Deviance And The Factors That Influence Deviant Conduct

â€Å"Deviance is a wide-ranging term used by sociologists to refer to behavior that varies, in some way, from a social norm† (C. Livesey). Based on this definition, we can clearly draw out that deviance would mean a behavior that comes in the form of rule-breaking.Deviance is the recognized violation of cultural norms (geocites. com). Deviance therefore encompasses breaking of rules that are maybe criminal, social, formal and informal rules that have already been established in a certain locality or in a given situation.Thus, deviance is determined and measured against established standards. Such standards are therefore the point of reference for the evaluation of conduct or behavior. When it conforms, then it necessarily means it is not deviant. Otherwise, such is considered deviant.For example, the used of alcoholic drinks is not generally prohibited by law and thus by the basis of law is not deviant. As a social norm, some societies, especially those that are strict to rel igious norms, drinking alcohol is undesirable and is deviant.As a social norm, wearing of improper attire in certain occasions is deviant but under the law, such behavior is not at all deviant because there no law or rule that governs such conduct. Therefore, we can say that deviance is dependent on the established norms and laws in a certain society. Deviance encompasses a wide range of other acts of nonconformity, from variations in hair styles to murder.TYPES OF DEVIANCESocietal Deviance includes those conduct or behaviors that do not conform to the categories or standards that are generally accepted by a certain society.For example, to exhibit dirty finger to your teacher is socially unacceptable, and thus is socially deviant. The judge of one’s conduct is therefore the people in general and they based their judgment on what are the established social norms that they used to live with. Situational Deviance, as compared to societal deviance is said to be more localized, th at is, determining whether an act in deviant or not depends on a single situation. For example, in cases of cops and soldiers on field or in a battle situation are faced with situational deviance.These people need, by demand of duty, to kill their enemies. Killing is by religious and criminal norms not allowed, and therefore deviant. Criminal Deviance is by simple definition a deviance from juridically established norms. When we say, juridical, it has something to do with laws and legality.Any act that deviates or does not conform to and violates established laws are criminally deviant. For example, to be impulsive is not criminally deviant but impulsiveness that lead to inflicting physical injury to others or that of murder is criminally deviant because it violates established laws.Psycho-pathological Deviance implies a shifting from normality (S. Di Nuovo). Abnormal modes of behavior are not crimes but require sanctions as compulsory psychiatric treatments. Antisocial personality disorder which includes inability to conform to legal or social rules, dishonest behavior, being impulsive and aggressive and irresponsibility are deviant conducts that are considered psycho-pathological. Note that these deviant behaviors do not necessarily criminally deviant but these deviant conducts may lead to criminal conduct such as being impulsive may lead to fighting then to murder.Primary Deviance relating to activity that is initially defined as deviant (Edwin Lamert) Secondary Deviance corresponds to a person who accepts the label of deviant. Secondary deviance according to Erving Goffman begins when a person acquires a stigma. Stigma, according to Goffman, is a powerfully negative label that radically changes a person's self-concept and social identity.FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DEVIANT BEHAVIORS BIOLOGICAL FACTORSGenetics has found out that there is somehow a biological factor that influences an individual’s deviant behavior.The connection between a specific pattern of chromosomes has been shown to be related to deviant behavior; however, there are still not enough studies that will prove that this statement is true. But there are disorders in children that directly influence a deviant behavior.Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a very strong indicator for future conduct disorders. Vaxa. com has provided a medical definition of ADHD as a â€Å"family of related chronic neurobiological disorders that interfere with an individual's capacity to regulate activity level and contributes to impulsivity, inattention and distractibility.† It is specifically a dysfunction of the Central Nervous System (CNS), most specifically the Reticular Activating System, which results in difficulties of maintaining attention and concentration, learning and memory, as well as involving an inability to process and sort out incoming information or stimulus from both an individual's inner (subjective) and outer (objective) worlds.This disorder therefore r esults to the child’s misbehavior such as being hyperactive and impulsive, which are behaviors that are far different from how he is suppose to act and apart from what is considered to be normal, and thus considered deviant.Another disorder called Oppositional Defiant Disorder medically defined as â€Å"a pattern of negativistic (skepticism), uncooperative, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that continues for a minimum of 6 months† (axa. com). Deviant behaviors exhibited by individuals with this disorder include willful disobedience, defying instructions and requests and arguing with adults.PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORSPsychological explanations of deviance concentrate on individual abnormalities involving personality. However, subsequent studies found flaws on the psychological correlation of deviant behavior.Geocites. com enumerated three basic reasons why psychological factors should be ignored. First, most serious crime is committed by peo ple who are psychologically normal. Second, cross-cultural differences in what is deemed normal and abnormal tend to be ignored. And third, the fact that people with similar psychological qualities are not equally as likely to be labeled deviant is not considered.SOCIAL FACTORSAs has been stated earlier, deviance does not necessarily be criminal deviance because there are established social norms that measure an individual’s behavior as deviant or non-deviant.It is therefore but fair to conclude that both conformity and deviance are defined by society. The degree of deviance is determined by the society according to socially accepted behaviors existing in a certain society. The society therefore somehow dictates how an individual should behave.For example, in a religious community, smoking and drinking alcohol are deviant acts as these directly opposed by, in example, the Christian religion. So an individual who mingles with the Christian community will try to behave in confo rmity with the existing norm.On the other hand, communities which view smoking and alcohol drinking as an indicator of social status, as with the elites, consider these behaviors as non-deviant, and thus are normal actions.CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND CRIMINAL DEVIANCECivil disobedience is a form of protest in which protestors deliberately violate a law (P. Suber). Originally, the main purpose of civil disobedience is to appeal to the public about certain issues through protests or public demonstrations. On most occasions, issues that drives civil disobedience concerns political and moral issues.For example, laws that legalize euthanasia and death penalty have brought about many protests and public demonstrations. In such instances, participants usually violate traffic rules and trespassing.Their violations therefore are covered by civil laws. On the other hand, criminal deviance is covered by criminal laws. Murder and the use of prohibited drugs are criminal violations and therefore are criminal deviance. Although both deviance and violations are punishable, they are distinguished as to what laws cover such deviance.Deviant behaviors are measured and defined by established rules in a certain community, whether they be formal or informal rules. These behaviors are influenced by biological, psychological and social factors to certain degrees.Deviance does not necessarily violates legally or juridically established rules leading to the conclusion that criminal deviance is inherently behavioral deviance but not all deviant behaviors are criminal deviance. Civil disobedience and criminal deviance are distinguished by the laws that govern such violations.

Criticism of Quitak’s Child observation Essay

Quitak first explains that she is â€Å"working on the assumption that the problematic aspects of our experience contain the maximum potential†. However I think it is important to clarify from the outset, how she reached this assumption, as the reader does not know whether she went into the observation with this belief or whether these assumptions were developed as a result of her observation. There is another important omission relating to who the author actually is. She hasn’t positively stated that she is a Social Work student, although this is implied when she states that her observations had â€Å"implications for social work.† Therefore it is difficult to ascertain her purpose for carrying out the observations. Furthermore Quitak fails to mention how she came to select the child included in her observations, how many observation sessions took place and the length of the sessions. Therefore the reader is unable to assess whether there were any issues of bias involved in her selection process. The fact that she is the product of English middle class parents means she may be going into the study with particular assumptions, as she is observing a child who has a Palestinian parent. A significant area which was lacking in her observations was her inability to â€Å"tune in to Selena’s inner world† (pg 250), although Quitak does acknowledge this omission. She didn’t really try to question and understand Selena’s behaviour or how she might be feeling when she demonstrated behaviour she didn’t like, which meant her observation suffered as a result. King (2010) stresses the importance of â€Å"to access the child’s emotional world†.

