Jesus and Mary Essay Example for Free

Jesus and Mary Essay During the last forty years, there has been an increased desire between Catholics and other Christians to discuss the theological positions that have separated us. The Catholic Church’s teachings on Mary have been a crucial element in the discussions that have taken place. There are many hopeful signs of mutual understanding, including a new appreciation for the Scriptural and Patristic presentations of Mary, as well as the writings, homilies and hymns of the Reformers on Mary. There is a better understanding of what the Catholic Church actually teaches about Mary as well as a better appreciation by Catholics of the theological questions that are raised by other Christians regarding Mary. In this environment, scholars from different traditions have reflected upon Mary’s role as a collaborator of God in salvation history as well as her role in the Communion of Saints. One very significant effort has been that of four Lutheran, four non-Lutheran Protestants and four Catholic Biblical Scholars, which produced the book, Mary in the New Testament, (New York: Paulist, 1978). Other noteworthy ecumenical works on Mary have been: Mary for All Christians by the Anglican theologian, John Macquarrie (1990); Mary through the Centuries, lectures of the noted scholar Jaroslav Pelikan, at Yale University (1996); Mary is for Everyone, papers given at four International Congresses of the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1997); and Blessed One, Protestant Perspectives on Mary, edited by Beverly Roberts Gaventa and Cynthia L. Rigby. In reexamining the writings of the original Reformers, scholars have uncovered more sympathy among the Reformers regarding Mary than succeeding generations may have had, as the divisions hardened between what was Catholic and what was Protestant. Catholics and Protestants might be surprised to learn of Martin Luther’s reverence for Mary, as can be seen in his Commentary on the Magnificat, written in 1521. Between 1983 and 1990, Catholics and Lutheran theologians met to discuss the issues related to intercession, the saints and Mary. The summary of these discussions was published inThe One Mediator, the Saints, and Mary: Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue VII (1992); Since 1937, Protestant pastors and Catholic priests from France and Switzerland have conducted an ongoing dialogue on ecumenical issues. Initially, they first met at the Cistercian abbey of Notre Dame des Dombes, twenty miles north of Lyons, from which came the name of the group. Presently the group consists of twenty Lutheran or Reformed pastors and twenty Catholic priests. They are a private association, which meets yearly. Over the years, they have issued a number of documents on various theological issues. Between 1991 and 1997, they reflected on Mary’s role in salvation. The English edition of their reflections, Mary in the Plan of God and in the Communion of Saints, was printed in 2002. On February 2, 2004, a document was signed by the members of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), entitled Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ as a statement of the commission which was then submitted to the Pontifical Commission for Promoting Christian Unity and to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Anglican Consultative Council for further study and evaluation. The document was issued on May 12, 2005, to be used for further study by the churches. It is available on the Vatican website (www.vatican.va) through the Pontifical Council for promoting Christian Unity. While much progress has been made, the efforts at dialogue need to continue. Pope John Paul II, in his Encyclical, Ut Unum Sint, has included the Church’s beliefs about Mary among the five areas where fuller study is needed before there can be consensus in faith.[1] Two of the other areas, which the Pope identifies as principle issues, also relate to Marian dogma: the relationship between Scripture and tradition as well as the role of the Magisterium in teaching and safeguarding the faith.[2] We may ask what we intend to achieve by ecumenism. Is it negotiation by which each group agrees to give up something for the good of accommodating each other? Although some people may assume that this might be the process of ecumenism, the better approach is to strive to seek God’s truth together, wanting to have â€Å"the mind of Christ.† Christian unity will come through humbly seeking the unity that already is in God.[3] Christians who accept the truths of the Trinity and Incarnation must recognize that the Eternal Word was united with human nature in Mary. Mary was the location of the union of the divine and human in the one Person, Jesus. Underlying theological issues related to Marian beliefs: The concerns of non-Catholic Christians about Mary are not related simply to the person of Mary in herself but are related to other fundamental theological truths that served as the basis for the break at the time of the Reformation. Just as there were differences among the reformers there also are differences in the theologies of the various Protestant denominations. There are several key theological concerns which enter into the discussion of Mary. Luther’s approach to the â€Å"Justification† of Mary: Luther views Mary from the perspective of his theological principles by which the human person can never be said to possess any virtuous quality other than faith in the saving power of Jesus. Luther’s teachings on Mary are part of his understanding of the role of the saints in general for him, in which the saints and Mary are examples of what God can do with weak humanity. Luther explains his understanding of Mary within his theology of justification, emphasizing grace: â€Å"Mary also freely ascribes all to Gods grace, not to her merit. For though she was without sin, yet that grace was far too great for her to deserve it in any way. How could a creature deserve to become the Mother of God?†[4] It is noteworthy that Luther speaks of her as being â€Å"without sin.† Luther rejects the notion of merit since he emphasizes that our justification is completely the work of grace. He criticizes Catholic veneration of her as exalting her and so lowering the power of grace. He stresses that Mary does not want us to make an idol of her, stressing her merit, or looking for good things from her but to honor God and have confidence in His grace. [5] The Lutherans in the Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue questioned the practice of attributing virtues other than faith to holy persons based on their conviction that faith alone justifies and that Christ alone makes a person holy: â€Å"In Luthers exposition of the Magnificat, he exalts Mary because she faces her situation by faith alone. An attempt to use Mary or another Christian to extol any other virtue than faith raises the question of undermining living only by faith in Christ.†[6] Luther wrote: â€Å"I say Mary does not desire to be an idol; she does nothing, God does all.†[7] Luthers caution that our attention on Mary should not end with her but be directed to having more confidence in Gods grace may also be understood in a Catholic position. However, Catholics also ascribe all good to God, yet there is a difference in that we believe that God’s grace really changes us and enables to be cooperators with Him in doing good, always relying on His grace. The Catholic position on the way that grace works in our lives was brought out by the Council of Trent: â€Å"Justification consists not only in the forgiveness of sins but also in the sanctification and renewal of the inward being by a willing acceptance of the grace and gifts.† [8] The Council states that while God’s grace initiates and supports any good action, the person can either accept or refuse grace. [9] In 1998, Lutheran and Catholic leaders signed a Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification seeking a greater convergence on the issues of justification. In the Lutheran tradition, God’s initiative is emphasized in justifying us while our response is that of our human freedom moved by grace.[10] If  the acceptance of justification is the first phase, a second phase follows, which is the carrying out of salvation.[11] Luther’s reflection on Mary’s purification in the temple is used by the Dombes Group to locate Mary’s good actions within the experience of being already ‘justified.’ Luther wrote: She was purified†¦although she was not bound by that law and did not need to be purified†¦. She was not justified by this work, but being righteous she did it freely and willingly. So also our works should be done, not that we may be justified by them, since, being justified beforehand by faith, we ought to so all things freely and joyfully for the sake of others.†[12] The Dombes Group seems willing to recognize Mary’s ‘cooperation,’ if it is seen within the perspective of justification by faith. It was because Mary had been justified by grace alone and in faith, that she could be associated with God’s work in Christ. Her ‘cooperation’ was unique in regard to the nature of what she did, for she was the mother of Jesus and raised him. She cooperated in the unique and universal event of salvation. But from the point of view of structure of her status, her ‘cooperation’ was not different from that of every person justified by grace. It was entirely the fruit of the grace of God.[13] As Catholics, we would emphasize both the grace of God in a good action as well as human freedom acting as it is aided by grace. Our cooperation is never separate from God’s help. Issue of human cooperation with God: Karl Barth, from the Reformed or Calvinist perspective, identifies the Catholic teachings on Mary as the prime example of Catholic principle on which â€Å"all their important positions are to be regarded and by which they stand and fall.† Reformed theology emphasizes the principle, sola gratia. According to  Barth, the Catholic teaching on Mary exalts human cooperation: In the doctrine and worship of Mary there is disclosed the one heresy of the Roman Catholic Church which explains all the rest. The mother of God of Roman Catholic Marian dogma is quite simply the principle, type, and essence of the human creature co-operating servantlike (ministerialiter) in its own redemption on the basis of prevenient grace, and to that extent the principle, type and essence of the Church. [14] Barth has accurately noted the relationship Catholics affirm in comparing Mary and the Church, since both the Church and Mary demonstrate creaturely co-operation with grace. He criticizes these Catholic positions on â€Å"creaturely co-operation† which is also related to the role of the church in cooperating with God: Not only does it need Christ, but in all seriousness Christ also needs it. As Mary inevitably co-operates in mans redemption as an intercessory power so does the Church in consummating the sacraments. the Church of the man who co-operates with grace on the basis of grace.[15] In fact, Barth has very accurately identified a fundamental Catholic principle that we cooperate with God. Barth objects to the notion not only of cooperation in good works but also of merit. Actually, the Catholic position is nuanced, taking human cooperation seriously enough to consider that our works are meritorious. Nevertheless, human cooperation has to be seen within the context of the Church’s teachings on the importance of grace in every good work, as Thomas Aquinas explains: â€Å"Man obtains from God as a reward of his operation, what God gave him the power of operation for†[16] John Macquarrie, an Anglican theologian, questions Barths objections by noting that even though ultimately salvation is the work of God, the human person is not a puppet or clay to be molded. As Macquarrie points out, the Marian teaching on the Immaculate Conception, is a clear illustration of salvation as a work of God’s grace since the one being conceived can only receive. Macquarrie points out that during her life Mary had the freedom to respond or not respond to God’s grace: Now it is the human consent and co-operation with God in the work of salvation that come to expression in the career of Mary. Not for a moment can one deny (or would one want to deny) that salvation is from God and is a work of grace, but God does not force His gifts upon us and we can become His covenant partners only if we give our glad and willing assent. [17] As Catholics, we believe, that a woman was preserved from sin by grace, and responded by faith and obedience aided by grace in co-operating in the birth and upbringing of the Son of God. She was made holy by grace but she also freely responded to that grace. As the analogy of Eve/Mary illustrates, Mary’s cooperation was not passive but active. The Dombes Group identified ‘human co-operation’ as an important theological issue. They saw Mary’s cooperation within her relation with the Three Persons of the Trinity: Mary’s ‘cooperation’ is the fruit of an initiative of the Father who looks upon the lowliness of his servant’ (Luke 1:48). It also the fruit of the ‘kenosis’ of the Son who ‘emptied himself†¦and humbled himself’ (Phil 2:7-8). Finally, it is the fruit of the action of the Spirit, who disposes Mary’s heart to be obedient. That is what happened at the moment of her fiat. Mary’s humility is the fruit of the Son’s humility.[18] Intercession: Luther recognizes intercession made to Mary: We ought to call upon her, that for her sake God may grant and do what we request. Thus also all other saints are to be invoked, so that the work may be every way Gods alone.[19] In fact, Luther begins the same homily, asking God to grant him a right understanding: â€Å"†¦through the intercession and for the sake of His dear Mother Mary!†[20] Nevertheless, Luther asserts that we cannot rely on the intercession of another person, â€Å"base your salvation on no other works than those God works in you alone, as you see the Virgin Mary do here. To let the intercessions of others assist you in this is right and proper; we ought all to pray and work for one another. But no one should depend on the works of others, without the works of God in himself.†[21] The Lutheran theologians who took part in the Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue expressed their concern regarding the invocations of the saints and of Mary, which they see as a challenge to the sole mediatorship of Christ, through whom God pours out grace in the Holy Spirit and the â€Å"justifying faith† of the believer.[22] The Lutheran members could accept the saints as examples of Christian life and faith. The Lutherans believe that angels and saints pray for us within the context of Jesus as the one mediator. [23] The Catholic participants in the Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue asserted that the mediation of Mary does not mean that Mary is a source of grace in herself but rather her merciful love is an â€Å"expression and reflection of the mercy of Christ himself.