Action of Barbituates

Homework Assignment Chapter 4 Addiction Studies (BHHS) Sherman Howard 1. Describe, the action of Barbiturates. They reduce sensory sensitivity to pleasure or pain. Replace’s the need for sex, food and emotional involvement. 2. Describe the action of benzodiazepines and their withdrawal symptoms. Benzodiazepines are minor tranquilizers; they cause dopamine levels to surge producing a pleasurable sensation. Withdrawal involves seizures, convulsions, and even death. 3. What is the biggest danger with drug synergism when using two depressant drugs? Overdose! 4.What is a paradoxical reaction to tranquilizers? Becoming more active instead of calmer. 5. Why is withdrawal so life threatening for alcohol and the barbiturates? Both can lead to Seizures and death. 6. Who is the hidden addict? An unborn Fetus can be, if the mother is an addict. ______________________________________________________________________________ Part Two: 1. What is the approximate percentage of alcohol in beer? Wine? Whiskey? Beer5% – Wine15% – Whiskey45% 2. What does BAC stand for? Blood Alcohol Concentration. 3. Describe the processing of alcohol from digestion to absorption. 0% is absorbed by the stomach the remaining 80% is absorbed in the small intestines. 4. What is alcohol effect on digestion and liver? Alcohol can stop digestion and increase hydrochloric acid production. Alcohol also causes a drop in blood sugar which can lead to a hypoglycemic state. 5. Name some factors that often predict alcoholism? Poor learning ability, poor judgment, short-term memory is affected. 6. After frequent high dose use†¦ which is more dangerous: immediate alcohol withdrawal or immediate heroin withdrawal? Alcohol is more immediate. Sherman Howard

Ethics Goes To Hollywood Essay

When we think of ethics with regards to Hollywood, some people might even question if there really are any left? With the growing number of moralists and critics that easily target Hollywood, ethics has become an important factor that seems to be set aside. Many of the movies that are being shown today presents violence, nudity and lack of values incorporated with the film. But there can always be an argument about how is ethics really perceived through the movie industry? Some might doubt but actually when we look pass through over-all violence and those unacceptable factors to moralists, some movies do posses ethics in them. Most of the time, those ethics are just overlooked by the over-all presence of the movie. When we analyze and breakdown a movie and study the characters there is a great opportunity to realize the moral fiber of the film. In recent memory, there are only a few movies that have produced an unusual style of presentation in the silver screen. One of those movies showed up during 2007 through a film titled â€Å"300†. It was based from Frank Miller’s graphic novel also named â€Å"300†. This movie adaptation of the novel is also based from the Battle of Thermopylae that was retold in a fictional sense. To further analyze the movie, the following paragraph will showcase the movie’s summary. Beginning with the presentation on a how a Spartan boy grows up and how he emerges to be king of Sparta, the movie was narrated by Dilios, a spartan soldier who was able to live and tell the tale. After years of being Sparta’s king, Leonidas received a messenger who was sent by the Persian ruler Xerxes. The messenger presented an offer that enraged king Leonidas, leading the messenger kicked down a seemingly bottomless pit. The message was sent clear, the Persian army is about to come, to invade Sparta and add it up to their growing territory. King Leonidas then consulted the Ephors, priests who consult the oracle for answers from the gods. Proposing a plan to block the Persian army by defending the Hot Gates of Thermopylae, King Leonidas was furious by the Ephors’ advice of not to fight because the oracle said that it was forbidden and the gods will get enraged if they do. Despite all of this, Leonidas stood strong with his firm decision to defend the Hot Gates. He gathered 300 of the greatest Spartan soldiers and assembled a party that would hold off thousands of Persians. As they have reached the Hot Gates, they defended it for days just to protect Sparta. King Leonidas courageously led the way by standing strong to his principles until the end. The number of the Persian army was too much for the 300 Spartans and eventually led to their deaths. Only one soldier was tasked to return to Sparta to tell the tale, Dilios, who forever made Leonidas and the 300 Spartans, remembered. LEONIDAS AND HIS VIRTUES The whole essence of the story evolved in Leonidas’ answer to his ethical dilemma that concerned with his decision to push through despite a number of people prohibiting him. One example was when he was discouraged by the Ephors or priests to pursue his plan because it was the time of the Carneian festival. His ethical dilemma would be is that if he pushes through with his plan, he would be disrespecting the Carneian but he would be able to salvage some time to defend Sparta. Despite the senate’s disapproval of sending the whole Spartan army, Leonidas faced his dilemma by standing strong with his beliefs and forming an army of 300 to continue his plan. Another example would be seen during the scene where the Persians were negotiating with Leonidas. First was during the arrival of the Persian messenger who offered Leonidas salvation of the Spartans from the Persian army if he yields. Another was during their stay at the Hot Gates, when King Xerxes himself talked to Leonidas personally and again proposed to have them spared if he yields to the Persians. Both of these instances presented a same result, Leonidas refusing to give up and standing strong to his principles. Choosing the side of what’s right than what’s wrong, suggests Leonidas’ firm ethical correctness and proper morality virtues. OTHER ETHICAL THEORIES PRESENTED Egoism is also depicted in the movie as seen in Xerxes’ motivation to rule and conquer the world. His actions towards self-interests boost his drive to invade and gain territories. In one instance, he even called himself the king and ruler of the world. A little bit of Egoism can also be attributed to Leonidas. His strong desire to win and his confidence to bring only 300 soldiers despite knowing that his enemy would be thousands in number suggests a showing of Egoism. CONCLUSION When we analyze the definition of ethics we easily incorporate it with what’s write and what’s wrong. Most of it solely depends on how we make that decision. The movie â€Å"300† despite its over-all violent nature still possessed that essential factor of morality and the integration of ethics through the characters, most especially Leonidas. Being the Spartan king, his decision to protect his kingdom by defending the Hot Gates despite disagreements by the senate and the priests caused his ethical dilemma. By overcoming this dilemma and choosing what he knows is right, it created a chain of events that lead to his popularity and immortality through the help of the story that’s still known up to today. Despite Xerxes’ tempting offers in order for him to surrender, Leonidas’ strong principles carried him all the way to legendary proportions. Driven by a king’s instincts, Leonidas died for the people of Sparta which caused them to be more inspired and more driven to defeat the Persian army that arrived pass the Hot Gates. All in all, despite Hollywood’s descending reputation in accordance with moralists, people can still find ethics in movies. People just need to look pass through and analyze the details to get the even bigger picture. References Mackie, J L. (1977). Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong. New York: Penguin Books. Simpson, R. H. (1972). Leonidas’ Decision. Phoenix (Vol 26, pp. 1-11).

Education System Essay

The education system of India is very old. It has started from the ancient times. The Vedas, puranas, ayurveda, yoga represent some forms of education. There are evidences of imparting formal education in ancient India under the Gurukul system. Under the Gurukul system, young boys who were passing through the Brahmacharya stage of life had to stay at the Guru or the teacher’s home and complete their education. Earlier women and people of lower castes didn’t have a right to educate themselves. But Jainism, Buddhism and Sufi movements had some liberating effects. The Britishers can be credited for bringing a revolution in the Indian education system because it is the English language and the reformation movements of the 19th century that had the most liberating effect in pre-independent India. India Education Present Condition  After independence, making education available to all had become a priority for the government. As discrimination on the basis of caste and gender has been a major impediment in the healthy development of the Indian society, they have been made unlawful by the Indian constitution. The 86th constitutional amendment has also made elementary education a fundamental right for the children between the age group- 6 to 14. According to the 2001 census, Total literacy rate – 65.38%. The female literacy rate – 54.16%. Only 59.4% of rural population is literate as against 80.3% urban population according to the 2001 census. Read more: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/education-system-of-india.php#ixzz2KBxKSaq0

Wind Turbine Design and Construction Lab Report

Wind Turbine Design and Construction - Lab Report Example In its very basic nature, the wind turbine consists of the rotating blades, a component that points the turbine to the wind, a system to convert the mechanical rotation of the blades into other forms of energy, the control system, as well as the start and stop mechanisms. There are two main wind turbine designs, the horizontal axis and the vertical axis designs (Spera, 2009). Specifications of the Wind Device For this project, the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) is considered. The horizontal axis machine is preferred due to the fact that less cost is incurred in the foundation (as a fraction of the total cost) of the structure compared to its vertical axis counterpart (Veritas, 2001). This essentially makes HAWT cheaper in cost. The design is also preferred since it does not need to be pointed at the wind direction especially where the wind direction varies almost constantly. The wind turbine is expected to operate at room temperatures (between -200C to 400C). Operating beyond these temperatures may cause the wind turbine generator to work inefficiently or cause structural damage. Furthermore, at extremely low temperatures, the generator may need external power to internal heating. The wind turbine should be ale to work efficiently at different wind speeds and directions. Very high wind speeds (beyond the survival speed) often lead to wind turbine damages according to Veritas (2001). In order to reduce the speed of rotation, a mechanical (disc) braking system will be used. The design will take into consideration the three modes of operation of the turbine; beyond rated speed, around rated speed and below rated speed operations. In order to ensure that the wind turbine operates efficiently at different wind directions, a wind vane will be fitted at the rear of the devices. The vane which also forms the tail of the wind turbine is made of a thin steel plate welded to a slender metal strip. Steel is suitable for its strength and low cost. According to past studies, the mass of a wind turbine for the survivable wind speed is best proportional to the blade length cubed (Stiesdal, 1998). The square of the blade length is also proportional to the power of the wind tha t is intercepted by the turbine (Stiesdal, 1998). The Rotor Unit As a matter of fact, the most visible and most vital part of the wind turbine is the bladed rotor. The rotor is the part that transforms wind energy into mechanical energy. This energy in turn causes the rotation of the turbine’s main shaft. The turbine blade is designed in such a way as to allow the streamlined flow of wind, the material at best remaining inflexible. Considering this need, the blades will be made of steel sheets. The thickness, twist and width of the blade is a compromise between the need for strength and for the streamline flow of wind (Stiesdal, 1998). Considering that the more the number of blades the greater the aerodynamic efficiency but with reducing return, the turbine to be constructed will have three blades. The transmission system The transmission system of the wind turbines acts as the link between the rotor system and the generator. The transmission system of the wind turbine is bas ically presented in the following figure. Fig. Transmission system The hub is made of cast iron. The complicated shape of the hub makes casting the most appropriate method for its production according to Stiesdal (1998). The material for the hub is cast iron, the material’s desirable property being its high resistance to fatigue. For such a small turbine, normal cast iron, although the material is fragile and may fracture if exposed to extreme blasts. Fig: The Wind turbine hub The main shaft of the wind turbine is commonly made of hardened steel that is tempered. For this project, hardened steel will

