Do Children Know God Without Being Taught Essay Example

Do Children Know God Without Being Taught Essay Do Children Know God Without Being Taught? The Benedictine abbess Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) writes of a vision in which a four-sided form, representing the wisdom of God, is connected by a channel to a fetus in the mother’s womb. Through this channel to the child a â€Å"fireball† is transmitted, which â€Å"pours itself through all the limbs of the person and gives the greenness of the heart and veins and all the organs to the entire body as a tree gives sap and greenness to all the branches from its root A fireball possesses the heart of this child. Because the soul, burning with the fire of deep understanding and not having the form of human members, discerns different things in its journey of understanding. The fireball†¦comforts the heart of the human being because it exists so to speak like the foundation of the body† (Fox, 55. ) Hildegard’s vision confronts us with the idea that God may be communicating with us well before we are born. This thought, as well as my own observations of children and my own experiences of God, have led me to ask, â€Å"Can we know God without being taught? † The prevalent theories of faith development, and the curricula for Christian education that have evolved from them, stand in opposition to the idea that we innately know God. As well, the history of Christian thought about children has promoted the idea that children are far from holy and in dire need of instruction. In this paper, after reviewing historical lines of thought regarding children’s spirituality, and the faith development theories of James Fowler and John Westerhoff, I present alternative ideas about faith that allow or support the theory that children know God without being taught. We will write a custom essay sample on Do Children Know God Without Being Taught specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Do Children Know God Without Being Taught specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Do Children Know God Without Being Taught specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This idea is then examined in light of Scripture. Tradition: The Child in Christian Thought For centuries Christians have understood humanity to be marked by original sin. In the West this has been interpreted by Augustine (354-430) and Reformed theologians as a statement of our inherent sinfulness at birth; even the newborn participates in Adam’s sin. Infant baptism, for Augustine, is reclaiming the child for Christ (Guroian, 69ff. ) â€Å"By contrast, Chrysostom [347-407] maintains that newborn infants are innocents, wholly without sin† (Guroian, 70. He interprets original sin not as the passing on of sinfulness, but of mortality; sinfulness then is a result of mortality (Guroian, 67. ) Human nature â€Å"in its wholeness is mortally wounded by original sin† and its will is â€Å"weakened and prone to personal sin, but [infants] are still innocents† (Guroian, 69ff. ) For Chrysostom then, baptism of infants is not done to reclaim them, but to fortify them for a life of spiritual combat. Thus, baptism’s importance for Chrysostom is not solely tied to its remedial power, but to its incorporation of the infant into the church, the body of Christ. Infants are baptized into the church â€Å"because they benefit from the care and discipline of adults experienced in the spiritual struggle† (Guroian, 70. ) It is of course Augustine’s interpretation of original sin that has dominated Christian thought in the West. For Aquinas (1225-1274), infants bear the stain of original sin, but are not capable of actual sin. Aquinas allowed for the idea of the innocence of infants, since they do not yet have the capacity for reason; yet â€Å"for Thomas, children are bearers of actual – but not existential – innocence: afflicted with a fault that does not automatically consign them to hell, neither are they models of purity or virtue† (Traina, 131. ) They are, then, not spiritual models for adults to follow; â€Å"they are incomplete, lacking both wisdom and active virtue† (Traina, 128. ) John Calvin (1509-1564) not only upheld the doctrine of original sin as it came from Augustine, but â€Å"against the dominant patristic and medieval traditions, Calvin and some of his contemporaries, especially Luther and Melanchthon, understood original sin itself to consist of an inherited corruption of the entire human nature, especially of the will and of the understanding (Pitkin, 167. ) Calvin writes, â€Å"Even infants bear their condemnation with them from their mother’s womb; for, though they have not yet brought forth the fruits of their own iniquity, they have the seed enclosed within themselves. Indeed, their whole nature is a seed of sin; thus it cannot be but hateful and abominable to God† (quoted in Pitkin, 167. ) However, Calvin does lift up young children as examples of simplicity and humility that deserve emulation. â€Å"While he did not go so far as to idealize the faith of children†¦ he did consider the youngest infants capable of not merely manifesting but indeed proclaiming God’s glory† (Pitkin, 164. ) Despite their lack of understanding, Calvin holds up young children (up to about age seven) as â€Å"mature proclaimers of God’s goodness† (Pitkin, 166. This, of course, becomes possible only through the grace of God intervening to save them from their fallen nature. Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) followed Aquinas in thinking that infants are not born sinful, but neutral; yet the result of human frailty is inevitable sin, occurring almost immediately after birth. Adam’s sin means that humans are born without the qualities that would help overcome the natural tendency to sin. This view of children led Edwards to strive mightily to instill in children a sense of their depravity and need for conversion. Since infants inherited the stain of original sin, they were as guilty as adults. ‘As innocent as children seem to be to us,’ he explained, ‘if they are out of Christ, they are not so in God’s sight, but are young vipers, and are infinitely more hateful than vipers†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Influenced by Augustine and especially John Calvin, Edwards insisted that even the youngest children were corrupt unless they had been ‘reborn’ in Christ† (Brekus, 303ff. For Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834), childlike faith is something to be emulated if we are to enter the kingdom of God; in his novella â€Å"The Celebration of Christmas: A Conversation,† children are portrayed as having â€Å"a ‘pure revelation of the divine’ from which no conversion is necessary. † For adults who â€Å"have become alienated from the childlike, a conversion is necessary – a conversion to become as a little child† (DeVries, 339. In a homily on Mark 10:13-16 Schleiermacher describes the quality of childlike faith that is to be emulated: â€Å"The peculiar essence of the child is that he is altogether in the moment†¦The past disappears for him, and of the future he knows nothing – each moment exists only for itself, and this accounts for the blessedness of a soul content in innocence† (quoted in DeVries, 339. It is living with God in the present that is â€Å"the essence of the eternal life that Christ promises to those who believe in him†¦adults, then, must recover this childlike perception, as if by conversion† (DeVries, 339. ) Nevertheless, Schleiermacher understands children to be equally capable of sin. â€Å"If the capacity for religious experience is an innate capability of the child, fully formed Christian faith certainly is not† (DeVries, 346. ) Catechesis and parental modeling of the Christian life are crucial for the child’s upbringing in a life of faith. Reason: The Faith Development Theories of Fowler and Westerhoff This survey of selected notables in the Church leaves us with an idea of the natural tendency of children to sin, and of their need for instruction in the life of faith, though some authors allow for an understanding of children as limited models for adults. In studying the faith development theories of Fowler and Westerhoff, I found strong support of children’s need for instruction, and little allowance for the idea that children might have something to teach adults. Fowler’s theory