Free Essays on Picture of Dorian Gray: Tthe Seduction of the Reader :: The Picture of Dorian Gray Essays

The Picture of Dorian Gray and the Seduction of the Reader "To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim," writes Oscar Wilde in the famous preface of his classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. One might find it a bit ironic the fact that posterity always has looked upon this book as being more or less an autobiography. Wilde was surrounded by scandals until his death, stirring the strict, Victorian society he lived in with his homosexual bent and libertine views on life. The Picture of Dorian Gray was therefore also regarded by many people as "highly immoral" and has probably earned the title "classic" years after the author's death. With rarely less than two cogent aphorisms per page, it is hard not finding myriads of subtle meanings in the text, why I am only focusing on the main themes I found interesting. The obsession of aestheticism and beauty runs all through the story in a kind of contradictory way. Oscar Wilde states in the preface: "Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope." With this he means that one should not, for example, judge a piece of art on a moral basis; the art is only there for being aesthetically admired and one should only be enchanted with its beauty, not let oneself be misled by a deeper idea behind it. At the same time, he lets his protagonist Dorian Gray suffer the penalty for his narcissistic behaviour by killing him off at the end of the book, giving the reader the opposite message - that beauty after all is nothing to strive for. Also, Wilde lets the painting of Dorian become a symbol of the young man's degeneration, showing very well the immorality of his life through a work of art. It is like Wilde means to tell us that art indeed has its important place among people, and beauty is seducing to the viewer. However it is temporary, dangerous, and powerful enough to spoil the life of a man. One must know how to look upon beauty to be able to love it without succumbing to it. As Oscar Wilde was a confirmed aesthete himself, this conclusion may appear paradoxical, but it should be mentioned that not much in this book is not. Free Essays on Picture of Dorian Gray: Tthe Seduction of the Reader :: The Picture of Dorian Gray Essays The Picture of Dorian Gray and the Seduction of the Reader "To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim," writes Oscar Wilde in the famous preface of his classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. One might find it a bit ironic the fact that posterity always has looked upon this book as being more or less an autobiography. Wilde was surrounded by scandals until his death, stirring the strict, Victorian society he lived in with his homosexual bent and libertine views on life. The Picture of Dorian Gray was therefore also regarded by many people as "highly immoral" and has probably earned the title "classic" years after the author's death. With rarely less than two cogent aphorisms per page, it is hard not finding myriads of subtle meanings in the text, why I am only focusing on the main themes I found interesting. The obsession of aestheticism and beauty runs all through the story in a kind of contradictory way. Oscar Wilde states in the preface: "Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope." With this he means that one should not, for example, judge a piece of art on a moral basis; the art is only there for being aesthetically admired and one should only be enchanted with its beauty, not let oneself be misled by a deeper idea behind it. At the same time, he lets his protagonist Dorian Gray suffer the penalty for his narcissistic behaviour by killing him off at the end of the book, giving the reader the opposite message - that beauty after all is nothing to strive for. Also, Wilde lets the painting of Dorian become a symbol of the young man's degeneration, showing very well the immorality of his life through a work of art. It is like Wilde means to tell us that art indeed has its important place among people, and beauty is seducing to the viewer. However it is temporary, dangerous, and powerful enough to spoil the life of a man. One must know how to look upon beauty to be able to love it without succumbing to it. As Oscar Wilde was a confirmed aesthete himself, this conclusion may appear paradoxical, but it should be mentioned that not much in this book is not.

A Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology Essay -- Graduate Admi

A Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology    I intend to receive a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational psychology and I am interested in Central Michigan University because it offers applied practice through field experience and organizational internships. I have been told by many professionals that Central Michigan has excellent faculty and research facilities, as well as, provides a very thorough and effective foundation for work in the field. I intend to pursue a career in applied research and organizational consulting, therefore, these qualities are imperative to myself and my career.    Initially I plan to gain practical experience in the field through employment with a consulting firm. My long range objective is to acquire a teaching position with a college or university, while continuing research and consulting endeavors. It is my intention to contribute empirically based findings to the Industrial/Organizational psychology field through my research and practice. I also hope to be a strong influence and encouragement in students' lives through my contac...