† [24] The Catholic members addressed the question of intercession by saying that Jesus â€Å"is never alone† but is always in the company of His friends, living and dead. Saints illustrate how God’s grace can work in us, they are patterns of holiness and they pray for us. In the Catholic view, we are bonded with millions of other believers throughout the world and throughout time. Those who have preceded us in faith are still connected with us.[25] Catholics see the practice of invoking the saints as an extension of the New Testament practice of intercession (Rom 15:30-32; 2 Cor 1:11; Eph 4:19; Col 4:3) and of the prayer of the righteous (Jas 5:16). Those in heaven have a heightened charity towards those on earth. Marys intercession has exception power because of her divine motherhood. It was recognized that â€Å"prayer† was being used in a broad sense when  directed to Mary and the saints. Protestants had no difficulty with â€Å"praise’ directed to God for the works God has done in Mary. This could even be seen as being done with Mary. For Catholics, intercession was seen as a form of communion. Catholics recognized there have been excesses in Marian piety, which have not been curbed by the Church’s leaders. Nevertheless, the most frequent invocation is to ask Mary to â€Å"pray for us, † in a similar way as the saints are asked to pray for us.[26] Catholics and Protestants agreed that Mary should be honored and God should be praised for the graces given to her. She should be imitated and we should unite ourselves in praising the Father through her. The Protestants were reluctant to invoke her whereas Catholics entrust themselves to her prayers.[27] The Anglican-Catholic Dialogue acknowledged that the English Reformers rejected the notion of the invocation of saints yet the Council of Trent reaffirmed it, emphasizing as it did so that such requests were made to God, â€Å"through his Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our sole redeemer and savior† (DS 1821).[28] The Anglican-Catholic document recognized that all ministries in the church, especially those of word and sacrament, mediate the grace of God through human beings. These ministries serve the mediation of Christ and have their power in it. Asking prayers of our brothers and sisters does not diminish the mediatorship of Christ but shows its power through the Spirit.[29] In the experience of communion of prayer, we are aware of the support of those living and dead. With this understanding, it seems that asking saints for prayers is not to be seen as â€Å"unscriptural,† although not directly taught by the scriptures as a required element. Our prayers are not addressed to the saints, but they are asked to pray for us, though this should not be done in a manner that blurs the Trinitarian economy of grace.[30] The authors of the Anglican-Catholic document state: â€Å"Affirming  together unambiguously Christ’s unique mediation, which bears fruit in the life of the Church, we do not consider the practice of asking Mary and the saints to pray for us as communion dividing.†[31]

The causes and effect of slums in Sub Saharan Africa

The causes and effect of slums in Sub Saharan Africa Structurally instituted social inequalities, in addition to conflicts of inheritance, poorly implemented gender equal policy attempts for land and its systems of administration make ownership expensive for the average person thereby excluding many citizens from the prospects of acquiring a permanent shelter. This leads to the mushrooming of informal and often unsafe temporary settlements in major urban cities. Unclean rivers polluted by wastage makes the water available to slums unhygienic and is a great contributor in illnesses especially found in children. There exists a lack of policymaking to address poverty alleviation or mitigation which allows the excluded people of the citizenry to resort to such abodes, and this lead to slums being built in the Sub Saharan Africa. Regardless of the nature or origin of slums they are characteristically similar in terms of the poor quality of lands, the size of its construction, and the conflicts of vague communications of when signing lands over. The crime rates are seen to be escalated in areas of greater poverty. Also as time has progressed, one major obstacle to growth of this situation is these benefits that accrue to the slums which have now become commercially beneficial to both the dwellers as well as corporations who get easy access to their labours in return for the labour to find employments as well as a housing arrangement. This helps in the development of the society organically. The authorities responsible of instilling change and appreciation of the situation are local landlords whose interests lie in leasing or renting their lands to desperate citizens seeking slums. Due to the strategic placement of these residences the labour seeks the houses while in turn create an informal market for the appa rent demand. The otherwise employed majority population of Sub Saharan Africa commute through public transportation system of the bus or railway which does not contribute much to their health but takes away from development and convenience due to the time and energy opportunity costs. We conducted surveys of women in Dhaka slums to establish the struggles caused to the most vulnerable socio economic group that is victimized despite urbanization. These revealed insights to the earning, saving, and expenditure behaviour of families residing in the slums. They also revealed how economic growth and infrastructural development have contributed nothing to the development of the underprivileged whose conditions remain as they always were. The reason why slums have been populated, at the core of those mentioned above is the prevalence of the urban dream in the city. Low earning unskilled individuals from the rural areas migrate to the cities pursuing development efforts aspiring to get consistent and secure jobs that will secure them. Once in the city however, they find their capabilities unmatched with the needs of job roles. The lack of education, vocational training, and finances restrain these individuals into the cities and force them to dwell in the slums by doing menial labour work which due to the oversupply of labour fetches very low and mostly inhuman wage rates. This creates a poverty spiral whereby they neither have the means to go back nor the ability to afford a dignified living in pursuing their ambitions even though all members of these households work temporary wage jobs regardless of their sex or age. Results of the survey revealed the following: Expenditure on Food: Naturally, one of the main expenditure of the families is on food. 33% respondents claimed that they spend an amount of up to BDT. 2500 per month, on food related expenses. This amount varies from family to family as per their income level. The highest amount spent on food exceeds BDT. 10,000 and this too is affordable to only 1 of the households of the slums. This means that more than one third of the socioeconomic strata live on a food budget of $ 31.25 per month as a family. Since most of these families on average comprise of 5 members so per person expenditure on food in a day is barely 25 cents which does not even buy one full meal a day. Under these situations it is only natural for them to be malnourished, feeble, and prone to many diseased. It also explains their disinterest in striving for hygiene or education in their spending habits as supported by the data below. Expenditure on Non-food Items: As opposed to the expense on food items, the ratio of the amount spent on non-food items is very low. For example, the highest amount paid in terms of non-food is BDT. 10,000 dispensed by only 1% of the families. Usually this amount is BDT 2000 spent by almost all the families on items such as payment of bills, house rent, etc. So, the spending that takes first and only possible priority after food for these households is that on the essentials contingent to their shelter i.e. rent and utilities. Due to the nature of these dwellings however, these utilities are still not available at all times, and so they have to ration their water, electricity and gas by sharing kitchens and toilets. In spite of this, the expenditure possible for the majority remains at $25 a month per household which for the average family member translates into 16.67 cents per day. Usually after these basics, most families exhaust their entire incomes. Workplace Culture The nature of the work that runs the slum dwellings are twofold, mostly designated by gender. So women mostly work in garment factories on a daily wage basis where their work varies according to training and years on the job, while keeping extensive work hours, and unsafe, uninsured workplaces constant. So much so that when there are factory fires which are not very uncommon, workers numbering over hundreds die and most of them are found to be women. Despite some social and labour union support these factories have taken no measures in protecting the employees who subscribe to the exploitation due to the dire necessity of survival. Even where there have been successful efforts with administration and inspections, factories were found to be only placing empty fire extinguishers for show of safe work environments while remaining oblivious to the appreciation of the lives of their workers. The men do not have any more privileges than their female counterparts. They are mostly rickshaw pullers because this is the least skills requiring job. These pullers are second to the working women in the garment factories who make up the greatest number of employments in Dhaka. The 200,000 rickshaw pullers of Dhaka work all day for a bare $1 a day, and that too in fierce competition between the licensed and unlicensed ones, both of whom are harassed by police who not only seize their only means of earning i.e. the rickshaws but often burn those which are found illegal. The female counterparts of these rickshaw pullers on the other hand travel as far as 37 miles on foot to work and back, amid traffic and pollution which the city is best known for. A third group of workers bringing money into the households of Dhaka slums are unfortunately children who number in 750,000. Boys between the age of 10 and 14 spend their days in generating incomes by any means they can find. Usually these are in the likes of a â€Å"help† in shops and restaurants, or in pulling rickshaws or carriage vehicles known as vans. Otherwise they are seen selling items by roadsides and in signals. A portion of children as small as 7% aged 5-16 pursue schooling despite their troubles. Sometimes, little girls are sold into prostitution as sex slaves to repay debts to heads of brothels who charge high commissions from these under aged girls. Since prostitution is legal in Bangladesh, the demand for these girls from clients is not questioned legally, and their desperate conditions at home allow them to be exploited and pushed into sex slavery. To further the analysis of the findings, the following variables: age of respondents, education, Income, Marital Status, Sources of Income and Total Income, Savings on Sources and Total Savings, and Type of Training were found to be significantly correlated with a number of variables using the Pearson Chi-square at 0.05 P-value. These findings can be considered as having a valid basis for identifying actions for empowering women particularly in the socio-economic life both in the family and in the community. Position in the Society: Interestingly, the participants want to work as they believe it will help them in alleviating their position in the society and their voices will also be heard. Working not only will bring additional income to their families but will also entail more empowerment and freedom to them. Assets: In the case of assets, the highest response was 284 representing an 88.2% of the sample who own furniture. At the opposite end, 2 respondents representing 0.6% of the sample are owners of business land. In addition to these, cattle owners make up 2.5% and agricultural landowners make 4.7% of the surveyed sample. Savings of respondents in various sources: The sources of savings for the respondents are inferred to be quite limited as the highest participation was seen at 35 responses affirming a mere 10.9% savings due to NGOs or Rural Cooperatives. Even less popular with 4 responses was the 1.2% savings that comes from crop. On the other hand, bank as a source accounts for 9.9% of savings and cash does so for 3.4% only. Total savings: When total savings are assessed, it can be deduced from the responses of 262 participants that in a rather alarming 81.4% cases, no savings occur. In contrast, 8responses helped deduce that 2.5% of the sample saves a total which is within Tk. 1001-2000. The data helps assert that among the 269 responders, 83.5% save between tk. 0and 20000. The percentage of responses for above tk. 60000 for households is still as low as 0.6%, as shown by the 2 responses received for the range of tk. 60001-80000. The middle amount of tk. 20001 to 40000 made up 14.3% of the cases. Sources of income: 156 responders showed that a decent 48.4% of their incomes are generated by the effective delivery of service. Also, at the lower extreme of income generation is the 0.3% contributions made by the handicrafts market or beyond that, the good 23% of women working as maids who develop and manage the household activities. The data helps assert that among the 269 responders, 83.5% save between tk. 0and 20000. The percentage of responses for above tk. 60000 for households is still as low as 0.6%, as shown by the 2 responses received for the range of tk. 60001-80000. The middle amount of tk. 20001 to 40000 made up 14.3% of the cases. Facilities and service Available: Total 322 responses delivered that in 100% cases, 3 Health clinics, 3 police stations and water pumps are unavailable to the survey participants. The water pumps were not available for the subject’s area as were not many other crucial amenities which are required for the quality of health and life. Type of training: Of the 288 people approached about training, 89.4% reported that they have received no training. The lowest response came from 1 person and helps infer that 0.3% people received the training for women empowerment. Training in tailoring occurred for 4.7% cases and that of garments stood at 3.4%. Awareness: It is seen from the data that awareness in general is quite high in the sample studied. 