How would Jesus lead Worship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How would Jesus lead Worship - Essay Example It is all about people’s normal vision of worship compared to how Jesus, as a Church leader sees it Himself. The second part of the book deals with the practical suggestions for contemporary believers paying much attention to the gospel of Luke. This significant piece of the discussion in the book is divided into four separate chapters titled as follows: Humble Servants, Leaders with Authority, Creative Communicators, and Reliant on the Spirit (Hargreaves and Hargreaves 38, 61, 81, 103). All of them lead a reader toward the idea of what God gives a worshipper for just one song while praising in psalms. Interaction and dialogue as based on my experience First of all, this book changed my way of thinking about personal relationship with Jesus. I know that we should keep up with the demands of time. Just praising Jesus in a new way is a good idea for those who seek God’s grace into their lives. In this vein, the authors admit the following statement: â€Å"Jesus would kee p up with the trends—we must be completely up to date with what we wear† (Hargreaves and Hargreaves 8). Hence, I see that the book is a practical guide for every believer aware of the right side in worshipping. Based on my experience, I cannot communicate this message to my peers other than to make my praise to God really powerful. In other words, new styles in music and singing are to be shared while praising God due to His multifaceted manifestations of power and reason, because God creates something new every single day. Certainly, the book is full of different standpoints regarding a step-by-step instruction on how to follow Christ-like way of worshipping. I feel that each Christian should bear in mind that singing like Jesus needs more practice so that to the Holy Spirit. Taking a look at my worshipping style, I have come up with what I should do in advance, namely â€Å"being obedient in service to God’s design for our lives† (Hargreaves and Hargreav es 9). Definitely, this is why so many Christians do not have what God promised them. It is similar to the story of the People of Israel when God led them to the Promised Land. Looking through the gospel of Luke, I have realized the scope of benefits God gives those sharing the same message as Jesus taught. In this respect it is not about the material amenities, but the spiritual jump within the myriad of divine manifestations of God power in lives of ordinary believers. Those who urge for His glory trying to get the revelation of how to become more like God will definitely reach this goal out through praising God every single minute in church or elsewhere. Critical assessment While reading the book, I have realized that the church is in need of more vision in how to worship God. The overall impression from this book is that the church should be flexible and open to the needs of contemporary humanity so that to please everybody in music styles and genres. Being culturally mature is the first step. Second, I have understood that there should be more tries on how to be closer to God on the part of me as a believer. The model I have pointed out while reading the book is as follows: â€Å"The supreme example of worship intimacy surely has to be looked for in Christ Jesus and his relationship with the Father† (Hargreaves and Hargreaves 12). Therefore, the follow-up in the Christ-like way of worshipping has become my credo. Our devotion to Jesus should be felt by the Creator. However,

Gender differences in leadership style Dissertation

Gender differences in leadership style - Dissertation Example Gender differences in leadership style has in recent years become an area of immense interest for study in the fields of sociology, management and psychology, especially in view of the increasing number of women that have begun assuming leadership roles in different fields. However, it is known that there are basic differences in the ways males and females function as leaders and the issue arises if such differences are associated with gender. This issue has made researchers to attempt in providing a means to explain why very few women have been able to assume leadership roles. There is no doubt that women are forming a larger proportion of the work force but very few are able to hold top management and administration functions. It is for this reason that researchers have been focusing on determining if women lack the required skills in attaining senior positions or whether they are different in terms of their leadership styles and perceptions. This is a paper on gender differences i n leadership styles and examines the relevant literature in focusing on the leadership styles of male and female school principals. The issues to be examined relate to functions of school principals in regard to instructional leadership, ethical practices, interpersonal relationships, decision making and practices of professional development. Vecchio (2002) conducted research to examine the gender differences amongst school principals. Although the number of females responding to the questions was small, they were still considered to be a significant group. The researcher found some basic differences in the leadership styles of male and female principals. Male principals had much more experience than female principals. In clear indication of the leadership style of women, it was found that female principals conducted more weekly faculty meetings than their male counterparts. Women were not found to be very active in attending national or regional level conventions. The most significant difference amongst male and female principles appears to be that females are more worried about the ways in which a typical school day will be spent. While 77 percent females reported that their main duty was to act as instructional leaders, only 58 percent men reported having similar viewpoints. However, both groups confirmed that most of their day was spent in general managerial functions. In terms of the time spent by each group to allocated activities, both agreed that maintaining contact with teachers and maintaining discipline amongst students were the most important functions of school principals. Lesser time was devoted by both groups on issues of general management. In terms of the manner in which a typical day is spent by both groups, almost 80 percent women principals were found to be involved in teaching as well as administrative work. They used 48 percent of their time in teaching. In contrast, only 47 percent male principals were allotted work related to both administration and teaching. Male principals were found to be using only 35 percent of their time on teaching. It is therefore evident that the notion of instructional leadership is considerably impacted with the percentage of time that is spent on teaching in a typical school day. It is also evident that female principals have greater work load of teaching, which makes them vulnerable in being less effective towards providing instructional leadership as compared to their male counterparts (Eagly and Karau, 2002). Other issues that need to be examined in determining gender differences in gender differences in leadership style between male and female school principals are: The leadership approach that characterizes school principals Whether the leadership styles of female principals considerably different from their male counterparts Although there is some difference in the leadership styles of male and female p

The long-term effects of unemployment on a person Essay

The long-term effects of unemployment on a person - Essay Example On the other hand, unemployment will increase depression and anxiety, decrease self esteem and cause detrimental health consequences. This situation worsens when efforts to secure employment continuously end in failure over a prolonged period of time (Motoko 9). This paper will discuss the causes, long term effects on individuals and possible solutions to unemployment. Causes of Unemployment Unemployment may be occasioned by several factors in different forms. They include rising costs of operating business, mismatch of skills and required types of jobs available in a region, and rapid growth of technology (Ruhm 618). In the example of rising costs of operations, the automobile industry is undergoing difficulties due to the rising prices of oil and oil products. The high prices of oil are eating into company profits, forcing investors in the industry to cut down on wage and salary budgets, hence reducing the number of employees (Ruhm 619). When there is a variance of skills and the j obs available in the same area, most citizens are rendered unsuitable for employment because they do not match the fundamental requirements. Furthermore, with rapid advances in technology, employees need to be more efficient than they were before. This calls for more advanced training that requires extra funding, which may be unavailable to uninformed citizens (Motoko 51). Another cause may be the fact that there are individuals available for the jobs, but they usually find themselves in the hardships of transitions between jobs either because they have not identified a job that interests them or they are not suitably qualified (Motoko 51). Effects of Unemployment Unemployment has negative effects on an individual’s personality, social life, physical and emotional health (Ruhm 618). Among the most significant long term psychological effects are stress, depression and suicidal tendencies. Stress is a complex result because most other effects end up in different types of stress . Studies have shown that persons who lost employment spent more time on visits to health centers, used more medication and spent more days on sick rest than those who were actively employed (Ruhm 622). Unemployment is a stressful occurrence that has potential to affect mortality and morbidity in national health trends, death trends or individual persons’ changes in specified times. Stress Unemployed people are not able to earn money and fit productively into society (Boyce, Wood & Brown 531). Stress is a key effect of unemployment, and its levels are directly proportional to the duration an individual has been out of employment. Money, success and social status, makes an individual confident, and a well paying job is synonymous with these aspects. Unemployment reduces peoples’ satisfaction levels with their careers and finances (Motoko 51). When a job is lost, an individual loses confidence and self esteem, which grows into stress as time advances. High levels of stre ss are known to impact physical effects on the human body and most unemployed people are known to ignore self care practices leading to a degrading level of health (Ruhm 624). Unable to Fulfill Financial Obligations With the inability to earn substantial, regular income, most unemployed people soon exhaust their savings (Motoko 84). Long term commitments entered into while still with the security of employment, such as mortgage