The Research of Ground Services, Airlines and Airports Relationship

The research of ground services, airlines and airports relationship Abstract The purpose of this report is to investigate the airport ground services, the relationship between airports and airlines, and the scope of ground services. The results indicated that airports are multifunction service center that offer a large range of services to airlines and their passengers, airports and airlines are highly interdependent. However, the relationship between airports and airlines become competition, privatization, and globalization within the industry. 1. 0Introduction Airports are an essential part of the air transport system. They provide all the infrastructure needed to enable passengers and freight to transfer from surface to air modes of transport and to allow airlines to take off and land’(Anne 2012, p. 1). It is argued that the elementary airport infrastructure are composed of runways, taxiways, apron space, gates, passenger and freight terminals, and ground transport intercha nges. In order to be capable of fulfilling their role within the air transport industry, airports aggregate many different of facilities and services (Anne 2012).These services could include ‘air traffic control, security, fire and rescue in the airfield’ (Anne 2012, p. 1). Handling facilities are provided to passengers with their baggage, transport between aircraft and terminals, and handling within the terminal. On the other, airports also provide a large range of commercial services consist of shops and restaurants to hotels, conference services and business parks (Anne, 2012). This report will analyse the crux ground services to the airlines at airport, it will also illustrate the relevance between airport and airlines.Finally, it will state the process and activities of ground services. 2. 0Findings 2. 1 Key ground services The crux ground services of airport are ground services. Ground handling activities at airports are extremely significant to airlines (Anne 201 2). They influence both to an airline’s expense and the quality of service which airports offer to their passengers. Ground handling services could divide into ‘passenger handling, baggage handling, freight and mail handling, ramp handling, fuel and oil handling, and aircraft services and maintenance’. Anne 2012, p. 126) These activities are often provide between ‘terminal or traffic handling, which is passenger check-in, baggage and freight handling, and airside or ramp handling, which covers activities such as aircraft loading and unloading, cleaning and servicing’ (Anne 2012, p. 126). Occasionally, these services are provided by the airport operators, however, most of airports are provided by airlines or handling agents (Anne, 2012). 2. 2 The relationship between the airports and airlinesTyler (2011), IATA’s director general and CEO argues that ‘airports and airlines share a common interest in making aviation safer, more secure, user- friendly, operationally efficient and environmentally responsible’. It is argued that ‘an airport and an airline at one airport are, by nature of the business, jointly making a business project at the airport’ (Hihara 2010, p. 2). Airport is to provide related service to airlines, in exchange for landing fee, at the same time, airline provide air transport service to the airport, with or without stimulative money from the airport.These two services are not separable in one sense that each service may not exist without the other. ‘Also they are in a strategic complementary relationship, where one side’s effort could improve not only its own but also the other side’s contribution to the value of the joint project’ (Hihara 2010, p. 2). For instance, airport aims to improve airport services for purpose of increasing the charm of the airport and help airline’s isolated achievement to bring more passengers, as a result of both ending u p in enjoying more incomes. Therefore further efforts arising from such contractual relationship in addition to such interdependent relationship could have the potential to significantly enhance the values of the project both sides are participating in’ (Hihara 2010, p. 2). However, Anne (2012) argues that ‘airline–airport relationship is changing, being driven by trends towards greater competition, privatization, and globalization within the industry’.At the same time, ‘the airline–airport relationship is starting to become much more to do with the linking of two privately owned international companies, rather than two state owned organizations operated within the limits of national laws and regulations’ (Anne 2012, p. 132). 2. 3 Ground Services Model There are three kinds of ground handling models, historically; ground handling services may often controlled by the national airline or airport operator. Some airport operators such as Mi lan, Rome, Vienna, and Frankfurt airports, which have been heavily involved in such activities, earn very significant revenues from such activities – sometimes over half the total income of the airport’ (Anne 2012, p. 126). On the other side, the airlines operator will just pay rental fees and perhaps a small concession fee to the airports, and airlines or third party ground handling companies would provide the handling services. ‘Countries in Europe where the national airline has had a handling monopoly include Spain with Iberia and Greece with Olympic’ (Anne 2012, p. 26). It is believed that ‘European airports showed 44 per cent of aircraft movements were handled by airport operators, 27 per cent were self-handled by the national carrier, 8 per cent were handled by the national carrier for other airlines, 7 per cent were handled by independent ground handlers, and the remaining 14 per cent were self handled by other airlines. By contrast, in terms of passenger numbers, only 16 percent were handled by the airport operator, again 7 per cent by independent ground handlers and the rest by airlines’ (Anne cited in Deutsche Bank, 2012).Furthermore, ‘the relationship between airports and airlines in the United States is unique and so is worthy of special consideration’ (Anne 2012, p. 129). Anne (2012) also argues that ‘the airports and airlines enter into legally binding contracts include airport use and lease agreements which detail the fees and rental rates which an airline has to pay, the method by which these are to be calculated and the conditions for the use of both airfield and terminal facilities’.The key reason for the existence of these agreements is private bondholders need a formal relationship between the airports and airlines before investing in the airport. 