Sociocultural Theory Individuals Involvement In Social Interactions Education Essay

Sociocultural Theory Individuals Involvement In Social Interactions Education Essay Sociocultural theory (SCT) illustrates how an individuals development is connected to cultural, social and historical framework. The main focus of SCT, in particular, is an individuals connection and involvement in social interactions and culturally controlled activities which shape and construct mental development. Sociocultural perspective centres on the social framework as fundamental to learning. It lays emphasis on the importance of social interactions by communicating and instructing in learning, highlighting that the social environment is not just the place where learning happens, it is integral to it. SCT suggests learning is a cultural action, young children are seen as novices within a cultural setting that learn from elders of that way of life, therefore, learning can be either formal or informal and achieved via parents, siblings, friends, teachers etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ This results in children learning about the practices, beliefs and values of the community they grow up in or are placed in, consequently learning to become members of that community/group. SCT also explains and acknowledges individual differences in learning via the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Vygotsky(1896 -1934)). This is the gap amid what an individual is capable of doing on their own and what they can do with assistance of a knowledgeable other, ensuring that a child can accomplish jointly what s/he could not achieve alone. A major scholar that was vital to the progression of cultural-historical psychology and creator of SCT as we now know it, was Lev S. Vygotsky (1896 -1934). Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist whos work was banned and prohibited under Joseph Starlin in 1936, this ban was later lifted in 1956 three years after Stalins death. Vygotsky first started working as a psychology teacher in 1917 and during this period he was accumulating information simultaneously for his thesis and a book that was to be named Pedagogical Psychology, of which, was published in 1926. Vygotsky inspired a lot of original research and his works were translated into English in the 1960s. He also became influential within education around the 1980s and to this day. (http://vygotsky.afraid.org/#TimelineVygotskysLifeWorks) Vygotskys work was based on Marxist and social constructivist theories. Vygotsky stated that his academic focus was to learn from Marxs whole method how to build a science, how to approach the investigation of the mind (Vygotsky, cited Ratner(1997)) and also build upon an overt Marxist psychology. Vygotsky believed Marxist psychology is not a school amidst schools, but the only genuine psychology as a science. A psychology other than this cannot existà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦everything that was and is genuinely scientific belongs to Marxist psychology (Vygotsky, cited Ratner(1997)). Vygotsky suggested that development took place on two planes, that of the social plane via interaction and through a psychological plane as learners internalise meanings, for example, putting together a jigsaw puzzle or reading a picture book. He also believed that cognitive development occurred through conversations and interactions with more capable members of a group/culture. SCT took into account aspects of creativity and that education should not solely be concerned with learning knowledge and skills but for children to develop the capacity to think clearly, to plan and be able to pass on their understanding via interaction and communication. The key to human intelligence, Vygotsky discovered, was to effectively utilize different types of tools, not the material tools we use to increase our physical capabilities such as cutlery or levers, but psychological tools extending mental probabilities such as language and writing. These tools are described as cultural tools, of which, Vygotsky believed language to be the most important of all; as language facilitates humans to make sense of the world, is the medium of sharing knowledge and is the basis of thought. The interrelationship of language and thought was also a factor Vygotsky held to be of prominence in an individuals development. It is often noticed that young children run a commentary of what they are doing and seeing, a child develops this external speech which later in life becomes internalised as thought, therefore, speech formation that is mastered by children then becomes the basic structures of their thinking. Vygotsky was a prolific writer; he successfully built up a plethora of ideas in his short life as a scholar (he died when he was just 37 years of age of Tuberculoses). As a result, whilst a good deal of the framework for SCT was presented by Lev Vygotsky; growth, expansion and enhancement of SCT is evident in text regarding cultural-historical activity theory (Cole, 1996; Cole Engestrom, 1994) and activity theory (Chaiklin Lave, 1993; Leontiev, 1981) Further to this, in the Soviet Union, the Kharkov School of Psychology was vital for preserving the contribution of Lev Vygotsky. There, the students accomplished new avenues of subsequent development. Jerome Bruner was firstly influenced by Jean Piagets work of cognitive development although later by Vygotsky whos work he broadly developed. Brunner agreed with SCT that a childs social environment, and for the most part, social interaction were particularly imperative in the process of development and learning. Bruners theory of scaffolding is a theory that stemmed from Vygotskys theory of ZPD. Focusing on learning via communication between child and adult. Scaffolding refers to the gradual retraction of adult influence and direction, as the child develops greater mastery of a given task. Another academic that built upon Vygotskys works of SCT include Barbara Rogoff, she writes: Childrens cognitive development is an apprenticeship-it occurs through guided participation in social activity with companions who support and stretch childrens understanding of and skill in using the tools of the culture (1990:7) Its evident that Rogoffs theory of guided participation builds on Bruners theory of scaffolding, highlighting that childrens cognitive development takes place in a social context while expanding SCT beyond language-based dialogue; as the guided learner is also guided by the books that they read, the internet sites they visit and the importance of other such methods of unspoken communication. Rogoff has sourced many books on psychology, one of which The Cultural Nature of Human Development'(2003) examines, amongst many other things, the role of culture in human development and recognizing the arrangement of similarities and differences between cultural communities. For instance, the involvement children have in activities that their elders carry out in the community, which is subsequently the passing on of knowledge and cultural tools. This notion originates and builds upon Vygotskys SCT. Having presented SCT, I will now briefly put forward the theory I will compare it with which is the Piagetian developmental model. Piagetian developmental model was founded by the work of Jean Piaget (1896 1980). He was a SwissHYPERLINK ../../../../../../../wiki/Developmental_psychologist psychologist and philosopher who believed childrens education was extremely important. As a result, his work focused largely on the development of infants in particular, he was so interested in this area that he gained a lot of his empirical evidence from observing and interviewing his own three children. Piagetian developmental model refers to how the individual understands things and gains knowledge in terms of developmental stages and learning styles. It is about the individual acting as the active agent whom interacts with the world that surrounds them. According to Piaget, the child is someone who constructs his own moral world view, who forms ideas about right and wrong, and fair and unfair, that are not the direct product of adult teaching and that are often maintained in the face of adult wishes to the contrary (Gallagher Reid (1979): 26). Piaget was a professor of psychology at the University of Geneva (1929-1975) and restructured the cognitive development theory into stages, which built upon previous work from James Mark Baldwin(1861-1934) an American philosopher and psychologist. These four developmental