Enterprise in events Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Enterprise in events - Essay Example There are also many theories that have come up and they are trying to discuss the real meaning of an entrepreneur. Reasons that have made it difficult to discuss this time is the fact like, why are some people able to start business while others cannot. Also what’s the reason why some businesses succeed while others selling the same products cannot? These are a few of the asked questions when defining who an entrepreneur is. However, this paper will focus on describing what an enterprise is. From the point of what is an enterprise, it will also discuss the possible theories that describing the meaning who is an entrepreneur. Finally this paper will also focus on the real meaning of entrepreneurship as from different literature reviews. Many people are currently managing very big enterprises. Most of these enterprises are successful and they are gaining a lot of profit from them. The main goal of every business is to gain profit. Before we talk about how this businesses are ran, it is important to describe what an enterprise is. From business point of view, enterprise is the measures that are used to encourage people on how to be good entrepreneurs. It also involve spotting ideas and looking for the best ways in which to transform these ideas into reality (King, 2002 p. 23). Therefore, it is important for every enterprise to ensure that profits are maximized. To achieve these goals, all forces of production have to be considered. These goals are achieved through entrepreneurs’ hard work and determination. However, entrepreneurs are the ones who make enterprises run. The big question is, â€Å"who are these entrepreneurs?† To describe who really is an entrepreneur, there are some factors that have to be considered first. There some approaches that can be used to describe an entrepreneur. One of the theories that can be used to describe entrepreneurs is the trait theory. This theory describes

Strategic management. read article then answer questions Essay

Strategic management. read article then answer questions - Essay Example This confounding hinders the fact that resource-based concept is only one of the various strategic logics within heterogeneous firms that leads to intra-industry performance differences. The influence of environments on company performance has been a key theme in strategy and has become a function of the fit between organizational structure and the environmental setting (Porter, 1996). Extrapolating this argument to inter-organizational level, researchers argue that the influence of network position on firm performance is controlled by the environmental context. Essential to the argument is that changes in the environment influence the nature of skills and capabilities needed for competitive advantage. Since network positions are crucial to firms in an attempt to acquire appropriate skills and capabilities, firms are compelled to strategically design their networks to acquire skills and capabilities in a changed environment. Nevertheless, any mismatch between needs of the environment and the firm’s position could have serious performance implications (Bingham and Eisenhardt, 2008). Position strategy has various advantages like constructing an impressive empire surrounding an attractive market that offers long-term competitive advantage. In addition, competitive advantage relies on valuable strategic position within an industry and linking the various resources to defend the position, since strategic positioning drives huge profitability (Peteraf, 1993). Often companies defend their position by combining resources that their competitors find difficult to imitate; therefore, position strategy links resources to successfully defend an organization from challengers. Nevertheless, like any strategy, the position strategy has its vulnerability factor which is change since when industries change relocating a business empire locked in a strategic position is tough. The weaknesses of this strategy include dismantling synergies in case of change that management wo rked hard to put in place and exposing the organization to risks in transition to a fresh strategy. Thus, change forces managers to dismantle their resources in position strategy and reassembling them in fresh strategic positions, which consumes time and potentially lethal because performance may stall until all pieces are reassembled (Siggelkow, 2001). Currently firms are leveraging on social media tools in an attempt to attract consumers to engage in their interactive online social environment (Shadkam and O'Hara, 2013). In environments of moderate change, leverage strategies outperform position strategies because change is incremental and conventional which ensures that managers rotate strategically important resources in the industry. Although position strategy bases on the empire analogy, leverage strategy resembles chess in that competitive advantage results from having valuable pieces and ensuring smart moves with the pieces. Organizations pursuing leveraging strategy attain competitive advantage through their strategically essential resources within the existing as well as new industries at a rate consistent with market change. For instance, Pepsi owns various strategically important resources; however, the company has leveraged the resources to

Over Sea under Stone by Susan Cooper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Over Sea under Stone by Susan Cooper - Essay Example So, the children get their Great Uncle Merry to help and protect them. After many exciting adventures, they find the chalice. But to protect it from capture, they throw it to their great Uncle whose waiting for them in a boat just off the shore. Great Uncle merry catches the chalice but a tube which was inside it falls into the sea. This is going to be the start of a new adventure for the Drew brothers and sister. The idea of setting the story in Cornwall came to me after long, hard thinking. In the first place, it had to be somewhere in England because the adventure relates to the legend of King Arthur and his knights. In the second place, I did not want to set the story in an imaginary place but, in a real place which was still full of mystery. After putting all this together, I came up with Cornwall. It's a very remote seaside part of England. It's also a very exciting and mysterious place. Many ancient artifacts were discovered there over the years and the weather in Cornwall is mostly foggy and dark much of the time. Therefore, it has a very adventurous, ancient and dangerous atmosphere. I thought, because of all that, it would be an ideal setting. The three children, of course, are very brave. However, they are also very knowledgeable.

How Does Social Networking Affect Us Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How Does Social Networking Affect Us - Essay Example The analysis will seek to examine the way in which social media and the paradigm shift of mobile computing and texting have helped to provide a new representation of English language. In such a way both of these unique aspects will be discussed with regards to how they impact upon society. As with so many elements of life and the way in which the individual integrates with society, the most important aspect which will be discussed with regards to the following two elements is ultimately a question of balance and the means by which the individual is able to integrate both with the world of social networking and the world of real personal communication; both the world of abbreviated English and the world of standard English.According to the essay  before delving into the extent to which social media can be beneficial for the professional, Goldsborough spends a great deal of time discussing many of the aspects of social media within the younger generation that give it a negative repre sentation. In such a way, rather than whitewashing the reputation of social media and presenting the reader with an understanding that it is applicable and useful in each and every situation, the author delves into discussing the ways in which social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and others are ultimately abused by means of posting a seemingly endless stream of meaningless comments and perpetual updates of the my new shift of life that many of its participants feel so necessary to publish. (Goldsborough 251). The generational divide which was briefly discussed within the introduction comes into play within Goldsborough’s piece as he seeks to integrate an understanding of the fact that the older generation is almost categorically opposed and ultimately reticent to adopt such a new technology and integrate with some of the benefits that he can provide. However, as a means of seeking to evoke a level of participation from those individuals that remain and thence wi th regards to social networking, Goldsborough relates many of the positive ways in which social media can impact upon business creation, the small town feel of friendships and connections, and even the positive benefits of being able to spend downtime getting acquainted with new people and building a greater network of potential clients and friends. In this way, Goldsborough discusses the positive benefits that social networking can have upon the life of the professional while at the same time seeking to minimize the negative implications social networking has oftentimes been set famous for A secondary way in which social networking and the growth of technology within the past several years can impact upon individuals and society at large is with regards to the way in which language is ultimately being changed as a result of such a practice. John Humphrys’ piece, â€Å"I H8 TXT MSGS: How Texting Is Wrecking Our Language†, the author invokes the reader will with the und erstanding that although language has perennially changed, texting and the utilization of abbreviated forms of speech so often referenced in the social networking world of Twitter and Facebook is ultimately

