Big Daddy and Brick Essay Example

Big Daddy and Brick Essay There are only two people in this act, Big Daddy and Brick. The great significance of this act is the conversation between Big Daddy and Brick. This conversation is a one to one process and it helps us as readers, to understand the two main characters in depth. The significance of the conversation helps us to understand the story in more depth as well. Big Daddy tries to talk to Brick and wants Brick to give him a reason of why he drinks, Why do you drink? Brick avoids the questions by looking away and changing the subject. Big Daddy asks him and he answers them by, I dont know, give me my crutch! Big Daddy feels he should talk to Brick and find out more about him and how he feels. Big Daddy loves Brick and wants to be there for him and care for him. But Brick doesnt examine his feelings throughout this play, until he is made to by Big Daddy in this act and Brick finds it very difficult. We will write a custom essay sample on Big Daddy and Brick specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Big Daddy and Brick specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Big Daddy and Brick specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Brick finally admits that he is drunk, thats the truth Big Daddy. Im a alcoholic. By all this drinking Brick doesnt face up to his problems and really doesnt care about anything. He feels scared and afraid to face up to his problems and according to Big Daddy, he always passes the buck. The only way Big Daddy can make Brick open up to him is through a bargain. You tell me why you drink and Ill hand you one. Brick finally admits that he had started drinking through mendacity. Brick had felt betrayed by the lies and the mendacity people had given him. He felt that the whole-thing, the whole situation, no one in particular, was lying and untruthful. Everyone was deceitful and manipulating in his or her own way. Big Daddy agrees with everything Brick feels and relates to it. Having for instance to act like I care for Big Mama! I havent been able to stand the sight, sound or smell of that woman for 40 years. Big Daddy loves Brick and feels to have some kind of real feeling, affection and respect for him. Brick also admits to Big Daddy, that by drinking he dodges away from life. Big Daddy was very determined not to leave the talk they were having, hanging. Whenever they talked, some how or the other it was disturbed. Either by Brick changing the subject or trying to reach for his crutch. The crutch was a prop and it acted as a way of disturbance between Big Daddy and Bricks conversation. The crutch acts like a tool to freedom and peace. From the avoidance of his son, Big Daddy finally realises that he needs to share his feelings with Brick. He realised this ever since he thought he was dying and that life was too short and precious. Weve just talked around things for some rutten reason Big Daddy and Brick are the only two people in the play who have never lied to each other. They are both friends and they both reveal secrets to one another. Brick confesses to Big Daddy that his whole life has fallen apart and wants to forget everything and the only thing he can turn to be his drink. A drinking mans someone who wants to forget he isnt still young an believing. During their conversation Big Daddy mentions Skipper. You started drinking when your friend Skipper died. Here is where the tension builds up between the two of them. There is a silence for five beats. These five beats builds up tension between the two characters and the audience. This is also the second time the audience hears the name Skipper. Big Daddy brings things out in the open. On stage five beats of silence are very long and build up a lot of tension. After the five beats Brick tries to grab his crutch, again the prop here acts as a way of freedom and running away from the truth. Guilt always finds a way to catch up to you. On the same page there is a very long stage direction. Here Tennessee Williams intruded in the act because it shows us the human nature between people and what they are capable of doing. It shows us how the characters are feeling and not to judge them. He shows and tells us that there is something deeper than what the audience sees. He wants us as readers to understand the characters and how human beings live and what they go through. He also shows how human beings never face up to their truth and always tries to find a way to escape, but the guilt that people try leaving behind, always catches up to us. Brick had got extremely upset with the subject about Skipper being bought up and got fiercely, violent. Big Daddy had hit a very weak spot in Bricks body. Brick had started drinking after Skipper died. Skipper is dead. I have not quit eating! No, but you started drinking. Brick is very frustrated and angry. He is also a bit paranoid You think that Skipper and me were a pair of dirty old men? Brick explains to Big Daddy that he and Skipper were real good friends, but everyone, especially Maggie, thought that it could not be decent. All the other relationships in the play are insecure and everyone, especially Maggie is jealous. Why cant exceptional friendship, between two men be respected as something clean and decent Maggie was jealous of Skipper and Bricks friendship and made Skipper go to bed with her to prove it wasnt true and when it didnt work out, he thought it was true! Skipper had then phoned up Brick to tell him that he was gay, but Brick had hung up the phone and this was the last time he had a conversation with Skipper before he had died. Brick hates lies but yet could not face up to the truth about Skipper. This disgust with