Parental Involvement in Education Essay Example for Free

Parental Involvement in Education Essay Clay P. Bedford once said, â€Å"You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.† It’s the 21th century and we have achieved the peaked of the brilliancy of the human race and everything is manipulated with a click of the mouse, with the aid of computer technology we can achieve a faster way of learning. However, the urgency, dedication, and quality of learning of children 20 years ago are quite different from the children of this generation. A change in the attitude towards education – a move to the life-long paradigm is currently taking place globally. The fundamental aim of building a better system of education defined the type of society built. Currently, substantial changes have taken place in the context of teaching as well as the system of education and organization of academic work. The success of our community depends upon the pace and extends of building a knowledge-based society with the realms of our school. But, â€Å"The quality of education in the U.S. today declined at a tremendous rate.† (Houig 4-10). Have we as parents contributed to the decline of our children’s learning? Could this be the psychological effect of a dysfunctional family; the types of environment our children are growing; are the children themselves don’t have the urge to study or lack of parental involvement in the child’s education? Therefore, to what point do we as parents try to get involve in our children’s life? This has been a question unanswered by all parents like us? Parental involvement in children’s upbringing plays a very vital role in their attitude and quality of learning. Well, parents go immense lengths to give their offspring the best possible start in life – from providing the first meal, to offering vigilant protection and teaching them the skills to survive on their own. And after continued reading, researching, and asking questions about would have attributed to the continued decline of the quality of education of our children, I have drawn a common t hought that child-rearing practice takes a vital role in the attitude of children towards education. And the most influential in the child’s approach to education is definitely a good child-rearing practice (Hoover-Dempsey 3-42). The techniques of child-rearing that parent are using when raising their children has a great effect on the child’s growth and development. Every society has different  child-rearing practices used to facilitate child development. The practices depend on cultures, beliefs, and socio-economic as well as environmental factors. These different factors influence child development as societies at the same time have different perceptions and expectations on child development. There are two types of child-rearing techniques introduced to us by Ms. Annette Lareau, â€Å"concerted cultivation† wherein in most cases provides the child with skills and advantages over â€Å"natural growth† wherein the children in the classroom will learn and eventually will advance to their career. Parents engaged in concerted cultivation are parenting by attempting to foster children’s talents through organized leisure activities, which teach them to respect authority and how to interact in a structured environment. Learning how to interact in structured environment much like in the classroom gives student a head start in school special emphasis on reasoning skills and language use. These parents are much involved in the following their children’s activities. Through this process children from concerted cultivation upbringing will be more productive in their academic endeavors and they feel more responsible because they know that their parents are highly involved. The second type of technique of child-rearing practice involves parents in the working class which engage their children in the accomplishment of natural growth. Children usually have more unstructured time and therefore these children create their own to preoccupy themselves. They create activities such as watching television, playing computer games, PSP, X-Box and Nintendo DS. This environment does not prepare children to survive in setting that are very structured, such as school. Accompanying the strain of not having enough time, working class parents are left with less time to get involve with their children’s schooling activities. My experience as a teacher’s assistant has thought me to judge parents’ involvement in their children’s learning with performance of each child in school. The proactive parents have their children’s homework completed, memos read and required documentation turned in the following day while half of the class still has their memos on their folders and with no homework completed. Now that coincides with the notes from research showing that when â€Å"Parents are involved in their children’s learning, students achieve more and less likely to drop out of school† (Keith, et.al. 31-40). So, how do we define parental involvement? Parental  involvement includes a wide range of behavio rs but generally refers to parents and family members use and investment of resources in their children’s schooling. After that broad definition, let us differentiate the various types of parents to fully understand and vividly portray the effects of parental involvement in each child’s quality of education. There are three main types of parents: authoritative, authoritarian and permissive parents. Authoritative parents are found to be the style with more success in upbringing; they establish a balance between making demands and being responsive to their children’s specific needs. These parents provide their children encouragement which embodies positive attitudes towards work and effort. With such enthusiasm and children receive all the courage they need to pursue good grades. These children also feel secured in their personality and feel more comfortable asking for help when they need it most. Children of these parents tend to do better while in school (Cotton 1). Authoritarian parents follow a style where they simply tell their children what to do, and not to argue with them. Parents who apply this style tend to limit children’s independence and force them to follow strict rules by threatening harsh punishment for violations. They also tend to be less responsive to and a ccepting of their children. By preventing children from exercising control over their own behaviors and learning from their mistakes, authoritarian parents inadvertently may be rearing children to believe that they are not responsible for what happens to them. Children from these groups of parents tend to display loss of confidence and motivation because of there is lack of continued positive reinforcement. These are the parents that get discouraged when their children come home with bad grades. They punish their children which often cause an uneasy feeling for these children to seek for help; even worse, they may exhibit rebellious attitude towards their parental authority and ultimately towards his outlook on acquiring his education. Permissive parents are very passive and feel their child’s life should be their own responsibility and are often expressing an â€Å"I don’t care† attitude towards their achievement as well as their outlook in life. This can be very dangerous in that the child’s motivation is almost if not quite completely based on observation and peer influence, leaving a large variable on the location and condition of the child’s upbringing. These are the type of parents that are presumed not necessarily uncaring or negligent  in their child’s need; however the children perceived it as such. Ruth Nuneviller Steinem once said, â€Å"Children don’t belong to us. They are little strangers who arrive in our life and give us pleasure and duty of caring for them, but we don’t own them. We help them become who they are.† This is the true essence of being a parent and that being able to impart and bring out the best in our children, be it our own or other children that we get acquainted throughout our life time. Parents’ beliefs and perceptions on the responsibilities as parents have a big effect on their children’s interest in learning (ESU 1-3). But, numerous controversies could cloud the full implementation of programs in school to foster parental improvement in education. An article came up at one of the issues of Michigan State University paper saying, â€Å"Some are concern about parental involvement program stems from their observation that many schools and teachers use a â€Å"one-size† fits all approach to teaching. And the International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanity Studies say, â€Å"It is i mperative for teachers and school personnel to enhance their strategies for promoting parental presence.† While another article published at Education State say, â€Å"Educators need to recast the idea of partnership more one in which they parent parents.