stages are (1) infancy, (2) pre-school, (3) childhood, and (4) adolescence. Each stage has a cognitive construction which dictates the childs way of thinking and the childs grasp of reality, as the child goes from one stage to the next, except the last, there is always an insufficient understanding of reality, a disequilibrium is caused which in turn results in the reorganisation of thought structures. The four development stages are described in Piagets theory as: Sensorimotor stage: from birth to age 2 years (children experience the world through movement and senses and learn object permanence) Preoperational stage: from ages 2 to 7 (acquisition of motor skills) Concrete operational stage: from ages 7 to 11 (children begin to think logically about concrete events) Formal operational stage: after age 11 (development of abstract reasoning). (Rosenfield Santrock (1998)) Piaget therefore found that this theory is connected by two vital components; one part that prognosticates a childs capabilities dependant of their age/biological maturation and a theory that illustrates the way a learner develops, what steps or stages that an individual must travel through to end up with an outcome, a predetermined objective. Piaget proposes, by his theory of cognitive development, that an individual can not simply be presented with information and for them to make sense of it straight away. Consequently, a construction of an individuals own knowledge that is built by their own experiences is required. This formation of experiences can then permit learners to make schemas, these are an individuals mental structure and personal understanding of the world around them, that is accordingly changed and built upon dependent on the increase of opportunities to explore their world. The original idea of schemas was proposed by philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) as innate structures used to help us perceive the world (Eysenck (2010)). This change or upgrade is accomplished by two collaborating procedures: Assimilation and Accommodation. Assimilation is a mental process of receiving and adapting new information into the pre-existing schema. Its about making sense of something new based on what one already knows and is moderately subjective as an individual adjusts a new concept as to correspond with previous notions and ideas. For example a child knows an animal to have four legs and when that child see a dog he calls it an animal, when the child is informed that this is not only an animal but a dog assimilation takes place and from then on as s/he encounters more different types of four legged creatures the process of assimilation continues each time ending with the state of equilibrium which renders that stage or understanding as complete Accommodation can be described as a mental process one uses to become accustomed to the new information that is set before us, so for instance it is a process that takes place when there is no pre-existing schema and a whole new concept needs to be understood. For example as stated above the child accustomed to the notion of animals having four legs, so when encountering a monkey the child will have to accommodate that not all animals walk on all fours all the time. The process of accommodation can be more distressing for the learner causing a disequilibrium, especially for infants who go through the process of potty training for instance, as the whole concept is different and out of the childs comfort zone therefore this process can take a longer period of time. Piagets theory is used today in the way key stages are set up in the current primary and secondary curriculum and therefore exemplifies the magnitude of his work. There are also theorists that build upon his concept of developmental models who are known as neo-Piagetians such as Hughes, Bower and Wishart who have modified certain experiments such as the object permanence test (Bower and Wishart (1972)) and the policemen doll experiment (Hughs (1975)) which both demonstrate a flaw in Piagets experimental process. Having briefly presented the two theories of cognitive development, I will now discuss some similarities and differences, developing some of the key ideas of each theory. Piagetian developmental model and SCT mutually agree that a childs cognitive development takes place in stages (Jarvis Chandler (2001):149), however, the way in which these stages are portrayed by each theory differ. Whilst Piaget looked at a childs cycle of life from birth to adulthood as being a stage by stage learning pathway such as, preoperational stage taking place from ages 2 to 7, Vygotsky looked at the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) where a child is moved on from one stage of unknowing to the stage of knowing with the help and guidance of a knowledgeable other, which is not based on biological maturation and age but on an individuals personal level of attainment. Vygotskys concept of ZPD illustrates a childs existing and possible capability to do something. (Flanagan 1999 P.72). Vygotsky states that there are three stages that a learner will progress through, the first being tasks that could not be performed even with help, the second which is assisted performance where tasks are being accomplished by means of assistance from a knowledgeable other and finally the third which is independent performance where a learner can complete a task independently and without assistance. For that reason, the concept of ZPD can allow for deeper and enhanced comprehension of the learning process itself (Flanagan 1999 P.73) and also an effective way of evaluating a learners capability as opposed to generalising children into stages or bands of development, as Piaget does with his stage theory. Further to this, in one of Bruners books The Process of Education (1960) he explains his SCT view on the readiness for learning which is unlike Piagets developmental model of stage by stage learning dependant of biological maturation. He suggests that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦any subject can be taught effectively in some intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development. (ibid.: 33) He goes on to refer to his concept of the Spiral curriculum: A curriculum as it develops should revisit this basic ideas repeatedly, building upon them until the student has grasped the full formal apparatus that goes with them (ibid.: 13). Piaget established a concept that a childs way of thinking differentiates as they grow from infancy to childhood right up until adulthood. This journey of stages that one passes through as one matures is segmented into four stages of cognitive development (as mentioned previously) which is defined as Piagets Stage Theory. (Ginsburg, Opper (1979):26). Piaget put forward that these stages were universal for all children, for example the progression of how a child encountered each stage was set to a fixed pathway from one stage to the next, also, he acknowledged that the speed at which a child went, from beginning to end, would vary and therefore relative to their age/maturation. The transition from one stage to the next, consequently, was only possible when the child was cognitively ready and he believed that a child should not be pushed to learn the next stage of knowledge pending that the child is cognitively complete in the previous stage. Thereforer it can be suggested thast piagets theory of stage development can be far more rigid and set, in contrast, SCT beleives stages can be re-visited and also merge together more continuously to achieve a deeper understanding of knowledge as Bruner states: To instruct someone is not a matter of getting him to commit results to mind. Rather, it is to teach him to participate in the process that makes possible the establishment of knowledge. We teach a subject not to produce little living libraries on that subject, but rather to get a student to think mathematically for himself, to consider matters as an historian does, to take part in the process of knowledge-getting. Knowing is a process not a product. (1966: 72) Therefore it is noticeable that Piagetian developmental model is individualist orientated compared to SCT which is socially and culturally orientated, relying on outside instruction. Piagetian developmental models focal point is the individual and their experiences of their world being the reason of development and in order to learn an individual has to be developed, unlike SCT, which focuses on the social interaction, cultural influence and that development