mendacity is disgust with yourself. Brick had betrayed Skipper and their friendship. He had felt guilty about the betrayal on his friend, before he died and from this Brick had started to drink. Brick felt angry and upset and without knowing what he was saying hinted to Big Daddy that he had cancer. This line of Bricks was written in Italics. This portrays the importance of the line and builds up the tension. How about these birthday congratulations, when evrybody but you knows there wont be any! Suddenly there is a phone ring in the back round. This prop acts as a ring and this ring signifies the mendacity, the guilt of everyone. Brick suddenly realises what he has said and tries to change the subject. Big Daddy finally realises that everyone lied about the cancer. Brick had told Big Daddy he had cancer and he regrets telling him, but he cant go back. Mendacity is a system that we live in. Brick here on this page (83) is truthful and honest about everyone and the mendacity of everyone. Weve been friends- And being friends is telling each other the truthYou told me! I told you! Straight after a child rushes into the room where Big Daddy and Brick are. The child then runs out shouting and screaming, Bang, bang, bang.! I feel that Tennessee Williams had put this prop in, because it made Bid Daddy realise what Brick was going through. He realised that the nature between all human beings and what they are capable of doing, what all of us are capable of doing. Lying! Dying! Liars!

Granville T. Woods Essays - Telegraphy, Granville Woods, Free Essays

Granville T. Woods Essays - Telegraphy, Granville Woods, Free Essays Granville T. Woods Granville T. Woods African-American inventors have gotten little recognition for their accomplishments. Indeed, it was hard to find information to even write a small report on a single one of them. However, although their names might not be as household as Thomas Edison, that does no mean that African-American inventors have not played just as important of a role in technology in America. Although we might not be able to name any African-American inventors off the top of our heads, we use their inventions everyday and not even realize it. The last time you took a train, were you worried about it derailing, or not stopping? You could thank Granville T. Woods for that. He invented the air brake for trains, the standard emergency break used today. Granville T. Woods was born on April 23, 1856 in Columbus Ohio. His parents were freed slaves and Woods himself only attended school until the age of 10. Although he stopped formal education at such a young age, Mr. Woods began to work on the railroad and study electronics. Much of his knowledge came directly from on-the-job training. He attended night school and took privet lessons in his teens to make up for the many years of lost education. In 1872 at the age of 16, Woods became a fireman on the Danville and Southern Railroad in Missouri. There, he developed a passion for trains and dreamed of becoming a railroad engineer himself. Indeed, his love of trains is what fueled many of his inventions. He moved around a lot in the next few years. In 1876 he worked part time in a machine shop in Springfield, Illinois. It was here that he began to take engineering courses in an eastern college. He took a job an engineer in 1878 aboard the Ironsides, a British Steamer, within two years he b ecame the chief Engineer of the steamer. However, despite all of his experience and of his skin color, he never got far in these jobs. He decided to settle back in Ohio. It was back in Cincinnati that Mr. Woods began inventing. In 1880, shortly after settling in Cincinnati, Mr. Woods established his own shop. Woods first patent was for an invention that had to do with one of his great loves, trains. It was on improved steam boiler furnace. It was in this shop that Mr. Woods became one of the most prolific inventors of the 19th century. He had registered over 60 patents in his lifetime and was sometimes referred to as The Black Edison. Regarded as one of Woods greatest invention was the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph (1887). This was the most primitive form of the radio system used in trains today. Before this invention, there was no way for a dispatcher to be able to determine the location of a train and so accidents were frequent. This invention allowed for communication between the train and the dispatcher so that train accidents became less frequent. This invention used the principle of electromagnetic induction. The magnetic field produced from electric current running through the wire produced a signal that was traceable from the dispatchers office. When the trains moved the magnetic field moved with it, this allowed for the tracking of all trains. Some of his more notable inventions include the development of the third-rail system used in subways today and the development of the trolley system for trolley cars. Most of Mr. Woods 60 patents had to do with railroad telegraphs, electrical breaks, and electrical railways systems. Some of his patents include the Steam Boiler Furnace, Electric Railway, Automatic Air Brake, Telephone Transmitter, Induction Telegraph System, Overhead Conducting for Electrified Railway, Tunnel Construction for Electric railway, and the Galvanic Battery. Unlike so many African-American inventors of the 19th century, Mr. Woods was actually praised for his work within his own lifetime. The January 14, 1866 edition of The Catholic Tribune said Granville T. Woods, the greatest colored inventor in the history of the race, and equal, if not superior, to any inventor in this country, is destined to revolutionize the mode of the street car transit. Mr. Woods broke through racial and educational barriers to become one of the most notable inventors of the