Reading and Books Essay Example for Free

Reading and Books Essay Despite the vast, growing and active educational reforms continuously being modified and implemented in today’s Philippine Educational System such as MTB – MLE and K+12 education curriculum, there are still 6. 2 million Filipino youth who does not receive proper and formal education in the classroom, which includes the Out – of – school children and youth. Specifically, according to the 2010 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS) of the National Statistics Office (NSO) released November 2011, one out of eight Filipinos aged between 6 and 24 is an out- of- school youth(OSY). Current estimates further indicate that 7. 8 million Filipinos or 16. 2% of the population are not functionally literate. About 3. 9 million of them are out of school youth. The Philippine government defines an out –of- school youth (OSY) as someone who is not attending formal education and/or not gainfully employed in the case of youth 18 to 24 years old who have not finished college or even a technical vocational course. The government further explains that the primary reasons for these out of school youth for not attending school is poverty and lack of personal interest. On the other hand, out- of- school youth are vulnerable people who have special needs too. Nobody can deny the hard fact that education is still an extremely important factor for bringing change in the lives of these individuals. It has universally been recognized as the most powerful instrument and pre – requisite for gearing up the socio – economic development of a nation. This is why investment in education is considered to be so vital for human resource development and enhancement of the quality of manpower. In the history of humankind, there is an established fact that a certain level of literacy in population is an essential pre – requisite for precipitating the process of development in a country. It is emphasized therefore that the most active part in the socio – economic development of any country or region always consists of the adolescents. Moreover, many people have a misleading impression of the abilities and capacities of â€Å"out – of – school youth†. It is generally assumed that this group needs to re – do and re – learn the most basic literacy skills. Hence, they are marginalized and ostracized. In fact, out – of- school youths do have some experience of learning within the formal system. In addition, many of them have gained rich learning experiences from their environment and culture. Thus, basic literacy does not necessarily mean teaching literacy in its most basic forms. However, the acquired skills and knowledge need to be recognized, tapped into and enhanced. Out- of- school youths may have failed to complete their education in the formal system due to various reasons, such as socio – economic or health issues, urbanization, teacher – teaching factors or curriculum problems but UNESCO still has enumerated and emphasized the basic literacy for out – of- school youth development which involves the acquisition of the basic skills needed to cope with the complex and technological world, including IT and computer skills, communication skills listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, critical thinking and many others. Moreover, developing the literacy of OSY’s is a complex process, which involves enhancing the knowledge and capacities that they have gained over the years and providing them with access to challenging learning opportunities. The Philippines through the initiative of the Bureau of Alternative Learning System formerly called the Bureau of Non – formal Education (BNFE) is responsible for contributing to the improvement of the poor including the out – of school youth and drop outs through literacy and continuing education programs. Its aim is to focused basic services to the more disadvantaged sections of the population to improve their welfare and contribute to human resource development. This was done to respond to the need of a more systematic and flexible approach in reaching all types of learners outside the formal school system. The Alternative Learning System (ALS) is a parallel learning system that provides a viable alternative to existing formal education instruction. It encompasses both non – formal and informal sources of knowledge and skills. Certification of learning for out – of –school youth and adults , aged 15 years and over, who are unable to gain from the formal school system and who have dropped out of formal elementary and secondary education , is ensured through the Alternative Learning System Accreditation and the Equivalency (ALS A E) System. The system of certification is done through successful completion of the ALS and A E test at two learning levels – elementary and secondary. Those who pass the test have to undergo counseling to explore their oppurtunities, be it a return to the formal school system or the option to enter the world of work. (UNESCO Bangkok, 2009). The ALS eSkwela program has five main learning strands: Communication skills, critical thinking and problem solving, sustainable use of resources and productivity, development of self and a sense of community, and expanding one’s world vision. Since ALS is a module-based learning system, students come in on a set time and choose a module to read. A quiz is given after each module to test their learning. Instead of teachers, facilitators are always present to answer any questions and sometimes lecturers would discuss a certain module. Apart from the major aim and objective of the system, the ALS Project was conceived to respond to many grassroots learning needs and at the same time fulfill the following key social development objectives of EFA: †¢Functional Literacy: Current estimates indicate that there are 7. 8 million Filipinos or 16. 2% of the population who are not functionally literate. About 3. 9 million of them are out of school youth. †¢Family Literacy: Many parents want to develop functional reading, writing and numeracy skills and knowledge so that they can help their children do their homework. †¢Community Participation: †¢ Continuing Education: Many people who have obtained literacy skills and want to continue learning should be given the means and tools to return to formal schooling or go on learning on their own. †¢Empowerment: Out-of-school youth and adults living in economically depressed communities need to develop communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and learning-to-learn skills and competencies which will directly help them raise their standard of living and improve their quality of life. Functional basic education should empower them with better health practices, better food, increased income, improved family life, more direct civic and community participation and more opportunities for wider life choices. It is noted that the ALS learning modules constructed by SEAMEO Innotech experts are freely chosen, used and read by the students. It is true therefore that through the skill called reading, any idea or module given to them are enlightened. On the other hand, observations show that are still many problems and issues encountered along the Reading performance and proficiency of the out – of – School Youth which includes vocabulary, comprehension, study skills and others. Even the (UIS, 2011) stated a very alarming issue that seven hundred and seventy-five million adults all over the world cannot read. Many of these OSY’s too are unemployed, underemployed adn lacks basic English language literacy skills specially reading and writing. In addition, UNESCO also emphasized that the basic English literacy skills development is too considered as a means of widening the experiences of learners and allowing them to communicate effectively in their everyday life as well as in their future lives as responsible citizens and professionals. Accordingly, woven into the framework of the basic English Literacy skills is also the development of critical thinking skills. Thinking critically would mean grasping the complexity of the world and questioning how others think in order to clarify and improve one’s own understanding. Although, schools and learning institutions clearly neglect the development of critical thinking, there is much evidence to show that students’ reading and writing abilities are linked to their ability to question facts and information. Literacy is briefly defined as the â€Å"ability to read and write†. When we think of literacy, we think of reading. But being able to read does not mean someone is necessarily a literate person. In the 21st century, literacy encompasses the skills youth and adults need to be functional in the society, including numeracy and reading and writing skills. Most learning is dependent to reading. As the learner advances in the educational ladder, more complex reading skills are required of him. Effective reading requires from an individual the ability to locate keywords in a sentence, locate the topic sentence in a paragraph and understand and interpret what is read. Reading, therefore is an important skill a child must developed in order to cope to the very fast, changing and difficulties the world offers. Of many skills it is cited that it is one of the first skill a literate person must acquire. Likewise, there were many studies and projects that responded to the many goals of ALS and UNESCO in general, specifically along the communication skills strands. One of which is the Project EASE. This study made use of a Reading Comprehension and writing composition test to assess the basic communication skills of the students. Unfortunately, there were only few qualifiers for the said program the rest did not qualify. Most of the non – qualifiers came from the lower sections where the pressure to earn was much stronger. The non – qualifier was given another chance. They were administered with an alternative cloze type of comprehension test carefully made by the SEAMEO Innotech experts. The program such as EASE was pronounced. (add facts) Another is a study on the Attributes of High School Student – qualifiers in the Accreditation and Equivalency Program (AEP) which was done as Basis for a proposed Action Program by Rarang in (1999). The study made use of the public high school students in the fourth congressional district of Pangasinan during the school year 1997 – 1998. The study was done for the purpose of creating appropriate action programs that could increase the probability of prospective PEPT examinees to qualify for promotion or year level acceleration. The result of the study revealed that out of the 86 respondents who took the 1997 PEPT only four qualified for the acceleration or promotion to the next higher level in high school. Furthermore, the research made use of the Descriptive Method with a pre and post enrollment attributes of the student – qualifier in the AEP as data gathering instrument. It was found out that there was more male drop – outs that females and their dropping age ranged from 13 to 17 years old and that before the respondents dropped out from school, the last level they completed was Grade VI. The findings of the study also revealed that the main reason for the learners dropping out is due to financial difficulty. They also vary in their performance in the last year level they attended with 89. 13% as the highest average grade and the lowest grade at 68. 25%. More so, the study discovered that the contributory factor in the acceleration and promotion of the students to the next level are their reading activities done during their free time like reading magazines, newspapers, books, pocketbooks and even their old notes. Accordingly, reading is the most important factor in achieving promotion and acceleration. Many reading researches have shown that learners and OSY’s reading skills literacy performance is always at risks. Firstly, in the second Readership Survey made by SWS survey commissioned by NBDB floated all over the Philippines revealed that reading has slightly declined in our country. Only 92 percent of the 1,200 respondents say that they read, down to two percent from the first Readership survey done in 2003. In the literacy field, comprehension is primarily identified as the goal of (Duke Pearson, 2002; Duke, Pearson, Strachan, Billman, 2011). While many agrees comprehension is of utmost importance, many still argue that in this many classroom context, focusing on students’ fluency did not limit students’ development as readers, particularly for those who were asked to read aloud. The findings of this study also pointed out the importance of teachers examining the learners own perceptions about reading and reading instruction (Edwards, Martin, Protacio, Razali,2010). Furthermore, (Biancarosa Snow, 2006; Joftus, 2002) exclaimed that even among students who do graduate from highschool, inadequate reading skills are a key impediment to success in postsecondary education (American Diploma Project, 2004). Students who struggle with reading of ten lack the prerequisites to take academically challenging coursework that could lead to more wide reading and thus exposure to advanced vocabulary and content ideas (Au, 2000). The 2006 report by ACT, Inc. , Reading Between the Lines: What the ACT Reveals About College Readiness in Reading, describes even more troubling trends. Only 51% of students who took the ACT test in 2004 were ready for college-level reading demands (ACT, Inc. , 2006). The reading skill levels of the out-of-school youth population have remained  low, especially in comparison to the rising skill demands of employers. Although this report cannot summarize the changing qualifications, a number of indicators suggest a serious shortfall between the skills of out-of-school youth and job requirements. Dropouts and other out-of-school youth are reported to be unable to attain basic levels of math and reading proficiency are certainly much higher. White Paper further explains that young people leaving the educational system at 16, or more likely 19, must at least have the requisite literacy and communication skills to be employable and to be effective in life. Since reading is linked to writing, students write about what they read. Young and adults who are behind in reading and writing simply have not had as much experience reading and writing as young adults who are proficient readers and writers. Moreover, out – of- school youth who are behind have also not leaned the strategies that proficient readers and writers use to understand text and communicate their ideas in writing. This means that explicitly the strategies that proficient readers and writers use and providing guided practice are the keys to improving these skills. It has been proven that Out – of- school youth possess a broad repertoire of knowledge and skills that simply needs to be recognized, tapped into and enhanced in order for their abilities to improve. Indeed, there is a need to place a greater emphasis on developing and enhancing quality English language literacy skills training, programs and instructional materials for Out – of – School youth development. The conception of the ALS program or the Alternative Learning System is a great endeavor that caters to the needs and improvement of Out –of-School youth in the City Schools Division of Dagupan City. The ALS DEpED Dagupan City Division is one with the government in the active fulfillment of its task to reach and educate the OSY’s in the City. In fact, there have been many OSY’s who benefited from the program. Latest report says that ALS students in Region I show positive interest in this endeavor. Dagupan City Schools Division is composed of five Districts. From all over the city, there have been many Out – of –school youth coming from the 31 barangays of the city who enrolled in the said program. With the initiative of teachers and volunteers who facilitates the program, the actual teaching and learning is collectively done with the help of the module based learning materials. Furthermore, in the case study conducted by the Accreditation and Equivalency System of the Non – Formal Education Project clearly encourages service providers like educational institutions to identify and make use of variety of enriching materials both print and non – print in addition to the prescribed NFE and A E Learning modules provided by the SEAMEO – INNOTECH. With the encouragement of the BNFE or the ALS calling to different service providers to respond and create instructional materials that the OSY’s can benefit, the researcher will study on the present Reading Comprehension Skills Levels of the Dagupeno OSY’s particularly on the Reading Comprehensions Skills Level of the ALS students presently registered and attending the regular Eskwela ALS program in the City schools division of Dagupan during the calendar year 2013– 2014 and envisions to create a Self – Learning Reading Material that will better improve and enhance the Reading Comprehension and in general proficiency of the ALS learners. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This study aims to analyze the Reading Comprehension Skills Level of ALS students in the city schools division of Dagupan. Specifically, it will answer the following questions: 1. What is the performance of the ALS students in the reading Comprehension Test in terms of the: a. Total scores they will obtain from the Reading Comprehension Test? b. Specific scores they will obtained in the following reading Comprehension levels: Literal Reorganizational Inferential Evaluational Appreciational? 2. What is the extent of performance of the ALS students in the reading Comprehension test in terms of: a. Total scores they will obtain from the Reading Comprehension Test? scores they will obtained in the following reading Comprehension levels: Literal Reorganizational Inferential Evaluational Appreciational? 3. What instructional material will be proposed to address the reading comprehension inadequacies of the ALS students? SUBJECTS The subjects of the study will be the ALS students of the city schools division of Dagupan enrolled in the five districts of the division. There is a total of 447 ALS students in the division and they will be randomly selected from among the districts of the division. The respondents of the study will be elementary drop – outs, secondary drop – outs, non- passer of previous ALS AE Test/s, Learners/Completers of the ALS programs and Youth and adult drop – outs. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS/ Assumptions The study will be anchored on the following assumptions: 1. The total test scores and the scores in the specific skills areas of the ALS students will reflect their reading comprehension performance. 2. The ALS students’ responses to the items in the test must truthful and accurate SCOPE AND DELIMITATION The study will be conducted to determine the reading comprehension performance and skills of the ALS students of the city schools division of Dagupan during the S. Y. 2013 – 2014. The respondents of the study will be elementary drop – outs, secondary drop – outs, non- passer of previous ALS AE Test/s, Learners/Completers of the ALS programs and Youth and adult drop – outs in general. A constructed Reading Comprehension Test will be used as instrument in gathering data pertinent to the study. The Reading Comprehension test will be carefully validated, tabulated and interpreted to arrive at accurate and precise results that will help as basis for the creation of a self- learning reading material for ALS students. Definition of Terms The following terms are carefully defined in the context of the study to provide a common understanding and frame of reference between the researcher and the readers: Reading both a process and a product and it involves bringing the individual’s entire life experiences and thinking patterns to understand what the writer has written (Aukerman, 1981). Reading Comprehension refers to the ability to understand text read by means of constructing meaning with the use of some clues in the text and the schema or background knowledge of the reader about the text. Reading Comprehension Abilities, also referred to as reading comprehension skills, refer to the five(5) reading levels (Toffelson, as cited by Tuvera, 1993) of reading comprehension, which include (1) Literal Level;(2) Reorganizational Level; (3) Inferential Level; (4) Evaluational Level; and (5) Appreciational Level. Specific Comprehension Skills refers to the specific skills that make up the different reading levels. Literal level of reading refers to the reading level that enables the students to recognized and/or recall details, main ideas, sequences, comparison, cause and effect relationships, character traits and recall author’s organization and explicitly stated information in the reading selection (Toffelson, as cited by Tuvera, 1993). Reorganizational level of reading refers to the reading level that enables the student to classify or group, outline or specify, summarize and synthesize text that has been read (Toffelson, as cited by Tuvera, 1993). Inferential Level of reading refers to the reading level that enables the student to infer supporting details which require the making of a hypothesis on an information that might have been included in the text; infer the main idea; infer a sequence which requires the student to make a hypothesis about what might have occurred in addition to the already explicitly stated events and making a hypothesis in events beyond completion of the text. Other skills also included are inferring, comparison, cause and effect relationships, charater traits,  author’s organization, figurative language and predicting outcomes (Toffelson, as cited by Tuvera, 1993). Evaluational level of reading refers to the reading level that enables the student to make a judgment of reality and fantasy and judgment between fact and opinion (Toffelson, as cited by Tuvera, 1993). Appreciational level of Reading refers to the reading level that enables the student to have emotional response to the text and determine an author’s purpose, mood, tone and point of vies (Toffelson, as cited by Tuvera, 1993). Performance is defined as a manner of functioning: the manner in which something or someone or somebody functions, operates, or behaves (Microsoft Encarta 2006. 1993 – 2005 Microsoft Corporation). In this study, it refers to the number of correct answers of the ALS students an all the specific levels of the reading comprehension test to reflect the students’ reading comprehension abilities. Extent of Performance refers to the reading comprehension abilities of the students based on a scale of scores to describe the level of reading comprehension of the ALS students. The scale will consists of three (3) levels: High , for scores equivalent to 75 percent – 100 percent; Moderate, for scores equivalent to 50 percent – 74 percent; and Low, for scores equivalent to at most 49 percent of the total point and of their points in the different specific reading comprehension skills areas. Total Scores obtained refers to the raw scores of the students which will correspond to the number of the correct answers of the ALS students in the reading comprehension test. Specific scores obtained refers to the raw scores of the learners in the different specific skill areas which correspond to the number of correct answers of the students in the specific skill areas. Self – Learning Reading Activities are activities involving processes which will enhance the reading performance and improve the five levels of reading comprehension of the ALS students . It also encourages students to gain more interest in reading with the aid of the designated activities. Analysis refers to the process of categorizing the performance of the students in the reading comprehension test in its totality and in the specific reading skills according to the extent of their performance. Out – of School Youth ALS ALS Learners ALS Implementers Conceptual Framework The objective of all readers should be comprehension of what they read. Comprehension is understanding. Understanding involves abilities to explain, interpret, apply, have perspective, empathize, and have self – knowledge (Wiggins and Mctighe,1998). Reading is both a process and a product ant it involves bringing the individual’s entire life experiences and thinking patterns to understand what the writer has written (Aukerman, 1981). When good decoders have problems with comprehension, they need help in developing language proficiency and listening comprehension. Teachers can help them develop the corresponding skills by combining vocabulary and comprehension strategy instruction with encouragement to enhance their reading of different materials Dymock, 1993). Reading comprehension can be effected by background knowledge. This concept is proved that when readers possess rich prior knowledge about the topic of a reading material, they often understand the reading material better than readers with low prior knowledge. That said, readers couldn’t always relate their world knowledge to the content of a text because they are not able to, even when they possess knowledge relevant to the information it presents. Often, they do not make inferences based on prior knowledge unless the inference are absolutely demanded to make sense of the text (Mckoon % Ratcliff, 1992). The study is anchored on the core concept that reading difficulties encountered by learners can be addressed by an appropriate learning material in the form of a self – learning reading material which will address their difficulties to be assessed using the reading comprehension test. Research Paradigm Figure 1. Paradigm of the study Figure 1 above illustrates the prerequisites in the development of a Self – Learning Reading Materail to improve the reading comprehension ability of ALS learners in the city schools division of Dagupan. CHAPTER II Review of Related Literature and Studies This chapter presents studies and literature which are seen to be significant that can give light to the completion and conduct of the research. FOREIGN Educational research has become a global enterprise, with researchers recognizing the need to be aware of educational practices in other countries. Burbules (2002) notes that this international context makes possible the sharing of knowledge and experience gained in relation to reform and evaluation in different countries. Recent studies show that seven hundred and seventy-five million adults cannot read (UIS, 2011). According to the study conducted by Glewwe and Kremer, (2006 ) a major factor in the poor reading problem is the poor quality of public schools in developing countries. Many peoples understanding of the educational production function, however, is still limited. Providing resources to schools with no other inputs rarely improves overall student performance and that if resources are paired with a larger array of inputs, students’ test scores do improve, he exclaimed. Unfortunately, the exact kind of additional support is necessary to make additional resources effective. For reading in particular, a number of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of large comprehensive changes. Banerjee et al. (2007) studies an Indian remedial education program. The intervention itself causes students’ reading skills to improve, but because the intervention changes the educational environment along multiple dimensions – additional teachers, new pedagogical methods, new curriculum, changes to organization of the classroom, and additional resources – it is impossible to identify which components are necessary. In addition, a Case Study of Reading Instruction in a Philippine Classroom was also conducted by Protacio and Sarroub, (2013) where the reading practices in a public and high-achieving 6th grade English classroom in the Philippines were used as subjects of the study. The study utilized a four resources model, the different roles that students assume in this classroom was also clearly discussed. The students in the class are describe mainly as code breakers and text users and have limited opportunities to assume the other two roles of the four resources model. The study also provides a different view of reading, specifically a view of a culture of reading wherein higher status is given to oral reading performance rather than comprehension. The results of the study further revealed that reading is perceived as an oral performance activity by Filipino students because reading aloud is used frequently to negotiate the lack of resources in Philippine public schools. Comprehension does not matter as much to these students; rather, they are concerned with how they are perceived as oral readers in English, which is their second language. The case study findings provide a different view of reading, specifically a view of a culture of reading wherein higher status is given to oral performance rather than comprehension or fluency. The data also reveals that the predominant emphasis on oral performance satisfies only two roles or family of practices in the â€Å"four resources model of reading†: code breakers and text users. All of the students in the pilot section were not afforded opportunities by the teacher to fully engage with the four resources, as the class focused mostly on oral recitation as the main indicator for reading well. Students in this class infrequently assumed the role of meaning-makers and text analysts (Luke Freebody, 1999; Underwood, Yoo, Pearson, 2007). Instead, both students and teacher privileged correct pronunciation and reading correctly aloud—getting the accent right determined who the best students were in the class. Though, Philippine literacy scholars have commented on the emphasis on performance and reading aloud. Maminta (1982) discusses how reading as a subject was relegated to the background as the curriculum emphasized speech improvement with most of the class time being spent on pattern drills, mimicry, and memorization. Even though Maminta’s article focuses on speech improvement as being the emphasis three decades ago, it seems that it still characterizes classroom practice in the Philippines today. In the pilot section, the students themselves seemed to be the ones placing the emphasis on speech improvement. In the literacy field, comprehension is primarily identified as the goal of reading (Duke Pearson, 2002; Duke, Pearson, Strachan, Billman, 2011). While many agrees that comprehension is of utmost importance, many still argues that in this classroom context, focusing on students’ fluency did not limit students’ development as  readers, particularly for those who were asked to read aloud. What we do feel strongly about is the importance of providing all students opportunities to assume the role of readers in this classroom by giving all students a chance to read aloud in class. However, we noticed that, sadly, this was not the case. The findings of this study also point to the importance of teachers examining their own perceptions about reading and reading instruction (Edwards, Martin, Protacio, Razali,2010). Moreover, Reading fluency is the point at which beginning readers rely less on the phonemic decoding to recognize individual words and begin to recognize whole words, allowing for an increase in reading speed and comprehension. Meyer and Felton (1999), for example, define fluency as â€Å"the ability to read connected text rapidly, smoothly, effortlessly, and automatically with little conscious attention to the mechanics of reading, such as decoding. † Also, a study on the Effective Reading Programs for Middle and High School synthesized by Slavin, Cheung, Groff and Lake was published in 2009. This is a collection of many reading programs that systematically reviewed research on the achievement outcomes of four types of approaches to improving the reading of middle and high school students: specifically on the (1 ) reading curricula, (2) mixed-method models (methods that combine large and small-group instruction with computer activities), (3) computer-assisted instruction, and (4) instructional-process programs (methods that focus on providing teachers with extensive professional development to implement specific instructional methods). The collective synthesized study found out that students who enter high school with poor literacy skills face long odds against graduating and going on to postsecondary education or satisfying careers.