† So, everyone agree that we need to act on promoting parental involvement in education in order for the student to achieve and excel at highest potential. Our system needs to stream line and advocate the importance of parental involvement and overcome the various obstacles and stigma that permeates our society as a whole. We need to work in unison, united with one goal and dedicated to achieving the goal of improving the quality of education for our generation and the generations to come. It is imperative that these obstacles are talked and overcome so that our children will be better leaders and citizens of our country and the world. In my continued research I found that parental involvement has shown a consistent positive relationship between parents’ engagement in their children’s education and student outcomes ( Such 39-68). So, what can we do as parents? To succeed in our endeavors we as parents, need to get a partner, learn more about organizations working to boost parental involvement, attend workshop and empowering oneself. Parental involvement constitute (1) volunteering by adopting and sponsoring academic based programs, school clubs, or team – attending meetings to help enhance and support academic improvement within  the school; coach sports and supporting the clubs and teams in its advocacy. And if the school cannot get a staffer dedicated to parent engagement, parents should get together and start training parents to be reading and math tutors and even establish a welcoming committee that new parents in the school; (2) setting fair and consistent rules – homework first and foremost before anything else; (3) setting examples – parents needs to show interest in reading, discovering new things and learning and sharing ideas and (4) keeping lines of communication open parents need to encourage their children to relate how their day was. Parents should take a minute or two to answer questions that arises even in a very hectic schedule. Parental involvement is an important area o f sociology because of its significance to social capital and its positive impacts on children. It is, by itself, a social relation involving teachers, parent, and students where each play a role and function based on their own expectations, familial and social norms, and personal and social obligations. Japan for example set a high regard to parental involvement in the education of their children, â€Å"Teachers make explicit and exacting demands on parents for their direct involvement I their children’s learning† (Halloway et.al. 91-97). Japanese schools promote parental involvement (oyanokanyo in Japanese) is said to be strong because parent-school relationship is viewed as a relationship that is based on trust, deference, partnership, and cooperation. Mothers are the primary educator in the lives of their children. They are viewed as (1) audience – Japanese school provide venue where parents can interact with each other and this occur during school orientation (shinnyuugakujidoudetsumeikai) for incoming first graders done yearly during the month of Janu ary to February and parents sit in on a class and listen to the teacher’s lecture; (2) volunteers – parents are asked to fill out a form indicating interest, expertise, and experience. Information provided is used to create a â€Å"talent bank† a database containing the parents name so that they can use to fill up basic services that the school needs like safeguarding students while crossing the street or even recycling activities; (3) paraprofessional – parents acting as teachers during the summer. These work includes making sure they read to their children, make sure that summer home works are done; (4) learners – Japanese school requires parents to attend seminars to improve their efficacy in educating and rearing their children and in some  schools parents are encouraged to attend skills training like ironing, sewing, internet use, etc.; and (5) decision-makers – the school’s PTA officers in Japan meet in the city discuss matters geared to improvement in the school and their children. As my research progress, I have learned that in China compared to our public school system, parental involvement is higher. Parents in China have greater educational expectations for their children. Chinese parents place more emphasis on effort rather than emphasis on ability especially when attributing reasons for difficulty or failure. Chinese parents accept the critical role of helping their children learn concepts if they are lagging in school. Involvement of Chinese parents is â€Å"back-stage/behind the scene†- they are more engaged in home-based activities to boost their child’s ability to learn. Chinese parents make sure that their children complete their homework with perfection. In China, education ethics begins with parents. Mother will actually attend school; takes note; to observe the child-teacher relationship and the child’s behavior towards learning (International Journal of Social Sciences 26-35). Chinese parents are engaged more in cultural practice that honored the professional expertise of teachers and the need to access skills for successful access to social mobility while at the same time they sought to maintain the cultural integrity of their community. In India, the framework of the parental involvement in India’s Education System is defined as controlled by the individual parent, parental school board or the tribal council. Like in many eastern Asian countries education is of highest value that parents could provide for their children. While the authority for overseeing the whole education system lies on federal trust, the responsibility for In dian people remains with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, all agenda pertaining education is directed to include laws and regulations that impact the whole public school system (Warner 4-18). While the Middle Class Americans parents encourage their children to nurture their talent with various activities that will later give them a head start. These parents exposed their children on how to interact in a structured setting. Other parent’s get involves in their children’s life by having an open communication with their children’s teachers. They get involved in the academic process, school activities and other extra-curricular activities that the child is interested with. The Working Class American parents on the  other hand relies on the natural growth of the child, giving the child the opportunity to make their own choices to keep their time occupied, that most engaged themselves with video games and social networking media like Facebook and Twitter. These children learn at their own phase and eventually losing their focus interest in learning and in the traditional population like in the case of the Hawaiians, parents tend to provide their children a non-stimulating environment. They often are unaware that their child-rearing practices can affect their children’s cognitive and language development. They fail to appreciate the importance of playing and chatting with their children because they are unaware of the age-appropriate activities to do with their children. Many of these parents inhibit exploration putting emphasis on discipline, obedience, and respect for elders, religious beliefs and cultural observance (Sheehey 3-15). Both the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services note, â€Å"The role of mother as well as father is necessary in the development and academic success of a child.† Mothers and fathers often bring different strengths and style to their parenting roles. Children benefit significantly in many areas when fathers and mothers are actively engaged. These advantages are the building blocks for success that begins from birth and lasts into adulthood. According to research gathered by the Minnesota Fathers and Families Network some of these benefits include: (1) social skills – children grown with greater empathy , less gender role stereotyping and higher self-esteem. In cases where fathers are actively engaged children have more self-control and less impulsive behaviors; (2) excel in problem-solving – children have less hesitance and fear in new situations because, acceptance and confidence are instilled, increase curiosity to learning, increase exploration of the world around them and these children have greater tolerance for success and frustration because of the nurturing and love that they have received in their childhood; (3) cognitive benefits – higher math competence when fathers dynamically participates in the children’s homework and class activity, overall verbal competence and early literacy because parents effort to reading and story-telling leads to children’s interest towards reading and ultimately all these concerted efforts eventually leads to higher grade completion and income overall. To some parents who take time to attend meetings, conferences and participates in school activities and  events are t eaching their children the value of setting priorities and giving importance to the development of their children’s social life. These parents are teaching their children to be socially aware, responsible, and work for the betterment of the community. â€Å"Our future rest on the quality of children we are raising† (Elium 1-35). These also teach the children to value education. Seeing their parents giving up their time to be in school and get involve completes their development as a whole. For our goal in sending our children to school is for them to be physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually fit to the society where we belong. We raise our children to better leaders, better care-takers of our environment, better citizens of our society and better parents for our future generation. My personal experience has also convinced me that parental involvement play a vital role in education. This is the story of my medically challenged daughter; Bethany Joy who really exemplifies that role of parental involvement truly is beneficial. She was born prematurely, 29 weeks GA, with low birth weight. She suffered from an intraventricular hemorrhage Grade III meaning, the three chambers or the ventricles bleed 10 days after birth. Her neonatologist and neurologist said that secondary to the severity of the brain damage, she will not be able to walk and talk. A periventricular shunt was implanted to act as the vertebral column where her cerebrospinal fluid will flow. Knowing her prognosis, my husband and I decided that is she will pull through with all this other medical complications that I will have to quit my job. We were determined to defy all the doctors’ perceptions. We nurtured her in a loving environment, made few advances on her therapy sessions, made every effort to read, sing, and played with her and eventually she came out victorious. Talking before she turned one and walking at 13 months. She had undergone five brain surgeries and five other minor surgeries but she is in a regular school and has been one of the recipients of the Academic Honor Student for the past six years at her school. So, now it is safe to conclude that parents’ participation in their child’s education is far more vital in the success of the child’s education. â€Å"Our involvement as parents can mold the child’s interest towards learning† (Eliun 1-35). So, let’s make a difference in our children’s lives, to create a better society and life for our children in the generations to come.

