Calvinos Perspective on the World History

Admittedly, Calvino could choose any setting for a story of a personal rebel. However, his novel is not much of a personal rebel. It is rather a reflection of the history of humanity. Calvino’s choice is far from being accidental. The author chose one of the most significant periods in the history of humanity.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Calvino’s Perspective on the World History specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This period was marked by really great changes in societies and in people’s minds. Calvino makes his protagonist go up the tree to make him see the world clearly. Basically, Cosimo becomes a man of vision as he can alienate himself from various unimportant things to notice what is really essential. In fact, even the story of Cosimo’s family is a kind of reflection of the world history. The family had specific order. They lived their lives. However, one day â€Å"on the fif teenth of June, 1767† one member of the family decided to break the order (Calvino 3). He could not live the old life, and he chose his own way and he created his own state. The protagonist’s words are very suggestive: â€Å"In fact, all the causes of the French Revolution were present among us too† (Calvino 194). French people decided to change their lives in the end of the eighteenth century as well. Apart from particular parallelism, the author makes his protagonist understand many important things. Cosimo’s views on Napoleon’s wars, revolutions, new orders differ from opinions which ruled at that period of time. Cosimo can see everything more clearly. One of the most interesting ideas revealed in the novel is that â€Å"armies always loot, whatever the ideas they bring† (Calvino 212). Cosimo can see that in many cases all those great events had one vicious aim, i.e. some people wanted to become richer. Interestingly, the specific setting enables Calvino to express his viewpoints on various historical events, but at the same time to avoid preaching which is a characteristic feature of any historical novel where the author evaluates events on the basis of several centuries of human experience. Calvino’s evaluation is made by the participant of events who simply has a clearer vision. Works Cited Calvino, Italo. The Baron in the Trees. New York: Mariner Books, 1977. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This essay on Calvino’s Perspective on the World History was written and submitted by user Gravity to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Technology Comparison - Mac and PC essays

Technology Comparison - Mac and PC essays Although Windows has made tremendous strides with its latest versions, Macs are easier to use and their operating system is often described as more seamless and intuitive. While setting up a Mac will usually take less time, there are not nearly as many available devices that connect to Macs as there are for PCs and this will limit your options on a variety of levels. The peripherals designed for Macs are proprietary and cost more as a result. That is, hardware designed for a Mac cannot work with a PC. Software follows the same as hardware when it comes to the Mac. Software designed specifically for the Mac will not run on a PC or in the Windows environment. Cost is the most prevalent factor in the Mac vs. PC debate. The newest Mac costs considerably more than a comparable PC that will come with a host of software, bigger monitor, printer, modem, and multimedia system and better upgrade options. IBM, Compaq, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and any number of clone manufacturers provide more choi ce when buying a single PC and those manufacturers do it at prices that Apple cannot match, especially after Apple squelched the Mac clone market over the past few years. When purchased in bulk, however, the costs for PCs and Macs are relatively similar. As far as software is concerned, the PC has the Mac beat, hands down. Due to the domination of market share by the PC, software development is almost wholly targeted away from the Mac and it is being ignored more and more. Simply compare the number of PC software titles to the number of Mac titles in any computer store and you will see how the market is focused. Technical support is another area that can be used to compare the Mac and the PC. A wider variety of support is available for the PC because the need is greater for the PC, just by sheer number, than the support needed for Macs. Although Macs, Mac software and Mac networks tend to be more stable and need much less maintenance, the PC, PC software...

Comparisson of Film and aa Case of Racism Research Paper

Comparisson of Film and aa Case of Racism - Research Paper Example First, the plot of the film is discussed, which is necessary to develop a basic understanding of the backdrop of time and place of the story. This is followed by a discussion on the historical context of the film. Next, an analysis section has been incorporated to assess the effects of the film. Finally, the thesis concludes by justifying the opinion that the historical context of â€Å"The Color Purple† is related to settler racism. The Plot The film â€Å"The Color Purple† has been directed by Steven Spielberg. It is a film under the category of period drama. It is based on the famous novel having the same name written by Alice Walker. The background of the film is set in Georgia (Southern United States). The events of the story take place from 1880s to mid 1930s. The story is mainly centered on a black woman, Celie, who faces incest by her father in her own family. In an environment of isolation and poverty, she is deprived of education and does not know about her le gal rights. She constantly receives rude behavior and is beaten by her father. The same story continues even after she gets married to a widower, named Albert. For a short time, her sister Nettie comes to live with her and her husband. Nettie and Celie spend some good time together, but Nettie had to leave because of Albert’s sexual interest in her. Following several ups and downs, other black women like Shug and Sofia are also introduced in Celie’s life. These women give Celie confidence and help her to face the tortures of her husband. However, Celie develops homosexual relationships with Shug. Sofia, on the other hand, was victimized by circumstances and exploitation. She is beaten up, jailed, and tortured. The story advances through many other events, which exhibit the socio-economic situation of black people together with the plight of Celie. However, the film ends at the reunion of Celie and Nettie, and their children. Albert also changes from a harsh, abusive ma n to a kind and understanding person at the end of the film. Historical Context Prior to the Civil War of America, the black population in the country was subjected to direct slavery and they lived in sub-human conditions. In the middle of nineteenth century, Abraham Lincoln changed the situation significantly. However, political and constitutional changes took time to become socially effective in real sense and this was discernable in the 1880s too. The timeline covered in the film starts at this crucial point. Discrimination towards the black people, economic deprivation, and continued frustration might explain the intolerant and cruel attitude of the black males towards the women in the community at this stage. Socio-economic discrimination and deprivation might adversely affect the socio-sexual behavior of the black males, leading to incest, rape, and sexism. The fight for civil liberties had not begun at that time, and nobody like Martin Luther King had appeared in the scene. T he domestic violence faced by Celie, a black woman, is actually an internal manifestation of the settler racism faced by the black community itself. Notably, when black women faced torture and incest, their white neighbors did not come to rescue them. They did not arrange for economic parity and education †¦ neither for the black men nor the black women. The treatment

Rhetorical Analyses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Rhetorical Analyses - Essay Example many underage girls) and (pressured to be skinny), which are obviously derived from personal beliefs that she garners, as well as that of society’s on the whole. Featherstone eventually evaluates magazines such as Blue Jean, Teen Voices, Hues and Reluctant Hero that are certified to provide far more fruitful and substantial content. Featherstone seeks for the ‘realness’ in these magazines that play in the minds of young juvenile minds but does not find any, thus resorting to a bit sullen but far sophisticated magazines on the shelves. The author’s arguments clearly indicates her preferences for the teen girls’ reading materials through the provision of examples and citing relevant support from identified slogans, celebrities, and choice of feature articles that were believed to evoke the readers’ emotional response. Featherstone contends for a woman who has her own voice over that which is lent. Her liking toward magazines such as Blue Jean is reason enough to understand that she shoots over the voices of ‘women activists’ whom she considers to be quite a rage for the propaganda of these magazines. On reading further about TEEN VOICES she voices her concerns about the delicate nature of the age and the need for advice regarding ‘Teen Pregnancies’ and ‘body mutilations’ which are common occurrences in society. She pleas the nubile Teens to look further than ones external appearances; to climb out of their fashion closets and discover a more meaningful world. Her choice of vocabulary is pretty strong and goes from easy-to-read to difficult-to-comprehend-the-context, and has a rather defying logical order. This is definitely an appeal to ‘logos’, to derive the right emotion through channelizing the content into a definite lopsided argument. For example; a paragraph describing Blue Jean, for instance, begins with a logical description of the magazine which was confusing the reader on what really was the message about. Featherstone

Academic and Career Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academic and Career Goals - Essay Example I have a positive attitude towards my academic achievements and this is what I will use to help me attain my goal within the specified time frame. I will however need to adjust my schedule and dedicate more time to academic than before but I have hopes that my grad team will help me on that. My career goal is based on my academic goal and it is to become a successful RN with my own private practice to help people with terminal illnesses enjoy and be comfortable in their last years of life. The motivation to do this is extrinsic and comes from my family members some of whom have terminal illnesses but cannot get the comfort and joy needed to overcome the illnesses and enjoy their last years due to lack of proper private practices set out particularly for such a tasks. Seeing them receive only professional help where there is lack of love and social support is what drives me to want to achieve my set career goal and make a difference in the community of the people with terminal illnesses. The attitude I have which I will have acquired from experience as a LPN and academic achievement will help me sail through this tasking career goal smoothly. I believe I have no adjustments to make since I will have all I require to achieve my career goal once I complete my education. The above grad team is my key to achieving my academic goal and finally to having a successful career goal and hence close contact and mutual relationship is very necessary. My admissions representative will come in handy when the time comes to make transition to RN from LPN without having to wait for several months for the application to go through since I am on a time schedule to attain the goal. This will also not be successful if my academic counselor does not constantly advise me and keep me in check on my academic work, upping my grades and putting more effort not only in class but also during my

