiative. The moral of the story ultimately boils down to the fact that those people who have no intention of contributing to the production of a beneficial product should not expect to benefit from it. This folk tale also emphasizes the biblical teaching that he who does not work should not eat. ESSAY 3- Frederick Douglass.Frederick Douglass was blessed with many feathers in his hat including being a statesman, orator and author but he is best known for his profound contributions to civil and women liberties for which he fought for all his life. Born in 1881 near Maryland, Douglass was a firm advocate for the equal treatment of all people regardless of gender, color and whether they were Native American or immigrants. Douglass' turning point as a slave came in the from of fighting back against Edward Covey, a Maryland farmer and renown slave breaker.Douglass' perceived lack of respect had caused his former master Thomas Auld to send him to Covey perhaps in the hope that Covey would be able to break him. After several months of generous labor and repeated beatings, Douglass snapped one day and fought back. Covey was taken aba ck by the 16 year olds reaction, unnerved he was forced to back down. This action reenergized the young lad and a confidence grew in him that he should live free. From then on he knew that he had to disentangle himself from the bondage of slavery and free his fellow slaves. (Blassingame, 1979)Being an American of Haitian origin is in itself a challenge. My grandparents migrated to the US several years ago with the hope of making a life for themselves and pursue the ever elusive ‘American Dream. ’ We live in the ghetto side of town and there is no easy way of telling how hard life is and the kind of things we are exposed to ranging from drugs, prostitution and so many other vices. For most kids on the block, school is really optional and very few ever make it past the eighth grade. The indifference of adults does not help much most of whom do not even care to ask how their children are doing or what they are up to.All they worry about is the payment of bills as they are due, everything else they leave to God and fate. It is against this background that I joined a local gang of six. Our activities ranged from carjacking, drug-peddling and robbing local convenience stores. My best friend, Curtis, was also a member of the gang and we have come a long way and through so much, he is like a blood brother. One day, Curtis and I were ordered to rob an African-American owned grocery store along the highway. When we go there, the proprietor’s wife was manning the counter while her husband was in the back.Curtis whipped out a weapon and ordered the lady to empty the till while I looked around for the police. Suddenly, I heard a gun shot and when I looked back Curtis lay in a pool of blood and the shotgun was aimed at me, I ran. When I got home, I could not believe what had just happened-that my best friend was probably dead and all for a few dollars. Then I heard the sirens and I knew they had come for me, I wondered how fast they had put the pieces to gether. I was whisked away to juvenile detention. No one from the gang ever came to see me not even making an appearance in court.Then it hit me that I had lost my best friend for nothing, courtesy of the choices we had made. We did not have to be members of any gang nor did we have to drop out of school. There is so much more to life. There and then I resolved to make something out of my life at least in memory of my dear friend. I first had to pay my debt to society then get back to school. Whatever the cost and however long it takes I vowed to change my life for the better and I did. I have come thus far and I thank God and the local youth support group for who I have become today, I would not even be here without their love, care and patience.Essay 4- Booker T. Washington. Born in 1856, Booker T. Washington was an African-American political leader, orator, author and educator. Washington’s philosophy was based on the principles of racial solidarity, forgiveness, accommoda tion and self help. He urged the African American community to accept prejudice for the time and concentrate their energies on lifting their standards through hard work and material prosperity. Washington believed in the cultivation of virtues like patience and enterprise among the black community.He believed that such virtues would earn Blacks some respect from the White community and ensure that they are fully integrated into the society as equal members. Undoubtedly, his philosophies put him on a collision course with notable leaders of the Black community especially W. EB. Dubois with whom they differed bitterly. (Bauerlein, 2004) Booker T. Washington’s philosophy can be summed up in the following quote, â€Å"With God's help, I believe that I have completely rid myself of any ill feeling toward the Southern white man for any wrong that he may have inflicted upon my race.I am made to feel just as happy now when I am rendering service to Southern white men as when the ser vice is rendered to a member of my own race. I pity from the bottom of my heart any Individual who is unfortunate as to get into the habit of holding race prejudice. † Washington's philosophy may be applied in the Jena Six case that happened in Jena, Louisiana in 2006. The Jena Six were a group of six teenagers of African American origin who were convicted in the beating of Justin Barker, a white student at Jena High school.The case has often been cited as an illustration of racial injustice because many people believed they were charged with grave offences and had received unfair treatment. The convictions of the six resulted in an escalation of racial tensions in the community. Many Jena residents viewed the arrests and ensuing convictions as racially prejudiced and unwarranted. Protesters argued that white youths involved in other incidents were treated mildly by the authorities. Massive protests were witnessed not only in Jena but in other US cities as well as the case rec eived nationwide attention. Booker T.Washington believed strongly that the African American community needed to address their safety and survival needs before seeking belonging, self esteem and self actualization within the community. In Jena, the Black community felt outnumbered and left out. This is illustrated by the emotional outpour that followed the arrests and convictions of the six teenagers. There were deep seated issues that had not been addressed and the Jena Six situation was actually the boiling point. The African-American community had been able to address their self esteem issues yet Essay 5- Marcus Garvey/Harlem Renaissance Vs W. E.B Dubois/Reconstruction Time. The Harlem Renaissance refers to a period between the 1920s and 30s which experienced the flowering of the intellectual life of the African-American community. Although the revolution was based mainly in Harlem, New York, its influence was felt across the world and more especially the in Paris, France where ma ny French-speaking black writers from Africa and the Caribbean lived. Perhaps, the growth and span of the Harlem Renaissance can be attributed to the changes that had been experienced in the Black American community since the abolition of slavery and the advent of industrialization.World War 1 and the social and cultural changes in the US at the turn of the 20th Century. Many black intellectuals played significant roles in the growth and sustenance of the renaissance including James Weldon Johnson, Alain Locke, Walter White and Jessie Fauset among many other prominent Black intellectuals of the time. The Renaissance did not receive unanimous support from the black intellectual community. In fact it received harsh criticism from black intellectual giants of the time including W. E. B Du bois, William Stanley Braithwaite and Benjamin Brawley.These men did not believe in the nature of the Renaissance literature. (Wintz, 1988, p 130) Marcus Garvey, one of the most influential black lead ers of the time had a strained relationship with the movement. Marcus came out as a critic of the renaissance. He is recorded as having hailed the Harlem Survey Graphic as being irrelevant to the Black cause. For instance he said of the Survey graphic that â€Å"it was not built around the needs of Negroes and their grievances but their contributions-around talents still half buried in the napkins of prejudices and underprivileged. † (Helbling, 1999, p60)The Harlem Renaissance declined in numbers and influence in the early 1930s. The dissipation was gradual rather than sudden. The movement failed to attract new recruits and thus there was no injection of new ideas and this led to the stagnation of the once vibrant society. New writers actually strived hard to build and maintain an identity separate from the Renaissance even as older writers were dying or cutting short their productivity. (Wintz, 1988, pg217) The term, Reconstruction, refers to the period that spread from the end of the 1865 American Civil War up till the withdrawal of the Union troops from the South in 1877.It was a defining era in American history and more in particular that of the African Americans because of the end of slavery as an institution. The war had also bequeathed the North and South a considerable amount of anger and mistrust. The African American community met the end of the civil War with hope, joy and anxiety. (Stroud and Schomp, 2007) For a long time, many historians and leaders had viewed the Reconstruction as a colossal failure in US history. They claimed that the leaders of the time especially in the South were corrupt, evil and incompetent.This view was however challenged by one of the most brilliant African American scholar and activist W. EB. Du Bois who portrayed Reconstruction as a brave and fine fight in his book Black Reconstruction in America. He argued that the Reconstruction was a step in the right direction in terms of building a democratic society up from the vestiges of slavery. He acknowledged the existence of the crooked politicians but he adds that the evil of corruption was widespread in the post- Civil War era in both the North and the South among members of both the Republican and Democratic parties.Du Bois goes ahead to support this era as being the time when significant strides were made in the economic and political standing of former slaves. His thoughts compelled many scholars to reshape their ideas on Reconstruction leading to a radically new analysis of one of the most controversial periods in the history of the United States. (Stroud and Schomp, 2007, p65) The Harlem Renaissance and the Reconstruction Era were defining moments in the history of the United States. While both periods received massive criticism they were turning points that brought a lot of change during those respective periods.Marcus Garvey and W, E. B Du Bois were critics of the Harlem Renaissance and did not see what it could contribute to the better ment of America. However, Du Bois comes out strongly to see the brighter side in the Reconstruction, a period that was tainted with a lot of controversy, twists and turns. We live the final judgment of these two eras to posterity. Essay 6- Nikki Giovanni/Black arts Vs Maya Angelou. Nikki Giovanni was born 66 years ago in Knoxville, Tennessee. Since 1987, she has taught writing and literature at Virginia Tech and she is a distinguished professor of English.Nikki is one of the most widely read American poets and she still is committed to the fight for equality and civil rights. Giovanni began writing poetry in the 1960s at a time when she was associated with the Black Arts Movement. Giovanni was one of the most influential figures of the Black Arts movement along with Sonia Sanchez, Jayne Cortez and Johari Amini among so many other leading lights. The Black Arts Movement emphasized the need for Black people to define the world in their own terms. The Black Arts Movement was intrinsica lly tied to the Black Power Movement in more ways than one.It was considered its aesthetic and spiritual sister and envisioned an art that directly spoke to the needs and aspirations of Black America. The credo of the Black Arts Movement was Art is the Arm of the Revolution. † It was also believed that all forms of Black Art were weapons whose sole reason for existence was to overthrow White oppression on all its forms. (Steele, 1998) Giovanni has always displayed profound interest in Black history and black identity. Much of her early poetry was inspired by the civil rights movement and the black power movement.This influence is seen in her first works including Black Feeling, Black Talk and Black Judgment. The themes covered in these books are homogenous but their form, tone and style vary. The poems in these two collections touch upon political events of the time including Martin Luther King Jr's assassination alongside those of Malcolm X and President J. F. Kennedy. (Bloom , 1995) Nikki Giovanni has been described both as an evolutionary and a revolutionary poet. She is also known to speak her mind on prevailing issues that she holds dear ever since her days at the Black Arts Movement.In a magazine article, she points out that the old virus of racism was still rampant in the American society. She goes on to acknowledge the Million Man March where thousands of Black men came together to seek love, oneness, atonement and support from one another. (Giovanni, 1996) Maya Angelou is not much different from Giovanni. Maya is a renown autobiographer and a poet. She has also been very active in the Civil Rights Movement. She has also taught at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.Maya is a recognized and highly respected spokesperson for African American people and women. Her books have traditionally been centered on the themes of identity, racism and family. Maya Angelou was born in 1928 in St Louis, Missouri and she has documented most of her life in her bestselling autobiography, I know why the Caged Bird Sings. Maya has always had a gift of bringing people together and she believes that people are more alike than they are different; Maya also believes that poetry can inspire a whole nation and its strength for the spirit.Her works were inspired from an early age by African American writers like W. E. B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes and also renown European playwright William Shakespeare. Maya Angelou is no stranger to suffering and despair. Her parents had a divorce when she was still a kid forcing them to go live with their grandmother in Stamps. When they moved to Stamps with her brother Bailey, racism was the order of the day and the Blacks were expected to live on a separate side of town. Maya was sexually abused as a child and she had to go through a trial that led to the conviction of Mr.Freeman. (Kite, 2006) Perhaps the differences between these two great women is the fact that there politics are far apart. Where Nikki chooses themes that are sometimes militant and takes strong political stands, Maya is more conciliatory and uses her gift to bring people together. Maybe this is because of the differences in the influences of their formative years. Giovanni was an active member of the Black Arts Movement which was seen to be radical in their approach to solving the issues affecting the African-American community.It is not lost to the eye that both women are exceptionally talented and they have used their unique gifts to bring change to the American society and for that we owe them loads of gratitude. Both women are can actually be described as American living legends. References Bauerlein, M. (2004). Washington, Du Bois and the Black Future. Wilson Quarterly Bloom, H. (1995) Contemporary Black American Poets and Dramatists. Chelsea House, New York, NY Blassingame, J. (1979) The Frederick Douglass papers. New Haven, Conn. : Yale University Press, 1979–. Giovanni, N. (1996) A Million Reasons to Hope. Black Collegian, Vol. 26(3) Helbling, (1999). The Harlem Renaissance: The One and the Many. Greenwood Press. Westport, CT. Kite, L. P (2006) Maya Angelou A Biography Learner Publications Co. Minneapolis, Minnesota Steele, V. (1998) Tom Feelings: A Black Arts Movement. African American Review. Vol 32(1) White, W. F. (2009) The Little Red Hen and other stories. Project Gutenberg, 1914. Stroud, B and Schomp, V. (2007) the Reconstruction Era. Marshall Cavendish. Tarrytown, NY. Wintz, Cary. (1988) the Black Culture and the Harlem Renaissance. Rice University Press. Houston, Tx