Honda Strategy and Marketing Analysis

Honda Strategy and Marketing Analysis Volkswagen was the first company entering the Chinese automobile industry. Faced by a satisfied home market the company had to expand its business and therefore the growing economy of China was their next choice. The Volkswagen Beetle, the first car produced for the Chinese market, was a real success. After several years  competitors, mainly from the Japanese market like Honda, started to enter the Chinese market very aggressively and  due to that Volkswagen had to face the challenge to maintain its market leader position and therefore adopt the  corporate strategy. As a consequence Volkswagen China introduced its Olympic Program strategic plan in 2005. The program is calledOlympic since its aim is to reach the strategic goals set by the end of the Olympic year 2008. In the following we will analyze the strategic plans of Volkswagen and set them in context to the strategic behaviour of  the Japanese competitor Honda. 3.1 Marketing Volkswagen announced to focus more on differentiation. This is due to the existence of two joint ventures and the  planned positioning of the Skoda products. By offering a large product variety the group aims to serve as many different  target customer groups as possible. In opposition to previous product designs the new cars offered by Volkswagen will be adapted to Chinese taste in order  to increase the brands popularity. The former Volkswagen products were designed for the European market but since  Japanese car manufacturers fit better to the Asian taste the company had to react. The Volkswagen products in China  compete on quality but to maintain the companys leading position it is unremitting to produce cars that are both  fashionable and qualitative. 3.2 Sales Sales relationships are going to be restructured and there will be more interaction between the two joint ventures FAW  VW and VWS. These strategic interactions are another way to increase the companys customer orientation and thereby  the attractiveness of the brand. Dealerships will be tailored to the newly-defined customer groups segmentation of the  two joint ventures respectively. Vehicles of the Volkswagen brand will be distributed through two dealer network  channels. By this, Volkswagen aims at its strategic goal to maintain its leading position by serving different customer  groups. 3.3 Research and Development The company focuses more on in-house developments within the Volkswagen joint ventures in China to save costs. Ten  to twelve new models developed in China for the Chinese market should be launched by the end of 2008. 3.4 Sourcing and Supply Chain Historically the two joint ventures VW Shanghai FAW VW in Changchun sourced separately but within the last decade  sourcing became more challenging for the company: the cars are becoming more sophisticated and therefore the  components have to fulfil higher expectations, the technical expertise of the supplier is getting more important and it is  difficult for Volkswagen to find suppliers which meet their requirements, lack of availability of certain raw materials  (e.g. specific kinds of steel) cause sourcing difficulties. As a reaction Volkswagen is trying to introduce a common sourcing process for the global group and bundle the  purchasing volume in China to create economies of scale. Thereby the target is to find one supplier for each platform  part and carry these parts to China. 3.5 Manufacturing In order to decrease production costs the board decided to introduce so called product cost workshops within the  manufacturing departments to communicate cost targets and produce to costs. Also large parts of the manufacturing  process will be done in China and localization in China are planned to be increased to make use of the cheaper labour  wages in China. Besides all plans to reduce production costs Volkswagen tries not to compromise its high engineering  quality and manufacturing standards since this is a very important success factor for the company. 4. Honda strategy in China Honda advocates the spirit of three joys. Because of their belief in the value of each individual, Honda believes that each person working in, or coming in touch  with their company, directly or through their products, should share a sense of joy through that experience. This feeling  is expressed in what they call The Three Joys. Their goal is to provide Joy: for those who buy their products and produce their products. In that regard, their main concern is for people. First, there is The Joy of Buying for every customer who buys a Honda This Joy is a step beyond customer satisfaction. As they define it, there are four steps to successfully creating The Joy  of Buying.   We also pick up another 4 strategy of Guangzhou Honda in China. Firstly, large scales of purchasing; Honda uses their  economies of scale by working with their parts suppliers to order raw materials in large quantities. Secondly, suppliers localization, more than 160 component suppliers around Guangzhou Honda to manufacture some  supports component for automobiles. For example, the glass seat and engine. These parts are supplied not only for  Guangzhou Honda but also sometimes for exporting. Whats more, setting up manufacturing base for transmission in  Guangzhou really makes a record, because this is the first time for foreign-funded automobiles enterprises to set up  transmission manufacturing base in China. And this investment of Honda makes the supplier localization especially the  suppliers for core parts. Thirdly, optimizing logistics process. They use logistics management software from USA.The logistics department of  Guangzhou Honda was demanded to operate according to the pattern in Janpese Logistics Company. They emphasize  importing the service quality in logistics, decreasing logistics cost enlarge market share and competitiveness and import  new technology and methods in logistics from USA. Fourthly, making supply chain perfect. The Honda setting up a local transmission manufacturing base in Guangzhou  makes transmissions no longer popular in importing and components industrial chain in China will develop to perfect. the newly set-up base will provide transmissions to three Honda companies in China(Guangzhou Honda, Dongfeng  Honda and China Honda)In this pattern, the most crucial part of automobileengine production has been promoted a  lot. In the influence of transmission localization. The biggest supplier of clutch in Japan set up a factory in 5 years with the  total investment54million dollars in Nanhai District in Guangzhou and it manufacture clutch for Guangzhou Honda  directly. With the localization of supplier of transmission and clutch the supply chain of Guangzhou Honda has developed into  nearly perfect. Hondas strategy in supply chain can considerably decrease the cost which gives Guangzhou Honda more profits. Then we move on to the comparison of the marketing between Volkswagen and Honda. Firstly, for Honda they launch a  new car later in China compared with in Japan. For example, the Accord in 2008 was launched half a year later in China  than in Japan. But for Volkswagen, a new car will have a same launching agenda all over the world; it means same time  promoting same time marketing. Secondly, Honda adjusts the price to the situation of market nearly every season. Demand fluctuation, price fluctuation. The flexible price strategy is different from Volkswagens steady price strategy which perhaps gives consumers more  reliability. Thirdly, Honda fight for market share and Volkswagen emphasize brand reputation in long term, Honda target  consumers which means flexible strategy will be much easier for company to survive and succeed. While for  Volkswagen, more luxury and exclusive element allow Volkswagen to offer more credence for consumers in order to  gain reputation in long term. Case study : SIAC 6.4.1. General History of SVW and SGM Not only did Shanghai present an advantage as a potential market, but  Shanghais heavy industrial infrastructure also made