Affirmative Action Curbed in California

Affirmative Action Curbed in California Essay By William ClaiborneWashington Post Staff WriterFriday, June 2, 1995; Page A01LOS ANGELES, JUNE 1 California Gov. Pete Wilson (R), vowing to lead a growing conservative movement to end three decades of racial and gender preferences as an antidote to discrimination, today signed an executive order abolishing a wide range of affirmative action programs affecting hiring and contracting in state agencies. Wilson, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, eliminated or sharply cut back scores of affirmative action policies or programs that are not mandated by state or federal laws or that exceed those laws. He also abolished 118 boards and commissions created to advise state agencies on ethnic and gender diversity issues. Although he has no direct authority to order policy changes for public schools, colleges and universities, Wilson told his appointees on state educational governing boards that he wants them to dismantle race and gender preference programs that are not required by law. As mayor of San Diego in the 1970s, Wilson championed affirmative action, adopting a plan to increase the hiring of minority workers and requiring major city contractors to adopt similar programs. But opposition to affirmative action has become a common theme of the Republican presidential candidates and many Republicans in Congress. Flanked today by a group of Forestry Department firefighters from various minorities, who the governors aides said symbolize Californians who resent a public perception that they were hired on the basis of preferential treatment, Wilson said affirmative action is not only unfair, it stigmatizes the achievements of those it was intended to help. His order repeals affirmative action orders signed by three previous governors, including Republicans Ronald Reagan and George Deukmejian. In a statement released earlier, Wilson said great societal guilt had stimulated the creation of affirmative action programs in the 1960s and would undermine the very foundation of the American dream if hiring and contract programs based on race and gender preference were not rolled back. Wilson blamed the misfired good intentions of leaders dating back to John F. Kennedy for programs he said unfairly discriminated against certain ethnic groups to compensate others for past injustices. The Republican governor said he would aggressively pursue further cutbacks in preferential treatment for minorities and women in order to assure a new era of meritocracy. This executive order is an historic step forward. By itself, it doesnt complete the change we must make. Special preferences remain embedded in state and federal law. I vow to fight for changes in those laws, Wilson said. Sean Walsh, the governors press secretary, said Wilson is the first governor to roll back affirmative action programs. He said the order would affect all of the states approximately 150,000 full-time job positions. According to the California State Employees Association, about 60 percent of the state government work force is white, 16 percent Hispanic, 12 percent black, 6 percent are Asian and the remaining 6 percent from other groups. Wilsons action appeared designed to capitalize on public dissatisfaction with minority preference programs and on a backlash against what is characterized as reverse discrimination, while at the same time setting him apart from the eight other contenders for the GOP presidential nomination, none of whom are sitting governors. It comes a day after senior White House officials said President Clinton is still weeks or even months away from completing a review he has ordered of federal affirmative action programs. Wilson already had announced his support of a proposed 1996 state ballot initiative that would go further than todays order by abolishing affirmative action in all state hiring, contracting and university admissions practices. At least six other states Washington, Florida, Illinois, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada have similar ballot initiative campaigns in the works. Critics accused Wilson of flip-flopping on the issue in hopes of helping a presidential campaign that has been hampered by his slow recovery from his throat operation his remarks today were read out by a member of his cabinet and a sluggish fund-raising effort. He wants to be the voice of the angry white males, said Ramona Ripston, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. READ: Sweatshop Labor: Wearing Thin Essay She noted that Wilsons come-from-behind reelection last year was boosted by his vociferous support for Proposition 187, the ballot initiative aimed at cutting off social services for illegal immigrants, another popular backlash measure. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, in a statement, called Wilsons order a desperate effort to recover his bid for the presidency by further polarizing Californians. MALDEF said Wilsons action was as noble as previous governors attempts to keep African Americans out of public schools in the South. Affirmative action orders signed by three previous governors Deukmejian, Edmund G. Jerry Brown Jr. (D) and Reagan were repealed by Wilson, who said they had encouraged the gradual development of racial and gender-based preferences and set asides. Among the agencies affected by Wilsons order is the state transportation department, Caltrans, which is required by agreement with the federal government to allocate 20 percent of its contracting funds to minority-owned firms. Wilson ordered Caltrans to negotiate a new agreement lowering that goal to 10 percent. He also ordered Caltrans to abolish an informal policy of awarding small purchase contracts of $500 or less to women or minority-owned firms and to make such decisions based on non-preferential competitive pricing. The governor ordered the Department of Forestry, which has a 50 percent goal for the hiring of women and minorities as seasonal firefighters, to eliminate that program and hire on the basis of merit. He eliminated a requirement that the racial and gender ratio on job interview panels for civil service and career executive positions mirror that of the population as a whole, and directed the Department of Water Resources to end its practice of setting aside two-thirds of all student intern openings for minority candidates. Words/ Pages : 980 / 24

Response Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Response Paper - Assignment Example The theme of the article is geographical structure of river of Colorado and the flooding nature of the river .The article describes about the disastrous effect of the river on the lives of the residents of the valley. The article unleashes the studies and research done to understand the flooding nature of the Colorado River. The theme of the entire article is the river flooding and its effect on people.The questions which can be raised regarding this reading are : The authors of this article are climatologists of America and are expertise in their field. They are also environmentalist who studies the varying condition of environment and its effect on the inhabitants of native land. This research study is a combined effort of scientist and other experts of scientific world. The authors have put great effort in conducting the research and also have considered many facts while studying the issue. The key words here are natives, climate, economic condition, and environment. The article is all about the environmental condition of Native American land and it effect on the indigenous people. The theme of the article is the environmental condition and the effect of it on their livelihood the researchers in this article discuss about the importance of cultural sites, wild life and natural resources. The article studies about the adverse effect of climate and weather condition and the effect of it on the economy of native people. The questions which can be raised regarding this reading are : Vulnerability of Pyramid Lake Indian Water Rights under Climate Change: Analysis of Perception, Power, and Influencer ability of Pyramid Lake Indian Water Rights under Climate Change: Analysis of Perception, Power, and Influence This article which is also about geological nature has many authors to it and also the article is a combined effort from them.

Life Span and Human Growth Development Assignment

Life Span and Human Growth Development - Assignment Example Erick Erikson is one of the reputable psychologists who provided convincible structure and elaboration of the concepts. Adequate understanding of growth stages such as those of Erick Erikson is important to counselors in shaping and designing effective treatment approach (Ungar, 2011) Client: as young child in his early childhood years, I struggled to overcome shame and doubts and at the same time, work towards achieving autonomy. These manifested through activities such as struggling to carry loads that were either loads or desire to things in my own way despite being a child. Client: I consider 18 years as the earliest time a child should be independent of the parents. The earliest I will part ways with my parents will be when I attain 22 years old and probably employed to be able to sustain my needs. Client: being adolescent is difficult. This relates to the availability of many vices ready targeting the adolescents. Societies also tend to profile adolescence as a stage characterized with vigor and violence. Client: as I said earlier, adolescence is a huge responsibility to bear considering the numeracy of challenges including powerful peer pressure that leads people into doing things that they would never wish to do. To this point of interview, the counselor is trying to explore the basic information and details regarding the client. In response, the client depicts to have undergone through some aspects of Erick Erikson’s of growth in human beings. The client has indicated to have great trust in the members of his family bewaring their abundant loving nature on the client. According to Erick Erickson, proper feeding is the basic way that an adult earn the trust of an infant (Magnavita, 20050. The client has also hinted that he used to struggle for autonomy during his early years of growth while tackling shame. Erick explained that during early childhood, children struggle to develop

Assignment 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

3 - Assignment Example The landscape is, therefore, irregular, comprising both hills and valleys; hence, resulting in short rivers. On the other hand, in passive continental margins, there is limited tectonic activity; the major processes that occur here are weathering and erosion. This results in level, flat landscapes along the beaches, characterized by long rivers and large debris of sediment. The oceanic ridge, which is a continuous submarine mountain range spanning 80000 kilometers, is elevated relative to the other areas of the ocean floor. The elevation is brought about by convection currents that rise from deep within the earth’s crust through a mantle in a line of weakness, in the form of magma. When it emerges on the earth’s crest, lava cools down and forms a new surface on the sea bed. Continuous eruption and cooling of lava leads to a build-up of materials, which in turn cause elevation at the point the activities take place. The result is a ridge, which is higher than other sections of the ocean floor. Mesosaurus was a reptile that lived in fresh water lakes thousands of years before the existence of dinosaurs. The fact that scientists found its remains, in Eastern South America and Western Africa only, suggests that the two continents could have existed as one land mass millions of years ago. Whereas some schools of thought could have it that the reptiles could have swum across the Atlantic Ocean, this could not happen since Mesosaurus could neither survive in the ocean waters because of their saltiness, nor swim across the ocean due to its expansive nature. These, together with the fact that the coastlines of the two continents fit like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, enforces the theory that the two continents once existed as one expansive land mass. One of the main objections to Wegener’s Continental Drift Theory was his inability to explain the mechanism through which the continents drifted apart. He proposed two theories; a

Leadership in corporate strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership in corporate strategy - Essay Example But the modern concept of leadership has experienced sea change. The present standards of the industry focus on the fact that the strategy should come from within the organisation. There are certain limitations of the strategies getting out - sourced. Firstly, it limits the issues upon which such strategies are based and secondly, the out - sourced strategies are also limited by timeframe. Most importantly, the management of the organisation might not have any clue upon which the external consultants would have prepared the strategy. The companies of the present day are growing organically and so it is more than a requirement that the organisations have both the internal and the external factors analysed in the strategy. It is the own management and the leadership of any company that has the best idea about the vision and mission of the organisation. The other important factor is that the strategies and the leadership should be dynamic as the environments are changing every now and then. The leadership of the organisations should aptly understand the scope and the future trends. And for the purpose, the process of strategy formulation should be a continuous and never ending for the organisations. It is the Chief Executive Officer who is the head of the strategy formulation of any organisation assisted by other key members and the job should not ideally be outsourced as it is only the management of the organisation that can have the right knowledge about the vision, mission and the objectives of the company. Also , the internal rank holders have fair idea about the organisational politics and abilities which often becomes important differentiators. It can be well analysed from the case study that increasing emphasis are laid upon the real objectives of the businesses as the author puts stress upon the fact of identification of vision of the organisation. The strategy formulation and implementation is a thorough and continuous process and should