Problems of Syntax

Problems of Syntax If generative grammar focuses on establishing rules: The underlying thesis of generative grammar is that sentencesare generated by a subconscious set of procedures (like computer programs).These procedures are part of our minds (or of our cognitive abilitiesif you prefer). The goal of syntactic theory is to model these procedures.In other words, we are trying to figure out what we subconsciously knowabout the syntax of our language.In generative grammar, the means for modeling these procedures isthrough a set of formal grammatical rules (Carnie, 2012) Cognitive linguistics combines its theory of syntax with itstheory of motivation. The theory of motivation transpires useful for the cognitiveapproach, since its account of radial categories leads to the conclusion that moreperipheral subcategories are neither computable or derivational (in the Chomskyansense) from the central category nor completely arbitrary (in the de Saussurian sense).Lakoff (1987) offers a syntactic analysis with a view to demonstrating that radialcategories are also to be found in the domain of syntax and that they, similarly to theones in lexicon, motivate correspondences between form and meaning. Thus, in the thirdcase study of his monumental Women, Fire and Dangerous Things,Lakoff endeavors to show that the generative view of grammar is unsatisfactory, as itfails to observe that the meaning of many grammatical constructions motivates theirlinguistic form so that syntactic structures are very often motivated by the structure ofcognitive models. As there is no point in relating Lakoffs meticulous analyses, suffice itto say that he offers a theory of syntax in which syntactic categories are semanticallymotivated and grammatical constructions possess meanings. His conclusion is that thecentral syntactic categories can be predicted from the semantic conditions, while thenoncentral syntactic subcategories are motivated extensions of central categories. Whatis crucial is that in neither way can syntactic categories be viewed as autonomous in thegenerative sense. When protesting against the exaggerated arbitrariness of every linguistic sign andagainst the generative view of grammar, cognitive linguistics postulates also theprinciple of iconic sequencing. If, after Sweetser (1990),we compare sentences such as Iread books and newspapers versus I read a book and went to bed, we can observe thatthe usage of and in both sentences is quite different. In the former sentence, the usage ofand is symmetric, since we can freely change the conjuncts and the meaning does notchange with the reversal of conjuncts, whereas the latter sentence exhibits an asymmetricuse of and, since a change in the order does change our interpretation of the events.Sweetser (1990) explains that such an asymmetricality is due to the iconicconventions of narrative word-order. While the sequence of the two clauses reflects thesequence of the events in this sense that the first clause is interpreted as temporally priorto the second, it is important to notice that the conjunction and does not convey anyinformation about the order of events: the sequence of events is simply reflected by thelinearity of the clauses. If we now compare sentences such as He opened the door andentered the house and *He entered the house and opened the door, we can conclude thatthe former sentence is acceptable, since the sequence of the clauses reflects thechronological order of events, whereas the latter sentence is hardly acceptable preciselyfor this reason that the chronological order of events has been violated. As Ungerer andSchmid observe such sentences are unacceptable because the order in which theclauses are arranged violates the principle of iconic sequencing (1996:251). From thepoint of view of cognitive critique of generative grammar, the following issues should bepointed out. Firstly, it is crucial to notice that the unacceptability of the latter sentencecannot be explained by reference to the clause patterns and the rules of syntax alone.Secondly, the phenomenon of i conicity confirms our earlier suggestion thatextensionality should be seen as rather untypical of natural languages. Finally, cognitiveanalyses of iconicity corroborate the thesis that meaning and grammar interface, asgrammar transpires to be an image. Inasmuch as syntax rules, within generative linguistics, are independent of semanticsand pragmatics, generative grammar runs counter to natural intuitions with itsimplications that natural language consists of uninterpreted symbols and, consequently,its primary function must be production of sequences of uninterpreted sounds rather thancommunication. This is clear already in Syntactic structures were Chomsky declares we were studying language as an instrument or tool, attempting to describe itsstructure with no explicit reference to the way in which this instrument is put touse (1957:103). Generative grammar makes two important divisions: firstly, it differentiates betweenacceptability and grammaticality and, secondly, it differentiates between semantics andpragmatics (cf. e.g. Chomsky 1965:11 sqq.). With regard to the first division, it has to besaid that when differentiating between acceptability and grammaticality of sentences,generative grammar relegates the former to the sphere of performance, while the latter isgenerated by the syntax. This differentiation results in the opposition between sentencesand utterances: sentences are identified with competence and belong to grammar whichis viewed as an algorithm generating a set of sentences, whereas utterances are relegatedto performance, as they are seen as particular and contingent instances of sentences.With regard to the second division, it has to be said that when differentiating betweensemantics and pragmatics, generative grammar deems semantics to be far important, as itdeals with the meaning of sentence that i s to be objective, i.e. independent of speakersintensions and capable of correctly corresponding to the external world. Pragmatics,which deals with how speakers use sentences, is clearly separated from semantics andrelegated to a role of secondary importance. Needless to say, the primacy of semanticsover pragmatics stems from the assumption that it is semantics that concerns itself withthe objective relations between language and the external world. On discovering that syntactic categories and grammatical relations are notautonomous, but dependent of meaning and use, cognitive grammar repudiates the ideaof an autonomous syntax and maintains that many a syntactic analysis is incompleteunless supplied with semantic and pragmatic analyses. Inasmuch as it is not onlyacceptability but also grammaticality that is determined by the context, meaning and use,cognitive linguistics departs from the generative enterprise in its assumption that theorder in which component structures are integrated into composite structure (i.e. theconstituency in Langackers terminology) is flexible and variable, while in generativegrammar it is always fixed and invariable. Langacker demonstrates that special (e.g.communicative) circumstances can exert profound impact on the constituency and,consequently, change it in a way that cognitive linguistics can explain much better thangenerative grammar. As an example Langacker gives the sentence: This target / thea rrow hit / (but not that one), explaining that  the canonical NP + VP organization is readily suspended when communicativefactors favor isolating the direct object as a separate major constituent(1987:319). Accordingly, Langacker demonstrates that semantics must not be seen asautonomous not only at the level of the internal structure of the word meaning but also atthe level of sentence semantics. Similarly, Lakoff offers a thorough analysis which shows that the rules forcombining clauses must be accounted for on semantic and pragmatic grounds. Thescholars analyses lead to conclusion that syntax cannot be viewed as autonomous andtransformations cannot explain all relationships among grammatical constructions, sinceone can make better predictions with regard to the syntactic behavior of a construction, ifone does not disregard its semantic and pragmatic constraints. Thus, Lakoff shows(1987:475) that the transformational approach cannot explain why rhetorical questionssuch as Who would like to live here? can be combined with because-clauses (I amselling my apartment, because who would like to live here) and why a true question suchas Which apartment would you like to buy? cannot (*I am selling my apartment,because which apartment would you like to buy). Lakoff offers an interestingexplanation: rhetorical questions are in fact statements (I am selling my apartment,because no one would like to live here), whereas true questions are requests forinformation (cf. also Lakoff Johnson 1999:485)9. His generalization is based onconditions that are not only syntactic but also semantic (the clauses offer justification)and pragmatic (the syntactic constructions function as statements). In view of this,Lakoff shows that, contrary to the autonomous syntax hypothesis, many a syntacticphenomenon must be understood with reference to its semantics and pragmatics.Moreover, as the example demonstrates there is no clear-cut syntactic rule whichprecludes the possibility of a question being combined with a because-clause, it becomesevident that one must take into consideration the so called performative functions ofspeech acts. As a result, Lakoff arrives at the conclusion that if a question is in fact astatement, then it can be combined with because-clauses and if it is not, then it cannot.Consequently, semantics proves to be hardly autonomous at the level of syntax, sinceever y analysis conducted at the level of sentence semantics must also includepragmatics. In the final analysis, Lakoff shows that when it comes to the study of syntaxeven the absolutely fundamental distinction between subordinate and coordinate clausescan under certain circumstances be suspended, since  clauses expressing a reason allow speech act constructions that conveystatements, and the content of the statement equals the reason expressed(1987:480). Inasmuch as Lakoffs bases his analysis on the illocutionary forces of grammaticalconstructions, he incorporates semantic and pragmatic conditions into the study ofsyntax and, thereby, formulates a generalization about syntax in semantic and pragmaticterms which generative grammar, being founded on the dogma of the autonomy ofsyntax, can by no means formulate. Having concisely (and needles to say -superficially) dealt with the cognitive account of such linguistic phenomena asmetaphors, constructions, motivation, iconicity and performative functions of speechacts, we can attempt succinctly to present the most important consequences of thecognitive approach.