major contributions to Shanghai  VW (SVW) and Shanghai GM (SGM). A larger number of parts factories, together  with the extant Shanghai car plants and the citys steel and other heavy industries,  cried out for the final ingredients necessary for rapid development: modern  technology and management skills. An automobile cluster began to develop in Shanghai in the 1980s, thanks to  strong government support at different levels. To upgrade the national automobile  industry following international standards and to avoid an influx of automobile  imports, the central government started negotiation with VW in 1978 for the  establishment of a joint auto production firm. During that entire year, the countrys  state-owned auto factories produced only 15,500 vehicles, and the industry was characterized by old-fashioned, low-quality cars that were produced with outdated  equipment in a labor-intensive process (Kiefer, 1998). Chinese official pressed the  idea of building autos for export and insisted on auto-parts localization. The German  counterpart, however, explained the necessity of auto-part import at the first stage and  proposed the idea of localization as China became more experienced in producing  quality part supplies. Within this cooperative atmosphere, the contrac t was signed in  1984. This joint venture was owned 50% by Volkswagen, 25% by SAIC, 15% by the  Bank of Chinas Shanghai Trust and Consultancy Corporation, and 10% by the China  National Automotive Industrial Corporation. The involvement of Chinese partners  revealed careful forethought: The Bank of China could provide or guarantee needed  loans, SAIC would have an interest in solving local problems, and CNAIC could be a  link to the central planner. (Harwit, 1995, p. 153). To reduce its dependence on VW and to stimulate technology transfer after  one decade of cooperation, SAIC decided to engage in the joint venture with GM in  the early 1990s. SAIC and GM signed a contract to jointly set up Shanghai GM  production facilities in Pudong in 1997. GM was anxious to win this joint venture  because it believed that SAIC was the best automobile company in China. Indeed,  SAIC was highly profitable due to many advantages. Notably, the Chinese  government had chosen SAIC to be the primary passenger car producer enabling it to  acquire the most relevant technological experiences, more so than any other domestic  company. However, the obvious disadvantage of working with SAIC was its existing  joint venture with VW which was one of GMs global competitors and which had  dominated the Chinese passenger car market since the mid-80s (see Table 19). Since  its establishment, SGM has grown into one of the largest car producers in China. 6.4.2. Auto Supplier Cluster in Shanghai Area The development of the automobile industry in the city was strongly supported  by municipal policies, including infrastructure development, labor market, and  industrial policies. In addition, to stimulate broad manufacturing competencies and to  integrate Chinese suppliers within the region, the central government enforced local-content regulations on those auto joint ventures to spur the development of a regional  production network with substantial local linkages. Meanwhile, there has been a strong tendency in the international automobile  industry to develop hierarchical supplier networks and shift the developing,  manufacturing, and assembly responsibilities of important modules to the first-tier  suppliers. Along with the globalization strategy of the automobile producers, large  first-tier suppliers were also required to follow their auto assembly partners and set up  production facilities in other nations (Sadler, 1998). As a consequence, VW  demanded that important first-tier suppliers establish production facilities in China,  preferably within the region. However, production volume (less than 20,000 units in 1990) at that time was too small for global suppliers to set up mass production  facilities in Shanghai. In the initial years after production was launched, SVW still imported most parts and components for the production of the VW Santana from overseas, a large part of which was from Germany. At that time, there were basically no firms in the  region that could have supplied the parts that were needed. However, the Chinese  government threatened to impose a production limit on SVW if the firm would not  increase its local content in production. To achieve the 70% local content regulation  but at the same time to ensure global quality standards, VW and the Chinese  government worked interactively in promoting joint venture partnerships in the auto  parts sector. 6.4.3. Joint Ventures Firm Strategy and Competition SAICs strategy is clear-to form multiple auto JVs with different global  firms and to benefit from competitions between those partners, in regard to  technology transfer, new model introduction, and supply market rationalization. SAICs experience with GM and VW proved this strategy, and GM seems to do a  better job in quality control, technology adaptation, and accurate appraisals of  domestic demand market than its competitor VW. While VW and GM are  increasingly going head to head in the marketplace as they expand their product lines,  SAIC may find itself competing with both when its own car goes on sale. At the same . time, VW and GM run the risk of being shunted aside as Chinas domestic auto  industry develops. In July 2004, national auto sales rose only 3.7% over the same period in 2003  (CAAM, 2005). The growth slowdown has had a significant impact on VW who was  losing market shares because of an aging product line and increased competition. In  2002, cars made by SVW had 27.6% of the China market; in 2003 they slipped to  19.6%, and for the first seven months of 2004, they fell further to 15.5% (Xu, 2005). VWs difficulties have created an opportunity for GM, which passed SVW  briefly in June 2004 to become the market leader. Over the past few years, Chinese  consumers have become more savvy shoppers through greater access to information  (The middle class., 2001), said Phil Murtaugh (CEO of GM China) at the 2001  China Business Summit, and they have higher expectations for the products and their  quality. (The middle class., 2001). He pointed to the dramatic increase of internet  usage and the greater number of Chinese auto publications. Chinas growing middle  class itself represents a sophisticated customer base for a broaden product mix and  thus fierce competition, Murtaugh said (The middle class., 2001). A careful  evaluation of changing domestic consumers and a close relationship with Chinese  engineers in its technical center keeps GM consistently in the leading position in  Chinese passenger car market. 6.4.4. Technology Transfer: Good and Bad  Scholars a dvocated that the existing supplier network and industrial  infrastructure were important reasons why GM also decided to set up production  facilities in Shanghai in 1997(Gallagher, 2005; Taylor III, 2004), while the later  success of GM, to a large extent, is attributed to its sincere investment in local  technology development and close cooperation with Chinese engineers. Nonetheless,  problems could rise from inter-JV technology transfer. GM was the first company that actually established a technical center with  additional investment in Shanghai, following the governments promotion of  technology transfer in the 1994 industrial policy. A separate $50 million US joint  venture was established between GM and SAIC named the Pan Asian Technical  Center (PATAC). PATACs main purpose is to provide engineering support to SGM  and other Chinese auto companies. PATAC has also established an in-house  emissions testing center and has employed around 400 Chinese engineers, which,  though not directly training Chinese engineers, gives China the opportunity to work  closely with advanced techniques and learn in the process. According to Porter (1990), only when a foreign company transfers RD  decisions can it add to the host nations competitiveness.  