Canadian criminal system of justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Canadian criminal system of justice - Essay Example The Criminal Code of Canada and other legislation laws such as the Criminal Justice for Youth Act, the Conditional Act and Correlation Release Act, as well as Canadian Rights and Freedoms Charter, offer the basis upon which the system of criminal justice functions, and so do United States Code of Criminal and other legislation pieces. In both nations, system of criminal justice offers an impartial crime response rather than the public taking criminal matters into their hands, (Boydell and Ingrid 82). Judicial independence is a precondition to justice is witnessed in American and Canadian systems of law. The two nations originates from the system of shared law, even though, they have diverse systems of justice. The judicial system of Canada is unified system all courts form the same system and the Canadian Supreme Court exercises the final authority all over the nation, (Kraska 42). Additionally, the United States has two distinct and sovereign systems of justice whereby the federal s ystem of justice imposes federal law and systems of the state ate powerful over the state law interpretation. Historically, racial, class and gender differences have pervaded the justice administration in United States and Canada. For instance, for crucial historical and political explanations, grounded on treaty claims and fiduciary role of the aboriginal peoples Crown, aboriginal people are excluded from administration policy purposes as an ethic group together with the immigrants and their people.

EHR Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EHR - Assignment Example The system should be able to provide patients with access of their information enabling home monitoring and especially of chronic diseases. The data it stores electronically should be able to be accessed by other similar systems on the state or even federal level because of disease surveillance data. The act deals with the technology in health information and especially that which deals with the privacy and security of the patients’ information in health care facilities. It deals with electronic transmission of health information which is the role of EHR. The HITECH Act therefore examines the HER and ensures that that records it stores of patients are secured and remain private failure to which civil and criminal legal action will be undertaken (American Health Lawyers Association, 2006). The government incentives for adoption of the EHR system are monetary. Doctors and hospitals which adopt the system within a certain period of time will be receiving money as incentive and in order to attract more doctors to adopt the system. The incentive money reduces as time passes. The ramifications of lack of adoption are a certain percentage cut of the Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements that physicians normally receive from government. The first requirement is to have money to purchase the system and set it up in the relevant departments or according to the goals set within the organization. The other requirement is to have people with expert knowledge of the system to operate it as well as to teach the rest of the staff who will be handling the system how to use it and repair it (Hebda, Czar & Mascara, 2012). Certified EHR is the technological system that is tailored towards specifically meeting the functionality and security required by the user. The certification maintains data sharing and confidentiality as well as keeping the system secure. This is important if the HITECH Act rules are to be adhered

Formal assessment & Austin (1991) Essay Example for Free

Formal assessment Austin (1991) Essay Formal assessment has been described by Austin (1991) as a process of â€Å"gathering information and utilization of that that information for individual and institutional improvement (p. 2). The information gathered may include the students’ weakness and strengths in certain subjects’ areas. Emphasis in formal assessments is focused on the results of a standardized evaluation tests that are administered under strict and regulated environments. However, that information is very important for student since they are able to know how well they are progressing and measures to undertake to deal with their weaknesses. Assessment forms an important component of teaching and leaning that has a greater impact on student learning (Saliu 271). Saliu goes on to demonstrate that assessment should be able to measure the criterion for which it was intended while maintaining consistence at the same time (271). This paper will discuss major components of formal learning which include reasons for assessing and administering tests to students, relevant formal assessments that may be administered, advantages and disadvantages of each particular assessment. I will however, put forward some recommendations on what the teacher and institution needs to pay attention to in order to achieve the objectives of formal assessment. Reasons for assessing and administering testing to students The main reason for administering assessment is to monitor the student’s progress in learning as compared to other students of the same age or level (Wilson and Scalise 11). Assessments results are useful in screening and making decision on the level of qualifications to base career growth activities. The results are very useful to the curriculum developers and syllabus preparation by both governments and institutions (Council of Europe 6). Results provide