ACT English Word Choice and Diction Errors

ACT English Word Choice and Diction Errors SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips One of the trickier concepts that you will be tested on ACT English is your ability to choose the right word from among many that are not quite right, and to spot when words are being used incorrectly. Are you confident in your ability to find the differences in a group of similar words? Can you distinguish what’s needed from the context of a question? If you’re not so sure, read on to see how the ACT English will test you on this skill!In this post, I'll cover everything you need to know about these questions: What Does â€Å"Diction† Mean, Anyway? Diction is a fancy synonym forâ€Å"word choice† - you may have heard your literature teacher talk about itwhen analyzing a famous author’s writing style. On the ACT English, there are three main ways that word choice becomes important: recognizing commonly confused words understanding meaning in context recognizing idiomatic uses of phrases with prepositions This final topic is large enough thatwe have a whole separate article dedicated to it. But for the first two, let's lookat some example sentences that illustrate these concepts. There is nothing better then (1) waking up to the smell of freshly-brewed coffee. The exciting (2) smell really gets my blood pumping. 1. A. NO CHANGE B. better than C. better D. better to 2. A. NO CHANGE B. simulating C. dazzling D. stimulating Answers: 1. B; 2. D How did you do? These questions cover two of the most common types of diction errors that you will see on ACT English – commonly confused words and understanding meaning in context. Both of these test your ability to understand when a word is being used incorrectly. I’ll go into each of these question types in more detail below. But first, let’s talk about why ACT English has diction errors in the first place. Why Diction Errors? ACT English basically tests your ability to be an editor. The ACT wants to see if you can spot and correct errors in short passages. This skill is important for college level work, such as writing papers. Most of the ACT English questions focus on grammar, punctuation and style. By reading our guides or using another prep method, you can learn the various grammar rules that are important for being able to answer most of the questions on ACT English. With diction questions, the ACT is looking to see which students can also spot errors where you can’t apply your grammar rules. The only way you will know these answers is to understand the subtle differences between similar words. If you don’t think this task sounds too difficult, keep in mind that many students make diction errors all the time in their everyday speech and writing. The makers of the ACT know which words are most confusing for students, and focus on these when writing the test. So let’s start there – with the most commonly confused words that the ACT loves to test. The Most Common Diction Errors Some of the diction errors the ACT tests are random and therefore essentially impossibleto study for. However, the ACT writers havea couple of favorite errors, which usually appear at least once on every test. We'll go through these one at a time. THAN vs. THEN The first key concept for diction questionsis understanding the difference between â€Å"than† and â€Å"then.† Than is used to show a comparison. I am smarter than you are. He eats more rice than beans. Then is used for showing what happens next. First, she went to the store. Then, she went home. I want to eat my rice, then my beans. Pop Quiz! Look at the following pair of sentences. Can you tell which one is correct? I like blue Cornish cheese more then any other cheese in the world. I like blue Cornish cheese more than any other cheese in the world. Answer: the second is correct because the sentence shows a comparison - than is needed. How Should You Approach These Questions? Then/than errorsare pretty easy to spot and correct. When you see one of these words underlined, look at the rest of the sentence. If it is comparing something, use â€Å"than." If it is telling that one thing happened after another, use â€Å"then.† Let’s look back at the first question At the beginning of the article, I gave you the following question: There is nothing better thenwaking up to the smell of freshly-brewed coffee. A. No change B. better than C. better D. better to Now you can understand why the answer is (B) better than. The sentence shows a comparison (waking up and smelling coffee vs. waking up and doing anything else), so we need than. HAVE vs. OF The second most important diction pair to know is â€Å"have† and â€Å"of." The important distinction here is that â€Å"have† is a helping verb, while â€Å"of† is a preposition. If you see â€Å"of† being used as a helping verb, it will be incorrect! The #1 Rule for Have/Of: If you see could of, would/will of, should of, or might of: these are all INCORRECT. Instead they should be could HAVE, would/will HAVE, should HAVE, and might HAVE. This is one of those â€Å"everyday English† mistakes. In speaking, people tend to pronounceâ€Å"have† likeâ€Å"of† because it’s faster and easier to say. It also sounds a lot like our contractions â€Å"would’ve," â€Å"should’ve," etc. This has led some people to believe that â€Å"of† is actually the correct word to use in these circumstances - but it’s not! Let’s look at some examples: She would of preferred gorgonzola, but she got Cornish blue instead. INCORRECT She would have preferred gorgonzola, but she got Cornish blue instead. CORRECT "Would of" is always incorrect; "would have" is the correct replacement. How Should You Approach These Questions? Have/of questions should also be very easy to spot if you're looking for them. If you see of or have underlined, be ready to see a diction question. Remember that if you have would/will of, might of, should of, or could of, you can immediately cross out those answers. Choose an answer that replaces â€Å"of† with â€Å"have† and is also grammatically correct in the sentence. Let’s look at an example from the ACT. Dickinson’s last twenty years of letters many over 1,500 words in length reveals the breadth and depth of her connection to the world through a wide circle of correspondents. A. NO CHANGE B. reveal C. will of revealed D. would of revealed First thing we see in the answer choices are two answers that can automatically be crossed out, whichmakes our lives so much easier! Get rid of C and D, which both have the dreaded â€Å"of† construction. Now it’s a matter of differentiating between â€Å"reveals† and â€Å"reveal." At this point, you may notice that we are looking at a subject-verb agreement question. So we need to find what the subject is. Ask yourself: what is doing the revealing? It’s the â€Å"last twenty years of letters." When we cross out modifiers and the prepositional phrase, we get â€Å"last twenty years of letters." Now it’s obvious that â€Å"years† is the subject. Since â€Å"years† is a plural noun, we need the plural verb, which is â€Å"reveal." B is the answer. Other Easily Confused Words The ACT will rarely test other commonly-confused words. These questions are very difficult to predict because they happen quite infrequently. I have included a list of commonly confused words at the end of this article. Try reading through them and see if there are any that surprise you or that you didn’t know. If so, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure you have these down before you take the test. But don’t bother spending a lot of time worrying about this list. The ACT will rarely test this kind of question, so it’s really not worth stressing out over. You will most often see these commonly confused words in the context of our next type of question, which is†¦. Understanding Word Meaning in Context Instead of using really tricky commonly confused words, the ACT usually uses fairly common words with similar meanings, and asks you to choose which one is best for the sentence. This can be tricky because you have to really think about what the differences are between the different words that you're given, and also understand what the sentence needs in order to most correctly complete it. Let’s look at an example of this type of problem from the ACT: Many people might be surprised to learn that the American way of computing a person’s age differs from the traditional Korean way. In Korean tradition, a person is considered to be already one year old at the time of his or her birth. As a child growing up in two cultures, I found this contest a bit confusing. When I was in the fifth grade, was I ten or eleven years old? A.NO CHANGE B. change C. dispute D. difference This example shows how the ACT uses relatively simple words to try to trick you. You are probably familiar with all of the words in the answer choices, so let’s look at them closely to see which one best fits the sentence. All of the words here imply some sort of contrast or conflict, but in very different ways. Let’s start with the given word, â€Å"contest." A contest implies some form of formal competition between two things. Though the author says that there are differences between American and Korean age counting traditions, he doesn’t imply that they were actually in competition with each other. So (A) is out. Let’s look at (B). â€Å"Change† implies that something was one way, and then became another way. This doesn’t work because these traditions haven’t changed from one to the other - they were just different to begin with. So (B) is out. (C) is quite similar to (A), in that â€Å"dispute," like â€Å"contest," shows a direct conflict between two things. Again, this doesn’t really work because the two traditions aren’t actually competing with each other. That leaves us with (D), which is the only answer that makes sense. As we’ve said, the two traditions aren’t having a fight; they contrast simply because they have different characteristics. That means that (D), â€Å"differences," is the most appropriate answer. How Should You Approach These Questions? The meaning in context questions are definitely the trickiest of the diction questions. To spot them, look for questions that have an underlined word and answer choices that are completely different words, but are loosely related in meaning. First, read through the sentence. Try to place a word of your own in the spot of the underlined word. Now look at the answer choices. Though they will be slightly similar words, they will have different meanings. Which of them can have the meaning most like the word you put into the sentence? Choose that as the answer. Let’s look at this example from the ACT and use the above strategy to answer it. Perhaps the celebration of New Year’s Day in Korean culture is heightened because it is thought of as everyone’s birthday party. A. NO CHANGE B. raised C. lifted D. lighted First, let’s read through the sentence and try to see what should go in the blank. â€Å"Perhaps the celebration of New Year’s Day in Korean culture is _______ because it is thought of as everyone’s birthday party.