of faith development is based on stages of cognitive development. As the human develops psychologically, faith may develop in stages that increase in complexity of intellect. Use of a spiral diagram to portray the stages conveys a progression from lesser to greater. The stages are hierarchical (one stage integrates and builds upon the previous stage), sequential (one stage follows another in a logically necessary way), and invariant (stages cannot be skipped over) (Ford-Grabowsky, 26. Fowler writes that â€Å"more developed structural stages of knowing are, in important ways, more comprehensive and adequate than the less developed ones; the more developed stages make possible a knowing that in some senses is ‘more true’ than that of less developed stages† (Fowler as quoted in Ford-Grabowsky, 38. ) In Fowler’s theory, adults at stage five or six have a greater understanding of God than children, adolescents, or young adults. I might ad d that his theory would also place mentally handicapped persons in the stages of lesser relationship with God. The faith development theory of Westerhoff is diagrammed as tree rings (in contrast to Fowler’s spiral. ) He leans away from the strictly hierarchical stages of faith, describing the circles of the tree ring as styles rather than stages. Yet these styles are also dependent upon cognitive development; the first style of faith accessible to us, Experienced Faith, â€Å"results from our interactions with other faithing selves† and is typical in the preschool and early childhood years (he does not specifically address infancy) (Westerhoff, 91. As we develop, we may keep adding tree rings (styles of faith) on top of each other: †¦A tree grows if the proper environment is provided, and if such an environment is lacking, the tree becomes arrested in its expansion until the proper environment exists. Each tree, however, does its own â€Å"growing† and has its own unique characteristics. Similarly, we expand from one style faith to another only if the proper environm ent, experiences, and interactions are present; and if they are not, then our expansion of faith is arrested. Of course no style of faith is natural to any particular age and everyone can expand into a new style providing the proper interactions with other faithing souls are present. (Westerhoff, 88. ) Westerhoff is careful to say that a tree with only one ring is a complete tree; added rings do not make for a more whole tree, but an expanded tree. Despite this claim, and the claim that the styles are not dependent upon age, Westerhoff’s choice of language does convey a hierarchy. The faith of those who do not reach the expanded styles is referred to as â€Å"arrested† faith, and the analogy of tree growth connotes immature versus mature faith. Westerhoff sees faith development as living into our faith potential; it only seems logical to conclude that if four styles are potential, and someone stops at the first style, that person’s faith is less than that of someone who reached the potential of the fourth style. Westerhoff’s update to his chapter on styles of faith (chapter four) moves more forcefully in the direction of valuing all styles of faith equally. Here he discusses the student-teacher relationship as that of co-pilgrims on a shared journey. Each â€Å"is in need of† and â€Å"contributes to the life of† the other (Westerhoff, 103. ) Reason Revisited: Alternatives to Cognition-Based Faith Development Theories When I watched a professor draw Fowler’s six-staged spiral on the chalkboard and heard the explanation that each stage brought one to a fuller experience of God, I couldn’t help wondering: what if we have it backwards? What if, as infants, we start out closer to God than we will ever be in this life, nd as we physically and psychologically develop, we are prone to increasing distance from God? I thought of Jesus’ words, â€Å"Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven† (Matthew 18:3. ) Was Jesus proposing that adults, not children, are the ones with a lesser relationship with God? Sandy Eisenberg Sasso presents a Jewish theology of childh ood, beginning with an account of a rabbinic legend. While a child is still in the womb a light burns above its head. The foetus is able to see from one end of the world to the other. It learns the entire Torah. But as it enters into the air of the world, an angel comes and strikes it directly above the mouth and makes it forget the entire Torah (Sasso, 22. ) Throughout life the Torah is reclaimed through learning; yet there remains a sense of the inherent spiritual life of children. â€Å"Rather than teaching of ‘original sin’ Judaism proposes ‘original virtue’, the innate spiritual endowment of the child who perceives the unity of all† (Sasso, 23. ) This understanding leads to incorporation of children into the faith rituals of the Jewish community, so that their involvement is central to sacred ritual. For example, the Passover Seder begins with a child asking questions. The ceremony cannot proceed without the child’s participation. At the end, the children search for a hidden piece of bread; the Seder cannot conclude until they find it. Sasso explores other rabbinic interpretations of Scripture that uphold the claim that â€Å"adult appreciation of the sacred is not better, only different than the child’s†¦God speaks in many voices and each voice, including the child’s, is but a partial apprehension of the Divine. The more voices one comes to know the closer one comes to understand the One God who includes all voices† (Sasso, 24. ) A similar openness to children’s experiences of God allowed Sofia Cavalletti to observe young children and notice a telling depth of spiritual experience, revealing an understanding of God that one would have assumed to be beyond their cognitive ability or domain of experience. Her book reveals such experiences in children up to the age of six, which she observed during twenty-five years of work as a catechist in schools. Cavalletti observed and â€Å"attempted to document the existence of a mysterious bond between God and the child. This bond†¦subsists in early childhood even in cases of spiritual ‘malnutrition’ and appears to precede any religious instruction† (Cavalletti, 22. ) Cavalletti speaks of children as equal to adults in both receiving and proclaiming the Word of God. â€Å"†¦In the presence of the Word of God not only is there no longer neither Greek nor Jew, but, we believe, neither adult nor child. Before the Word of God all are hearers of a message that God addresses to His people through events and words. Such a message can be grasped only through a choral listening in which the child’s voice may have at times stronger and more profound tones than that of the adult† (Cavalletti, 23. ) As a Montessori teacher, Cavalletti is careful not to behave as if the teacher possesses knowledge and the students do not; rather, she â€Å"is open to listening, and†¦not forgetful that one may speak only in the measure that one listens† (Cavalletti, 49. ) Such openness to listening allows her to hear the experiences of very young children and recognize their understanding of God. Where Cavalletti departs most clearly from the theories discussed above is in stating that at times children are the spiritual leaders. What did she observe that led to such a bold statement? She observed that, despite what we are prone to believe, children know God without being taught. Some examples from her book are included here. The first comes from her predecessor Maria Montessori. Maria Montessori, in her book Spontaneous Activity in Education, records the account of Professor Ghidionescu at the International Congress of Pedagogy in Brussels in 1911. He reported the case of a child who had not received any religious education; one day the child suddenly burst into tears, saying: â€Å"Do not scold me, while I was looking at the moon I felt how often I had grieved you, and I understood that I had offended God. † In the same work, Montessori adds other examples that she herself witnessed or that were related to her personally. She cites the example of a seven-year-old boy, also deprived of any religious education, who had been told the theory of evolution according to the principles of Lamarck and Darwin. After the explanation the boy asked: â€Å"From whom did the first creature come? â€Å"The