Things Fall Apart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Things Fall Apart - Essay Example The fact that he has three wives in and of itself illustrates his misogynistic nature and attitude. He is terribly cruel to his son Nwoye, as he feels that Nwoye is not masculine enough and that he is feminine and weak. Nwoye begins to behave in more masculine ways to please his father Okonkwo, as anything less is simply unacceptable and can lead to a beating from his father. Okonkwo is a portrait of dominant male ideology as he causes his family a great deal of pain and suffering because of this ideology. Okonkwo is rarely able to display emotion and is depicted as first and foremost, seeking to be masculine and in control. He is depicted however, at one point in the story, as a concerned parent, when he ventures out looking for Ezinma, after she is taken by Chielo. The reader also sees throughout the piece, Okonkwo’s difficulty in dealing with change in his environment, especially from a racial point of view. White men are coming to his village and living among his clan, only to cause Okonkwo to feel threatened and then to finally feel defeated. This is understandable as the white settlers only seek to change the ways and beliefs of the natives of Nigeria. These expressions of anti-colonialism seem to reflect the ideas of Achebe as well, as a prevailing theme surrounding the colonists seems to be their inability to speak the language of the tribe. This is ultimately what prevents them from understanding the ways of the tribe. Interestingly, as much as Okonkwo opposes the whit e man and his religion (Christianity), his son Nwoye converts to this very religion. Certainly, this is an illustration on the conflicts that arose during colonization. The white men brought their religion and beliefs to the Igbo people, and certainly Okonkwo represented the institution of tradition and culture. Further evidence of this is the fact that Okonkwo participates in the death of Ikemefuna, the sacrificial boy from a neighboring village

Fianal paper paragraph Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Fianal paper paragraph - Thesis Example The film reveals how the Japanese people remained unemotional and focused to build their nation. The film is not political and gruesome. This study intends to dig deep into the cultural and social background of the Japanese people and how the pattern aid in fostering unity and harmony especially during and after a crisis. The second film Osaka Elegy is a representation of the real picture of Japanese aspects of responsibility and irresponsibility. This paper intends to examine the aspect of responsibility as well as the aftermath of irresponsibility as it is depicted in the film Osaka Elegy. The director Kenji Mizoguchi reveals how the young woman Asai tries to refuse the advances made by her boss at the pharmaceutical company. It emerges that the young woman represents the responsible Japanese women, who believes in moral actions. Asai’s father‘s drinking habits, which has put the family in a deplorable financial situations represents irresponsibility. It is notable that, the irresponsibility has compelled Asai to work and sustain her brother in school. In addition, Asai has tried to settle many of her father’s debts. However, Asai’s weakness and irresponsibility is indicated when she joins prostitution to sustain the family needs. She is finally arrested and