† Something along the lines of â€Å"made more important† makes sense here. So which word could mean that? You’ll notice that almost all the words imply going up in one way or another - this is how the ACT is trying to trick you. But in the right context, one of them can also mean showing greater importance. â€Å"Raised† and â€Å"lifted† both refer to physically moving something up (unless they are paired with other words - not the case here). So (B) and (C) are out. â€Å"Lighted† is thrown in here to trick you and is quite different to the others - its means something has been made lighter, as in the opposite of darker. It doesn’t work at all, so (D) is out. Therefore the best word is the one the sentence started out with. If you look up â€Å"heighten†, you will see it can mean to physically raise something up, but it can also mean to make something more intense or significant, which is close to the original idea we came up with, which was making something more important. Looking Back The second question I gave you about smelling coffee in the morning had one of these meaning in context errors. Take a second look at the question. Though the answer choices are all vaguely related – they all imply something that excites or surprises in some way – the correct answer is â€Å"stimulating†. This is the only word that really implies something that helps wake you up, which is what is needed to correctly complete the sentence. Quick Recap To summarize, here are the key strategies you need to use to master diction questions on ACT English: â€Å"Of† used as a helping verb (would of, should of) is always incorrect. Choose an answer that replaces it with â€Å"have." Use â€Å"than† for sentences with comparisons. Use â€Å"then† to show one thing happening after another. When you see a meaning in context question, first read through the sentence and mentally replace the word with one that makes sense in the sentence. Choose the answer that comes closest to the word you used. Now It’s Your Turn! Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. For the past twelve years, Khoubbane has been the unassuming leader of a unique (1) culinary movement in Morocco: creating and distributing a variety of high-quality cheeses throughout the country He slices a small piece off the outer edge of the wheel. A fine dusting of white mold already covers the cheese. The flavor is intense and creamy, with just a hint of the tang that will of developed (2) over the next five months with only Khoubbane's watchful eye and sensible (3) palate to determine when it has finished maturing. It is an unexpected undertaking for the 56 year old. Cheese, as the western world knows it, is unpopular in Morocco. "Moroccans don't eat smelly things," he says with a shrug. "There is less love for cheese here then in (4) France or Italy." This attitude is slowly changing, thanks to Khoubbane. His success, he says, has been due to the fact that he has viewed the process as a labor of love, rather than a business adventure.(5) A. NO CHANGE B. single C. differentiated D. specified A. NO CHANGE B. would of developed C. will develop D. develops A. NO CHANGE B. sensitive C. emotional D. touchy A. NO CHANGE B. then between C. than in D. than between A. NO CHANGE B. venture C. advantage D. process 1. A; 2. C; B.; 4. C; 5. B List of Commonly Confused Words WORD MEANING WORD MEANING accept to receive, take except excluding access entrance; opportunity excess more than needed addition something added edition a certain production of something adopt to legally take on, accept adapt to change to be more suitable advice a recommendation advise to give a recommendation adverse bad; unfavorable averse opposed to affect to influence effect a result afflict to cause suffering inflict to force something harmful aisle space between rows isle island allude to make an indirect reference elude to avoid allusion an indirect reference illusion a false idea or vision already happened before now all ready to be entirely prepared altar table for religious ceremony alter to change altogether completely; entirely all together all things with each other a lot a large number of something allot to give out an amount of something ambivalent to have two different feelings about something ambiguous having more than one possible meaning amoral having no sense or right and wrong immoral having intentionally bad morals anecdote ashort personal story antidote a substance or activity that stops something bad angel a spiritual creature angle space between intersecting lines measured in degrees apart separated, into pieces a part a piece of something appraise to examine and judge apprise to tell someone of something are 3rd person plural of â€Å"to be† our belonging to us accent how someone pronounces words ascent movement up assent agreement/approval assistance help assistants helpers attribute a quality/characteristic contribute to give something auditory related to hearing audible able to be heard aural related to hearing oral spoken, or related to the mouth balmy pleasantly warm barmy crazy or silly bare not covered bear to carry or accept something bated in suspense, excited baited to harass (past tense) bazaar a market bizarre very strange and surprising berth a bed on a boat/train birth time when a baby is born beside next to something besides in addition to something boar a wild pig bore a dull person board a long, flat piece of wood bored feeling uninterested born to have been birthed borne carried bough a large branch of a tree bow bend upper body forward breath air that comes from lunch breathe to take air in and out brake part of a vehicle that stops it break to separate into pieces buy to purchase by shows a person who does something canvas a strong cloth canvass to ask people their opinions censure to criticize formally censor to remove offensive things from public capital city where government is based,ormoney capitol state legislature building choose to decide or pick chose past tense of choose climactic an important or exciting time climatic relating to the weather coarse rough and thick course a series of lessons collaborate to work together corroborate to provide supporting information command to order commend to praise complacent feeling you don’t need to try hard complaisant willingness to please others complement something that goes well with something else compliment saying something to show praise comprehensive thorough comprehensible easy to understand conscience the part of you that makes you feel guilty conscious aware; awake contemptuous showing contempt contemptible extremely bad corps a group of people or military force corpse a dead body council an elected group of people counsel to give advice credible able to be believed credulous gullible dairy milk products diary a book of personal thoughts descent a movement down dissent disagreement desirous wanting something desirable attractive dessert sweet food desert hot, dry area device equipment used for a particular purpose devise to design or invent something discreet secretive discrete separate and different disinterested impartial uninterested not interested do a helping verb dew drops of water due expected or planned dominant most important or wanting control dominate to control or have power over die to stop living dye substance used to change color dyeing to change the color of dying present participle of â€Å"die† elicit to get info or a reaction from someone illicit not legal eminent respected imminent about to happen immanent permanent part of something emit to send out gas/heat/light omit exclude envelop cover something envelope what letters go in everyday commonplace every day each day exhaustive comprehensive exhausting tiring expandable gets bigger expendable non-essential explicit clear, detailed implicit implied or suggested fair reasonable fare cost farther more distant (physical distance) further more flaunt exaggerate flout intentionally break the rules formally properly formerly before foreboding apprehension or anxiety forbidding unfriendly or hostile forth forwards fourth first, second, third†¦.. gorilla large monkey guerrilla unofficial military group hear percieving sound here in this place or moment heard percieved sound (past tense of hear) herd flock/gaggle/group hoard collect/store horde large group hole hollow space in something whole complete human people/person humane kind implicit implied or suggested complicit involved in imply suggest implicate suggest someone is involved in something infer guess something based on the information you have incur cause unpleasant consequences to oneself occur to happen indeterminate uncertain or unclear interminable lasting a long time, in a boring way influence impact affluence wealth ingenious really clever ingenuous innocent and trusting its belongs to it’s it is knew past tense of "know" new not old know to be aware of something no a denial laid past tense of lay lain past tense of lie later occuring further along in time latter near the end of a period lay to put something down lie to recline horizontally lead to take charge led had taken charge lessen to reduce or decrease lesson what a teacher teaches lightning weather lightening becoming lighter or brighter loose not tight lose to not win maybe an adverb that means "perhaps" may be a verb phrase indicating that something could happen but is not certain meat flesh meet assemble mete administer a punishment metal hard, shiny substance medal metal object given as a prize mettle courage, strength, or fortitude miner someone who works in a mine minor not important; underageperson moral right and wrongs morale confidence level in the success of an endeavor passed to go by something; alternatively, to qualify past something that’s happened before now patience to stay calm patients sick people peace tranquility piece a part of peak the top peek a quick look pique annoyance pedal foot operated part of machine petal part of a flower peddle to sell perpetrate do something bad perpetuate to sustain or preserve something personal relating to a person personnel staff persecute oppress or abuse prosecute to take legal action against someone perspective viewpoint prospective potential buyer, or applying to the future plain ordinary, unremarkable plane flying vehicle pore small hole, esp. in the skin pour make liquid flow from a container precede to happen before something else proceed to go forward precedent an example or model president the head of prescribe recommend or authorize medical treatment proscribe to forbid presence being in a place presents gifts principal most important principle fundamental rule quiet no noise quite completely rain precipitation reign to rule rein straps that control a horse raise to lift raze completely destroy rational reasonable rationale the reason reluctant unwilling reticent saying little about what you feel respectfully showing respect respectively in the same order reverend Christian official reverent showing respect right correct rite traditional religious ceremony write produce words road surface built for vehicles rode to have ridden scene location or site seen to have looked sense feeling or awareness of something; one of the 5 senses since between the past and now; because sensible practical or realistic sensitive delicate; responsive sensory connected to the physical senses sight vision site a place cite mention something as proof simulate to mimic stimulate to activate or energize a process stationary unmoving; still stationery office supplies, esp. paper straight not curved strait narrow waterway or channel connecting two bodies of water suppose assume or presume supposed to expected to do something taught educated, instructed taut stretched very tight than used to compare two things then at that time their belongs to them there at that place or location they’re they are through from one end to the other threw to have thrown thorough completely to preposition used to describe a definition or identify the object of something too as well as two comes after one track narrow path tract large area of land visual relating to seeing visible able to seen waist around the middle of your body waste a bad use of something waive give up or cede wave move hand from side to side weak not strong week 7 days weather conditions in the air above the earth (wind, rain etc) whether if, or not wether a castrated ram where to, at, or in what place were past tense of "to be" which determining pronoun witch woman with magical powers whose pronoun identifying what belongs to someone who’s who is your belonging to you you’re you are yore a long time ago What’s Next? Now that you know how to tackle one of the trickier subjects on the ACT English, try another: here is how to take on idioms on the ACT. Not sure what else you’ll be up against? Here is a full breakdown of what you will find on ACT English. Aiming high? Here are some top tips to get a 36 on ACT English. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Free Essays on Literary Analysis On “A Rose For Emily“