258 responses presented that 80.1% are aware about human rights, and the lowest response of 226 people shows that 70.2% are aware about property rights. In this sample, awareness for family rights was 73.3% and that of violence against women stood to be at Regarding day to day expenses: 41.6% of the daily expenditure is spent by the women on themselves according to 134 responders. In the lowest case, 2 responders show that 0.6% expenditure occurs by the consultation of the respondent but the needs of her husband and son are prioritized. Regarding other matters: The survey conducted with 216 responders revealed that 67.1%were spending for the purpose of clothes. Additionally, 198 responders revealed that 61.5% is spent on festivals donations. Also, 65.5% of expenses are spent for educating children. Borrowing details: The borrowing sample shows for the 36 responses11.2% occurs from Cooperatives while the lower response of 10 individuals presented that 1.1% borrowing occurs through NGOs. The greater response of 206 participants revealed that borrowing does not apply to the practices of 64% people. Recommendations: Based on our study these are the recommendations that we would suggest: The migration to urban parts of the country is motivated mainly by the negligence and despair in the rural side where the permanent abodes of people and their workplaces i.e. the agricultural lands are prone to climatic catastrophes. When their backs hit bottom, these people migrate for hopes of a better living standard and for availing more secure lives for their children. So, the issue of migration and how urbanization affects the lives of migrants should be dealt with meticulous planning which incorporates them into economic development policies that provide social protection and integration so as to drive social change from them. Many NGOs and development related organizations are already expending their efforts and finances into the slums of Dhaka for improving the livelihoods of the people who dwell there. Such efforts were largely based on provision of micro credit loans which allowed the residents to pay off their dues without having to be dependent on the brothels, or withou t having to sacrifice the education of the children. In addition, extensive trainings and awareness campaigns regarding liquor, evacuation at times of threats and the like have also been conducted in these impoverished areas. Much more effort is still critical for the desired outcomes to be produced. Training of vocational nature should be provided so as to develop skills that have better job prospects in order to generate higher incomes for the households. These can range from machine using to making handicraft items that will allow the adults of these households to create products. Also, they need to be honed and encouraged for small business start-ups, starting from creative business strategies to the execution of them. These would also entail leadership and managerial training in the long run. In these efforts, NGOs alone will not be enough. So, government, local banks, and other private organizations should collaborate to help the people in their own capacities. Banks could pro vide less costly loans, while businesses can help train and agencies can help execute and teach so as to make the people of such slums independent and self-sufficient. The need for social campaigns about women empowerment and child rights also need to gain momentum to eradicate the prevalent abuse of the two vulnerable groups. The government should also institutionalize change by active policy making and administering. This could be done in attempts in the likes of building safer, more hygienic, more facilitated housing facilities for those who have already migrated to Dhaka and are susceptible to dangers of earth quake, fire hazards, or illnesses. The government may also create better job opportunities in the rural areas so as to discourage or omit the reasons which force people to migrate in the first place. Rural development projects should also be undertaken with equal focus and allocation of resources. These would include well defined action plans that teach farmers about their rights, train them about their crops, and yield, aware them against exploitation by the middlemen and market prices so as to secure their incomes. Furthermore, efforts are required to equalize the salary gap that exists between the two sexes of the lower income socioeconomic strata, because this would not only help increase ove rall earnings for most families, but also facilitate the lives of households which are run by females working in labour using jobs. Needless to say that neither government, nor NGOs and development agencies can hope to be successful on their own. There needs to be collaboration of these parties for their common stakeholder group so that they can use specialized knowledge, and resources in specific areas and bring effective changes everywhere instead of segregating their efforts which is found to help a few while ignoring many others entirely.

Wipro BPO, India: Organisational Behaviour Case Study

Wipro BPO, India: Organisational Behaviour Case Study Scope- This assignment talks about the various concepts and ideas in organizational behavior and how they can be used to improve the working style of todays organizations. This assignment focuses on the WIPRO BPO India Limited and discuss about how the study of organizational behavior can be applied to the organizational operations of WIPRO BPO. This report will focus on the various concepts in organizational behavior such as motivation and management and their application in WIPRO BPO. LIMITATIONS- This assignment does not cover all the key concepts in the study of organizational behavior and also while using some of the key concepts for WIPRO BPO; we have made some assumptions in the analysis. FINDINGS- The Wipro BPO is a brand name in market and is a reputable company. Through its innovations and various other plans and measures it is able to improve its organizations working environment, style and performance over the years. Wipro BPO has made use of technology and innovation along with leadership and motivation in order to produce better results in business. Wipro has always tried to work hard to provide good infrastructure, working environment, growth opportunities and decentralized communication between the upper and the lower staff in order to provide a better, comfortable and happy working environment where its employees can grow, innovate and excel. We can see this effort of Wipro in its various training programs, quality of life that it provides and its focus on providing support for wealth, health and family issues of its employees. INTRODUCTION- Business process outsourcing business is one of the most successful and fastest growing field in the information technology service industry of India. As the name suggests in business process outsourcing the business or some part of the business such as accounting, pay roll, customer service etc is outsourced or being hand over to other company which have the expertise to perform that particular task more efficiently and at competitive prices. BPO is becoming very popular in todays business world as it helps to decrease the work load on a company at the same time helps the company to get that task done more efficiently in turn increasing the performance of the business. There are several reasons for the popularity and increase in the use of business process outsourcing worldwide. Primarily the companies focus on how to increase the performance of the different sections of the business which needs to be looked upon in order to improve the overall performance of the company rather then just outsourcing the business for cost cutting or load reduction . The other reason for why companies opt for outsourcing is that in this competitive business environment as companies grow the requirement of resources and expertise also increases in order to cope up with growth and to carry on the performance and further improve it. The lack of skillful people to perform a task can also be a reason for the outsourcing. Lastly the improvements and developments in the telecommunication and IT industry has made it possible to outsource the business in this globalized business world. the benefits of outsoucing are as follows:- increase the efficiency reduction in duties and load by outsourcing the non-core setions of business saves time,money ,manpower and operating expenditures. Reduce risks Improved quality od skilfull labour and services Gives time to emphasise on core functions of the business Some of the most common outsourced functions of a business are- Technical support Data entry/data processing Payroll Accounting Customer service telemarketing india is the fastest growing country in field of bpo industry as it has the plus point of skilfull labour,good infrastructure and the time difference with respect to the developed countries like USA AND UK due to which Indian companies can work in night for these countries. major players in BPO industry in India are WIPRO,DAKSH,CONVERGYS etc.. Wipro was started in 1945 and got in IT business in 1980. Wipro is listed in Mumbai stock exchange National stock exchange Newyork stock exchange Wipro bpo is a fast growing company which matches innovation with robust performance in providing IT enabled services to other countries Wipro has a workforce of tenthousand associates of more then seventy different nationalities and has more than 72 global branches in over 55 countries catering the business needs of other companies. Wipro has a stong RD department .it is first in the world which has the certification of SEI CMM of Level 5.With the help of resources and expertise wipro has immerged as a giant in innovating technology with around one hundered thirty six patents registered on its name. Wipro understand the importance of retained customers in doing a successful business and withits hardwork and focus towards its customer it is able to achieve a mark of around 95 percent of its total earnings from its retained customers. It provides service in different countries such as: USA EUROPE CHINA Wipro bpo provides different services:- Customer service Back end office service for transactions MOTIVATION AND ITS BACKGROUND The researchers have made use of variety of concepts/theories/ideas/models to study this vast field of motivation with respect to the organizational behavior in companies.motivatin can be defined as to excite the people to focus and apply their eeforts to their best in order achieve a particular goal.today in this fast growing world of competition and globalization there is an important need for managers to have a knowledge of various theories and knowledge og organizational behavior and how to make use of them in order to improve the performance of organization.the performance of an organization majorly depends on the workforce.no organization can excel without a skillfull labor though it has other resources available such as a good infastructuer and technology etc because at the end of the day tits being used by the workforce who are actually going to produce the output.thus there is a great need for the workforce to be motivated so that they dont loose their focus and apply best o f their effort in order to produce better result and enhace the performance of an organization.few of the most coomonly used motivational theories comes from the need theories which discuss and sheds light on the needs of the people and the conditions and the way in which they want the needs to be fulfilled. The need theory comprises of the Maslows hierarchy of needs theory and it explains the five types of needs in a pyramid format with the basic needs at the lower end and then it moves upwards covering the more complicated needs of people such as social,security,esteem and sef actualization needs. So basically if a persons different needs will be fulfilled then the person will be more satisfied and feel secure and happy and will be able to focus his mind more on the work because he will be free from these basic problems and thus the worker will be able to perform efficiently and optimally.the lower end of the maslows needs hierarchy model basically discusses and focus on the physiological needs of people such as food,shelter and clothing.once these needs are fulfilled then people want that they should achieve respect and recognization in the society. Maslows theory thinks that the fulfillment of the basic needs of peope has the highest motivating potential to drive the people to perfor m and achieve them. There is another researcher alderfers who proposed ERG theory.this theory does not disuss the five needs to define the motivation but instead has a thre stage model covering the following needs:- Existence needs-these are the needs which satisfy a particular condition for an individual. Growth needs-these are the needs which give satisfaction to an individual by participation,association and contribution. Relatedness needs-these needs satisfy the people by communication. In the maslows hierarchy the basic needs are most important and most desired and must be fulfilled for the satisfaction of the people but as we move upwars in the hierarchy there are other needs which if fulfilled will be greatly appreciated by the people. Expectany theory Another motivation theory is known as expectancy theory where we define expectations for the events to occur.this is done to create an interest in minds of people and to attract them.this work as a driving force for the people in order to reach to some decided goal and in order to create some change, which will act a s motivator to perform in order to achieve it in real..ÂÂ   Motivation here can be defined as comprised of- VALENCE-it can be defined as making people understand what is the outcome or the value they are going to get EXPECTANCY-This is to make people feel that they are capable of performing a task. INSTRUMENTALITY-This is to make people feel that if people will perform the task in a desired way they will be able to get the outcome. Goal theory In this theory we set certain goals for an individual which act as a challenge for them and act as driving force to push them to workhard and achieve them. These can be of two types- 1 directional goal-here the individual is motivated to perform by telling them reason and the way to perform. 