first,† answered his friend, â€Å"was formed by chance†; at these words the child laughed aloud and, calling his mother, he said excitedly: â€Å"Just listen; what nonsense! Life was formed by chance! That is impossible. † When he was asked how life was formed the child responded with conviction: â€Å"It is G od† (Cavalletti, 31. ) At age seven, logical deductions such as the one above are developmentally within the child’s scope (Cavalletti, 31. ) Examples from younger children who have not reached this stage of cognitive development are thus even more surprising. This [example] involves a three-year-old girl who grew up without the slightest religious influence. The child did not go to nursery school; no one at home, not even her grandmother, who was herself an atheist, had ever spoken of God; the child had never gone to church. One day she questioned her father about the origin of the world: â€Å"Where does the world come from? † Her father replied, in a manner consistent with his ideas, with a discourse that was materialistic in nature; then he added: â€Å"However, there are those who say that all this comes from a very powerful being, and they call him God. At this point the little girl began to run like a whirlwind around the room in a burst of joy, and exclaimed, â€Å"I knew what you told me wasn’t true; it is Him, it is Him! † (Cavalletti, 31ff. ) Examples such as this, where the child seems to know God in a way different from logical understanding, prompt Cavalletti to ask, â€Å"Does there exist in the child a mysterious reality of union with God? † (Cavalletti, 32. ) Further examples point to the child’s knowing God in a way that is not merely cognitive. One day [Linda, before the age of 6] noticed a butterfly in flight and she felt drawn to it; she followed it and suddenly â€Å"everything seemed to open up around me. † It appeared that she was able to see everything more clearly, and she â€Å"felt filled with joy and warmth throughout my whole body† in a way she had never experienced before. The sensation was so strong that the little girl burst into tears of joy, ran to her mother, and said, â€Å"Mommy, I know God. † Only much later, in thinking over that event, did Linda associate it with love; at the time it was something â€Å"very new and different, for which I had no reference points. It was something that the child did not perceive with her mind; what she had said afterward to her mother â€Å"was not an explanation, it was an exclamation† (Cavalletti, 35ff. ) Monica [age 6]†¦began to work again with the altar models, her back turned to the class. All of a sudden she stopped, turned around and said: â€Å"How happy I am today that I went to church! Mommy never takes me to church, she never has time. At last today there is someone who saves me and I feel free. † These are words that, either by formulation or content, seem to surpass a child’s capacity†¦(ibid. , 36. ) As well, the words of Francesco (five years old) do not seem to correspond to a child’s level: Francesco must have understood that his mother was not a believer, and he asked her: â€Å"Whom do you love more, me or God? † The mother naturally replied that she loved him more and the child responded: â€Å"I think this is your big mistake† (ibid. , 36. ) The following account is of a little girl who, while visiting a priest, saw the faces of Jesus and Mary for the first time in her life, represented in icons. This account, and others, demonstrate a child’s knowledge of God coupled with a desire to know more. having rushed into my room and seen the icons, the little girl began asking me questions;†¦with eyes wide open she fastened her gaze on the faces of Jesus and the Mother of God, which she was seeing for the first time in her life. Although with effort, I explained to the child†¦the meaning of what had struck her in a way she could understand. B ut my worries proved to be superfluous. â€Å"You know,† she said to me, â€Å"I knew He existed and I have always talked with Him before going to sleep; I knew He was everywhere and that He sees me when I get into mischief, only sometimes I was afraid of Him. How can I speak with Him? † Moved by the child’s words, I taught her the sign of the cross, and I experienced an extraordinary feeling watching those small hands making the sign of the cross†¦ â€Å"And now can I kiss Him,† she continued to my great surprise, but not on His face or cheek, not the way I kiss Mommy? Because He is greater than my mother, He is better than my mother. He sees everything and He doesn’t scold me. He is better than everyone, and He loves me. Give me the icon please, I want to see it always. I’ll put it beside my bed, and the icon of His mother too. Give it to me as a gift! † When her mother arrived the child said: â€Å"Mommy, quick, come here. Kiss Him. He loves you too. At last I’ve seen His face, but I’ve known Him for a long time. † Before her mother’s embarrassed silence the child continued: â€Å"Mommy, why don’t you say anything? Mommy, tell me about Him; I need to hear about Him. † But the icon was taken away from little Irina. Her mother described the child’s reaction: â€Å"She cries, she asks to hang it above her bed, saying, ‘I want to see Him, I need to talk to Him’† (Cavalletti, 38ff. ) Cavalletti observed in children a remarkable desire to know more about God, to spend surprising amounts of time in prayer, to interact seriously with catechetical materials such as miniature altars or figures from parables, to spend more than the allotted time with the catechist, and to attend church even when it was not the family’s custom. †¦We would like to speak about the impassioned attraction the child has shown when faced with the religious fact, so much so that he will forget or disregard the things supposedly more pleasing to children†¦Francesco was two years and two months old. As a Christmas present he received the first tricycle of his life; almost at the same time his mother spoke to him of the meaning of Christmas and gave him a manger scene. Francesco took it happily; completely forgetting his tricycle, he wandered around the house carrying the various pieces of the set, showing them again and again to his grandmother so that she would retell the story of Christmas (ibid. , 37. ) A woman who had not raised her son in the church recounted another example of a child’s strong desire to repeat a spiritual experience. She and her husband†¦took a trip to Italy with their five-year-old son; later she reminisced with her husband: â€Å"Weren’t you struck by the way Pieterke, who was only five years old, followed the services in the churches we visited in Italy? Think of the ceremonies of the cathedral in Siena and in the Roman basilicas: they were never too long for him and he did not want to leave. For such a restless boy the opposite woul d have been natural and understandable! He thought the celebrations were magnificent. I don’t think I have ever told you what he asked me as soon as we returned to Uccle from our trip to Italy: ‘Mother,’ he said to me one day, ‘why don’t we ever go to church as we did in Italy? ’† (Cavalletti, 38. ) Cavalletti recounts several occurrences of unexpected behavior in children, who will trade their normal behavior or typical sources of enjoyment for the time set aside for catechesis. Enrico (six years old), Paolo (seven years old), and Massimo (six years old) were meeting for the first time with an inexperienced catechist; Paolo did not really want to come because that was his only free day and he would have preferred to stay at home and play peacefully; for the catechist’s part, she was totally inexperienced and without any equipment that could have helped the children – she had only the Bible. The catechist opened to the first page of the Bible, read it, and helped the children to enter into the text. Two hours passed by quickly, and when Paolo’s mother came to take him home his eyes filled with tears; he did not want to leave. Massimo was willing to give up the music lessons he loved because he wanted to come to catechesis â€Å"every day,† because â€Å"this is more important† (ibid. , 40. ) At another catechetical center, the children figured out how to move the hands of the clock ahead so they could go to catechesis earlier (ibid. , 40. ) Children at other centers revealed their enjoyment of catechesis in the comments they made