â€Å"A Rose for Emily†: Battle of the Sexes In his short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† William Faulkner relates to the reader the life of Emily Grierson, a remnant of the past. The narrator of the story relates the mystery and intrigue that surrounds the events of Miss Emily’s life. As her story unfolds, Faulkner depicts the thoughts that the townspeople have about her and her actions. It is quickly evident that the author makes distinctions between the sexes in this story. As the townspeople interact with and react to Miss Emily, a clear characterization of the males and females emerges. Faulkner portrays the men in the story as admirable, respectful, polite, and well mannered and portrays the women as nosey, interfering, unkind, gullible, and gossipy. Faulkner’s treatment of the male in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is quite complimentary. From the very beginning of the story the male is presented as admirable. In the first sentence of the story, Faulkner writes that the men go to the funeral â€Å"out of respectful affection for a fallen monument† (87). They attend this funeral for honorable reasons. Obviously, they have a great respect for Miss Emily’s family and felt that they should pay their respects upon her death. The men also demonstrate this respect when they handle the situation with Miss Emily’s taxes. They expect her to pay the taxes, but they are very patient and respectful in their dealings with her on this manner. When they mail a tax notice and receive no reply, they mail a formal letter. When this fails, the mayor writes â€Å"offering to call or to send his car for her†(88). This surely is not customary but the men give Miss Emily nothing but respect. In addition to very respectful, the men of the town are always polite and well mannered when dealing with Miss Emily. When the townspeople become concerned about the smell around Miss Emily’s house, complaints come from both males and females alike. The males’... Free Essays on Literary Analysis On â€Å"A Rose For Emilyâ€Å" Free Essays on Literary Analysis On â€Å"A Rose For Emilyâ€Å" â€Å"A Rose for Emily†: Battle of the Sexes In his short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† William Faulkner relates to the reader the life of Emily Grierson, a remnant of the past. The narrator of the story relates the mystery and intrigue that surrounds the events of Miss Emily’s life. As her story unfolds, Faulkner depicts the thoughts that the townspeople have about her and her actions. It is quickly evident that the author makes distinctions between the sexes in this story. As the townspeople interact with and react to Miss Emily, a clear characterization of the males and females emerges. Faulkner portrays the men in the story as admirable, respectful, polite, and well mannered and portrays the women as nosey, interfering, unkind, gullible, and gossipy. Faulkner’s treatment of the male in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is quite complimentary. From the very beginning of the story the male is presented as admirable. In the first sentence of the story, Faulkner writes that the men go to the funeral â€Å"out of respectful affection for a fallen monument† (87). They attend this funeral for honorable reasons. Obviously, they have a great respect for Miss Emily’s family and felt that they should pay their respects upon her death. The men also demonstrate this respect when they handle the situation with Miss Emily’s taxes. They expect her to pay the taxes, but they are very patient and respectful in their dealings with her on this manner. When they mail a tax notice and receive no reply, they mail a formal letter. When this fails, the mayor writes â€Å"offering to call or to send his car for her†(88). This surely is not customary but the men give Miss Emily nothing but respect. In addition to very respectful, the men of the town are always polite and well mannered when dealing with Miss Emily. When the townspeople become concerned about the smell around Miss Emily’s house, complaints come from both males and females alike. The males’...

Is there such thing as a normal sexual orientation Essay

Is there such thing as a normal sexual orientation - Essay Example Traditional perception of sexuality takes it origins from the ancient times. Ruse (1988) implies that Ancient Greeks and Jews were the groups who were primarily influential on the morality of modern civilization. However, over the matter of sexual orientation, Greek and Jewish thoughts enter the conflict, and it is often the Jewish tradition that proves triumphant. As a result, people’s perception that the â€Å"normal† sexual orientation is heterosexuality has long since become tradition. This essay will argue that in spite of traditional views against homosexuality and bisexuality, there is no such thing as a normal sexual orientation. It will further conclude that heterosexuality as a sexual orientation is a socially constructed view. On the one side, there are several factors that prove the existence of the concept of normal sexual orientation. Firstly, the religious way of looking at sexuality forbids any homosexual acts. For example, Magonet (1995) notes that Juda ism, as one of the oldest monotheistic religions, considers homosexual acts as a â€Å"halakha† (which means a violation of traditional Jewish law). In addition, Hertzberg (1991) implied that The Torah forbids the act of homosexuality, which is known as mishkav zakhar, and considers a homosexual act between two men to be an abhorrent thing (which is known as to’evah), and is punishable by death—a strong prohibition. Likewise, Islam regards homosexuality as a sin and a vast deviation from the norm: "We also sent Lut: He said to his people: ‘Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds. Quran 7:80-81)’†. Moreover, according to a pamphlet produced by Al-Fatiha, there is a consensus among Islamic scholars that all humans are naturally heterosexual. All Islamic schools of thought and jurisprudence consider gay acts to be unlawful and sinful (Habib, 2010). Like Judaism and Islam, Christianity also does not accept homosexuality, and considers it is an illicit lust that is forbidden by God. He said to His people of Israel, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination (Leviticus 18:22).† "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them (Leviticus 20:13).† In these passages from The Old Testament of the Bible, homosexuality is condemned and shown as a prime example of a sin, a sexual perversion. A Christian can neither alter God's viewpoint nor depart from it (Boswell, 1980). They may believe otherwise, but this does not change how Christianity as a whole views homosexuality. From the scientific perspective, sex is made for reproduction and a male and female’s genitals are designed to mate with one another. Arguments from biol ogy have proven to be very powerful in maintaining heterosexual relations. The anatomical construction of genitalia is a great necessity for heterosexual relations. It is not possible to create future generations without heterosexual relations between genders not only for human being, but also for animal species. For example, Kant, in his Lectures of Ethics, argues that homosexuality is unnatural in that it "degrades mankind below the level of animals, for no animal turns in this way from its own

Foster Adoption Agency Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Foster Adoption Agency - Research Proposal Example The intention of starting the organization was to offer a coordinating body that would link the needy children to the adopting firms or the personalities. Concerning the organization’s qualification to handle the work, the founder has relevant educational qualification and experience in child protection. In addition, the management staff consists of people with impeccable knowledge and dedication to serve the purpose. Therefore, they are at a position to carry out the activities relating to adoption more effectively. The founder of the organization together with other co-founders noticed that there was a vacuum between the needy children and the firms and personalities adopting children. Thus, the decision to start the organization was based on the desire to fill this vacuum, and offer the necessary vacuum to those seeking such services. However, due to financial limitations, the company opted to request for grant from California Community Foundation, to facilitate its activities. The founder had contributed $ 6,000, received grants amounting to $ 2,000 from the government. Therefore, in order to fill the budget deficit, the organization has requested $ 12, 000 from California Community Foundation, which was started with the sole objective of enhancing development for the whole community. Foster Adoption Agency is an organization that will be managed by experts in child health, and those who are knowledgeable in laws governing child protection. The founder has a Master’s Degree in child rights and protection, thus best placed to mange such a sensitive organization. Moreover, the people to manage the task of child transfers and coordinate the activities of the organization have proved that they have passion for children and would do everything to make sure that they are safe wherever they are taken (Zimmerman, 1994). Sometimes, the organization would request the involvement of the