comes after one has learned. As Vygotsky has stated Piagets approach is based on the premise that learning trails behind development, that development always outruns learningà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ ((1978):80) and he explains his viewpointà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦properly organised learning results in mental development and sets in motion a variety of developmental processes that would be impossible apart from learning ((1978):90) Both theories acknowledge language as important in an individuals development yet in a totally different degree. Piagetian developmental model suggests that cognitive changes such as thinking and learning where not solely governed by linguistic enhancement or development, whereas SCT deems that language supports the child to excel in freedom of thought and accomplish further cognitive development (Flanagan 1999 P.59). Piagetian developmental model suggests that language is in motion, from the child towards the social environment. (Ginsburg, Opper (1979):84). On the other hand, SCT advocates the opposite, that language moved from the social to the individual, of which is internalised into thought. (Jarvis, Chandler (2001):150). Piaget could be criticised that his experiments and clinical interviews were inadequately designed. The tasks set out could be seen as inappropriate for children of a certain age group, instructions that were given could appear to be somewhat ambiguous and the tasks themselves boring and lacklustre. In later experiments carried out by neo-Piagetians these kind of impediments were rectified and it was evident that the childrens performance had improved a great deal resulting in them to be much more proficient than Piaget confirmed by his research. By simplifying tasks and making them more child friendly, researchers such as Bower and Wishart (1972) with their modification of the object permanence experiment, and Hughes (1975) with the policemen doll experiment, have demonstrated higher cognitive abilities in children who would not be expected to display them according to Piagets theory. Jerome Bruner writes in The Process of Education motives for learning must be kept from going passi ve they must be based as much as possible upon the arousal of interest in what there is be learned, and they must be kept broad and diverse in expression ((1960): 80). As I mentioned earlier Vygotsky suggests that egocentric speech that a child uses to problem solve for example becomes internalised as the child reaches adulthood (Jarvis, Chandler (2001):150) .Vygotsky explains in his posthumous anthology Thought and Language that: 1. In their ontogenetic development, thought and speech have different roots. 2. In the speech development of the child, we can with certainty establish a pre-intellectual stage, and in his thought development, a pre-linguistic stage. 3. Up to a certain point in time, the two follow different lines, independently of each other. 4. At a certain point these lines meet, whereupon thought becomes verbal and speech rational. [Thought and Language, Chapter 4] Yet, Piaget believed that egocentric speech just purely went along with and connected to what ever action the child was carrying out at that specific time(Ginsburg, Opper (1979):84), and once the child matured to adulthood this speech was simply not needed and disappeared. Although the two scholars had opposing views on the function and underlying principle of egocentric speech they both acknowledged and granted that it gave support to cognitive development Bruner, J. S.. The process of education . Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960. Print. Cole, M. Cultural Psychology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.(1996). Print Cole, M., Engestrom, Y. Introduction. Mind, culture and activity. An International Journal, 1(4), 201. (1994). Print. Chaiklin, S., Lave, J. Understanding practice: Perspectives on activity and context. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. (1993). Print. Eysenck, Michael W. Cognitive psychology; a students handbook . 6th. ed. East Sussex: Psychology Press. (2010). Print. Flannagan, C. Applying Child Psychology to Early Child Development. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Limited (1999). Print. Gallagher, J. M, and D. K Reid. The learning theory of Piaget and Inhelder . Monterey, Calif.: Brooks/Cole Pub. Co., (1979). Print. Ginsbury, H. Opper, S. Piagets Theory of Intellectual Development. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, (1979). Print. Jarvis, M. Chandler, E. Angles on Psychology. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Limited, (2001). Print. Leontiev, A.N. Problems of the development of mind. Moscow: Progress Press.(1981). Print. Munari, Alberto. Jean Piaget (1896-1980). Prospects: the quarterly review of comparative education 24.1/2 (1994): 311-327. Print. Offord, L. The Mozart of Psychology.. N.p., 5 May 2005. Web. 6 Apr. 2011. Ratner, C., Prologue to Vygotskys Collected Works. Volume 5 (1997). Print. Rogoff, Barbara. Apprenticeship in thinking: cognitive development in social context. New York (NY): Oxford University Press, (1990). Print. Rogoff, Barbara. The cultural nature of human development . Oxford (UK): Oxford University Press, (2003). Print. Rosenfield, Anita, and John W. Santrock. Study guide for use with Children, ninth edition [by] John W. Santrock, Allen Keniston, Peden Blair . (1998). Reprint. Boston : McGraw-Hill, (2007). Print. VygotskyÃÅ'† , L. S., and Michael Cole. Mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1978. Print. Vygotsky, L. S. (1997). The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky, Vol. 4: The history of the development of higher mental functions (R. W. Rieber, Vol. Ed; M. J. Hall, Trans.). New York: Plenum Press. (Original work published 1941)

How the Catholic Church Held Up During the Middle Ages Essay -- Histor

The Middle Ages was a long period of time. It started in about the 500 A.D. and ended in about 1500 A.D. Not many things can last for this long period of time, but at least one thing did, and that was the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church consists of Popes, Bishops, Clergy, and Monks, and Nuns were also part of the Church. Also during the Middle Ages, it also produced many great philosophers (Funk & Wagnall’s, 275). From the Middle Ages to the 13th century, the church played important role as authority, influence. The Catholic Church held up due to the power of the Pope, Pope Gregory’s policies, and the Church was a part of the citizen’s daily lives. In the Middle Ages houses of the poor and wealthy were often alike, except for the wealthy because they could occupy all their floors of the house. Their business would be on the first floor, living quarters on the second, and servant’s quarters on the third. If they family were poor they might have several families living under one roof, which makes the house very crowded (Gies, 243). Among the village, the only stone building was the church. The entire village was mostly made out of sticks, mud and such objects. The churches were built and paid for by the people (thinkquest). It was a nice centerpiece of a town. Inside the Church, you will not find any sort of warmth. Many people came with hand-warmers, because the church was often cool year round. Churches also did not have pews for people to sit on; they had to bring their own chairs. The church was a public building in which the town’s business life is often occurring around a town’s church (Gies, 291). The Church provided services to the poor, care of the sick, helpless, and travelers (Frem... ... new heights. Christendom to take up arms to re-conquer Jerusalem, it was urged on by soldiers, monks, popes, and others. â€Å"The Church encouraged uniformity during the Crusades and efforts to recapture territories lost to aroused and militant Islamic powers† (Funk & Wagnall’s). The Roman Catholic Church went through some tough times during the Middle Ages, but they did hold up. Each member played an important part in the Church. Each part of the hierarchy had an important role to play. They had to be a firm believer in the Church. Pope Gregory created policies, and strengthened many parts of the Church. Each Pope had the power to influence the kings that were in power. If it had not been for the people, and the hierarchy of the Church, the Church might have died. The Catholic Church did hold up during the Middle Ages due to the people and events that took place.