Critical Analysis on Clinical Supervision in Schools

The purpose of this study is to present the definition of clinical supervision and some basic concepts that are currently being used in the clinical supervision of public schools today. By having a clearer understanding of these definitions and concepts, prospective supervisors in public education will be better equipped to do their jobs. A situation has occurred due to the ever-increasing demand for supervisors in public education today in which those entering supervisory positions may not be properly equipped to supervise. This is primarily due to the fact that they may not understand all that is expected of them. To use economic terminology, the â€Å"demand is exceeding the supply†. As a result, supervisors may be placed into supervisory positions without a clear understanding of some definitions and concepts which have come into the realm of education fairly recently. Supervisors cannot do their jobs effectively if they are not properly educated in the roles and responsibilities of the clinical supervisor. The following study may serve as a review of some current definitions and concepts. The earliest supervisors in America's schools were often nothing more than overly critical â€Å"snoops† whose main job was to find what a teacher was doing wrong and report it to the teacher's superiors. Today we refer to this type of supervisor as a â€Å"snoopervisor†. It was more likely that a teacher would receive a reprimand or dismissal as a result of those supervisory visits. The role of the school supervisor has changed drastically from the humble beginnings of America's schools. Our public school system has gone through many different stages of development. Likewise, our educational supervisors have evolved as well. Since our public school system has gone through so many changes, (and continues to do so), a clear understanding of the responsibilities of clinical supervision is needed in order to properly prepare those wishing to serve in that capacity. Today's supervisors must know what is expected of them and some of the more current methods and concepts being used in clinical supervision. The research information in this study is limited to the study of school supervisors in the public school system. This study focused on supervisors who oversee the grade levels of Kindergarten through the 12th grade of high school. This study does focus on supervisors of colleges or other secondary educational institutions although much of this information may apply in those areas as well. It is, therefore, the primary goal of this study to collect, compile, and organize information that will help to prepare those wishing to serve as school supervisors so that they may better understand some of the terminology and concepts in clinical supervision. One of the more common roles of today's school supervisor is that of providing teachers with the support they need to become better teachers. Today's supervisor must be a coach or mentor, a â€Å"teacher's teacher†, so to speak. Where supervisors once tore down teachers and criticized them, today they build up teachers and edify them. The first use of the term â€Å"clinical supervision† was in 1961 when Morris Cogan used it in a proposal entitled Case Studies and Research in Clinical Supervision at Harvard University. Cogan defined clinical supervision in the following way: â€Å"Clinical supervision may therefore be defined as the rationale and practice designed to improve the teacher's classroom performance. It takes its principal data from the events of the classroom. The analysis of these data and the relationship between teacher and supervisor form the basis of the program, procedures, and strategies designed to improve the student's learning by improving the teacher's classroom behavior.† From Cogan's definition of clinical supervision we can see that the emphasis is on improvement of the teacher's performance. This makes the role of today's supervisor more of a supportive role. With that definition in mind, how can supervisors help teachers to become better teachers? What can supervisors do to improve the educational system in which they work? In the following study are a few examples of contemporary practices and concepts being utilized today to answer those questions. First of all, supervisors are concerned with the quality of teachers they have in their school and school system. It is the job of supervisors to make sure that the teachers working in their school system are the best teachers possible, and that they are working to the best of their ability. Once teachers have been selected and hired, they must know that the supervisor is there to support them and help them to improve their teaching skills. In an article in Educational Digest, Thomas Harvey and Larry Frase put it this way: â€Å"Coaching is not an option for school leaders but a basic function, along with counseling, mentoring, tutoring, confronting, and supporting. All of these will increase the commitment to quality and productivity.† This simply means that supervisors must engage the teachers (as well as themselves) in a never-ending process of improvement. That means keeping up with current changes in teaching styles and curriculum. Supervisors must be willing to set an example for teachers by showing that they are also willing to make changes in the way that they do things. Now that we are in a new millenium in education we see the education system in a state of constant change. Everything we do changes regularly. Teaching styles, the equipment that we use in schools, and even the schools themselves continuously go through new stages of development. It is no longer acceptable to simply achieve and maintain a status quo. Supervisors must recognize this and always be ready to lead their teachers into the future and new ways of educating students. The first way supervisors must lead their teachers is to make sure that they are aware of the legal aspects of education. In a recent article in Education magazine the authors said, â€Å"First on the list of all things a beginning teacher must do is to learn the policies of the school system and local school. A teacher who is legally challenged by a parent will receive support from the board of education when the teacher's actions follow policy†. For this reason, supervisors should tell their beginning teachers that board policies and the school handbook are required reading. Once this has been concluded, supervisors can move on to the matter of teacher evaluation. One method being used by many supervisors to evaluate and support new teachers is the peer support method. This concept has been touted as a promising way to build a teacher's sense of professionalism. Margaret Johnson and Lucy Brown described one study in which teachers in a large elementary school with about 42 teachers were organized into collegial support teams (CSTs) to ,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦supervise their teaching performance and promote their professional growth.†. Many of the teachers involved in the study said that it created,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦a â€Å"safe zone† in which they could admit shortcomings and work to improve their practice.†. This method follows the philosophy that the best people to evaluate the performance of teachers in a particular school system are other teachers in the same school system. This method is becoming very popular. Sometimes the path into the future of a school system may not be clear and narrow. There may be many different directions the supervisor may have to choose from. While discussing teachers who pursue positions in administration, Roberta Bernstein writes: â€Å"The position of curriculum developer requires working in teams and reporting to the central office. While following the directions of your superiors, you will also want to provide teachers with a curriculum that excites them. It's a balancing act.† Indeed, supervisors must often let their own preferences fall by the wayside in order to reach the compromise that is the best, overall solution for a situation. One driving motivator behind the decision-making process should always be â€Å"What is the best thing for the students?† The same thing holds true when evaluating teachers. Unfortunately, sometimes supervisors realize that a teacher just isn't performing at the minimal level necessary to remain in the system. Even after working very hard to help a teacher come up to the required standard of teaching to remain in their position, the supervisor asks â€Å"What is the best thing for the students?† and realizes that a replacement may be what is needed. There are many different reasons for teachers becoming marginal. In an article in Education Digest Don L. Fuhr identifies three categories of teachers who become â€Å"marginal†: â€Å"First is the helpless marginal teacher who doesn't grasp the basic techniques of effective teaching. It may be because of poor training or of good training never absorbed. Second is the teacher with a pressing personal problem, the more common ones being serious illness of a loved one, marital problems, or financial difficulties. The third and most difficult type is the hardheaded marginal teacher who has developed ‘an attitude'. † Regardless of the reason for a teacher becoming marginal, encouragement is the key to trying to help them improve. Supervisors must be willing to advise and help them. First, the teacher must be made aware of the specific problem. Then, a strategy can be developed for dealing with the problem. Sometimes, the best time for strategies to be developed is after a classroom observation. According to C.H. Van der Linde, â€Å"The follow-up discussion sometimes provides the most important situation for the collection of further data, because the teachers are now in a situation where they are able to explain their behavior.† Van der Linde goes on to say, â€Å"The teacher should be encouraged to give attention to both strong points and deficiencies. Remedies that are realistic should be discussed and steps to promote continuing professional growth should be outlined.† Some people, such as Francis Duffy, feel that we in education are going about staff development all wrong. Ms. Duffy says, † Even though we understand that school districts function essentially as systems, we persists in trying to improve schools one teacher at a time.† According to Ms. Duffy's Knowledge Work Supervision model, teaching would be improved by focusing on the performance of the entire school system rather than just individual teachers. One thing is certain, no matter what model of evaluation or development a supervisor uses, it is still inevitable to occasionally come across marginal teachers which fail to meet minimal standards no matter what the supervisor does to try to help them improve. One possible contributing factor to this situation is stress. Education, and particularly educational administration, are very high-stress professions. Clinical supervisors should encourage personal responsibility for stress management. Articulation of the expectation that individuals are to take the responsibility for control of their own stress levels also validates personal inclinations to do the same.