a good guide for program or course evaluation since it presents the information in form of scores. The results obtained are used by local and federal departments’ in policy formulation and implementation. Formal assessment should be viewed as a tool that can be used to measure the level at which students receives information from the teacher rather than just giving of grades 1 to 5 (Saliu 272). Moreover, formal test can give valuable information regarding a student progress in mastering the subject content of a particular course at certain levels of study. The results offers a good insight to the teacher when organizing the materials and content for students to lean at comfortable pace yet achieving at their best level possible (Saliu 272). Clearly delimited results are very useful in facilitating students to focus their time and energy towards self improvement . The information obtained from standard test is very useful in deciding a student’s career interests and future goals. The assessment report should be able to reflect a student’s goals and give a clear indication on which areas need help. Motivation is an affective factor in formal assessment which propels the teacher to be devoted towards helping students to learn (Wiggins 38). The teacher gets encouraged after seen students pass well in the subject or course given to students by that teacher (Fitzpatrick and Michael 101). Students get to care about their learning and seek to improve on their weaker areas after the results are released. When a teacher is encouraging and appears to be responsive to students’ feeling, students respond by becoming very constructive and enthusiastic towards achieving higher scores (Weeden, Winter and Broadfoot 4). The information obtained from formal assessments may guide the teacher to group the students in a way that they can help each other hence creating a class relationship that supports learning process. There is a sense of self acceptance created by students admitting difficulties. This forms a healthy atmosphere for learning from peers (Saliu 273). Grading in formal assessments provide documented information of what a particular student learnt which is useful in job application and academic advancement admissions (Saliu 273). Despite being crucial widely applied by all leaning institutions, grading has several shortcomings which have been put forward by critics. An example of critics includes Wilson and Scalise (2006) held a view that grading does not have a match with the effort students put in answering examination questions. The ultimate grading does not allow the feedback by the students since it denies them the opportunity to review their work after a formal examination. Moreover, students do not get useful comments upon which they can build future progress on their work- those comments are destroyed with their poor grades (Weeden, Winter and Broadfoot 6). When feedbacks finally are given by the examiners it is either very shallow for instant a single line comment or so late since students may have moved to another grade. Evaluation of the learner’s performance has been difficult for instance marking open-ended questions in standard exam papers (Wilson and Scalise 11). Since individual needs of students cannot be met fully by teachers, limited opportunities for the learner’s growth to realize quality results dominate. To make it worse, inability of all pupils to produce good hand written work hence true reflection in scores limit the learners capacity to acquire more knowledge and to develop deeper understanding of the subject involved. These make it difficult for the pupils to be plausibly and effectively answer or tackle examination questions (Weeden, Winter and Broadfoot 8). No effective follow-up can be done by students who might be interested in enhancing their academic performance (Wilson and Scalise 11). Grading in formal assessment has failed to accurately give students’ strength and weakness to the teacher since it does not give adequate time. Nevertheless, it is not flexible both in terms of content to be tested and level of ability of each student (Weeden, Winter and Broadfoot 12). If we consider a grade of â€Å"2† in philosophy of education course awarded, it will only say that a student learned a great deal of the information but it will no show what content was or was not mastered (Wilson and Scalise 12) Teachers form the majority of assessors of students’ learning for formal assessments. Students can also test their work and test that of their peers and provide an immediate feedback for improvement. The test can be administered by other external examiners such as Standard Aptitude Tests (SAT) (Council of Europe 8). Assessment may be administered at any time of student leaning but it has to be regulated if its purpose is to achieve a defined set standard. The nature of an assessment is determined by the type of cohort of students and upon the need for assessing. The content of what to asses should entirely be guided by the desired end results and the application of those results (Weeden, Winter and Broadfoot 5). Pros and cons of deferent forms formal assessment Formal assessment may take different dimensions according to where it is administered and the target group. Tests may be in form of standard set examinations which are mainly norm-referenced. Formal assessment may also include examinations designed locally by a faculty to offer an objective or subjective assessment (Council of Europe 9). Standardized exams are administered to a specific group which is entirely structured in a multiple-choice question (objective) or descriptive questions (subjective) in one subject area. The results are compared with a