Gender roles in the nursing profession

Gender roles in the nursing profession The discussion of the results is presented in this chapter. More specifically, it presents, the demographic data gathered, the male nurses point of view in choosing to be in the nursing profession, their experiences as male nurses, and the stereotyping regarding males experienced in the profession. Most importantly, this chapter of the thesis presents relevant literature that supported and disputed the results found by the research. Also, the strengths and limitations of the study are discussed. 5.2 Demographic data The thesis results showed, in relation to the demographic data, that the majority, 28 nurses, or 80.7% of the male nurses were between the ages of 20 to 35 years old and that 32.2% worked for less than five years. This data conformed to the data collected from a qualitative study of Lou et. al., (2009), where 83.8% of the participants were under the age of 35 years, and 49.4% had been working for less than five years. The present results revealed that a greater part of the male nurse population was diploma holders (59%) and 26% baccalaureate graduates. These results are similar to Lous et. al., (2009), studies conducted in Taiwan where 47.1% of male nurses were in the possession of an undergraduate degree The thesis results showed that male nurses usually worked in male wards (58%) and mixed wards (42%) and never (0%) in female wards. These mixed or male wards included the emergency department, operating room, pediatric area, psychiatry, medical area, and intensive care unit (LaRocco, 2007). Similarly, in Norway and other Western countries, male nurses usually worked within the health sectors limited parts such as the psychiatry and acute medicine ward and administration (Bakken 2001). In terms of speciality, 24% worked in the operating rooms (Lou, et.al. 2009, p 905). In fact, psychiatry is one of the most common fields where 15% of all male nurses transfer to (Abrahamsen, 2004). Furthermore, Dassen et.al. (1990) found that in The Netherlands, men were dominating technical wards, and critical care units(p.367). It seems that they wanted to be involved in less feminine aspect of nursing. As Evans argues (1997), to compromise his reputation in patriarchal society, men in nursing develop different strategies as to occupy administrative and elite specialty positions in order to protect themselves from the feminine image of nursing .The latest results from UK reveal that one third of the almost 100,000 nurses who have a mental health qualification are men (Torjensen Waters, 2010, p.21). In the 1960s, men were not allowed to enter the delivery room and this still remains until today. Even though inequity is diminishing, situations like these in areas such as the obstetrics and gynecology departments continue (Chung, 2006). This may then be attributed as the primary reason why the study results found that 0% of the responses worked in female wards. However, it is worth mentioning that in Malta, up to the 1960s female nurses were excluded from the male wards (Camilleri, 1964). 5.3 Challenges that male nurses encounter at work The present findings indicated that approximately half of male nurses were aware of opportunities in the nursing profession. With increased postgraduate qualifications, pursuance of managerial positions is fast paced (OLynn Tranberger, 2006, Marsland, et al, 2003) among the male nurse respondents, and their propensity to earn more is improved (Hader, 2005). Also, studies found that it is easier or quicker for males to acquire top managerial positions than their female counterparts (Kvande 1998, Hoel 1995). Similarly, Abrahamsen (2002), findings showed that 70% of male nurses after twenty years from graduation were in leadership position, and away from somatic wards. Furthermore, Yang (2004) found that the male nurses future development has more potential because their careers would not be disrupted by a maternity leave. In addition, an interview done by LaRocco (2007), confirms as one man stated that being a male in a predominantly female profession sets you up to be recognized (p.1 27). In contrast, most of the respondents in this survey, or 61% disagreed that men in nursing are promoted quickly, which is not in the agreement with the statement of Williams (1992), that men in nursing are privileged minority which enables them to move out of female dominated profession by the glass escalator to the most rewarded and respected jobs reserved only for men in this patriarchal society. In relation to this, LaRoccos (2007), study showed that one man revealed his income to be below $50,000, while three indicated that theirs was greater than $100,000 per year (p.123). However, the findings of Stoltenberg et.al.,(2008), suggest that nursing needs to continue to raise the bar pay, because only 46.67% of male nurses rated nursing as financially rewarding. Hence, these results are in agreement with the thesis results findings where only 32% of male nurses agreed that nursing provides good salary and benefits. Despite these advantages, some men, however, find inequities in other fields, like obstetrics and gynecology, which put considerable pressure on them (Williams 1995, Tseng 1997). Truly, Hart (2005) found that 56% of male nurses were seen as muscles(p.48), and uncaring by their female colleagues, just because of their gender. This then puts a strain on how the male and female nurses communicate with their colleagues (Hart, 2005). Furthermore, some studies found that males perceive that being in a predominantly female profession brings about a low status upon the male nurses (MacDougall, 1997; Williams, 1989). In History of Nursing in Malta, during 19th Century, it was written that the social class from which nurses were recruited was illiterate and without any education, and that the same conditions existed in other European countries (Camilleri,1964). Also, labeling nursing as an extension of womens domestic role devaluated profession in relation to male occupation. Although this image is changing, many negative images still persist. Further still, in relation to the slight increase of men in the nursing profession, uneven numbers of male nurses are leaving compared to female nurses due to deficient respect from their colleagues, job dissatisfaction and problems arising in a predominantly female profession (Sochalski, 2002). However, results in this research revealed that majority, or 88%of respondents disagreed that men in nursing feel insecure because it is a female dominated profession. Findings in this thesis suggest that male nurses in Malta do not feel as they are crossing segregated work boundaries, and infiltrate in female domain (Bagilhole Cross 2006, p.35). In addition to, 71% of men in nursing in this survey expressed that they are satisfied with the work they do. As one respondent wrote nursing is a males profession as the other profession or jobs are. Hence, this result tally with findings of Rochlen et. al., (2009) where men employed as nurses were satisfied with their work in non-traditional career. According to Avery (2007), despite the feminine image in nursing, nursing is profession for everyone, due to the fact that men were present in nursing since 250 B.C when males-only nursing schools opened in India(p.1). They continued playing an important role in nursing (Meadus, 2000), until F lorence Nightingale stated that Every woman is a nurse, establishing nursing as only one gender profession.(Fitzerald, 2007), and portraying the presence of the men nurse in this profession as an anomaly(Meadus, 2000, p.6). 