Organisation Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisation Behaviour - Essay Example It has an international division, the Joint Commission International (JCI), which works with health care organizations in over 80 countries worldwide since 1994 (Joint Commission Resources Inc., 2009). These include hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, clinical laboratories, care continuum services, medical transport organizations, and primary care services, as well as certification for disease or condition specific care (Joint Commission Website, 2011). Being accredited and certified by the Joint Commission is recognized as a symbol of the highest quality that reflects on a health care organization’s commitment to meeting the most discriminating performance standards. The Joint Commission’s mission is to â€Å"continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations† (Joint Commission website, 2011). The Jo int Commission provides the premium standards that health care institutions must comply with to ensure that patients are provided the utmost quality of care they deserve. Upon successfully passing the accreditation requirements, the health care organization earns the symbol of quality that reflects the organization’s commitment to excellence – the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval. ... It has been established to seek patient safety solutions (Joint Commission Resources, Inc., 2009). Metaphorical Analysis of Joint Commission Morgan (1997a) has conceptualized a way to analyse organizations with metaphors. This concept is aligned with the theories of Lakoff & Johnson (1980) as they explain: In all aspects of life ... we define our reality in terms of metaphors and then proceed to act on the basis of the metaphors. We draw inferences, set goals, make commitments, and execute plans, all on the basis of how we in part structure our experience, consciously and unconsciously, by means of metaphor (p. 158). The metaphors Morgan has chosen are machines, organisms, brains, cultures, political systems, psychic prisons, flux and transformation and instruments of domination. According to him, multiple perspectives are produced when organizations are analysed using more than one metaphor since a single metaphor will not be able to provide a holistic picture of the organization. F or this essay, the writer has selected machines and organisms to analyse the organization of the Joint Commission. The functions of the organization are very much likened to a machine’s in terms of â€Å"input- output† of performance and the standards used to measure its efficiency. The organism is also chosen to analyse the Joint Commission, being an organization dedicated to the respect and preservation of life. Morgan has used the metaphor of machines to describe organizations that are designed to achieve specific purposes using a standardized method. The metaphor of organisms is used by Morgan to describe organizations as living organisms that strive to adapt and survive in an environment that constantly

Winston Churchill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Winston Churchill - Essay Example His thoughts and writings can be considered as an authority in the fields that he excelled in. At a glance Winston Churchill is a noted statesman, a known orator and strategist, a leader in different disciplines such as the British Army and a gifted writer of historical literature. The main purpose of the study undertaken is to be able to present the events in the life of Winston Churchill. This includes the achievements, teachings, struggles and the lessons that he made the people learn. All the pertinent data and information that can define him as a person are captured to be able to achieve an understanding of the life that he had led and the decisions that he had made. Winston Churchill was born in the Oxformshire, England, United Kingdom on the 30th of November 1874. He is the son of an English father, Lord Randolph Churchill and an American mother. He is of British nationality that made his contributions to the society until the 24th of January in 1965 when he died at the age of 90 at the Hyde Park, London in England. He is a descendant of the Spencer-Churchill lineage with George Spencer, the Duke of Marlborough, which is his ancestor and his father which is the son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough and also a politician. On the other hand, his mother, Jennie Jerome, the daughter of an American millionaire named Leonard Jerome. John Strange Spencer-Churchill is his only sibling (Frenz 1969). He was educated at the Harrow and Sandhurst. As a student he can be considered to not conform to the rules thus he is commonly reprimanded. Though this is the case it is the harrow School where he started his military career in 1888 when he joined the Harrow Ri fle Corps. He also studied in the Royal Military Academy which took him 3 admission tries to be able to be admitted but graduated raking 8th in class in December 1894. The said achievement earned him a position as Second Lieutenant in the 4th Queen's Own Hussars in 1895 (Frenz 1969). Upon further observation though, the young Winston Churchill excelled in a number of fields such as the Literary English and History. Even in sports the said leader is also a fencing champion. Although this is the case, his enthusiasm in studying is below average which can be related to the speech impediment that he possessed. The said difficulty in speaking had not been a hindrance to the achievements that he had accomplished in his career and his life. The said impediment is considered by some groups as stammering and some as lisping. Winston Churchill is married to Clementine Hozier in 1908 with 5 children namely Diana Churchill (1909), Randolph Spencer Churchill (1911), Sarah Churchill (1914), Marig old Frances Churchill (1918, four days after the end of WWI and died in 1921) and Mary Churchill (1922) (Frenz 1969; Mauter 1998). Winston Churchill excelled in a variety of fields, thus, he can be considered as one of the most prominent characters in modern United Kingdom and the English Region. The army career can be considered as one of the important contribution of W. Churchill on the basis of the fact that he had held essential positions through the short stay in the said discipline. He acquired the position of the Conservative Member of Parliament in the year 1900. In addition, he had been responsible to other essential roles in the Liberal and Conservative governments during the early decades of the century. During WWII, he became First Lord of the Admiralty which is a reappointment from 1911-15. In addition to the said roles, his military career also made him participate in different events. One of which is the battle in the Northwest Frontier with the Malakand Field