2. 4 The scope of airport ground services Ground handling as the most significant services to airlines at airport, it could be div ided into three aspects, passenger handling, cargo handling and ramp handling. Passenger handling †¢ Ticking: ticket reservation, ticker sales, cancellations, and rebooking †¢ Check-in: check-in service and issue boarding cards Boarding: check boarding card, cross-checking passenger list, check identification and call missing passengers †¢ Flight information: flight timetables, passenger and baggage information †¢ Pick-up service: baggage tracing and delivery †¢ VIP and individual service: provide special service to VIP, child, disabled and elderly †¢ The other services: seating, restroom, toilets, duty-free stores, finance, etc. ( Munich Airport, 2013) Cargo handling †¢ Document handling: mail and necessary paper handling ( Munich Airport, 2013) †¢ Baggage handling: it could be divided into two parts . Departure baggage handling: deliver baggage to check-in, tagging and weighing, transport of baggage to airside, arranging and packing, deliver baggage to planeside and loading onto aircraft (Ashford, N. , Stanton, H. , and Moore, C. ,1997) 2. Arrival baggage handling: unloading from aircraft, deliver to terminal, arranging and loading onto claim devices, transport to reclaim area, announcement of baggage reclaim, and transport from reclaim area. (Ashford, N. , Stanton, H. , and Moore, C. 1997) Ramp handling †¢ Towing: towing of aircraft †¢ Maintenance: flight inspection, air conditioning, ground power supply, and deicing. †¢ Replenishment: fueling, catering †¢ Sanitation: fuselage and cabin cleaning. ( Munich Airport, 2013) 3. 0 Conclusion Based on findings, it can be found that the crux ground services of airports are ground handling, airports and airlines are highly depend on each other, they are multifunction service center that provide a large range of services o airlines and their passengers on the medium or marginal site of an air trip. However, the relationship between airports and airlines beco me competition, privatization, and globalization. References Ashford, N. , Stanton, H. , and Moore, C. 1997 , Airport Operations, 2nd edn, McGraw-Hill, New York. Anne, G 2012, Managing Airports, Taylor and Francis publishing, London, UK, viewed 10 April 2013, RMIT University library database. Hihara, K 2010, Analysis on Airport-Airline Relationship with Risk Sharing Contract, viewed 10 April 2013. lt; http://www. pp. u-tokyo. ac. jp/research/dp/documents/GraSPP-DP-E-10-001_ITPU-DP-E-10-001. pdf>. Munich Airport 2013, business and partners, ground handling services, viewed 10 April 2013. < http://www. munich-airport. de/en/business/branchen/gh/index. jsp>. Tyler , T 2011, ‘Innovation in Airline-Airport Cooperation’, Press room, 2 November, viewed 10 April 2013. < http://www. iata. org/pressroom/pr/pages/2011-11-02-01. aspx>.

School Uuniforms

The years that we are in primary school is the time that we as teenagers start discovering ourselves and realize our uniqueness. With this natural fact, it is not surprising that practically every teenager nowadays attempts to stand out in the crowd as much as possible.Our appearance, clothes and style is one of best and easiest ways to express ourselves, and it definitely helps people reach an understanding of who we really are, and why. However, there has been an ongoing debate on whether school uniforms should be completely abolished in all schools, both private and public, or, on the contrary, uniforms should become a compulsory addition to all middle-level educational institutions.Despite the friction between the pros and cons, I personally stick to the idea that school uniforms should be introduced in all public and private schools, as wearing school uniforms does not make unfair comparisons between student’s incomes in terms of clothing and that it aids students in deve loping their inner qualities instead of focusing on the outer aspects of themselves in the crucial earlier years of their lives. Firstly High schools are stressful enough as it is with school work and studying, but add being bullied because of your appearance and it could become overbearing.Uniforms help students in school academically and socially. It can be beneficial to parents as well; they do not have to spend as much money on school apparel. On the other hand, many people disagree with having school uniforms, saying that it doesn't give the student the right to express their individuality. However, I think uniforms build a sense of discipline and unity and are the appropriate attire to be worn in school. That is why I strongly believe uniforms should be enforced in every school whether public or private. It can be difficult for students to â€Å"fit in† with their peers.Because of their appearance, social situation or financial background, students can be discriminated and even bullied up to the point where they do not want to attend school anymore. Uniforms establish the unity of the whole school, making everyone equal. â€Å"It feels great wearing a uniform. It makes me feel like I am part of something,† says Malika a 15 year-old attending Thomas Brown York High School. Deciding on what clothes to wear to school can be stressful in the mornings. Uniforms get rid of that hassle, of waking up earlier to pick your outfit for the day.You're ready to go as soon as you put your uniform on. Also, students carry themselves differently when they are wearing uniforms. They take school more seriously by dressing more professionally. Uniforms are also less inexpensive. As a result, Parents gain immensely by buying uniforms than individual clothing for each school year. Statistics show schools that have established the school uniform had a 52% increase in student attendance and a whopping 78% jump in passing grades. Teachers say their students are mor e focused and productive in class.This shows how uniforms can help students achieve their potential in the classroom by helping them concentrate more on their school work than their clothes. It prevents bullying and violence. It helps create a more educative and welcoming environment to students by showing equality and unity to the whole student body. The over-all idea is that uniforms are easy and efficient. Secondly School uniforms have been around just as long as