Translation of MRNA to Proteins Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Translation of MRNA to Proteins - Essay Example This include the A(amino acid) site, where the aminoacyl-tRNA anticodon base combine with the mRNA codon ensuring the actual amino acid is included in the growing polypeptide chain. The second site is the P (polypeptide) site where the amino acid is moved from its TRNA to the growing chain of polypeptide. The third site is the E (exit) site where the empty TRNA stays before it is released back to the cytoplasm to combine with another amino acid and the process is repeated (Clancy and William, 2008). The next phase in the translation process is the elongation phase. In this phase, the ribosome moves with the mRNA in a direction referred to 5’ to 3’ direction, which needs the elongation factor G. The tRNA that corresponds to the second codon bids to the site A, a step that requires the guanosine triphosphate (GTP), which provides energy for the process and the elongation factors EF-Tu and EF-Ts. After the TRNA- amino acid complex is in site A, GTP is broken down to form guanosine diphosphate (GDP) and released together with EF-Tu so as to be recycled by Elongation factor EF-Ts for the next process (Clancy and William, 2008). The next process is the formation of peptide bonds between the first and second adjacent amino acid through the activity of peptidyl transferase. Once the peptide bond is formed, the ribosome translocates causing the tRNA to occupy the E site. The tRNA is released to the cytoplasm to combine with another amino acid. Additionally, the site A remains empty and is ready to accept the mRNA for the next codon. This process occurs repeatedly until all the codons in the mRNA are read by the TRNA molecules, and the amino acids attached to the tRNA are joined to the chain of the growing polypeptide in the appropriate order. As soon as this takes place, translation process is terminated; the nascent protein is released from the ribosome and the mRNA (Clancy and William,

