Literature Essays (1200 words) - Film, English-language Films

Literature Annonymous The character of Hester Prynne changed significantly throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner; she has gone against the Puritan ways, committing adultery. For this irrevocably harsh sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her life. However, the Romantic philosophies of Hawthorne put down the Puritanic beliefs. She is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned, but is forgiven. Hawthorne portrays Hester as divine maternity and she can do no wrong. Not only Hester, but the physical scarlet letter, a Puritanical sign of disownment, is shown through the author's tone and diction as a beautiful, gold and colorful piece. From the beginning, we see that Hester Prynne is a young and beautiful woman who has brought a child into the world with an unknown father. She is punished by Puritan society by wearing the scarlet letter A on the bosom of her dress and standing on the scaffold for three hours. Her hair is a glossy brown and her eyes deep-set, and black, her attire is rich, carefully caressing her slender figure. The scaffold is a painful task to bear; the townspeople gathered around to gossip and stare at Hester and her newborn child, whom she suitably named Pearl, named because of her extreme value to her mother. In the disorder of faces in the crowd, young Hester Prynne sees the face of a man she once was fiercely familiar with, whom we later learn is her true husband, Roger Chillingworth. Her subjection to the crowd of Puritan onlookers is excruciating to bear, and Hester holds the child to her heart, a symbolic comparison between the child and the scarlet letter, implying that they are truly both intertwined. Prynne is imprisoned with her child, both of whom are emotionally and physically exhausted from the punishment at the scaffold. The husband, Roger Chillingworth, passes by and is commissioned to be the physician to the two, and remedy them of their sicknesses. She is surprised he had come at such a time where she was at a point of such horrendous turmoil. He demands that she cannot reveal his identity, yet he also wishes to know the identity of her lover, the father of the child. She refuses to tell him. Later in the novel, we discover that Arthur Dimmesdale is the confidential lover. Hester is released from her cell, after which she resides for the next few years in a hut by the sea. Her child, Pearl, is a devilish, impish, terribly behaved child, that is indifferent to the strict Puritan society. Pearl is a pain to please, having her way all the time because of her mothers failure to subdue her to the proper Puritan etiquette. Hester knits and weaves for the townspeople, except for weddings, which people believe would cause misfortune and unrest in their marriage. They knew that the Seventh Commandment was thou shalt not commit adultery and they stuck by those rules. The Puritans were truly a people governed by God. The novel explains that the Governors repeatedly attempt to take the child away from Hester, as she has been deemed unfit to raise the child without the influence of genuine Puritan law and order. These attempts are failed, for Arthur Dimmesdale, the father and minister of Hester Prynne, insists that the child is a bond, a necessity of the young woman who has nothing if she does not have the child. Another influence upon Hester is Mistress Ann Hibbens, who is reputed to be a witch throughout the community. When Hibbens asks Hester to join her in the forest at night to sign the Black Mans book with her own blood, she insists that she cannot, but if her little Pearl would be taken away, she would gladly join the witch-lady in the forest that night, and sign the great book in her own blood! Pearl continuously mocks authority in the novel, a key characteristic of the imp-childs demeanor. She asks stupid questions that she already knows the answer to, like, Mother, did you ever sign the black mans book, and,Why does the minister Dimmesdale hold his hand over his heart? The mockery does not end there, however, and Pearl goes on about her retarded ways, throwing rocks at other children that look at her the wrong way and swearing at them. It pains Hester to watch her child go about the world as if possessed by an agent of Satan, and she both loves, and in