A Critical Essay on Raimondo Pannikar Essay Example for Free

A Critical Essay on Raimondo Pannikar Essay ? Raimondo Panikkar is a Roman Catholic Priest who specializes in the study of comparative philosophy of religion. He was born in Barcelona Spain on November 03, 1918. Perhaps, the mixed inter faith marriage of his mother, who was a Catholic from Catalonia Spain, and his father who was a Hindu from a highly situated caste Nair from South India, accounts most for his interest in comparative religious philosophy. His education also contributed much in this. He was educated in a Jesuit school and he took up chemistry and philosophy at universities in Madrid, Barcelona and Bonn. After being ordained as a Roman Catholic Priest in 1946, and holding doctorates in Philosophy and Science (Complutense University, Madrid 1945 and 1958) and theology (Pontifical Lateran University, Rome, 1961), he left for India in 1953 to undertake studies in Indian philosophy and religion at the University of Mysore and at the Banaras Hindu University. He authored 40 books and almost a thousand articles dealing with comparative philosophy and religion and has deliberated on principles and practices of multi-faith, which includes among others, dialogues between Christian-Hindu, Christian-Buddhist and Christian-Secularist. In the book Intrareligious Dialouges, Panikkar said â€Å"I left as a Christian; found myself a Hindu; and I return as a Buddhist, without having ceased to be a Christian. † (Panikkar, Paulist Press; revised edition, July 1999. ISBN 0809137631). Panikkar’s contributions are widely quoted and heavily used to support the theory of (your family name 2) religious pluralism, interfaith and multi-faith studies as well as religious comparative philosophy. THE WEBSITE HTTP://WWW. RELIGIOUSTOLERANCE. ORG No matter how you describe yourself, you should find your beliefs and practices accurately represented in this website. – (ReligiousTolerance. org) This site is a copyrighted side by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. In their Statement of belief the web masters said that they are a multi-faith group. As of 2008-FEB, we consist of one Atheist, Agnostic, Christian, Wiccan and Zen Buddhist. Thus, the OCRT staff lack agreement on almost all theological matters, such as belief in a supreme being, the nature of God, interpretation of the Bible and other holy texts, whether life after death exists, what form the afterlife may take, etc. (ReligiousTolerance. org) They proceed to enumerate key points in their belief system in a bullet style, and among others, said that they In working towards a culture that is relatively free of discrimination on the basis of gender, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, physical disability, age, etc. (ReligiousTolerance. org). On the left hand side of the website there are clickable links of articles and essays that list among others, the major religions of the world, Non-theistic articles such as Agnosticism and Humanism. There are also articles on Spiritual Ethics, Peace and Conflict, â€Å"Hot† Topics as well as Laws and News. Over-all the website is plain and straightforward. The interface is very easy to (your family name 3) use and very user friendly. The website has sponsors ads, but none of the usual annoying pop-ups, and/or annoying background music and other widgets that are found in other websites. The articles in the website presented in a logic way, are easy to use and topics are indexed clearly for easy referencing and retrieval. It is also peppered with nuggets and quotes from religious leaders and other notable personas. One such example is on the bottom part of the web page, from Mahatma Gandhi â€Å"The need of the moment is not one religion, but mutual respect and tolerance of the devotees of the different religions. (Ghandi). The website is a valuable resource for information in the major religions of the world. It is an excellent source of in depth religious comparative articles as well as current issues affecting faith and practice. WORKS CITED Pannikar, Raimondo. Intrareligious Dialouges: Paulist Press; revised edition, July 1999. ISBN 0809137631). Raimon-Panikkar. org Fundacion Vivarium Raimon Panikkar – Tavertet (Catalunya) Retrieved February 25, 2009. http://www. raimon-panikkar. org/index. html ReligiousTolerance. Org. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Retrieved February 25, 2009. http://www. religioustolerance. org/ A Critical Essay on Raimondo Pannikar. (2016, Oct 24).

Back Injuries In Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Back Injuries In Workplace - Essay Example if literature related back belts, on evaluating the adequacy of data in support of the use of back belts in preventing work-related injuries was insufficient to draw any conclusion either in support or against the advantages of using a back belt in a work-related environment. The memorandum also concluded that â€Å"the effectiveness of using back belts to lessen the risk of back injuries among uninjured workers (NIOSH, 1996)† and does not consider back belts to be personal protective equipment as there is no supporting data to indicate the significant reduction of biomechanical loading on the trunk during manual lifting. Also, the popular claims of industrial back belt manufacturers that back belts reduce significantly back injury risk due to changes in intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and trunk muscle electromyography (EMG). The claims of popular manufacturers in the market – OK-1 or Valeo or OccuNomix, seem to be focussing on the fact that the back belts work and help prevent workplace injuries by significantly reducing the intra-abdominal pressure or stiffening the spine. Now compare this with the authentic documentation from NIOSH or OSHA or the Surgeon General’s advisory that the efficacy of using back belts in preventing workplace back injuries seems to be almost contradictory. While the manufacturer’s claim efficacy in the usage of their products, there is no scientific evidence to back that claim. Probably this argument could go on and on both from the official front on lack of evidence to prove efficacy and manufacturers claiming efficacy. Taking a side in this argument leaves our organization nowhere near the solution near that is being sought to prevent workplace back injuries. The primary concern with respect to this paper is to prevent injuries and ensure well being of th e employees while ensuring the highest level of productivity for the organization.