Building technology notes

In a building frame, a structural element that is shorter than usual, as a Cogged Joint stud above a door opening or below a window sill is called 2. A carpentry Joint by two uneven timbers, each of which is notched at Bull-nosed step the place where they cross 3. A step usually lowest in a flight, having one or both ends rounded to a Gravity wall Quoin semi-circle and projecting beyond the face of the stair string's 4. A massive concrete wall that resists overturning by virtue of its own weight 5. In masonry, a hard stone or brick used to reinforce an external cornerScarf Joint Baluster off wall 6. A type of half lapped Joint used to resist tension 7. One of a number of short vertical member often circular in section, Fenestration Fig. A-I mom Inflection point used to support a stair handrail 8. The arrangement and design of window in a building 9. What concrete block that is used in making a corner of an anchor wall 10. Lateral ties used for mom main bars for column is 1 1 . Refer to the portion of a beam where bending moment changes from Rowlock Scab positive to negative 12. A brick laid on its edge so that its end is visible 13.A short flat piece of lumber which is bolted, nailed or screwed to Cross bridging butting pieces in order to splice them together 14. Diagonal bracing in pairs between adjacent floor Joist to prevent the Web Brad Pyramid roof joist from twisting 15. A bar used to hold the reinforcement on a beam 16. A small finishing nail is called 17. A roof wherein the four sides are sloping towards the center Stirrup Pile terminating at a point 18. A metal sheet used to connect girder and floor Joist at the same level 19. A slender structural unit introduced onto the ground to transmit load Soldier Pigment o underground strata 20.Brick set on end with the narrow side showing is called 21 . Finely divided solid particles added to the vehicle to contribute color CACM Carriage Channel CM Fig 8-2 Miter box and durability to the paint 22. End lapping o f corrugated G. L. Roofing sheets 23. Inclined structural member that supports the steps of a stair 24. Structural steel shape having unsymmetrical balance 25. Hooked end off mom stirrups 26. Which among the concrete block is the header block 27. A device used as a guide of the hand saw in cutting object to form a Plastic hose with water 1 Com 40 bad. T. Fig.C-3 Bosses Load bearing wall Effective length Volume Stirrups Cement Gypsum board Fade Skylight Soft wood Fire brick Plaster ground miter Joint 28. The best and accurate tool for guiding the work in establishing a horizontal level 29. Minimum thickness of suspended R. C. Slab 30. Total board foot of 10 PC's. 31 . Which among the brick work is a common Flemish bond 32. Clearer is a product of 33. Wall that support weight from above as well as their own dead weight 34. The distance between inflection point in the column when it breaks 35. The amount of space measured in cubic units. 6. A bended rod to resist shear and diagonal str esses in a concrete 37. The most important component to determine the strength of concrete 38. Another term for plaster board 39. The face or front of a building 40. An opening in the roof for admitting light 41 . Wood coming from trees with needle leaves, rather than broad leaves 42. A kind of brick used for high temperature 43. A nailed strip incorporated in rough concrete wall to be plastered to act as guide and support for finish trim around opening and near the base Span Rip-rap Striking tool Fig. D-2 Striping of the wall 44.The distance between two structural supports 5. Stone placed on a slope to prevent erosion 46. Hammer is a 47. Which among the finger Joint is the hidden dove tail 48. The process of removing concrete forms from the cured concrete Purling 49. A structural member spanning front truss to truss or supporting Anchor bolts rafters 50. Steel bent inserted in masonry construction for scouring wood or Lintel plates to concrete construction 51 . A horizontal piece o f wood, stone, steel or concrete across the top of door or window opening to bear the weight of the walls above the Chord Sleeper Stud opening 52.The placing of glass in windows and doors 53. A rejected building material because of its below standard grade 54. A Joint produced by lapping two pieces of materials 55. Lumber that still contains moisture or sap 56. The internal angle formed by the two roof slopes of a roof 57. A vertical board attached on the ends of the rafters. It is part of the cornice 58. A large heavy nail is referred to as 59. What is the scientific name of wood 60. A wall that holds back on earth embankment 61 . The term used to indicate top and lower principal member off roof or bridge truss 62.Strips of hardwood usually 2†³xx† laid over a concrete slab floor 63. A vertical tutorial member which acts as a supporting element in a Tyrone finish wall or partition 64. Rough plaster finish obtained by flinging plaster on a wall with a hand Adiabatic curing operated machine 65. The curing of concrete or mortar without the gain or loss of heat Vinyl tile Creep Riser Plough during the curing period 66. A floor tile composed principally of polyvinyl chloride 67. The permanent deformation of a materials under a sustained load 68. The vertical face of a stair 69.A groove extended along the edge or face of the wood member Glazing cull Lap Joint Green lumber Valley Fascia Spike Xylem Retaining wall Post-tensioning Ashlars brick Perforated tape Control Joint Hopper Parquet Wrought iron Lag screw Lead Goslings Admixture Gallivanted Seismic stile Baseboard Mortar Balalaikas Barbarian Contusion Saturday Rooster Sloshes Platelets Skittishly Abattoir Gillian Lastingly Tubs De banana Cesspool Pie De Gallo Bandier being cut parallel to grain 70. The stressing of unbounded tendons after concrete has cured 71 . A brick whose face has been hacked to resemble roughly hacked stone 72.A type of tape used in finishing Joints between gypsum board 73. Employ ed to reduce restraint by accommodating movement of masonry walls 4. A window sash which opens inward and is hinged at the bottom 75. Inlaid wood flooring usually set in simple geometric pattern 76. Anchor bolts and strap are molded out of 77. Common hardware fastener for truss braces 78. Sealer type of washer for 6. 1. Roofing sheets 79. Trade name for anti-termite surface application on wood 80. Retards or accelerators concrete setting 81 . Coated with zinc 82. Technical term for earthquake 83.Vertical frame of paneled door 84. Fascia between floor and wall 85. Cement, sand, and water 86. Filipino term for framework 87. Filipino term for bottom chord 88. Filipino term for collar 89. Filipino term for plastered course 90. Filipino term for purling 91 . Filipino term for wainscoting tiles 92. Filipino term for wrought iron strap 93. Filipino term for ceiling Joist 94. Filipino term for door fillet 95. Filipino term for girder 96. Filipino term for masonry fill 97. Filipino term for downspout 98. Filipino term for cabinet hinge 99. Filipino term for brace 100.Filipino term for temper (metal work) Horizontal distance from the face of a lock or latch to the center of the knob or lock yielder A principal member of a truss Rough plaster finish obtained by flinging plaster on a wall with a hand operating machine A roofing tile which has the shape of â€Å"S† laid on its side A commercially pure iron of fibrous nature, valued for its corrosion resistance and ductility COLD JOINT A Joint formed when a concrete surface hardens before the next batch of concrete FOUNDATION WALL is placed against it Has high compressive strength but low tensile strength Horizontal surfaces on which the stone units lie on course That part of the foundation for a