set standard (reference). It is applied to students in a given program, course or a level. The main advantage of standard set examination is that it can be adopted view quickly and its implementation is quite easy. It reduces the faculty time requirements in tools design, development and grading (Council of Europe 9). Norm-referenced assessment gives objective scores which provides for generalizations of the results with other student in other places or times. It provides a reference group that is required by the faculty or the testing body. Another benefit of standard test is its application by state or national standards exist for a given discipline or profession such as accountancy, medicine among others (Saliu 273). May be beneficial or required in instances where state or national standards exist for the discipline or profession. It can be applied in comparing the levels of knowledge across several institutions (Astin 3). There are several shortcomings that are associated with this form of assessment. One of the major disadvantages of standard tests according to Wilson and Scalise is that, it has a limit of what it can measure in during testing time (636). It is a culprit of the elimination of the proper process of learning by not reflecting what a student has actually learnt in a given program or course. It may not be able to completely evaluate a particular objective of an entire course (Council of Europe 9). Since most standardized tests are done at the end of a course or program, they fail to provide relevant feedback to both the teacher and the student which would otherwise be used to motivate the student learning. The tests can neither determine a student’s progress on a daily basis nor the achievements in varying periods (Hart 17). They cannot also effectively evaluate the knowledge of a specific course content area which keeps on changing such as social sciences. Another demerit of standardized achievement tests arises due to the administration of multiple-choice tests which pose a grater potential error of guessing the correct answer. (Saliu 243). It only provides a summary evaluation of few parts of whole course. The outcomes may not have direct deductions for course improvement or that of an individual student’s advancement. The results are highly liable to misinterpretation by the teacher or other interested parties such as admitting institutions and employers. Since majority of these tests are commercialized someone (student or program) have to pay to obtain them. When pressure is so much pressed on the passing the tests, the teacher may be forced to teach to the test and not the development of the student skills (Council of Europe 9). A single test is not perfect in providing enough information that ensures a complete assessment. Different tests on a particular subject at deferent times provide almost different information on a student. Locally developed exams can be beneficial since its content and mode is inclined to specific objectives and students’ features of the course or program (Wiggins 37). It can establish specified criteria for measuring performance associated with to curriculum. It can be useful in the development of relevant process of learning of particular group of students. A more localized grading system by faculty can provided a speedy feedback mechanism for teaching betterment. The teacher will have a greater control over the analysis and use of the results in improving students leaning processes and course materials (Wiggins 38). However, locally developed tests require a substantial coordination more so throughout the phases of design and development (Fitzpatrick and Michael 101). It may not provide a basis for cross-institutional comparisons for students in same level of study. These particular tests are time consuming on side of the teacher since they require a lot of attention and effort in designing and administering. In order to provide validity and reliability in these tests an expert may be required expertise in accurate measurement (Council of Europe 11). It may not provide the element associated with the external comparison in relation to other institutions offering similar course or program. Performance appraisals are another form of formal assessments that can be administered to measure competency of acquired skills in a real world situation (Burke 29). They are set standards that seek to evaluate students in a specific class or level (Hart 74). They are credited to providing a relatively direct measure of what has been learned rather than taught in a program or course (Ryan 290). They are mostly preferred to other methods of measuring since they are able to evaluate the application skills learnt in specific settings. They are in tandem with aims of professional training programs and fields which have well specified skill development programs (Ryan 290). Nevertheless, performance appraisals have their share of limitations which include high costs associated with effort and time consumption. Their grading are mostly more subjective than other formal assessments (Fitzpatrick and Michael 118). The sample of performance appraised might not as well be the typical of the student since it might have been triggered by the presence of appraiser. An aptitude test forms yet another important form of formal assessment. An aptitude test has the advantage of measuring the level of knowledge that a student already possess before entering a grade level or a program (Fitzpatrick and Michael 118). This provides the teacher with prior information on the likelihood of a students degree of performance and success in the class. It will determine the information which a student already has compared