Individual reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual reflection - Essay Example The process was tough but I learned from the exercise however of figuring out what is the best performance management tool for Nokia. Especially when our part focuses on the underperformer which is not easy to determine which performance tools are appropriate to improve their performance. There are a lot of tools to choose from and along with it, are also our debates which should we use. These debates however crystallize our understanding about performance management and its use and relevance in a business organization. After so much debate, we have agreed that the most appropriate performance management tools for Nokia are BARS and 360 degree feedback. BARS, it is a simple performance evaluation method where a rating scale is developed indicating the employee’s abilities using a rating scale (Jacobs et al., 1980). According to Campbell, â€Å"The use of BARS provides two important tools to management; first, an accurate â€Å"snapshot† of the learning disabilities and strengths of the organization. We deemed BARS to be appropriate for Nokia because the goal was to identify areas of improvement where management can help. The BARS evaluation gives them a ready idea or â€Å"snapshot† whereby it can help to address performance issues. The second performance tool we chose is 360 degree feedback - A performance appraisal method where feedback is given by 6 different sources from within the workplace. These sources may include different managers, work colleagues, peers, customers and well as a self-assessment. 360 degree feedback is an appropriate supplement for BARS evaluation method because it provides the â€Å"reason† behind the less than ideal performance identified by BARS evaluation method. Combining the two methods of BARS evaluation and 360 degrees feedback allows several advantages in improving the underperformers of Nokia.

An Investigation of the Effects of Smoking and International Public Essay

An Investigation of the Effects of Smoking and International Public Health Campaigns - Essay Example Initial investigations began in the Journal of the American Medical Association, their central website guides the user to salient articles available for purchase or library access. Specifically, this article will seek to answer whether health consequences of smoking over the past five decades is sufficient cause to trigger a public downturn in the prevalence of smoking. To this end, articles will be sought that describe long-term disease trends, as well as sociological shifts pertaining to public health, anti-smoking campaigns. A very recent study by Pierce and associates is highly relevant to this objective. An investigation was performed encompassing 1965 to 2007 to determine the prevalence of heavy, habitual smoking, in the United States, by age and birth cohorts in this instance; with a focus on the State of California. This, and other studies confirm that The intensity of smoking, not only its prevalence, is associated with future health risks. There were 139,176 total respondents within California and 1,662,353 for the remaining United States. Among individuals excluding Californians born between 1920-1929, the prevalence of moderate/high-intensity smoking, more than ten packs per day, was 40.5% in 1965. This high-level of tobacco consumption declined across successive birth cohorts, and it was noted that for the 1970-1979 birth cohort, the highest rate of moderate/high-intensity smoking was 9.7% in California and 18.3% in the remaining United States.... There were 139,176 total respondents within California and 1,662,353 for the remaining United States. Among individuals excluding Californians born between 1920-1929, the prevalence of moderate/high-intensity smoking, more than ten packs per day, was 40.5% in 1965. This high-level of tobacco consumption declined across successive birth cohorts, and it was noted that for the 1970-1979 birth cohort, the highest rate of moderate/high-intensity smoking was 9.7% in California and 18.3% in the remaining United States. There was a statistically relevant decrease in moderate/high-intensity smoking at older ages in all cohorts studied, but the decline was greater in California. According to this study, there has been considerable decrease in the prevalence of high-levels of tobacco consumption. The decrease is explicable both in terms of diminished onset of new smokers, and increase in prior smokers who succeed in breaking the nicotine addiction. Though more investigation is needed to clarify whether it is an awareness of the health-risks alone, either through personal experience or simple word-of-mouth, or whether public health campaigns should take credit for the decline. The British Medical Journal also proved to be a useful source; as a means to evaluate, on an international scale the effects of smoking, and various campaigns intended to lessen its toll on public health. A study was found in the BMJ database that described 50 years worth of smoking habits among male British doctors. The primary goal being a comparison of the hazards of cigarette smoking in British men who formed their habits at different time periods. In addition to determine the extent of any reduction in risks when cigarette smoking ceases at different ages. Essentially, the high

Discipinary Litercies , and my Discipinary Litercies is Accounting Research Paper

Discipinary Litercies , and my Discipinary Litercies is Accounting - Research Paper Example The discipline under study has a very close and effective relationship with its audience. The discipline seeks to offers essential advice and guidance to accounting students and professionals on the most effective way of improving their competence in their daily activities. The discipline directly addresses some of the professional and ethical issues that affect students after completing their courses in higher learning institutions. Moreover, the disciple addresses, some of the pertinent challenges encountered by various learning institutions in the country and in other parts of the world. The discipline offers precise solutions to problems and challenges that affect various institutions. In regard to organisation managers, the discipline address some social, ethical, and professional challenges that affects the entire recruitment and promotion process. The discipline has developed its conclusion and recommendations from the management and administrative point of view (Thomas, Ferna ndez, Budnik, and Boston 119) How does this discipline revise old knowledge? In other words, how does this discipline use prior knowledge to make new knowledge? To have effective an impact to its audience, the discipline has consistently used prior knowledge to make and generate new ideas and knowledge. ... sidering modern technological development, the discipline has enlarged the traditional knowledge by including other requirements such as the ability to abide by the organization culture, skills of developing an effective team as well as effective knowledge on modern Information Technology. On the other hand, the discipline has emphasised on the importance of specialisation in organisation management and operations. In this case, the discipline expounds on the importance of building basic capacities and content specialties. To improve efficiency in service delivery, the discipline has developed the old knowledge by coming up with effective mechanism of dealing with workloads in the organisation. By referring to the discipline under study, developing market activities such as acquisitions and mergers will serve a very critical role in addressing the problem of work overload as well as enhancing organisation expansion and development. The discipline has also described the importance and relevance of including ethical training in higher learning institutions (Thomas, Fernandez, Budnik, and Boston 121) How does the discipline invent new knowledge? What kinds of knowledge does this discipline invent? The discipline has invented new knowledge in the conventional knowledge through various ways. For a starter, the discipline has expounded on the importance of consistent and systematic researches to identify and develop new knowledge and skills. Over years, researches from various professionals have played very vital role in advancing the existing knowledge and skills. Secondly, the discipline has emphasised on the importance of incorporating professionals from diverse social, professional, and cultural settings in organisation operation and management. Modern information

Global Operation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Operation Management - Essay Example There are also more than 25 training centres distributed throughout the world. The official Huawei report of 2007 revealed that the corporation had realised US$12.6 billion in that financial year. Huawei’s overseas profits had increased by 60.4% from the previous year. Huawei’s evident success in such a competitive industry stems from its ventures in the local market. In 1988, Huawei began with a modest capital of RMB 20,000. It participated in reselling telephone switchboards for a period before it started producing its own products. In 1990, the Huawei Corporation invested its capital in channelling proceeds into a branch of research and development into creating its own telephone switches. In 1992, Huawei introduced its new digital switch product which came from its own design and development facilities. The company proceeds that year exceeded RMB95 million. The Huawei Corporation then made the decision to invest more capital in more research and development, which r esulted in assisting the corporation to corner the telecom market in China. At the start of the 90s, the Chinese telecom market dominated by equipment providers from the Western democracies. When the Huawei Corporation first introduced its products, it had to deal with the business rivals right in its own nation. Most Chinese consumers of electronic products viewed the products manufactured in the West as having more value as than any goods that were manufactured domestically. The Huawei Corporation at first concentrated on reaching the populations in rural China with its products. This is because these areas were not viewed as having many people interested in electronic products by the multinational corporations that dealt in electronic products. In these areas, Huawei slowly acquired a respected brand name, thus generating a faithful clientele. Then, Huawei then began to market its electronic products, as well as software, to average sized municipalities. The move to corner the ma rket in the bigger towns would come later. The Huawei Corporation experienced a considerable measure of success because the Chinese government, then, viewed the growth of the telecommunications industry as an important part of the nation’s economic objectives. The government of China extended a lot of support in terms of financial investments and policy to the Huawei Corporation. The 90s were actually the golden era of the development of the telecom industry in China. Between 1991 and 1999, the proceeds from the telecommunications industry increased by 2050%. With the support of the government, the Huawei Corporation successfully made use of the chance to be the foremost supplier of electronic goods in China. By 1996, Huawei was realising profits of RMB2.6 billion on an annual basis, making it the leading provider of telecom goods in China. The excellent performance of a corporation in its own nation is generally a fact that stimulates it towards internationalisation. The Hua wei Corporation was not contented to dominate the Chinese domestic market, but wished to compete in the international arena against bigger rivals. There were some reasons for this. Even though the telecom industry in China had great potential, fierce competition among corporations that were established in the same decade meant that proceeds would be limited even for the corporation that