Student Satisfaction in Pakistani Universities Essay Example for Free

Student Satisfaction in Pakistani Universities Essay A Study on Student Satisfaction in Pakistani Universities: The Case of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Pakistan Muhammad Nauman Abbasi Lecturer, Institute of Management Sciences Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan E-mail: [emailprotected] edu. pk Ali Malik Senior Lecturer, Department of Accounting, Finance Economic University of Hertfordshire Business School, United Kingdom E-mail: m. a. 1. [emailprotected] ac. uk Imran Sharif Chaudhry (Corresponding author) Associate professor, Department of Economics Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan E-mail: [emailprotected] edu. pk Muhammad Imdadullah Department of Statistics Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan Received: October 19, 2010 Abstract This study measures the level of student satisfaction with current services offered by Pakistani universities. The exploration and comparison of possible differences in terms of level of satisfaction across gender and various programs/disciplines formulate key objectives. General survey guided by well structured questionnaire through connivance sampling has been administered across a valuable sample of 401 students. Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) has been selected as sample case and data was collected from eighteen different disciplines and/or programs. Ten major constructs i. e. teaching, administrative/management support, transportation, library, computer labs general labs, accommodation, medical; sports, prayer/religious facilities, and class room facilities were used. Mean analysis reflect student dissatisfied with many core services facilities like teaching, administrative support, library, labs, accommodation, medical, and sports, while satisfaction has been reported only in three augmented areas like transportation, class room and prayer facilities. Quite interestingly, no significant differences of opinion have been recorded among male or female respondents. Overall, satisfaction level is alarming low and results indicate dissatisfaction of university students on educational services offered by Pakistani universities. Keywords: Students’  satisfaction, Higher education, University services 1. Introduction The aim of this paper is to determine satisfaction level of the students studying in Pakistani universities. As a matter of fact, student satisfaction has never been considered as an issue of importance by educational authorities nor regarded as a matter of survival by higher education institutions. This is evident form the fact that the impact of educational services provided by a university on the satisfaction level of its students has largely been an area Accepted: February 12, 2011 doi:10. 5539/ass. v7n7p209 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 209 www. ccsenet. org/ass Asian Social Science Vol. 7, No. 7; July 2011 that remains unexplored. Higher education institutions especially universities are like practice grounds where students learn and acquire all necessary skills and abilities that potential employers out there in job market sought. To ensure that this is the case, universities tend to bundle their offerings which includes; i). core services i. e. knowledge, intellectual abilities, interpersonal skills, and communication skills, ii). actual services i. e. degrees like undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate through regular teaching and research, and iii). augmented services including infrastructure i. e. building, transportation/logistics facilities, libraries, labs, computer labs, hostel/boarding facilities, medical, sports, and class room facilities coupled with administrative support. It can be convincingly argued that student satisfaction with tangible and intangible offering at universities is vital for them to acquire those skills and abilities that can satisfy needs of those next in the chain i.e. employers and society. In Pakistan, higher education institutions are under immense pressure since the establishment of Higher Education Commission (HEC). The HEC initiated reforms in 2002 providing universities with necessary resources like unlimited access of digital libraries, high speed internet and incredible range of local and international research scholarships programs. These reforms have changed the educational climate of the country while technology has helped to improve the range of teaching and learning tools. On one side the Commission is facilitating higher education institutions, and on the other side working for the enhancement of quality of education in the country. This double edge sword i. e. higher education expansion and high quality of higher education has spurred a drive to improve and enhance quality standards. Resultantly, this has created a distinct â€Å"sphere of opportunities†, simulated among students, teachers and the market. The authors are of the view that this sphere of opportunities, if follows the principle of quality, will leads to educational revolution in the country. In Pakistan, there are 124 universities of which 68 (55%) are in public sector, whereas 56 (45%) are in private sector. The total enrolment in the universities is 741,092 of which 637,037 (86%) is in public sector, whereas, 104,055 (14%) is in private sector. The total male enrolment in the universities is 398,967 (54%), whereas, the female enrolment is 342,125 (46%). The total teachers in the universities are 46,893, out of which 38,266 (82%) are in public and 8,627 (18%) are in private sector (Statistics, 2007-2008). Observing the facts, considerable students i. e. 741,092 have been enrolled during the academic year 2007-2008. The question underlying in this study is whether Pakistani students are satisfied with the academic, administrative, and logistics support provided by their respective higher education institution. To measure personal satisfaction of the university students, this study has been initiated to empirically measure the phenomenon taking Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan (BZU) as case. 2. Literature Review Kotler et al. (2009, p.120) define satisfaction as ‘a person’s feeling of pleasure that result from comparing a product’s perceived performance (or outcome) to their expectation’. It means if the performance matches the expectation, the customer will be satisfied. In the context of higher education, the matter of satisfaction is what students expect from their educational institution, in fact, everything that makes them eligible to become productive and successful person in their practical lives. Reid (2008) has classified few basic characteristics that employers normally seek from university graduate. These include knowledge, intellectual abilities, ability to work in modern organizations, interpersonal skills, and communication skills (Reid, 2008). In addition, there are other invisible characteristics required by the market and that include: willingness to learn, be participative and positive to work in teams, problem solving skills, analytical abilities, leadership qualities, adaptability, flexibility, ability to summarize key issues, and last but not least the ability to be productive and loyal team/organizational member. The attainment of these skills and abilities is what parents expect when they decide to send their children for higher education in universities. The question under consideration here is if university graduates are provided necessary facilities that make their experience conducive and attainment of necessary skills and abilities possible. This is crucial not only to students’ individual success but the success of economy of the country on the whole as well. In this regard, Umbach and Porter (2002) argued that institutional impact on the students’ outcome is still unknown, and if anything is known, that is somewhat contradictory. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that different academic disciplines vary in term of their application of practical problems, cognitive processes, faculty time commitment and scholarly output. Hence, it is quite difficult to conclude institutional impact on students’ outcome. However, among the earlier researchers, Cameron and Ettington (1988) and Hartnett and Centra (1977) measured the impact of departmental culture and climate on students’ leaning and satisfaction. Much of the current knowledge on student satisfaction can be traced from studies during a period of unrest in the late 1960s and early 1970s (Betz et al.1970; Pervin, 1967). Interestingly, the focus of these early studies was the 210 ISSN 1911-2017 E-ISSN 1911-2025 www. ccsenet. org/ass Asian Social Science Vol. 7, No. 7; July 2011 level of satisfaction as opposed to cause of satisfaction (see for example, Bean and Bradley, 1986). In literature, there exists an interesting debate suggesting that students’ expectation build prior to enrolment in a college or university, while satisfaction exists during his/her stay in college or university. For example, Palacio et al. (2002) suggest that student expectation normally build even before entering the university. The image of an institution affects students’ mindset that in turn affects their decision to enroll in that particular institution that later on directly affects students’ satisfaction with the institution. However, Carey et al. (2002) stressed that satisfaction actually covers issues of students’ perception and experiences during their academic years. This has been supported by Kara (2004) who employed empirical data and conceptual model to prove that students’ college experience is positively related to their satisfaction and intentions to stay at college or university. Earlier, Keaveney and Clifford (1997) have presented students satisfaction and retention model. According to this model, faculty, advising staff and class room facilities normally shape student practical college experience and therefore considered key satisfaction and retention components. Researchers have also measured students’ satisfaction in context of many tangible and intangible elements and characteristics. For example, Feldman and Newcomb (1969) and Pascarella and Terenzini (1991) have explored relationship between student learning experiences and their learning, development and satisfaction. Pike (1994) and Pace (1979) have suggested alumni satisfaction as an excellent tool for assessing the effects of educational institution on students. Based on the studies of Pascarella and Terenzini (1991) and Umbach and Porter (2002), it is stated that intellectual and personal developments are among key satisfaction outcomes of educational institutions. Moreover, they found variables like faculty contact with students, research emphasis, and proportion of female students had significant impact on student satisfaction. Ewell (1989) has observed negative correlation between institutional culture and its impact on student performance. The contradiction exits in literature regarding relationship between grades and students satisfaction. Authors like Liu and Jung (1980) and Pike (1991) have observed moderate relationship, while Bean and Bradley (1986) found no relationship at all. However, Centra and Rock (1983) and Lavin (1965) observed significant relationship between grades and student satisfaction. On the other hand, limited attempts have been made to measure impact of gender, ethnicity, race, religion, and migrations from one educational institution to another, on student satisfaction. However, existing evidence reports less satisfaction among female students as compared to male students (for example, Rienzi et al. 1993). Numerous studies have addressed the issue of service quality and student satisfaction. For example, Fitri et al. (2008) have observed service quality dimension i. e. tangibility, responsiveness, reliability, assurance, and empathy as positive contributors towards student satisfaction. Some other authors like Bigne et al. (2003), Ham and Hayduk (2003) and Elliot and Shin (2002) have reported significant relationship between service quality i. e. service reliability, responsiveness, empathy, assurance, tangibility etc and satisfaction in higher education settings. Spreng and Mackoy (1996) reported that perceived service quality is an antecedent to satisfaction. Faculty continues to be the most significant influence on student experience and satisfaction in universities. In this regard, universities have adopted student evaluation of teaching effectiveness to enhance student satisfaction. Student evaluation of teaching (SET) is among the most frequently used performance measurement instruments used by higher education institutions across the world (Pounder, 2007; Stratton, 1990). Student evaluation of teaching (SET) questionnaire is a control device used to measure teaching effectiveness as stated by concerned students (Crumbley et al. 2001). Historically, a number of studies confirmed that student teaching evaluation has provided reasonably valid multidimensional measures (Holtfreter, 1991; Marsh Roche, 1997; McKeachie, 1987). The main aim of the SET is to measure the teaching performance/effectiveness of faculties at a university. Moreover, this technique is used in educational institutions to assess the capabilities and competencies of academic staff and as a result, assessment score depicts that on what basis students perceive their teachers in their minds that directly affects their satisfaction. In context of Pakistan, majority of the studies have focused on the ways to improve the quality of higher education, unfortunately, no significant study has probed the issue of student satisfaction. For example, Hanif et al. (2008) examine the use of balance scorecard to enhance accountability and performance in higher education institutions concluding that long-term vision through consistent performance evaluation is the key to enhance performance in higher education. Reid (2008), while making comparison between higher education in Scotland and Pakistan, highlighted industry as a source of evaluation parallel to internal evaluation system. Moreover, he suggested an increase in the number of PhD qualified teachers throughout the country. Owais and Akber (2008) commented how to improve research/PhD education in the country. Aurangzeb (2008) presented a work integrated learning model for students. The Model suggests the role of three key educational players i. e. students, higher education institutions, and industry to improve education and student satisfaction in the country. Hafeez Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 211 www. ccsenet. org/ass Asian Social Science Vol. 7, No. 7; July 2011 and Fatima (2008) have highlighted the importance of strategic partnership between universities and industry. They have presented a conceptual model with the focus to transform the kind and level of collaboration between universities and industry. Nasira et al. (2008) have presented comprehensive debate on the importance of international ranking and its impact on student mindset while selecting a college or university for higher education. They have suggested that college or university ranking should not be the only criteria to select any institution for higher education rather student must gather necessary other information before making final selection. From the existing literature, it is evident that there is a need to administer a systematic research to measure the important issue of student satisfaction in Pakistani universities. From literature, three different constructs i. e. teaching, administration/management, and support augmented facilities have been used as major variables to measure student satisfaction in this study. 3. Research Methodology As stated above, this study aims to measure student satisfaction in Pakistani universities. Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) in Multan has been selected as a sample case because the university is a public sector university and is currently offering a wide range of programmes of studies under various faculties at postgraduate and undergraduate levels. University has significant population (on board students) from neighboring countries as well. Six major faculties are playing pioneering role in spreading education across the country and act as catalysts for socio-economic development of the country. The faculties are: Faculty of Arts Social Sciences, Faculty of Islamic Studies Languages, Faculty of Commerce, Law Business Administration, Faculty of Science Agriculture, Faculty of Pharmacy, and Faculty of Engineering. Hence, the university was selected as sample case and data was collected from current students enrolled in eighteen different disciplines and/or programs representing both postgraduate and undergraduate levels. First construct under observation was ‘teaching’ that is considered a core activity at higher education institutions. Nineteen different variables were used to measure student satisfaction of this construct. The variables under observation were; teachers communication, lecture delivery skills (qualitative subjects), lecture delivery skills (quantitative subjects), research activities, nature of class assignments and tasks, examination and grading (quantitative subjects), examination and grading (qualitative subjects), examination procedures, teacher’s attitudes towards class, teacher’s respect for class, extra consultation, extra reading material, feedback on assignments, permanent senior teachers, permanent junior teachers, permanent male teachers, permanent female teachers, visiting male teachers, visiting female teachers. Second construct under observation was ‘administrative support’. In addition to teaching, administrative activities are necessary to facilitate the process of developing necessary skills and providing exposure to students in accordance with market demand. The administrative construct has been operationalize through eight different variables that were; behavior of head of department and programme  coordinators, behavior of clerical staff, administrative support of head of department and programme coordinators, administrative support of clerical staff, extracurricular activities, banking facilities, restaurant facilities at the campus, and prayer facilities. Third construct under observation was ‘augmented facilities’ and variables used to measure this were; transportation and logistics facilities, library, computer labs, general labs, student accommodation facilities, medical facilities, sport facilities, and class room facilities. All these concepts have been further probed through different variables like transportation and logistics has been measured through, availability of buses, route timings, and behavior of the drivers conductors. Satisfaction from library facility has been measured through seven different variables including availability of core text books, availability of supporting books, availability of research journals, availability of newspaper magazines, library timings, facilities at central library, behavior of the library staff. Next facility computer labs were measured through variables like availability of enough computers, internet availability and speed, behavior of lab attendants, computer labs timings, and availability of e-journals. Similarly, availability of required equipments, behavior of lab attendants, and lab timings were used to measure the satisfaction of the concerned students. To measure students satisfaction about hostel and boarding, four different variables were used, which are; availability condition of rooms, mess and dining, behavior of hostel staff, and overall study environment. In addition, medical facility was measured through different variables which are; availability of doctors, availability of medicines, availability of ambulances, and availability of emergency staff and medicines. Next concept sports facilities were measured through four different variables which are; availability of sports grounds, coaching facilities, availability of sports equipments and sport development opportunities. Last augmented facility under 212 ISSN 1911-2017 E-ISSN 1911-2025 www. ccsenet. org/ass Asian Social Science. Vol. 7, No. 7; July 2011 observation was class room facilities, which have been measured through variables i. e. class size, class timings, availability of multimedia, air conditions, and furniture fixture. All variables were measured on Likert Scale of 1 to 4 where: 1 = extremely satisfied; 2 = satisfied; 3 = dissatisfied, and 4 = extremely dissatisfied. High value of Cronbach’s Alpha (0. 92) reflects high reliability of instrument. Table – 1, presents response rate as per programs/disciplines and gender. High response variations have been recorded across different faculties and programmes of studies. A total of four hundred and eighteen (418) responses were collected, however, seventeen (i. e. 4. 1%) were discarded because respondents have neither mentioned gender nor their programme of studies, therefore, the final sample size turns out to be four hundred and one (401). Of four hundred and one, 191 (45. 7%) respondents were male, while 210 were female i. e. 50. 2%. On the other hand, 218 (52. 2%) respondents were studying for undergraduate degree, while 183 (43.8%) were studying for postgraduate degree. Based on literature synthesis, well structured questionnaire have been formulated to know the satisfaction level of student studying in different programs at different levels. Undergraduate and postgraduate students currently enrolled in any semester of forty different departments were considered as unit of analysis. To make it a systematic process, researchers tried to manage an enrollment list (a sample frame) in all programmes of studies of all concerned departments. However, in some instances administrative staff refused to provide the list of students due to confidentiality issues. Resultantly, questionnaires get filled through non probability connivance sampling. Data have been collected from students enrolled during session Fall-2009. 4. Results Discussion The primary aim of this study was to measure student satisfaction in Pakistani Universities. The three construct used to do so were teaching, administrative support and augmented facilities. The first  construct applied was ‘teaching’ that is obviously a core activity in any education institution. Nineteen different variables were used to measure student satisfaction about teaching and related activities (please see section 3 of Table – 2, for detail). With the exception of few variables, overall mean values of the variables regarding this construct reflected student dissatisfaction of existing teaching methods and techniques. Mean values of different variables enhancing university student satisfaction are; teachers communication (mean value of 2.34), lecture delivery skills of qualitative subjects (mean value of 2. 48), examination procedures (mean value of 2. 50), teachers attitudes towards class (mean value of 2. 49), teachers respect for class (mean value of 2. 30). It is observed that several key areas need keen attention of faculty members, head of the departments, deans and vice chancellor. The areas are; lecture delivery skills of quantitative subjects (mean value of 3. 20), provision of feedback on assignments (mean value of 2. 59), number of permanent (full time) senior teachers (mean value of 2. 59), number of permanent (full time) junior teachers (mean value of 2. 57), research activities (mean value of 2. 96), nature of class assignments tasks (mean value of 3. 05), examination and grading of qualitative subjects (mean value of 2. 90), extra reading material (mean value of 3. 04), examination and grading of quantitative subjects (mean value of 2. 77), extra consultation time by teachers (mean value of 2. 74), permanent (full time) male teachers (mean value of 2.87), permanent (full time) female teachers (mean value of 2. 95), visiting (part time) male teachers (mean value of 2. 96), visiting (part time) female teachers (mean value of 3. 04). Results of mean analysis clearly reflect that students are largely dissatisfied with their teachers’ communication skills (language used for lecture). Moreover, to probe the satisfaction level of the university students with lecture delivery skill of their teachers, questions were included as per classification of curriculum i. e. quantitative qualitative courses. Students have unanimously declared that they are dissatisfied with the delivery skills of teachers of quantitative courses as compared to qualitative ones. Perhaps, this reflects positive attitude of Pakistani students towards qualitative subjects as compared to quantitative subjects; however, there is a need to improve delivery skills of teachers of quantitative courses. Moreover, as there is no visible difference of opinion among male and female students studying either at undergraduate or postgraduate levels, the results strengthen the above discussion. In addition, lesser satisfaction about research activities has been reported by undergraduate students as compared to postgraduate students, which validates the fact that strong research activities are normally required and conducted at higher level in Pakistani universities. However, mean analysis depicts that students are dissatisfied with the nature of research carried out in different disciplines. This situation is quite alarming for higher education authorities, particularly Higher Education Commission (HEC) who is striving for quality research in Pakistani universities. Quite interestingly, high dissatisfaction was reported by male respondents regarding nature of class assignments, supporting the view that teachers (in Pakistani universities) normally give easier tasks and assignments to female students which is gender discrimination by the teachers. Similarly, postgraduate Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 213 www. ccsenet. org/ass Asian Social Science Vol. 7, No. 7; July 2011 students are more dissatisfied with the nature of assignments as compared to undergraduate ones. Perhaps, this dissatisfaction is because of the fact that students failed to recognize visible differences in term of nature and quality of assignments they had performed during their undergraduate studies from the one they are doing during their postgraduate studies. Overall results regarding research activities invite serious attention of Higher Education Commission of Pakistan in general and management of the BZU University in particular. Lesser dissatisfaction with grading marking of quantitative courses as compared to qualitative ones endorses natural response and perhaps mature attitude of students. However, overall dissatisfaction on grading and marking reflects distrust on the assessment style of university teachers. On the other hand, satisfactory mean score on examination procedure reflects valuable trust on new measures taken by universities to enhance examination standards. In these variables, no visible difference of opinion has been reported among male and female students. The trust on examination procedure while distrust on grading marking reflects university commitment to enhance education standards while provoke serious thinking to do on the paper and coursework marking style of teachers. Next, the mean scores depict positive attitude of the teachers towards their classes. However, allocation of appropriate time for consultation has been reported as a dissatisfactory variable. The results are in fact conceivable, because of large population of students in Pakistani universities making it difficult to academic staff to allocate equal additional support for all students causing dissatisfaction at individual levels. Finally, it can be observed from the results that overall students are dissatisfied with academic faculties irrespective they are senior or junior, male or female and permanent or visiting. Similarly, dissatisfaction is quite high in respect of visiting faculty members which indicates distrust on pathetic recruitment policy of university. It is recommended that authorities must hire permanent teachers of high caliber with excellent academic competencies rather than relying on contract or visiting teaching staff. In this regard, new recruitment policy from Higher Education Commission (HEC) can bring about a positive change provided it is implemented with true spirit and monitored consistently. Moreover, if highly required, respective Deans and Head of the Department must ensure to hire highly qualified and experienced visiting teachers. A clear policy needs to be chalked out and implemented in this respect. Here it is worth mentioning that the sample case i. e. Bahauddin Zakariya university is situated in Southern Punjab. In this part of the country hiring high caliber, self-motivated and highly qualified individuals has always remained a challenging job for university management. This region is largely remote and most of the qualified individuals prefer living and working in metropolitan cities of Pakistan like Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. Secondly, BZU is a public sector university and can’t offer competitive salaries and financial incentives. Moreover, lack of motivation to work in a university, biased behavior of university management, extra work load without remuneration and limited training and personal development opportunities are among the key reasons restricting the entry of competent individuals in education sector. In addition to these, university is distantly located from city centre making it inconvenient for visiting faculty members to come all the way for few hours work and hence low level of interest is recorded. Moreover, university does not have an incentive plan in policy in place to attract high quality professionals to come to university. Second construct under observation were the ‘administrative support’. Individual mean analysis depicts that there some fundamental facilities are in place and are currently responsible for overall student satisfaction. These are; prayer facilities available at campus (mean value of 2. 18) and facilitation by university management for extracurricular activities (mean value of 2. 41). For these variables, no significant difference of opinion has been recorded among male and female students, as well as at level of studies i. e. undergraduate or postgraduate. It is quite interesting that branches of two well-reputed national banks are operative at campus, still surprisingly; students have reported dissatisfaction with the current banking facilities. On the other hand, behavior of the Chairman of department and Programme Coordinators (mean value of 2. 83), administrative support of Chairman and Coordinators (mean value of 3. 00), administrative support of clerical staff (mean value of 3. 27), overall mess and dinning facilities available at campus (mean value of 2. 76) are emerged as critical factors. In this regard, female students in particular have reported higher level of dissatisfaction with behavior and dealing of clerical staff which is astonishing as well as quite alarming. Results require immediate attention of university authorities and concrete steps need to be taken to improve the behavior of the administrative staff. It is also recommended that the relevant authorities must take proper measures to enhance the overall level of administrative support. Third construct under observation was ‘augmented facilities’ which was measured using following variables; transportation logistics facilities, library, computer labs, labs, hostel/boarding facilities, medical facilities, sport facilities, and class room facilities. Transportation Logistics facility have been measured through factors 214 ISSN 1911-2017 E-ISSN 1911-2025 www. ccsenet. org/ass Asian Social Science Vol. 7, No. 7; July 2011 like availability of buses (mean value of 2. 50), route timings (mean value of 2. 25), and behavior of the drivers conductors on buses (mean value of 2. 88). Overall mean values regarding transportation facilities reflect student satisfaction with the available transportation facilities offered by university. It is significant to note that the behavior of bus drivers conductors are somewhat problematic to student satisfaction. In this regard, male students seem to be more dissatisfied with the behavior of bus staff as compared to female students.