Micro Credit In Mauritius Social Work Essay

Micro Credit In Mauritius Social Work Essay Abstract In this study, the impact of micro-credit as a poverty alleviation strategy in Mauritius is analyzed. A close link is made between microcredit and empowerment of women through different chapters and how it helps to empower Mauritian women. Women are empowered when they are able to take decisions, have their own roles and responsibilities, are independent, educated and are ready to face discriminations which exists due to deep norms and values of society. Income is the main concept of this study because data collected have proved that microcredit helped to increase income generated through these women business. This study has raised many questions because it is observed that microcredit tend to empower economically but very less in social terms. Findings have showed that women situation have changed but not that far compared to other countries where microcredit is very popular. Still, microcredit has encouraged women be follow trainings and develop their skills, and promoted participa tion in activities of society mainly economic activities. On the other side microcredit is also a vicious circle of debts for women who face difficulties to repay their loans which shows how microcredit create impoverishment of women which very is far from reducing poverty. CHAPTER 1.0: INTRODUCTION Poverty is usually defined as the lack of opportunities, lack of education and skills, and also in terms of standard of living. Poverty in Mauritius is not similar like other countries, whether someone lives in urban or rural areas is not valid to categorize him as poor. Poor people in Mauritius (mainly women) are often denied access to resources, to opportunities, education and training for development of skills. This is often the main reason why these people cannot cope with changes occurring in our Mauritians society, in terms of social and economical transitions (IFAD). There is a real concern to alleviate poverty a ministry of social security and social welfare has even been set up to tackle this problem. It is clear cut that poverty is not just an economic problem but also a social problem affecting life of Mauritians. The government work closely with NGOs and other institution, a National action plan has even been set up to promote economic growth. This includes improving educational system, providing financial support for investment ad micro-enterprises and micro-finance institutions (IFAD 2011). 1.2 Micro credit in Mauritius Microcredit started in July 2001; it was a project by the IFAD to promote Mauritian women through microenterprises. The aim of this project was to provide financial facilities and support to needy women and promote income-generating activities. Micro-credit is known as the key tool to poverty alleviation (Grameen bank). Micro-credit scheme in Mauritius has brought progress and attracted women there are more than 3,500 women registered as entrepreneurs (Nwec 2010). They are even given financial facilities like Microcredit loans for their business. The Development Bank of Mauritius (DBM) and cooperative bank provides with loans at lower interest rates Trade fairs are organized to these women to expose their product and even Awards ceremony are organized every year to reward the best women entrepreneurs. The ministry of Gender Equality and child welfare set up micro credit programmes to target women in poverty. Together with other institution like NGOs and banks, which provide further contributions to assist needy women. In Mauritius, the National Women Entrepreneur Council is responsible for women entrepreneurs, providing trainings in their incubators found at Phoenix. Empowerment of women is very important for economic growth, that is why an empowerment programme has been set up in 2006 and the National empowerment Foundation (NEF) in 2008 to ensure the good purpose of the empowerment programme (NEF 2009). There are very few reports that 1.3 Problem statement It is a fact that micro-credit is very important to fight poverty and many studies have shown its positive impact in terms of standard of living, income, education, and health. However despite these strategies, poverty still remains (Mosley 2002). The main question is that has it really empowered women? By empowerment we mean women being emancipated, taking and participating in decision making access to employment and trainings. But statistics show a different result because women in the active economy represent only 43.7 % compared to men 75.5%, only 35.5 % of women in Mauritius work (CSO 2011). Microcredit was supposed to help in creating job opportunities for women, Statistics show that there is a population of 645 875 women, and the number of female-headed household in Mauritius and this wage gap which exist between men and women make them less economically active compared to men. Only 30% of women work in government services in Mauritius, it has been observed that 61% of women are unemployed and the rest that is 33% receive an income of Rs 4,000 compared to the 8% of men. Women income is around Rs 8,350 compared to men Rs 12,560, we are very far from reaching gender equality. How far has microcredit helped in poverty alleviation, are these strategies enough to combat poverty, how did it change or not image that society set on women and their role, responsibilities and economic activities are the questions this study will try to answer. Aim of study To assess the impact of micro-credit programme in poverty alleviation among women in Mauritius. Objectives of the study To evaluate the benefits of microcredit as poverty alleviation tool in Mauritius. To determine how microcredit promoted socio-economic development in Mauritius. To describe how micro-credit alleviate poverty through income-generated activities. To analyze how women empowerment through micro-credit helps to alleviate poverty in Mauritius. 1.4 Layout of study This study is organized as follows: Chapter 2 give deep explanations about main concepts used in this study and how they are linked. Another part of this chapter describes studies conducted on the impact of micro-credit on women and how it helps to alleviate poverty in other countries and how different authors view it, its effect on these countries and also problems they faced. Chapter 3 describes methods used to collect data for this study and why it is appropriate. Different parts of this chapter define the problems faced during data collection, how data will be analyzed and ethical considerations to be respected for this study. Chapter 4 provides an in-depth explanation of all findings during data collection and is followed by the discussion part where findings will be linked with other authors explanations from chapter 2.Chapter 5 is the conclusion, a summary of this study followed by recommendation which might help to bring better improvements to this field or encourage other research. CHAPTER 2.0: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter provides an in depth analysis of concepts used in this study and how different authors assessed microcredit effectiveness on women and poverty, how government and Ngos help to promote women. There are also various studies conducted across the world showing its impact on socio-economic development in many countries in contrast with Mauritius. 2.1 Concept of Poverty Poverty is defined in different terms and it is difficult to have an exact definition of it. The UN (United Nations) defines poverty as a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity (Langmore 2000: 37). It means lack willingness and opportunity to participate effectively in society. UN also relate poverty to lack of income to enable survival, social discriminations that the poor face, and by denial of opportunities, it means that they are denied to participate in decisions in society (UN, 1995: Para. 19). In the Beijing declaration it was mentioned how poverty is characterized: lack of participation in social and cultural life, this occurs in many developing countries forming pockets of poverty: regions where poor lives. A poor is not poor because of lack of participation in civil society but also due to economic problems such as recession which prevent people below the poverty line from having a decent life. Sen. (1981), who is a famous researcher on the subject of poverty, explains poverty as the lack of basic needs essential for survival and fails to participate in social and economic activities. Poverty can be categorized into two that is absolute poverty and relative poverty. Absolute poverty refers to a situation where an individual is unable to satisfy his basic needs that are food, shelter and clothing and health. Peter Townsend (1979) defines relative poverty as a situation where an individual standard of living is below the level that they are unable to enjoy normal way of life (Reporting poverty in the UK p 15). It is more about standard of living where there is an individual possess a big villa, new brand car, high income whereas another one is at medium level and can at least satisfy his basic needs and stay healthy. 2.2 Women and poverty More than 1.3 billion of people live in poverty in the world and most of them are located in developing countries like Asia and Africa (UNDP 1996). Women are the one who bear all the burden, they have to manage their household which means work and cater for their family at the same time which is not an easy task. A woman is described as a human being of female sex who can be distinguished through her gender roles and responsibilities in society (Wikimedia 2005). 70 % of women are poor and they mostly come from female-headed households (UNIFEM 2010). Poverty among women keep on increasing, that is why it was conceptualized as Feminization of poverty; an increase in female-headed household (Buduwski 2002). There are various reasons which explain why women, one because there are gender based values like gender roles (housewife/nest builder) which prevent women to emancipate, the increase of divorce increases female-headed families (GAP 2008). There are gender-based inequalities which re strict women to have access to resources and opportunities; which failed to empower them. There were more than 22 millions of unemployed women in the world in 2008 and in developing countries like African countries and south Asia women engaged in insecure jobs (UN 2009). Empirical studies conducted in Poland showed that there are more than 90% of women who are engaged in household work and also their paid, which is a real burden for them (Mandal 2008:163).In Mauritius, Women are more likely to face poverty than men; a report of the CSO showed that 8.9% of women compared to 8.1% of men live in relative poverty in 2009. There is a gap in income between male and female employee only Rs 7,100 for female and Rs 12, 330 for male (ESI 2010:11). 2.3 women and Poverty alleviation Poverty alleviation is based on different strategies to reduce poverty at individual, group and community level. These strategies include education facilities to promote socio-economic development and break down barriers leading to disparities in our society (Barder 2009). Greenberg (2005) defines poverty alleviation as set of strategies to reduce the impacts of poverty on vulnerable groups. In 2000, the millennium development goals were set up to reduce poverty (UN 2000). It was followed by a guideline for poverty alleviation to better help organizations over the world to achieve this objective (DAC 2001). To alleviate poverty barriers which restrict access and participation in society have to be removed (UNDP 2011). These barriers include; problem of unemployment, promoting human capital through educational facilities, trainings for development of skills, health facilities, support to family in difficulty through social benefits, promoting access to services through financial support and building up of self help groups to create solidarity and policies to reduce discrimination and inequalities towards the poor (Headey 2006). 2.4 Poverty alleviation among women through empowerment During the Women conference of the United Nations, it has been declared that to have stability in terms of social, economic, politic, culture and environment, achieving gender equality and empowerment is the essential keys (UN 2009). Empowerment refers to creating opportunities so that individual can develop their capacities in terms of skills and knowledge to face social prejudices in society (Waterhouse 2003). It is the 3rd goal of the Millennium Development Goals which aim to reduce poverty till 2015. Empowerment takes place through decision making, building up of self-esteem in women, improving their status in society and at home (Cheston and Khun 2002). Kabeer (2003) focus on empowerment as being able to make own choices and taking decision to achieve goals. A report from Unifem declares that to achieve women empowerment, access to all basic resources is important (Unifem 2008). Women do not only face money problems but also social ones through exclusion education, politics, and the world of work. Empowerment of women is very important to promote their participation in economic activities of society (Eyben 2008). Women are the ones who are most engaged in work and produce more but yet they only 10% of the income (Clinton 2009). Women tend to invest more even at home, a study done in Brazil showed that all household where women were in control improve the chances of survival of their children by 20% (OECD 2010). Why is empowerment important? It is because women are the one who are less educated, denied access to resources, support (financial), education and are mostly vulnerable in society, they are discriminated and exploited both at work and at home (Mayoux 2009). To achieve empowerment there are intervention from both government and Ngos working together to reduce poverty and promote women. In Mauritius, the NEF has been set up to promote empowerment of women through 2.5 Women and microcredit Micro-credit is too wide which makes it difficult to define (Oikocredit 2011). It is generally define as small loans granted to people from poor background to help them improve their income (income generating activities) and way of life (Grameen bank 2011). In the 1800s, Lysander Spooner found out that providing credit facilities to small famers was very successful that where came the new term micro-credit today, poor population have accessed to loans and payment facilities. In 1976, Muhammad Yanus (winner of the Nobel Prize in 2006) created micro-credit facilities in the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. At first it was only meant to assess the facilities which can be provided to the poor but later proved to be a key tool to reduce poverty. This was followed by the United Nations declaring the year 2005 as the international year of Micro-credit with five main goals among which were to promote contribution of micro-credit facilities and enable accessibility to these facilities (UN 2005). Micro-credit has been proved to promote social development and a tool to struggle against poverty in both developed and developing countries (Da Silva et al. 2007). MFI reports showed that 70 % of women are beneficiaries of micro-credit loans, this give an overview of women vulnerability and how they consider micro-credit loans as a way to get out of poverty. One main question is raised: Why women? Evidence have showed that women are the ones who are less paid and work in secondary sectors where they are at risk and do not have benefits compared to men in society (ILO 2008). Women face too many inequalities such as unemployment and discriminations based on gender, it has to be noted that Mauritius gender statistics showed that we are ranked 63rd  out of 146 countries on the Gender Inequality Index of the UN (CSO 2011). That is why micro-credit scheme has been introduced to promote access to resources such as land and infrastructure and also access to credit facilities. Besides Micro-credit programme also include training of women so that become independent and confident in their business (CIDA 1995). Micro-credit help women to improve their income household and build a safety-net which secure them and reduce their vulnerability to fall into traps of poverty., they become more mature to deal with issues of their business and make their o wn decision and choices (Mends 2000). Through entrepreneurship, Women have the opportunity to overcome cultural norms which trap them into their housewife role. (Swain and Wallentin 2007). 