World Civilization I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

World Civilization I - Essay Example There was also intimate association between the priests and the chieftains in Vedic India. In the society of Vedic India, there were also four major castes, that is, the Brahmins (priestly caste), the Ksatriyas (worrior caste), the Vaishyas (the farmer and tradesman caste), and the Shudras (servants and menial workers) (Indian History 205). Just like in the Vedic India, the societies in the Southeast Asia had also some structural features that acted as centers for political and military authority. Additionally, it is evident that the societies in the Southeast Asia also expanded like the territories in Vedic India. This is evidenced by the extension of the cities in the Southeast Asia to the surrounding areas. The demand for provision of defense in the Southeast Asia also led to the emergence of kingdoms like in the Vedic India which enhanced taxation. Just like castes in Vedic India, Southeast Asia had also empires such as Akkadians and Babylonians. Social distinction was also evident in Southeast Asia like in Vedic India. This is evidenced by the variation in the rate of punishment as a result of class distinction. Unlike Southeast Asia, the social structure of ancient China looks like that of Vedic India. This is evidenced by the social structure of China first having the kings and nobles in the highest level, then the lords and warriors, and finally the peasants in the lowest class. The roles of leaders in ancient China were also well stipulated. The kings led to government, the lords paid taxes to the kings as well as provided warriors to protect the land, and the peasants worked for the

Marketing assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing assessment - Essay Example Among these is the threat of new entrants in to the market. The ratio of new entrants continues to get bigger and as such intensifies the competition. For example in the telecommunications industry, more companies have set up shop, introducing products such as mobile phones which are affordable therefore challenging the already existing companies. This is primarily due to the advances in technology which allows more people to venture in to business easily than it was the case in the past. This means that more superior products will be developed in order to retain a competitive advantage. Therefore, increase in the financial spending to produce quality products and services and low profit margins since the prices of the products and services will be put to match the market prices at the time. Globalisation another feature of technology is a major challenge especially to local companies who are increasingly being faced by competition from multinationals in their backyard. Local companies face the risk of losing monopoly as more and better products and services are being offered by international companies who have infiltrated their market. There is an increase in middle men and counterfeit products in the market which is a major threat to the existing genuine companies. Fake and substandard products continue to flood the market at the expense of genuine products due to their low pricing. People are buying cheap products due to the high cost of living as a substitute to genuine products they are unable to afford. The rise of middle men also, who sell products and make higher profits than the producers themselves are also a major threat to companies in the 21st century. Pfizer pharmaceutical in the US has been a victim of this continued trend with several of their medicine being counterfeited. Counterfeiting is linked to organized crimes such as money laundering and is a lucrative business for the