building which forms the permanent retaining wall Building technology notes In a building frame, a structural element that is shorter than usual, as a Cogged Joint stud above a door opening or below a window sill is called 2. A carpentry Joint by two uneven timbers, each of which is notched at Bull-nosed step the place where they cross 3. A step usually lowest in a flight, having one or both ends rounded to a Gravity wall Quoin semi-circle and projecting beyond the face of the stair string's 4. A massive concrete wall that resists overturning by virtue of its own weight 5. In masonry, a hard stone or brick used to reinforce an external cornerScarf Joint Baluster off wall 6. A type of half lapped Joint used to resist tension 7. One of a number of short vertical member often circular in section, Fenestration Fig. A-I mom Inflection point used to support a stair handrail 8. The arrangement and design of window in a building 9. What concrete block that is used in making a corner of an anchor wall 10. Lateral ties used for mom main bars for column is 1 1 . Refer to the portion of a beam where bending moment changes from Rowlock Scab positive to negative 12. A brick laid on its edge so that its end is visible 13.A short flat piece of lumber which is bolted, nailed or screwed to Cross bridging butting pieces in order to splice them together 14. Diagonal bracing in pairs between adjacent floor Joist to prevent the Web Brad Pyramid roof joist from twisting 15. A bar used to hold the reinforcement on a beam 16. A small finishing nail is called 17. A roof wherein the four sides are sloping towards the center Stirrup Pile terminating at a point 18. A metal sheet used to connect girder and floor Joist at the same level 19. A slender structural unit introduced onto the ground to transmit load Soldier Pigment o underground strata 20.Brick set on end with the narrow side showing is called 21 . Finely divided solid particles added to the vehicle to contribute color CACM Carriage Channel CM Fig 8-2 Miter box and durability to the paint 22. End lapping o f corrugated G. L. Roofing sheets 23. Inclined structural member that supports the steps of a stair 24. Structural steel shape having unsymmetrical balance 25. Hooked end off mom stirrups 26. Which among the concrete block is the header block 27. A device used as a guide of the hand saw in cutting object to form a Plastic hose with water 1 Com 40 bad. T. Fig.C-3 Bosses Load bearing wall Effective length Volume Stirrups Cement Gypsum board Fade Skylight Soft wood Fire brick Plaster ground miter Joint 28. The best and accurate tool for guiding the work in establishing a horizontal level 29. Minimum thickness of suspended R. C. Slab 30. Total board foot of 10 PC's. 31 . Which among the brick work is a common Flemish bond 32. Clearer is a product of 33. Wall that support weight from above as well as their own dead weight 34. The distance between inflection point in the column when it breaks 35. The amount of space measured in cubic units. 6. A bended rod to resist shear and diagonal str esses in a concrete 37. The most important component to determine the strength of concrete 38. Another term for plaster board 39. The face or front of a building 40. An opening in the roof for admitting light 41 . Wood coming from trees with needle leaves, rather than broad leaves 42. A kind of brick used for high temperature 43. A nailed strip incorporated in rough concrete wall to be plastered to act as guide and support for finish trim around opening and near the base Span Rip-rap Striking tool Fig. D-2 Striping of the wall 44.The distance between two structural supports 5. Stone placed on a slope to prevent erosion 46. Hammer is a 47. Which among the finger Joint is the hidden dove tail 48. The process of removing concrete forms from the cured concrete Purling 49. A structural member spanning front truss to truss or supporting Anchor bolts rafters 50. Steel bent inserted in masonry construction for scouring wood or Lintel plates to concrete construction 51 . A horizontal piece o f wood, stone, steel or concrete across the top of door or window opening to bear the weight of the walls above the Chord Sleeper Stud opening 52.The placing of glass in windows and doors 53. A rejected building material because of its below standard grade 54. A Joint produced by lapping two pieces of materials 55. Lumber that still contains moisture or sap 56. The internal angle formed by the two roof slopes of a roof 57. A vertical board attached on the ends of the rafters. It is part of the cornice 58. A large heavy nail is referred to as 59. What is the scientific name of wood 60. A wall that holds back on earth embankment 61 . The term used to indicate top and lower principal member off roof or bridge truss 62.Strips of hardwood usually 2†³xx† laid over a concrete slab floor 63. A vertical tutorial member which acts as a supporting element in a Tyrone finish wall or partition 64. Rough plaster finish obtained by flinging plaster on a wall with a hand Adiabatic curing operated machine 65. The curing of concrete or mortar without the gain or loss of heat Vinyl tile Creep Riser Plough during the curing period 66. A floor tile composed principally of polyvinyl chloride 67. The permanent deformation of a materials under a sustained load 68. The vertical face of a stair 69.A groove extended along the edge or face of the wood member Glazing cull Lap Joint Green lumber Valley Fascia Spike Xylem Retaining wall Post-tensioning Ashlars brick Perforated tape Control Joint Hopper Parquet Wrought iron Lag screw Lead Goslings Admixture Gallivanted Seismic stile Baseboard Mortar Balalaikas Barbarian Contusion Saturday Rooster Sloshes Platelets Skittishly Abattoir Gillian Lastingly Tubs De banana Cesspool Pie De Gallo Bandier being cut parallel to grain 70. The stressing of unbounded tendons after concrete has cured 71 . A brick whose face has been hacked to resemble roughly hacked stone 72.A type of tape used in finishing Joints between gypsum board 73. Employ ed to reduce restraint by accommodating movement of masonry walls 4. A window sash which opens inward and is hinged at the bottom 75. Inlaid wood flooring usually set in simple geometric pattern 76. Anchor bolts and strap are molded out of 77. Common hardware fastener for truss braces 78. Sealer type of washer for 6. 1. Roofing sheets 79. Trade name for anti-termite surface application on wood 80. Retards or accelerators concrete setting 81 . Coated with zinc 82. Technical term for earthquake 83.Vertical frame of paneled door 84. Fascia between floor and wall 85. Cement, sand, and water 86. Filipino term for framework 87. Filipino term for bottom chord 88. Filipino term for collar 89. Filipino term for plastered course 90. Filipino term for purling 91 . Filipino term for wainscoting tiles 92. Filipino term for wrought iron strap 93. Filipino term for ceiling Joist 94. Filipino term for door fillet 95. Filipino term for girder 96. Filipino term for masonry fill 97. Filipino term for downspout 98. Filipino term for cabinet hinge 99. Filipino term for brace 100.Filipino term for temper (metal work) Horizontal distance from the face of a lock or latch to the center of the knob or lock yielder A principal member of a truss Rough plaster finish obtained by flinging plaster on a wall with a hand operating machine A roofing tile which has the shape of â€Å"S† laid on its side A commercially pure iron of fibrous nature, valued for its corrosion resistance and ductility COLD JOINT A Joint formed when a concrete surface hardens before the next batch of concrete FOUNDATION WALL is placed against it Has high compressive strength but low tensile strength Horizontal surfaces on which the stone units lie on course That part of the foundation for a building which forms the permanent retaining wall