2 accuracy goal-here the individual is motivated to perform in most accurate way and this is used when stake of inaccuracy is high. SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT S AND ITS BACKGROUND TAYLOR(1856-1915) Scientific management was invented by taylor.he introduced the use of incentives which can be used as driving and motivating force.he saw that if people are given rewards or incentives for performing their task then they take more interest and give their best efforts to fulfill the task. His study was comprised of the managing skills blended with his personal experience of working in the organizations.he emphasized on use of scientific approach to solve he problems encountered in practically managing the organization.his study was focused on the incentive as a stimulus to drive people to put effort in performing the task. Managers now a days still follow the studies carried by tailor and think that his techniques of measuring task and incentive has a positive impact on the work culture.taylor thought that people not able to perform efficiently is a common thing and it happens a lot but unnecessary usage of time and unplanned use of resources resulting in no output is inexcusable. Around 20 century taylor proposed the concept of scientific management.taylor gave it the name scientific management due to the following reasons- Taylor thought that all the different steps to be performed for the production task should be carefully examined and any redundant and avoidable actions in the process should be excluded.we should check and note the improvement in the production process. We should checkout how long the tasks left will take to get completed. After the outcomes should be checked in order to know how long each task has taken to get processed and as per these findings we should renumerate and punish the quicker and slower staff correspondingly. We should adopt and apply such practices in order to improve the performance of the staff and the production process. The study was applied in different production companies and it was noted that their was considerable improvement in the production process. NEO-HUMAN RELATIONS AND ITS BACKGROUND In the concept of Neo-human relation managers try to establish a persona touch with the staff in order to motivate then to perform well and achieve the desired goal. Contrary to the scientific management approach where there is no personal touch and the stimulus is if u perform well you will be recognized and rewarded but if you fail to perform the task and achieve the desired goal then you will be penalized.Neo-human relations approach is one of the most widely used approach now a days by the managers to improve the organization behavior.in this approach managers try to focus on fulfilling the needs of their employees in order to make them satisfied and happy,so that they can focus on the main objective of the company and perform at their best to achieve that goal.this approach focus on fulfilling all the necessary needs of the people like physiological, financial needs etc.the human relation also emphasized on the arguments,thinking and attitudes of the work group. McGregor proposed the theory X and Y, Maslow theory of needs and motivation theory proposed by Herzberg.who emphasized on the higeine factors are some of the theories that addup to the research and study of the concept of neo-human relations in organizational behavior. McGregor theory X and Y has the following assumptions Theory X assumed- People who are average dont like work People are lazy They try to stay away from work They need to be supervised. Theory y assumed- people are innovative people want accountability people can guide themselves if they are led free to perform they can use their potential and show their capability and worth. Maslow theory divides the needs of a person into five categories which are the physiological,social,safety and security,self esteem and self actualization.he believed that if these needs will be fulfilled then the worker will feel satisfied and inturn will perform to achieve these needs. Herzberg proposed the two factors theory.he carried an experiment to examine the attitudes,thinking and behavior of people when they were asked about how they feel at work and the reason for their behavior. From this experiment whe concluded a two factor theory 1 hygiene factors This includes- working environment supervisors policies of the company pay and wages 2 Motivation factor This incudes- rewards opportunities to grow the work itself responsibilities recognization the neo-relations along with the scientific management approach has given a new way of improving the organizational behavior and inturn the performance of the organization Scientific management and Wipro BPO- The scientific management approach regards that every worker can be motivated by rewards and penalities depending on their performance.wipro bpo has also followed this approach and taken different steps,plans and measures in order to apply this approach to improve the performance and also to create a fair deal for the workers that if they perform well then its their benefit because they will receive promotions,rewards and recognition in the company and if they will underperform or do not perform then they should be penalized and the severity of the penality depends on the level they have underperformed.it also benefits the company because the good performers will help the company to perform well and achieve its objectives and the underperformers will get punishments such as they have to undergo special training or special supervision or have to work for extra time in order to pay for their falt or in some cases will have to resign and leave the company.This will help the underperform ers to improve them and become better performers and contribute to achieve the objective of the company and increase its performance and in case they are unable to improve them after the efforts and the special attention given to them then in that case the companies will throw these underperformers and will get rid of then.so the rewards and penalties will act as a stimulus to motivate people to focus on their job objective and to perform well. Wipro bpo has also added certain plans which are benefitial for the employer as well as for the company.the company has introduced various types of rewards and certain guidelines which the employer have to follow and have to fulfill those conditions in order to achieve them. Some of these incentives which are added to the organizational plan of the wipro bpo are mentioned below:- 1 Attendence incentive- Wipro bpo has introduced a unique and an effective scheme of attendance incentive which will reward the worker as per their punctuality and regularity in the work.since we know that the regularity of the worker is very important for the company to get the tasks done and thus by this measure Wipro Bpo is able to achieve the consistency of regularity of its workers.here the stimulus which motivate the workers to come regularly is the attendance incentive or the extra pay that they can earn.once they start coming regularly by the motivation and driving force they have recieved through this plan of attendance incentive,it will become a habit for them to become regular and punctual in their work.this will help wipro to improve its work culture. 2 processed based performance pay- Wipro has adopted another plan of processed based incentive pay wherein it provides a fair chance to the working staff to perform well and become eligible for this processed based performance pay.here the stimulus which drive the workers to perform well is the extra salary they are going to receive if they will perform well.here the company also keeps in mind that it gives the basic salary to the workers in case they are not able to perform well or underperform.this will fulfill the basic needs of the workers but at the same time when the other workers will get the reward of this extra salary for their good performance then it will create an environment of competition between the various workers and therefor to achieve the PBPP and in urge of competing with the other employees the worker will try to give his best in order to perform well and this will inturn improve the performance of the company. 3 Productivity linked incentive-This is another incentive plan where in the worker recives the reward in the form of extra pay if he will perform which proves to be productive i.e his performance will earn profit for the company.here also the stimulus or the motivating factor is to achieve this incentive by performing well which will inturn increase the productivity of the company. The other measures taken by the Wipro bpo is special training to the underperformers.for example-if you are a telecaller associate and you are unable to perform well in taking your call then wipro bpo will have a supervision on you and your team leader will pay attention to you and will also inform you that your performance is going down and will guide you and give you time to improve and prove yourself.in case you are unable to improve and consistentaly keep on underperforming then you will be placed off calls either partially like for few hours of your whole shift or fully based on the level of your underperformance and then will be given special training to improve yourself where you are lagging.incase you are unable to perforam after so much efforts from the company then you are pur on probation period for three months and if there will be extra requirement in the other processes of the company and if company thinks that you are suitable to work in that process then the company w ill take you in,otherwise you have to leave the company at the end of the mentioned probation period. The other steps taken by the company includes the promotions and to be eligible to get promoted you have to perform to a certain required level.thus the promotion act as a driving force to motivate the workers to perform well to reach their desired position and to get the recognition they always wanted.this also helps the workers to fulfill their higher level needs such as self esteem,self actualization. Thus we can see that here the wipro has used the system of rewards and penalities and has followed the taylors scientific approach of management in order to improve its performance. MOTIVATION AND WIPRO BPO- Wipro bpo has also followed different theories of motivation in order to motivate the workers to perform well.this can be seen in its thinking which it call as the spirit of wipro and also the quality of life, career and growth opportunities and the attention it gives regarding the issues related to the health and family of it employees.we have studied different theories of motivation and now we will find how wipro has made use of them to increase the performance and efficiency of its organization. Wipro gives a good salary and a working environment as well as security of job to its emloyess.as discussed earlier there are several incentives based on the way you perform within the organization.the company also has introduced various rewards and recognition within the organization which are also achievable if you perform well within the organization.thus wipro is able to fufill the lowerlevel as well as the higher level needs of its employees.According to the maslows theory of motivation he has categorized the various needs of the workers into the higher and lower level needs.the lower level needs includes phsycological needs(food,shelterand clothing),safety needs and security needs.wipro is able to fulfill these need as dicussed above by providing salary.incentives and job security to its employees.the higher level needs are self esteem and self actualization and for this purpose wipro offers various rewards,recognization and growth opportunities wherein one can perform and prov e his worth and abilities.according to maslow once these needs are fulfilled,workers feels satisfied and to achive them they perform at their best..thus this will act as a driving force or stimulus which will led the workers perform well.In this way wipro has followed the maslows hierarchy of needs to imrove the organizational behavior and the performance of the organization. According to Herzberg two factor theory which has been discussed earlier in this assignment,he has divided the theory in two parts- 1 hygiene factors 2 motivation factors Now the wipro bpo has also taken certain steps and measures to fufill these factors.wipro bpo provides a good infrastructure,facilities and working environment to its employees which includes- 24 hour cafeteria,gym,pickup and drop facilities.concierge desk,online HR help,recreation facilities etc.wipro bpo is a brand name ,a big global company which has a good business reputation,thus it provides a sence of job security to its employees.companies do business globally all over world and to maintain its standards the company has some strict policies and quality administration.company also focus on providing health facilities such as dr max onsite(an onsite service by the doctors),mediclaim and accident insurance.company also provides knowledgable and experienced supervisors and trainers who help the employees to improve their performance.thus by giving all these provisions wipro is able to focus on the fulfillment of the hygiene factors of the Herzberg two factor theory of motivation.w ipro also focus on providing good and handsome salaries to its employees along with rewards and recognition based on the way the employee performs.wipro provides multiple growth opportunities through its various programs like STEP,wings within and career mosaic.it also has a provision of inhouse education initiative through its program called seed.wipro has introduced performance management system and employee engagement program wherein one gets an opportunity of advancement and feeling of responsibility.wipro also provides different trainings(from new hire training to development training).with all these plans and provision wipro is able to fufill the motivation factors of the Herzberg two factor theory.in this way Wipro BPO has applied the herzbergs two factor theory to inprove the organizational behavior and its performance. CONCLUSION- We have discussed various concepts of organizational behavior and how these studies can be applied to improve the performance of an organization.toaday inthis modern world of business most of the companies make use on these concepts of organizational behavior to improve their efficiency and output.We have dicussed the three main concepts in detail which are motivation , scientific management approach and the noe-relations approach.we have find that this concepts contribute in their own way to the betterment of the organizations behavior and performance,which has been discussed in detail above.we have also seen that one of a veru successful company and big brand name in the business process outsourcing industry,Wipro BPO has been successful in making use of these concepts and theories and able to get benefit out of it.thus it is proved that to run the organizations successfully and to become a successful manager one should have deep knowledge and understanding of the different concept s and studies carried in the field of organizational behavior and how to apply them to improve the performance and efficiency of the organization. The Media: Reporting Of Crime The Media: Reporting Of Crime If crime has fallen to such an extent why is it that media reporting of crime levels indicate that the opposite is the case and what impact does that have on public perceptions of community safety The Home Office has been publishing statistics on crime for over 150 years. Until the 1980s it was largely reliant on police figures and in many other countries this is still the case. Statistics