The Principles Of Derridas Deconstruction

The Principles Of Derridas Deconstruction Derridas deconstruction begins identifying a disjuncture in discursive use of language. When the principle of absolute identity or fixity is sustained as a ground for any form of philosophical inquiry, made possible by the use of language, a particular discourse can present itself as necessary truths, not merely as contingent. This is done to showcase an independent, pure reality, of the presence of things, beings, the subjects of a particular discourse. . However, once a possibility of contamination and unfixity in any one element within a discourse is recognized and accepted, a paradox (aporia) will be exposed and remain within the understanding of a discursive object.- in an example of Deconstruction I will refer to the deconstruction of the speech-writing dichotomy. For Derrida, no discourse can convincingly claim the fixity of identity or consistency once we accept the fact that we are working with language and linguistic signs which functions on a linguistic system constructed differentially out of its relationship with other signs. By marking the gap and the limits of a particular limit through a deconstructive gesture such as a close reading of a text, Derrida aims to destabilize and the scope of a text and inscribe the limit of the a metaphysical mode of thinking metaphysics of presence in philosophical traditions a logocentrism within philosophy. For Derrida, philosophy has created a system of concepts centred on implicit privileging of presence, similar to what Heidegger claims of the primacy of onto-theology in philosophy. Philosophy and the theology of Being inscribed within it, grounds its enterprise on an absolute, a centre, an essence. This provides philosophical discourse an unconditional first cause God, Soul, Atman, Consciousness ,Transcendental Ego. Philosophy in the tradition of Plato right up to Heidegger, affirms this exteriority outside through a false conception of language in which a linguistic sign transparently mediates the transcendental / external world and the self.  [1]  Because of this, Derrida claims that language becomes a proxy of a philosophal discourses metaphysics of presence by affirming and signifying this essence as the external ground for itself.. (I) Differance , trace, and the play of linguistic signifiers To counter the pervasiveness of the metaphysics of presence in Western Philosophy Derrida uses the neologism Differance a playful combination of differ and to defer, to demonstrate that the meaning of a linguistic sign is the simultaneous operation of distinction and temporality. This demonstration is to show that any meaning constructed in language is not fixed but disseminated and cannot be located within a specific core or essence. Differance, also, however paradoxically, provides the conditions of the possibility of meaning of a linguistic sign possible. Differance can also be transposed, through the concept of trace. In Of Grammatology, Derrida critiques Husserls trancendental-phenomenological presupposition of a pure presence of the moment a moment which is pure and complete, independent from all other moments that appears itself in consciousness. In the idea of trace, Derrida shows that consciousness always contain things that are retained from previous moments, therefore a moment cannot consist of other moments separate or independent of itself.  [2]  Trace therefore exposes the absence of a independent, full presence that consciousness can conceive of its meaning.  [3]  As meaning is differential and also a process of referral from term to term, each linguistic signifier has its meaning only through its difference from other signifiers. Meaning is constituted by a network of traces are mutually implicated in one another. It is in this sense Derrida rejects the Sassaurean conception of language constituted of linguistic signs that corresponds to the relationship between the signifier and signified. For Derrida, language is a matter of play between identity and difference within an infinite chain of signifiers. Differance therefore precludes the stability of any linguistic referents as a result there is no external referent to language that language itself can approach for verification. Philosophy, with its medium of language, does not then, Derrida claims, represent a stable Being, presence or reality, more accurately than literature and other forms of linguistic expression. This presents the philosopher with the inescapability of prejudices, intentions and presuppositions presenting multiple ways to describe or proscribe. which cannot be subjected to an objective referent truth, or essence for the linguistic (thus, metaphysical) accuracy of any philosophical expression. Therefore, for Derrida, all attempts to refer to reality are already structured in advance by the workings of our language even ones self is constituted by the language and language-constituting discourses that preexists the self. (ii) Derridas deconstruction of speech over writing Derridas deconstructive project questions the primacy of a transparent language and a rationality that corresponds and addresses philosophical truths by denying the assumption that language conforms to a rational order (that can be apprehended by the cogito) of some external reality apart from human interpretation of various phenomena. For Saussure any linguistic expression is constituted by binary-oppositions for its meaning. Speech and writing the binary forms of language has been, in the history of Western philosophy has been marked by the hierarchy that priviledges speech over writing because speech, is always marked by the presence of the speaker. The speaker, signifying immediacy has been elevated and identified with the presence of Truth. This relation of immediacy and presence of Truth establishes the superiority of speech over writing, in which Truth is obscured in the absence of a speaker.  [4]  Derrida notices that speech/presence and writing/absence form binary opposites in which truth-seeking discourse maintains itself my suppressing writing over speech. This privileging of speech, or a metaphysics of presence accords speech a higher, more primary value as bearing truth-immediacy. In Derridas Of Grammatology, language, the mark of the social that demarcates sociality from mere constituents of nature, Rousseau, claims, language in the form of writing that destroys presence actually reveals languages inability to render absolute presence.  [5]  As Derrida understands Rousseau, writing becomes the auxillary of speech, a supplement that usurps the place of speech by forgetting its mere vicarious role (correspondence to a referent) by making itself pass for the plenitude of speech whose deficiency and infirmity it nevertheless only supplements.  [6]  Rousseau, in trying to disestablish the mediative role language plays between presence and absence, however, for Derrida, is an inescapable fact. The silent play of difference serves as the conditions of both signs and phonemes in a linguistic system, without it, language would be impossible, Derrida claims.  [7]  Writing differs from speech in that it neither presupposes the presence of Being, or of its tr ansparency towards Being. Writing becomes a interpretative exercise enmeshed in a play of interpretations that takes primacy over speech. Since the differentiation of a linguistic sign preceded speech, Derrida gives writing a certain primacy over speech. In the non-transparence of presence in language, every representation is a continual play between absence and presence and any representation does not exceed the phenomena it is purported to signify. As such, Derrida concludes that it is merely impossible to take language, as the venue and means of philosophy, in the hopes of making transparent the relationship between the linguistic signified and signifier.  [8]  Derrida takes this claim a step further to challenge the idea that linguistic signifiers can convey a picture of an extratextual reality thus shrugging of philosophys metaphysical claims that implicitly point towards an extratextual, transcendent truth.. There is nothing outside the text that linguistic signifiers point towards hence there is nothing outside the text- language constructs our world, and that there is nothing outside the text. This slogan can be read also in another way, that the locus of purview of the texts can be cast to include all manner of human actions and interventions, thus disrupting the supposed dichotomy between text and non-text. Therefore, every human action and intervention action, every social relation and differential power relation , every ethico-politcal action belongs to text. However, before embracing the inclusivism of text, one needs to consider even if the pereceived world signified by language exhibit the structure of text, the relations between objects in the world might not necessarily possess the relations of the linguistic type. (iii) What Deconstruction is not/ the limits of deconstruction Deconstruction, in pointing out that every binary opposition is already in deconstruction, cannot then point towards any binary pair that can be seen according to an absolute difference in the system of linguistic signs. A binary on which includes an implicit hierarchical relationship between respective binary-terms (p,41),  [9]  is not governed by a neutral difference inscribed in linguistic rules, but always of a violent, imposed, hierarchy.  [10]   As has been shown, deconstruction is not a general method of reading texts, or interpretation can can be implemented from outside a given text. One can, only possibly think then, perhaps, that deconstruction is somehow a modal predicate, a certain process of causation whereby deconstruction is the cause of the disruption of a binary opposition in linguistic signification. However, Deconstruction helps us illuminate the unfixity of inside/outside relations of any metaphysical limits. Perhaps, it makes sense to say that limits are already in deconstruction. This corresponds, as Derrida had said earlier, that Deconstruction takes place as an event that does not await the deliberation, consciousness, or organization of a subject, or even of modernity. It deconstructs it-self. It can be deconstructed [Ça se dà ©construit]  [11]   Perhaps, then, nothing can exist outside its contexts no existence outside it. Yet, a context itself consists of the possbility of non-closure: a context itself contains an internal logic of closure in which dictates what bounds, frames, encloses and determines any context. This trope necessarily exceeds context. Can a condition and limits of a context ever be determinable? Deconstruction acknowledges boundaries and limits, only to show the subversive ways in which they are called into question what is now taken to be marginal and supplementary now becomes central. What Deconstruction is not, then, a principled method, an ethical generality, an attitude of nonconformity. Deconstruction is not a critique in an epistemic sense, aiming to lead discourse closer to truth by aleatoric gestures, or performing a discursive operation. Again, this characterisation of deconstruction is not to affirm deconstruction of its ontological necessity by way of negative statements about it (a negative metaphysics). Deconstruction is not to question the traditional assumptions of philosophy from another more complete or accurate philosophical system an outside that can be conclusively identified, reducible to an essence. Deconstructive thinking occurs as the disruption and interruption that establishes the outside from the inside. Deconstruction to be distinguished from analysis: which presupposes reduction of entities to simple, essential elements would stand in need of deconstruction: deconstruction is not critique in the Kantian sense.  [12]  Deconstruction would affirm that any deconstructive gestures can also take a posture of metaphysical closure the double refusal of both remaining within the limits of (linguistic) tradition and of the possibility of transgressing that very limit.  [13]   This logic corresponds to the idea that Deconstruction halts every existential signifier by questioning the impossibility of positing every is, a refusal to affirm any presence of any thing that might be taken to affirm a things albeit obscure, essential quality. Deconstruction consists of deconstructing, is to put out of joint,  [14]  Derrida claims, the authority of existential quantifiers. By not actually positing existential qualifiers such as these it may thus illuminate and unsettle what has been taken as a given in logocentric discourse, an unchanging identity, fixatedness of concepts such as justice and politics, or truth itself. All affirmations of the type deconstruction is X is to miss the point that deconstruction is not reducible to any essential feature. (iv) Deconstruction and aporetic thinking As shown earlier, the binary of speech and writing can only be made understandable by a logical contradiction: an aporia. This aporetic moment can be shown only by seeing the speech and writing as opposites and takes the form of something that cannot be explained through standard syllogistic logic. What constitutes a deconstructive gesture therefore, begins with the encounter with an aporia. In this case such encounter can be deconstructive, but it does not, as binary logic does, rule out that deconstruction can be made also philosophical, political and ethical at the same time. Deconstruction becomes the impossible condition of possibility of opposition, such as the opposition of speech over writing in which Derrida, in showing that when writing comes before speech, inverting the traditional Platonic hierarchy of speech over writing, the liberates the concept of writing from the occlusion and oppression, in traditional linguistic systems, of how it can be read as the origin of speech. In accepting the dismantling of the binary distinction of speech over writing, one no longer uses the term writing in the sense of adhering to the conceptual limits that provides writing a certain meaning from within the linguistic structure of an opposition. A realization that a new concept of writing needs to be actualized, even if it is not specifically a concept in a traditional sense employed in a previous linguistic regime (that marks its limits and temporal boundaries )- an impossible condition but a condition of possibility of understanding. As Derrida states which is not really a concept at all inasmuch as the very concept of a concept depends on an idea of difference-as-presence, allowing one to say of something that it is. By means of this double, and precisely stratified, dislodged and dislodging, writing, we must also mark the interval between inversion, which brings low what was high, and the irruptive emergence of a new concept, a concept that can no longer be, and never could be, included in the previous regime .  [15]   (v) Ethical-political responsibilities of Deconstruction Derrida, in deconstruction, therefore does not reduce texts to absurdities he seeks to expose the irreducible undecidable internal tensions and aporias that can negate all certainty imposed in the quest of epistemic certitude that affirms an apprehending subject. Deconstruction opposes syllogistic logic and adopts both/and approaches, where we seek to uncover heterogeneities when there is settled synthesis. At heart of what we take to be the same, then, is already otherness and difference. Therefore, what is dominant the logic of the same, is deeply imperialistic as discursively violent since we cannot do justice to the Other, and the otherness that actually lies within the same as one cannot exhaustively establish metaphysical boundaries that separates the self and the other, internality from exteriority. Negating absoluteness and thereby positing ultimate limits to contain the purity, or essentiability of an object deconstruction questions our ability to render an absolute disti nction between logic and rhetoric, philosophy and literature, theory and practice, ethical and non-ethical actions. To side with one is an act of undecidability, without recourse to an ultimate precedent. This decision in undecidability, even constitutive of it a condition of possibility is one of many ethical aporias beings traverse. By not recognizing the internal limits immutable posited in order to secure a discourse ethics, politics and philosophy intertwine with each other, so too does subjectivity, the Other and community. Any ethical or political action thus includes the responsibility of facing up to an indeterminate other when the violence of institutional categorization (implicit in discourse) is exposed through deconstruction. Deconstruction can be seen as an openness towards an Other of discourse, disrupting any totalizing -centrisms to name a few: phonocentrism, ethnocentrism, or phallagocentrism. In fact,this amorphous responsibility to an indeterminate Other, is the ultimate ethical act when compared to dominant ethical paradigms that the right action can be merely read off a suitable ethical theory or a categorical duty legislated to oneself; as these pregiven injunctions on how to act relinquishes a certain part of moral responsibility constitutive of agency. As Derrida mentions: a decision that comes into being only in a scheme that exceeds the calculable program that would destroy all responsibility [there] can be no moral or political responsibility without this trial and passage by way of the undecidable  [16]   In the ethical implications of the play of presence and absence, there lies the question of how do we attend to our normal ethical responsiblities while not attending to the different, innumerable, Other who, perhaps, have no formal claim to ethical attention and assistance because they are not representable within discursive/linguistic means provides an irreducible aporia if we were to take an ontology of difference seriously. As expressed earlier, deconstruction acknowledges boundaries and limits, but only to show the subversive ways in which they are called into question what is now taken to be peripheral and supplementary now becomes central, giving recognition to what was previously suppressed, or that cannot be represented in any discursive or ethical order. (vi) Deconstruction and Hermeneutics By situating Derrida in dialogue with Gadamers hermeneutics, I believe that we can illuminate how hermeneutics can serve as a propaedeutic to deconstruction. The pervasiveness, then, of differance, provides the impetus of deconstruction to address a pathology: the relentless desire of the cogito or traditions in thinking that desires coherence, unity and harmony. Derrida himself, have been a critic of the metaphysics of presence, but paradoxically, he is as insistent that it is, for us, impossible to abandon, or escape from metaphysics. Deconstruction uses the very metaphysics and linguistic resources it seeks to deconstruct., not stepping out of our historical horizons. In this case Deconstruction echoes the message that Hermeneuticists have been pondering that we are always already interpreting from our own historical traditions in which differance is serves as ontological understanding that within a specific linguistic game. An implicit claim is textual meaning always suppresses alternative meanings, an Other. In Derrida, a text has many different potential meanings not brought to fore while in Gadamer, textual meanings are inexhaustible.  [17]  In understanding, Derrida seeks to find the trace of the Other embedded in the instrinsic violence of dominant meanings. This is also an iterative process Deconstruction does not stop where it has identiified an oppressed Other, in identifying any conception of justice it will always suppress other meanings. Justice contains therefore, the trace of the Other suppressed, an injustice.  [18]   In Hermeneutics, interpretation begins from ones ungrounded horizon a hermeneutic situation in which we cannot escape our metaphysics embedded in our linguitic resources. Gadamer supplants Derridas skepticism of the violence of our pre-understanding and prejudices by telling us that prejudices not only opens us to the possibility of understanding the Other embedded in our discourses bringing to fore Deconstructions normative understanding. vii) Conclusion Deconstruction, as we have seen, is not a principled method of textual analysis that disempowers discourses to mere ungrounded and unstable network of signifiers, ad infinitum. Deconstructive moments serves first to identify the binary opposites that undergird all metaphysical discourse implict in language and dismantle it; second, mark the anxiety that comes with the instability of linguistic references, and third, reveal the limits of a discouse that presupposes a certain metaphysics. In Deconstruction, one brings about the possibility of an ethical responsibility constitutive of agency in the form of identfying the Other, and the Other within oneself.

Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness and the European’s Claim to Superiority

Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness and the European’s Claim to Superiority Incomplete Works Cited Just beyond the â€Å"biggest and greatest town on earth†, four men sit patiently on their boat, waiting for the serene waters of the Thames to ebb (65). One of the men, a Buddha, breaks the silence, saying, â€Å"and this also†¦has been one of the dark places of the earth† (67). This pensive and peaceful idol, Marlow, explains to his apathetic listeners how a great civilization is blindly made out of a darkness, remarking, â€Å"The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much. What redeems it is the idea only† (70). The irony with which Marlow looks upon colonization suggests that this redeeming feature, â€Å"†¦Europe’s claim to be civilized, and therefore superior, needs earnest reexamination† (Sarvan). As Sarvan suggests, Heart of Darkness contrasts the appearance of African â€Å"savagery† with European â€Å"civility† to demonstrate the inhumanity of the Europeans, rather than that of the Africans. Conrad’s dehumanizing descriptions of the Africans serve to show the inhuman effects of colonialism, rather than to demean the African people. For example, Sarvan notes that when an African is â€Å"reclaimed† by serving the Europeans, â€Å"†¦it is grim irony because he has been reclaimed to a worse state of barbarism.† When Marlow reaches the first station, he notices one of the â€Å"reclaimed† in a uniform jacket missing a button and notes, â€Å"†¦[He] seemed to take me into partnership in his exalted trust†¦I also was a part of the great cause of these high and just proceedings† (82). By ironically referrin... ...rlow’s â€Å"ironic voyage of discovery† could have happened anywhere. Indeed, the appearance of a fiendish black figure with his â€Å"long black legs, waving long black arms† is a mere illusion created by the fire behind him (148). The possibility that this wild and mysterious being in the midst of a great darkne ss could represent any man in any place lends a great sense of significance to Marlow’s â€Å"inconclusive experiences† (70). The irony of this dark portrayal of human nature is that humanity must hide from its own abomination in order to survive. Just as Marlow tells a detestable lie to hide the horrors of one man’s corrupted soul, it is ironic that the â€Å"taint of death, a flavor of morality† should protect idealism (96). Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. â€Å"Heart of Darkness.† An Introduction to Literature. Terry, Joseph. New York, NY: Longman, 2001. 1614-1672.

Parental Involvement Essay

The goal of positive and productive family and community involvement is on every school improvement list, but few schools have implemented comprehensive programs of partnership. Research suggests that this goal is an important one to reach because families and communities contribute to children’s learning, development, and school success at every grade level. Studies are accumulating that show that well-designed programs of partnership are important for helping all families support their children’s education in elementary, middle, and high schools. That is, if schools plan and implement comprehensive programs of partnership, then many more families respond, including those who would not become involved on their own. Three questions need to be addressed to help educators move from believing in the importance of family and community involvement to conducting effective programs of partnership: What is a comprehensive program of school, family, and community partnerships? How do family and community partnerships link to other aspects of successful schools? How can all schools develop and sustain productive programs of partnerships? Components of a Comprehensive Program of Partnerships A framework of six types of involvement guides schools in establishing full and productive programs of school-family-community partnerships. This section summarizes the six types of involvement and discusses a few sample practices that are being implemented in schools across the country that are working to improve and increase family and community connections. Also noted are some of the challenges that all schools must overcome to create successful partnerships, along with examples of results that can be expected from each type of involvement for students, families, and educators. Comprehensive programs of partnerships include activities for all six types of involvement. Because there are many activities to choose from, elementary, middle, and high schools can tailor their programs of partnerships by selecting activities that match specific school goals and the interests and needs of students and families. Type 1–Parenting. Type 1 activities are conducted to help families strengthen parenting skills, understand child and adolescent development, and set home conditions to support learning at each school level. Type 1 activities also enable families to provide information to schools so that educators understand families’ backgrounds, cultures, and goals for their children. Sample practices. Among Type 1 activities, elementary, middle, and high schools may conduct workshops for parents; provide short, clear summaries of important information on parenting; and organize opportunities for parents to exchange ideas with other parents, educators, and community experts on topics of child and adolescent development. Topics may include health, nutrition, discipline, guidance, peer pressure, preventing drug abuse, and planning for the future. Type 1 activities also provide families with information on what to expect and how to prepare for students’ transitions from pre-school to elementary school, elementary to middle school, and middle to high school. Additional topics for successful parenting may concern family roles and responsibilities in student attendance, college planning, and other topics that are important for student success in school. Schools also may offer parents General Educational Development (GED) programs, family support sessions, family computer classes, and other learning and social opportunities for parents and for students. To ensure that families provide valuable information to the schools, teachers may ask parents at the start of each school year or periodically to share insights about their children’s strengths, talents, interests, needs, and goals. Challenges. One challenge for successful Type 1 activities is to get information from workshops to parents who cannot come to meetings and workshops at the school building. This may be done with videos, tape recordings, summaries, newsletters, cable broadcasts, phone calls, and other print and nonprint communications. Another Type 1 challenge is to design procedures that enable all families to share information easily and as needed about their children with teachers, counselors, and others. Results expected. If useful information flows to and from families about child and adolescent development, parents will increase their confidence about parenting, students will be more aware of parents’ continuing guidance, and teachers will better understand their students’ families. For example, if practices are targeted to help families send their children to school every day and on time, then student attendance will improve and lateness will decrease. If families are part of their children’s transitions to elementary, middle, and high school, then more students will adjust well to their new schools, and more parents will remain involved across the grades. Type 2–Communicating. Type 2 activities increase school-to-home and home-to-school communications about school programs and student progress through notices, memos, conferences, report cards, newsletters, telephone calls, e-mail and computerized messages, the Internet, open houses, and other traditional and innovative communications. Sample practices. Among many Type 2 activities, elementary, middle, and high schools may provide parents with clear information on each teacher’s criteria for report card grades; how to interpret interim progress reports; and, as necessary, how to work with students to improve grades or behavior. Type 2 activities include parent-teacher conferences; parent-teacher-student conferences; or student-led conferences with parents and teachers. Student involvement in conferences helps youngsters take personal responsibility for learning. Activities may be designed to improve school and student newsletters by including student work, a feature column for parents’ questions, calendars of important events, and parent response forms. Many schools are beginning to use e-mail, voice mail, and websites to encourage two-way communication between families and teachers, counselors, and administrators. Challenges. One challenge for successful Type 2 activities is to make communications clear and understandable for all families, including parents who have less formal education or who do not read English well, so that all families can understand and respond to the information they receive. Other Type 2 challenges are to know which families are and are not receiving and understanding the communications in order to design ways to reach all families; develop effective two-way channels of communication so that families can easily contact and respond to educators; and make sure that students understand their roles as couriers and interpreters in facilitating school and family connections. Results expected. If communications are clear and useful, and if two-way channels are easily accessed, then school-to-home and home-to-school interactions will increase; more families will understand school programs, follow their children’s progress, guide students to maintain or improve their grades, and attend parent-teacher conferences. Specifically, if computerized phone lines are used to communicate information about homework, more families will know more about their children’s daily assignments. If newsletters include respond-andreply forms, more families will send ideas, questions, and comments to teachers and administrators about school programs and activities. Type 3–Volunteering. Type 3 activities are designed to improve recruitment, training, and schedules to involve parents and others as volunteers and as audiences at the school or in other locations to support students and school programs. Sample practices. Among many Type 3 activities, schools may collect information on family members’ talents, occupations, interests, and availability to serve as volunteers. These important human resources may help enrich students’ subject classes; improve career explorations; serve as language translators; monitor attendance and call parents of absent students; conduct â€Å"parent patrols† and â€Å"morning greeters† to increase school safety; and organize and improve activities such as clothing and uniform exchanges, school stores, and fairs. Schools may organize volunteers to serve as home-room parents, neighborhood representatives, and sports and club contacts and may establish telephone trees to help parents communicate with each other about school programs and events. Schools may establish a corps of volunteers to offer a â€Å"wel-come wagon† of information about the school to students and families who enroll during the school year. Schools also may create opportunities for mentors, coaches, tutors, and leaders of after-school programs to ensure that students have experiences that build and expand their skills and talents and that keep them safe and supervised after school. Some Type 3 activities may be conducted in a parent room or family center at the school where parents obtain information, conduct volunteer work, and meet with other parents. Challenges. Challenges for successful Type 3 activities are to recruit volunteers widely so that parents and other family members feel welcome; make hours flexible for parents and other volunteers who work during the school day; provide needed training; and enable volunteers to contribute productively to the school, classroom, and after-school programs. Volunteers will be better integrated in school programs if there is a coordinator who is responsible for matching volunteers’ available times and skills with the needs of teachers, administrators, and students. Another Type 3 challenge is to change the definition of â€Å"volunteer† to mean anyone who supports school goals or students’ learning at any time and in any place. This includes parents and family members who voluntarily come to school as audiences for students’ sports events, assemblies, and musical or drama presentations, and for other events that support students’ work. It also includes volunteers who work for the school at home, through their businesses, or in the community. A related challenge is to help students understand how volunteers help their school and to encourage students to interact with volunteers who can assist them with their work and activities. Results expected. If tasks are well designed, and if schedules and locations for volunteers are varied, more parents, family members, and others in the community will assist elementary, middle, and high schools and support students as members of audiences. More families will feel comfortable with the school and staff; more students will talk and interact with varied adults; and more teachers will be aware of and use the time, talents, and resources of parents and others in the community to improve school programs and activities. Specifically, if volunteers serve as attendance monitors, more families will assist students to improve attendance. If volunteers conduct a â€Å"hall patrol† or are active in other locations, school safety will increase and student behavior problems will decrease because of a better student–adult ratio. If volunteers are well-trained as tutors in particular subjects, student tutees will improve their skills in those subjects; and if volunteers discuss careers, students will be more aware of their options for the future. Type 4–Learning at home. Type 4 activities involve families with their children in academic learning activities at home that are coordinated with students’ classwork and that contribute to student success in school. These include interactive homework, goal-setting for academic subjects, and other curricular-linked activities and decisions about courses and programs. Sample practices. Among many Type 4 activities, elementary, middle, and high schools may provide information to students and to parents about the skills needed to pass each class, course, or grade level and about each teacher’s homework policies. Schools also may implement activities that can help families encourage, praise, guide, and monitor their children’s work by using interactive homework strategies; student-teacher-family contracts for long-term projects; summer home-learning packets; student-led at-home conferences with parents on portfolios or folders of writing samples or work in other subjects; goal-setting activities for improving or maintaining good report card grades in all subjects; and other approaches that keep students and families talking about schoolwork at home. Family fun and learning nights are often used as a starting point to help parents and students focus on curricular-related topics and family interactions. These meetings require parents to come to the school building. A systematic approach to increasing academic conversations at home is found in the Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork (TIPS) interactive homework for the elementary and middle grades. Challenges. One challenge for successful Type 4 activities is to implement a regular schedule of interactive homework that requires students to take responsibility for discussing important things they are learning, interviewing family members, recording reactions, and sharing their work and ideas at home. Another Type 4 challenge is to create a schedule of activities that involve families regularly and systematically with students on short-term and long-term goal-setting for attendance, achievement, behavior, talent development, and plans for college or careers. Results expected. If Type 4 activities are well designed and implemented, student homework completion, report card grades, and test scores in specific subjects will improve; and more families will know what their children are learning in class and how to monitor, support, and discuss homework. More students should complete required course credits, select advanced courses, and take college entrance tests. Students and teachers will be more aware of families’ interest in students’ work. Type 5–Decision-making. Type 5 activities include families in developing schools’ mission statements and in designing, reviewing, and improving school policies that affect children and families. Family members become active participants on school improvement teams, committees, PTA/PTO or other parent organizations, Title I and other councils, and advocacy groups. Sample practices. Among Type 5 activities, elementary, middle, and high schools may organize and maintain an active parent association and include family representatives on all committees for school improvement (e.g., curriculum, safety, supplies and equipment, partnerships, fund-raising, postsecondary college planning, career development). In particular, along with teachers, administrators, students, and others from the community, parents must be members of the â€Å"Action Team for Partnerships,† which plans and conducts family and community involvement activities linked to school improvement goals. Schools may offer parents and teachers training in leadership, decision-making, policy advocacy, and collaboration. Type 5 activities help to identify and provide information desired by families about school policies, course offerings, student placements and groups, special services, tests and assessments, annual test results for students, and annual evaluations of school program s. Challenges. One challenge for successful Type 5 activities in all schools is to ensure that leadership roles are filled by parent representatives from all of the major race and ethnic groups, socioeconomic groups, and neighborhoods that are present in the school. A related challenge is to help parent leaders serve as effective representatives by obtaining information from and providing information to all parents about school issues and decisions. At the high school level, a particular challenge is to include student representatives along with parents in decisionmaking groups and in leadership positions. An ongoing challenge is to help parents, teachers, and students who serve on an Action Team for Partnerships or other committees learn to trust, respect, and listen to each other as they collaborate to reach common goals for school improvement. Results expected. If Type 5 activities are well implemented in elementary, middle, and high schools, more families will have input into decisions that affect the quality of their children’s education; students will increase their awareness that families and students have a say in school policies; and teachers will increase their understanding of family perspectives on policies and programs for improving the school. Type 6–Collaborating with the community. Type 6 activities draw upon and coordinate the work and resources of community businesses; cultural, civic, and religious organizations; senior citizen groups; colleges and universities; governmental agencies; and other associations in order to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning and development. Other Type 6 activities enable students, staff, and families to contribute their services to the community. Sample practices. Among many Type 6 activities, elementary, middle, and high schools may inform students and families about the availability of community programs and resources, such as after-school recreation, tutorial programs, health services, cultural events, service opportunities, and summer programs. This includes the need to assist students and families to gain access to community resources and programs. Some schools work with local businesses to organize â€Å"gold card† discounts as incentives for students to improve attendance and report card grades. Collaborations with community businesses, groups, and agencies also strengthen the other five types of involvement. Examples include enhancing Type 1 activities by conducting parent education workshops for families at community or business locations; increasing Type 2 activities by communicating about school events on the local radio or television stations, and at churches, clinics, and supermarkets; soliciting volunteers from businesses and the community to strengthen Type 3 activities; enriching Type 4 activities by offering students learning opportunities with artists, scientists, writers, mathematicians, and others whose careers link to the school curriculum; and including community members on Type 5 decision-making councils and committees. Challenges. One challenge for successful Type 6 activities is to solve problems associated with community-school collaborations, such as â€Å"turf† problems of who is responsible for funding, leading, and supervising cooperative activities. The initial enthusiasm and decisions for school-community partnerships must be followed by actions that sustain productive collaborations over the long term. Another Type 6 challenge is to recognize and link students’ valuable learning experiences in the community to the school curricula, including lessons that build on students’ nonschool skills and talents, their club and volunteer work, and, in high school, their part-time jobs. A major challenge is to inform and involve families in community-related activities that students conduct. Related challenges are to help students understand how community partners help their school and to engage students, themselves, as volunteers and in service-learning in their own schools, in other schools, and in the community. Results expected. Well-implemented Type 6 activities will increase the knowledge that families, students, and schools have about the resources and programs in their community that could help them reach important goals. Well-designed community connections will increase student access to and participation in community programs. Coordinated community services could help many students and their families prevent health, social, and educational problems or solve problems before they become too serious. Type 6 activities also should support and enrich school curricular and extracurricular programs. Summary. The six types of involvement create a comprehensive program of partnerships in elementary, middle, and high schools, but the implementation challenges for each type of involvement must be met in order for programs to be effective. The quality of the design and content of the involvement activities directly affect the expected results. Not every practice that involves families will result in higher student achievement test scores. Rather, practices for each type of involvement can be selected to help students, families, and teachers reach specific goals and results. The examples above include only a few of hundreds of suggestions that can help elementary, middle, and high schools develop strong programs of partnerships. How Partnerships Link to Other Aspects of Successful Schools Good schools have qualified and talented teachers and administrators, high expectations that all students will succeed, rigorous curricula, engaging instruction, responsive and useful tests and assessments, strong guidance for every student, and effective school, family, and community partnerships. In good schools, these elements combine to promote students’ learning and to create a school climate that is welcoming, safe, caring, stimulating, and joyful for all students, educators, and families.