Mama Might Be Better Off Dead Essay

â€Å"Mama Might Be Better off Dead: the Failure of Health Care in Urban America† by Laurie Kaye Abraham, follows a families struggles over the course of three years in a poor Chicago neighborhood. Abraham points out specifically how the health care system in the United States has failed the different members of the poverty stricken Banes family. The main character, Jackie has the responsibility of taking care of her sick and elderly grandmother. Jackie also cares for her three young children with little help from her husband, Robert who also suffers from various illnesses. While, there are some government programs set up to help families like the Banes’, the health care system is certainly lacking. Cora Jackson is an African American woman in her late sixties when the book begins. She suffers from many chronic conditions including high blood pressure and diabetes. Cora had a leg amputated because of complications from her diabetes. Diabetics often have poor circulation in their extremities which hinders wounds from healing properly. Besides being bed-ridden and wheel chair bound, Mrs. Jackson suffers from bed sores and incontinence. She also sufferers from severe depression over losing her leg which is common among many with physical disabilities. Despite, her poor health Cora Jackson remains the matriarch of the family. Mrs. Jackson raised Jackie as a young girl and before becoming ill, had a remarkable relationship with her great-granddaughter Latrice. As time goes on, Mrs. Jackson becomes more ill and Latrice begins to pull away from her great-grandmother. This seems understandable because it must be very difficult for children to understand and deal with the terminally ill. Jackie however, remains warm and caring toward her grandmother. She expresses her frustrations, but few of them are aimed at her grandmother. Most of them are aimed at the doctors and particular government agencies set up to treat and help her grandmother. Obtaining health care services is not an easy task for Cora Jackson. Jackie, the primary caregiver for Mrs. Jackson, experiences struggles on a day to day basis. For example, Mrs. Jackson suffers from incontinence which makes her a candidate for adult diapers. However, Medicare sees adult diapers as more of a convenience item and do not see them as medically necessary.  Medicare also covers a large portion of health visits and treatments but they fail to understand the transportation needs of disadvantaged patients. As a result, Mrs. Jackson is forced to miss many scheduled appointments. She misses out on many treatments that are recommended by her doctors. Consequently, Cora is forced to have her remaining leg removed because of an infection which could have been caught sooner. Jackie resorts to calling an ambulance to transport her grandmother to the hospital. This results in in some problems because the ambulance takes her to the closest hospital which is does not have all of he r medical records. I am puzzled by many of these rules and policies. First off, I do not understand how adult diapers are not deemed medically necessary. Diapers are seemed necessary for infants. Why aren’t they necessary for adults who suffer from incontinence? Also, adult diapers help prevent bed sores which many elderly, bed-ridden patients suffer from. This can prevent future hospitalizations and procedures caused by infection. I also have a problem with Medicaid’s spend down policy. Every month, Mrs. Jackson is required to spend a certain amount on medical needs in order to become eligible for Medicaid. By the time, she meets the requirement, she has to do it all over again. Also, there are some services that the Banes are not aware they are entitled to. For example, Medicare covers home health aides for those sick enough to require visits from a home nurse. Jackie turns down this service because she is mistaken and believes it will cost her 110 dollars a month. No one ever tells her this service is free. There are many changes in the health care delivery system that would have improved the experiences of Mrs. Jackson. First of all, keeping track of a monthly spend down of an elderly, disabled patient is ridiculous. In Mrs. Jackson’s case, she needed Medicaid to cover her transportation needs. Its close to impossible to schedule appointments and procedures if you are not sure how you are going to get there. Other patients use Medicaid for numerous reasons. A better option for Medicaid would be to take an average of a few months expenses and use that to determine eligibility for longer than a month at a time. It is common for patients to spend the same amount on medication each month. They also try to visit doctors on a regular basis. Knowing they are covered by Medicaid for longer than a month, would be a huge relief. The patients could keep their appointments without worrying about transportation costs. Also, medicine could be taken as directed instead of trying to make it last longer in fear of losing coverage the next month. Another area which needs addressing is in the area of medically necessary items. Who determines if adult diapers is necessary or a convenience? For an elderly person who does not want to walk to the wash room after going to the bathroom, I can see how diapers would be convenient. But what about the person with no legs and not adequate enough help to lift them out of bed? I would definitely say adult diapers is medically necessary for this person. As a social worker in health care, I would definitely try to be of assistance to Mrs. Jackson. First of all, I would encourage Jackie to take advantage of the services set up to help her and her family. Then I would make sure she was aware of all they were entitled to. It is very common for poor people not to understand government policies, particularly Medicare and Medicaid. I feel there should be more services to explain and help people understand certain policies. Regular visits from a home health aide could have helped both Jackie and Mrs. Jackson immensely. I would talk to her about the stress of taking care of three children, a sick husband and an elderly, disabled grandmother. Paying attention to Jackie’s needs, as she is the primary caregiver, may give her a more clear mind to make decisions for her grandmother. I would also discuss with Jackie all of her options. Jackie could have put her grandmother into a nursing home but neglected to do so until the very end of her illness. I would weigh out the advantages and disadvantages of Mrs. Jackson living in a home. Jackie was scared that by putting her grandmother into a home, she would feel unloved and neglected. I would explain to Jackie, that the care she would receive would be twenty-four hours a day. This would mean, no more missed doctors appointments, no more missed medication and all of her medical records would be in one place. I feel their would be an increase in her quality of life. Jackie states â€Å"Mama, might be better off Dead†. Why not try putting mama in a nursing home first? In conclusion, â€Å"Mama Might Be Better off Dead: the Failure of Health Care in Urban America† really shows many areas of human suffering. In a country based on freedom and equality for all, the area of health care could not be further from equal in America. Every day we see talks of health care reform in the news. Political candidates form plans in their campaigns. However, this book puts a real face on the failure of health care in America. I hope more people become aware of how badly change is needed and they choose to become actively involved in the reform of the system.