Buddhism Versus Greek Mythology Essay Example for Free

Buddhism Versus Greek Mythology Essay â€Å"[A human being] experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness, â€Å"said Albert Einstein. â€Å"Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty† (â€Å"Heart Quotes†). Einstein’s view on nature is similar to that of Indian Buddhists. Life-giving Indian weather inspired the Buddhist cyclic view of rebirth while the rugged terrain of Greece inspired their harsh outlook on nature. Buddhists believe man is one with nature while Greek mythology emphasizes the all-importance of man. Buddhists live in harmony with nature whereas the Greeks show violence towards it and all its creatures. However, as the Greek mindset shifted towards philosophy, so did it shift towards similar reverence towards nature. The defining distinction between these two perspectives on life is that the outlook on nature of Buddhists show values from the belief that all is in harmony with Atman, whereas the Greek outlook on nature shows that man is above nature. India is a country of lush plains, striking mountains, beautiful deserts, and dazzling bays. 2, 545 years ago, this incredible scenery served as the backdrop to Buddha’s life and eventual Enlightenment, from which Buddhist teachings would one day grow (Eckel 6). The impact of Buddha’s surroundings on Buddhist thinking is obvious, especially when one takes into consideration India’s dramatic seasonal climate changes. Every summer in India, the monsoons arrive. Every summer in India is monsoon season, a time of torrential downpours raging uninterrupted for months. Before these monsoons, the earth is dried and parched; food and water are scarce. It is, in every way, a season of death. Then, however, the rain arrives, harsh and relentless, but life giving nonetheless. The rain is the amniotic fluid catalyzing the re-entrance of life unto the barren earth. This annual cycle of death and rebirth presents the native people with a dire ultimatum: they must either obey nature or not survive. If they try to go against nature’s course, they will inevitably fail. Nature controls life. Observing this phenomenon, Buddhists learned from nature and realized that this cycle can be found everywhere. They realized that humans undergo an equivalent cycle called samsara, or reincarnation. - â€Å"He could no longer distinguish the many voices, the cheerful from the weeping, the children’s from the men’s: they all belonged together. The lament of the knower’s yearning and laughing, the screaming of the angry, the moaning of the dying- everything was one; everything was entwined and entwisted, was interwoven a thousand fold. And all of it together, all voices, all goals, all yearnings, all sufferings, all pleasures, all good and evil-the world was everything together. Everything together was the river of events, was the music of life. And when Siddhartha listened attentively to this river, listened to this song of a thousand voices, when he did not listen to sorrow or laughter, when he did not bring his soul to any one voice and did not enter them with his ego, but listened to all of them, heard the wholeness, the oneness- then the great song of the thousand voices consisted of a single word, which was ‘om’: perfection†¦belonging to the oneness† (Hesse 118-119). At the core of Buddhism lies an important lesson about maya and Enlightenment. To reach Enlightenment, one must understand all. One of the first steps towards such understanding is to understand maya, or illusion. Everything that one sees, feels, and tastes belongs to the world of maya. Even one does not exist but in the world of maya. Thus, if all does not exist, then all is equal. One is equal to everything in the surrounding world, especially nature. All are one in Atman, which is the heart of all of Buddhism. Everything is one. All of this separation from nature and from one another is simply maya, or an illusion. Consequently, in Buddhism, any injustice done to nature is an injustice to oneself. To reach Enlightenment, peace and oneness with nature are essential. Man and nature are one. Therefore, everyone and everything, especially nature, should be treated as so. â€Å"[Siddhartha said,] ‘This stone is a stone, it is also an animal, it is also God, it is also the Buddha, I love and honor it not because it would become this or that someday, but because of this because it is a stone, because it appears to me now and today as a stone, it is precisely because of this that I love it and see worth and meaning in each of its veins and pits, in the yellow, in the gray, in the hardness, in the sound it emits when I tap it,  in the dryness or dampness of its surface. [T]hat is precisely what I like and what seems wonderful to me and worthy of worship†¦I love the stone and the river and all these things that we contemplate and also a tree or a piece of bark. These are things and things can be loved† (Hesse 126-127). In harmony with the principle of reincarnation, any plant, creature, or other aspect of nature is a part of the cycle of rebirth. Therefore, any of these can one day become a man, for when something in nature dies, it undergoes the cycle of rebirth and can be reborn as anything. One day, it will become a human. Nature holds the ability within itself to be a human and, for that reason, should be considered as an equal. The true magnitude of nature’s presence in Buddhism is truly portrayed by the distinct mentioning of Siddhartha reaching enlightenment under a tree, specifically the Bodhi tree or the Asiatic fig tree (Gach 16). The scriptural account of the Enlightenment of Buddha gives this significance to nature when Buddha sits under the Bodhi tree for seven whole days. After the seven days, the Buddha gets up only to sit down again at an Ajapala banyan-tree for another length of time. He rises once again just to sit down once more at the foot of a Mucalinda tree (â€Å"Bodhi Leaf†). Nature is therefore made clear as one of the most important aspects of Buddhism. As Buddhists have such a deep reverence for nature, they believe in keeping peace with every aspect of nature. This does not just mean plants but also animals and other living creatures. However, that does not mean that all Buddhists must be vegetarians although it is strongly suggested to do so. It is said that the act of eating meat is a form of karma that will lead a person farther from Enlightenment. Therefore, the more meat one eats in one’s various lives, the more times one will have to experience the cycle of death and rebirth. On the other hand, some Buddhists believe in another view of meat eating. One is allowed to eat meat that one receives unless one knows or suspects that the meat in question was killed especially for one (Epstein). As far as sacrificial practices, meat is not sacrificed but instead herbs and incense are given up in prayer. Peace is a very important aspect of treating nature. Peace comes in many forms: peace towards environment, towards creatures, towards man, etc. A Buddhist definition of peace is â€Å"softening what is rigid in our hearts† (Chodron 17). In keeping with their attitude towards nature, Buddhists also believe that a man should not kill another man for any reason. In Buddhism, war is never the answer. In fact, the first few lines of the Dhammapada, a Buddhist scripture, state â€Å"For love is not conquered by hate: hate is conquered by love. This is a law eternal† (Chappell 81). Therefore, instead of fighting hate with hate, Buddhists believe in fighting hate with love. That is the only way to overcome and to reach Enlightenment. â€Å"’When someone seeks,’ said Siddhartha,’ then it easily happens that his eyes see only the thing that he seeks, and he is able to find nothing, to take in nothing because he always thinks only about the thing he is seeking, because he has one goal, because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: having a goal. But finding means: being free, being open, having no goal. You, Venerable One, may truly be a seeker, for, in striving toward your goal, you fail to see certain things that are right under your nose. † (Hesse, 121-122) As previously stated, to reach Enlightenment, Buddhists believe all that is needed is understanding. The ultimate goal of Buddhists is to attain this understanding, this meaning, this Enlightenment. However, one must be aware that spending a life seeking is not the way to reach Enlightenment. To be a faithful Buddhist, one must understand that the key is not to seek. For, in seeking, as this quote says, the obvious is not seen. Buddhism then teaches that to reach Enlightenment, one must find not seek. Therefore, Buddhists do not seek to explain nature (Hanh 78). They are content with nature as it is- unexplained, for nature’s explanations can be found without seeking. â€Å"’Is this what you mean: that the river is everywhere at once, at its source and at its mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the rapids, in the sea ,in the mountains, everywhere at once, and only the present exists for it, and not the shadow of the future? ’ ‘That is it,’ said Siddhartha. ‘And when I learned that, I looked at my life, and it was also a river and the boy Siddhartha was separated from the adult Siddhartha and from the old man Siddhartha only by shadow, not by substance. Nor were Siddhartha’s earlier births the past, and his death and his return to [Atman] are no future. Nothing was, nothing will be; everything is, everything has being and is present† (Hesse 94). A final important aspect of Buddhism is the concept that time does not exist. Time is a man-made notion that does nothing but bring about worries. All sufferings in life can be attributed to time. Buddhists believe that once the concept of time is released, life will hold no more problems, worries, or stresses. Only then can Enlightenment be truly reached. When the concept of time is destroyed inside oneself, it allows for a completely new philosophy to surface. Greece is a country lined with hostile, jagged mountains, in which there are very few arable location surrounded by threatening seas. There is no cycle, no preconception, no structure. To the Ancient Greeks, it seemed that nature was not kind; nature was no friend to them. Therefore, their logic decided that they should be no friend to nature. Such was the physical and mental location of this people, and the beginning of many differences between Greek thought and Buddhism. Greeks living about six hundred years ere the birth of Christ were very religious, as well as very diverse spiritually. All the answers to their questions were found in different religions. Ancient Greeks passed down their religious traditions orally through myths. A myth is â€Å"a story about the gods which sets out to explain why life is as it is† (Gaarder, 22). Greek mythology was an integral part of Greek culture. The ‘miracle of Greece’ is a phrase that describes the awakening of Greek culture and its effects on the rest of the world. One way the Greeks accomplished this was through their focus on man’s importance. They put mankind at the center of their world so that man was all-important. The Greeks even created the gods in their own image, complete with very human qualities. This was the first time in history that a god was made into a recognizable, tangible form. Erstwhile, gods had no lucidity about them. â€Å"Greek artists and poets realized how splendid a man could be, straight and swift and strong. He was the fulfillment of their search for beauty. They had no wish to create some fantasy shaped in their own minds† (Hamilton, 9). Man was put on a pedestal and made the most prominent being in the world, so that he was made into a deity. Any human could be the son of a god, thereby half-divine, an idea unheard of before this time. This idea of man being the ultimate authority is in complete contradiction to Buddhism, where man was equal to nature, not above it. â€Å"And soon as the men had prayed and flung the barley, first they lifted back the heads of the victims, slit their throats, skinned them and carved away the meat from the thighbones and wrapped them in fat, a double fold sliced clean and topped with strips of flesh. And the old man burned these over dried split wood and over the quarters poured out glistening wine while young men at his side held five-pronged forks. Once they had burned the bones and tasted the organs they cut the rest into pieces, pierced them with spits, roasted them to a turn and pulled them off the fire† (Homer 93) Myths were also used for other purposes than learning. â€Å"But a myth was not only an explanation. People also carried out religious ceremonies related to the myths† (Gaarder, 25). Like most other religions at the time, the Ancient Greeks’ religions consisted of brutal rituals and rites that contrasted greatly to the thoughts of Buddhism (Connolly 87). Buddhism teaches of kindness to animals whereas Greek religion utilized animal cruelty as part of their holy worship to the gods. The gods of Olympus, who were created in the ultimate image of the Greek people, used the forms of innocent animals to manipulate and get what they wanted. In many instances, Zeus used the guise of animals when he wanted to capture a woman and gain her trust. â€Å"[T]hat very instant [Zeus] fell madly in love with Europa [ H]e thought it well to be cautious, and before appearing to Europa he changed himself into a bull† (Hamilton 101). However, rather than setting an example to revere animals, this teaches people to use animals in any way possible to reach the desired end. Even more opposed to Buddhism was the fact that a Greek hero was someone who had extreme strength or other physical features that he could use against animals. Hercules is one of the best examples of this notion. He is considered the greatest Greek hero ever to live. Through a tragic sequence of events, he killed his sons and wife, but was doomed to live on in order to undergo a series of trials to redeem himself. His first predicament was to â€Å"kill the lion of Nemea. Hercules solved [that] by choking the life out of [the lion]† (Hamilton 231). Hercules also had to drive out the â€Å"Stymphalian birds, which were a plague to the people of Stymphalus because of their enormous numbers† (Hamilton 232). This shows that, unlike Buddhists, Greeks could not live in peace with nature, but instead hated nature. Ancient Greeks did not want anything to do with nature, let alone be a part of it. Hercules also had to capture many animals in these trials such as the â€Å"stag with horns of gold†, â€Å"a great boar which had its lair on Mount Erymanthus†, â€Å"the savage bull that Poseidon had given Minos†, â€Å"the man-eating mares of King Diomedes of Thrace†, the cattle of Geryon†, and â€Å"Cerberus the three-headed dog† (Hamilton 232-233). Hercules inspired the Greeks not by staying in peace with nature but instead by forcing it to conform to his will in a harsh, cruel way. Hercules made sure he was above nature, a predicament the Buddhists avoided and even condemned. In summary, Greeks wanted to overcome nature whereas Buddhists wanted to be one with nature. â€Å"So by the beaked ships the Argives formed for battle, arming round you, Achilles –Achilles starved for war-and faced the Trojan ranks along the plain’s high ground[†¦T]he Achaeans kept on gaining glory- great Achilles who held back from the brutal fighting so long had just come blazing forth. Chilling tremors shook the Trojans’ knees, down to the last man, terrified at the sight: the headlong runner coming, gleaming in all his gear, afire like man-destroying Ares† (Homer 503, 505). As previously stated, Buddhists lived by the doctrine to fight hate with love. If Ancient Greeks had a concise doctrine about war, it would have been to fight hate with more hate. Ancient Greek civilization centralized around their love of carnage. The majority of Ancient Greek myths revolved around war or other forms of fighting. The Iliad is a 537-page myth about one war and it glorifies all aspects of war. The heroes of The Iliad are not monks or The Buddha like in Buddhism. Instead, the heroes of The Iliad are Achilles and Hector, two soldiers magnificent in warfare and bloodthirsty through and through. In addition, Achilles is most illustrious in The Iliad when he is the most sanguinary. â€Å"[Diomedes] went whirling into the slaughter now, hacking left and right and hideous groans broke from the drying Thracians slashed by the sword-the ground ran red with blood. [†¦]Tydeus’ son went tearing into that Thracian camp until he’d butchered twelve. [†¦]But now the son of Tydeus came upon the king, the thirteenth man, and ripped away his life. [†¦]Patroclus tore [Pronous’s] chest left bare by the shield-rim, loosed his knees and the man went crashing down. [†¦ Then Patroclus] stabbed [Thestor’s] right jawbone, ramming the spearhead square between his teeth so hard he hooked him by that spearhead over the chariot-rail, hoisted, dragged the Trojan out. [†¦Patroclus then] gaffed him off his car [†¦] and flipped him down face first, dead as he fell. Next [†¦] he flung a rock and it struck between [Erylaus’s] eyes and the man’s whole skull split in his heavy helmet. [Patroclus] crowded corpse on corpse on the earth. † (Homer, 292, 426-427) Even more horrific to the eyes of Buddhists would be the battle scenes in The Iliad that truly show the awe and glory the ancient Greeks saw in war. The Iliad was a myth that served more as entertainment than anything else. This shows that Ancient Greeks were amused by this kind of literature. Buddhists believe in not seeking to explain nature. By contrast, Ancient Greeks did precisely this with their myths. â€Å"[A myth] is an explanation of something in nature; how, for instance, any and everything in the universe came into existence: men, animals, this of that tree or flower, the sun, the moon, the stars, storms, eruptions, earthquakes, all that is and all that happens† (Hamilton 12). Ancient Greeks wanted to know how everything happened around them so they could manipulate their environment more easily. This is a central division between Ancient Greeks and Buddhism. Whereas Buddhists believe that time does not exist, Ancient Greeks were engrossed by time. All throughout The Iliad, Homer stresses how long the war has been going on and how it worries and distresses everyone involved. Unlike Buddhists, the Greeks do not disown the belief of time. They stay true to the traditional man-made vision of time instead of throwing out their problems by abandoning the idea of time. â€Å"[The natural philosopher] Heraclitus (c. 540-480 B. C. )[†¦] was from Ephesus in Asia Minor. He thought that constant change, or glow, was in fact the most basic characteristic of nature. [†¦ ]‘Everything flows,’ said Heraclitus. Everything is in constant flux and movement, nothing is abiding. Therefore we ‘cannot step twice into the same river. When I step into the river for the second time, neither I nor the river are the same’† (Gaarder 34). Slowly, Greek culture started to move away from religion and more towards philosophy. It evolved from a â€Å"mythological mode of thought to one based on experience and reason† (Gaarder 27). People could make ideas for themselves and create new beliefs instead of going back to the myths. The world started a shift from relying on religion to analyzing the world with science and philosophy. Surprisingly, this is where similarities between Greek and Buddhist culture were born. At first, the two religions of the ancient Greeks and the Buddhists clashed greatly. However, through the move away from mythical religion the Greek beliefs were brought closer towards the religion of Buddhism. Heraclitus here used the same metaphor for his philosophy as Siddhartha used for his. Although the passages were said in different situations and with different words, both quotes have the same general philosophy that time does not truly exist. A river is usually a sign of separation; a river acts as a divider in most cases. However, this river brings two very different cultures together in a very powerful way that is clear to all. Nature is everything outside and inside a man or a woman or a child. Nature is every breath taken, every step forward, every glance made, every wind blown, and every flower planted. The two cultures of Greece and Buddhism showed great contrasts in the beginning but one resounding similarity was found in something as simple as a river. India shows a cyclic weather that inspired the thought of rebirth while Greece shows a harsh terrain that inspired animosity between man and nature. As a consequence, Buddhists thought that nature and man are one while Greeks were taught to be above nature and manipulate it in any way possible. Buddhists lived in ultimate peace while the ancient Greeks lived in love of carnage. The Buddhist outlook on nature is derived from the belief that man is one with nature whereas the original Greek outlook is derived from the thought that man is above nature. Nature is the essence of the world, the aura of everything around people. These two cultures, although vastly different, impacted human belief and intellect forever.