to their parents who came to pick them up: â€Å"Why have you come so soon? Almost two and a half hours had passed. ] I was doing so well,† protested Lucia (ibid. , 40. ) Laura (six years old) said: â€Å"I’d like to sleep here, even on the floor† (ibid. , 40. ) In many of the examples here, the children’s responses are often physical as well as verbal. Cavalletti and others note a â€Å"particular joyâ €  in the children they have observed â€Å"when praying, and†¦when the child is involved in religious activities his ‘whole being vibrates, becomes tranquil, and rejoices† (Cavalletti, 40. ) Remember the little girl above (pp. -9) who ran around the room joyfully when she heard about God as the creator, and the active youngsters who somehow remain calm through the hours of instruction or church services. â€Å"The response the children give to the religious experience is such that it seems to involve them deeply, in total gratification: ‘My body is happy,’ said Stefania after praying a long while with her young friends† (Cavalletti, 42. ) Cavalletti comments that the child’s understanding of God is a kind of knowledge different from academic knowledge. The facility and spontaneity of the child’s religious expression and prayer†¦lead us to believe that these arise from the depths of the child’s being, as if they were natural to him† (ibid. , 42) (my italics. ) She poses that this knowledge is in direct response to the basic need of the child to be loved and to love (a basic need for all ages, I assume – but the child is more transparent about this need. ) Cavalletti discusses this here in the children’s characteristic response to the parable of the Good Shepherd: †¦The parable is so deeply rooted in the child that it appears to be natural to him. It returns constantly in the children’s discussions, reflections, and prayer. The child does not know the parable in an academic way, but vitally; it is not knowledge imposed on the child from without; rather, it is through the parable that the child’s silent request finds response and gratification: the request to be loved and so to be able to love. The child never forgets the parable because the affective integration, which psychologists call ‘affective ratification,’ is complete; the image of the Shepherd is by now a part of the child’s very person (ibid. 74. ) I find intriguing Cavalletti’s observation that children’s religious expressions (here, their response to the parable of the Good Shepherd) appear to be â€Å"natural. † In her discussion of the introduction of Pentecost to the children, she writes, â€Å"With regard to the Holy Spirit, it is striking to see the facility with which the children enter into relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit’s work appears obvious to them, and they know how to recognize it spontaneously†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (ibid. , 117. This seems to invite my question, Are children responding to something that is already part of who they are – and are adults merely giving them the words to name what they already know in a way other than cognitively? Cavalletti poses that the child responds to the parable of the Good Shepherd because it answers a very basic need (the need for love); I ask, could the child be responding not only out of need, but out of recognition? Let us imagine that the Jewish legend retold by Sasso were true; could the child’s â€Å"natural† response to the parable be more of a remembrance than an assimilation of something new? That would certainly account for its seeming natural to the child. The writer of the foreword to Cavalletti’s book poses an interesting idea: I have become sure that there is a primary question in [the children’s] hearts and minds: â€Å"Who are you, Lord? † I do not believe this question arises from confusion or uncertainty. Rather, I believe it is a question like that of the people who gathered around Jesus when he walked on this earth, those people who felt his touch and heard his voice and saw his face, a question that is really saying, â€Å"I’ve seen you; I’ve heard you; I know you, but there is more of you to know. I need and want to know more† (Rebekah Rojcewicz in Cavalletti, 17. ) The acknowledgement that one might know God other than in a purely cognitive way certainly invites us to consider children’s spiritual experiences seriously, even if we do not go so far as to imagine that they are remembering God instead of learning about God. It invites both children and adults to claim spiritual experiences that are affective or intuitive as well as cognitive. Edward Hoffman, in a book entitled Visions of Innocence: Spiritual and Inspirational Experiences of Childhood, briefly recounts the history of various religions’ treatment of child spirituality. He writes, â€Å"Historically, the world’s great religions have always recognized our childhood capacity for closeness to the divine,† and mentions Biblical passages, Jewish tradition, and Native American tradition, among others (Hoffman, 3ff. ) His book documents experiences that people had as children, which were pivotal experiences for their understanding of life, God, and the world. The adults report experiences they had even sixty years ago, that are still vivid in their memory, despite insistence by parents, friends, etc. that they discount their experiences. The book is filled with experiences that are far from merely cognitive, many occurring in very young children. Similar findings are mentioned in a book by David Hay and Rebecca Nye. In an account of scholarly attempts to document child spirituality, Hay writes of the â€Å"shortage of competent research† and the difficulty of â€Å"the intellectual bias of much of the modern psychology of education†: During the 1960s one of the most influential students of religious education in the English-speaking world was the psychologist Ronald Goldman†¦. Goldman was a follower of the cognitive psychologist Jean Piaget, and his personal assumptions led him to ignore the possibility that spirituality might feature in the lives of children. In the second chapter of his most important book, Religious Thinking from Childhood to Adolescence Goldman took the view that â€Å"the mystics, who claim to have direct sensations of the divine, are exceptions, but as they are extremely rare cases, rarer in adolescence and practically unknown in childhood,† he would ignore them. The mistake he made was to assume that spiritual awareness is always something extraordinary, equated with mystical ecstasy, instead of holding open the possibility that it might be a very ordinary aspect of young children’s everyday experience†¦. Goldman’s opinions continue to have influence, despite sustained critiques of his position by a number of scholars (Hay, 41. ) Hay continues: During the 1970s and 1980s, evidence of the reality of spiritual awareness in early childhood began to flow from the work of Edward Robinson, the successor of Alister Hardy as director of the Religious Experience Research Unit in Oxford. Robinson noticed that a sizable proportion of the 5,000 or so accounts of religious experience which had been sent in to the Unit were reminiscences of events occurring in childhood, sometimes in very early years. As a result of pondering on these stories, published an account of them in his book The Original Vision. This was a pioneering attempt to question the educational validity of the Piagetian model as applied by Goldman to the area of religious understanding. What first impressed Robinson was the way that these childhood experiences had remained vivid in the memories of his correspondents for the whole of their lives. People repeatedly spoke of them as having the greatest personal significance when they were contemplating their personal identity and the meaning of their lives. No doubt there had been a considerable development in the interpretation and perhaps embellishment of these experiences as the individuals thought about them over the years. Yet Robinson found it hard to ignore the power of the initial impact of the event which had generated this wealth of reflection. Could it be that Goldman and his followers were giving a great deal of attention to the language and thought forms of religion, whilst ignoring the direct awareness out of which it grows? (Hay, 43ff. ) Hay summarizes an article by Lorelei F