2.6 Empowerment of women through microcredit Many authors find a link between credit and empowerment. Cornwall and Edward (2010) consider empowerment as crucial to overcome economic and social dilemmas in society. Micro-credit is a system which gives access to finance through loans and savings for entrepreneurships. Studies have shown that micro-credit has been useful to the poor household due to low cost (Miller, Morhnee, Stephens and Tazi 2006). It is a fact that micro-credit programme improved women situation (economic, social, political, cultural) and also in terms of education (trainings) allowing them to develop their skills (Johnson Rogaky 1997).Empowerment has two dimension one in terms of household, women tend be at home doing housework and taking care of their family. With micro-credit programme they work and earn their own money which improves their status and their role at home compared to their previous role. They feel in a better position to apply their own decision (Osmani 2007). There were extensive debates about women and poverty and the impact of micro credit as a poverty alleviation tool. Many literatures have referred to the micro-credit scheme as the best alternative to reduce poverty and to empower women (Bernasek, 2003, Bhatt 2001, Khand Ker el al 1998, Leach and Sitaram, 2002). An assessment on the role of micro-credit schemes conducted through a survey in the South Asia together with Ngos showed that these schemes have improved economic status of women in society through education and training to acquire professional skills in entrepreneurship so that they become self-efficient and this has improve their social status in their household and improved awareness (Hashemi, Schuler and Riley 1996). Micro-credit programmes include Income-generating strategies, increasing awareness and empowering women. This help to socio-economic development of the country through education, participation in decision making, improving quality of health, sanitation and nutrition but most important of all to alleviate poverty through food security, income, improving literacy rates among women, thus leading to social inclusion of women in social, economic and political activities (Bernasek and al. 2003). Halkias, Nwajiuba, Harkiolakis, Caracatsanis (2011) study targeting the Challenges facing women entrepreneurs in Nigeria with a sample of 62 females entrepreneurs a self-administered survey showed that women showed more devotion and effort for their entrepreneurship compared to male entrepreneurs. Another result was that female entrepreneurs can professionally control their entrepreneurship and maintain their household effectively. Micro-credit had also an impact on savings made each month to improve standard of living of their families (Siringi 2011). Kabeer (1998) found out that micro-credit is an opportunity for women to bring their own contribution in terms of money. Policies should target more social and educational spheres to encourage women in the combat to alleviate poverty. Besides (Rogers and Youssef, 1988; Consultative Group to Assist the Poor CGAP, 2004: 6) findings showed that a rise in women income has positive influence on education, and health of children in the hous ehold. A study conducted in Nepal showed that more than 68% which represent more than 89 000 women over 130 000 who were involve in empowerment programme and experienced a change in their role at home and towards their own community, they have become someone who is respected for efforts and sacrifice don to reach this target of women with confidence and esteem (Ashe and Parrot 2001). Micro-credit has open new avenues for women in terms of education and development of skills. Having access to credit is more secure for women and they are able to take care of their family. Reports have shown that women are the one who spend more for the welfare of their family; in-depth interviews conducted in Rwanda with women benefiting from micro-credit scheme have shown that more than 54% of them are now able to manage on their own in their business without men (URWEGO 1994). It also helps to build up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Self-confidence is part of the aims of empowerment of women. It is the based to change women perception on various patriarchal aspects that exist in society and this also enable them to develop skills for the success of micro-credit. Micro-credit is a programme which train women to become professional business women and to be able to control their own business. Microcredit programme have empowered women leading to a change women role, status and relationship at home and in society. In-depth interviews conducted in Rwanda showed that there was an increase of 69 % in self-confidence and self-esteem of women (Ashe Parrot 1994). Studies conducted by Gobezie (2007) showed that more than 54% of women (micro-entrepreneurs) feel more at ease to deal with decisions both at home and their enterprise with the increase in self-esteem and self-confidence. 2.7 Government contribution The government plays an important role in promoting welfare through programmes and policies to better address the problem of poverty and promote equity (Cawthorne 2008). Funds from taxation help for development of the country and the government establishes a framework to know how to use funds efficiently (Serpa 2008). There is a belief that government intervention in micro-credit to give access to credit facilities only. But reality is that it acts as facilitator which provides access to service to the poor without ceilings. Another question usually asked is how micro-credit helps the poor? It increases income of poor household and improve patterns of consumption. When the needy people have access to credit, it helps them to maintain basic standard of living and have cash for emergencies. The government has an aim to promote welfare of citizens mostly needy ones; through micro-credit policies to better target and assist them but also programmes, which create opportunities to poor peo ple to develop skills and gain experience in entrepreneurship and learn how to manage their business. Several reports have shown positive impacts of micro-credit on women but there is big dilemma, political influences which exist and result to abuses, giving privileges to others and drainage of funds to be allocated to micro-entrepreneurs (CGAP 2002). Such influences affect good running and success of these programmes. Similarly to others countries like Bangladesh where the government work together with banks like BRAAC, in Mauritius there is the DBM which provide micro credit loans to people which also aim at socio-economic development and empowerment of women but through financial facilities. Micro-entrepreneurs (women) benefit from loan facility of Rs 150 000 with a period of five years for repayment, only women willing to create a small enterprise. These women are registered at the NWEC where they follow trainings to become independent wage earners (Nwec 2010). 2.9 Constrains of Micro-credit Micro credit was supposed to play a vital role in reduction of poverty but it also has its dark side. This strategy is seen as being too simple to reduce the problem of poverty (Endeley and Thompson 2005). Explanations provided to justify the failure of Micro-credit programme is that it failed to target real needy groups, it can observed that non-poor are taking most advantages of this programme and poor are becoming poorer, criteria of selection are not appropriate and this causes abuses (Copestake, Morduch, Dugger 2004). For Duvenduck (2011), until now there have not been valid evidence which prove that microcredit positively affect women. Abuses are not only from rich people but also from male in households where women benefit from micro-credit schemes. They are aware of their wives eligibility to access micro-credit loans and use them for their own business having nothing to do with women entrepreneurship (Goetz and Gupta 1995). This raises the question of gender equality which e xists in society and men always getting involved in female activities. Furthermore, the main purpose of micro- finance was supposed to provide credit a facility in terms of loan to the marginalized group to help them to generate income for their own business, the state has failed in its mission. (Swain et al 2008:193). It has rather created a vicious cycle of indebtness among women; they get trapped and become dependent on the state and banks. The problem is that they often failed to have the level of profit expected and have to work double to save for loan repayment (Copestake 2001). A report published by business week (2005:4) showed that interest rates are higher and failure to repay loans means closure of their business and huge debts to clear. It can be seen that intervention and contribution of private and public sectors are thin. There is a lack of continuous assistance to women entrepreneurs which makes the safety net very vulnerable as any mismanagement and low profitability can put the business at risk (Neff 1996). All these shortcomings of micro-credit have raised a question; is micro-credit really a tool to reduce poverty? Findings from different surveys showed that it really reduced poverty in the world but to some extent. Kandler (2005) found out that 31 % of women participating in micro-credit programs have been out of their abject poverty in Bangladesh. Another fact of micro-credit success is the increase and improvement of consumption patterns of poor people together with the increase in income this has lead to economic development. Kah (2005) reject the positive results of micro-credit in the developing countries. After a study in different countries with different methods like interviews, surveys and ethnogra phic surveys, Kay found out that it is a too optimistic assumption to classify micro-credit as a tool to alleviate poverty. Micro-credit programmes also have short-comings which tend to be ignored. Antaitwe (2006) claimed that there programmes have failed to meet their aims and objectives. The reason provided was that the fact that people who deserve this service and assistance were excluded from these programmes (Hulme 2003). Another short-coming of micro-credit is whether these programmes are accessible to extremely poor people. Reports from the United Nations (UN) showed that these programmes are inaccessible to extremely poor because of high interest rates and lack of infrastructures and structural patterns to better assist needy people so that they develop their skills and become efficient in society. Peredo and Chrisman (2006) focus on the fact that network should be created to enable better sharing and also facilities in terms of resources and management of enterprises including cost of resources, methods of distribution after production and how to value their products. Pollin (2007) consider microcredit as undervaluing entrepreneurship because it has rather encourage short-term income activities. Entrepreneurship is more based on investment of profit (Harper 2007), however micro-enterprises profit are used for personal matters like luxuries, education, health and other emergencies rather than for development of the country. The main problem with micro-credit shemes is that they deal with economic problems than social ones. It is clear that poverty is the socio-economic problem for most of the world. The male dominance which exists in the most societies acts like a barrier for women success. Men have control over everything in society, even incomes earned by their wife in their enterprise are used for other purposes and women barely have access to it (Omorodion 2007). All these deep-rooted perception, values and customs prevent women to protest because they fear to be harassed, beated up, humiliated by their husband. To some extent micro-credit create tensions in households in most developing countries. For example Mauritius is a country where men power prevails both at work and home. Men refuse to accept women emancipation and recognize their capacities which are very essential for the success of micro-credit programmes (World Bank 2006). This might explain the high rate of domestic violence which was 3 9% in Mauritius in 2011 (ESI 2011). It seems that micro-credit programmes have been introduced only to increase economic activity and supply of labor through job creations (Pitt and Khandler 1998). Micro-credit programmes were supposed to increase income of poor households but it failed because most of the money saved goes in loan repayment and in case of emergencies access to money become a big issue (Brett 2006). The fact that women have low status and are seen as weak ,ignorant and low skilled in society they tend to take loans to move further on the social ladder of society (Lucas 2001). They are trapped to being dependent on their husband and even more when they fail to repay their loan. This ideological image of women responsibility being at home to bring balance is a barrier to success, and though the effort to achieve gender equality in society it has failed. All government strategies for integration of women in society have failed and have provoked misconceptions about women failure in micro-credit programmes and confirming stereotype on women weakness and incapacity (Nesbitt 2006). Too little concerns are attached to empowerment of women (Bellman 2010), it is not only based on increasing their income and developing skills but it is based on changing deep perceptions. It is very difficult to change perceptions people make on women (Swain and Wallentin 2007:25). 2.8 Summary of literature review Through the previous paragraphs, in-depth explanations about the impacts of micro-credit have been given by different authors. It seems that micro-credit programmes have been very efficient in terms of income-generating, development of professional skill to manage own business, emancipation of women in the World. Women have been empowered by these programmes through increase of confidence and assertiveness and independency. The importance of empowerment to alleviate poverty is pointed by many authors; micro-credit increases their awareness and make women more efficient in society. It has brought changes in family income and standard of living and a change in roles that women become entrepreneurs this imply devoting time to both their business and their family which is very hard and often end into conflicts. The government and Ngos also play an important role to promote development and emancipation of women together with policies to protect and respect their rights and programmes to m ake them successful women in the future. Despite all positive impacts of micro-credit on women, there are also short-comings. Micro-credit encourage women to take loan to build their own business and are also trained for it but there is not enough assistance for mentors to make sure these women are on the right track and to counsel them in case of problem to tackle within their business. The problem is when these businesses are unable to make enough profit to repay their loan, there went to deficit and loses their business, all their efforts, time and sacrifices made to achieves this. This result to women becoming dependent on their husband again and men control them again which means empow