Dialectic Journal for Catcher in the Rye Essay Example for Free

Dialectic Journal for Catcher in the Rye Essay Entry One Quote: â€Å" and all that David Copperfield kind of crap but I don’t feel like going through it if you want to know the truth my parents would have about two hemorrhages a piece it I tell anything pretty personal about them.† (Page 1) Response: This excerpt makes me very curious about his family members. The tone makes me believe that Holden probably is ashamed by them or he doesn’t like them when he describes them as â€Å"crap†. His parents’ attitude toward telling others personal stories is also confusing. It is not clear whether they are the ones inhibiting Holden from telling or not. I predict that Holden is reluctant when it comes to uncovering truths about his life. This quote is important because it gives me background information into Holden’s family life, as well as revealing a variety of characteristics of his personality. From this quote, I could tell that Holden does not have motivation to excel in school and he does not seem to care about getting kicked out. Being the teenager that he is, Holden does not realize the importance of education in his life, thus not caring about the severe consequences. Entry Two Quote: â€Å"He said he talked to Jesus all the time, even when he was driving his car. That killed me. I can just see the big phony bastard shifting into first gear and asking Jesus to send him more shifts.† (Page 17) Response: The quote made me really confused because I do not understand what Holden meant by shifting gear in this passage. However, now I understand that he does not like braggers and fakers. Also, Holden finds it irrational that these people dare to say they follow Jesus. I agree with him. If standing in a parking lot does not make you a car, then going to a church does not mean you are incredibly religious. This also seems to be one sign of Holden’s immaturity. It is very clear that when Holden starts to horse around, he puts an effort into annoying those surrounding him. Entry Three Quote: â€Å"I didn’t care about not seeing the movie anyway Besides, I’d been to the movies before with Auckly and Brossard.† (Page 37) Response: This quote seems ironic to me in ways more than one. Holden normally hates watching movies because he thinks that actors are fake and phony. He also does not like Auckly that much. In this section of the book, Holden does not seem glum and miserable as usual because he is acting like a regular teenager would. Holden’s invitation to Auckly proves that he is caring and sensitive to Auckly’s emotions. He also knows that loneliness is the worst situation so he helps Auckly out of it at least for one night. I also feel as if Holden really did care about seeing the movie because of the tone evolved in his voice. Entry Four Quote: â€Å"He got leukemia and died when we were up in Maine, on July 18, 1946. You’d have liked him. He was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent. He was terrifically intelligent.† (Page 49) Response: This quote seemed very significant to me. It informed me that Holden had a younger brother named Allie who died from Leukemia. It is extremely clear that when Holden thinks about Allie, all he thinks about is how amazing of a person Allie was. I get the feeling that Holden is very fond of his siblings and has developed a fantastic relationship with them over time, making the death of Allie a major impact on his life. Also, the way Holden seems to be acting in this scene in the book tells me that he has strong feelings for Jane. The way he is talking about Stradlater has a connotation of evilness and mystery as to why he is afraid about Jane. Holden used to be close friends with Jane and he knows things about her that is worrying him about the intimate relationship she might form with Stradlater. Entry Five Quote: â€Å"I was right away sorry I’d said it, but it was too late.† (Page 75) Response: In my perspective, Holden tells these lies because he is used to it, but every time in the end he feels guilty. I think the fact that Holden feels bad about what he has done makes him a mature young man. He recognizes his mistakes and recognizes the horrid feeling of telling a lie. Many people in life have had moments where they have said something and regretted it immediately. This is the exact situation in which Holden was in. Holden had just had one of those relatable moments involving the guilt from saying something harsh and how it immediately affects him. However, he soon realizes that it is unfortunately too late to take back the words he had said. Entry Six Quote: â€Å"The fish-that’s different. The fish is different. I’m talking about the ducks.† (Page 82) Response: In this passage of the book, Holden is thinking scientifically. This supports the fact that he is smart after all, even though he his failing most of his classes. Often times, a teenager wants something so bad, they come up with crazy and somewhat stupid ideas and plans to help them obtain that something. Maybe this is because he does not want to try or maybe he wants to fit in with others who would not accept him if he was smart. In this metaphor, he is comparing himself the ducks in Central Park when the lagoon freezes over. What Holden is really saying is the fact that he would not know where to go if he stays living in a place full of phonies and rude people. The ducks cannot swim in ice and he will not stay in a school full of fakes. Entry Seven Quote: â€Å"She hasn’t felt too healthy since my brother Allie dies. She’s very nervous. That’s another reason why I hated like hell for her to know I got the ax again.† (Page 140) Response: This quote clearly explains how Holden is definitely not the only one who is affected by his brother, Allie’s, death. Holdens mother has gained severe health problems ever since Allie passed away. His mother is also very nervous, and I have come to conclusion that this is probably because she is afraid to lose another child of her own. However, not matter what her reason, Holden is concerned about his mother, and he feels saddened and guilty that his problems will affect her. This seems to be one of the real reasons as to why he does not want his parents, especially his mother, to know about him getting kicked out of school once again. I can relate to Holden in this situation in the fact that there is much pain and struggle that goes on within a family when a tragedy happens. Entry Eight Quote: â€Å"I kept putting my hand over my stomach and all to keep the blood from dripping all over. I didn’t want anybody to know I was wounded. I was concealing the fact that I was a wounded sunuvabitch.† (Page 150) Response: Back in the hotel when Holden caught himself into a fight and became the punching bag for the elevator guy, he pretended to be shot in the stomach. It is worth noting that Holden does the same thing now. I will infer that Holden may have seen this played out in a movie and such a scene became imprinted in his head. Also, this passage is extremely symbolic as to how Holden is feeling. It is very clean that Holden has a ton of issues that are depressing him but he is not showing that among others. I feel as though if Holden received help from a therapist or even a loved one he could excel in life and not have to live in such a tremendous lie anymore. In this depressed state, Holden is looking for much comfort. In some ways Holden proves he has much strength, but in other ways he proves he is a weak liar. Entry Nine Quote: â€Å"Then I took my hunting hat from my coat pocket and gave it to her.† (Page 180) Response: In this quote it is clear that Holden feels attached to it because he is able to recognize the connection he has with it. When he puts on the hat, he feels almost outside of himself and feels like there is someone that understands him. He understands himself even if no one else does. He feels safe when he wears it. The hunting hat is very symbolic to Holden. He wears it whenever he wants to feel protected and loved. It is probably the only object he cherishes. Giving that hat to Phoebe is a terrific example of being the catcher in the rye because he was to protect the children from the severity of life. Among those children, his favorite person is Phoebe, and this is why he chose the hand off the hunting hat to her. Entry Ten Quote: â€Å"but this damn article I started reading made me almost worst. It was all about hormones. It describes how you should look, your face and eyes and all, if your hormones were in good shape, and I didn’t look that way at all.† (Page 195) Response: Holden appears to be sad, lonely, and in desperate need of comforting. Unfortunately he decides to turn to alcohol for comfort. This clearly demonstrates how Holden behaves when dealing with certain issues as well as showing another immature side of him. Holden is originally skinny. He was supposed to be on a certain diet to help him gain weight, but he never eats enough. In fact, he rarely mentions food in his whole novel. His body is not receiving the essential nutrition in order for his body to function correctly, and consequently his hormones are not going to form completely. Many organs in his body will not work correctly, this includes his brain. This is scientifically why Holden will wind up in a mental hospital to seek help with his personal issues.