Stanford-Binet test Essays

Stanford-Binet test Essays Stanford-Binet test Paper Stanford-Binet test Paper Even the latest version of the Stanford-Binet test has been so polished and psychologists rely on their validity and it is undeniably popular, it is not perfect. In fact one of the strong critics of the scale is Gould who states that Binet originally have devised his test to be carried out with an examiner in a one-on-one method for detecting problem areas instead as a means of ranking the general intelligence testees linearly. Moreover, he noted that tests of mental abilities has suffered from inadequate support and its own internal contradictions (Gould 223) that even the mayor of Chicago, had tested as a moron on one version of the Binet scales (Gould 223) I. Robert Sternberg and his Triarchic Theory of Intelligence Another theory on Man’s intelligence is that of Robert J. Sternberg who took a truly holistic approach to the conceptualization of intelligence in his Triarchic Theory. What makes the work of Sternberg special and advantageous over the conventional psychometric test is its bases. Aside from being more cognitive, Sternberg himself proclaimed that his work is based on a theory of human intelligence, the triarchic theory that is broader than conventional differential theories which â€Å"have been based on theories of intelligence that have their roots in differential psychology the psychology of individual differences† (Rowe 183) The three subtheories of Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory are the componential or analytical subtheory , experiential or creative subtheory, and practical or contextual subtheory. These â€Å"theories seek to go beyond the IQ† ( Mackintosh 27) of a human being, though Sternberg acknowledges the importance of IQ testing. He believed that IQ tests measure only a sub-set of the† multiple intelligences† (Mackintosh 27). The first subtheory, which is the componential one deals with the components of intelligence; the experiential subtheory deals with the importance of coping with relative novelty and of automatization of information processing; and a contextual subtheory dealing with processes of adaptation, shaping, and selection. â€Å"I have referred to the theory from time to time as triarchic. †(Sternberg 456) Moreover, one of the arguments of his work is that the g factor or the â€Å"general intelligence does not exist† (Sternbeg 4)although general ability does. Although the Triarchic Theory is very useful and advantageous, even more detailed than that of Binet, it has its own share of criticisms. Quoting sociologist Linda Gottfredson in Sternberg’s book, is an obvious defense for the validity of the IQ tests. The effects of intelligencelike other psychological traitsare probabilistic, not deterministic. Higher intelligence improves the odds of success in school and work. It is an advantage, not a guarantee. Many other things matter. is an obvious qualification of the arguments Sternberg has presented and a defense for the validity of IQ tests. II. Psychometric Approach and the Information Processing Approach Psychometrics or psychometry, being the basis of the Psychometric Approach, is â€Å"the branch of psychology that deals with the design, administration, and interpretation of quantitative tests for the measurement of psychological variables such as intelligence, aptitude, and personality traits† (The Free Online Dictionary) in testing human ability. The Psychometric Approach, which presume that intelligence is a measurable factor, has became the â€Å" primary method of studying intelligence† (Corr) and thus the testing of IQ was born. There are many psychologists who devoted their time on studying intelligence and have paved ways in producing a method to measure the intelligence in a psychometric manner. Among them, as previously mentioned, is Alfred Binet with his Binet-Simon Scale. The study of psychometrics was only starting with that of Binet though and its furtherance can be seen in Dr. John C. Ravens Progressive Matrices, Kaufman couple’s Kaufman’s Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) and in the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) . If a one is not following the psychometric approach, that psychologist would be using an Information Processing Approach. This is another philosophical theory in understanding the cognitive process, similar to the applications used by Sternberg in his Triarchic Theory and diverse from that approach of Binet as explained above. This approach views human as an â€Å"information processor† (Wyer 2). The same author further explains the idea of this approach on the character of the information processor as: .. capable of receiving information operating upon it according to certain rules, storing the results of these operations in memory, altering the contents of certain areas of memory to which new information is relevant, and ultimately reporting the results of these operations in a form that is implicitly or explicitly specified by a user. The Information Processing Approach, therefore, is based on the premise that humans have brains that are similar to computers. III. Conclusion Intelligence is something measurable and all the efforts done to measure it have greatly influenced the foundation and philosophical views on the cognitive process as well as the educational system all throughout the world. No matter what a person chooses to use to understand the cognitive process, any approach is useful and have their certain characteristic that is superior over the other. They have their respective disadvantages over each other as well. Finally, in measuring the intelligence of an individual, it is not the measurement that matters or the measurement method that was used. The most important is the application of that highly measured intelligence towards the betterness of humanity. Becker, Kirk. A.. History of the Stanford-Binet intelligence scales: Content and psychometrics. (Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition Assessment Service Bulletin No. 1). Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing, 2003. Corr, Bradley. The Psychometric Approach to Intelligence: How Smart am I?. Serendep. 2004. Retrieved May 5, 2008