NHS Public Relations and Customer Care Policy

NHS Public Relations and Customer Care Policy Introduction Public relations are an indirect form of sales motivation ‘a psychology – coated advertising pill’. According to the Institute of Public Relations[1], public relations are defined as: the deliberate planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and its public. Presently in the UK (United Kingdom) most health care providers are managed by the NHS (National Health Service) – the largest public service organisation in Europe. Therefore the direction this report will take is as follows: (1) to investigate the key principles of public relations and customer care; (2) to analyse how a public service organisation deals with public relations – in particular how the NHS deals with public relations; and (3) to examine the customer care policy of the NHS. The key principles of public relations and customer care According to Hall (1971)[2], public relations are based on the following key principles: The company and customers or prospective customers – the primary objective being to create a good public image and the secondary objectives being: (1) Selling the company, by securing and maintaining public goodwill; (2) Unobtrusively advertising the product or service sold; (3) Increasing sales and profits, and paying higher dividends to the shareholders. 2. The company and shareholders or prospective shareholders – It is also important  that the company should maintain good relations with its shareholders and with  the investing public at large, for the following reasons: (1) The shareholders as owners of the company, are entitled to information  concerning its activities. (2) It is essential to keep the shareholders contented, as they are a  prospective source of capital if the company wishes to develop at some future  date. (3) The investing public at large is more likely to invest in a company with  which it has good relations. 3. The company and its employees – personnel relations and public relations are  complementary. A company’s treatment of its employees is an important factor in  enhancing or dimming its public image. Therefore it is useless to spend money on  an elaborate public relations department and then ignore the basic principles of  good personnel relations. Arens (1999)[3] agrees but argues that there are four other principles: 4. Communities – courtesy and friendly support towards the organisations immediate  neighbours strengthens the ties between the organisation and its neighbours. 5. Media – press packets, briefings, and facilitating access to organisation  news makers build trust and goodwill. 6. Government – a desire for favourable legislation and subsidies are good reasons  why organisations should earn and maintain the goodwill and trust of the  government. The systems and procedures involved in dealing with public relations The size of an organisation and the type of business it is often determines the methods of public relations to be used e.g. Large companies are more inclined to have their own public relations department – which contrasts with small companies which would most likely outsource public relations consultants. If an organisation desires external public relations can be achieved through anyone of the following methods: Press relations, comprising press releases and notices relating to the companys activities. Exhibitions and trade fairs Television and radio are used for public relations as well as for advertising. Direct consumer contacts – this is a personal approach to improving public relations and is all about implementing goodwill to others in an attempt at public relations success. Literature produced in various printed forms ranging from journals to an organisation history. Eye-catching functions used to gain public notice, e.g. The sponsorship of sports events such as the annual walk against breast cancer. Open days – the public (inclusive of employees families) is invited to visit the organisations premises – this helps promote personnel relations. The National Health Service The National Health Service of the UK is divided into two divisions; England and Wales, and Northern Ireland. The National Health Service has outlined for the both regions all the personnel who will fall under its umbrella as follows: England and Wales[4] A Patients Forum established under section 15 of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002. Any person providing primary medical services or primary dental services In accordance with arrangements made under section 28C of the National Health Service Act 1977; or Under a contract under section 28K or 28Q of that Act; in respect of information relating to the provision of those services. Any person providing general medical services, general dental services, general ophthalmic services or pharmaceutical services under Part II of the National Health Service Act 1977, in respect of information relating to the provision of those services. Any person providing personal medical services or personal dental services under arrangements made under section 28C of the National Health Service Act 1977, in respect of information relating to the provision of those services. Any person providing local pharmaceutical services under A pilot scheme established under section 28 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001; or An LPS scheme established under Schedule 8A to the National Health Service Act 1977 (c 49), in respect of information relating to the provision of those services. Northern Ireland Any person providing primary medical services, general dental services, general ophthalmic services or pharmaceutical services under Part VI of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972, in respect of information relating to the provision of those services. Customer Care Policy Davis (2003 p. 47)[5] says that patients are consumers of medical services and deserve customer care. He believes that customer care is critical especially for professionals such as surgeons and dentists; and that customer care creates opportunities for the customers to be informed and form judgements. According to Davis, customers pay for what they receive and as he explains, patients do have family and friends who from a critical public that directly affect the organisations reputation. Therefore if patients receive ill treatment the organisation is likely to have a bad reputation which would most likely lead to a loss of clientà ¨le to competition. Good customer care is also essential when dealing with patients, as this can affect the direction which a grant might take. In particular the NHS has a rating system which encourages feedback – which it then uses to improve its quality of customer service. Systems and Procedures in relation to communication with the media Media specialists are aware of the requirements, preferences, limitations, and strengths of the various media used to serve the client. They find the right media for clients messages (Baran, 2002)[6]. In public relations the accounting, legal and medical professions have had little success in policing their own members. Therefore one should ask what should be done to prevent misleading and dishonest communications from going to the public? The International Association of Businesses Communicators have laid down a code of practice which states that Members of IABC will engage in truthful, accurate and fair communication that facilitates respect and mutual understanding ¡K Accoding to Horton (2002)[7], the fact is that what a CEO wants, a CEO gets. Sometimes a board of directors has the power to stop a CEO from making false statements or misleading customers, investors, regulators and others. But, whistle blowers do not fare well, and it takes a great deal of evidence for a whistle b lower to prove that a corporation has engaged in unethical action or misleading communication. Further, even though one is personally ethical, executives can sanction and encourage unethical activity. This puts a strain on one to go along or get out. Unfortunately, it is usually easier to go along, and there are rewards for doing so. There are many ways that a CEO can corrupt a company, but one of the most insidious is the goals that the CEO sets. Horton explains that defending an unpopular person, organization or issue in the media is a tough PR challenge. He expounds that unlike a court of law where rules of argumentation and fact apply, PR practitioners face uncontrolled media, citizen rumours, political opinion, falsehoods and conclusions based on partial fact. Public relations in such times can be thankless and a losing effort. Yet, as he puts it, successful defence can be a career high point. Practitioners learn what they are made of and how well they have mastered communications. Horton has laid down some rules for dealing with the media as follows: The first rule of defending the indefensible is to start with and stick to facts as much as possible. Unfortunately, in many, if not most situations, facts are missing or incomplete. Facts put to rest speculation and opinion, and they stop a natural tendency to assume there is more behind an issue or event than meets the eye. This means PR practitioners should be trained in gathering and checking facts quickly then getting them out fast to interested parties. However, facts can tell an ugly story, a story that an individual and/or organization do not want to have told. In addition, facts may tell stories that must not be narrated because of personal, political or other confidentiality. PR practitioners often know more than can be said to journalists, and journalists are dedicated to finding out what practitioners cannot say. Silence PR practitioners are taught that silence is harmful. During a crisis, they are told that individuals or organizations must do something with media calls, skittish investors, unhappy suppliers, fearful employees and grandstanding regulators. But silence is not always harmful. There are times when silence is best even though others talk about you, especially when defending unpopular individuals, organizations or issues. An old clichà © attributed to British royalty is, â€Å"Never complain, never explain.† This stiff-upper-lip approach covered up many activities that royalty did not want to expose to public scrutiny. It worked for decades until U.K. media in search of circulation boosts broke a compact of silence about the doings of the palace. Nonetheless, silence helps when: Pressure to speak is not intense If the public, regulators, media and others are not pushing to get answers, it might work well not to volunteer them. When the issue might be a passing one – If an issue arises that is a one-day headline, â€Å"no comment† might suffice. When there is nothing one can say. The only justifiable expression may be confession and remorse. When speaking makes the situation worse. Speed It is a basic PR rule to get out factual information as quickly as possible. Delay is a mistake that happens too frequently because of internal battles, concerns for liability and dictates of privacy. Some speed techniques are: Say â€Å"No comment,† and follow orders. Deliver some kind of statement, even if inadequate â€Å"I have been instructed to tell you†¦. That is all that I can say at this time.† Let another take over. Fight hard – Collect the emerging media stories and go to the CEO to make a forceful case for what is happening to the firm’s reputation by failing to disclose the facts speedily. Resign – This is an extreme option unless a company or CEO is so far in the wrong that a practitioner can be considered complicit by acting as a spokesperson. Damage Control When compelling facts are not readily available, practitioners must use damage control to defend the indefensible individual or organization. Refutation – Paint a story as false. One attacks the teller of the story (â€Å"Consider the source.†) and the story itself as meaningless, incredible, impossible or illogical. Confirmation – Praise the person and story that favour your side. (â€Å"X is an honourable man. He would never lie.†) Note that a story is possible, probably, logical and fitting. (â€Å"From our careful reconstruction, this is the way that events unfolded.†) Of course, even though X is an honourable man, he might sometimes lie and careful reconstructions of stories might be logical and wrong. Vituperation – This has a more modern name – â€Å"character assassination.† It’s an all-out effort to discredit someone making allegations by going after the person’s heritage, education, background, lifestyle or whatever it takes to take away the individual’s credibility in the eyes of target audiences. Appeal to character – This is an effort to build the image of an individual and cast doubt on allegations against that person. Appeals to character use all of the techniques of vituperation but puts a positive spin on them. Diversion – Create a secondary issue that obscures the first issue. A popular movie came out a few years ago that illustrated how to do this by creating a phony war. The film, Wag the Dog, was a cynical portrayal of how Washington political communications work. Comments and Conclusion Defence of an unpopular individual, organization or point of view is probably no more successful than defending an accused in a courtroom. However, because the media and society do not follow strict rules of argumentation or precedent, the chances of a story â€Å"getting away† from the practitioner are greater. (Caywood, 1997)[8] When companies and individuals have been destroyed by negative publicity, only to be vindicated later, they can never recover what they have lost. There is little recourse in the law for such outcomes. One can sue for libel, but if the facts of a case were accurate to the time they were presented, there was no libel. One is a victim of circumstances. The PR practitioner’s job, insofar as the practitioner is able, is to balance perception enough to take pressure off an individual or organization or, if possible, to refute allegations. There is no chance of success unless one tries. It is imperative that public relations departments and personnel remember that they are the main point of contact for radio and television stations, newspapers, and magazines. Footnotes [1] Institute of Public Relations, Guide to the practice of public relations [2] Hall L., (1971, p. 288) Business Administration, 3rd Edition, MacDonald and Evans Ltd. [3] Arens W.F., (1999) Contemporary advertising, Irwin McGraw-Hill [4]National Health Service http://www.foi.gov.uk/coverage.htm#part3http://www.foi.gov.uk/coverage.htm#part3 [Online Source: 15/05/06] [5] Davis A., (2003) Everything You Should Know About Public Relations, Page Kogan [6] Baran S.J., (2002) Introduction to Mass Communication; Maedia, Literacy, and Culture, McGraw Hill [7] Horton J.L., () The ethics question http://www.online-pr.com/Holding/TheEthicsQuandaryARTICLE.pdf [Online Source: 15/05/06] [8] Caywood C.L., (1997) The Handbook of Strategic Public Relations and Integrated Communications, McGraw Hill