Gender and Sexual Insensitivity Essay -- Gender Inequality Essays

Gender inequality refers to unfair or unequal treatment of people based on their femininity or masculinity. This is often in reference to roles that society has stipulated by default for each gender type. Sexual inequality refers to bias treatment of people based on their male or female sexual traits. Awareness and sensitivity to gender and sexual inequity are vital in the functioning of a society; every society member ought to have equal status, voice and opportunities irrespective of their gender. In every day-to-day activity, gender and sexual insensitivity exhibits in peoples’ speech, behavior and delegation of duties. Insensitivity is often unintentional, thus the need to create awareness among people on what is insensitive and be enthusiastic to begin the change that society needs to be able to give equal chances to all its members and give them a sense of belonging despite their gender (Jackson, 1998). Recently, I received an e-mail from my friend regarding his opinion on Valentine’s Day. In this email message, my friend, Rob presented women in a negative way by using derogatory language and casting aspersions. Rob claimed that women were the cause of men’s sorrow and global warming (Personal communication, February 13, 2014). Upon further reading, I realized Rob insinuated that Valentine’s Day was a creation of women and that the intention was to coerce men into buying presents. His assertion was that women were opportunistic, materialistic and always plotting to get something out of men. I found this demeaning as the generalizations and stereotyping presented in the email were offensive. He also used the word ladies, which he spelt in capital letters, which I felt offensive and unwarranted. A further an... ...ley: University of California Press Vance, C. M., Ensher, E. A., Hendricks, F. M., & Harris, C. (2004). Gender-based vicarious sensitivity to disempowering behavior in organizations: Exploring an expanded concept of hostile working environment. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 16(3), 135-147. Weisstein, N. (1993). Psychology constructs the female; or, The fantasy life of the male psychologist (with some attention to the fantasies of his friends, the male biologist and the male anthropologist). Feminism & Psychology, 3(2), 195-210. Withington, R. (1937). â€Å"Lady,† â€Å"woman,† and â€Å"person.† American Speech, 12(2), 117–121. Young, A. M., Vance, C. M., & Harris, C. (2007). Moving beyond gender to discover differences in sensitivity to disempowering acts: An examination of the role of social context. Group & Organization Management, 32(5), 598-620.