Benefits of Evidence Based Healthcare Practice

Benefits of Evidence Based Healthcare Practice Evidence based practice refers to clinical practices that include best available scientific evidence (Levin and Feldman, 2006) based from expert opinion, clinical guidelines and findings from researches, combined with good clinician judgement and client’s preferences (Kim and Mallory, 2011) on issues relating to healthcare. The whole essence is to ensure the best care for patients and to be able to explain why certain clinical interventions are applied. This piece of work will briefly outline the importance of evidence based practice before analysing four pieces of evidence in the care of a stroke patient, Omar Banerjee, and its usefulness other users. Oman et al (2003) states that evidence based practice started to be appreciated and recommended by the National Health Services (NHS) in the UK in the early 1990s. The reason was to have effective and less costly interventions while providing high quality healthcare system. The intervention should be based on best available evidence and provided in the best interest of the patient such as Omar in this analysis. In addition, when a particular intervention is used on a client, evidence is required to back up that particular action (Kim and Mallory, 2011). In the UK this support can come from the NICE guidelines, Care Quality Commission and the codes and practices of professional bodies like Nursing and Midwifery Council. Evidence based practice ensures accountability. Aveyard and Sharp (2013) noted that professional health carers who belong to various professional organisations are expected to comply with their standards, codes and policies. This will be enabling them to justify their actions if required to do so. The first analysis of Omar’s condition is based on Cross (2008)’s evidence on stroke care. This evidence was obtained from the UWE blackboard website. I have chosen this article because it has statistical information helpful to Omar and his carers. It identifies important areas of his care needs and why stroke research should continue to be an on-going process. Sander (2013) defined stroke as a disease caused by the disturbance of the flow of blood in blood vessels in the brain which could have been necessitated by a bursting blood vessel or blood clot. Omar’s stroke was caused by a blood clot in the brain. Stroke has become a big problem and the second main cause of death and disability in developed economies after heart related diseases (Cross, 2008). Sander (2013) emphasises out that stroke is affecting about 150, 000 people in the UK yearly. However, the article reports a decline in deaths because of improvements in stroke care, management and awareness. More resources have been put towards short to long term care of stroke patients such as admission to acute stroke units and to rehabilitation areas (Cross, 2008). The report says this evidence, among others, is being used to develop new stroke treatments and guidelines in the UK. NICE (2008) which provides tools and quick reference guide to stroke related cases could have emerged as a result of this. These developments may give hope to Omar and his distressed family. The article cited two evidence of good practice from two hospitals. It is reported that the stroke management team at Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust assess stroke patients on admission to the AE, take brain scans and admit relevant patients to a stroke unit within 24 hours. The other evidence is from Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust where patients have brain scans, swallow screens and initial dose of aspirin given to relevant patients. These practices are recommended by NICE (2008) guidelines and may reduce further risks to patients. Omar received these interventions. This shows the strength of this article to Omar’s case and how early intervention may result in positive outcome. Although the article stressed the need for nurses to continuously monitor patients during the early stages of stroke on certain variables, it did not provide guidelines to back up the checks. Locally agreed hospital policies suggested may not meet NICE standards. Despite the improvements noted in the research, caution should be taken when making decisions based on the findings. These are 2008 findings and a lot has happened since then. Omar may be interested in hearing recent studies such as that of Sander (2013) who points out that in addition to the swallow screen stroke patients should further be screened for malnutrition using Malnutrition Universal screening Tool (MUST) in line with the NICE (2008) guidelines. The second analysis of Omar’s care is based on a qualitative study of Tutton et al (2012) on ten staff and ten patients’ views on the concept of hope on a British stroke unit. The evidence was obtained from EBSCO via CINAHL database and UWE library section. I chose this evidence because CINAHL is considered as one the good sources of evidence (Levin and Feldman, 2006) and the concept may be useful to Omar to learn other patients’ experiences in a similar hospital setting. The aim and key search terms in the article relate well to Omar’s case. Hope is defined as getting better from illness and being able to do things as before (Tutton et al, 2011). This was echoed by some of the patients in the study. An in depth analysis of key terms and the codes used in qualitative study (Aveyard and Sharp, 2013) may help carers to understand how it feel to have a stroke. Omar and his family may share the same thoughts as they are finding it hard to come to terms with sudden change of things in their family. Despite taking long time on data collection and variations in stroke severity Omar may be encouraged to learn that some patients took less than a week in hospital. This result is echoed by Arnaert et al (2006) in a similar study based on ten patients in Canada. They reported that some clients were hoping for a quick recovery and self-healing. The article is good evidence as it stated what is already known about this topic and nursing implications. These aspects are echoed by Arnaert et al (2006) but Tutton et al (2011) further identify what the paper has added such as the multidisciplinary team involvement in caring for stroke patients to make hope a realistic thing. Although the article mentioned that consent was obtained from both participants, there are still some ethical issues in the article. Some of patients’ names are mentioned in the article. This is confidential information and Omar may find himself in a similar situation. Furthermore, relatives and carers of patients were not interviewed in the study. It may be necessary to hear their views as well especially after learning from Preeti how she was struggling to come to terms with Omar’s condition. Her understanding of hope would improve our knowledge on this aspect. It is generally accepted that qualitative evidence is ranked second from the bottom in the hierarch of evidence (Polit and Beck, 2012) and uses a small sample size for the purpose of in-depth analysis of topic under consideration (Aveyard and Sharp, 2013). Although a large sample size may be costly and time consuming, caution must be taken when making inferences on large population size like 150, 000 patients mentioned earlier. A third analysis of Omar’s care considers service audit and evaluation evidence from Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) (2013). It is a national audit on stroke patients admitted to hospital in the first three months of 2013. The research looks at the processes of care at early stages of stroke (72 hours) from hospital arrival. I have chosen this evidence because SSNAP is a nationally recognised organisation and works with other organisations in stroke related cases. Its recent results obtainable through Google, SSNAP Audit Report (2012) and Royal College of Physicians links have strong implications on Omar’s condition. SSNAP (2013) results show the importance of using guidelines in any intervention involving stroke cases. There is strong evidence in the article that stroke patients were immediately taken for brain scans and admitted to the stroke units, as in the case of Omar, upon arriving hospital. This is in line with NICE (2008) guidelines. Most of the trusts were able to meet this standard. However, it is worrying to learn that there is a lower chance of having scan during the weekend and night times, the time of the week when Omar experienced the stroke. NICE (2012) guidelines stipulate that people who have had TIA should have first dose aspirin upon initial assessment. Although Omar received one, the outcome in the report is not very pleasing. It is clear from the research that this standard was not met by all trust as there are huge variations. The research was only focused on 72 hours upon hospital arrival. It may benefit the public and give confidence to Omar if the care he received from the ambulance crew were up to standards. NICE (2012) guidelines require people suspected to have had stroke to be screened using a FAST tool. There are no statistics regarding this in the article as the research excluded time before hospital arrival and the rehabilitation. This information may enlighten the public the importance of early intervention in stroke care. This evidence is not peer reviewed and the way data was collected is of concern. Because the SSNAP is a single source of data nationally (Paley et al, 2013) and an online web-tool was used to gather information one may wonder whether variations in results may appear if a different organisation undertakes the same research. Caution should be applied when interpreting this data. The audit results stress the importance of early intervention by multidisciplinary stroke team in the care of stroke patients. However, there are some areas that require attention if the all standards are to be fully met. The final analysis of Omar’s care is based on quantitative study by Beavan et al (2010) on whether looped nasogastric tube (NGT) feeding improves nutritional delivery to acute stoke patients with dysphagia. The evidence was obtained from UWE blackboard website. I chose this evidence because the intervention, tube feeding, helps to resolve Omar’s swallowing difficulties and improve nutritional needs. The research helps in answering questions on whether there are other alternatives and any effects associated with the intervention. The research was necessitated by the poor nutrition on patients on admission to hospital and the dislodgement associated with adhesive nasal stickers. Findings from the research reported more benefits in using the loop system than the other method. Some of the benefits include fewer checks for NGT position, less supplementary feeds required, more volume of fluids and feeds and less dislodgement of NGTs. This is vital information to Omar as it highlights why the intervention is used. However, the costs were seen to be high for the two week period. It is important to explain to Omar that studies of this nature are useful and commonly used in clinical interventions. It is a view shared by many authors like Polit and Beck (2012) and Aveyard and Sharp (2013). They rank randomised controlled trials as second best on the hierarch of evidence after systematic reviews and meta-analysis. There are some ethical issues regarding the funding for the research. Procare Ltd supplied the loops. The researchers stressed that it was not involved in any logistics or interpretation of the results, but one may wonder why the loops were sold at a bulk price. Could this have resulted in a discount? If the answer is yes then it is likely that the costs could be higher than the reported one. In addition, the aspect of tolerability was mainly based on the views of nurses and family members. Although it is understandable that most of the patients were having communication problems, the number of patients unable to communicate is alarming to the extent that caution is required when using this evidence. The study was done some years ago and the results published in 2010. A number of changes may have happened since then. Omar will be susceptible on why using such an old piece of evidence. Recent research results may be easier to convince Omar and his family than old results. To sum up, stroke is a major disease affecting many people and causing disabilities among survivors. Any nursing intervention will require evidence to back up. Four sources of evidence have been analysed in relation to Omar, a stroke patient. The strengths and weaknesses associated with each of this evidence will enable any intervention in Omar’s care to be made in rationale way and to his best interest. WORDS: 2 089 Reference Aveyard, H. and Sharp, P. (2013) A Beginner’s Guide to Evidence-Based Practice in Health and Social Care, 2nd ed. Berkshire: Open University Press. Kim, M. and Mallory, C. (2011) Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing, Burlington: Jones and Bartlett Learning. Oman, K.S., Krugman, M.E. and Fink, R. M. (2003) Nursing Research Secrets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Hanley and Belfus. Pilot, D. F. and Beck, C.T. (2012) Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice, 9th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Levin, R. F. and Feldman, H. R. (2006) Teaching Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing: A Guide for Academic and Clinical Settings, New York: Springer Publishing Company. Arnaert, A., Filteau, N. and Sourial, R. (2006) Stroke Patients in the Acute Care Phase: Role of Hope in Self-healing [online]. 20 (3), pp137-146. [Accessed 14 November 2013] Beavan, J., Conroy, S.P., Harwood, R., Gladman, J.R.F., Leonardi-Bee, J., Sach, T., Bowling, T., Sunman, W. and Gaynor, C. (2010) Does looped nasogastric tube feeding improve nutritional delivery for patients with dysphagia after acute stroke? A randomised controlled trial. Available from: https://blackboard.uwe.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-3425495-dt-content-rid-4569416_2/courses/UZWSN3-15-1_13oct_gl_feb14_1/Tube%20feeding%20after%20stroke%20RCT.pdf [Accessed on 19 November 2013] Cross, S. (2008) Stroke care: a nursing perspective. Nursing Standard. 22 (23), pp 47-56. Available from: https://blackboard.uwe.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-3473085-dt-content-rid-4709333_2/xid-4709333-2 [Accessed on 29 October 2013] National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) (2008) Audit support (NICE clinical guideline 68 – Stroke) Available from: https://blackboard.uwe.ac.uk/bbcwebdav/pid-3461610-dt-content-rid-4659555_2/xid-4659555_2 [Accessed 12 November 2013] NICE (2008) Understanding NICE guidance: Early assessment and treatment of people who have had a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) Available from: www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/cg68publicinfo.pdf [Accessed on 01 December 2013] Paley, L., Campbell, J., Hoffman, A. and Rudd, (2013) Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP): Clinical audit first pilot public report, National results. Available from: www.rcplondon.ac.uk/sites/default/files/ssnap_pilot_national_report_january_-_march_2013_admissions_with_appendices_.pdf [Accessed on 11 December 2013] Pale, L., Campbell, J., Hoffman, A. and Rudd, (2013) Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP): Clinical audit first pilot public report, National results. Available from: www.rcplondon.ac.uk/sites/default/files/ssnap_pilot_national_report_january_-_march_2013_admissions_with_appendices_.pdf [Accessed on 11 December 2013] Sander, R. (2013) Prevention and treatment of acute ischaemic stroke. Nursing Older People [online]. 25 (8), pp 34-38. [Accessed on 4 December 2013]. Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) (2012) Acute organisational audit report: Public Report for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Available from: http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/sites/default/files/ssnap_acute_organisational_audit_-_public_report_2012_0.pdf [Accessed 12 November 2013] Tutton, E., Seers, K., Langstaff, D. and Westwood, M. (2011) Staff and patient views of the concept of hope on a stroke unit: a qualitative study [online]. 68 (9), pp 2061-2069. [Accessed 14 November 2013] 1

Was the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre a Failure of Civil Disobedience?

The 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in China or the June Fourth Incident was one of the most famous student protests in the world’s history. The Massacre took place on June 4th 1989 – the last day of a series of pro-democracy demonstrations around Tiananmen Square beginning from April 14. The Tiananmen protest ended in tragic failure and bloodbath as the Chinese state decided to put down the protest with a martial law. At last, army troops and tanks were sent to take control of the city and were ordered to clear the square by firing at the crowd of protesters. The number of deaths has been a matter of controversy over the world until now, which ranges from several hundreds to thousands. In spite of the massiveness and the great influence of the protest, June Fourth was a great failure of civil disobedience because of its lack of organization and the dominant power of the Chinese dictatorial government. The root of protest came into existence since the early of 1980s after the death of Mao ZeDong – the first chairman of the Communist party of China – in 1976. Since the communist party came to power, it had conducted many social and economic campaigns that had tremendous influence on the nation. The total domination of the socialist government towards the society caused many mistakes that made China face many disasters, for example, the severe famine caused the death of 30 million people from 1959 to 1961 (Zhao 42), or the Cultural Revolution which annihilated traditional culture and murdered a lot of intellectuals. In 1978, the new leaders decided to reform to rescue the Chinese economy which was on the verge of collapse. They corrected the past mistakes with an open-door policy on all areas from economy to culture, thus loo... ...down the student demonstrations and somehow killed the revolution spirit of the people, the world will always remember the Tiananmen protest as significant, bravery and dramatic civil disobedience in the pursuit for democracy. Works Cited Branigan, Tania. â€Å"China lifts ban on Tiananmen sites.† Guardian.co.uk 3 August 2008. . Mackerras, Colin. â€Å"June Fourth.† Dictionary of the Politics of the People’s Republic of China. 1st ed. 1998. Pei, M. From Reform to Revolution: The Demise of Communism in China and the Soviet Union. Harvard University Press, 1994. Zhang, Liang. The Tiananmen papers. Ed. Andrew J. Nathan and Perry Link. 1st ed. New York: Public Affairs, 2001. Zhao, Dingxin. The power of Tiananmen. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 2001.