Review and reflection on “Who moved my cheese”? Essay

The story tells the tale of four characters of which two are mice Sniff and Scurry, and the other two, littlepeople Haw and Hem-they who are humans, the only difference is their size which is similar to that of the mice. These four characters routinely search for their cheese everything day as way of life. At some point in time, they all find what they are looking for. In this, they bask in the happiness and comfort of their cheese for a very long while. One faithful day, their cheese has been moved and it is no longer in the location they find it every day, their routine has been changed. For the two mice, they quickly embrace the change that has happen and quickly set off looking for a new cheese so that they can continue to bask in their enjoyment. Not very long the mice find new cheese and their happiness continues. On the other hand, the littlepeople refuse to accept the inevitable change which has occurred, they keep living in denial and complaining that it is not fair that their cheese has been moved. It takes a very longtime for self-realization to come into the mind of Haw one of the littlepeople to back into the maze to look for new happiness rather than hopelessly wait for their old happiness to come back to them. He sets off on his journey which is long and hard, along the way, he learns a lot of life lessons which keeps him going. Finally, he finds new cheese, new happiness, fresher and more than he ever hoped for. In his closing wishes, he hopes that his fried Hem sees the light and also takes up the new challenge. Reflectively, it is interesting how the human mind can be so disadvantageous despite the praise heaped on it. We claim to be the smartest and wisest species in the universe, yet we go on to overcomplicate things for ourselves. This story has clearly indicated that, because we like to analyze situations a lot, it gets to a stage where we allow fear to creep in, thus preventing us from challenging ourselves. From the story, I realized that I am kind of Hem-ish; but like he said, â€Å"it’s better late than never†. So with situations where I have over analyzed, I will accept the changes which have occurred, embraced the challenges and move with the cheese or even better still, look for a New Cheese.