ESL and Koreans Essay

The goal of every language course is the individual student progress in terms of writing proficiency, reading and speech (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 73). This is done by constant feedback and encouragement from the teachers and the dedication of the students under the English as a Second Language (ESL) program Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 73). Developing the ability to grow independently with the support of the group exists in an environment of support and encouragement from within the group (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 73). There is a basic procedure teachers must use to be able to attain the best possible performance from their ESL students. There are also different tools that are available that could enhance the learning process. Technology and computers as well as pop culture have been trends that teachers use to reach out and connect with the ESL students. Korean students are actually well-educated and have the basic background when it comes to the English language. Theoretically, they are well-equipped. They are very academically inclined. The important thing that would be developed would be the application process of learning English as their second language. In Korea, they are used to speaking only in their native language. They do not speak in English to converse with other people. They only learn in their English classes. The need for ESL lessons when they are in other countries, like in Australia, is because they do not know how to put into practice the theoretical concepts they have of English. Teaching ESL Process A syllabus must be developed that included the principles and procedures needed to teach a small ESL class (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 88). The day-to-day planning of activities for the teachers should encompass the design of the curricula and the general principles that would be considered in constructing the syllabus (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 88). The goals should be translated into objectives and the syllabus would be the framework for the classroom instruction. Goals are the general statement of the curriculum’s purpose while the objectives actually reflect the particular knowledge and skills that the students would develop by the end of the course (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 88). The objectives that are set for the students must be precise and should focus on essential characteristics like performance, condition as well as criteria (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 88). For example, the instructional objectives are stated like â€Å"by the end of the course, the students would be aware of their writing style and identify where they need to be improved in† (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 89). The specific nature of such statements lie on the fact that these characteristics are observable (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 89). When instructional objectives are clearly stated the teachers would have an easier time when it comes to planning individual class periods (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 97). A way of putting it is like this: â€Å"Compose descriptive, narrative, and expository paragraphs† and in order to achieve this, the students must â€Å"compose a 250-word paragraph about one’s experiences in the country (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 97) A lesson plan can actually take different forms that depended on the time frame, the personal style and experience of the individual teacher (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 97). Despite the variety of formats a lesson plan may be, the important thing is for it to provide for a script for presenting materials in interacting with the students and the actual instruction for the activities in the ESL program (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 97). It can also serve as the link that connects the curriculum goals of the teachers with the students as well as the step-by-step chronology of the classroom activities (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 98). Lesson plans are practical and dynamic tools for meeting the student needs and achieving the instruction objectives (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 98). The important thing to see is the flexibility of the lesson plan. ESL classes are more customized and mapping out the complete instruction for the class can be futile since the teacher needs to get to know the students first to make the program adaptable (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 98). Knowing the Students To design a syllabus for a specific class, the teacher would have to assess the student’s needs first. This is so the teacher is enabled to identify and validate the needs so that priorities may be established. Factors like diverse background features, different skills, schemata and expectations from ESL students are important factors when it comes to planning the lesson for the students (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 73). It is very important to know what the prior educational experience of the Korean students has (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 77). The teacher must know if the Korean students had prior experience in studying with foreign schools or if it was the first time they have studied in school that speaks English as a native language. International students may find contrasting training instructions from the previous language training programs they have undergone (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 78). Information about the students’ educational history is valuable for the teacher. Aside from such educational background, teachers must also consider the current language proficiency and literacy (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 79). This can assess what areas they need to focus on and what areas they just need to review on. The immigration status of the students should also be considered as the international students generally intend to return to their own countries after they have completed their studies in Australia (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 80). This tells how much of the primary language environments they have been exposed to as well as how exposed they are to English because of staying in the country long enough (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 80). There is also such a thing as learner preferences, strategies and styles. The learner’s disposition towards classroom instruction and independent learning must be considered as it can be a determining factor as to brining out the best performance from the students (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 84). Language Needs The educational programs need to cover and address what the students bring with them (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). There is a need for teachers to carry on what the students have instead of focusing on what they lack (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). The key is banking on the students own experiences that involves their language and their culture and mix that with the new principle and concepts offered in the present class (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). This is because the teacher is merely connecting the constructs from the past experiences and stimulates the learning to make them comfortable with the new environment they are in (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Second language learning is a difficult process because learning the first language had been a process that has been done since the first day of the child. It is quite harder to acquire a second language because of the difference of the language and the culture from what the person has already been used to (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). There is often much reservation when it comes to having to begin to learn language skills. It is very important to consider how the students may feel inferior because of such circumstance. Fluency, then, does not end inside the classroom. It must be developed even after the class and do so in basic conversations. Errors may actually indicate progress. They can be replaced with the appropriate forms even without teacher intervention when done in an informal atmosphere (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Unit Plan Free Conversation A quarter of the time, in the first part, middle, or the end, should be devoted to free-flowing conversation. Conversation versus classroom instruction can build relationship between students and teachers that would enable them to work together trustingly and more efficiently throughout the course. Actual body languages, facial expressions, gestures, intonation, and other things serve as cues that help the student in understanding the context of speaking in English (Drucker 2003, p. 22). Academic English can actually provide less contextual cues (Drucker 2003, p. 22). Conversation builds relationships between the students and the teachers. Once the conversation gets going, they get to find out each other’s interests and preferences (Drucker 2003, p. 22). Especially in the beginning of the course when the Koreans would feel reserved and inferior to have to learn a second language, it is important to gain their trust and their confidence for them to be able to perform well in whatever activity the curriculum may require. When the teacher is able to get the trust of the students, they are then made more comfortable to open up and use the English language to converse. This also makes them more open to commit errors and be open to the corrections of the teachers. Teachers can actually start by just conversing about their lives as individuals. Some teachers relate to male students who enjoy video games by translating and analyzing the words in the context of the games they are both familiar with. If the students love music, it can be in terms of the lyrics of their favorite songs. The teachers can provide the context for the student when they begin reading a specific text and challenge them by talking with them about it (Drucker 2003, p. 22). The teachers can start by relating selected reading passages that would be discussed with something that is relevant to the students in terms of their interests and skills (Drucker 2003, p. 22). Part of getting students to converse with each other is posing a question about the text or about a specific topic that would engage the students to provide their opinions about the topic in the English languages (Drucker 2003, p. 22). The teachers can also direct the students into discussing and looking for particular information and analyzing it. Another way of starting conversation is banking on pop culture. It has been known to provide for a rich and powerful classroom resource to show relevance between the students and the teachers (Duff 2002, p. 482). This makes the discussion more interesting, relevant and appealing to the students especially despite the language barrier and coping mechanism the students have in using the English language (Duff 2002, p. 482). This also builds the rapport between the teachers and the students. Discussion about current events can help the students’ voice out their opinions, only they are using the English language (Duff 2002, p. 482). Despite the fact that the teachers and the students may not share the same socio-cultural and psycholinguistic repertoires, practices and abilities and need assistance from others, this can be a standpoint wherein they can connect with their students and help them be more vocal (Duff 2002, p. 482). However, teachers must be aware that some of their students are not familiar with other pop culture icons because of the difference of their backgrounds. This can confuse them more. However, it is also useful to introduce such icons for them to gain the confidence in speaking the language, knowing that they are now more aware of Western icons (Duff 2002, p. 482). Elements of Instructional Conversation The theme is very important to serve as the focal point for the discussion (Williams 2001, p. 750). This can be viewed as the general plan as to how the conversation within the class would take place. There is a need to use the background or the relevant schemata of the student by activation or by providing background knowledge that is necessary to form a connection between the students and the teachers (Williams 2001, p. 750). Such knowledge is interwoven into the discussion. When necessary, the teacher provides the actual conventional teaching of the lesson to the students, as much as possible this is not applied too much to avoid disconnection and boredom (Williams 2001, p. 750). The teacher also promotes for the students to use more complex language and expression (Williams 2001, p. 750). They encourage them to elaborate on their answers in the discussion by elicitation techniques to would invite them to explain further like asking them to tell more about what they have said or to ask what they meant by it. It is also effective to have them restate their phrases saying â€Å"in other words† and phrases like that (Williams 2001, p. 750). Other elicitation techniques include the promotion of the use of different texts, pictures and reasoning to support the arguments made by the students without overwhelming them the teacher may gently probe for the student’s sentiments by saying â€Å"what made you say that †orâ€Å" how you came to that conclusion (Williams 2001, p. 750)? † It is also important to assure the students that there are more than once correct answers (Williams 2001, p. 750). This would encourage the students to try and try to provide more answers and not be pressured to provide the correct one. The teacher while being focused on the flow of discussion and maintaining the coherence of the discussion to the lesson as well as keeping track of the time, the teacher must also be responsive to the statements of the students and to watch out for the opportunities they provide. There must be discussion that has â€Å"multiple, interactive, connected turns; succeeding utterances build upon and extend previous ones† (Williams 2001, p. 750). Students must remain challenged so as not to feel like they are limited as well as not feel threatened by the teachers (Williams 2001, p. 750). The atmosphere must remain balanced and effective for improvement (Williams 2001, p. 750). The teacher must act as a collaborator rather than an evaluator (Williams 2001, p. 750). The atmosphere the teacher creates allows the students to negotiate and construct their own sentences as well as be subjected to training as well (Williams 2001, p. 750). There must be general participation amongst the students. The size of the class must be carefully considered in terms of the level of proficiency and skills of the students (Williams 2001, p. 750). By doing this, the students can each have their chance to participate in class and be trained to speak out statements in English. Students must be encouraged to volunteer to speak out (Williams 2001, p. 750). Those who are more reserved must be the ones the teacher would call upon. The important thing is for everyone to have their own turn to speak up (Williams 2001, p. 750). Correction and Interaction Students in the early stages of acquisition must be expected to commit errors in communication (Williams 2001, p. 750). The teachers must be sensitive enough to correct in a gentle fashion as Koreans may feel threatened by harsh criticisms from the highly academic backgrounds they have in Korea. This must be considered more so when it comes to vocabulary. The teachers would not want to the students to have negative experiences with learning English that they would be afraid to try the next time. This can discourage the students from attempting to use the second language and can hinder their efforts from developing (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Rather than correction, modeling the correct form would be more efficient for the students (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Language can develop when placed in a variety of setting that promotes informal talk and interaction (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). When there is talking and listening involved, activities involving reading and writing can actually help the learners develop a higher facility for the language and have control over social interaction (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Literacy is part of language; it goes along the lines of reading and writing (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). The language learners must have the competence for oral language and learn the language as it is needed for new functions (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). The role of the teachers it to teacher the learners to use the resources they need for the new language. The best performance for ESL students in classrooms comes when they are able to speak and listen as part of the integral â€Å"process of negotiating knowledge, exchanging personal experiences and thoughts, and the development of language and literacy abilities (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). † This comes from a demonstration of cultural diversity and a provision for equal opportunities for the students in the ESL classrooms (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Proper implementation would fall upon the supportive nature of the school staff and the recognition of diversity as â€Å"an asset and not a handicap† (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Games Most of the time teachers start every day’s session with a three to five minute game to get the lesson started. They are not merely icebreakers; they also tie into the lesson for the day. Aside from conversational way of training the students, the teachers find using games as effective ways to train the Korean students excel in English. The level of difficulty language learning has on the students are so high that the teachers wanted to provide easier methods for them by using games (Wright 1984, p. 1). Games actually help the students and encourage them to participate as well as sustain their interest (Wright 1984, p. 1). They help create contexts that are much more meaningful for the students that make them want to take part in the lesson (Wright 1984, p. 1). Games make way for students to practice their language skills and to practice different types of communication in a lighter environment (Ersoz 2000). This provides an effort to lessen the difficulty of language learning for the students (Ersoz 2000). It gives the students a chance to take a break from the conventional lessons and provide high motivation at the same time challenge and amuse the students (Ersoz 2000). It deviates from the principle that learning has to be serious and solemn (Kim 1995, p. 35). Games are used to practice the skills of speaking, writing, listening, and reading (Kim 1995, p. 35). At the same time, they can use games for vocabulary presentation and revision (Uberman 1998, p. 20). Some scholars even say that games should be treated as a central instead of merely a peripheral to teaching foreign language to students (Uberman 1998, p. 20). They give the students new experiences with the foreign languages that could not have been easily calculated by conventional learning (Uberman 1998, p. 20). Games actually promote fluency with the students because of constant and pressure-free use (Uberman 1998, p. 20). Ideal games are those that involve pictures. The students are made to pronounce the nouns that are in the pictures. They are then asked to describe the pictures using adjectives in forms of sentences and nor merely phrases. Whoever gets to describe the picture more wins the game. There are also games that would encourage the students to complete each other’s stories by taking turns in giving sentences. They take turns in filling in what can happen next in the story and the students would have to do it fast otherwise they would loose the game. This enables them to be creative as well as explore more vocabulary to be developed in the students. Lessons Sentence, Phrase and Text Construction. The sentence structure for the English language is very easy because of the rigid word order (Hinkel 2004, p. 65). Sometimes, it’s only a matter of proper translation that comes from understanding the rules of English sentence construction. Koreans usually directly translate their sentences to English that becomes their pitfall when it comes to the English grammar. Their sentence construction is different from English construction and that is where they need to be trained so that it can be adjusted. Although there are different kinds of structure that can be possible for the English sentences, there is still a pattern that can be easily identified and mastered through practice (Hinkel 2004, p. 65). For instance, when it comes to prepositional phrases, it cannot perform what a subject can do (Hinkel 2004, p. 65). Only noun phrases can act as a subject and a verb must be present in sentences for it to be grammatically correct (Hinkel 2004, p. 65). Generally, the English sentence can be broken down to see how they are ordered and sequenced in slots found in a sentence. There are certain basic principles that the learner must learn in order to fully understand sentence construction. The first principle would be the sentence units cannot be isolated from one another. They are in relationship with the other elements of the sentence even though they serve different functions and are labeled as different units (Hinkel 2004, p. 66). In most sentences, the subject goes before the verb. The context of the sentence elements determines the variation of the elements under the second principle (Hinkel 2004, p. 66). This is where we see that singular nouns use singular verbs. Although the sentence structures are dynamic they still follow predictable patterns that can easily be explained to the students (Hinkel 2004, p. 66). There are the subjects and object slots that can only be filled by words or phrases that are under the class of nouns or pronouns like proper and common nouns (e. g. Nancy, house or Australia); abstract and concrete nouns (e. g. love, book); gerunds (e. g. dancing, walking); compound phrases (e. g. corn soup, coffee table); pronouns (e. g. I, you, they); or sets of parallel nouns (e. g. shirts, shoes, and bags) (Hinkel 2004, p. 67). This is the basic core structure of a sentence, when this is mastered, the teachers can go into more complicated structures that are basically adhering to the same order of element (Hinkel 2004, p. 67). According to the third principle, the sentence states how the sentence elements are arranged and it is according to a hierarchy of importance for the sentence to be grammatical (Hinkel 2004, p. 68). The most important elements for a sentence would be the subject and the verb. Elements like the adverbs and prepositional phrases are more mobile and can appear in other locations (Hinkel 2004, p 68). To simplify the identification of core elements it is very helpful to identify the â€Å"subject, predicate verb phrase, and importance of subject-verb agreement† (Hinkel 2004, p. 69). The organization of the sentences accounts for the fluidity of the sentence construction and itself stylistic variation (Hinkel 2004, p. 69). Sentence Elements. The teachers must also run through the parts of the sentence. Even though, most Koreans have a strong background in the theories and rules involved in Basic English grammar, it is different when it is presented and emphasized in ESL classes. It is also helpful to present them in tables and other visual presentations in these manners: S – V Time Place Manner Reson (He eats/He ate†¦ ) (When) (Where) (How) (Why) Adverbs yesterday there quickly last night here sloppily Prepositional at 7:00 in the house with a fork For fun Phrase Adverbial Clause when he wherever he can as a good because he’s finishes work boy should hungry Other to get fat (infinitive) Table 1 Sentence Elements (ESLgold. com 2007). S – V Duration Frequency Contrast Condition (He works/worked/ (How long) (How often) (To show a (Under what has worked†¦ ) difference) conditions) Adverb forever sometimes anyway always Prepositional for two hours on Thursdays despite his for pay only Phrase illness Adverbial Clause as long as whenever he although he if he feels good he can has time doesn’t get paid Table 2 Sentence Elements (ESLgold. com 2007). Practical Techniques for Reading and Grammar Depending on the capability of the students, there must be essential elements that can design a flexible curriculum depending the reading and grammar proficiency of the students (Hinkel 2004, p. 33). Most lessons focus on sentence and phrase structure, nouns, pronouns, verbs, verb tenses, vocabulary and spelling. Activities must be created to develop the learners’ conversational fluency (Hinkel 2004, p. 34). Teachers must always check the level of reading comprehension of the students (Williams 2001, p. 750). The teachers must approach this with caution as sometimes the students can decode a text but can understand little from what he or she has read (Williams 2001, p. 750). Decoding is different from comprehension. The teacher should not always assume that the student can understand what goes on in the classroom conversations (Williams 2001, p. 750). The teacher must always test to see if the students are catching up, some may be getting what the flow of conversation may be but others are not. The teachers should have reading time wherein the students can actually hear how the words are pronounced and in what intonations sentence structures call for (Williams 2001, p. 750). This actually supports language development, therefore goes on to be literacy development (Williams 2001, p. 750). When it comes to introducing a reading text, the teachers must first start with discussing the importance when establishing a new topic (Hinkel 2004, p. 36). The students must be prepared and have already understood foundations that would let them study a new text (Hinkel 2004, p. 36). Using Other Tools Computer In the light of growing technology, students are expectant for the teachers to make use of such information and communication technology. The teachers must consider whether or not their students would develop faster with computers as a tool for their learning (Shin 2006, pp. 65+). Computer-mediated communication or using computers to communicate with each other is a new and innovative way of teaching ESL. Gauging the students’ skills in using the computer like typing skills and other language proficiencies must be prioritized as the teachers would not want to make the students feel more inferior in not knowing another area in the course (Shin 2006, pp. 65+). Class size is a critical point to consider when evaluating the efficiency of this tool. If the class is too big, a large group of chatters proves to be more confusing and frustrating than ever (Shin 2006, pp. 65+). According to research, the teachers should limit the number of students using CMC to an average of five (Shin 2006, pp. 65+). Using CMC is an option to use as a learning activity for the students. It is critical for the teachers to examine how relevant such a tool can be for the purpose of the activity and for the capabilities of the students for the planned learning task (Shin 2006, pp. 65+). Computer and Reading There are also studies that pertain to the integration of reading and computers to improve the reading skills of ESL students (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). There are a large range of computer applications that can be used for ESL student classes. This is to boost the skills of the ESL students with limited English application skills. Schools must make sure that the ESL students have access to educational programs and applications that can help them individually acquire the level of proficiency in the language (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). Even though there is technology available, computers are seldom used in ESL settings (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). Since constant exposure to English creates the best environment for students to learn the language, the teacher must be aware of different techniques to make this possible and to provide more sensitivity in issue facing the ESL instruction (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). English must not be limited to classroom instruction but should be integrated in other subject areas where English can be used (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). Studies have shown that an integrated approach of reading and writing with the computer has been more effective than traditional modes of instruction of lecture-type approaches (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). The students find interest in having such variety in instruction and improve on their logic and organizational skills of constructing sentences, one of their greatest weaknesses in learning the language (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). Reading Preparation is the most effective way to ensure the students can comprehend any reading assigned (Drucker 2002, p. 22). According to Drucker (2002), â€Å"Comprehensible input is spoken or written language that is delivered at a level the child can understand. † However, it is also important for the teacher to provide challenges that is a bit higher than the students’ current abilities (Drucker 2002, p. 22). Choral reading was seen to be a means of providing such comprehensible input for the students. Students can recite a poem, a short text together as well as be provided with gestures and motions that would enable them to understand what are reading more efficiently (Drucker 2002, pp. 22+). Repetitions of the reading selection give them the chance to recycle the language they have learned (Drucker 2002, pp. 22+). Contextual clues are also given through the motions and gestures taught by the teachers in reading the selection (Drucker 2002, pp. 22+). However, considering the individualize approach for ESL programs, it is important to note that teachers can only apply such technique for students who are in kindergarten to sixth grade (Drucker 2002, pp. 22+). If the students are much older or more mature, there are reading selections that can be provided and analyzed. For example, the teacher can provide a more sophisticated text like an article to be discussed in class like American Art in Delaware: Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969) was an heir to Delaware’s DuPont Company fortune. He was one of the first serious collectors of American decorative art objects –furniture, textiles, paintings, and other objects made in the United States between 1640 and 1840. American furniture and household objects had been considered inferior to those from Europe. But du Pont helped develop a new appreciation for American decorative arts. He created a legendary showplace for these objects on his family’s estate just outside of Wilmington, Delaware. In 1951 it was opened to the public as the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur (pronounced winter-tour) Museum. Du Pont assembled objects from his collection into 175 â€Å"period rooms,† each with examples of American antiques and decorative arts that followed a certain theme or period in early American history. For example, the du Pont Dining Room has furniture dating from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. And, because this was the time when the United States became a new nation, there is a patriotic theme in the room. Another example is the Chinese Parlor, which has furnishings that reflect Americans’ fascination with Asian culture during the 18th century. In these period rooms du Pont believed he could tell the story of the early United States through furniture and other decorative arts (America’s Library 2007). In the case of the article, American Art in Delaware, a warm-up question may be â€Å"You have probably heard of the DuPont Company, which was founded by a family of the same name. But do you know about the museum that one of the family members began (ESLgold. com 2007)? † There are also vocabulary words that can be taken out of the article that the students can learn in class, either through homework activity or drills within the classroom time. Words that can be taken out of this article are: â€Å"antique, assemble, century, decorative, estate, fortune, heir, inferior, patriotic, textile† (ESLgold. com 2007). The teachers can provide pre-reading questions that can enhance the interest of the students. Such questions can be, â€Å"What types of things do you like to collect or if you had some valuable artwork, what would do with it (ESLgold. com 2007)? † When the group is finished reading the text, silently or aloud, there are post-reading questions that are very important to determine the student’s comprehension. It can be in forms of true or false, or multiple choice questions. The important thing is to gauge the capability of the students. A set of post-reading questions may be in the form of the following; True or False: â€Å"Henry Francis du Pont’s art collection is displayed in a museum i