Fashion and Culture Essays

Fashion and Culture Essays Fashion and Culture Essay Fashion and Culture Essay To start with, what the author discusses in the essay are the definition of fashion,the meaning of fashion and the interaction of this meaning with cultural values and finally he discusses the communication of fashion. Then author emphasizes the ways fashion uses to communicate and discussion of communication models that fashion uses by examining whether fashion is the meaning of an interaction between cultural values and visual culture or fashion is a reflection of an identity, a way to convey messages. Author mainly asks the question that fashion by itself can be a method of communication or not. Also supports that fashion is not a method of communication by itself, fashion needs shared meanings and cultural values to send a message. According to the author the definition o fashion is what western people wear and the important terms to use in defining fashion the western and modern, wearing clothes is not just up to a minute. She adds that we can see the link between the fashion and the social structure of a culture. For example if the culture is not civilized and immobile we can not expect this culture have a sense of fashion. The author claims that fashion may be about bodies and by using Joanne Entwisle as a reference in transforming the fashioned bodies to cultured bodies in order to show the effect of culture on fashion. An other aspect the author uses to explain the nature of fashion is meaning. While explaining the term author avoids an account of meaning where meaning is a function of either individual intention or of clothing itself. She adds that in this essay she will use Barthes connotation because it refers work of culture . : The meaning of connotation in the essay can be called ‘all the way down’ and not build and based on anything that is not connotation. According to the author, Barthes connotational meaning is explicitly the product of culture. Since meaning is a product of cultural beliefs and values then different believes and values can generate different meanings. The author gives an example from Barthes famous account of famous Panzani advertisement to explain how different cultural beliefs and values can generate different meanings. This example can be called as Italianicity, members of a culture who has no tourist industry,or no stereotype of Italians will not understand that meaning. Also an other result of this example is that Italians have will have a different take on ad from non Italians. So it can be said that in this example we can clearly see that culture and meaning is the terms that very related each other. A second term used to explore the fashion is communication. Basically the author mentiones about two model of communication. The first one is semiological/cultural studies type . The second one is an approach that sees the communication as an expression, or reflection or sending and receiving a message. To start with the first approach, which argues that communication through fashion is not simply sending and receiving of messages which is ‘because meaning doesn’t pre-exist the process of communication. And meaning doesn’t pre-exist the members of cultures who are communicating,communication cannot be the sending and receiving of pre-existing message,there is no meaning until interaction between cultural values items of fashion’ says the author. According to this model cultural values,beliefs and shared meanings are essential for communication. The author uses some proponents in explaining this model such as Collin Campbel who critisizes the sender/receiver communication model in his essay ‘When the meanning is not a message: A Critique of the Consumption in the Communication Thesis’. Also the author shares the same belief with Wittgenstein, who argues that there are no private languages nor can be, in his ‘Philosophical Investigations’. The second model of communication is sender/receiver model in which communication can be seen as sending and receiving messages and communication as an expression . The author seems to be totally disagree with this model . The proponents used for explaining this model are Elizabeth Rouse and Joanne Entwistle. Elizabeth Rouse decsribes fashion as ’conveying an impression’ while Joanne Entwistle says that ‘the clothes can be expressive of identity’. The cases used in the essay are basically for supporting the semiological /cultural studies type and explaining the communication models by giving examples. The purpose of the first case study is to argue that: very well known people such as George Bush,Tony Blair and Osame bin Laden don’t try to explain themselves with the clothes they wear. They know that the clothes they wear can have meanings for different cultural groups but still it is not conveying a message in simple sense. It is not about expressing their identities to public by using their clothes as described in the sender / receiver model of communication. The purpose of the second case is explaining that how the perception of hoodies change after media provided hoodies new set of values and ideas . And it also explains certain cultural groups may construct different meaning of a particular garment. In conclusion the aim of this essay explain the nature of fashion statements by investigating meaning and communication. Meaning and communication explained by the culture. The essay concluded that meaning and communication needs culture , so that culture is a very important factor to understand the fashion, also it is important for the fashion itself.

Plagiarism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plagiarism - Essay Example Plagiarism is considered an academic crime in academic settings. There is no school, college, or university anywhere in the world that does not discourage the act of plagiarism. The reason is that plagiarism is an academic crime that violates the rules and ethics of creative writing. Such detection tools are available that can easily detect whether a student has copied something from somewhere or not. As Sumerset states, â€Å"with plenty of tools that can spot copied, repurposed or coopted text, attempting to plagiarize other people's material can be an exercise in nothing but getting caught red-handed†. Some colleges and universities even expel such students who commit the act of plagiarism. Such strict standards discourage students from doing any kind of plagiarism in their personal essays and reports. Let us now discuss the ways one may plagiarize in his/her papers, reports, and other documents. How One May Plagiarize Plagiarism is basically of three to four types. Sometim es, writers do not even know that they are plagiarizing or not. However, when they get the results, they get to know the fact that they have plagiarized unknowingly. The best way to detect the occurrence of any sort of plagiarism is to use some plagiarism detection software that can check whole document for plagiarism. One of the main ways a person can plagiarize is by forgetting to put direct quotations within inverted commas. Use of inverted commas for direct quotations or sentences from web and non-print sources is a basic rule regarding plagiarism. Some people forget this rule and commit plagiarism. For example, if a person copies a sentence from somewhere and pastes it in his/her own paper without putting the sentence within inverted commas and mentioning the name of the author and the page number at the end of the sentence and in the references page, it will be plagiarism. Another way through which a person can plagiarize is by changing the words of the copied sentence thinkin g that changed wording does not cause plagiarism. It is true but for short sentences. Sometimes people try to write whole paragraphs using their own words and in the same order of sentences. However, they do not mention the source of the paragraph at the end of the paragraph. This is called paragraph paraphrasing and is plagiarism if not cited properly. Sometimes people just change the order of the words of the copied sentences. They are not aware of the fact that changing the order of the words does not change the original wording of the sentence. This is called Mosaic plagiarism, which occurs due to lack of knowledge of referencing rules (Rajeev). For example, if a copied sentence is ‘A mouse was under the table’. Now, if a person changes it to ‘Under the table was a mouse’, it will be mosaic plagiarism. Ways to Avoid Plagiarism Plagiarism is an act of cheating which not only harms a student’s creative writing ability but also affects the reputatio n of the institute if the paper of the student is caught for plagiarism at any platform. One can take ideas of others for writing a report or any other document but he/she should always mention the original source of that information or ideas in order to make the use of those ideas legal. Moreover, it is not sufficient to mention the source of the information only within the text of the paper. Failing to include complete reference/source in the references page also results in plagiarism. Some

Accounting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Accounting - Research Paper Example This chapter outlines the essence of harmony, and healthy working relations. It is crucial to note that, Dunlap has caused more harm than salubrious. Many companies remained ruined during and after Dunlap’s rein as executive officer (Hooper, 2003). For instance, the application of traditional and crooked ways of bookkeeping, workforce evisceration and executive butt- worship, which characterized Chainsaw’s career in the business world wallowed majority of the firms, which included Sunbeam. They were rendered bankruptcy and crippled (Byrne, 2001). Dunlap’s arrogance can be illustrated in a case where were he fires quarter of the salaried employees of Lilly Tulip. It is imperative to note that, Dunlap’s egomaniacal style and obsession with short-term performance ultimately led to his firing and charged with fraud. Later Dunlap pays millions of dollars to the shareholders and remains banned from heading any public company (Lasdun, 2001). This situation reveals how, work places have risen to become one of the unsafe places as not perceived (Hodas, 2006). It is evidenced by journalistic investigation of incidents that, marginalization, harassment and bullying by administrators are a norm to employees (Beresntain, 1995). In conclusion, Dunlap represented an era characterized by anger, betrayal, self-interest, lies and arrogance for instance, the case where Dunlap rewards the lawyer such that, the intended loyalty and commitment might remain