Whisper

Whisper Free Online Research Papers Chapter 1 Tokumoto Okata had just lost his mother. His father died when he was 15. Now at the age of 17, still in school and no job, Tokumoto thought that he was not yet ready to live on his own. He decided it was time to live with his grandfather, Kitato, who lives in Gotemba, a city located on the southeastern flank of Mt. Fuji in Shizuoka, Japan. Tokumoto prepared to leave. As he was putting all his personal belongings in his car, he heard soft whispers in his ears. â€Å"Come to me,† the voice said. He got startled. He looked around but nobody was there except him. â€Å"Who are you?† he asked. Still there was no response. He does not want to be overpowered by fear so he pretended as if he did not hear anything and continued to pack up. Chapter 2 It was a very sunny and breezy day. When Tokumoto pulled up to the driveway, he saw his grandfather sitting idly in the porch drinking tea. Tokumoto’s face suddenly lightened up. He quickly got out of his car and ran towards his grandfather as he yelled â€Å"Grandpa!† â€Å"Tokumoto,† his grandfather uttered, â€Å"I am so happy to see you again!† He stood up and tightly embraced his grandson as they both entered the house. â€Å"Grandpa, if it wouldn’t be too much of a trouble for you, I would like to stay in your house while I am looking for a job,† pleaded Tokumoto. His grandfather happily replied, â€Å"Yes, of course. You know that I love you as much as I love your father. You are welcome to stay with me as long as you like.† â€Å"Thanks, Grandpa. I could not ask for more,† Tokumoto said. Then Tokumoto went back to his car, opened the trunk, grabbed his luggage and gazed at his grandfather’s house. How time flies. He vividly recalled that when he was very small, his father would take him to this same house almost every month to visit his ailing Grandma. However, when his Grandma died, it took a while for his father to recover emotionally. The mere sight of the house is enough to make his father burst into tears. Tokumoto took a deep breath and then walked as his grandfather anxiously waited for him at the door. Upon entering the house, his grandfather accompanied him to his room and then left to prepare dinner. As Tokumoto was lying down in his bed, the lights flickered and soon enough cold air started penetrating his skin. Then he heard the same voice again. This time however, he could not understand a word it was saying. After a few minutes, the voice disappeared. He became curious to know where the voice was coming from and why. Chapter 3 Two months have passed by very quickly and Tokumoto has just graduated from high school. He tried very hard to find a job but to no avail. Japan is experiencing an economic crisis and the unemployment rate was very high. Tokumoto predicted that no jobs will be available for a long time. In the state of despair, he heard the strange voice once again as it says, â€Å"Go to the top of Mt. Fuji and I will tell you what to do next. â€Å" Confused and petrified, Tokumoto told his grandfather the next day about the mysterious voice and what it was asking him to do. His grandfather was not surprised at all! He knew from the very start that Tokumoto was born to accomplish a very important mission. He persuaded Tokumoto to follow what the mysterious voice has said. After giving his blessing, Tokumoto’s grandfather reached for the ceramic jar in the cupboard, opened it and gave Tokumoto some money to buy whatever he would need for the expedition. Chapter 4 Tokumoto drew up a long list of items that he would need to reach the summit of Mt. Fuji: food, backpack, shell jacket and pants, thermal underwear, hiking boots, etc. He then drove and bought them from a store which was located just a few kilometers from his grandfather’s house. It did not take long for Tokumoto to reach the base of Mt Fuji. He vigorously followed the trail for the ascent. At some points, the terrain was rather steep and rocky. Climbing Mt. Fuji was not easy especially in the presence of the blinding rays of the sun, the sudden gust of wind and the falling rocks that he encountered along the way. He struggled with the ascent – it was never ending, very steep and full of horrid stones of all sizes and shapes that gave no grip. One time, Tokumoto slipped and almost fell off the trail. He felt sick as the altitude gets higher and higher. Equipped with sheer courage and determination, he kept going and going until the sun went down. Soon it was dark enough to warrant him wearing his head torch over his beanie. Cold seeped into his tired body. Every bone and muscle in his body ached. He stopped climbing. After dinner of onigiri, curry, and bite-sized fruit that he brought from home, he put up his tent, inflated his portable bed and slept in the midst of the mountain. However, at around 3:30 a.m., he was awakened by a mysterious voice. â€Å"Keep going!† the voice said. Armed with a flashlight, he went out of his tent and bellowed, â€Å"Who’s there?† Nobody answered†¦ Chapter 5 Tokumoto was not able to sleep again. He got himself ready for the final ascent. He started climbing wearing his head torch. The sky was clear and the stars looked so close as he ascended the path that got progressively steeper. Two hours later after a hike through ice crystals, gravel and rocks, he was on the summit. He watched the sunrise as it breaks through the clouds on the horizon and across the bay – not the lovely red, fiery ball of postcards, but something bright and shiny red, squeezed out of a toothpaste tube. Then he noticed something strange: Why was there an underground tunnel in the middle of the summit? Tokumoto was curious so he went inside the tunnel. The walls of the tunnels were like a prism. Everything inside was bright. The place was filled with rats, bugs, snakes, bats, and other frightening animals, and critters. He continued his trek down the tunnel and found a huge clock made of glass. The clock has a diameter of about 30 feet. Both the hour and minute hands were written in Roman numerals and were not moving. As Tokumoto got closer to the center of the clock, he heard faint whispers. Suddenly the clock started ticking and the whisper became louder and louder. Strong winds soon enveloped the cave. The clocked started ticking. After a while, the clock’s face shattered into a million pieces. When all of the debris has settled, Tokumoto found himself wandering in a forest! Chapter 6 Deep within the tranquil reaches of the forest lies a wilderness, vast acres of deep canyons, high cliffs, towering hemlocks, and numerous waterfalls. It is like a maze of canyons and ridge tops, especially during daytime when once cannot see very far. Tokumoto continued to walk. Suddenly, he heard a loud roar and when he turned around, he saw a huge beast ready to strike him. Frightened, he ran as fast as he could but his speed was no much to that of the beast. The beast hit Tokumoto’s chest and feeling hopeless and trapped, Tokumoto tried to trick the beast by pretending to be dead. The beast was about to give him its final blow when out of nowhere, a strange-looking creature with face consisting only of two ears and a mouth appeared and shot the beast with a multitude of arrows. The beast fell to the ground and died. The strange-looking creature approached Tokumoto and introduced himself as Shigori Atamata. â€Å"Thank you for saving my life. Forgive me but why do you only have a mouth and a pair of ears?† Tokumoto asked Shigori. â€Å"Demons have the power to suck away anything they want. Those demons and monsters absorbed my eyes and nose. But by devouring the Book of Many Eyes, I can see. Do not be surprised but I know who you are. I will help you get out of this forest,† Shigori declared. Dry leaves crunched and crackled under his feet as Tokumoto walked in the forest. There is a slight breeze moving through the trees but it is not enough to soothe Tokumoto’s aching feet. However, after all his struggles to reach the top of Mt. Fuji, he told himself that he was not going to let this long walk get the better of him. He has no idea how long they have been walking. What was important was finally they were out of the forest. Now he was smiling and enjoying the spectacular view of a bustling town from the 13th century! Tokumoto and Shigori went to the city gates. One of the guards approached them and upon recognizing Shigori, the guard led them into the city and onto the castle. A big, old man with a long, curly beard greeted them and said, â€Å"I am, Ryutarou, the village king. Why are you here? Are you the chosen one?† King Ryutarou said. â€Å"I am sorry but I do not know why I am here. Did you just ask me if I am the chosen one?† Tokumoto asked. â€Å"The chosen one is the one who is destined to save our world,† King Ryutarou responded. â€Å"Why does this world need to be saved?† asked Tokumoto. â€Å"Evil spirits, demons, and monsters from the Spiral Nether have ripped a hole in space and consistently attack this world!† King Ryutarou explained. â€Å"How do we stop them?† asked Tokumoto. King Ryutarou stared at him and said â€Å"The only way we can stop them is by infiltrating their headquarters in the Spiral Nether and by dethroning their king named Kazul Than. King Kazul has been killing people in other worlds. His evil ways must come to an end.† â€Å"Could it be that he was the one who killed my parents?† asked Tokumoto. â€Å"It is possible. Did you witness any purple smoke?† King Ryutarou replied. â€Å"Yes, I did see the purple smoke,† Tokumoto answered. King Ryutarou stroked his beard and said, â€Å"I am certain that he killed your parents. You may seek revenge and fight the demons with us. But be warned: the consequences of battle may be irreversible. You could very well lose your life. The enemies might attack us anytime.† Chapter 7 Just as Tokumoto was about to speak, the bells rang followed by a voice which says evil. â€Å"We are close.† â€Å"The alarms have sounded! We are under siege by the demons! Follow me to the armory! Trust your instincts and fight!† Shigori yelled. Tokumoto and Shigori sprinted to an enormous house next to the castle. They slammed the door open, and barged in. Tokumoto found hundreds, if not thousands, of swords, weapons, and books of spells. Tokumoto grabbed a sword, a shield, and a helmet and scurried over to the door. Shigori dashed to a special footlocker and took a long bow, a five-arrow quiver, and an armor set made of steel and ran to Tokumoto. They both jogged to the gates and fought against the demons. Chapter 8 Each of the demons was about 6 feet tall and was armed with an axe. Over at the horizon, there was a portal similar to the one Tokumoto came through. He saw the demons and monsters exit the portal. Tokumoto ran into the fray and sliced and lunged at the demons while parrying, dodging, and blocking the incoming blows. Tokumoto was shocked to know that he was a skilled warrior after all! But this was not enough because the demon forces overpowered him. Along came a sorcerer carrying a staff who was accompanied by about 100 elite soldiers. After uttering a series of incantations, the sorcerer released a ball of fire from the staff and hit the demon who was about to kill Tokumoto. The elite soldiers on the other hand fought with all their might and killed as many demons as they can. The demons quickly retreated. King Ryutarou arrived and shouted, â€Å"Go after them!† The army of elites, the sorcerer, Tokumoto, and Shigori chased the demons and they all ended up in front of the portal. The portal was slowly shrinking. Shigori, Tokumoto. the sorcerer, and some of the elites got through it. He heard a voice saying, â€Å"Come to me!† and then lost his consciousness. Chapter 9 Tokumoto emerged in an area where the sky was a swirl of purple and black and the air smelled like fresh blood. He was dying to go home to see his grandfather yet he does not know where he is. Later on he realized he was in an apocalyptic world. â€Å"Hey, are you all right?† Shigori asked, â€Å"A demon hypnotized you.† Tokumoto opened his eyes and saw Shigori. â€Å"We are in a plane where demons rule. Now, look at the sky. Do you see that giant tower? That is where King Kazul lives. King Ryutarou wanted us to kill him.† Shigori explained. Shigori pointed at the sorceress. â€Å"This is Zuli. She is a master of the arcane arts.† Tokumoto and Shigori walked towards the huge tower. They found burnt trees, ashes in the air, and corpses on their way to the tower. When they reached the tower, they opened the door and went in. The tower has a long spiral staircase. They walked up the stairs. Then Tokumoto heard a voice saying, â€Å"Die.† He ignored the voice and continued climbing the stairs until he and Shigori reached the top of the tower. They found an armored King Kazul standing by his throne. â€Å"We’ll call you if you’re needed. Stay at the steps.† Zuli told the elites. â€Å"Tokumoto, I have waited such a long time for this moment. Do you remember those faint whispers? That was me talking to you. I killed your parents with the purple gas,† King Kazul said proudly. Tokumoto was astonished, â€Å"Why did you kill my parents? Why not someone kill someone else?† King Kazul replied, â€Å"I feast on the souls of the people I kill to grow ever stronger. Alas, regular souls would not satisfy me, but your parents were special. Your ancestors could travel between dimensions. They found me here, and I was almost killed. Tokumoto looked back, and saw an army of ghouls fighting the elites. Zuli was infuriated and casted a spell that froze Kazul, but he broke out of it. She then shot a fireball at Kazul. Shigori shot an arrow at the fireball, resulting in a flaming arrow that missed Kazul by inches. Kazul flew into the air with is demonic powers, materialized a sword, dove, and stabbed Zuli in the arm. She staggered to a safe area. Tokumoto charged at Kazul, and attempted to slice him. They were almost equal in strength, but Kazul was a bit stronger. Shigori carefully aimed his bow. He released his arrow, and it hit its mark. With the arrow through Kazul’s neck, he died, and the ghouls fighting the elites vaporized. Shigori’s eyes and nose appeared on his face. They had won. But the king exploded into a portal, sucking in Tokumoto. Tokumoto flew into the portal, along with wispy clouds, appearing in his grandfather’s home. â€Å"Welcome home, Tokumoto. I didn’t hear the door open. How was your trek?† his grandfather asked. â€Å"It was fun. But I wouldn’t want to do it again for a while. He never heard another unexplained whisper ever again. Research Papers on WhisperNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThe Spring and AutumnPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Fifth Horseman19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraHip-Hop is ArtTrailblazing by Eric AndersonBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Australias Over the Past 50 Years essays