Discussion 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion 5 - Assignment Example He followed the Lebensraum policy, living room, in order to snatch lands outside Germany and let the German people expand their territory (Spielvogel,1988). In chapter seven the leaders of France and Britain met Hitler to discuss his demands of expanding Germany. They granted him control over a part of Czechoslovakia and in return Hitler pledged to leave the other parts of Czechoslovakia. Hitler broke his promise and took the rest of Czechoslovakia and invaded Poland. This caused the start of World War two. This occurred in September 1939 when German troops invaded Poland and Britain and France declared war. Adolf Hitler’s dream of building a German Empire across Central and Eastern Europe could not be established only through Lebensraum. Lebensraum could only be established by waging a war against the Soviet Union. Hitler’s racial ideology required it, hence the conclusion that World War two was Hitler’s war. Asia, Japan and China also were already at war. More than fifty million people lost their lives during the war, including Germans and also non-Germans In chapter eight Germanies continue with the war and Hitler brought Nazi to power. Hitler enforces his new rules with a secret police, the Gestapo. He formed camps which organized the murder of Gypsies, Jews and political opponents. There was also resistance in the war and the home front was preparing adequately for war (Spielvogel, 1988). In chapter nine the Holocaust took place. It refers to the extensive murders Hitler and his Nazis were accountable for. It involved the formation of squads that followed Hitler’s army to murder Jews and those who were not of German descent. Many camps were set up around Europe and several were determined to murder people. In the years 1939 and 1940, the Nazi army was responsible for the deaths of around fourteen million people which included six million European Jewish people. They

The short explanation of the constitutional conventions is that they Essay

The short explanation of the constitutional conventions is that they provide the flesh that clothes the dry bones of the law th - Essay Example The UK lacks a well-written constitution, but has a collection of several legal instruments that forms the constitutional law. In this case, conventions provide the underlying principles that provide the basis for governance in the society. According to British Constitutional scholar, Sir Ivor Jennings, conventions exist as precedents, customs and practices since the actors believe they are bound by the rules3. Jennings outlined three tests for ascertaining a valid convention that include considering the precedents or political rules that have been practiced such as election of Prime Minister for the majority party4. The second test is the ministerial responsibility or acceptance of such conventions by those operating under the constitution by consent that creates an obligation to act. The third test is the existence of good political reasons. Thesis statement: constitutional conventions provide the flesh that clothes the dry bones of the law; they make the legal constitution work; a nd keep in touch with advancement in ideas. The UK constitution derives its content from various sources such as Acts of Parliament, common law, EU laws and accumulated conventions. In this case, the UK constitution is uncodified since no single written document and documents like court judgments, treaties and statutes form part of the constitution. The unwritten sources like parliamentary conventions, ministerial responsibilities and royal prerogatives form part of the constitution. Constitutional conventions are unwritten and politically enforceable since they provide the basis for the implementation of the Constitution. Some constitutional conventions in the UK include the international treaties that are presented in Parliament at least 21 days before ratification as per the Ponsonby Rule of 1924. The ministerial responsibilities to advice the monarchy forms part of the conventions since the monarchy is expected to act as the advice expect in circumstance when it needs to exercis e reserve powers. It is a constitutional conventions that the Prime Minister is the leader with of a political party or coalition of parties that command majority seats in the House of Common in order to command the support of the House of Commons in passing important legislation5. Accordingly, money bills originate from House of Common and it’s a convention for monarch to grant royal assent to all legislation. In addition, the House of Lords does not approve any legislation from House of Commons when such legislation forms part of the government’s manifesto and Westminster Parliament cannot legislate on devolved matters without the consent of the Scottish Parliament6. Constitutional conventions may not be legally binding, but are politically enforceable and ensure powers of the UK constitution are implemented in accordance with democratic ideals. The conventions are used to ensure changes in the society without enacting tedious legislations. The UK acknowledges consti tutional conventions as aids to judicial decisions and such acknowledgement of their existence is perceived as enforceability of such conventions in interpretation and implementation of