come from police records are a measure of police activity and are often used to gain an understanding of the performance of the police to target the use of resources, it does not mean that they are not necessarily a good measure of crime. Since the early 1980s police statistics have been supplemented by data from the British Crime Survey, which asks a representative sample of the household population about their experiences of crime over the year prior to interview. As with any victimisation survey, the BCS also has its limitations, but it is generally accepted as a more reliable measure of trends in the common types of crime against individuals or households. The need for two sources of crime statistics is undoubtedly one factor that contributes to distrust, as was acknowledged by interview ees inside and outside the Home Office. For statisticians and criminologists, the two types of data complement one another: the absence of either source would lead to huge gaps in our knowledge about crime. For the media, the public and many politicians, however, the two sources often seem to compete for attention. How easy it is for the impression of cherry-picking to take hold. This is a particular problem when the two sources of data show contradictory trends, A drop in crime, while good news, is not as newsworthy as an increase. Within an overall reduction there is likely to be a mixed picture, with some crimes going up and others down. The existence of the two data sources, which can show contradictory trends, makes it even easier either to cherry pick for something that has gone up, Well the thing is theyve got two figures that they measure crime by and ones the British Crime Survey and ones the, I think its the actual figures that are recorded by the police. And they keep changing which one theyre highlighting depending on which ones the best and so the police one is actually a much lower figure than the British Crime Survey, although the British Crime Surveys gone down a lot so theyre highlighting that. (Participant in MORI focus group). Violent crime in itself is one of those that have gone up, there were over a million violent offences recorded in 2008-2009. Violent crime has increased from 615,985 offences in 1998-9 to 1034,972, an increase of 68 percent. Gun crime (excluding air weapons) are down by 17 percent in 2008-9 but still 58 per cent higher than in 1998-9. ( Home Office, Crime in England and Wales 2008-9, 22 October 2009, Revised Table 2.04) . this goes to show how easy it is to manipulate the figures, figures could have gone down from the previous year but my still be higher than previous years, this is done to try and gain points by the government and the police. Using the example of violent crime show the strengths and weaknesses of police recorded crime figures. According to the Home Office Police statistics provide a good measure of trends in well reported crimes, are an important indicator of police workload, and can be used for local crime pattern analysis (Home Office 2004). Violent crime has always been an issue of concern for both the government and the public. One issue that remains is how reliable these statistics are, are they creating an atmosphere of panic and tension within the general public Violent crime is an issue of considerable public concern. These may include the volume and violent crimes that include; sexual offences, gun and knife crime, domestic violence, race and other hate crime. In particular, it is expected for the partners to pay close attention to the levels of domestic violence that are ongoing, as this information about crime is unlikely to be recovered through the recorded crime figures. We expect partnership s to consider how best to uphold the emphasis on tackling domestic burglary, vehicle crime and robbery. Reducing harms caused by illegal drugs is a good way to reduce it, considering how they progress and following it up by aiding them to get out of the crime world. Treatment centers and availability to enter these places for those in the Criminal Justice System and they should also set challenges and targets for vulnerable young people. Following the publication of the Governments 2004 spending review and the Home Offices new five year Strategic Plan, the Home Office will have seven new Public Service Agreement targets (PSAs) for the period March 2005 to 2007/08. It is through these targets that they will try and achieve the objectives that have been set out in the Home Office Strategic Plan. Partnership activities will influence and support delivery of all the Home Office PSAs, but their work will be especially influential in the delivery of: PSA1 (to reduce crime by 15%, and more in high crime areas, by 2007/08). PSA2 (to reassure the public, reducing the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour, and building confidence in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) without compromising fairness). PSA3 (to bring 1.25 million offences to justice in 2007/08). PSA4 (reduce the harm caused by illegal drugs including substantially increasing the number of drug misusing offenders entering treatment through the CJS). PSA6 (increase voluntary and community engagement, especially amongst those at risk of social exclusion). Partnerships will be expected to set challenging targets locally in order to reduce crime, disorder and drug related incident in their communities. Government Offices will help and support partnerships to achieve the required outcomes. Partnerships are currently ranked on rates of recorded crime per head of population but only for vehicle crime, burglary and robbery. Using the new measure produces a different list of partnerships in the top 40. The recorded crime British Crime Survey is the provider of statistics that the police record that cover the crime types that are most similar to those obtained by the BCS. As part of the delivery of PSA1 at a regional and local level, the Home Office has clear expectations of the level of performance required from each region and each partnership within it. The Regional performance indicator is the level of reduction needed regionally to support delivery of the PSA at a national level. The Home Office will use this as a regional performance in dicator to monitor the contribution, at a regional level, to the delivery of PSA1. The Home Office expects partnerships to set challenging targets to support delivery of all PSAs, as appropriate, especially PSAs 1, 2 and 4. The nature of PSA1 means that there are particular expectations of partnership performance and targets to support the 15% and more reduction. The processing of media information on crime is based on a short-term, fast-paced and surface level research, which can limit the types of information circulating, and disregard crucial issues. Often news reports of crime read information on the offender, place of crime, and victim, with little devoted to the context of how offending or victimization occurs. In addition, the medias rapid analysis and assessment of crime trends and outcomes of the implementation of public policies at the local level can hinder effective and successful prevention. Crime prevention practitioners emphasize the importance of prevention strategies which are characterized by long-term action, and based on a solid diagnosis that takes into account the complexity of the causes of crime and their interactions. Therefore, news reporting of crime is not favourable to these approaches. The way the news media represents crime often includes newsworthy stories that act on emotion more than on fact, and focus on neg ative images of crime in communities. The fact that the public rely on the media to inform us allows them to manipulate the way we feel about crime. In addition Chiricos et al (2000) finds that local and national news are related to fear of crime. The effect of local news on fear of crime is stronger for residents in high crime areas and those who experienced victimization. In terms of audience effects, fear of victimization will depend on who is viewing the crime stories. Research indicates that residents in high crime urban areas who watch a large amount of television are more likely to be afraid of crime (Doob and MacDonald, 1979; Gerbner et al, 1980). Another important factor is whether audience members have direct victim experience or share characteristics that make them crime vulnerable. Research indicates that media sources will be more meaningful when direct experience is lacking (Gunter, 1987; Liska and Baccaglini, 1990; Skogan and Maxfield, 1981). For example, Liska and Baccaglini (1990) find that media influence was strongest for females, whites and the elderly, which are segments of the population least likely to be victimized. In another study, Chiricos et al (1997) find that the frequency of watching television news and listening to the news on the radio is significantly related to fear. Their research indicates that television news consumption is significantly related to fear only for white females between the ages of 30 and 44. This is similar to other findings that suggest that watching crime on television has a greater effect for women and whites, who have low victim risk compared to males and non whites (Gerbner et al., 1980). New Labour once had a slogan: Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime. That meant: it treated criminals more harshly, but also tried harder to tackle the causes of crime. One of New Labours most remarkable political achievements, during its first term of office, was to have forged a `Third Way law and order position that has successfully challenged the idea that social democratic political parties are by definition `soft on crime'. This outlined key strategies reinforcing New Labours core governmental project of `modernization through managerialization in criminal justice. There was a focus on crime reduction and youth justice. It was pivotal to realizing New Labours long-term objective of commanding the centre ground of law and order politics in the UK. We argue that an institutionalization and normalization of managerialism is taking place to resolve the contradictions, tensions and disconnections generated by the Conservatives incomplete public sector reform project and to cr eate the basis for achieving the long held ideal of a cost-effective, efficient, seamless criminal justice system. There are controversial opinions as to whether crime has fallen due to the criminal justice policy instigated by New Labour. The idea that crime has fallen has emerged from examples from statistical evidence. However, if you were to look into these sources, together with the idea that certain aspects of crime are not considered in certain surveys, provokes inevitable controversy. This analysis explores the arguments both supporting and contradicting this statement. According to these statistics there was a rise in crime from 1981 to 1995 followed by a decrease. In 1995 the BCS figures indicated there were almost 20 million incidents, but this had decreased to just under 11 million by 2005 (Garside, 2006). New Labour came to power in 1997 and over the years has extensively increased expenditure in the criminal justice system in an effort to reduce crime by increasing the number of police officers and the number of prison places available. They introduced anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), founded the Serious Organised Crime Agency and increased spending in the probation service, crown courts and Crown Prosecution Service (Eades, et al 2007, p.19). Since 1995 the BCS has shown that wounding has decreased by 40% and common assault by 49% and also that Labour has met its targets to reduce vehicle crime and domestic burglaries (Home Office, 2006, p.65). Combining data from ten sweeps of the British Crime Survey, it suggests that public confidence is based less on instrumental concerns about crime and more on expressive concerns about neighbourhood stability. Therefore, confidence may be driven not by fear of crime but by concerns about disorder, consistency and informal social control. Members of the public look to the police as representatives of community safety and guards as they address everyday problems and strengthen social order. To increase public confidence and decrease the fear of crime, the police need to interact more with the public and take an active part of the community and represent and defend community values, norms and morals. A very important factor when examining the impact of fear of crime, is determining whether or not the fear is proportionate to the actual incidence of crime. When the fear of crime is proportionate, people are aware of the risks associated with various personal violence offences. This level of fear or concern can encourage good personal safety habits and increased home and property security, therefore minimising the risks of becoming a victim themselves. When the fear of crime becomes disproportionate to the reality, it now becomes a negative effect on a persons lifestyle and quality of life. These effects can include: people avoiding situations and limit thier movements, sometimes to the extent that they become reluctant to leave their own home. not only do they limit where they may go but they may also refrain from doing activites that they enjoyed due to this disproportionate overwhelming fear. Police precense will make people feel more at ease and safe around their area. Educating the society about crime and crime prevention could be another way to tackle this. Getting the society involved in both crime prevention through social development and in community based justice programs such as Youth Justice Committees, supervision of youth doing Community Service work. D irect citizen involvement in justice leads to a better informed citizenry, who then are more understanding of what impacts crime and how to change it. (www.policereform.gov.uk) http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/aud00.htm http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/monitoring-reports/index.html

Malcolm X Essay -- essays research papers

Malcolm Little was born May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. He grew up around eight siblings. His mother was a mixed woman because her mother was raped by a white man. His father was a very outspoken black Baptist church minister, who preached that blacks should go back to Africa. Due to death threats by white supremacist his family had to relocate to different places to live. After all that time his father was murdered when police found his body on the trolley tracks. The mother new it was by white supremacist. After his death his mother was committed to an insane asylum. Malcolm and his brother and sisters were split up and sent to foster homes and orphanages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Malcolm graduated at the top of his junior high class. He then located to Harlem, New York. He then ...