schools themselves, and they play a much bigger role in education than most people think. Uniforms have been proven to promote learning and help kids stay focused in school.Many people believe putting on a uniform resembles a parent putting on a suit, and getting ready for work. This makes the students take a more serious interest in the work they are doing at school. Also, it has been proven that wearing uniforms provides less of a distraction than fashionable clothes create. With uniforms, there is absolutely no contro versy over who has the newest, coolest clothes in school. Many students of public schools believe that school uniforms should not be introduced because it is restraining people's freedom of expression and does not create diversity.One example how uniforms restrict learners are that â€Å"without the outlet of expression in their clothes, students may turn to inappropriate hair styles, jewelry, or makeup† . So by restricting students of their clothing choice, they will still find a way to show their personality in their hair, jewelry, and hairstyles. Soon schools will start regulating those as well and boom! The school controls everything that is offered to a child. A second supporting example as to why uniforms are an awful proposal are because uniforms may not be comfortable for all students nd they can not wear their uniforms outside of school, and thus, there is the double cost of both uniforms and casual wardrobe (Public School Uniforms). In school, if a child is trying t o learn, but is not comfortable with the uniforms' fabric, it would cause a great burden and distraction to one's learning. Also many families are struggling in today's economy and are trying to save as much money as they can. Having to pay for regular clothes and uniforms start to add up to the family's expenses. A third example would be that uniforms create a false sense of security.According to Rashida Khilawala, â€Å"if the student gets used to being respected for their mind and not looks, the â€Å"outside world† could come as quite a surprise to them†(Khilawala). Face the truth; the â€Å"real† world can be an ugly place to live. Even if uniforms decrease violence and everyone is treated equal, the outside world does not run as orderly and smoothly as it would in a school. Of course all parents want to protect their child from any harm, but by fooling them into a safe environment, they are put at more risk then ever. Theses are some facts as to why; many children and teens are against uniforms in public schools.

Marx Philosophy and the End of History

Karl Marx is, without a doubt one of the most influential thinkers to emerge in the nineteenth century, and the theories he proposed, have influenced various regimes in different parts of the world. His success is the result of the flexibility present in his theories to adapt themselves to the times. In his mid twenties Marx, turned away from philosophy and concentrated his attention more towards the economic and political aspects of the society. It was in the light of economics that he viewed the problems in society and sought to provide a remedy to it. He viewed society not as an independent entity. Contrarily, he saw, society as a reflection of the progress made by History. The progress made by history always left behind a legacy in its trail. This legacy had a profound impact in the shaping of society. The validity of this statement can be proven, by citing the example of the poverty in the Africa Americans as the legacy of their history as slave labourers. However the direction of History was uncertain and could not be predicted. It was dictated by the economic factors present in society. The only certainty was that an, ‘end of history’ was inevitable. In his theory on Historical Materialism, Marx carefully analyses the various factors influencing the different stages in the growth of society from slavery to modern day capitalism. Thus the views of Marx can be summed up under, four basic principles. Firstly, he believed that society followed a straight law of motion and underwent various phases in order to get to the final stage of Communism. Secondly, the laws governing the society were purely economic in nature, for the only thing that shapes society are the ‘material tools of production. Thirdly, he believed that these laws would continue to be in force until the end of History. Fourthly, the classes and the State would perish with the end of History. However this end would be brought about by a bitter struggle of one class against another. It must be mentioned in this context, that Marx borrowed the concept of a dialectical history, with a cognate beginning, middle and end from Hegel. Marx’s main concern was the ‘State’, which he viewed as the main tool of exploitation. It is the State and its various institutions that are utilised by the dominant class to wield their power. He advocated that the State was the most powerful tool of exploitation, whose sole purpose was to represent the interests of the ruling class. He chose to study the State through the annals of History. To him only ‘History’, could reveal the secrets at work behind the evolution of the state and determine its future shape. However, Marx did not consider History to be an open-ended process. Instead he saw a definite ‘end in history’. This end would result in the downfall of Capitalism and ensue the coming of a new era of Communism. An end in History did not signify an end to human life, it simply meant that there would no longer be any changes in the underlying principles or institutions for all the major problems had been solved and man’s major needs fulfilled. Before we can elaborate on the ‘end of history’, as predicted by Marx, it is essential that we know what history is all about. Marx claims that History has not progressed in a straight line. The coherent development of human societies through the ages has been a result of the various regimes that it has undergone. Marx thus traces the evolutionary process from, tribal based societies which were dependant on slavery and agriculture for subsistence, to theocracies, monarchies, feudal aristocracies, modern liberal democracies and finally to the technologically driven Capitalism. In his study Marx points out that the fundamental element present in all these different societies is the ‘class’ system and the ‘means of production,’ which determined which class would be dominant in the society. The ‘Class’ and the subsequent ‘class struggle’ were the sine qua non of Marx’s theory. History showed that the class who controlled the means of production was the dominant class in society. It is the tools of ruthless dominance and exploitation used by the dominant class to maintain their authority that would one day turn against them and spearhead the inevitable revolutions. History has shown that every revolution brought about a change in the social structure. This change did not bring about an egalitarian order it simply replaced the old dominant class with a new one. The unequal social structure continued to exist. Every revolution just changed the composition of the oppressor and the oppressed. The day that the society became classless would be the day that History came to an end. This end was possible with the rise of Communalism. While proclaiming the advent of Communalism, Marx refused to give a cognate shape to his ideal society. He claimed that the final shape of Communism would be the result of the different historical processes that society underwent. It was not a realisation of a predetermined moral idea. When it came to classes, Marx outlined two major segments into which society was divided. They were the oppressed or the ‘Proletariat’ as he called them and the oppressor or the ‘Bourgeoisie’. When the levels of oppression reached its penultimate point the oppressed class rose in rebellion and the outcome of this rebellion was a new society. Thus Marx stated, â€Å"The history of all hitherto existing societies has been the history of class struggle.† The day history ceases to exist; classes shall also cease to exist. Marx in his theories always stressed on the Historical aspect and asserted that every society contained within itself the forces of contradiction, known as the ‘Thesis’ and ‘Anti Thesis’. When these two contradictory forces clashed against one another, a class struggle emerged that sought to change the shape of society and replace the existing dominant class with a new one. This change was not permanent but would cease with the end of history, and there would finally emerge a classless society where each person enjoyed the fruits of his own labour. In his theory on History Marx, points out that in a divided society the tools of production are owned by the dominant section of society who exploit the weaker classes in order to amass more wealth and gain strength. But, there would come a time, when the levels of consciousness would rise among the oppressed class and they would unite in a struggle against the oppressors. History is replete with such examples. The slave society was replaced by the feudal society and the feudal society by the Industrialists or the Bourgeoisie. The coming of the Industrialist Revolution brought a boom in the industry and a new class emerged as the dominant section. They were the Capitalist class who owned the means of production. Like its predecessors the Capitalist society also contained within itself the seeds of dissent. The Capitalists became the dominant class who usurped the means of production and relentlessly exploited the working class or the proletariat. It resulted in the alienation of the worker. The working class was denied of the fruits of its labour and while the rich grew richer the poor grew poorer. The chasm continued to widen with the increase in wealth in the hands of the Capitalists. Despite the contradictions in the Capitalist regime, the ‘Communist Manifesto’ begins by praising the Capitalist system. It says that the Capitalist system has played a revolutionary role in History. It has shown what man’s endeavours can achieve. It has accomplished wonders, which surpasses the wonders of the world. It has conducted exoduses, which have overshadowed all past crusades in the world. Having praised the Capitalist system they go on to say that Capitalism by nature is based on ‘competition’ and the ‘market’. The same dynamics that propel capitalism will also be the reason of its downfall. When there are no more markets left to explore and exploit, the entire buying and selling cycle would collapse. Capitalism would  Ã‚   suffer from the phenomenon of ‘overproduction’ and   would be brought down to its knees. Harping on the ills of Capitalism, the Marxian philosophy, states that the Capitalist system would soon displace the smaller and individual producers. Marx went to the extent of saying that History would witness the replacement of indigenous farming with industrial and mechanised farming. Once this level of exploitation was reached the end of history would not be far away. This exploitation would unleash an era of unemployment and misery among the working class. When living under such miserable conditions became unbearable, history would witness a revolution spearheaded by the working class. Thus what Capitalism produces above all is its own ‘gravediggers’. It is the working class that would lead the final revolution to successfully remove the yoke of Capitalism. But the end of History or Communism as Marx viewed it was not to be achieved easily. The intermediate stage between Capitalism and Communism was the ‘Dictatorship of the Proletariat’. It was in this stage that the proletariat had complete control over the means of production as well as over the various institutions. The downfall of Capitalism, Marx claimed, would bring about the end of History. The phrase ‘end of history’ indicates a society based on Communism. It is a classless and egalitarian society where every man has full right over the fruits of his labour. From the ‘end of history’ there would emerge the final shape of the society. It would no longer undergo any more transformations, since all the major ills plaguing its predecessors had been removed. It was a society where man attained true economic freedom. Keeping in mind the fact that Marxism has a great deal of supporters it cannot be overlooked that the society Marx depicted in the end was more of a utopia rather than a reality. Though Marx’s philosophy has stood the test of times his views on the ‘end of History’ is yet to materialise. If we study the history of the world carefully we can see instances when the Marxian theory has borne fruit, but there have also been instances when the theory failed miserably. The theory of Marx was put to the test with the Russian Revolution. The theory defended itself by proclaiming that Russian society had not passed through the necessary stages in order to qualify as a successful communist society. Though the country was