A critical review of the contemporary Art Exhibition 'The light Show' Essay

A critical review of the contemporary Art Exhibition 'The light Show' in Hayward Gallery - Essay Example The paper "A critical review of the contemporary Art Exhibition 'The light Show' in Hayward Gallery" gives a review of 'The light Show', Art Exhibition in Hayward Gallery. The ability of the art to transform space and to influence and alter perceptions through the application of modern materials that had not been polluted by the traditional art, forms the basis of the 'The light Show' in Hayward Gallery. Thus, the application of fluorescent tubes and Neon tubes struck the world in the early 1960s as the means through which the materials that had not been used before became the basis of creating an optical environment that has enabled making of the intangible materials into more tangible substance achievable. The combination of Dan Flavin’s ‘electric light art’ that applies the fluorescent tubes, with the Franà §ois Morellet’s Neon tubes and the Carlos Cruz-Diez concept of Chromosaturation installations, as well as the Bill Culbert time-based installations of light bulbs are aspects of the 'light Show' in Hayward Gallery that has made the psychological response to illumination and colour a more conceptual and sensual experience for the art audience. The Contemporary Art Exhibition Art Exhibition, 'The light Show' in Hayward Gallery forms atmospheric light installations and intangible art sculptures that the audience can go through. The light installations and the combination of the light bulbs, the Neon tubes and the fluorescent tubes enables the visitors to experience the mystery of light as a tool for art.

Human Resource Management in Pakistan

Human Resource Management in Pakistan Pakistan is categorized in the list of developing countries. Many multinationals organizations are operational in Pakistan and along with these multinational organizations many large and small businesses are also operating in Pakistan. Now a day there is a trend of doing business thats why both experienced and well educated entrepreneurs are staring their businesses and this will a positive sign in the success of Pakistan. In Pakistan, most of the organizations dont have a proper human resource department to perform all the related activities of human resource department. Organizations dont give importance to the human resource department and do not realize the effectiveness of human resource department. They think that hiring a person is the only responsibility of human resource department in any organization and it can be done by any other person of the organization. But on the other hand, many multinational and national organizations realize the importance of human resource department and they have a proper human resource department in their organization and they are achieving the results positively. Organizations are now thinking and many organizations start building a proper human resource department so that they meet the challenges of the market. So in near future, we will see that almost every organization must have a proper human resource department and human resource managers are performing th eir duties effectively. PEST Analysis A PEST analysis is an analysis of the external macro-environment that affects all firms. P.E.S.T. is an acronym for the Political, Economic, Social, and Technological factors of the external macro-environment [1]. Political, economic, social and technological forces form the human resource management policies and activities. Local economy in terms of output and demand of labor is affected by the global economy influences. Political Factor: Political factor is more complex in our scenario because Pakistan is facing political instability and its relation to the other factors which are related to the human resource management. As Pakistan is in the category of developing countries and political environment is constantly changing, mainly in the area of regulatory requirements. Employment legislation, human rights, pay equity, occupational health and safety, industrial relations legislation and pension all impose on most human resource management activities, including selection, training and rewards. Also, government can get involved in the economy to influence economic activity and thus change labor market trends. In the meanwhile, government can influence on the work week and mandatory employee benefits which is directly related to the human resource management [2]. Economical Factor: A human resource management practices are strongly influenced by the current economic climate of the country. Skill level of workforce and labor cost are main factors of human resource management which are affected by the economical factor of a country. As Pakistan is a developing country and dont have a strong economic conditions which also impact on the organizations and they also dont have very much resources and on the other side those organizations who have resources only invest a certain level of amount which the organizations think they get back with profit. Due to weak economic conditions, organizations lack in competent human resource because people dont have much resources to get high profile employees. Due to economic condition, small businesses do not build a proper human resource department. They think that this will be wastage of money but do not give importance to it. Social Factor: Social factor also affect the human resource management practices of any country. Demographics, class structure, education, culture and entrepreneurial spirit are some of the parts of social factor which directly affect the human resource management of any country. In Pakistan, this factor plays a very important role but unfortunately plays a negative role to some extent. Some parts of this factor also play a positive role like education and entrepreneurial spirit are the most important ones. On the other hand, some organizations and government sector organizations are ruled by the class structure and demographics politics. Technological Factor: Technological factor plays a very important and also positive role in the human resource management. Those organizations that have a proper human resource department are now using latest technology and due to this employees confidence is built on the organization and they work more effectively because they know they get what they deliver. Most of the human resource departments are using customized softwares because of which their efficiency and effectiveness increased and they are delivering their best to the organization. These softwares help the human resource department in the time of recruitment and performance appraisals etc. Areas of Human Resource Management There are different areas of human resource management and here I select two areas of human resource management which I think are the most important areas of human resource management. The selected areas of human resource management are recruitment and selection. These both are the important areas of human resource management because if you dont select a right candidate for right position than you do not get the required results from that candidate. I will further high light the importance of these two areas by using an example of a company. The company which I select for this evaluation is wi-tribe Pakistan limited. I will discuss how the internal and external factors of wi-tribe affect the recruitment and selection process. Recruitment and Selection: Recruitment  refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a  job [3].  Different organizations outsource some of the recruitment process but there are organizations which perform the recruitment process itself. wi-tribe has its own full-fledged human resource management department which performs the activities related to human resource department. But there are few activities which wi-tribe outsource to different consulting organizations. wi-tribe outsource these activities to HRS global. Internal and External Factors The external factors [4] of an organization include; Economic forces Social, cultural, demographics and environmental forces Political, legal and governmental forces Technological forces The internal factors of an organization include; Employees Suppliers Distributors Economic Forces: If the economic conditions of wi-tribe is not so good than they have to think about the cost incurred while conducting the recruitment and selection process. So because of this the organization tries that source of recruitment which will bear a lower cost of recruitment for each candidate and this will affect the selection of the candidate and there are chances that the wi-tribe will not select the right candidate and this will affect its operations and performance. Social, Cultural, demographic and Environmental Forces: These forces also have a strong effect on recruitment and selection process. If wi-tribe has a recruitment and selection process which is opposite to the social and cultural trends than this will also affect the recruitment and selection of the right candidate. Social, cultural, demographics and environmental forces affect the organization and it is the responsibility of the management to set the policies of the organization in a way that they are not affected by these factors. Management has to handle these forces otherwise they are hurdles in the way of recruiting and selecting the right candidate for the right position. Political, Legal and Governmental Forces: A number of government regulations have direct impact on recruitment and selection process. Trade unions also play a vital role in recruitment and selection. But these unions and regulations sometimes badly affect the organization and play a negative role. In wi-tribe there are no unions but they are affected by the regulations imposed by the government and also the Pakistan telecom authority. Political pressure is also used for any post which also affects the image of the organization among its employees and outsiders even the employee has the capabilities for a certain post. Technological Forces: Technology is also a factor which effects on the organization but in the case of wi-tibe it has more important role because wi-tribe is working in internet providing industry and providing wireless internet connections to its customers. wi-tribe has to stay up to date in his technology so that he can compete his competitors in technology. The more the latest technology the wi-tribe uses the more the positive impact effects on its customers wi-tribe impose. Now a days wi-tribe is using the latest technology available and importing that technology from china. For the handling of that technology wi-tribe recruits and selects the most capable candidates so that they handle that technology with care and customers get the best services. Employees: Employees are the back bone of any organization. Those organizations that are successful in the market are only because of their competitive employees. wi-tribe also have competitive employees which are capable of achieving their goals and because of these employees wi-tribe become the number 1 internet providing company in Pakistan within few years. This shows how effective the human resource department wi-tribe have because these employees are selected by the human resource department. Suppliers: Suppliers are also the important factor which affect the organization and play important role in the success of the organization. Those organizations who have effective and best suppliers are leaders in the markets and leading the market because the facility which you are offering to the market is a quality product or not based on your suppliers because if your supplier supply you the best quality products than you can deliver the best product. With garbage event his top leaders cannot produce the master piece. Distributors: Distributors are also the important factor and they are your front line army men. If you produce the best quality product and because of your distributors negligence your product will be infected than you are unable to lead the market and get required result. Some products are sensitive and need some extra care. Recommendations Every organization is looking for perfection in his every department. Here are some recommendations related to human resource management department of wi-tribe so that they can achieve their targets easily. They give full rights to their human resource department and also gave them the freedom of recruiting and selecting the employee which they think is the most suitable for the given position. Human resource department also include at least a single person from every department during the recruitment process of that department so that they can select the right candidate.