The Dignity of Law Essays -- Law College Admissions Essays

"The business of the law is to make sense of the confusion of what we call human life-to reduce it to order but at the same time to give it possibility, scope, even dignity." In 1972, the American poet Archibald MacLeish wrote these words in the Harvard Law Review. In 1997, I read these words. At that point, the challenge and lure of the law crystallized before me, and I now see the ideals of MacLeish's vision as my own. MacLeish envisions the law as providing a sense of possibility, or hope, and I identify with this. Coming from a financially disadvantaged childhood, I had to put forth serious effort in overcoming financial and personal adversity and focusing on the importance of family and education. Without a sense of the unlimited possibilities ahead of me, my goals would never have been taken seriously-by myself or by others-and I would not have followed them to completion. Through my sense of possibility, I took my place on the Honor Rolls for fall 1996 and 1997 at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. I also served as vice president for...

Early Childhood Education: Impact on Cognitive and Social Development Essay

Abstract There has been a great deal of research conducted in the subject matter of early childhood education. During the preschool years, the human brain is growing rapidly and extremely sensitive to new information. Researchers have conducted studies in an effort to show a correlation between enrollment in early education and cognitive and social development. This paper will provide a brief overview of the results from the following: the Head Start program studies, the High/Scope Perry Preschool study, and the Child Parent Center in Chicago. This paper will also discuss the impact of childcare facilities on child development. The vast amount of research provided by these studies effectively shows an increase in cognitive development in the preschoolers that were enrolled and found that negative social behaviors were reduced as a result of early education intervention. The research indicates that all children exhibited signs of cognitive and social growth, but that underprivileged children were impacted the most. Child- care facilities were not as productive furthering childhood development. This paper will conclude by addressing the need of well-developed preschool programs and the need for well-educated teachers in the preschool environment. Keywords: early childhood education, preschool, cognitive and social development Early Childhood Education: Impact on Cognitive and Social Development Preschool is a term that defines early childhood education for children ranging from ages two through four years old. Preschool programs normally consist of federally funded programs, state and local preschools, and child care facilities. Preschool enrollment has increased dramatically over the last few decades. Approximately 75% of four year olds and 50% of three year olds are enrolled in a preschool center, which is a statistically significant contrast from 10% in the 1960’s (Barnett, 2008). Not only has there been an increase of children enrolled in public preschools, but also in private preschools (Barnett, 2008). This increase may be attributed to the need for childcare as the work force shifted from a single income to dual income household or the desire to equip children with the necessary skills to help them in their educational career (Barnett & Yarosz, 2007). Winter and Kelley (2008) reported that many early childhood teachers found that nearly one-third of their students were deficient in certain areas that were sure to hinder their educational success (p.260). There have been many studies conducted to try and define the impact of preschool on a child’s development. Researchers have studied Head Start programs across the country, the High/Scope Perry Preschool, the Child Parent Center in Chicago among others, and child care facilities. Early Childhood Education research has shown that preschool has an impact on a child’s cognitive and social development, with the greatest impact on minority and disadvantaged children. Developing Brain. Most parents and educators know that a child’s brain, from birth to approximately five years of age, is exceptionally vulnerable to the learning of new skills and concepts. Winter and Kelley (2008) state that the â€Å"neural connections or ‘synapses’ develop at a phenomenal rate during this time† which aids in developing a â€Å"foundation for later skill acquisition† (p. 263). Due to the brains extreme susceptibility during the preschool years, not only do preschoolers develop cognitive skills they need, but also socio-emotional skills. Mai, Tardif, Doan, Liu, Gehring, and Luo (2011) conducted a study of positive and negative feedback in preschoolers, which showed that preschoolers are â€Å"more responsive to positive feedback than to negative feedback† (p. 5). They concluded that the importance of the amount of positive feedback was significant enough that it may stimulate preschoolers desire to learn (Mai, et al, 2011). Researchers have found that during this early period of childhood development, children are able to boost gross motor skills and acquire language (Winter & Kelley, 2008, p. 262). Due to the unique nature of the brain during preschool years, experiences or lack of can impede child development (Winter & Kelley, 2008, p. 263). In a study conducted by Burger (2012), a toddler’s working memory can positively impact a child’s behavior and has a positive influence over a child’s math and reading ability (p. 210). A young child’s brain, if stimulated inappropriately, can have an adverse impact on cognitive and social development. A child’s cognitive development is connected to their social development. Willis and Schiller (2011) propose that â€Å"positive early experiences promote optimum brain development, which impacts all areas of development (para. 1). Impact of Government Preschool Programs In 1965, the Head Start program was created in an effort to provide â€Å"an array of social, health, and educational services for young children and their families† (Winter & Kelley, 2008, p. 261). This program is federally funded and targets underprivileged children. Underprivileged children are more susceptible to fall behind or to not complete their education due to lack of early education intervention. There is documentation that shows that minorities and poor children struggle with â€Å"language, literacy, social, and other skills needed† (Child Trends & Center for Child Health Research, 2004; Early et al, 2007), than children who are not underprivileged (Winter & Kelley, 2008, p. 260). Burger (2009) reports that a majority of children from low socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to: experience grade repetition, to require additional educational assistance throughout their school career, or ultimately become high school dropouts (p. 142). Ludwig and Phillips (2007) reported the findings of an evaluation completed by Garces, Thomas, and Currie (2002) that compared siblings, either attending or not attending the Head Start Program (p. 4). They wrote that the sibling that attended Head Start were 22% more likely to graduate and 19% more likely to seek higher education (p. 4). The National Impact Study (NIS) is one of the most in depth study on the Head Start program, and involves a random compilation of children enrolled in Head Start throughout the country between the ages of three and four years old (Pianta, Barnett, Burchinal, & Thornburg, 2009, p.  59). This study showed that there was minor cognitive and social growth over a nine month period. Barnett (2008) reported an increase of 0. 20 standard deviations on cognitive development and a decrease of 0. 05 standard deviations in negative social behavior, such as hyperactivity for three year olds (p. 6). However, upon completing a follow up on the study, the cognitive benefits gained by the children were no longer observed at the end of their kindergarten school year (Pianta, Barnett, Burchinal, & Thornburg, 2009, p.  59). Parents reported positive changes in their child’s dental and physical health and the research indicates an increase of 0. 12 standard deviations (Barnett, 2008, p. 6). There was a case of four year olds that experienced greater cognitive development. This was illustrated by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, which had an increase of 0. 20-0. 27 standard deviations (Barnett, 2008, p. 7). The Tulsa Head Start program was designed with a vision to help children develop skills for school readiness. This preschool program is funded by the state and is a part of the Tulsa Public School system; therefore, teachers must possess a Bachelor of Art degree and have a certification in early childhood education (Gormley, Phillips, & Gayer, 2008). The Tulsa Head Start program study compared the Tulsa Public School (TSP) pre-kindergarten against the Tulsa Head Start program. The study showed that the TSP pre-kindergarteners showed vast improvement in letter-word identification, spelling, and applied problems, whereas the Tulsa Head Start preschoolers’ results were deemed notable (Gormley, Phillips, & Gayer, 2008). While Head Start programs are supposed to adhere to a â€Å"national standard† (Pianta, et al, 2009), many do not have the same requirements (p. 55). Pianta and his colleagues (2009) explain that most teachers working for Head Start programs make less than $26,000 per year, with the exception of Tulsa Head Start whose teachers earn a regular teacher salary (p. 55). This may explain why the results of the Tulsa Head Start studies are not typical compared to other Head Start studies (Barnett, 2008, p. 7). Teacher qualifications of the Head Start employees may have an impact on the low levels of development observed of children in the program. Before 2011 Head Start teachers (excluding the Tulsa Head Start teachers) were not required to obtain an associate degree and directors did not have to possess a bachelor degree (Pianta, et al, 2009). However, Pianta and his colleagues (2009) report that by the year 2013, at least half of all Head Start teachers will be required to obtain a bachelor’s degree (p. 55). Because the Head Start studies were conducted in varying locations and on a variety of children, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact impact of cognitive and social development for each child. The rate of attendance also varies on location. Some Head Start programs have fewer than five days of scheduled class per week, while others attend the program five days a week during an entire school year (Pianta, et al, 2009, p. 54). Major successes of the Head Start programs appear to be achieving higher educational levels and improved health for children. The Head Start program reduced the mortality rate of children between the ages of five and nine years old (Barnett, 2008, p. 8) and provided a cognitive advantage in school achievement (Reynolds & Ou, 2011, p. 556). There were no extraordinary impacts on children’s social development throughout the Head Start studies. The program, however, has received conflicting reviews. Williams (2010) explains that because there is no orderly way to measure the effects of this program, there have been reports of positive â€Å"short-term gains in cognitive functioning† (p. 4) and the program has received criticism for only producing short term benefits (Williams, 2010, p. 4). Impact of Public Preschool Another option for children is a public preschool program. There are public preschools that function similar to the Head Start program, in which they target children from low income families. The teaching credentials of preschool teachers differ from other educators in the public school system and vary throughout different states. The requirements for public preschool teachers range from possessing a Child Development Associate (CDA) to a bachelor’s degree (Pianta, et al, 2009, p. 55). Public preschool programs tend to be successful in the area of cognitive and social development due to the increase of attention from the teacher (Barnett, 2008, p.8). The topic of teacher quality in preschools is of a major concern and can have a direct impact on childhood development. Winter and Kelley (2008) explain that the development of a child’s social behavior correlates with the quality of the teacher (p. 263). The most significant research on public preschools stems from the High/Scope Perry Preschool study. In this study that lasted for two years, approximately 130 children, minority and underprivileged, were either enrolled in a half-day preschool or assigned to a control group (Barnett, 2008, p. 9). These participants were chosen by the following criteria: â€Å"low levels of parent education, socioeconomic status, and low intellectual performance† (Williams, 2010, p. 4). The results were astounding. Barnett (2008) reported that language and basic cognitive skills increased by approximately 0. 