to set norms. This will further illustrate the level of learning for a particular student which comes in handy when designing individualized instructions (Fitzpatrick and Michael 118). The teacher will have no difficulties in giving advanced instruction for those students that are gifted while at the same time giving a remedial assistance to those who need help. Since modern education is taking learner-centered approach, results of aptitude test provide relevant information that can teachers use to group students for effective cognitive learning. The results are applied in determining when a student develops a learning disability (Council of Europe 12). Aptitude tests face some challenges and limitations that are usual to test. They are limited to measuring students’ capacity to learn new projects and accomplishments. The results do not reflect on the skills or knowledge that students have had no previous training (Fitzpatrick and Michael 118). Since information obtained from an aptitude test gives skills and knowledge students had already acquired in past, it fails to guide the teacher on the application of future instruction. Teacher involvement in formal assessment Recommendations for reducing the shortcoming of formal assessments lie heavily on the teacher and the entire institution involvement in setting exam questions and administration of the examinations. The teacher should choose a test very carefully that will match with the requirements of a course or a program (Council of Europe 28). The teacher should review information on previous sample of performances to ensure the test’s reliability and validity from test publishers. The faculty should engage experts to review the previous summary reports of similar exam results in creating a more updated report for the faculty (Fitzpatrick and Michael 118). The teacher is not supposed to teach to exam otherwise the results would be compromised. The instructor or teacher should be involved in grading systems that focus more emphasis on the feed forward. The institutions should make sure that standardized tests are marked and the papers that can be returned are done in time increase the feedback flow. The grading system should be focused on the offering a true picture of what has been mastered and what has not fully mastered. There should be model answers drawn from others student solutions to provide those who have failed with a way of what was expected of them (Saliu 274). A syndicate with other institutions which have similar objectives in testing can be formed to reduce the costs of developing instruments and to provide an element of externality. The exams department should incorporate outside experts to provide relevant input for development and grading system (Fitzpatrick and Michael 118). In order to reduce the shortcomings associated with performance appraisals training for appraisers should be provided so that they are able to stick to specified criteria (Wiggins 38). It is imperative to alter criteria till acceptable consistency of measurement is reached for testing in multiple situations. Since the result of performance appraisal cannot be used alone to grade a student, Ryan (1994) suggested that results should be cross-validated with other measures of performance (290). Formal assessment includes undertaking fixed, regulated and standardized tests. Grading forms a major part of measurement for mastery of content. Although grading in standard tests is a norm accepted everywhere, it its shortcomings. There are several reasons for formal assessment and standard testing which include monitoring students’ progress, comparing the results with peer; it also provides a measure of level of student knowledge. When the assessment is done appropriately, it can be a source of both the student and teacher motivation. It can create trust among the students and teacher. The component of grading has been an issue of hated debate due to its inadequacy to address all areas of students’ learning. Grades are issued but they cannot be rectified since the doors are closed immediately after results are released. Standard tests, locally developed tests, aptitude tests and performance appraisal are major shapes taken by formal assessment. Although formal assessment provides a standard measure for evaluation of learning among students of a particular cohort or group, it fails to give comprehensive ability of a student. Works Cited Astin, Alexander W. Assessment for Excellence: The Philosophy and Practice of Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education. Portsmouth: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1991. Burke, Kay, ed. Authentic Assessment: A Collection. Illinois: Skylight Training and Publishing, Inc. , 1992. Council of Europe. Common European Framework of Reference fo Languages: Learning Teaching, Assesment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. , 2001. Fitzpatrick, Jody L. and Morris Michael. Current and Emerging Ethical Challenges in Evaluation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1999. Hart, Diane. Authentic Assessment: A Handbook for Educators. . New York: Addison-Wesley, 1994. Ryan, Alan G. Towards Authentic Assessment in Science via STS. Bulletin of Science, Technology Society (1994): 290. Saliu, Sokol. Constrained Subjective Assessment of Student Learning. Journal of Science Education and Technology (2005): 271-284. Weeden, Paul, Jan Winter and Patricia Broadfoot. Assessment. New York: Routledge, 2002. Wiggins, Grant. The Case for Authentic Assessment. ERIC Digest (1990). Wilson, Mark and Kathleen Scalise. Assessment to Improve Learning in Higher Education: The BEAR Assessment System. Higher Education (2006): 635-663.