At Different Stages in Our Life the Law Regulates Our Rights and Responsibilities in Different Ways. Examine How and Why Legal Rights and Responsibilities May Change over the Course of a Person’s Life.

Throughout a person’s life there is a balance between the rights and responsibilities that they are regulated by. This essay assess’ the reasons why these rights and responsibilities change and how they change during a childhood, adulthood and elderly years. When a foetus is in the womb, it has â€Å"limited legal recognition† however when the baby is born it is given a separate identity, it is registered and becomes a â€Å"legal personality. From this point on different rights and responsibilities will be gained throughout the child’s life, and they â€Å"only gain rights and responsibilities when society feels they are capable of understanding their actions and the consequences of those actions. † Rights don’t exist without responsibilities however â€Å"baby or small child cannot be expected to take responsibility for their own actions† (pg. 74) and they do not possess the mental capacity to understand the consequences.It is belie ve that when children reach the age of 10years they will have â€Å"sufficient understanding of the serious and criminal nature of their own actions and are held accountable the same way as adults. † (pg. 75) it is at this point that â€Å"children understand the difference between bad behaviour and serious wrong doing. †(pg. 75) Civil rights and responsibilities are different though as children cannot enter into a legal binding contract, although there are some exceptions. But this is â€Å"designed to protect children from unscrupulous behaviour. † (pg. 6) Children and medical care has always been an area of controversy. The Family Law Act of 1969 states that Children can only give consent to medical care at the age of 16, however following the case of Gillick V West Norfolk and Wisbeck Health Authority [1986] AC 112 it was decided that if â€Å"children under the age of 16 were competent to give their own valid consent to medical treatment if they were suffi ciently mature to understand what was being proposed. † Now if a child can prove they have ‘Gillick competency’ they are allowed to give consent. Like this, there are many other pieces of legislation written for the welfare of children, enforced by social services such as, the Education Act of 1996 required that children between the ages of 5 and 16 must attend school, full time. However it’s the parents’ responsibility to ensure this. (pg. ) There are also many rules on children employment such as very limited hours and the type of occupation they do. All of these Acts are for the protection of vulnerable children and adolescents.