growing rapidly the society was predominantly feudal in nature. It had not been through the phase of Capitalism. The Soviet Union that was the glowing example of the success of Communism also faced failure. The downfall of the Soviet Union exposed the inherent corruption, inefficiency and irrationality present in the society. This picture of a communist society seemed to be absolutely contradictory to the egalitarian and classless society in a Communist Regime envisaged by Marx. The most important fact is that the ‘end of history’ is yet to manifest itself. With the ongoing scenario in the world Capitalism seems to have gained an even stronger foothold. Rather than an impending doom, capitalism is on a rise. The State that was supposed to wither away with the end of history is a far cry away. The State seems to be playing an even more important role today. It is far more intervening in the ways of man than predicted by man. Instead of being a tool of oppression the State has helped in maintaining stability, law and order in society. The end of history as envisaged by Marx is not easy to implement in practice. While envisaging an equal society Marx placed complete faith on the just and truthful nature of man. But man is by nature greedy. His wants keep increasing and to meet these wants he needs to amass resources. Thus, to think that man would be happy in his own little share would be a folly. It is inevitable that a man or a group of men would want to take over the reigns of power. Such a situation would lead to nothing but anarchy and chaos. It is because of the above reasons that the end of history seems such a far-fetched thought. The Marxian theory was not about right or wrong it was simply a theory of history. It followed the trends that had occurred in the past and on the basis of those sought to predict the future trends that would ensue. In so far that the theory acknowledged the presence of exploitation and domination in history it stands fully justified. It is only when it comes to predicting an end to Capitalism that the theory seems to falter. It seeks to attain the unattainable. In view of the above mentioned arguments, and in the light of the real world scenario, we can safely say, that, even though the political, economic and social institutions proposed By Marx are dead or dying away, his theory and influence on the world continue to exist. Works Cited Marx, . Karl,   Fredrick   Engels   and   David   Mclellan   ed,   The   Communist   Manifesto,   Oxford   World's   Classics   1848

Barriers to Learning Essay

The main object of any educational system is to create equal opportunities to provide quality education and effective learning so that all learners can reach their full potential and make a meaningful contribution to their future and participate in our society throughout their lives. It is imperative that the educational system is able to prevent learning breakdowns and exclusions. Barriers to learning can be found within the learner, be located within the centre of learning, found within the educational system or located within a broader social, economic or political context. Sometimes it is possible to identify these barriers which can then be addressed appropriately. The key to preventing barriers from occurring is the effective monitoring and meeting of the different needs amongst the learner populations and within the educational system as a whole. But the current focus of school improvement policies and practices are too limited to ensure that all students have an equal opportu nity to succeed at school. Socio-Economic Barriers Effective learning is influenced by the availability of educational resources to meet the needs of all the learners in the educational system. The lack of numbers of learning centres does not meet the learning population number. Inadequacies in resources and inequalities of discrimination in gender, race and disability found in our society result in forming barriers. The discrimination of the race factor was influenced by the apartheid era where the black population received a poor quality of education and even today non-urban districts are more marginalised with the educational system then urban-based districts that achieve higher exam marks. The inability to pay school fees will lead to the total exclusion of learners from the educational system due to the socio-economic barriers that further include; serve disabilities, living in poor communities and high areas of violence and crime. Basic Services With the inability of learners to access services or the non-existent services that are linked to educational provisions that contribute to the  learning processes, learners can not gain anything from the educational system. If learners are unable to reach the learning centres due to there being inadequate transport facilities, the roads being poorly developed or the learners are disabled and the transport is unwilling to transport them to the learning center, they will be excluded from the educational system. Clinics also affect the learner being involved in the educational system as the learners either have to get regular treatment that will leave the learner experiencing long periods of absence or if learners are unable to acquire the necessary treatment, will decrease their concentration, their capacity to learn and increase impairment. The lack of access to other services such as communication services and welfare also hinders the learning process. Educational systems are also largely inaccessible to deaf learners due to the lack of sign language interpreters. The lack of and distribution of different resources creates barriers to learning. With no money; no books, no human resources or writing material, the learners will not benefit from the educational system. Poverty and Underdevelopment The inability of families to meet their basic needs such as shelter and nutrition, effect the learning process of learners as there is increased emotional stress and under-nourishment that leads to a lack of concentration. Communities in poverty are also poorly resourced with limited educational centres and the learners are more likely to leave school and find a job to provide an income for their family. Disable learners are more easily excluded from the educational system and labour markets as able-bodied siblings have been accommodated first. Environment conditions can form barriers to learning through economic deprivation, community disorganization, violence, drugs