Comparing How Two Midwestern Towns Respond to Immigration Essay

How Two Midwestern Towns Respond to Immigration    The phrase, "small Midwestern towns," often brings to mind an unfortunate stereotype in the minds of big-city urbanites: mundane, backward people in a socially unappealing and legally archaic setting. Small Midwestern towns, however, are not all the hovels of provincial intellect that they are so frequently made out to be. The idiosyncrasies each of them possesses are lost on those who have never taken more than a passing glance at them. After living in two small towns, I have developed an appreciation for their unique respective qualities. Wausau, Wisconsin and Goshen, Indiana are no exception to this rule of singularity. In addition to their specific identities, these towns have the added variable of two distinct and sizable immigrant populations, Wausau's immigrants being largely Ming, Goshen's immigrants being largely Mexican. While Wausau and Goshen may seem similar on a map of size, population, and non-immigrant demographics, they share little in their economic makeup, positional character, or active response to immigration. These differences of identity shape their attitudes towards immigration. Wausau's identity is supple and accommodates the redefinition that immigration demands. Goshen's identity is taut and rejects the redefinition. One reason for Goshen's comparatively negative attitude towards immigration is the perceived threat to job security. There is a large population of blue-collar factory workers and there are numerous factories in the Goshen area. Indeed, one can hardly go anywhere within the Goshen municipality and be out of eyesight of some factory or industry-related structure. (My personal favorite o... ...ograms in place to protect immigrants are more effective and broadly supported. The political identities of these two towns shape their ability to respond effectively to immigration. Restricted by employment fears, a sense of urban expendability and relative political conservativism, Goshen's identity has little room for the challenge of immigration. Wausau's less industrial economy, stronger sense of urban importance and comparatively liberal politics create a more flexible and malleable identity. Once examined beyond the traditional barometers of population, region and size, Wausau, Wisconsin and Goshen, Indiana actually have little in common. Certainly neither town is in any way definable as, "mundane, backward or legally archaic," but rather each is striving, in their own singular ways, to achieve a balance between stable identity and unavoidable change.

Difficult for the reader to feel much affection for the protagonist Essay

It is difficult for the reader to feel much affection for the protagonist in Wolff’s memoir. Do you agree? This Boy’s Life, set in America in the 1950’s, is a compelling memoir by Tobias Wolff, whom recreates the frustrations and cruelties faced throughout his adolescence, as he fights for identity and self-respect. During this period of time, America underwent major changes in the political and economic spheres, which in turn were responsible for its social makeover. Society in this time was geared toward family; marriage and children being part of the national agenda. The 1950’s was also an age of male dominance, where even if women worked, their assumed proper place was at home. Throughout the memoir, the protagonist, young Jack Wolff, makes it difficult for the reader to feel much affection towards him, as his actions prove to be troublesome and unruly. However, as the memoir progresses, Jacks struggle reveal the reasons for his actions which sequentia lly shape his character, providing the readers with understanding and sympathy towards his inexorable situation. The fraudulent lies and deceitful ways of Jack can be frustrating upon the reader; though we come to realise that he does this in order to be accepted by the people around him. Jack also engages in fights and unfaithfully betrays his best friend Arthur, although it becomes evident that he only does this in order to gain Dwight’s approval of him. The lack of a real father figure in Jack’s life has a profound impact on him and his desperate attempt to develop his identity, which further supports the readers’ emotions of sympathy towards him. Jack lies relentlessly in order to escape the grim circumstances of his childhood. His life is fuelled with emotional neglect and verbal abuse; Dwight, his indignant step father, being the foremost cause. He desires of transforming himself into the person that he truly wants to be; an image he believes will help him to belong and to be happy. The lies he tells are a constant source of comfort for him, as he relies on them to pr ovide stability and hope in his otherwise unstable life. â€Å"I couldn’t help but try to introduce new versions of myself as my interests changed, and as other versions failed to persuade†, demonstrates an essential part of Jack’s character, as he lies in order to fit in. His identity would change with the different people he met, in order to meet their expectations of him and to obtain their acceptance. This greatly contributes to the sympathy felt for Jack, as he renders the reality that he finds so difficult to accept as a young boy. Among many other lies  throughout the memoir, Jack has the intention of creating a new identity for himself. â€Å"It was truth known only to me, but I believed in it more than I believed in the facts arrayed against it. I believed that in some sense not factually verifiable I was a straight-A student†. At this point, Jack takes his re-creation of identity to a new level. Jack is completely aware of what he is doing, although he does not stop. His incessant lies and then believing that they are the actual truth continuously reoccur throughout the memoir. This serves to show his insecurity of who he was, and his imprudent belief that he had the ability to become something better than what he