How Societ Influences Gender Identity Essays

How Societ Influences Gender Identity Essays How Societ Influences Gender Identity Essay How Societ Influences Gender Identity Essay The impact of social and cultural norms on the way an adolescent shapes and perceives identity has come under greater scrutiny in recent years. Although societies differ in the specific nature of the attributes associated with maleness and femaleness, each society attempts to communicate the gender norms to children and adolescents through various mechanisms. Acculturated gender roles have a significant influence on the way parents rear children, which impacts the way the children view themselves. A conflict between the external societal role assigned to an adolescent based on biological gender and the internal gender identity formed by the adolescent can have negative consequences for psychological health. Gender identity involves the fundamental sense of belonging to a gender as defined by societal norms, which may be different from the biological sex of the individual (Vasey Bartlett, 2007). While most adolescents have a gender identity based on their biological sex, many have a strong psychological identification with the opposite biological sex and may desire to become a member of the opposite sex. If the identification with the opposite sex and the desire to become a member of the opposite sex causes significant psychological distress, it is considered a gender identity disorder (GID) based on the criteria in the DSM-IV. In this construct, the identification with the opposite sex is not in itself a disorder, and must be the source of significant distress sufficient to interfere with life activities. Various factors can influence the development of gender identity among children and adolescents, including parental behaviors and norms, peer norms, and the depiction of the gender roles traditional in the society in various types of media. The cognitive perspective of the development of gender identity suggests that information received from external sources contributes to the formation of gender identity. The amount and quality of the information influences the gender schema of the individual, which is the internal cognitive network that organizes and guides individual perceptions about the attributes associated with masculinity and femininity. The schema is influenced by socialization processes and the feedback received from role models in the dolescents environment. In this context, the cognitive processing of information leads adolescents to choose as an organizing principle for their behavior and to interpret the behavior of others. Based on the cognitive perspective of development of gender identity among adolescents, the following research will test three hypotheses. The first hypothesis stated in its alternate form is: Some variations about the conception of sexuality and gender identity are culturally specific . This hypothesis is based on the assumption that some standards of the concept of masculinity and femininity may correlate in all societies, but each society makes adaptations to the standards that are culturally specific. The second hypothesis of the study stated in its alternative form is: Parents influence the development of gender identity through the way they allow children to participate in gender-specific play and the toys they permit the children to use in play. This hypothesis is based on the assumption that parents transmit information to children about socially accepted gender roles, with the adolescent influenced by the information acquired during earlier stages of development. The third hypothesis of the study is: Media has the greatest influence in the transmission of information about social norms related to gender to the individual. The hypothesis is based on the assumption that adolescents are significant consumers of media in various forms. Evidence from research indicates that adolescents draw from popular culture to construct their identities, which includes gender identity (Wright, 2007). As a result, the information embedded in media about gender norms and stereotypes can have a significant influence on the development of gender identity during adolescence by communicating societal values and norms with respect to behavior expected from males and females. Case Study (Person Whom I Know) Samantha, who uses the nickname Sam, is a female aged 14 who is considered a tomboy by her parents and peers. She tends to dress in male clothing and engage in activities that are stereotypically male such as contact sports and playing action video games. She also watches television for two to three hours a day and frequently attends movies, usually alone. While she wears a stereotypically female hair style, it is cut relatively short. She is academically bright and intends to enter college after she completes high school. She is sexually attracted to boys her age, but conceals her feelings because she is concerned about rejection. She is socially ostracized by the females in her peer group and is often the object of negative comments about her behavior and sexuality. As a result, she has engaged in physical fights with some of her female peers. At the same time, she is not fully accepted by males in her age group as a peer because of their awareness that she is a female. Her parents encourage her to dress in more traditionally female clothing, which she resists. They also attempted to ensure that she had only the toys they deemed appropriate for a girl when she was a child. Although they continuously encourage her to be more feminine, they assume that she will eventually outgrow the behaviors they consider inappropriate for an adolescent girl. As a result, Sam does not discuss her problems with her parents because she believes it will inevitably lead to criticism of her behaviors. Literature Review Behm-Morawitz and Mastro (2008) investigated the influence of teen movies on the development of gender-based beliefs about friendships, social aggression and the roles of women in society. The research was based on Banduras social cognitive theory, which postulates that the media is a significant source for the acquisition of gender-linked knowledge. The social cognitive theory functionally uses a constructivism paradigm by suggesting that individuals cognitively create a self-identity construct based on information obtained from other social actors. In effect, a medium such as film contains information about societal expectations concerning roles and conduct for the genders and standards that individuals use for self-evaluation and the evaluation of others. The study focused on the depiction of the mean girl in teenage film, which involves a teenage female social circle dominated by a girl who is tyrannical and bullying. The social circle emphasizes a caste system, with outsiders the target of the bullying. The research examined the content of 20 teenage films using university students as coders. The findings of Behm-Morawitz and Mastro (2008) determined that female characters in the films were more likely to engage in socially aggressive behavior than male characters. In addition, females were more likely than males to be rewarded for engaging in socially aggressive behaviors. When the films depicted socially cooperative behaviors, however, no differences between the genders existed, with both genders equally rewarded for engaging in these types of behaviors. The findings supported the conclusion that exposure to these messages embedded in the film media could encourage the development of negative beliefs about the value of female friendships and poor attitudes towards women in general. The films also convey the message to adolescents that aggressive behavior is an acceptable method for achieving higher social status and other rewards. Because the article uses the social cognitive theory, it assumes that gender identity is a social construct with adolescents adopting the behaviors they perceive to be the norm based on their gender identity. It does not, however, discuss the implications for the media message for adolescents who do not accept the gender norms. The Behm-Morawitz and Mastro (2008) article has the highest priority in terms of relevance for Sam. Because Sam frequently watches movies and television, she is likely to have encountered the media construct of the mean girl. Sam may find the construct unpleasant because it depicts adolescent females as tyrannical and bullying. To some degree, this may account for her reluctance to engage in the stereotypical behaviors expected of a adolescent girl. To fully adopt the gender identity of a female would require that she participate in the social activities that involve dominance by a mean girl and bullying of other girls not within the social circle. As a result, she pursues male friendships, although these friendships may not meet her full range of needs for peer interactions. She may expect a reward from socially cooperative behavior with males in the form of peer friendships. Another aspect of Sams behavior that may be influenced by the media is physical fighting with other girls when they behave in a derogatory or demeaning manner towards her. Although she does not fully formed a stereotypical female gender identity, she is aware that she is biologically female. In the teen movies, females are rewarded for socially aggressive behavior, which sometimes includes fighting with other females. As a result, she may believe that it the use of aggression toward other females will bring a reward while the use of cooperation with males will bring a reward. Wright (2007) investigated whether adolescents with gender identity uncertainty are attracted to media depictions of individuals who do not conform to traditional gender stereotypes. This research was based on both the essentialism and constructivism paradigms. The research assumed that male-to-female transgendered individuals were biologically influenced to adopt a female gender identity. At the same time, these individuals had to develop a social construct derived from the norms and values of a subculture in which transgendered individuals were accepted. The research relied on interviews with adult transgendered individuals that had been adolescents in the 1960s. The focus of the research was the influence of a female television character in the television show The Avengers on male adolescents of the period that subsequently became trans-women. The female character in this show exhibited qualities that were considered masculine at the time by using physical strength and intelligence as well as rescuing her male partner from danger. The author noted that the role was originally intended for a man, with a woman subsequently cast in the show. Wrights (2007) findings indicated that the subjects used the female character as a role model to construct a gender identity that blended some aspects of male and female stereotypes during adolescence. The subjects of the study were biologically male and had some of the physical strength and intelligence associated with the male stereotypes of the period. The character in the television show demonstrated these male attributes, but also exhibited the stereotypically feminine attributes of attractiveness and sexuality. The findings also indicated that the video tapes of the old television show are used among modern adolescents who are male-to-female transgendered to provide a female role model that has some male attributes. This finding suggests that the attributes of the media character remain relevant for adolescents experiencing difficulty developing a gender identity. The findings also noted that the individual subjects were rejected by their parents for failing to conform to gender norms in the society, which led them to rely on media representations to develop an understanding of their position in society. The research findings imply that adolescents with gender identity conflicts search popular media to find role models that allow them to construct a gender identity that feels appropriate. It also implies that the media sometimes provides social constructs concerning gender roles and attributes that differ substantially from the stereotypical norms. The research conducted by Wright (2007) has the second highest priority of relevance for Sam because it indicates that the media contextualizes the experiences of adolescents. Sam watches an extensive amount of television and attends movies, and presumably has favorite characters or stories that she perceives as relevant for her situation. Many of the modern female media characters outside of teen movies may display non-stereotypical attributes that Sam may find relevant. By seeking out media characters or stories with female characters with blended male and female attributes, she may be validating her gender identity that is neither stereotypically male or female. From this perspective, the media has an influence on her gender identity by confirming that she need not adopt the stereotypical role and attributes of a female to obtain rewards or to be successful. Miller and Sommers (2007) investigated depiction of males and females in video games targeted to the adolescent market. The research was based on the environmentalism paradigm in which the media functions as a social influence by depicting the norms and standards expected by society. The theoretical premise was that the media representation informed adolescents about the attributes that are socially desirable for each gender, with adolescents failing to conform to the representation feeling inadequate. The research method used content analysis of video game magazines to determine the way in which the games portray male and female characters. Video games may have a more significant influence on adolescents than other types of media because of the high degree of engagement when playing the game and the repetitive nature of the activity. In effect, the adolescent player is more susceptible to influences form the embedded messages in the game content such as the appropriate behaviors of males and females. Miller and Sommers (2007) found that male figures are heroic and physically powerful in video games while females are secondary characters that are sexualized through their appearance and attire. In some games with more mature themes, the females are sex objects whose sole function is to provide an objective for the male hero to achieve. Male characters also have a wider range of skills and abilities than female characters in the games, including games in which female characters can behave as leaders or heroes. Although both adolescent males and adolescent females play video games, the industry primarily targets the male market, which may account for the general weakness of the female characters in the games. In the games analyzed in the study, male characters were five times more likely to be included in a game than female characters. The video games appear to endorse the gender stereotypes by creating an unrealistic image of masculinity and femininity, which can influence gender identity if individual adolescents do not believe they conform to the image. The research conducted by Miller and Sommers (2007) has the third priority in relevance to Sams situation. Sam plays video games, primarily with her male companions. At the same time, her parents are not fully aware of her preferences in video games and assume that she only plays games they would consider appropriate for young girls. As a result, she is likely to play games intended for male adolescents in which the male characters are heroic and skillful while the female characters are passive and sexualized. During the process of play, she receives the embedded information about the stereotypical behavior of males and females, and considers the male role as more attractive than the female role. The play of the video game may influence her to adopt a male role in the game, which reinforces her gender identity ambivalence. Vasey and Bartlett (2007) conducted research among Samoans to determine whether the criteria for GID was valid in non-Western societies. Samoan culture has a high degree of social tolerance for feminine males known as faafafine. The purpose of the research was to determine whether the identification with the opposite biological sex and engaging in behaviors associated with the opposite sex inherently cause psychological distress. The research was based on an environmentalism perspective in which social influences contribute to the formation of gender identity by either encouraging or discouraging the behaviors that the society deems appropriate or inappropriate for the gender of the individual. The methodology used by Vasey and Bartlett (2007)involved interviewing adult faafafine to determine if they experienced cross-gender identification in childhood and adolescence, and if they experienced distress because of their gender identification. The findings indicated that the subjects did not experience distress concerning their gender identity because their more feminine attributes were considered acceptable in Samoan society. The findings also determined that parents did not discourage the subjects from adopting the gender identity of the faafafine, and therefore were not a source of psychological distress because of the failure of the individual to meet parental expectations of appropriate behavior based on biological sex. The findings also suggested that the Samoan culture considered females more nurturing and males more protective, which may be cross-cultural gender attributes. The conclusions reached by the authors was that the GID diagnosis should be removed from the DSM-IV because the psychological distress related to gender identity is created by the societal norms and expectations in Western culture and is not inherent to gender identity. While the article examined social influences leading to psychological distress, it did not explore the reasons why the faafafine males identified with the female gender. The Vasey and Bartlett (2007) article has the third highest priority for Sams situation. The findings and conclusion of the article suggest that the individual selects a gender identity with the degree of distress resulting from the selection dependent on the gender norms and stereotypes of the society. Sam is experiencing some psychological distress because of her gender identity that has attributes associated with both males and females in Western society. She has difficulty forming friendships with males and females in her peer group. Although the distress does not appear to be affecting her academic achievement, it appears to be interfering with her social development. Her parents express disapproval of her behavior and attire based on their concepts of behavior and attire appropriate for the female gender. The parents, however, have not been effective in influencing Sam to adopt the stereotypical behavior associated with a young female. This suggests that factors other parental role modeling and influences affect the development of gender identity among adolescents. Conclusion The research provides support for accepting the first hypothesis of the study in its alternative form: Some variations about the conception of sexuality and gender identity are culturally specific. Vesey and Bartlett (2007) determined that the concept of the feminine male is more socially acceptable in Samoan culture than in Western cultures. In addition, psychological distress created by gender identity that differs from norms is not considered a disorder in Samoan culture. This suggests that aspects of the concepts about sexuality and gender are culturally specific constructs that can vary significant in different societies. The research provides some support for accepting the second hypothesis of the study in its alternative form: Parents influence the development of gender identity through the way they allow children to participate in gender-specific play and the toys they permit the children to use in play. The research conducted by Behm-Morawitz and Mastro (2008) as well as Miller and Sommers (2007) suggests that parents cannot fully control the media selection choices of their children. The inability to control play is particularly apparent in adolescence when the child has greater autonomy in the selection of media and video games, which are analogous to toys. The findings provide support for accepting the third hypothesis of the study in its alternative form: Media has the greatest influence in the transmission of information about social norms related to gender to the individual. The findings of Behm-Morawitz and Mastro (2008), Miller and Sommers (2007), and Wright (2007) indicate that media has a significant influence on the formation of gender identity among adolescents. Media conveys information about gender stereotypes and the norm expectation of society, which adolescents compare to their actual experience. Media also has a significant influence on adolescents because they are significant consumers of media products and have not yet developed the ability to discriminate among different types of media messages. As a result, media plays a substantial role in the development of gender identity in adolescence. Bibliography Behm-Morawitz, E. Mastro, D. E. (2008). Mean girls? The influence of gender portrayals in teen movies on emerging adults gender-based attitudes and beliefs. Journalism and Mass Communications Quarterly, 85(1), 131-146. The research discussed in this article used a social cognitive theory framework to examine the effect of gender portrayals in teen movies on beliefs among adolescents about friendships, aggression, and the role of women in society. The findings of the study indicated that the content of the films has a significant influence on the beliefs of adolescents about the societal norms associated with gender. The findings also indicated that the films depicted women as achieving success in the female social world only through the use of duplicitous methods. If female adolescents form their social constructs about feminine behavior from teen movies, they are more likely to engage in aggressive social behavior. Miller, M. Sommers, A. (2007). Gender differences in video game characters roles, appearances and attire as portrayed in video game magazines. Sex Roles, 57, 733-742. This article describes research by the authors investigating the portrayal of male and female roles in video game magazines, which are a significant social influence on adolescents. The research adopted an environmentalism perspective by assuming that media is a significant influence on adolescents in developmental processes by communicating the societal expectations of gender roles. In the video game context, males were heroes, physically powerful and capable of using weapons. In contrast, females were secondary characters that were sexual yet innocent, and were portrayed as wearing more revealing clothing. Wright, R. (2007). Learning empowerment, resistance and female identity development from popular television: Trans-women tell stories of trans-formation. In Servage, L. Fenwick, T. (Eds. ) Learning in community: Proceedings of the joint international conference of the Adult Education Research Conference. Halifax: Mount Saint Vincent University. This article adopts a constructivist perspective for research examining the use of a female character in a television show as a role model by male-to-female transgendered individuals. The television show aired when the individuals were adolescents, with the female character blending stereotypical male and female attributes. Although the television show was aired forty years ago, it continues to be viewed by male adolescents with gender identity issues. Vasey, P. L. Bartlett, N. H. (2007). What can the Samoan Faafafine teach us about the Western concept of gender identity disorder in childhood? Perspectives in biology and Medicine, 50(4), 481-490. This article adopted a constructivism perspective for an investigation of whether the DSM-IV gender identity disorder in childhood constitutes a mental disorder when the criteria are applied to individuals in non-Western cultures. The research investigated the high degree of social tolerance towards feminine males in Samoan culture known as faafafine. The findings of the research indicated that gender-atypical identity and behavior do not inherently lead to distress when controlling for societal intolerance toward these individuals. The findings also indicated that parental discouragement of gender atypical behaviors increases the distress of the individual because of the conflict it creates between the individuals inclinations and the expectations of parents.