Research Paper on Pakistan

Research Paper on Pakistan The textile sector needs massive investments in the value added sector to face the challenges of the post 2005 qouta free regime. Common belief in Pakistan is that the sector is quite vibrant and is investing heavily. While it is true that there have been substantial investments in the sector as a whole, bulk of the investments are in the spinning and weaving sectors and not enough is being invested in the value added sectors of finishing and stitching. In the following brief presentation the impediments will be highlighted but a general structure of the industry as it stands today needs to be understood before the problems can be understood. The spinning sector is a very mature and competitive sector. Pakistan today is a net importer of raw cotton. Every thing from Australian cotton, Egyptian cotton to US Pima is imported. In fact Pakistan today is the second largest importer of US Pima long staple cotton. This goes to show how competitive this industry has become. The weaving sector is broken up in two segments, the cottage industry comprising second hand sulzers and the shuttle looms and the organized weaving sector comprising the most modern air jet weaving sector. The unorganized sector continues to grow since it is considered a cottage industry and free from all regulations like levy of sales tax etc. These produce lower quality products. While investment requirement in the new weaving machines is high, these are the future and produce specialty and high quality products. The capital requirement is very high. Over the years many spinning mills have moved into this sector and have  integrated their units to this ne xt step. This sector is also quite competitive and moving in the right direction. The pace of investment in this sector remains slow, despite being profitable. In the last 2 years China is believed to have invested in 14000 looms compared to about 1000 in Pakistan. There can be no 2 views about the fact that the future in the industry belongs to vertically  integrated units rather than development of the cottage industry. So why is the spinning industry slow in integrating vertically? The next requirement is for setting up of finishing mills both in the knits sector and wovens sector. Many of the projects set up in the knits sector are not world scale, with not the state of the art machinery and their cost of productions are not competitive. In the woven apparel sector there is in fact a shortage of quality finishing plants. Many people are bringing in used machinery which has literally been discarded by the developed world. It is a matter of fact that Levis does not approve any finishing plant for woven apparel products made for them. The fabrics need to be imported. Tommy also does not approve a single dyeing mill which meets its quality requirements. The exception to the rule is the home textiles where the organized sector has invested heavily and has a significant share of the global market. What does this say for the future of the textile industry of Pakistan particularly when countries like China are investing and gearing themselves massively for the quota f ree regime. China is aiming at 25% global share of the textile market by year 2005. Pakistan on the other hand is fast developing its unorganized sector and picks up every piece of junk machinery available in the developed world. So the question is why is the organized sector moving in natural direction. What are the impediments to its investments, particularly when the spinning sector seems saturated and the interest rates are low and there is ample credit availability. The following paragraphs will briefly discuss the impediments in growth of the textile sector. 1) Unimaginable amounts of stuck up refunds of sales tax refunds due to shortage of funds. The sales tax refund rules provide for 50% of the refund within 15 days of filing for the refund in a certain format. The balance refund is payable within 40 days. Can one imagine that refunds, at the time of writing this report are being processed for refund applications received in end October. That means that at best the refunds due in September, refund applications for which are filed in October are under process. Pakistan is the 4th largest producer of raw cotton in the world and the bulk of the cotton comes in the months from September to December during which time the industry purchases its requirements for the bulk of the industry. The pretext of the delayed refunds are scarcity of funds. When the government withholds huge payments of its industry, how can the industry invest. The refund rules provide for refund in a certain time frame the government should follow the laws made by itself. The wisdom of imposing sales tax on raw cotton is not understandable. The government mobilizes huge resources to collect billions of rupees of tax in lieu of sales tax on raw cotton only then to mobilize even more resources to refund these and in the process squeezing the industry out of liquidity which it badly needs to gear itself for the future. In fact, perhaps the BOI can get the figures from the CBR as to what is the gravity of the issue. Also the government should analyze what the net collection from the textile sector is. This would demonstrate net collection of sales tax from the textile industry. Given the fast growth of the cottage industry, it would not come as a surprise if the sales refund claimed exceeds the sales tax collected after accounting for the administrative expences for collections and refunds. Since writing of this report, the CBR has agreed to expedite refunds of sales tax for the spinning sector. This will provide a lot of relief to this sector, but what is needed is a long term clear policy and a policy under which sales tax is not with held unnecessarily. Furthermore a long term policy is required for the whole sector. Suggestion for resolution of this problem As a first step the BOI must make sure that refunds are made within the time frame provided in the exisiting laws. The BOI must together analyze together with the CBR and take the textile industry in confidence in analyzing what is the net collection of the sales tax from the textile industry and if it is necessary to go through the process of collecting such amounts only to refund the amounts. 2) Cumbersome requirements and frequent changes in reporting requirements for the of reporting for sales tax. There are frequent changes in the sales tax rules which require submission of Additional details and unnecessary details. An example is section 73 of the sales tax act, whereby the seller has to make sure that the payments received by him against sales is from the business account of the buyer. The seller needs to have the account number of the buyer. In cases of payments made by pay order/bank drafts also the seller needs to prove payments through the business account of the buyer. The same section requires that payment must be received with 120 days of date of invoice. The CBR should be concerned with collection of its taxes and should not be allowed to force business decisions and levy penalties which may occur due to a bad market or circumstances beyond the control of the buyer and seller. Also new refund rules vide SRO 575 have been made applicable since August 2002, whereby not only have rules been changed, the language is vague And complicated but also the data was to be submi tted in a certain computerized Programmed supplied by the CBR. The programme was untested and had to be Modified resulting in delayed submission of returns. The real issue is that instead Businesses working on their business plans their main focus and time is spent on Their businesses the business men today spend time on meeting the sales tax Requirement for this is the most important task as an inefficient sales tax Management can drive a business out of business. Suggestion Remove unnecessary reporting requirements of sales tax. Simplify the sales tax With consultation of the stake holders and then freeze new changes. 3) Import Duties on machinery and equipment When machinery is imported there is a duty leviable. Duty exemption is available under various SROs which require undertakings that a certain percentage of the production is exported in the next 5years. It has to be understood that machinery imported by any segment of the textile industry is ultimately exported in one form or the other. When an undertaking is given that the production from that unit will directly be exported, it may be depriving the local industry of the required raw material. An example is that finished woven fabrics. These are projects which require huge investments and there is a shortage of much required quality finished fabric in the country. There have been only a few projects set up in the last few years. The production from these would feed the local industry. In order to get the required duty exemptions, the investors commit themselves to export the fabrics themselves rather than supply to the local garment factories. It is needed that this requirement of di rect exports be dispensed with and the project is also allowed to supply to local garment factories for ultimate exports. If quality fabric is available locally, it would encourage setting up of stitching factories. Finishing projects specially have a rather long gestation period. Certain projects set up in the last 2 years valued in excess of a billion rupees have taken more than 2 years to come to even break even levels. Pakistan does not have the necessary know how and there fore these type of projects need to be encouraged instead of levying taxes on import of machinery. What this law does not consider is that it is forcing the mill to export the fabric to another country rather than making the finished fabric available of the domestic industry. The local stitching industry does not have availability of good quality fabric while the fabric maker is forced to export the fabric in order to meet the requirement of export to be elegible for duty free import of machinery. Suggestion Machinery imported for any segment of the textile should be completely duty free without any compulsion of exports. Machinery imported by the textile sector is in one way or the other imported for the purposes of ultimate export and the industry should be freed from all the record keeping and periodic audits. For the projects already set up, the present requirements of duty free import under SRO 554 should be amended to allow indirect exports 4) Income tax Presently on exports a withholding tax is deducted as full and final settlement of tax liability. If a unit exports more than 80% the assessee can pay the withholding tax on the local portion and is not required to file returns. If the tax laws are amended so that a withholding tax at the same rate as export, is deducted on local sales also becomes the full and final settlement. This law actually already exists but the procedure is for indirect exports and payment is made through a SPO ( Special Purchase Order). The procedure is quite cumbersome and difficult to comply with. The difference between the organized sector and unorganized sector will be removed. But the real benefit would be that the producers would be free from tax issues and can concentrate on what they should be spending time on, i.e their business development. It is my opinion that even the tax revenue will increase. 