Explore some of the ways in which Hornby show a sense of belonging in Fever Pitch Essays

Explore some of the ways in which Hornby show a sense of belonging in Fever Pitch Essays Explore some of the ways in which Hornby show a sense of belonging in Fever Pitch Essay Explore some of the ways in which Hornby show a sense of belonging in Fever Pitch Essay Essay Topic: A Long Way Gone Fight Club Novel The Joy Luck Club The Long Valley Nick Hornby, born in 1957, is now a recognised novelist. His career began after studying English at Cambridge University, after which he taught there. Following this he worked for the major electronics company Samsung and then went on to freelance journalism before becoming a novelist. His career took off with the success of Fever Pitch and he is still recognised as his most recent novel How To Be Good made the 2001 Booker Prize list. His work as a whole can be put into three with separate themes: Relationships and their trickiness, London life and obsessions. Hornby is noted by critics for his high sense of humour and the earthiness in his writing. Most people consider Hornbys writing as middle-brow and perhaps laddish books. His talent is the way in which he makes the experiences of his characters become gripping and easy to recognise or identify with. Often this is on account of how ordinary they are. Chirazi calls Fever Pitch A loving account of the way his home team, Arsenal, has been symbolically linked to every significant event in his life. Even though Chirazi supports Tottenham, so he is reticent. Nick Hornby was in a variety of careers before he was a novelist. When he went back to writing he decided that he would write about the one thing he knew best football. Hornby being a mad Arsenal fan, writes down his reminisces and thoughts about his passion, which is at times illogical. Fever Pitch along with High Fidelity (about obsessions with music, exploring the weird adolescent hangover that seems to strike men in their 30s, mediation on lost loves, friendships and music) and About a Boy (about the struggle to grow up, responsibility and fatherhood) have been made into successful films starring such actors as John Cusack, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. On asking if Hornby likes watching his work being reinterpreted on the screen Hornby replied Once I get the money thats that! Critics have said that the book is more about obsession and football; they praised it for its wry humour and the shrewd insight to human behaviour. I believe that Hornby is successful because of the way he can relate to other peoples emotions. He, like so many other men are dedicated to football, not as much as a hobby more of a religion. We have all felt that familiar feeling, a last-minute chance to score a winner only to have the shot stopped by what you believe is the goalkeepers luckiest stop of the day or the late tackle from your captain results in you going down to ten men and asking why they did it in the first place. The presentation of this behaviour, or dare I say simply human behaviour makes the book that so much more enjoyable. This book is more autobiographical than anything else and thus the events are placed chronologically. From the start we hear of the broken family in which he has been brought up. In 1968 his father met someone else and moved out, Hornby lived with his mother and sister in a small detached house in the Home Counties. I fell in love with football as I was later to fall in love with women: the opening words of the first chapter show how strong his obsession is with football. Even though football is inanimate so it cannot love him back. No thought to the pain or disruption it would bring this is almost a future reference to the disruption that football will bring to his life. The Highbury atmosphere gets him so enchanted; his obsession goes much deeper than results, he even knows the name and personalities of each players wife or girlfriend as if they were his own! One-parent Saturday-afternoon-at-the-zoo problem this is one of the typical problems of having separated parents shows a lack of family entertainment, doing same thing week in week out. Things had to change Nick is fed-up with this life of nights in hotels and eating in deserted restaurants. His father has been drinking too much and he wanted change. His father had previously tried to get him to go to football matches, and he was amazed when he agreed to go with him on the second time of asking. He previously had been made to go to the theatre. Hornby describes 1968 as the most traumatic year of my life. He had had to move into a smaller house and was homeless for a while. Hornby became seriously ill with jaundice, but had no idea that Arsenal fever was about to grip him. During Islington Boy the chapter of early 1972, Hornby encounters the feeling of rootlessness. Ever since I have been old enough to understand what it means to be suburban I have wanted to come from somewhere else, preferably north-London. Hornby decides that the best way is to adopt an accents where he drops as many aitches as he can, and live far away, where people might believe that my Thames Valley home town had its own tube station and a West Indian community and terrible, insoluble social problems. Reading played Arsenal in the 4th round cup-tie; it was one of Hornbys most painful of his exposures to come. Hornby describes the Reading as my nearest league team, an unhappy geographical accident that I would have done anything to change. Here Hornby meets a family of Reading supporters asking about Arsenal and making jokes about Charlie Georges hair. The father inquired where Hornby lived, but after replying Maidenhead the father pointed out that he should not be supporting Arsenal and should be supporting his local team, causing him to blush. Hornby describes this feeling as the most humiliating moment of my teenage years. A complete, elaborate and perfectly imagined world came crashing down around me and fell into chunks at my feet. Hornby was already gripped with Arsenal Fever and to be told that what Hornby felt, one of the best things that had happened to him in his troubled up bringing, was wrong must have been a terrible thing to have said to you in your adolescence. Graduation Day is the chapter that Hornby realises he is growing up and becoming a man. He is no longer allowed in schoolboys enclosure at 15 he must move to the North Bank. This was to be a major change to Hornbys relationship with Arsenal. It was almost as if Hornby had become a man the day he went to the North Bank. All the things that were supposed to change me first kiss, loss of virginity, first fight, first drink, first drugs- just seemed to happen: Hornby describes the fact that people not only come to watch football on the pitch but to feel the atmosphere and watch others watch the match and provide their own commentary. It also seems that class barriers are mixed once youre in the stadium, as if to say everyones a fan so everyone is equal. I found this quotation, which I think, agrees with a how the atmosphere in a full of stadium will sound like. Football is a game of 2 goalkeepers, 20 outfield players, 2 linesman and at least 30,000 referees! Hornby is continually telling us how the atmosphere in the ground seemed to affect the performance of the Arsenal team almost as much as who was plying for either side. This sense of belonging is to something more than football but more to a community fans all cheering and jeering at the players on the pitch. Another Major influence in Hornbys life is women. During the chapters Boys and Girls and Just Like A Woman we learn that Hornby is being educated by women and about women. These chapters are based around late 1970s and I find the first line of the chapter to be very funny as it truly shows how much football is apart of this mans life. I did something else that year, apart from watch football, talk and listen to music: I fell stomach-churningly for a smart, pretty and vivacious girl from the teacher-training college. This can be related back to the opening line in the first chapter, in that football wasnt the only thing that affected Hornbys life, women have and will