The Great Depression In Canada During 1920s History Essay

The Great Depression In Canada During 1920s History Essay A recession is when a neighbour has to tighten his belt. A depression is when you have to tighten your own belt. And a panic is when you have no belt to tighten and your pants fall down. Politician an activist, Tommy Douglas. During the 1920s, Canadas economy has boomed majorly after WW1. Many great inventions were made, the role of women has changed, and businesses as well as industries, over expanded. However, the prosperity of the 1920s came to a halt on 29 of October, 1929. The major causes of this horrendous time period was the over-production/over-expansion, dependence on staple products, and primarily; the stock market crash. It was a relentless worldwide economic crisis in the decade preceding World War II. In the decade of the 20s, many industries were expanding. As a result of theses expansions, supplies such as food, minerals, and cars stayed piled. Workers as well as their families had less money to spend. Consequently, sales deliberated even more. Canadas economy (mainly the west) depended majorly on staple products. This led them to be the hardest hit regions because they did not have other things to sell. A major problem Canada had suffered so greatly was because Canadas economy was closely connected to the U.S. As a result, Americans were not in need of Canadas resources. Therefore, Canada stumbled greatly because they were not dependent enough on their own. . Throughout the 1920s, credit buying and buying on margin became more and more popular as new inventions were being made. With added interest payments many families got themselves hopelessly into debt.  Many families got themselves desperately in debt without realizing how much they spent. This became a major problem because if the employee or wage owner became sick or was laid off, it would be impossible to pay back the loan. Additionally, ambling on the stock market became very popular and common, it was not limited just to those who owned businesses and possessions. As well as average citizens who wanted to get rich fast. The scheme was that as soon as the stocks went up in value, they could sell them and pay back the broker and keep the profits. Unfortunately, not all stocks went up, and this lead to the atrocious stock market crash. The 20s was certainly a decade of freedom for most, and in addition, many incredible products were invented and improved upon. However, a phenomenal depression struck at the end of the 1920s, leaving Canada, and many other countries in great despair. When the Depression hit, all parts of Canada suffered. However, the hardest hit region was the West. The financial crisis joined with the forces of nature that created dreadful times for prairie farmers. Alberta and Saskatchewan had experienced severe droughts, and without rain, the crops died. This led to serious low percentages of staple products such as, wheat being sold. In addition, provincial income dropped immensely as well. Topsoil was flounced away, and dry wind storms drifted away for hundreds of kilometres. As if this was enough destitution for the West, adding to the devastation were plagues of grasshoppers that infested the crops and a pandemic of wheat rust that demolished the wheat fields. The dirty thirties (an acronym used to describe the harsh times of the 30s) brought major ecological problems mainly to the West. The major adversity was the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl was an ecological phenomenon and disaster caused by the misuse of land that affected both, Canada and the United States. The loss of valuable farmland during the time period led many farmers and their families to migrate to other areas that were not as hard hit; like Southern parts of Canada, as well as the Atlantic. In 1935, this ecological crisis led to the creation of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) that coordinated strategies for reducing soil erosion. In the present day, PFRA works with prairie farmers to maintain the agricultural industry and to expand strategies for sharing Canadian knowledge and technologies with the international community. Companies that were producing farming supplies had to cut back production. In turn, this led to layoffs amongst the employees. Additionally, as unemployment rose, fewer people had the luxury to buy other goods such as cars and appliances. Therefore, production in those sectors fell as well. Furthermore, more workers lost their jobs, it was a brutal cycle. Even though the prairies experienced the most hardship of the Depression, other parts of Canada suffered as well. For British Columbia, fish, lumber, as well as fruit markets were considerably low. Workers in this particular industry experienced the full effects of the economic downturn as the global demand for resources dried up. Newfoundland was hit hard too. In 1934, Newfoundland had to submit its government to ask for financial aid from Britain. The industrial heartland of southern Ontario and Quebec experienced unemployment, as mining and forest incomes from exports had dropped. Luckily, their domestic market was protected because of tariffs. Although the 30s brought great grief to many people, not all suffered the same as others. A few wealthy Canadians benefited from the Depression. Everything was low in value, they were able to but farms, lands, and homes at cheap rates and sell it later on for a higher percentage. As well, many big companies as well as corporations became profitable because they did not have to give it out as many wages, as more and more people were laid off. For most of Canadians, however, minimum wage was the only wage if they had any at all. The daily struggle to maintain the necessities of the family was a huge problem many families faced. Finding a decent job was even worse. Many men sacrificed their lives to support their family, and keep their dignity. The lack of jobs forcefully made many men to leave their families in search of work. As a result, many rode the rails on top of boxcars or on the rods beneath the cars. When a child turned 16, the familys relief was cut. Consecutively, young men left home to reduce the burden on their families. Thousands travelled west for work. When they recognized that there were no opportunities there, they continued on to British Columbia. In Vancouver, they besieged charities, relief unions, along with churches. The conservative party of Bennett set up relief camps to avoid the roaming mass of young unemployed workers. These work and or, relief camps were located in remote areas such as northern Ontario and central British Columbia. Over 200 000 single men 18 years and older lived in these camps. Life in these camps was strict and misery. There were regulations for many things. Men worked hard, long hours doing different tasks: cutting trees, moving rocks, and building roads, forcefully all for just 20 cents. Many men slept in crowded auditoriums and ate disgusting, greasy soups and water stews. Many felt that these camps were like living in prison. An 18-year old relief camp worker expressed his melancholy, stating It was jail, you know. What else would you call it? If you thought the army was bad, then you dont know about one of those camps They treated us like dirt. And we werent. We were up against it, broke, tired, hungry Although the terms of the relief camps were unbearable, the young men were still motivated to keep on pushing through to make a living in any way possible. However, the austere life of the camps left many men angry and frustrated. Many workers began to listen to demands for fundamental, social, and economic change articulated by groups like the Communist Party of Canada. During the spring of 1935, thousands of camp workers in British Columbia formed the Relief Camp Workers Union (RCWU). Men went on strike demanding higher wages, better food, clothing, and shelter. In both April and May, the strikers went on to Vancouver. Soon enough, they had launched On-to-Ottawa trek 3 June, 1935. Over 1600 men boarded freight trains to Ottawa to conference with Prime Minister, R.B Bennett. In Ottawa, Bennett was determined to stop these protestors. On 14 June, Bennett commanded police to stop the progress of the trains at Regina. His tactic was to invite Trek leaders to Ottawa, hoping that their absence in Regina would end the protest peacefully. However, his plan was wrecked because the men found out. Unwillingly, many workers returned back to the camps. To Bennett, it was a triumph but almost lost his reputation in doing so. With so much economic pressure, citizens turned to politics to solve the global crisis. Canada voted Bennett against former P.M, King. They brought in conservative lawyer, Richard Bennett, hoping that he change the economy for the better. Although he set aside millions of dollars for emergency and amplified tariffs on imported products, they did little to overturn the countrys economic losses. Bennetts other plans was to confidently, oppose a new policy that aimed at providing relief and economic recovery. On January 1935, P.M Bennett proclaimed his new deal. Bennett made new promises including, including unemployment insurance and a minimum wage. Nonetheless, many Canadians believed it was too late. They slowly started to campaign for the Liberals. Voters chose King back to power with 173 seats against the Conservatives with 40 seats. When King returned to power, he found the countrys economy to be very dismal. He did very little trying to undertake unemployment and other dilemmas. Ultimately, the Second World War enhanced the Canadas economy, as well as other countries around the world. In conclusion, the decade of the 1930s brought cruel and rigid times to many Canadians, as well as other nations. This time period was the most difficult time Canada had gone through in history. Many people were unemployed, and had very little to eat; if no food at all. These truly were gruesome times for most of Canadian citizens. Works Cited Page On-to-Ottawa Trek and the Regina Riot. Ww.uregina.ca. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina, Sept. 2006. Web. 6 May 2010. . The Depression. Www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. 4 Oct. 2002. Web. 6 May 2010.