90 standard deviations (p. 9). The cognitive advantage was short-lived as children from the control group were caught up during kindergarten (Barnett, 2008, p. 9); however, Reynolds and Ou (2011) determined that there was an advantage on educational attainment (p. 556). The Perry study also showed evidence of social development in later years. The students demonstrated appropriate classroom etiquette, had lower levels of delinquency, and a higher rate of commencement (Barnett, 2008, p. 9). Burger (2009) explained that the Perry study is unique in nature due to the environment of the classroom (para. 5. 2). He added that preschools similar to the Perry preschool have â€Å"low child-to-staff ratios† (Burger, 2009, para. 5. 2), so teachers are able to be readily available to their students. Another influential study on preschool impact is the Child Parent Center (CPC) study on a preschool in Chicago. This program was directed more for children from the ages of three to nine years old (Williams, 2010, p. 5). This preschool is tailored to low-income families that includes â€Å"a half-day preschool, kindergarten, and a follow-on elementary school component† (Barnett, 2008, p. 11). The results of all CPC studies were positive for impact on children’s cognitive development (Barnett, 2008, p. 12). The CPC study showed that participating preschoolers had higher test scores up until eighth grade, a reduction of delinquency, and observed an increase in the percentage of high school graduates (Pianta, Barnett, Burchinal, & Thornburg, 2009,p. 62). Reynolds and Ou (2011) also evaluated the CPC study and found that former students tend to have less risk of experiencing depression and generally have higher occupational stature (p. 558). The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) reports that the Abbott Preschool Program has had a tremendous effect on child development as measured in 2005 and 2006 with the Abbot Preschool Program Longitudinal Study (APPLES) (Study of Abbott, 2007). The Abbott Preschool was opened in 1999 and was put in place to serve the â€Å"highest-poverty school districts† (Study of Abbott, 2007) in the state of New Jersey (Study of Abbott, 2007). This preschool program showed positive cognitive growth in their students through their kindergarten year. The students enrolled showed significant achievements in English, reading, and mathematics (Study of Abbott, 2007). This program not only measured student progress, but also took into account the quality of the classroom. The study found a significant increase in â€Å"child learning, language and reasoning, activities and interactions, and program structure† (Study of Abbott, 2007). Other studies of public preschools provided results depicting social development and school preparedness (Barnett, 2008, p.10). Pickens (2009) explains that public preschool programs â€Å"show a positive impact on children’s behavior outcomes, especially for children living in poverty† (Barnett, 1995; Peterson & Zill, 1986). In the preschool setting, children are exposed to other children from different backgrounds, different personalities and different ethnicities. During this time in childhood development, children begin to learn social behavior. Pickens (2009) explains that these social behaviors are influenced by their teachers and classmates (p. 263). Participation in the preschool setting allows children to learn how to interact with classmates and encounter situations that can mold their cognitive development (Willis & Schiller, 2011). Attending a preschool class helps to enable a child to learn to regulate their emotions, communicate effectively with others, cooperate with others, and to follow directions (Pickens, 2009, p. 263). Children model what they see. Pickens (2009) urges educators and parents to assist children in developing healthy behaviors in an effort to avoid a negative path of behavioral and academic issues (p. 264). Impact of Child Care Facilities Child care facilities can consist of home-based child care or child development centers (with some centers offering half-day preschool programs). These facilities are normally center-based and care for infants from six weeks old to three year olds (Pickens, 2009, p. 262). Child care facilities were â€Å"found to have the smallest initial effects on children’s learning and development† (Barnett, 2008), while home-based daycare had no effect on building cognitive skills (p. 5). This is not to say that all home-based daycares are not able to provide some cognitive benefit to children. If a home-based child care program is well-developed and provides a â€Å"high-quality† (Winter & Kelley, 2008), then children are more likely to benefit cognitively (p. 263). This high-quality can also make a difference in child care centers. The National Institute of Child Health (NICHD) and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) showed that â€Å"higher quality care†(Belsky, Burchinal, McCartney, Vandell, Clarke-Stewart, & Tresch Owen, 2007) had a positive impact on children’s vocabulary skills (p. 681). The NICHD SECCYD conducted future evaluations and found that some effects wore off at four and a half years old, while when evaluated in third grade the children had â€Å"higher scores on standardized tests of math, memory, and vocabulary skills† (Belsky, et al, 2007). The cognitive long-term benefits of attending child care may result in an increase in household income caused by working mothers; however, working mothers tend to spend less time with their children (Barnett, 2008). Just like preschool, child care can benefit underprivileged children. Belsky et al (2007) stated that â€Å"child care can serve as an effective intervention for low-income children† (Hart & Risley, 1995) that live in a household lacking in literary skills (p. 697). Barnett (2008) mentioned that some studies show an actual regression of social development as children were more prone to be aggressive (p. 6). Winter and Kelley (2008) also report that the amount of time a child spends in child care has an impact of negative behaviors when they reach elementary school (p. 263). Others believe that a child’s negative behavior is may correlate with the amount of time spent in day care. Pianta and his colleagues (2009) found that children who spent the least amount of hours in day care had less troublesome behavior (p. 58). Just as the quality of the Head Start and preschool teacher had an impact on the child, so does the caregiver at a child care center. The lack of academic qualifications of child care workers or lack of academically challenging curriculum can attribute to the small cognitive development observed in children who attend child care versus a more academically centered program. Meyers (2007) reports that the approximately two and a half million child care teachers are some of the lowest paid, only earning approximately $18,000 annually (para. 1). This is significantly lower than other early education teachers. The cognitive and social impacts on children are strongly related to child-to-teacher ratio, total number of children in a room, and the teacher’s qualifications (Clothier & Poppe, 2007). However, it has been noted that the amount of attention the caregiver offers to the child can have an impact on their social and cognitive development (Pianta, Barnett, Burchinal, & Thornburg, 2009, p. 58). Conclusion There are noticeable short-term and long-term impacts on a child’s development, cognitively and socially, with the aid of early childhood education programs. Because the brain is vulnerable at this age it is in these years that children experience â€Å"dramatic improvements† (Mai, et al, 2011) in their cognitive and social abilities. The government funded program, Head Start, has indicated that while children do show immediate, moderate growth in cognitive development, social benefits were not as prominent. This program has proven to be beneficial to children from low- income families, as it has resulted in improved literacy, language skills and an increased rate of commencement. Preschool studies have also shown an increase in reading and mathematics ability and in some cases extending into elementary school years. The social benefits of a preschool education have had an even longer impact on a child’s future behavioral issues. There is a vast amount of research that shows that â€Å"the early years of a child’s  development can influence future success† (Winter & Kelley, 2008), so federal and state â€Å"policy makers should not depart from preschool education models that have proven highly effective† (Barnett, 2008). It is important that in order for preschool programs, government-funded and public, to continue to be effective in child development, the need for well-designed programs is a must (Barnett, 2008). These well-designed programs must demand a high caliber of teachers that have formal post-secondary education in the area of early childhood development. Preschools should be prepared meet the needs of the variety of students from different backgrounds and be able to give children in need more of a priority (Barnett, 2008). More research on the impact of early childhood education is needed, due to the varying types of programs that are currently in place. References Barnett, W. S. (2008). Preschool education and its lasting effects: Research and policy implications. Boulder and Tempe: Education and the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research Unit. Retrieved September 12, 2012 from http://epicpolicy. org/publication/preschooleducation Barnett, W. S., & Yarosz, D. J. (2007). Who goes to preschool and why does it matter? Preschool Policy Brief, 15, p. 2. Retrieved October 8, 2012 from http://nieer. org/resources/policybriefs/15. pdf Belsky, J. , Vandell, D. L. , Burchinal, M. , Clarke-Stewart, K. A. , McCartney, K. , Owen, M. T. , & the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. (2007). Are there long-term effects of early child care? Child Development, 78, p. 681–701. Burger, K. (2010). How does early childhood care and education affect cognitive development? An international review of the effects of early interventions for children from different social backgrounds. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 25, 140-165. doi: 10. 1016/j. ecresq. 2009. 11. 001 Gormley, W. T. , Phillips, D. , & Gayer, T. (2008). The early years: Preschool programs can boost school readiness. Science. 320(5884), p. 1723-1724. doi:10. 1126/science. 1156019 Ludwig, J. , & Phillips, D. (2007). The benefits and cost of head start. Society for Research on Child Development, Social Policy Report. 21(3), p. 3-19 Mai, X. , Tardif, T. , Doan, S. N. , Lui, C. , Gehring, W. J. , & Luo, Y. (2011). Brain activity elicited by positive and negative feedback in preschool-aged children. PLoS ONE. 6(4), e18774. doi: 10. 1371/journal. pone. 0018774 Meyers, M. K. (2007). Child-care pay, child-care quality: Decent early childhood education requires well-trained and compensated educators. The American Prospect 18(12), A18. Pianta, R. C. , Barnett, S. W. , Burchinal, M. , Thornburg, K. R. (2009). The effects of preschool education: What we know, how public policy is or is not aligned with the evidence base, and what we need to know. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 10(2), p. 49-88. doi: 10. 1177/1529100610381908 Pickens, J. (2009). Socio-emotional programme promotes positive behaviour in preschoolers. Child Care in Practice. 15(4), p. 261-278. doi: 10. 1080/13575270903149323 Reynolds, A. J. , & Ou, S. (2011). Paths of effects from preschool to adult well-being: A confirmatory analysis of the child-parent center program. Child Development. 82(2). p. 555-582. doi:10. 1111/j. 1467-8624. 2010. 01562. x Study of abbott preschool program finds positive effects. (2007, August/September). Preschool Matters. Retrieved September 28, 2010 from http://nieer. org/publications/preschool-matters-newsletters/volume-5-number-4 Williams, J.(2010). Assessment of quality preschool programming (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved September 28, 2012 from ProQuest. (UMI:3413253) Willis, C. A. , & Schiller, P. (2011). Preschoolers’ social skills steer life success. YC Young Children, 66(1), 42-49. Retrieved September 24, 2012 from http://search. proquest. com/docview/874155104? accountid=12085 Winter, S. M. , & Kelley, M. F. (2008). Forty years of school readiness research. Childhood Education, 84(5), 260-260. Retrieved September 12, 2012 from http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. liberty. edu:2048/docview/210412708/fulltextPDF? accountid=12085.