Multicultural competency Essay Example for Free

Multicultural competency Essay Multicultural competency is indeed an essential tool required in dealing with clients who have different races, perceptions and cultures. Having this skill will be of a great advantage in the progress of counselling sessions. Moreover, according to Pedersen, multiculturalism is â€Å"a wide range of multiple groups without grading, comparing, or ranking them as better or worse than one another and without denying the very distinct and complementary or even contradictory perspectives that each group brings with it† (1991, p. 4). To effectively handle multiculturalism situations in counselling, counselors must develop different levels of awareness which are the following: â€Å"self-awareness, awareness of one’s own culture, awareness of racism, sexism and poverty, awareness of individual differences, awareness of other cultures and awareness of diversity. † More so, to be successful in obtaining multicultural competency, counselors must also be aware of different theories and specific counselling practices. But the most important point to remember is that counselors must first build on a â€Å"sense of worth† for their respective cultural backgrounds before they can start understanding other cultures (Locke, 1986, pp. 119-137). Response to Post No. 2 Jennifer Weeks Among the three weaknesses mentioned by the counselor, I think that the problem on terminating an interview with a client is the counselor’s main problem. In any session, I think time is of the essence. Clients pay the counselors per hour so they should get their money’s worth for very second that they spend with their counselors. In line with this, counselors should develop a systematic way of establishing client-counselor relationship and at the same time effectively and quickly resolving the issues of the clients in order to maximize the time allotted for the sesssion. Also, counselors should learn how to end the interview without being rude or impolite. This can be done by setting up a timeline for the session and preparing fillers which will be used to divert the flow of the conversation if it gets beyond the timeline or the focus for that specific session. References Locke, D. C. (1990). A not so provincial view of multicultural counseling. Counselor Education and Supervision, 30, 18-25. Pedersen, P. B. (1991). Introduction to the special issue on multiculturalism as a fourth force in counseling. Journal of Counseling and Development, 70, 4.

Dr. Martin Luther King :: essays research papers

My impression of Dr. Martin Luther King was always and still is that he was a great leader for the African American people. He was a big leader in the civil rights movement. He was also very involved in the community. Even though I have much respect for Dr. King, I felt he was a â€Å"house† or â€Å"yard† negro leader, the term Malcom X used, and was only interested with civil rights issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The term â€Å"house† and â€Å"yard† negroes was what Malcom X called black leaders who were just puppets for the white man. They were there just to keep peace among African American people. Like I stated early I have much respect for Dr. King but I still felt he was like the rest of the black leaders who just preached about nonviolence. The ones who always say, look have far we come from the old days, but in actuality we were no better then, than we were back in the old days. I just felt hat violence was never an option when it came to Dr. King and his beliefs. Until I read his comments and he states, â€Å"we still have a choice today; nonviolent coexistence or violent co annihilation.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I also thought Dr. King was more interested in civil rights than he was human rights. â€Å"How is the black man going to get â€Å"civil right† before first he wins his human right?†(Malcom X). But after reading his comments my views have changed. He stated, â€Å"The limited reforms we have won have been at bargain rates for the power of structure. There are no expenses involved, no taxes are required, for Negroes to share lunch counters, libraries, parks, hotels and other facilities. Even the more substantial reforms such as voting rights require neither monetary or psychological sacrifice. He was also quoted saying â€Å"it a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My opinions of Dr. Martin Luther King, has changed since reading his comments. I went from thinking violence was never a choice for Dr. King to learning that it was. Although I feel that he was still a 100 percent against violence. My main opinion of him has change a great deal. I thought Dr. King was only for the civil rights moment, meaning he would be happy with us just getting our voting rights and every thing else that represented the civil rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King :: essays research papers My impression of Dr. Martin Luther King was always and still is that he was a great leader for the African American people. He was a big leader in the civil rights movement. He was also very involved in the community. Even though I have much respect for Dr. King, I felt he was a â€Å"house† or â€Å"yard† negro leader, the term Malcom X used, and was only interested with civil rights issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The term â€Å"house† and â€Å"yard† negroes was what Malcom X called black leaders who were just puppets for the white man. They were there just to keep peace among African American people. Like I stated early I have much respect for Dr. King but I still felt he was like the rest of the black leaders who just preached about nonviolence. The ones who always say, look have far we come from the old days, but in actuality we were no better then, than we were back in the old days. I just felt hat violence was never an option when it came to Dr. King and his beliefs. Until I read his comments and he states, â€Å"we still have a choice today; nonviolent coexistence or violent co annihilation.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I also thought Dr. King was more interested in civil rights than he was human rights. â€Å"How is the black man going to get â€Å"civil right† before first he wins his human right?†(Malcom X). But after reading his comments my views have changed. He stated, â€Å"The limited reforms we have won have been at bargain rates for the power of structure. There are no expenses involved, no taxes are required, for Negroes to share lunch counters, libraries, parks, hotels and other facilities. Even the more substantial reforms such as voting rights require neither monetary or psychological sacrifice. He was also quoted saying â€Å"it a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My opinions of Dr. Martin Luther King, has changed since reading his comments. I went from thinking violence was never a choice for Dr. King to learning that it was. Although I feel that he was still a 100 percent against violence. My main opinion of him has change a great deal. I thought Dr. King was only for the civil rights moment, meaning he would be happy with us just getting our voting rights and every thing else that represented the civil rights movement.