always be a constant reminder of reality (the life away from football!). Hornby tells us that he has met women who love football, and go to watch it a number of games a season, but hes never met one so willing as to make a trip to Plymouth in midweek. He tells us that the difference between men and women in his that men had passions and not personalities and this is why Hornby relates the main reason that his girlfriend wanted and had gone to Highbury: there wasnt really much else of him! Hornby questions himself on how individual he is, responding with telling us of his solitary and intense devotion to Arsenal, which makes him, himself! Hornby, a temporary supporter of Cambridge United, was watching the game that would decide if they were to be promoted for a second year in row with his girlfriend, her girlfriend and her girlfriends boyfriend. During a match his girlfriend had fainted, meanwhile, Hornby did nothing apart from pray for an equaliser. Hornby complains how was I supposed to get excited at the oppression of females if they couldnt be trusted to stay upright during the final minutes of a desperately close promotion campaign? Yet again Hornby questions himself as an individual, complaining of his lack of sensitivity, even putting himself in situations such as becoming a father on the cup final day! Another major part of football is its advertisement on radio or television. In The Match Hornby describes how television broadcasting had completely changed the game, saying it seemed that the TV companies had more control over the times of the game than the club did. Hornby states that this liberty takes away what football is all about, turning up in rain or shine, being a football fan! Hornby hopes that everyone is going to watch football at home so it will show how the atmosphere is less without people who are regularly turning up, for the convenience to watch it from your favourite lounge chair! This can be related to belonging in that they would take away all the privileges of being there, removing the whole fan part of true devotion to football. Hornby in No Apology Necessary admits that football had meant too much to him, and had come to represent too many things. This sense of belonging to the crowd as part of the atmosphere, which affects the level of Arsenals performance has reached a climax, causing Hornby to ask himself how he spent so much money on seeing so many games for so many years. In conclusion Hornbys writing, in ways, just connects with us a bit more than other writers. He can make us feel his emotions as much as feeling our own. Devoted to football as much as we are with other things be it literature or poetry, this sense of belonging is almost second nature to us and Fever Pitch is an amazing example of how our human behaviour actually is. Human nature makes us need to belong to something, be it a club, a team or a society we all feel the need to be part of something. This book is although autobiographical a commentary on growing up and a diary of human behaviour.

Free Essays on Poe’s “Mask Of The Red Death” Can Be Interpreted As An Allegory Of Life Itself

In the â€Å"Mask of the Red Death† Poe uses many symbols to create links to the living world. Through the use of setting, objects of human manufacture and the metaphors associated with many of these objects, Poe creates a realistic setting in which to teach us a lesson about life or death. The use of the rooms as a progression through life, their offset placement not allowing a view of what is to come, the eerie chiming count down of the clock, and the last and blackest of rooms as Prince Prospero final resting place are all ways in which Poe uses symbols to create and allegory to life. The rooms and their color are essential in that through the use of color they convey our mortality. The progressively darkening colors can be seen a stages of life. When we are young all is bright and new but as we grow older the color starts to fade until nothing is left and all is black. The Red Death completes this journey, appearing in the first room and making his way through the crowd to the to the final and blackest of rooms. Even the placement of the clock in the last room can be interpreted as a symbol that time is up life is over. The placement of the rooms is essential in a way that they don’t allow you to cheat in the view. Just as in life you are rarely allowed a glimpse of what is to come the rooms with their offset nature allow no view of each other. To find out what is around the corner you must make the journey through the room you are in and progress to the next just as in life. Without this journey or progression none of us would grow in mind or thought and thus be confined to the same color and position for all our days. Even the cardinal direction of the last room can be seen as an end to our time here. Its west-facing window is doomed to see the setting of the sun always; no dawn or new ray of life will ever enter into the blackness. The placement of the clock it the final room is yet another allegory of life. ... Free Essays on Poe’s â€Å"Mask Of The Red Death† Can Be Interpreted As An Allegory Of Life Itself Free Essays on Poe’s â€Å"Mask Of The Red Death† Can Be Interpreted As An Allegory Of Life Itself In the â€Å"Mask of the Red Death† Poe uses many symbols to create links to the living world. Through the use of setting, objects of human manufacture and the metaphors associated with many of these objects, Poe creates a realistic setting in which to teach us a lesson about life or death. The use of the rooms as a progression through life, their offset placement not allowing a view of what is to come, the eerie chiming count down of the clock, and the last and blackest of rooms as Prince Prospero final resting place are all ways in which Poe uses symbols to create and allegory to life. The rooms and their color are essential in that through the use of color they convey our mortality. The progressively darkening colors can be seen a stages of life. When we are young all is bright and new but as we grow older the color starts to fade until nothing is left and all is black. The Red Death completes this journey, appearing in the first room and making his way through the crowd to the to the final and blackest of rooms. Even the placement of the clock in the last room can be interpreted as a symbol that time is up life is over. The placement of the rooms is essential in a way that they don’t allow you to cheat in the view. Just as in life you are rarely allowed a glimpse of what is to come the rooms with their offset nature allow no view of each other. To find out what is around the corner you must make the journey through the room you are in and progress to the next just as in life. Without this journey or progression none of us would grow in mind or thought and thus be confined to the same color and position for all our days. Even the cardinal direction of the last room can be seen as an end to our time here. Its west-facing window is doomed to see the setting of the sun always; no dawn or new ray of life will ever enter into the blackness. The placement of the clock it the final room is yet another allegory of life. ...

Country analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Country analysis - Essay Example This allowed the fighters to plan and conduct an operation that literally shocked the world; the 9/11 incident. Although conspiracy theories that claim this incident to be an ‘inside job’ do exist; the ultimate outcome of the 9/11 incident was disastrous not only for Afghanistan, but many of its neighboring countries. This can also be attributed to the change that was witnessed after USSR disintegrated. Since the world became Unipolar, the US was free to conduct operations of choice in the region. Keeping in view the American disliking for the Soviet interference and its subsequent military action within Afghanistan to gain entry into the country, one can easily judge that the Americans were keen about establishing a presence in the Afghan region since decades. A clear display of power politics is evident in this case. However, the purpose of maintaining this presence remains unclear till this