Blood Brothers Essay

It feels like he is this omnipotent being and he is deciding the fate of all the children. It’s almost as if he is the emotion that everyone wants to avoid but no one is doing anything about it, Mrs Johnstone carries on in her life pretending that she isn’t superstitious and although there is this undying voice inside her saying that she is and one day Mickey and Edward are going to die. This voice is what the Narrator is, he is fate and Mrs Johnstone chooses to ignore it but she knows you can’t change fate. On the stage he is always there, he is omnipresent, this constant being there shows that the thoughts of Mrs Johnstone are still there and that nothing you do will undo the past. Mrs Johnstone has to live with the decision of what she has done but she chooses to ignore it. The Narrator can be viewed upon as the referee of life (or as you might ‘God’), you know the rules and now you have to follow the rules (the superstition) but Mrs Johnstone turns a blind eye, forgets about it and pretends that it will never happen, but she must follow the rules. Prejudice Prejudice is a fixed opinion, which is not based on a fair examination of the facts. The picture with the black and white boy and the so-called ‘magical stick’ (simply because we don’t know what it is) is a base of which many different scenes can be produced and discussions can take place. The children come across as innocent, possibly that they have no reason to be prejudice against each other but through past happenings (lynching in America and the KKK) their parents want them to be prejudice to supposable keep them from harm. It shows that possibly prejudice to this degree is only set in motion if something terrible happens by a specific ‘type’ of people (the KKK killing black people) and that when it comes down to it the people themselves are not the same as the people who have done this feat. Suppose that everyone in the world was white and everyone was the same religion, height, age etc. but despite this the KKK would exist and the lynching would still go on; people would find another way to view differences, where you live or even your surname. My point is that I think its human nature to take a dislike against different people, if you look back hundreds of years and people lived in remote places (tribes for example) and a tribe moved to join another tribe, because the new tribe is different it presents its self with a new variable, that it could jeopardise the well-being of the original tribe. So this original tribe will try and eliminate this variable (driving them away or even killing them) to stop it from harming their own tribe. You can translate this to the black people moving into America and the white people living there trying to protect them by getting rid of any new possible threat. Mickey and Edwards first meeting and an evaluation of two groups Francis (me), Jamie and Barry   There was a nice mime of the gun from me as I sat on the apron of the stage. It was good because the gun I made in my hands by pointing one of my fingers out and it looked as though it was a gun because it took the form of a gun well. We did some good work even though we had only one lesson to get it done in. It was good work because we learnt most of our words and got the blocking sorted. The giggling after the ‘F word’ was good because it was very childish because I and Jamie looked as if we were embarrassed.   My body language was good, my arms movements were exaggerated and typical of a seven year old because that is how the act with their arms.   Even though Jamie lost his place in the play, he didn’t come out of character and got back on tracks very quickly. Very good facial and body language from all of use and especially me, me and Jamie’s facial expressions matched seven year olds expressions and Barry’s face showed that he was ‘pissed off’ and he acted as though he was the boss by talking louder and demanding respect.We could of have improved by thoroughly learning the script and concentrating more on our actions. James and Richard   Both of them learnt the script and did not lose their place or forget their words. They didn’t fully use their hand movement so they couldn’t act exactly as a seven year old would because people at that age use their hands.   When they said the ‘F word’ they looked as though they were very excited and embarrassed. They looked like this because they acted as young people would when they heard a naughty word; they did this by having wide eyes and giggling immensely.   When James’ said ‘pissed off’ it was well done because it sounded as though he really was pissed off. Only on one incident did James forget his words, but nether the less he still kept in character and sorted it out by referring to the script. What I have learnt about the class differences between the twins I have learnt that Edward’s class is most probably upper class; either this or they are very rich middle class people. I have learnt that Mrs and Mr Lyons have a highly etiquette way of living, for example they do not allow swearing of any form whereas with Mrs Johnstone’s way of living swearing occurs frequently. Mickey’s class is probably lower class, which is they do not have a large amount of money or income. She has many children and works very hard for Mrs Lyons but still does not get a large income. I have learnt that it’s most likely that Mrs Johnstone’s family expresses their emotions more often than Mrs Lyon’s family; this could be because Mrs Johnstone does not have as much material possessions compared with Mrs Lyons so she spends more time in her free time with her kids. On the contrast Mrs Lyons has many material possessions so she doesn’t spend that much time with Edward because he’s playing with his toys (for example). The changing attitudes between Mickey and Edward Through the play the twin’s attitude changes in aspects of their lives, for example them being blood brothers forever and the relationship between each other. When they were both seven years old they took delight in knowing that they were born on the same day, furthermore they made each other their blood brother. They were both immensely thrilled by this new bond they made and longed to be like each other. However when they grew older their views on being a blood brother changed, especially for Mickey who grows up and realises that he previous action of becoming a blood brother is child’s play. He says that ‘while no one was looking I grew up’, and I think that because of his harsh life with not much money he stops believing in the childish act and starts realizing that he has to open his eyes and stop playing games. However with Edward he hasn’t got a single worry in his life because he has lots of money a good social life and really not many initial problems at all; so because of this he still believes in this ‘blood brother’ stuff because he hasn’t grown up and found out what the world was really like. He still lives in a pampered world where anything he wants (and because he is an only child he is spoilt) he gets, he can afford to play games and Mickey can’t. Edward doesn’t realize no important a job is, ‘why†¦ why is a job so important’ because he can live off his parent income if he wants to, but Mickey knows that without a job he’ll have no money and because he mum cant afford extra school he cant get the grades to get a good job. Mickey’s attitude towards life changes the most, when he was seven he saw everything as a game and didn’t have any real problem to worry about. Although as he grows up he realises that he needs money and a steady income and him being a blood brother with Edward is just a children’s game. On the other hand Edward has gone to university, he can use his parent’s money to give him anything he wants and he hasn’t yet realised what life is really like when your throw in the deep end without any support, so because of this his attitude of being a blood brother hasn’t changed dramatically. How we acted these changes out We acted out the first time Mickey and Edward’s first meeting, this showed that they are immensely fascinated with each other and wanted to be just like each other, furthermore on top of this they are born on the same day and become blood brothers. To show further how this friendship was good I wrote a monologue showing how Edward was dumfounded with Mickey’s knowledge and who he is and that he wants to play and be friends and blood brothers forever. Later on in the play where the most time and the most dramatic difference was noticeable where they had spent the most time away form each other was when Edward got back to Mickey from university. We acted this out in a workshop and showed that Mickey was extremely livid by his job and Edward’s fortune. Edward had friends he had money and he had just come back from university and he had a great time, whereas Mickey was just working for minimal pay ‘putting together cardboard boxes’. When we see Edward and Mickey meet for the first time Mickey expresses that he hasn’t grown up and he makes him ‘sick’. Mickey has put up with so much when Edward was at university and his nerves were stretched to breaking point and as soon as the person who is most like him in the world comes home and sees that he is doing very well, he snaps mentally. I think that this is why he is forced into taking drugs. We acted this difference out by showing that Mickey was very angry and livid by the thought of Edward and that he saw him self as a failure, no job and even when he had one it was a very poor job, and Edward doing extremely well makes him feel even worse. The workshop During the workshop I learnt that gesture and hand movements are very important to express emotions and that it isn’t all through the voice. I learnt that you can use swear words, gesture and actions which provoke something in the audience but only once or twice because after a couple of times it doesn’t have the same effect that it has the first time. I learnt to know that when your on the stage it’s your stage no one else’s so you do not have to rush what you are saying because you are the one on stage and nobody is their to take it away; space between what you are saying. Also that when Mickey is angry and listing all the things that he is angry about I know that it is a good idea to rise in anger as you progress, because Mickey thinks of one thing which makes him angry then he says another and he knows that there are many things that he is angry about; so it topples on top of all the things he is angry or upset about in one frame of mind. In the workshop I learnt that you must always try your best if you want to become an actor (or any other profession) and that if you have an ambition, you should pursue it fully. The best performance When the people in our group performed I thought that Ned performed well; although there is only one criticism I can offer. His charisma on the stage is very good; he projects his voice and shows very well what the character is feeling. When he was playing Mickey and expressing how Mickey felt about his life he did it in such a way that you felt very sympathetic towards him; me must have emphasised a lot to understand what he feeling. The only criticism I can make is that when he acts as though he is upset or angry he tends to do it all the same. His acting at expressing those emotions are very good but he tends to do the same acting for different characters. I just feel that not everybody is angry or upset in the same way, there are many different ways of being angry so I think he should a larger variety of different ways of expressing different emotions.