5.4 Respondents motivation for choosing a traditionally female profession The present findings indicated that 48% or fifteen male nurses choose the nursing profession to help others. As one male nurse replied there is nothing better than being able to help people, and bringing smile to others. However, 16% or 5 respondents stated that the money kept them in the profession. These results coincide well with previous studies of Bartlett et.al.,(1999) where altruism and job satisfaction, rather than extrinsic rewards, have been found to be the main motivating factor for male nurses. Furthermore, Laroccos (2007) study showed that eight men specifically stated that connecting with patients and aiding people are important factors when nursing is considered. One participant also added that I just thought of nursing as caring for patients (LaRocco, 2007, p.126). Moreover, according to Boughn (1994), Brown and Srones (1971), Bush (1976), Garvin (1976), Mannino (1963) and Perkins et al. (1993), interaction with patients and helping people are important reasons in choosing nursing. Even Taylor et al. (1983), Skevington Dawkes, (1988), Galbraith, (1991), Cyr, (1992), Kelly, et al (1996), MacDougall, (1997) suggested that caring for others and having the desire to be of help is a main factor for men in choosing a career in nursing. Family and friends also served as the motivation for the resulting 26% or 8 of the male nurses who took part in this thesis survey. Positive family influence, like a nurse relative, a mother who is a nurse, became a good motivation for men. Moreover, in La Roccos (2007) study, five of the interviewees had a mother nurse. This response was found to be similar to the results of this thesis where three males had a mother nurse, and surprisingly one respondent had both parents working as nurses. Also, these findings conformed to the data collected from a qualitative research of Whittock et. al., (2003), where positive influence, for most participants, on choosing nursing as a career comes from the parents, specifically mothers who worked in nursing sector or other healthcare profession. Also, friends who gave positive reactions helped with their career choice of being a nurse (LaRocco, 2007). Eleven men in LaRoccos (2007) study, claimed that their family was very pleased with their caree r choice. In contrast, some men were discouraged by both family and friends, to enter the field of nursing and other medical fields (LaRocco, 2007). As found in a study done in the UK, only 12% of the male nurses said that their parents were happy about their career choice (Skevington Dawkes, 1988). Abrahamsen (2004), also stated that most men who decide to qualify as a nurse find themselves problematic because the decision to become a nurse causes family and friends disbelief and surprise. In a society where nursing is seen as a female profession, very often family and friends ask, You want to be a nurse? Why not a doctor? I guess they feel that traditionally males are doctors and females are nurses.( Chung, 2006, p.1). Other than that, ten percent of the male nurses who served as the respondents for this study stated that their motivation was good pay and security. It seems that nursing in Malta, according to the data collected from the survey, is being one of the last secure job posts, as one respondent replied. Furthermore, Yang (2004), interviewed a man who stated One day I noticed a statement in the newspaper which said, Male nurses earn as much as NT$ 50,000 per month, so I put nursing department down on my form as my choice (Yang, 2004, p.645). In addition, LaRocco (2007), also had a dialogue with a male nurse who stated I knew I would always have a job, [and] I did it for a steady job that I could handle (LaRocco, 2007, p.125 ). Most importantly, Boughn (1994) found that money and job security were two major motivations for choosing nursing. On the other hand, Simpson (2005), found several reasons that motivate men to seek a non-traditional career, and one of them was that most were not seek ing entry(p.365). They entered female-dominated occupations almost bydefault in that they were not actively seeking such entry, but simply fell into it.(Williams Villemezs s, 1993 p. 66.)These results are in agreement with the results in this study where, three or 10% of respondents couldnt give the reason for choosing nursing as a career, which suggests, as found previously, that they were not actively seeking such job but simply fell into it, either through availability or convenience(Simpson , 2005, p.365). Finally, the least percentage of participant stated that they considered nursing as a last resort and one even said: I didnt get accepted by any school except for that nursing one, so it was my only choice, and I studied there (Yang 2004, p.645). The findings in this thesis revealed that two nurses or 6% didnt have other career opportunity, which supports the previous research results of Yang (2004). The findings also showed that these nurses were age over 40 and with working experience of more than 20 years. These two respondents stated that fear to change, and lack of a good opportunity where the reasons for remaining in nursing profession. 5.5 Perceived stereotypes of men in nursing In addition to the problem that nursing is a female profession, male nurses also have to face the problem of overcoming the stereotype that they are gay or effeminate (Williams, 1995). Some of the stereotypes that these male nurse have to contend with were presented in the thesis results that 52% of male nurses were not embarrassed of their choice of profession. These results are similar to the findings of Hart (2005), where 40% of respondents sometimes feel awkward or defensive when asked about their profession(p.47). According to the thesis results, most of the respondents or 64% strongly disagreed that men in nursing are being questioned if they are a real men. Furthermore, 77% disagreed that men in nursing are too gay or feminine. These findings revealed that they are not in agreement with the results of several studies that have found supporting data regarding these stereotypes. For example, because of inequities, male nurses sexuality is usually questioned and they are labelled as homosexuals (Kelly, et al, 1996). Moreover, Wingfield also reported that men in nursing consider themselves as sufferers of homophobic abuse, with a respondent even claiming that Ive been called awful things-you faggot this, you faggot that (2009, p.23). Furthermore, Harding (2007), explored discourses which stereotyped or labeled male nurses as gay and conflate homosexuals and sexual predators(p.639). Also Harding (2007) reported that majority of men in nursing are heterosexual but public perception is still that most male nurses are gay. This stereotype persists only in general nursing, men working as psychiatric nurses are perceived as masculine due to need of physical strength. Although society is becoming more comfortable with men as nurses, nearly half or 48% of the respondents experienced the stereotype that men choose nursing because they failed to enter a medical course. Because of the situations and stereotypes, a more serious stereotypical belief was formed that male nurses are not appropriate caregivers (Evans, 2002). Truly, different societal norms have created concepts of caring as something that is not included in masculine images of males, and that caring falls under a female conception (Evans, 2002). Evans (2002) found out that for men nurses touching patients is potentially dangerous, and that men are vulnerable caregivers(p. 7). Similar results were found by Abrahamsen (2004), where male nurses were minority in somatic wards due to the fact that they were pressurized by their friends and family to apply for more masculine jobs or seek a leadership positions, because it is not natural for men to undertake intimate nursing tasks (p.12). Gender stereotyping creates a compound and conflicting situation of rejection, acceptance and doubt for male nurses ability as caregivers and nurturers (Evans, 2002). Thus, as a sad effect of this, and to avoid tight situations, some male nurses alter their caring principles and nursing roles (Egeland Brown, 1989; Kauppinen-Toropainen Lammi, 1993). Even though, studies of Ekstrom (1999) resulted that male nurses exhibit lower caring behaviours, they in general, do not effect the care given to the patients. As Mac Doughall (1997) stated, man do have ability to care, but they need to be shown how. (p.813). Lately, society is becoming more comfortable with men as nurses. As Cyr (1992), stated, the art and science of nursing has not always been a predominantly female profession(p.54). 5.6 Conclusion In all, this chapter has presented a discussion of the findings of the study. The various demographic profiles of the respondents, the reasons for choosing nursing, the experiences, and the stereotypes among male nurses in Malta were presented, with subsequent presentations of other relevant studies. At the end of the analysis and discussion, it was found that various related literatures, both old and new, confirmed the results of the study, while there were a few others that disputed it. Overall, the findings suggested that men employed in nursing, are just as committed to the profession as women. 