Hitler :: essays research papers

Feeling that all was lost, Hitler shot himself on April 30, 1945. By orders formally given by him before his death, SS officers drenched Hitler's body in gasoline and burned it in the garden of the Chancellery†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Soon after the suicide of Hitler, the German forces surrendered. The war was officially over; however, the world was only beginning to realize the extent of its horror. The rise and sudden fall of Hitler had an immense effect on people and nations around the world. On Easter Sunday April 20, 1889, at an inn called the Gasth of Zum Pommer, the wife of an Austrian Customs official gave birth to a son, Adolf Hitler. He was the fourth child to the parents of Alois and Klara Hitler of Austria†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. During his schooling days, Hitler was a good student. He took singing lessons and sang in the church choir. But when he hit an adolescent age, he began to rebel. When Hitler's dad acquired a top ranking job in the military, he wanted his son to work hard so that he might become a civil servant. Hitler wanted nothing of it. He wanted to become an artist like he always dreamed†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ One of the teachers in his high school classified young Hitler as "notorious, cantankerous, willful, arrogant, and irascible. He has an obvious difficulty in fitting in at school."†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ He did well enough to get by in some of his courses but had no time for subjects that did not interest him. Years later, his former school mates would remember how Adolf would taunt his teachers and draw sketches of them in his school notebooks. Forty years later, in the sessions at his headquarters which produced the record of his table talk, Hitler recalled several times the teachers of his school days with contempt. "They had no sympathy with youth. Their one object was to stuff our brains and turn us into erudite apes themselves. If any pupil showed the slightest trace of originality, they persecuted him relentlessly"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Adolf saw no real reason to stay in high school. He left school at age sixteen without a leaving certificate. In September 1907, Hitler left home taking with him all the money left to him by his father, who had died a few years earlier. The money would be enough for tuition and board at the art school in Vienna. The Vienna School of Fine Arts had strict entrance requirements†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Hitler :: essays research papers Feeling that all was lost, Hitler shot himself on April 30, 1945. By orders formally given by him before his death, SS officers drenched Hitler's body in gasoline and burned it in the garden of the Chancellery†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Soon after the suicide of Hitler, the German forces surrendered. The war was officially over; however, the world was only beginning to realize the extent of its horror. The rise and sudden fall of Hitler had an immense effect on people and nations around the world. On Easter Sunday April 20, 1889, at an inn called the Gasth of Zum Pommer, the wife of an Austrian Customs official gave birth to a son, Adolf Hitler. He was the fourth child to the parents of Alois and Klara Hitler of Austria†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. During his schooling days, Hitler was a good student. He took singing lessons and sang in the church choir. But when he hit an adolescent age, he began to rebel. When Hitler's dad acquired a top ranking job in the military, he wanted his son to work hard so that he might become a civil servant. Hitler wanted nothing of it. He wanted to become an artist like he always dreamed†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ One of the teachers in his high school classified young Hitler as "notorious, cantankerous, willful, arrogant, and irascible. He has an obvious difficulty in fitting in at school."†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ He did well enough to get by in some of his courses but had no time for subjects that did not interest him. Years later, his former school mates would remember how Adolf would taunt his teachers and draw sketches of them in his school notebooks. Forty years later, in the sessions at his headquarters which produced the record of his table talk, Hitler recalled several times the teachers of his school days with contempt. "They had no sympathy with youth. Their one object was to stuff our brains and turn us into erudite apes themselves. If any pupil showed the slightest trace of originality, they persecuted him relentlessly"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Adolf saw no real reason to stay in high school. He left school at age sixteen without a leaving certificate. In September 1907, Hitler left home taking with him all the money left to him by his father, who had died a few years earlier. The money would be enough for tuition and board at the art school in Vienna. The Vienna School of Fine Arts had strict entrance requirements†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.

Marriage in Babbit by Sinclair Lewis :: Lewis Babbitt Essays

Marriage in Babbit by Sinclair Lewis In the novel Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis touches upon various issues that characterize American society. Marriage was one of these various issues that Lewis focused on. In the story, George Babbitt was married and his best friend, Paul Riesling, was married. They both seemed uneasy about their marriages and were not pleased with their situations. George always seemed to care less for Myra, "she was as sexless as an anemic nun... no one, save [except] Tinka, was all interested in her or entirely aware that she was alive" (Lewis 7). Paul also truly disliked his wife Zilla, "why I want to kill her", " (i)f I only could [divorce her]! If she'd just give me the chance!" (Lewis 58-59). This lack of feeling for their wives is what Lewis focused on in the rest of the story. Lewis brings about conflict between these two characters and their wives. He brings about the idea of infidelity between the two married couples. The dissatisfaction for their wives leads George and Paul to lust for other women. Lewis is making the point that when men are dissatisfied with their women, they go and try to find others to satisfy their "hunger". George dreamt of a fairy girl that he could run off with and escape from his friends and most of all, his wife (Lewis 2-3). Babbitt also had two affairs on which Lewis indirectly, with class points out. Babbitt and his buddies in Maine, picked up a prostitute in which some devious behavior took place. This behavior "was never known to his family, nor to anyone in Zenith... (i)t was not officially recognized even by himself". His chief affair was with a widow, Tanis Judique. He had even spent the night with her, but he later dumped her to be free. Paul on the other hand only had one affair. He had an affair with a lady named May Arnold that he had been writing, who lived in Chicago. This affair with May was Paul's infidelity to his nagging wife Zilla. By describing these instances of men cheating, Lewis revealed to his readers what was not commonly portrayed about American culture. Marriage in Babbit by Sinclair Lewis :: Lewis Babbitt Essays Marriage in Babbit by Sinclair Lewis In the novel Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis touches upon various issues that characterize American society. Marriage was one of these various issues that Lewis focused on. In the story, George Babbitt was married and his best friend, Paul Riesling, was married. They both seemed uneasy about their marriages and were not pleased with their situations. George always seemed to care less for Myra, "she was as sexless as an anemic nun... no one, save [except] Tinka, was all interested in her or entirely aware that she was alive" (Lewis 7). Paul also truly disliked his wife Zilla, "why I want to kill her", " (i)f I only could [divorce her]! If she'd just give me the chance!" (Lewis 58-59). This lack of feeling for their wives is what Lewis focused on in the rest of the story. Lewis brings about conflict between these two characters and their wives. He brings about the idea of infidelity between the two married couples. The dissatisfaction for their wives leads George and Paul to lust for other women. Lewis is making the point that when men are dissatisfied with their women, they go and try to find others to satisfy their "hunger". George dreamt of a fairy girl that he could run off with and escape from his friends and most of all, his wife (Lewis 2-3). Babbitt also had two affairs on which Lewis indirectly, with class points out. Babbitt and his buddies in Maine, picked up a prostitute in which some devious behavior took place. This behavior "was never known to his family, nor to anyone in Zenith... (i)t was not officially recognized even by himself". His chief affair was with a widow, Tanis Judique. He had even spent the night with her, but he later dumped her to be free. Paul on the other hand only had one affair. He had an affair with a lady named May Arnold that he had been writing, who lived in Chicago. This affair with May was Paul's infidelity to his nagging wife Zilla. By describing these instances of men cheating, Lewis revealed to his readers what was not commonly portrayed about American culture.