and the rural people being in the minority. Attitudes Negative and discriminatory attitudes on the basis of prejudice towards gender, race, class, culture, disability, religion, ability; remain a critical barrier to learning. The negative attitudes and the stereotyping of learner’s differences due to poor knowledge as well as from fear and lack of awareness are easily picked up by other children who further alienate other learners. These attitudes result from traditional and religious beliefs. Disturbances Disturbances that arise within a social, economic and political environment can affect the social and emotional well-being of learners. A learner who is abused emotionally, physically or sexually, can be physically and emotionally damaged. Other factors that influence learners are substance abuse, conflict within the family, young girls being raped and falling pregnant, the lack of a support system and the lack of infrastructure that could lead to the learner’s breakdown or dropout of the educational system. In the wider parts of the African society, civil war and other forms of political violence can lead to trauma and emotional distress in learners. Some families that are evicted become refugees and the learning process is disrupted while the family seeks a safer environment. A safe environment for the educators and the learners cannot be guaranteed and this can prevent effective teaching and learning taking place. An unhealthy environment with a lack of electricity and toilets places learners at risk to diseases. Natural disasters and epidemics such as HIV/AIDS result in the learners having to deal with the loss of family members and making them vulnerable because they might have to fend for themselves. School and Peer Influence Learners who drop out or who are going through a learning breakdown can further manifest their negative behaviour to become disruptive and self-destructive. This negatively influences the other learners and may result in resistant and harmful attitudes in the classroom. Learners may have a negative encounter with a teacher or their peer and a mental block can be formed towards the educational system. Inappropriate teacher and peer role models cause a critical barrier in the learning process. Curriculum The curriculum itself creates barriers by being inflexible in the style and tempo in which teaching and learning takes place, the way in which the classroom is organised and managed as well as the availability of materials and equipment as it prevents, the needs of the diverse learners, from being met. The way in which assessments are designed can form a barrier between the learners who can memorise a certain amount of information and the learners who understand the concepts that are involved. The teachers need to  be enthusiastic about their teaching subject and get the learners more engaged and active in their lessons. Language and Communication Barriers to learning arise when the medium of teaching and learning takes place through a language that is not the learner’s first language. It places the learners at a disadvantage. Different Abilities Learners with disabilities may not be able to have effective learning taking place nor have their particular needs met due to the fact that their impairments may prevent them from learning and developing which results in barriers being met. Some learners will more easily experience a learning breakdown. Unsafe Environment The majority of learning centres are physically inaccessible to a large number of learners. The amount of learners in an area compared to the amount of schools is a shocking comparison, creating a barrier for learners to eventually get accepted into a school or to go to a school with many learners in the one class and have no one-on-one attention and it becomes difficult to meet the different needs of the diverse learners. Many schools are not built for the accessibility of blind, deaf and wheelchair bound learners, with these disabilities, and the environment becomes unsafe. Lack of Family Care and Involvement The parents and community’s active involvement is central to the effectiveness of learning and developing. Learners need to get recognition from their parents because without support and encouragement learners become insecure, have a low self-esteem and lack innovation that leads to the learning process being hindered. Individual Conditions All learners come from different backgrounds and have grown up in different environments but in the African context we have generalized their situation. An individuals barriers could include; medical problems, inadequate nutrition, underdevelopment, psycho-physiological problems and having a difficult temperament and adjustment problems. â€Å"If the education system is to promote effective learning and prevent learning breakdown, it is imperative that mechanisms are structured into the systems to break down existing barriers.† These mechanisms must be able to recognise the different barriers, overcome the barriers that occur, prevent barriers from occurring and promote the development of effective learning and teaching environments. It is important to have the ability to recognise, identify and understand the nature of the barriers at hand. There must be dedicated commitment to develop those mechanisms which will then allow diversity to be accommodated in the educational system. The enforcement of positive behaviour as well as the challenge to overcome negative attitudes must be effectively monitored to ensure that there are results. The promotion of mental and physical health to all the learners will help them become more aware to how they can improve their learning process. These mechanisms include: the improvement of protective legislation and policies, innovative practices for recognising and accommodating the continent’s diversity, government and non-government owned organizations aimed at including learners that were previously excluded from the educational system, activities that challenge attitudes against discrimination and curriculum restructuring. It is most important to work towards the involvement of the learners, parents, educators and community members, in the process to govern centres of learning and create training programmes that are equipped to deal with diverse needs. These mechanisms need to be supported in order to organise and d evelop teaching and learning environments as well as to help transform the economic, political and social environments.