Australias Over the Past 50 Years essays Over the last 50 years, Australians have experienced more change than the history of the nation. We have fought in wars, changed our views on womens rights in the family, and in the work place, opened our arms to people in need of safe refuge as well as coming to terms with our past treatment of the aboriginal community. We have hosted the best ever Olympic games, and have gone from being a new country to well established, being shown high respect from overseas, not only for our cooperation towards other countries in need of troops to help them keep peace in countries such as East Timor, but we have also been highly commended for our willingness to accept people of other cultures, and accept them as our own. In 1946, Ben Chifleys labor government opened Australias doors to the immigrants of Europe; fleeing the destruction that world war two had left behind. 100,000 to 150,000 people from all around Europe took the chance to start fresh. Since then, more than 5 million immigrants have seeked permanent living arrangements in Australia. This number includes 500,000 refugees, who have come to Australia, seeking a way of life, from their war-torn home countries. Since the white-Australia policy was scrapped in 1973, a large proportion of immigrants have also come from Asia, making Australia a very multicultural society. While not all Australians have been accepting of these people, I believe that it is a good thing that Australia is multi-cultural, as I know many people who were not born here, and their wealth of knowledge, has helped, and will continue to help many Australians into the future. We have also become more accepting of the aboriginals and Torres Strait islanders, the original occupiers of the land. While there is still a long way to go, within the last 30 years, indigenous Australians have been accepted by the white Australians, and, through such well known sporting identities as C...