Structural Elements That Define Good Screenplay Film Studies Essay

Structural Elements That Define Good Screenplay Film Studies Essay Through my prism, a good screenplay can be made in many ways, as long as the writer of the artwork keeps up to some basic rules that have been reinforced through the years. In a relation to that, there are three essential elements without which it is impossible to create a fine script. The chief structure of a script should be based on the concept of thesis-antithesis-synthesis and accordingly it is supposed to consist of at least three acts, respectively beginning, middle and end. Key features also include a good conflict and a good character without which the screenplay can be defined as boring and unstimulating. One must not forget, though, that a good character is also a matter of a personal vision. To begin with, the idea of thesis-antithesis-synthesis is not just an important feature of a good film script but it is also not new. It is the simple formula created by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel that came to be a feature in every good movie or play the common spectator sees today. Thesis is defined as a separate action that breaks out during a film or as a character who performs an action. In contrast, antithesis is actualized when an action opposite to the thesis act occurs. It is the converse of the thesis, as annotated. When combined, thesis and antithesis devise the synthesis. Synthesis is the resolution of the clash between the thesis and the antithesis, without matter if the result is positive or negative. Hegels concept also plays key role in finding out what the premise of a certain screenplay could be. A good example of Hegels formula being used is Frank Capras American drama film Its a Wonderful Life (1946). To supplement, the scenes where George is on the verge of com mitting a suicide and Clarences successful attempt to prevent it is an illustration of how this dialectical method is applied. In one of them, Georges view that killing himself will make everyone happier is challenged by Clarence who presents himself as having been sent by God to protect him. In another one, the guardian angel reveals to the protagonist what would have happened, had George never been born his brother, Harry would have died at the age of eight, because George would not have been there to save him [the scene of Harrys grave]; George would also have neither wife, nor kids, had he never existed; he would not have built a house for them and for himself too. In the final act, the conflict between the thesis (Georges wish to commit suicide) and the antithesis (Clarences way to show the protagonist what the world would be like without him) gets resolved: George prays to God to bring back the life he has had, realizing how wonderful it was and gets back to his wife and kids . As a result, the premise of the film is conspicuous: life is a gift that should not be spurned. Furthermore, it is well known that the conflict is the heart of any story, be it a screenplay or a play that is performed in theaters. Therefore, a story without any real conflict is not a story at all. In his book, Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting, the famous screenwriting instructor, Robert McKee talks in details about the levels of conflict that are present in a certain screenplay. He explains that there are two main types of conflict external and internal. Although in most screenplays the external conflict (conflict that occurs as a result of social conditions) is dominant, a good story should include a large portion of internal conflict (a conflict within the character) as well. In terms of the external conflict, it is clear that a protagonist in the film usually gets what they want in the end. However, if they carry out their wish without any obstacles on their way that will try to prevent them from doing so, the piece of work will be cons idered disinteresting and such motion pictures surely disappoint the viewer. So, to strengthen the conflict, the obstacle is often made to be superior to the protagonist in some ways. For instance, in The Terminator (1984), the main protagonist, named Kyle Reese, is sent back in time from the future with an assignment to protect Sarah Connor. The obstacle he has to deal with, however, is not a human but a cyborg (living human tissue over a metal skeleton), stronger, faster, and extremely hard to kill. This technique makes the viewers ask themselves whether Reese will deal with the obstacle or Sarah will be killed. In contrast, a great illustration of an internal conflict can be seen in George Lucas film, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). The chief character, Anakin Skywalker is a Jedi Knight whose wife, Padme Amidala is pregnant. One night, while sleeping, he has nightmares of her dying in childbirth. Later on, Palpatine, who is the main antagonist, uses this nightm are Anakin tells him about and ascertains Anakin that there is a power to cheat death but it cannot be learned by a Jedi and the only way to achieve this power is by embracing the dark side of the Force. From this moment on, the struggle inside Anakin reaches deeper level. It appears that he is supposed to choose between two things: saving his wife from certain death by selling his soul to the dark side or remaining loyal to the Jedi and, as he fears, possibly losing Padme. There is one emblematical scene that clearly shows that fear. It is an intercut combination of the young Skywalker sitting alone on a chair in the Jedi temple council chamber thinking of his wife and Padme in her apartment, possibly looking in direction towards the Jedi Temple. The Jedi is confused as he keeps on starring outside. Minutes later, Palpatines voice-over could be heard: You do know, dont you, if the Jedi destroy me, any chance of saving her will be lost. In this moment, tears run off Anakins face, as if he says to himself I cant do it, I cant let her die. When watching this scene, after Anakin leaves the Jedi temple, we think that the conflict within him has finished. But actually, a lot more is to come, to which I will pay greater attention when I talk about good character being necessary to create a good screenplay. In addition, a story, that is considered to be in the category of good stories, will also comply with the concept of a good character which is usually the protagonist. When I say good, though, it does not mean that the character themselves are the so called good guy but that there must be enough levels of internal conflict within the character. Of course, before creating levels of conflict within the character, one has to know their character as screenwriter Syd Field says in his book Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting. Knowing the character means to know: whose story it is? Who is the main character? What do they want? Without these basics, a character would not even exist. Nevertheless, are these basics enough for a character, so that they can be called a good one? Certainly not. This is the place where deeper levels of conflict are necessary to be shown, without matter if they are internal within the protagonist or interpersonal (between the protagonist and other people. It is well known that it is even preferrable to have a mix of both. To this common statement, I would add that a mix of both types of conflict has to be present indeed but the writer has to be careful how they do that mix. If it is so complex that the creator themselves have difficulties interpreting the levels of conflict, this will lead to a confusion and disinterest in the eyes of the spectator. For instance, if one gets back to Anakin Skywalker as presented in Star Wars Episode 3, they will find out that there are many levels of conflict some of which can be seen even after he has turned to the dark side of the Force. In the scene where the young Jedi turns to the dark side, before the turning point itself, there is a mix of extrapersonal struggle and internal conflict within Anakin. The intramural struggle actually emerges as a result of the extrapersonal clash between Jedi Master Mace Windu (the black guy with the purple lightsaber) and Chancellor Palpatine who has now been r evealed to be Darth Sidious the main antagonist in the movie. As soon as Anakin enters the hall where the two Force masters fought each other some minutes ago, we see the following picture: The chancellor is on the ground, next to a broken window. Mace Windu is about to finish him off. This is where the mixed conflict starts. Palpatines words He is a traitor! mark the beginning of this mixed struggle. Windu then addresses the same words towards Palpatine. Afterwards, the close up of Anakins face and his facial expression show some confusion, as if he asks himself Who is right? Who should I listen to?. In an attempt to persuade Anakin to help him, Palpatine again states he could save his wife from certain death. In a response, the Jedi Master implies to the young Skywalker that the chancellor is only trying to turn him into his ally by talking such lies. As he puts his arm on his face to prevent himself from being blinded by the shining lightning bolts which the chancellor shoots fr om his hand, the collision inside him gets stronger. Shall he trust Palpatine/Darth Sidious in what he says? Or shall he take it that Master Windu is right? For the common viewer, the answer who is right and who is wrong is obvious. Not for the young Skywalker though. Suddenly, the mixed struggle turns into an interpersonal row between the two Jedi whether the chancellor shall be killed or tried and respectively jailed. On the other hand, after Anakin helps Sidious kill the Jedi Master, an internal sense of regret arises within the now ex-Jedi which, nevertheless, is ended by his new master. As a result, the viewer can infer that it is namely the great deal of confusion which sets forth the rise of interpersonal conflicts combined with interpersonal struggles that make Anakin Skywalker a good character. Finally, last but not least important is one of Syd Fields main ideas that a good character is also a matter of point of view. When he says point of view, he means, that a good character must represent the vision of the role they are in. He illustrates his concept with the example that if ones main character is a parent, they have to behave like such and to share a point of view parents have. Here, Field is undoubtedly right. To illustrate, in the film Home Alone 3 (1997), the main protagonist is an 8-year old kid named Alex, whose mother obviously shares Syd Fields idea shown in the instance of a parent character he gives. The act where Alex falls ill to chicken pox is an implication of that. He starts getting worried about staying alone at home because it looks like it is happening to him for the very first time. An 8-year old child that has no quite real concept of when things happen, would normally be afraid of becoming a victim of a tornado during the winter, or a thief (as he c alls them grown up crooks), or even of his own imagination. This is only one of the moments where actress Haviland Morris and respectively her character, Karen Pruitt, the mother of Alex, shows her parental point of view. Her conspicuous reaction to her sons fears would be to try and suppress them which she succeeds by explaining him that tornadoes, for instance, do not manifest during the winter. In addition, she clarifies to her little urchin that they (his family) live in one of Chicagos safest neighborhoods. As for imagination, she truly replies that it is under nobodys control but under his own. In the set where Alex calls the police twice because he really saw a thief but nobody trusts him, her parental point of view manifests again in a divergent way. Alex is surely right but what he lacks is evidence. Therefore his mothers likely response is to not trust him but the police chief, to tell him off and respectively being annoyed with him. In contrast, by the end, when everyone finds out Alex Pruitt is right and the thieves are apprehended, Mrs. Pruitts understandable action is to apologize to her son for mistrusting him. This is namely how Home Alone 3 reflects Syd Fields statement that every character has to represent the role they have been assigned properly. To summarize, a good screenplay can be created in many ways. As it became understandable from the above expressed thesis and argument, nevertheless, there are some standard elements, without which it is not possible to achieve this desired effect. At least a three-act structure is crucial, so that a certain film or play can find its place among the good pieces of art. The three-act structure must consist of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. The synthesis can be positive, negative or between the two, i.e. bittersweet. A good story consists of a conflict shown in many manifestations and circumstances, internal (within character) or external (between people, factions, etc.) alike. Turning points are essential within a conflict as well, without matter if they are in favor of certain character or for their embarassment. The final piece that a screenwriter has to think about well, is a good character. This means lots of levels of conflicts within the respective personality as well as good character from the point of view of their creator himself/herself. With the instances given through citing works of Syd Field and Robert McKee, and the films cited above, the basic idea of a good screenplay structure has been consecrated. WORDS: 2500 (without bibliography, filmography and footnotes) Bibliography Capra, Frank, Its a Wonderful Life scenes online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA_AgSDgXc8HYPERLINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA_AgSDgXc8feature=relatedHYPERLINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA_AgSDgXc8feature=relatedfeature=related in Steve Chens www.youtube.com (2005, Google Inc., San Bruno, CA) Definitions online at: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Hegelian+dialectic in Lexico Publishing Groups www.reference.com owned by InterActiveCorp Field, Syd, Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, (1979, 1982, 1994 Dell Publishing; New York) George Lucas, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Script, scenes 88 and 125, found at Col Needhams http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Star-Wars-Revenge-of-the-Sith.html George Lucas, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Script, Scene 128 found in Col Needhams http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Star-Wars-Revenge-of-the-Sith.html (1990) McKee, Robert, Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting, (1997 New York, USA) Sanders, Steve, http://www.steves-digicams.com/knowledge-center/how-tos/filmmaking-tips/screenwriting-what-makes-a-good-story.html in wwwHYPERLINK http://www.steves-digicams.com/.HYPERLINK http://www.steves-digicams.com/stevesHYPERLINK http://www.steves-digicams.com/-HYPERLINK http://www.steves-digicams.com/digicamsHYPERLINK http://www.steves-digicams.com/.HYPERLINK http://www.steves-digicams.com/com , (1997, Internet Brands Family, El Segundo, CA, USA)

Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre as a Coming of Age Story Essay -- Jane Ey

Jane Eyre as a Coming of Age Story   Charlotte Bronte's classic, Jane Eyre, is a "coming of age" story. The main character, Jane, travels from the innocence of childhood through the maturity of adulthood. During this journey, Jane goes through the battle of education vs. containment, where she attempts to learn about herself and about the world. She must constantly battle a containment of sorts, however, whether it be a true physical containment or a mental one. This battle of education vs. containment can be seen by following Jane through her different places of residence, including Gateshead Hall, Lowood Institution, Thornfield, Moor House and Morton, and Ferndean Manor, where she is, finally, fully educated and escapes the feeling of containment which she held throughout the novel. The story begins as Jane lives with the Reed family in their home at Gateshead Hall. Here, the theme of education vs. containment develops immediately, as Jane is kept confined indoors on a cold winter day. The other children (Eliza, John, and Giorgiana) are "clustered round their mamma in the drawing-room" (Bronte: 39) being educated, as Jane had been excluded from the group. Jane tries to educate herself by reading from Berwick's History of British Birds, but once again, she is held back from her attempt at enlightenment by the abuse of John Reed, who castigates her and throws the heavy book at her. In anger, Jane cries out, "You are like a murderer - you are like a slave-driver - you are like the Roman emperors" (Bronte: 43). In this passage, Jane compares John Reed to a slave-driver because, like a slave-driver, he deprives Jane of her attempt at education and keeps her suppressed. Afterwards, Jane is blamed for the entire incident and... ...ome of the modern woman, as she manages a perfect balance between both, the spiritual and the physical, which is what she really wanted in life. Works Cited and Consulted Beaty, Jerome. Misreading Jane Eyre. Columbus: Ohio State UP, 1996. Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1991 Bronte, Charlotte. "Charlotte Bronte's Letters". New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1971. Dowta, Dr. Allyson. Women and the Written Word. Trenton: Prentice Hall, 1992. Fraser, Rebecca. The Brontes. 1st ed. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Crown Publishers, 1988.    Gates, Barbara Timm, ed. Critical Essays on Charlotte Bronte. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1990.    Jane Eyre. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. William Hurt, Charlotte Gainsborough, and Anna Paquin. 1996    Jane Eyre. Dir. Julian Aymes. Perf. Timothy Dalton, Zelah Clarke. 1983   

A Market Economy :: essays research papers

A Market Economy is the most efficient way of organizing economic activities. Millions of suppliers (firm) and consumers (buyers) make the markets. The suppliers and consumers sell and purchase goods that satisfy the wants of consumers and suppliers. Suppliers and consumers make rational decisions, respond to incentives and make tradeoffs. Over all trade makes everyone better off. (Mankiw) If one firm does not meet the wants of the consumer then they will lose their place in the market. Sales for most major retailers have risen this quarter, while others have fallen. The over all sales gain equals 7.9%. (Chandler) Sales rose because consumers are not bothered by threats of war. Also, they feel confident in current and future stability of the economy. The reason some retailers lost and most gained could be a number of possibilities: Prices might be too high for the consumer’s taste. Marketing strategies appealed to consumer’s tastes. Consumer’s expectation of future prices and economic stability. Consumer purchasing goods from some firms dropped. This could have been because of price increase of goods sold by retailers. Prices of goods rose because of cost increase due to the rise in Average Total Cost. Average Total Cost is Total Cost (everything that is given up to pay for good) divided by Quantity (how many goods the firm produces). This will be driven up by the Variable Cost (costs that vary with the quantity of output produced) because of inflation; wage increase and cost of goods needed to produce the final good. With some firms rising having their Average Total Cost going up and not increasing price, they will lose profit. Profit is attained by [Total Revenue (the amount a firm receives for sales of it’s output) divided by Quantity minus Total Cost divided by Quantity] multiplied by Quantity. Or, Profit will equal (Price minus Average Total Cost) multiplied by Quantity. If the Average Total Cost is larger than the price than the firm will face either raising price or with a short-term profit loss-shutdown. If profit loss is in effect with the firms long-run Average Total Cost then the firm will have to cut their losses and exit the market. (Mankiw) One reason why most firms did better than others is because of their Average Total Cost being lower than the price. They will be able to make the profit that is needed for the firm to survive. Another reason is because the firm has a strong marketing strategy. Marketing involves the gathering of useful data: what the consumer wants. When the data gathered and studied the information provided will let the firm know what goods to produce or what type of advertising to use. Advertisers will make it seem that the firm’s

The Future is here :: essays papers

The Future is here The idea of being able to choose the gender of a child has not always been around. This controversy did not come about until recently because now we have the technology to perform this act of sex determination. Some say that we should be able to choose the gender of our children. However, other people think that we shouldn’t be able to because they say that it is experimenting with nature. Also, that it is unnatural. I used to think the way of the second viewpoint, but not anymore. There is absolutely nothing wrong with couples being able to choose whether they want to have a baby girl or a boy. According to an article in Newsweek called The Brave New World of Sex Selection by Thomas Hayden, this is possible. The article states how it is done. To do this, scientists measure DNA in sperm cells and pass the millions of them through a tiny tube in a single file. They then separate the â€Å"girl sperm† from the â€Å"boy sperm†. They can tell the difference because â€Å"girl sperm† has more DNA. The separated sperm cells are then used, one or the other, to impregnate a woman to have a girl or a boy. In a study, fifteen out of seventeen women with the â€Å"girl sperm† had girls. Getting the Girl by Lisa Bellkin, an article in the New York Times Magazine, states a 93% success rate. Some mothers might only want a girl when others might want a boy. If a couple has a strong opinion that one sex is easier to raise over the other, such as a boy, they might not want the hardship of trying to raise a girl. A family could also want a boy to carry on the family name. In my opinion, I would go through this process to have a girl. I think that since obviously I am a girl, I could do a better job of raising a girl than a boy. A parent could think that they know more about one sex than the other and choose to raise that sex. Another reason that I think people should be able to choose the gender of their child is because if you already have three boys in your house, it could be time for a change.