“Antigone” The Protagonists

The widely held view is that Creon and Antigone represent the â€Å"Will of man† and â€Å"Will of God† as opposing forces. I think that there is certainly more, subtle layering to these characters than this simplistic summation. In order to fully understand this one needs to look at both the setting and background as the play unfolds. This adds entirely new dimensions to the confrontations between Antigone and Creon.Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. Jocasta is also her grandmother, a tale told in Oedipus Rex. Judith Butler states in her book â€Å"Antigones claim: Kinship between Life and Death† that â€Å"Antigone has already departed from kinship, herself the daughter of an incestuous bond, herself devoted to an impossible and death-bent incestuous love of her brother†.Already there is new layer to Antigone. According to modern medical thinking the offspring of incestuous relationships are more likely to be born with either mental or phys ical defects. From what we can establish, Antigone was not physically defective but zealotry is present that perhaps indicates psychosis. Nine out of ten Anthropologists will state that the one constant social norm over the ages was the abhorrence of incestuous relationships. I am however of the opinion that Polynices actually wasn’t the motivating factor but rather Antigone’s desire to be free of her shackles.Creon is the new ruler, brought about by the death of the brothers Eteocles and Polynices. He is also the guardian of Antigone and Ismene as appointed by Oedipus upon his death. Add to this that he is also Antigone’s future father-in-law. He felt the need to flex his ‘muscle’ in order to immediately solidify his position. One wonders though why there was no feeling of kinship between himself and Antigone considering the intertwining of heir lives?One imagines the setting of the opening of the play. The sisters are still reeling from the death of their brothers.The first eight lines conjure up a feeling that Antigone bears a lot of general resentment. Line 2 ‘Is there, of all the ills of Oedipus,’ indicates the long-suffering nature of their lives.Interesting to note here that she seems to attach no mortal blame but assigns it the Gods as example of their wrath or disapproval. Polytheism meant to the Greeks that there was a constellation of Gods watching them and to whom they were directly responsible. Line 8 ‘ Our ruler has enjoined on all the state’, she does not refer to him by name but rather scornfully as an entity. We already get the sense that she is less than enamored of him.Having not persuaded Ismene to join her in burying Polynices, Antigone rejects her and sets off to do it herself. Whether she means to be caught right away or if she was planning to step forward and defy Creon openly, the intent was certainly the same. SheWanted that opportunity to stand before him and challenge his a uthority.Their first confrontation takes place when she is discovered by the guards to be burying Polynices and then is brought before Creon. He does give her a chance to either redeem herself by saying that she knew not about the edict or that she did not understand in line 488 ‘Didst thou not know the edicts which forbade the things thou ownest?’She replies in an almost belligerent manner that perhaps indicates that she was ready for this moment, almost relishing the prospect of the confrontation. He asks her how dare she disobey the law and she responds with the line ‘Yes, it was not Zeus that made the proclamation’.Her subsequent response covers various aspects such as the supremacy of God’s law, ‘unwritten and secure’, and then she says that she welcomes death because she has lived amongst great troubles. The tone of her speech is fierce and unyielding and evinces disapproval from the chorus who supposedly represent the society they live in. Creon is enraged and states that her boasting of the deed is another offence in itself.Creon’s response to this is that ‘he will never be mastered by a woman’ and in his rage summons Ismene because he is convinced that Antigone could not have done it alone.The confrontation degenerates to a more personal level where Antigone accuses Creon of being a tyrant, which he counters with the statement that only she believes so. She then counters this with the charge that his tyranny keeps the others in fear of speaking their minds. Creon bitterly attacks Antigone and defends his manhood: line 577 â€Å"Go then to the world below, yourself, if you/ must love. Love them. When I am alive no woman shall rule†.In her argument with Creon, Antigone also shows more of her morbid longing for death, saying that for one who has lived as she has, death is welcome. This does not speak of an exceptionally strong person but of one that has found a purpose and now will fight until this is done. She wants to escape her life but she obviously did not want to slip into obscurity so she chose the most inflammatory and quick way of doing so. She also provided herself with a scapegoat for all her resentments.A cynical view perhaps but a more realistic one if we are to view Antigone as a whole person. As with any normal person our resentments are expressed in many ways, Antigone spoke of the injustice of the society she lived, the injustice of the deaths of her family and the final indignity of not even being allowed to bury a brother.Ismene is led in and Creon accuses her of helping Antigone bury Polynices. She does try to take some of the blame but Antigone is not having any of it. Aside from not wanting her glory to be shared she does not actually want her sister to die. This shows the first real feeling she has towards anyone else. Ismene’s innocence becomes clear although she is still trying to share blame. She turns to Creon and asks him if he is really willing to kill his son’s wife-to-be, and Creon replies that he wants no bad wife for his child. Haemon can find another bride.Haemon enters and at first, seems willing to submit to his father’s will. I think that perhaps he thought that he could win his father over gently without loss of face on his father’s part. Creon however is now in the part of tyrant and talks about the importance of having loyal sons, the foolishness of taking an evil wife, the relationship between being a good patriarch and a good ruler, the inviolability of law, the horror of disobedience to law and the need for order and discipline. All the signs of a good autocrat.Haemon tells Creon that the people of Thebes are sympathizing with Antigone. He tries to put this forward as having Creons best interests at heart then suggesting that Antigone should be honored. Creon of course is now furious, not only is he being challenged by a woman but now by his own son.He asks if his you ng son should advise a man Creons age, and if the King should reward a wicked rebel. Haemon replies that the people of thebes do not think she is wicked. Creon responds imperiously in line 794 ‘Should the city tell me how I am to rule them?’Their argument becomes more heated and Haemon accuses his father of foolishness and Creon defends his rule imperiously. It gets to the stage where Creon orders that Antigone be brought out and killed in front of Haemon. Haemon says that she will not die by his side and that Creon will never see him again. Creon is at his most barbaric at this time, his love of order and state carried to an immoral extreme. He tries to use Antigones death to hurt his own son, abusing his authority for the sake of gratuitous cruelty.