Best Character Analysis Jordan Baker - The Great Gatsby

Best Character Analysis Jordan Baker - The Great Gatsby SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You know that friend of yours who loves to gossip yet always downplays any drama they get into themselves? Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby is like that friend. A close friend of Daisy Buchanan’s, Jordandates Nick Carraway during the novel and plays a crucial role in reuniting Daisy with the titular Jay Gatsby. A couple of years younger than Daisy, Jordan is single and a professional golfer, which sets her apart from her married friend. In fact, Jordan is Daisy’s opposite in many ways, as we will explore in this guide! Read in for a complete guide to Jordan’s appearance, plot points, major quotes, and character analysis! Article Roadmap To help you easily find the information you're looking for, here's how this article is organized and the information it covers. Jordan Baker as a character Physical description Jordan'sbackground Actions in the novel Character Analysis Quotes about and byJordan Common discussion topics and essay ideas FAQ answering often-asked questionsaboutJordan Bonus: Want to improve your SAT/ACT section scores? Check out our top guides for every single section of the SAT and ACT. SAT 800 Score Guides: SAT Reading | SAT Writing | SAT Math | SAT Essay ACT 36 Score Guides: ACT English | ACT Math | ACT Reading | ACT Science | ACT Essay These are the very best guides available on boosting your SAT/ACT scores, section by section. They're written by Harvard grads and perfect SAT/ACT scorers. Don't disappoint yourself - read these guides and improve your score today. Quick Note on Our Citations Our citation format in this guide is (chapter.paragraph). We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book. To find a quotation we cite via chapter and paragraph in your book, you can either eyeball it (Paragraph 1-50: beginning of chapter; 50-100: middle of chapter; 100-on: end of chapter), or use the search function if you're using an online or eReader version of the text. Physical Description of Jordan The younger of the two was a stranger to me. She was extended full length at her end of the divan, completely motionless and with her chin raised a little as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall. If she saw me out of the corner of her eyes she gave no hint of it- indeed, I was almost surprised into murmuring an apology for having disturbed her by coming in. (1.28) I enjoyed looking at her. She was a slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet. Her grey sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming discontented face. It occurred to me now that I had seen her, or a picture of her, somewhere before. (1.57) Tom and Miss Baker sat at either end of the long couch and she read aloud to him from the "Saturday Evening Post"- the words, murmurous and uninflected, running together in a soothing tune. The lamp-light, bright on his boots and dull on the autumn-leaf yellow of her hair, glinted along the paper as she turned a page with a flutter of slender muscles in her arms. (1.121) The first thing Nick notices about Jordan is her placement and posture. Only after that does he notice her appearance, which he finds attractive. Nick tells us a lot about Jordan’s appearance, in fact more than he does about Daisy’s – with Daisy he often focuses on immaterial qualities like her voice. But we clearly see Jordan’s gray eyes, her wan, charming face, the autumn-leaf yellow of her hair, her small breasts, the slender muscles in her arms. Clearly Nick spends a lot of time looking at Jordan! It’s also worth noting Jordan and Daisy have contrasting appearances. Jordan is blond andvery athletic, physical, tan, and angular, while Daisy is dark-haired and pale with a musical voice and more delicate figure. Interestingly enough most film adaptations feature a dark-haired Jordan and a blonde Daisy! Jordan's Background Jordan Baker, who is two years younger than Daisy, grew up with the other womanin Louisville. Daisy refers to this as their shared â€Å"white girlhoods† (1.100). Jordan witnesses both Daisy’s initial relationship with Gatsby and how she almost didn’t marry Tom after getting a letter from Gatsby but pulled herself together in time for the wedding. Jordan doesn’t have any major surviving relatives other than an old aunt who controls her money, so it’s implied she’s the heiress to a significant amount of money but, during the novel at least, she doesn’t have full access to it. Instead of marrying, Jordan plays golf professionally and dates around, to the point Tom comments that her family â€Å"shouldn’t let her run around the country in this way† (1.134). To see how Jordan's biography lines up with the lives of theother characters, check out our timeline. A Summary of Jordan's Actions in the Novel In Chapter 1, Jordan meets Nick through Tom and Daisy, who she is staying with. She tells Nick that Tom has â€Å"some woman in New York† and shushes him so she can listen to Tom and Daisy’s argument, revealing herself as a gossip (1.100). In Chapter 3, she runs into Nick again at Gatsby’s party. She is also called to speak with Gatsby, and he tells her about his past with Daisy and how he hopes to meet her again through Nick, Daisy’s cousin. In Chapter 4, Jordan tells Nick about Daisy and Gatsby’s history and gets him to help arrange their meeting, igniting Daisy and Gatsby’s affair. In Chapter 7, Jordan is invited to the lunch party along with Nick, Tom, Gatsby, and Daisy, when Gatsby hopes to have Daisy to confront Tom. The group ends up going to New York City. Jordan rides up with Tom and Nick in Gatsby’s yellow car. They stop at the Wilson’s garage, and Myrtle sees the trio and takes Jordan to be Tom’s wife. Later that night, Jordan drives back with Nick and Tom, but this time in Tom’s blue coupe. They come across the scene of Myrtle’s death: she has been run over by the yellow car. Despite witnessing this awful scene, she seems surprised Nick doesn’t want to come into the Buchanans’ afterward for tea. The next day, she calls Nick at work, telling him she’s moved out of the Buchanans’ house and wants to see him, but they end up arguing over the phone and breaking up. Finally, in Chapter 9, Nick seeks her out to more formally break things off, and she tells him she’s engaged. Nick doesn't appear to have liked it enough to put a ring on it. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or more? We've put our best advice into a single guide. These are the 5 strategies you MUST be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download this free SAT guide now: Key Jordan Baker Quotes â€Å"And I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy." (3.29) This is an early example of Jordan’s unexpectedly clever observations – throughout the novel she reveals a quick wit and keen eye for detail in social situations. This comment also sets the stage for the novel’s chief affair between Daisy and Gatsby, and how at the small party in Chapter 7 their secrets come out to disastrous effect. Compare Jordan’s comment to Daisy's general attitude of being too sucked into her own life to notice what’s going on around her. "You're a rotten driver," I protested. "Either you ought to be more careful or you oughtn't to drive at all." "I am careful." "No, you're not." "Well, other people are," she said lightly. "What's that got to do with it?" "They'll keep out of my way," she insisted. "It takes two to make an accident." "Suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself." "I hope I never will," she answered. "I hate careless people. That's why I like you." (3.162-169) Here we get a sense of what draws Jordan and Nick together – he’s attracted to her carefree, entitled attitude while she sees his cautiousness as a plus. After all, if it really does take two to make an accident, as long as she’s with a careful person, Jordan can do whatever she wants! We also see Jordan as someone who carefully calculates risks – both in driving and in relationships. This is why she brings up her car accident analogy again at the end of the book when she and Nick break up – Nick was, in fact, a â€Å"bad driver† as well, and she was surprised that she read him wrong. â€Å"It’s a great advantage not to drink among hard-drinking people.† (4.144) Another example of Jordan’s observant wit, this quote (about Daisy) is Jordan’s way of suggesting that perhaps Daisy’s reputation is not so squeaky-clean as everyone else believes. After all, if Daisy were the only sober one in a crowd of partiers, it would be easy for her to hide less-than-flattering aspects about herself. Suddenly I wasn't thinking of Daisy and Gatsby any more but of this clean, hard, limited person who dealt in universal skepticism and who leaned back jauntily just within the circle of my arm. (4.164) In this moment, Nick reveals what he finds attractive about Jordan – not just her appearance (though again, he describes her as pleasingly â€Å"jaunty† and â€Å"hard† here), but her attitude. She’s skeptical without being fully cynical, and remains upbeat and witty despite her slightly pessimistic outlook. At this point in the story, Midwestern Nick probably still finds this exciting and attractive, though of course by the end he realizes that her attitude makes it hard for her to truly empathize with others, like Myrtle. "Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." (7.75) In contrast to Daisy (who says just before this, rather despairingly, â€Å"What will we do today, and then tomorrow, and for the next thirty years?† (7.74)), Jordan is open to and excited about the possibilities still available to her in her life. As we’ll discuss later, perhaps since she’s still unmarried her life still has a freedom Daisy’s does not, as well as the possibility to start over. While she’s not exactly a starry-eyed optimist, Jordan does show resilience and an ability to start things over and move on. This allows her to escape the tragedy at the end relatively unscathed. It also fits how Jordan doesn’t seem to let herself get too attached to people or places, which is why she’s surprised by how much she felt for Nick. "You threw me over on the telephone. I don't give a damn about you now but it was a new experience for me and I felt a little dizzy for a while." (9.130) Jordan doesn’t frequently showcase her emotions or show much vulnerability, so this moment is striking because we see that she did really care for Nick to at least some extent. Notice that she couches her confession with a pretty sassy remark (â€Å"I don’t give a damn about you now†) which feels hollow when you realize that being â€Å"thrown over† by Nick made her feel dizzy – sad, surprised, shaken – for a while. Common Essay Topics/Areas of Discussion About Jordan Jordan, like Tom, is usually roped into essay topics to be compared with Daisy (the way Tom is often contrasted with Gatsby or sometimes George), or to make a larger argument about the role of women more generally. Since Jordan isn’t as major of a character as Daisy, Gatsby, or even Tom, it’s rare to get a standalone essay just about Jordan. To read some excellentdetailed analysis of how to compare Jordan to Myrtle or Daisy, check out our article on comparing and contrasting the novel's characters. Make sure to move beyond the obvious when writing about Jordan – yes, she has a job while Daisy and Myrtle are both married, but what else makes her stand out? Pay special attention to how Jordan is described versus Daisy, Jordan’s dialogue, and Jordan’s focus – it’s clear that Jordan is often focused outward, observing other characters and their interactions, while Daisy tends to be turned inward, with her own emotions. Discuss how Jordan and Daisy illustrate changing women’s roles in the 1920s. Despite the progress in women’s rights made in the early twentieth century, including the right to vote (won in 1919), most women, especially wealthy women, were expected to marry, have children, and stay at home. Daisy sticks to this prescribed societal role by marrying and having a child. But Jordan plays golf professionally, â€Å"runs around the country† and doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to marry (1.134). In short, on the surface, it appears that Daisy is a traditionalist while Jordan is expanding the possibilities of a woman’s life. However, Daisy and Jordan aren’t exactly a straightforward housewife and career woman duo. First of all, Daisy is quite removed from her role as a mother, since her daughter Pammy is mostly raised by a maid. She also seriously contemplates leaving Tom during the novel. Meanwhile, Jordan tells Nick at the end of the novel she’s engaged. Whether or not this is true, it suggests that Jordan will certainly get married one day, and that her current golf career is just a temporary diversion, not a permanent independent lifestyle. Indeed, both Daisy and Jordan are also both at the mercy of their families: Daisy derives all of her wealth and power from Tom, while Jordan is beholden to her old aunt for money. They don’t actually have much control over their own wealth and would lose everything if they went too far out of line. So while Daisy and Jordan both typify a very showy lifestyle that looks liberated – being â€Å"flappers,† having sex, drinking in public (which before the 1920s was seen as a highly indecent thing for a woman to do), playing golf professionally in Jordan’s case – they in fact are still thoroughly constrained by the limited options women had in the 1920s in terms of making their own lives. Jordan briefly narrates in Chapter 4. How is Jordan’s narration different fromNick’s? Why rely on her narration at all? What would the novel be like from her point of view? Jordan’s narration is definitely distinct from Nick’s. Her diction is a bit sharper and she has more blatantly judgmental asides, calling Daisy â€Å"drunk as a monkey† (4.136). She also uses more vivid imagery: the red, white, and blue banners on the houses flapping â€Å"tut-tut-tut-tut† in a â€Å"disapproving way† (4.129), Gatsby’s letter to Daisy coming apart â€Å"like snow† in the bath (4.141), etc. Her choice of words is a pretty good insight into her character and how sharply observant she is! So why is there a section narrated by Jordan at all? Perhaps Nick leans on Jordan because he feels unqualified to talk about Daisy’s past. After all, aside from their conversation in Chapter 1, Nick doesn’t have close conversations with Daisy. But since Nick gets to know Gatsby through several close conversations, he feels comfortable telling about Gatsby’s past. You also get the sense he’s washing hishands of whatever Jordan reveals about Daisy. He doesn’t fully trust in the details or really care about Daisy’s story,using it only asa means ofunderstanding Gatsby. It’s also notable that Nick uses Michealis’s point of view to talk about the aftermath of Myrtle’s death, which in a similar manner suggests he feels less connected to the Wilsons than he does to Gatsby. The novel from Jordan’s point of view would likely be much less sentimental when it comes to Gatsby. Nick obviously idealizes him by the end while Jordan doesn’t seem to see him as anything more than a source of fun and intrigue. We would also likely get a much better sense of Daisy’s motivations and thought process throughout the novel, something we barely get access to with Nick’s narration. Daisy's motto: if you don't have anything nice to say, come and sit by me. Extra Advice: Want to get into the best college you can? Read our famous guide on how to get into Harvard, the Ivy League, and your top choice college. In this guide, you'll learn: What colleges are looking for in your application How to impress your top choice colleges Why you're probably wasting your time on activities that don't matter Even if you're not actually interested in Ivy League schools, you'll still learn something fundamental about how to apply to college. Read our top college admissions guide today. Jordan Baker FAQ These are questions that many students have about Jordan after reading Gatsby for the first time. These are points that don’t come up as often in essay topics or study guides, so give them a look if you’re still wondering about Jordan’s feelings and motivations! #1: Does Jordan Actually Like Nick? Daisy professes her feelings to not one but two men in Chapter 7, and Myrtle makes her attraction to Tom Buchanan clear. Jordan, in contrast, is not one to make her feelings so plainly known, so it’s not surprising that many students wonder if she even likes Nick at all. Like Gatsby, Jordan seems drawn to Nick because he presents himself as a stable, honest, and grounded personality in the midst of many larger-than-life, overbearing types.She even says that she’s drawn to him because he’s cautious. There's also a part in the book where Nick says that Jordan tends to prefer being with people she can dominate or pull one over on, and Nick does seem to rely on her for emotional strength at some points (for example in the car when he's thinking about turning 30). Nick and Jordan break up right at the moment when she can't control his actions - can't make him go into the house, can't make him apologize for ignoring her.) By the end of the book, Jordan does admit that she was rather thrown by the break-up, suggesting she came to have somewhat deeper feelings for him. In fact, their break-up scene is worth looking at in full to really answer this question: "Nevertheless you did throw me over," said Jordan suddenly. "You threw me over on the telephone. I don't give a damn about you now but it was a new experience for me and I felt a little dizzy for a while." We shook hands. "Oh, and do you remember- " she added, "- - a conversation we had once about driving a car?" "Why- not exactly." "You said a bad driver was only safe until she met another bad driver? Well, I met another bad driver, didn't I? I mean it was careless of me to make such a wrong guess. I thought you were rather an honest, straightforward person. I thought it was your secret pride." "I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor." She didn't answer. Angry, and half in love with her, and tremendously sorry, I turned away. (9.130-136) â€Å"Feeling dizzy for a while† is the closest we’ve seen the proudly unflappable Jordan come to admitting an actual, personal, emotional response to a situation. She also criticizes Nick for mischaracterizing himself as honest and straightforward when he dispatched her pretty coldly over the phone. In short, we can tell she has definitely been thinking their short relationship over and was shocked and hurt by how abruptly things ended. #2: Why Does Jordan Help Gatsby Reunite With Daisy? In Chapter 3, Jordan attends one of Gatsby’s parties and is called upstairs to speak with him. We can infer that Gatsby has heard she is staying with Daisy Buchanan, and calls her up so he can find out more about Daisy. In that conversation, Gatsby confesses to Jordan that he’s in love with Daisy and wants to try and see her again. Gatsby’s motivations are clear. But why does Jordan help? Well, for one thing, Jordan’s nosy, and likes to be in the middle of things. She tells Nick about Tom’s affair in Chapter 1 and also tells him all about Daisy’s past in Chapter 4, and seems to love being a source of information and gossip. Arranging a Daisy/Gatsby reunion certainly puts her close to some drama! However, you could also argue that, as someone with knowledge of Gatsby and Daisy’s original relationship, Jordan knows how devastated Daisy was when she got a letter from Gatsby, feels compelled to help the pair reunite. Finally, Jordan might also see it as an opportunity to expose Daisy as much less virtuous as she comes off. Jordan is consistently the only character who recognizes Daisy as less-than-perfect, as evidenced in her remarks about Daisy in Chapter 4 (â€Å"Daisy was popular in Chicago, as you know. They moved with a fast crowd, all of them young and rich and wild, but she came out with an absolutely spotlessreputation. Perhaps because she doesn't drink. It's a great advantage not to drink among hard-drinking people. You can hold your tongue and, moreover, you can time any little irregularity of your own so that everybody else is so blind that they don't see or care.† (4.144)). Nudging Daisy into an affair with Gatsby could be Jordan’s way of working to expose Daisy to the scrutiny that everyone else in their circles seems to face for similar behavior. #3: What’s Jordan’s Purpose in the Story? Is She a Necessary Character? Jordan, similar to Nick, is adjacent to much of the main action and not directly involved, so many students wonder what exactly she’s doing in the book. Especially since Nick does have a crucial role as narrator, Jordan can seem a bit superfluous at times. So why include her? Well, for one thing, she does have an important role to play in the story. Purely from a plot perspective, she helps connect Nick to Gatsby in Chapter 3, and she also helps connect Gatsby and Daisy. She helps sets the wheels of the affair in motion, and, of course, the affair drives the main action of the novel. Without Jordan, Gatsby would have relied entirely on Nick to reach Daisy, which would have taken some of the suspense out of Gatsby’s motivations (even though Jordan learns Gatsby’s secret in Chapter 3, we don’t learn it until Chapter 4). But Jordan is also important in how she allows us to understand other characters. She helps us understand Daisy by being such a contrast to her, and of course offers some crucial insights about Daisy herself during her brief stint as the narrator in Chapter 4. Furthermore, Jordan also gives us some insights about Nick since we can see his reactions to her and their relationship. In fact, Jordan’s relationship with Nick is one of our main inroads into understanding Nick’s personal life and feelings. So while Jordan is not directly involved in the main drama, she is a crucial lynchpin both for the plot and our understanding of the other major characters. #4: Why Doesn’t Jordan Go to Gatsby’s Funeral? Nick attends Gatsby’s funeral along with Gatsby’s father and Owl Eyes. Tom and Daisy have skipped town due to Daisy’s role in Myrtle’s death, Meyer Wolfshiem also wants to keep his distance since he is painted as cautious and disloyal, and Myrtle and George are dead. So out of the book’s major characters, Jordan is the only one unaccounted for at Gatsby’s funeral. Some readers wonder why she doesn’t show up, given her relationship with Nick and the fact that she at least knew Gatsby, and even helped him reunite with Daisy. First of all, Nick doesn’t try to invite Jordan to the funeral (that we know of), especially since it seems their conversation late in Chapter 9 is the first they have spoken since Nick â€Å"threw her over† on the telephone the morning after Myrtle’s death. Perhaps Jordan hears about Gatsby’s death but avoids his funeral because she assumes Nick will be there. If Nick invited her would she have considered attending? Likely not. Jordan, like the other characters, is very conscious about appearances and, furthermore, she is a character who likes being involved in gossip and intrigue but manages to mostly remain out of serious trouble or scandal herself. So even were she invited, going to Gatsby’s funeral might be seen as more risky than it’s worth, especially since she wasn’t that close to Gatsby. Want to get better grades and test scores? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. What’s Next? Nick and Jordan’s relationship is unique in the novel – they’re not having an affair, unlike Tom/Myrtle and Daisy/Gatsby, and they’re not married, unlike Myrtle/George and Daisy/Tom. So what does Nick and Jordan's relationship add to the story? Why include it at all? Read more about love, desire, and relationships in Gatsbyto find out. Jordan is a key figure in the first half of the novel as Gatsby moves to reunite with Daisy. Read summaries of Chapter 3and Chapter 4to get some in-depth takes of her most important scenes. We mention here that Jordan is relatively independent in that she has her own career as a golfer. This connects her to one of the novel's more interesting motifs: sports. How does her golf career compare to Tom's football days? Read our article on motifs in The Great Gatsby for some insights. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Degree Rationale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Degree Rationale - Essay Example It was not until one of my dearest friends encouraged me to attend college that I found an interest in a definite career. This eventually led me to Corning Community College which I attended classes full of hope and enthusiasm. However, the stress of working full time, attending college full time, and being a mother, was so physically taxing that I was not accomplishing any of these tasks satisfactorily. Eventually, convinced that I had no other choice, I was compelled to give up my studies and devote my time to remain gainfully employed in order to take care of my son. For years, I struggled with trying to decide exactly what it was I wanted to do with my life. My past job led me to realize that I was â€Å"smart† enough and that I had potential to become whatever I wanted in life. My supervisor taught me that education will provide me with the tools and knowledge I need to understand and participate in today’s world. This is what motivated me into returning to Corning Community College. Here I found the means of fulfilling my desire for learning. Although I still was undecided of what I wanted to do, my hard work and determination paid off by uplifting my self-esteem, which I struggled with all my life. During my last semester at Corning Community College, I felt honored to be included in the Dean’s list. For me that was an academic achievement, but also a personal accomplishment. It was not until attending some of my supervisor’s meetings at work and working by her side that I found an interest in Human Resources. At that very moment, I set a goal for my future to become a human resource generalist. I want to be able to help a company staff their organization and provide employees with the best resources to guide them through their employment. A friend advised me that Empire State College not only provides flexibility, but also a way to earn my bachelor’s degree and help provide me with the tools and knowledge I need to