Union Bank of California essay

Union Bank of California essay Union Bank of California essay Union Bank of California essayDear Mrs. Clemmons,The Union Bank of California has been in business for years and has a mandate to ensure customer satisfaction. This is through the enactment of different departments that cater for the dissimilar needs of clients. The bank is aware that honest mistakes are sometimes inevitable while making debits. Machines and merchants are sometimes exposed to errors due to system irregularities. Therefore company remains open-minded and ready to correct such situations. It has a fool proof system in charge of rectifying such issues.   The company’s ATM Error Resolution Department sorts out any problems that occur while using credit cards. This is in line with its duty to ensure that customers are not short-changed or overcharged while buying goods. The department banks on giving the customers up-to-speed solutions when errors occur.It is greatly relished that you have always chosen to do your shopping using our service. The business apprecia tes your loyalty and consistency in providing trade for our company. The company also acknowledges that the machines are sometimes susceptible to errors. There are candid slip-ups that happen when a merchant runs a customer’s check debit card two or three times through the credit card machine. In such situations the appliance has already made the transaction while the merchant remains oblivious. It results to several charges on the same goods hence great loses for the consumer. Sadly, the consumers are uninformed that they made numerous purchases. They only realize it when they get their bank statements and get frustrated. However, the management expresses that it is unable to accept your application due to the fact that the transactions reference numbers are valid.The report depicts that there were several purchases made from different stores the same day.   In such a case the transaction number does not change within a twenty four hour period.   Thus, the suspicions tha t the transaction might have been replicated erroneously. Additionally, the three dealings statement point out that debits had different amounts: $23.02, $120.10, and $43.19. This circumstance does not refer to a multiple-card-swipe error. Finally, the claims did not have attached receipts that are necessary for follow up.   Receipts are viewed as important pieces of evidence that provide easier referencing.The Union Bank of California is committed to ensuring that our customers get the best experience at all times. As a result it has a valuable recovery system that checks and corrects the transaction mistakes.   The bank’s tele-service department records the clients’ complaints and issues claim numbers. Moreover, it informs the consumers that they must send the department a signed and dated claim letter. The notification should portray the situation and enclose copies of receipts. The section notifies the client of the decision in a period of ten to twenty busines s days. There is a corrective measure that credits the accounts respectively. It ensures that the clients receive the full amounts that were billed erroneously.The business really values your concern and appreciates your prudence in reporting the suspected mishap. It believes that you will eventually concur with the report issued. Consequently, it will be eagerly waiting to hear from you Mrs. Clemmons. This is because at the Union bank of California the customer views always matter.Thank you for your time and patience.Sincerely, Operations Manager,Union bank of California

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 26

Personal Statement - Essay Example My experience while in University was also acutely critical in the development of my career. After the training, I decided to look for a job and landed myself in a classroom, where I taught students. This enabled me to use my talent and pass information to others in the society in order to improve their understanding and conceptualization of ideas and theories projected by theorists. For six months, I worked as a volunteer at a secondary school during the evening. During the day, I was also pursuing my teaching skills in a secondary school where I got to share and obtain knowledge and ideas on what others think and know about Kurdish people. However, in 2009, I left my work and moved to the UK. Living in the UK, as a Kurdish, has enabled me to attain ESOL entry two and three plus speaking and listening of level one, not forgetting math for level one and two. All this is essential for my communication skills and has been of help towards attaining literacy and reading for level one and GCSE math. While here, I learnt how to support myself with a part time volunteer job as a receptionist. This has led me to choose my postgraduate course. MA in Kurdish studies is the postgraduate course I am intending to pursue since it gives me a wider understanding and knowledge on Kurdish regions found in the Middle East. This course gives me an in-depth understanding of the societies, literature, international relations and politics linked to Kurdish group. This dissertation is my choice of study because it interests me and enlightens me on the political, economic and social developments and origins. I will also get a chance to familiarize myself with the regions contemporary settings and institutional structures thus, will boost their activities and history for others to appreciate and acknowledge. The purpose of studying this course is to gain further insights on my region’s culture and tradition. It intrigues me to learn about the history of my clans men

Late Adulthood interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Late Adulthood interview - Essay Example There in the store I asked him to give me some time. I explained all the details and asked him if he is willing to give an interview to complete my project requirements. I assured him that all his answers would be kept confidential and only be used for study or research purpose. We mutually decided that we would conduct this interview session on Sunday (October 19, 2014) evening (7:00 pm) in a nearby Park. The access to the park is feasible to both of us. Therefore, we both are agreed that environment of the park will suit us to talk in a relaxed setting. On Sunday October 19, 2014, Mr. James gave answers to my scheduled questions and his answers are supportive to make a clear view about the physical, social and cognitive development in late adulthood. At the age of 62, physically the people are not that much capable of doing any physical or hard work. They can put their extra efforts only where they have to use their brains, minds and most preferably experiences (Berger, 3). However, they may lack behind in the areas where physical involvement is required. Mr. James support this point of view by adding his own statement that he is not at all willing to commit a fieldwork rather he enjoys office work where he has to sit on office chair and then work. According to research, it is also proved that people in the older ages may get some physical problems of joints, knees or bones etc (Berger, 2). Mr. James is also facing this problem. He gets severe body pain in the cold weather. There is no solution to solve rather just take pain killers and then rest. At this level of late adulthood, the people should search for the satisfaction and the happiness in the little things of life rather to get angry or feel bitter. These are the opinion of Mr. James when I asked him about the rapid changes in the society and the behaviors of the people. The research also show that at the late adulthood, the brain development is at the high