5) Need for making a strategy at the National level to encourage more mills in the organized sector to integerate vertically. The BOI and the ministry of Commerce should clearly define and develop a strategy for the era of quota free regime. A goal should be made to encourage an X number of mills in the organized sector to move upstream into manufacture of made ups. This may involve review of the present quota policy. It should be stressed that in the quota free regime it is the  integrated mills that will be able to gear themselves for the new competitive regime. Unless the industry readies itself now, there will be a lot of difficulties in the future. Unfortunately the quota policy has discouraged vertical integeration since quota has been given on performance and apart from a small qnty available through auction, qouta can only be bought with cash payments at exhorbitant rates. This has discouraged much of the organized textile sector to do busiess in the value added sector. 6) A clearly defined policy to fight anti dumping cases, and a permanent team is required to be set up for negotiation of better terms of trade. In future there will be a lot of actions against exports from Pakistan, such as anti dumping duties. The industry finds itself in a panic when ever a new action is initiated. A permanent body needs to be set up comprising prominent lawyers, government officials as well as business who are well conversent with dumping laws. It should also be clearly defined that when an action is initiated who will bear the legal costs. A case in point is the recent dumping investigation initiated by the EU. First, at the beginning of 2002, EU removed all duties on made up exports from Pakistan. The advantage was fully taken by the industry through increasing exports, of course through investments. However the surge in exports was not welcome by producers in the importing countries. There was an apprehension of dumping investigations, however Pakistan made no attempt, diplomatic or otherwise, so that the dumping complaint not be entertained by the EU. Instead one fine day the exporters received intima tion that the complaint was filed and accepted for investigation. After this, there were discussion within the industry as to who will pay the expences for the investigation, with the government refusing to pay any thing. It is suggested that a very strong permanent panel be formed to face these matters. In addition, the more competitive Pakistan’s exports are the more the industry will grow through investments. A permanent team needs to be created which develops strategies for better market access and better terms of access for our products into imported countries. Various international treaties signed by various countries have brought tremendous benefits to even non textile based countries. Exoorts from Jordan to the US are duty free into the US. This has brought tremendous investments in Jordan. Investments in textiles made ups in African states is booming, due to the African Tearty signed by them with the US which allows duty free imports into US goods which are manufactu red in the African states. Pakistan needs to organize and see if it can improve the terms of trade. A permanent body, again comprising competent lawyers, government officials and  knowledge and capable business men. There are many issues on which the exporting country can negotiate with the importing country. For example, Pakistan today is the second largest importer of US PIMA cotton. The products made from this go to the US after processing. Can Pakistan not develop a strategy to build up a lobby within the US comprising cotton exporters that products made with US cotton in the US can come in duty free to the US. Pakistan is sure to invest in some massive infrastructure projects in the future. Can this not be linked with again some better terms of trade benefits for its textile exports. Steps such as these can be part of Pakistans over all investment and export strategy. In summary, the textile industry is perhaps on of the few industries in the country which does not depend on any government subsidy or tariff protection to survive. Unfortunately, instead of making itself ready for the quota free regime, the industry is too involved in the day to day issues of taxation, whether it is sales tax refunds, import duty, DTRE rules income tax assessments etc. These are the only subjects of discussion of businesses with the ministries of Finance, Commerce, CBR, EPB and all other government functionairies. The above suggestions are basically to further deregulate the industry and make it more focused and let its entrepruners devote all their attention to business development rather than divert their energies in fulfilling government compliance regulations. Simple tax laws and regulations will go a long way in boosting investments. In addition through the above suggestions the government needs to improve its market access and better terms of trade for exports of Pakistani products abroad.

Definition and Examples of Cacophemisms in English

Definition and Examples of Cacophemisms in English Cacophemism is a  word or expression thats  generally perceived as harsh, impolite, or offensive, although it may be used in a humorous context. It is similar to dysphemism, and a contrast with euphemism. Etymology is from the Greek, bad plus speech. Cacophemism, says Brian Mott, is a deliberate reaction against euphemism and involves intentional use of strong words, very often with the aim of shocking the audience or the person to whom they are addressed (Semantics and Translation for Spanish Learners of English, 2011). Examples and Observations A cruel or offensive dysphemism is a cacophemism (from Greek kakos bad), such as using it for a person: Is it coming again tonight?(Tom McArthur, The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, 1992) How Neutral Terms Become CacophemismsWhen we use cacophemisms,....we do not necessarily speak ill of anything. Cacophemistic language is a rough and raw, blunt and vulgar way of saying anything - good, evil, or neutral - of a thing. Not all of it is obscene by any means; witness grub and duds for example. Some are extremely vulgar, but not quite obscene (that is, not quite categorically tabooed in polite society), likely to offend but not to shock, like puke, guts, fart, stink, belly, croak, and burp. A genuinely obscene word, in virtue of the taboo its utterance violates, is as cacophemistic as a word can be. . . .People naturally find some perfectly accurate descriptive terms unflattering and displeasing. It is therefore considered good manners for others to avoid these terms as much as possible, and when one cannot avoid speaking the unpleasant truth, to find descriptive synonyms that strike the ear as less blunt, though they say the same thing as the unflattering term. In this way, we generate a stream of euphemisms, in comparison to which the original descriptive term seems ever more coarse, until that term, originally neutral, becomes a cacophemism. The words fat and old are good examples of this process. It is now considered to be blunt almost to the point of uncouthness to refer to a fat person as fat. And while there are a few dysphemistic ways of saying the same thing (potbellied, fat-assed, lard-assed, gross), there are few other terms that are as cacophemistic now as the straightforward unadorned fat.(Joel Feinberg, Offense to Others. Oxford University Press, 1988) Rationalizing With Euphemisms and CacophemismEuphemism and cacophemism play a central role in rationalization. When we call someone a terrorist, we may be using a cacophemism - making an activity seem worse than it actually is. When we call the same person a freedom fighter, we may be using a euphemism - making the activity sound better than it really is. Either way, by using these words, we set ourselves up for rationalizing the harming of others.(Ronald A. Howard and Clinton D. Korver, Ethics for the Real World. Harvard Business Press, 2008) Cacophemisms and HumorA euphemism is generally no more than the triumph of squeamishness over reality: little person for dwarf, senior citizen for old man, disturbed for crazy, etc. Cacophemisms, on the other hand, tend to reflect an attitude of rough-and-ready good humor toward the person or object in question: egghead, grease monkey, quack, etc. A further difference between the two isms is that cacophemisms are more readily recognized for what they are; euphemisms tend to have acquired a wider  currency in normal parlance and hence to be accepted more unthinkingly by the listener.(Peter Bowler,  The Superior Persons Book of Words. David R. Godine, 1985)