A Comparison of Heroes in Beowulf and A Lesson Before Dying :: comparison compare contrast essays

Everyday Heroes in Beowulf and A Lesson Before Dying Ernest Gaines novel, A Lesson Before Dying, is a story about, Jefferson, a black man who is wrongfully charged with a crime he did not commit. He cannot get a fair trial because he is a black man in the south. He is sentenced to be executed, but before he dies Grant, an educated black man, teaches him how to walk like a man, so people do not think of him as a hog. "Beowulf" is an epic poem over one thousand years old, which was told from one generation to another. It is about, Beowulf, a great hero who defeats three different monsters to save the kingdom. In his last battle he is much older than before and is killed by a dragon. A hero does something that other people do not do and he does things for others, and other people look to a hero for guidance. Grant does something that other blacks can not do he goes to college. Most blacks do not get the opportunity to go to college, but Grant went as soon as he was old enough. When he returned he was a well-educated man, but he was still treated the same way as he was before he went to college. Grant is able to teach Jefferson how to be a man, and Jefferson learns that he is somebody. " ... I cry cause you been so good to me mr wigin an nobody aint never been that good to me an make me think im somebody"(Gaines 232) No one else is qualified to help Jefferson they all depend on Grant to teach him, and Jefferson appreciates it so much it brings him to tears. Beowulf is able to do something that no one else has ever done even though many people have tried. He is able to kill Grendel because he uses Grendels own size to hurt him. Beowulf grabs Grendels arm and pulls it until Grandel finally escapes. "He twisted in pain, And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder Snapped, muscle and bone split And broke"(Beowulf 34). Grendel was so big that when Beowulf pulled his arm there was too much pressure on it and it started to tear.

Cross I Lab Report

The purpose of this experiment was to determine if two selected traits of Drosophila melanogaster, dumpy wings and sepia eyes, follow Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance through the F2 generation. Materials and Methods In week one, two crosses were set up. Dumpy females were crossed with sepia males, while dumpy males were crossed with sepia females. The dumpy phenotype consisted of shorter, smaller wings while the sepia phenotype consisted of brown eye color. For these crosses, all females were virgins. These crosses were the P1 generation.These crosses were then incubated until week two. ?In week two, the parents were removed and disposed of. The eggs and larve were left to continue the cross. The crosses were left to continue to incubate until the following week. ?In week three, the flies emerging from each cross of the P1 generation were counted, separated into male and female, and then further separated into phenotype. This marked the completion of the P1 generation. The F1 cros ses were then begun. They were set up in there different ways.In Cross A, F1 females were paired with F1 males. In cross B, F1 virgin females were paired with dumpy sepia males. In the last cross, Cross C, dumpy sepia virgin females were crossed with F1 males. In crosses B and C, only virgin females were used. The virgin females used were obtained from the P1 crosses. Dumpy sepia virgins were acquired from a source outside the experiment. The crosses were left to incubate until week four. ?Week four proceeded much like week two, with the parents being removed and discarded.The eggs and larve were left undisturbed to continue the cross. They were allowed to incubate until the final week, week five. ?In the final week, week five, the flies emerging from the F2 crosses and the backcross were counted, separated into male and female, and then further separated into phenotype just as week three. The crosses were then disposed of. Results F1 x F1 Cross Raw Data Wt Dp Se dpse M F M F M F M F Table 1 26 19 8 9 7 11 2 4 Table 2 Table 3 39 43 7 10 16 25 1 3 Table 4 34 56 17 13 16 16 3 6 Total 99 118 32 32 39 52 6 13

Storytelling in Your College and Career Documents

Storytelling in Your College and Career Documents When we were kids, we all loved stories.   Well guess what?   That hasn’t changed!   I recently read the article Storytelling an Effective Training Method! and it sparked me to write this post. The fact is, we all love a good story.   Admissions committees love good stories.   Hiring managers love good stories.   Customers and clients love good stories.   Always remember:   the person you’re writing for is a human being!   How do you get another human being to read your document?   Spin a good yarn! If you’re applying to college, tell a story with a beginning, middle and end.   I had a client who wrote his college application essay about teaching his sister to ride a bike.   His first draft was all rosy about how great the experience was, and it did not have a compelling beginning, middle and end.   He felt lost in the writing, and the essay was boring. What ultimately made the story great was that he started at the beginning, when he was annoyed at his sister for being small and clumsy, then moved through the process of a breakthrough in becoming a teacher, and a better teacher and finally to where he released the seat and the sister took off on her own on the bike.   Victory! A great story. In college applications, many times what makes a great story is to admit to a struggle or fault, and show how you broke through it.   In a cover letter, believe it or not, you can do the same thing. All kinds of people are saying â€Å"No one reads cover letters anymore.†Ã‚   Well, of course no one is reading them – because they are stilted and boring and no one can get through them!   Have you ever considered that if you write a good enough story in your cover letter that it really  will get read! Do you have an example of a time when a project was failing, and you stepped in to fix it?   That makes a great story!   Is there an example of something you achieved that relates to the job you’re applying for?   Don’t be afraid to tell these stories in your cover letters! On your resume, too, tell as much of a story as you can in a bulleted line. What not to write:   â€Å"Assisted scientists with their research.† What to write: â€Å"Conducted genetic, epidemiology, and behavior research on sport fish in Illinois, Canada, and the Bahamas.† Ah, now that sounds kind of interesting! For an example of a professional bio that tells a great story or two, see Senior Investment Analyst Bio on The Essay Expert’s website.   This client reported to me that she loved her bio story so much that she kept reading it to herself after it was done! Whatever the reason, we all love a good story.   Tell one in your college and job applications.   Tell one in your professional bio.   If you do it well, your intended audience will keep reading†¦Ã‚   and reading†¦Ã‚   and reading.