5.7 Strengths and Limitations of the study It should be noted that this study has several limitations and strengths. Firstly, the chosen sample does not represent male nurses as a whole. The male nurses that work in Gozo, and other different hospitals in Malta were not included in this research. Moreover, a satisfactory response rate (88.6%) helped strengthen the outcome of the study. However, the purpose of the study was not intended to allow generalisation among the male nurses working in different hospitals in Malta and Gozo. Secondly, a self- administered questionnaire was used to collect data, and thus all data that were used in this study were self-reported. Although the questions for the survey were carefully chosen and modified by the researcher reading an extensive literature especially Smith (2008), it seems that some of the respondents did not understand that their sexual orientation was not questioned, but only concept of gender stereotype. To avoid similar misunderstandings, in future studies, a focus group design method could contribute to explain the motivation for choosing nursing as a profession, and career development of male nurses in a female dominated profession. The rather high response rate of 88.5% indicated that male nurses were interested in subject, and this helped strengthen the outcome of the study. Although in this study, the research tool was a questionnaire, some qualitative data were also obtained. Despite being time limited prior to specific deadlines, this study has educated and motivated the researcher to understand more nursing as a science. Although this study was purely quantitative, some findings provided valuable information about male nurses in a female dominated profession. Further qualitative research could give clearer picture about the real perceptions of men in nursing, and establish the extent to which the findings from this research can be applied in more general context. The next chapter shall conclude this dissertation with recommendation for further research, and implications in nursing.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay: The Perspective of Theseus

A Midsummer Night's Dream:  The Perspective of Theseus  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      In his play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare clearly establishes the feelings of Theseus with respect to love and reason.   Theseus distrusts the nature of love and its effect on people as he states in the following passage: I never may believe these antic fables or these fairy toys. Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends. The lunatic, the lover, and the poet Are of imagination all compact. One sees more devils than vast hell can hold: That is the madman. The lover, all as frantic Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt. The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven; And as imagination bodies forth The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing A local habitation and a name. Such tricks hath strong imagination That, if it would but apprehend some joy, It comprehends some bringer of that joy; Or in the night, imagining some fear, How easy is a bush supposed a bear (V, i, 3-22)!    Theseus expresses his doubt in the verisimilitude of the lover's recount of their night in the forest. He says that he has no faith in the ravings of lovers or poets, as they are as likely as madmen are to be divorced from reason. Coming, as it does, after the resolution of the lovers' dilemma, this monologue serves to dismiss most of the play a hallucinatory imaginings. Theseus is the voice of reason and authority, but he bows ... ...rs† (V, I, 28-30! Instead of â€Å"Go and fresh days of love accompany your hearts!† (V, I, 28-30) 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Your first paragraph seems to be your first point instead of your introduction.   Your first sentence also appears to be your thesis statement.   Your introduction should incorporate all of the points of your paper.   You are introducing all of them.   So, lengthen your introduction and then for your thesis statement you need to list all of the points that you discuss. In his play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare clearly establishes the feelings of Theseus with respect to love, reason. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When quoting lengthy passages from a Shakespearean play or a poem, you should keep the line formation.   Begin a new line when the author of the passage begins a new line.         

Comparing and Contrasting the Novel, Heart of Darkness :: comparison compare contrast essays

Comparisons and Contrasts in Heart of Darkness Comparisons and contrasts are important devices which an author may use to help convey his thoughts and feelings about a situation or an event. Joseph Conrad makes use of these devices in his novel Heart of Darkness. Throughout the novel when he was trying to convey a deeper meaning about a situation or a place, he would us a comparison or contrast. The comparative and contrasting themes in the story help to develop Conrad's ideas and feelings in the Heart of Darkness. Light verses dark, the Thames verses the Congo, the Savages compared to the civilized people, and the darkness of both worlds are all contrasts and comparisons that are important to the meaning as well as the understanding of this novel. The most obvious contrast found in Heart of Darkness is between that of light and dark. In the beginning of the novel when the sun set upon London, the city began to light up yet the narrator describes the light as a "lurid glare under the stars" (Conrad 6). The lights from the city illuminated the Thames River. Because London is described as being light, the light then symbolizes civilization, or at least Conrad's view of civilization. Conrad's view of civilization is one of great despise. Civilization is a place where evil is ever present but ignored and people believe they know everything. The light is the knowledge that we have gained through exploration and the civilizing of places that have not yet been civilized. In contrast there is the darkness. Represented in the novel by Africa and the Congo River, the darkness is the evil that lurks in the unknown. The darkness is full of savages and cannibals. It is the uncivilized and uninhabited part of the world where peop le eat people and the savages lurk in the trees and in the darkness. Africa is the "heart of darkness," the place where man's inner evil is brought out in the open and is displayed through their thoughts and actions, such as those on Marlow's boat, letting the bullets fly into the jungle without reason or need. The contrast between light and dark is very important when attempting to understand Conrad's thoughts and ideas about civilization and what it really is. Comparing and Contrasting the Novel, Heart of Darkness :: comparison compare contrast essays Comparisons and Contrasts in Heart of Darkness Comparisons and contrasts are important devices which an author may use to help convey his thoughts and feelings about a situation or an event. Joseph Conrad makes use of these devices in his novel Heart of Darkness. Throughout the novel when he was trying to convey a deeper meaning about a situation or a place, he would us a comparison or contrast. The comparative and contrasting themes in the story help to develop Conrad's ideas and feelings in the Heart of Darkness. Light verses dark, the Thames verses the Congo, the Savages compared to the civilized people, and the darkness of both worlds are all contrasts and comparisons that are important to the meaning as well as the understanding of this novel. The most obvious contrast found in Heart of Darkness is between that of light and dark. In the beginning of the novel when the sun set upon London, the city began to light up yet the narrator describes the light as a "lurid glare under the stars" (Conrad 6). The lights from the city illuminated the Thames River. Because London is described as being light, the light then symbolizes civilization, or at least Conrad's view of civilization. Conrad's view of civilization is one of great despise. Civilization is a place where evil is ever present but ignored and people believe they know everything. The light is the knowledge that we have gained through exploration and the civilizing of places that have not yet been civilized. In contrast there is the darkness. Represented in the novel by Africa and the Congo River, the darkness is the evil that lurks in the unknown. The darkness is full of savages and cannibals. It is the uncivilized and uninhabited part of the world where peop le eat people and the savages lurk in the trees and in the darkness. Africa is the "heart of darkness," the place where man's inner evil is brought out in the open and is displayed through their thoughts and actions, such as those on Marlow's boat, letting the bullets fly into the jungle without reason or need. The contrast between light and dark is very important when attempting to understand Conrad's thoughts and ideas about civilization and what it really is.