was. Jacks fabricated attempts to re-create â€Å"new versions† of himself, reveal his instinctive lying nature, thus contributing to the annoyance the readers occasionally feel towards him. However, it becomes clear that Jack is confused; he wants to belong. This misperception, and yearn to fit in explicates why feelings of sympathy by the readers towards Jack are inevitable. Jack is forced to live with his violent stepfather Dwight. Dwight cruelly exercises authority over Jack, in order to create a sense of dominance over him â€Å"Dwight would dump a pile of nuts on the floor of the utility room and put me to work with a knife and pair of pliers until he judged that I’d done enough for the night†. Because of this, Jack is determined to prove to Dwight, himself and the reader that he is not the person Dwight defines him as. Jack is not hurt by Dwight’s accusations that he is a thief and liar because â€Å"I did not see myself that way†. However, when Dwight calls Jack a sissy, Jack thinks of Arthur, who is his best friend and the biggest â€Å"sissy† in school, and remembers how the word sparked the fight between him and Arthur. Dwight treated Jack differently for a few days; with certain deference – â€Å"Dwight took the calls and explained that the papers had been ruined in a fight, adding that his boy Jack hung a real shiner on the Gayle kid.† This was the only time he expressed a genuine interest in Jack that bordered on admiration, rather than disgust. Dwight was always associated with hatred and negativity, but because of this certain deference after he fought, Jack felt a certain connection to him as a father figure. He felt as though he finally impressed Dwight, and even felt loved because of Dwight’s respect towards him. This discloses that Dwight’s actions had significant influence over Jack, as he continued to engage in these violent fights, in order to demonstrate his m asculinity to  Dwight. Jacks violent nature is driven by his belief that he has to prove his masculinity to Dwight. This attests annoyance within the reader; as Jack claims he â€Å"defined myself in opposition to him†, he ironically shares the traits of Dwight, such as violence and his desire to be regarded as powerful and masculine. However, Dwight’s deference towards Jack after he fought contrastingly draws sympathy for Jack from the readers, as it reveals his desire to belong; his desire to be loved. Jack’s friendship with Arthur plays a significant role in the re-creation of his identity. Arthur was recognised as a â€Å"notorious sissy†, and because of this Jack worried of the social implications it would consequently have on him by being friends with Arthur. â€Å"To put myself in the clear I habitually mocked Arthur, always behind his back, imitating his speech and way of walking, even betraying his secrets†, demonstrates Jacks desperation to acquire acceptance fr om others, even if it meant denying a part of himself- a friendship- that actually made him happy at times â€Å"but I had withheld my friendship, because I was afraid of what it would cost me†. Jacks betrayal of Arthur imparts anger in the reader, as he attempts to impress people who are not his real friends. However his confused identity and lack of self-confidence justify his disloyal actions, particularly because of the circumstances he was faced with at such a young age. Parental neglect plays an important role throughout the memoir. This is first evident in the text when Jack says â€Å"after all, he was in Connecticut and we were in Utah†, signifying the substantial physical and emotional distance between his birth father and himself. Fathers play an important role in their child’s upbringing and development. Due to this lacking in Jacks life, the responsibilities of growing up prove to be difficult for him, evident through his confused identity and troublesome ways. Furthermore, Rosemary’s ex-husband Roy plays a significant role in shaping the way Jack thinks and reasons, particularly from such a young and susceptible age. â€Å"I thought Roy wa s what a man should be†, reveals Jack’s naivety at such a young age; as Roy, abusive and indignant, was in fact the complete opposite of â€Å"what a man should be†. Wolff is once again faced with a man, Dwight, who abuses him and sets a terrible example for him. His violent nature plays a major part in Jack’s development, which ultimately forms his identity. Dwight’s actions have such an influence that â€Å"Jack† writes about Dwight’s voice being ever-present in  his head and own voice, even as an adult; even as a father. â€Å"I hear his voice in my own when I speak to my children in anger†. The sympathy felt by the readers for Jack is inevitable, as his brutal childhood is left with him for the rest of his life. Although Jack makes it difficult for the reader to feel much affection towards him on some occasions, the abusive, neglectful and violent experiences he is confronted with at such a young and vulnerable age conveys a sense of understanding, which in turn rouse feelings of sympathy towards young Wolff. Jack lies constantly; whenever he is presented with the opportunity to. This frustrates the reader is some instances. Generally though, reasons for this are understandable, such as his confused identity due to the violent and emotionally unstable life he lives. The violent fights he associates himself with, and the betrayal of his â€Å"best-friend† Arthur, leave the readers in a position to question whether his motives can be justifiable. However, these fights and betrayal are a reflection of his desire to be accepted by others, and the masculine, powerful man Dwight’s expects him to be. The lack of a real father figure largely affects Jack and all aspects of his character, from his deceitful ways, to his violent involvement in fights. Because of this, compassion and sympathy prevails over the occasional frustration felt towards Jack by the readers. In supposition, Jack is a helpless child seeking a happy life; an identity he is truly happy with.