Case study on reducing customer churn fir T-Mobile Essay

Case study on reducing customer churn fir T-Mobile - Essay Example The rule was further enhanced by Sherden as 20-80-30 expressing the idea that the top 20 percent of customers generate 80 percent of the companys profits, half of which is lost serving the bottom 30 percent of the unprofitable customers (Sherden, 1994). Customer retention has become harder with the propagation of internet and increased bandwidth. Provision of several options has made the switching barriers ineffective. In order to keep the customer base in the safety net it is important for the company to fill all the loops and holes to avoid customer leakages. It is always important for the Telecommunication companies to find new and innovative ways of finding about the factors, which lead to the customer defection. It is also imperative for the company to create a connection with the customers being at high risk of defection and reduce the overall churn rate. It is important to tie the above mentioned segments in the loyalty string of the company. An automated survey query can be sent to the customers through email or the survey can be directly undertaken by sending an automated call to the specific numbers of the target audiences in order to get instant response from the customers on daily basis form both the segments of Pay Monthly and Pay as You Go customers. The survey then can be reviewed by the customer care staff so that call centre representatives can purposefully undertake conversation with the customer providing negative feedback. On the next level the customer should be provided with the opportunity to again fill a brief survey form. If again the feedback is negative the customer should be asked if they would like to speak with a manager regarding their issue(s). Managers should be notified of the customer call-back requests on urgent basis. The data regarding the customer’s survey responses should also be provided to t he manager in order to undertake useful follow up with the customers. The loss of the customers can be