Character Analysis of Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider Franchise Essay

This ‘attention to detail’ would seem to support the representation of Lara Croft as a cyber bimbo as there is a strong emphasis on her being a ‘sex symbol’. This view point is supported by the general media, despite the creator of Lara Croft (Toby Gards) intentions for her to be sexy â€Å"only because of her power†. This can be seen through Robert Ashley of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine description of Lara Croft as the first video game character openly thought of as sexy plus moreover Publications like Play, GameTrailers, and PlayStation Magazine listed big breasts as one of the character’s most famous attributes. Her sex appeal is so great that male players perform in-game actions to make Lara Croft repeatedly say phrases and view closer camera angles of her bust, while pornography featuring the character has been distributed via the internet. This viewing is not helped by the clothing she wears throughout the games. An opossitional sexist view arises from the fact that she is even sexualised through her attire when partaking in the action of the game. Throught the various Lara Croft games her outfits change correspondlingly to the missions, all baring emphasis on the thighs and legs, becoming more and more revealing. Outfits such as the ‘Dressing gown’ ‘Bikini’ and ‘Evening Gown’ in particular help pay homage to her ‘unobtainable’ attriubtes which make her such an errotic charcter. This differs greatley from the other male gaming protagonists generally in the media such as Max Payne or Hitman. Where we see it the norm for lara to parade around shooting people in almost her underwear it would be a very different story if hitman turned up to his mission wearing only boxers instead of his infamous suit. My personal opinnion on Lara varies in the context in which she is portrayed. I believe elements of the concept of Lara Croft bring to mind the implications of Sex thus fitting one of the views as her being a ‘Cyber Bimbo’. However it is true that alot of her attributes and actions can also show her in a more positive light as a ‘Feminist Icon’. Lara is a tough, independent woman, and an adventurer, who confidenly flinch from fighting men. Her hobbies consist of free climbing and shooting, which are uncommon and emancipated for a woman and she therefore breaks away from traditional gender roles. Many can say she more closeley fits a stereotypically male role, which may be due to the orignal character concept being a male. Her success may be a result of her body being so excessively exaggerated thus providing an example of how women are being reduced to relative creatures who can only be defined by their relation to men. However it would be an unfair argument to simply pin her success on her ‘enourmous boobs’ and ignore the other defining features of this likeable character. Lara Croft as a game in many ways can be as a respectable product. being one of the first female protagonists she helped expand the market to a wider audience, inviting more female gamers. The majority of the ‘Cyber bimbo’ critizism developed from the merchandise which appeared as part of the Tomb Raider franchise, such as magazine publications sporting lara in a sexually provacitive way, which was critized by the games designers and the commericials she features in, not the game itself.