Free Essays on The Miseducation Of The Negro

â€Å"The Mis-Education of the Negro† In the book â€Å"The Mis-Education of The Negro†, Carter G. Woodson discussed the only way he feels socialization can be promoted in today’s society. Woodson discusses how we were taught as African Americans to think of ourselves. We were taught to think of ourselves as people without any background, no culture or foundation so we feel we have no type of self worth. He talks of about race superiority. Leading back to the days of slavery, the white race was privileged over the African American race. African Americans can never be reprimanded for the days of slavery no matter how much it is tried to. It is not to say the white race did not have its trials and tribulations but what happened years ago still affects us today. It is said the African American race is misunderstood and the misunderstanding lead to various stereotypes aimed against black people by whites. I feel Woodson is implying that we as African American need to be taught our history, foundation and culture not only once a year (Black History Month) but everyday. Most importantly don’t teach it only to Black people but to everybody so that they to can see African American as who we really are Beautiful people who do have some type of self worth and history. I believe what Woodson is trying to say is in order to promote socialization among all races there must be equality. No one race must have superiority over any other race. Up until this day African Americans are discriminated against when looking for jobs, shopping, looking to buy homes, and when driving down the street. When people is consistently taught or treated a certain way they may then see it as right Being mistreated because of race isn’t right . Giving superiority to any one race is wrong whether it is African Americans or White Americans.... Free Essays on The Miseducation Of The Negro Free Essays on The Miseducation Of The Negro â€Å"The Mis-Education of the Negro† In the book â€Å"The Mis-Education of The Negro†, Carter G. Woodson discussed the only way he feels socialization can be promoted in today’s society. Woodson discusses how we were taught as African Americans to think of ourselves. We were taught to think of ourselves as people without any background, no culture or foundation so we feel we have no type of self worth. He talks of about race superiority. Leading back to the days of slavery, the white race was privileged over the African American race. African Americans can never be reprimanded for the days of slavery no matter how much it is tried to. It is not to say the white race did not have its trials and tribulations but what happened years ago still affects us today. It is said the African American race is misunderstood and the misunderstanding lead to various stereotypes aimed against black people by whites. I feel Woodson is implying that we as African American need to be taught our history, foundation and culture not only once a year (Black History Month) but everyday. Most importantly don’t teach it only to Black people but to everybody so that they to can see African American as who we really are Beautiful people who do have some type of self worth and history. I believe what Woodson is trying to say is in order to promote socialization among all races there must be equality. No one race must have superiority over any other race. Up until this day African Americans are discriminated against when looking for jobs, shopping, looking to buy homes, and when driving down the street. When people is consistently taught or treated a certain way they may then see it as right Being mistreated because of race isn’t right . Giving superiority to any one race is wrong whether it is African Americans or White Americans....

Demonstrative communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Demonstrative communication - Essay Example Demonstrative communication consists of nonverbal and unwritten communications. It involves sending and receiving wordless messages and is mostly utilized to support verbal communication; although it can convey messages on its own. Facial expressions are the most regular among the entire nonverbal communication. Proper attire, a firm handshake and a pleasant behavior can â€Å"speak volumes† (Matsumoto et al, 2012) regarding the type of person someone is. It is the fact that demonstrative communication can be positive or negative, successful or unproductive. It relies on the way the sender sends the message and the way the message will be corresponded. Any form of association can be positive or negative as it is supported on communication method, whether it is personal life or professional one. As mentioned by Barbour, merely seven percent of communication is supported by words, Volume, tone and pitch of the voice makes 38 percent; and a complete 55 percent is supported facial expressions in addition to other non-verbal communication. One can enhance the possibility that others will understand him if he is aware of the proper as well as effective use of demonstrative communication. ... Eye contact is an extremely significant component of demonstrative communication as it can display thoughtfulness as well as sincerity, or the lack of respect. Poor eye contact can form communication obstacles, which damages the communication process. Demonstrative communication helps in self-expression. The way any individual person presents himself says a lot regarding his personality to others. For example, a business person â€Å"dresses in a smart suit to show he is successful and walks with confidence to show they are in charge. This allows them to command respect without overtly seeking it†. The tone of one’s voice has a significant part in the communication process. The tone within a message can be positive or negative. For example, if the sender of the message has a â€Å"very loud angry tone the message will perceived as negative†. On the other hand, if the sender has a composed and even tone, the message will be perceived by the receiver as being. Indi viduals use demonstrative communication on a daily basis without even being aware of it. Even though this form of communication can be positive, people should be cautious in the way they use demonstrative communication as it can be vague and can easily be misinterpreted. Gestures and facial expressions can represent different things to different individuals. It can be simple for somebody to misapprehend the individual that they do not know. For instance, if a person is talking to someone who has his arms folded, he can be considered as being defensive. However, this could also indicate that he is simply feeling comfortable. In a number of instances, demonstrative communication should not be completely relied on as there are no set rules

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 13

History - Essay Example Note the Confucius section is the last section of your paper and incorporates your experience from the two individual studies. There is only one Confucius section, not one for each individual   Thomas Jefferson was one of the most significant figures in U.S. History. He played a central role in the revolution; however, his most important contribution to the development of the new nation was his work on the Declaration of Independence. Indeed, Jefferson could be described as the most important of the Founding Fathers. Jefferson was born in1743 to a prominent Virginian farming family. Like most children from well-to-do families in the South he was well educated, studying Latin, Greek and eventually Law and philosophy at the College of William and Mary (Whitehouse.org). It is here that Jefferson was introduced to the British Enlightenment thinking of John Locke, Francis Bacon and Newton – three figures who were to have an enormous impact on Jefferson’s own political views (Peterson 1236). Upon graduating Jefferson practised law and entered Virginian political life. It was here that Jefferson began his more radical writing, protesting against the introduction of what he considered the implementation of unfair laws by the British Parliament (Remini 34). Jefferson was involved in the Second Continental Congress which produced his most famous and enduring document; the Declaration of Independence. After the Revolutionary War Jefferson entered re-entered politics serving as Governor of Vir ginia, a member of the new Congress, Ambassador to France, Secretary of State, and ultimately, the third President of the United States (McPherson 2000: 28-29). Jefferson made tremendous contributions to the evolutions and development of the Untied States. The three most important were, however, the creation of the Declaration if Independence, his co-founding of what was to become the Democratic-Republican party, and his actions during his Presidency – namely the