Anti-hero on Clockwork Orange and the film Unforgiven

The Idea of an antithesis to an anti-hero began its first appear in literature as early as in the Greek novel Don Quixote, but the bloom of a modern time anti-hero can be traced back to the period of Romanticism. Through the view of an anti-hero, we are ultimately challenged to look at ourselves and our contemporary world and recognize the complexity of human condition.In Clockwork Orange and Unforgiving, the dichotomies relationship between two protagonists Alex and Will Mummy has demonstrated our deeper understanding of the notion of an anti-hero. Alex represents the common men chained by society and their own insignificance and shaped by his world. In abstract, he is Just a representation of his world; the â€Å"†¦ Slot machines†¦ † At the train station symbolizes the corruption of contemporary morals and that Alex is Just another reflection of this world. Similarly, the subverted motif of milk in the text exposes a dual Image of Innocence and transgression.Far fr om being symbols of purity and nurture, â€Å"Innocent milk† which Alex drinks portrays the child-Like act contaminated as an instrument to heighten their inclination for â€Å"ultra violence†, furthering the idea hat Alex is a product of his environment. In other words, Alex is the inevitable socially and environmentally influenced personality of our nature and our world. Also, Alex shows common traits of anti-hero, the absolute lack of masculinity and heroism through his acts of violence and impotency.His vandalism In the train â€Å"†¦ To pass the three minute ride†¦ † Suggests that violence Is a source of entertainment and amusement In the matters of something as simple and common as time. Even though his brutality and ignorance are immature and despicable, it is also that sense of free rein to his violent impulses which makes him human. When violence is used against him and makes him â€Å"good†, it implies that that goodness is inauthentic and only driven by deterministic mechanism.Therefore, Alex illustrates that true goodness comes from within and evil is necessary in being a complete human being. On the other hand, Will Mummy depicts a starkly opposite anti-heroic qualities to Alex but an anti-hero that Is far Innately human condition. The literal metaphor of Will Mummy rolling in mud emphasizes everything he sacrificed to become a decent paternal figure. Likewise, he recognizes and accepts his past morally baseless man that killed †¦ Everything that walks or crawls at one time or another. † , and thus indicating he is debased of any pretension.The close shot of Will rejecting a â€Å"free one† represents his self-actualization which pervades the film until Will divorces his quest. Throughout the film, his Incessant allusion to his wife as the reason for his arc of change highlights that we as humans are complex, more confusing and more relating by our nature. Moreover, the old western setting in unforgiving effectively lends itself to the anti-hero. In such harsh and desolate environment, Will's financial hardship leads IM to be morally ambiguous to survive and allows him to commit villainous acts for good reason.In addition, the sense of lawlessness In the Old West empowers the significant role of the sheriff as the absolute personification of law. Similar to Will ruthless enforcements. Not only that, Little Bill's dramatic foil highlights the utilization of violence in Will's morally ambiguous quest. Through Will, we can identify the scarred humanity innately progressing through the world. In the comparison of Alex and Will Mummy, amalgamation of good and evil, use of violence and ironic moral ambiguity could be understood as a full-value representative of an anti-hero.It is clear that in spite of differences in background and social frailties, both protagonists employ violence in defense of individuality or to survive. The dark side of Will's nature resurfaces at the en d revealing his failure to remain a noble man, and Alex is deprived of the possibility to choose which signifies free will and existence of the self. Moreover, the visual depiction of Will and Ale's anti-heroism motivates us to reflect more on our self-actualization and positions us to hate and feel moral ambiguity bout the character and towards the character.They are portrayed to have flaws but held fast to their true nature, and thus show the real human nature. To conclude, the two dichotomous characters are Juxtaposed and combined to represent two anti- heroes that we can realistically and sympathetically relate to in spite of their undesirable true nature, furthering that they are necessary and fundamental part of human nature. Therefore, the realistic traits of an anti-hero exemplify the complex human nature and ultimately connect us to their lack of conventional greatness and our own world and humanity.

Discuss the importance of dreams in the play Essay

Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and author. He was a prominent figure in American literature and cinema for over 61 years, writing a wide variety of plays. Miller was born into a moderately-wealthy Jewish family in New York City. His father, Isidore Miller, was a ladies-wear manufacturer and shopkeeper who was ruined in the Great Depression. His mother, Augusta, was a housewife who valued literature and education. His sister, Joan became an actress. Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play by Arthur Miller and is one of his most famous and commonly revived works. Viewed by many as the American Dream of achieving wealth and success, Death of a Salesman made both Arthur Miller and the character Willy Loman household names. Some of the other titles Miller considered for the play were The Inside of His Head and A Period of Grace. The American Dream is the faith held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage, and determination one can achieve a better life for oneself, usually through financial prosperity. These were values held by many early European settlers, and have been passed on to subsequent generations. What the American Dream has become is a question under constant discussion, and some believe that it has led to an emphasis on material wealth as a measure of success and/or happiness. The American dream is a dream of having 2 children and living in a perfect house with financial security. This ideal is closely related to Horatio Algerism. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/American_dream In the play Death of a Salesman, dreams are discussed and shown in many different ways throughout the play. There are dreams that happen during one’s sleep, hopes and ambition type dreams, day dreams, fantasies and national/cultural dreams. In this play all are explored, and the national dream focused on is The American Dream. Dreams in this play stimulate the characters reactions and actions; they also affect the way the play is structured and explain behaviour of both the past and present. The play is unusually structured; there are no scenes just three main sections, Act 1, Act 2 and the Requiem. Within Act 1 and Act 2, there are several dreams and possibly flashbacks but the audience is unaware of what is real or not. The American Dream features in the play but not informing the audience that The American Dream is what it is partly focusing on. On page 82, Biff says â€Å"We’ve been talking in a dream for fifteen years. † First of all the reader thinks he’s saying he’s been taking in the dream for 15 years but reading the sentence over we see talking. The reader thinks that it means the American dream, and at this point in the play Biff realises himself and his family has been trying to live this dream but are unsuccessful. The American Dreams is partly to do with status and having the best of everything. It also focuses on popularity, success, ownership, wealth and your house and objects within it. The American Dream is linked to capitalism and consumer culture, which is when we are sold items we don’t really need. This is a symbol of success and if you can afford these luxury items they are a fall back for your family. When someone dies their family receives insurance, not only life insurance but also insurance for the object used in the death, for instance a car. This is all part of Willy’s plan to make his family more wealthy. Willy is scared of becoming an ordinary man, which in those days was a man that can no longer afford the luxury items that Willy possesses, when Linda is talking to Biff on page 44 she says â€Å"Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He’s not the finest character that has ever lived. But he’s a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. † This shows the reader that Linda knows about Willy’s depression and that she knows he is becoming and has a fear of becoming a typical, ordinary man. This is not what Willy wants or wanted at all, Willy wanted to be well known around the country and great, successful. The depression that Willy held may have been caused by the lack of positive attention, his lack of progress in his job or his fear of becoming this ordinary man that he never wanted to be. Linda also knows that in his last months or weeks, herself and her son’s need to make up to Willy and give him the most positive attention that they can. On page 44 Linda says â€Å"Attention, attention must be finally paid to such a person. † This is also evidence to suggest Willy’s want for death. Willy is not progressing at all in his job, his ex boss’ son is now at the top of his career ‘ladder’ but Willy, still near the bottom should have retired. But his dreams and passion to become rich and successful meant that he forced himself to carry on working and hope that one day these dreams will be fulfilled.