Historian’s Wizard of Oz Review Essay

the movie `wizard of oz`, the strengths and weaknesses of each document, the major differences between the documents, and feedback on any links to present day political and economic issues. Investigate the authors background. Introduction The Historian’s Wizard Of Oz, first published in 1900, made ripples in the literary world and its writer L. Frank Baum shoot to eminence, and the result was so many of the sequels. When MGM, in 1939, decided to convert this hit into movie version, many of the adaptations of Wizard of Oz had been appeared on stage. Although the film did not cause swell at the box office sales in the beginning, but made waves, as people become conscious to its hidden meaning, years following its initial release. â€Å"Its status as an American classic owes more to television, as The Wizard of Oz became an annual television event in the 1950s and 1960s. The universal quality of the story and the warmth of the film made it appealing to people of all ages. Who would’ve thought that The Wizard of Oz contained hidden meanings†?1 Critics and observers has been interpreted this mega hit in different ways for more than a century now. And it is Henry Littlefield, a high school teacher; presented the most illustrious interpretation of The Wizard of Oz. it is a fact that Baum had been very much involved in active politics in the last decades of 1800s.But, Baum never made claim at any stage that that the story, in its contents, was an allegory for politics. â€Å"Baum’s story corresponded to the issues and figures in American politics at the end of the 19th century. Littlefield found that he could use The Wizard of Oz to teach history to his students, as the story functioned well as an allegory to the Populist movement and the 1896 presidential election†. 2 Populism, the Key Issues of 1896 and Impact on Culture More than 50 translations has been made in various languages of East and West of The Wizard of Oz so far. Even, due to its popularity, different countries adapted in a way to match the corrosponding conditions of the local culture. For instance, â€Å"in some countries where the Hindu religion is practiced, abridged versions of the book were published in which, for religious reasons, the Tin Woodsman was replaced with a snake†. 1 When Henry Littlefield article was published in American Quarterly then people began to realize that The Wizard of Oz was a â€Å"parable on Populism,† a prototype of a rural political awakening in the last decades of 1800. The Populist Party of late 19th century mobilized the Farmers’ Alliances to its advantage. â€Å"Farmers faced considerable economic hardship and they believed that monetary policy was determined by eastern bankers and industrial interests. The Farmers’ Alliances wanted greater government regulation of railroads, tax reform and the free coinage of silver to increase the money supply†. 3 Wizard of the Oz made great impression on American, Russian, and other European countries. â€Å"A mere sampling of the breadth in which it is referenced might include Futurama (which parodied it in an episode), The Cinnamon Bear (a 1938 radio serial), RahXephon (a 2002 Japanese animated television show), Zardoz (a 1974 Sean Connery movie), Wizard and Glass (a 1997 Stephen King fantasy/Western novel), and the science fiction literature of Robert Heinlein†. 4 The Wizard of Oz: the movie: the Ups and Downs Although Baum produced the â€Å"Oz† film series in 1908 and 1914 but the most famous adaptation is the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, featuring Judy Garland as Dorothy. Francis MacDonell argues that the movie is an allegory of New Deal, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s program of social welfare to combat the widespread hardship of the Great Depression in the 1930s. The man primarily responsible for injecting this political message into the film was lyricist E.Y. â€Å"Yip† Harburg, who was a socialist and supporter of Roosevelt’s policies. Harburg had written the lyrics to â€Å"Brother Can You Spare a Dime?† which served as an apt anthem for the Great Depression. 5 The movie is magical and creative, its pluses is as MacDonnell described, The Wizard of Oz, †¦is a brightly-colored, visually bold, rapidly paced extravaganza, full of gaudy sets, outlandish costumes, and way-over-the-top acting.6 But, some of the scenes were insipid (the ridiculous conclusion of the poppy field sequence) or misplaced (the Cowardly Lion’s song, which occurs at perhaps the least appropriate moment). 5 A look into Frank Baum’s Life and His Political Ambitions L Frank Baum was born on 15 May 1856 in Chittennnango, New York. His earlier interest in the newspapers and magazines but when he entered in his 20s he started taking interest in theaters and operas. His mother was one of the leading champions of the Women’s Rights Movements. He shoot to eminence when he teamed up with Maxfield Parrish, the illustrator, and wrote his first book Mother Goose in Prose, afterwards he together with illustrator William Wallace he published Father Goose, His Book. Both books had drawn huge attention from the children. Nobody can say with surety that Frank Baum really preplanned to produce a work that was so much critical of the monetary aspects of the 1896 election. â€Å"Yet it is not too much of a stretch to interpret the imagery of the story in this light. Of all the fantasy characters Baum could have created to accompany Dorothy on her journey, he chose characters that evoked so strongly the occupations of ordinary people in the late-19th century—farmers and industrial workers. Lawrence Swaim suggests that Baum â€Å"may not have been conscious of [the political significance of the Oz imagery], which would explain why the political references in Baum’s books pop up in such a surrealistic way.†1 It is surprising none of the Baum biographers identified that if Baum had any political intention to write The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. â€Å"If Baum had been a Populist supporter, the imagery in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz suggests that Baum had lost his zeal for the Populist movement.† 1 Endnotes 1. Ranjit S. Dighe, The Historian’s Wizard of Oz: Reading L. Frank Baum’s Classic as a Political and Monetary Allegory (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002) 2. Richard Jensen, The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1885-1896 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1971) 3. Martin Gardner and Russell B. Nye, eds., The Wizard of Oz and Who He Was (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1994) 4. William Leach, Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture, (New York: Vintage Books, 1993) 5. Lynette Carpenter, â€Å"‘There’s No Place Like Home’: The Wizard of Oz and American Isolationism,† Film and History 15 (May, 1985), pp. 37-45 6. Francis MacDonnell, â€Å"‘The Emerald City Was the New Deal’: E.Y. Harburg and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,† Journal of American Culture (13 (Winter 1990), pp. 71-75.

Analysis of the poem Essay

The poem Originally by Carol Ann Duffy talks about the issue of culture identity. The poem talks about change, memories, and anxiety which occurs when moving. This is conveyed through the experiences of a young girl in the poem who is reluctant to leave what she knows behind. This is made apparent through the theme of memory and the continual change of setting. The title Originally sets the tone for the poem as there change needs to occur for there to be an ‘original’. This choice of diction allows for an expectation for what the journey will be about, while the ambiguity of the poem is written in such a way that personal experiences can be projected upon the protagonist. The aspect of the poem through tone however creates a bias towards negative emotions and experiences due to the despondent tone throughout the first two stanzas. This atmosphere of loss is aided through the use of negative emotive diction such as ‘bawling’ and ‘resigned’. By showing that the protagonist’s brothers are crying, Duffy illustrates how hard this is for them as crying is usually only brought on by major or sad events and loss, ‘resigned’ is used to show how she has accepted her fate, but it doesn’t mean she likes it. This association of emotions with the diction allows for empathy to occur towards the protagonist and her unsure feelings about her emigration. The theme of cultural identity is used in the poem in order to instil a sense of not belonging. This feeling of unease and unhappiness is introduced through the use of ‘bawling’ as this change from the place where they are comfortable and belong to the new one is both painful and confusing for them. The use of italics however, in the repetition of ‘Home’ as well as the capitalisation of it, emphasises it’s importance to them and their desire to return to it. The use of a blind toy by Duffy can be used as a metaphor towards the protagonists new life, where, although the toy is blind, it still has eyes. The foreshadowing could be that when the protagonist moves she will be blinded by everything which is new so that she doesn’t become overwhelmed by it. She will continue to be blind to the beauty of her new home so long as she is yearning for her old one. However, once she is ready her ‘sight’ will return and she will start to forget her cultural identity. At the time, the girl doesn’t want this however, so she is clinging onto a toy to maintain her memories of home. Additionally, a toy is associated with childhood, so the clinging onto it may represent how she doesn’t want to grow up and leave her comforts behind. By saying in the second stanza that ‘all childhood is emigration’, Duffy allows for immediate relation to the protagonists situation. This is due to the journey of growing up to adulthood which is a worldwide experience, as well as referring to physical emigration of moving from one place to another. Improtantly however, the emigration of childhood is all made without the acceptance of the person moving, they cannot stop growing older, and parents make the ultimate decisions. This unease and the inability to understand the need to move is reinforced by the location of her new home where ‘no one you know stays. ‘ This introduces the tone of isolation which is reinforced by having the wrong accent, and ‘shouting words you don’t understand’ which immediately marks a person as being from a different area, even though the move could have been within the same country of city, the accent and slang changes. The introduction of ‘big boys’ shows that she is intimidated by people from the area who are older and bigger as she doesn’t know how they will react, this is reinforced by the alliteration present through the repetition of the hard ‘d’, continuing the feeling of intimidation which the protagonist encounters. A continuation of the alliteration in sibilance, ‘seeing your brother swallow a slug, feel only a skelf of shame,’ provides an insight that the protagonist is slightly proud of her brothers for adapting so well to the environment, which is then applied to herself in a continuation of sibilance in combination with a simile in that she ‘remembers (her) tongue shedding it’s skin like a snake, my voice in the classroom sounding just like the rest. ‘ This shows that she is also now adapting to her environment, reinforced by the fact that a shed skin is natural for a snake, and this adaptation is normal, although slightly unwanted. The last stanza’s change in tone shows how the protagonist has changed with age. This allows for a time skip to take place into a time when she is more mature and able to reflect upon the journey easily, although with some regret. This is expressed through rhetorical questions beginning with the use of ‘Do I only think,’ in line 20, which builds up an atmosphere of longing and wistfulness. There is also a tone of uncertainty in there, as she doesn’t know if she had remained in the place if the feelings of belonging would have remained, which is why she only questions and doesn’t outright believe that staying would have been the best option for her. The rhyming of the words ‘first space’ and ‘right place’ reinforces the doubt she feels about her cultural identity. The continued doubt of the protagonist’s cultural identity which occurs in lines 23 and 24, illustrates how she will continue to try and find the answers throughout her life as she will never be truly certain of who she is, creating a sense of not belonging. Although emigration is a hard thing to experience, Duffy illustrates that trying to maintain a cultural identity through such a process may cause problems later. The continued rejection of the new culture illustrates how much of an outsider it makes the protagonist feel later in life, which could have been avoided if it had been readily embraced. The place which she originates from will always have a draw, however, the acceptance of a new culture viewed as a new part of a personal culture, would be much easier to accept than a replacement to the old one.